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Reports: Raquel Welch dies at 82
Published: Feb. 15, 2023 at 2:22 PM CST|Updated: 21 minutes ago
(Gray News) - Actress Raquel Welch has died at the age of 82, her manager confirmed to multiple media outlets Wednesday.
Welch “passed away peacefully early this morning after a brief illness,” her manager Steve Sauer told People magazine.
Welch’s many film credits include “One Million Years B.C.” and “Fantastic Voyage.”
This developing story will be updated.
Copyright 2023 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | 2023-02-15T20:55:34+00:00 | ktiv.com | https://www.ktiv.com/2023/02/15/reports-raquel-welch-dies-82/ |
ORRVILLE, Ohio, May 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The J.M. Smucker Co. (NYSE: SJM) will report its fourth quarter fiscal 2022 financial results on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. A press release, including financial statements and segment information, supplemental materials, pre-recorded management remarks, and a transcript of the pre-recorded remarks will be available beginning at 7:00 a.m. Eastern Time. The Company will webcast a live question and answer session with Mark Smucker, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Tucker Marshall, Chief Financial Officer, at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time on that date.
The live webcast, replay, and other materials can be accessed at the Company's website: investors.jmsmucker.com.
About The J.M. Smucker Co.
Each generation of consumers leaves their mark on culture by establishing new expectations for food and the companies that make it. At The J.M. Smucker Co., it is our privilege to be at the heart of this dynamic with a diverse portfolio that appeals to each generation of people and pets and is found in nearly 90 percent of U.S. homes and countless restaurants. This includes a mix of iconic brands consumers have always loved such as Folgers®, Jif® and Milk-Bone® and new favorites like Café Bustelo®, Smucker's® Uncrustables® and Rachael Ray® Nutrish®. By continuing to immerse ourselves in consumer preferences and acting responsibly, we will continue growing our business and the positive impact we have on society. For more information, please visit jmsmucker.com.
The J.M. Smucker Co. is the owner of all trademarks referenced herein except for Rachael Ray®, a registered trademark of Ray Marks II LLC, which is used under license.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE The J.M. Smucker Co. | 2022-05-17T22:30:53+00:00 | kalb.com | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/05/17/jm-smucker-co-report-fourth-quarter-earnings/ |
3 things to know this morning – December 20, 2022
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Here's what you should know to start your Tuesday.
1. Inkom's community has come together to help Fire Chief Johnny Ketner and his family after their home burned while they were out of town. The community has provided the family with housing, clothing, food, a Christmas tree, and replaced presents that were destroyed in the fire.
2. The Teton Lakes Golf Course in Rexburg has temporarily made their course into a winter park. People can cross country ski on trails, sled down hills, or use the outdoor skating rink.
3. The Idaho National Laboratory is giving a free tour of the Experimental Breeder Reactor 1 from 10 am to 3 pm today. Transportation to the EBR-I will be given on a first-come first-served basis, starting at the Energy Innovation Lab at 775 Mk Simpson Boulevard in Idaho Falls at 9:15 am. | 2022-12-20T14:25:38+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/news/top-stories/2022/12/20/3-things-to-know-this-morning-december-20-2022/ |
Judge refuses to put hold on order limiting Biden administration contact with social media companies
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal judge in Louisiana refused Monday to put a temporary hold on his own order limiting Biden administration officials’ contacts with social media companies.
Biden administration attorneys had asked U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty in Monroe to stay his own order, which was issued last Tuesday, while they pursue an appeal. That order came in a lawsuit filed by Republican attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri, as well as a conservative website owner and four individual critics of government COVID-19 policies.
The lawsuit claimed the administration, in effect, censored free speech by using threats of regulatory action or protection while pressuring companies to remove what it deemed misinformation. COVID-19 vaccines, legal issues involving President Joe Biden’s son Hunter and election fraud allegations were among the topics spotlighted in the lawsuit.
Doughty was nominated to the federal bench by former President Donald Trump. His injunction blocked the Department of Health and Human Services, the FBI and multiple other government agencies and administration officials from meeting with or contacting social media companies for the purpose of “encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech.”
“Defendants do not identify any specific conduct that they claim is lawful but prevented by the injunction,” Doughty said in Monday’s ruling. He refused to block his own order while it is appealed to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans. The administration can also ask the appeals court for a stay.
Government lawyers have argued that the companies control their own policies regarding misinformation and that the lawsuit casts officials’ comments on issues and policy as threats. The administration said Doughty’s July 4 order was unclear about who in the executive branch it covers and what they can or cannot say about important topics discussed on social media platforms.
The order could cause “grave harm” by preventing the government from “engaging in a vast range of lawful and responsible conduct,” government lawyers said in requesting the stay Thursday night.
Doughty’s order said the administration “seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth.’” The order, which was to remain in effect pending further arguments in Doughty’s court, was hailed by conservatives as a victory for free speech and a blow to censorship. But critics said the order and accompanying reasons, covering more than 160 pages, were broad, unclear and could chill government efforts to fight misinformation on important topics.
The criticisms were echoed in the government’s Thursday night request for a stay. “The potential breadth of the entities and employees covered by the injunction combined with the injunction’s sweeping substantive scope will chill a wide range of lawful government conduct relating to Defendants’ law enforcement responsibilities, obligations to protect the national security, and prerogative to speak on matters of public concern,” the government’s motion said.
The lawsuit’s plaintiffs countered with a weekend filing opposing a stay. Among the arguments are that the July 4 injunction carves out exemptions allowing officials to contact social media companies about postings involving criminal activity or public safety threats; national security threats; election-related issues including voter suppression attempts, voting infrastructure threats and illegal campaign contributions; and saying officials can continue “exercising permissible public government speech promoting government policies or views on matters of public concern.”
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-07-10T18:57:51+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/10/judge-refuses-put-hold-order-limiting-biden-administration-contact-with-social-media-companies/ |
The City of Dayton has approved a grant of more than $80,000 in federal funds to go to the owners of Third Perk Coffeehouse and Wine Bar to expand its downtown location and develop a new concept, Soul Food Carryout.
In a release, the city said that $82,400 were approved on Wednesday for JM Enterprise.
The company plans to use the funds to pay for commercial kitchens, landscaping, new indoor and outdoor seating and accessories for the coffeehouse and a location for the carryout restaurant at 3907 W Third St., according to the release.
The carryout restaurant is expected to open in July, the release said.
Owner Juanita-Michelle Darden said, “We are recovering from 2022, which was our most challenging year in business for a number of reasons, and it took us a while to snap back. This grant from the Dayton Recovery Plan is helping us spring forward and bloom.”
The funds are being provided from the Dayton Recovery Plan, which is the city’s plan to allocate its $138 million share of federal American Rescue Plan Act funds.
About the Author | 2023-05-11T04:04:04+00:00 | daytondailynews.com | https://www.daytondailynews.com/local/dayton-approves-80k-grant-to-owners-of-third-perk-coffeehouse-to-expand-business/KDWC3GNB7VF3HNZ3CTGBO4CEUM/ |
CT New York NY Zone Forecast for Wednesday, January 4, 2023
_____
498 FPUS51 KOKX 050827
ZFPOKX
Zone Forecast Product
National Weather Service New York NY
326 AM EST Thu Jan 5 2023
CTZ005-051600-
Northern Fairfield-
326 AM EST Thu Jan 5 2023
.TODAY...Patchy fog this morning. Cloudy, cooler with highs in
the upper 40s. Northeast winds around 5 mph.
.TONIGHT...Cloudy. A chance of rain and snow showers after
midnight. Lows in the mid 30s. Northeast winds around 5 mph.
Chance of precipitation 40 percent.
.FRIDAY...Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain and snow showers,
mainly in the morning. Near steady temperature in the upper 30s.
Northeast winds around 5 mph, becoming west around 5 mph in the
afternoon. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then clearing. Lows
around 30. Northwest winds around 5 mph.
.SATURDAY...Partly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s. Northwest winds
5 to 10 mph.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then clearing.
Lows in the mid 20s.
.SUNDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. A chance of snow after midnight.
Lows in the upper 20s. Chance of snow 30 percent.
.MONDAY...Mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly
sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.TUESDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming
mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.WEDNESDAY...Partly sunny. Highs around 40.
$$
CTZ009-051600-
Southern Fairfield-
326 AM EST Thu Jan 5 2023
.TODAY...Patchy fog this morning. Cloudy. Highs in the lower 50s.
Northeast winds around 5 mph.
.TONIGHT...Cloudy. A chance of showers after midnight. Lows in
the upper 30s. Northeast winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain
40 percent.
.FRIDAY...Cloudy with a chance of showers in the morning, then
partly sunny with a slight chance of showers in the afternoon.
Near steady temperature in the upper 30s. Northeast winds around
5 mph, becoming west around 5 mph in the afternoon. Chance of
rain 50 percent.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then clearing. Lows
around 30. Northwest winds 5 to 10 mph.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s. Northwest winds
5 to 10 mph.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then clearing.
Lows in the mid 20s.
.SUNDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. A chance of snow and rain after
midnight. Lows in the upper 20s. Chance of precipitation
30 percent.
.MONDAY...Mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly
sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.TUESDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 40s.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming
mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.WEDNESDAY...Partly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.
$$
CTZ006-051600-
Northern New Haven-
326 AM EST Thu Jan 5 2023
.TODAY...Patchy fog this morning. Cloudy. Highs in the upper 40s.
Northeast winds around 5 mph.
.TONIGHT...Cloudy. A chance of rain and snow showers after
midnight. Lows in the mid 30s. Northeast winds around 5 mph.
Chance of precipitation 40 percent.
.FRIDAY...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow showers.
Highs around 40. North winds around 5 mph, becoming northwest in
the afternoon. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then clearing. Lows
around 30. Northwest winds around 5 mph.
.SATURDAY...Partly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s. Northwest winds
5 to 10 mph.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then clearing.
Lows in the mid 20s.
.SUNDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. A chance of snow after midnight.
Lows in the upper 20s. Chance of snow 30 percent.
.MONDAY...Mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly
sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.TUESDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming
mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.WEDNESDAY...Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.
$$
CTZ010-051600-
Southern New Haven-
326 AM EST Thu Jan 5 2023
.TODAY...Patchy fog this morning. Cloudy. Highs in the upper 40s.
Northeast winds around 5 mph.
.TONIGHT...Cloudy. A chance of showers after midnight. Lows in
the mid 30s. Northeast winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain
40 percent.
.FRIDAY...Mostly cloudy. A chance of rain and snow showers in the
morning, then a chance of rain showers in the afternoon. Highs in
the lower 40s. Northeast winds around 5 mph, becoming northwest
in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation 50 percent.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows around 30. Northwest winds
around 5 mph.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s. Northwest winds
5 to 10 mph.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then clearing.
Lows in the mid 20s.
.SUNDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. A chance of snow after midnight.
Lows in the upper 20s. Chance of snow 30 percent.
.MONDAY...Mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly
sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.TUESDAY...Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming
mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.WEDNESDAY...Partly sunny. Highs around 40.
$$
CTZ007-051600-
Northern Middlesex-
326 AM EST Thu Jan 5 2023
.TODAY...Patchy fog this morning. Cloudy. Highs in the upper 40s.
Northeast winds around 5 mph.
.TONIGHT...Cloudy. A chance of rain and snow showers after
midnight. Lows in the mid 30s. Northeast winds around 5 mph.
Chance of precipitation 40 percent.
.FRIDAY...Rain and snow showers likely, mainly in the morning.
Highs in the upper 30s. Northeast winds around 5 mph, becoming
northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows around 30. Northwest winds
around 5 mph.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s. Northwest winds
5 to 10 mph.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then clearing.
Lows in the mid 20s.
.SUNDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.MONDAY...Mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly
sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.TUESDAY...Sunny. Highs in the lower 40s.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming
mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.WEDNESDAY...Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.
$$
CTZ011-051600-
Southern Middlesex-
326 AM EST Thu Jan 5 2023
.TODAY...Patchy fog this morning. Cloudy. Highs in the upper 40s.
Northeast winds around 5 mph.
.TONIGHT...Cloudy. A chance of showers after midnight. Lows in
the mid 30s. Northeast winds around 5 mph. Chance of rain
40 percent.
.FRIDAY...Rain and snow showers likely in the morning, then a
chance of rain showers in the afternoon. Highs around 40.
Northeast winds around 5 mph, becoming northwest in the
afternoon. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 30s. Northwest
winds around 5 mph.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s. Northwest winds
5 to 10 mph.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then clearing.
Lows in the mid 20s.
.SUNDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.MONDAY...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow in the
morning, then partly sunny in the afternoon. Highs in the lower
40s. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.TUESDAY...Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming
mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.WEDNESDAY...Partly sunny. Highs around 40.
$$
CTZ008-051600-
Northern New London-
326 AM EST Thu Jan 5 2023
.TODAY...Patchy fog this morning. Cloudy. Highs in the upper 40s.
Northeast winds around 5 mph.
.TONIGHT...Cloudy. A chance of rain and snow showers after
midnight. Lows in the mid 30s. Northeast winds around 5 mph.
Chance of precipitation 30 percent.
.FRIDAY...Rain and snow showers likely in the morning, then a
chance of rain showers in the afternoon. Highs around 40.
Northeast winds around 5 mph, becoming northwest around 5 mph in
the afternoon. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows around 30. Northwest winds
around 5 mph.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s. Northwest winds
5 to 10 mph.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then clearing.
Lows in the lower 20s.
.SUNDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming
mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 20s.
.MONDAY...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow in the
morning, then partly sunny in the afternoon. Highs in the lower
40s. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.TUESDAY...Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming
mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.WEDNESDAY...Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.
$$
CTZ012-051600-
Southern New London-
326 AM EST Thu Jan 5 2023
.TODAY...Patchy fog this morning. Cloudy. Highs in the upper 40s.
Northeast winds around 5 mph.
.TONIGHT...Cloudy. A chance of rain and snow showers after
midnight. Lows in the mid 30s. Northeast winds around 5 mph.
Chance of precipitation 30 percent.
.FRIDAY...Rain and snow showers likely in the morning, then a
chance of rain showers in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 40s.
Northeast winds around 5 mph, becoming northwest in the
afternoon. Chance of precipitation 60 percent.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows around 30. Northwest winds
around 5 mph.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 40s. Northwest winds
5 to 10 mph.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then clearing.
Lows in the mid 20s.
.SUNDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 30s.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.MONDAY...Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain and snow in the
morning, then partly sunny in the afternoon. Highs in the lower
40s. Chance of precipitation 30 percent.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.TUESDAY...Sunny. Highs in the mid 40s.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy in the evening, then becoming
mostly cloudy. Lows in the upper 20s.
.WEDNESDAY...Partly sunny. Highs around 40.
$$
_____
Copyright 2023 AccuWeather | 2023-01-05T09:44:05+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/CT-New-York-NY-Zone-Forecast-17695897.php |
NPR TV critic Eric Deggans wrote a column criticizing comedian Dave Chappelle’s monologue during his recent Saturday Night Live appearance. Then Deggans got attacked in a barrage of tweets and messages.
He tells us more in a conversation with Here & Now‘s Deepa Fernandes.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2022-11-21T21:10:08+00:00 | nepm.org | https://www.nepm.org/2022-11-21/backlash-against-the-backlash-against-dave-chappelle |
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has sided with four publishers who sued an online archive over its unauthorized scanning of millions of copyrighted works and offering them for free to the public. Judge John G. Koeltl of U.S. District Court in Manhattan ruled that the Internet Archive was producing “derivative” works that required permission of the copyright holder.
The Archive was not transforming the books in question into something new, but simply scanning them and lending them as ebooks from its web site.
“An ebook recast from a print book is a paradigmatic example of a derivative work,” Koeltl wrote.
The Archive, which announced it would appeal Friday’s decision, has said its actions were protected by fair use laws and has long had a broader mission of making information widely available, a common factor in legal cases involving online copyright.
“Libraries are more than the customer service departments for corporate database products,” Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle wrote in a blog post Friday. “For democracy to thrive at global scale, libraries must be able to sustain their historic role in society — owning, preserving, and lending books. This ruling is a blow for libraries, readers, and authors and we plan to appeal it.”
In June 2020, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, John Wiley & Sons, and Penguin Random House sued in response to the Archive’s National Emergency Library, a broad expansion of its ebook lending service begun in the early weeks of the pandemic, when many physical libraries and bookstores had shut down. The publishers sought action against the emergency library and the archive’s older and more limited program, controlled digital lending (CDL). Works by Toni Morrison, J.D. Salinger and Terry Pratchett were among the copyrighted texts publishers cited as being made available.
While the Authors Guild was among those opposing the emergency library, some writers praised it. Historian Jill Lepore, in an essay published in March 2020 in The New Yorker, encouraged readers who couldn’t afford to buy books or otherwise were unable to find them during the pandemic to “please: sign up, log on, and borrow!” from the Internet Archive.
In a statement Friday, the head of the trade group the Association of American Publishers, praised the court decision as an “unequivocal affirmation of the Copyright Act and respect for established precedent.
“In rejecting convoluted arguments from the defendant, the Court has underscored the importance of authors, publishers, and lawful markets in a global society and global economy. Copying and distributing what is not yours is not innovative — or even difficult — but it is wrong,” said Maria Pallante, the association’s president and CEO.
The Internet Archive, founded in 1996, is a nonprofit “founded to build an Internet library, with the purpose of offering permanent access for researchers, historians, and scholars to historical collections that exist in digital format.” Unlike traditional libraries, it does not acquire books directly through licensing deals with publishers, but through purchases and donations. The archive also includes millions of movies, TV shows, videos, audio recordings and other materials. | 2023-03-25T21:22:35+00:00 | wivb.com | https://www.wivb.com/news/business/judge-rules-online-archives-book-service-violated-copyright/ |
Dear Amy: I am a married woman in my mid-60s, now-retired.
My sister (who is divorced) invited me on a “girl’s trip” to hike the Scottish Highlands.
We live on opposite coasts and do not see each other often.
When I told my husband about the trip, he gave me major pushback. Some of his objections are:
1. I would be spending our money on a vacation just for myself. (We are not rich, but this would be affordable.)
2. As a married woman, I should be reserving my travels for my husband, not with single women.
3. This will only lead to other trips without him.
4. He does not “believe” in girls’ trips.
My husband is very controlling. He would definitely make my life miserable if I accepted this invitation, so I turned it down, since I have to live with him.
But what is more upsetting is that instead of being happy for me for getting an opportunity to do something fun and enriching, he is resentful and obstructionist.
He did say that he will only agree if he comes along, despite the fact that he has never wanted to do a trip like this!
Am I in need of counseling? We have been married for 30 years and have had our ups and downs.
I’d love to hear your take.
— Stuck Sister
Dear Stuck: “Girls’ trips” and “guys’ trips” are not articles of faith that a person needs to “believe in.” These sojourns, which range from simple afternoon hikes or rounds of golf to overseas excursions (like your sister’s) can be emotional ports of call for people, providing a way to reconnect with family members or friends without the pressure of performing for – or entertaining – spouses, partners, or children.
And — big bonus — many people return from these trips renewed and very happy to see their partners.
Many happily-together couples leave space for one another to take occasional trips like this, budgeting their funds accordingly.
It is ironic that your husband is insisting to go with you, all while he is demonstrating that he is probably the last person you would want to go anywhere with.
I would say that he is correct in this one regard: Yes, this will lead to you taking other trips without him — in your case, into the office of a counselor and/or a lawyer.
This episode has revealed your husband’s deep insecurity, expressed in his effort to repress, manipulate and control you.
Dear Amy: More than 10 years ago I left an emotionally abusive relationship.
On the way out, he threatened my life and took several thousand dollars from me as “payment” for the emotional turmoil he said I’d caused him, and as an assurance that he would never contact me again.
True to his word, I have managed to avoid him for the better part of 12 years, until the past few months when he has begun to accept invitations from a mutual friend with whom I’ve held a close relationship throughout this time.
The friend is aware of our past relationship, but not the circumstances.
Due to embarrassment for allowing myself to have been treated so poorly, I’ve told almost no one the details.
Now I’m torn whether to tell the mutual friend that I cannot attend group events with this person. I don’t want to give up the friendship, or dictate who someone else may invite to their own home, but I can’t stomach being in the presence of this abuser. Should I say something?
— Torn
Dear Torn: Yes, you should say something — to the police. Theft/extortion is a very serious crime. And if you two made a tacit “no contact” deal, isn’t he close to violating it by inching closer to your social circle?
In terms of your mutual friend, you should make it clear that you will not be in the same room with your ex. Ask to be told if he is included in an invitation.
Dear Amy: I was extremely disappointed in your answer to “Leech BFF,” who mentioned sharing her streaming password with her “mooching” friend.
This is stealing!
— Disappointed
Dear Disappointed: Scores of readers objected to the fact that I neglected to label this as theft.
And even though this is true, it is so widely done that streaming services are now cracking down on this sort of “sharing.”
According to news accounts, starting next year, Netflix will now only allow one “home” per account, and additional homes will need to pay extra to use the same account.
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
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Ohio August 2022 Primary Election Results Dayton Gas Prices Name(required) Email(required) By submitting your information, you're giving us permission to email you. You may unsubscribe at any time. Subscribe Δ As Seen on 2 News Dayton commercial building catches fire Hopeland Church mourning the loss of Assoc. Pastor ‘We have it from here’: Deputy Yates laid to rest View All As Seen on 2 NEWS | 2022-08-02T15:59:12+00:00 | wdtn.com | https://www.wdtn.com/2022-ohio-august-primary-election/ |
Some Brownsville bus riders are scrambling to find alternatives for getting to work or to medical appointments due to a shortage of Brownsville Metro drivers.
The city’s Multimodal Transportation Department has had to suspend several routes while it works to hire more drivers. The changes have cut 19 trips from the daily schedule. A department spokeswoman says the driver shortage is not unique to Brownsville Metro – that other transit systems are experiencing a large number of resignations.
Brownsville Metro currently has eight openings for drivers and is offering a sign-on bonus to try to fill those positions. | 2022-08-04T18:55:46+00:00 | kurv.com | https://www.kurv.com/driver-shortage-leaves-brownsville-bus-riders-scrambling/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=driver-shortage-leaves-brownsville-bus-riders-scrambling |
Victims ready to speak at Christmas parade crash sentencing
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Dozens of people who were hurt or saw their loved ones killed or injured when a man drove his SUV through a Christmas parade in suburban Milwaukee plan to address him for the first time Tuesday during what promises to be a raw, tearful two-day sentencing hearing.
Darrell Brooks Jr. drove his red Ford Escape through the parade in downtown Waukesha on Nov. 21, 2021. Six people were killed, including an 8-year-old boy. Scores of others were injured. A jury convicted Brooks last month of 76 charges, including six counts of first-degree intentional homicide and 61 counts of reckless endangerment.
Judge Jennifer Dorow set aside Tuesday for victim impact statements and Wednesday for sentencing.
Brooks, 40, almost certainly will spend the rest of his life in prison. Each homicide count carries a mandatory life sentence, and each endangerment count carries a maximum sentence of 17 1/2 years. Legal experts said they expect Dorow to make the life sentences consecutive, with no chance of parole, because to do otherwise would likely mean an intense backlash from the community.
“This guy’s never getting out,” said Tom Grieve, a Madison-based defense attorney. “He’s never going to see the light of day.”
The crash left deep scars across southeastern Wisconsin that still haven’t healed. Several witnesses wept on the stand during Brooks’ trial as they described how the SUV barreled through the crowd, sending bodies flying through the air. Someone in the gallery yelled, “Burn in hell,” as Dorow read the guilty verdicts last month.
Prosecutors have said at least 45 people have asked to speak in court, including nine children.
Brooks chose to represent himself during his trial despite overwhelming evidence against him. His interactions with victim witnesses were tense, but he generally treated them respectfully, and they kept their answers short. Tuesday will be the victims’ first chance to confront Brooks while he is forced to sit and listen.
State law doesn’t place any restrictions on what can be said during victim impact statements other than that the remarks must be relevant to the sentence. The law doesn’t define relevance; as long as people don’t lapse into screaming or profanity, they will be free to say what they want.
Brooks told the judge this month that nine people will speak on his behalf, including his mother. Brooks had said she would testify at the trial, but he never called her to the stand.
The monthlong trial was punctuated by erratic outbursts from Brooks, who refused to answer to his own name, frequently interrupted Dorow and often refused to stop talking. The judge often had bailiffs move him to another courtroom where he could participate via video but she could mute his microphone.
After he was removed from the main courtroom during jury selection, he removed his shirt, sat on the defense table bare-chested and stuck down his pants a sign he’d been given to signal objections. Later in the trial, he built a small fort out of his boxes of legal documents and hid behind it so the camera couldn’t pick up his face. At other times, he hid his face behind a Bible.
Dorow said in a memo to Brooks and prosecutors this month that she has received emails, letters, cards and gifts, including candy and other food, in connection with the case.
Any perception of judicial bias against Brooks could provide him with grounds for an appeal.
Dorow wrote that the gifts will not influence her sentencing decision, saying that she has taken “every step possible” to not read the correspondence and that she has distributed the candy among the clerk of court’s staff.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that much of the correspondence came from livestream viewers who praised the judge’s handling of a difficult case.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2022-11-15T15:40:14+00:00 | witn.com | https://www.witn.com/2022/11/15/victims-ready-speak-christmas-parade-crash-sentencing/ |
MADISON, Wis. — Police in Milwaukee arrested a second person in a shooting in which six people, including the two alleged shooters, were wounded right after a Juneteenth celebration wrapped up.
The other four people who were wounded are girls or women ranging in age from 14-18 years old, police said. All six of the people who were shot are expected to survive.
Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a fight between several young women outside of the church, police said.
A Facebook Live video of the aftermath showed paramedics treating people with gunshot wounds on the pavement of Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, where thousands of people had filled the street for the city’s Juneteenth festival just 20 minutes earlier.
It was one of many shootings that took place across the country over a bloody holiday weekend.
“It’s just freaking heartbreaking. We have to do better as parents. We have to do better as adults in the community,” Democratic Gov. Tony Evers said Tuesday. | 2023-06-20T20:24:15+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/2023/06/20/milwaukee-juneteenth-celebration-shooting/16b82eba-0f9e-11ee-8d22-5f65b2e2f6ad_story.html |
Week 4
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- Fresh start: Dickerson returning to coaching at CBA
- Bay City top officer's case goes to prosecutor
- Coleman man guilty of sexually assaulting 4-year-old girl
- Midland woman faces multiple felony charges
- Bay City police, fire unions condemn Bay City top cop's actions
- Chargers edge Chemics, inch closer to SVL title
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- In order to have the best outcomes disagreements and lively debates should be the norm in a... | 2022-09-29T15:22:04+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/sports/article/NFL-Team-Stax-17475107.php |
WASHINGTON, April 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Metrea made history on April 17, 2023, by performing the first-ever commercial boom aerial refueling of any receiver by a commercial tanker aircraft.
This historic achievement by a Metrea Strategic Mobility (MSM) KC-135R occurred during a successful training exercise off the coast of Florida. Two P-8 Poseidon aircraft were refueled over a period of 4 hours, resulting in enhanced readiness and training of a front-line operational Navy Unit.
"This is a major milestone in the 100-year history of air-to-air refueling. A commercial tanker has never done this before," said Jon "Ty" Thomas, Head of Metrea's Air and Space Group. "Teamwork with the US Navy, NAVAIR, and the P-8 unit led to this success, which is a testament to the significant value commercial tankers present to augment national military tanker fleets. We look forward to making boom contacts with a USAF receiver and a foreign air force receiver. There is more history to be made here."
Metrea Strategic Mobility is the only company to own and operate a fleet of KC-135R aircraft. Metrea offers an air-to-air refueling service that seamlessly, safely, and professionally integrates into military aviation training and operations.
Metrea has a mission reliability rate of 93% since beginning execution of a NAVAIR contract in late 2021 and has flown over 130,000 accident-free flying hours, across multiple aircraft types, missions, and geographies in support of US, UK, and other allied and partner government national security objectives. MSM's aircraft are equipped with two wing-mounted Multi-Point Refueling System (MPRS) pods which facilitate refueling with probe equipped Navy, Marine Corps and partner nation aircraft. They are also equipped with an air refueling boom to refuel receptacle equipped receivers, such as Navy P-8's and US Air Force aircraft.
Metrea Strategic Mobility is part of Metrea. Metrea provides effects-as-a-service to national security partners in five domains and over a dozen mission-centric solution areas, including airborne ISR, electronic warfare, communications, space-based ISR, and advanced simulation.
Metrea Strategic Mobility is headquartered in Temecula, California; Metrea is headquartered in Washington, DC with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, and the EU.
More photos are available on the Metrea website: www.metrea.aero
Inquiries – communications@metrea.aero
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SOURCE Metrea | 2023-04-25T18:59:20+00:00 | wlbt.com | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/04/25/metrea-announces-historic-commercial-aerial-refueling-navy-p-8-poseidon/ |
A man was arrested Wednesday after allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail at officers in Washington, D.C.
U.S Capitol Police said they were alerted to the man Wednesday afternoon. The officers said the suspect was trying to light the Molotov cocktail when he threw it at them and tried to get away. However, the officers managed to stop him.
“Both of our officers were treated for minor injuries. Thankfully they are going to be OK,” said acting Assistant Chief of Police for Uniformed Operations Sean Gallagher.
The man also had an explosive device made with a tequila bottle and a petroleum-based accelerant, police said.
It's unclear what the man was planning to do with the Molotov cocktails, but police said there's no indication he was targeting the U.S. Capitol or members of Congress.
He's facing charges of assault on a police officer, possession of a Molotov cocktail and assault with a deadly weapon. | 2022-07-07T17:31:56+00:00 | tmj4.com | https://www.tmj4.com/news/national/capitol-police-man-threw-a-molotov-cocktail-at-officers |
French investigators search offices of Paris Olympic organizers in suspected corruption probe
PARIS (AP) — French investigators are searching the headquarters of the Paris Olympic organizers in a probe into suspected corruption, according to the national financial prosecutor’s office.
The Paris organizing committee said in a statement that a search is under way at their headquarters in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, and that “Paris 2024 is cooperating with the investigators to facilitate their investigations.” It would not comment further.
An official with the financial prosecutor’s office said the searches are linked to two investigations based on information provided by an anti-corruption agency. The official was not authorized to be publicly named according to prosecutor’s office policy.
___
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-06-20T09:59:39+00:00 | fox5vegas.com | https://www.fox5vegas.com/2023/06/20/french-investigators-search-offices-paris-olympic-organizers-suspected-corruption-probe/ |
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Nov. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Alabama Power President and CEO Mark Crosswhite today announced his retirement, effective Dec. 31.
"Having the privilege of leading Alabama Power has been the high point of my career," Crosswhite said. "It has been an honor working for a company that for more than a century has been dedicated to serving communities across Alabama. As I approach my 60th birthday, though, I have come to realize it is time for me to spend more time with my family." Crosswhite led Alabama Power for more than eight years and built a reputation as a low-key but powerful industry thought leader and corporate citizen.
Crosswhite pivoted Alabama Power toward innovation and meeting customers' long-term energy needs while championing a strong relationship with the company's building trades partners. He also advanced the company's role in elevating the state and its communities with a continued emphasis on economic development and through the work of the Alabama Power Foundation and company employee and retiree volunteers.
Tom Fanning, chairman, president and CEO of Southern Company, Alabama Power's parent company, praised Crosswhite for his impact at Alabama Power and across the state.
"Mark has spent a lifetime in service to his home state of Alabama through his work dedicated to the numerous charitable, civic and nonprofit causes he champions. As the leader of Alabama Power Company, one of Alabama's great corporate institutions, he carried with him each and every day that sense of service as he worked to improve the lives of customers, communities and colleagues," Fanning said.
"The entire Southern Company system has benefited greatly from Mark's expertise, wisdom and citizenship in helping build the future of energy for the betterment of millions of lives across the country," he said. "I wish Mark, his wife, Jane Emily, their two sons and the entire Crosswhite family nothing but the best during retirement."
Crosswhite's successor will be named at a later date.
Among Crosswhite's accomplishments while at Alabama Power:
- Crosswhite worked closely with Alabama Power employees in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and in the building trades on continuing Alabama Power's strong labor-management partnership. Crosswhite's expertise in labor relations was recognized when North America's Building Trades Unions named him its apprenticeship readiness national spokesperson in 2019 and 2020.
- Crosswhite and Alabama Power collaborated with state government and other economic development officials and stakeholders to build a robust innovation economy in the state.
- Crosswhite oversaw the forming of Alabama Power's Council on Culture and Inclusion, which works to ensure the company's culture is the best it can be – built on inclusion, respect and fairness for all employees.
- Working with other Birmingham-area leaders, Crosswhite led the launch of Prosper, an initiative focused on creating a more prosperous region by investing in opportunities that grow the area's economy in an inclusive way. Crosswhite chairs Prosper's board of directors.
- Crosswhite became president and CEO of Alabama Power in March 2014, returning to Alabama Power from Southern Company where he served as chief operating officer.
Crosswhite from 2010 to 2012 served as president and CEO of Florida-based Gulf Power, a Southern Company subsidiary at the time.
From 2008 until he moved to Gulf Power, Crosswhite served as executive vice president for External Affairs at Alabama Power, where he directed regulatory affairs, economic and community development, public relations, environmental affairs and governmental affairs. He began his Alabama Power career in 2006 as senior vice president and counsel, where he oversaw the company's legal matters.
Crosswhite joined Southern Company in 2004 as senior vice president and general counsel for Southern Company Generation. Before joining Southern Company, Crosswhite represented the company in private practice for 17 years.
Crosswhite is a native of Decatur. His family's deep roots in Alabama date to the early 19th century. He earned a bachelor's degree in 1984 from the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and a Juris Doctor from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1987.
Crosswhite serves on numerous corporate, civic and nonprofit boards. Among the many honors he has received are the UAH Alumni of Achievement Award, A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club's A.G. Gaston Vision Award, the Alabama Organized Labor Awards Foundation Friend of Labor and the Birmingham Business Journal's 2020 Executive of the Decade.
He is co-chair of Gov. Kay Ivey's 2023 inaugural committee.
Alabama Power, a subsidiary of Atlanta-based Southern Company (NYSE: SO), provides reliable, affordable electricity to 1.5 million customers across the state. Learn more at www.alabamapower.com.
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SOURCE Alabama Power Company | 2022-11-21T17:17:16+00:00 | wsfa.com | https://www.wsfa.com/prnewswire/2022/11/21/alabama-power-president-ceo-crosswhite-announces-retirement/ |
CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago man has been charged in the August death of a Florida woman he allegedly struck with his Corvette while racing another car on the city's southwest side, police said.
Aaron Guerrero, 27, was arrested Monday and charged with reckless homicide with a motor vehicle and aggravated street racing in the death of Shawman Meireis, 40, Chicago police said.
Guerrero was scheduled for a Wednesday bail hearing. It was unclear if he has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
Police said Meireis, who was visiting Chicago from Florida, was crossing a street near Midway Airport early on Aug. 28 when two Corvettes came racing toward her.
The two Corvettes were cutting each other off and weaving through traffic when Guerrero's vehicle hit another car and careened into Meireis, who was thrown to the pavement.
Meireis died at a hospital one day before her 41st birthday. She had been out for a late dinner with her boyfriend and was from Naples, Florida, according to her obituary.
Guerrero was initially cited for obstructed front windshield and failure to exercise due care with a pedestrian in the roadway, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Guerrero told officers he had been fleeing a carjacking, but a police report cites witnesses who said the drivers of both Corvettes were racing each other just before the accident, the newspaper reported. | 2023-02-08T17:02:38+00:00 | expressnews.com | https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/chicago-man-charged-in-street-racing-crash-that-17771652.php |
BERLIN (AP) — Switzerland’s UBS said Monday that it expects to complete its takeover of longtime rival Credit Suisse as early as next week.
The two Zurich-based banks are uniting in a 3 billion-franc ($3.3 billion) deal that was arranged hastily in March by the Swiss government and regulators after Credit Suisse’s stock plunged and jittery depositors quickly pulled out their money.
The merger was aimed at stemming upheaval in the global financial system after the collapse of two U.S. banks shook confidence in the sector. The takeover will leave UBS as Switzerland’s single banking titan.
UBS said Monday that it expects to complete the acquisition by as early as June 12. Credit Suisse said it also expects completion as early as next Monday, and that it would be delisted from the SIX Swiss Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange on June 12 or the day after if that happens.
“Completion is subject to the registration statement, which covers shares to be delivered, being declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and to satisfaction, or waiver by UBS, of other remaining closing conditions,” UBS said in a statement.
The reputation of 167-year-old Credit Suisse was pummeled in recent years over stock price declines, a string of scandals and the flight of customers worried about the bank’s future. | 2023-06-05T21:01:24+00:00 | valleycentral.com | https://www.valleycentral.com/news/business/ap-business/switzerlands-ubs-says-it-could-complete-credit-suisse-takeover-on-june-12/ |
DOHA, Qatar (AP) — FIFA’s threat of on-field punishment for players pushed World Cup teams to back down Monday and abandon a plan for their captains to wear armbands that were seen as a rebuke to host nation Qatar’s human rights record.
Just hours before the first players with the armbands in support of the “One Love” campaign were to take the field, soccer’s governing body warned they would immediately be shown yellow cards — two of which lead to a player’s expulsion from that game and also the next.
That changed the calculus for the seven European teams, which may have expected merely to be fined. The displays are a violation of FIFA rules.
No player had the “One Love” armbands Monday, although England’s Harry Kane wore the FIFA-approved “No Discrimination” armband that was offered as a compromise in the match with Iran.
It was the latest dispute that threatened to overshadow play on the field. Since being awarded the World Cup hosting rights in 2010, conservative Muslim Qatar has faced a raft of criticism, including its treatment of low-paid migrant workers and women and its suppression of free speech. It came under particular fire for its criminalization of homosexuality.
The decision came three days after beer sales at stadiums were suddenly banned under pressure from the Qatari government and two days after FIFA president Gianni Infantino delivered an extraordinary tirade defending the host nation’s human rights record.
The captains of seven European nations had vowed to wear armbands carrying the heart-shaped, multicolored logo of the “One Love” campaign, which promotes inclusion and diversity in soccer and society. That set up the prospect of worldwide viewers seeing a symbol of disapproval with the host country and defiance of FIFA on the arms of Kane, the Netherlands’ Virgil van Dijk and Wales’ Gareth Bale on Monday.
But in the end, the teams said they couldn’t sacrifice success on the field.
“As national federations, we can’t put our players in a position where they could face sporting sanctions, including bookings,” the seven soccer federations said in a joint statement, referring to the yellow cards.
The captains of Belgium, Switzerland, Germany and Denmark had also pledged to wear the armbands in the coming days.
“Our No. 1 priority at the World Cup is to win the games,” the Dutch soccer federation said in a separate statement. “Then you don’t want the captain to start the match with a yellow card.”
The risk of getting a second yellow, which would see a player sent off the field for the rest of the game and banned from the next, is particularly tricky in a tournament where teams play only three games before the knockout rounds begin.
“One thing is clear: We are not going to wear the armband if we are going to get a yellow card,” said Netherlands coach Louis van Gaal. “And I think that we need to question whether this is a correct act on the part of FIFA. I think you can give the answer to that question.”
National soccer federations and fan associations lashed out at FIFA for its decision to penalize the players. Danish soccer federation CEO Jakob Jensen told Danish broadcaster TV2 that the organization was ”extremely disappointed with FIFA,” and German soccer federation president Bernd Neuendorf called it “another low blow.”
“FIFA today prohibited a statement for diversity and human rights — those are values to which it is committed in its own statutes,” Neuendorf told reporters in Qatar. “From our point of view, this is more than frustrating and, I think, an unprecedented action in World Cup history.”
The global players’ union FIFPRO called the FIFA move “disappointing.”
“Players must have a right to express their support for human rights on and off the field of play and we will support any of them who will use their own platforms to do so,” the union said. “We maintain that a rainbow flag is not a political statement but an endorsement of equality and thus a universal human right.”
England’s Football Supporters Association said it felt betrayed by FIFA.
“Today we feel contempt for an organization that has shown its true values by giving the yellow card to players and the red card to tolerance,” the FSA said.
The Belgium federation expressed frustration that FIFA didn’t act sooner to resolve an issue that began two months ago, only to come to a head on the morning of matches for three teams. The Europeans “tried several times to avoid escalating this initiative … but we have had no response,” the Belgian federation said.
Manon Aubry of France, the president of the Left group at the European Parliament, wore the rainbow armband Monday during a debate on human rights in the context of the World Cup.
“Shame on those who did not allow armbands — ‘One Love’ armbands — to support the LGBTQI. I’m proud to wear that armband here,” said Aubry, who was reprimanded for wearing it inside the Parliament, where such displays are not allowed during plenary sessions.
Gurchaten Sandhu, of the Geneva-based International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, said FIFA put “athletes in a very, very awkward” position.
“You’ve bound the hands of the national teams. They’re there to compete,” he said.
He also criticized Infantino’s speech Saturday in which the soccer chief defended Qatar and lectured Europeans who have criticized the emirate’s human rights record. In that speech, Infantino said: “Today I feel Qatari. Today I feel Arab. Today I feel African. Today I feel gay. Today I feel disabled. Today I feel a migrant worker.”
Sandhu took issue with Infantino’s choice of words, saying: “You don’t feel gay. You are gay.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what, if any, influence Qatar’s autocratic government had on the armband decision. The government and its Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, which oversees the World Cup, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The European plans were in breach of World Cup regulations and FIFA’s general rules on team equipment at its games.
“For FIFA final competitions, the captain of each team must wear the captain’s armband provided by FIFA,” its equipment regulations state.
The soccer body’s proposal, announced Saturday, was for captains to wear armbands with socially aware, though generic, slogans. In that offer, armbands reading “No Discrimination” — the only one of its chosen slogan aligned with the European teams’ wish — would appear only at the quarterfinal stage.
On Monday, it offered the compromise that captains of all 32 teams “will have the opportunity” to wear an armband with the slogan “No Discrimination” in the group games.
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2022-11-21T20:15:07+00:00 | kxnet.com | https://www.kxnet.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/ap-european-teams-abandon-plan-to-wear-armbands-at-world-cup/ |
Steve Yzerman’s pursuit of a new head coach for the Detroit Red Wings, which began eight weeks ago when Jeff Blashill was dismissed, should be completed soon.
Yzerman is now free to interview Tampa Bay assistant coaches Derek Lalonde and Jeff Halpern, after the Colorado Avalanche defeated the Lightning Sunday in Game 6 to win the Stanley Cup.
Boston and Winnipeg are the only other teams still seeking a head coach. Since the season ended, the New York Islanders hired Lane Lambert, Vegas hired Bruce Cassidy, Philadelphia hired John Tortorella, Dallas hired Pete DeBoer, Florida hired Paul Maurice and Chicago reportedly will hire Luke Richardson.
Barry Trotz, who turns 60 on July 15, was the most prominent available candidate and interviewed with the Red Wings and Jets, among other teams. But he still has a year remaining on his contract with the Islanders at $4 million and said he will sit out the 2022-23 season.
Rick Bowness, who parted ways with the Stars, is among the available experienced NHL coaches, along with David Quinn, Rick Tocchet, Claude Julien, Dave Tippett and former Detroit coach Mike Babcock.
Yzerman values familiarity and was the general manager in Tampa Bay when Bowness, Lalonde and Halpern were hired.
Lalonde and Halpern joined head coach Jon Cooper’s staff following the 2017-18 season and were behind the bench during two Stanley Cup championship runs.
Lalonde, who turns 50 on Aug. 18, has head coaching experience at various levels.
He led the Green Bay Gamblers to the USHL’s Clark Cup championship in 2011-12, earning coach of the year honors.
He later won division titles in each of his two seasons as head coach with the Toledo Walleye, the Red Wings’ ECHL affiliate. Lalonde won the John Brophy Award as ECHL Coach of the year his first season, when the Walleye improved by 58 points, the largest leap in league history, and reached the third round of the playoffs.
He then moved up to the AHL, spending two seasons as head coach for the Iowa Wild, who posted a 22-point improvement and their first winning record during Lalonde’s first year.
Lalonde, a college goaltender for SUNY Cortland, began his coaching career as an assistant at Ferris State in 2003 and after three years there spent five seasons as an assistant at the University of Denver.
Halpern, 46, played 976 NHL games with seven teams and started his coaching career as an assistant in 2016 with the Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning’s AHL affiliate. He has no head coaching experience.
Others Yzerman might consider include NHL assistants Mike Vellucci (Pittsburgh) and Spencer Carberry (Toronto), AHL Syracuse head coach Benoit Groulx. Denver head coach David Carle and former Swedish national coach Rikard Gronborg.
The Red Wings need a coach who will instill strong defensive principles in a team that finished second from last in goals-against average after its structure fell apart over the final two months.
More: Lightning’s Darek Lalonde has impressive resume for Yzerman to consider | 2022-06-27T13:11:59+00:00 | mlive.com | https://www.mlive.com/redwings/2022/06/red-wings-yzerman-free-to-interview-lightning-assistants-lalonde-halpern.html?src=rss |
MEXICO CITY (AP) — On a dusty field on the east side of Mexico’s sprawling capital, some 500 Ukrainian refugees are waiting in large tents under a searing sun for the United States government to tell them they can come.
The camp has only been open a week and 50 to 100 people are arriving every day. Some have already been to the U.S. border in Tijuana where they were told they would no longer be admitted. Others arrived at airports in Mexico City or Cancun, anywhere they could find a ticket from Europe.
“We are asking the U.S. government to process faster,” said Anastasiya Polo, co-founder of United with Ukraine, a nongovernmental organization, that collaborated with the Mexican government to establish the camp. She said that after a week’s time none of the refugees there “are even close to the end of the program.”
The program, Uniting for Ukraine, was announced by the U.S. government April 21. Four days later, Ukrainians showing up at the U.S.-Mexico border were no longer exempted from a pandemic-related rule that has been used to quickly expel migrants without an opportunity to seek asylum for the past two years.
Instead, they would have to apply from Europe or other countries such as Mexico. To qualify people must have been in Ukraine as of Feb. 11; have a sponsor, which could be family or an organization; meet vaccination and other public health requirements; and pass background checks.
Polo said U.S. government officials had told her it should take a week to process people, but it appeared like it was just beginning. Some of the first arrivals had received emails from the U.S. government acknowledging they received their documents and the documents of their sponsors, but she had heard of no sponsors being approved yet.
“These people cannot stay in this camp, because it is temporary,” Polo said. More than 100 of the camp’s residents are children.
Nearly 5.5 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded its smaller neighbor on Feb. 24, according to the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.
Giorgi Mikaberidze, 19, is among the waiting. He arrived in Tijuana April 25 and found the U.S. border closed. He complained that the U.S. government had given so little notice, because many people like himself were already in transit. He went from being just yards from the United States to some 600 miles (966 kilometers) now.
When the U.S. government announced in late March that it would accept up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees, hundreds entered Mexico daily as tourists in Mexico City or Cancun and flew to Tijuana to wait for a few days – eventually only a few hours – to be admitted to the U.S. at a San Diego border crossing on humanitarian parole. Appointments at U.S. consulates in Europe were scarce, and refugee resettlement takes time, making Mexico the best option.
Traveling through Mexico was circuitous, but a loose-knit group of volunteers, largely from Slavic churches in the western United States, greeted refugees at the Tijuana airport and shuttled them to a recreation center that the city of Tijuana made available for several thousand to wait. A wait of two to four days was eventually shortened to a few hours as U.S. border inspectors whisked Ukrainians in.
That special treatment ended the day Mikaberidze arrived in Tijuana.
“We want to go to America because (we’re) already here, some don’t have even money to go back,” he said.
Mikaberidze was visiting relatives in Georgia, south of Ukraine, when the Russian invasion occurred and was not able to return. His mother remains in their village near Kharkhov in eastern Ukraine, afraid to leave her home because Russian troops indiscriminately shoot up cars traveling in the area, he said.
“She said it’s a very dangerous situation,” said Mikaberidze, who traveled to Mexico alone.
The Mexico City camp provides a safe place to wait. It was erected inside a large sports complex, so Ukrainians could be seen pushing strollers with children along sidewalks, playing soccer and volleyball, even swimming.
However, the refugees have been warned that while they are free to leave the complex, no one is responsible for their safety. Iztapalapa, the capital’s most populated borough, is also one of its most dangerous.
The Mexican government was providing security at the camp with about 50 officers, Polo said. The Navy had also set up a mobile kitchen to provide meals.
She said they felt safe inside the camp, but were asking the government about the possibility of moving the camp to a safer area.
Mykhailo Pasternak and his girlfriend Maziana Hzyhozyshyn, waited at the entrance to the complex Monday afternoon. Both suffering from an apparent head cold, they planned to move to a hotel for a day or two to try to get some sleep and recover before returning to the camp.
Pasternak had left the U.S. to help Hzyhozyshyn get in. The two had spent several days in Tijuana before flying to Mexico City and arriving at the camp Sunday.
The couple stood out on the streets of Iztapalapa and appeared to be withering under the relentless sun. The couple had known each other for six years.
“She’s my love,” Pasternak said.
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AP writer Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report. | 2022-05-03T18:57:38+00:00 | fox44news.com | https://www.fox44news.com/news/national-world-news/ukrainian-refugees-at-camp-in-mexico-city-await-us-action/ |
BOSTON, March 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. (NYSE: SPH), a nationwide distributor of propane, renewable propane, fuel oil and related products and services, as well as a marketer of natural gas and electricity and investor in low carbon fuel alternatives, has partnered with its longtime national partner, the American Red Cross to host a blood drive to boost awareness and encourage blood donations to support patients battling sickle cell disease. Willie Gross, Boston's first African American police commissioner, attended the event in support of Suburban Propane and the American Red Cross.
"It's important to see national companies like Suburban Propane come together with the American Red Cross to educate the community about sickle cell disease and to collect blood that can treat those who suffer from it," said Willie Gross, former Boston Police Commissioner. "I am grateful for the opportunity to be here today in support of this important cause and to help get Boston on the right track when it comes to fighting this terrible disease."
All presenting donors who participated in today's event received a Red Cross first aid kit, courtesy of Suburban Propane. They will also be automatically entered for a chance to win a pair of Celtics tickets, courtesy of the Shamrock Foundation.
The endeavor is part of the Company's SuburbanCares initiative which is dedicated to supporting community efforts across the United States. Recently, SuburbanCares has undertaken charitable endeavors in numerous underserved communities including Key West, FL; Spokane, WA; Lake Worth, FL; Boston, MA; Helena, MT; Charlotte, NC; Lewes, DE; San Diego, CA; Albany, NY; Dayton, OH; Philadelphia, PA; Santa Fe, NM; Santa Rosa, CA; Columbia and Charleston, SC; New Brunswick, NJ; and federal healthcare professionals in 2020 in some of the most COVID-19 affected regions in the nation, including Florida, California, Texas, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C.
"We are always honored to lend a hand to our partners at the American Red Cross, and today's blood drive promoting sickle cell awareness is especially rewarding," said Nandini Sankara, Spokesperson at Suburban Propane. "A single sickle cell patient can require up to 100 units of blood each year to treat complications from their disease, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to provide our support and encourage all available donors to join us in giving the gift of lifesaving blood."
About Suburban Propane
Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. is a publicly traded master limited partnership listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol SPH. Headquartered in Whippany, New Jersey, Suburban has been in the customer service business since 1928 and is a nationwide distributor of propane, renewable energy and related products and services, as well as a marketer of natural gas and electricity and an investor in low carbon alternatives. The Partnership serves the energy needs of approximately 1 million residential, commercial, governmental, industrial and agricultural customers through approximately 700 locations across 42 states. The Partnership is supported by three core pillars: (1) Suburban Commitment – showcasing the Partnership's nearly 95-year legacy, and ongoing commitment to the highest standards for dependability, flexibility, and reliability that underscores the Partnership's commitment to excellence in customer service; (2) SuburbanCares – highlighting the Partnership's continued dedication to giving back to local communities across the Partnership's national footprint and (3) Go Green with Suburban Propane - promoting the clean burning and versatile nature of propane and renewable propane as a solution to a green energy future and its commitment to investing in and developing the next generation of renewable energy.
For additional information on Suburban Propane, please visit www.suburbanpropane.com.
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SOURCE Suburban Propane Partners, L.P. | 2023-03-09T22:26:41+00:00 | uppermichiganssource.com | https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/prnewswire/2023/03/09/suburban-propane-partners-with-american-red-cross-host-boston-blood-drive-promoting-sickle-cell-disease-awareness/ |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Although Carlos Vela expects Gareth Bale and Giorgio Chiellini to make a good team even better when they join him at Los Angeles FC, he also wants the European superstars to know they've still got plenty of work to do.
Vela issued greetings and advice to his new teammates after he re-signed with Los Angeles FC on Tuesday, extending his tenure with the Major League Soccer leaders through the 2023 season.
The Mexican striker became the first player in LAFC's history in August 2017 when the expansion club signed him away from La Liga’s Real Sociedad nearly seven months before its first match. Vela made the transition from Europe to MLS superbly by scoring 73 goals in 118 total appearances for the franchise, including a league-record 34 goals in 31 games while earning the league MVP award in 2019.
“When I joined this club from the first day, my first goal was the most important — to win trophies for this club,” Vela said. “I want to keep going and show everybody how good we are.”
LAFC already sits atop the overall league standings at 10-3-3, and the club is about to get major reinforcements with the imminent arrivals of Welsh forward Bale and Italian defender Chiellini, who should both be eligible to play next week.
Vela is eager to welcome Bale to MLS after nine seasons spent mostly at Real Madrid — but he also expects hard work out of Bale, whose injury setbacks and overall commitment to Madrid were widely questioned in the Spanish media in recent years.
“As you know, this league is really physical," Vela said. “If he’s in good shape and he comes in with a good mentality, a good attitude, he will be great. He’s an important player. He will have to come to work, because it’s not that easy like people think. If he comes in good shape with a good attitude, a good mentality, he will be so important for us. He will help us to win trophies.”
The 33-year-old Vela was limited by significant injuries in both 2020 and 2021, but he has returned as LAFC’s leading scorer this season with six goals and three assists. His contract was set to expire at the end of June, but Vela and LAFC completed most of the key negotiations on this new deal two months ago, general manager John Thorrington acknowledged.
“For me, Carlos has been the best player in this league for a good part of his time here, and we are eager to see what else he brings to this team and the city,” Thorrington said. “We believe Carlos will help us deliver on our ambition to win championships here in LA.”
Vela is one of LAFC's two designated players, who are allowed to be paid above the MLS salary cap. LAFC still has a third designated player slot open to make another addition alongside Bale and Chiellini, who were signed without using a designated player slot.
“It doesn’t matter how many years you’ve played in some place,” Vela said. “You have to put in the effort, and you have to do what is best for the team. Now we have a lot of talent coming in, so we just have to figure out what’s best for the team, put it in and go for it. It’s the only way we’re going to win a trophy.”
Vela spent seven seasons at Real Sociedad before moving back to North America. He began his European career by signing with Arsenal as a teenager in 2005.
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More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2022-06-28T21:06:08+00:00 | seattlepi.com | https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/Carlos-Vela-re-signs-with-Los-Angeles-FC-through-17272103.php |
Reservations Dogs co-creator and showrunner Sterlin Harjo says he grew up surrounded by the "best storytellers in the world."
Harjo remembers sitting in his grandmother's kitchen as a kid, listening to tales of amazing characters — either real or imagined — often doing mundane or ordinary things. The magic was in the telling; a story about someone making a simple run to the store could be infused with sadness and regret, coincidence and magic.
"That's how I learned to tell stories. ... You can't say that cinema is a Native American art form, but storytelling is, " Harjo says. "I try to capture just a small amount of that in [Reservation Dogs]."
Reservation Dogs is the first and only TV series where every writer, director and series regular is Indigenous. Part comedy and part drama, the FX series streaming on Hulu follows four teenagers who long to escape the dead ends they face living on a reservation. They're frustrated and alienated, caught between what's left of traditional Native culture on the reservation and the broader pop culture. The show highlights the importance of Native traditions — while also mocking how tradition can be turned into sanctimonious pop culture clichés.
Harjo belongs to the Seminole and Muscogee Nations, and he says the positive feedback from his community — including his parents — is what keeps him going: "My dad, one day, said to me, 'This show has given people, Native people, a reason to hold their heads up a little higher.'"
Last Halloween, Harjo noticed something he hadn't seen before: "Every year at Halloween, there's people that dress up in these fake, dime-store Indian clothing. And they are 'Indian' for Halloween. And we've all seen that growing up. We've all seen it. And my kids are going to have to see it. But all of a sudden, after Season 1, people, kids started dressing up as the Reservation Dogs. So many pictures flooded in on social media of them dressed as the Reservation Dogs."
Interview highlights
On why he prefers the term "Indian" to "Native American"
My grandma said "Indian," so I'm not here to change what my grandma said. And it's what I know. I'm sorry that Christopher Columbus got it wrong, but that's what we call ourselves, you know? That's what we call ourselves. I also say "Native" and I say "Indigenous." Just depending on where I'm at and who I'm talking to, those are all interchangeable to me. "Native American" is just a mouthful.
On the show's name Reservation Dogs title paying homage to Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs
It came out when I was in college, and it was right as I discovered that I could be a filmmaker. ... My father had a friend who worked for the cable company, and that's the only way that we got cable. So I was able to watch movies for free because his friend did some backdoor stuff and hooked us up with a cable box that allowed us to watch HBO and Showtime. I just became immersed in movies and pop culture. MTV was out at the time. I think that when you're from a rural community, that's kind of how you live your life. You almost live your life through movies and through pop culture. ... First of all, it's a catchy title, not a lie, Taika [Waititi] and I came up with it. And then it was, well, if we're going to have this show where these kids are living through and constantly referencing pop culture, like we have to tip our hat to the master of that.
On playing with the stereotypical "Indian warrior" imagery in the pilot
Most of the time people are very precious with Native people, like, "This is no laughing matter." This is very serious and stoic, and that's kind of how the world is trained to view us. We realize we need to bake into the show permission to laugh with us.
And I think that that spirit character, he comes in at this moment in the pilot. ... If I asked most people in the world to draw a Native American, that's what they would draw. They would draw an Indian that was dressed in buckskins from the 1800s. They wouldn't draw me. They wouldn't draw any of the characters on the show. So it was almost like giving people some familiar territory and then turning it on its head.
On growing up on the Muscogee Reservation in Oklahoma
Right now I live on the Muscogee Reservation, which is part of Tulsa. Through a lot of complicated government policy and interactions with tribal governments that I can't go into because it'd be another show, it was not identified as a reservation before, but it is now. But if you look at Oklahoma, it used to be Indian Territory, which was essentially one big reservation. Then, of course, oil and the land and other things disrupted that.
But this is where Trail of Tears ended. This is where all of the tribes that were forcibly removed by the U.S. government were brought to Indian Territory, which is Oklahoma now. So essentially it was one giant reservation. And you go an hour in any direction in Oklahoma or 30 minutes in any direction, in Oklahoma, you're going to be in a new tribal territory, with different tribal languages on the stop signs and on signage in the town. Different cultures, different customs. And so it's ... a melting pot of Indigenous Native people from America. And I think there's something like 38 tribes here.
So you grow up different when you're in Oklahoma as a Native kid. ... People know Native culture, people know who Native people are. And it's a very diverse state. I think that not a lot of people know about Oklahoma and the diversity here, but in rural Oklahoma, it's very diverse. And I don't know, it was something that I wanted to celebrate in the show, growing up in Indian Territory, Oklahoma.
On why Native teens connected to rap music when he was coming of age
Rap was reaching the height of popularity ... and being a Native kid, we gravitated towards it because it was the sort of punk rock that we were growing up with. It gave Native kids a culture and identity that they could grab a hold of at a time where our own identity was a bit lost and our own identity was less celebrated, we could grab a hold of hip-hop, and that became something that we could identify with that was taking it to the man that was exposing problems within our culture. I think that it became something that, as a term, as a means of endearment to us, that it helped us in our own identity and in our own struggle.
On the importance of ghosts and spirits in his culture – and in his work
I think that part of growing up and with Muscogee and Seminole culture is death is such a part of our experience. It's very community-driven. Your cousins are like your brothers and sisters. Your aunts are your extended parents, and you're close to your elders and everyone's a part of this tight community.
I was constantly at funerals. I've been a pallbearer, like, 12 to 15 times, I think, give or take. And our songs, the songs that we sing, there's these spiritual songs that we sing that mostly get sung and you hear them at funerals, and it's all about facing death and mortality head on. There's something really beautiful about a funeral in our community, where everyone comes together and it's really funny. And you're getting to see people that you haven't seen in a long time and you say, "I love you," to people that you wouldn't normally say, "I love you" to. It's just a part of being in a community.
Someone was always passing away. ... In the culture you're taught that they're not gone and that you can still speak to them and talk to them and there's ghost stories and things like that. But I just grew up with this sense of magic, and there's a sense of like we can communicate, we can reach people in other places, and there's ceremonies for it and there's different things. It's something that I'm fascinated with ... and I explore it as much as I can through my work.
On the casting process for Reservation Dogs
You can't go to Hollywood to cast a show like this. ... [Native actors usually] get to play, like, a dead Indian outside of a teepee every five to 10 years, you know? So there's not a big pool of Native actors in L.A. So we went to the communities, and shout out to Angelique Midthunder, who was our casting director. She went in and we went to different communities and we also had tapes sent to us from communities, but it was important that they were from an Indigenous community. ... It wasn't unnecessarily unorthodox for me, because I've been making these films for so long, and I know that there's talent out there. There's just not opportunities for Native actors to even know that there's an opportunity to be in a movie.
On seeing Indian stereotypes in pop culture as a kid
My dad watched Westerns. ... There was a way to sort of separate what was happening in the Western for me, because I didn't recognize the Indians in the Western. They weren't my experience. When you grow up and your grandma and your mom and your dad and everyone's Native around you, and then you see this version of Native people in these Westerns that are just the bad guys that are faceless and sort of like the zombies. ... They're in the way and the white man has to exterminate them for Western expansion purposes and to tame the West or whatever, I don't recognize that as my people. So it wasn't painful to watch for me. I could separate it. I do see the issues in that now I have to explain to my kids why they can't watch Peter Pan, and if there was a Western on, I would have to explain to them, like everything all of a sudden becomes a lecture, where I'm having to talk about film analysis with my children. It has an effect.
On absolving himself of the guilt that he can't speak Muscogee
For a long time, I felt really guilty about that. ... But at a certain point, I just came to the realization that government policy, genocide, colonization, ... the forced removal by Andrew Jackson. So many things caused that. And I let go of that sense of guilt, because it's all been about survival and there's things that were taken away and there's things that perish because of that. And all I can do is try to learn and realize that it's not my fault, it came before me. The darkness that can take a language away, came before me. And you look at boarding schools ... and how they actively took away our language. My parents and grandparents went to these boarding schools, so the fact that we have any of it left is a miracle. So I try to really focus on that: the miracle of it, the magic of the fact that we still have our culture and it is about survival. I try to focus on that instead of the guilt that I think you grow up with when you can't speak the language.
Lauren Krenzel and Susan Nyakundi produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the web.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air. | 2022-09-19T21:58:11+00:00 | knkx.org | https://www.knkx.org/2022-09-19/reservation-dogs-co-creator-says-the-show-gives-audiences-permission-to-laugh |
LINCOLN, Neb., May 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GolfStatus, the leading technology platform for golf fundraisers, is pleased to announce a partnership with Charity Golf International, the worldwide leader in on-course fundraising and entertainment. The partnership will connect GolfStatus clients and nonprofit golf event organizers to Charity Golf International's network of long drive golf professionals to provide on-course entertainment and help raise more money for their organization or cause.
GolfStatus's golf event management tech streamlines golf fundraisers, saving organizers time and effort, with built-in fundraising tools to help nonprofits raise more mission-critical dollars. The company's online Marketplace is a one-stop shop of trusted vendors providing goods and services for golf fundraisers and features a variety of partners, including Charity Golf International.
"GolfStatus's mission is to help nonprofits take the guesswork out of their golf events, and ultimately, raise more money for their cause," said Ashley Watson, director of marketing at GolfStatus. "Our partnership with Charity Golf International gives tournament organizers yet another option to enhance its tournament experience and generate additional revenue."
"We're excited to partner with GolfStatus and help even more nonprofits and charities get more out of their golf fundraisers," said Chris Carey, Owner of Charity Golf International. "Charity Golf International has helped its nonprofit partners raise over $75 million since 2012. Our proven model increases donations and is 100% risk free to charities."
Find out more about Charity Golf International and other Marketplace vendors by visiting golfstatus.org/marketplace.
About GolfStatus
GolfStatus is golf's premier tournament management solution and golfer engagement platform. Its full-service event management software streamlines outings from start to finish, yielding professional, high-end events while also saving time and improving the event experience for golfers, sponsors, and golf facilities. Through GolfStatus.org, its powerful technology is accessible to nonprofits to streamline golf fundraisers and help event organizers use them to engage more supporters, raise more mission-critical funds, drive impact, and do more good. Visit www.golfstatus.org.
About Charity Golf International
Charity Golf International, founded in 2012, is the worldwide leader in on-course fundraising and entertainment with over 40 World Long Drive Golf Professionals available across the United States and Canada. Charity Golf International has helped over 14,000 golf events raise more than $75 million through its on-course entertainment and fundraising around the world, offering zero-risk or out of pocket costs to the charity using their service while providing guaranteed revenue for the day. Visit www.charitygolfintl.com.
Media Contact:
Ashley Watson
ashley@golfstatus.com
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SOURCE GolfStatus | 2022-05-19T22:15:43+00:00 | kcbd.com | https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/05/19/golfstatus-announces-partnership-with-charity-golf-international-serve-charity-golf-tournaments/ |
The 2023 Vangst Jobs Report shows America's cannabis industry sold more than $26 billion in products last year, and now supports 417,493 jobs – a 2% drop over last year.
DENVER, April 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Vangst, the world's leading cannabis industry jobs platform, today released the annual 2023 cannabis industry jobs report. This year's report found there are now 417,493 full-time equivalent jobs supported by the legal cannabis industry in the U.S. That's a surprising result—a 2% drop in employment. It's the first time legal cannabis jobs have declined year-over-year since the modern legal era began in 2012.
From 2017 to 2022, Leafly and Whitney Economics partnered to produce the Cannabis Jobs Report, an annual tally of jobs supported by America's regulated cannabis industry. This year Leafly is passing the torch to Vangst, who is proud to publish the 2023 Jobs Report and continue its legacy of solid economic data and timely, accurate information. Jobs Report creator Bruce Barcott and economist Beau Whitney, founder of Whitney Economics, are once again at the helm of the report.
Key findings from the 2023 Vangst Cannabis Jobs Report include:
- Nationwide, annual cannabis sales increased by $850 million in 2022. That's a 3% rise, from $25.25 billion in 2021 to $26.1 billion in 2022. That figure includes all state-regulated medical and adult-use sales (not hemp, delta-8, CBD, or unregulated sales). Adult-use states accounted for 77% of total sales.
- One of the newest markets within the industry saw exceptional growth while other legacy markets saw extreme drops. New Jersey gained 4,220 jobs in 2022, bringing the total number of cannabis jobs in the state to 7,367. On the other end of the spectrum, California lost 13% of cannabis employees last year bringing their total to 83,593.
- Michigan moved ahead of Colorado to become America's second-largest cannabis employer, supporting 35,405 jobs.
- 23% of cannabis jobs are in retail, 31% in cultivation, 17% in manufacturing, and 20% in ancillary and indirect jobs. The remainder are in wholesaling, distribution, and lab testing.
- Whitney Economics expects to see nearly 12% growth in revenue, industrywide, by the end of 2023.
"Vangst is thrilled to partner with Leafly and Whitney Economics on the 2023 Jobs Report," said Founder and CEO Karson Humiston, "As federal prohibition prevents federal and state labor departments from compiling data on the legal cannabis industry, data such as that found in the Vangst 2023 Jobs Report is critical. Pairing seamlessly with our Salary Guide, Vangst has truly become a one-stop shop for employers and job-seekers interested in the cannabis industry."
To view the Vangst 2023 Jobs Report, please visit https://vangst.com/reports/2023-jobs-report.
About Vangst
Vangst is the cannabis industry's hiring platform. Vangst helps cannabis companies find the talent they need to grow their business. From on-demand gig workers to trained and credentialed full-time employees, Vangst has built the industry's go-to talent marketplace for all cannabis hiring. Vangst is proud to work with more than 1,500 of the cannabis industry's leading businesses.
Since raising their seed round in 2018, Vangst has become one of the fastest growing companies in the cannabis industry and was recognized as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies. Today, over 400,000 people have full-time jobs in the cannabis industry and this number is expected to triple over the next five years.
Vangst is a Series B company and backed by Lerer Hippeau, Colle Capital, Level One Fund, Snoop Dogg's Casa Verde Capital, and others. Vangst's headquarters is in Denver, CO.
About Whitney Economics
Whitney Economics is a global leader in cannabis and hemp business consulting, data, and economic research. The firm regularly consults with private companies as well as local, state, and national government agencies, applying economic principles to create actionable policies and strategies.
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SOURCE Vangst | 2023-04-10T14:20:10+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2023/04/10/legal-cannabis-industry-shows-job-drop-first-time-ever-annual-report-finds/ |
These wines are featured in the most important fairs and events in the US wine sector as part of the program co-financed by the EU "European Garnacha/Grenache Quality Wines" that will be in force until 2024.
MIAMI, Jan. 16, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Spain (through the Garnacha Origen Association) and France (through Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon /CIVR) collaborate to carry out different actions with the aim of bringing European Garnacha/Grenache Quality Wines to the American public. These activities are part of a promotion program, co-financed by the EU, 'European Garnacha/Grenache Quality Wines', which will be in force until February 2024.
These wines are featured in the most important fairs and events in the US wine sector as part of the program co-financed by the EU. Among the actions included in the European program, European Garnacha Quality Wines, took part in leading fairs like TEXSOM and triumph in the most important events in the wine sector: International Bulk Wine and Spirits (IBWSS) in San Francisco, USA Trade Tasting (USATT) in Chicago, and SommCon, in San Diego. A clear representation of the Garnacha Geographical Indications attended these events, showing an expert public (sommeliers, distributors, importers and the media) the high quality of Garnacha/Grenache in all its versions: red, white, rosé, sparkling and Fortified Sweet Wines.
According to Carolina de Funes, Manager for the Garnacha Origen Association, "The objective of this program is to improve the knowledge and market share of European quality systems, specifically, those that come from an EU quality schemes (PDO/PGI) that bear an indication of the grape variety of winemaking (Garnacha/Grenache), as it is the most cultivated transversal European grape variety (92% in Europe), with significant plantings in more than one EU member."
"Today, the US is the country with the highest consumption of wine in the world and Americans love Pinot, and, in some respects, Garnacha/Grenache has similarities in that they are both of fruity color and a pleasure to drink…, etc" comments Eric Aracil, Deputy Director of the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins du Roussillon.
Garnacha/Grenache wine sales in the United States reached 30,544 hectoliters for a value of 52.1 million euros in 2021, 4.1% more than in 2019 (according to a Nielsen study). In the last ten years, the increase is estimated at 47.2%. This advance is achieved because "there is great interest among the North American public, mainly among millennials, because of its unique characteristics," says Carolina de Funes.
"A liter of Garnacha is available on the market at an average price of 12.8 dollars a bottle," says Eric Aracil. "Americans are interested in European wines because they consider them to be quality products at a good price," points out Carolina de Funes.
According to a survey carried out by Wine Intelligence Vinitrac USA on consumption in this market, it reveals that 16% of regular wine consumers in the US (who drink at least once a week) have tried Garnacha wines in the last six months.
This year, the largest international Garnacha/Grenache event (The International Competition Grenaches du Monde, "from Europe to the world"), will be held outside of Europe for the first time; it will take place in New York City and approximately 1,000 references of this quality wine will participate. The competition will culminate in September around World Garnacha/Grenache Day, with a major event gathering more than 200 experts and professionals at the Garnacha/Grenache night where winners will be announced.
The Association for the Promotion of Garnacha Wine (Garnacha Origin) brings together 5 Spanish Protected Designations of Origin (Somontano, Terra Alta, Cariñena, Calatayud and Campo de Borja), and its stakeholders, including individual producers, institutes of agricultural research such as CITA (Aragon Center for Agrifood Research and Technology) and other public bodies such as AREX (Aragon Foreign Trade and Investment Agency). All the wines promoted by Garnacha Origen are single-varietal Garnacha (>85% of its content, according to European regulations) and have PDO certification. With some 5,500 viticulturists and 144 wineries, the five Garnacha Origin PDOs cultivate 34,945 hectares..
Shaped like an amphitheater and nestled in the south of France, between Spain, the Mediterranean Sea, the Pyrenees and the Corbières mountains, Roussillon is known for its diversity of wines and terroirs. The unique geology and microclimates of the region allow each of the 25 authorized grape varieties to reach its maximum expression in these soils. It brings together a community of 2,200 winegrowing families, 25 cooperatives and 350 private wineries. With its unique mosaic of microterroirs, Roussillon offers a diverse range of red, white and rosé wines (14 PDOs and 3 IGPs), including dry still wines and Vins Doux Naturels (fortified sweet wines).www.winesofroussillon.com
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SOURCE European Garnacha/Grenache Quality Wines | 2023-01-16T14:21:56+00:00 | wlox.com | https://www.wlox.com/prnewswire/2023/01/16/france-spain-promote-with-eu-grenachegrenache-wines-major-us-trade-fairs/ |
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Joel Embiid will sit out because of a sprained right knee when the Philadelphia 76ers try to complete a sweep of the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday.
The 76ers added the All-Star center to the injury report Friday night, a night after he was limping multiple times during their 102-97 victory in Game 3.
The NBA’s leading scorer did block a shot to protect a two-point lead with 8.8 seconds left and said after the game he was OK.
Embiid, a two-time NBA scoring champion, has been hit by injuries in the playoffs most of his career. He suffered a torn ligament in his right thumb and an orbital fracture last year in the playoffs. He’s missed other postseason games with knee injuries and illness.
The 76ers can’t afford to have Embiid miss much time if they want to make a serious run at their first NBA championship since 1983.
Embiid dodged an ejection Thursday night when he kicked his leg up toward Nets center Nic Claxton’s groin. Claxton had just dunked and Embiid fell to the court after fouling him. Claxton then slowly stepped over Embiid, who kicked up his leg into Claxton’s upper leg area before players from both teams rushed in.
After a video review, Embiid was given a flagrant foul 1.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-04-22T14:36:51+00:00 | wnct.com | https://www.wnct.com/sports/nba/76ers-joel-embiid-out-of-game-4-with-sprained-knee/ |
Best cocktail bombs for a spring party
Step away from the stoves and put down the mug. There’s a new instant drink trend to try. Cocoa bombs make enjoying hot cocoa fun and easy as their chocolate shells melt to reveal cocoa mix and mini marshmallows. Cocktail bombs, also called cocktail drops, operate on a similar concept. Tightly packed sugars and flavorings dissolve into your drink for a hassle-free cocktail experience. Cocktail bombs make great party favors and they’re a fun addition to spring gatherings.
In this article: My Drink Bomb Margarita Cocktail Bombs, Thoughtfully Cocktails 3D-printed Margarita Drops and JoyJolt Four-piece Afina Martini Glass Set.
What are cocktail bombs?
Cocktail bombs make it easy to create a cocktail at home with just a few basic ingredients. If you don’t have bitters, unique liquors or fresh garnishes on hand, a cocktail bomb packs all those flavors into a small package.
Most work by dropping the cocktail bomb into sparkling water or club soda, then stirring in spirits. Others are made with sodium bicarbonate, much like bath bombs, so they fizz up and dissolve easily into drinks. Sugar and flavorings help transform plain spirits into a cocktail without the need for a long ingredient list or mixology skills.
Many classic cocktails have been reformulated into bombs, including margaritas, sangria and piña coladas. Champagne cocktails are also a popular choice for cocktail bombs because the sparkling wine helps activate the bomb and dissolve its flavors.
Cocktail bombs are most commonly shaped like small spheres, but some brands offer novelty shapes, such as diamonds for a bridal shower or cacti for a Cinco de Mayo party. Some cocktail bombs are also made with bright colors, dried fruits or flowers or even edible glitter and gold leaf for a unique cocktail experience.
Best cocktail bombs and mixers
Cocktail Bomb Shop Cocktail Drink Bombs
Choose from two variety packs of six handmade cocktail bombs featuring flavors such as orange mojito, spicy margarita, mimosa and more. The cocktail bombs are hand-crafted in Quebec and feature eco-friendly biodegradable and recyclable packaging.
Sold by Uncommon Goods
My Drink Bomb Margarita Cocktail Bombs
The six cocktail bombs in this set transform tequila and sparkling water into two instant margaritas. They’re made with cane sugar, natural lime flavors and edible drink shimmer
Sold by Amazon
Thoughtfully Cocktails 3D-printed Margarita Drops
Spice up your party with this set of colorful, glittery 3D-printed cocktail bombs. Shaped like piñatas, lime wheels and cactus, each shape showcases a different margarita flavor: strawberry, classic lime and jalapeno.
Sold by Amazon
My Drink Bomb Six-pack Cocktail Bombs Variety Set
Sample the most popular cocktail bombs with this set of six different flavors, including mango margarita, lavender, Cosmo and more. They’re gluten- and dairy-free and can make two cocktails per drink bomb.
Sold by Amazon
Teaspressa Luxe Bubbles Mimosa Bar Kit
Made with sugar, flavorings and pieces of real fruit, these elegant sugar cubes instantly transform sparkling wine or water into a mimosa-inspired beverage. The cubes can also be used in tea or other cocktails.
Sold by Amazon
Art of Sucre Cotton Candy Cocktail Glitter Bombs
Made by a social-media-favorite cotton candy company, these cocktail bombs start out as small puffs of cotton candy transform your drink into a glittery sweet treat. The set comes with eight individually packaged puffs.
Sold by Uncommon Goods
Best cocktail glasses
Dos Suenos Mexican Hand-Blown Margarita Glasses
Handmade from recycled glass and decorated with blue rims, each of these margarita glasses has a unique appearance. The sturdy glass is dishwasher-safe. The set comes with four 16-ounce glasses.
Sold by Amazon
JoyJolt Four-piece Afina Martini Glass Set
These martini glasses feature an unconventional stemless design with a hefty base, making them both sturdier and safer. They’re dishwasher-safe and sold in a set of four 8-ounce glasses.
Sold by Amazon
Lenox Tuscany Classics Four-piece Toasting Flute Set
These crystal champagne flutes are perfect for a special occasion. They come in a set of four, and they’re backed by Lenox’s lifetime warranty.
Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out for quick and easy cocktails
- My Drink Bomb Bellini Blush Cocktail Bombs transform sparkling wine into a peach-flavored Bellini.
- Steep Sayso Cocktail Tea Bags Instant Cocktail Mixers in spirits or water to make an old fashioned, a Moscow Mule and more.
- The instant drink pouches in Craftmix Cocktail Mixers Variety 12-pack are convenient and low-calorie.
- The Cocktail Box Co. Tropical Cocktail Kit Gift Set is perfect for travel, with enough ingredients to make three to six drinks.
- Thoughtfully Cocktails 3D-printed Champagne Cocktail Drops add sparkle and color to a glass of bubbly.
- Store Herb & Lou’s The Cooper Infused Ice Cubes in your freezer, then pop out a cube to shake into a cocktail.
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Laura Duerr writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2023 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | 2023-04-13T19:31:31+00:00 | keloland.com | https://www.keloland.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/entertaining-br/cocktail-bombs-are-replacing-hot-cocoa-bombs-for-spring/ |
MOON TOWNSHIP, Pa. (AP) — Zevi Eckhaus threw for 341 yards and four touchdown and Bryant beat Robert Morris 35-6 on Saturday to keep the Colonials winless.
Landon Ruggieri made eight catches for 102 yards and three touchdowns for Bryant (4-7, 2-3 Big South). Anthony Frederick added 104 yards receiving and a score and Ishod Byarm rushed for 64 yards and a touchdown.
Robert Morris (0-11, 0-5) was held to 195 total yards. Zach Tanner threw for 195 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
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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 | 2022-11-19T22:08:06+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/bryant-keeps-robert-morris-winless-35-6/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
Stanly County trench collapse kills construction worker, the cause is under investigation
Stanly County trench collapse kills construction worker, the cause is under investigation
HELP. TO STANLEY COUNTY NOW WHERE A CONSTRUCTION WORKER IS DEAD AFTER A TRENCH COLLAPSE. IT HAPPENED THIS MORNING AT A HOUSING DEVELOPMENT NEAR ALBEMARLE. THE TRENCH RESCUE UNIT FROM CONCORD WAS CALLED INTO RESCUE THE WORKER, BUT THEY DIED FROM THEIR INJURIES. IT IS NOT CLEAR WHAT LED TO THE COLLAPSE, BUT LOCAL AUTHORITIES ARE CALLING IN THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALT
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Stanly County trench collapse kills construction worker, the cause is under investigation
A construction worker is dead after a trench collapsed in Stanly County.This occurred Tuesday morning at a housing development near Albemarle. A trench rescue unit from Concord responded in attempts to rescue the worker.The worker died from their injuries before the unit could assist them. The cause of the collapse has not been released.Local authorities have contacted the occupational safety and health administration to investigate. This is a developing story, check back with WXII for more updates.
STANLY COUNTY, N.C. —
A construction worker is dead after a trench collapsed in Stanly County.
This occurred Tuesday morning at a housing development near Albemarle.
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A trench rescue unit from Concord responded in attempts to rescue the worker.
The worker died from their injuries before the unit could assist them.
The cause of the collapse has not been released.
Local authorities have contacted the occupational safety and health administration to investigate.
This is a developing story, check back with WXII for more updates. | 2022-07-05T21:32:32+00:00 | wxii12.com | https://www.wxii12.com/article/stanly-county-trench-collapse-kills-construction/40516891 |
Flood Warning issued May 10 at 12:46PM MDT by NWS Pocatello ID
* WHAT…Minor flooding is occurring and minor flooding is forecast.
* WHERE…Portneuf River at Topaz.
* WHEN…Until further notice.
* IMPACTS…At 4.0 feet, Lowland and crop field flooding possible
from Pebble Creek to Inkom.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS…
– At 9:15 AM MDT Wednesday the stage was 3.8 feet.
– Forecast…The river is expected to rise above flood stage
late Sunday morning and continue rising to a crest of 4.3
feet Saturday, May 20.
– Flood stage is 4.0 feet.
– Flood History…This crest compares to a previous crest of
4.5 feet on 02/22/2017.
– http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood | 2023-05-10T19:50:27+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/weather/alerts-weather/2023/05/10/flood-warning-issued-may-10-at-1246pm-mdt-by-nws-pocatello-id/ |
WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Friday, November 4, 2022
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TORNADO WARNING
Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Fort Worth TX
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414 PM CDT Fri Nov 4 2022
...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 445 PM CDT FOR NORTHERN
LAMAR AND EAST CENTRAL FANNIN COUNTIES...
At 414 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
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was located near Honey Grove, or 15 miles west of Paris, moving
northeast at 45 mph.
HAZARD...Tornado and quarter size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.
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IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage
to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is
likely.
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This dangerous storm will be near...
Sumner and Lake Gibbons around 430 PM CDT.
Lake Crook around 435 PM CDT.
Paris and Camp Maxey around 440 PM CDT.
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Pat Mayse Lake and Powderly around 445 PM CDT.
Arthur City around 450 PM CDT.
Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include East
Direct, Toco, Noble, Forest Chapel, Midcity, Garretts Bluff, Allens
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Chapel, Allens Point, Forest Hill and Chicota.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
TAKE COVER NOW! If you are outdoors, in a mobile home, or in a
vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter now! Get to an
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interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and avoid
windows.
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Copyright 2022 AccuWeather | 2022-11-04T22:19:29+00:00 | seattlepi.com | https://www.seattlepi.com/weather/article/TX-WFO-DALLAS-FT-WORTH-Warnings-Watches-and-17559658.php |
NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Peter Hoehn joins Cohen Veterans Bioscience (CVB) as Executive Vice President, Strategic Marketing, Development, and Impact. In this newly created role, Hoehn will lead the External Affairs, Communications, and Development functions for New York-based non-profit CVB which is dedicated to advancing brain health. Hoehn will report to CVB Founder, CEO and President Dr. Magali Haas, MD, PhD.
Peter Hoehn is a proven healthcare business leader with 25+ years' experience in a variety of commercial and strategy roles, predominantly at Johnson & Johnson. Hoehn was most recently Head, Commercial Strategy for J&J Science for Minds, a new organization focused on innovative development models and digital solutions to address serious mental illness and dementia. In this position he developed the strategy, portfolio recommendations, investment approach, external collaborations, and business models for new mental health and brain health digital business ventures.
"We are thrilled to have Peter join CVB in this new and important leadership role. I have had the privilege of partnering with Peter to advance brain therapeutics during our joint tenure at Johnson & Johnson and, more recently, in his capacity on the Steering Committee of the CVB-led Brain Health Nexus initiative. I am certain he will add impactful healthcare business expertise to our organization at a time of intense growth and development," said Dr. Haas.
Throughout his career Peter has demonstrated the ability to develop insight-driven strategies in complex markets and mobilize internal and external partners to achieve results. He brings broad-based commercial, strategy and leadership experiences across Pharmaceuticals, Diagnostics, Digital Health, and Precision Medicine, including brand positioning and messaging, reimbursement and market access, global launches, organizational capability building, business model innovation, new opportunity evaluation, business development, and policy.
Peter started his career as a corporate lawyer and entered the pharmaceutical industry as an attorney for Bristol Myers Squibb. After a short time as a lawyer Peter moved into various strategy, marketing, and sales management roles at BMS before joining Johnson & Johnson in 2003.
Peter received a BA in Government and Economics from the College of William and Mary, and a JD from New York University.
About Cohen Veterans Bioscience
Cohen Veterans Bioscience (CVB) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) biomedical research and technology organization dedicated to advancing brain health for millions of veterans and civilians by fast-tracking precision diagnostics and tailored therapeutics. CVB harnesses the power of biotechnology and advanced analytics and promotes best practices in research for evidence-driven, reproducible, and effective solutions. To support & learn more about our research efforts visit www.cohenveteransbioscience.org.
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SOURCE Cohen Veterans Bioscience | 2022-08-08T15:19:13+00:00 | kcrg.com | https://www.kcrg.com/prnewswire/2022/08/08/peter-hoehn-accomplished-pharmaceutical-executive-joins-cohen-veterans-bioscience-cvb-newly-created-executive-leadership-role/ |
Benchmark U.S. crude oil for December delivery fell $1.37 to $86.53 a barrel Monday. Brent crude for December delivery fell 94 cents to $94.83 a barrel.
Wholesale gasoline for November delivery fell 10 cents to $2.81 a gallon. November heating oil fell 36 cents to $4.19 a gallon. December natural gas rose 68 cents to $6.36 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Gold for December delivery fell $4.10 to $1,640.70 an ounce. Silver for December delivery fell 3 cents to $19.12 an ounce and December copper fell 5 cents to $3.38 a pound.
The dollar rose to 148.64 Japanese yen from 147.53 yen. The euro fell to 98.87 cents from 99.55 cents. | 2022-10-31T19:26:36+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/closing-prices-for-crude-oil-gold-and-other-commodities-665/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (WTAJ) — It was a busy night Saturday during the Ed Sheeran concert in Pittsburgh as 17 people were taken to a local hospital, including a worker and an EMT.
The Pittsburgh Bureau of EMS said they received 37 calls for service during the concert at Acrisure Stadium, with 17 people taken to the hospital for various reasons, including heat-related issues and two cases of cardiac arrest.
EMS reported that one person who suffered cardiac arrest was working on “tearing down the setup inside the stadium.” The worker got help as a result of “the quick actions by numerous crews,” according to a Pittsburgh Public Safety press release Sunday.
In addition, a paramedic went into cardiac arrest while leaving the facility. They were reportedly resuscitated after several shocks and taken to the hospital as well.
Others reportedly suffered heat-related issues and “some falls,” with one person having a seizure, said Pittsburgh Public Safety.
According to localconditions.com, Pittsburgh was in the low 80s, dropping into the upper 70s around the time of the concert.
Sheeran made the stop in Pittsburgh as part of what has been dubbed his Mathematics Tour. His tour has been taking place for more than a year and will continue through September, his website shows. | 2023-07-10T16:34:51+00:00 | wjhl.com | https://www.wjhl.com/news/national/17-people-taken-to-hospital-during-ed-sheeran-concert-in-pittsburgh/ |
We know you’re upset. Underdogs have blown up every bracket in the country.
An upside of the upsets: perhaps the maddest March ever.
Defending national champion Kansas and fellow No. 1 seed Purdue are gone — the Boilermakers with a slice of unwanted history. The Sweet 16 won’t have blue bloods Kentucky, Duke or North Carolina for only the second time since 1979.
In are upstarts like Princeton, Florida Atlantic and a team picked to finish last in the Big 12 Conference.
And, this being March, of course there’s Tom Izzo.
SOUTH REGION
Alabama has looked every bit the No. 1 overall seed, blowing out Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Maryland despite turmoil swirling around the program.
Waiting for Alabama in Louisville, Kentucky, will be San Diego State. The fifth-seeded Aztecs are old and love to knock around opponents — just ask College of Charleston and Furman.
The second game marks Princeton’s first Sweet 16 in 56 years. The No. 15 seed Tigers had the first major March upset by knocking off No. 2 Arizona and proved it was no fluke by taking down Missouri.
They face Creighton, one of three Big East teams to get this far. Inconsistent early, the bombing Bluejays and big man Ryan Kalkbrenner are in the Sweet 16 for the second time in three seasons after bouncing No. 3 seed Baylor.
EAST REGION
Florida Atlantic won the battle of bracket darlings by knocking off Fairleigh Dickinson, the second No. 16 seed ever to beat a No. 1, taking down Purdue.
The Owls better be ready for some bruises against Tennessee at Madison Square Garden in their first Sweet 16. The third-seeded Vols bullied their way through the first two rounds, pushing around Duke after grinding out a win over Louisiana.
Sharing the Garden marquee will be Michigan State and Kansas State.
The Spartans are at their best in March under coach Izzo, who won his record 16th NCAA Tournament game as a lower seed by bouncing No. 2 seed Marquette.
Jerome Tang is taking underdog Kansas State from one Manhattan to another in his first season in the Little Apple.
Picked last in the Big 12, the Wildcats and undersized but undeterred guard Markquis Nowell shoved aside Montana State and wore down Kentucky for their first Sweet 16 since 2018.
MIDWEST REGION
Tang said the Wildcats won because they’ve “got dudes.” Houston has a few of its own.
The Midwest’s No. 1 seed, the Cougars have played the lockdown defense that made them a Final Four favorite at the start of the season, holding Northern Kentucky to 52 points and Auburn to 64.
The Cougars’ bid to play the Final Four at home now heads to Kansas City, Missouri, where they will face Miami.
The speedy, fifth-seeded Hurricanes hit Indiana with a gale force of offensive rebounds, scoring 29 second-chance points to reach the Sweet 16 for the second straight season under Jim Larrañaga.
Another Texas team is still in the mix to reach the Final Four in its home state — the one from Austin.
No. 2 seed Texas overcame the midseason firing of coach Chris Beard to play some outstanding basketball under interim coach Rodney Terry. The Longhorns shut down sweet-shooting Colgate in the first round and earned their first Sweet 16 appearance in 15 years with a 71-66 win over Penn State.
Up next is another coach making the most of an opportunity.
Fired by Arizona two years ago, Sean Miller landed back where he started at Xavier. The Musketeers earned their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2017 with a 84-73 win over Pittsburgh.
WEST REGION
Losing guard Jaylen Clark has done little to slow down No. 2 UCLA. Now the Bruins hope their lineup isn’t depleted further after key guard David Singleton injured his ankle late in a 69-63 victory over Northwestern.
UCLA still has Jaime Jaquez and Tyger Campbell, which will give them at least a shot at beating Gonzaga in Las Vegas.
There were midseason whispers the Zags were in a down year. An eighth straight trip to the Sweet 16 under Mark Few put those to rest.
Two coaches with familiar last names face off in the other Sin City game.
Eric Musselman, son of longtime NBA and college coach Bill Musselman, has shown off his coaching chops by leading Arkansas to the Sweet 16 for the third straight season. The Razorbacks got there with a takedown of top-seeded Kansas that had Musselman taking off his shirt — again.
Danny Hurley’s father is a Hall of Fame high school coach, his brother the NCAA’s all-time assist leader. Bob’s son and Bobby’s brother has revitalized UConn, taking the Huskies to the Sweet 16 for the first time in nine years.
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March Madness coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 | 2023-03-21T00:32:28+00:00 | wwlp.com | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/march-madness-rounds-the-corner-to-the-sweet-16/ |
LONDON (AP) — Adidas has ended its partnership with the rapper formerly known as Kanye West over his offensive and antisemitic remarks, the latest company to cut ties with Ye and a decision that the German sportwear company said would hit its bottom line.
“Adidas does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech," the company said in a statement Tuesday. “Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous, and they violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness."
The company faced pressure to cut ties with Ye, with celebrities and others on social media urging Adidas to act. It said at the beginning of the month that it was placing its lucrative sneaker deal with the rapper under review.
Adidas said Tuesday that it conducted a “thorough review" and would immediately stop production of its line of Yeezy products and stop payments to Ye and his companies. The sportswear company said it was expected to take a hit of up to 250 million euros ($246 million) to its net income this year from the move.
The move by Adidas, whose CEO Kasper Rorsted is stepping down next year, comes after Ye was suspended from Twitter and Instagram this month over antisemitic posts that the social networks said violated their policies.
He recently suggested slavery was a choice and called the COVID-19 vaccine the “mark of the beast,” among other comments. He also was criticized for wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt to his Yeezy collection show in Paris.
Ye’s talent agency, CAA, has dropped him, and the MRC studio announced Monday that it is shelving a complete documentary about the rapper.
The Balenciaga fashion house cut ties with Ye last week, according to Women’s Wear Daily. JPMorganChase and Ye have ended their business relationship, although the banking breakup was in the works even before Ye’s antisemitic comments.
In recent weeks, Ye also has ended his company's association with Gap and has told Bloomberg that he plans to cut ties with his corporate suppliers.
After he was suspended from Twitter and Facebook, Ye offered to buy conservative social network Parler.
Demonstrators on a Los Angeles overpass Saturday unfurled a banner praising Ye's antisemitic comments, prompting an outcry on social media from celebrities and others who said they stand with Jewish people.
In Germany, where Adidas is headquartered, the head of the country’s main Jewish group welcomed the company's decision but said the “step was overdue.”
“I would have liked a clear stance earlier from a German company that also was entangled with the Nazi regime,” Josef Schuster, president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, said in a statement. “Adidas has done a lot to distance itself from its past and, like many sports brands, is one of those companies that conduct big campaigns against antisemitism and racism. That’s why an earlier separation from Kanye West would have been appropriate.” | 2022-10-25T12:37:28+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/entertainment/article/Adidas-ends-partnership-with-Ye-over-antisemitic-17532438.php |
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Samsung’s de-facto leader secured a pardon Friday of his conviction for bribing a former president in a corruption scandal that toppled a previous South Korean government, an act of leniency that underscored the tech company’s huge influence in the nation.
Lee Jae-yong’s pardon is partially symbolic since he was released on parole a year ago after serving 18 months of a prison term that would have ended in July, and critics say the billionaire has remained in control of Samsung even while behind bars. Still, the pardon will allow the heir to the electronics juggernaut to fully resume his management duties and could make it easier for the company to pursue investments and mergers.
The Justice Ministry said President Yoon Suk Yeol, who as a prosecutor investigated the corruption scandal involving Lee, will issue the pardon Monday, a national holiday when some 1,700 people are set to receive clemency, including other top business leaders.
Lee, 54, was convicted in 2017 of bribing former President Park Geun-hye and her close confidante to win government support for a merger between two Samsung affiliates that tightened Lee’s control over the corporate empire. Park and the confidante were also convicted in the scandal, which enraged South Koreans, who staged massive protests for months demanding an end to the shady ties between business and politics. The demonstrations eventually led to Park’s ouster from office.
While some civic groups criticized the decision, recent opinion polls have indicated South Koreans — years removed from the protests in 2016 and 2017 — largely favored granting Lee a pardon. That reflects the continuing hold Samsung has in a country where it makes not just smartphones and TVs but also issues credit cards, builds luxury apartment buildings and runs the country’s most sought-after hospital.
Business leaders and politicians had also called for Lee’s pardon, which they said would allow Samsung, one of the world’s largest makers of computer memory chips and smartphones, to be bolder and quicker in business decisions by fully reinstating his rights to run the business empire.
Justice Minister Han Dong-hoon said the pardons of the business tycoons were aimed at “overcoming the economic crisis through encouraging business activity” at a time when South Koreans are grappling with rising prices, high personal debt and a faltering job market.
Lee’s detractors say he already fully resumed his management duties once out on parole — even though South Korea’s law bans people convicted of major financial crimes from returning to work for five years following the end of their sentences. Former Justice Minister Park Beom-kye defended Lee’s involvement in Samsung’s management, insisting that his activities weren’t in violation of the ban because the billionaire wasn’t receiving wages from Samsung.
In a statement released through Samsung, Lee said he was grateful for “receiving an opportunity to start anew.”
“I want to express my apologies for causing concerns for many people because of my shortcomings. I will work even harder to fulfill my responsibilities and duties as a businessperson,” Lee said.
Lee still faces a separate trial on charges of stock price manipulation and auditing violations related to the 2015 merger.
Among others set to be pardoned is Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin, who received a suspended prison term in 2018 on similar charges of bribing Park, whom then-President Moon Jae-in pardoned in December. Chang Sae-joo, chairman of Dongkuk Steel Mill, and former STX Group Chairman Kang Duk-soo will also receive clemency.
A coalition of civic groups, including People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy, issued a statement criticizing the move to pardon the business leaders, accusing Yoon of cozying up to “chaebol,” referring to the family-owned conglomerates that dominate the country’s economy.
“President Yoon Suk Yeol’s sell-out (to business) sends a signal to chaebol chiefs that they are free to commit all the crimes they want,” the groups said, accusing Yoon of damaging the rule of law.
Former President Park was convicted of a broad range of corruption crimes, including colluding with her longtime confidante, Choi Soon-sil, to take millions of dollars in bribes and extortion from Samsung and other major companies while she was in office.
She faced a prison term of more than two decades before Moon pardoned her in December, citing a need to promote unity in the politically divided nation. Choi remains in jail. Chang, of Dongkuk Steel Mill, was released on parole in 2018 with about six months left on a 3 1/2-year prison term on charges that he embezzled millions of dollars in corporate funds and used some of it to gamble in Las Vegas.
South Korea’s Supreme Court last year confirmed a suspended prison sentence for Kang, who headed STX from 2003 to 2014, on charges of embezzling corporate funds and other crimes.
A notable exclusion from Yoon’s pardons was former President Lee Myung-bak, who in June was granted a temporary release from a 17-year prison term after prosecutors acknowledged his health problems.
Han, the justice minster, said that the government did not consider the pardons of any convicted politicians or government employees this time, saying that the focus was on the economy.
Lee, a CEO-turned-conservative hero before his fall from grace, was convicted of taking bribes from big businesses including Samsung, embezzling funds from a company that he owned, and other corruption-related crimes before and during his presidency from 2008 to 2013. | 2022-08-12T17:59:13+00:00 | myfox8.com | https://myfox8.com/international/ap-international/south-korea-to-pardon-samsungs-lee-other-corporate-giants/ |
This Annual tradition held the day before Thanksgiving at The Baltimore Convention Center feeds approximately 2,000 individuals
BALTIMORE, Nov. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake is happy to announce that they will once again host their 65th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner and Resource Fair on Wednesday, November 23, 2022 from 11:45 a.m. until 2:45 p.m. at the Baltimore Convention Center. This will be Goodwill's first time hosting the event since 2019.
Over 300 volunteers, from across Maryland, will come together to provide turkey and all the trimmings to approximately 2,000 individuals who otherwise may not be fortunate enough to celebrate the holidays. The Thanksgiving Dinner and Resource Fair is one of the longest running Thanksgiving events in the Baltimore area and free tickets are available through social service agencies or by contacting Goodwill directly.
In addition to food and entertainment, Goodwill will also host a Resource Fair from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Guests will have the opportunity to have resumes prepared for them, talk to Goodwill staff about training and job placement services, and consult with representatives from numerous community service organizations for employment and related social services information.
WHO: Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Inc.
WHAT: 65th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner & Resource Fair
WHERE: Baltimore Convention Center, 1 West Pratt Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
WHEN: Wednesday, November 23, 2022
Dinner: 11:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.
Resource Fair: 10 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
For more information on the event, please visit: www.goodwllches.org/thanksgiving
About Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake: Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that provides job training, job placement and other human services for people who are unemployed or face other challenges to employment, including people with significant disabilities. Last year, Goodwill placed over 900 individuals into jobs. Revenue generated from the sale of donated goods helps fund these programs. For more information on Goodwill, please visit www.goodwillches.org
Media Contact:
Jonathan Balog
Chief Communications Officer
Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Inc.
410-598-7617 / jbalog@goodwillches.org
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SOURCE Goodwill Industries of the Chesapeake, Inc. | 2022-11-10T18:52:02+00:00 | wcjb.com | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/11/10/goodwill-industries-chesapeake-inc-once-again-host-65th-annual-thanksgiving-dinner-amp-resource-fair/ |
ALEXANDRIA, Va., Aug. 23, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NATSO, representing truckstops and travel centers, along with SIGMA: America's Leading Fuel Marketers and the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS), urged the U.S. Department of Transportation to incentivize the nation's existing refueling locations to incorporate EV charging into their suite of fueling options as it implements the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula grant program.
The organizations representing more than 150,000 refueling locations nationwide urged the Department of Transportation to implement the NEVI grant program in a manner that does not simply invest public funds but drives policies that will positively shape the future of vehicle fast-charging markets. If federal investments are made without any effort to drive necessary policy and market reforms, or with unnecessary strings attached, the NEVI grant program will result in charging stations being placed in undesirable locations, limiting consumer interest in purchasing EVs and minimizing private companies' desire to invest in charging stations, NATSO, NACS and SIGMA said in comments filed with the U.S. DOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).
"Retail fuel companies are capable of single-handedly eliminating range anxiety," said NATSO Executive Vice President of Government Affairs David Fialkov. "All they need is a level playing field and an opportunity to generate a modest return. EV charging availability at existing retail fuel locations will mean drivers do not need to change their refueling habits if they choose not to. They can refuel on-the-go with the same safe, reliable service and amenities that they enjoy today."
"Bringing private investment to EV charging will lead to more of the infrastructure that drivers need," said NACS General Counsel Doug Kantor. "To do that, the NEVI Program should move the country toward a competitive EV charging market with a multitude of retail businesses in all parts of the country having the opportunity to invest and earn a profit. Encouraging private investment will mean state-of-the-art chargers in convenient locations with competitive low prices alongside the types of amenities that drivers have come to expect while they refuel."
"If NEVI investments are made without any effort to drive necessary policy and market reforms, the program will result in charging stations being placed in undesirable locations and likely operated by site hosts with limited incentive to provide consumers with a positive charging experience," said SIGMA Chairman of the Board Richard Guttman. "This ultimately will dampen consumer interest in purchasing EVs as well as charging station innovation."
- Flexibly administer the requirement that states locate electric vehicle charging stations every 50 miles along designated corridors. Rather than forcing states to meet an arbitrary 50-mile requirement where it isn't feasible, U.S. DOT should ensure that states can administer the program in accordance with their specific needs, especially in rural states, working with the private sector as required by law.
- Refrain from regulating or capping revenue earned from private sector operation of a NEVI-subsidized EV charging station. Regulated utilities should be precluded from imposing exorbitant rate hikes on their monthly customers to underwrite NEVI-funded charging station investments that the private sector is willing to make.
- Establish a transparent and uniform pricing structure across the charging station network, requiring NEVI-funded charging operators to display and base the price of electrical charge in dollars per kilowatt hour. A uniform, transparent pricing structure would allow consumers to compare offerings throughout the country.
- Encourage states to allow EV charging station operators to sell electricity to EV drivers without being regulated as a utility. In many states, utilities are opposing efforts by prospective charging station operators to generate their own electricity to power their charging stations. This opposition reflects an effort by regulated utilities to undermine the case for private investment in charging stations and inhibits EV penetration.
- Require states to consider driver safety and convenience by locating chargers at sites that have on-site employees to call emergency personnel when needed and offer amenities that attract other highway travelers. Co-locating charging stations with 24/7 amenities will invariably make consumers more comfortable purchasing an EV without concern for undue safety risks when refueling.
- Avoid bureaucratic hurdles that would inadvertently depress the market for electric vehicle charging. The "Buy America" provision, for example, requires charging station equipment to be manufactured in the United States yet virtually no equipment on the market today meets the "Buy America standards." Such requirements would significantly delay charging projects.
NATSO is the trade association of America's travel plaza and truckstop industry. Founded in 1960, NATSO represents the industry on legislative and regulatory matters; serves as the official source of information on the diverse travel plaza and truckstop industry; provides education to its members; conducts an annual convention and trade show; and supports efforts to generally improve the business climate in which its members operate. Contact: Tiffany Wlazlowski Neuman, Vice President, Public Affairs. 703-739-8578
NACS advances the role of convenience stores as positive economic, social and philanthropic contributors to the communities they serve. The U.S. convenience store industry, with more than 153,000 stores nationwide selling fuel, food and merchandise, serves 165 million customers daily—half of the U.S. population—and has sales that are 10.8% of total U.S. retail and foodservice sales. NACS has 1,900 retailer and 1,800 supplier members from more than 50 countries.
SIGMA is the national trade association representing the most successful, progressive, and innovative fuel marketers and chain retailers in the United States and Canada. Founded in 1958 as the Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America (SIGMA), SIGMA has become a fixture in the motor fuel marketing industry. Representing a diverse membership of approximately 250 independent chain retailers and marketers of motor fuel, the association serves to further the interests of both the branded and unbranded segment of the industry while providing information and services to members. For more information visit SIGMA.org.
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SOURCE NATSO, Inc. | 2022-08-23T18:03:07+00:00 | wbrc.com | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/08/23/fuel-retailers-truckstops-urge-us-dot-encourage-private-investment-ev-charging-stations/ |
Despite promises, attorneys are scarce as the US resumes speedy asylum screenings at border
SAN DIEGO (AP) — As the Biden administration prepared to launch speedy asylum screenings at Border Patrol holding facilities this spring, authorities pledged a key difference from a Trump-era version of the policy: Migrants would be guaranteed access to legal counsel.
Nearly three months and thousands of screenings later, the promise of attorney access appears largely unfulfilled, based on advocacy group reports and interviews with people directly involved, some of whom spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the effort publicly.
A coterie of involved attorneys estimate that perhaps 100 migrants have secured formal representation, and only hundreds more have received informal advice through one-time phone calls ahead of the expedited screenings.
Jones Day, one of the world’s largest law firms, has partnered with the administration to provide free legal advice to migrants. Its phone bank handled 460 informal phone consultations, each one typically lasting about two hours, as of June 21, according to one of the people who spoke to AP on condition of anonymity. Jones Day itself had only two formal clients, the person said.
Four other advocacy groups that offer free advice and whose names are posted on the immigration court system’s website have handled far fewer phone consultations, partly because they started much later, the person said. Representatives from those four groups declined to comment or did not respond to requests from the AP.
That represents a mere fraction of the thousands of expedited screenings since early April, though a precise percentage couldn’t be determined. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, whose asylum officers conduct the interviews, didn’t answer questions about attorney representation.
U.S. authorities aim to complete screenings in 72 hours — the limit on holding someone under Border Patrol policy. The Homeland Security Department said the accelerated timeline is meant “to provide relief more quickly to those who are eligible and to more quickly remove those who are not.” AP has repeatedly requested to visit a screening facility to better understand the process.
During the screenings, known as “credible fear interviews,” migrants must convince an asylum officer that they have a “significant possibility” of convincing a judge that they face persecution in their home countries on grounds of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a social group. If they pass, they are typically released in the U.S. while their case winds through the system.
The percentage of people who passed asylum screenings fell to 52% during the second half of May as the fast-track process picked up, down from 77% the second half of March, just before it began.
The government figures give no explanation and do not say how many expedited screenings occurred in Border Patrol custody without access to legal counsel. Administration officials have attributed lower approval rates in part to a new policy that severely limits asylum for people who travel through another country, like Mexico, to reach the U.S. border.
A lawsuit filed last month in federal court in Washington seeks to end the screenings in Border Patrol custody, noting that applicants get as little as 24 hours to find attorneys after often-harrowing journeys. The lawsuit contends that “leaves virtually no time or ability for noncitizens to consult with anyone or meaningfully prepare for these often life-or-death interviews.
Even migrants who pass are reluctant to discuss their experiences as they to continue pursuing asylum cases. U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, said in a statement that reports of lacking attorney access at Border Patrol facilities are “troubling and disappointing.”
The administration won’t say how many of the screenings it has done at Border Patrol facilities, which prohibit in-person attorney visits, though it is easily thousands. The Homeland Security Department said June 5 that asylum officers did more than 11,500 screenings on the border in the first three weeks after pandemic-related asylum restrictions ended, though some may have been at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement centers, which do allow attorney visits.
Normally, about three in four migrants pass credible fear interviews, though far fewer eventually win asylum. But the results roughly flipped during the five months of the Trump-era program of expedited screenings: Only 23% passed, while 69% failed and 9% withdrew, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Biden ended Trump’s fast-track reviews within a month of Democrats occupying the White House, part of an executive order aimed at “restoring and enhancing asylum processing at the border.”
Renewed screenings began in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley and expanded the following week to similarly sprawling tent complexes in Laredo and El Paso in Texas; Yuma, Arizona; and San Diego — all temporary Border Patrol detention centers built since 2021 with hundreds of phone booths for interviews.
For about three weeks in April, Jones Day attorneys were able to prepare all migrants who sought informal legal advice by phone but were soon overwhelmed, according to one person with direct knowledge of the effort.
Some legal service providers wrestled with whether to participate in the “Enhanced Expedited Removal” program as the screenings process is called. They don’t get paid, and some worried it might imply approval and lend legitimacy.
Americans for Immigrant Justice joined the Jones Day-led effort because the interviews carry “life-and death” stakes, said Cindy Woods, national policy counsel.
“It’s a difficult situation to be in, especially because the way that this new iteration has been laid out,” she said.
Calls that come in at night or on weekends are missed, and attorneys say they have no reliable way to respond to messages.
Obtaining formal representation for the screening may require a signature, which requires assistance from agents who may be unavailable. One of Woods’ clients was on the phone for five hours while waiting for an agent to print a consent form and fax it back to the attorney with the migrant’s signature.
The National Immigrant Justice Center, which takes clients through the Jones Day-led phone bank, said in a report that six of 23 clients didn’t have access to pen and paper to take notes.
Jones Day attorneys occupied the highest ranks of the Trump administration, including White House counsel Don McGahn. Despite ties to the former president, who called asylum “a sham,” the firm built a robust practice representing asylum-seekers for free known as the “Border Project,” operating from an office it opened in 2017 on the banks of the Rio Grande in Laredo.
Jones Day says it has provided legal education to more than 10,000 migrants. More than 1,100 lawyers have spent more than 280,000 hours on their cases — an unrivaled investment among major firms.
The firm has declined to comment publicly on its role providing legal advice for the expedited screenings.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-07-02T16:34:47+00:00 | fox5vegas.com | https://www.fox5vegas.com/2023/07/02/despite-promises-attorneys-are-scarce-us-resumes-speedy-asylum-screenings-border/ |
NCHSAA playoffs: Seventy-First, Terry Sanford football to meet in NCHSAA playoffs
Fayetteville is guaranteed to have a high school football team playing for a regional championship this season.
Seventy-First will host Terry Sanford on Black Friday for a spot in the NCHSAA 3A East Regional final.
The undefeated Falcons earned a dominant 40-8 victory against North Brunswick, and the Bulldogs secured a 27-17 win at Eastern Alamance in the third round to set up an all-Cumberland County regional semifinal.
“(Terry Sanford is) gonna throw it around a little bit and do what they have to do to try and get a win over here on Raeford Road,” Seventy-First coach Duran McLaurin said.
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“But we got dreams and we got things that we’ve been working toward, too. We’re gonna see.”
No. 3 Seventy-First (13-0) continues to overwhelm opponents with its run game and physical defense. Friday was no exception as the Falcons turned a 16-8 halftime lead into a rout against the sixth-seeded Scorpions (11-2).
Sophomore quarterback DeAndre Nance, along with running backs Anthony Quinn Jr. and Jayden Shotwell, each rushed for more than 100 yards and had touchdown runs. Nance also had a 20-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Aaron Downing.
“We had to come out, believe in each other, and make it work,” Nance said. “The offensive line, I believe in them 100 percent. I wouldn’t want anybody else but them. They believe in me.”
Nance had a 65-yard touchdown run on the first play out of halftime that sparked the second-half surge.
“DeAndre on the first play, that’s a back-breaking play,” McLaurin said. “He kind of gets overshadowed by the talented running backs that we have and the offensive line. He’s got a big-time arm and big-time legs. I believe he’s like 25-1 as a starter; the kid's a winner.”
Defensively, Seventy-First had two takeaways and shut out the Scorpions in the second half.
“Just doing what a Seventy-First defense does," McLaurin said. "We fly around and get after people."
Senior defensive back Omar Houston, who had an interception Friday, is looking forward to the challenge of facing Terry Sanford’s high-powered offense, which scored 50-plus points in the first two rounds.
Junior playmaker Kamal Thames accounted for 181 yards and three touchdowns (two receiving, one rushing) to lead Terry Sanford's offense at Eastern Alamance.
“When we came into the season, the word was that we were gonna have the worst secondary in Cumberland County. I feel like we definitely stepped up from that and definitely proved (people) wrong,” Houston said.
“I feel like next week, especially with Terry Sanford throwing the ball a lot, the secondary will be able to make a lot of big plays.”
Defensively, the Bulldogs had four takeaways in the third round, including two interceptions by senior cornerback Tyler Peuster. Senior defensive lineman Brenden Jackson had seven tackles, including three for loss and a sack.
Now, the seventh-seeded Bulldogs (11-2) will visit Loyd E. Auman Stadium for the county’s biggest game of the year.
“We have home-field advantage and I love that,” Houston said. “I love that they have to come here and play us.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on Twitter. | 2022-11-19T07:29:54+00:00 | fayobserver.com | https://www.fayobserver.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/11/19/nchsaa-playoffs-seventy-first-terry-sanford-football-nc-high-school-football/69640276007/ |
Q2 2022 Wholesale Revenue Increased 117% Compared to Q2 2021
Q2 2022 General and Administrative Expense Decreased 57% Compared to Q2 2021
CEO Parimal Rana Provides Update on VERY GOOD's Refocused Strategy
VANCOUVER, BC , Aug. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - The Very Good Food Company Inc. (NASDAQ: VGFC) (TSXV: VERY) (FSE: OSI) ("VERY GOOD" or the "Company"), a leading plant-based food technology company, today reported its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022.
Financial Highlights
- Revenue decreased $1,279,215 or 46% to $1,501,446 in Q2 2022, compared to $2,780,681 in the same period in 2021. The decrease in revenue was driven by a decrease of $1,825,436 in eCommerce sales, offset by an increase of $523,223 in wholesale revenue.
- Wholesale revenue increased 117% to $987,278 in Q2 2022 as compared to the same quarter last year due to an increase in the number of stores and distribution points as well as increased unit velocities on core and new items.
- eCommerce revenue decreased 83% to $380,967 in Q2 2022 as compared to the same period last year due to the Company's strategic decision to limit its eCommerce sales due to high digital marketing costs to acquire new customers, lowered production and headcount at some locations to manage inventory levels. VERY GOOD is focusing on its wholesale and foodservice channels and is evaluating potential exit plans for its eCommerce business.
- General and administrative expense ("G&A expense") decreased $3,899,256 or 57% to $2,935,624 in Q2 2022 compared to $6,834,880 in Q2 2021. Excluding share-based compensation and depreciation expense, adjusted general and administrative expense decreased $1,563,585 or 28% to $4,038,034 in Q2 2022 compared to $5,601,619 in Q1 2022. The decrease in adjusted general and administrative expense was primarily driven by a decrease in salaries and wages.
- Adjusted general and administrative expense ("Adjusted G&A Expense")1 increased $1,829,479 or 183% to $4,038,034 in Q2 2022, compared to $2,208,555 in Q2 2021. The increase in adjusted general and administrative expense was primarily driven by increased legal and professional fees of $1,036,165, increased insurance fees of $659,708 due to increases in director and officer insurance as a result of the Company's Nasdaq listing, increased wages and benefits of $616,539 due to higher head count and offset by a decrease in recruitment fees of $139,543.
- Net loss decreased 46% to $(6,699,130) in Q2 2022 compared to $(12,500,733) in Q2 2021.
- Adjusted EBITDA2 was a loss of $(7,028,270) in Q2 2022 compared to $(5,673,109) in Q2 2021, and $(9,991,892) in Q1 2022.
Cash and Liquidity Update
As of June 30, 2022, the Company had cash and cash equivalents of $6,156,414, a reduction of $15,819,239 from $21,975,653 as of December 31, 2021. This decrease is primarily related to the Company's greater than expected cash burn during the quarter. As of the date of this MD&A, the Company's cash balance is approximately $3.2 million to settle current accounts payable and accrued liabilities of approximately $4.3 million. The Company will need to seek additional financing by the end of September to fulfil its outstanding obligations and fund ongoing operations and will be required to obtain subsequent financings in future periods. To address its lack of necessary liquidity, the Company has reduced its cash outflow related to paying trade payables while it evaluates its financing options. The Company is also continually evaluating other alternatives of generating cash in the short term such as disposing of non-core equipment and certain raw material inventory to extend the current cash runway. There can be no assurance that disposing of non-core equipment and certain raw material inventory will be successful. While there is no assurance on the availability of the Company's future financings, on acceptable terms, or at all, the Company currently believes that it will be able to raise capital through financing in the near term to fund operations as it continues to implement its new refocused strategy.
Q2 2022 Operational and Corporate Strategy Update
As of August 15, 2022, the Company has ceased regular operations at the Victoria Facility, Fairview Facility, and Patterson Facility and consolidated operations into the Rupert Facility. The Company closed the Victoria Flagship Store in June 2022 and has terminated the lease for the planned location of the Mount Pleasant Flagship Store. The Company made these decisions in an effort to improve production efficiencies and reduce overhead.
During the six-month period ended June 30, 2022, VERY GOOD made the strategic shift to focus on sustainable growth and a path to profitability as opposed to solely focusing on top line growth. As part of this shift, VERY GOOD decided to limit its eCommerce sales due to high digital marketing costs to acquire new customers, lowered production, and headcount at some locations to manage inventory levels, implemented initiatives such as pausing non-critical capital expenditures and lowering general and administrative expenses.
VERY GOOD has reduced its work force to core management teams with plant staff and overall head count has decreased to approximately 100 from 260 during first half of 2022 as a result of both terminations and employee resignations. The Company has granted stock options as a retention tool to help reduce employee turnover. The Company will continue to review its departments to find efficiencies and will manage inventory levels to only purchase essential raw materials.
VERY GOOD intends to continue to focus on the wholesale and food service channels, particularly in the United States, which it views as critical to realizing its vision to scale the Company.
On June 2, 2022, VERY GOOD closed a private placement offering with an institutional investor for gross proceeds of $8,184,762 (US$6,500,000) consisting of 13,100,000 common shares, 19,400,000 common share equivalents, and 32,500,000 share purchase warrants. In connection with the offering, the Company incurred share issuance costs of $936,659.
On June 23, 2022, VERY GOOD increased U.S. retail expansion via a new agreement with superstore chain Meijer Inc. (Meijer). With 262 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin, Meijer's robust Midwest presence represents significant progress towards VERY GOOD's objective to extend its brand and offer products in every major city across the United States.
On July 7, 2022, VERY GOOD increased U.S. retail expansion via a new agreement with The Giant Company ("Giant"). With Giant's presence throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia as well as online shopping and delivery to New Jersey, this retail distribution significantly expands VERY GOOD'S product availability on the U.S. Eastern Seaboard.
On July 27, 2022, VERY GOOD announced further expansion into the Eastern U.S. retail environment with Weis Markets, Inc. ("Weis"). Weis owns and operates 196 supermarkets throughout Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and West Virginia and also offers online shopping and delivery to Pennsylvania. This additional retail distribution further extends VERY GOOD's product availability in the United States.
On August 15, 2022, VERY GOOD announced that the Company was awarded the Food Network Supermarket Award for our A Cut Above Pork in the "Most Noteworthy Vegan Newcomers" category.
Management Changes
On July 4, 2022, VERY GOOD announced that as part of its succession plan, Matthew Hall has stepped down as interim Co-Chief Executive Officer and as a director of the Company but will continue to support VERY GOOD in an advisory capacity. Parimal Rana, a seasoned food industry professional who had been serving as VERY GOOD's Vice President of Operations, assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer ("CEO") and joined VERY GOOD's board of directors ("Board").
On July 12, 2022, VERY GOOD announced the appointment of a new Chief Financial Officer ("CFO"), Pratik Patel, CPA, CGA. Pratik commenced employment as CFO of VERY GOOD on July 25, 2022. He has over fifteen years of experience as a senior accounting and finance professional, with expertise in integration and external report.
Effective August 19, 2022, Kevin Callaghan, Vice President of Sales – North America of VERY GOOD will be resigning from his position. With its existing sales team including Michael Hoeksema, Director of Foodservice Sales, VERY GOOD believes it is still well positioned to continue its planned market advancements in the immediate term – with potential augmentations or additions to the sales team as needed. VERY GOOD wishes Kevin the best in his future endeavors.
Nasdaq Listing Notification
On January 11, 2022, VERY GOOD received notification from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq that, for the previous 30 consecutive business days, the bid price of the Common Shares had closed below the minimum US$1.00 per share requirement for continued inclusion on the Nasdaq pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) (the "Bid Price Rule"). On July 11, 2022, VERY GOOD was granted an additional 180-day period from Nasdaq's Listing Qualification Department or until January 9, 2023, to regain compliance with the minimum US$1 bid price requirement for continued listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market. The Nasdaq notification has no immediate effect on the listing of the Common Shares. VERY GOOD is also listed on the TSXV and the notification does not affect the Company's compliance status with such listing. Nasdaq informed VERY GOOD in the July 11 notification, that if compliance cannot be demonstrated by January 9, 2023, Nasdaq will provide written notification that VERY GOOD's securities will be delisted – at which time, the Company may appeal Staff's determination to a Hearings Panel (the "Panel").
Nasdaq's determination of VERY GOOD'S eligibility for an additional 180 calendar day period during which the Company can regain compliance, was based on VERY GOOD meeting the continued listing requirement for market value of publicly held shares and all other applicable requirements for initial listing on the Capital Market with the exception of the bid price requirement, and the Company's written notice of its intention to cure the deficiency during the second compliance period by effecting a reverse stock split, if necessary.
Refocused Strategy
The Company continues to implement its three-prong approach to (1) Stabilize, (2) Right-Size, and (3) Optimize, first announced in May 2022. The Board and its strategic advisors are focused on the stabilization prong and the management team, led by the CEO Parimal Rana, are executing to Right-Size and Optimize. The Right-Sizing efforts have mostly been completed with the closure of the restaurant operations and consolidation of production facilities into the Rupert Facility. With the re-focusing of sales away from eCommerce and toward wholesale and food service the Company is also reviewing strategic private label and co-manufacturing opportunities to fill excess production capacity and increase revenue.
The Company's long-term strategy is anticipated to continue to center around establishing and maintaining strong relationships with its customers through differentiated products, categories and channels that build our commitment to long-term profitable growth
CEO Parimal Rana commented on VERY GOOD's second quarter results and the current state of the organization. "In Q2 2022 We made notable progress toward our initiative to stabilize, right-size and optimize the business. We recognize that the hard work is not over, and we are still completely focused on forging a path toward profitability and growth by leveraging our track record of innovation and our clean, plant-based products that are well received by vegan as well as flexitarian consumers. It's never easy to report a sequentially down quarter, but the growth we are seeing in wholesale revenue, as well as some of our more recent wins are encouraging validation of our new strategic initiative to focus on the wholesale and foodservice channels. We are positioning ourselves to be on the leading edge of the plant-based-foods market recovery and future growth opportunity."
The management's discussion and analysis for the period and the accompanying financial statements and notes will be available under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com and will be furnished on a Report on Form 6-K on EDGAR at www.sec.gov.
Q2 2022 Conference Call Details
VERY GOOD will host a conference call on Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at 5:00 pm Eastern Time/ 2:00 pm Pacific Time to discuss its financial results and business outlook.
Participant Dial-In Numbers:
Toll-Free: 1-877-425-9470
Toll / International: 1-201-389-0878
* Participants should request The Very Good Food Company Second Quarter Earnings Call.
The call will be available via webcast on VERY GOOD's investor page of the Company website at https://investor.theverygoodfood.co/ until September 16, 2022.
Condensed Interim Consolidated Statements of Financial Position
(Expressed in Canadian dollars, unaudited)
Condensed Interim Consolidated Statements of Net Loss and Comprehensive Loss
(Expressed in Canadian dollars, unaudited)
Condensed Interim Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows
(Expressed in Canadian dollars, unaudited)
NON-IFRS FINANCIAL MEASURES
Non-IFRS financial measures are metrics used by management that do not have any standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies.
Adjusted EBITDA
Management defines adjusted EBITDA as net loss before finance expense, tax, depreciation and amortization, share-based compensation and other non-cash items, including loss on disposal of equipment, gain on termination of leases, and shares, units and warrants issued for services. Management believes adjusted EBITDA is a useful financial metric to assess its operating performance because it adjusts for items that either do not relate to the Company's underlying business performance or that are items that are not reasonably likely to recur.
Adjusted General and Administrative Expense
Management defines adjusted general and administrative expense as general and administrative expense excluding non-cash items such as share-based compensation and depreciation expense. Management believes adjusted general and administrative expense provides useful information as it represents the corporate costs to operate the business excluding any non-cash items.
The VERY GOOD Food Company Inc. is an emerging plant-based food technology company that produces nutritious and delicious plant-based meat and cheese products under VERY GOOD's core brands: The VERY GOOD Butchers and The VERY GOOD Cheese Co. www.verygoodfood.com.
OUR MISSION IS LOFTY BUT BEAUTIFULLY SIMPLE: GET MILLIONS TO RETHINK THEIR FOOD CHOICES WHILE HELPING THEM DO THE WORLD A WORLD OF GOOD. BY OFFERING PLANT-BASED FOOD OPTIONS SO DELICIOUS AND NUTRITIOUS, WE'RE HELPING THIS KIND OF DIET BECOME THE NORM.
ON BEHALF OF THE VERY GOOD FOOD COMPANY INC.
Parimal Rana
Chief Executive Officer
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws in Canada and "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (collectively referred to as "forward-looking information"), for the purpose of providing information about management's current expectations and plans relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such information may not be appropriate for other purposes. Forward-looking information may be identified by words such as "plans", "proposed", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "estimates", "may", "will", and similar expressions. Forward-looking information contained or referred to in this news release includes, but is not limited to: the Company's ability to satisfy its existing and future cash obligations and to continue as a going concern; the Company's plans and needs to seek a financing to address near-term liquidity issues and continue operations, as well as the Company's requirements for future financings; the Company's belief that it will be able to raise capital through financing in the near term to fund operations as it continues to implement its new refocused strategy; the Company's plans to manage inventory levels and its ongoing cost-reduction initiatives to manage both short and long-term liquidity and re-establish a path towards profitability; the Company's refocused strategy and its three-prong approach to (1) Stabilize, (2) Right-Size, and (3) Optimize and the Board of Directors' and management's work and progress on successfully implementing such refocused strategy; the focus of the Company's long-term strategy; the Company's ongoing review of its eCommerce channel and the potential outcome of such review; potential strategic private label and co-manufacturing opportunities and the expected benefits that may be derived therefrom; the Company's focus on the wholesale and food service channels; the availability of alternatives of generating cash in the short term such as disposing of non-core equipment and raw materials to extend the Company's cash runway; the continued North American retail geographic expansion for VERY GOOD's products and the abilities of the Company's sales team: the Company's ability to compete; trends and growth expectations in the plant-based industry; and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on VERY GOOD's business; the Company's ability to mitigate employee turnover. Forward-looking information is based on a number of factors and assumptions which have been used to develop such information, but which may prove to be incorrect including, but not limited to, material assumptions with respect to the Company's ability to continue as a going concern; the Company's ability to manage recent personnel changes; which is available at www.sedar.com and www.sec.gov. The Company's ability to execute on its strategy may also depend on the Company's ability to accurately forecast customer demand for its products and manage its current and future inventory levels, continued demand for VERY GOOD's products, continued growth of the popularity of meat alternatives and the plant-based food industry, no material deterioration in general business and economic conditions, the successful placement of VERY GOOD's products in retail stores and distribution in the food service channel, the Company's ability to remain listed on the Nasdaq, VERY GOOD's ability to successfully enter new markets, VERY GOOD's ability to obtain necessary production equipment and human resources as needed, VERY GOOD's relationship with its suppliers, distributors and third-party logistics providers, and management's ability to position VERY GOOD competitively. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on forward-looking information because VERY GOOD can give no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance or achievements of VERY GOOD to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking information include, among others, the impact of, uncertainties and risks associated with negative cash flow and future financing requirements to sustain and grow operations, limited history of operations and revenues and no history of earnings or dividends, competition, risks relating to the availability of raw materials, risks relating to regulation on social media, expansion of facilities, risks related to credit facilities, dependence on senior management and key personnel, availability of labor, general business risk and liability, regulation of the food industry, change in laws, regulations and guidelines, compliance with laws, risks related to third party logistics providers, unfavorable publicity or consumer perception, increased costs as a result of being a United States public company, product liability and product recalls, risks related to intellectual property, risks relating to co-manufacturing, risks related to expansion into the United States; risks related to our acquisition strategy, taxation risks, difficulties with forecasts, management of growth and litigation as well as the risks associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For a more comprehensive discussion of the risks faced by VERY GOOD, please refer to VERY GOOD's most recent Annual Information Form filed with Canadian securities regulatory authorities at www.sedar.com and as an exhibit to the Form 20-F filed with the SEC on May 26, 2022 and available at www.sec.gov. The forward-looking information in this news release reflects the current expectations, assumptions and/or beliefs of the Company based on information currently available. Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date of this news release. VERY GOOD undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information whether because of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law. The forward-looking information contained in this news release is expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
None of the Nasdaq Stock Market LLC, TSX Venture Exchange, the SEC or any other securities regulator has either approved or disapproved the contents of this news release.
None of the Nasdaq, the TSX Venture Exchange or its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange), the SEC or any other securities regulator accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.
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SOURCE The Very Good Food Company Inc. | 2022-08-15T23:45:07+00:00 | kcbd.com | https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/08/15/very-good-food-company-reports-second-quarter-2022-financial-results/ |
Posted: Oct 26, 2022 / 12:30 PM CDT Updated: Oct 26, 2022 / 11:23 AM CDT SHARE Today we asked the age-old question: Who would win in a battle? Ghosts or Aliens?
Brandy Auterson Brandy Auterson is a Host and Producer for Loving Living Local. Brandy joined the WHBF team in 2000 as a reporter. She has held many roles at the station, including anchor, and has worked behind the scenes as an assignment editor. After taking some time off, she joined the Loving Living Local team 2019. As […] | 2022-10-26T18:30:55+00:00 | ourquadcities.com | https://www.ourquadcities.com/living-local/daily-dish-ghosts-or-aliens/ |
BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (AP) _ Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (AMRX) on Friday reported a second-quarter loss of $120.8 million, after reporting a profit in the same period a year earlier.
The Bridgewater, New Jersey-based company said it had a loss of 80 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for one-time gains and costs, were 19 cents per share.
The results did not meet Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 20 cents per share.
The pharmaceutical company posted revenue of $559.4 million in the period, exceeding Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $534.6 million.
Amneal expects full-year earnings in the range of 65 cents to 70 cents per share, with revenue in the range of $2.15 billion to $2.25 billion.
The company's shares closed at $3.46. A year ago, they were trading at $4.83.
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This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on AMRX at https://www.zacks.com/ap/AMRX | 2022-08-05T11:36:18+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Amneal-Q2-Earnings-Snapshot-17353785.php |
ELKHART, Ind., Nov. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Patrick Industries, Inc. (NASDAQ: PATK) today announced that on November 10, 2022, its Board of Directors (the "Board") approved an increase in the amount of its quarterly cash dividend on its common stock to $0.45 per share from $0.33 per share. The dividend is payable on December 12, 2022, to shareholders of record at the close of business on November 28, 2022.
"The dividend increase reflects our commitment to increasing long-term shareholder value, and the Board and management's confidence in our financial position and capital allocation strategy," said Andy Nemeth, Chief Executive Officer of Patrick.
About Patrick Industries, Inc.
Patrick Industries (NASDAQ: PATK) is a leading component solutions provider for the Leisure Lifestyle and Housing markets. Founded in 1959, Patrick is based in Elkhart, Indiana, with over 12,000 employees across the United States.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain statements related to future results, our intentions, beliefs and expectations or predictions for the future, which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any projections of financial performance or statements concerning expectations as to future developments should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee that such results or developments will, in fact, occur. There can be no assurance that any forward-looking statement will be realized or that actual results will not be significantly different from that set forth in such forward-looking statement. Information about certain risks that could affect our business and cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements are contained in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, and in the Company's Forms 10-Q for subsequent quarterly periods, which are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. In addition, future dividends are subject to Board approval. Each forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date on which it is made.
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SOURCE Patrick Industries, Inc. | 2022-11-11T14:53:28+00:00 | kcbd.com | https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/11/11/patrick-industries-inc-announces-increase-regular-quarterly-cash-dividend/ |
WEST LAFAYETTE — The hottest topic right now is the elevation of Artificial Intelligence (AI). As scientists and researchers across the nation work to develop the technology, those at Purdue University are changing the view of AI.
For decades, speculation about AI has been reserved for science fiction movies. But fiction is getting closer to becoming a reality, thanks to computer scientists at Purdue University. AI is getting smarter, giving us a better idea of what will be possible in the future.
"I mean, people have been building AI for a very long time, but it's only the last few years it has changed the landscape entirely in science and technology," said Aniket Bera, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Purdue University.
And by the looks of it, it's here to stay.
"Are we at the beginning of this big change, or are we at the end? Right? A lot of these times, I keep on feeling ok. We have saturated a lot of these mathematical models. Maybe we are reaching a tipping point of what we can do," Bera said.
Bera said AI would continue to get more elaborate as technology advances.
"This robot will actually look like a real dog and probably, I mean, eventually something if it becomes indistinguishable from reality, then that's probably a stopping point," Bera said.
A stopping point that he's hoping to break through by helping AI comprehend human emotions. A task that has not been done yet.
"It doesn't interact with humans, and humans do with other people, so we are hoping to bring all of these aspects of humans human behaviors and human emotion into these kinds of robots," Bera said.
Purdue has already introduced robotic delivery of food to students on campus. And the robotic dog is next on its list of AI accomplishments.
"Many researchers across the world are working on AI technologies. I won't be the last," Bera said. "There are many people working on this. But they're very few people working on making sure that five years from now, the human element still remains. And that's why bringing in all these human factors into building technologies is very critical."
"Like any other system that comes along, it's going to radically change what happened but not going to change everything," said Bradley Dilger, English Professor at Purdue University.
Dilger is exploring ChatGPT.
"So there's two parts of it. There's this machine learning part which is figuring out how language works, and then there's the database which is all the stuff that they put into it," Dilger said.
ChatGPT is becoming more useful in classrooms, like assisting with research and papers.
"The amount of stuff that you did in college and that I did in college. The amount of time it took us to look up stuff was way more," said Dilger.
Although there has been some pushback about it and how it may be creating learning barriers for students.
"ChatGPT is like the tenth thing that was going to kill writing. The first thing that would kill writing was printing because we had too much writing," Dilger said. "Then the second thing that was going to kill writing was typing because we didn't have handwriting anymore, and then it was going to be spell check that was going to kill writing, and it was going to be the internet that was going to kill it none of those things killed it."
Dilger said it's not taking away the ability to teach and learn. Instead, it's evolving the standards.
"It's up to us as instructors to make sure that we keep the standards up for quality right and that we use all these changes," Dilger said.
Changes that come with putting trust into technology. An obstacle we are all adapting to while navigating through this new phenomenon.
"Trust is a two-way process. I think for the robot, trust is how to optimally solve a problem. For humans, it's how to accept these things in the next ten years," Bera said.
Bera said eventually, they want to explore using AI to assist with mental health.
He said they recently received a small grant, working with Community Health Behavioral Center to incorporate and implement AI into their workflow. | 2023-03-13T12:49:35+00:00 | wrtv.com | https://www.wrtv.com/news/local-news/purdue-university-changing-the-view-of-artificial-intelligence |
(NEXSTAR) – Even shortly after Hurricane Ian made landfall in Florida, the scope of the storm’s devastation was already apparent.
Ian brought with it 150 mph winds, more than 10 feet of storm surge and over a foot of rain. The hurricane’s eye was 40 miles wide as it made landfall Wednesday, leaving a large path of destruction along Florida’s west coast.
Videos taken in Naples, Florida, Wednesday afternoon showed residential neighborhoods flooded, with just the roofs of cars parked along the street peeking out from the high water.
The Naples Fire Rescue Department shared photos showing firefighters face to face with a storm surge outside their own garage. The water rose up to the firefighters’ hips and over the wheels of at least one of their trucks.
Floodwaters in Naples submerged cars and nearly swept away a child before his mother was able to save him, one reporter noted.
In Port Charlotte, the storm surge flooded a hospital’s emergency room even as fierce winds ripped away part of the roof from its intensive care unit, according to a doctor who works there.
Water gushed down onto the ICU, forcing them to evacuate their sickest patients — some on ventilators — to other floors, said Dr. Birgit Bodine of HCA Florida Fawcett Hospital. Staff members used towels and plastic bins to try to mop up the sodden mess.
In Sarasota, WFLA crews saw awnings ripped off of buildings by the high winds.
Wind knocked down trees and power lines in cities throughout the state’s western side, knocking out power to more than 2.5 million customers.
As the hurricane moved in, it also spawned tornados. One likely tornado overturned small airplanes at North Perry Airport in Pembroke Pines. Mobile homes and an apartment complex also sustained damage from apparent tornados on Florida’s eastern side.
That’s just the damage in the United States. Before making its way to Florida, Ian tore through western Cuba. State media reported two deaths in the province: a woman killed by a falling wall and another by a collapsed roof.
Ian’s winds damaged one of Cuba’s most prestigious tobacco farms, Finca Robaina.
Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm early Thursday morning.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | 2022-09-29T12:54:52+00:00 | ksn.com | https://www.ksn.com/weather/tracking-the-tropics/photos-show-destruction-from-hurricane-ian/ |
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- Ex-USBP agent Juan David Ortiz convicted of killing 4 women
- Laredo permit filings show BoxLunch, Sephora coming to Gateway City
- Gunfire in south Laredo yields one arrest
- Affidavit: Family from Mexico caught stealing at Target
- Man arrested on domestic violence allegations
- Ortiz's phone calls from jail to wife discussed in trial
- Affidavit: Man shot at south Laredo home
- Border Patrol agent dies in ATV accident during Texas patrol
- S.A.-area family seeks answers after dog shot with crossbow arrow
- Lost mother and child found by Laredo USBP agents
- Video: LPD releases break-in footage, seeks help identifying man
- 'Shocking and terrifying': Closing arguments made in Ortiz trial
- Desperate mother with autistic son felt forced to leave Laredo for SA
- How 'La Barbie' became the top-ranking leader of a Mexican drug cartel
- Gunfire reported in Nuevo Laredo
- Ted Cruz's daughter 'okay' after report of self-inflicted wounds | 2022-12-08T16:34:19+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/sports/article/Cleveland-Cavaliers-Stax-17640254.php |
Vancleave man arrested, charged with wife’s murder
Published: Sep. 7, 2022 at 3:36 PM CDT|Updated: 19 minutes ago
VANCLEAVE, Miss. (WLOX) - Sterling Dugas, 37, has been arrested and charged in the murder of his wife Nina Olivia Brossett.
According to Sheriff Mike Ezell, deputies with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department found the body of Brossett, 40, in the bedroom of her and Dugas’ home on Jim Ramsay Road early Monday morning.
Dugas is charged with first degree murder and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. During his initial court hearing on Wednesday, County Court Judge Mark Watts denied bond for Dugas.
The sheriff says an autopsy will be performed on the victim Thursday.
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Copyright 2022 WLOX. All rights reserved. | 2022-09-07T20:56:58+00:00 | wlox.com | https://www.wlox.com/2022/09/07/vancleave-man-arrested-charged-wifes-murder/ |
During his presidential campaign, President Joe Biden said he would make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” if elected. He pointed to the fact the 9/11 hijackers were primarily Saudi and the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, most likely on the direct orders of the Saudi crown prince, as reasons for doing so.
This weekend he visited Saudi Arabia, with little evidence of the rhetorical thunder he once directed at its government. Whether this constitutes an epic flip-flop or a case of realpolitik depends heavily on your political leanings.
Biden attempted to defend his decision to visit the state by saying he has “never been quiet” when it comes to human rights and that his views on Khashoggi’s murder are “absolutely clear.” But it is difficult to ignore the gap between words and deed in this case.
Khashoggi was a well-known Saudi dissident, critical of the government’s record on rights. On Oct. 2, 2018, he went to the Saudi consulate in Instanbul. He was lured by the promise he could get documents he needed for his wedding.
Khashoggi was murdered within minutes, then dismembered. His remains were snuck out of the embassy. The Saudi government initially denied any involvement, insisting Khashoggi left safely. They didn’t know the Turkish government had bugged the building, recording incontrovertible evidence of the murder.
Biden isn’t wrong that an absence of U.S. influence in the Middle East would pave the way for increased involvement by China and Russia. But the White House insistence that the trip would “recalibrate but not rupture” the U.S.-Saudi relationship stands in stark contrast to his blunt promises on the campaign trail.
Those promises weren’t the words of a naïve newcomer, inexperienced in international politics. Biden was in the U.S. Senate from 1973 to 2009. His senate career was notable for its involvement in international issues, particularly the arms control treaties between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. He served on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. As vice president he visited heads of state from the Middle East, including Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
In short, Biden’s campaign statements were those of a seasoned politician and diplomat, someone who knew precisely what he was saying and the potential ramifications his words had. Similarly, his reversal was made with the full knowledge of what he was doing.
While Biden says he raised the issue, that hardly guarantees he pressed Saudi leadership on it. The fact Biden seems willing to set aside the murder of a journalist, one who was a legal U.S. resident at the time of his death, is troubling. He is taking that step in an environment that has seen increasing hostility toward the very concept of a free press, both at home and abroad.
The message he sent this weekend, intentionally or not, is that such acts will be glossed over if the state committing such acts has resources the United States needs. He drew another line between a U.S. politician’s statements on the campaign trail and what the government is willing to actually do.
There is, indisputably, good reason to retain diplomatic relationships with the other nations of the world. The United States maintained an embassy in Moscow throughout the Cold War. It was re-established in 1934, some 17 years after the Bolshevik Revolution, and remained in operation despite the discovery of listening devices and occasional bombardment with microwave radiation. Talking to opponents in the manner an embassy allows is one of the best justifications for their existence.
We’re not suggesting the United States break off diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia. Such a step is disproportionate to the death of any one individual. But presidential visits carry weight, conferring legitimacy in the eyes of many. The sight of an American president standing on the soil of another nation has significant public relations value. Denying that image to a murderous monarch is not the same as breaching bilateral relations.
Biden’s campaign vow to make Saudi Arabia a pariah was probably always overblown. But reducing his objections and those of the United States with an official visit sends its own message, one that tacitly allows for extreme acts of retribution by foreign regimes against those who dare to disagree with them.
That was the wrong message for an American president to send. | 2022-07-17T18:19:29+00:00 | leadertelegram.com | https://www.leadertelegram.com/opinion/editorials/our-view-sending-the-wrong-message/article_43e29168-787e-5787-9c24-00d2ed94c8f6.html |
Strategic Radiology has chosen to partner with Ferrum's privately deployed enterprise AI platform for its member practices to discover, validate, and manage their AI algorithms.
CHESHIRE, Conn., Nov. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Strategic Radiology, the nation's largest coalition of independent, wholly physician-owned private radiology practices in the United States, has chosen Ferrum Health to support and accelerate the discovery, validation, and management of clinical AI across its member institutions. In response to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) across all imaging modalities and the explosion of FDA clearances over the past several years, Strategic Radiology's adoption of the Ferrum Health platform ensures that its members have a secure, standardized, and cost-effective way to enable member groups to continue to lead in both clinical technology adoption and quality of care. Strategic Radiology will use Ferrum to monitor for algorithm performance, bias, and drift across its practices, as well as to share learnings on clinical impact and business ROI of the 50+ algorithms available on the Ferrum platform.
One of the top concerns the partnership will seek to address is the emerging recognition amongst radiologists that many AI tools available on the market are insufficiently validated and run the risk of being biased. Ferrum Health will work with Strategic Radiology members to provide a standardized method of sharing AI performance across demographics, allowing for Strategic Radiology to uncover AI blind spots putting patients at risk that may not be visible to individual practices without Ferrum. In addition, Ferrum is working with Strategic Radiology practices to quantify and share the ROI they are seeing from the AI tools they pilot. These insights will be presented and shared among Strategic Radiology members to further accelerate AI adoption as the healthcare industry emerges from the financial pressures placed on it by COVID-19.
Within Strategic Radiology, early adopters like ARA Health Specialists, Asheville, NC, and The Hill Medical Corporation, Pasadena, CA, have been using Ferrum Health over the past several quarters, validating and deploying AI applications across diverse workflows that includes oncologic, cardiovascular, and orthopedic indications. "AI is a priority for our membership and will fundamentally transform how radiology is practiced, but comes with clinical, technical, and business risks," said Scott Bundy, MD, FACR, Chair and CEO, Strategic Radiology. "SR needs to support our members and has chosen Ferrum to help them navigate these challenges. What made Ferrum's platform stand out is that it is privately deployable into member's existing data centers and clouds and it features robust validation and monitoring tools to build trust with our members."
In addition to providing technical and business support to Strategic Radiology's members as they adopt clinical AI, Strategic Radiology and Ferrum Health will allow their members to share data and insights on AI performance with a partnership between their respective Patient Safety Organizations. This partnership will ensure that the data and insights into algorithm performance being generated by the AI tools on the Ferrum platform will remain protected and non-discoverable under the Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 while giving Strategic Radiology members a confidential and legally protected forum in which to exchange case studies and best practices to improve quality and patient safety.
"We founded Ferrum Health with the mission of making intelligent health care accessible to all, and I am beyond excited about the passion and enthusiasm Strategic Radiology's leadership and its members have for improving patient care," said Pelu Tran, CEO of Ferrum Health. "We've spent years building up a best-in-class library of clinical AI partner applications from all over the world, and we can't wait for these tools to start improving the care of the millions of patients served by Strategic Radiology's radiologists every year."
Ferrum Health provides a fully private AI infrastructure to allow health systems to securely deploy the most innovative and impactful clinical AI technologies worldwide without patient data leaving their firewall. Ferrum's private AI Hubs allow health systems to run dozens of third party applications across service lines and patient populations. As of 2022, more than 750,000 patient records have been analyzed via the Ferrum AI Hub platform. For more information, visit www.ferrumhealth.com and follow Ferrum on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Strategic Radiology (SR) is a national coalition of privately owned, independent, radiology practices representing 1500+ radiologists that have come together to improve quality, gain operational efficiencies, and innovate the future of radiology's private practice model. SR established the nation's first radiology-specific PSO listed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and also provides its member groups value through shared savings via a group purchasing program, strategic partnerships, and proprietary products and services. To learn more, visit www.StrategicRadiology.org and follow SR on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
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SOURCE Ferrum Health Inc. | 2022-11-22T18:05:05+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2022/11/22/strategic-radiology-partners-with-ferrum-health-standardize-validation-management-clinical-ai-across-its-members/ |
Sununu campaign launches political ads in two key early presidential primary states
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu has been asked time and time again if he is going to throw his hat in the ring for a presidential run. Sununu has said his focus is on the Granite State, but there's a new ad by his campaign circulating on Facebook in just two states and neither of them are New Hampshire.
Not even two months after securing a fourth term in the corner office, Sununu has been asked if he's considering running for president in 2024 multiple times.
"I don't rule anything in, I don't rule anything out, I don't make promises, I don't break promises,” Sununu said on CloseUp.
His latest answer, saying he’s “not thinking about it right now,” came last week during a sit-down interview with CNN.
Two days later, an ad worth a couple hundred dollars on Facebook, hitting screens in South Carolina and Iowa — two early presidential primary states.
“Well, I think he’s introducing himself to people outside New Hampshire,” Scott Spradling, political analyst, said. “While he has a household name in the Granite State, he’s not exactly a household name anywhere else, so this is a good way for him to start the conversation and honestly the timing is right if he is serious about possibly getting involved in the 2024 presidential race.”
Spradling said eventually the governor will have to make a decision, but there's time.
If Sununu does make a run for president, Spradling said that doesn't mean other candidates should consider the New Hampshire primary a wash.
“You could make an argument that a Chris Sununu presidential run could cause other Republican hopefuls to say well New Hampshire’s in the bag for him so I’m going to skip the Granite State, but there’s something to be said about second place, third place," Spradling said.
News 9 reached out to the governor's office. In a statement, the governor said he wants to help Republicans replicate New Hampshire's successes nationwide, and those early states are where those conversations can have the most impact. | 2022-12-22T04:45:00+00:00 | wmur.com | https://www.wmur.com/article/new-hampshire-sununu-campaign-launches-political-ads/42312721 |
Opinion: Here's what's missing in both sides of the abortion debate
Kaitlyn Buss
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., stood in front of the steps of the Supreme Court Tuesday morning after the leak of the court’s likely coming decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“Who will pay the price for this?” she demanded.
“It will not be wealthy women. ... This will fall on the poorest women in our country. This will fall on the young women who have been abused, who are victims of incest. This will fall on those who have been raped; this will fall on mothers who are already struggling to work three jobs to be able to support the children they have,” Warren said. | 2022-05-06T04:10:48+00:00 | detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/opinion/2022/05/06/abortion-debate-rhetoric-lacks-nuance-compassion/9657615002/?gnt-cfr=1 |
LPD Retiree expresses frustration with old station demolition
LAWTON, Okla. (KSWO) - City of Lawton officials announced that they will demolish the old police station soon..
But this demo could leave a lot at stake for one group of people.
“Like the old police cars, it’s like the old police uniforms that we used to wear,” Mark McFarland said. “Officers doing silly stuff back in the day, just old stuff. Up to now, up to this date. It’s stuff... it’s stuff that you can never get back.”
McFarland is a retired lieutenant for Lawton Police, and has fond memories of the building.
He said he and other retirees only want photos of the inside of the building to preserve its memory, but haven’t been allowed inside.
“We just want to go in there and take some pictures of where we used to work,” he said.
McFarland added that the process of trying to get access to the building began in November when he reached out to the city manager for help. He says after a few weeks, he was denied without an concrete reason.
“Nobody officially has ever said why,” McFarland shared. “Then somebody said, ‘well there might be some mold in there in the basement,’.”
Once the building is turned to rubble, there will be no getting their memories back, even if they’re the only ones being affected.
“It’s no big deal to them, or shouldn’t be, but it is a big deal to us and all our guys.”
City of Lawton officials said the building is restricted for safety reasons. More details will be released in a meeting scheduled for a later date.
Copyright 2023 KSWO. All rights reserved. | 2023-04-04T04:51:38+00:00 | kswo.com | https://www.kswo.com/2023/04/04/lpd-retiree-expresses-frustration-with-old-station-demolition/ |
NEW YORK, Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Halper Sadeh LLC, an investor rights law firm, is investigating the following companies for potential violations of the federal securities laws and/or breaches of fiduciary duties to shareholders relating to:
Renovacor, Inc. (NYSE: RCOR)'s sale to Rocket Pharmaceuticals, Inc. for approximately 0.1676 shares of Rocket for each Renovacor share. Upon completion of the transaction, Renovacor shareholders are expected to own approximately 4.6% percent of Rocket. If you are a Renovacor Health shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Southern Missouri Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ: SMBC)'s merger with Citizens Bancshares Co. Under the terms of the merger agreement, Citizens shareholders will have the right to elect either a fixed exchange ratio of 1.1448 shares of Southern Missouri common stock or a cash payment of $53.50 for each Citizens share. If you are a Southern Missouri shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Talos Energy Inc. (NYSE: TALO)'s merger with EnVen Energy Corporation. If you are a Talos shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Halper Sadeh LLC may seek increased consideration for shareholders, additional disclosures and information concerning the proposed transaction, or other relief and benefits on behalf of shareholders.
Shareholders are encouraged to contact the firm free of charge to discuss their legal rights and options. Please call Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or email sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com.
Halper Sadeh LLC represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors.
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SOURCE Halper Sadeh LLP | 2022-11-02T10:12:06+00:00 | uppermichiganssource.com | https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/prnewswire/2022/11/02/shareholder-investigation-halper-sadeh-llc-investigates-rcor-smbc-talo/ |
Donald Trump was "wrong" on Jan. 6, 2021, and history will hold him accountable for it.
That was the message former Vice President Mike Pence delivered at a Washington, D.C., dinner on Saturday night, in what amounted to his most forceful rebuke to date of the former president.
Pence laid into Trump for his efforts to pressure him into blocking the certification of the 2020 election results on Jan. 6, when he told supporters near the White House that he hoped Pence would "do the right thing." Protesters who later marched to the Capitol turned violent and stormed the building where the vote count was being certified. Some chanted "Hang Mike Pence."
"His reckless words endangered my family and everyone at the Capitol that day," Pence said.
In the lead up to the violence, Trump and other election deniers called on Pence to reject key states and refuse Biden the electoral votes he needed to clinch the victory, but Pence refused.
"I know history will hold Donald Trump accountable," Pence said.
The former vice president delivered his remarks at the Gridiron Dinner, an annual white-tie event thrown by journalists in the nation's capital. His comments came amid speculation that Pence is weighing a 2024 presidential bid, a move that would pit him in direct competition with Trump, who announced his own run in November.
Pence has condemned the violence on Jan. 6 but had previously not been so critical of Trump, saying instead in the past that he and Trump may never see "eye to eye" about what happened that day.
The former vice president has been subpoenaed by a federal grand jury seeking his testimony regarding the events of Jan. 6, but Pence has asked a federal judge to block it, CNN reported.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2023-03-12T22:52:54+00:00 | mainepublic.org | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-03-12/pence-says-trump-was-wrong-about-jan-6-and-that-history-will-hold-him-accountable |
CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — Manuela Lara’s Mexican food stand is not far from the house on Walter Drive, the one with the Christmas lights still up, where a man next door with an AR-style rifle walked over and killed five of his Honduran neighbors.
Lara is also an immigrant and has lived for years in the Trails End neighborhood, where residents say law enforcement was slow to respond to frequent gunfire long before the rural sheriff’s department drew scrutiny for taking 11 minutes to get to the scene of the April 28 shooting, and for the ensuing four-day manhunt.
“There aren’t enough patrols. The police don’t come over here,” Lara said. “This happened because police didn’t come in here.”
The capture of 38-year-old Francisco Oropeza Tuesday night has not eased concerns in the largely Latino neighborhood about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Houston, where many immigrant residents feel disregarded and disrespected by officials from the local level up to the governor.
In the arrest’s wake, even some law enforcement officials have questioned how the response was coordinated.
Authorities have acknowledged it usually takes deputies from 30 minutes up to an hour to respond to calls in Trails End, but say they face challenges that are familiar to law enforcement across rural America, where firearms are common and officers are responsible for vast stretches of terrain. Three deputies were patrolling the 700 square miles (1,800 square kilometers) of San Jacinto County when the first call about the shooting came in as a harassment report at 11:31 p.m., according to the sheriff’s office.
“We’ve got poor roads. We’re understaffed,” Chief Deputy Sheriff Tim Kean said. “Welcome to rural law enforcement.”
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, sheriff’s deputies got help searching for Oropeza from several local and state law enforcement agencies. But they didn’t formally accept help from the FBI until the next morning, according to the bureau. And an official with the two-man agency that does much of the day-to-day police work in the neighborhood said they were left to learn about the shooting and manhunt the next morning through calls from neighbors and news reports.
“Maybe we could have caught him faster. I can’t say that we would have, but when it happens in your own back yard you would hope you’d be the first to be notified,” said Cpt. Peter Sparta of the San Jacinto County Constable’s Office. The sheriff’s office generally doesn’t coordinate with the area constable, who lives a 15-minute drive from where the shooting occurred, Sparta added.
Oropeza is now in jail on five murder charges and awaiting the appointment of a lawyer. But some residents question whether the shooting will prompt action needed for local law enforcement to show up quicker next time they call. Others remain angry with Gov. Greg Abbott for calling the victims “illegal immigrants,” saying immigration status is irrelevant to their being the victims of gun violence.
“They’re human beings and they just lost their family,” said Shawn Crawford, 52, who also lives on Walter Drive. “It had nothing to do with politics, the border, the immigrants.”
Abbott, a Republican, drew widespread backlash for the comment and his office later apologized, acknowledging at least one of the victims was in the U.S. legally.
Diana Velásquez Alvarado, 21, will be buried in the United States, according to her father, who said she had recently obtained residency after leaving Honduras eight years ago.
Oropeza was a Mexican national who was deported four times between 2009 and 2016, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Trails End is on the outskirts of Cleveland, a diverse town of about 8,000, and homes there sit on wide lots and under a dense canopy of pine trees. As in other rural places in Texas, the legality of firing weapons in one’s backyard can be confusing depending on where one lives but seems to be largely tolerated by law enforcement as long as no one is hurt and nothing damaged. Complaints about such gunfire in the neighborhood were daily, according to the sheriff’s office.
Nearly 31% of Cleveland’s population are Latinos, and their growing presence can be seen in businesses from taquerias to stores that sell products from Mexico and Central America. Some of the Hondurans killed in the shooting had lived in the U.S. for years, according to their families back home.
Authorities say the shooting began after three of Oropeza’s neighbors asked him to go farther away if he was going to fire his gun so late because a baby was trying to sleep.
At a vigil for the victims a few days before Oropeza’s arrest, Krystal Segundo was one of the many residents who complained about law enforcement not responding in the past to calls about gunfire from neighbors.
They accused San Jacinto County Sheriff’s deputies of normally not taking any action.
“I told my husband, after this tragedy now we have so many police. Before, I never saw one officer pass or do anything,” said Segundo, who has lived in the neighborhood for five years with her husband and four kids.
Wilson Garcia, whose wife, Sonia Argentina Guzman, 25, and his 9-year-old son, Daniel Enrique Laso, were killed in the shooting, told reporters that people in his house called police five times after Oropeza brushed them off about firing his gun, and that each time a dispatcher told them help was coming.
Deputies took 11 minutes to arrive, Sheriff Greg Capers said. That’s “pretty quick,” according to Kean. The chief deputy said one of the three working deputies was responding to a robbery at the time of the shooting, but didn’t specify where the other two were.
The exact timeline of the police response to the shooting remains unclear because the sheriff’s office has yet to release call logs, 911 recordings and other records in response to public records requests.
“You got to remember the initial call on this was somebody firing their gun in the yard, all right. At that point, it wasn’t an attack,” Kean said. “So the aggravated robbery trumps the guy shooting in the yard.”
But Sparta, the constable’s captain, who said he grew up nearby, suggested the shooting might have been avoided if more resources went to doing routine police work there.
“You need to police these communities where these peoples’ houses are,” he said. “It prevents burglaries. It prevents things that just happen like this.”
___
Weber reported from Austin and Bleiberg from Dallas. Associated Press videojournalist Lekan Oyekanmi contributed to this report. | 2023-05-06T13:35:42+00:00 | cbs4indy.com | https://cbs4indy.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/before-texas-mass-shooting-locals-felt-abandoned-by-police/ |
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Texas Rangers ace Jacob deGrom left Monday night’s start against the Kansas City Royals after four hitless innings because of a sore right wrist.
The team said deGrom was removed as a precaution. He struck out five and walked one, throwing 39 of his 58 pitches for strikes. Two relievers finished a one-hitter for the Rangers in a 4-0 victory.
“I felt it a little bit warming up,” deGrom said. “I thought it was going to loosen up and it actually tightened up a little bit as the game went on.
“We’re playing it smart. Could I have kept going? Probably. But it was lingering and it got a little bit worse as the game went on. I just want to play it safe. We’ve got a long season ahead of us.”
Beset by injuries the past two seasons with the New York Mets, the two-time NL Cy Young Award winner signed a $185 million, five-year contract with Texas as a free agent in December.
The right-hander is 1-0 with a 3.48 ERA in four starts for the Rangers.
“I’m honestly not too concerned,” deGrom said. “I would like to think I’ll make my next (start), but we’ll see how it is tomorrow.”
The last time deGrom started more than 15 games in a season was 2019 with the Mets.
Texas manager Bruce Bochy said there’s concern any time you have to take a player out of a game because of injury, but he’s optimistic.
“We’ll re-evaluate him tomorrow,” Bochy said. “Any time you take somebody out, that’s a fair question. I think I can answer it better tomorrow. Right now, I feel pretty good about it.”
The only baserunners deGrom permitted came on an error by first baseman Nathaniel Lowe in the third and a walk to Vinnie Pasquantino in the fourth.
Josh Jung launched a three-run homer in the first and Marcus Semien added a solo shot in the third. Dane Dunning (1-0) struck out five and walked none in 4 1/3 innings of relief.
Matt Duffy’s one-out single in the fifth off Dunning was Kansas City’s only hit. José Leclerc got two outs to end it.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-04-18T19:31:19+00:00 | localsyr.com | https://www.localsyr.com/sports-news/rangers-ace-jacob-degrom-leaves-start-with-sore-right-wrist/ |
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Recent attacks by jihadi rebels in central Mali have killed 132 civilians, the government announced Monday.
The killings happened when several villages in the Bankass area were attacked on Saturday and Sunday, the government said in a statement Monday.
Three days of national mourning starting Tuesday have been declared by the head of the ruling junta, Col. Assimi Goita.
The government said the attacks were carried out by jihadi rebels of the Katiba group.
The attacks had earlier been reported by Moulaye Guindo, the mayor of Bankass, the biggest town near the attacked villages.
The attacks show that Islamic extremist violence is spreading from Mali’s north to more central areas like Bankass.
For several weeks extremist rebels in central Mali have been blocking the road between the northern city of Gao and Mopti in central Mali.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali issued a statement about the attacks on Twitter saying it is concerned by “attacks against civilians in the Bandiagara region (the area of central Mali) perpetrated by extremist groups. These attacks have reportedly caused casualties and displacement of populations.”
In a separate incident, a U.N. peacekeeper died on Sunday from injuries sustained from an improvised explosive device, the U.N. mission to Mali said in a statement.
The head of the U.N. Mission to Mali, El-Ghassim Wane, said that since the beginning of 2022, several attacks have killed U.N. uniformed peacekeepers.
He said that attacks on peacekeepers can constitute war crimes under international law and reaffirmed the mission’s commitment to supporting peace and security in Mali.
Since the beginning of the year, several hundred civilians have died in attacks in central and northern Mali. The attacks are blamed on jihadi rebels as well as the Malian army, according to a report by the human rights division of the U.N. mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali began in 2013, after France led a military intervention to oust extremist rebels who had taken over cities and major towns in northern Mali the year before. The mission now has about roughly 12,000 troops in Mali and an additional 2,000 police and other officers. More than 270 peacekeepers have died in Mali, making it the U.N.’s deadliest peacekeeping mission, say officials. | 2022-06-21T03:09:05+00:00 | keloland.com | https://www.keloland.com/news/national-world-news/suspected-jihadi-rebels-kill-40-civilians-in-central-mali/ |
Two Maine Men Arrested for Drug Trafficking Fentanyl & Crack Cocaine
The Maine Drug Enforcement Agency and Brunswick Police arrested two men on Wednesday for Drug Trafficking including fentanyl, crack cocaine and cocaine HCL.
Two Maine Men Arrested for Drug Trafficking
In custody is 31-year-old Gabriel Kendall from Brunswick and 33-year-old George Markos from Bath. Kendall is charged with Aggravated Drug Trafficking and Violation of Bail. Markos is facing charges of Felony Possession and Violation of Bail.
Month-Long Investigation into Drug Activity
Their arrests come after a month-long investigation into drug trafficking from a Brunswick residence at 13 Sweet Street. Agents with the MDEA Mid-Coast District Task Force and the Brunswick Police Department have been collecting information and receiving complaints about the location.
Arrests, Search and Seizure
On Wednesday afternoon, MDEA agents and Brunswick Police “interrupted a drug sale taking place between Gabriel Kendall, who rented the Sweet Street apartment in Brunswick and George Markos.”
Law enforcement searched the apartment and seized 166 grams of fentanyl, 15 grams of crack, cocaine powder and suspected drug proceeds totaling $8,000. Officials said the street value of the illegal drugs was estimated to be around $25,000.
No Bail
The Brunswick Police arrested Kendall and Markos without incident. They are both being held at the Cumberland County Jail. Bail is not set due to violating their previous bail conditions.
READ MOE: Man & Woman from Maine Charged with Drug Trafficking & Endangering the Welfare of a Child | 2023-03-10T02:59:57+00:00 | q961.com | https://q961.com/two-maine-men-arrested-for-drug-trafficking-fentanyl-crack-cocaine/ |
The advisor and client education program also rated "highest value" against five competitors
NEW YORK, June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Horsesmouth's Savvy Social Security Planning® software and education suite has received top rankings in two separate advisor satisfaction surveys.
The 2021 Kitces Report: The Technology That Independent Financial Advisors Actually Use (And Like) and the T3/Inside Information Survey, 2022, both released studies recently showing advisors rank Horsesmouth's Savvy Social Security Planning program number one in satisfaction.
"We're pleased, as advisor satisfaction is our most important benchmark," said Horsesmouth CEO William T. Nicklin. "Whether you're a solo advisor or with a team, our software and education program gives you clear guidance on the best claiming strategies for your clients, and also teaches you about the underlying rules and concepts that make Social Security such a tricky topic."
The Savvy Social Security Planning program launched in late 2008, the first year the oldest baby boomers began claiming their retirement benefits. Since then, tens of thousands of advisors have used the program to learn how Social Security fits into their clients' retirement income plans, to test their newly developed skills through annual CE exams, and to educate clients and prospects with Finra-reviewed presentations and educational material.
"When we launched the Savvy Social Security Planning client education program, the financial services industry paid little attention to Social Security," Nicklin said. "No one seemed to believe that financial advisors should, would or could learn to understand the complexities of the system and help clients plan to make smarter decisions about claiming and maximizing their benefits."
Kitces Report: "Especially high marks"
In 2021, Kitces Research completed an invitation-only survey to advisors to learn which software and technology solutions they use and like.
"Most tools in the Social Security planning category scored remarkably similarly in terms of satisfaction, with the exception that B/D-provided tools rated very poorly, and Horsesmouth Savvy Social Security received especially high marks," the report said. "Notably, though, Horsesmouth is not just providing a tool like most competitors in this space, and rather also provides a package that includes access to professionals for Q&A, presentation templates, and more. Accordingly, Horsesmouth scored particularly well when it came to its value relative to cost as well."
Source: Kitces Report: The Technology That Independent Financial Advisors Actually Use (And Like), 2021
T3/Inside Information: "Software All Star"
The annual software and technology survey from T3/Inside Information described Savvy Social Security Planning as a "Software All Star," having one of the highest satisfaction ratings across all software categories.
The report said all-stars are "solutions that stand out—specifically, that finished in the top five of their category in market penetration, and also achieved an extraordinary (8.0+) average user rating." Additionally, the Savvy Social Security Planning program was the highest rated "All Star" in its category.
Elaine Floyd, CFP®, Director of Retirement and Life Planning, noted that Horsesmouth's initial research in 2008 indicated that most advisors did not understand the Social Security rules. Many advisors urged their clients to claim as early possible. But because those advisors had not been trained on the complexities and nuances of the Social Security rules, they didn't realize their recommendations were unknowingly penalizing their clients.
"When people claim Social Security without getting a custom analysis of their needs, they're potentially leaving huge amounts of money on the table," Floyd said. "They're also possibly reducing the size of their annual cost of living raises and saddling their spouses with lower survivor benefits. And that's not even the whole planning picture."
A measurable impact
One of Horsesmouth's chief motives for developing the program 14 years ago was to help advisors steer their clients away from making hasty and ill-considered decisions when analyzing their Social Security options.
Historically, retirees have unwittingly claimed their benefits too early and suffered harsh, rules-based penalties for doing so. The good news is that according to the Social Security Administration, "between 2008 and 2018, the average claiming age increased from 63.6 to 64.7 for men and from 63.6 to 64.6 for women."
"We believe this can be attributed in part to the efforts of financial professionals educating pre-retirees across the country on how to maximize the benefits of Social Security as part of their retirement plan," Nicklin said.
Since its launch back in 2008, the Horsesmouth program has helped train and support tens of thousands of financial professionals and reached millions of pre-retirees and retirees. In that time, the Horsesmouth Social Security team, led by Floyd, has answered more than 18,000 questions about Social Security claiming cases posed by advisors, typically within 48 hours. "Outside of the Social Security Administration itself, we're not aware of any organization that has come close to that level of in-depth work assisting advisors with complex client cases," Nicklin said.
The Savvy Social Security Planning difference
The Savvy Social Security Planning software is integrated into a comprehensive financial education program for helping financial professionals educate themselves as well as their clients and communities. The software is valuable to financial professionals because it helps facilitate the process of engaging and working with clients and prospects. It is designed as a component of an overall system to enhance the advisor's ongoing education, marketing, client analysis and support, and more.
Over the years, Horsesmouth has continued to increase the depth of the software's capabilities to simplify the complexity of planning around couples, divorces, survivor benefits, WEP/GPO cases and much more.
In addition to providing optimized and popular claiming scenarios, it allows the financial professional, in collaboration with the client, to build and evaluate their own custom claiming scenarios. The software provides guidance along the way that teaches the rules of the system and prevents invalid claiming scenarios.
World class support, financial education
Technology alone does not solve the problems that financial professionals face in helping clients navigate the arduous process of planning for retirement. An essential part of the Savvy Social Security Planning program is providing world class support to advisors in the form of continual updates to educational materials and guidance, along with custom decision support for complex cases.
In addition to helping their clients, many of members of the Savvy Social Security Program are known in their communities as the go-to resource for guidance on Social Security. These advisors use the program's suite of Finra-reviewed presentations and marketing campaigns to deliver this vital financial education about Social Security and retirement planning in local libraries, colleges, restaurants, and offices.
"Educating the public about personal finance issues is the key way for advisors to distinguish themselves in their communities," Nicklin said. "That's why our Master Member program, which includes Savvy Social Security Planning and seven other Savvy topics, is our fastest growing program. Teams and solo advisors realize having finger-tip access to leading subject matter experts and reviewed educational material gives them the competitive advantage they need to guide their clients and stand out from their competitors."
Learn more
Savvy Social Security Planning:
- Calculator suite with client reports (Finra-reviewed)
- Six client education presentations (Finra-reviewed)
- Client education article reprints (Finra-reviewed)
- Educational client handouts
- Financial advisor reference guides to Social Security
- Twice-monthly newsletter
- Q/A tool
- 12 CFP CE credits per year
Horsesmouth Master Membership:
- Full access to 11 Horsesmouth services including 7 Savvy programs covering: Social Security, taxes, IRAs, Medicare, LTC, generational/estate planning, cybersecurity, and college planning
- Master Member monthly marketing calendar
- Turnkey, custom marketing plan with up to five specific marketing activities each month
- More than 35 client education presentations (Finra-reviewed)
- Hundreds of client education article reprints (Finra-reviewed)
- Dozens of client handouts
- Access to leading subject-matter experts
- Monthly newsletters on all the Savvy topics
- CPA/strategic allies program
- 25% discounts on Holistiplan and College Aid Pro software for tax, IRA, and college planning
About Horsesmouth
Horsesmouth helps financial professionals educate their clients and grow their businesses. We serve financial advisors, planners, agents, accountants, and other professionals, representing every major financial firm and business model. Our Savvy Social Security Planning program was the industry's first comprehensive client education program on Social Security. It combines professional education, marketing, software, personalized case support, and regulator-reviewed client education materials. Horsesmouth provides a portfolio of similar programs, including Savvy Medicare Planning, Savvy Tax Planning, Savvy IRA Planning, Savvy College Planning, Savvy Generational Planning, Savvy Long-Term Care Planning and Savvy Cybersecurity. The Horsesmouth team is guided by extensive primary research and two decades of experience. The company is headquartered in midtown Manhattan, with employees spread out across the country. To learn more, visit horsesmouth.com.
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SOURCE Horsesmouth | 2022-06-02T14:32:43+00:00 | kxii.com | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/02/savvy-social-security-planning-software-ranked-1-advisor-satisfaction/ |
NEW YORK, Nov. 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Olo Inc. (NYSE: OLO) between August 11, 2021 and August 11, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important November 28, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.
SO WHAT: If you purchased Olo securities during the Class Period 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 Olo class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=8131 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 28, 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. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. 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, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Subway was ending its contract with Olo; (2) Olo's key business metric – active locations – could not continue to grow as defendants touted due to the loss of Subway's business; and (3) as a result of the above, defendants' statements about Olo's business, operations, and prospects were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the Olo class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=8131 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
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SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. | 2022-11-08T01:32:54+00:00 | wafb.com | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/11/08/rosen-top-ranked-law-firm-encourages-olo-inc-investors-with-losses-secure-counsel-before-important-deadline-securities-class-action-olo/ |
A South Elgin girl abducted nearly six years ago was found on Saturday in Asheville, North Carolina, when someone recognized her mother from a media report and called police, according to law enforcement.
Heather Unbehaun was taken into custody and expected to be extradited to northern Illinois, where she is accused of abducting her then 10-year-old daughter, Kayla, in 2017, police previously said. On July 4 of that year, Kayla's father went to pick her up from an address in Wheaton, but learned Heather had packed her vehicle and left with their daughter the day before, according to authorities.
Weeks later, the Kane County State's Attorney's office issued a kidnapping warrant for Heather. The two hadn't been located until Saturday, when a woman at a Plato's Closet in Asheville recognized Heather from "published media" and called police, according to Asheville police spokeswoman Samantha Booth.
Heather was arrested, and Kayla, now 15 years old, was placed into the custody of the North Carolina Division of Social Services. The teen was expected to be reunited with family and brought back to Illinois.
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Kayla's disappearance was one of several family abduction cases featured on an episode of the Netflix series "Unsolved Mysteries" in November 2022. | 2023-05-16T01:08:38+00:00 | nbcchicago.com | https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/missing-south-elgin-girl-kayla-unbehaun-netflix-arrest/3141794/ |
Texas judge to rule on abortion pill used by millions of Americans
A federal judge in Texas is set to rule on a lawsuit that seeks to restrict access to one of the two drugs typically used to induce a medicated abortion. The decision could impact 40 million women nationwide, making it the most consequential legal ruling since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
More than half of all abortions in the U.S. use mifepristone.
Dr. Kristyn Brandi, an OB-GYN in New Jersey, said the ruling could mean drastic changes for patients, adding that a ban would be “devastating.”
“A lot of people rely on this medication,” she told CBS News. “It is something that has been the standard of care for over 20 years.”
A lawsuit filed by the Alliance for Hippocratic medicine, an anti-abortion organization, seeks to reverse the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the drug and remove it from the market. The lawsuit alleges there have not been sufficient studies into the safety of mifepristone.
Julie Marie Blake, senior counsel for the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian legal advocacy group, said the organization is “confident that when any court looks at the law and looks at the science, it will realize that the FDA has completely failed its responsibility to protect women and girls.”
The FDA said it does not comment on pending litigation, but physicians’ groups, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said mifepristone is “safe and effective.”
Mifepristone can be ordered online with a prescription, even in states where surgical abortions are restricted. The drug is also used to treat miscarriages.
The decision in the lawsuit is now in the hands of a Trump-appointed federal judge.
Meghan Boone, an associate professor at Wake Forest University School of Law, said that “if there is a nationwide injunction, then the drug used for medication abortions will be off the market in all 50 states at least, and during, the period where the injunction is in force.”
Boone said the outcome of the case may also undermine the FDA approval process, setting a damaging precedent.
Brandi said that, even if mifepristone is banned, patients would still be able to get a medication abortion by using misoprostol, the other drug in the two-drug combination.
“It’s a little bit less effective,” Brandi said. “There may be higher risk of side effects or people needing additional care.” | 2023-02-28T03:35:27+00:00 | wsgw.com | https://www.wsgw.com/texas-judge-to-rule-on-abortion-pill-used-by-millions-of-americans/ |
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. Coast Guard has detained a boat carrying 396 Haitian migrants near the Bahamas in one of the biggest human smuggling incidents in the region, Bahamian officials said.
The migrants were detained close to the far-flung Cay Sal island located between Florida and Cuba, immigration officials in the Bahamas said in a statement Sunday.
They said the migrants will be processed on the Bahamian island of Inagua and later repatriated.
No further details were immediately available. A U.S. Coast Guard spokeswoman said she did not have information on the incident.
Thousands of Haitians are fleeing a spike in gang violence and deepening political instability in a country that currently has no democratically elected institutions.
Many travel to the Bahamas and other nearby islands in hopes of eventually reaching Florida. The voyages are often deadly, with migrants crowding into makeshift vessels that have capsized in recent months.
The exodus comes as the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden recently announced that it would start turning back Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans and Venezuelans at the Texas border who arrive illegally. The administration is now offering humanitarian parole for 30,000 people a month from those countries if they secure a financial sponsor, apply online and pay their airfare. | 2023-01-23T14:14:12+00:00 | daytondailynews.com | https://www.daytondailynews.com/nation-world/officials-396-haitian-migrants-detained-near-bahamas/YLQ6YUPAX5GMRPE6O6N2CZWV6U/ |
Microsoft is ready to take its new Bing chatbot mainstream — less than a week after making major fixes to stop the artificially intelligent search engine from going off the rails.
The company said Wednesday it is bringing the new AI technology to its Bing smartphone app, as well as the app for its Edge internet browser, though it is still requiring people to sign up for a waitlist before using it.
Putting the new AI-enhanced search engine into the hands of smartphone users is meant to give Microsoft an advantage over Google, which dominates the internet search business but hasn’t yet released such a chatbot to the public.
In the two weeks since Microsoft unveiled its revamped Bing, more than a million users around the world have experimented with a public preview of the new product after signing up for a waitlist to try it. Microsoft said most of those users responded positively, but others found Bing was insulting them, professing its love or voicing other disturbing or bizarre language.
Powered by some of the same technology behind the popular writing tool ChatGPT, built by Microsoft partner OpenAI, the new Bing is part of an emerging class of AI systems that have mastered human language and grammar after ingesting a huge trove of books and online writings. They can compose songs, recipes and emails on command, or concisely summarize concepts with information found across the internet. But they are also error-prone and unwieldy.
Reports of Bing’s odd behavior led Microsoft to look for a way to curtail Bing’s propensity to respond with strong emotional language to certain questions. It’s mostly done that by limiting the length and time of conversations with the chatbot, forcing users to start a fresh chat after several turns. But the upgraded Bing also now politely declines questions that it would have responded to just a week ago.
“I’m sorry but I prefer not to continue this conversation,” it says when asked technical questions about how it works or the rules that guide it. “I’m still learning so I appreciate your understanding and patience.”
Microsoft said its new technology will also be integrated into its Skype messaging service. | 2023-02-23T01:42:53+00:00 | wivb.com | https://www.wivb.com/science/ap-microsoft-brings-bing-chatbot-to-phones-after-curbing-quirks/ |
Americans say they will need $1.27 million to retire comfortably, study finds
One of the top goals for most workers is to retire comfortably when they decide to leave their jobs.
Of course, having a financial cushion to live off of is always the plan, but a new study finds that many people believe they may need to save more than expected.
Northwestern Mutual’s 2023 Planning & Progress Study reveals that Americans believe they will need $1.27 million for a comfortable retirement.
RELATED: Most Americans don't know their life expectancy; that's a problem in retirement planning
According to the report, the average amount workers saved for retirement increased by 3% to $89,300 from $86,869 in 2022.
Approximately 2,740 adults 18 years or older participated in the study conducted between February and March.
When asked about the money needed for retirement, responses varied among age groups.
People in their 50s said they expect to need more than $1.5 million, but the numbers dip significantly for individuals in their 60s and 70s mainly because most in this group are already retired.
FILE-In this photo illustration, hands are seen counting US 100 dollar bills. (Valera Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
But among generations, Gen Z respondents feel confident they will be prepared financially for retirement, compared to older generations who are less optimistic, with over half of Gen X groups saying they won’t be ready, and almost half of the Millennials and Boomers+ (representing not yet retired workers) also saying they are not prepared.
RELATED: Best place to retire? This state just beat Florida, according to a new study
Boomers+ say they plan to work longer until age 71 compared to Gen Z workers who expect to retire more than 10 years earlier by 60 years old. Millennials expect to work until their 63 while Gen Xers plan to keeping working until 65.
The study noted that most Americans plan to work until 65, a change from 64 years old last year and 62.6 years old in 2021.
Americans who consider themselves disciplined financial planners were likely to retire at 63 compared to individuals who don’t plan financially and would retire by 76, the report noted.
Some respondents believe there is a 45% chance they will outlive their retirement savings, but 33% say they haven’t taken any steps to come up with a plan.
RELATED: 70% of Americans plan to retire, but 42% lack savings: Study
However, people working with financial advisors (89%) shared that they have taken steps to address the chances of outliving their savings.
Nearly half of Americans in the study say they can envision a time when social security is no longer around, but some will rely on social security to cover 28% of their retirement funds.
Gen Z and Millennials said they expect social security to cover nearly 20% of their retirement money compared to Boomers +, who said it will cover 38% of their retirement savings.
This story was reported from Washington, D.C. | 2023-06-27T20:35:45+00:00 | fox6now.com | https://www.fox6now.com/news/americans-say-they-need-1-27-million-retire |
Updated June 23, 2023 at 6:59 PM ET
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The owner of the Wagner private military contractor escalated his direct challenge to the Kremlin on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia's defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by opening a criminal investigation into Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Prigozhin posted a series of angry video and audio recordings in which he accused Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of ordering a rocket strike Friday on Wagner's field camps in Ukraine, where his troops are fighting on behalf of Russia.
Prigozhin said his troops would now punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance.
"This is not a military coup, but a march of justice," Prigozhin declared.
The Defense Ministry denied carrying out the rocket attack.
The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, said he would be investigated on charges of calling for an armed rebellion. The state news agency Tass said President Vladimir Putin was kept informed.
The FSB urged Wagner's contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his "criminal and treacherous orders." It called his statements a "stab in the back to Russian troops" and said they amounted to fomenting an armed conflict in Russia.
In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin was taking the threat, riot police and the National Guard have been scrambled to tighten security at key facilities in Moscow, including government agencies and transport infrastructure, Tass reported.
Russia's chief prosecutor said the criminal investigation was justified and that an armed rebellion charge carries a penalty of up to 20 years imprisonment.
Wagner's forces have played a crucial role in Russia's war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. Prigozhin has frequently criticized Russia's military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition, but his accusations and calls for armed rebellion Friday were more direct challenge.
The Russian Defense Ministry required all military contractors to sign contracts with it before July 1, but Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, refused to comply.
In a statement issued late Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise with the Defense Ministry, but "they have treacherously cheated us."
"Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed," he said.
Prigozhin claimed that Shoigu went to the Russian military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don personally to direct the strike on Wagner and then "cowardly" fled.
"This scum will be stopped," he said, in a reference to Shoigu.
"The evil embodied by the country's military leadership must be stopped," he shouted, urging the army not to offer any resistance to Wagner as it moves to "restore justice."
Security also was heightened in Rostov-on-Don, Tass reported. Its correspondent said military and law enforcement personnel were seen on the streets, with at least one armored personnel carrier and aerial patrols.
In other developments in the Ukraine, war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on other countries to heed warnings that Russia may be planning to attack an occupied nuclear power plant to cause a radiation disaster.
Members of his government briefed international representatives on the possible threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, whose six reactors have been shut down for months. Zelenskyy said he expected other nations to "give appropriate signals and exert pressure" on Moscow.
The Kremlin's spokesman has denied the threat to the plant is coming from Russian forces.
The potential for a life-threatening release of radiation has been a concern since Russian troops invaded Ukraine last year and seized the plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station. The head of the U.N.'s atomic energy agency spent months trying to negotiate the establishment of a safety perimeter to protect the facility as nearby areas came under repeated shelling, but he has been unsuccessful.
The International Atomic Energy Agency noted Thursday that "the military situation has become increasingly tense" while a Ukrainian counteroffensive that got underway this month unfolds in Zaporizhzhia province, where the namesake plant is located, and in an adjacent part of Donetsk province.
Although the last of the plant's six reactors was shut down last fall to reduce the risk of a meltdown, experts have warned that a radiation release could still happen if the system that keeps the reactors' cores and spent nuclear fuel cool loses power or water.
During months of fighting, Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over which side was increasing the threat to the plant. On Friday, IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with the head of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom in the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia to discuss the conditions at the plant. Rosatom director Alexey Likachev and other officials "emphasized that they now expect specific steps" from the U.N. agency to prevent Ukrainian attacks on the plant and its adjacent territory, said a statement from the Russian corporation, whose divisions build and operate nuclear power plants.
The potential for a life-threatening release of radiation has been a concern since Russian troops invaded Ukraine last year and seized the plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station. The head of the U.N.'s atomic energy agency spent months trying to negotiate the establishment of a safety perimeter to protect the facility as nearby areas came under repeated shelling, but he has been unsuccessful.
The International Atomic Energy Agency noted Thursday that "the military situation has become increasingly tense" while a Ukrainian counteroffensive that got underway this month unfolds in Zaporizhzhia province, where the namesake plant is located, and in an adjacent part of Donetsk province.
Although the last of the plant's six reactors was shut down last fall to reduce the risk of a meltdown, experts have warned that a radiation release could still happen if the system that keeps the reactors' cores and spent nuclear fuel cool loses power or water.
During months of fighting, Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over which side was increasing the threat to the plant. On Friday, IAEA Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi met with the head of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom in the Kaliningrad exclave of Russia to discuss the conditions at the plant. Rosatom director Alexey Likachev and other officials "emphasized that they now expect specific steps" from the U.N. agency to prevent Ukrainian attacks on the plant and its adjacent territory, said a statement from the Russian corporation, whose divisions build and operate nuclear power plants.
Earlier this week, Ukrainian officials accused Russia of mining the plant's cooling system, already under threat from a dam collapse earlier this week that drew down water in a reservoir that the power station uses.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said Friday that Russia has beefed up its defense forces in southern Ukraine in response to the early counteroffensive and intensified its efforts to take more ground in the east. Asked if the Ukrainian military's initial attacks set the stage for a larger assault, Maliar told Ukrainian television: "We are yet to see the main events, and the main blow. And indeed, a part of reserves will be used later."
Ukrainian forces so far have made only incremental gains in Zaporizhzhia province, one of four regions that Putin illegally annexed last year. Putin has pledged to defend the regions as Russian territory.
Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is fighting to force Russian troops out of those regions, as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014 and is using as a staging and supply route in the 16-month-old war. If the counteroffensive breaks the Russian defenses in the south, Ukrainian forces could attempt to reach a pair of occupied port cities on the Sea of Azov and break Russia's land bridge to Crimea.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2023-06-24T00:26:24+00:00 | wboi.org | https://www.wboi.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-06-23/the-kremlin-has-ordered-the-arrest-of-wagner-group-chief-after-calls-for-armed-mutiny |
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine (AP) — Russia escalated its military and political campaign Thursday to capture Ukrainian territory, rounding up Russian army reservists to fight, preparing votes on annexing occupied areas and launching new deadly attacks.
A day after President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization to bolster his troops in Ukraine, dramatic scenes of tearful families bidding farewell to men departing from military mobilization centers in Russia appeared on social media.
Video on Twitter from the eastern Siberian city of Neryungri showed men emerging from a stadium. Before boarding buses, the men hugged family members waiting outside, many crying and some covering their mouths with their hands in grief. A man held a child up to the window of one bus for a last look.
In Moscow, women hugged, cried and made the sign of the cross on men at another mobilization point. A 25-year-old who gave only his first name, Dmitry, received a hug from his father, who told him “Be careful,” as they parted.
Dmitry told Russian media company Ostorozhno Novosti he did not expect to be called up and shipped out so quickly, especially since he still is a student.
“No one told me anything in the morning. They gave me the draft notice that I should come here at 3 p.m. We waited 1.5 hours, then the enlistment officer came and said that we are leaving now,” he said. “I was like, ‘Oh great!’ I went outside and started calling my parents, brother, all friends of mine to tell that they take me.”
Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy, in some of his harshest comments so far in the nearly 7-month-old war, lashed out at Russians succumbing to the pressure to serve in their country’s armed forces and those who haven’t spoken out against the war. In his nightly video address, he switched from his usual Ukrainian language into Russian to directly tell Russian citizens they are being “thrown to their deaths.”
“You are already accomplices in all these crimes, murders and torture of Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy said, wearing a black T-shirt that said in English: “We Stand with Ukraine,” instead of his signature olive drab T-shirt. He said Russians’ options to survive are to “protest, fight back, run away or surrender to Ukrainian captivity.”
Western leaders derided Putin’s mobilization order as an act of weakness and desperation. More than 1,300 Russians were arrested in antiwar demonstrations Wednesday after he issued it, according to the independent Russian human rights group OVD-Info. Organizers said more protests were planned for Saturday.
Putin’s partial call-up of 300,000 reservists was short on details, so much so that the Russian military announced Thursday it had set up a call center to answer questions.
In Washington, Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon’s press secretary, said the U.S. believes that it will take Russia time to train and equip the new troops and that doing so may not solve command and control, logistics and morale issues.
Concerns about a potentially wider draft sent some Russians scrambling to buy plane tickets t o flee the country, and Zelenskyy claimed Thursday that the Russian military is preparing to draft up to a million men. A Kremlin spokesman earlier denied such claims.
German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser offered concrete support to potential deserters. She told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung that anyone who “courageously opposes Putin’s regime and therefore puts himself in the greatest danger” can apply for asylum in Germany.
In the Kremlin’s territory annexation campaign, pro-Moscow authorities in four Russian-held regions of Ukraine plan voter referendums starting Friday on becoming part of Russia — a move that could expand the war and follows the Kremlin’s playbook from when it annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula after a similar referendum. Most of the world considers the 2014 annexation of Crimea to have been illegal.
Voting on the referendums in Ukraine’s Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions is scheduled to last through Tuesday. Foreign leaders have called the votes illegitimate and nonbinding.
In Luhansk, billboards reading “With Russia Forever” and “Our Choice-Russia” appeared on the streets, while volunteers distributed ribbons in the colors of the Russian national flag and posters reading, “Russia is the future. Participate in the referendum!”
On the battlefield, Russian and Ukrainian forces exchanged missile and artillery barrages as both sides refused to concede ground.
Russian missile strikes in the southern city of Zaporizhzhia left one person dead and five wounded, Ukrainian officials said. Officials in the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk said Ukrainian shelling killed at least six people.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, a deputy in the Ukrainian president’s office, said a hotel in Zaporizhzhia was struck and rescuers were trying to free people trapped in rubble. The governor of the mostly Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region, Oleksandr Starukh, said Russian forces had targeted infrastructure and damaged apartment buildings in the city, which remains in Ukrainian hands.
The mayor of the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, Alexei Kulemzin, said Ukrainian shelling hit a covered market and a minibus. Overnight, one person was killed during Russian shelling in Nikopol, across the river from the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, according to the Dnipropetrovsk regional governor.
While the hostilities continued, the two sides managed to agree on a major prisoner swap. Ukrainian officials announced the exchange of 215 Ukrainian and foreign fighters — 200 of them for a single person, an ally of Putin’s. Denis Pushilin, head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, confirmed that pro-Russian Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Medvedchuk, was part of the swap.
Putin has repeatedly spoken about Medvedchuk as a victim of political repression. Media reports alleged that before Russia’s invasion, Medvedchuk was a top candidate for leading a puppet government the Kremlin hoped to install in Ukraine.
Among the freed fighters were Ukrainian defenders of a steel plant in Mariupol during a long Russian siege, along with 10 foreigners, including five British citizens and two U.S. military veterans, who had fought with Ukrainian forces. Some of those freed had faced death sentences in Russian-occupied areas.
A video on the BBC news website Thursday showed two of the released British men, Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner, speaking inside a plane while en route home.
“We just want to let everyone know that we’re now out of the danger zone and we’re on our way home to our families,” Aslin said in the video, as Pinner added: “By the skin of our teeth.”
The non-profit Presidium Network, which is helping provide aid to Kyiv, said Aslin, Pinner and three other Britons were safely home and reunited with their families Thursday.
The continuation of Russian missile attacks and beginning of a partial mobilization of Russians into the armed forces suggested the Kremlin was seeking to dispel any notion of weakness or waning determination to achieve its wartime aims in light of recent battlefield losses and other setbacks.
Ratcheting up tensions, a senior Kremlin official on Thursday repeated Putin’s threat to use nuclear weapons if Russian territory comes under attack.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, said strategic nuclear weapons are one of the options to safeguard Russian-controlled territories in eastern and southern Ukraine. The remark appeared to serve as a warning that Moscow could also target Ukraine’s Western allies.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded Thursday, calling on every U.N. Security Council member to “send a clear message” to Russia that it must stop its nuclear threats.
Russia’s neighbors have been on edge about a possible threat from Russia. Estonia said training exercises started Thursday for nearly 2,900 reservists and volunteers, in an apparent counter to Moscow’s announcement of a partial military mobilization.
___
Andrew Katell contributed from New York.
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | 2022-09-23T04:19:43+00:00 | wearegreenbay.com | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-no-let-up-in-hostilities-in-ukraine-despite-prisoner-swap/ |
LONDON, July 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Just a few weeks after adopting Sui as its official blockchain partner, Oracle Red Bull Racing offers a new way for fans to engage with the Team through the use of next-generation blockchain technology. Today, the Team is joining Mysten Labs in announcing the launch of the Oracle Red Bull Racing Validator on Sui. Mysten Labs, the initial contributor to Sui, will manage and operate the validator.
Blockchains are databases, but unlike traditional databases that are controlled by a single authority, the defining feature of public blockchains is that they are decentralized. Instead of a centralized entity controlling the data, blockchains rely on a network of machines to determine what pieces of data will be added, updated or deleted from storage. The machines they depend on for this function are called 'validators.' Without these validators, the blockchain would cease to operate. The ORBR Validator will, like other validators on the network, participate in the network's consensus process to help ensure that only valid data is added to the blockchain, bolstering the Sui protocol.
Oracle Red Bull Racing Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner said: 'Oracle Red Bull Racing was an early adopter of blockchain technology in Formula 1, recognizing its potential to connect fans all over the world with the Team in a truly unique and forward-thinking way. Partnering with Sui will elevate that experience, making access easier, more secure, and engaging.'
Evan Cheng, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Mysten Labs, said: "The ultimate potential of blockchain technology lies in its ability to build community and increase connection. We are proud to support Oracle Red Bull Racing as they explore new forms of building connections with fans."
The launch of the ORBR Validator follows the Team's selection of Sui as its Official Blockchain Partner in June 2023 under a multi-year partnership with Mysten Labs to build on Sui.
About Sui
Sui is a first-of-its-kind Layer 1 blockchain and smart contract platform designed from the bottom up to make digital asset ownership fast, private, secure, and accessible to everyone. Its object-centric model, based on the Move programming language, enables parallel execution, sub-second finality, and rich on-chain assets. With horizontally scalable processing and storage, Sui supports a wide range of applications with unrivaled speed at low cost. Sui is a step-function advancement in blockchain and a platform on which creators and developers can build amazing, user-friendly experiences. Learn more: https://sui.io
About Mysten Labs
Mysten Labs is a team of leading distributed systems, programming languages, and cryptography experts whose founders were senior executives and lead architects of pioneering blockchain projects. The mission of Mysten Labs is to create foundational infrastructure for web3. Learn more: https://mystenlabs.com
About Oracle Red Bull Racing
Oracle Red Bull Racing has established itself as a prominent force in the FIA Formula One World Championship since its establishment. The team was founded in 2005 with the aim of expanding Red Bull's presence in F1 and challenging the established norms of the sport. Known for their passion, playfulness, ambition, and remarkable achievements, Oracle Red Bull Racing has emerged as one of the most successful teams in Formula One.
With numerous Constructors' and Drivers' world titles, as well as a remarkable record of over 100 race victories, Oracle Red Bull Racing consistently strives for excellence. The team is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of performance, fostering a culture of champions, and embracing innovation at the forefront of technological advancements in the sport.
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SOURCE Mysten Labs | 2023-07-06T15:21:37+00:00 | wlox.com | https://www.wlox.com/prnewswire/2023/07/06/fast-track-fast-blockchain-sui-launches-oracle-red-bull-racing-validator/ |
Arthur Fils vs. Francisco Cerundolo: Prediction and Match Betting Odds | Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon
Arthur Fils (No. 112 ranking) will take on Francisco Cerundolo (No. 28) in the final of the Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon on Saturday, May 27.
Cerundolo is favored (-300) in the tournament final against Fils (+240).
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Arthur Fils vs. Francisco Cerundolo Match Information
- Tournament: The Open Parc Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes Lyon
- Round: Finals
- Date: Saturday, May 27
- Venue: Parc De La TeTe D'or
- Location: Lyon, France
- Court Surface: Clay
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Arthur Fils vs. Francisco Cerundolo Prediction and Odds
Based on the moneyline in this match, Francisco Cerundolo has a 75.0% chance to win.
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Arthur Fils vs. Francisco Cerundolo Trends and Insights
- Fils defeated Brandon Nakashima 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 in the semifinals on Friday.
- Cerundolo beat Cameron Norrie 6-3, 6-0 in the semifinals on Friday.
- Fils has played 18 matches over the past 12 months (across all court types), and 21.5 games per match.
- Fils has played seven matches on clay over the past year, and 23.7 games per match.
- Cerundolo has averaged 25.2 games per match through his 51 matches played in the past 12 months across all court surfaces, while winning 51.4% of the games.
- Cerundolo has averaged 24.1 games per match and 9.9 games per set through 27 matches on clay courts in the past year.
- Fils and Cerundolo have not played each other since 2015.
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-05-27T00:09:56+00:00 | live5news.com | https://www.live5news.com/sports/betting/2023/05/27/arthur-fils-vs-francisco-cerundolo-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-open-parc-auvergne-rhone-alpes-lyon/ |
COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — An unprecedented crisis of confidence is shaking a historic center of Catholicism in Germany — the Archdiocese of Cologne. Catholic believers have protested their deeply divisive archbishop and are leaving in droves over allegations that he may have covered up clergy sexual abuse reports.
While Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki’s personal fate is in the hands of Pope Francis, the drama has reverberations nationwide, given that the Cologne archdiocese has more Catholics than any other in Germany — about 1.8 million. Its double-domed cathedral is an iconic tourist attraction and one of the oldest, most important pilgrimage sites of Northern Europe.
And the crisis in Cologne, in which many thousands of Catholics in the region have left the church, is in some ways a microcosm of the issues playing out in the German Catholic Church as a whole as it undergoes a profound and controversial reform process precisely to respond to complaints by rank-and-file Catholics about the hierarchy’s responsibility for the clergy abuse crisis.
Some archdiocese employees have refused to attend meetings with the archbishop. Congregants of a Duesseldorf parish in the archdiocese raised red cards in protest when he visited last year, objecting to him administering the sacrament of confirmation to their children.
Dozens of altar boys and girls from the archdiocese turned their backs in protest to Woelki when he celebrated Mass with them during a trip to Rome in October. The choirs in the archdiocese recently reported a loss of 30% of their members, which they say is partially related to the coronavirus pandemic but also a clear repudiation of Woelki.
In the latest escalation, Cologne prosecutors last month opened an investigation against the powerful conservative cardinal in two cases on suspicion of making false affidavits. In each case, the question is whether Woelki, 66, had been informed earlier than he stated about allegations of abuse against certain clergymen. The cardinal rejects all accusations against him.
Even influential German politicians who normally steer clear of church politics have spoken out.
The minister for youth and family in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where Cologne is located, said she viewed the situation with bewilderment.
“Especially those in positions of responsibility must not look the other way and they must certainly not deny or cover up,” Josefine Paul said last month in a speech in the state parliament.
The church is expected to be a preeminent model of morality, and it has “set the highest moral standards for all kinds of people in society — does all this no longer apply to a bishop?” Tim Kurzbach, chairman of the diocesan council of Catholics in the archdiocese, told The Associated Press.
Kurzbach, mayor of the town of Solingen in the archdiocese, said he knows of several long-time parishioners who are leaving the church because they can no longer bear “the moral decay” in Cologne.
The crisis of confidence began in 2020, when Woelki, citing legal concerns, kept under wraps a report he commissioned on how local church officials reacted when priests were accused of sexual abuse. That infuriated many Cologne Catholics. A second report, published in March 2021, found 75 cases in which high-ranking officials neglected their duties.
The report absolved Woelki of any neglect of his legal duty with respect to abuse victims. He subsequently said he made mistakes in past cases involving sexual abuse allegations but insisted he had no intention of resigning.
Two papal envoys were dispatched to Cologne a few months later to investigate possible mistakes by senior officials in handling cases. Their report led Pope Francis to give Woelki a “ spiritual timeout ” of several months for making major communication errors.
In March, after his return from the timeout, the cardinal submitted his offer to resign but so far Francis has not acted on it.
“I don’t think it got through to Rome how much the people here are suffering,” Kurzbach said. “Without a decision on the Cologne cardinal question, we will not get out of the crisis. The question must finally be resolved.”
The issue was raised when Germany’s bishops visited with the pope last month. The head of the German Bishops Conference, Limburg Bishop Georg Baetzing, told reporters that “it was made very clear that the situation in the archdiocese is increasingly unbearable, even for the archbishop.” The wait for a papal decision also is burdensome for German Catholics, he said.
In the interim, they are exiting the church in record numbers. Some 44,772 Catholics in the Cologne archdiocese left in 2021, up from 17,281 in 2020, according to church figures.
Nationally, the number of Catholics leaving the church has also risen dramatically. Some 359,338 left in 2021, up from 221,390 in 2020. It is still the largest faith group in the country. About 21.6 million Catholics live in Germany, which has an overall population of 84 million.
“It’s clear that this is a difficult situation,” Cologne archdiocese spokesman, Juergen Kleikamp, told the AP last week. “But that’s just the way it is. In the Catholic Church, the pope has to decide and no one else.”
Meanwhile, Woelki is “doing his work to the best of his knowledge and also with great commitment,” Kleikamp said, adding that while some Catholics “are angry and quarrel with their church, there are others who applaud and rejoice when the bishop comes.”
Many Catholics, however, doubt the crisis can be easily fixed any time soon — even if the cardinal resigns.
Lay leader Regina Oediger-Spinrath, 61, called it “an absolute crisis of trust and credibility.” She is a spokeswoman for the professional association of pastoral assistants in the archdiocese, and thinks the crisis goes beyond the Cologne situation. Oediger-Spinrath said fundamental changes are needed, including more equality for women and LGBTQ people.
“Leadership needs to be rethought,” she said. “The way it is in the Catholic Church, that is absolutely hierarchical, some also say authoritarian from the top down — I believe, that many people no longer want to go along with that.”
Those demands are in line with the reform process, known as the “ Synodal Path,” the German church launched with the country’s influential lay group, the Central Committee of German Catholics, to respond to the clergy sexual abuse scandals after a 2018 report found at least 3,677 people were abused by clergy between 1946 and 2014.
Preliminary assemblies have already approved calls to allow same-sex couple blessings, married priests and the ordination of women deacons. The movement, however, also sparked fierce opposition from the Vatican and conservative clergy in Germany and elsewhere.
While Oediger-Spinrath says she is ready to fight for changes, others have lost patience.
“I will leave the church,” says Peter Barzel, 65, a member of the St. Margareta parish in Duesseldorf. He helped organize last year’s red card protest during Woelki’s visit.
Barzel, an active parishioner for decades, also tried to bring more attention to recent sexual abuse allegations lodged against two former St. Margareta pastors that have roiled the parish. Eventually, he gave up.
“I will certainly miss something when I leave the church, because the Christian faith is something you share with other people,” he said. “But I can no longer support this system.”
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. | 2022-12-09T22:32:18+00:00 | everythinglubbock.com | https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/international/ap-crisis-of-confidence-over-cardinal-shakes-cologne-catholics/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — As it pushes to renew a cornerstone law that authorizes major surveillance programs, the Biden administration faces an American public that’s broadly skeptical of common intelligence practices and of the need to sacrifice civil liberties for security.
Congress in the coming months will debate whether to extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Section 702 authorizes U.S. spy agencies to collect large amounts of foreign communications for intelligence purposes ranging from stopping spies to listening in on allies and foes. Those collection programs also sweep up U.S. citizen communications that can then be searched by intelligence and law enforcement officers.
The new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research shows that Democrats and Republicans have similar views on surveillance tactics, while Republicans have become substantially less likely over the last decade to say it’s at least sometimes necessary to sacrifice freedom in response to threats.
U.S. intelligence officials say Section 702 is necessary to protect national security and to counter China, Russia and other adversaries. They credit the program with better informing U.S. diplomats and enabling operations like last year’s strike to kill a key plotter of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
But officials will have to overcome sharp divisions in Congress and bipartisan anger at the FBI, though most observers still believe Section 702 will be renewed in some form.
Driving a political shift is increasing skepticism among Republican elected officials of the FBI and intelligence agencies. Conservatives have battered the FBI for misleading the primary surveillance court in its investigation into former President Donald Trump campaign’s ties to Russia. Trump and other top Republicans often accuse the so-called government “deep state” of using its powers to target conservatives.
Historically, “the left flank has been the more vocal objector to government surveillance on privacy and civil liberties grounds,” said Carter Burwell, who was chief counsel to Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, when the law was last renewed in early 2018.
”Over the past five or 10 years, with the rise of the libertarian wing of the Republican Party, call it the antigovernment wing of the Republican Party, that is an equally vocal and powerful plurality,” said Burwell, now a lawyer at the firm Debevoise & Plimpton.
The poll asked U.S. adults whether they support several practices authorized by Section 702. It found that 28% of adults support the government listening to phone calls made outside of the U.S. without a warrant, while 44% oppose the practice. Views are similar about the U.S. reading emails sent between people outside of the U.S. without a warrant.
The public was more receptive to surveillance of activity outside of the U.S. a decade after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. That shifted significantly by the 20th anniversary of the attacks in 2021.
In the latest poll, 48% of Americans this year said they believed it necessary to sacrifice their rights and freedoms to prevent terrorism, down from 54% in 2021 and nearly two-thirds in 2011. That shift was especially dramatic among Republicans, with just 44% saying that’s sometimes necessary compared with 69% in 2011. Among Democrats, 55% still say so, similar to the 59% who said so in 2011.
Sarah Apwisch, a 57-year-old from Three Rivers, Michigan, described herself as somewhat opposed to the monitoring of foreign emails and phone calls. A Democrat, Apwisch said she was “mostly pro-FBI” but concerned after years of negative stories about the bureau.
“Honestly, I don’t want to hear anything about the FBI,” she said. “I want the FBI to go do their business and not be in the news because they’re doing their job well and not doing things that make waves. How they do that, I don’t know.”
Apwisch also said she supports the FBI and other agencies trying to hunt down enemy spies, but was uncertain about whether the FBI should also use foreign intelligence to investigate other U.S. crimes.
White adults were somewhat more likely to say they were opposed to various forms of surveillance — 48% said they opposed the government listening to foreign calls without a warrant — than Black or Hispanic adults, each at 34%.
Rob Redding, a 47-year-old journalist who lives in New York City, said he was neutral about many surveillance practices — but said he felt that way because as a Black man, he didn’t expect to have privacy.
Redding mentioned the FBI’s spying in the 1960s on Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders as well as officials in Black nationalist movements.
“As a Black man in America, as someone who speaks out about the government all the time, I understand that Black people and especially Black leadership cannot trust America,” Redding said.
In Congress, some Democrats and Republicans have found common cause over their complaints about Section 702. Two lawmakers earlier this year issued a statement calling for an end to U.S. surveillance without a warrant. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., chairs the liberal Congressional Progressive Caucus, while Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus.
“We must take this opportunity to reform Section 702 and overhaul privacy protections for Americans so that they truly protect the civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy rights that are foundational to our democracy,” Jayapal and Davidson said.
Previous lawmaker efforts to require warrants for searching intelligence databases have failed. Intelligence officials argue they have ramped up training for agents searching the databases and tightened requirements to consult with lawyers on sensitive queries.
Supporters of Section 702 argue most U.S. adults want the government to stop foreign adversaries even if they state misgivings about how American intelligence operates.
Glenn Gerstell, a former general counsel at the National Security Agency who is advocating for Section 702 to be extended, noted that while Congress has to be responsive to public opinion, “some of this gets pretty technical and isn’t easily understood by the public.”
He said he still believed the law would be renewed with some amendments to bolster civil liberties protections and enshrine into law changes that the FBI has made in response to a series of wrongful uses of foreign intelligence.
“At the end of the day, I think most members of Congress understand the value of the statute and understand that when we don’t have the statute, there is no substitute,” Gerstell said.
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Associated Press writer Emily Swanson contributed to this report.
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The poll of 1,081 adults was conducted March 16-20 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points. | 2023-06-08T11:34:44+00:00 | ktalnews.com | https://www.ktalnews.com/news/politics/ap-norc-poll-finds-both-democrats-republicans-skeptical-of-us-spying-practices/ |
Jerome County Airport Appreciation Day to take place Saturday
The appreciation day will be from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
JEROME, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — The public is invited to the Jerome County Airport Saturday as they are hosting their Jerome County Airport Appreciation day and an airport fly in.
The appreciation day will be from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and the airplane fly in will be from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
At the event, there will be food and vendors, as well as airplane rides and a chance to check out all the different planes that will be on display at the airport, from crop dusters to private jets.
A car show will take place at the airport as well.
Mark Doerr, who owns Precision Aviation says as the area grows, so has the airport.
“The airport has certainly grown in number of aircraft using the airport in the past few years, but we have aircraft charter, flight training, flight maintenance, aerial applicators are very prevalent here at the airport,” said Mark Doerr.
Anyone from the community is welcome to attend.
Airplane rides will be offered from 10:00 to 12:00 for $20 each.
The ride will last 15 minutes and fly over the canyon, towards Shoshone Falls and back to the airport.
All proceeds will benefit the Civil Air Patrol.
Copyright 2023 KMVT. All rights reserved. | 2023-07-07T20:49:24+00:00 | kmvt.com | https://www.kmvt.com/2023/07/07/jerome-county-airport-appreciation-day-take-place-saturday/ |
WASHINGTON (NewsNation) — President Joe Biden honored fallen U.S. service members on Memorial Day by laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and delivering remarks.
The president was joined by first lady Jill Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris in a somber ceremony at the Virginia cemetery, which is dedicated to the fallen U.S. service members whose remains have not been identified. He has attended the Arlington ceremony nearly every year for decade.
“Memorial Day is always a day that is mixed with pain and pride,” Biden said.
“They chose a life of purpose,” Biden said in remarks after the ceremony. “They had a mission, and above all they believed in duty, they believed in honor, they believed in their country, and still today we are free because they were brave.”
Hours before the ceremony, the president and first lady attended a memorial Mass for Beau Biden, who died of brain cancer seven years ago Monday. Beau also was a veteran, a personal connection the older Biden has drawn upon in the past on Memorial Day. Beau Biden served two terms as Delaware’s attorney general before declaring a run for governor. He also served in Delaware’s National Guard.
This year’s Memorial Day comes just months after the U.S. withdrawal in Afghanistan, which marked the end of America’s longest war.
This story is developing. Refresh for updates. | 2022-05-30T18:09:09+00:00 | wivb.com | https://www.wivb.com/news/u-s-headlines/live-biden-honors-fallen-us-service-members/ |
The federation that runs Olympic badminton in the United States reached a $1 million settlement with an employee who contended he was terminated for going against leadership's wishes and filing a complaint about sex-abuse allegations to the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
The agreement to pay former chief of staff Alistair Casey was signed by USA Badminton CEO Linda French and Casey in January. The Associated Press received a copy of the agreement, which was supposed to have been confidential but was first reported on by ESPN.
The case stemmed from a then-9-year-old allegation about a coach who had sex with a teenage player. Higher-ups at USA Badminton were debating whether to report to the SafeSport Center or go to police. Casey took the case to the center and later got fired "due to required cuts in USAB’s operating budget for the upcoming years,” according to an email he received informing him of his termination.
“I knew it was going to be the end of my job,” Casey told the Los Angeles Times, which reported on the story in 2021. “But there was no way I could keep quiet about this.”
The discussions that led to his firing painted a picture of confusion and distrust inside USA Badminton about whether law enforcement or the SafeSport Center was better equipped to handle the allegations.
USA Badminton has been under scrutiny from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, which put the federation on probation and forced it to reorganize to improve its policies about reporting sex-abuse allegations.
The settlement called for the agreement to be “strictly confidential" and for all questions about the arrangement to be answered with the statement “this matter has been resolved.”
The attorney who represented USA Badminton in this case, Jon Little, said he could not comment about the settlement.
The $1 million settlement was covered by an insurance policy taken out by USA Badminton, which listed $653,000 in revenue for 2021, and paid out a total of $253,000 in salaries.
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AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-03-07T23:18:53+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/sports/article/usa-badminton-agrees-to-pay-1m-in-confidential-17825567.php |
DENVER (KDVR) — The Climate Prediction Center’s eight to 14-day outlook suggests that the heat is likely here to stay in Colorado for a little longer.
High temperatures are forecast to stay in the 90s for at least the next week on the Front Range, but it’s possible they stay beyond the holiday weekend.
The outlook below is for the temperatures from Sept. 6 through 12. It shows a high chance for warmer than average temperatures, especially for the western U.S.
Colorado is one of the states with a decent chance for warmer than average temperatures for the second week of September.
Denver’s average high this time of year is in the mid-80s. This outlook shows a chance for temperatures to reach above that.
The eight to 14-day precipitation outlook for Sept. 6 through the 12 shows an equal chance for above, below, or near average precipitation (in gray) for the bottom two-thirds of Colorado.
Areas north of Interstate 70 have a chance to be drier than average. | 2022-08-30T01:40:52+00:00 | kdvr.com | https://kdvr.com/weather/wx-news/how-much-longer-will-90-degree-heat-last/ |
The ‘Bidenomics’ plan, explained
By Tami Luhby, CNN
(CNN) — Move over, Reaganomics. President Joe Biden is attempting to usher in the era of “Bidenomics”
This economic theory – which rejects the idea of “trickle-down” policies in favor of focusing on the middle class – will be a centerpiece of Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign. The president will highlight the achievements he’s attributing to Bidenomics in a major speech in Chicago on Wednesday.
Trickle-down economics, which was at the heart of President Ronald Reagan’s policies and continues to be the guiding light of Republican lawmakers, typically revolves around tax cuts for the wealthy and large companies. Supporters say the benefits flow down to middle-class and working Americans, boosting economic growth more broadly. But many experts dispute this effectiveness of this practice at lifting all boats.
Biden argues that supply-side, trickle-down economics has cost jobs and hollowed out the middle class. He has long focused on that group of Americans, serving as chair of the Middle Class Task Force when he was vice president in the Obama administration.
“Bidenomics is rooted in the belief that we grow the economy when we grow the middle class,” Olivia Dalton, principal deputy press secretary, said at Tuesday’s White House press briefing.
To fund Bidenomics, the president once again calls for ensuring the wealthy and large corporations pay their fair share of taxes.
Biden, however, is still struggling to sell his economic agenda to the public. Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of how he’s handled the economy and just over three-quarters feel the economy is in poor shape, according to a CNN poll conducted by SSRS in May.
The administration and several officials have provided an outline of what Bidenomics entails. A fact sheet distributed by the White House lists the president’s efforts to date but does not include any new initiatives.
Here are three key principles of Bidenomics:
Making public investments in America
The Biden administration has focused on infrastructure, clean energy and semiconductors, Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council, said at Tuesday’s briefing.
The efforts aim to attract private investment, according to the fact sheet. Since Biden took office in 2021 have already spurred nearly $500 billion in private-sector commitments.
One example: The administration is touting the fact that construction spending on manufacturing facilities has doubled since 2021. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, Inflation Reduction Act, and CHIPS Act each included direct funding and tax incentives for public and private manufacturing construction. This surge is not happening in other advanced economies, it notes.
Also, earlier this week, Biden outlined how states will receive more than $42 billion in federal funding for high-speed internet service, which was part of the 2021 infrastructure law. It is aimed at bringing connectivity to more Americans and closing the digital divide. The administration is comparing it to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Rural Electrification Act, which brought electricity to homes throughout the country.
And 35,000 new projects – including roads, bridges and ports – have received funding though the bipartisan infrastructure law, the White House said.
Empowering and educating American workers
The Biden administration has also taken steps to prepare workers for the jobs of the future, including those that don’t need four-year college degrees, Brainard said. The president has supported unions and created apprenticeships.
He recently visited a North Carolina community college to discuss job training in advanced manufacturing and noted the $500 million investment in the Good Jobs Challenge, which stems from the American Rescue Plan.
Biden is taking credit for the 13 million jobs that have been created since he took office and the long stretch of a near-historically low unemployment rate, as well as the record low rates for African- and Hispanic-Americans and people with disabilities. It should be noted that Biden took office in January 2021 in the throes of the Covid-19 pandemic, which unleashed economic upheaval as many Americans stayed home.
The administration also says the share of working-age Americans in the labor force is higher now than it has been in more than 20 years. The jobs also come with better pay, better benefits and better schedules as employers seek to attract and retain workers, according to a memo circulated Monday by two of the president’s senior advisers, Anita Dunn and Mike Donilon.
Promoting competition
The president has also focused on boosting competition to reduce costs and level the playing field for small businesses.
The administration points to his signing an executive order in 2021 to ban or limit non-compete clauses. The Federal Trade Commission in January proposed a rule to ban employers from imposing noncompete agreements on workers and to rescind all existing agreements.
Also, Biden officials have highlighted the Inflation Reduction Act provision that reduces insulin costs for Medicare enrollees to $35 a month, as well as the president’s proposal targeting so-called junk fees.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | 2023-06-28T12:35:31+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/politics/cnn-us-politics/2023/06/28/the-bidenomics-plan-explained-2/ |
What caused inflation
Economists agree that labor shortages and supply-chain disruptions caused by the pandemic, along with the war in Ukraine, are the primary causes of inflation.
However, we shouldn’t overlook the negative impacts of Trump administration policies. Tariffs imposed by the former president have directly contributed to inflation. Abandoning the Iran nuclear deal reduced oil supplies, resulting in higher prices. And, perhaps most importantly, the Trump administration’s immigration policies contributed to the inflation-causing labor shortages.
There is a long list of other factors, some related to climate change, that, like the Trump policies, have contributed in relatively minor ways to inflation. Fortunately, President Biden has helped us in the short term by, among other things, taking action to unclog supply chains and helped us in the longer term by working tirelessly to ensure passage of the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
Fred Cepela
Traverse City | 2022-10-22T15:10:45+00:00 | record-eagle.com | https://www.record-eagle.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/letter-cepela/article_8b5dde16-5141-11ed-97ba-af453efed926.html |
Groups challenge Philly’s next mayor: End illegal dumping by 2028
This story is a part of the Every Voice, Every Vote series.
What questions do you have about the 2023 elections? What major issues do you want candidates to address? Let us know.
The empty lot on Marilyn Rodriguez’s street in North Philadelphia is an eyesore.
On a morning in December, pieces of broken cement, wooden boards, plastic containers and bags, a suitcase, and other debris filled the narrow, grassy lot.
“Now I see a tire,” Rodriguez said. “They start putting tires here, it’s going to get ugly. They’re going to set it on fire.”
Rodriguez, an artist and education director at Taller Puertorriqueño, has lived in a rowhouse in Philly’s Fairhill neighborhood for more than three decades. She cleaned up the empty lot on her block last spring, alongside other members of a local anti-dumping activist group — only to find it dumped on again later last year. Since then, it’s only gotten worse.
“I’ve never seen, in all my years living, so much trash,” Rodriguez said. “It seems to get worse and worse and worse.”
Illegal dumping has been a problem in Philadelphia for decades. The city’s strategies to clean up debris and hold dumpers accountable have failed to prevent discarded tires, mattresses, and construction debris from piling up in neighborhoods.
Now, a coalition of advocacy groups known as Waste Free Philly wants the city’s next mayor to end illegal dumping and littering by 2028. They plan to release a platform of zero-waste solutions Wednesday that they’ll challenge mayoral candidates to commit to.
“There’s ways to stop it, but we need a mayor who will promise to do that,” said Dallas Herbert, Sr., a resident of Philly’s Lawncrest section who helped develop the platform. “We need a mayor who will concentrate on stopping illegal dumping.”
Dumping ‘takes our neighborhood and community down’
Litter and illegal dumping are worst in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods, including parts of North, West, and Southwest Philly, according to the city’s litter index from 2017 and 2018.
“Let’s just be real,” said Herbert, who’s been fighting illegal dumping in his neighborhood for years. “There are places you can go where there are no dumping in Philadelphia, because they don’t stand for it. But they’ll do it in the Black and brown neighborhoods. We know that’s where it’s concentrated.”
People who work on the issue say much of the illegally dumped material comes from small haulers and contractors looking to save money on disposal costs.
“There is so much construction going on, and some of these construction companies don’t want to pay the fees to go dump the trash,” Rodriguez said. “So they find an abandoned area or lot, and then late at night or early morning, they take and dump all the trash here. We have found construction walls, two-by-fours, trash of just cleaning out the houses — like literally bags and bags and bags.”
Community cleanups also turn up personal items from house cleanouts, evictions, or people leaving in hurry, said Julie Slavet, director of the Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed Partnership, who has organized cleanups in Tacony Creek Park.
“What you’re seeing is really people’s lives falling apart,” she said.
Constant illegal dumping hurts a neighborhood’s morale, Rodriguez said.
“[Dumping] creates all the hardship and trash-looking ugliness that takes our neighborhood and community down,” Rodriguez said. “I find that this city just tends to just ignore us. We’re like the forgotten souls.”
Years of city efforts fail to stem the tide of trash
Residents say the city isn’t responsive enough when they report instances of illegal dumping.
“When we call it into … 311, it takes weeks, months, or years even to have resolution,” Oskar Castro, who frequently deals with illegal dumping near his Southwest Philly home, told PlanPhilly in November.
But the problem is on the city’s radar.
Philadelphia has raised fines, tracked who’s hauling construction debris in the city, and installed surveillance cameras at dumping hotspots.
So far, the city has seen limited success. Illegal dumping remains one of the top issues residents report through 311. The city spends around $48 million dollars per year to deal with litter and illegal dumping — most of that to clean up litter — according to a 2020 statewide study by Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful. Each year, the city cleans up thousands of tons of litter and illegally dumped debris, defined as debris cleaned up outside of normal trash collection — over 8,000 tons in 2022 alone, according to the Streets Department.
Last year, the city started fining each large dumped item separately and collected a historic nearly $11,000 from one illegal dumper caught on camera — a sum which included cleanup costs.
“That’s big because that’s a huge cost to taxpayers,” Streets Department Commissioner Carlton Williams said. “When people have to pay that, they’re less likely to take the risk of dumping when they know they’re going to get caught and have to pay such huge fines.”
Williams told PlanPhilly in November he plans to roll out additional cleanup crews this spring to respond to 311 complaints faster, and focus on civil, rather than criminal, prosecutions of dumpers.
“The civil process allows us to assess the fines and go after people for restitution at a much greater pace,” he said.
A dumping platform for Philly’s next mayor
Community groups hope Philly’s next mayor will go further.
Critics say a misstep of the current administration was eliminating the office that coordinated the city’s cleaning and anti-waste efforts in 2020.
“Just bring back the Zero Waste and Litter Cabinet action plan, the strategy, and build on top of it,” said Nic Esposito, director of policy and engagement at Circular Philadelphia and the city’s former Zero Waste and Litter director. “It wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t fully done — things needed to be put in place — but you have a template. You have a plan.”
Mural Arts’ Trash Academy, Clean Water Action, various neighborhood groups, and residents spent months last year sharing knowledge about illegal dumping in order to develop a platform of solutions, called the Clean Philadelphia NOW Campaign, said Trash Academy founder Shari Hersh. The coalition will launch its plan for tackling dumping and litter under Waste Free Philly’s broader platform Wednesday.
“I have faith,” said Herbert, the Lawncrest resident who helped develop the platform. “We can actually get some types of promises from the elected officials before they get there.”
Authors of the Clean Philadelphia NOW Campaign hope candidates will adopt the platform wholesale, rather than pick and choose individual policy points. It includes a commitment to re-establish an entity like the city’s slashed Zero Waste and Litter Cabinet, as well as strategies in the areas of prevention, abatement, enforcement, and education.
“Cleaning on its own does not work,” said Hersh, who leads Mural Arts’ environmental justice efforts. “You just have to clean again. It does not stop dumping.”
Members of the Clean Philadelphia NOW Campaign want mayoral and council candidates to commit to an effective system of monitoring, including city-run security cameras. That’s an issue Herbert has first-hand experience with.
Herbert started working on illegal dumping after he got a flat tire driving up a street near his house where debris is frequently dumped.
Herbert started taking photos of the dumping. He organized cleanups alongside other local members of 215 People’s Alliance. He and his neighbors called their elected officials for two years until the city installed surveillance cameras, he said.
Herbert thinks the cameras are working to deter major dumping.
“It’s not that bad anymore,” he said. “But it is still there. It is still present.”
But Herbert worries the effect could wear off, if dumpers don’t see consequences.
The city has roughly 225 cameras installed to catch dumpers across the city, but just five employees to watch the footage, according to the Streets Department.
“What we need is more people to pay attention to what’s going on,” Herbert said.
Members of the Clean Philadelphia NOW Campaign also want the city to compensate residents who clean up their own neighborhoods for free.
The platform includes prevention strategies, including re-starting curbside pickup for big items, like mattresses and refrigerators, and letting small haulers dump at city-run sanitation convenience centers, which currently bar commercial contractors.
“If the city could make a place or two to dump trash [for] $35, $40, it would give the guys more incentives to do the right thing, and you still come up with a couple dollars in your pocket, which is what the whole thing is about,” Herbert said.
The Clean Philadelphia NOW Campaign also calls for the city to “activate” vacant lots with community gardens, murals, and programming.
Castro says the city doesn’t communicate effectively with residents of his Southwest Philly neighborhood about what types of waste the city does not accept in its routine curbside trash collection — like tires or TVs.
“We have a lot of folks who are from different parts of the world. This is a really rich immigrant community, and I don’t think the city does enough to talk to the people in this community in the ways that they need to be talked to,” Castro said.
The platform includes education and outreach, developed in coordination with residents.
Herbert is hopeful that the coalition’s activism will bring results.
“Before the next election, we hope to put the right person in that’ll move this, make this a priority — the beautification of Philadelphia, period,” Herbert said. “Not just Center City. … The people around here deserve to have a clean community.”
This story is a part of Every Voice, Every Vote, a collaborative project managed by The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Lead support is provided by the William Penn Foundation with additional funding from The Lenfest Institute, Peter and Judy Leone, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Harriet and Larry Weiss, and the Wyncote Foundation, among others. Learn more about the project and view a full list of supporters here.
Subscribe to PlanPhilly
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today. | 2023-02-01T12:25:47+00:00 | whyy.org | https://whyy.org/articles/waste-free-philly-illegal-dumping-philadelphia-mayoral-race-2023/ |
Dylan Parham finds home on improving Raiders’ offensive line
The moment was ironic and accurate. Hence the smile on Raiders rookie offensive lineman Dylan Parham’s face.
Just as he was about to explain the challenges of playing three line positions in the first six games of his NFL career, a teammate passed by his locker and shouted: “The man can do it all.”
It’s not a far-fetched claim. Keeping track of Parham, a third-round pick out of Memphis, has been a case of Where’s Waldo. Between injuries and the Raiders’ plan to determine their best starting five, Parham has started at both guard positions and center.
Going back to the draft, Parham had a pretty good idea that his versatility would be an asset. He played guard and tackle at Memphis, and a lot of NFL evaluators thought his best long-range position was center.
So he came to Las Vegas with eyes wide open that he might be moved around.
“I didn’t know how early, but I knew that was something I had to do in my future,” Parham said. “So I had to prepare for it.”
As did the Raiders, part of which was dependent on having an open mind. Not just with Parham, but their entire offensive line. That included taking the unorthodox approach of rotating players at multiple positions during organized team activities, training camp and the preseason, and bucking conventional wisdom by continuing that rotation through the first six games.
And while it took awhile to come up with answers, the line has been efficient for the past three games. It has paved the way for running back Josh Jacobs to rush for 144, 154 and 143 yards in those games, and in the past two games, it has surrendered just two sacks.
“More than anything else, we’re just trying to find the right group to go in there and play beside one another,” coach Josh McDaniels said. “That takes time. It’s a new system … so we gave everybody a lot of opportunities in the preseason.”
There were a few factors that dictated the rotation plan.
First, the surprise retirement of Denzelle Good a few days before training camp removed a player the Raiders were counting on as a starter.
Secondly, the Raiders were going to give Alex Leatherwood, the 17th overall pick in the 2021 draft, every opportunity to prove he could be a viable piece.
No, Leatherwood wasn’t selected by McDaniels or general manager Dave Ziegler, but given the investment the organization made in him, they weren’t going to immediately give up on Leatherwood.
But when Leatherwood didn’t take advantage of the opportunity — he was eventually released — and veteran tackle Brandon Parker went down with a season-ending injury in the preseason and rookie tackle Thayer Munford suffered an injury that cost him the final two preseason games, the Raiders weren’t ready to make a definitive declaration at right tackle.
Meanwhile, a concussion suffered by center Andre James that cost him two regular-season games interrupted Parham’s development at guard, as he moved to center.
Hence, all the iterations of the offensive line in the first month.
“I think with young players, nobody really makes a big deal out of it when it’s Neil Farrell rotating in there on the defensive line, or a young player playing in the secondary part time, or a young receiver or a back, but when it’s an offensive lineman, everybody kind of says, ‘why aren’t they all just the same five every time,” McDaniels said. “And sometimes it’s best for everybody that it’s not just the same five.”
Now, they have found a more consistent starting five. It has resulted in Parham at left guard, James at center, Alex Bars at right guard, Kolton Miller at left tackle and Jermaine Elumenor at right tackle.
Only right tackle still seems uncertain, though Munford, who replaced an injured Elumenor last week against the Texans and played well, could get the start Sunday against the Saints.
“We were searching for a while,” McDaniels said. “What’s the right formula? Who are the right guys to put beside one another?”
More and more, it looks as if the Raiders are nearing a decision.
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on Twitter.
Up next
Who: Raiders at Saints
When: 10 a.m. Sunday
Where: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans
TV: KLAS-8
Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3)
Line: Raiders -2½; total 49½ | 2022-10-26T00:51:03+00:00 | reviewjournal.com | https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/raiders/dylan-parham-finds-home-on-improving-raiders-offensive-line-2664517/ |
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Kenny Pickett isn’t worried that he’s become concussion prone after sustaining a second one in a matter of months, though the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie quarterback is taking steps to hopefully avoid more of them down the road.
The 20th overall pick in last spring’s draft will wear a larger helmet on Saturday night when the Steelers (6-8) host Las Vegas (6-8), The new helmet offers a little more protection for the back of Pickett’s head. Both of the concussions Pickett has sustained this season — against Tampa Bay on Oct. 16 and against Baltimore on Dec. 11 — came on plays in which the back of his helmet smacked against the Acrisure Stadium turf.
“Slamming my head on the ground is what has been the issue,” Pickett said Thursday. “(The new helmet) has (more protection) in the back, which I think will help.”
Pickett sat out last week’s victory over Carolina after concussion-like symptoms lingered after getting knocked down by Baltimore linebacker Roquan Smith early in the first quarter of what became a 16-14 Ravens victory.
Medical personnel initially cleared Pickett to go back in the game, but he self-reported issues after returning for one series and was placed into the protocol.
“When I got back out there and started running (and) vision started coming into play more and I’m moving and things are going fast, that’s when symptoms started to come up and I had to go inside,” Pickett said.
Pickett called the symptoms this time more severe than the ones he experienced after being removed against Tampa Bay in October on a similar hit. He returned to start the next week.
That wasn’t an option after the Baltimore game as symptoms lingered. The Steelers made him inactive, starting Mitch Trubisky in his place.
Pickett said the decision was the right call, but added things have “cleared up now and I’m good to go.”
Sitting out gave Pickett a chance to wear the headset and listen in while the coaches went through the calls during the course of the game.
“It was a unique experience,” Pickett said. “But I definitely like being out on the field more.”
The former Pitt star has made steady strides during the second half of the season. He’s gone 129 straight pass attempts without an interception after throwing eight in his first five games.
“I feel like after the bye week, I’ve had time to study what I was doing and what I need to do better and where we’re at as an offense,” Pickett said. “Ever since (the bye week) I feel like it’s slowed down each week.”
It’s helped that the Steelers appear to have found an offensive identity no matter who is behind center. Pittsburgh has run for more than 100 yards in six of its past seven games, a span in which the Steelers are 4-3. Improved play up front has taken some of the pressure off Pickett to take chances down the field, one of the reasons he’s no longer turning the ball over.
Passing figures to be treacherous at best on Christmas Eve with the game time temperature expected to be in the single digits and winds in excess of 30 mph expected at Acrisure Stadium.
Pickett joked he’ll wear thicker thermal performance gear and maybe borrow a ski mask from rookie wide receiver George Pickens, who has been fashioning them regardless of the weather for weeks.
Either way, the Steelers need to capture each of their past three games and get a ton of help if they want to keep the faintest of playoff hopes alive.
“I know a lot needs to happen that’s outside of our control but we can’t control that,” Picket said. “We want to finish strong and go out with three wins.”
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | 2022-12-23T03:54:12+00:00 | kxnet.com | https://www.kxnet.com/sports/ap-steelers-qb-kenny-pickett-ready-to-go-after-2nd-concussion/ |
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A protest for stricter gun laws in Tennessee led to Republicans expelling two House members. Those two, Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, are now back in office.
But progressive organizers in the state say their work fighting attacks on democracy is not over. The removal of Black Democratic lawmakers will not be the last battle they fight against the state’s Republican supermajority.
Here & Now‘s Deepa Fernandes speaks with Tequila Johnson, executive director for the Equity Alliance Fund in Tennessee. Her group works to empower Black and brown voters across the state.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2023-04-14T19:03:08+00:00 | klcc.org | https://www.klcc.org/2023-04-14/fight-for-democracy-in-tennessee-isnt-over-progressive-organizers-say |
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Good morning. I'm Noel King. Sixteen-year-old Cameron Tucker has a gift for cutting hair. This summer, his uncle taught him the basics, and before long, Cameron had a business working on his classmates. Then one day he got suspended for giving a haircut in a school bathroom. That news went viral, and Cameron used his suspension to grow his business. Some of his clients now include Big Sean, Jalen Rose and Reggie Bush. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | 2023-04-26T04:20:09+00:00 | wboi.org | https://www.wboi.org/2021-11-16/teenage-barber-uses-a-school-suspension-to-grow-his-business |
Monkeypox tests are now more readily available in the U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced Monday that Labcorp is now testing for monkeypox.
“The ability of commercial labs to test for monkeypox is a key pillar in our comprehensive strategy to combat this disease,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky. “This will not only increase testing capacity but will make it more convenient for providers and patients to access tests by using existing provider-to-lab relationships.”
The CDC said four more laboratory companies will soon be offering monkeypox testing as well. Labcorp expects to be able to perform up to 10,000 tests per week, according to the CDC.
Hundreds of cases of monkeypox have been detected across the U.S. New York has the most cases in the country. It's reporting 153 cases, according to the CDC.
Two vaccines are currently available to protect against monkeypox infection.
Signs of monkeypox include a rash that looks like pimples or blisters, fever, muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes. | 2022-07-11T18:48:04+00:00 | wrtv.com | https://www.wrtv.com/news/national/labcorp-now-offering-monkeypox-testing |
SEATTLE (AP) — Now that a bit of time has passed, Sue Bird knows she made the right decision announcing publicly what she knew inside — that this would be her last season.
But the emotions that are likely to come when she plays what could be her final game in Seattle? Bird has no idea what that’ll be like.
“I’m looking forward to it. That’s for sure,” she said. “I know it’s going to be a really special day. Am I ready for it? I guess we’ll see. It’s gonna be a lot, in all the good ways.”
Bird will play the final regular-season home game of her career on Sunday when the Seattle Storm host the Las Vegas Aces. The Storm have clinched a playoff spot, but with the WNBA’s new playoff format, there’s no guarantee the Storm will end up with a home game in the first round.
Seattle is currently the No. 4 seed ahead of Washington with a week left in the regular season.
So in case the Storm don’t end up seeing their home floor again in the playoffs, Sunday is the day Bird gets feted for her remarkable career. Members of Seattle’s previous championships teams are expected to be in attendance. There will be a pregame ceremony. And the largest crowd in Storm history — more than 18,000 at Climate Pledge Arena — is expected.
“What she’s been able to do in her career, on and off the court, has been phenomenal and I don’t think they’ll ever be anyone like her,” former Seattle teammate Lauren Jackson said this week. “I think the legacy that she’s left on the sport, and that she’ll be leaving on the sport, is enormous. But I’m really excited to see what she does next.”
The 41-year-old Bird, the oldest player in the WNBA, announced in June that this would be her final season before retiring. The decision was expected, especially after Bird flirted with the idea of stepping away after last season before returning for a 19th season on the court and 21st overall with Seattle, missing two seasons due to injuries.
She’ll conclude her career as one of the most decorated players of all-time: four WNBA titles, five Olympic gold medals, countless WNBA records that may never be matched and recognition as one of the great women’s players during a golden generation for the league.
“If you want to talk the best generation (the league) is still pretty young, so we can revisit that conversation in like 20, 30, 40, 50 years,” Bird said. “But as it stands right now, I do feel really lucky that I played in the generation I played in, and I do think a huge chunk there is probably going to go down as the best, most talented.”
Last year when Seattle’s season ended at home with a playoff loss to Phoenix and Storm fans chanted “one more year!” the passionate plea resonated with Bird. She’s cited that moment numerous times over the past year as a partial reason for her decision to return.
But in a sign of how at peace Bird is with her decision, she said when hearing the chant now, her primary thought is, “nice try. See you later,” she joked.
Another sign that Bird knows she made the right decision came after she pressed the button to announce her decision. Instantly, the question of whether she’d play again was gone and with it an unknown weight that hung over her.
That’s led to more open and honest conversations with competitors, former teammates and fans without dancing around the uncomfortable unknown as the final days of her career have ticked closer.
“There were these other nice byproducts I didn’t expect. Most of it comes in the form of people being able to share moments with me, or memories with me. Probably the most meaningful is your peers,” Bird said. “Players on the other team sharing things with me, whether it’s an actual moment or how I’ve inspired them, how they looked up to me, ‘how the WNBA won’t be the same without you.’ I didn’t do it to get that. But that has been really nice. And it really does help. It’s part of my own closure and it’ll help me move on when it’s all said and done.”
___
More AP women’s basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2022-08-07T02:51:57+00:00 | wric.com | https://www.wric.com/sports/sports-headlines/sue-bird-at-peace-for-what-could-be-final-game-in-seattle/ |
President Biden and the White House face a political threat over the fallout from the administration’s response to the Norfolk Southern train derailment that has left residents of East Palestine, Ohio, scared and frustrated.
Republicans have gone on the attack over the Feb. 3 derailment, questioning the urgency of the administration’s response and asking why Biden has not visited the impacted community.
Former President Trump on Wednesday accused the Biden administration of “indifference and betrayal” toward East Palestine during a visit there, while the mayor of the village called it a “slap in the face” that Biden went to Europe before visiting the site of a potential environmental disaster. The White House said Biden has not spoken to the mayor.
It’s not as if Biden is at a political low point.
He returned late Wednesday from a dramatic trip to Ukraine and Poland to mark the anniversary of Russia’s invasion, completing a secretive and complex visit to an active war zone with no U.S. military presence.
That visit was a sign of the president’s strength and will be used by the White House and Biden allies to both shore up support for the Western effort to back Kyiv and to counter any suggestion that Biden lacks the strength and energy to do his job.
It is part of a broadly successful several weeks for Biden, who put Republicans on defense over Social Security and Medicare during his State of the Union address. The president’s approval rating increased to 49 percent, according to an NPR poll released Wednesday; it’s his highest mark in nearly a year.
Yet there are real risks to the train derailment story, which took place in the traditional swing state of Ohio that has in the last decade seemingly turned against the president’s party. Fallout from the train derailment has also hit the swing state of Pennsylvania.
Republicans have made pointed arguments directed toward both Biden and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who visited East Palestine on Thursday. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has called on the secretary resign.
Rep. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), who represents the area where the derailment occurred, gave Buttigieg an “F” for his response to the toxic chemical spill in an interview with Fox News on Feb. 18.
“I mean, he hasn’t shown up,” Johnson said.
Trump, who is running for president next year, clearly saw a political opportunity in his visit, meeting with first responders, local officials and Ohio Republicans and promising to deliver his namesake water to the community.
Separately, reporters peppered White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre with questions about why Biden does not yet have plans to visit Ohio. She argued there was no reason to “struggle” over why the president hasn’t been there yet.
Buttigieg himself admitted Thursday that he could have spoken out sooner about the crash.
At the same time, both Buttigieg and Jean-Pierre sought to go on offense on Thursday, focusing on what the administration has done while taking to task Trump and other Republicans for opposing safety regulations.
Buttigieg called on the former president to support the Biden administration reversing Trump-era deregulation, saying “we’re not afraid to own our policies when it comes to raising the bar on regulation.”
Jean-Pierre said attacks on Buttigieg were in “bad faith” because former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao wasn’t attacked when similar types of chemical spills occurred during her time as head of the agency.
“There’s been a lot of bad faith attacks on Secretary Buttigieg. Why we believe it’s bad faith is if you remember, Elaine Chao … she was the head of the Department of Transportation and when there was these types of chemical spills, nobody was calling for her to be fired,” Jean-Pierre said.
“It is pure politics,” she added.
Jean-Pierre spent much of Thursday’s press briefing focused on visits this week by both Buttigieg and Environmental Protection Agency head Michael Regan.
Buttigieg’s visit aligned with the release of the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) initial findings from the investigation into the derailment that tentatively corroborated reports that a wheel bearing severely overheated ahead of the accident.
The Transportation Department also defended the timing of the secretary’s trip, saying Buttigieg wanted to “go when it is appropriate and wouldn’t detract from the emergency response efforts.”
The White House and the Transportation Department have both said that the EPA is taking the lead on the federal response to hold Norfolk Southern accountable, noting those officials arrived at the site early on Feb. 4, hours after the crash.
Others argued that Buttigieg represented the White House well when he went to East Palestine.
“His presence represents not only transportation, but also represents the White House’s commitment to this issue,” said Brandon Neal, an Obama Transportation Department alum and former Buttigieg campaign adviser.
The White House in recent days has blamed Republicans for pushing to loosen railway and environmental regulations. Railway companies themselves have spent millions on lobbying efforts to kill bills in Congress and in state legislatures that aim to implement any further safety standards.
Andrew Bates, a deputy White House press secretary, accused Republicans of laying the groundwork for the situation in East Palestine by opposing tougher regulations on the rail industry and seeking to rollback environmental rules around drinking water.
Abdullah Hassan, an assistant press secretary at the White House, shared a readout on Wednesday detailing what the Federal Railroad Administration and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration have been doing on the ground to aid an investigation into the derailment.
“While some have been exploiting the people of East Palestine for their own self-interest, others have been doing the actual work of holding Norfolk Southern accountable for the company’s mess,” Hassan tweeted.
Biden lost Ohio in 2020 to Trump, who received more than 53 percent of the vote. A Democrat hasn’t won Ohio in a presidential race since 2012, but Democrats were surprisingly competitive there in last year’s Senate race, where Republicans spent big to ensure GOP Sen. J.D. Vance defeated former Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan.
East Palestine is located in Columbiana County where 71 percent of voters backed Trump in 2020. It also sits near the border of Pennsylvania, another high-stakes state crucial to victory.
At least one Democrat has joined the Republican chorus of criticizing the Biden administration for the timing of its response.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va), whose state also sits on the border with Ohio, said in a statement that the Biden administration had failed to “step up to the plate.”
“[I]t is unacceptable that it took nearly two weeks for a senior Administration official to show up,” Manchin said the day Regan visited the site on Feb. 16. “The damage done to East Palestine and the surrounding region is awful and it’s past time for those responsible to step up to the plate.”
This week, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the only other GOP-declared 2024 contender besides Trump, quipped: “Biden’s over in Poland but shouldn’t he be with those people in Ohio?” | 2023-02-24T15:26:17+00:00 | wivb.com | https://www.wivb.com/news/political-news/us-political-news/hill-politics/biden-faces-political-threat-with-east-palestine-train-derailment/ |
There are a few business matters left to tend to around the NBA in the coming days. A championship parade awaits on Thursday in Denver, some end-of-season meetings for players are on tap in Miami, and Memphis is expecting word soon on what penalty Ja Morant’s latest troubles will bring.
Then in a few days, all eyes will turn to New York.
Victor Wembanyama is finally coming, and that’s where his journey will begin.
In a little more than a week, Wembanyama — the officially listed at 7-foot-3, once-in-a-generation talent who will enter the league with fanfare the likes of which hasn’t been seen since the arrival of LeBron James in 2003 — will be a member of the San Antonio Spurs. The plan is that he’ll fly to New York next week, be there when the Spurs select him with the No. 1 pick, then head to San Antonio to start the next chapter.
“It’s going to be a dream come true for him,” said Paolo Banchero, last season’s No. 1 draft pick by Orlando.
There will be 57 other players — two picks were forfeited — chosen in the draft on June 22. Those 57 players, combined, won’t generate anywhere near the level of attention that Wembanyama will get.
That’s no knock on those players. It just speaks to the phenomenon that Wembanyama already is.
“In terms of living up to the hype these days, the coverage is exponential, more than what it was even for those players who historically were coming in with enormous hype,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “And so, even if it’s below some level of expectation, it’ll still be enormous. I was with him when we were in Paris in January, and frankly, when you’re 7-4, everywhere he goes there will be enormous attention, enormous focus on him. And he’s used to that.”
The NBA season ended Monday night when the Nuggets wrapped up their first championship by eliminating the Heat in five games. Wembanyama’s season, however, is still going. His Boulogne-Levallois team trails Monaco 2-0 in the best-of-five French league championship series, and that matchup is now shifting home to Paris for Game 3 and Game 4 if necessary.
And in another example of how big a deal everything Wembanyama does is, he won’t be playing in his team’s home arena. Boulogne-Levallois actually moved its home games in the French finals to Roland Garros — site of the French Open that was just completed this past weekend. A crowd of about 14,000 is expected to watch in the same stadium where Novak Djokovic reigned supreme on Sunday, and if Wembanyama’s team loses, it’ll be a chance for those fans to bid him au revoir before he departs for the NBA.
Former NBA player and executive Kiki VanDeWeghe said coming to the NBA will present some challenges for Wembanyama.
“Yes, there will be pressure. There’s no doubt about it,” VanDeWeghe said. “But professional basketball is about, more than anything, you’re a paid competitor. You’re paid to compete and you compete in front of a lot of people. It really, many, many times, boils down to how you handle it. Do I think there’s going to be pressure? Tons of it. Do I think he’s up for it? By everything I can see, it sure seems like it.”
The first look at Wembanyama in a Spurs uniform could come July 3 in Sacramento, when San Antonio will be one of six teams participating in the California Classic — a smaller summer league before the full-scale, 30-team NBA Summer League begins July 7 in Las Vegas.
Tickets are flying for the Sacramento event, just in case Wembanyama plays there. Some courtside seats are on resale sites for more than $500 apiece; for summer league, that’s basically unheard of.
Silver said Wembanyama will be aided by the fact that he’s already been playing professionally in France, so he’ll have at least some idea of what to expect in the NBA — and, obviously, the Spurs have an elite track record with big men who land in their lap through the lottery, with Hall of Famers David Robinson and Tim Duncan the examples there.
He also suggested that Wembanyama might pick up a thing or two from seeing this year’s NBA Finals.
“The older I get, the more I learn,” Silver said. “And I think the Nuggets and Heat are two fantastic examples of that at the end of the day, it’s about doing the work.”
VanDeWeghe also offered this reminder: Even for as talented as Wembanyama is, joining the best league in the world comes with a learning curve.
“He seems like a great kid and somebody who really has his heart in the right place,” VanDeWeghe said. “His mind seems to be in the right place. But it’s not an easy road. These guys are good. I mean, everybody’s good. You step into an arena where everybody’s got tremendous skills and tremendous physicality and tough mentally. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be there. And so, it’s a lot more competitive, but I really do think he will do great.”
___
AP Sports Writer Pat Graham in Denver contributed.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-06-14T12:57:11+00:00 | wwlp.com | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/as-nba-season-ends-the-draft-looms-and-that-means-wembanyamas-arrival-is-near/ |
for more than *** decade. Donald and Ivana trump were new york city's tabloid power couple After marrying the man she called the Donald in 1977. The Czech born model and her husband kept an active social calendar. These people were the new stars of the late 80s. Ivana was *** key partner in several of Donald trump's projects, supervising design work on trump tower, managing some of trump's other properties. And it all resulted in *** uniquely trump sort of home life. I was running the casinos in atlantic city for 10 years, going on *** helicopter at seven o'clock in the morning from new york, you know, getting up there, landing on going to the office six o'clock back home Children homework. The trumps raised three Children, Donald Jr Ivanka and eric who would later become key players in Donald's business empire and political aspirations. Donald trump was constantly followed by rumors of infidelity. But the gossip came to *** head when Ivana confirmed trump was having an affair with marla Maples. You're devastated of course. Then it is *** stage when you come and you say why me? You get angry using the same fighting tactic. Her husband was famous for Ivana trump went very public with her divorce battle. If you're good to him, he's incredible to you, if you bet at him you're dead. But the trumps had another surprise for the media *** sudden seemingly amicable settlement. Even walking out of the courthouse together arm in arm. Ivana went on to become an entrepreneur in her own right, she started *** fashion line and wrote books along the way she married and divorced her 3rd and 4th husbands and made *** movie cameo as America's most famous ex wife in the First Wives Club. Don't get mad, get everything Donald and Ivana eventually had *** friendly relationship. They even made *** commercial together crust first. But as his political fortunes rose, their divorce came back to haunt him. Documents showed that Ivana had accused donald trump of raping her during an argument trump denied it. And Ivana issued *** statement saying that what she called *** rape was not intended to be quote interpreted in *** literal or criminal sense. In 2017, Ivana trump got pushed back from the White House when she suggested that she limit her communications with the president to avoid making First Lady Melania trump jealous and I want to cause any kind of jealousy or something like that because I'm basically first trump wife first lady. *** statement from the first lady's office called Ivana and X and dismissed her comments as self serving. Around the same time, Ivana said her ex husband offered her ambassador's post to the Czech Republic where she grew up under Communist rule. But she said she turned it down content with the extravagant life she had built for herself even with the public spotlight. You don't really have *** choice. You know, once you become *** public person, you know, you are on the public eye
Ivana Trump, first wife of former President Donald Trump, dies at 73
Updated: 4:45 PM EDT Jul 14, 2022
Ivana Trump, who formed half of a publicity power couple in the 1980s as the first wife of former President Donald Trump and mother of his oldest children, has died in New York City, her family announced Thursday. She was 73.“I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life. Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her. Rest In Peace, Ivana!”The Trump family also released a statement. "It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Ivana Trump. Our mother was an incredible woman — a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend. Ivana Trump was a survivor.“She fled from communism and embraced this country,” the statement continued. “She taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion and determination. She will be dearly missed by her mother, her three children and ten grandchildren.”The Trumps were a power couple in New York in the 1980s before their equally public, and messy, divorce after Donald Trump met his next wife, Marla Maples. But in recent years, Ivana Trump had been on good terms with her former husband. She wrote in a 2017 book that they spoke about once a week.Ivana told the New York Post in 2016 that she was both a supporter and adviser to the former president.“I suggest a few things,” she told the paper. “We speak before and after the appearances and he asks me what I thought.” She said she advised him to “be more calm.”“But Donald cannot be calm,” she added. “He’s very outspoken. He just says it as it is.”She was born Ivana Zelnickova in 1949 in the Czechoslovak city of Gottwaldov, the former city of Zlin that just had been renamed by the Communists, who took over the country in 1948. She married Trump, her second husband, in 1977.
Ivana Trump, who formed half of a publicity power couple in the 1980s as the first wife of former President Donald Trump and mother of his oldest children, has died in New York City, her family announced Thursday. She was 73.
“I am very saddened to inform all of those that loved her, of which there are many, that Ivana Trump has passed away at her home in New York City,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “She was a wonderful, beautiful, and amazing woman, who led a great and inspirational life. Her pride and joy were her three children, Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric. She was so proud of them, as we were all so proud of her. Rest In Peace, Ivana!”
The Trump family also released a statement. "It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved mother, Ivana Trump. Our mother was an incredible woman — a force in business, a world-class athlete, a radiant beauty, and caring mother and friend. Ivana Trump was a survivor.
“She fled from communism and embraced this country,” the statement continued. “She taught her children about grit and toughness, compassion and determination. She will be dearly missed by her mother, her three children and ten grandchildren.”
The Trumps were a power couple in New York in the 1980s before their equally public, and messy, divorce after Donald Trump met his next wife, Marla Maples. But in recent years, Ivana Trump had been on good terms with her former husband. She wrote in a 2017 book that they spoke about once a week.
Ivana told the New York Post in 2016 that she was both a supporter and adviser to the former president.
“I suggest a few things,” she told the paper. “We speak before and after the appearances and he asks me what I thought.” She said she advised him to “be more calm.”
“But Donald cannot be calm,” she added. “He’s very outspoken. He just says it as it is.”
She was born Ivana Zelnickova in 1949 in the Czechoslovak city of Gottwaldov, the former city of Zlin that just had been renamed by the Communists, who took over the country in 1948. She married Trump, her second husband, in 1977. | 2022-07-14T21:09:06+00:00 | wmur.com | https://www.wmur.com/article/ivana-trump-first-wife-of-former-president-donald-trump-dies/40617022 |
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s new law barring sales of bullet-resistant vests to most civilians doesn’t cover the type of armor worn by the gunman who killed 10 people at a Buffalo supermarket, a gap that could limit its effectiveness in deterring future military-style assaults.
During the May 14 attack, Payton Gendron wore a steel-plated vest, an armor strong enough to stop a handgun round fired by a store security guard who tried to halt Gendron’s rampage.
A law hastily enacted by state lawmakers after the attack restricts sales of vests defined as “bullet-resistant soft body armor.”
Soft vests, which are light and can be concealed beneath clothing, can be effective against pistol fire. Vests carrying steel, ceramic or polyethylene plates, which can potentially stop rifle rounds, aren’t explicitly covered by the legislation.
That has left some retailers confused about what they can and can’t sell — and lawmakers talking about a possible fix.
“I know you said soft vests, but what about hard armor plates, plate carriers, or armors that aren’t vests, but clothing that provide protection. Is that also prohibited? It is so vague,” said Brad Pedell, who runs 221B Tactical, a tactical gear and body armor store in New York City. He said his store tends to sell more hard-plated armor than the soft type being banned.
With the toughest armor still allowed to be sold, “I’m not convinced that this legislation is very meaningful,” said Warren Eller, a public policy professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Assemblymember Jonathon Jacobson, a lead sponsor of the legislation, told The Associated Press he would “be glad to amend the law to make it even stronger.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, is also aware of the need for changes, her office said.
“Governor Hochul was proud to sign the groundbreaking new law passed by the legislature to restrict sales of body armor, and will work with the legislature to expand the definitions in the law at the first available opportunity,” it said.
Nationwide, there are few limits on sales of body armor. Before New York’s law passed, Connecticut had one of the few restrictions. It only allows people to buy it from dealers in person, not via mail order.
Pedell says many customers at his New York City store buy the armor for their own protection.
“It’s disappointing because residents are just scared, and they come to us because they are scared, and we offer help that makes them feel more confident, that they won’t get stabbed or injured or potentially killed,” Pedell said. “The fact (lawmakers) are taking that away, for whatever purpose they have in their minds, I find that really sad and unnecessary and morally wrong.”
New York’s ban is aimed at stopping criminals from gaining an advantage over peace officers, or security guards like Aaron Salter, who was killed trying to stop the gunman’s racist attack on the Buffalo supermarket.
Of the shooters who killed four or more people in a public space since 1966, 12% wore body vests, said sociologist James Densley, a co-founder of The Violence Project, a nonprofit think tank with a database on mass shootings.
New York’s law restricts sales of soft bullet-resistant vests to people who work in law enforcement and the military, plus people in certain other professions that require protective gear. The list of what types of jobs qualify someone to buy armor, and which don’t, is still to be determined by state officials.
The Department of State in New York said in an emailed statement that officials are reviewing the new law and plan to develop regulations for eligible professions that require the use of a body vest.
The leaders of the Deadline Club, the New York City chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, had urged Hochul to veto the bill citing concerns about whether it would make it tough for news organizations to buy armor for journalists who work in conflict zones or cover civil unrest in the U.S.
“I know a number of photographers who have worn protective gear as a precautionary measure while out in situations that may get violent,” said Peter Szekely, the group’s advocacy chair.
New Yorkers are still allowed to own body vests and purchase them in other states, though Jacobson, a Democrat, said he would work to eliminate that option during the next Legislative session in January.
“We wanted to get things done as quickly as possible, and not let the perfect get in the way of the good,” said Jacobson. “Like all laws in New York State, we always try to make them better in the future. Of course we’ll try to make this law better.”
___
Maysoon Khan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Maysoon Khan on Twitter. | 2022-06-20T19:27:59+00:00 | krqe.com | https://www.krqe.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/new-body-armor-rules-in-ny-miss-vest-worn-by-buffalo-killer/ |
ATLANTA (AP) — A former Republican Party official in Georgia who was a fake elector in 2020 misrepresented her role in an alleged breach of voting equipment at a rural elections office two months after the last presidential election, a court filing says.
The filing late Monday is part of a broader lawsuit challenging the security of the state’s voting machines that has been drawn into a separate investigation of former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his loss in Georgia.
Interior security camera video from the Coffee County elections office shows Cathy Latham, the county Republican Party chair at the time, welcomed a computer forensics team when it arrived on Jan. 7, 2021, introduced the team to local election officials and spent nearly all day there. She also instructed the team what to copy, which turned out to be “virtually every component of the voting system,” the filing says. The video directly refutes Latham’s testimony in a sworn deposition and her representations in filings with the court, the document states.
The filing comes in response to Latham’s attorneys’ attempt to quash subpoenas for her personal electronic devices, including any cellphones, computers and storage devices.
Robert Cheeley, an attorney for Latham, did not respond to an email seeking comment. He previously said his client doesn’t remember all the details of that day. But he said she “would not and has not knowingly been involved in any impropriety in any election” and “has not acted improperly or illegally.”
Latham said in a deposition last month that she moved to Texas over the summer. In January 2021, she was chair of the Coffee County Republican Party and was the state party caucus chair for more than 125 of Georgia’s smaller counties. Latham also was one of 16 Georgia Republicans who signed a certificate in December 2020 falsely stating that Trump had won the state and declaring that they were the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors.
Trump in fact lost Georgia by nearly 12,000 votes to Democrat Joe Biden. The investigation into Trump’s efforts to change the results includes a phone call he made to the Georgia secretary of state, a fellow Republican, suggesting he could “find” just enough votes to make Trump the winner.
Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a Democrat who’s leading that investigation, has notified Latham and the other fake electors that they could face criminal charges.
The Georgia secretary of state’s office has described the copying of data from Coffee County’s election system as an “alleged unauthorized access” and last month asked the Georgia Bureau of Investigation to get involved. It’s the latest of several suspected breaches of voting system data around the country tied to Trump allies since his election loss.
Attorney Sidney Powell and other Trump allies were involved in arranging for the copying of the election equipment in Coffee County — which is home to 43,000 people and voted overwhelmingly for Trump — as part of a wider effort to access voting equipment in several states, according to documents produced in response to subpoenas in the long-running lawsuit over Georgia’s voting machines.
Latham’s “data likely will reveal additional details about the work performed and information obtained in the breach, what was done with the compromised software and data, and the people involved in planning and orchestrating the breach, which puts voters and future elections at enormous risk,” the filing says.
An exhibit attached to the Monday filing juxtaposes quotes from Latham’s deposition with images pulled from security camera footage that appear to directly contradict her statements.
Latham said that she went to her job as a high school teacher and stopped by the election office briefly that afternoon. But the video image shows her arriving at 11:37 a.m., and time stamps on other images show her there throughout much of the day. She also said she didn’t see specific people and saw others only briefly, but the video images show otherwise.
The lawsuit that includes the fight over Latham’s personal electronic devices was originally filed several years before the 2020 election by individual voters and the Coalition for Good Governance, an election security advocacy group. It alleges that Georgia’s touchscreen voting machines are not secure and seeks to have them replaced by hand-marked paper ballots.
The Monday filing said the plaintiffs have identified multiple documents that Latham failed to produce in response to a previous subpoena. It seeks to have a third party make a temporary forensic copy of her devices and search for responsive documents. | 2022-09-20T14:59:26+00:00 | fox44news.com | https://www.fox44news.com/news/political-news/ap-lawyers-seek-data-in-georgia-election-equipment-breach/ |
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia and Ukraine traded accusations Monday that each side is shelling Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant in southern Ukraine. Russia claimed that Ukrainian shelling caused a power surge and fire and forced staff to lower output from two reactors, while Ukraine has blamed Russian troops for storing weapons there.
Nuclear experts have warned that more shelling of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which was captured by Russia early in the war, is fraught with danger.
The Kremlin echoed that Monday, claiming that Kyiv was attacking the plant and urging Western powers to force a stop to that.
“Shelling of the territory of the nuclear plant by the Ukrainian armed forces is highly dangerous,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “It’s fraught with catastrophic consequences for vast territories, for the entire Europe.”
Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesman, Andriy Yusov, countered that Russian forces have planted explosives at the plant to head off an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive in the region. Previously, Ukrainian officials have said Russia is launching attacks from the plant and using Ukrainian workers there as human shields.
Yusov called on Russia to “make a goodwill gesture and hand over control of the plant to an international commission and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), if not to the Ukrainian military.”
Ukraine’s ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, likewise urged that the United Nations, the IAEA and the international community send a delegation to “completely demilitarize the territory” and provide security guarantees to plant employees and the city where the plant is based, Enerhodar.
The IAEA is the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog. Its director-general, Rafael Grossi, told The Associated Press last week that the situation surrounding the Zaporizhzhia plant “is completely out of control,” and issued an urgent plea to Russia and Ukraine to allow experts to visit the complex to stabilize the situation and avoid a nuclear accident.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres voiced support for that idea Monday, saying, “any attack to a nuclear plant is a suicidal thing.”
One expert in nuclear materials at Imperial College London said the reactor at Zaporizhzhia is modern and housed inside a heavily reinforced steel-and-concrete building designed to protect against disasters.
“As such, I do not believe there would be a high probably of a breach of the containment building, even if it was accidently struck by an explosive shell, and even less likely the reactor itself could be damaged,” said Mark Wenman at the college’s Nuclear Energy Futures.
He also said the complex’s spent fuel tanks, where the shells reportedly hit, are strong and probably don’t contain much spent fuel.
“Although it may seem worrying, and any fighting on a nuclear site would be illegal according to international law, the likelihood of a serious nuclear release is still small,” he said.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the attack Sunday caused a power surge and smoke, triggering an emergency shutdown. Fire teams extinguished flames, and the plant’s personnel lowered the output of reactors No. 5 and No. 6 to 500 megawatts, he said.
And the head of the Ukrainian company operating the plant said all but one power line connecting it to Ukraine’s energy system had been destroyed. Petro Kotin, head of the Ukrainian state corporation Eherhoatom, blamed Russian shelling and said a blackout would be “very unsafe for such a nuclear facility.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy decried “the shelling and mining” of the plant and called it “nuclear blackmail.” He called for sanctions against Moscow’s nuclear industry.
As fighting continued on the front lines, the United States on Monday pledged another $1 billion in new military aid for Ukraine. It would be the biggest delivery yet of rockets, ammunition and other arms straight from U.S. Department of Defense stocks for Ukrainian forces.
The latest announcement brings total U.S. security assistance committed to Ukraine by the Biden administration to $9.1 billion since Russian troops invaded on Feb. 24.
Ukraine’s presidential office said the Russians had shelled seven Ukrainian regions over the previous 24 hours, killing five people. Among the targets, it said, was Nikopol, just across the Dnieper River from the Zaporizhzhia plant. Thousands of people were without electricity there.
Russian rockets and artillery also hit across the Sumy region, killing one person, and the Ukrainian governor of the eastern Donetsk region said the cities of Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Lyman had emerged as fighting hotspots.
Ukrainian forces struck Russian-controlled areas in the south, officials there said, including the strategic Antonivskiy bridge in the southern city of Kherson. An artery for Russian military supplies, the bridge has been closed in recent weeks because of earlier shelling. Plans to reopen it on Wednesday were now shelved, said Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Moscow-appointed administration of the Kherson region.
Meanwhile, one of the ships that left Ukraine on Friday under a deal to unblock grain supplies and stave off a global food crisis arrived in Turkey, the first loaded vessel to reach its destination. The Turkey-flagged Polarnet was laden with 12,000 tons of corn.
“This sends a message of hope to every family in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia: Ukraine won’t abandon you,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted. “If Russia sticks to its obligations, the ‘grain corridor’ will keep maintaining global food security.”
Twelve ships have now been authorized to sail under the grain deal between Ukraine and Russia, which was brokered by Turkey and the United Nations — 10 outbound and two inbound. Some 322,000 metric tons of agricultural products have left Ukrainian ports, the bulk of it corn but also sunflower oil and soya.
Four ships that left Ukraine on Sunday were expected to anchor near Istanbul on Monday evening for inspection to make sure they are carrying only food.
The first cargo ship to leave Ukraine, the Sierra Leone-flagged Razoni, which left Odesa on Aug. 1, hit a snag with delivery, however. It was heading for Lebanon with 26,000 metric tons of corn for chicken feed but the corn’s buyer in Lebanon refused to accept the cargo, since it was delivered much later than its contract, Ukraine’s embassy in Beirut said.
___
Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut, Mehmet Guzel in Derince, Turkey, and Andrew Wilks in Istanbul contributed.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | 2022-08-09T05:00:04+00:00 | everythinglubbock.com | https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/international/ship-carrying-grain-from-ukraine-arrives-in-istanbul/ |
Car enthusiasts raise money for Boys and Girls Club of Marion County
Published: May. 21, 2023 at 6:41 PM EDT|Updated: 36 minutes ago
OCALA, Fla. (WCJB) - Car enthusiasts cruised down to Marion County to support a kids organization.
They stopped by the War Horse Harley Davidson in Ocala for the third annual Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Festival.
The event benefits the Boys and Girls Club of Marion County.
“I thought it was a great event to come support the kids,” said participant Shannon Ruckart.
Rows of vintage cars and motorcycles caught the attention of guests.
“We love classic cars and the opportunity to show off your car,” said participant Joe Deklinski. “Looking at other folks’ car is just the draw.”
The event was free to the public.
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Copyright 2023 WCJB. All rights reserved. | 2023-05-21T23:18:38+00:00 | wcjb.com | https://www.wcjb.com/2023/05/21/car-enthusiasts-raise-money-boys-girls-club-marion-county/ |
President Biden said Wednesday that he thinks Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock (Ga.) will hold on to his seat, while avoiding giving his reaction to the allegations against GOP candidate Herschel Walker that have roiled the race.
“Negative. And yes,” Biden told reporters when asked about Walker and if Democrats can hold the seat.
The president’s remarks were his first time weighing in on the Georgia race since the claims against Walker become public. The Daily Beast reported last week that Walker conceived a child with a woman he was dating in 2009 and encouraged her to get an abortion.
The outlet then reported that the same woman is also the mother of one of Walker’s children, and The New York Times has since reported that Walker pressed for a second abortion. The allegations follow previous claims of domestic abuse against the former football star.
Walker is a self-described “pro-life” candidate and has denied the allegations.
Georgia is a pivotal state for Democrats in November, and in 2020, Warnock won in a runoff to solidify Democrats’ majority in the Senate. Biden won the Peach State by nearly 12,000 votes, flipping a state that former President Trump won in 2016 by more than 100,000 votes.
Warnock this week narrowly pulled ahead of Walker, according to an Emerson College Polling-The Hill survey. The Democrat garnered 48 percent, compared to Walker’s 46 percent, which is a 4-point improvement for Warnock since August, when he was trailing Walker 44 percent to 46 percent.
Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has said he will stick with Walker and not pull support for the candidate, despite the allegations. McConnell endorsed Walker in the GOP primary for Georgia Senate, and the candidate has been financially supported by the Senate Leadership Fund, a Republican PAC tied to McConnell. | 2022-10-12T18:12:57+00:00 | wearegreenbay.com | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/hill-politics/biden-says-democrats-will-keep-georgia-senate-seat/ |
SAN FRANCISCO and LONDON, June 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bosonic, a decentralized Financial Market Infrastructure (dFMI) business has today announced the formation and launch of the Bosonic Cross-Custodian Net Settlement (CCNS) Working Group with several of the industry's leading digital asset custodians, exchanges and banks.
The industry group will be spearheaded by Bosonic and will include a worldwide network of digital asset custodians such as First Digital in Hong Kong, Tetra Trust in Canada and Vast Bank in the United States, with other custodian banks as well as major financial institutions and exchanges participating and soon to be announced.
This is an industry first to include a range of institutional custodians from around the world undertaking net settlements and payments for digital assets and fiat via a layer-2 blockchain. The Working Group will help establish the protocol and best practice between custodians around the world on the Bosonic Network™ as part of the launch of Bosonic's Cross-Custodian Net Settlement platform, which has been developed to:
- Support institutional cross-custodian trading and payments with net settlement calculations and movements
- Atomic burn and reallocation of netted quantities on Layer-2 blockchain together with physical movement of residual quantities for digital assets and fiat currencies on Layer-1 Smart Contracts
- Assess benefits of interoperability with relevant stablecoins for the fiat residuals
Rosario Ingargiola, Bosonic CEO said, "As an industry first, and as the only custodian-agnostic payment versus payment settlement network on a working layer-2 blockchain, we are excited to further collaborate with a growing network of partners and clients across the world as we roll-out Cross-Custodian Net Settlement. The adoption of the Bosonic Network™ continues to go from strength to strength as the industry looks to eliminate counterparty credit and settlement risk."
Vincent Chok, CEO of First Digital responded, "We're pleased to announce our collaboration with Bosonic as we work together to break down silos and enhance coordination with institutional-grade partners across regions. We're looking forward to working together to further develop the strength, quality and robustness of digital asset infrastructure as we help bridge the worlds of traditional and digital finance."
"One of our core promises to customers is that we are embracing constant change, and the establishment of this group signifies that we are building on that commitment to innovation," said Brad Scrivener, CEO of Vast Bank. "We're proud to be supporting institutions by working to increase liquidity, standardization, and security with digital assets."
The Bosonic Network™ is a best-in-class and unique infrastructure for institutional clients, connecting to exchanges and market makers, and enabling a payment versus payment atomic swap for instantaneous settlement on a layer-2 blockchain operated by digital asset custodians.
Media Contact
The Realization Group on behalf of Bosonic
melanie.budden@therealizationgroup.com
Tel +44 7974937970
About Bosonic
Founded in 2016, Bosonic is a leading decentralized financial market infrastructure "dFMI" company with offices in San Francisco, New York and London providing best-in-class infrastructure that eliminates counterparty credit and settlement risk in Digital Asset markets. The Bosonic Network™ provides institutional clients with a patented solution that is custodian-agnostic, enables tokenization of assets and collateral, provides liquidity aggregation and DMA to the best Exchanges and Market-Makers, and at the core, runs real-time payment vs payment (PvP) atomic execution and settlement, with cross-margining, cross-custodian net settlement and payments. The Bosonic Network™ is delivering infrastructure that's reshaping the future of Digital Asset markets by eliminating risk and maximizing capital efficiency for hedge funds, family offices, banks, brokers, asset managers and other market participants.
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SOURCE Bosonic | 2022-06-10T11:07:40+00:00 | wagmtv.com | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2022/06/10/bosonic-announces-launch-bosonic-cross-custodian-net-settlement-working-group-with-leading-digital-assets-custodians/ |
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