text stringlengths 80 124k | date_download stringdate 2022-04-02 20:48:07 2023-07-31 23:59:06 | source_domain stringclasses 387
values | url stringlengths 21 528 |
|---|---|---|---|
NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Glenn McMahon has joined Getzler Henrich & Associates as a Managing Director of the firm's Retail Turnaround and Restructuring Practice, it was announced today.
With his over 30 years of executive experience leading the transformation and growth of storied brands such as St John Knits, Dolce & Gabbana, Donna Karan, Giorgio Armani and operational turnarounds of numerous other brands, Mr. McMahon is the newest senior leader of Getzler Henrich's growing Retail and Turnaround and Restructuring Practice. He joins Managing Directors Mark Samson and Michael Appel, who was named by the firm earlier this year to lead the Retail Practice.
In announcing his joining Getzler Henrich, Michael Appel said, "We are pleased to welcome Glenn to Getzler Henrich. He brings impressive operational turnaround and advisory experience to the firm, and we look forward to collaborating with him as we continue to expand our team and range of services in the consumer retail space."
As CEO of the iconic American luxury brand St. John Knits from 2007-2013, Mr. McMahon led the successful transformation and turnaround of the company by creating and expanding product, repositioning the brand and marketing to appeal to new and younger customers; restructuring the operations; saving operating expenses; improving margins through sourcing and SKU rationalization and optimizing the retail fleet of 42 stores by introducing a new store concept and design and right sizing and renegotiated leases. These actions resulted in a significant increase in annual revenue. Upon completing the turnaround of the business, he led the sale of the company to Fosun, now Lanvin Fashion Group.
On Joining Getzler Henrich, Glenn McMahon said, "Since leading the successful transformation and eventual sale of St. John Knits, I saw a dramatic shift in retail, and I wanted to have the ability and flexibility to work across the variety of consumer and retail brands in all formats where I could share my skills and experiences. I began with my own successful consultancy, but I am excited now to combine forces with the retail team at Getzler Henrich to offer an even wider array of services to a larger universe of companies and brands."
After leading St John Knits, Mr. McMahon established a performance and profit improvement advisory firm where Private Equity firms engaged him to transform and restage portfolio companies.
Mr. McMahon has a BA from the American University (Washington, DC)
ABOUT GETZLER HENRICH: Getzler Henrich & Associates LLC is one of the nation's oldest and most respected names in middle-market corporate restructurings and operations improvement and has successfully worked with thousands of companies to achieve growth and profitability. Founded over 50 years ago, the firm still operates on the same principles of impeccable integrity, a commitment to honesty, and an overriding focus on maximizing value for our clients. Long respected for its results-oriented approach, Getzler Henrich deploys rapid, pragmatic decision making and metrics-driven implementation services for its clients. With years of experience in executive-level positions at major corporations, and a broad range of advisory expertise, Getzler Henrich professionals have consistently and successfully guided companies through crises and growth phases. Working with a wide range of companies, including publicly held firms, private corporations, and family-owned businesses, Getzler Henrich's expertise spans more than fifty industry sectors, from 'new economy' technology and service firms to 'old economy' manufacturing and distribution businesses. For more information on Getzler Henrich's expertise, please visit getzlerhenrich.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Getzler Henrich & Associates | 2022-09-19T17:26:32+00:00 | waff.com | https://www.waff.com/prnewswire/2022/09/19/getzler-henrich-names-glenn-mcmahon-managing-director-retail-turnaround-restructuring-practice/ |
Ask any choral musician what the busiest month of their year is, and odds are good that they’ll say December. From “Messiah” and the Holiday Pops to the many concerts by local community choirs every weekend throughout the holiday season, something attracts large audiences to choral music in the year’s longest nights and run-up to Christmas.
Why precisely is this? It’s tradition, to quote “Fiddler on the Roof.” But what makes this tradition so persistent?
“Socially, the holidays are the only time that we can be nice to each other,” joked Boston Gay Men’s Chorus assistant conductor Johnny Nichols Jr. in a phone interview. “That’s the only time that we really push peace, goodwill towards other humans, and giving back.”
Advertisement
Kevin Leong, the director of several community choirs in the Boston area, put it this way: “People connect and celebrate the season with music . . . and at that time of year, when there’s such good cheer in the air, it just feels like everyone is making music at once.”
This holiday season, for the first time in nearly three years, Boston’s vibrant community of amateur choral singers seems to be making music at once. The Concord Chorus, a long-running community chorus that Leong has directed since 2012, is preparing for its first winter concert (Dec. 10) since the pandemic began. The same is true of the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, which is planning to launch its first full performance season since the shutdown with a holiday extravaganza, featuring four shows at Jordan Hall and one at Mechanics Hall in Worcester.
Gary Jackson, who sings tenor in the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus, said it felt “really weird” to jump into performing at this past summer’s Pride concert without having done a holiday show, because he feels like the fall rehearsals and winter concerts help strengthen the chorus as a community in every new season.
Advertisement
“I think [the holiday show] is not only one of our fastest-selling shows in general, but something we all look forward to because it is a big production,” said Jackson. “We put a lot of attention, focus, and resources into it.”
For most community choirs, that means Christmas comes to the rehearsal room starting in September. “It’s a little awkward at first, to be singing Christmas songs when it’s 70 degrees outside, but it’s par for the course and we enjoy it,” said Nichols, who is also preparing for a December concert with a community chorus on the North Shore.
Even if only some of a December concert’s repertoire is holiday themed, such events often include familiar festive tunes and sing-alongs, and Leong sees them as meaningful opportunities for choruses to connect with audience members. “That is one aspect of these kinds of concerts that we don’t normally see at other times of the year,” Leong said in a phone interview.
Preparing for Concord’s holiday concerts feels “scarily normal,” he said. It’s not completely normal, he clarified: All three choruses he leads are at around 75 percent of their pre-pandemic membership, and everyone is still singing masked. “Hopefully we won’t have to do that much longer. But it feels good. We’ve gotten back to doing something that we missed for a long time, and I think we didn’t know how much it meant to us until it was taken away.”
Advertisement
During the pre-vaccine days of December 2020, choral singing was unthinkable. Last year, a handful of community choirs were able to reconvene, rehearse, and perform in person, but this was strongly dependent on rehearsal space, choristers’ comfort with singing, and several other case-by-case variables. At this point last year, the Concord Chorus had not yet resumed in-person rehearsals. The Masterworks Chorale, which Leong also directs, met to sing together but did not hold its usual autumn concert or December “Messiah” sing-along. The Jameson Singers were able to rehearse and perform a holiday concert, and to gather safely; Leong and the singers bundled up and flung open the windows of their rehearsal room at Payson Park Church in Belmont.
“There were some evenings where I thought, ‘Oh my goodness, we cannot do this again in the winter,’ because it was freezing!” Leong said. “But [the singers] came, and they did that, because they love singing with each other. They would stand in the cold for 2½ hours under obviously not-ideal conditions to rehearse for that concert.”
Leong wasn’t sure what kind of audience would show up, and he was surprised when it was “almost packed,” he said. “We were received very warmly by the audience . . . and they were very understanding of our situation.”
Likewise, when the Zamir Chorale of Boston presented last year’s Hanukkah Happens concert, which was its first live event since the pandemic began, the reaction was “euphoria,” said director Joshua Jacobson over Zoom. The chorus had been planning a special celebration to mark its 30th annual Hanukkah concert — which was initially scheduled for 2020.
Advertisement
“In a sense, it was just postponed,” said Jacobson, an enthusiastic advocate for Jewish choral music, who founded Zamir in 1969. “But when we were there, after not singing for a year and a half and after audiences not hearing us for a year and a half, there was such an amazing feeling of finality and renewal.”
And it seems that feeling will persist this winter, especially for singers like Jackson who are performing their first holiday shows since 2019. “[The Boston Gay Men’s Chorus] is known for our very lively music, especially in our winter concerts,” said Jackson. “But in this concert, I think the music is a little more challenging, and the message is a lot deeper. . . . I think it has a different impact. It feels different, but in a good way.”
A.Z. Madonna can be reached at az.madonna@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @knitandlisten. | 2022-11-11T12:10:48+00:00 | bostonglobe.com | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/11/arts/hear-that-its-sound-bostons-community-choirs-coming-back-together-again/ |
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — In the words of Vietnam’s coach, facing the U.S. national team in the Women’s World Cup is a daunting quest, something “like a mountain,” said Mai Duc Chung.
Vietnam makes its World Cup debut Saturday against the United States, the heavy favorites to win the tournament for an unprecedented third time. The Americans enter Saturday’s game in Auckland at Eden Park with the same confidence it carried through its last two World Cup-winning runs.
“The U.S. is a very, very strong team. It is like a mountain. But it doesn’t mean that we will give up,” said Mai.
But few believe Vietnam has a chance. The national team is very similar to Thailand, which the Americans thumped 13-0 in the opener at the World Cup four years ago in France. The United States went on to beat the Netherlands 2-0 for its second consecutive World Cup and fourth overall, the most of any nation.
“Fear? We Believe,” said captain Nuynh Nhu. “We’ve already prepared. Nothing to fear, nothing to be afraid of.”
The Americans wouldn’t dare discount an opponent, particularly after the criticism it took for running up the score against Thailand four years ago in France. They are taking Vietnam in the opening game quite seriously.
“We want to show our respect by giving our best game, and we know that they’ll do the same for us,” captain Lindsey Horan said Friday, the eve of the match. “I think everyone always gives us their best game.”
The United States has a new cast of players at this World Cup, including 14 who are making their first appearance in soccer’s biggest tournament. Among them is 18-year-old phenom Alyssa Thompson and up-and-comer Trinity Rodman, the 20-year-old daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman.
Another quickly rising star is Sophia Smith. Just 22, she was named National Women’s Soccer League’s Most Valuable Player and U.S. Soccer’s Player of the Year last year.
Coach Vlatko Andonovski infused the United States with young talent after the team finished with a disappointing bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
“I think that we have a very good mix of young, energetic, enthusiastic players, and experienced players that have been through tough games, that have been in big tournaments and know how to win big games,” Andonovski said.
Megan Rapinoe is among the veterans on the squad and should make her 200th appearance for the national team if she plays against Vietnam. Rapinoe, 38, announced before the team left for New Zealand that this would be her last World Cup and she would retire from her professional team at the end of the season.
Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle were both limited by injuries in the run-up to the tournament, but Andonovski said both are available to play.
There were still several other players that weren’t available for the U.S. roster. Mallory Swanson, the team’s top scorer this year, injured her patella tendon in her left knee during an exhibition match against Ireland in early April.
Catarina Macario tore an ACL last year while playing for the French club Lyon and was unable to recover in time. But the biggest blow was the loss of captain Becky Sauerbrunn, who announced that a right foot injury suffered in April would keep her out of the World Cup.
Also in Group E are the Netherlands and Portugal, which meet Sunday in Dunedin. Portugal is also making its first World Cup appearance.
The teams play all of their matches in New Zealand, which is co-hosting the tournament with Australia. Should the United States top the group, the team will head to Sydney for the round of 16.
Saturday’s game will be the first meeting between the United States and Vietnam. The Vietnamese lost two exhibition matches ahead of the tournament and fell 9-0 to Spain in a closed-door tune-up match in Auckland last Friday.
Andonovski was asked what would happen if the United States lost to Vietnam, similar to how Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia at the beginning of the men’s World Cup in Qatar last year. Argentina recovered to win the World Cup.
“Then we’ll have to win the next two games and move forward,” the coach said, “and hopefully end up like Argentina.”
___
AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-07-21T20:39:55+00:00 | kfor.com | https://kfor.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-confident-us-enters-womens-world-cup-against-underdog-vietnam-as-quest-for-3rd-title-begins/ |
LONDON (AP) — WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has appealed against the British’s government decision last month to order his extradition to the U.S.
The appeal was filed Friday at the High Court, the latest twist in a decade-long legal saga sparked by his website’s publication of classified U.S. documents. No further details about the appeal were immediately available.
Assange’s supporters staged protests before his 51st birthday on Saturday, with his wife Stella Assange among people who gathered outside the Home Office on Friday to call for his release from prison.
Julian Assange has battled in British courts for years to avoid being sent to the U.S., where he faces 17 charges of espionage and one charge of computer misuse.
American prosecutors say the Australian citizen helped U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning steal classified diplomatic cables and military files that WikiLeaks later published, putting lives at risk.
To his supporters, Assange is a secrecy-busting journalist who exposed U.S. military wrongdoing in Iraq and Afghanistan.
A British court ruled in April that Assange could be sent to face trial in the U.S., sending the case to the U.K. government for a decision. Home Secretary Priti Patel signed an order on June 17 authorizing Assange’s extradition.
The Australian government has been under mounting pressure to intervene, but last month Prime Minister Anthony Albanese rejected calls for him to publicly demand that Washington drop its prosecution of Assange.
Assange’s supporters and lawyers maintain he was acting as a journalist and is entitled to First Amendment protections of freedom of speech. They argue that the case is politically motivated, that he would face inhumane treatment and be unable to get a fair trial in the U.S.
Assange remains in London’s high-security Belmarsh Prison, where he has been since he was arrested in 2019 for skipping bail during a separate legal battle. Before that, he spent seven years inside the Ecuadorian Embassy in London to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault.
Sweden dropped the sex crimes investigations in November 2019 because so much time had elapsed, but British judges have kept Assange in prison pending the outcome of the extradition case. | 2022-07-01T18:41:25+00:00 | wate.com | https://www.wate.com/local-news/julian-assange-appeals-to-uk-court-against-extradition-to-us/ |
REHOVOT, Israel, Nov. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CollPlant Biotechnologies (NASDAQ: CLGN), a regenerative and aesthetics medicine company developing innovative human-collagen based technologies and products for tissue regeneration and organ manufacturing, today announced that Eran Rotem, Collplant's Deputy CEO and Chief Financial Officer, will present a company overview at the Canaccord Genuity MedTech, Diagnostics and Digital Health & Services Forum at the Westin NY Grand Central Hotel.
Mr. Rotem's presentation will take place on Thursday, November 17 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
Investors attending the event may request a one-on-one meeting with CollPlant through the conference coordinators.
About CollPlant
CollPlant is a regenerative and aesthetic medicine company focused on 3D bioprinting of tissues and organs, and medical aesthetics. The Company's products are based on its recombinant human collagen product with CollPlant's proprietary plant-based genetic engineering technology. These products address indications for the diverse fields of tissue repair, aesthetics, and organ manufacturing, ushering in a new era in regenerative and aesthetic medicine.
At the beginning of 2021, CollPlant entered into a development and global commercialization agreement for dermal and soft tissue fillers with Allergan, an AbbVie company, the global leader in the dermal filler market. Later in 2021, CollPlant entered into a strategic co-development agreement with 3D Systems for a 3D bioprinted regenerative soft tissue matrix for use in breast reconstruction procedures in combination with an implant.
For more information, visit http://www.collplant.com.
Safe Harbor Statements
This press release may include forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to CollPlant's objectives plans and strategies, as well as statements, other than historical facts, that address activities, events or developments that CollPlant intends, expects, projects, believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future. These statements are often characterized by terminology such as "believes," "hopes," "may," "anticipates," "should," "intends," "plans," "will," "expects," "estimates," "projects," "positioned," "strategy" and similar expressions and are based on assumptions and assessments made in light of management's experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors believed to be appropriate. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such statements. Many factors could cause CollPlant's actual activities or results to differ materially from the activities and results anticipated in forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following: the Company's history of significant losses, its ability to continue as a going concern, and its need to raise additional capital and its inability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms, or at all; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; the Company's expectations regarding the timing and cost of commencing clinical trials with respect to tissues and organs which are based on its rhCollagen based BioInk and products for medical aesthetics; the Company's ability to obtain favorable pre-clinical and clinical trial results; regulatory action with respect to rhCollagen based BioInk and medical aesthetics products including but not limited to acceptance of an application for marketing authorization review and approval of such application, and, if approved, the scope of the approved indication and labeling; commercial success and market acceptance of the Company's rhCollagen based products in 3D Bioprinting and medical aesthetics; the Company's ability to establish sales and marketing capabilities or enter into agreements with third parties and its reliance on third party distributors and resellers; the Company's ability to establish and maintain strategic partnerships and other corporate collaborations; the Company's reliance on third parties to conduct some or all aspects of its product manufacturing; the scope of protection the Company is able to establish and maintain for intellectual property rights and the Company's ability to operate its business without infringing the intellectual property rights of others; the overall global economic environment; the impact of competition and new technologies; general market, political, and economic conditions in the countries in which the Company operates; projected capital expenditures and liquidity; changes in the Company's strategy; and litigation and regulatory proceedings. More detailed information about the risks and uncertainties affecting CollPlant is contained under the heading "Risk Factors" included in CollPlant's most recent annual report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC, and in other filings that CollPlant has made and may make with the SEC in the future. The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release and reflect CollPlant's current views with respect to future events, and CollPlant does not undertake and specifically disclaims any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Contact at CollPlant:
Eran Rotem
Deputy CEO & Chief Financial Officer
Tel: + 972-73-2325600/631
Email: Eran@collplant.com
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1937311/Dermal_Filler.jpg
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE CollPlant | 2022-11-03T11:21:42+00:00 | kfyrtv.com | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/11/03/collplant-present-canaccord-genuity-medtech-diagnostics-digital-health-amp-services-forum-november-17/ |
By JOE McDONALD
AP Business Writer
BEIJING (AP) — Global stock markets declined Thursday after the U.S. economy contracted, fueling fears of a worldwide downturn.
London and Frankfurt opened lower. Tokyo and Hong Kong declined while Shanghai gained.
The future for Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index was down 1.1% after data Wednesday showed the U.S. economy shrank in the first quarter amid high inflation and weakening consumer confidence.
Investors are uneasy about signs the biggest global economy might be in a recession due to interest rate hikes imposed to cool surging inflation.
“Equities demand could remain muted for at least the next four to six months as interest rate hikes work through the U.S. economy,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a report.
In early trading, the FTSE 100 in London fell 1.5% to 7,202.53. The DAX in Frankfurt lost 2% to 12,746.35 and the CAC 40 in Paris shed 1.9% to 5,917.07.
On Wall Street, the future for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was off 0.9%.
On Wednesday, the S&P 500 slipped 0.1% after official data showed economic activity contracted 1.6% at an annualized rate in the three months ending in March. That was the first contraction since the second quarter of 2020 in the depths of the pandemic.
The U.S. benchmark is down 7.6% for the month and 20% from its Jan. 3 peak.
The Dow rose 0.3% while the Nasdaq composite slipped less than 0.1%.
In Asia, the Shanghai Composite Index rose 1.1% to 3,398.62 after an official monthly gauge of factory activity rose and new orders improved. The Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 0.5% to 21,899.57 after spending much of the day in positive territory.
The Nikkei 225 in Tokyo fell 1.5% to 26,393.04 after May industrial production slumped 7.2% compared with the previous month. That was the sharpest decline since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in early 2020 and reflected disruptions in China due to the anti-virus controls.
The Kospi in Seoul shed 1.6% to 2,339.70 after official data showed industrial production rose 0.1% in May, possibly also depressed by disruption caused by anti-disease measures that temporarily shut down Shanghai and other Chinese industrial centers.
Sydney’s S&P-ASX 200 declined 2% to 6,568.10 while India’s Sensex gained 0.3% to 53,208.84. New Zealand, Singapore and Bangkok advanced while Jakarta declined.
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, speaking at a European Central Bank meeting in Portugal, said Wednesday there is “no guarantee” inflation can be tamed without hurting the job market.
The global economy also has been roiled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which pushed up prices of oil, wheat and other commodities.
A monthly purchasing managers’ index released Thursday by the Chinese statistics agency and an industry group rose to 50.2 in June from 49.6 on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 indicate activity is increasing.
In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude lost 3 cents to $109.75 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell $1.98 on Wednesday to $109.78. Brent crude, the price basis for international oil trading, added 6 cents to $112.51 per barrel in London. It shed $1.72 the previous session to $116.26. per barrel.
The dollar declined to 136.23 yen from Wednesday’s 136.54 yen. The euro fell to $1.0447 from $1.0523.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | 2022-06-30T12:03:37+00:00 | wtmj.com | https://wtmj.com/national/2022/06/30/global-stocks-wall-street-down-after-us-economy-shrinks-2/ |
TOKYO — Asian shares mostly surged Friday after Wall Street’s winning streak barreled into a fourth day, buoyed by the latest signal that inflation may be easing.
“Positive sentiment within Asian equity markets gathered pace as investors welcomed the easing inflation momentum,” Anderson Alves at ActivTrades said in a commentary.
Market watchers are also looking ahead to regional data expected next week, including consumer prices in Japan and China’s GDP.
On Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 0.8% to 4,510.04, its highest close since April 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.1% to 34,395.14, and the Nasdaq composite rallied 1.6% to 14,138.57 as Big Tech stocks led the way.
The S&P 500 is on track for its seventh winning week in the last nine after more data raised hopes that inflation is cooling enough to get the Federal Reserve to soon end its blistering run of hikes to interest rates. Inflation at the wholesale level slowed more than expected in June, and prices paid by producers were just 0.1% higher during the month than a year earlier. That’s down from 11.2% inflation last summer.
High inflation has been the main reason investors have been fearing a possible recession, because of how high the Federal Reserve has cranked interest rates to get prices under control. High rates undercut inflation by bluntly slowing the entire economy and hurting prices for investments. They can also cause unanticipated parts of the economy to break.
Traders remain nearly convinced the Fed will raise the federal funds rate at its next meeting in two weeks to its highest level since 2001. But this week’s inflation data has also pushed traders to build bets for that to be the final rate increase of this cycle.
A report on Wednesday showed that prices consumers paid in June were 3% higher than a year earlier, down from inflation of more than 9% last summer. It’s been a “cool summer breeze,” as Deutsche Bank economists describe it.
Easier interest rates help all kinds of investments. But many investors see big technology and other high-growth stocks among the biggest beneficiaries.
That had Amazon, Alphabet and Nvidia among the strongest forces pushing up the S&P 500. Amazon gained 2.7% after it said the first day of its annual Prime Day event on Tuesday was the biggest sales day in its history.
Alphabet rose 4.7% after Google said it’s rolling out Bard, its chatbot powered by artificial intelligence, to more countries around the world and launching new features for it.
Nvidia, which has been at the center of a frenzy on Wall Street around AI, rose 4.7%.
A resilient job market has been keeping the economy out of a recession, though too strong employment could push the Federal Reserve to get more aggressive about raising interest rates. A report on Thursday showed fewer workers applied for unemployment benefits last week than expected.
While inflation is showing encouraging signals, Wall Street may be piling too quickly into a consensus that it will keep cooling enough for the Fed to ease up on rates and prevent a recession, warned Chun Wang, senior research analyst and co-portfolio manager at Leuthold.
In a report, Wang said the market may be underestimating the risk that inflation stays stuck at 3% to 4% in the next six to 12 months and that “the path forward for both inflation and the Fed policy is not a no-brainer at all. We get the sneaking suspicion that the current soft landing narrative will be seriously challenged before the first leaf falls from the tree.”
In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude added 16 cents to $77.05 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. It picked up $1.14 on Thursday to $76.89 a barrel.
Brent crude, the international standard, rose 12 cents to $81.48 a barrel.
In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged down to 137.83 Japanese yen from 138.05 yen. The euro cost $1.1222, down from $1.1228. | 2023-07-14T06:51:18+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/07/14/stock-market-inflation-rates-fed-growth/9c0a7816-220e-11ee-8994-4b2d0b694a34_story.html |
Dim sum, clamming and langar: The ways we make metro Phoenix taste like home
My mother jokes that I was born with red pin-prick skin because she ate so much spicy food when she was pregnant. When I look down at my hands I see her hands — petite shape, slim fingers, the faint raise of veins that perhaps, when I was born, were coursing with garlic, chilies and lime juice, the holy trinity of my mother's cooking.
The permanent callus on my middle finger, that one’s all mine, from gripping pencils.
I don’t come from a family of writers, but I grew up writing. And I’m looking down at my hands now because I was asked to write a story for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, or AAPIHM as it’s shortened to.
IfI asked my parents, they wouldn't know what this jumble of letters means. I would have to explain to them that this catch-all acronym casts a wide net, lumping together East Asians, Southeast Asians, Desi people, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders. AAPI also encompasses mixed-race people and Asian adoptees. It’s a clunky term, used in the media, but rarely in everyday conversations with people who would fit under the AAPI umbrella.
The truth is, there is no AAPI Heritage Month for me. I celebrate our existence every day that I’m alive. My body carries my mother, my mother’s mother and the ancestors that came before us. If we are what we eat, then my genes must have traces of marinated river crabs, cilantro and fermented fish sauce, as well as McDonald's hamburger — my teenage mother's first meal in America.
And as a journalist, I believe we have a responsibility to show up for diverse communities all year, not only during the holidays or when tragedy strikes. So, for AAPI month, I want to share a few stories that we at The Arizona Republic have told over the past year or so.
They are stories about the foods we eat. But they also offer a glimpse of the many ways we've made metro Phoenix home.
Clam digging in Arizona runs deep for Cambodian families
Sray Campanile and Jenneen Sambour were two strangers who met for the first time at the Verde River, just east of Phoenix. Their mission: Find enough clams to stir-fry for cha kroeung leah. Asian clams are native to East Asia, including Cambodia, where their parents immigrated from. The freshwater species was first recorded in Phoenix in the 1950s. Since then, clam digging has become a summer hobby for Cambodian American families as they search for a familiar childhood taste.
If you like this story, you might also like: The low-down on why water spinach, a vegetable common in Asian stir-fry dishes, is outlawed in Arizona.
How a centuries-old Japanese dessert ended up at this Hawaiian food trailer
For Desmond Martin, no beach trip was complete without a stop for shave ice. He now runs his own West Valley food trailer serving shave ice with housemade haupia whip. Martin grew up in O‘ahu and comes from a blended lineage: Part Native Hawaiian, with some Japanese and Filipino heritage. Soft and fluffy Hawaiian shave ice, like Martin's family tree, represents the multicultural history of the Hawaiian islands.
What started as a luxury desert in 11th century Japan called kakigori, the icy treat became more widespread after ice harvesting became easier. It eventually made its way to the Hawaiian Kingdom through Japanese immigrants, who were brought over to work the sugarcane plantations for white settlers.
Now, it's an essential after-beach snack on the islands. But don't call it "shaved ice". In Hawaiian Pidgin, the 'd' is dropped. "If it says 'shave ice' you know it’s from Hawai'i or at least the idea is basically from Hawai'i," Martin said.
If you like this story, you might also like: Grabbing a bite in Mesa, where this Polynesian couple sells plate lunches and snacks for the homesick Pacific Islander.
Langar on Wheels takes a Sikh tradition to the streets
Langar is an important part of every Sikh gurdwara, it's a community kitchen that offers free meals to anyone, regardless of faith or caste. Prior to the pandemic, volunteers at Guru Nanak Dwara in Phoenix served 300 to 400 people for each langar after prayer service.
Vicki Mayo said langar is about more than just food, it's about sevā, the concept of selfless service. When COVID-19 disrupted langar, members of the Sikh community started making takeout food and running a food truck to deliver meals instead. Dubbed 'Langar on Wheels,' the food truck is still in service today.
The late Nick Oza, an Indian immigrant and Pulitzer Prize winner, captured the photos and video that accompany this story.
If you like this story, you might also like: This recipe for murukku, a crunchy snack, from a Desi radio host.
Remembering an early pioneer in Phoenix's dim sum scene
Great Wall Cuisine, the longstanding dim sum restaurant in Phoenix, wouldn't be what it is if it weren't for Ming and Judy Luk. The high school sweethearts met in Hong Kong and moved to Arizona in the late 1970s. Decades later they took over Great Wall Cuisine, turning the American Chinese restaurant into a banquet hall that serves dim sum and traditional Cantonese food. The couple has since retired but Ming still frequented the restaurant until his death in 2021.
If you like this story, you might also like: A deep dive on dim sum restaurants in metro Phoenix and how traditions have changed for the next generation.
How Glendale became home to one of the best boba shops in the Valley
KiMi Robinson, The Arizona Republic's resident boba expert, has traversed metro Phoenix in search of the best milk tea shop and found it in a Glendale strip mall. Owner Alvin Nguyen and his family landed in the state of Hawai'i after they left Vietnam as refugees. Nguyen eventually moved to Arizona and in 2019 opened Aloha Tea, where the labor of making his own tapioca pearls has attracted a loyal following and earned him a victory in the Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce's Battle of the Boba, which he won by popular vote in 2020.
If you like this story, you might also like: This review of Phở Thành, a quinessential Phoenix restaurant.
Follow the reporter Priscilla Totiyapungprasert @priscillatotiya on Twitter and Instagram.
Subscribe to azcentral.com today to support local journalism. | 2022-05-08T16:25:41+00:00 | azcentral.com | https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/dining/2022/05/08/aapi-heritage-month-asian-american-food-phoenix-arizona/9635124002/ |
BANGKOK (AP) — The prospects for peace in Myanmar, much less a return to democracy, seem dimmer than ever two years after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, experts say.
On Wednesday, legions of opponents of military rule heeded a call by protest organizers to stay home in what they call a “silent strike” to show their strength and solidarity.
The opposition’s General Strike Coordination Body, formed soon after the 2021 takeover, urged people to stay inside in their homes or workplaces from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Photos posted on social media showed empty streets in the normally bustling downtown area of Yangon, the country’s largest city, with just a few vehicles on the roads, and there were reports of similar scenes elsewhere.
Small peaceful protests are an almost-daily occurrence throughout the country, but on the anniversary of the Feb. 1, 2021, seizure of power by the army, two points stand out: The level of violence, especially in the countryside, has reached the level of civil war; and the grassroots movement opposing military rule has defied expectations by largely holding off the ruling generals.
The violence extends beyond the rural battlefields where the army is burning and bombing villages, displacing hundreds of thousands of people in what is a largely neglected humanitarian crisis. It also occurs in the cities, where activists are arrested and tortured and urban guerrillas retaliate with bombings and assassinations of targets linked to the military. The military, after closed trials, have also executed by hanging activists accused of "terrorism."
According to the independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a watchdog group that tracks killings and arrests, 2,940 civilians have been killed by the authorities since the army takeover, and another 17,572 arrested — 13,763 of whom remain detained. The actual death toll is likely to be much higher since the group does not generally include deaths on the side of the military government and cannot easily verify cases in remote areas.
“The level of violence involving both armed combatants and civilians is alarming and unexpected,” said Min Zaw Oo, a veteran political activist in exile who founded the Myanmar Institute for Peace and Security.
“The scale of the killing and harm inflicted on civilians has been devastating, and unlike anything we have seen in the country in recent memory," he said.
When the army ousted Suu Kyi in 2021, it arrested her and top members of her governing National League for Democracy party, which had won a landslide victory for a second term in a November 2020 general election. The military claimed it acted because there had been massive electoral fraud, a claim not backed up by objective election observers. Suu Kyi, 77, is serving prison sentences totaling 33 years after being convicted in a series of politically tainted prosecutions brought by the military.
Shortly after the military seized power and quashed nonviolent protests with lethal force, thousands of young people slipped away to remote rural areas to become guerrilla fighters.
Operating in decentralized “People’s Defense Forces,” or PDFs, they are proving to be effective warriors, specializing in ambushes and occasionally overrunning isolated army and police posts. They have benefited greatly from supplies and training provided by the some of the country’s ethnic minority rebels — Ethnic Armed Organizations, or EAOs — who have been fighting the army for decades for greater autonomy.
"That’s not only a very brave thing to do. It’s a very difficult thing to do,” Richard Horsey, an independent analyst and adviser to the International Crisis Group, told The Associated Press. “It’s a very challenging thing to do, to take on, you know, a military that’s been fighting counter-insurgency warfare (for) basically its whole existence.”
David Mathieson, another independent analyst with over 20 years' experience in Myanmar, says the opposition’s combat capabilities are “a mixed picture in terms of battlefield performance, organization and unity amongst them.”
“But it’s also important to remember two years in that no one was predicting that they were actually going to be as effective as they are now. And in certain areas, the PDFs have been taking on the Myanmar military and, in many respects, besting them on the battlefield in terms of ambush and pitched battles, taking over bases.”
He says the military’s heavy weaponry and air power push the situation into a kind of a stalemate where the PDFs are not necessarily taking over large swaths of territory, but fighting back and prevailing.
“So no one’s winning at the moment,” Mathieson said.
The military government of Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing has an advantage — not just in arms and trained manpower, but also in geography. Myanmar's main neighbors — Thailand, China and India — have geopolitical and economic interests in Myanmar that leave them satisfied with the status quo, which largely secures its borders from becoming a major supply route for weapons and other supplies for the resistance. And while much of the world maintains sanctions against the generals and their government, they can rely on obtaining arms from Russia and China.
Min Aung Hlaing's government is also nominally pursuing a political solution to the crisis it caused, most notably in its promise to hold fresh elections this year. Suu Kyi's party has rejected taking part, deriding the polls as neither free nor fair, and other activists are employing more direct action, attacking teams from the military government who are conducting surveys to compile voter rolls.
“The regime is pushing for an election which the opposition has vowed to derail,” said Min Zaw Oo. “The election won’t change the political status quo; instead, it will intensify violence.”
The planned polls “are being run by a regime that overturned the popularly elected government. They are clearly being seen by the Myanmar people for what they are: a cynical effort to overwrite those previous election results that gave a landslide victory to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her National League for Democracy so these are not elections in any meaningful sense of the word," Horsey said. "They have no legitimacy or credibility.”
On the diplomatic front, the military government thumbs its nose at international efforts to defuse the crisis, even those from sympathetic fellow members in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, whose harshest response has been to not invite Myanmar's top military leaders to attend its meetings.
Myanmar's army government rejects virtually all efforts at peacemaking as interference in its internal affairs.
The resistance, by contrast, actively reaches out for international support. It won small, new diplomatic victories Tuesday as the United States, Australia, Britain and Canada announced new sanctions meant to squeeze the military's revenue and supply lines. The British and Canadian sanctions are especially noteworthy, as they target the supply of aviation fuel, a move activists have been pleading for to counter the increasing number of airstrikes the pro-democracy forces and their allies in ethnic minority rebel groups have been facing in the field.
“Currently, both sides are not ready to seek a political solution,” warned Min Zaw Oo. “The military stalemate won’t shift significantly this year, despite more deaths and violence.”
Credit: Markus Schreiber
Credit: Markus Schreiber
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: STR
Credit: STR
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Alexander Zemlianichenko
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: STR
Credit: STR
Credit: STR
Credit: STR
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited
Credit: Uncredited | 2023-02-01T08:17:44+00:00 | springfieldnewssun.com | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/myanmar-resistance-steadfast-against-army-rule-2-years-later/6SPWVBESZZHXHMAX2LQQVBLBI4/ |
Peachtree Creek Greenway in Brookhaven ready for next phase of expansion project
BROOKHAVEN, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - City leaders in Brookhaven celebrated the completion of phase one of a new trail system Monday with a ribbon cutting event. The first leg of the Peachtree Creek Greenway includes picnic tables, hammocks, and swings.
“A lot of people in the morning come and run and walk,” said Alexander Rodriguez of Brookhaven. “It’s a really good thing for our community especially because you get to see new people you don’t see you around.”
The paved trail, which runs along Peachtree Creek from North Druid Hills Road to Briarwood Road, between I-85 and Buford Highway, cost close to $10 million. City leaders say the multiuse trail is connecting communities.
“They could ride their bike to work. Ride their bike to visit friends. We don’t always have to be in traffic. We can get on the trail,” said John J. Funny, Brookhaven City Councilman for district 4
Like the Beltline city leaders expect the greenway, once fully finished and rounding out at more than 12-miles long, to be a huge economic draw. But the non-profit that maintains the path says they’re focused on equity.
“This section of the Greenway that we’re on right now is actually in a low-income area and it is accessible by the residents who live along the greenway,” said Lauren Kiefer, interim executive director of Peachtree Creek Greenway.
The next phase of project, which will cost around $18 million, is connecting the Peachtree Creek Greenway to the Atlanta Beltline. They hope to have that section completed by 2025.
Copyright 2023 WANF. All rights reserved. | 2023-03-20T22:02:24+00:00 | atlantanewsfirst.com | https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2023/03/20/peachtree-creek-greenway-brookhaven-ready-next-phase-expansion-project/ |
WFO NEW YORK CITY Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, July 25, 2022
_____
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service New York NY
212 PM EDT Mon Jul 25 2022
...FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS CANCELLED FOR NORTHWESTERN NASSAU COUNTY...
The heavy rain has ended. Additional flooding is no longer expected
to pose a threat. Please continue to heed remaining road closures.
...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR WEST CENTRAL SUFFOLK AND
NORTHEASTERN NASSAU COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 215 PM EDT...
The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe
limits, and no longer poses an immediate threat to life or property.
Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. However gusty
winds are still possible with this thunderstorm.
A Severe Thunderstorm Watch remains in effect until 800 PM EDT for
southeastern New York.
_____
Copyright 2022 AccuWeather | 2022-07-25T19:34:07+00:00 | seattlepi.com | https://www.seattlepi.com/weather/article/NY-WFO-NEW-YORK-CITY-Warnings-Watches-and-17327608.php |
ATLANTA, Sept. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- For many college students, being away at school is a change that is not always easy. This year, Edible is helping families remind their students that they are not alone with crafted care packages. The gifting experts who pioneered edible fruit arrangements have a broad assortment of treats and fun gifts that can bundled to create customized care packages that make the return to school start off on a sweet note.
"Going away for college can be stressful for students, but our assortment of care packages can help bring some fun and joy for your kids, as well as their friends, if they decide to share," said Angela Johnson, Vice President, Innovation and Merchandising for Edible Brands. "From our popular chocolate dipped fruit to our premium baked goods and more, we have gifts that will satisfy different tastes and make going back to school a sweet experience."
The top five Edible College Care Packages include:
- Just Because Bouquet: This fruit basket features chocolate covered pineapple cupcakes topped with sprinkles, our signature Swizzle Apple Fruit Truffles®, and so much more.
- TWIX Cheesecake & Brownie Box: Edible®'s partnership with TWIX® brings you just the right amount of salted caramel crunch in our Brownie & Cheesecake Box made with chopped TWIX® Cookie Bars.
- Thrive Farmers Coffee & Tea Gift Box: Make tea time and morning coffee that much sweeter with our Thrive Coffee and Tea Gift Box. Our exclusive mug and 12-count cookie box pair perfectly with the college morning rush.
- All Smiles Gift Bundle: Sometimes simple treats are the sweetest ones of all. Send our All Smiles Gift Bundle and you're sending a gift that's all sweet, all smiles, and no nonsense.
- Create Your Own Simply Edible Bouquet: Create your own bouquet specifically curated for your college student.
Gifts may be bundled with balloons, plush toys, flowers, cards, and other add-ons to create a customized package that fits each student's style and cravings. Call the Edible closest to the students' university to have the gift delivered same day.
In addition to edible fresh fruit arrangements, Edible also now offers fresh fruit smoothies, fresh produce boxes and baked goods both online and at over 1,000 Edible locations worldwide. For more information or to be sweet today, visit www.ediblearrangements.com.
Edible Brands is the parent company of Edible®, the world's largest franchisor of stores offering fresh fruit snacks, dipped treats, and fruit arrangements with over 1,000 locations worldwide. Since its founding in 1999, the company has been recognized as an industry leader, ranking first in its category in Entrepreneur magazine's annual "Franchise 500," Entrepreneur's Top 40 of "Fastest Growing Franchises'' and "America's Top Global Franchises" as well as being included among the "Inc. 5000" list of the fastest growing privately held companies. Edible has franchise opportunities available in a number of key markets in the United States and Canada.
MEDIA CONTACT:
media@edible.com
786.605.9228
View original content:
SOURCE Edible Brands | 2022-09-01T14:19:50+00:00 | witn.com | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/09/01/edible-makes-back-school-sweet-experience-with-customizable-care-packages/ |
The resonant voice of Felix Bechtolsheimer has me obsessed with his band Curse of Lono. For the group's Tiny Desk (home) concert, the six musicians set up shop in the office at Bechtolsheimer's house above his home studio in South London. They begin their set as they do their evocative 2022 album, People In Cars, with the song "Let Your Love Rain Down On Me." Bechtolsheimer's baritone is set against the dreamy wail of the pedal steel as he sings, "I'm gonna make my move, hear the engine roar / Roll the windows down, slam my foot to the floor / Now I'm driving hard in this big machine / When they kill the pain, we'll all get clean." All that angst leads to the chorus which, for me, offers one of the few glimmers of hope: "Let your love rain down on me." This isn't hope-filled, uplifting music; these are dark songs written following the losses of Felix's father, uncle and former girlfriend. That former partner is the subject of the final spine-chilling song. "So Damned Beautiful" tells the tale of her drug-filled weekend affair that ends in tragedy. It's the first duet Felix Bechtolsheimer has written; originally recorded with Tess Parks, it's sung here with Bo Lucas of the Brighton duo Lucas & King. The fragile characters and cinematic storytelling make their impact thanks to a band that knows how to delicately weave its sound and pulsing textures with an underpinning of drama and plenty of open space that leaves me mesmerized.
SET LIST
MUSICIANS
CREDITS
TINY DESK TEAM
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2022-07-14T11:53:14+00:00 | kcbx.org | https://www.kcbx.org/npr-top-news/2022-07-14/curse-of-lono-tiny-desk-home-concert |
The Detroit auto show, officially the North American International Auto Show, finally returned last year after a pandemic-induced hiatus, but it was far from the extravaganza organizers were promoting. Many brands were absent, and those that were present often had makeshift stands that left plenty of bare walls on display.
That should change with the 2023 Detroit auto show, which runs Sept. 13-24 and will include new attractions and multiple vehicle debuts.
There will also be double the number of brands participating, according to the organizers. Among them will be all of the respective brands of Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis, with Ford, Jeep, and Ram all set to host tracks for driving demonstrations.
A track dedicated to electric vehicles will also be present. Visitors will be able to test a variety of EVs through a winding track that will include an acceleration lane stretching more than 300 feet.
Forum-style meetings to discuss topics on mobility are also planned and will once again be open to startups looking to get their message across.
While some of the attractions will be placed at outdoor locations, the bulk of the action will still take place at Detroit’s Huntington Place (previously TCF Center), which has held the show since 1965.
Disruptions caused by the pandemic coupled with falling demand for traditional auto shows, due in part to the growth in online reveals, has resulted in a number of shows around the globe being tweaked or fully revamped.
Germany’s top auto show was given a revamp in 2021, including being hosted in Munich for the first time instead of the traditional home of Frankfurt. The revamped show also placed a greater emphasis on urban and sustainable mobility solutions, as opposed to the luxury and high-performance cars that have traditionally dominated the show.
The annual auto show in Geneva has also been affected by the pandemic, with a number of shows canceled. This lead the organizer in 2021 striking a deal with Qatar’s tourism board to split hosting of the show between Qatar and the traditional home of Switzerland. The first show in Qatar is planned for October.
Related Articles
- MG returns to sports car roots with Cyberster electric roadster
- Smart #3 coupe-like crossover debuts in Shanghai
- 2024 Porsche Cayenne debuts at 2023 Shanghai auto show
- 2025 Polestar 4 revealed with Geely platform, peak 536 hp
- 2024 Jeep Wrangler adds new grades, more standard equipment | 2023-06-09T12:12:49+00:00 | wivb.com | https://www.wivb.com/automotive/internet-brands/2023-detroit-auto-show-will-have-twice-as-many-brands-as-last-year/ |
Papa John Schnatter: Defendant is distracting "from the facts of the case at hand"
LOUISVILLE, Ky., May 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, John Schnatter, the founder and former Chairman and CEO of Papa John's International (PZZA), announced a Federal Court filing in response to Wasserman Media's Motion for Summary Judgment in his 2019 lawsuit against the media group, including the ad firm that leaked deceptively edited content from a private training call to falsely portray Schnatter as a racist.
The Response, filed with the U.S. District Court for Western Kentucky, establishes that the defendants breached their non-disclosure agreement with Mr. Schnatter, damaging his reputation, and have insufficient evidence for the grant of summary judgment.
"I was personally maligned and had my reputation seriously damaged when the defendants set me up in a secretly recorded private coaching session, which was deceptively edited and leaked to the press knowing full well the devastation it would cause our company brand and me," said Schnatter. "If that weren't enough, to this day the defendants continue their attacks against my character through this litigation in an obvious and desperate attempt to distract from the facts of the case at hand."
According to the Response, the defendants "have confused the summary judgment standard with their closing argument to the jury. Instead of reviewing the evidence 'in the light most favorable to the non-moving party' as required in a summary judgment motion, Defendants have instead provided a one-sided statement of the 'facts' and have omitted critical facts."
The document further states that there is "ample evidence for a jury to find that Defendants knew they had a duty to not divulge statements made in a confidential media training session… [but] chose to disclose that confidential information knowing the harm it would cause Schnatter."
Mr. Schnatter has previously indicated that all net proceeds from the lawsuit against Wasserman Media will be donated to charity.
Reference: Civil Action No. 3:20-cv-00003-BJB-CHL
To learn more about John H. Schnatter vs. 247 Group, LLC d/b/a Laundry Service and Wasserman Media Group, LLC, go to: https://papajohnschnatter.com/schnatter-v-wasserman-media/
SOURCE John Schnatter
View original content:
SOURCE John Schnatter | 2023-05-24T12:46:57+00:00 | kswo.com | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2023/05/24/papa-johns-founder-counters-ad-firms-baseless-motion-summary-judgment-ongoing-lawsuit/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge, high-altitude Chinese balloon sailed across the U.S. on Friday, drawing severe Pentagon accusations of spying despite China’s firm denials. Secretary of State Antony Blinken abruptly canceled a high-stakes Beijing trip aimed at easing U..S.-China tensions.
Fuzzy videos dotted social media sites as people with binoculars and telephoto lenses tried to find the “spy balloon” in the sky as it headed eastward over Kansas and Missouri at 60,000 feet.
Blinken's cancelation came despite China’s claim that the balloon was merely a weather research “airship” that had blown off course. The Pentagon rejected that out of hand — as well as China's contention that the balloon, about the size of two school buses, was not being used for surveillance and had only limited navigational ability.
The balloon was detected over sensitive military sites in Montana but had moved eastward over the heartland of the central United States by midday and was expected to remain in U.S. airspace for several days, officials said.
The development marked a new blow to already strained U.S.-Chinese relations that have been in a downward spiral for years over numerous issues. Still, U.S. officials maintained that diplomatic channels remain open and that Blinken was willing to travel to China at “an appropriate time.”
President Joe Biden declined to comment on the matter when questioned at an economic event. Two 2024 reelection challengers, former President Donald Trump, and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador, said the U.S. should immediately shoot down the balloon.
Biden was first briefed about the Chinese surveillance balloon on Tuesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters. She did not shed light on why the administration waited until Thursday to make its concerns public.
A senior defense official said the U.S. had prepared fighter jets, including F-22s, to shoot the balloon down if ordered. The Pentagon ultimately recommended against that, noting that even as the balloon was over a sparsely populated area of Montana, its size could create a debris field large enough to put people at risk.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, refused to say on Friday whether there was any new consideration of shooting the balloon down.
Ryder said it was at an altitude of about 60,000 feet, was maneuverable and had changed course. He said it currently was posing no threat.
As for Blinken's trip, Jean-Pierre said a diplomatic visit to China was not appropriate at this time. She said that "the presence of this balloon in our airspace ... is a clear violation of our sovereignty as well as international law and it is unacceptable this occurred.”
A State Department official said Blinken and Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman had both protested to the top official at the Chinese Embassy on Wednesday, a day before the Pentagon announced the discovery of the balloon.
Pentagon officials said Thursday that one of the places it was spotted was over Montana, which is home to one of America’s three nuclear missile silo fields at Malmstrom Air Force Base.
A number of GOP lawmakers have criticized the administration for not taking firmer action against China before this. And a decision for Blinken to proceed with his trip could have made Biden even more susceptible to their complaints at a time he’s starting to deal with the new Republican-led U.S. House.
Weather experts said China's claim that the balloon had gone off course was not unfeasible. China’s account of wind patterns known as the Westerlies carrying a balloon to the western United States was “absolutely possible - not possible, likely,” said Dan Jaffe, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at the University of Washington.
Still multiple U.S. officials called the presence of the balloon “unacceptable” and said that message had been delivered by Blinken to Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi on Friday when he told them he was postponing his trip.
State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement that Blinken had told Wang that “the United States is committed to diplomatic engagement and maintaining open lines of communication, and that he would be prepared to visit Beijing as soon as conditions allow.”
Blinken’s long-anticipated meetings with senior Chinese officials had been seen in both countries as a possible way to find some areas of common ground at a time of major disagreements over Taiwan, human rights, China’s claims in the South China Sea, North Korea, Russia’s war in Ukraine, trade policy and climate change.
Although the trip, which was agreed to in November by Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping at a summit in Indonesia, had not been formally announced, officials in both Beijing and Washington had spoken in recent days about Blinken’s imminent arrival for meetings on Sunday and Monday.
China, which angrily denounces surveillance attempts by the U.S. and others over areas it considers to be its territory and once forced down an American spy plane and held its crew captive on Hainan Island, was relatively conciliatory in its response to the U.S. complaints.
In a statement that approached an apology, the Chinese foreign ministry said the balloon was a civilian airship used mainly for meteorological research. It said said the airship had limited “self-steering” capabilities and had “deviated far from its planned course” because of winds.
“The Chinese side regrets the unintended entry of the airship into U.S. airspace due to force majeure,” the statement said, citing a legal term used to refer to events beyond one’s control.
___
Ellen Knickmeyer, Tara Copp, Lolita C. Baldor, Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller in Washington; Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, and Emily Wang Fujiyama and AP news assistant Caroline Chen in Beijing contributed to this report.
Credit: Stefani Reynolds
Credit: Stefani Reynolds
Credit: Kiichiro Sato
Credit: Kiichiro Sato
Credit: Senior Airman Tristan Day
Credit: Senior Airman Tristan Day | 2023-02-03T20:53:13+00:00 | daytondailynews.com | https://www.daytondailynews.com/nation-world/chinese-balloon-now-over-central-us-as-blinken-cancels-visit/25IF5ALX2VCG7LKSH5BU2RMB4U/ |
With many U.S. school districts grappling with teacher shortages, we look at the forces behind these shortages and what can be done about them.
Copyright 2023 NPR
With many U.S. school districts grappling with teacher shortages, we look at the forces behind these shortages and what can be done about them.
Copyright 2023 NPR | 2023-03-25T12:46:34+00:00 | wyomingpublicmedia.org | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2023-03-25/what-we-know-about-teacher-shortages-and-how-to-address-them |
Crazy Horse Memorial has a weekend full of events planned for the 75th anniversary starting Friday, June 2.
Beginning Friday, June 2, the weekend will be packed with extraordinary guests and performances. Weekend highlights include a Friday performance by The Bluestone Project and the 37th Annual Spring Volksmarch on Saturday in partnership with the KOTA Territory Care and Share. Sunday’s events begin at 10:00 a.m. with an all Veteran Recognition by Chairman Lengkeek, keynote speaker, Olympic gold medal winner, Billy Mills, an array of Native performers, and concludes with a scheduled Lakota helicopter flyover.
After a brief intermission, Sunday afternoon will be filled with special dance and musical performances outside. Hand Games Championships, presentations on the Dewey Beard and Crazy Horse family histories, and Q&A panel discussions will be held inside.
People are also reading…
Crazy Horse Memorial CEO, Whitney A Rencountre II states, “We would like to recognize our founders, Chief Henry Standing Bear and Korczak Ziolkowski, who formed a partnership to establish a memorial to educate the world about the 570-plus tribes of North America. Gratitude is given for the hard work of the Ziolkowski family and to the Crazy Horse Memorial Board of Directors, our donors, our dedicated staff, as well as to those who have supported the important work of Crazy Horse Memorial through the years. We invite everyone to join us June 2 to 4 at Crazy Horse Memorial for our public 75th Anniversary celebration.”
The public is invited to celebrate all weekend with Crazy Horse Memorial. Food will be available in Laughing Water Restaurant, Snack Shop, and food service vehicles in the parking lot areas. Living Treasures artists will be available for hands on activities from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in the Native American Educational and Cultural Center, plus the Legends in Light laser light show begins at 9:30 p.m nightly.
To learn more about Crazy Horse Memorial’s 75th Anniversary Weekend Celebration, plan a visit, or make a contribution, call (605) 673-4681 or visit crazyhorsememorial.org. | 2023-05-29T15:27:34+00:00 | rapidcityjournal.com | https://rapidcityjournal.com/crazy-horse-to-host-weekend-of-activities-to-celebrate-75th-anniversary/article_51ec9f54-f9c1-11ed-af0a-277f90ad6b01.html |
The United States will open Basketball World Cup play against New Zealand this summer, with Greece and Jordan also awaiting the Americans in the group stage.
And the earliest the U.S. can see France in an Olympic final rematch is the semifinals.
FIBA held the World Cup draw in Manila on Saturday, when the 32 teams that qualified for the field found out their initial matchups for the tournament that runs from Aug. 25 through Sept. 10. The Americans — the four-time defending Olympic champions who finished seventh at the most recent World Cup in 2019 — play New Zealand on Aug. 26, then face Greece and likely Giannis Antetokounmpo on Aug. 28, and conclude group-stage play Aug. 30 against Jordan.
“It’s comforting to kind of know who we’re playing,” USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill said. “The big unknown has been there since we started planning and preparing. And at least now we have an idea of who we’re playing and who we potentially could be playing in the second round.”
The U.S. will play all its group stage games in Manila, while Jakarta, Indonesia, and Okinawa, Japan, will also play host to some group games. Medal rounds are in Manila, so the U.S. won’t have to travel at all during the tournament.
The Americans will play Greece in August at Abu Dhabi in an exhibition. They met in the World Cup at China four years ago. Antetokounmpo is expected to play for Greece; his Milwaukee Bucks were hoping for a deep NBA playoff run but lost to the Miami Heat in Round 1.
“They were eliminated recently, so Giannis will have maybe a longer offseason than he’s had in recent years,” Hill said. “That’s scary.”
The Americans — who will be coached by Golden State’s Steve Kerr in the tournament — were drawn into Group C, one of eight four-team groups for the opening round. The U.S. is planning to announce its roster in June or July.
“To our friends around the world, join our new ‘Thrilla in Manila,’ the 2023 Basketball World Cup edition,” said Manuel Pangilinan, a FIBA Central Board member from the Philippines — using the phrase coined for the Muhammad Ali-Joe Frazier fight in Manila in 1975.
Defending World Cup champion Spain is in Group G, with Iran, Ivory Coast and Brazil as its opening opponents.
France — which plans to have Victor Wembanyama on its roster — is in Group H, along with Canada, Latvia and Lebanon.
France beat the Americans in the quarterfinals of the 2019 World Cup, eliminating the U.S. from medal contention and starting the spiral to a seventh-place finish at that event, the worst finish ever for an American team featuring NBA players.
France topped the U.S. again at the Tokyo Olympics in group play — but the Americans won the game that mattered most, topping France 87-82 for the gold medal.
They haven’t played since Tokyo but are still going head-to-head. Philadelphia center Joel Embiid — an MVP finalist this season, and the presumed favorite — said before the season that he’s deciding whether to play internationally for the U.S. or France at the Paris Olympics. He became an American citizen last year.
GROUP BREAKDOWN
All teams in each group play one another in the opening round. The top two teams from each group move on to the second round; the bottom two teams move into a classification tournament to determine 17th through 32nd places at the event.
Teams are listed with their world ranking.
Group A, Manila: Angola (41), Dominican Republic (23), Philippines (40), Italy (10).
Group B, Manila: South Sudan (62), Serbia (6), China (27), Puerto Rico (20).
Group C, Manila: United States (2), Jordan (33), Greece (9), New Zealand (26).
Group D, Manila: Egypt (55), Mexico (31), Montenegro (18), Lithuania (8).
Group E, Okinawa: Germany (11), Finland (24), Australia (3), Japan (36).
Group F, Okinawa: Slovenia (7), Cape Verde (64), Georgia (32), Venezuela (17).
Group G, Jakarta: Iran (22), Spain (1), Ivory Coast (42), Brazil (13).
Group H, Jakarta: Canada (15), Latvia (29), Lebanon (43), France (5).
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The two teams that advance from each group will play two other teams in the second round in new groups: The top two finishers in Group A will play the top two from Group B, the top two from Group C will play Group D’s two best and the same pattern follows — Group E plays Group F, Group G plays Group H.
That means, in the second round, if the Americans advance they will play two of these four teams — Egypt, Mexico, Montenegro and Lithuania.
That second round will determine the eight quarterfinalists.
Quarterfinal games are Sept. 5 and 6. Semifinals are Sept. 8 and the games for gold and bronze medals are Sept. 10.
AT STAKE
The World Cup is FIBA’s biggest tournament, plus it serves as a way to qualify for next year’s Paris Olympics.
With the expectation that France will be added as an automatic qualifier for the Olympics as host — probably no more than a formality, with FIBA not planning to decide until June 30 — there will be seven teams automatically qualifying for berths in the 12-team Olympic tournament.
The top two World Cup finishers from Europe and the Americas, as well as one from Africa, Asia and Oceania, will earn berths into Paris 2024.
VENUE NEWS
The draw capped a three-day run of news out of Manila — some expected, some not.
The original plan to hold the medal rounds in a 55,000-seat arena were scrapped Thursday over several concerns, including the lack of a traffic scheme that could accommodate such a crowd. The Philippines will play its first two group-stage games in that arena with hopes of setting a World Cup attendance record, but the medal rounds will be at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila — where the U.S. will play its games in the group stage.
And on Friday, FIBA announced that the 2027 World Cup was awarded to Qatar.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-04-30T15:58:34+00:00 | krqe.com | https://www.krqe.com/sports/usa-will-open-basketball-world-cup-against-new-zealand/ |
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
ARE, Sweden (AP) — American skier Mikaela Shiffrin took a big lead in the opening run of a women’s World Cup slalom Saturday as she positioned herself for a record-setting 87th career win.
Shiffrin led second-place home favorite Anna Swenn Larsson by 0.69 seconds after the first run. Swiss skier Wendy Holdener trailed by 0.94 in third and was the last skier to finish within a second of Shiffrin’s lead.
“It’s nice to race today. After such an incredible day yesterday, I feel like no pressure," Shiffrin said.
Shiffrin can break a tie with Ingemar Stenmark on the all-time overall winners list — between men and women. The Swede competed in the 1970s and 80s.
Shiffrin matched Stenmark’s mark of 86 wins by winning a giant slalom Friday. ___
More AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/skiing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-03-11T10:36:10+00:00 | expressnews.com | https://www.expressnews.com/sports/article/shiffrin-leads-slalom-closes-in-on-record-world-17833403.php |
THESSALONIKI, Greece (AP) — Greek police say they have found 38 migrants who had been reported stranded on an islet in the Evros River on the border between Greece and Turkey.
Police announced they found 22 men, 9 women and 7 children Monday at a site inside Greek territory, away from the river, 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) south of where the group had been reported to be stranded. One woman is pregnant.
A Greek police official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak about an ongoing case, told The Associated Press that police have not found a dead child, as had been reported last week by the aid charity Greek Council of Refugees. All 38 were in good health, the official said.
The group told police they are from Syria. Police have sent food and water to the migrants and will move them to a migrant reception center.
Police said last week that they had chased successive reports of migrants stranded on Evros islets, but found nobody. Greece had said last week the coordinates given to them placed the group in Turkey, not Greece.
The head of the Greek Council for Refugees, Vassilis Papadopoulos, said his group first heard about the migrants in mid-July. He said about 50 people had allegedly crossed to the Greek side but were then forced back to Turkey. Migrants also told his group that Turkish authorities allegedly returned them to one islet after another, until they ended up stuck on a Greek islet mid-river. Papadopoulos had claimed the migrants were staying on the islet because they feared physical abuse if they reentered Greece.
Thousands of migrants from the Middle East, Asia and Africa try to cross illegally into Greece from Turkey every year, hoping for a better life in Europe.
Greece has strongly denied persistent allegations that it commits pushbacks — sending asylum-seekers who reach its territory back to the country they entered from without being allowed to request asylum. That is illegal under international law.
___
Follow all AP stories on global migration at https://apnews.com/hub/migration. | 2022-08-16T17:16:45+00:00 | wric.com | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/greek-police-find-38-migrants-near-turkish-border/ |
Request unsuccessful. Incapsula incident ID: 8080000390008695124-7556166558157256 | 2022-06-27T16:54:08+00:00 | bizjournals.com | https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/latest-news/2022/06/mcdonalds-names-new-global-supply-chain-officer.html |
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., Oct. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A Superior Court jury in New Jersey decided in favor of consumers deceived by timeshare seller FantaSea Resorts, awarding the plaintiffs a $1,069,285 verdict for the Atlantic City resort's intentionally deceptive sales practices. The victory for consumers was championed by Schroeter Goldmark & Bender along with partners, Flitter Milz, PC and the Law Office of David Ricci.
The jury verdict will compensate a group of 19 plaintiffs whose consumer protection rights were violated by repeated misrepresentations throughout FantaSea Resort's routine, deceptive sales practices. The jury agreed that FantaSea's tactics left consumers with timeshare purchases they couldn't use as described, with payments and rising maintenance fees they couldn't escape.
"FantaSea stacked the deck against these families from the start," said Joe Solseng, attorney with Schroeter Goldmark & Bender. "We're grateful for the jury's hard work and their willingness to hold FantaSea accountable for its systemic lies and deception, which turned a promised fantasy into a nightmare."
In trial, FantaSea Resorts admitted to making knowingly false statements to lure potential buyers into binding timeshare sales agreements through a sales process that violated the New Jersey Real Estate Timeshare Act (RETA). According to court documents, FantaSea intentionally withheld important sales documents from the buyers until after they had completed the transaction, contrary to what they are legally required to do.
FantaSea, a participant in the Resort Owner's Coalition (ROC) of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) whose properties include its Flagship, Atlantic Palace and La Sammana resorts, also misled consumer plaintiffs into believing that their purchase was a real estate investment that would increase in value over time. Instead, plaintiffs in the suit found that they were not only unable to sell their timeshare purchase but that it had effectively no resale value.
"FantaSea Resorts had every opportunity to change its deceptive practices and comply with consumer protection laws before these plaintiffs were forced to bring this lawsuit against them. These families simply wanted out of these oppressive contracts, but FantaSea doubled down on their deception and made these families bring their case to trial. We hope this verdict sends a message that fraud of this nature won't be tolerated," said attorney Andrew Milz with Cherry Hill, New Jersey-based law firm Flitter Milz, PC.
FantaSea Resorts admitted to committing multiple violations throughout the sales process by failing to inform buyers of required legal disclosures and withholding important documents that revealed details about the timeshare until after the buyer had signed a purchase and sale agreement.
What's more, FantaSea's timeshare sales were rigged so that timeshare owners would routinely pay more for a vacation stay than non-owners, according to court documents. In one case, over the length of the plaintiff's 10-year mortgage, she would pay more than $17,000 for five one-week stays throughout the decade. A non-owner would pay just $3,965 for those same five stays. Even if the plaintiff continued to use her timeshare after her 10-year mortgage was paid off, it would take more than 150 years to break even with the non-owner. Another plaintiff testified at trial that it would take him 168 years to break even with a non-owner.
"What's concerning for consumers is that business models like these, that are intentionally built to take advantage of good people, are not unique to FantaSea – and in fact, there are many resorts in the timeshare space that are even more egregious in their deceptive practices," Solseng said. "I don't recommend that anyone attend a timeshare presentation, no matter how much they entice you with gifts."
Solseng added, "FantaSea and certain other ARDA timeshare outfits often use the word 'Vacation Ownership' so as to not call it a timeshare. But it's a timeshare through and through, and the so-called vacation ownership can quickly turn into a vacation nightmare. We hope that the jury's verdict and nullification of these FantaSea contracts will help other FantaSea timeshare owners and their lawyers. We hope this verdict is a way forward for plaintiff's lawyers across the country to help timeshare consumers who are in the same position our clients were."
Founded in 1969, Schroeter Goldmark & Bender (SGB) is a nationally recognized law firm based in Seattle that holds the most powerful companies, government agencies, and people accountable for their wrongdoing. SGB focuses on representing individuals in consumer protection cases, along with injured persons in aviation, asbestos and mesothelioma, catastrophic injury, brain/spinal cord injury, medical malpractice, unsafe products, wrongful death, sexual assault and harassment, as well as individual and class action employment cases. The firm believes the law is a force of good and is committed to achieving justice for people who have been harmed. Find more at www.sgb-law.com.
Flitter Milz, PC, with offices in PA, NJ, and NY, is a nationally recognized leader in consumer protection law, with over 30 years' experience in the field. The firm represents victims of finance fraud, illegal vehicle repossessions, unfair debt collection practices, credit report errors, civil rights abuses, and other consumer protection matters in individual and class action cases. www.consumerslaw.com
Media Contact:
Kristi Herriott
206.466.2702
Kristi@firmani.com
View original content:
SOURCE Schroeter Goldmark & Bender | 2022-10-06T21:08:03+00:00 | wlox.com | https://www.wlox.com/prnewswire/2022/10/06/jury-awards-over-1m-consumers-timeshare-deception-lawsuit-against-fantasea-resorts/ |
LONDON (AP) — Truck drivers and travelers seeking to cross from the U.K. into France faced major disruptions and long waiting times for a third day Sunday on the weekend that kicks off the summer holidays for many British families.
Huge lines have formed since Friday at both the Port of Dover for those taking car ferries across the English Channel and in nearby Folkestone on roads leading to the Eurotunnel that goes under the Channel to France.
Eurotunnel said drivers were still facing a wait of at least 90 minutes to check-in for the railway shuttle on Sunday.
Still, congestion at the port had eased somewhat compared to the last two days, when it took several hours to clear a miles-long backlog of traffic as tens of thousands of people went on vacation along with a large amount of cargo trucks.
Since Britain left the European Union in 2020, U.K. travelers face stricter border checks when traveling to the continent. At Dover they are performed on the English side of the channel by French staff.
British officials and politicians have blamed the chaos on staffing shortages at French border posts, an accusation denied by the French.
The Port of Dover said the checkpoints were “fully manned” on Sunday and as of Sunday morning, 72,000 passengers had been processed over the long weekend.
The port’s chief executive Doug Bannister said he was grateful to “everyone who has turned this situation around,” including both French and British authorities. He added it had been an “incredibly challenging” few days and thanked both passengers and the local community for their patience.
Angie Emrys-Jones said she and her family spent 11 hours Saturday in the queue for the Eurotunnel, joining the line at 5:30 a.m. and boarding at 4:15 p.m. She said there were “rows and rows of standstill traffic as far as we could see.”
Natalie Chapman of the trade group Logistics UK said some truck drivers had endured waits “in excess of 18 hours” on Saturday.
“You used to, prior to Brexit, just wave your passport and they may or may not be looked at. But now everyone is checked and stamped,” Chapman said.
U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she had a “good talk” on the travel backlog with her counterpart Catherine Colonna on Saturday. Colonna said there was a need to improve the border facilities at Dover. | 2022-07-25T13:30:00+00:00 | wnct.com | https://www.wnct.com/news/international/painful-weekend-of-border-delays-from-uk-into-france/ |
(NEXSTAR) – After a summer dampened by inflation and painfully high gas prices, an electric vehicle tax credit never sounded so good — unfortunately, it’s a bit complicated.
Thanks to the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act, shoppers can save up to $7,500 on new cars, trucks or plug-in vehicles in the form of a tax credit and $4,000 on used models.
Unfortunately, when it comes to who qualifies and for which EVs, the incentive may prove tough to navigate for many people.
The new 10-year tax credit, known as the Clean Vehicle Credit, is an amended version of a pre-existing EV credit that was amended in August. Whether or not you can get a massive break on your next tax bill depends on a number of factors.
Where is the vehicle manufactured?
Part of the complexity of the bill stems from the fact that the credit’s design is not just to encourage EV adoption, but also to wrest some supply chain control away from China and other countries outside of North America.
The EVs’ final place of assembly, for instance, has to be North America.
Below you can see a list of 2022 and 2023 EVs that will likely meet the final assembly requirement, according to the Department of Energy:
Some models on the list are built in multiple locations and therefore may not end up qualifying for the credit, according to the IRS.
If you’re interested in a car that isn’t listed, you can look up a vehicle’s build plant or country of manufacture using the U.S. Department of Transportation’s VIN decoder.
Along with the final assembly, there is yet another factor to consider that will take effect in 2023 — where the battery is built and where the minerals were sourced. Those requirements are set to become increasingly stringent in the future.
Under the $740 billion economic package that Biden signed into law, the tax credits would take effect next year. For an EV buyer to qualify for the full credit, 40% of the metals used in a vehicle’s battery must come from North America. By 2027, that required threshold would reach 80%.
NPR points out that it’s possible to get a partial tax credit of $3,750 if “40 percent of the critical minerals in EV batteries are sourced from countries with which the U.S. has a free trade agreement.”
Some industry experts are expressing concern that the bill’s goals may hurt near term adoption of electric vehicles.
“The tax credit that the new act replaces was really designed to encourage consumers to purchase an electric vehicle, to become more aware and to get into that vehicle, kick the tires and drive it away,” John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, told WDET. “This new tax credit is really designed for a separate purpose. And that purpose is to really reduce the industry’s reliance on China for critical minerals, raw materials and battery components.”
Bozzella added that he the auto industry “absolutely supports” less reliance on China, but worries that it may take a long time for automakers to create a new supply chain.
Who is eligible to get the tax credit
The tax credit would be available only to couples with incomes of $300,000 or less or single people with incomes of $150,000 or less. And any trucks or SUVs with sticker prices above $80,000 or cars above $55,000 wouldn’t be eligible, knocking many EVs out of the credits.
Customers hoping to get a discount on the sales price without having to wait for a tax refund will have to wait until 2024 for the mechanism that will transfer the credit to dealers at the point of sale, according to the U.S. Treasury.
If you signed a contract and purchased an EV before the Inflation Reduction Act was signed on August 16, but didn’t receive the vehicle until the 16th or later, you can still receive the credit based on the prior rules, which don’t have the final assembly requirement.
The Internal Revenue Service and Treasure say they will continue to post updates on eligibility and the EV tax credit “in the coming weeks and months.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report. | 2022-08-25T21:56:17+00:00 | siouxlandproud.com | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/which-electric-vehicles-qualify-for-the-7500-tax-credit/ |
Record heat waves illuminate plight of poorest Americans who suffer without air conditioning
DENVER (AP) — As Denver neared triple-digit temperatures, Ben Gallegos sat shirtless on his porch swatting flies off his legs and spritzing himself with a misting fan to try to get through the heat. Gallegos, like many in the nation’s poorest neighborhoods, doesn’t have air conditioning.
The 68-year-old covers his windows with mattress foam to insulate against the heat and sleeps in the concrete basement. He knows high temperatures can cause heat stroke and death, and his lung condition makes him more susceptible. But the retired brick layer, who survives on about $1,000 a month largely from Social Security, says air conditioning is out of reach.
“Take me about 12 years to save up for something like that,” he said. “If it’s hard to breathe, I’ll get down to emergency.”
As climate change fans hotter and longer heat waves, breaking record temperatures across the U.S. and leaving dozens dead, the poorest Americans suffer the hottest days with the fewest defenses. Air conditioning, once a luxury, is now a matter of survival.
As Phoenix weathered its 27th consecutive day above 110 degrees (43 Celsius) Wednesday, the nine who died indoors didn’t have functioning air conditioning, or it was turned off. Last year, all 86 heat-related deaths indoors were in uncooled environments.
“To explain it fairly simply: Heat kills,” said Kristie Ebi, a University of Washington professor who researches heat and health. “Once the heat wave starts, mortality starts in about 24 hours.”
It’s the poorest and people of color, from Kansas City to Detroit to New York City and beyond, who are far more likely to face grueling heat without air conditioning, according to a Boston University analysis of 115 U.S. metros.
“The temperature differences ... between lower-income neighborhoods, neighborhoods of color and their wealthier, whiter counterparts have pretty severe consequences,” said Cate Mingoya-LaFortune of Groundwork USA, an environmental justice organization. “There are these really big consequences like death. ... But there’s also ambient misery.”
Some have window units that can offer respite, but “in the dead of heat, it don’t do nothing,” said Melody Clark, who stopped Friday to get food at a nonprofit in Kansas City, Kansas, as temperatures soared to 101, and high humidity made it feel like 109. When the central air conditioning at her rental house went on the fritz, her landlord installed a window unit. But it doesn’t do much during the day.
So the 45-year-old wets her hair, cooks outside on a propane grill and keeps the lights off indoors. She’s taken the bus to the library to cool off. At night she flips the box unit on, hauling her bed into the room where it’s located to sleep.
As far as her two teenagers, she said: “They aren’t little bitty. We aren’t dying in the heat. ... They don’t complain.”
While billions in federal funding have been allocated to subsidize utility costs and the installation of cooling systems, experts say they often only support a fraction of the most vulnerable families and some still require prohibitive upfront costs. Installing a centralized heat pump system for heating and cooling can easily reach $25,000.
President Joe Biden announced steps on Thursday to defend against extreme heat, highlighting the expansion of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, which funnels money through states to help poorer households pay utility bills.
While the program is critical, said Michelle Graff, who studies the subsidy at Cleveland State University, only about 16% of the nation’s eligible population is actually reached. Nearly half of states don’t offer the federal dollars for summer cooling.
“So people are engaging in coping mechanisms, like they’re turning on their air conditioners later and leaving their homes hotter,” Graff said.
While frigid temperatures and high heating bills birthed the term “heat or eat,” she said, “we can now transition to AC or eat, where people are going to have to make difficult decisions.”
As temperatures rise, so does the cost of cooling. And temperatures are already hotter in America’s low-income neighborhoods like Gallegos’ Denver suburb of Globeville, where people live along stretches of asphalt and concrete that hold heat like a cast-iron skillet. Surface temperatures there can be roughly 8 degrees hotter than in Denver’s wealthier neighborhoods, where a sea of vegetation cools the area, according to the environmental advocacy group American Forests.
This disparity plays out nationwide. Researchers at the University of San Diego analyzed 1,056 counties and in over 70%, the poorest areas and those with higher Black, Hispanic and Asian populations were significantly hotter.
About one in 10 U.S. households have no air conditioning, a disparity compounded for marginalized groups, according to a study by the Brookings Institution. Less than 4% of Detroit’s white households don’t have air conditioning; it’s 15% for Black households.
At noon on Friday, Katrice Sullivan sat on the porch of her rented house on Detroit’s westside. It was hot and muggy, but even steamier inside the house. Even if she had air conditioning, Sullivan said she’d choose her moments to run it to keep her electricity bill down.
The 37-year-old factory worker pours water on her head, freezes towels to put around her neck, and sits in her car with the air conditioner on. “Some people here spend every dollar for food, so air conditioning is something they can’t afford,” she said.
Shannon Lewis, 38, lived in her Detroit home for nearly 20 years without air conditioning. Lewis’s bedroom was the only place with a window unit, so she’d squeeze her teenager, 8-year-old and 3-year-old-twins into her queen-size bed to sleep, eat meals and watch television.
“So it was like cool in one room and a heat stroke in another,” Lewis said. For the first time, Lewis now has air conditioning through a local non-profit, she said. “We don’t have to sleep or eat in the same room, we are able to come out, sit at the dining room table, eat like a family.”
After at least 54 died during a 2021 heat wave, mostly elderly people without air conditioning, in the Portland area, Oregon passed a law prohibiting landlords from placing blanket bans on air conditioning units. By and large, however, states don’t have laws requiring landlords to provide cooling.
In the federal Inflation Reduction Act, billions were set aside for tax credits and rebates to help families install energy-efficient cooling systems, but some of those are yet to be available. For people like Gallegos, who doesn’t pay taxes, the available credits are worthless.
The law also offers rebates, the kind of state and federal point-of-sale discounts that Amanda Morian has looked into for her 640-square-foot home.
Morian, who has a 13-week-old baby susceptible to hot weather, is desperate to keep her house in Denver’s Globeville suburb cool. She bought thermal curtains, ceiling fans and runs a window unit. At night she tries to do skin-to-skin touch to regulate the baby’s body temperature. When the back door opens in the afternoon, she said, the indoor temperature jumps a degree.
“All of those are just to take the edge off, it’s not enough to actually make it cool. It’s enough to keep us from dying,” she said.
She got estimates from four different companies for installing a cooling system, but every project was between $20,000 and $25,000, she said. Even with subsidies she can’t afford it.
“I’m finding that you have to afford the project in the first place and then it’s like having a bonus coupon to take $5,000 off of the sticker price,” she said.
Lucy Molina, a single mom in Commerce City, one of Denver’s poorest areas, said her home has reached 107 degrees without air conditioning. Nearby, Molina’s two teenage children slurped popsicles to cool off, lingering in front of the open freezer.
For Molina, who bustled around her kitchen on a recent day when temperatures reached 99 degrees outdoors, it’s hard to see any path to a cooling respite.
“We’re just too poor,” she said.
____
Associated Press writers Heather Hollingsworth in Kansas City, Kansas, and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.
——
Bedayn 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.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-07-31T00:06:53+00:00 | uppermichiganssource.com | https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/2023/07/30/record-heat-waves-illuminate-plight-poorest-americans-who-suffer-without-air-conditioning/ |
NEW YORK and AUSTIN, Texas, July 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The 20th annual Pay it Forward 9/11 campaign is underway, inviting groups, businesses, schools and individuals to share their commitment to remember one of America's darkest days in a brighter light. Each year, on the anniversary of 9/11, people are encouraged to perform three random acts of kindness for strangers from September 1-11, 2022 for #11DaysOfKindness, and register them at PayItForward911.org.
Created in Austin in 2002 to honor compassionate Canadians in Newfoundland and Labrador, Pay It Forward 9/11 was started by an airline passenger stranded there to honor those killed in the 9/11 attacks. The "11 Days of Kindness" campaign encourages acts of compassion, much like the stranded airline passengers from 90 countries who received food, clothing and shelter, for five days.
The 20th anniversary of Pay it Forward 9/11 is generously supported by the producers and writers of Come From Away musical, and sponsors Dell Technologies, Tito's Handmade Vodka, Gallin & Son, and University Federal Credit Union (UFCU).
"Let's recall how America was united after the 9/11 attacks," said founder Kevin Tuerff. "Join together with your neighborhood, coworkers, house of worship, or school to plan and register your kindness commitment online and remember lives lost. Bring back unity through kindness."
- Contact a hospital's PR or HR department, offering to deliver food to healthcare heroes.
- Donate blood.
- Write thank-you notes to first responders, military, or essential workers.
- Support artists by donating to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS or the Entertainment Community Fund.
- When you visit Starbucks, purchase a beverage for the person behind you in line.
- Encourage a special prayer for those killed on 9/11 and for the first responders and recovery workers who developed cancer related to their service at Ground Zero.
- Inspire a ripple effect by sharing your good deeds at payitforward911.org, and post on social media using #PayitForward911 #NeverForget.
Learn more at http://payitforward911.org, the book Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander on 9/11, or Facebook. Pay it Forward 9/11, Inc. is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization registered in New York.
View original content:
SOURCE Pay It Forward 9/11 | 2022-07-06T16:12:40+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2022/07/06/pay-it-forward-911-announces-11-days-kindness-amp-unity-sept-1-11/ |
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said no one knows how long the war in his country will last but that Ukrainian forces are defying expectations by preventing Russian troops from overrunning eastern Ukraine, where the fighting has been fiercest for weeks.
In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said he was proud of the Ukrainian defenders managing to hold back the Russian advance in the Donbas region, which borders Russia and where Moscow-backed separatists have controlled much of the territory for eight years.
“Remember how in Russia, in the beginning of May, they hoped to seize all of the Donbas?” the president said late Saturday. “It’s already the 108th day of the war, already June. Donbas is holding on.”
After failing to capture Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, early in the war, Moscow focused on seizing the parts of the largely Russian-speaking Donbas still in Ukrainian hands, as well as the country’s southern coast. But instead of securing a swift, decisive takeover, Russian forces were drawn into a long, laborious battle, thanks in part to the Ukrainian military’s use of Western-supplied weapons.
Both Ukrainian and Russian authorities said Sievierodonetsk, an eastern city with a prewar population of 100,000, remained contested. The city and neighboring Lysychansk are the last major areas of the Donbas’ Luhansk province not under the control of the pro-Russia rebels.
Leonid Pasechnik, the head of the separatist-declared Luhansk People’s Republic, said Ukrainian fighters remained in an industrial area of the city, including a chemical plant where civilians had taken shelter from days of Russian shelling.
“Sievierodonetsk is not completely 100% liberated,” Pasechnik said Saturday, alleging that the Ukrainians were shelling the city from the Azot plant. “So it’s impossible to call the situation calm in Sievierodonetsk, that it is completely ours.”
Luhansk Gov. Serhii Haidai reported Saturday that a big fire broke out at the plant during hours of Russian shelling.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, a counteroffensive pushed Russians out of parts of the southern Kherson region they took early in the war, according to Zelenskyy. Moscow has installed local authorities in Kherson and other occupied coastal areas, offering residents Russian passports, airing Russian news broadcasts and taking steps to introduce a Russian school curriculum.
Zelenskyy said that while an end to the war was not in sight, Ukraine should do everything it can so the Russians “regret everything that they have done and that they answer for every killing and every strike on our beautiful state.”
The Ukrainian leader asserted that Russia has suffered about three times as many military casualties as the number estimated for the Ukrainian side, adding: “For what? What did it get you, Russia?” There are no reliable independent estimates of the war’s death toll so far.
Speaking at a defense conference in Singapore on Sunday, Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Wei Fenghe said Beijing continues to support peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, and hopes the U.S. and its NATO allies have discussions with Russia “to create the conditions for an early ceasefire.”
“China will continue to play a constructive role and contribute our share to easing tensions and realizing a political resolution of the crisis,” Wei said.
He suggested that nations supplying weapons to Ukraine were hindering peace by “adding fuel to the fire” and stressed that China had not provided any material support to Russia during the war.
“The growth of China-Russia relations is a partnership, not an alliance,” Wei said.
The Institute for the Study of War, a think tank based in Washington, said in its latest assessment that Ukrainian intelligence suggested the Russian military was planning “to fight a longer war.”
The institute cited the deputy head of Ukraine’s national security agency as saying that Moscow had extended its war timeline until October, with adjustments to be made depending on any successes in the Donbas.
The intelligence “likely indicates the Kremlin has, at a minimum, acknowledged it cannot achieve its objectives in Ukraine quickly and is further adjusting its military objectives in an attempt to correct the initial deficiencies in the invasion of Ukraine,” the think tank said.
The Luhansk People’s Republic’s ambassador to Russia, Rodion Miroshnik, said Saturday that 300 to 400 Ukrainian troops remained blockaded inside the Sievierodonetsk chemical plant along with several hundred civilians.
The Russians established contact with the Ukrainian troops to arrange the evacuation of the civilians, but the the troops will be allowed to leave only if they lay down their arms and surrender, Miroshnik said.
Similar conditions existed for weeks at a steel mill in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol before a civilian evacuation was arranged and the defending troops were ordered by Ukrainian military commanders to stand down. The fighters who came out of the Mariupol plant were taken prisoner by the Russians.
Pasechnik, the separatist leader of the unrecognized Luhansk republic, said the Ukrainians making a stand in Sievierodonetsk should save themselves the trouble.
“If if I were them, I would already make a decision (to surrender),” he said. “We will achieve our goal in any case. We will liberate the industrial area in any case. We will liberate Sievierodonetsk in any case. Lysychansk will be ours in any case.”
___
David Rising contributed from Bangkok.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | 2022-06-12T10:23:45+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/world/ukraines-leader-says-his-troops-keep-defying-predictions/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
The brand’s new pale lilac shade can freshen up your kitchen’s look
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- Le Creuset Signature Chef’s Oven
- Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast Iron 5-Piece Cookware Set
- Le Creuset Round Dutch Oven
Le Creuset is known for its premium enameled stone and cast-iron cookware. But, as much as the brand has made its reputation based on product performance, the fun, bold color range that the cookware comes in is another reason customers are such big fans.
This spring, Le Creuset has introduced an exciting new shade that’s already selling fast: shallot, a soft lavender with pink and slight gray undertones that’s perfect for the season. So whether you’re looking to start your Le Creuset collection or want to add to the pieces you already have, you can find many of the brand’s most popular products in this beautiful new color and help give your kitchen a fresh look.
What’s the story behind Le Creuset’s newest color?
Considering the brand makes some of the highest-quality cookware on the market, it’s no surprise that Le Creuset draws inspiration from food for product colors. Le Creuset presents “shallot” as a modern neutral that can work with various kitchen decor styles.
The shade’s namesake vegetable, the shallot, is part of the onion family and features widely in French cuisine. It has a delicate flavor with a hint of sweetness that distinguishes it from other types of onions, so it’s a fitting name for Le Creuset’s soft new color.
Le Creuset offers 24 of its most popular products in shallot, so it’s a perfect addition for those new to Le Creuset cookware — and even those who already have some of the famous cookware in their kitchen. As a new take on neutral, you can pair items in the shallot shade with any color you like. But Le Creuset recommends two colors from its line: nectar, a yellow-orange shade with caramel and gold undertones, and oyster, a brown shade with hints of gray and purple.
Best Le Creuset products in shallot
Le Creuset Signature Chef’s Oven
Whether you’re making pasta, soup or your favorite braised recipes, this chef’s oven can get the job done. Its tight-fitting lid helps the steam circulate and keeps food moist, while the cast-iron construction provides excellent heat distribution and retention. It’s oven-safe up to 500 degrees, too.
Sold by Le Creuset and Amazon
Le Creuset Signature Enameled Cast-Iron 5-Piece Cookware Set
This versatile cookware set includes an enameled cast-iron, round Dutch oven, saucepan and skillet, so you’re ready to cook all your favorite recipes. The pieces are ready to use right out of the box, so you don’t have to season them before cooking. They’re also compatible with all cooktop styles and oven-safe up to 500 degrees.
Sold by Le Creuset and Amazon
Le Creuset 5.5-Quart Round Dutch Oven
With this Dutch oven, you can go from the cooktop to the oven without missing a beat, making it ideal for slow-cooking, braising, roasting, baking, frying and more. It has a smooth, light-colored interior that makes it easy to check on your cooking progress and ergonomic handles for carrying it to the table.
Sold by Amazon, Le Creuset and Wayfair
Turn the toughest cuts of meats and vegetables into tender, juicy meals with this cast-iron braiser. It has a wide base that lets you arrange your food in a single layer for effective searing and a domed lid that circulates steam for better flavor and moisture. You can also use it for casseroles, stews and more.
Sold by Le Creuset, Amazon and Wayfair
Le Creuset 11.75-inch Signature Skillet
No kitchen is complete without a skillet, and this well-sized model is perfect for searing, stir-frying, sauteing and more. The interior has a black satin enamel finish, making seasoning and the usual cast iron maintenance unnecessary. It’s still naturally nonstick and easy to clean, though, and safe for use with metal utensils.
Sold by Amazon and Le Creuset
If you enjoy making homemade bread, this beautiful cast-iron bread oven provides top-notch heat distribution for bakery-quality loaves. Its domed lid helps trap and circulate steam to help the dough rise, while the low-profile base ensures a perfectly golden crust. It’s easy to clean, too.
Sold by Amazon and Le Creuset
Le Creuset Heritage Rectangular Casserole
Whip up your favorite casserole recipes, broil fish, marinate meat and more in this durable casserole dish. The stoneware lid helps contain heat and moisture during cooking, but also makes it easy to bring your dishes to parties and other get-togethers. It’s oven-, microwave-, freezer-, broiler- and dishwasher-safe.
Sold by Le Creuset and Amazon
This beautiful pan is perfect for bread, cakes, meatloaf and more, but it’s deep enough to make casseroles for one or two. The premium stoneware construction ensures that your recipes cook evenly, and the glazed finish provides a nonstick surface that’s easy to clean. The glaze is also non-reactive and scratch-resistant.
Sold by Amazon and Le Creuset
Make perfect pies and tarts with this stoneware dish, as well as quiche, frittatas, pizza and more. It can go from your cooktop to the oven, where it’s heat-safe up to 500 degrees. Its inverted handles make it easy to flip and turn out recipes for serving. The smooth enamel interior also releases dishes easily for perfect presentation.
Sold by Le Creuset and Amazon
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Jennifer Blair writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
BestReviews spends thousands of hours researching, analyzing and testing products to recommend the best picks for most consumers.
Images: Le Creuset
Copyright 2023 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | 2023-05-02T15:58:44+00:00 | ktalnews.com | https://www.ktalnews.com/reviews/br/kitchen-br/cookware-cooking-sets-br/le-creuset-just-launched-a-dreamy-new-color-for-spring/ |
JERUSALEM (AP) — Hundreds of elite officers in Israel’s military reserves say they will not show up for duty starting on Sunday in protest over the government’s plans to overhaul the judicial system.
The firm date is the first time set for an unprecedented political protest within the security services. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial legal overhaul has sparked weeks of mass protests across Israel amidst a deteriorating security situation in the occupied West Bank and rising tensions with Palestinians.
In two separate letters published Thursday, about 750 elite officers from the Air Force, special forces, and Mossad threatened to stop volunteering for duty. The typically taboo talk underlines how deeply the overhaul plan has divided Israel and is now tearing at what Israeli Jews see as their most respected institution, the military.
After completing three years of mandatory service, many Israelis continue in the reserves until their 40s, when service becomes voluntary. Reservists are the backbone of the force when security crises erupt, and regularly serve in complex operations overseas.
One hundred elite Air Force officers, including two former chiefs, said in an open letter reported by Channel 12 News, Israel’s top television program, that Netanyahu’s government was subverting the nation’s security and democracy.
“We fear that following military orders would be a violation of our oath, our conscience and our mission,” read the Air Force reservists’ letter.
About 650 more officers from the reserves’ special forces and cyber units said in a separate letter that, “We will not serve a dictatorship. The contract was broken. We are ready to give our life and soul and the government should give responsibility and sanity.”
The officers pointed to a statement in early March by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, in which he suggested erasing a Palestinian town in the West Bank that was attacked by Jewish settlers. Smotrich later backtracked, saying he didn’t mean for the Hawara to be erased but for Israel to operate surgically within it against Palestinian militants.
”You want a dictatorship – you will pay the full price,” they wrote.
Israel’s military chief of staff, Herzi Halevi, has met with protesting officers and warned Netanyahu about the rising discontent in the ranks. | 2023-03-17T17:11:09+00:00 | kron4.com | https://www.kron4.com/news/world/ap-international/elite-officers-in-israels-military-plan-sunday-walkout/ |
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Nolan Grooms passed for a touchdown and ran for another in a 17-point third quarter and Yale handed Princeton its first defeat, 24-20, on Saturday.
The victory denied Princeton (8-1, 5-1) the chance to at least clinch a share of its second straight Ivy League title and boosted Yale (7-2, 5-1) into a first-place tie. Princeton, ranked 16th in the FCS coaches poll, plays Penn, and Yale faces Harvard in next week's finales.
Grooms threw a 14-yard scoring pass to Chase Nenad for a 14-all tie early in the third quarter, Jack Bosman's 44-yard field goal just cleared the crossbar for the lead and Groom's 19-yard run had Yale ahead 24-14 heading into the final quarter.
Stenstrom and Carson Bobo connected on a 22-yard score in the fourth quarter but the extra-point try was blocked. Brandon Benn picked off Stenstrom for the second time at the Yale 10 with 3:27 remaining. Princeton's final possession began with 1:35 left and ended at the Yale 15 with an incomplete pass into the end zone on the game's final play.
Grooms rushed for 152 yards and Joshua Pitsenberger 108 more.
Stenstrom was 34-of-52 passing for 367 yards with three TDs but also the two picks. Dylan Classi had 139 yards receiving with 10 catches, including a score.
___
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 | 2022-11-12T22:29:31+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/sports/article/Yale-hands-Princeton-first-defeat-24-20-17580079.php |
John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Pedro Pascal, Shonda Rhimes, Kevin Hart, Rich Roll, and more invest in Tally Health to change the way we age
NEW YORK, April 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tally Health™, a revolutionary consumer biotechnology company created to change the way we age, announces a $10 million seed round today. Tally Health's proprietary and science-based tools aim to improve healthspan and extend longevity at the cellular level with TallyAge™ epigenetic age tests, personalized lifestyle recommendations, and research-backed longevity supplements.
Tally Health, which launched late February, was co-founded by Dr. David Sinclair, one of the world's foremost experts on aging and human longevity, and L Catterton Partner and serial entrepreneur Whitney Casey. The seed round is led by Forerunner Ventures, with additional participation by L Catterton, which incubated and initially backed the company, plus G9 Ventures and Second Sight Ventures. With this investment, Kirsten Green, Founding Partner of Forerunner Ventures, will join the Tally Health Board of Directors, which, with Kirsten's addition, will be a majority female board. In addition, celebrities including John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Pedro Pascal, Shonda Rhimes, Kevin Hart, Rich Roll, Whitney Cummings, and Zac Efron have individually invested in the company.
"Longevity presents a remarkable, untapped opportunity, particularly in the context of its fundamental, universal importance — everyone ages, and increasingly savvy, health-conscious generations are highly motivated to have more agency over the process and ultimately live a more fulfilling life," said Kirsten Green, Founding Partner at Forerunner. "The Tally Health team is in a category-defining position to open up access to scientific breakthroughs that not just slow aging, but can even help reverse it."
Consumer interest in the longevity space has exploded in recent years, with the global longevity economy projected to reach an astounding $27 trillion in 2026 and the AgeTech segment reaching $2.7 trillion by 2025 (source: Longevity Technology).
"This financing underscores the significant and growing consumer interest in healthspan and longevity. I am pleased to see our 270,000+ pre-launch waitlist converting as we attract new members, investors, and celebrities who believe in our mission to increase healthspan, drive impactful lifestyle changes, and extend human healthspan and longevity," said Melanie Goldey, CEO of Tally Health. "I am thrilled to partner with Kirsten who brings her passion for mission-oriented companies like ours, as well as deep strategic and operational knowledge, to our Board as we rapidly expand our reach, access, and product offering."
"We founded Tally Health based on pure demand for more science-backed longevity innovations for consumers. We are able to scale learnings from breakthrough epigenetic research with our own proprietary technologies to bring the science in-home for our members," said Whitney Casey, Co-Founder of Tally Health and Partner at L Catterton. "There is a growing global consumer interest in evaluating health through the lens of longevity, and Tally Health's continued growth will propel the AgeTech sector forward."
The new capital will support Tally Health as they expand research and development of new products, additional features, and technology integrations to allow users to seamlessly integrate their TallyAge™ feedback into their daily lifestyle through the digital member experience. Funds will also be allocated toward various technical, business, and strategic development efforts as the company scales.
To learn more about Tally Health or the TallyAge™ test, visit TallyHealth.com.
About Tally Health™
Tally Health™ is a consumer biotechnology company founded to change the way we age. Co-founded by Dr. David Sinclair, who is also a scientific advisor, Tally Health's proprietary diagnostic test and individualized interventions give members the science-backed tools to live healthier, for longer. Tally Health was incubated and is backed by L Catterton, the largest global consumer-focused private equity firm. To learn more about Tally Health, visit tallyhealth.com.
About L Catterton
L Catterton is a market-leading consumer-focused investment firm, managing more than $30 billion of capital across three multi-product platforms: private equity, credit, and real estate. Leveraging deep category insight, operational excellence, and a broad network of strategic relationships, L Catterton's team of more than 200 investment and operating professionals across 17 offices partners with management teams to drive differentiated value creation across its portfolio. Founded in 1989, the firm has made over 250 investments in some of the world's most iconic consumer brands. For more information about L Catterton, please visit lcatterton.com.
About Forerunner Ventures
Forerunner is a venture capital firm dedicated to the modern consumer and the ambitious teams reshaping categories. Founded in 2012, Forerunner has invested in industry-defining companies such as Faire, Chime, Glossier, Hims&Hers, OURA, The Farmer's Dog, Ritual, and more. With over $2.3 billion in assets under management and hundreds of investments to date, Forerunner is one of the only women-led venture capital firms to reach such milestones.
Media Contact
Factory PR
tallyhealth@factorypr.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Tally Health | 2023-04-06T14:44:23+00:00 | kmvt.com | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2023/04/06/consumer-longevity-company-tally-health-announces-10m-seed-round-led-by-forerunner-ventures-with-celebrity-participation/ |
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office is working with other law enforcement agencies across the nation to show support against breast cancer by participating in the Pink Patch Project.
Officers are allowed to wear pink police badge patches on their uniforms all month long for Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Those patches are being designed to strike up conversations about ways to detect breast cancer early while officers serve in the community.
In addition, the patches are being sold to the public to raise money.
The patches are being sold for $10 each in three ways: in-person at the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office Records Division or Jail Administrative Office, through the mail with a check payable to SCSO with a memo of Pink Patch and sent to SCSO Pink Patch Project, 1 Sheriff’s Plaza, Springfield, IL 62701, or online through Venmo (payable to @SCSOHONOR-GUARD) or PayPal (payable to scsohonorguard@yahoo.com). Officials ask for an extra $2 for all orders paid online or through the mail to account for shipping.
All proceeds from the patches will be donated to the American Cancer Society at the end of the month. | 2022-10-13T22:05:23+00:00 | wcia.com | https://www.wcia.com/news/sangamon-county-sheriffs-office-sell-pink-patches-for-charity/ |
WASHINGTON — With inflation raging near its highest level in four decades, Congress is poised to approve President Joe Biden’s signature Inflation Reduction Act. Its title raises a tantalizing question: Will the measure actually tame the price spikes that have inflicted hardships on American households?
The legislation, which is headed for final approval Friday in the House and will then be signed into law, won’t directly address some of the main drivers of surging prices — from gas and food to rents and restaurant meals.
Still, the bill could save money for some Americans by lessening the cost of prescription drugs for the elderly, extending health insurance subsidies and reducing energy prices. It would also modestly cut the government’s budget deficit, which might slightly lower inflation by the end of this decade.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office concluded last week that the changes would have a “negligible” impact on inflation this year and next. And the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton Budget Model concluded that, over the next decade, “the impact on inflation is statistically indistinguishable from zero.”
Such forecasts also undercut the arguments that some Republicans, such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy have made, that the bill would “cause inflation,” as McCarthy said in a speech on the House floor last month.
Biden himself, in speaking of the legislation’s effect on inflation, has cautiously referred to potentially lower prices in individual categories rather than to lower inflation as a whole. This week, the president said the bill would “bring down the cost of prescription drugs, health insurance premiums and energy costs.”
At the same time, the White House has trumpeted a letter signed by more than 120 economists, including several Novel Prize winners and former Treasury secretaries, that asserts that the bill’s reduction in the government’s budget deficit — by an estimated $300 billion over the next decade, according to the CBO — would put “downward pressure on inflation.”
In theory, lower deficits can reduce inflation. That’s because lower government spending or higher taxes, which help shrink the deficit, reduce demand in the economy, thereby easing pressure on companies to raise prices.
Jason Furman, a Harvard economist who served as a top economic adviser in the Obama administration, wrote in an opinion column for The Wall Street Journal: “Deficit reduction is almost always inflation-reducing.”
Yet Douglas Holtz-Eakin, who was a top economic adviser to President George W. Bush and later a director of the CBO, noted that the lower deficits won’t kick in until five years from now and won’t be very large over the next decade considering the size of the economy.
“$30 billion a year in a $21 trillion economy isn’t going to move the needle,” Holtz-Eakin said, referring to the estimated amount of deficit reduction spread over 10 years.
He also noted that Congress has recently passed other legislation to subsidize semiconductor production in the U.S. and expand veterans’ health care, and suggested that those laws will spend more than the Inflation Reduction Act will save.
In addition, Kent Smetters, director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, said the bill’s health care subsidies could send inflation up. The legislation would spend $70 billion over a decade to extend tax credits to help 13 million Americans pay for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act.
Those subsidies would free up money for recipients to spend elsewhere, potentially increasing inflation, although Smetters said he thought the effect would likely be very small.
While the bill could have the benefit of increasing the savings of millions of households on pharmaceutical and energy costs, it’s unlikely to have much effect on overall inflation. Prescription drugs account for only 1% of the spending in the U.S. consumer price index; spending on electricity and natural gas makes up just 3.6%.
Starting in 2025, the act will cap the amount Medicare recipients would pay for their prescription drugs at $2,000 a year. It will authorize Medicare to negotiate the cost of some high-priced pharmaceuticals — a long-sought goal that President Donald Trump had also floated. It would also limit Medicare recipients’ out-of-pocket costs for insulin at $35 a month. Insulin prescriptions averaged $54 in 2020, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
“This is a historic change,” said Leigh Purvis, director of health care costs at the AARP Public Policy Institute. “This is allowing Medicare to protect beneficiaries from high drug prices in a way that was not there before.”
A study by Kaiser found that in 2019, 1.2 million Medicare recipients spent an average of $3,216 on drug prescriptions. Purvis said recipients who use the most expensive drugs can spend as much as $10,000 or $15,000 a year.
The legislation authorizes Medicare to negotiate prices of 10 expensive pharmaceuticals, starting next year, though the results won’t take effect until 2026. Up to 60 drugs could be subject to negotiation by 2029.
Holtz-Eakin argued that while the provision may lower the cost of some Medicare drugs, it would discourage the development of new drugs or reduce new venture capital investment in start-up pharmaceutical companies.
The Inflation Reduction Act’s energy provisions could also create savings, though the amounts are likely to be much smaller.
The bill will provide a $7,500 tax credit for new purchases of electric vehicles, though most EVs won't qualify because the legislation requires them to include batteries with U.S. materials.
And the legislation also significantly expands a tax credit for homeowners who invest in energy-efficient equipment, from a one-time $500 credit to $1,200 that a homeowner could claim each year. Vincent Barnes, senior vice president for policy at the Alliance to Save Energy, said this would allow homeowners to make new energy-efficient investments over several years.
But for all Americans, including those who aren’t homeowners, the impact will likely be limited. The Rhodium Group estimates that by 2030 the bill’s provisions will save households an average of up to $112 a year as gas and electricity becomes cheaper as more Americans drive EVs and houses become more energy- efficient. | 2022-08-12T20:34:37+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inflation-reduction-act-may-have-little-impact-on-inflation/2022/08/12/edabb19c-1a73-11ed-b998-b2ab68f58468_story.html |
NEW YORK, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA; PARAA) today announced that its Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.24 per share on both its Class A and Class B Common Stock. The dividend will be payable on October 3, 2022, to stockholders of record at the close of business on September 15, 2022.
At the same time, the Board of Directors also declared a quarterly cash dividend of $1.4375 per share on its 5.75% Series A Mandatory Convertible Preferred Stock. The dividend will be payable on October 3, 2022, to stockholders of record at the close of business on September 15, 2022.
About Paramount
Paramount Global (NASDAQ: PARA, PARAA) is a leading global media and entertainment company that creates premium content and experiences for audiences worldwide. Driven by iconic studios, networks and streaming services, Paramount's portfolio of consumer brands includes CBS, Showtime Networks, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, BET, Paramount+, Pluto TV and Simon & Schuster, among others. Paramount delivers the largest share of the U.S. television audience and boasts one of the industry's most important and extensive libraries of TV and film titles. In addition to offering innovative streaming services and digital video products, the company provides powerful capabilities in production, distribution, and advertising solutions.
For more information about Paramount, please visit www.paramount.com and follow @Paramount on social platforms.
PARA-IR
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Paramount Global | 2022-08-02T22:01:38+00:00 | uppermichiganssource.com | https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/prnewswire/2022/08/02/paramount-global-declares-quarterly-cash-dividends/ |
BEIJING, May 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Northeast Asia Finance Conference 2023 kicked off on Wednesday in Shenyang, capital of northeast China's Liaoning Province, with experts, scholars and business representatives from financial institutions at home and abroad discussing latest development in financial industry and measures for financial cooperation.
Themed on "accelerating the construction of regional finance center and building the growth pole of revitalization and development in northeast China", the conference released the "index for core area of regional financial center in northeast China" and launched "Liaoning and Shenyang financiers" selection activity.
During the conference, a series of activities have also been held including investment promotion, release of newly formulated business rules, launch of green finance research project, and others.
Shenyang has always prioritized the financial development as an important strategic choice, and developed it self as the investment, financing and innovation center of northeast China and the hub of financial resource allocation of China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor in a bid to build the growth pole for revitalization of northeast China, said Lyu Zhicheng, Mayor of Shenyang.
Northeast Asia, with its rich natural resources and broad market potential, has a broad space for deepening regional financial cooperation, said Jing Ruyue, secretary-general of Xinhua News Agency, adding that the conference will build a new bridge for win-win regional financial and economic cooperation and form a regular cooperation mechanism.
It is noted that by the end of 2022, a total of 26 financial institutions have registered to set regional headquarters, specialized institutions and service centers in Liaoning, providing high-quality services and strong support for the economic and trade cooperation between Liaoning and Northeast Asian countries.
The conference was co-hosted by Shenyang Municipal People's Government, Liaoning Local Financial Supervision and Administration Bureau, Liaoning Branch of Xinhua News Agency and China Economic Information Service (CEIS).
Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/334148.html
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road | 2023-05-18T09:53:47+00:00 | wafb.com | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/05/18/xinhua-silk-road-northeast-asia-finance-conference-2023-opens-shenyang-discuss-new-trend-financial-development/ |
Thor becomes the first Marvel superhero to get a four-quel in Thor: Love & Thunder, which finds him battling a villain called Gorr The God Butcher.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Thor becomes the first Marvel superhero to get a four-quel in Thor: Love & Thunder, which finds him battling a villain called Gorr The God Butcher.
Copyright 2022 NPR | 2022-07-08T20:52:43+00:00 | delawarepublic.org | https://www.delawarepublic.org/2022-07-08/in-thor-love-thunder-the-hammer-throwing-hero-takes-on-gorr-the-god-butcher |
Iraqi lawmakers pass bill criminalizing any ties with Israel
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi lawmakers have passed a bill criminalizing any normalization of ties and any relations, including business ties, with Israel. The law was approved on Thursday, with 275 lawmakers voting in favor of it in the 329-seat assembly. It says that any violation of the law is punishable with the death sentence or life imprisonment. An influential Shiite cleric called for Iraqis to take to the streets to celebrate the bill and hundreds later gathered in central Baghdad, chanting anti-Israel slogans. It’s unclear how the law will be implemented as Iraq and Israel have no diplomatic relations. | 2022-05-26T21:12:02+00:00 | keyt.com | https://keyt.com/news/2022/05/26/iraqi-lawmakers-pass-bill-criminalizing-any-ties-with-israel/ |
Delaware County bus driver admits to taking ‘upskirt’ photos of girls
By Web staff
Click here for updates on this story
NEWTOWN SQUARE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) — A former Delaware County bus driver accused of taking inappropriate pictures of students is facing roughly 400 years behind bars.
Bruce Garner, 71, who recently pleaded guilty to a slew of sexual offenses. He was arrested last year while driving for the Marple Newtown School District.
A search warrant found more than 100 so-called “upskirt” videos of preteen and teenage girls on his cell phone, according to authorities.
Delaware County District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said Garner befriended the girls and would have conversations with them.
It was only when a few of the girls noticed he was holding his phone at his side as they got on and off the bus that they told their parents, Stollsteimer said.
The parents immediately told the school district and the investigation began.
Garner is set to be sentenced in June.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform. | 2023-03-02T19:19:50+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/news/2023/03/02/delaware-county-bus-driver-admits-to-taking-upskirt-photos-of-girls/ |
Shirley Holtz, 91, used a walker to get around. She had dementia and was enrolled in hospice care. Despite her age and infirmity, Holtz was evicted from the assisted-living facility she called home for four years because she relied on government health insurance for low-income seniors.
Holtz was one of 15 residents told to vacate Emerald Bay Retirement Community near Green Bay, Wis., after the facility stopped accepting payment from a state-sponsored Medicaid program. And Emerald Bay is not alone. A recent spate of evictions has ousted dozens of assisted-living residents in Wisconsin who depended on Medicaid to pay their bills — an increasingly common practice, according to industry representatives.
The evictions highlight the pitfalls of the U.S. long-term care system, which is showing fractures from the pandemic just as a wave of 73 million baby boomers is hitting an age where they are likely to need more day-to-day care. About 4.4 million Americans have some form of long-term care paid for by Medicaid, the state-federal health system for the poor, a patchy safety net that industry representatives say pays facilities too little.
Advertisement
Residents of assisted-living facilities — promoted as a homier, more appealing alternative to nursing homes — face an especially precarious situation. While federal law protects Medicaid beneficiaries in nursing homes from eviction, the law does not protect residents of assisted-living facilities, leaving them with few options when turned out. In Wisconsin, residents who entered facilities on Medicaid, as well as those who drained their private savings after moving in and subsequently enrolled in Medicaid, have been affected.
“It’s a good illustration of how Medicaid assisted-living public policy is still in its Wild West phase, with providers doing what they choose in many cases, even though it’s unfair to consumers,” said Eric Carlson, a lawyer and director of long-term services and support advocacy at the nonprofit group Justice in Aging. “You can’t just flip in and out of these relationships and treat the people as incidental damage.”
The U.S. government does not monitor or regulate assisted-living facilities, and no federal data is available on the frequency of evictions. In Wisconsin, The Washington Post counted at least 50 since the fall based on statements by operators and nonprofit and government Medicaid agencies. But evictions have become so common that some states, including New Jersey, have enacted policies to curb them.
Advertisement
Emerald Bay did not explain why it stopped participating in Medicaid. But advocates, family members and the nonprofit that managed the facility’s Medicaid contract contend the motivation was financial: Medicaid reimbursement is lower than full private pay rates.
Family members said they were upset and angry. Holtz spent her entire savings paying out of pocket with the understanding that she would be permitted to stay once she qualified for low-income insurance, her relatives said. Ann Marra, Holtz’s daughter, said her mother — who worked much of her life as a professional secretary and raised her family in Algoma, a small town on Lake Michigan — deserved better treatment.
Marra feared the eviction would affect her mother’s mental health.
“It’s cruel, heartless and sad,” she said.
After a stressful search, Holtz’s family moved her on March 13 to an assisted-living facility that still honors state Medicaid. Emerald Bay’s operator, Baka Enterprises, did not respond to requests for comment.
Advertisement
Advocates for assisted-living residents worry that pandemic-induced economic conditions are contributing to the problem in pockets of the country. Profits in assisted-living facilities are threatened by a shortage of staff and big spikes in labor costs, inflation that is jacking up the costs of goods, and higher interest rates. Meanwhile, occupancy rates continue to lag behind pre-pandemic peaks.
The industry blames evictions oninsufficient Medicaid funding. Reimbursements, made under federal waivers that allow states to spend Medicaid dollars for elderly care outside of nursing homes, are not keeping up with rising costs, industry representatives said.
“Chronic Medicaid underfunding is not sustainable and is limiting participation as well as driving many providers out of the waiver program, reducing access to care options,” said LaShuan Bethea, executive director of the National Center for Assisted Living trade group.
The gap in pay rates between Medicaid and the full amount charged to families paying out of pocketvaries among states. While private pay rates are often $5,000 a month or more, Medicaid in many states pays only about $3,000 a month, said Paul Williams, vice president of government relations at Argentum, a trade association representing assisted-living facilities.
Advertisement
Operators “have tried to hold off [canceling Medicaid contracts] as long as they can, hoping the reimbursement will be increased to help them afford inflation factors,” Williams said. “Hope has diminished in some states of that happening, and they’re saying, ‘I cannot do this anymore.’”
In 2020, about 18 percent of 818,000 residents in U.S. assisted-living facilities were supported by Medicaid payments, according to federal data, a ratio that has remained stable for at least a decade.
In Wisconsin, at least four facilities have canceled Medicaid managed-care contracts in recent months. In addition to Emerald Bay’s 15 residents,Cedarhurst of Madison had 28 residents who were Medicaid beneficiaries when it terminated its contract last year. Residents found out they were being evicted after being called to a group meeting in late fall, said one of those told to leave, Elizabeth Burnette.
Advertisement
“Residents were in tears to hear they had to find another place to live,” Burnette, 80, said. “Most of us are incapacitated in some way, with walkers and in wheelchairs or mobile beds.”
Cedarhurst operates the facility, which is owned by a Massachusetts-based real estate investment trust, Diversified Healthcare Trust. Going to 100 percent private pay at the Madison site was a “tough decision” made in conjunction with Diversified Healthcare, Cedarhurst spokeswoman Christie Schrader said.
Cedarhurst became the facility’s operator in November 2021.
“When we took over management, we inherited Medicaid residents with special cases who required advanced care that we do not offer at our communities,” Schrader said. “Therefore, we believed it was in the residents’ best interest to aid them in finding alternative placement which could care for them in the way they deserve.”
Advertisement
The lobbying and trade group in Wisconsin that represents the long-term care industry said assisted-living operators recognize evictions are highly stressful for residents and their families.
“Not only is it traumatic for the resident and the family, it’s also traumatic for the facility. It really is,” said Rick Abrams, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Health Care Association/Wisconsin Center for Assisted Living. “This is the residents’ home. Everyone understands that.”
He said evictions usually occur when an assisted-living facility and one of the state’s nonprofit Medicaid managed-care organizations cannot agree on the monthly rates for care of an elderly person. Written notices given to residents in the recent evictions stated little about the rationale.
HarborChase of Shorewood, outside Milwaukee, had six Medicaid residents when it said it was ending its Medicaid contracts in January, according to managers of the state’s nonprofit Medicaid managed-care organizations.
Advertisement
“With the new year comes necessary changes,” Karin Bateman, chief operating officer of Vero Beach, Fla.-based Harbor Retirement Associates, HarborChase of Shorewood’s parent company, wrote in a three-paragraph letter to residents on Jan. 6 that informed them that the facility would no longer accept Medicaid. “Our 60-day notice of Medicaid termination gives you time to plan accordingly.”
Harbor Retirement Associates did not respond to requests for comment.
The evictions carry an especially harsh sting for residents who enter assisted-living facilities paying full rates out of pocket with the understanding that, once their nest egg has been spent down, they can remain in the facility under Medicaid. Such arrangements are common across the country and are discussed with families by marketing staff, according to elder-law attorneys and industry experts.
Advertisement
But facilities may have strict limits on the number of beds they designate as Medicaid-eligible, or they can back out of state Medicaid contracts completely. Such caveats may be buried in the fine print of resident agreements or are not addressed at all in the contracts, according to contract provisions in the Wisconsin cases reviewed by The Post. Families often sign such contracts in a time of stress, as they are seeking a safe place for a parent who can no longer remain in their own home.
“This is how people are getting screwed, by promises that the place will take [Wisconsin Medicaid] if they stay for two years. Then they either sell to another company, or change their minds and opt out of the program entirely, which you really can’t stop them from doing. At that point, the family has used up their funds,” said Carol Wessels, an attorney specializing in elder law in Mequon, Wis.
Family members are often left feeling betrayed.
“It’s appalling to say the least,” said Megan Brillault, whose mother, Nancy Brillault, was evicted from HarborChase of Shorewood after spending most of her $120,000 savings. “They said, ‘Here, let us take your money, all your life savings, and you can live here forever,’ and 10 months later they’re saying, ‘We miscalculated, and we are no longer taking Medicaid beds.’”
Megan Brillault provided an email to The Post in which a HarborChase representative said Nancy could transition to Medicaid after paying private-pay rates for one year. The residency contract did not address the issue, said Brillault, a lawyer.
Medicaid pays for nursing home care directly. It’s an entitlement — if a low-income person qualifies, the state must fund a nursing home bed. Medicaid pays all costs in nursing homes, including room and board, as well as care.
Assisted living is different. At those facilities, Medicaid money can be used to reimburse only the cost of care, such as bathing and dressing, and not room and board, although some states offer supplemental payments to help with rent and food.
With the overwhelming majority of residents paying privately, the median operating profit for U.S. assisted-living facilities in 2019 was 29 percent before deductions for interest and rent payments, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care.
Kate McEvoy, executive director of the National Association of Medicaid Directors, said states want to give elderly people options outside of nursing homes but are squeezed between restrictions on how Medicaid money can be used and the high costs of assisted living.
“This has been a challenge in what has primarily been a proprietary, market-driven model,” she said.
In the eviction notice emailed to Holtz’s family in Wisconsin, Baka Enterprises,Emerald Bay’s operator, said it had decided to terminate its contracts with the state’s Medicaid program that covers services for the elderly. It did not provide a reason, but cited a provision of its contract with residents that allowed it to discharge them if they could not afford private-pay rates and the facility did not have designated Medicaid beds.
Kris Holtz, Shirley Holtz’s son, said he was not aware of the provision when he moved his mother into Emerald Bay.Shirley Holtz paid private rates for 26 months before qualifying for Medicaid. She lived at Emerald Bay for another two years at the Medicaid rate before receiving the eviction notice, he said.
The Emerald Bay Medicaid contract was managed by a nonprofit called Lakeland Care. “In the end, Emerald Bay asked us to pay the full private-pay rate for these members, which we are unable to do as a Medicaid-funded agency,” Lakeland Care’s chief executive officer, Sara Muhlbauer, said in a written statement to The Post.
Experts say moving elderly people out of familiar surroundings can induce a condition called “transfer trauma” that accelerates decline. Shirley Holtz’s relatives detected rapid changes after the eviction, said Marra, her daughter. Her mother lost 15 pounds, she said, and quickly stopped using her walker.
On Monday, three weeks after moving out of Emerald Bay and into the new facility, Shirley Holtz died. “The move was a huge factor in her decline,” Marra said in a text.
Even as she mourned, Marra texted an expletive to describe the U.S. long-term care system, punctuated by a red-faced frown emoji. “Kinda angry right now,” she said. | 2023-04-06T11:54:49+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2023/04/06/seniors-assisted-living-medicaid-eviction/ |
Delta Air Lines reported a $363 million loss for the first quarter on Thursday, with higher spending on labor and fuel overshadowing a sharp rise in revenue.
But the airline predicted it will make a bigger-than-expected profit in the current second quarter, which includes the start of the key summer travel season.
Airlines are getting a tailwind from the combination of strong demand and limited flights, which has pushed fares higher. But investors were spooked this week when industry analysts warned that growth in airline bookings has slowed down compared with this time last year.
Delta’s CEO said it is unfair to compare current ticket sales with those from a year ago, when travel was just starting to boom as pandemic-related restrictions were lifted.
CEO Ed Bastian and other airline executives have been saying for months that travel demand shows no signs of weakening despite high inflation, layoffs in the tech industry, the failures of a couple banks, and uncertainty about the economy. They say Americans still want to catch up on travel that they postponed when the pandemic hit.
“The second quarter is looking very good. The demand picture is strong,” Bastian said in an interview. “We are looking to grow our (passenger-carrying) capacity by mid-double digits, and revenue along a similar pattern” — by 15% to 17% over the same quarter last year.
Bastian said alarming headlines about bank failures and other economic tremors seem to be having no impact on bookings. He said many customers are booking flights farther ahead of time, but there is more “near-term churn” — cancellations remain elevated since Delta and other carriers relaxed cancellations policies during the pandemic.
Delta said corporate travel has returned only to 85% of pre-pandemic levels. Bastian said some of it will never return but is being replaced because people who aren’t working in the office are taking more trips that combine work with leisure.
Delta’s first-quarter revenue jumped 36% from a year earlier, to $12.76 billion, with money from passengers in both economy and premium cabins and income from its refinery near Philadelphia.
Delta is the first big U.S. airline to report first-quarter numbers. The Atlanta-based carrier needs revenue to rise if it is to be profitable because costs are soaring.
In the first quarter, traditionally the slowest period of the year for travel, Delta spent 28% more on fuel than it did a year earlier, an increase of $584 million. The price of fuel could be heading higher, after OPEC and allies including Russia agreed to cut production of oil.
Delta’s labor spending jumped 20%, or $560 million — and that did not include $864 million to cover signing bonuses for pilots, who ratified a new contract with big pay raises in March. Other expenses, including aircraft maintenance and selling costs, also jumped by double-digit percentages.
Delta’s loss was smaller than the $940 million shortfall it recorded in last year’s first quarter. Excluding the cost of the pilot bonuses and other one-time items, the Atlanta-based airline said it would have earned $163 million, or 25 cents per share. Analysts predicted adjusted profit of 29 cents per share, according to a FactSet survey.
Delta forecast that it will earn between $2 and $2.25 per share in the April-through-June quarter. That would smash analysts’ expectations — they are looking for $1.66 per share.
Cowen analyst Helane Becker said the outlook was better than she expected and is a “good sign for other international carriers.”
That, of course, will depend on a good start to the summer travel season. It promises to be a busy one, with roughly as many passengers as in pre-pandemic 2019 but not as many flights.
Flight cancellations and delays surged last summer. Airlines that were caught short on staffing last year have hired thousands of pilots and other employees. They are counting on the federal government having enough air traffic controllers.
“I think this summer should be significantly better than last summer,” Bastian said. “We’ve got another year of experience under the belts of our new employees — another year of hiring and training of our pilots to ensure they are ready for it.”
Shares of Delta were down more than 1% in morning trading. Airline stocks fell the previous day, led by a 9% decline for American Airlines, which gave an earnings outlook that disappointed investors. | 2023-04-13T17:05:29+00:00 | wric.com | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/delta-loses-363-million-but-says-travel-demand-still-strong/ |
For the first time this year, a small white patch appears on the U.S. Drought Monitor’s map of Colorado, signifying the only area in the state no longer experiencing abnormally dry conditions.
That patch, east of Steamboat Springs, covers a portion of southwest Jackson County and a sliver of Larimer County’s western border, accounts for just 1% of the state’s area, Drought Monitor data indicates. But it’s a start.
The rest of the state still ranges in between “abnormally dry” and an “exceptional drought,” but recent rain and snowfall this week began nibbling away at those massive swathes of dry land.
The same thing happened last year, although the drought began to recede in April rather than June.
One complicating factor, climatologists have told The Denver Post, is that the soils around the state are so dry that it takes more water than normal for them to bounce back from the dry season. Colorado didn’t see an excess of snow over the winter that those experts hoped for, not enough to fully quench the state’s parched soils and streams.
While that drought is receding slightly, state officials like Gov. Jared Polis, say they’re bracing for what could be the worst wildfire year in Colorado’s history. Some worry specifically about the Eastern Plains and the southwest corner of the state.
Snowpack conditions in northern Colorado improved this week after a bout of storms, according to data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Levels around Steamboat Springs are 109% of normal levels for this time of the year, the data shows. Snowpack around Aspen sits at 92% of normal. The biggest boost came for the Fort Collins, Boulder and Denver corridor, which sits at 142% of normal levels. And the area around Colorado Springs and Pueblo sits at 102% of normal.
Still lagging is the area around Gunnison and Ouray, which sits at 50% of normal snowpack, the data shows.
And in the red zone sits the Alamosa and Durango areas with 4% and 3% of normal snowpack, respectively.
By this time last year more than half the state was no longer considered to be in a drought, data shows. However at that same time last year more than 16% of Colorado was considered to be in “exceptional drought” compared to less than 1% this year. | 2022-06-02T15:40:52+00:00 | denverpost.com | https://www.denverpost.com/2022/06/02/colorado-drought-snowpack-snow-wildfires-jackson-larimer/ |
4 victims in Dadeville, Alabama, mass shooting identified
TALLAPOOSA COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA/Gray News) - Public officials have identified the four victims in the Dadeville mass shooting.
According to Tallapoosa County Coroner Mike Knox, the victims have been identified as Philstavious Dowdell, 18, of Camp Hill, Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23 and Shaunkivia Nicole Smith, 17, both of Dadeville and Marsiah Emmanuel Collins, 19, of Opelika.
Dowdell was a star high school athlete and had recently committed to Jacksonville State to further his athletic career.
The Saturday night shooting took place at a birthday party for Dowdell’s sister at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio in Dadeville, the Associated Press reported. It’s not clear how many of the 28 injured were shot.
On Monday, a Lake Martin Community Hospital spokesperson updated the public on its role in the tragedy.
“As you all know, the city had a great tragedy over the weekend,” Heidi Smith, marketing director for the hospital, said.
Smith added that 15 patients came through the emergency room following the shooting. All the patients had gunshot wounds and all of them were teenagers.
Due to inclement weather on Saturday night, Smith said some patient transfers were delayed.
“We have a helicopter pad, but we could not fly the helicopter due to inclement weather,” Smith said. “As soon as the weather kind of subsided, we were able to get most of those people transferred on out of those nine that transferred to other places.”
Of those patients that needed to be transferred, five were in critical condition and four were considered stable, Smith said. All nine patients were sent to other hospitals, including Baptist South in Montgomery, Children’s Hospital in Birmingham and Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta.
Smith added that Dadeville is a small community, and this tragedy has been extremely difficult.
“And I think just knowing that this could just have easily been one of your own children or your children’s friends, it’s so close to home,” Smith added.
The shootings rocked the city of 3,200 residents, which is about 57 miles northeast of Montgomery, Alabama. Dadeville is also close to Lake Martin, a popular recreational area.
Multiple law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation, including the Dadeville Police Department, Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), FBI and the 5th Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
Central Alabama CrimeStoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the suspect(s) involved.
This is at least the second time in recent years that multiple people were shot in Dadeville, the Associated Press reported. Five people were wounded in July 2016 during a shooting at an American Legion hall, and a man was later charged with five counts of attempted murder, news outlets reported.
Copyright 2023 WSFA via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report | 2023-04-17T15:51:09+00:00 | wlbt.com | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/04/17/4-victims-dadeville-alabama-mass-shooting-identified/ |
A Buffalo couple cared for the body of a stranger who collapsed and died outside their home on Christmas Eve during a rescue attempt by the woman’s family.
Antwaine Parker said he will always be in debt to David Purdy and his fiancée, Cassieopia Layhee, for trying to save the life of his mother, Carolyn Eubanks, and sheltering her body at their Ideal Street home for an entire day.
“They’re two beautiful people. They didn’t have to let me in,” Parker said on Tuesday. “I had to thank Dave and Cassie, two strangers I’ve never seen in my life, never met. They allowed my mother to rest in peace on their living room floor.”
Purdy said he was heartbroken that he couldn’t do more to help Eubanks, 63, and Parker.
“It’s saddening. This lady was six months younger than my mom. My mom lives a couple blocks away and is on oxygen, and if she needed help, I’d hope there would be people out there to help her, as well.”
People are also reading…
Purdy said he plans on attending Eubanks’ funeral and will keep in contact with Parker.
“I think we did make a friend for life under the worst circumstances possible,” he said.
Eubanks had a heart condition and needed electricity to run an oxygen machine.
Parker knew his mother wouldn’t survive in her Lovejoy home with no heat and no electricity. Her portable oxygen canisters were almost empty.
Parker said 911 operators told him there was nothing they could do to respond in the blinding blizzard.
More people in Western New York have died due to this storm than died as a result of the Blizzard of '77.
Knowing it was a risk, Parker and his stepbrother Kenneth Johnson decided to drive Saturday afternoon from Cheektowaga to Eubanks’ Lovejoy home. The trip in normal weather takes less than 10 minutes by car. It took Parker and Johnson seven hours on Saturday, because they continually encountered stuck vehicles that needed to be pushed out. Parker ended up parking his Jeep Cherokee nearly two blocks away from Eubanks’ house due to the road being jammed up by other cars.
Parker and Johnson gathered up Eubanks as best they could and began walking with her back to the vehicle. But Eubanks quickly fatigued.
“She’s like, ‘I can’t go no further.’ I’m begging her, ‘Mom, just stand up.’ She fell in my arms and never spoke another word,” said Parker.
Support Local Journalism
Parker pounded on several Ideal Street doors for help. Eventually, Purdy opened his door to the stranger in a ski mask, and when Parker explained what was happening, Purdy burst outside in a T-shirt and slippers to help carry Eubanks inside.
Ultimately, it took Parker, Johnson, Purdy and another neighbor – using a kid’s sled – to get Eubanks to the porch through snow drifts as high as 3 or 4 feet.
Inside, Parker and Purdy took turns trying to resuscitate Eubanks, but it soon became clear that she had died.
When Parker told his wife by phone what had happened, she became distraught and was planning to drive to Ideal Street. Parker and Purdy agreed it would be best for Parker to return immediately to his Cheektowaga home and leave Eubanks’ body at Purdy’s house, Purdy said. It would have been too difficult to get her body to Parker’s vehicle, he said.
Purdy said he kept the body covered inside the house, and when power and heat returned on Sunday, he moved the body to his porch to slow down decomposition. He said he called Parker to make sure that was OK.
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer said Tuesday he spoke with Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, to urge the feds to launch a “whole-of-government response” to the historic snowstorm.
“I done it as respectful as I could,” said Purdy. The body remained at his home for about 24 hours before it was taken to Erie County Medical Center.
Purdy was clearing his driveway Sunday when a group of first responders showed up on Ideal Street with snowmobiles, a front loader, and a pickup truck with a plow.
Purdy yelled out that he had a dead body on his porch, and the first responders loaded the body into the pickup.
“They said her body was going to ECMC and would be there within the hour,” he said.
In addition to her son, Eubanks was survived by four stepsons, two stepdaughters and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
“She loved her grandkids, spoiled them rotten,” said Parker.
Parker said his mother surely would have died in her home alone if he had not tried to rescue her, and he does not regret his actions.
“I didn’t give up and let her die by herself. She didn’t die alone. I can live with that for the rest of my life, knowing that I fought for my mother. She tried and tried until she couldn’t go any further,” said Parker. | 2022-12-28T02:19:04+00:00 | buffalonews.com | https://buffalonews.com/news/local/buffalo-family-shelters-strangers-body-at-their-home-for-a-day-after-she-dies-in/article_68dbbef2-863f-11ed-9d64-4b93014dd101.html |
MOSCOW (AP) — Russian investigators on Wednesday raided the home of Ksenia Sobchak, the glamourous daughter of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s one-time boss, in a move that has sent shockwaves through the country’s political scene.
Sobchak, a 40-year-old TV star, has often been critical of Putin, but many Russian opposition figures have accused her of serving the Kremlin’s agenda. In 2018, she became a liberal challenger in Russia’s presidential election, finishing a distant fourth with about 1.7% of the vote in what her critics described as a Kremlin effort to add a democratic veneer to Putin’s sweeping re-election.
Investigators said that the search at Sobchak’s luxury home in a prestigious Moscow suburb was part of a probe into alleged wrongdoing by her media director, Kirill Sukhanov, who was arrested on charges of extortion.
Sobchak on Tuesday rejected the accusations against Sukhanov as “ravings and nonsense” and described his arrest as part of the authorities’ efforts to stifle independent media.
The state Tass and RIA-Novosti news agencies said that Sobchak had fled Russia. Tass claimed she had bought tickets to Dubai and Turkey to mislead the authorities but eventually left for Belarus, from where she moved to Lithuania. The reports claimed that investigators suspected Sobchak of being involved in the extortion scheme along with her media director and alleged that a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Tass also cited information from the probe indicating that Sergei Chemezov, a long time Putin associate who heads the state Rostec corporation, a conglomerate controlling Russian aviation industries and other high-tech assets, was the victim of alleged extortion.
The claims couldn’t be independently confirmed. Sobchak hasn’t commented on the allegations and her whereabouts were unknown.
Sobchak has extensive contacts among Russia’s rich and powerful, and the search of her home topped domestic news.
Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst, argued that the raid has sent a signal to members of the Russian elite that all bets are off.
“If they can arrest the daughter of Putin’s patron … it means there are no untouchables,” Markov wrote in a commentary. “For some members of the elites, an arrest warrant for Sobchak is a blazing sign in the skies.”
Sobchak is the daughter of Anatoly Sobchak, a liberal mayor of St. Petersburg for whom Putin served as a deputy in the 1990s.
Sobchak has 9.4 million followers on Instagram, and her glamour, sharp wit and defiant ways have made her both loved and loathed.
She first gained fame as a fashionable socialite and reality TV star and was once dubbed the “Russian Paris Hilton,” but later sought to shed her spoiled and arrogant image.
Sobchak got involved in politics when she joined the massive protests in Moscow against Putin in 2011-12, and later reinvented herself as a serious TV journalist and opposition activist.
Sobchak has denied serving the Kremlin’s agenda by running as a challenger to Putin in 2018. But opposition leader Alexei Navalny denounced her for discrediting the opposition by joining the race, saying that she was a “parody of a liberal candidate” and her involvement in the campaign helped the Kremlin cast the opposition in a negative light. | 2022-10-27T08:36:49+00:00 | wdtn.com | https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-investigators-raid-home-of-russian-celeb-ksenia-sobchak/ |
Dart, Judkins lead No. 15 Ole Miss past Texas A&M 31-28
COLLEGE STATION, Tex. (AP) — Quinshon Judkins rushed for 205 yards, Jaxson Dart passed for three touchdowns and No. 15 Mississippi beat Texas A&M 31-28 on Saturday night.
Judkins had a 1-yard touchdown run with 7:18 remaining, helping Mississippi rebound from its first loss of the season. He is up to 1,036 yards rushing on the season.
Dart threw touchdown passes of 18, 1 and 2 yards. He was 13 for 20 for 140 yards, and also had 17 carries for 95 yards on the ground.
Zach Evans, who missed last week’s 45-20 loss to LSU with a leg injury, returned against the Aggies and rushed for 75 yards. Jonathan Mingo had four catches for 89 yards and a touchdown for the Rebels (8-1, 4-1 Southeastern Conference).
Ole Miss rushed for 391 yards, including 134 yards in the first quarter, and finished with 530 total yards.
Connor Weigman was 28 of 44 for 338 yards and four touchdowns for Texas A&M (3-5, 1-4). The Aggies lost their fourth straight game for the school’s longest slide since losing four straight at the end of the 2005 season.
Devon Achane rushed 25 times for 138 yards, and Moose Muhammad III caught eight passes for 112 yards and a score.
Texas A&M cut the lead to three on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Weigman to Achane with 1:25 remaining. The Rebels then went three-and-out, but the Aggies turned the ball over on downs to end it.
Trailing 14-7 in the first quarter, the Rebels reeled off the next 17 points. Ole Miss had a field goal before halftime, and Dart connected on touchdown passes to Casey Kelly and Mingo to take a 24-14 lead with a minute left in the third.
THE TAKEAWAY
Mississippi: After a slow start, the Rebels scored on three of four drives to end the first half and start the second half to open up the 10-point lead. Ole Miss’ fast-paced offense gave Texas A&M problems throughout the game.
Texas A&M: Penalties hurt Texas A&M once again. The Aggies finished with nine penalties for 51 yards and were 5 of 13 on third downs.
GUTSY CALL
Facing fourth-and-4 on its 16 with eight minutes remaining in the second quarter, Ole Miss faked a punt, and J.J. Pegues ran it up the middle for the first down. The drive ended in a 46-yard field goal by Jonathan Cruz.
CHANGING THE MUSIC
Texas A&M ran onto Kyle Field with a different song playing on Saturday. The Aggies had entered the field to “Power” by Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) since 2012, but following Ye’s recent antisemitic comments, Texas A&M made a change and ran on to the field to an instrumental of “Bonfire” by Childish Gambino. Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork had announced the decision earlier this week.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Rebels could move up a couple spots in the Top 25 poll.
UP NEXT
Mississippi: Hosts No. 6 Alabama on Nov. 12.
Texas A&M: Hosts Florida on Saturday.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2022-10-30T22:28:10+00:00 | wafb.com | https://www.wafb.com/2022/10/30/dart-judkins-lead-no-15-ole-miss-past-texas-am-31-28/ |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Notre Dame quarterback Tyler Buchner started with a bang against the Buckeyes.
Then he followed the script.
After impressing his new coach with a poised season-opening performance against No. 2 Ohio State, Buchner will get to show what he learned from his first big test and why coach Marcus Freeman is excited to watch him when No. 8 Notre Dame hosts Marshall on Saturday.
“We’ve got ourselves a quarterback,” Freeman said following Notre Dame's 21-10 loss to the Buckeyes. “There’s a strong belief in what he can do for this football program.”
Nobody expected Buchner to be perfect in what could have been his most daunting challenge all season — matching wits against a national championship contender in front of 107,000 mostly hostile fans and on prime-time national television.
Still, he took care of the ball and kept the Fighting Irish in contention — and his toughness was evident right from the start.
On the first snap, Buchner faked a handoff, threw to his right and took a big hit in the chest from Buckeyes defensive end J.T. Tuimoloau. Lorenzo Styles caught the pass and turned it into a 54-yard gain. Tuimoloau's personal foul penalty added 15 yards to the play.
Buchner completed his first eight throws for 128 yards to help quiet the raucous crowd. By the time he threw an incompletion, midway through the second quarter, the Irish led 10-7 and took that lead into halftime.
But as the Buckeyes ratcheted up the pressure and stiffened against the run, Buchner struggled and the offense stagnated. Notre Dame gained just 72 total yards as Ohio State dominated the second half and the Buckeyes' offense eventually wore down the Irish defense.
“It wasn’t clicking the second half,” Buchner said. “That’s what killed us.”
Buchner was 10 of 18 passing for 177 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions and rushed for 18 yards on 11 carries.
And the Buckeyes punished him. They logged three sacks, one quarterback hurry, hit Buchner at least a dozen times, and at one point Buchner hurt an ankle.
“He got beat up,” said Freeman, who intentionally limited the number of rushes Buchner took. “We knew going into that game, we were going to have to run Tyler Buchner.”
The blue-chip recruit from Southern California provided a glimpse of skills in 10 appearances last season off the bench.
His speed, athleticism and grasp of the read-option made him a catalyst in an explosive ground game. Buchner ran 46 times for 336 yards and three TDs while completing 21 of 35 passes for 298 yards with three scores and three interceptions.
Against the Buckeyes, though, Freeman wanted to slow Ohio State's fast-paced, usually high-scoring offense by playing it safe.
“That was our plan going into the game," Freeman said. "Be able to control the clock, limit their offensive possessions and run the football.”
Expect things to change.
Freeman and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees will likely turn Buchner loose as he gets more comfortable and experienced in the offensive system. And with the possible exception of No. 5 Clemson, no defense on the remaining schedule possesses the defensive prowess of Ohio State. Notre Dame hosts Clemson on Nov. 5.
If he is cut loose, Buchner could emerge as an explosive passer. He was accurate on short and intermediate throws and showed nice touch on deep balls against Ohio State. Notre Dame heads into the weekend ranked No. 12 in the FBS at 9.83 yards per attempt.
But to reach his potential as a pocket passer, Buchner will need better protection and perhaps fewer carries to remain healthy.
“That’s not our plan every week,” Freeman said. “But we knew that in order to try to establish a run game, we were going to have to run him a little bit.”
The Irish coaches also liked the leadership Buchner displayed. They said he stayed positive while talking to teammates on the sideline, even as their halftime lead slipped away.
“For a second-year guy in his first collegiate start, in that type of environment and in that type of game," Freeman said, “I was really pleased.”
___
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://bit.ly/3pqZVaF.
Credit: David Dermer
Credit: David Dermer
Credit: David Dermer
Credit: David Dermer
Credit: David Dermer
Credit: David Dermer
Credit: David Dermer
Credit: David Dermer | 2022-09-07T16:32:45+00:00 | daytondailynews.com | https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio/beat-up-buchner-ready-to-show-irish-what-he-learned-in-loss/D2LHHAPWCVEBDIUMB4WCGI2PXE/ |
TAIPEI, Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Axiomtek – a world-renowned leader relentlessly devoted to the research, development, and manufacturing of innovative and reliable industrial computer products of high efficiency – is pleased to introduce the CAPA322, an Intel® Atom-based 3.5-inch embedded board featuring two M.2 slots (Key E and Key B), a 2.5GbE LAN port and triple view display. The single-board computer is upgraded tremendously in connection speed and expandability to meet various demands for expansion and connectivity in IoT applications.
The Axiomtek's CAPA322 is powered by the onboard Intel® Celeron® processor N6210/J6412 and Atom® x6413E processor (code name: Elkhart Lake), which provide enhanced performance with better burst frequency. Especially the Atom® x6413E even supports the latest in-band ECC memory to improve safety and reliability. The wide operating temperature ranges from -20°C to +70°C or -40 to +85oC maximizes the deployment potential. The input power adapts 12 to 24V DC in.
To speed up the data transmission in IoT applications, in addition to a GbE LAN port, the CAPA322 features a 2.5GbE LAN port as well. Then, the SBC now brings one M.2 Key B 3042/3050 slot for the cellular network, like 5G/ LTE/4G and one M.2 Key E 2230 slot for Wi-Fi connection, making the board applicable in a variety of applications that require connectivity. In addition, the feature-rich CAPA322 provides a triple view which includes HDMI 2.0 and DisplayPort++; while the LVDS co-layouts with the eDP, the user could choose either one according to the demand.
The tiny 3.5-inch embedded SBC has a 260-pin DDR4-3200 SO-DIMM and the system memory can reach 32GB at maximum. In terms of storage, the embedded board provides one SATA-600 (3.0) slot and a mSATA slot. The board supports optional TPM 2.0 to ensure the security of data and operation. The SBC features abundant I/O including two USB 3.2, four USB 2.0, two RS-232, two RS-232/422/485, and 8-channel DIO. It supports Windows® 10 and Linux operating systems.
"The CAPA322 is made for 5G, Edge, IoT applications and is small enough to fit into any space confined situations. It features high performance with low power consumption and wide range operating temperature, which make them to adapt in different IoT applications. In this board, we maintain the internal connectors in the edge of board which allows the system integrators easier to manage the cable routing." said Michelle Mi, product manager of the Product Planning Division at Axiomtek.
The 3.5" rugged embedded platform will be available in Q4 2022. For more product information or customization services, please visit our global website at www.axiomtek.com or contact one of our sales representatives at info@axiomtek.com.tw.
Advanced Features
- Intel® Celeron® processor N6210/J6412 & Intel Atom® x6413E processor (codename: Elkhart Lake)
- -40°C to +85°C (-40°F to 185°F) for Intel® Atom® x6413E processor
- One DDR4 SO-DIMM for up to 32GB
- Four USB 2.0 and two USB 3.2 Gen2
- One M.2 Key E and one M.2 Key B
- Wide range 12V to 24V DC in
About Axiomtek Co., Ltd
Axiomtek has experienced extraordinary growth in the past 30 years because of our people, our years of learning which resulted in our tremendous industry experience, and our desire to deliver well-rounded, easy-to-integrate solutions to our customers. These factors have influenced us to invest in a growing team of engineers including software, hardware, firmware, and application engineers. For the next few decades, our success will be determined by our ability to lead with unique technologies for AIoT and serve our key markets with innovatively-designed solution packages of hardware and software – coupled with unmatched engineering and value-added services that will help lessen the challenges faced by our systems integrator, OEM and ODM customers and prospects alike. We will continue to enlist more technology partners and increase collaborations with our growing ecosystem who are leaders in their fields. With such alliances, we will create synergy and better deliver solutions, value, and the expertise our customers need.
As an associate member of the Intel® Internet of Things Solutions Alliance, Axiomtek continuously develops and delivers cutting edge solutions based on the latest Intel® platforms.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Axiomtek | 2022-08-17T09:30:17+00:00 | wcjb.com | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/axiomtek-presents-highly-expandable-35-embedded-board-with-25g-lan-5g-networks-capa322/ |
Bacchi’s Inn, a favorite for generations of Tahoe families, including mine, is no more.
With one last service to a full house of mostly locals there to pay homage, the restaurant — which had just celebrated its 90th birthday — quietly shut its doors on Sept. 11 for good.
Set back from a little inlet in a neighborhood called Lake Forest, the fabled Italian restaurant came to life on the lake’s North Shore, starting as a summer haunt during the basin’s rise to prominence as a destination.
Throughout the years, the many patrons of Bacchi’s, along with the family itself, gave Tahoe some of its most memorable sightings and stories.
On-again, off-again Hollywood couple Al Pacino and Diane Keaton were spotted dining there multiple times in 1973 during the filming of “The Godfather Part II” on the West Shore, along with the crew of that movie. Rumor has it that the dark-hued study of Michael Corleone, juxtaposed with the shimmering blue lake in the backdrop, was, in part, inspired by the dark, rustic interiors of Bacchi’s.
More recently, the restaurant made headlines in the wake of a 2010 bear encounter when its owner shot and killed a 500-pound black bear that was making Bacchi’s dining room his winter home.
For Tahoe’s locals, Bacchi’s was the place to go to mark our most important events: anniversaries, graduations, celebrations. My own family counted itself among the restaurant’s regulars — my first memory of being dressed up, and itchy, for a fancy restaurant dinner was at Bacchi’s Inn.
The restaurant was instantly movie-theater dark as we would duck in from the long Tahoe summer afternoon. Once we stepped across the threshold, we were transported to dine among generations of Tahoe’s finest, past and present. But all things, even lingering Italian dinners, eventually come to an end.
“We’re done,” William “Pops” Hunter, the maternal grandson of founders George and Josephine Bacchi, who opened the restaurant in 1932, told SFGATE. “Basically, I’m the chef, and I’m 78 years old. I’ve been doing it for 65 years. It was just time.”
Prior to closing, Hunter’s son, Everett, the fourth-generation co-owner, was splitting time between waiting tables, running the front door, working the cash register and bar and another full-time job while his dad ran the kitchen. “It was too hard on all of us,” Hunter said. “Nobody up here you can hire to work. We were turning away 50, 60 people a night. We couldn’t seat them.”
The restaurant began when the Bacchis — immigrants from Sicily who had arrived at Ellis Island in 1905 and were living in Sacramento — would cook large Italian meals for workers, families and friends at the lake.
Josephine’s dishes caught the eye of heiress and philanthropist Lora J. Knight, most famous for her funding of Charles Lindbergh’s record-setting trans-Atlantic flight. Knight was also the woman behind Vikingsholm castle in Emerald Bay, and the Bacchis were her go-to caterer. In time, she encouraged the family to open a business of their own.
The Bacchis bought a parcel, built a half-dozen cabins and a small roadhouse with an apartment unit on top, then painted it all fire-engine red. As nearby lots started to see more development, the couple fed construction workers three meals a day. Once the neighborhood took shape, they remained open for family-style Italian dinners during the summer months.
The restaurant gained a reputation as a destination before Highway 28 encircled the lake or Interstate 80 brought visitors here. For decades, it was the “only show in town,” according to Hunter.
Highway 28 would eventually hide Bacchi’s from view, beginning in the 1950s. Still, the restaurant became a Tahoe icon — not only for its mountain-hewn take on the traditional Italian meal but for its refusal to be anything but the accessible, lived-in joint that had opened during the apex of the Depression.
The dim lighting, the wood paneling, the dark beams on the ceiling, the comfy red leather chair in the corner of the bar that a kid could get lost in … it was all mixed with big band sounds or Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis and Tony Bennett to kick off the special night ahead.
Growing up, while waiting in the bar area for a table, an adult would hand me a Shirley Temple. The bartender would mix drinks and make small talk about the state of the lake that day with my dad and grandpa. I’d stand between them, on my tiptoes, to catch a glimpse of the game on TV or the various black-and-white photos displayed behind the bar.
True to Italian traditions, the insanely languid meal to follow would take for-e-ver (at least two hours). Bacchi’s signature was the cena, a traditional Italian dinner served family style on red-and-white gingham tablecloths: courses upon courses of healthy portions of salami, beets, chickpeas and pepperoncini, olives, pickles and celery. Then came the minestrone, presented in a giant stainless silver bowl with a ladle sticking out.
Along with the soup, there were frequently swapped-out baskets of fresh-baked bread, heat rising after tearing. All of this was before the spaghetti or ravioli, salad or even the entree: steak, veal, chicken parmesan or cacciatore. Plate after plate, dishes piled on one another whisked away by servers in red coats (and later red aprons) before they brought out something bigger, more delicious, than the thing before.
I’d never eaten so much — nor had so many Shirley Temples. I’d never experienced the feeling of the lights dimming and the voices rising and the air getting thick and hot with the hum of service in a packed room like this. Nothing since has ever felt so grand or lives in memory as a more important occasion.
“You know, we always had, always to the last day, a lot of wonderful people,” Hunter says. “You’ve always got the oddball jerk, but 90%, 95% of the customers enjoyed themselves. I watched kids turn to grandfathers bringing in their grandkids. It’s kind of sad. I’m going to miss a lot of these people. But that’s the way it is. Tahoe is not a place to be now.”
In spite of regular business from its most loyal patrons, attitudes and habits and demographics shifted over the last decade, Hunter says, noting that the restaurant has “watched its time come and go.”
“It’s not viable as a restaurant anymore,” he explains. “The [summer and winter] seasons are so short now. And basically, you know, the 20- to 40-year-old individual don’t really dine out. It’s ‘let’s go grab a burger and a beer, and go party somewhere.’ They don’t dine.
“Sixty years ago, you didn’t go out to dinner without a coat and tie,” he continued. “Now you have trouble seating people with wifebeaters on. It’s a sad thing.”
Beyond changes in dining habits, the day-to-day didn’t pencil out for Bacchi’s either, Hunter says. One major aspect is how Tahoe’s dire housing crisis has affected its small businesses.
“There’s no housing,” he says. “Basically, the housing workers used to rent, they’re turning them into Airbnb. There’s no place to live, no housing.”
As for the fate of Bacchi’s, Hunter, who lives in the apartment above the restaurant, says he’s readying the restaurant for an estate sale. Then, he’ll put it on the market.
Even after a lifetime of work there, he too can no longer afford to remain in Tahoe.
“That’s where all my retirement money is; I can probably buy something else, but then I can’t afford to live,” Hunter says of the building, noting many of the restaurant’s historical photos and artifacts have already been sent to the Gatekeeper’s Museum and Watson Cabin in Tahoe City. “It’s unfortunate, but I hope part of our [family] legacy remains there. We’re going to be put on a display, and that’s that.”
“It’s just a changing of the guard,” Susan Winter, director of the Gatekeeper’s Museum, told SFGATE. “The new tech money has come in, the workforce is hard to obtain and keep, and all the Tahoe old nostalgia restaurants can’t survive.
“We’ve lost the Pfeifer House and Blue Agave recently, but Bacchi’s is the oldest of them. Ninety years is a whole lot of history there.”
As Bacchi’s closes, its memories remain. In the early 2000s, my father moved his office to Lake Forest. It wasn’t because of convenience. It was because the location was closest to the spot he loved most in Tahoe.
On Friday evenings, he’d cruise down to Bacchi’s, have a little conversation at the bar and sneak in an early supper. When I joined him, it was clear the place was in decline from its 20th-century heyday, but even then it still felt good, weighty — and permanent.
But time stops for no one. When my father was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in the spring of 2013 and forced to move “down the hill” to receive treatment, his main request was to dine at Bacchi’s one last time. We did.
That night, I didn’t want it to end.
— 'Simply deserve this respect': A main road in Tahoe ditches name
— Invasive species could ruin Lake Tahoe and cost the region billions
— Inside Lake Tahoe’s quirkiest celebration
For weekly updates, interviews and profiles from a Tahoe insider, sign up for our Tahoe newsletter here. | 2022-09-23T11:50:56+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/renotahoe/article/lake-tahoe-bacchis-inn-closes-17459723.php |
Violent clashes break out between students and security forces across Iran, rights groups say
Violent clashes broke out between security forces and student protesters at university campuses across Iran on Sunday, according to activist and human rights groups in the country.
Students continued to protest in large numbers at some of the country's main universities despite a warning from the head of the country's Revolutionary Guard Hossein Salami that Saturday was to be the last day of protest.
In a video obtained by CNN via the pro-reform activist outlet Iran Wire, two uniformed officers can be seen in what appears to be an attempt to arrest a protester. The video is said to be recorded at Sanandaj Technical College in northwestern Iran.
Video above: Dozens gather in Boston to protest death of Iranian woman detained by morality police
In the capital Tehran, activist groups claimed clashes broke out between protesters, members of the Basij militia and police officers in plain clothes at Azad University but CNN cannot independently verify whether those in the clashes are security forces.
Protests have swept through the Islamic Republic for weeks following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died on September 16 after being detained by "morality police" and taken to a "re-education center," allegedly for not abiding by the country's conservative dress code.
In a video posted by activist group 1500 tasvir, a large crowd of protesters can be seen, with some holding sticks. Tear gas appears to be thrown across the crowd but it's unclear who it is thrown by.
In another video obtained by CNN via the pro-reform activist outlet IranWire, students at another university in the capital, the University of Tehran can be seen marching and chanting: "It's not the time for mourning. It's time for anger."
Official state news agency IRNA reported a "large gathering" of students and professors at the University of Tehran "in response to the recent events and terrorist attack on the shrine of "Shahcheragh," which took place in the southern city of Shiraz on Wednesday.
Also, in Sanandaj, gunshots can be heard in a video posted by Kurdish rights group Hengaw, said to be recorded near the University of Kurdistan.
Activist group 1500 Tasvir also posted a video showing security forces outside another educational facility in the province, the Sanandaj Technical College for Girls on Sunday.
Iran Human Right (IHRNGO), an NGO based in Norway, condemned "the encroachment of university campuses by armed plainclothes forces and the violent crackdown on peaceful student protests," in a statement Sunday.
"With the continuation of nationwide protests, Islamic Republic armed plainclothes forces have entered university campuses to violently crush and arrest protesting students," IHRNGO said.
IHRNGO Director and University of Oslo Professor, Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam, called on "universities and academic institutions around the world to support student demands and condemn the outrageous violation of university campuses by Islamic Republic forces."
On Saturday the head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Hossein Salami called on Iranian young people specifically to desist from protesting.
"Today is the last day of the riots. Do not come to the streets again. What do you want from this nation?" Salami said. | 2022-10-30T19:26:28+00:00 | wxii12.com | https://www.wxii12.com/article/violent-clashes-break-out-between-students-and-security-forces-across-iran-rights-groups-say/41812203 |
WFO RENO Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, August 30, 2022
_____
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service RENO NV
106 AM PDT Tue Aug 30 2022
...Hot Temperatures through Labor Day Weekend...
HEAT - High pressure strengthens this week with hot weather
returning midweek. Afternoon highs could warm to around 10 degrees
above average with lower western Nevada valleys nearing records
and near triple digit heat likely. By Thursday, the lower valleys
of western Nevada will see localized areas of high heat risk. A
prolonged stretch of heat may persist through the Labor Day
Weekend.
- Persistent heat may be impactful to the general population
with higher risks for more vulnerable populations such as the
elderly, other heat sensitive individuals, and those without
access to air conditioning.
- Never leave children or animals in a heat exposed vehicle for
any amount of time.
- Wear loose-fitting, light-colored clothing. Take frequent
water and shade breaks. Be sure to check in with vulnerable
neighbors.
_____
Copyright 2022 AccuWeather | 2022-08-30T09:41:16+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/weather/article/CA-WFO-RENO-Warnings-Watches-and-Advisories-17406665.php |
PARIS (AP) — PSG forward Neymar was forced off the field on a stretcher Sunday after twisting his right ankle in a hard-fought 4-3 win against Lille in the French league.
Neymar picked up the injury at the start of the second half after the Brazil forward scored PSG’s second goal before the interval.
PSG led 2-1 when Neymar was injured following contact with Lille’s Benjamin Andre.
PSG has been struggling since the start of the year, with stars Neymar and Lionel Messi underperforming. Neymar has been on the end of sharp criticism for a perceived lack of commitment after French media reported that he attended a poker tournament and dined at a fast-food restaurant a day after PSG lost to Bayern Munich 1-0 at the Parc des Princes in the Champions League round of 16.
Neymar, who damaged the same ankle at the World Cup in Qatar, gave PSG a 2-0 lead at the end of a fast-developing collective move he also started, slotting the ball into an empty net from Vitinha’s assist.
It’s unclear whether Neymar will be able to play next Sunday against Marseille in French soccer’s biggest match.
“He sprained his right ankle. He is undergoing tests to know the extent,” PSG coach Christophe Galtier said.
PSG lost another key player against Lille, with Nuno Mendes going off near the half-hour mark. Mendes, who played on the left side of PSG’s backline against Lille, was substituted after colliding with winger Jonathan Bamba. Galtier said Mendes’ injury does not look to be serious.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-02-19T17:31:43+00:00 | cenlanow.com | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/ap-neymar-leaves-field-injured-in-psgs-match-against-lille/ |
MADISON, Wis. (WFRV) – Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers announced Monday he promoted the deputy secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs to lead the agency.
James Bond, a disabled U.S. Marine Corps veteran, is the first openly LGBTQ person in Wisconsin state history to head a Cabinet agency, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau.
James has been a dedicated leader at DVA for over a decade and has served the Department and Wisconsin veterans well as deputy secretary,” said Governor Evers in a statement. “As a veteran himself, along with his decades of state service, I have no doubt he will bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, and expertise to this role as secretary.”
Bond joined DVA in 2010 and served as the administrator of the Division of Veterans Benefits and Veteran Services before being appointed deputy secretary in 2019.
He was also employed at the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development as a deputy division administrator in the Divisions of Employment and Training and Family Supports and as bureau director of management services in the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation.
“I’d like to thank Governor Evers for this incredible honor,” said Secretary-designee James Bond. “I have built a career in service—service to my country, the state of Wisconsin, and to fellow veterans. As secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, I will continue in this vein and work with veteran advocates across 72 counties and 11 Tribal Nations to deliver benefits and services veterans have earned, tell their stories, and honor their contributions. Together, we will forge a better future for all Wisconsin veterans and their families.”
Bond served from 1983 to 1988 with assignments stateside and abroad. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He lives in Madison with his husband, Todd, and their two sons.
“I look forward to continuing our work together to serve Wisconsin’s more than 300,000 veterans and ensure they receive the benefits, support, and resources they have earned through their service to be successful in their civilian lives,” concluded Governor Evers. | 2023-01-09T21:23:06+00:00 | wearegreenbay.com | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/governor-evers-appoints-openly-gay-u-s-marine-to-serve-as-dva-secretary/ |
MOBILE, Ala. (AP) — Growing up in Monroeville, Taylor Sims knew he wanted to be a dentist. And he knew he liked to dance. But he could never have guessed that his online fame as “the groovy dentist” would put him on national television.
It all came together Tuesday when Sims was one of the featured competitors on NBC-TV's “Dancing with Myself,” a show designed to capitalize on the popularity of the dance challenges seen on TikTok and other social media. The idea still kind of takes Sims by surprise.
There was a moment during production of the episode when he found himself thinking, “I’m really dancing in front of Nick Jonas and Shakira. This is crazy,” he said. “It was definitely a mind-blowing experience, to say the least.”
Sims just finished the first year of a residency in pediatric dentistry at Howard University Hospital in Washington, D.C. Getting there was more or less a lifelong journey.
“Growing up, my mom had told me she was bullied basically because of her smile,” he said. “She was very adamant about getting my brothers and I braces, making sure we went to dentists every six months. … She couldn’t get braces, so she made sure her children did.”
“Being the youngest son, being a son in general, hearing your mom talk like that, kind of made me mad,” he said. “I wanted to do something that could basically serve as a gift to her every day that I go to work. Dentistry was the route for me.”
He went first to the University of Alabama, which he called his dream school. “”I’ve been Roll Tide my entire life,” he said. After graduating in 2016 he went to Meharry Medical College in Nashville, completing his dental studies in 2021. Now he’s halfway through his residency, still getting used to life in the District of Columbia. “It is completely different from the South,” he said. “I’m ready to get back in the South.”
He’s also getting used to his status. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself when someone says ‘Dr. Sims,’” he said.
The joy in all this comes through loud and clear in his posts at www.tiktok.com/@thegroovydentist. In one, viewers see him shimmying in a hotel room, celebrating the occasion of “Attending my first American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry conference as Dr. Sims! Truly dreaming everyday I wake up.” In another, he dances in a hospital corridor with a young patient.
In another, wearing scrubs as he moves to Lucy Pearl’s “Dance Tonight,” he lets captions tell his story: “Only 3.6% of pediatric dentists are Black. … Growing up in Southern Alabama, I never seen a dentist that looked like me til I was 19-20 years old. … I dreamed it but had the hardest time trying to believe that I could do it. … No one in my family went this route so it was unfamiliar territory for us all. … But here I am, years later, the FIRST DOCTOR IN MY FAMILY! … I Pray my journey and my representation inspire people to go after their dreams even when they look impossible to achieve.”
Posting dance clips online has been an occasional thing, he said, not a brand he’s been trying to develop. He likes to keep it fun. Even so he’s had at least one clip that “kind of went viral” when he challenged another dancing dentist. Perhaps that’s how he came to the attention of the show’s producers.
“Dancing with Myself” was launched this spring. Pop stars Shakira and Nick Jonas are joined on the judging panel by YouTube star Liza Koshy, and Camille Kostek serves as host. Each episode puts a dozen contenders in “pods” in front of a studio audience that votes on every round of the action.
This isn’t a “Survivor”-type show where it takes a season to find out who takes the prize: Every episode pairs a fresh batch of contenders down to a winner. The fast-paced action features solo dance challenges, duo pairings and one-on-one face-offs. Judges “save” favorites who didn’t make the cut on the audience vote, but no one stays safe for long.
“I was very nervous going into it,” said Sims. “I’ve never done anything like this. But you only live once, I love to dance, so why not go for it?”
On the show, the hyped-up studio audience brought a lot of energy, he said.
“It was like one big dance party,” he said. “The show is called ‘Dancing with Myself.’ You’re dancing with yourself, but you’re also literally dancing with everybody out there watching.”
“It’s a very fast-paced show. But everybody associated with the show was kind,” he said. “I’ve made friends from all over the place, all walks of life.”
For the “Groovy Dentist,” work is the main focus. Though having a fun persona definitely can be an asset in his particular specialty.
“Kids are very funny, they’re very unpredictable,” he said. “You never know what you’re really going to get. Pediatric dentistry is really a lot of behavioral management, making sure that they feel comfortable.”
When parents have had bad experiences and are nervous about going to the dentist, kids can pick up on that. “You’re basically fighting two battles at the same time” to win them over, he said.
“I know I’m in the right specialty,” he said, “because sometimes work doesn’t feel like work.” | 2022-07-24T05:55:43+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/South-Alabama-s-groovy-dentist-on-dancing-17325196.php |
CHENGDU, China, Dec. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The awarding ceremony of the 2022 Times Young Creative Awards, co-sponsored by Want Want China Times Media Group and Chengdu Media Group, took place in Chengdu on December 16, at which the winner list was officially announced. A total of 99,694 entries from China, the United States, France, Italy, South Korea, Belgium, Malaysia, and other countries participated. Finally, the organizing committee selected the gold, silver, and bronze prizes from 175 entries of the top three entries in each competition area.
The theme-specific award entitled "Introducing Chengdu with Cultural and Creative Works in Digital Form—Design Award for Park City Demonstration Zone in Our Eyes" proposed by Chengdu Media Group was announced concurrently. The campaign features designs for publicity, souvenirs, and landscape, selecting three works for the gold, silver, and bronze prizes, along with several awards for excellent works; the maximum reward reached RMB 10,000. The work "Games", a publicity design produced by students Ma Ying, Hui Huaxiao, and Wang Xueyuan from Sichuan University, won the gold prize.
"Tip of the Iceberg" by the private Taibei High School in Chinese Taipei won the silver prize, and "Redesign of Industrial Relics under the Concept of Landscape Urbanism" by Yantai Institute of Technology won the bronze prize. "This is Anren Ancient Town in Chengdu" by the Chengdu University of Technology won the Excellent Award alongside other works.
This year's Times Young Creative Awards set up the Chinese mainland competition area and the Chinese Taipei and overseas competition areas and collects 1063 entries from 3,976 youth designers from all over the world. These young designers' works presented the characteristic elements of Chengdu, such as snowy mountains, parks, pandas, Sichuan opera, greenway, lakes, and sunbirds, in a diversified way. The future urban scenes of Chengdu, where a city is built in parks, parks in cities, green through windows, and parks outside the door, are transformed into design inspiration for Chengdu, which aims to build a park city demonstration area under the new development concept. The campaign integrates personal dreams with urban dreams by creating visible, audible, and interactive physical images in the form of digital cultural creation, and engages everyone in building Chengdu into a park city.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Chengdu Media Group | 2022-12-22T09:19:07+00:00 | waff.com | https://www.waff.com/prnewswire/2022/12/22/2022-times-young-creative-awards-collection-cultural-creative-works-presenting-chengdu-revealed/ |
Chant, Peter James Husband of Betty Lou (Schlegel) Chant, of Lancaster. June 20, 2022. Hetrick-Bitner Funeral Home, Inc., 717-545-3774
Jefferson, Marlyn K. Jr. 75, husband of Lori A. (Kershner) Jefferson, of Denver. June 22, 2022. Roseboro Stradling Funeral & Cremation Services, Inc., 717-336-6531
Landis, Richard Sr. 92, husband of Evelyn (Hehnly) Landis, of Ephrata. June 23, 2022. Roseboro Stradling Funeral & Cremation Services, Inc., 717-336-6531
Myers, Mary Jeanne (Sneath) 97, of Fox Chapel. June 21, 2022. Duster Funeral Home, 724-224-1526 | 2022-06-25T05:51:26+00:00 | lancasteronline.com | https://lancasteronline.com/obituaries/deaths/deaths-reported-for-jun-25-2022/article_d3f34a2d-035a-5062-b06f-c403f89d6b37.html |
FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Brett Maher was perfect on all six field goals reporters were allowed to see at Dallas Cowboys practice Thursday.
The beleaguered kicker who made NFL history — regular season or playoffs — by missing his first four extra points in a wild-card victory over Tampa Bay must be heeding star running back Ezekiel Elliott’s advice.
“That’s our brother. We’re not going to turn our back on him,” Elliott said after practice. “Last week, we didn’t really need him. But this week we probably will. So get that (stuff) together.”
Hey, the Cowboys are in a good mood after ending an eight-game road playoff losing streak with the 31-14 victory over Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
Now it’s on to the six-game losing streak in the divisional round — the longest skid since the 1970 merger — when Dallas (13-5) visits San Francisco (14-4) on Sunday night.
Maher took a big step toward being the kicker against the 49ers based on what reporters saw in gusty winds at practice.
Tristan Vizcaino followed with two misses in five attempts a day after the Cowboys signed him to the practice squad in case the yips continued for Maher.
Yes, special teams coach John Fassel believes in the yips — just as much as he believes in sticking with Maher despite the bizarre meltdown.
“I believe in a hot hand and I believe in the yips,” Fassel said Tuesday, the day after Maher’s historic misses.
“You wonder sometimes how you get into the yips, and you wonder sometimes how you get into the hot hand. And I think it’s stepping up to the line and shooting. He missed a couple free throws.”
Well, it was a bit more dramatic than that, just from the looks on the faces of Maher, Fassel and plenty of others on the Dallas sideline when a 24-0 lead was supposed to be 28-0.
Not to mention quarterback Dak Prescott sprinkling in some expletives while wondering why the Cowboys weren’t trying 2-point conversions instead.
Prescott calmed down enough Monday night to try to lift up his kicker, and was even more supportive with several more days to think about it.
“I’m a ‘Money Maher’ fan,” Prescott said. “I haven’t lost any confidence nor am I going to force my game or do anything outside my box because of uncharacteristic misses by him. I think he’ll get back to himself this week as he has done here at practice, and I trust that guy all the way through.”
Maher, who didn’t appear in the locker room when it was open to reporters Thursday, was money almost all season after saving the Cowboys from themselves when a kicking competition in training camp went awry.
The 33-year-old with four seasons of NFL experience went 29 of 32 on field goals, a 91% conversion rate that ranked in the top 10 in the league.
Two of the misses were from 59 yards, and Maher connected on a 60-yarder against Minnesota to extend his NFL career record to four kicks of at least 60. Maher made that one twice after officials stopped play for a review as the ball was being snapped on the first attempt.
“He sunk it twice in a row,” rookie left tackle Tyler Smith said. “That Bengals game, to win the game (20-17 on the final play in Week 2). That was a long field goal. He sunk it. He knows he’s very capable. We know he’s very capable.”
The addition of Vizcaino gives the Cowboys the flexibility to make a change as late as Saturday. It wasn’t trending that way Thursday.
“It doesn’t take anything away from our trust in Brett,” coach Mike McCarthy said of adding Vizcaino. “I just think it’s part of the responsibility. This is nothing out of the norm for us.”
All eyes on routine kicks in practice was a bit out of the norm.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | 2023-01-20T03:46:17+00:00 | kfor.com | https://kfor.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-cowboys-kicker-maher-looks-steady-in-practice-after-meltdown/ |
LONDON — In an English Premier League title race that keeps producing twists, the pendulum swung back Arsenal’s way again after a frustrating day for Manchester City.
City then conceded a second-half equalizer and was held at Nottingham Forest to a surprising 1-1 after wasting chances to put the game away. The normally prolific Erling Haaland was guilty of a glaring miss.
That put Arsenal back atop the league standings, two points above City and with a game in hand after Pep Guardiola’s side went ahead on goal difference on Wednesday following a 3-1 win over the Gunners.
Also, Chelsea’s struggles reached a new low after losing at home against last-placed Southampton 1-0, which should ramp up the pressure even further on manager Graham Potter.
The match also had some worrying scenes as Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta sustained a head injury after taking a kick in the face in the second half. He was taken off on a stretcher.
GUNNERS REBOUND
Having seen an eight-point lead slip away, Arsenal badly needed to beat Villa and bounce back from the defeat to City midweek.
It came thanks to a lucky late bounce.
At 2-2, Jorginho’s shot from outside the area in the third minute of injury time struck the crossbar and bounced in off the head of Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez to put Mikel Arteta’s team in front.
“We needed a magic moment and Jorginho produced it,” Arteta said of his new signing, who joined from Chelsea in January.
None of Chelsea’s expensive January signings seem able to produce much of anything at the moment. Instead, set-piece specialist James Ward-Prowse scored the only goal at Stamford Bridge with a free kick just before the halftime break.
The result comes on the heels of three straight league draws and a 1-0 loss to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League for Potter’s side. To make matters worse, Azpilicueta needed lengthy treatment on the field after being hit in the face by an attempted overhead kick by Sékou Mara in the 74th minute.
Azpilicueta was taken off on a stretcher wearing a neck brace and breathing from an oxygen mask after a 10-minute stoppage of play.
On a low-scoring afternoon, three of the other six mid-afternoon kickoffs also finished 1-0.
Fulham beat Brighton away, Everton earned a crucial victory over fellow relegation struggler Leeds, and Bournemouth won at Wolves. A last-gasp equalizer earned Brentford a 1-1 draw at home against Crystal Palace.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-02-18T17:27:37+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/soccer/arsenal-back-on-top-as-man-city-held-to-draw-in-epl/2023/02/18/ee12801c-afaf-11ed-b0ba-9f4244c6e5da_story.html |
INDIAN LAND, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — An incident on an Indian Land High School bus in October that caused a 14-year-old girl to lose consciousness remains unexplained, according to the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office.
Authorities said Thursday that the investigation into the cause of symptoms experienced by a number of students, the bus driver and an EMS worker yielded no clear results.
“We simply were unable to determine what caused these folks to fall ill,” Sheriff Barry Faile said.
In November, investigators said they collected samples of a “suspicious powdery substance” found on the floor near the back of the bus.
The Sheriff’s Office said a review of bus camera footage showed the substance on the bus much earlier in the day, but no symptoms were reported by anyone at that time.
The test results from several items sent to SLED showed that no controlled substances or any other substances which could have caused the symptom were detected in the samples submitted, authorities said.
BE THE FIRST TO KNOW: Sign up here for QC News Alerts and get breaking news sent straight to your in
The sheriff’s office also said interviews did not reveal information about the nature of any substance which caused the symptoms or its source.
“Our investigators pursued every lead,” Sheriff Faile said.
The sheriff said investigators would continue to pursue any additional information they receive.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office at 803-283-3388 or Midlands Crimestoppers. | 2022-12-01T20:27:39+00:00 | qcnews.com | https://www.qcnews.com/news/u-s/lancaster-county/pursued-every-lead-investigation-into-exposure-on-indian-land-school-bus-closed-cause-undetermined-sheriff-says/ |
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Justice Department accused Minneapolis police Friday of engaging in a pattern of violating constitutional rights and discriminating against Black and Native American people following an investigation prompted by the killing of George Floyd.
The sweeping two-year civil rights investigation found that Minneapolis officers used excessive force, including “unjustified deadly force,” and violated the rights of people engaged in constitutionally protected speech. The probe also found that both police and the city discriminated against people with “behavioral health disabilities” when officers are called for help.
“We observed many MPD officers who did their difficult work with professionalism, courage and respect,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said at a news conference in Minneapolis. “But the patterns and practices we observed made what happened to George Floyd possible.”
The report included allegations that police for years “used dangerous techniques and weapons against people who committed at most a petty offense and sometimes no offense at all.” Officers “used force to punish people who made officers angry or criticized the police.”
Police also “patrolled neighborhoods differently based on their racial composition and discriminated based on race when searching, handcuffing or using force against people during stops,” the report said.
As a result of the investigation, the city and the police department agreed to a deal known as a federal consent decree, which will require reforms to be overseen by an independent monitor and approved by a federal judge. That arrangement is similar to reform efforts in Seattle, New Orleans, Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri.
Police Chief Brian O’Hara, who led Newark, New Jersey, police through a consent decree, said the Minneapolis department was committed to creating “the kind of police department that every Minneapolis resident deserves.”
Mayor Jacob Frey acknowledged the work that lay ahead.
“We understand that change is non-negotiable,” Frey said. “Progress can be painful, and the obstacles can be great. But we haven’t let up in the three years since the murder of George Floyd.”
The investigation was launched in April 2021, a day after former officer Derek Chauvin, who is white, was convicted of murder and manslaughter in the May 25, 2020, killing of Floyd, who was Black.
Floyd repeatedly said he couldn’t breathe before going limp as Chauvin knelt on his neck for 9 1/2 minutes. The killing was recorded by a bystander and sparked months of mass protests as part of a broader national reckoning over racial injustice.
The report found that the city sent officers to behavioral health-related 911 calls, “even when a law enforcement response was not appropriate or necessary, sometimes with tragic results. These actions put MPD officers and the Minneapolis community at risk.”
The findings were based on reviews of documents and incident files; observation of body-worn camera videos; data provided by the city and police; and ride-alongs and conversations with officers, residents and others, the report says.
Federal investigators acknowledged that the city and Minneapolis police have already begun reforms.
The report noted that police are now prohibited from using neck restraints like the one Chauvin used in killing Floyd. Officers are no longer allowed to use some crowd control weapons without permission from the chief. And “no-knock” warrants were banned after the 2022 death of Amir Locke.
The city also has launched a “promising” behavioral health response program in which trained mental health professionals respond to some calls rather than police.
The Justice Department is not alone in its findings of problems.
A similar investigation by the Minnesota Department of Human Rights led to a “court-enforceable settlement agreement” to address the long list of problems identified in the report, with input from residents, officers, city staff and others. Frey and state Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero signed the agreement in March.
The state investigation, which concluded in April 2022, found “significant racial disparities with respect to officers’ use of force, traffic stops, searches, citations, and arrests.” And it criticized “an organizational culture where some officers and supervisors use racist, misogynistic, and disrespectful language with impunity.”
Lucero said the legally binding agreement requires the city and the police department to make “transformational changes” to fix the organizational culture of the force, noting it could serve as a model for how cities, police departments and community members elsewhere work to stop race-based policing.
The report recommends 28 “remedial” steps to improve policing as a prelude to the consent decree. Attorney General Merrick Garland said the steps “provide a starting framework to improve public safety, build community trust and comply with the constitution and federal law.”
The federal investigation could have prompted a separate but similar court-enforceable agreement, known as a consent decree, that would overlap the settlement with the state.
Several police departments in other cities operate under consent decrees for alleged civil rights violations. A consent decree requires agencies to meet specific goals before federal oversight is removed, a process that often takes many years at a cost of millions of dollars.
Floyd, 46, was arrested on suspicion of passing a counterfeit $20 bill for a pack of cigarettes at a corner market. He struggled with police when they tried to put him in a squad car, and though he was already handcuffed, they forced him on the ground.
As Chauvin pressed his knee against Floyd’s neck, officer J. Alexander Kueng held Floyd’s back, officer Thomas Lane held Floyd’s feet and officer Tou Thao kept bystanders back.
Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years for murder. He also pleaded guilty to a federal charge of violating Floyd’s civil rights and was sentenced to 21 years in that case. He is serving the sentences concurrently in Tucson, Arizona.
Kueng, Lane and Thao were convicted of federal charges in February 2022. All three were convicted of depriving Floyd of his right to medical care, and Thao and Kueng also were convicted of failing to intervene to stop Chauvin during the killing. Lane and Kueng have since pleaded guilty to a state count of aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter. In exchange, counts of aiding and abetting murder were dropped.
Lane, who is white, is serving his 2 1/2-year federal sentence at a facility in Colorado. He is serving a three-year state sentence at the same time. Kueng, who is Black, is serving a three-year federal sentence in Ohio, while also serving a 3 1/2-year state sentence.
Thao, who is Hmong American, received a 3 1/2-year federal sentence. In May, the judge in the state case found him guilty of aiding and abetting manslaughter. Thao had said it “would be lying” to have pleaded guilty, and he agreed to let the judge decide the case. The judge set sentencing for Aug. 7. | 2023-06-16T17:53:21+00:00 | pahomepage.com | https://www.pahomepage.com/uncategorized/doj-probe-after-george-floyds-killing-shows-minneapolis-police-showed-patterns-and-practices-of-violating-rights/ |
Veterans honored on National Wreaths Across America Day
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The Blue Star Mothers of Louisiana Chapter 1 held their Wreaths Across America ceremony on Saturday at the Baton Rouge National Cemetery on 220 North 19th St.
A spokesperson tells us their mission is to honor, remember, and teach communities about the sacrifices made, so we can have freedom.
“It’s easy to remember whenever you have an active war or active deployment going on but over the years people forget we take for granted the sacrifices that were made,” said Natalie Truan, President Blue Star mothers Chapter 1.
Ruth Reed attended the ceremony to honor her son, Jonathan Reed who was killed in Iraq in January 2005.
“The first few years it was very heart wrenching over time we’ve been able to keep it together,” said Ruth Reed, Gold Star family member.
“The biggest thing for us is that he’s forgotten, and we don’t want that, and they don’t forget these blue star moms they don’t forget ever,” said Reed
Many groups walked the cemetery, placing a reef at each grave to make sure every veteran was honored.
Unfortunately, this year there were more graves than wreaths, attendees hope they will have wreaths for every veteran’s grave next year.
“My personal wish is that one year we cover every headstone in this cemetery,” said Reed.
Click here to report a typo.
Copyright 2022 WAFB. All rights reserved. | 2022-12-19T05:17:58+00:00 | wafb.com | https://www.wafb.com/2022/12/19/veterans-honored-national-wreaths-across-america-day/ |
WATCH: Deadly shooting reported near South Bend Park in Atlanta, police say
Published: Mar. 24, 2023 at 5:51 PM EDT|Updated: 27 minutes ago
ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Police are investigating a deadly shooting near South Bend Park in Atlanta.
According to Atlanta police, a person was shot and killed at 1955 Compton Drive SE.
Our Atlanta News First Chopper flew over the scene and captured multiple law enforcement vehicles, and fire officials, along with a car with major damage seen below a cliff.
Fulton County fire officials told Atlanta News First that they were called to the same address because a car fell off a 30-foot embankment
At this time, no further information is being made available.
Atlanta News First is at the scene gathering more details in this death investigation.
Copyright 2023 WANF. All rights reserved. | 2023-03-24T22:20:23+00:00 | atlantanewsfirst.com | https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/2023/03/24/deadly-shooting-reported-near-south-bend-park-atlanta-police-say/ |
Nonfiction
1. The Trump Tapes by Bob Woodward, narrated by Donald J. Trump and the author (Simon & Schuster Audio Originals)
2. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy, narrated by the author (Simon & Schuster Audio)
3. Atomic Habits by James Clear, narrated by the author (Penguin Audio)
4. Waypoints by Sam Heughan, narrated by the author (Voracious)
5. 12 Rules for Life by Jordan B. Peterson, narrated by the author (Random House Canada)
6. Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey, narrated by the author (Random House Audio)
7. Can’t Hurt Me by David Goggins, narrated by the author and Adam Skolnick (Lioncrest Publishing)
8. 2000 Mules by Dinesh D’Souza, narrated by Dan Crue and the author - preface (Dreamscape Media, LLC)
9. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson, narrated by Roger Wayne (HarperAudio)
10. The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel A. van der Kolk, narrated by Sean Pratt (Penguin Audio)
Fiction
1. No Plan B by Lee Child and Andrew Child, narrated by Scott Brick (Random House Audio)
2. It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover, narrated by Colin Donnell and Olivia Song (Simon & Schuster Audio)
3. Fire & Blood by George R. R. Martin, narrated by Simon Vance (Random House Audio)
4. The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham, narrated by Michael Beck (Random House Audio)
5. Fairy Tale by Stephen King, narrated by Seth Numrich and the author (Simon & Schuster Audio)
6. Reminders of Him by Colleen Hoover, narrated by Brittany Pressley and Ryan West (Brilliance Audio)
7. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover, narrated by Olivia Song (Simon & Schuster Audio)
8. Verity by Colleen Hoover, performed by Vanessa Johansson and Amy Landon (Audible Studios)
9. Defiance of the Fall 7 by TheFirstDefier and JF Brink, narrated by Pavi Proczko (Aethon Audio)
10. The Method by James Patterson and Michael B. Silver, performed by Zachary Quinto, Stephanie Beatriz, Lil Rel Howery, Justine Lupe, Jack Davenport and full cast (Audible Originals) | 2022-11-01T20:05:19+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/The-top-10-audiobooks-on-Audible-com-17550234.php |
EPA tightens mercury emissions limits at coal power plants
Washington — The Environmental Protection Agency is tightening rules that limit emissions of mercury and other harmful pollutants from coal-fired power plants, updating standards imposed more than a decade ago.
The rules proposed Wednesday would lower emissions of mercury and other toxic pollutants that can harm brain development of young children and contribute to heart attacks and other health problems in adults.
The move follows a legal finding by EPA in February that regulating toxic emissions under the Clean Air Act is “appropriate and necessary” to protect the public health. The Feb. 17 finding reversed a move by former President Donald Trump’s administration to weaken the legal basis for limiting mercury emissions.
The proposed rule will support and strengthen EPA’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, which have delivered a 90% reduction in mercury emissions from power plants since they were adopted in 2012 under former President Barack Obama, EPA Administrator Michael Regan said.
“By leveraging proven, emissions-reduction measures available at reasonable costs and encouraging new, advanced control technologies, we can reduce hazardous pollution from coal-fired power plants — protecting our planet and improving public health for all,” Regan said in a statement.
The proposed rule is expected to become final next year, “ensuring historic protections for communities across the nation, especially for our children and our vulnerable populations,” Regan said.
The new rule aims to eliminate up to 70% of mercury emissions and other toxic pollutants such as lead, nickel and arsenic, while also reducing fine dust from coal plant emissions.
The proposal is in line with a larger push by the EPA under President Joe Biden to restore dozens of federal environmental protections that were rolled back by Trump’s administration, including reinstating rigorous environmental reviews for large infrastructure projects, protecting thousands of waterways and preserving endangered species.
Biden has pledged to make the U.S. electricity sector carbon neutral by 2035, and stricter pollution standards have pushed electric plants to replace coal and oil with natural gas, wind and solar power.
Coal-fired power plants are the largest single man-made source of mercury pollutants, which enter the food chain through fish and other items that people consume. Mercury can affect the nervous system and kidneys; the World Health Organization says fetuses are especially vulnerable to birth defects via exposure in a mother’s womb.
Environmental and public health groups praised the EPA proposal, saying it protects Americans, especially children, from some of the most dangerous forms of air pollution.
“There is no safe level of mercury exposure, and while we have made significant progress advancing clean energy, coal-fired power plants remain one of the largest sources of mercury pollution,'' said Holly Bender, senior director of energy campaigns for the Sierra Club.
“It's alarming to think that toxic pollutants from coal plants can build up in places like Lake Michigan,'' where many Americans camp and swim during the summer, “and where people fish to feed their families,'' Bender said. "Our kids deserve to live and play in a healthy, safe environment.''
The Edison Electric Institute, which represents U.S. investor-owned electric companies, said it was reviewing details of the EPA proposal, but added that its members “have fully and successfully implemented the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards" for 11 years, “resulting in dramatically reduced mercury and related emissions” from U.S. power plants.
“We look forward to continuing to work with" EPA to ensure the final standard “is consistent with our industry’s ongoing clean energy transformation,” said Emily Fisher, the group's executive vice president of clean energy,
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., took a more combative approach, saying President Joe Biden's administration “continues to wage war on coal and affordable, reliable energy by issuing unnecessary regulations intended to drive down electricity production from our nation’s baseload power resources.''
Capito, the top Republican on the Senate Environment Committee and a fierce champion of coal produced by her home state, said the Biden administration "has again put politics over sound policy. With one job-killing regulation after another, the EPA continues to threaten the livelihoods of those in West Virginia and other energy-producing communities across the country.'' | 2023-04-05T18:38:22+00:00 | detroitnews.com | https://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/2023/04/05/epa-coal-power-plants-mercury-emission-limits/70085458007/ |
It’s Cat Day ... though Mr. Whiskers told us EVERY DAY is Cat Day! Now go and clean out his litter box, please.
The historic Washington Park Velodrome hosts bike racing tonight. Registration for Stock Bike Racing (open to everyone, from age 3 to adults) starts at 6 p.m., with races starting at 6:30 p.m. To race, bring your bike and a helmet. For more details, go to www.kenoshavelodrome.com.
The Kenosha Public Library is hosting Chess Night in Lincoln Park, 6900 18th Ave. The Kenosha Chess Association hosts games from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Mondays outside the park’s Oribiletti Center. All ages and abilities are welcome.Also: The library’s Book Truck will be parked nearby.You can sign up for a library card, check out and return items, and sign up for the Summer Reading Program.
People are also reading…
Prost! The Biergarten in Petrifying Springs County Park is open seven days, serving up cold beverages and warm pretzels. For more details, check the Biergarten’s Facebook page.
Monday night music: Who says Monday night has to be a downer? Not the folks at Union Park Tavern. Start the work week with DJ, Ted Runnels and Trombone Dave. They perform their “not your normal DJ schtick” show — with a mix of blues, jazz, soul, and soul jazz — from 5 to 8 p.m. every Monday evening at the venue, 4520 Eighth Ave. in Kenosha. It almost makes Monday a day to look forward to … almost. | 2022-08-08T12:24:58+00:00 | kenoshanews.com | https://www.kenoshanews.com/news/local/todays-events-for-monday-aug-8/article_29cf7d84-1439-11ed-a656-2770dcf1736b.html |
BEIJING (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday is hosting a virtual summit with the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa collectively known as the “BRICS,” amid rising concerns over the global economic outlook and a growing political divide between Beijing and New Delhi.
While no agenda has been issued for the talks, Ukraine is likely to feature heavily in the background. China has refused to condemn Russia’s invasion while criticizing sanctions brought against Moscow. India has bought large amounts of Russian oil at a heavy discount, and South Africa abstained on a United Nations vote condemning Russia’s actions.
Along with Xi, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro are scheduled to join the two days of discussions.
China has sought to use the BRICS meetings to further its vision of an alliance to counter the U.S.-led liberal democratic world order while expanding its economic and political footprint.
That has produced few tangible results, but Xi remains committed to the idea of an alternative — and principally authoritarian — global governance mode, investing heavily in countries like Cambodia while cracking down on civil rights in Hong Kong and boosting its military to assert its claims in the South China Sea and threats to annex Taiwan by force.
In an address to the BRICS Economic Summit on Wednesday, Xi said the conflict in Ukraine has “sounded an alarm for humanity,” continuing its formal position of neutrality while backing its ally Russia.
Xi said imposing sanctions could act as a “boomerang” and a “double-edged sword,” and that the global community would suffer from “politicizing, mechanizing and weaponizing” global economic trends and financial flows.
“Economic globalization is an objective requirement for the development of productive forces and an irresistible historical trend,” Xi said.
In a recorded video, Bolsonaro made no mention of any country and said that “the current international context is a cause for concern because of the risks to trade and investment flows to the stability of energy supply chains and investment.”
“Brazil’s response to these challenges is not to close itself off. On the contrary, we have sought to deepen our economic integration,” he added.
The BRICS collective was founded in 2009 when the countries were seen as the potential engine for future global economic growth.
Since then, South Africa and Brazil have seen their economies become mired in crisis while China’s growth has sharply declined and Russia has become embroiled in its invasion of Ukraine and punishing economic sanctions imposed by the West.
China and India have meanwhile feuded over their disputed border and New Delhi’s defense partnership with the U.S., Japan and Australia in what is known as “The Quad.” Skirmishes along the frontier resulted in a major standoff in 2020 leading to casualties on both sides. | 2022-06-23T09:32:52+00:00 | kron4.com | https://www.kron4.com/news/world/ap-international/china-hosts-brics-meeting-amid-rising-economic-concerns/ |
House Democratic leaders warned Wednesday that it will be up to Republicans to pass the rule governing the debt ceiling increase, pushing the burden onto Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to rally enough Republican support on the procedural measure allowing a final vote on legislation to prevent a default.
“In regards to the rule, it’s very simple: The majority is responsible for passing the rule,” Rep. Katherine Clark (D-Mass.), the Democratic whip, told reporters in the Capitol just hours before the rule vote is scheduled.
The rule has emerged as a potential pitfall in the race to pass the bipartisan debt ceiling package — negotiated between McCarthy and President Biden — before June 5 and avoid the first-ever government default.
As a tradition, the minority party in the House has virtually always voted against the rules that establish the parameters of debate surrounding floor votes on bills, even if the minority party supports the underlying legislation.
That convention could prove to be a headache for McCarthy, as a number of conservative opponents of the debt ceiling package are also weighing whether to vote also against the rule, which could prove — at least temporarily — to be the more effective strategy for blocking the bill.
With a razor-thin House majority, McCarthy has little room for error: He can lose only five Republicans and still pass the rule if Democrats hold their line in opposition, as they’re vowing to do.
“As Katherine has indicated, the majority is responsible for ensuring the passage of the rule,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) said Wednesday as he stood beside Clark.
Still, Jeffries and his leadership team are also hailing the debt ceiling bill as a victory for Biden and the Democrats in the face of “hostage-taking” demands from Republicans for steep spending cuts. And they’re vowing not to allow the country to default.
“We will not allow a default to happen,” Jeffries said.
That remark raises the possibility that Democrats would withhold their votes on the rule initially, to highlight what could be a potentially embarrassing moment for McCarthy if the rule fails, and then switch their votes to help pass the rule for the sake of preventing an economy-rattling default.
The rule vote is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, with the vote on final passage scheduled for roughly 8:30 p.m. Those times could be pushed if McCarthy struggles to pass the rule in the first round.
Passage of the final bill appears to be more certain, as lawmakers in both parties were lining up in support of the measure, despite the vowed opposition from far-left Democrats and hard-line conservatives.
Jeffries, who had warned that tougher work requirements for safety net programs were a “nonstarter” in any final deal, switched positions Wednesday to announce his support for the package, noting that the legislation also eases work requirements for certain other populations, effectively expanding eligibility for food stamps and other government programs.
It’s unclear how many Democrats will be needed to help the majority Republicans move the package through the House.
“We haven’t gotten the precise number from the other side of the aisle yet,” Jeffries said.
But he’s vowing to provide at least 70 Democrats — and the number will likely be much higher, since Democrats are under heightened pressure to demonstrate support for Biden, whose approval rating is below 40 percent amid his run to keep the White House in next year’s elections.
Still, Jeffries suggested Democrats would withhold that support until McCarthy can secure two-thirds of his conference — or 148 votes — at which time Democrats will send the bill over the finish line.
“We continue to maintain that House Republicans need to keep their commitment to produce 150 votes for the resolution that they themselves negotiated,” Jeffries said. “And when that happens, Democrats are going to make sure that there is no default.” | 2023-05-31T18:03:50+00:00 | wearegreenbay.com | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/hill-politics/democrats-put-potential-headache-of-passing-debt-ceiling-rule-on-mccarthy/ |
Violence plagues Haiti as gangs seize control. A reporter unpacks the chaos Published February 5, 2023 at 4:52 PM EST Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Associated Press reporter Megan Janetsky about her recent reporting trip to Haiti. Copyright 2023 NPR | 2023-02-05T22:26:11+00:00 | delawarepublic.org | https://www.delawarepublic.org/2023-02-05/violence-plagues-haiti-as-gangs-seize-control-a-reporter-unpacks-the-chaos |
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A court services officer with the Alaska State Troopers died Tuesday after being attacked by a muskox outside his home near Nome, the agency said.
Curtis Worland was trying to scare away a group of muskox from near a dog kennel at his home when one of the animals attacked him, according to a statement from the troopers that said Worland was declared dead at the scene.
Court services officers are law enforcement officers that provide prisoner transport services, courthouse security and court document service, troopers spokesperson Austin McDaniel said. He could not immediately say how many animals were part of the group that Worland was trying to keep away.
The Alaska State Troopers, Alaska Wildlife Troopers and state Department of Fish and Game are investigating.
Muskoxen are stocky, long-haired animals with slight shoulder humps and horns and can weigh up to 800 pounds (363 kilograms), according to the fish and game department. | 2022-12-14T04:21:56+00:00 | cbs42.com | https://www.cbs42.com/news/national/alaska-law-officer-killed-in-muskox-attack-outside-his-house/ |
Afroman sued by law enforcement officers who raided his home
ADAMS COUNTY, Ohio (WXIX/Gray News) - Seven members of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office who raided Joseph Foreman’s home last year are now suing him, claiming he invaded their privacy among other things.
Four deputies, two sergeants and a detective are claiming Foreman, also known as Afroman, took footage of their faces obtained during the raid and used it in music videos and social media posts without their consent, which is considered a misdemeanor violation under Ohio Revised Code.
They’re also suing on civil grounds, saying Foreman’s use of their faces in the videos and social media posts resulted in their “emotional distress, embarrassment, ridicule, loss of reputation and humiliation.”
The plaintiffs say they are entitled to all of Foreman’s profits from his use of their personas. That includes, according to the complaint, proceeds from the songs, music videos and live event tickets as well as the promotion of Foreman’s “Afroman” brand, under which he sells beer, marijuana, T-shirts and other merchandise.
They’re also asking for an injunction to take down all videos and posts containing their personas.
Cincinnati attorney Robert Klingler filed the suit in Adams County Common Pleas Court on March 13 against Foreman, his recording firm and a Texas-based media distribution company.
Not every law enforcement officer involved in the raid is named as a plaintiff.
Foreman on Wednesday posted to Instagram promising to countersue “for the undeniable damage this had on my clients, family, career and property.”
The sheriff’s office conducted the armed raid of Foreman’s Adams County home in August.
Sheriff’s deputies acted on a warrant claiming probable cause existed that drugs and drug paraphernalia would be found on Foreman’s property and that trafficking and kidnapping had taken place there.
“They come up here with AR-15, traumatize my kids, destroyed my property, kick in my door, rip up and destroy my camera system,” he said in August.
The suspicions turned out to be unfounded. The Adams County Prosecutor’s Office said the raid failed to turn up probative criminal evidence, according to attorney Anna Castellini. No charges were ever filed.
In a bizarre turn of events unrelated to the civil suit, the sheriff’s office appeared to come up hundreds of dollars short when returning cash seized from Foreman’s property. An independent investigation by Ohio BCI resolved the matter last month, concluding deputies had miscounted the money during the raid itself.
Months after the raid, Foreman published two songs referencing the raid, “Lemon Pound Cake” and “Will You Help Me Repair My Door.” He also published accompanying music videos that include footage of the raid from his home surveillance cameras as well as his wife’s cell phone.
The footage shows the faces of the seven plaintiffs, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint says Foreman also “created dozens of videos and images of Plaintiffs’ personas and posted them on various social media platforms including Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram.”
The complaint specifically cites seven Instagram posts, all of which have since been deleted.
In one post, according to the complaint, Foreman allegedly congratulated a law enforcement officer involved in the raid: “Thank you for getting me 5.4 MILLION hits on TikTok I couldn’t have done it without you obviously! Congratulations again you’re famous for all the wrong reasons [...]”
The plaintiffs say they’ve been subjected to ridicule by people who saw Foreman’s posts and that the posts have made it “more dangerous” for them to carry out their duties. They also claim they’ve endured death threats “by anonymous members of the public who have seen some of Defendant’s above-described postings.”
The complaint claims Foreman continuously used the plaintiffs’ personas without their prior consent in a manner that is “willful, wanton, malicious” and shows “conscious or reckless disregard” for their rights.
Copyright 2023 WXIX via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | 2023-03-23T15:33:18+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/2023/03/23/afroman-sued-by-law-enforcement-officers-who-raided-his-home/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — A U.S. prosecutor displayed grisly crime-scene photos as he urged a jury Tuesday to impose the death penalty on a “proud terrorist” who killed eight people in a vehicle attack in New York City in 2017, while defense lawyers insisted death was not the answer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Houle told jurors that defendant Sayfullo Saipov, 35, “chose to violently smash and crush his victims, who were defenseless and included a child” with his Halloween day truck attack.
She reminded jurors of the horror of the day by showing them gory pictures of the dead, some with clothing torn away, and by reminding them of the tearful testimony of their family members and some of the 18 individuals who suffered injuries but survived.
“It is brutal to look at these photographs. But it is important,” Houle said.
The images affected one man sitting among families of the victims so strongly that he appeared to lose consciousness, leading the judge to interrupt Houle’s closing long enough for an ambulance to be summoned. The man later walked into the ambulance.
A defense lawyer, David Patton, told jurors in closing statements in federal court that death was not the answer for his client, a Uzbekistan citizen.
In his closing to the same federal jury that convicted Saipov in January, defense lawyer Patton said a death sentence was not necessary, especially since a decision against death would mean his client would spend of the rest of life in extreme isolation at the nation’s most secure federal prison in Florence, Colorado.
“I know he committed a horribly, horribly violent crime,” Patton said.
Before the summation had resumed, Patton requested a mistrial over the prosecutor’s images, citing “traumatic imagery” so dramatic that it so affected a man, the husband of an FBI agent, who was sitting among victims’ families. Patton said a woman seated nearby also seemed to have been affected by the images.
The judge denied the request at a trial that has featured numerous days of testimony by emotional witnesses and gruesome images and videos from the killing scene.
Houle said the death penalty was appropriate because of choices made in planning the attack and carrying it out, “choices of Sayfullo Saipov, a proud terrorist.”
“He chose to come to this country and then fight for an enemy,” the prosecutor said. “In our system of justice, the highest punishment is reserved for those who commit the most heinous crimes.”
Prosecutors said at a trial that resulted in guilty verdicts against Saipov in late January that Saipov admitted to FBI agents that he carried out the attack on behalf of the Islamic State group and would have continued to the Brooklyn Bridge to kill others if he had not crashed his truck and been shot by a police officer.
Patton suggested that if left alive, Saipov may “10 years from now, maybe longer,” question what he had done, just as his closest relatives said they hoped would happen if he lived.
“Now maybe he won’t,” his lawyer said, “If he doesn’t, he will still die alone in prison.” | 2023-03-08T00:27:23+00:00 | wric.com | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/prosecutor-seeks-death-for-man-in-new-york-bike-path-attack/ |
ASHBURN, Va., Oct. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC), confirmed today that management has been approached by a financial sponsor regarding a potential acquisition of the Company. Management remains focused on the Company's transformation journey. Consistent with its fiduciary responsibility to maximize shareholder value, the Company is engaged in preliminary discussions and is sharing information.
However, to date no formal proposal has been received. There are no assurances that any proposal will be received or determined to be adequate by the Board of Directors. The Company does not intend to comment further on market rumors or developments unless it deems additional disclosure to be appropriate or required. The Company remains focused on delivering for its customers and colleagues as it executes its transformation journey.
About DXC Technology
DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC) helps global companies run their mission-critical systems and operations while modernizing IT, optimizing data architectures, and ensuring security and scalability across public, private and hybrid clouds. The world's largest companies and public sector organizations trust DXC to deploy services to drive new levels of performance, competitiveness, and customer experience across their IT estates. Learn more about how we deliver excellence for our customers and colleagues at DXC.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE DXC Technology Company | 2022-10-04T18:02:10+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2022/10/04/dxc-technology-statement/ |
Reducing the Product's Carbon Footprint by Using 28% Less Plastic
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla., April 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, ASR Group – the world's largest refiner and marketer of cane sugar – announces the release of an improved easy baking tub with new features for its legacy brands, Domino® Sugar and C&H® Sugar. The easy baking tub is a new packaging format for sugar that offers more convenience for bakers and benefits related to sustainability. The reinvented packaging uses 28 percent less plastic than the previous round canister design, reducing transportation emissions by 65%, and includes instructions on how to recycle. This is the first time easy baking tubs will be available in-store at participating retailers across the United States.
Enhancing the baking experience, the tub holds approximately 8 cups of sugar that can be scooped and leveled directly from the container to a mixing bowl and can be refilled using Domino Sugar or C&H Sugar bags. The tub features a click-to-close hinged and the rectangular shape makes storing simpler than ever with a stackable design made for your pantry.
"The in-store launch of the easy baking tub and expansion to brick-and-mortar accessibility demonstrates our commitment to increase convenience for consumers," said Suzzette Arroyo, Director of Brand Management. "The easy baking tub was conceived with home bakers in mind to inspire baking love, and the flip-up lid and easy-to-scoop canister makes in-home baking a breeze."
New easy baking tubs are in stores now for both Domino Sugar and C&H Sugar. The tub will replace the previous round canister design supporting efforts to reduce the product's carbon footprint and provide added convenience for bakers.
Domino Sugar is available across the Eastern United States. To find a location in your area carrying Domino Sugar, please visit dominosugar.com/store-locations. C&H Sugar is available across the Western United States. To find a location in your area carrying C&H Sugar, please visit https://www.chsugar.com/store-locator.
About ASR Group
ASR Group International, Inc. is the world's largest refiner and marketer of cane sugar, with an annual production capacity of more than 6 million tons of sugar. The company produces a full line of grocery, industrial, foodservice and specialty sweetener products. Across North America, ASR Group owns and operates six sugar refineries, located in New York, California, Maryland, Louisiana, Canada and Mexico. In Europe, the company owns and operates sugar refineries in the United Kingdom, Portugal, and, with a joint venture partner, Italy. ASR Group also farms sugarcane and owns sugar mills in Mexico and Belize. The company's portfolio includes the leading brands Domino®, C&H®, Florida Crystals®, Redpath®, Tate & Lyle®, Lyle's® and Sidul®. ASR Group is owned by Florida Crystals Corporation and Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida. ASR Group and its parent companies jointly own Tellus Products, LLC, a maker of compostable tableware and foodservice products from sugarcane and other plant fibers. For more information, visit www.ASR-Group.com.
About Domino® Sugar
Since 1901, Domino® Sugar has maintained a commitment to quality, a passion for craftsmanship and a dedication to sweetening the lives of countless bakers. Our products are trusted by everyone from home bakers to gourmet chefs to perform flawlessly when it matters most. That's why, when the time comes for high-quality baking, those who understand the importance of high-quality ingredients turn to the experts at Domino® Sugar.
About C&H® Sugar
Crafting sugar and happiness has been our mission since 1906, and our experts have dedicated themselves to quality, earning the respect and trust of the baking community for more than a century. Over the years, we've grown, but we're still in California, still committed to quality and still bringing sweetness to every home. We know that when you mix family, friends and food made with C&H® sugar, you create magical moments and memories you'll never forget. In other words--the recipe for happiness starts with C&H®.
Media Contact:
Amanda Miller
C&H® Sugar and Domino® Sugar
amiller@brightredagency.com
(850) 668-6824
View original content:
SOURCE ASR Group | 2023-04-22T13:50:35+00:00 | wbrc.com | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/04/22/asr-group-launches-recyclable-refillable-easy-baking-tub-domino-camph-sugar/ |
CHICAGO (AP) — A tornado touched down near Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, prompting passengers to take shelter and disrupting hundreds of flights. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
A confirmed tornado was on the ground around 7 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service in Chicago.
“This tornado has been touching the ground intermittently so far and is moving east. There are additional circulations along the line south of O’Hare. Seek shelter if in the warned area,” it said.
By 8 p.m. the weather service said the Chicago forecast area was “currently tornado warning free.” The storm moved into Michigan before passing through the state and into Canada early Thursday. Tornado watches that were in effect for parts of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio all expired.
Video from TV stations showed hundreds of people taking shelter in an O’Hare concourse. Some 173 flights departing the airport were canceled and more than 500 were delayed, according to the flight tracking service FlightAware.
Kevin Bargnes, director of communications for O’Hare and Chicago Midway International Airport, told WGN-TV Wednesday night that no damage was reported at either airport.
The National Weather Service had issued two tornado warnings for Chicago Wednesday evening. Tornado sirens sounded warning people to find shelter.
Lynn Becker, a longtime Chicago resident, posted video to Twitter with tornado sirens blaring across the city’s iconic skyline.
“I’m in a 60 story apartment building so my options are somewhat limited,” he said. “We have to, I assume, go into the core of the building.”
Becker said news of the storm was featured across local media.
“There’s a certain panic when you’re watching a TV screen and everything is in red … but the hope is that the damage is minimal,” he said.
Local news outlets said warehouses were reportedly damaged near O’Hare.
The weather service quoted an unidentified emergency manager as saying a roof was blown off in the community of Huntley in McHenry County northwest of Chicago. Huntley Battalion Chief Mike Pierce told ABC-7-TV that firefighters and other emergency services were responding to downed power lines, trees and tree branches, and that power outages had been reported. Building damage appeared to be concentrated around two apartment buildings, he said.
More than 10,000 customers lost power in the region, according to poweroutage.us.
In Hodgkins, southwest of Chicago, police said storm damage and debris was found on the north end of town, near a shopping center.
Earlier Wednesday, the weather service’s Storm Prediction Center had said there was an enhanced risk for severe weather, including tornadoes in northern Illinois, including Chicago.
Brett Borchardt, senior meteorologist with the National Weather Service, confirmed to WGN-TV that multiple tornadoes touched down across the Chicago area. He said surveying the damage will likely take days.
Over the years many tornadoes have struck in the Chicago metropolitan area, and several have hit within the city limits of Chicago, according to the National Weather Service. Between 1855 and 2021, the weather service recorded 97 significant tornadoes in the Chicago metro area.
The deadliest formed in Palos Hills in Cook County on April 21, 1967. The twister traveled 16 miles (26 kilometers) through Oak Lawn and the south side of Chicago, killing 33 people, injuring 500 and causing more than $50 million in damage, according to the weather service. | 2023-07-13T16:40:26+00:00 | kxnet.com | https://www.kxnet.com/news/top-stories/ap-top-headlines/ap-tornado-touches-down-near-chicagos-ohare-airport-amid-severe-weather-warnings/ |
AP Week in Pictures: Global
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
OCTOBER 14 - 20, 2022
This photo gallery highlights some of the most compelling images from around the world made or published by The Associated Press in the past week.
The selection was curated by AP photo editor Eloy Martin in Madrid.
Follow AP visual iournalism:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/apnews
AP Images on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Images
AP Images blog: http://apimagesblog.com/ | 2022-10-22T08:18:50+00:00 | seattlepi.com | https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/AP-Week-in-Pictures-Global-17526698.php |
Which Valentine’s table decorations are best?
Romance is all about atmosphere. If everything isn’t just right, all your efforts to create the perfect Valentine’s Day could be in vain. Since a romantic meal is the focal point for many couples, having the best Valentine’s table decorations is crucial to creating the proper mood.
If you’re looking for understatedly stylish table decorations that are more classy than cheesy, the Amoystone Gold Plated Coasters are a top choice.
What to know before you buy Valentine’s table decorations
Variety of Valentine’s table decorations
Any appropriately colored festive item can serve as a Valentine’s table decoration. It doesn’t have to be a centerpiece. It could be a table runner, a placemat set, a vase filled with roses, a dyed sprig of pine or even a bowl of candy hearts. Some people trim their homes with white, red and pink candles, while others place festive gnomes on their dining room tables. Balloons or signs that proclaim “Be Mine,” “Kiss Me” or “Happy Valentine’s Day” are also options.
Function
Besides placemats, you can use decorative baskets to hold rolls and holiday-themed dishes to serve that special meal. One favorite among starry-eyed couples is unique wine glasses. These items may be shaped like a rose, have hand-painted hearts on them or just proclaim “I love you.”
Location
You can place any decoration suitable for a tabletop on another flat, level surface. A kitchen counter, a bookshelf, a nightstand or a fireplace mantel are all locations that could benefit from a Valentine’s table decoration.
What to look for in quality Valentine’s table decorations
Appealing design
Your holiday decorations should bring you joy. If you aren’t a fan of flowers, search for another Valentine’s Day-themed item, such as hearts or cute sayings. On a second level, if you can find Valentine’s Day table decorations that echo the decor of the room, like purchasing heart-shaped burlap placemats for a farmhouse kitchen, that’s a plus.
Appropriate size
A decoration that’s too small for a table won’t have the impact you’re hoping for. Conversely, one that’s too large might diminish the functionality of your table. Shop for decorations that are big enough to be a focal point but not so large that they diminish your ability to use the table.
Number of decorations
Do you want one centerpiece or several? If you need more than one, it’s best to purchase them as a set to ensure they all match. However, you won’t want them to be identical unless you’re hosting a party where all the tables are identical.
Quality material
Valentine’s Day decorations can be something you throw away or something you reuse year after year. If you’d like decorations that last, consider the quality of the materials used. For instance, a plastic tablecloth will have a shorter life than a polyester or cotton table runner.
Ease of care
Valentine’s Day is filled with foods and drinks that are red. Unfortunately, red stains can be difficult — but not impossible — to remove. Look for holiday decorations you can wipe down or wash if they get dirty.
How much you can expect to spend on Valentine’s table decorations
Valentine’s table decorations can cost as little as a few dollars for a paper centerpiece to as much as $80 or more for a cotton table runner.
Valentine’s table decorations FAQ
When should I put up Valentine’s Day decorations?
A. Ultimately, the answer to this question is a matter of preference. However, if you’re going to the trouble of decorating for the holiday, give yourself time to enjoy your handiwork. Feb. 1 is a good goal.
What do Valentine’s Day colors symbolize?
A. The three colors associated with Valentine’s Day are red, white and pink. While you can find many long and involved historical explanations why these colors represent the holiday, the simplest answer is the best. White symbolizes purity or innocence, red symbolizes love and pink symbolizes a blend of red and white to represent innocent love.
Is it “Valentine’s” or “Valentines”?
A. Valentine’s Day is a day that belongs to St. Valentine. When writing about the holiday, always use an apostrophe. If you’re writing about the many cards and gifts you received, that’s spelled “valentines” — no apostrophe and no capital “V,” unless it’s the first word in a sentence.
What are the best Valentine’s table decorations to buy?
Top Valentine’s table decoration
Amoystone Gold Plated Coasters
What you need to know: This beautiful coaster is an understated addition to a Valentine’s-themed table to hold drinks or pillar candles.
What you’ll love: It’s made from heart-shaped rose quartz with gold-plated edging. It’s more stylish than a lot of Valentine’s Day table decorations. It looks good enough to use year-round.
What you should consider: It’s on the pricey side.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top Valentine’s table decorations for the money
What you need to know: This sign celebrates what Valentine’s Day is really about.
What you’ll love: It measures roughly 4 by 12 inches. The letters light up, powered by 2 AAA batteries. It’s romantic but still relatively subtle.
What you should consider: You need to buy the batteries separately.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Watinc Valentine’s Table Decorations
What you need to know: The three wooden Valentine’s decorations in this set can be placed on a table, shelf or mantel.
What you’ll love: These centerpieces can be assembled and disassembled for easy storage. Each colorful decoration has a unique design and holiday message. You can use them as party decorations or holiday decor.
What you should consider: Even though these decorations are made of wood, they can break easily if mishandled.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Allen Foster 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. | 2023-02-01T20:48:10+00:00 | valleycentral.com | https://www.valleycentral.com/reviews/br/apparel-br/holiday-br/best-valentines-table-decorations/ |
WICHITA, Kan. – The East Carolina softball team fell 5-1 in its series opener with No. 23 Wichita State on Friday evening inside Wilkins Stadium.
Taudrea Sinnie recorded one hit and the lone RBI for the Pirates (26-21, 3-10 AAC) who left seven runners on base and were only 1-for-8 at the plate with runners in scoring position.
Addison Barnard led the way for Wichita State (38-8, 11-2 AAC) with two hits, two runs and two RBI.
The Shockers struck first, scoring two early runs on an RBI triple from Barnard and Barnard would subsequently steal home but ECU would retire three of the next four batters to minimize the damage.
In the top of the fourth, ECU would record its first hit on a single from Taylor Edwards and load the bases, but Wichita State would get the lead runner out at home and get a strikeout to escape the inning with a 2-0 lead.
The Pirates would trim the deficit to one in the top of the fifth inning on an RBI single from Sinnie and ECU would threaten to score more with the bases loaded but the Shockers would retire the side and ECU would leave three runners on base.
Wichita State would pull away in the bottom of the fifth with back-to-back solo home runs to take a 4-1 lead and add an insurance run in the sixth inning on a Pirate error in route to the series opening win.
Jordan Hatch (12-9) gave up six hits and four runs in 4.1 innings for the loss and Lauren Howell (16-2) tossed four strikeouts and gave up four hits for the win.
Up Next
East Carolina will look to even the series tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
Pirates drop series opener to No. 23 Wichita State, 5-1
by: Grady Dillon, ECUPirates.com
Posted:
Updated:
Close
Thanks for signing up!
Watch for us in your inbox.
Subscribe Now | 2023-04-22T03:21:41+00:00 | wnct.com | https://www.wnct.com/sports/ecu-pirates/pirates-drop-series-opener-to-no-23-wichita-state-5-1/ |
LUCKNOW, India (AP) — At least 34 people have died in the past two days as a large swath of the north Indian state Uttar Pradesh swelters under severe heat, officials said Saturday, prompting doctors to advise residents over 60 to stay indoors during the daytime.
The dead were all over 60 years old and had preexisting health conditions that may have been exacerbated by the intense heat. The fatalities occurred in Ballia district, some 300 kilometers (200 miles) southeast of Lucknow, the state capital of Uttar Pradesh.
Twenty-three deaths were reported Thursday and another 11 died Friday, Ballia’s Chief Medical Officer Jayant Kumar said.
“All the individuals were suffering from some ailments and their conditions worsened due to the extreme heat,” Kumar told The Associated Press on Saturday. He said most of the deaths were because of heart attack, brain stroke and diarrhea.
Diwakar Singh, another medical officer, said these people were admitted to Ballia’s main hospital in critical condition. “Elderly people are vulnerable to extreme heat too,” he said.
India Meteorological Department data shows Ballia reported a maximum temperature of 42.2 degrees Celsius (108 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday, which is 4.7 C (8 F) above normal.
The scorching summer has sparked power outages across the state, leaving people with no running water, fans, or air conditioners. Many have staged protests.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath assured the public that the government was taking all necessary measures to ensure an uninterrupted power supply in the state. He urged citizens to cooperate with the government and use electricity judiciously.
“Every village and every city should receive adequate power supply during this scorching heat. If any faults occur, they should be promptly addressed,” he said Friday night in a statement.
The main summer months — April, May and June — are generally hot in most parts of India before monsoon rains bring cooler temperatures. But temperatures have become more intense in the past decade. During heat waves, the country usually also suffers severe water shortages, with tens of millions of its 1.4 billion people lacking running water.
A study by World Weather Attribution, an academic group that examines the source of extreme heat, found that a searing heat wave in April that struck parts of South Asia was made at least 30 times more likely by climate change.
In April, the heat caused 13 people to die at a government event in India’s financial capital of Mumbai and prompted some states to close all schools for a week. | 2023-06-17T20:33:42+00:00 | wate.com | https://www.wate.com/news/national/ap-international/doctors-advise-people-over-60-to-stay-indoors-as-indias-northern-state-swelters-in-extreme-heat/ |
A Jefferson City motorcyclist is badly hurt in a crash. Police say 43 – year old Shane Steck lost control of his bike on Highway – 50 and hit a concrete lane divider. He was thrown off the motorcycle and wasn’t wearing a helmet. Steck was flown to University Hospital. | 2023-05-02T14:18:10+00:00 | kwos.com | https://kwos.com/2023/05/jc-rider-injured-in-accident/ |
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck had a blended family and hummingbird-themed Christmas
By Marianne Garvey, CNN
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have celebrated their first Christmas as Mr. and Mrs. Affleck.
“We have blended families, doubled the people, doubled the fun, doubled the love, doubled the presents and tripled the chaos!!” Lopez wrote in her The J.Lo newsletter.
The duo, who held their first of two wedding ceremonies in July, said they were “sending a little holiday cheer” to all. The couple celebrated Christmas with her 14-year-old twins Emme and Max (who Lopez shares with Marc Anthony), and Affleck’s kids Violet, 17, Seraphina, 13, and Samuel, 10 (who he shares with Jennifer Garner).
“I’ve been hunkering down at home (and loving it) since I wrapped my last movie, just getting ready for the holidays!” Lopez wrote.
She added that her Christmas decor this year had a hummingbird theme, inspired by her song “Hummingbird” on her upcoming album, “This Is Me…Now.”
“To me, hummingbirds are messengers of love,” she said. “They’re also the fastest bird but they always have time to stop, eat something sweet and smell the roses. I identify with them, but more than anything, whenever I see one, I feel like it’s a sign from God that everything is going to be OK.”
Lopez said she also decorated a “hummingbird tree” and wore a hummingbird themed dress.
“It’s a Gucci dress that I’ve had in my closet which I bought a year ago and I’ve been waiting for the perfect occasion to wear,” she explained. “I thought it was perfect for our Hummingbird Christmas Party.”
Lopez had a blast at the family party, writing that it “was filled with family, friends, colleagues, and people we’ve known from over the years. We sang and danced and had the most amazing time!”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | 2022-12-27T18:19:26+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/entertainment/cnn-entertainment/2022/12/27/jennifer-lopez-and-ben-affleck-had-a-blended-family-and-hummingbird-themed-christmas/ |
- Organic revenue growth of 13.5%1 results in revenue of $1,707.5 million, increase of 40.4%1
- Solid Waste price of 7.3% and surcharges of 1.9%, highest in company history
- Adjusted EBITDA2 of $453.3 million, increase of 34.2%1; Net income from continuing operations of $82.6 million; Adjusted Net Income from continuing operations2 of $89.6 million
- Adjusted EBITDA margin2 of 26.5%; Solid Waste Adjusted EBITDA margin2 of 29.4%
- Adjusted Cash Flows from Operating Activities2 of $250.5 million; cash flows from operating activities of $231.2 million; Adjusted Free Cash Flow2 of $102.2 million
- Adjusted earnings per share from continuing operations2 of $0.24; Earnings per share from continuing operations of $0.17
- Year-to-date completed acquisitions generating approximately $360.0 million in annualized revenue
VAUGHAN, ON, July 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - GFL Environmental Inc. (NYSE: GFL) (TSX: GFL) ("GFL", "we", "our" or the "Company") today announced its results for the second quarter of 2022.
"Our exceptional start to the year continued into the second quarter, thanks to the hard work and commitment of our over 19,000 employees," said Patrick Dovigi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of GFL. "Solid Waste pricing of 7.3% was significantly above our original plan and a testament to our ability to respond to changing market conditions in real time. The strength of this pricing, together with continued positive trends in volume and contribution from M&A drove nearly 30% revenue growth in our Solid Waste segment, a result that was ahead of our expectations. The outperformance that we saw in our Environmental Services segment in the beginning of the year continued to accelerate in the second quarter, resulting in over 20% organic revenue growth and validating our rationale for bringing together the components of this segment late last year. Adjusted EBITDA grew by $115.5 million or 34.2% in the second quarter. We achieved these extraordinary results despite the current inflationary environment that has been more severe and persisted longer than expected, as well as the continuing impact of tight labour markets and supply chain constraints. Although current year margins will be impacted by labour shortages and the rapid rate of cost escalation, we believe that our disciplined pricing initiatives, together with the delayed impact of recent CPI pricing adjustments, will set up a highly favourable launch off point for 2023 and provide additional scope for margin expansion as inflationary pressures, labour markets and supply chain constraints begin to moderate."
Mr. Dovigi added, "We remain focused on executing on our strategy to create long-term value for all stakeholders. We have completed 28 acquisitions year-to-date, the majority of which were smaller tuck-in acquisitions, which have meaningfully densified our Solid Waste footprint within the markets we serve. Our outsized M&A activity during the first part of this year is expected to contribute annualized revenue of approximately $360.0 million and puts us on track to exceed the upside opportunity from M&A that we identified at the beginning of the year. We also continued to make progress on RNG projects at the five landfills, where we have agreements in place, with an additional seven sites under active negotiation and nine other projects in the request for proposal stage."
Mr. Dovigi concluded, "Our strong performance for the first half of the year, coupled with our expectation for the balance of the year, the resilience of our business model and the effectiveness of our growth strategies, are leading us to increase our 2022 full year guidance for the second time this year. We are increasing our guidance for revenue by $375 million, as well as Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted Free Cash Flow, despite the current inflationary environment and rising interest rates. We continue to see upside opportunities ahead of us as result of our robust M&A pipeline and the contribution from any incremental M&A completed in the second half of the year would be additive to our updated guidance."
- Revenue increased by 40.4% to $1,707.5 million in the second quarter of 2022, compared to the second quarter of 2021. Solid Waste organic growth of 12.4%, including 7.3% from core pricing, 1.9% from surcharges and 2.4% from positive volume. In the second quarter of 2021, Solid Waste core pricing and surcharges was 4.1% and volume was positive 6.3%.
- Environmental Services revenue of $324.3 million, including organic growth of 21.6% driven by the strength of industrial collection and processing revenue, as well as the impact of higher used motor oil selling prices.
- Adjusted EBITDA2 increased by 34.2% to $453.3 million in the second quarter of 2022, compared to the second quarter of 2021. Adjusted EBITDA margin2 was 26.5% in the second quarter of 2022, compared to 26.9% in the second quarter of 2021 (27.8% as adjusted for the divestiture of GFL Infrastructure). Solid Waste Adjusted EBITDA margin2 was 29.4% in the second quarter of 2022, compared to 30.9% in the second quarter of 2021.
- Net income from continuing operations increased to $82.6 million in the second quarter of 2022, compared to $54.5 million in the second quarter of 2021.
- Adjusted Free Cash Flow2 was $102.2 million in the second quarter of 2022, compared to $162.2 million in the second quarter of 2021.
- Revenue increased by 34.3% to $3,108.9 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. Solid Waste organic growth of 11.3%, including:
- Environmental Services revenue of $556.0 million, including organic growth of 20.6% driven by the strength of industrial collection and processing revenue, as well as the impact of higher used motor oil selling prices.
- Adjusted EBITDA2 increased by 27.1% to $807.7 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to the six months ended June 30, 2021. Adjusted EBITDA margin2 was 26.0% for the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to 27.4% for the six months ended June 30, 2021. Solid Waste Adjusted EBITDA margin2 was 29.6% for the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to 30.9% for the six months ended June 30, 2021.
- Net income from continuing operations increased to $219.6 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to a net loss of $229.2 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021.
- Adjusted Free Cash Flow2 was $220.8 million for the six months ended June 30, 2022, compared to $279.1 million for the six months ended June 30, 2021.
GFL also provided its updated guidance for 2022 assuming a CAD/US exchange rate of 1.28 for the remainder of the year (compared to 1.26 provided in our original guidance on February 9, 2022):
- Revenue is estimated to be between $6,425 million and $6,475 million (previously between $6,000 million and $6,100 million).
- Adjusted EBITDA3 is estimated to be between $1,710 million and $1,730 million (previously between $1,680 million and $1,720 million).
- Adjusted Free Cash Flow3 is estimated to be between $650 million and $680 million (previously between $645 million and $675 million).
The 2022 updated guidance includes the expected contribution of acquisitions already completed in 2022, net of divestitures completed to date, but excludes any impact from additional acquisitions not yet completed, refinancing opportunities and any potential redeployment of capital. Implicit in forward-looking information in respect of our expectations for 2022 are certain current assumptions, including, among others, no changes to the current economic environment and that none of the jurisdictions in which GFL operates institute additional COVID-19 emergency measures including shelter-in-place or similar orders. The updated 2022 guidance assumes GFL will continue to execute on its strategy of organically growing our business, leverage our scalable network to attract and retain customers across multiple service lines, realize operational efficiencies, and extract procurement and cost synergies. See "Forward-Looking Information".
GFL will host a conference call related to our second quarter earnings on July 28, 2022 at 8:30 am Eastern Time. A live audio webcast of the conference call can be accessed by logging onto our Investors page at investors.gflenv.com or by clicking here. Listeners may access the call toll-free by dialing 1-844-200-6205 (access code: 721283) approximately 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start time.
We encourage participants who will be dialing in to pre-register for the conference call using the following link: https://ige.netroadshow.com/registration/q4inc/11191/gfl-environmental-second-quarter-2022-earnings-call/. Callers who pre-register will be given a conference access code and PIN to gain immediate access to the call and bypass the live operator on the day of the call. Participants may pre-register at any time, including up to and after the call start time. For those unable to listen live, an audio replay of the call will be available until August 11, 2022 by dialing 1-866-813-9403 (access code: 749052).
GFL, headquartered in Vaughan, Ontario, is the fourth largest diversified environmental services company in North America, providing a comprehensive line of solid waste management, liquid waste management and soil remediation services through its platform of facilities throughout Canada and in more than half of the U.S. states. Across its organization, GFL has a workforce of more than 19,000 employees.
For more information, visit our web site at gflenv.com. To subscribe for investor email alerts please visit investors.gflenv.com or by clicking here.
This release includes certain "forward-looking statements" and "forward-looking information" (collectively, "forward-looking information") within the meaning of applicable U.S. and Canadian securities laws, respectively. Forward-looking information includes all statements that do not relate solely to historical or current facts and may relate to our future outlook, financial guidance and anticipated events or results and may include statements regarding our financial performance, financial condition or results, business strategy, growth strategies, budgets, operations and services. Particularly, statements regarding our expectations of future results, performance, achievements, prospects or opportunities or the markets in which we operate is forward-looking information. In some cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "targets", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "an opportunity exists", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "outlook", "forecasts", "projection", "prospects", "strategy", "intends", "anticipates", "does not anticipate", "believes", or "potential" or variations of such words and phrases or statements that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "will", "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved", although not all forward-looking information includes those words or phrases. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, intentions, projections, guidance, potential or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking information. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts nor assurances of future performance but instead represent management's expectations, estimates and projections regarding future events or circumstances.
Forward-looking information is based on our opinions, estimates and assumptions that we considered appropriate and reasonable as of the date such information is stated, is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, assumptions and other important factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including but not limited to certain assumptions set out herein in the section titled "Updated Full Year 2022 Guidance"; our ability to obtain and maintain existing financing on acceptable terms; our ability to source and execute on acquisitions on terms acceptable to us; currency exchange and interest rates; the impact of competition; the changes and trends in our industry or the global economy; changes in laws, rules, regulations, and global standards; and the duration and severity of the COVID-19 pandemic, including variants, and its impact on the economy, the North American financial markets, our operations, our M&A pipeline and our financial results. Other important factors that could materially affect our forward-looking information can be found in the "Risk Factors" section of GFL's annual information form for the year ended December 31, 2021 and GFL's other periodic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the securities commissions or similar regulatory authorities in Canada. Shareholders, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these risks carefully in evaluating our forward-looking information and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such information. There can be no assurance that the underlying opinions, estimates and assumptions will prove to be correct. Although we have attempted to identify important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors not currently known to us or that we currently believe are not material that could also cause actual results or future events to differ materially from those expressed in such forward-looking information. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. The forward-looking information contained in this release represents our expectations as of the date of this release (or as the date it is otherwise stated to be made), and is subject to change after such date. However, we disclaim any intention or obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required under applicable U.S. or Canadian securities laws. The purpose of disclosing our financial outlook set out in this release is to provide investors with more information concerning the financial impact of our business initiatives and growth strategies.
This release makes reference to certain non-IFRS measures. These measures are not recognized measures under IFRS and do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS and are therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Accordingly, these measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for analysis of our financial information reported under IFRS. Rather, these non-IFRS measures are used to provide investors with supplemental measures of our operating performance and thus highlight trends in our core business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on IFRS measures. We also believe that securities analysts, investors and other interested parties frequently use non-IFRS measures in the evaluation of issuers. Our management also uses non-IFRS measures in order to facilitate operating performance comparisons from period to period, to prepare annual operating budgets and forecasts and to determine components of management compensation.
EBITDA represents, for the applicable period, net income (loss) from continuing operations plus (a) interest and other finance costs, plus (b) depreciation and amortization of property and equipment, landfill assets and intangible assets, less (c) the provision for income taxes, in each case to the extent deducted or added to/from net income (loss) from continuing operations. We present EBITDA to assist readers in understanding the mathematical development of Adjusted EBITDA. Management does not use EBITDA as a financial performance metric.
Adjusted EBITDA is a supplemental measure used by management and other users of our financial statements including our lenders and investors, to assess the financial performance of our business without regard to financing methods or capital structure. Adjusted EBITDA is also a key metric that management uses prior to execution of any strategic investing or financing opportunity. For example, management uses Adjusted EBITDA as a measure in determining the value of acquisitions, expansion opportunities and dispositions. In addition, Adjusted EBITDA is utilized by financial institutions to measure borrowing capacity. Adjusted EBITDA is calculated by adding and deducting, as applicable from EBITDA, certain expenses, costs, charges or benefits incurred in such period which in management's view are either not indicative of underlying business performance or impact the ability to assess the operating performance of our business, including: (a) (gain) loss on foreign exchange, (b) (gain) loss on sale of property and equipment, (c) mark-to-market (gain) loss on Purchase Contracts, (d) share of net income of investments accounted for using the equity method, (e) share-based payments, (f) impairment, (g) gain on divestiture, (h) transaction costs, and (i) acquisition, rebranding and other integration costs (included in cost of sales related to acquisition activity). We use Adjusted EBITDA to facilitate a comparison of our operating performance on a consistent basis reflecting factors and trends affecting our business. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, we deducted our share of net income of investments accounted for using the equity method and adjusted for an impairment charge related to assets that were destroyed in a fire during the quarter. As we continue to grow our business, we may be faced with new events or circumstances that are not indicative of our underlying business performance or that impact the ability to assess our operating performance.
Adjusted EBITDA margin represents Adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue. Management and other users of our financial statements including our lenders and investors use Adjusted EBITDA margin to facilitate a comparison of the operating performance of each of our operating segments on a consistent basis reflecting factors and trends affecting our business.
Acquisition EBITDA represents, for the applicable period, management's estimates of the annual Adjusted EBITDA of an acquired business, based on its most recently available historical financial information at the time of acquisition, as adjusted to give effect to (a) the elimination of expenses related to the prior owners and certain other costs and expenses that are not indicative of the underlying business performance, if any, as if such business had been acquired on the first day of such period ("Acquisition EBITDA Adjustments"), and (b) contract and acquisition annualization for contracts entered into and acquisitions completed by such acquired business prior to our acquisition. Further adjustments are made to such annual Adjusted EBITDA to reflect estimated operating cost savings and synergies, if any, anticipated to be realized upon acquisition and integration of the business into our operations. We use Acquisition EBITDA for the acquired businesses to adjust our Adjusted EBITDA to include a proportional amount of the Acquisition EBITDA of the acquired businesses based upon the respective number of months of operation for such period prior to the date of our acquisition of each such business.
Adjusted Cash Flows from Operating Activities represents cash flows from operating activities adjusted for (a) operating cash flows from discontinued operations, (b) prepayment penalties for early note redemption, (c) transaction costs, (d) acquisition, rebranding and other integration costs, (e) M&A related net working capital investment, (f) tax refund from CARES Act, and (g) cash interest paid on TEUs. Management uses Adjusted Cash Flows from Operating Activities to evaluate and monitor the ongoing financial performance of GFL. Adjusted Cash Flows from Operating Activities is a supplemental measure used by investors as a valuation and liquidity measure in our industry.
Adjusted Free Cash Flow represents Adjusted Cash Flows from Operating Activities adjusted for (a) proceeds from asset divestitures, (b) proceeds on disposal of assets, (c) purchase of property and equipment and intangible assets, and (d) investment in joint ventures and associates. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, proceeds from asset divestitures excluded proceeds received for the divestiture of GFL Infrastructure. Adjusted Free Cash Flow is a supplemental measure used by investors as a valuation and liquidity measure in our industry. Management uses Adjusted Free Cash Flow to evaluate and monitor the ongoing financial performance of GFL.
Adjusted Net Income (Loss) from continuing operations represents net income (loss) for continuing operations adjusted for (a) amortization of intangible assets, (b) ARO discount rate depreciation adjustment, (c) incremental depreciation of property and equipment due to recapitalization, (d) prepayment penalties for early note redemption, (e) amortization of deferred financing costs, (f) (gain) loss on foreign exchange, (g) mark-to-market (gain) loss on Purchase Contracts, (h) share of net income of investments accounted for using the equity method, (i) impairment, (j) gain on divestiture, (k) transaction costs, (l) acquisition, rebranding and other integration costs, (m) TEU amortization expense, and (n) the tax impact of the forgoing. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2022, we deducted our share of net income of investments accounted for using the equity method and adjusted for an impairment charge related to assets that were destroyed in a fire during the quarter. Adjusted earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations is defined as Adjusted Net Income (Loss) from continuing operations divided by the weighted average shares in the period. We believe that Adjusted earnings (loss) per share from continuing operations provides a meaningful comparison of current results to prior periods' results by excluding items that GFL does not believe reflect its fundamental business performance.
Net Leverage is a supplemental measure used by management to evaluate borrowing capacity and capital allocation strategies. Net Leverage is equal to our total long-term debt, as adjusted for fair value, deferred financings and other adjustments and reduced by our cash, divided by Run-Rate EBITDA.
Run-Rate EBITDA represents Adjusted EBITDA for the applicable period as adjusted to give effect to management's estimates of (a) Acquisition EBITDA Adjustments (as defined above) and (b) the impact of annualization of certain new municipal and disposal contracts and cost savings initiatives, entered into, commenced or implemented, as applicable, in such period, as if such contracts or costs savings initiatives had been entered into, commenced or implemented, as applicable, on the first day of such period. Run-Rate EBITDA has not been adjusted to take into account the impact of the cancellation of contracts and cost increases associated with these contracts. These adjustments reflect monthly allocations of Acquisition EBITDA for the acquired businesses based on straight line proration. As a result, these estimates do not take into account the seasonality of a particular acquired business. While we do not believe the seasonality of any one acquired business is material when aggregated with other acquired businesses, the estimates may result in a higher or lower adjustment to our Run-Rate EBITDA than would have resulted had we adjusted for the actual results of each of the acquired businesses for the period prior to our acquisition. We primarily use Run-Rate EBITDA to show how GFL would have performed if each of the interim acquisitions had been consummated at the start of the period as well as to show the impact of the annualization of certain new municipal and disposal contracts and cost savings initiatives. We also believe that Run-Rate EBITDA is useful to investors and creditors to monitor and evaluate our borrowing capacity and compliance with certain of our debt covenants. Run-Rate EBITDA as presented herein is calculated in accordance with the terms of our revolving credit agreement.
All references to "$" in this press release are to Canadian dollars, unless otherwise noted.
For further information:
Patrick Dovigi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer,
+1 905-326-0101
pdovigi@gflenv.com
You should read the following information in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto as of and for the year ended December 31, 2021 as well as our unaudited Interim Financial Statements and notes thereto for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022.
The following tables summarize the revenue growth in our segments for the periods indicated:
The following table summarizes the components of our Solid Waste organic growth for the periods indicated:
The following tables summarize our operating segment results for the periods indicated, excluding the results of GFL Infrastructure which has been presented as discontinued operations:
The following table presents the calculation of Net Leverage as at the dates indicated:
The following table presents the total shares outstanding as at the date indicated:
The tables below set forth the reconciliation of our net income (loss) from continuing operations to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA for the periods indicated, excluding the results of GFL Infrastructure which has been presented as discontinued operations:
The tables below set forth the reconciliation of our net income (loss) from continuing operations to Adjusted Net Income from continuing operations for the periods indicated, excluding the results of GFL Infrastructure which has been presented as discontinued operations:
The tables below set forth the reconciliation of our cash flows from operating activities to Adjusted Cash Flows from Operating Activities and Adjusted Free Cash Flow for the periods indicated:
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE GFL Environmental Inc. | 2022-07-27T20:36:15+00:00 | kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/07/27/gfl-environmental-reports-second-quarter-2022-results-raises-full-year-2022-guidance-second-time-this-year/ |
Director Sarah Polley's adaptation of the novel by Miriam Toews is about women in an isolated religious colony who break the silence about abuse at the hands of the colony's men.
Copyright 2022 NPR
Director Sarah Polley's adaptation of the novel by Miriam Toews is about women in an isolated religious colony who break the silence about abuse at the hands of the colony's men.
Copyright 2022 NPR | 2022-12-25T23:42:40+00:00 | wlrn.org | https://www.wlrn.org/2022-12-25/all-appears-idyllic-in-women-talking-except-for-what-none-of-the-women-has-said-until-now |
New study sheds light on youth access to firearms
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Startling new statistics show how quickly kids in Colorado can access a gun.
It comes after the shooting at east high school in Denver, and as lawmakers debate gun reform. More than forty thousand middle school and high school students across the state responded to a survey by Healthy Kids Colorado. The question asked: how long would take you to get a loaded firearm?
32 percent say they have access to firearms. 25 percent say they can get one in less than 24 hours, and more than 12 percent in less than 10 minutes. Public health experts at the University of Colorado examined this survey. They paid particular attention to the under 10 minutes apart.
Firearms are the leading cause of death in the US for youth under 19 years old. Experts say, when it comes to suicide, it often happens within 10 minutes of ideation.
Nationally, there are rising rates of suicide among Black, American Indian, and Alaska-Native youth. The study also revealed significantly higher rates of gun access for kids in rural areas. | 2023-03-30T13:12:14+00:00 | krdo.com | https://krdo.com/news/2023/03/30/new-study-sheds-light-on-youth-access-to-firearms/ |
Pre-Order Your G FUEL Las Plagas Collector's Box at GFUEL.com While Supplies Last
NEW YORK, April 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In celebration of CAPCOM's thrilling and fan-favorite remake of Resident Evil™ 4, G FUEL announced its new flavor inspired by the game, Las Plagas, is now available for pre-order as a Collector's Box and 40-serving Tub at GFUEL.com while supplies last!
You, alongside highly trained Division of Security Operations agent Leon Kennedy, are sent to a small European village to rescue the President's daughter! As Leon runs off to investigate the creepy village ahead, you hear a voice behind you, "Over here, stranger." You turn to see a mysterious man in a hood. Before you can even reply, he says "Got somethin' that might interest yah! Heh heh hehaha." He hands you a mysterious box. It's the new G FUEL Las Plagas Collector's Box – inspired by CAPCOM's Resident Evil 4! The delicate, honey-like, sweet Persimmon flavor will help you and Leon catch Saddler and stop Los Iluminados! And remember to stay away from the lake!
Each Collector's Box comes with an exclusive 24 oz Resident Evil 4 Steel Shaker Cup you can't get anywhere else!
Also available as a standalone 40-serving Tub, G FUEL Las Plagas is sugar free and packed with antioxidants from 18 different fruit extracts. Each serving has only 15 calories and contains 140 mg of caffeine plus proprietary energy and focus-enhancing complexes.
The flavor is G FUEL's third Resident Evil™ collaboration with CAPCOM, following Nemesis Tea – inspired by Resident Evil 3™ – and Resident Evil™ Village-inspired Maiden's Blood.
"When you have a great partner like CAPCOM and an iconic franchise like Resident Evil, each collaboration becomes a passion project – especially when it's a flavor inspired by an exciting new version of an all-time classic, Resident Evil 4," said G FUEL Founder and CEO Cliff Morgan. "G FUEL Las Plagas is the perfect companion to one of the biggest gaming events of the year. After all, when you're battling hordes of evil villagers, you need all the energy and focus you can get!"
Now go help Leon catch Saddler and stop Los Iluminados with the G FUEL Las Plagas Collector's Box and Tub, now available for pre-order at GFUEL.com!
About G FUEL
G FUEL provides fans with a game-changing, performance-driven alternative to standard energy drink products. With an ever-expanding, sugar-free product lineup that includes a powdered Energy Formula, ready-to-drink cans, powdered Hydration Formula and Sparkling Hydration bottles, G FUEL has firmly established itself as a market leader in the energy drink industry.
With more than 344,000 5-star Shopper Approved Ratings, a shipping network that spans over 125 countries, a nationwide retail campaign, and a global social media footprint of over 1 billion followers, G FUEL maintains the industry's largest and most passionate community of fans, customers, content creators, and partners. Content creators and partners include the likes of Ninja, MoistCr1TiKaL, Sentinels Esports, NoisyButters, PewDiePie, Mikal Bridges, Michael Dickson, Summit1G, Activision, SEGA of America, Capcom®, EA, Bethesda Game Studios, Warner Bros., VIZ Media, Rare Ltd., Disney, Lucasfilm, Sony Pictures, The Tetris Company and Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.
Join the movement today at GFUEL.com and follow us on social media @GFuelEnergy.
Press Contact:
media@gfuel.com
Distribution and Wholesale Contact:
dluks@gfuel.com
About CAPCOM
Capcom is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment for game consoles, PCs, handheld and wireless devices. Founded in 1983, the company has created hundreds of games, including groundbreaking franchises Resident Evil™, Monster Hunter™, Street Fighter™, Mega Man™, Devil May Cry™ and Ace Attorney™. Capcom maintains operations in the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Tokyo, with corporate headquarters located in Osaka, Japan. More information about Capcom and its products can be found at www.capcom.com or news.capcomusa.com.
LEGAL LINES
Capcom, and the Capcom logo are registered trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd. in the U.S. or other countries. Ace Attorney, Devil May Cry, Mega Man, Monster Hunter, Resident Evil and Street Fighter are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Capcom Co., Ltd. and/or its subsidiaries, in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.
©CAPCOM. Licensed for use by G FUEL, LLC
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE G FUEL | 2023-04-12T20:18:05+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2023/04/12/g-fuel-capcom-team-up-take-out-los-iluminados-with-new-resident-evil-4-energy-drink/ |
BOULDER, Colo., June 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Watchmaker Genomics, a life sciences company specializing in the development of high-stringency applications focused on the reading, writing, and editing of DNA and RNA, today announced it had secured $40 million in an oversubscribed Series A, bringing total funding to date to $53.5 million. The round was led by Decheng Capital, with co-investment from Eclipse Ventures.
Founded in 2019, Watchmaker established an enzyme engineering technology platform that leverages recent advances in computational design and directed evolution. The founding team has deep domain expertise in next-generation sequencing (NGS) and clinical oncology assay development and a track record of building successful life science companies, notably Kapa Biosystems, Enzymatics, and ArcherDx. The company launched its first product in 2020 and has since achieved profitability with 175% year-over-year revenue growth. With this Series A round of financing, Watchmaker plans to accelerate investment in its protein engineering platform to deliver a suite of new products that address the demands of clinical sequencing and support emerging applications in single-cell analysis, epigenetics, and cell-free DNA. In addition, the company will expand commercial channels and manufacturing capacity, making these product solutions more broadly accessible to the life science and genomics communities.
"We are thrilled to partner with Watchmaker Genomics as the company enters its next phase of product innovation and commercialization. The experienced team at Watchmaker has already built a strong foundation, and we look forward to supporting their continued growth," said Decheng Capital Partner Victor E. Tong, Jr., who is joining the Watchmaker Board of Directors.
"Watchmaker is developing tools and techniques that will unlock the future of genomics, both in the lab and the clinic. We are excited to partner with this world-class team as they pioneer the new frontier of genomics and ultimately, significantly improve how we treat diseases," said Eclipse Ventures Partner Justin Butler, who will join Watchmaker as a Board Observer.
"The additional financing will enable Watchmaker to more quickly scale our organization to meet the explosive demands of the genomics industry and help to further realize our vision of more personalized medicine and improved human health," said Trey Foskett, CEO and Co-Founder of Watchmaker Genomics. "Decheng Capital is a leading investor in life science and sequencing, and we are excited to have the firm lead our Series A. Watchmaker, Decheng, and Eclipse share a passion for building market-leading, impactful companies, and we welcome Victor and Justin to join us."
This news builds on the company's previously announced collaborations with Twist Biosciences, Element Biosciences, Singular Genomics, and Molecular Loop. Watchmaker will be showcasing its DNA and RNA NGS solutions for clinically relevant sample types and applications at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) conference from June 6th - 9th in Orlando, FL.
Watchmaker Genomics applies advanced enzymology to enable breakthrough applications for the reading, writing, and editing of DNA and RNA. The company combines domain expertise in protein engineering with large-scale enzyme manufacturing to address the demanding quality, performance, and scale requirements of high-growth clinical genomics applications.
Watchmaker's product portfolio includes enzymes and kits for next-generation sequencing library preparation, synthetic biology, and molecular diagnostics. Based in Boulder, Colorado, the Watchmaker team brings decades of collective experience building successful life science companies, commercializing novel technologies, and advancing clinical genomics applications. Watchmaker partners directly with innovative life science companies, commercial sequencing providers, and pioneering research labs. For more information about Watchmaker Genomics, please visit www.watchmakergenomics.com
Decheng Capital, founded in 2012, is a leading investment firm providing capital and strategic support to early stage life science companies with revolutionary technologies and growth stage healthcare companies with a strong market presence. We are a group of dedicated professionals with complementary expertise who have outstanding track records of building highly successful companies globally. With over $2 billion in capital under management and support from some of the most prestigious LPs in the world, Decheng is poised to deliver superior returns for our investors and create value for our entrepreneur partners.
With over $2 billion in assets under management, 70 portfolio companies, and a team of investors with deep expertise in technology, manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, healthcare and consumer products, Eclipse is one of the US' leading venture capital organizations. Its leadership team has the experience and deep expertise necessary to create and scale complex operations – with partners coming from industry giants, such as Flextronics, Tesla, Apple, Samsara, Intel and GE. Eclipse partners with entrepreneurs boldly transforming the essential industries that define and propel economies. For more information, visit www.eclipse.vc.
MEDIA CONTACT
Watchmakergenomics@consortpartners.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Watchmaker Genomics | 2022-06-02T13:48:41+00:00 | kfyrtv.com | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/06/02/watchmaker-genomics-raises-40m-series-financing-accelerate-growth-expand-clinical-sequencing-product-offerings/ |
AUBURN, Mass. (WXIN) — Those who like candy corn should be on the lookout for a recall due to an allergy alert.
Arcade Snacks is recalling its 15-ounce packages of candy corn because egg is not listed as an allergen. People who have egg allergies run the risk of serious or life-threatening reactions if they eat the candy.
The candy was sold in 15-ounce clear plastic containers marked with UPC 0 18586 00114 4 and a “best by” date of March 8, 2023, on the label on the back panel. It was distributed in Massachusetts and Connecticut at the following locations:
- Johnson Roadside Farm Market in Swansea, Massachusetts
- Donelan’s Supermarkets in Massachusetts
- Fieldstone Farm Market in Marion, Massachusetts
- Foodies in Massachusetts
- Windfall Market in Falmouth, Massachusetts
- Highland Park Market in Glastonbury, Connecticut
Anyone with the recalled candy is urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Anyone with questions can contact the company at 1-508-832-6300 Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET. | 2022-09-27T16:41:06+00:00 | cenlanow.com | https://www.cenlanow.com/national/candy-corn-recalled-over-allergy-alert/ |
This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate
MOSCOW (AP) — Hundreds of people lined up Tuesday to pay tribute to the daughter of a leading right-wing Russian political thinker following the 29-year-old woman's death in a car bombing that Moscow blamed on Ukrainian intelligence.
Speaking during a farewell ceremony held at a Moscow broadcast production center, Alexander Dugin said with his voice breaking that his daughter, a commentator with a nationalist Russian TV channel, “died for the people, died for Russia.”
“The huge price we have to pay can only be justified by the highest achievement, our victory,” Dugin said. “She lived for the sake of victory, and she died for the sake of victory. Our Russian victory, our truth, our Orthodox faith, our state.”
Darya Dugina was killed when a remotely controlled explosive device planted in her SUV blew up on Saturday night as she was driving on the outskirts of Moscow, ripping the vehicle apart and killing her on the spot, authorities said.
Her father was widely believed to be the intended target. Dugin is a philosopher, writer and political theorist who ardently supports Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to send troops into Ukraine. Russian media quoted witnesses as saying that the SUV belonged to Dugin and that he had decided at the last minute to travel in another vehicle.
During the memorial service at the Ostankino television center, Dugin shared what he said were his daughter's last words to him, spoken at a nationalist festival they both attended just before her death: “Father, I feel like a warrior, I feel like a hero. I want to be one, I don’t want any different fate. I want to be with my people, with my country.”
The car bombing, unusual for Moscow since the gang wars of the turbulent 1990s, triggered calls from Russian nationalists to respond by ramping up strikes on Ukraine. Ukraine has denied any involvement in the bombing.
Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, reaffirmed the denial late Monday, saying that “our special services have no relation to that.”
Leonid Slutsky, the head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the lower house of Russia’s parliament, attended Tuesday’s farewell ceremony for Dugina. Slutsky, who took part in several rounds of talks with Ukrainian negotiators in March, indicated the killing would have repercussions for the conflict in Ukraine.
“We see that Kyiv isn’t inclined to have talks, and my own position as a member of the negotiation team is that it would be hard to engage in talks after that horrible tragedy,” he said.
Putin on Monday sent a letter of condolences to Dugin and his wife, denouncing the “cruel and treacherous” killing and saying that Dugina “honestly served people and the Fatherland, proving what it means to be a patriot of Russia with her deeds.” He posthumously awarded Dugina the Order of Courage, one of Russia’s highest medals.
Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, the main successor to the KGB, said Dugina’s killing was “prepared and perpetrated by the Ukrainian special services.”
The FSB charged that a Ukrainian citizen, Natalya Vovk, carried out the killing after arriving in Russia in July with her 12-year-old daughter and renting an apartment in the building where Dugina lived in order to shadow her. It said that Vovk and her daughter were at a nationalist festival that Dugin and his daughter attended just before the killing.
The agency said that Vovk drove to Estonia after the killing, using a different license plate for her vehicle.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu dismissed the Russian claim, saying in televised remarks that “we regard this as one instance of provocation in a very long line of provocations by the Russian Federation, and we have nothing more to say about it at the moment.”
Dugin, dubbed “Putin’s brain” and “Putin’s Rasputin” by some in the West, has been a prominent proponent of the “Russian world” concept, a spiritual and political ideology that emphasizes traditional values, the restoration of Russia’s global influence and the unity of all ethnic Russians throughout the world.
Dugin helped popularize the “Novorossiya,” or “New Russia” concept that Russia used to justify the 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula and its support of separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. He has urged the Kremlin to step up its operations in Ukraine.
Dugin has also promoted authoritarian leadership in Russia and spoken with disdain of liberal Western values. He has been slapped with U.S. and European Union sanctions.
His daughter expressed similar views and had appeared as a commentator on the TV channel Tsargrad, where Dugin had served as chief editor.
Dugina herself was sanctioned by the U.S. in March for her work as chief editor of United World International, a website that Washington has described as a source of disinformation.
___
Jan M. Olsen contributed from Copenhagen. | 2022-08-23T10:46:05+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Mourners-pay-tribute-to-nationalist-killed-by-car-17391367.php |
Nike splits with Kyrie Irving amid antisemitism fallout
Nike has parted ways with Kyrie Irving.
The shoe giant announced Friday night that it will halt its relationship with the Brooklyn guard, who has been suspended by the Nets for what the team called a repeated failure to “unequivocally say he has no antisemitic beliefs.”
The Nets made that move Thursday, and a day later, Nike made its decision as well.
“At Nike, we believe there is no place for hate speech and we condemn any form of antisemitism," the Beaverton, Oregon-based company said. “To that end, we’ve made the decision to suspend our relationship with Kyrie Irving effective immediately and will no longer launch the Kyrie 8."
Irving has had a signature line with Nike since 2014.
“We are deeply saddened and disappointed by the situation and its impact on everyone," Nike said.
Irving signed with Nike in 2011, shortly after becoming the No. 1 pick in that year’s NBA draft. Irving’s first signature shoe was released three years later, and the popularity of the Kyrie line led to him making a reported $11 million annually just from the Nike endorsement.
The Kyrie 8 was expected to be released in the next week. Previous models of his shoes were still for sale on the Nike website Friday night.
Nike's decision came a day after the Nets handed down their suspension, which will last at least five games, and after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said he wanted an apology from Irving over his decision to post a link to the documentary “Hebrews to Negroes: Wake Up Black America” — a film that contains antisemitic material.
Irving defended his right to post what he wants, then refused to give a direct answer when asked Thursday if he has antisemitic beliefs. Later, hours after the Nets issued their suspension, Irving posted an apology on Instagram for not explaining the specific beliefs he agreed and disagreed with when he posted the documentary.
“To All Jewish families and Communities that are hurt and affected from my post, I am deeply sorry to have caused you pain, and I apologize,” Irving wrote. “I initially reacted out of emotion to being unjustly labeled Anti-Semitic, instead of focusing on the healing process of my Jewish Brothers and Sisters that were hurt from the hateful remarks made in the Documentary.”
Irving becomes the second prominent celebrity in less than two weeks to lose a major shoe deal over antisemitism. Adidas was forced to part ways with Ye — the artist formerly known as Kanye West — late last month, a move the German company said would result in about $250 million in losses this year after stopping production of its line of Yeezy products as well as halting payments to Ye and his companies.
Those moves occurred after Ye made antisemitic comments in interviews and on social media for weeks. | 2022-11-05T02:26:56+00:00 | wesh.com | https://www.wesh.com/article/nike-splits-with-kyrie-irving-amid-antisemitism-fallout/41873295 |
The Taliban are banning women's beauty salons in Afghanistan, a government spokesperson said.
The move is the latest effort by the Taliban to curb women's rights and freedoms in the country.
While Mohammad Sidik Akif Mahajar, a spokesperson for Taliban-run Virtue and Vice Ministry, did not provide details on the ban, he did confirm the validity of the contents of a letter making rounds on social media, reports say.
The letter, with an issue date of June 24, conveys an order by supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada to all women's beauty salons in the capital of Kabul and all other provinces to wind down their businesses within a month, according to the Associated Press. After the one-month period, businesses must provide a report as proof of closure. There is no reason given for the ruling.
Just days before, Akhundzada claimed his government had taken steps for the betterment of women's lives in Afghanistan, AP said.
SEE MORE: Women's rights, including education, are in peril under Taliban rule
The United Nations said Tuesday that it is working to get the ban reversed.
"UNAMA calls on the de facto authorities to halt the edict closing beauty salons. This new restriction on women's rights will impact negatively on the economy [and] contradicts stated support for women entrepreneurship," the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said on Twitter.
UNAMA calls on the de facto authorities to halt the edict closing beauty salons. This new restriction on women’s rights will impact negatively on the economy&contradicts stated support for women entrepreneurship. UNAMA remains engaged w/stakeholders seeking reversal of the bans.
— UNAMA News (@UNAMAnews) July 4, 2023
Previously, the Taliban instituted a ban prohibiting girls from continuing education beyond grade six. It also banned women and girls playing sports, and from many forms of employment, among other things.
The attack against women's rights and freedoms ramped up after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021, when the U.S. and NATO pulled troops from the nation.
The Taliban's harsh rulings have triggered international outrage.
SEE MORE: Taliban Ban Women From Working For Domestic, Foreign NGOs
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | 2023-07-04T19:41:40+00:00 | kivitv.com | https://www.kivitv.com/taliban-ban-women-s-beauty-salons-in-afghanistan |
Maker of unproven birth drug Makena to pull from US market
WASHINGTON (AP) — The maker of an unproven drug intended to prevent premature births says it will voluntarily remove the product from the U.S. after regulators signaled plans to follow through on a long-delayed effort to force it from the market.
The drug, Makena, is a synthetic version of the hormone progesterone, which is needed to maintain a pregnancy. It’s the only drug with FDA approval to reduce the risk of premature birth.
The removal announcement Tuesday from Covis Pharma comes roughly four years after Makena failed to show a benefit in helping mothers carry pregnancies to term.
Since then the Food and Drug Administration has been moving to get the drug off the market, though Covis has repeatedly appealed for more time to conduct additional research. The injectable drug has become a symbol for the challenges the FDA faces to withdraw a medication when the manufacturer won’t do so voluntarily.
Indeed, the timing of the drug’s removal remains uncertain. Covis, based in Switzerland, said in its release that FDA regulators rejected its proposal to wind down the drug’s use over several months.
The company said that extended off-ramp would give women who are still receiving the drug time to finish their course of treatment, which involves weekly injections starting after 16 weeks of pregnancy.
But the FDA made clear it would continue its internal process to force the drug’s removal on its own terms, according to the company. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf is expected to soon decide on the drug’s fate, in consultation with the agency’s top scientist.
Covis made its proposal to the FDA following an October public meeting at which outside advisers overwhelmingly concluded that Makena hasn’t been shown to work and should have its approval revoked. Despite hours of presentations and debate, the panel was unconvinced by arguments from Covis that the drug could be useful for a subgroup of women.
Such hearings are extraordinarily rare and occur only after a drugmaker rejects initial FDA requests to pull its drug.
“While we stand by Makena’s favorable benefit-risk profile, including its efficacy in women at highest risk of preterm birth, we are seeking to voluntarily withdraw the product and work with the FDA to effectuate an orderly wind-down,” said Raghav Chari, Covis’ chief information officer, in a statement.
The company added that it “remains ready to work cooperatively with the agency,” to remove the drug, despite disagreement on the timeframe.
About 10% of U.S. births come too early, before 37 weeks, raising the risk of serious health problems and even death in infants. The problem occurs at higher rates among Black women.
The FDA granted Makena accelerated approval in 2011 based on a small study in women with a history of early deliveries. The expedited approval was conditioned on a larger follow-up study to confirm whether the drug resulted in healthier outcomes for babies.
In 2019, results from that 1,700-patient international study showed the drug neither reduced premature births — as originally thought — nor resulted in healthier outcomes for infants.
Despite those results, reproductive specialists — including American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — have argued for keeping the decade-old drug available while more research is done.
A spokesperson for the group said Wednesday it will await the FDA’s final decision on the drug.
___
Follow Matthew Perrone on Twitter: @AP_FDAwriter
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-03-08T15:27:38+00:00 | kttc.com | https://www.kttc.com/2023/03/08/maker-unproven-birth-drug-makena-pull-us-market/ |
Biden administration to release $45B for nationwide internet
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is taking the first steps to release $45 billion to ensure that every U.S. resident has access to high-speed internet by roughly 2028, inviting governors and other leaders on Friday to start the application process.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is overseeing the distribution and said that universal access to broadband internet would be akin to the electrification of rural America during the 1930s, a recognition that the internet is a utility needed for U.S. residents to function in today’s economy.
“There’s more than 30 million Americans who don’t have internet,” Raimondo said. “And in this day and age without high-speed internet, you can’t go to school, can’t go to the doctor, can’t do simple things. Think of how many times in a day you Google something or go online.”
The funding is part of the $65 billion for broadband in the $1 trillion infrastructure package that President Joe Biden signed into law last November. That bipartisan package is one of the policy achievements that the Democratic president is trying to sell to voters ahead of the midterm elections, though it’s unclear how much the message will resonate when much of the country is focused on high inflation, cultural differences and political identity.
Former President Donald Trump has dismissed the infrastructure spending as “fake” even though the broadband spending was one of his own priorities. His Agriculture Department said in 2020 that it had invested $744 million on rural internet connectivity, a sum that was meaningful yet insufficient.
Raimondo is traveling to Durham, North Carolina. She’ll announce that governors can send their letters of intent to receive the broadband money, which comes from three programs totaling $45 billion. Each state would then get $5 million to help it consult with residents and write its plan.
The Commerce Department recognizes that internet needs vary by state. The money could be used to lay fiber optic cable, build out Wi-Fi hotspots or even reduce monthly charges in places where price is the main challenge. After the administration’s announcement Monday that it would provide a $30 monthly subsidy to low-income households, Raimondo noted that states could use the additional money from these programs to make the service free to some users.
The allocations would also be influenced by the Federal Communications Commission this fall releasing new maps that detail where people lack internet service or are underserved. Governors and other leaders would then have six months to use this data to shape their final applications. States and eligible areas are guaranteed a minimum of $100 million, though the average payment would be closer to $800 million, according to rough estimates from the Commerce Department.
The goal is to have states lay out a five-year timeline to provide full internet access, while ensuring affordable internet access and promoting competition among providers. The federal government has not defined what qualifies as affordable, since that could be different around the country based on cost of living.
The commerce secretary said she seen the impact that universal internet availability could have on people in her travels.
She said she spoke to a widower in rural South Carolina whose late wife could only see a doctor regularly through telehealth, but they lacked a high-speed connection. Raimondo talked to a college student in Atlanta with a full-time job who had to drive back to campus for the internet to do her homework, leaving the student so exhausted that she fell asleep at the wheel and got into two auto crashes.
“You close the digital divide and close the opportunity divide,” Raimondo said, “and we actually fulfill the American promise of giving everybody a shot at a good job, an education and health care.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2022-05-13T10:26:00+00:00 | wagmtv.com | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/05/13/biden-administration-release-45b-nationwide-internet/ |
NEW YORK, Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- American Securities LLC ("American Securities") and Arsenal Capital Partners ("Arsenal") today announced that an affiliate of American Securities has acquired Meridian Adhesives Group ("Meridian" or the "Company"), in partnership with the management team and funds affiliated with Arsenal. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Meridian is a leading producer of high-performance advanced adhesives for electronics, infrastructure, and industrial end markets. The Company sells a broad portfolio of chemistries and focuses on niche applications that require custom solutions and complex formulations. Meridian operates 25 facilities and serves over 5,000 customers in North America, Asia Pacific, and Europe. The Company is headquartered in Houston, TX and employs approximately 560 people globally.
"We are grateful for the support of Arsenal over the past four years as we established Meridian as the go-to solution provider in the industry," said Dan Pelton, Chief Executive Officer of Meridian. "We are excited about Meridian's next phase of growth and our new partnership with American Securities."
"The time that we have spent evaluating and investing in companies in the adhesives space gives us immense appreciation for Meridian's leadership positions in attractive and growing end markets and applications," commented Scott Wolff, a Managing Director of American Securities. "We are excited to support the Company's organic growth and M&A strategies, innovation, and continued operational excellence so that Meridian can continue to solve problems for its customers."
"Meridian's growth has been a result of focusing on positive long-term trends in technologies and end markets, coupled with hard work from a talented leadership team and employee base," said Roy Seroussi, an Investment Partner of Arsenal. "We look forward to our continued partnership with the Company and American Securities as we build a leading, global adhesives company."
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC acted as financial advisors to American Securities and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP served as legal counsel. Citi and Moelis & Company LLC acted as financial advisors to Meridian and Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff LLP served as legal counsel with respect to the transaction.
About Meridian Adhesives Group
Meridian Adhesives Group is a leading manufacturer of high-value adhesive technologies. With a broad portfolio of dynamic solutions, Meridian serves the electronics, infrastructure, and industrial (flooring, packaging, and product assembly) markets. The group's operations are located in the Americas, EMEA and Asia, with a multitude of sales/service offices worldwide that are positioned to serve Meridian's global customer base. For more information, visit https://meridianadhesives.com.
About American Securities LLC
Based in New York with an office in Shanghai, American Securities is a leading U.S. private equity firm that invests in market-leading North American companies with annual revenues generally ranging from $200 million to $2 billion. American Securities and its affiliates have more than $26 billion under management. For more information, visit www.american-securities.com.
About Arsenal Capital Partners
Arsenal Capital Partners is a leading private equity firm that specializes in investments in industrial growth and healthcare companies. Since its inception in 2000, Arsenal has raised institutional equity investment funds totaling over $10 billion, completed more than 250 platform and add-on acquisitions, and achieved more than 30 realizations. The firm works with management teams to build strategically important companies with leading market positions, high growth, and high value-add. For more information, visit www.arsenalcapital.com.
View original content:
SOURCE American Securities LLC; Arsenal Capital Partners | 2022-09-08T19:45:12+00:00 | kswo.com | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2022/09/08/american-securities-acquires-meridian-adhesives-group-arsenal-capital-partners/ |
Cadent Aperture Platform Enhances Inventory on
The Weather Channel Streaming TV App and Local Now
NEW YORK, April 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Allen Media Group (AMG) and Cadent, the largest independent platform for advanced TV advertising, today announced its agreement for Cadent to provide audience targeting and measurement capabilities of Cadent Aperture Platform to enhance addressable inventory and boost campaign performance for AMG advertisers.
This partnership will maximize advertisers' reach potential and provide Allen Media Group brands – The Weather Channel Streaming App and Local Now – with Cadent Aperture Platform audience tools and services. AMG will be able to seamlessly activate an audience across multiple AMG properties and will gain TV insights that allow advertisers the ability to drill down into an audience by behavioral attributes--including demo, geo, age, and gender-- for a fully comprehensive view of their audiences.
Using Cadent Aperture Viewer Graph to monetize addressable inventory will increase the value of AMG inventory to buy-side customers for cross-screen campaign activation. Its patented technology, as well as a combination of first and third-party data, to connect multiple connected television (CTV) devices back to viewing households, enables TV advertisers to deduplicate and map any audience segment to television with minimal drop-off and maximum reach, as well as industry-leading resolution and match rates.
"In today's media landscape, CTV is critical to success for advertisers looking for data-driven solutions on premium inventory," said Byron Allen, Founder/Chairman/CEO of Allen Media Group. "We're dedicated to leveraging strategic technology partners like Cadent to solve fragmentation in the industry and efficiently reach the right audiences for our advertising partners."
"Cadent is excited to bring our best-in-class solutions to bolster the capabilities and robust reach of Allen Media Group, bridging the gap between the buy-side and sell-side," said Cadent CEO, Nick Troiano. "CTV is an ever-important aspect of converged ad buying. The targeting and measurement we provide to Allen Media Group will improve the advertising experience for buyers and viewers. We look forward to growing our partnership with Allen Media Group."
To learn more about Cadent Aperture Platform, visit https://cadent.tv/platform/.
ABOUT ALLEN MEDIA GROUP
Chairman and CEO Byron Allen founded Allen Media Group in 1993. Headquartered in Los Angeles, it has offices in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, and Charleston, SC. Allen Media Group owns 27 ABC-NBC-CBS-FOX network affiliate broadcast television stations in 21 U.S. markets and twelve 24-hour HD television networks serving nearly 220 million subscribers: THE WEATHER CHANNEL, THE WEATHER CHANNEL EN ESPAÑOL, PETS.TV, COMEDY.TV, RECIPE.TV, CARS.TV, ES.TV, MYDESTINATION.TV, JUSTICE CENTRAL.TV, THEGRIO TELEVISION NETWORK, THIS TV, and PATTRN. Allen Media Group also owns the streaming platforms HBCU GO, THE GRIO STREAMING APP, SPORTS.TV, THE WEATHER CHANNEL STREAMING APP, and LOCAL NOW--the free-streaming AVOD service powered by THE WEATHER CHANNEL and content partners, which delivers real-time, hyper-local news, weather, traffic, sports, and lifestyle information. Allen Media Group also produces, distributes, and sells advertising for 73 television programs, making it one of the largest independent producers/distributors of first-run syndicated television programming for broadcast television stations. With a library of over 5,000 hours of owned content across multiple genres, Allen Media Group provides video content to broadcast television stations, cable television networks, mobile devices, and multimedia digital. Our mission is to provide excellent programming to our viewers, online users, and Fortune 500 advertising partners.
ABOUT CADENT
Cadent powers the evolution of TV brand advertising. We provide marketers, agencies, operators, and media owners with data-driven solutions for buying and selling TV advertising. By connecting brands with opportunities across national inventory sources—cable, broadcast, and OTT—our technology improves efficiencies and boosts the results of linear, addressable, and cross-screen campaigns. For more information, visit cadent.tv or follow @CadentTV.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Cadent | 2023-04-18T13:26:45+00:00 | kmvt.com | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2023/04/18/allen-media-group-selects-cadent-expand-addressability-tv-inventory/ |
US military complains of unsafe, aggressive move by Chinese fighter jet
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. military said Tuesday that a Chinese fighter jet flew aggressively close to a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft over the South China Sea, forcing the American pilot to fly through the turbulent wake.
The Chinese J-16 fighter pilot “flew directly in front of the nose of the RC-135,” which was conducting routine operations in international airspace last Friday, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said in a statement. It called the Chinese move an " unnecessarily aggressive maneuver.”
U.S. defense leaders have complained that China’s military has become significantly more aggressive over the past five years, intercepting U.S. aircraft and ships in the region. And tensions with China have only grown in recent months over Washington’s military support and sales of defensive weapons to self-governing Taiwan, China’s assertions of sovereignty to the contested South China Sea and its flying of a suspected spy balloon over the U.S.
In a further sign of the tensions, China said its defense chief will not meet with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin when the two men attend a security conference in Singapore this coming weekend. Austin is scheduled to address the Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, while Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu will speak at the gathering on Sunday.
Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder, the Pentagon press secretary, said China informed the U.S. that it was declining Austin’s invitation to meet while they were at the conference. He said Beijing’s “concerning unwillingness to engage in meaningful military-to-military discussions” will not diminish the Defense Department’s commitment to seeking open lines of communication with the Chinese army.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning on Tuesday blamed the U.S., saying Washington should “earnestly respect China’s sovereignty and security interests and concerns, immediately correct the wrongdoing, show sincerity, and create the necessary atmosphere and conditions for dialogue and communication between the two militaries.”
In a visit to the Indo-Pacific last summer, U.S. Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the number of intercepts by Chinese aircraft and ships in the Pacific region with U.S. and other partner forces has increased significantly over that time, and the number of unsafe interactions has risen by similar proportions.
China frequently challenges military aircraft from the U.S. and its allies, especially over the strategically vital South China Sea, which China claims in its entirety. Such behavior led to a 2001 in-air collision in which a Chinese plane was lost and pilot killed. Beijing deeply resents the presence of U.S. military assets in that region, and regularly demands that American ships and planes leave the area.
In the statement Tuesday, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command said America will continue to “fly, sail, and operate — safely and responsibly — wherever international law allows,” and expects all other countries to do the same.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-05-30T23:43:12+00:00 | foxcarolina.com | https://www.foxcarolina.com/2023/05/30/us-military-complains-unsafe-aggressive-move-by-chinese-fighter-jet/ |
Campspot recognized as one of the most successful independent small businesses in America out of six million applicants
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., Aug. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. Magazine today revealed that Campspot is ranked No. 487 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. Campspot, the leading online marketplace for RV resorts, family campgrounds, cabins, glamping options, and more, has seen rapid growth in recent years and most recently processed over $1B in gross bookings within a 12-month period. Campspot offers the largest bookable inventory in the camping industry with nearly 200,000 total campsite listings.
On the 2022 list, Campspot is ranked No. 487 overall, securing its place as the fourth fastest growing company in the travel and hospitality segment, fifth in the state of Michigan, and no. 1 in Grand Rapids.
"We're really proud of this recognition both as part of the larger Inc. 5000 community, but also in the travel and hospitality industry and in our headquarters' state and city," says Campspot CEO Michael Scheinman. "Being included in the Inc. 5000 list is just another signal to keep doing what we're doing. We are deeply committed to being the best partner we can be to the campground industry, serving both campgrounds and campers. We're proudly taking the Inc. 5000 recognition with us as we continue to tackle bold goals and reach for new heights. It's an honor to be part of this esteemed list."
Since its introduction in 1982, the Inc. 5000 list has become a hallmark of entrepreneurial success in the United States, with notable alumni including Intuit, Under Armour, Microsoft, Clif Bar, Pandora, Patagonia and Oracle, to name a few. Companies on the 2022 Inc. 5000 have been ranked according to overall revenue growth over a three-year period. As an honoree, Campspot will be individually profiled on Inc.com and one of the top 500 companies featured in the September 2022 issue of Inc. Magazine, the leading entrepreneurial print publication.
About Campspot
Campspot is the leading online marketplace for RV resorts, family campgrounds, cabins, glamping options and more, providing access to more than 180,000 campsites across the United States and Canada. Campspot's real-time, cloud-based campground management solution enables a best-in-class reservation system (site inventory and ancillary add-ons) by giving its customers a POS system and the necessary management tools (utility billing, housekeeping tracking, etc.) to provide the best possible user experience. Campspot provides an intuitive easy-to-navigate guest booking experience that returns relevant and easy-to-modify searches, making planning a vacation seamless.
For more information, please visit www.campspot.com. Follow Campspot on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Download the Campspot Mobile App on Apple IOS HERE and Android HERE.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Campspot | 2022-08-16T16:50:23+00:00 | wbrc.com | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/08/16/campspot-secures-4-position-travel-hospitality-companies-2022-inc-5000-list-fastest-growing-private-companies/ |
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — U.S. lawyer Alan Dershowitz, long a staunch defender of Israel’s policies on the international stage, said Sunday he cannot defend sweeping judicial reforms planned by Israel’s new government.
The proposals call for an overhaul aimed at curbing the powers of the judiciary, including by allowing lawmakers to pass laws that the Supreme Court has struck down. The reforms would give politicians more power over how judges are chosen and limit the independence of government legal advisers, among other steps.
The legal reforms were essential to solidifying the current coalition government, headed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and made up of conservative ultranationalist and ultra-Orthodox parties who seek to advance their agenda through less judicial oversight.
Dershowitz said the reforms pose a threat to civil liberties and minority rights in Israel.
“If I were in Israel I would be joining the protests,” Dershowitz told Israeli Army Radio, referring to a protest in Tel Aviv on Saturday against the reforms that drew thousands.
“It will make it much more difficult for people like me who try to defend Israel in the international court of public opinion to defend them effectively,” he said. “It would be a tragedy to see the Supreme Court weakened.”
It was unusual to hear Dershowitz, who has written bestselling books supporting Israeli policies and is close to Netanyahu, so forcefully opposing the proposed reforms. Dershowitz said he had informed Netanyahu recently of his “very strong, negative views” of the reforms, saying they would also expose Israel to legal challenges by global bodies such as the International Criminal Court.
The reforms could also help Netanyahu, who is on trial for corruption, evade a conviction or see his trial disappear entirely. Dershowitz said he believed Netanyahu agreed to the reforms not to save himself from a conviction but rather to appease the partners of his new governing coalition.
At a meeting of his Cabinet later Sunday, Netanyahu defended the reforms, saying any change will be carried out cautiously.
“The claim that this reform is the end of democracy is absolutely baseless,” he said.
Critics accuse the government of declaring war against the legal system, saying the plan will upend Israel’s system of checks and balances and undermine its democratic institutions by giving absolute power to the most right-wing coalition in the country’s history.
The government says the plan strikes the right balance between the executive and judicial branches while streamlining governance and legislation. | 2023-01-08T13:17:32+00:00 | cbs4indy.com | https://cbs4indy.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-famed-us-lawyer-defender-of-israel-opposes-legal-overhaul/ |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two deliberating jurors at the rape trial of former “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson were dismissed Monday because they have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Charlaine F. Olmedo replaced the jurors with two alternates and told the panel to start over with deliberations.
The jurors were returning Monday from a week off after telling Olmedo on Nov. 18 that they were deadlocked and could not reach a verdict on any of the three rape counts against Masterson after nearly three days of deliberations.
The judge told them it was too soon to declare a mistrial and to keep deliberating when they returned from the holiday break.
Masterson, 46, is charged with the rape of three women, including a former girlfriend, in his Hollywood Hills home between 2001 and 2003.
He has pleaded not guilty, and the defense said the acts were consensual. | 2022-11-29T18:22:38+00:00 | fox59.com | https://fox59.com/news/entertainment/ap-entertainment/ap-2-sick-jurors-lost-from-deliberations-at-masterson-trial/ |
Baton Rouge
Renee Collini has been named the first director of the Gulf Center for Equitable Climate Resilience at The Water Institute.
Collini is a former coastal climate resilience specialist with Mississippi State University and Sea Grant.
She earned a bachelor's in biology from the University of Texas at Dallas, a master's in marine sciences from the University of South Alabama and a doctorate in human sciences from Mississippi State University.
New Orleans
David Aubrey has been promoted to president of AT&T Louisiana.
Aubrey has been with AT&T since 2014, serving as vice president of legislative affairs for the past two years.
Aubrey serves on the Louisiana Board of Regents, the Board of Directors for LABI, the Louisiana Committee of 100, the Grambling University Foundation, Friends of LPB and the Louisiana Leadership Institute.
--
Alexander Kuzin has been named chef de cuisine for The Windsor Court.
Kuzin will oversee The Grill Room, The Polo Club, Le Salon and Café Anglais. He has introduced a new dinner menu at The Grill Room.
Kuzin worked as chef de cuisine at Loews Miami Beach and chef de cuisine at Nobu EDEN Roc Miami Beach.
He earned an associate degree in culinary arts from Le Cordon Blue Culinary College and a bachelor's in culinary management at the International Culinary Schools at the Art Institute in Fort Lauderdale.
--
Baker Donelson has added three attorneys to its New Orleans office.
Laura Walker Plunkett is a shareholder in the Tax Group. She concentrates her practice on tax-exempt organizations and charitable giving, estate and business succession planning, administration of trusts and estates and fiduciary litigation.
She earned a law degree from Emory University and a master of laws from New York University School of Law.
Erin E. Kriksciun is a shareholder in the Financial Services Litigation and Compliance Group. She is an estate planning and administration specialist, counseling owners of closely held businesses, high-net-worth individuals and family groups in their estate, tax and business succession planning.
She earned a law degree from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and master of laws in taxation from New York University School of Law.
Charline K. Gipson has joined as of counsel in the Corporate Group. She concentrates her practice in general corporate matters, mergers and acquisitions and commercial transactions for publicly traded and privately held corporations.
She earned a bachelor's in communications and a law degree from Cornell University. Gipson served as a law clerk for U.S. District Judge Ivan L.R. Lemelle. | 2023-04-09T06:06:57+00:00 | theadvocate.com | https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/business/new-hire-at-the-water-institute-baker-donelson-adds-lawyers/article_abb724e0-d3ed-11ed-b839-5f32d6ab3306.html |
The late fashion journalist and icon André Leon Talley was known for his discerning taste and larger-than-life presence.
The creative director and editor-at-large of American Vogue, who died in January 2022 at age 73, famously draped his 6-foot-6-inch frame in bespoke suits, robes, capes and caftans.
So it was only fitting that many of those signature pieces were among the hundreds of his personal items that Christie's auctioned off this week, which ended up fetching more than $3.5 million altogether.
Christie's said in a release that more than 2,000 registrants from 47 countries participated in the two auctions, one live and the other virtual.
"It was especially gratifying to see the interest that generated astonishingly high bids across the board," said Elizabeth Seigel, Christie's head of private and iconic collections. "The Collection of André Leon Talley is a testament to his impeccable taste and Christie's is thrilled to have helped achieve such strong results."
The first collection — whose 66 lots included paintings by famous artists, custom-made caftans, gem-studded jewelry and designer luggage — fetched nearly $1.4 million in New York on Wednesday. A longer-running online auction of 350 lots of clothing, artwork, accessories, home furnishings and other items brought in more than $2 million when it closed on Thursday.
Proceeds from both auctions will benefit the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York and Mt. Sinai Missionary Baptist Church in Durham, N.C., which the auction house says "were close to Mr. Talley's heart."
Talley, the first Black man to hold his position at Vogue, grew up in segregated Durham and traced his interest in fashion back to attending church with his grandmother as a child.
His legendary career would go on to include stints at Interview Magazine, W, The New York Times and Women's Wear Daily, as well as close friendships with other giants of art and fashion.
The auction featured many of their works — from Andy Warhol paintings to Karl Lagerfeld sketches to photographs of former Vogue editor Diana Vreeland.
"The collection is both glamourous and intimate, reflecting his decades-long relationships with fellow icons including Karl Lagerfeld, Diane von Furstenberg, Ralph Rucci, Tom Ford, Diana Vreeland and Anna Wintour," Christie's said.
Across both collections, final bids ranged from $756 (for 10 pairs of "various leather, wool or kid gloves") to $94,500 (for two Warhol paintings, one of which was of Vreeland, and a set of three personalized Louis Vuitton suitcases).
Other highlights included a Vivienne Westwood cloak printed with the words "climate revolution," complete with a long train ($32,760) and an Antonio Lopez sketch of Talley with Vreeland and designer Paloma Picasso ($25,200).
And many of the items far exceeded their pre-sale estimates, according to Christie's.
A Christian Dior wool coat was expected to fetch $1,000, but ultimately sold for $40,320. A red "sleeping bag" coat by Norma Kamali went for $25,200, which the auction house says is 50 times its low estimate of $500.
The bright, oversize coat may look familiar, especially to anyone who watched Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show.
This homage to Andre Leon Talley from Rihanna was one of our favorite moments from last night. #ESSENCE pic.twitter.com/TLY0Rx1CTG
— ESSENCE (@Essence) February 13, 2023
Rihanna wore a puffy red coat during part of her performance, which many interpreted as a tribute to Talley. The two apparently shared a mutual admiration, as evidenced by recently resurfaced video of Talley fawning over Rihanna's outfit at the 2015 Met Gala.
Talley's official Instagram account, which has remained active, celebrated her before the show by sharing a video of the two talking and embracing. And it followed up later with a nod to her outfit: a picture of Talley in his iconic red coat, captioned with lyrics from Rihanna's song "Umbrella."
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2023-02-17T19:35:32+00:00 | mtpr.org | https://www.mtpr.org/2023-02-17/andre-leon-talleys-belongings-including-capes-and-art-net-3-5-million-at-auction |
AUSTIN, Minn., Aug. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- When it comes to celebrating bacon, the experts at the Hormel® Black Label® bacon brand have their fans covered. To mark National Bacon Lovers Day, the brand has several tasty recipes that will take you beyond the breakfast plate. From sweet to savory, everything is better with Hormel® Black Label® bacon.
From Hormel® Black Label® bacon street corn and taco shells to cookies and cupcakes. We believe Hormel® Black Label® bacon brings any dish to the next level. The flavor and versatility of it makes Hormel(R) Black Label bacon a key ingredient to enhance any dish.
"For consumers, bacon is more than just an item that they buy at the grocery store, it's a critical part of their life that makes every occasion better. Bacon's delicious aroma, sizzling sound when it's being cooked, and crunchy/salty flavor are craved by the whole family; a big plate of bacon brings everyone together from all ends of the house when it's being cooked! Consumers have told us that bacon is more than food to them, it's a crucial part of life. Consumers simply do not want to live in a world where there isn't bacon," said Samantha Hovland, senior brand manager at Hormel Foods.
Level up your summer sweet corn with our Jalapeno Bacon Grilled Elote and Bacon Mexican Street Corn or try out an outrageous recipe like our Bacon Weave Tacos. Finish off with dessert of cookies and pretzels with candied Hormel® Black Label® bacon goodness. For these recipes and more go to https://www.hormel.com/Brands/BlackLabelBaconRecipes.
Hormel(R) Black Label® bacon is available for $4.99-$11.99 nationally at a retailer near you. For more information on Hormel™ Black Label® bacon, please visit https://www.hormel.com/Recipes.
Hormel Foods has been perfecting the flavor of bacon for more than 100 years. The strict specifications and natural hardwood smoke allow Hormel Foods to produce the highest quality bacon. Maximizing consistency, leanness and quality, HORMEL® BLACK LABEL® bacon delivers a meaty flavor perfect for any meal occasion. Hormel Foods offers HORMEL® BLACK LABEL® raw bacon, Canadian bacon, as well as microwave-ready and fully cooked bacon, which are convenient choices for today's busy lifestyles.
Hormel Foods Corporation, based in Austin, Minn., is a global branded food company with over $11 billion in annual revenue across more than 80 countries worldwide. Its brands include Planters®, SKIPPY®, SPAM®, Hormel® Natural Choice®, Applegate®, Justin's®, Wholly®, Hormel® Black Label®, Columbus®, Jennie-O® and more than 30 other beloved brands. The company is a member of the S&P 500 Index and the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats, was named on the "Global 2000 World's Best Employers" list by Forbes magazine for three years, is one of Fortune magazine's most admired companies, has appeared on the "100 Best Corporate Citizens" list by 3BL Media 13 times, and has received numerous other awards and accolades for its corporate responsibility and community service efforts. The company lives by its purpose statement — Inspired People. Inspired Food.™ — to bring some of the world's most trusted and iconic brands to tables across the globe. For more information, visit www.hormelfoods.com and http://csr.hormelfoods.com/.
CONTACT: 507-437-5345, media@hormel.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Hormel Foods | 2022-08-20T13:10:17+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2022/08/20/hormel-black-label-bacon-celebrates-national-bacon-lovers-day/ |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.