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WASHINGTON (AP) — A divided Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal from a Black Texas death row inmate who argued he didn’t get a fair trial because jurors who convicted him objected to interracial marriage.
The court’s three liberal justices dissented from the court’s order turning away the appeal from inmate Andre Thomas. He was sentenced to death for killing his estranged wife, who was white, and two children in 2004.
“No jury deciding whether to recommend a death sentence should be tainted by potential racial biases that could infect its deliberations or decision, particularly where the case involved an interracial crime,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote. Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson joined Sotomayor’s opinion.
On the all-white jury were three people who expressed their disapproval of interracial marriage, including one who wrote on a questionnaire “I think we should stay with our Blood Line.”
Thomas’ trial lawyer did not seek to prevent the three people from serving on the jury, and didn’t even question two of the three about their views, Sotomayor wrote. One juror said he could be fair in spite of his views.
Sotomayor wrote that Thomas’ conviction and death sentence should be overturned.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had earlier rejected Thomas’ claim that his lawyer failed to provide competent representation.
Courts had earlier rejected appeals from Thomas’ lawyers that Thomas should not be executed because he is mentally ill.
He confessed to killing his estranged wife, Laura Christine Boren, 20, their son, Andre Lee, 4, and her 13-month-old daughter, Leyha Marie Hughes, in 2004. Thomas said God had told him to commit the killings. The victims were stabbed and had their hearts ripped out.
Five days later in jail he plucked out one of his eyes. While on death row in 2009, he removed his remaining eye and told prison officials he ate it.
Thomas does not have an execution date. | 2022-10-12T17:29:23+00:00 | wwlp.com | https://www.wwlp.com/news/political-news/ap-politics/ap-court-rejects-black-texas-death-row-inmates-race-bias-claim/ |
Months after Twitter launched its Twitter Blue service, Meta announced it is testing a premium service that will charge for certain upgrades.
Like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram users in Australia and New Zealand will soon be able to buy a verified checkmark.
The new service will cost $11.99 a month for web users and $14.99 for mobile app customers. Meta said the service offers additional protection against impersonation. Users would have to provide a copy of a government ID to seek a verification badge.
Currently, verification on Facebook and Instagram is free but only offered to those that Meta considered “notable.” Meta said that those with verified accounts will maintain their verified status.
Meta said the service is only open to individuals and not businesses.
“Long term, we want to build a subscription offering that’s valuable to everyone, including creators, businesses and our community at large,” Meta said. “As part of this vision, we are evolving the meaning of the verified badge so we can expand access to verification and more people can trust the accounts they interact with are authentic.”
It is unclear whether Facebook and Instagram would continue giving free verification to notable accounts.
The use of verification badges came after websites like Facebook and Twitter encountered issues with impersonation accounts.
Twitter initially had to halt its Twitter Blue service late last year when users could obtain verification badges without providing identification. | 2023-02-20T21:19:45+00:00 | fox17online.com | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/like-twitter-facebook-and-instagram-could-begin-charging-for-verification-badge |
QB Matt Ryan joins CBS as analyst, says he’s not retiring as player
ATLANTA (AP) — Matt Ryan has joined CBS as an analyst, though he’s not giving up on landing with another team as a quarterback.
CBS announced Monday that Ryan, a four-time Pro Bowler and the 2016 NFL MVP with the Atlanta Falcons, will serve as a studio and game analyst across multiple platforms for the upcoming season.
“Excited to join the @NFLonCBS family! Looking forward to breaking down the game this season,” Ryan wrote on his Twitter account.
But, he added, “P.S. — this is not a retirement post.”
The 37-year-old Ryan is coming off a disappointing season with the Indianapolis Colts, who acquired him in a trade last year after he spent 14 seasons with the Atlanta Falcons.
Ryan was twice benched by the Colts and finished the season as the third-string quarterback. He was released in March in a move that saved Indianapolis about $17.2 million in salary cap space for 2023.
After going two months without landing with another team, Ryan decided to give broadcasting a try.
“It is truly an honor to join this exceptional team at CBS Sports,” he said in a statement released by CBS. “I have been blessed to have incredible teammates throughout my career and I am fortunate that will continue here working with and learning from the very best in the industry.”
Ryan is one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history, spending nearly all of his 15-year career with the Falcons.
He guided Atlanta to six playoff appearances, three division titles and won the MVP award in 2016 as the Falcons reached the Super Bowl for only the second time in franchise history. They held a 28-3 lead over New England late in the third quarter of the title game, only to have Tom Brady direct a stunning comeback that ended with the Patriots winning 34-28 in overtime.
Ryan and the Falcons never seemed to recover from that disappointment. They made the playoffs the following year but lost at Philadelphia in the divisional round, then went 25-40 over his final four seasons in Atlanta.
With the Falcons in rebuilding mode and needing to shed a huge amount of money under the cap, Ryan was dealt to the Colts for a third-round draft pick.
The Colts had hoped he would be the quarterback who could lead the team to the Super Bowl, but he was benched by coach Frank Reich, regained the starting job after Reich was fired, only to be benched against by interim coach Jeff Saturday after Indy squandered a 33-0 halftime lead in a loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
He started 12 games for the Colts, completing 67% of his passes for 3,057 yards with 14 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Indianapolis went 4-7-1 with Ryan as the starter and finished 4-12-1.
Over his career, Ryan ranks among the top 10 in NFL history in passing yards (62,792), touchdowns (381), completions (5,551) and attempts (8,464).
CBS plans to use Ryan as a game analyst as well as provide commentary on the “The NFL Today” and other shows across all network platforms.
“As one of the NFL’s marquee quarterbacks for the past 15 years, we’re thrilled to add Matt to our talented roster of NFL analysts,” Howard Bryant, executive producer and executive vice president for CBS Sports, said in a statement. “He has played the game at the highest level, including winning an MVP award and taking his team to the Super Bowl, and will bring a fresh perspective to CBS Sports. We look forward to Matt sharing his knowledge, insight and opinions with our viewers and bolstering our NFL coverage.”
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | 2023-05-15T18:29:02+00:00 | kob.com | https://www.kob.com/sports-stories/ap-football/qb-matt-ryan-joins-cbs-as-analyst-says-hes-not-retiring-as-player/ |
ALHAMBRA, Calif., June 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc. ("ApolloMed," and together with its subsidiaries and affiliated entities, the "Company") (NASDAQ: AMEH), a leading physician-centric, technology-powered healthcare company focused on enabling providers in the successful delivery of value-based care, today announced that it received certification from the National Committee for Quality Assurance ("NCQA") Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set ("HEDIS®") Health Plan Measure Certification Program™. It is the second year in which the Company has received this certification, and in measurement year 2023, ApolloMed expanded its certification from 5 to 20 measures, covering the most widely used HEDIS measures in the managed care industry.
NCQA (www.ncqa.org) is an independent, non-profit organization that accredits and certifies a wide range of healthcare organizations and manages the evolution of HEDIS, the healthcare quality measurement tool used by more than 90 percent of health plans in the United States, covering 200 million people.
This certification allows ApolloMed to provide services that align with the industry's most rigorous clinical quality measurement processes, resulting in more accurate and timely identification of eligible members and services. ApolloMed designed and implemented its HEDIS engine as a RESTful API to work in an interoperable way with other data engines and technologies, increasing the measure outputs' transparency, interpretability, and usability.
Kevin Buchan, Jr., Ph.D., AVP of Analytics at ApolloMed, said, "We are very excited about this measurement year's certification from NCQA. We have continued to improve our engine over the last year, but for the first time, we are ready to offer our HEDIS engine via RESTful API to our partners. We look forward to helping other value-based and digital health organizations benefit from real-time, accurate care quality measures."
Yubin Park, Ph.D., Chief Data and Analytics Officer at ApolloMed, stated, "We are pleased to add our RESTful API interface for HEDIS measures to our analytics platform, which also includes our social determinants of health analytics tool and risk insights tool. We are strong believers in equitable access to high-quality, culturally competent healthcare for all, and remain committed to building technologies that will help lower administrative costs while improving operating efficiencies, quality of care, and access to care. Technology investments such as this allow us to reinvest more into best-in-class patient care and our provider partners, a virtuous cycle that we are excited to further accelerate."
In 2023, ApolloMed was certified by the NCQA HEDIS Health Plan Measure Certification Program™ for 20 different measures. This year's certified measures include key diabetes measures, such as Hemoglobin A1c Control for Patients with Diabetes (HBD), Blood Pressure Control for Patients with Diabetes (BPD), Eye Exam for Patients with Diabetes (EED), Kidney Health Evaluation for Patients with Diabetes (KED), and 16 other measures.
HEDIS® is a registered trademark of NCQA. NCQA HEDIS Health Plan Measure Certification Program™ is a trademark of NCQA.
About Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc.
ApolloMed is a leading physician-centric, technology-powered, risk-bearing healthcare management company. Leveraging its proprietary end-to-end technology solutions, ApolloMed operates an integrated healthcare delivery platform that enables providers to successfully participate in value-based care arrangements, thus empowering them to deliver high quality care to patients in a cost-effective manner.
Headquartered in Alhambra, California, ApolloMed's subsidiaries and affiliates include management services organizations (MSOs), affiliated independent practice associations (IPAs), and entities participating in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center (CMMI) innovation models. For more information, please visit www.apollomed.net.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, such as statements about the Company's operational focus and strategic growth plans. Forward-looking statements reflect current views with respect to future events and financial performance and therefore cannot be guaranteed. Such statements are based on the current expectations and certain assumptions of the Company's management, and some or all of such expectations and assumptions may not materialize or may vary significantly from actual results. Actual results may also vary materially from forward-looking statements due to risks, uncertainties and other factors, known and unknown, including the risk factors described from time to time in the Company's reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including without limitation the risk factors discussed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, filed with the SEC and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Investor Relations
(626) 943-6491
investors@apollomed.net
Carolyne Sohn, The Equity Group
(408) 538-4577
csohn@equityny.com
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SOURCE Apollo Medical Holdings, Inc. | 2023-06-22T12:18:04+00:00 | kcrg.com | https://www.kcrg.com/prnewswire/2023/06/22/apollo-medical-holdings-inc-receives-ncqas-hedis-health-plan-measure-certification-measurement-year-2023/ |
HINESVILLE, Ga. — After nearly three weeks, the community is hearing from a southeast Georgia sheriff's office for the first time after allegations of racism.
A women's lacrosse team from an HBCU, claims deputies from the Liberty County Sheriff's Office pulled their bus over, and racially profiled them.
However, Sheriff William Bowman is giving conflicting accounts to those the team has made.
"The deputies were not aware that this school was historically Black or aware of the race of the occupants due to the height of the vehicle and tinted windows," he said during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
On April 20, the Delaware State women's lacrosse team's bus was pulled over by his deputies, who said the driver was illegally driving in the left lane.
That stop, which a student recorded on video and has received over 44,000 views as of Tuesday, quickly takes a turn.
"I’m not looking for a little bit of marijuana but I’m pretty sure the chaperones will be disappointed if we find any," you can hear one of the deputies saying while on the bus.
Lacrosse player Sydney Anderson, who wrote an article about the experience for the HBCU's newspaper, The Hornet Newspaper, said the team felt racially profiled, as deputies searched bags for 20 minutes.
“It was definitely because the majority of us are Black. The majority of my team is Black, my head coach is Black, and the bus driver is Black. So, there’s no correlation between a traffic law violation and them checking our luggage.”
During the press conference, Bowman claimed deputies did not check their bags.
"No personal items on the bus or person was searched," he said.
Yet, coach Pamella Jenkins said the video shows otherwise.
"That was a traumatic experience," Jenkins said. "They're pulling our luggage out and they have dogs sniffing through our belongings."
Anderson also recalled that moment.
"[K-9's] were smelling our bags, going through everything - our personal hygiene, underwear, and everything in the bag. They did that for about 20 minutes," she added.
In the video you can hear deputies saying, "If there's anything in y'all's luggage, we're probably going to find it."
No drugs were ever found.
"Their response was, on this stretch of highway that a lot of buses like this are smuggling people and narcotics and that they have to be vigilant," Jenkins said.
Delaware State University President Dr. Tony Allen, released a statement on Monday saying in part that "law enforcement members tried to intimidate their student-athletes into confessing to possession of drugs" and that they "do not intend to let this incident pass idly."
“There were several commercial vehicles stopped that morning including another bus where contraband was located," Bowman said. "Due to the nature of the detail, a K-9 was part of the stop and an alert was given by the K-9. A K-9 sniffing on the interior of the vehicle is not a search under the 4th amendment and does call us to search the vehicle."
Bowman did not take any questions from reporters after the press conference.
To view the full video, click here. | 2022-05-11T13:01:34+00:00 | 11alive.com | https://www.11alive.com/article/news/local/lacrosse-team-claims-deputies-racially-profiled-them/85-e942c21e-ee46-4211-82ed-dac3293404b1 |
HAMILTON — Annie Lee Cochran Cantrell, 91, died September 26, 2022. Visitation will be Wednesday from 11 a.m. until sevice time beginning at 1 p.m. at Hope Alive Church. Burial will follow in Memorial Gardens.
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During a youth basketball game in Southern California in November, Latira Shonty Hunt’s daughter took a shot, missed and then fell backward onto the court, bringing a player on the opposing team down with her. That player appeared to have touched Hunt’s daughter as she shot.
Seconds later, Hunt’s daughter swung hard and punched the opposing player in the neck, causing the girl to fall facedown to the ground, the video shows.
The Orange County District Attorney’s Office charged the 44-year-old mother in December with misdemeanor counts of battery and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, saying Hunt had encouraged her daughter to throw the punch.
Now, a judge says Hunt must apologize to the victim and her family, pay $9,000 in restitution and complete anger-management courses to attend basketball games again, prosecutors announced this week. Hunt has also been ordered to stay away from the victim. The requirements are part of a diversion program, an alternative to prosecution that requires Hunt to meet the terms in exchange for her charges being dismissed, according to prosecutors and Hunt’s attorney, Brett Greenfield.
“This was the appropriate result,” Greenfield wrote in an email to The Washington Post.
He said that because of the diversion, Hunt does not need to enter a plea, and he expects the case will be dismissed in the next six to 12 months. It’s unclear if Hunt’s daughter is facing charges. The district attorney’s office said in a news release that it is prohibited under state law from “discussing anything related to juvenile investigations.” Greenfield did not respond to a question about possible charges against Hunt’s daughter.
The ordeal highlights the long-running and widespread problem of bad behavior from parents during youth sporting events. The problem grew so bad that, in 2019, the National Federation of State High School Associations issued a memo, telling parents to “cool it,” as harassment and criticism was causing a shortage of referees. That year, a Minnesota youth soccer league barred parents from standing on the sidelines in an attempt to give the young players more space and focus, WCCO reported. And multiple organizations have issued guidelines to parents on how to control themselves.
Experts say parents’ bad behavior can be driven by outsize expectations on their children, as well as a way to compensate for their own shortcomings.
In a statement announcing the terms of Hunt’s diversion, Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer called Hunt’s behavior “reprehensible.”
“Parents have a fundamental responsibility to raise our children to be good human beings who treat everyone with dignity and respect,” Spitzer said. “Youth sports play a crucial role in developing discipline, teamwork and fair play.”
A video of the incident in Garden Grove, about 30 minutes south of Los Angeles, went viral. It was posted by Alice Ham, the mother of the girl who was punched.
“I’m sorry but it’s everything that’s wrong with youth sports,” Ham wrote on Instagram alongside the video.
Hunt’s daughter was ejected from the gym following the incident, and the game was halted, KNBC reported. Ham told news outlets that her daughter suffered a concussion.
Neither Ham nor her attorney immediately responded to a request for comment from The Post late Thursday. Caroline R. Hahn, Ham’s attorney, told the Los Angeles Times that Ham and her daughter accepted the case’s outcome.
“The assault on her daughter and the subsequent court appearances have been a huge burden on Ms. Ham’s entire family,” Hahn told the paper. “Ms. Ham hopes Ms. Hunt has learned from this ordeal and it results in change in her behavior going forward.”
Hunt’s daughter is also the child of Corey Benjamin, a former NBA player. . Following the incident, he told KNBC that he was “shocked and disappointed” by his daughter’s behavior and that it didn’t reflect his family’s values.
“My daughter made a mistake. One that she will need to make right,” he said, apologizing to the girl who was punched and her family. | 2022-09-16T11:47:57+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/09/16/latira-hunt-apology-basketball/ |
BAKER, Daniel A., 63, Normal, 11 a.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, Normal.
JOHNSTON, Orvil "Bruce", 72, Beason, 4 p.m. at Waynesville United Methodist Church, Waynesville.
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Sign up to get the most recent local obituaries delivered to your inbox. | 2023-02-08T18:47:50+00:00 | pantagraph.com | https://pantagraph.com/obituaries/funerals-today-for-feb-9/article_7571f708-a656-11ed-9a2b-576e1696bddf.html |
Updated June 23, 2023 at 9:26 PM ET
The owner of the Wagner private military contractor made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet on Friday, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia's defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by calling for the arrest of Yevgeny Prigozhin and opening a criminal investigation.
In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin was taking the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don, which is home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern region and also oversees the fighting in Ukraine.
While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscow's war effort as Kyiv's forces were probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive.
Prigozhin claimed early Saturday that his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and had reached Rostov, saying they faced no resistance from young conscripts at checkpoints and that his forces "aren't fighting against children."
"But we will destroy anyone who stands in our way," he said in one of a series of angry video and audio recordings posted on social media beginning late Friday. "We are moving forward and will go until the end."
He claimed that the chief of the General Staff, Gen. Valery Gerasimov, scrambled warplanes to strike Wagner's convoys, which were driving alongside ordinary vehicles.
Despite Prigozhin's statements that Wagner convoys had entered Rostov-on-Don, there was no confirmation of that yet on Russian social networks. Videos showed heavy trucks blocking highways leading to the city, long convoys of National Guard trucks were seen on a road outside Rostov-on-Don and armored vehicles were roaming the streets.
Prigozhin said Wagner field camps in Ukraine were struck by rockets, helicopter gunships and artillery fire on orders from Gerasimov following a meeting with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, at which they decided to destroy Wagner.
The Wagner forces have played a crucial role in Russia's war in Ukraine, succeeding in taking the city where the bloodiest and longest battles have taken place, Bakhmut. But Prigozhin has increasingly criticized Russia's military brass, accusing it of incompetence and of starving his troops of weapons and ammunition.
Prigozhin said late Friday his troops would punish Shoigu in an armed rebellion and urged the army not to offer resistance. "This is not a military coup, but a march of justice," Prigozhin declared.
The National Anti-Terrorism Committee, which is part of the Federal Security Services, or FSB, has charged him with calling for an armed rebellion, which carries a penalty of up to 20 years in prison.
The FSB urged Wagner's contract soldiers to arrest Prigozhin and refuse to follow his "criminal and treacherous orders." It called his statements a "stab in the back to Russian troops" and said they amounted to fomenting an armed conflict in Russia.
President Vladimir Putin has been informed about the situation and "all the necessary measures were being taken," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Heavy military trucks and armored vehicles were seen in several parts of central Moscow early Saturday, and soldiers toting assault rifles were deployed outside the main building of the Defense Ministry. The area around the presidential administration near Red Square was blocked, snarling traffic.
But even amid the heightened military presence, downtown bars and restaurants were filled with customers. At one club near the headquarters of the FSB, people were dancing in the street near the entrance.
Prigozhin, whose feud with the Defense Ministry dates back years, had refused to comply with a requirement that military contractors sign contracts with the ministry before July 1. In a statement late Friday, he said he was ready to find a compromise but "they have treacherously cheated us."
"Today they carried out a rocket strike on our rear camps, and a huge number of our comrades got killed," he said. The Defense Ministry denied attacking the Wagner camps.
Prigozhin claimed that Shoigu went to the Russian military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don personally to direct the strike and then "cowardly" fled.
"This scum will be stopped," he said of Shoigu.
"The evil embodied by the country's military leadership must be stopped," he shouted, urging the army not to offer any resistance to Wagner as it moves to "restore justice."
Col. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the Russian group of forces fighting in Ukraine, urged the Wagner forces to stop any move against the army, saying it would play into the hands of Russia's enemies, who are "waiting to see the exacerbation of our domestic political situation."
Tatiana Stanovaya, a political analyst, predicted this would be the end of Prigozhin.
"Now that the state has actively engaged, there's no turning back," she tweeted. "The termination of Prigozhin and Wagner is imminent. The only possibility now is absolute obliteration, with the degree of resistance from the Wagner group being the only variable. Surovikin was dispatched to convince them to surrender. Confrontation seems totally futile."
Lt. Gen. Vladimir Alexeyev, a top military officer, denounced Prigozhin's move as "madness" that threatened to unleash a civil war.
"It's a stab in the back to the country and the president," he said. "It's impossible to imagine a stronger blow to the image of Russia and its armed forces. Such a provocation could only be staged by enemies of Russia."
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that Ukraine's military was concentrating troops to launch an attack around Bakhmut to take advantage of "Prigozhin's provocation." It said Russian artillery and warplanes were firing on Ukrainian forces as they prepared to start an offensive in the area.
In other developments in the Ukraine war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on other countries to heed warnings that Russia may be planning to attack an occupied nuclear power plant to cause a radiation disaster.
Members of his government briefed international representatives on the possible threat to the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, whose six reactors have been shut down for months. Zelenskyy said he expected other nations to "give appropriate signals and exert pressure" on Moscow.
The Kremlin's spokesman has denied the threat to the plant is coming from Russian forces.
The potential for a life-threatening release of radiation has been a concern since Russian troops invaded Ukraine last year and seized the plant, Europe's largest nuclear power station. The head of the U.N.'s atomic energy agency spent months trying to negotiate the establishment of a safety perimeter to protect the facility as nearby areas came under repeated shelling, but he has been unsuccessful.
The International Atomic Energy Agency noted Thursday that "the military situation has become increasingly tense" while a Ukrainian counteroffensive that got underway this month unfolds in Zaporizhzhia province, where the namesake plant is located, and in an adjacent part of Donetsk province.
Although the last of the plant's six reactors was shut down last fall to reduce the risk of a meltdown, experts have warned that a radiation release could still happen if the system that keeps the reactors' cores and spent nuclear fuel cool loses power or water.
During months of fighting, Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over which side was increasing the threat to the plant.
Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of mining the plant's cooling system, already under threat from a dam collapse that drew down water in a reservoir used by the power station.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2023-06-24T01:52:19+00:00 | klcc.org | https://www.klcc.org/npr-world-news/npr-world-news/2023-06-23/russian-mercenary-chief-says-his-forces-are-rebelling-to-oust-the-defense-minister |
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than $200 billion may have been stolen from two large COVID-19 relief initiatives, according to new estimates from a federal watchdog investigating federally funded programs that helped small businesses survive the worst public health crisis in more than a hundred years.
The numbers issued Tuesday by the U.S. Small Business Administration inspector general are much greater than the office’s previous projections and underscore how vulnerable the Paycheck Protection and COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs were to fraudsters, particularly during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
The inspector general’s report said “at least 17 percent of all COVID-EIDL and PPP funds were disbursed to potentially fraudulent actors.” The fraud estimate for the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is more than $136 billion, which represents 33 percent of the total money spent on that program, according to the report. The Paycheck Protection fraud estimate is $64 billion, the inspector general said.
In comments attached to the report, a senior SBA official disputed the new numbers. Bailey DeVries, SBA’s acting associate administrator for capital access, said the inspector general’s “approach contains serious flaws that significantly overestimate fraud and unintentionally mislead the public to believe that the work we did together had no significant impact in protecting against fraud.”
The SBA inspector general had previously estimated fraud in the COVID-19 disaster loan program at $86 billion and the Paycheck Protection program at $20 billion.
The Associated Press reported June 13 that scammers and swindlers potentially swiped about $280 billion in COVID-19 emergency aid; another $123 billion was wasted or misspent. The bulk of the potential losses are from the two SBA programs and another to provide unemployment benefits to workers suddenly unemployed by the economic upheaval caused by the pandemic. The three initiatives were launched during the Trump administration and inherited by President Joe Biden. Combined, the loss estimated by AP represents 10% of the $4.2 trillion the U.S. government has so far disbursed in COVID relief aid.
The SBA inspector general, Hannibal “Mike” Ware, said in a statement Tuesday that the report “utilizes investigative casework, prior (inspector general) reporting, and cutting-edge data analysis to identify multiple fraud schemes used to potentially steal over $200 billion from American taxpayers and exploit programs meant to help those in need.”
Ware, in an interview with The Associated Press earlier this month, said that these latest fraud figures won’t be the last ones issued by his office.
“We will continue to assess fraud until we’re finished with the investigations on these things,” Ware said. That could be a long while. Ware’s office has a backlog of more than 90,000 actionable leads into pandemic relief fraud, which amounts to nearly a century’s worth of work.
SBA previously told The Associated Press the federal government has not developed an accepted system for assessing fraud in federal programs. Previous analyses, the agency said, have pointed to “potential fraud” or “fraud indicators” in a manner that conveys those numbers as a true fraud estimate when they are not. For the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, the agency said it’s “working estimate” found $28 billion in likely fraud.
Han Nguyen, a spokesman for the SBA, said in a statement Tuesday that it is “vital to clarify that 86% of the likely fraud in the PPP and COVID-EIDL programs occurred in the first nine months of those programs when, as the (inspector general) has often noted, the rush to get funds out led to unwise decisions to pull down anti-fraud guardrails.”
Fraud in pandemic unemployment assistance programs stands at $76 billion, according to congressional testimony from Labor Department Inspector General Larry Turner. That’s a conservative estimate. Another $115 billion mistakenly went to people who should not have received the benefits, according to his testimony.
The Biden administration put in place stricter rules to stem pandemic fraud, including use of the “Do Not Pay” database. Biden also recently proposed a $1.6 billion plan to boost law enforcement efforts to go after pandemic relief fraudsters.
“I think the bottom line is regardless of what the (total fraud) number is, it emanates overwhelmingly from three programs that were designed and originated in 2020 with too many large holes that opened the door to criminal fraud,” Gene Sperling, the White House American Rescue Plan coordinator, said in an early June interview.
Bob Westbrooks, a former executive director of the federal Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, said in an interview the $200 billion number is “unacceptable, unprecedented and unfathomable.” Westbrooks published a book last week, “Left Holding the Bag: A Watchdog’s Account of How Washington Fumbled its COVID Test.”
“The swift distribution of funds and program integrity are not mutually exclusive,” Westbrooks said Tuesday. “The government can walk and chew gum at the same time. They should have put basic fraud controls in place to verify people’s identity and to make sure targeted relief was getting into the right hands.”
—
McDermott reported from Providence, Rhode Island. | 2023-06-27T18:27:50+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/the-great-grift-more-than-200-billion-in-covid-19-aid-may-have-been-stolen-federal-watchdog-says/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_seattle-news |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Even as Democrats celebrated the 100th judicial confirmation of Joe Biden's presidency, they are clamoring for more — and some are flirting with ending a century-long Senate practice to help make it happen.
The rising friction over what in Washington parlance is known as the “blue slip” is creating tensions on the Senate panel that handles judicial nominations and prompting stern warnings from Republicans about a dangerous escalation in the partisanship that already dominates the judicial confirmation process.
The clash over Senate procedure could have major ramifications for Biden as he seeks to fill as many court vacancies as possible during the final two years of his term. Aghast at the speed with which Republicans approved judges during the Trump era, Democrats have made the confirmation to the courts a top priority, vowing to fill every seat possible. Their focus on the nominations is even greater now that Republicans control the House and can stall much of Biden's broader legislative agenda.
Since at least 1917, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee has sent a blue-colored form, or “blue slip," to the senators representing the home state of a judicial nominee. A blue slip returned with a positive response signals the senator's approval of moving forward with a nomination hearing. But if the blue slip is not returned or comes back with a negative response, that means the home state senator objects, which can doom the nomination.
Republicans during Donald Trump's presidency determined the lack of a positive blue slip would not stop them from moving forward with considering appellate court nominees — and they did so 17 times. Democrats were livid, pointing out that Republicans blocked several of President Barack Obama's appellate nominees by declining to return a positive blue slip.
Now, Democrats are being encouraged to follow suit and do away with the blue slip when it comes to the district judges whose courts serve as the starting point for federal civil and criminal cases.
”In many respects, it is an archaic holdover from a different era,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “I think we’re maybe reaching the point of deciding whether it will be continued.”
Advocates for doing away with the blue slip say fast action is critical if Democrats want to have the kind of success Trump had in year three of his presidency, when he secured more than 100 judicial confirmations out of 231. They believe Democrats can't afford to wait months on Republican senators to give their go-ahead for a nominee.
Besides, they argue, if Democrats don't do away with the blue slip now, Republicans will abolish it when they return to the majority.
“Democrats would be chumps to say, ‘Oh well, we're not going to do this because it's a tradition,'" said Russ Feingold, the former three-term Democratic senator from Wisconsin who now serves as president of the American Constitution Society. The group is a liberal counter to the conservative Federalist Society.
The New York Times editorial board also weighed in recently, saying it was “far past time" for the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee to end the blue slip practice.
The chairman, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has clearly heard some of the concerns voiced by progressives. He has made it a point recently to emphasize how Democrats submitted 130 positive blue slips for district court nominees during the Trump presidency, but so far, Republicans have only done so about a dozen times.
That's essentially because Biden has been filling judicial vacancies of predominately Democratic-appointed judges in blue states. Soon, it will get harder. There are about 40 district court vacancies that will require a blue slip from at least one Republican senator. Many of those vacancies don’t have a nominee yet, and Durbin is clearly sending a signal to GOP senators to work expeditiously with the White House on submitting prospective nominees.
Durbin said he wants to continue with the blue slip tradition, but he's adding a caveat: that they aren't used for “discriminatory purposes" to block consideration of nominees based on race, gender or sexual orientation.
His comments have alarmed Republican senators. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said the blue slip courtesy is “very much at stake and at risk here." He also questioned how Durbin is going to discern the motivations of Republicans senators if they object to a nominee.
“The last thing left in this body that makes the Senate the Senate, in my view, and gives a senator a say about a consequential decision in their state that will last a lifetime is the blue slip process," Graham said. “So I would just hope we could agree, if possible, that no matter how frustrated we get, we're going to honor this system."
So far, only one Biden nominee for a district court has had their nomination derailed because a senator withheld a blue slip, William Pocan, nominated to the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson withheld his blue slip, saying he had heard concerns from the Green Bay legal community that they needed a judge locally based and active in their community.
Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said complaints about the blue slip are “orchestrated and contrived." He said that he and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, were asked by the White House to submit names for an appellate court vacancy within three weeks, which they did.
“And eight months later, the administration finally gets around to nominating somebody," Cornyn said. “We've got two district court vacancies where we have not been contacted at all by the White House counsel. So, most of the delay is because the administration has been slow in filling these nominees, these vacancies."
Cornyn likened the efforts to ending the blue slip to Democratic calls for ending the filibuster so that legislation would only need a simple majority to advance rather than 60 votes.
“They want to fully dismantle the Senate as an institution," he said.
Proponents of the blue slip say its most important feature is to encourage collaboration and compromise. Durbin said he provided eight positive blue slips after negotiating on nominees with the Trump White House. “I had to give a little. They did, too," he said.
But Feingold, who served 16 years on the Judiciary panel and 18 years in the Senate, said he believes presidents will continue to consult with senators on judicial openings even without the blue slip, because they need a lawmaker's votes on other priorities.
“You need to consult them anyway because if you try to jam somebody really bad down their throat, they are going to remember it," Feingold said.
Blumenthal said he will bring lessons learned from the Obama years to the debate, and he’s determined not to let Republicans block district judges through the blue slip process the way they did appellate court judges.
“The history is undeniable that Republicans succeeded in blocking many of the Obama nominees, and therefore held open judgeships, which they then filled with alacrity,” Blumenthal said. “We’re not going to let that happen again.” | 2023-02-23T06:12:26+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/news/politics/article/dems-consider-break-with-tradition-to-get-biden-17800487.php |
Ryan Jessee went the distance on the mound, striking out nine in spinning a six-hitter as Gate City High School earned a 6-4 victory over homestanding Marion on Wednesday night in the first round of the VHSL Region 2D baseball tournament.
Carter Babb drove in two runs for the Blue Devils, while John Little collected two hits.
Bradley Thomas had three of Marion’s six hits and also drove in a run.
Lebanon 9, Holston 1
Nick Belcher had two hits and Jake Stamper drove in two runs as Lebanon hammered Holston in the semifinals of the Hogoheegee District tournament.
The Pioneers scored seven runs in the second inning to put the game out of reach. Nathan Phillips went the distance on the mound and crafted a four-hitter.
Rural Retreat 7, Chilhowie 3
Brady Smith had the big hit as Rural Retreat clinched a Region 1D tournament berth with a win in the semifinals of the Hogoheegee District tourney.
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Smith’s two-out, three run double in the third inning gave the Indians a lead they never relinquished. It was one of two hits he had on the day.
Chilhowie left 11 men on base, including leaving the bases stranded in the sixth inning.
Eastside 6, J.I. Burton 4
Eastside freshman Gunner Gross had a Cumberland District tournament to remember.
On Tuesday, he got his first varsity win in a wild 17-16 semifinal win over Castlewood.
On Wednesday, he got the final five outs for his first varsity save as the Spartans beat Burton in the title game.
Jeremy Sexton and Adam Burke each had two hits in the victory, while Jaxsyn Collins and Christopher Steele tallied two RBIs apiece. Collins was the winning pitcher.
Caleb McCurdy drove in two runs for Burton. The Raiders had beaten Rye Cove 5-4 in Tuesday’s late-ending semifinals when Cameron Sergent scored the winning run on a passed ball in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Rye Cove 11, Castlewood 9
Dawson Kern, Zach Baker and Peyton Darnell all had two hits as Rye Cove clinched a spot in the Region 1D tournament with a wild win over Castlewood in the third-place game of the Cumberland District tournament.
Less than 24 hours after suffering a 5-4 loss to J.I. Burton, the Eagles bounced back in a big way.
Brad McCoy had two hits and Rafe Cooper collected two RBIs for Castlewood. The Blue Devils couldn’t hold a 6-2 lead and gave up 28 runs in their final two games of the season.
SOFTBALL
Rye Cove 12, Thomas Walker 2
Rheagan Waldon, Gracie Turner and Mackenzie Hood each had two RBIs as Rye Cove trounced Thomas Walker in the third place game of the Cumberland District tournament.
The Eagles took advantage of two errors and nine walks to clinch a spot in the Region 1D tournament. Hood and Lexie Rhoten combined to pitch a two-hitter and Rye Cove scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to implement the mercy rule.
Gracie Greer and Kallie Woods had Thomas Walker’s hits and scored the team’s two runs. The Pioneers were without ace pitcher Eden Muncy as their season came to a close.
Lebanon 6, Rural Retreat 0
Sophomore Erin Rasnake tossed a four-hit shutout as Lebanon blanked Rural Retreat in the semifinals of the Hogohegee District tournament.
Mally Jessee had two hits, Madison Hill drove in two runs and Lily Gray also tallied a RBI for the Pioneers.
Jenna Mutter had two hits for Rural Retreat.
Eastside 13, J.I. Burton 5
Taylor Perry set the tone with a three-run homer in the first inning as Eastside overpowered J.I. Burton in the championship game of the Cumberland District tournament.
Leci Sensabaugh went 4-for-5 with three RBIs for the Spartans, while Savannah Stanley added three hits.
Burton received two hits apiece from A’nyah Hollinger and Mackenzie Franklin.
Patrick Henry 4, Northwood 2
Abigail Street pitched a six-hitter with seven strikeouts and also aided her team’s cause with two hits as the Rebels notched a win over Northwood in the semifinals of the Hogoheegee District tournament.
Makayla Hall also had two hits for the Rebels, who pushed across three runs in the first inning.
Northwood received two hits from Cami DeBusk.
BOYS SOCCER
Lebanon 7, Patrick Henry 0
The well-balanced Lebanon Pioneers remained unbeaten with a win in the semifinals of the Hogoheegee District tournament.
Grayson Olson had two goals in the win, while Carter Dillon, Juan Hernandez, Eli Taylor, Landon Hess and JayJay Johnson also found the back of the net. It was the first goal of Johnson’s varsity career.
Rural Retreat 1, Holston 0
Parker Stone had the only goal of the match as Rural Retreat edged Holston in the semifinals of the Hogoheegee District tournament.
BOYS TENNIS
Region 1D/2D Doubles Tournament
First Round
Muzaffer-Edwards (Graham) def. Gibson-Castle (Castlewood), 7-5, 6-4; Boggs-Orr (Wise County Central) def. Bowman-Langston (Marion), 6-1, 6-1.
Semifinals
Spurling-Crabtree (John Battle) def. Muzaffer-Edwards (Graham), 6-0, 6-3; Boggs-Orr (Wise County Central) def. Grabeel-Barczi (Thomas Walker), 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Finals
Nathan Spurling-Briggs Crabtree (John Battle) def. Boggs-Orr (Wise County Central), 6-1, 6-2
Region 3D First Round
Hidden Valley 5, Abingdon 2
GIRLS
TSSAA Class AA State Finals
Brentwood 4, Tennessee High 0
Singles
Disha Javagal def. Keona Fielitz, 7-5, 6-3; Nisha Javagal def. Ellyson Kovacs, 6-3, 6-2; Emsley Meier def. Lily Rosser, 6-1, 6-4; Joelle Krikorian def. Lilly Belcher, 6-0, 6-0.
Region 1D Doubles Tournament
First Round
Saylor-Gibson (Thomas Walker) def. Crisp-Pollard (Rural Retreat), 6-0, 6-1; Phipps-Tomko (J.I. Burton) def. Moore-Fuller (Twin Valley), 6-1, 6-1
Semifinals
Phipps-Tomko (J.I. Burton) def. Deckard-Ashby (Lebanon), 5-7, 6-4, 6-4; Saylor-Gibson (Thomas Walker) def. Conway-Dotson (Grundy), 6-2, 6-2
Finals
Dannah Saylor-Leslie Gibson (Thomas Walker) def. Phipps-Tomko (J.I. Burton), 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 | 2022-05-26T08:37:01+00:00 | heraldcourier.com | https://heraldcourier.com/sports/prep-roundup-region-2d-win-for-gate-citys-baseball-team-region-1d-bids-for-rye/article_60bf2170-dcb5-11ec-a10f-730aab34b734.html |
Stewart Rhodes, the leader of the far-right Oath Keepers group, was found guilty Tuesday of seditious conspiracy over his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 riots, a win for the Justice Department as it pursues the little used charge for members of multiple extremist groups who contributed to the chaos at the Capitol.
Florida chapter leader Kelly Meggs was also found guilty of seditious conspiracy, while all five defendants on trial were found guilty of obstruction of an official proceeding.
The trial brings the most significant verdict yet in a Justice Department investigation that has led to charges for more than 700 individuals but where many of its most high-profile cases, including other members of extremist groups, have yet to reach their conclusion.
Seditious conspiracy carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison and hasn’t been used successfully since a 1990s terrorism case.
The verdict is especially significant in the case of Rhodes, a Yale-educated lawyer who never entered the Capitol that day but instead communicated with other Oath Keepers as they forced their way into the building and through the halls of Congress.
While Kenneth Harrelson, Jessica Watkins and Thomas Caldwell were found not guilty on seditious conspiracy charges, each was found guilty on multiple other felonies that also carry up to 20 years in prison.
All four who faced charges of tampering with evidence — a group that excluded Harrelson — were found guilty.
The five were among nearly a dozen Oath Keepers charged with seditious conspiracy, with four more facing trial in December.
Members of the right-wing Proud Boys are also due in court on seditious conspiracy charges next month, including the group’s leader, Enrique Tarrio, who, like Rhodes, never entered the Capitol and was not present in Washington that day.
Tuesday’s verdict capped a trial that stretched nearly two months, as well as three days of jury deliberations.
The government called more than two dozen witnesses in the case, including law enforcement officials and two Oath Keepers members who pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges.
Much of the case centered on a painstaking review of different text messages and Facebook communication among members of the group, with prosecutors repeatedly pointing to the “we” language used to solidify the coordination necessary for the seditious conspiracy charge, which requires “two or more people.”
“They concocted a plan for an armed rebellion to shatter a bedrock of American democracy,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Nestler told jurors at the start of the trial.
The history-making verdict comes after the government said the Oath Keepers had bucked a 200-year-old democratic tradition and “banded together to do whatever was necessary, up to and including the use of force” to prevent the peaceful transition of power from former President Trump’s administration to President Biden’s.
The government’s case showed Oath Keepers members undergoing training for the Capitol that day, displaying messages from Watkins that she needed her crew to be “fighting fit.” They also showed video of the group using a military “stack formation” to enter the Capitol, playing footage and displaying messages of them bragging about making it into the building and tangoing with police.
For Rhodes specifically, the government detailed increasingly grave rhetoric following the 2020 election, calling on supporters to take matters into their own hands, offering lessons learned from other civil wars he had studied.
“We are not getting through this without a civil war. Prepare your mind, body and spirit,” he said in the days after the 2020 vote.
Lawyers for Rhodes and the others had argued the group did little to follow up on their threats. They pointed to how the group left their stock of guns, ammo and 30 days of supplies behind in Virginia, where they used a hotel to stage a “quick reaction force,” something they contend was common practice for the group at events.
Speaking to reporters outside the courthouse Tuesday, an attorney for Rhodes said he would likely appeal the verdict.
—Updated at 6:19 p.m. | 2022-11-29T23:35:42+00:00 | fox44news.com | https://www.fox44news.com/hill-politics/oath-keepers-leader-found-guilty-of-seditious-conspiracy/ |
With a special edition of the "Croce Plays Croce" tour comes to Tulsa, fans can expect to hear A.J. Croce performing his own tunes and his father's songs, as well as sharing stories about Jim Croce.
The piano virtuoso is set to perform Feb. 9 at River Spirit Casino's concert venue, The Cove. Tickets go on sale Friday at tickets.riverspirittulsa.com for A.J. Croce honoring the 50th anniversary of "You Don’t Mess Around With Jim."
"After more than 25 years making his own musical mark, he began performing some of his dad’s songs live and forming a special show out of it," according to publicity information.
The "Croce Plays Croce" concerts feature A.J. Croce performing his own songs, his father's tunes and covers of songs that influenced them both. He said he loves seeing "the joy it brings audiences" to share those songs as well as stories about Jim Croce.
Before age 21, A.J. Croce toured with B.B. King and Ray Charles. He has co-written songs with Gary Nicholson, Leon Russell and Robert Earl Keen. In three decades he has released 10 studio albums. "By Request" from 2021 was his first album release since the death of his wife, Marlo Croce, after a sudden heart ailment.
Video: New virtual reality Omnideck open at Tulsa's Aaru Entertainment
Carrie Underwood, Wynonna Judd, Vince Gill, Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, Nick Jonas, Darius Rucker, Dolly Parton, Kristin Chenoweth and more were interviewed for the Dec. 8 episode. | 2022-12-06T18:45:46+00:00 | tulsaworld.com | https://tulsaworld.com/entertainment/music/croce-plays-croce-tour-comes-to-tulsa-with-songs-and-stories-about-father-and-son/article_015ffb98-74c0-11ed-abb1-9f2ed77e07a4.html |
WAYNESBORO, Pa. (WHTM) – A Franklin County man has been charged after allegedly performing “sleep studies” on victims who were under the influence.
According to Pennsylvania State Police, troopers are seeking information regarding 74-year-old David Clarkson McJonathan. Troopers say McJonathan would conduct “sleep studies” on victims.
Some of the studies would include the victim drinking alcohol and substances, including melatonin, before sleeping, according to State Police
McJonathan was arrested on June 27, 2022, and charged with one count of indecent assault of an unconscious person, according to court records. Bail for McJonathan was set at $50,000.
Any individual with knowledge of McJonathan who may have been involved in these “studies” is encouraged to contact Trooper Joshua Crouse of the PSP Chambersburg Station at 717-264-5161. | 2022-07-29T22:32:18+00:00 | pahomepage.com | https://www.pahomepage.com/state-news-2/franklin-county-man-who-conducted-sleep-studies-charged-with-indecent-assault-psp/ |
A.G. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, has a new essay in The Columbia Journalism Review arguing that a journalist's views should not become part of the story. Others disagree.
Copyright 2023 NPR
A.G. Sulzberger, publisher of The New York Times, has a new essay in The Columbia Journalism Review arguing that a journalist's views should not become part of the story. Others disagree.
Copyright 2023 NPR | 2023-05-15T10:02:11+00:00 | wqcs.org | https://www.wqcs.org/2023-05-15/new-york-times-publisher-journalism-should-be-free-of-writers-personal-beliefs |
Ravens rookie cornerback Damarion “Pepe” Williams signed his rookie contract Tuesday, the latest in the team’s string of finalized deals for its 11 draft picks.
Williams is the Ravens’ fifth selection to sign — the third in less than a week ― and their second fourth-rounder. Center Tyler Linderbaum (first round), defensive tackle Travis Jones (third), tight end Isaiah Likely (fourth) and running back Tyler Badie (sixth) have also signed their rookie contracts.
Just over half of the team’s draft class remains unsigned. Safety Kyle Hamilton (first round), outside linebacker David Ojabo (second), offensive tackle Daniel Faalele (third), cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis (fourth), tight end Charlie Kolar (fourth) and punter Jordan Stout (fourth) are all expected to get their deals done in the coming weeks.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Williams had a combined 15 pass breakups over the past two years for the Cougars, including a team-high seven in 2020. His versatility impressed Ravens officials; according to Sports Info Solutions, Williams lined up at left cornerback (57 coverage snaps), right cornerback (64), slot cornerback (127) and safety (124) last season.
“I think with both Brandon [Stephens] and Damarion, they are both able, and they’re very smart,” Ravens director of player personnel Joe Hortiz said. “I think it just allows you to do so many different things and be creative. You can put three safeties on the field but play one of them as a nickel, and you’re in your nickel defense. You can put four safeties on the field and be in a dime defense and have confidence that two of them can cover.”
() | 2022-06-07T17:39:29+00:00 | twincities.com | https://www.twincities.com/2022/06/07/ravens-cb-damarion-pepe-williams-is-latest-draft-pick-to-sign-rookie-contract/ |
A look at what's happening around the majors today:
___
ON THE CLOCK
The Baltimore Orioles have the first pick in the amateur draft for the second time in four years -- and they’ll be looking for someone who can join 2019 top pick Adley Rutschman in the core of their next contender.
Many consider the best player available to be Georgia high school outfielder Druw Jones -- son of former Braves star Andruw Jones. Several other players have big league family connections, including Jackson Holliday (son of Matt), Justin Crawford (son of Carl) and Cam Collier (son of Lou). Right-hander and former Vanderbilt star Kumar Rocker is also back in this year’s class after failing to reach an agreement as the Mets’ first-round pick last summer.
Rounds 1 and 2 are set for Sunday night, with 3-10 on Monday and 11-20 on Tuesday.
M-M-M GOOD
The Mariners have won 13 in a row, two shy of matching the team record set in 2001 when Ichiro Suzuki, Edgar Martinez and Bret Boone led Seattle to 116 wins and its last playoff appearance.
J.P. Crawford hit an RBI single in the 10th inning as the Mariners beat Texas 3-2 on Saturday. Carlos Santana homered to help Seattle (50-42) win for the 21st time in 24 games.
The reigning World Series champion Atlanta Braves hold the longest winning streak this season, taking 14 in a row last month.
Mariners right-hander Chris Flexen (6-8, 3.84 ERA), who is 4-0 with a 2.53 ERA in five career starts against Texas, opposes rookie righty Glenn Otto (4-5, 5.50) has given up no more than two runs in eight of his 12 starts overall.
HALFTIME
It's the final day of play before the All-Star break, with the Yankees, Astros and Dodgers holding big division leads and the Mets, Brewers and Twins on top in closer races.
Freddie Freeman, Trea Turner, Mookie Betts and Los Angeles face the Angels in the Freeway Series, two days before the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.
First-time All-Star Luis Arraez, Carlos Correa and Minnesota play the White Sox at Target Field. Dylan Cease (8-4, 2.30 ERA) starts for Chicago — he has allowed just three earned runs over his last nine starts and leads all starters with 13.09 strikeouts per nine innings, but hasn’t been picked for the All-Star Game. Minnesota is expected to activate and start RHP Chris Archer (2-3, 3.08). Archer has been out since July 2 left hip tightness.
SUNDAY SPECIAL
Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale faces Yankees ace Gerrit Cole (8-2, 3.05) in his second start of the season after being sidelined by a broken rib.
Sale pitched five scoreless innings against the Rays in his season debut Tuesday night, reaching 97 mph during his final inning. Manager Alex Cora was pleased with the arm strength and thought Sale succeeded despite some rust in his delivery.
Cole pitched seven shutout innings with 11 strikeouts against Cincinnati in a 4-3 loss Tuesday for the major league-leading Yankees.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Credit: Tony Gutierrez
Credit: Tony Gutierrez
Credit: Scott Audette
Credit: Scott Audette
Credit: Mary Schwalm
Credit: Mary Schwalm | 2022-07-17T08:02:27+00:00 | daytondailynews.com | https://www.daytondailynews.com/nation-world/leading-off-os-get-1st-pick-in-draft-ms-win-13-in-row/ILQVZZXBINF5ZD36FK2LYPVLDI/ |
Texas can investigate families seeking gender-affirming care for their transgender children
After a pause on investigations of families seeking gender-affirming care for their transgender children, the Texas Supreme Court said the state's child protective services investigations can continue while an appeals process plays out on the merits of the case.
Video above: Over 60 companies urge Texas to drop anti-transgender legislation
The opinion released Friday still restricts the state from investigating the so-called "Doe" family, which brought forward a lawsuit against the state in March after the family was investigated by the Department of Family and Protective Services for seeking care for their trans teen.
And significantly, the opinion also denied that Gov. Greg Abbott had any legal authority or power to order DFPS to investigate these families in the first place.
A legal battle began when state Attorney General Ken Paxton, in late February, declared gender-affirming surgical procedures for children and prescribing drugs that affect puberty to be considered child abuse. In response to Paxton's legal opinion, Abbott directed the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) "to conduct a prompt and thorough investigation of any reported instances of these abusive procedures in the State of Texas."
Gender-affirming care is medically necessary, evidence-based care that uses a multidisciplinary approach to help a person transition from their assigned gender — the one the person was designated at birth — to their affirmed gender — the gender by which one wants to be known.
In March, a district court judge in Austin blocked the state from enforcing Abbott's directive by issuing a temporary injunction. The judge said Abbott's order was "beyond the scope of his authority and unconstitutional," and a trial was set for July.
The state immediately challenged the statewide freeze on investigations but lost at Texas' Third District Court of Appeals. While the appeals process continues to play out on the merits of the case, the question of whether the state could continue investigations during the legal battle made its way to the high court, prompting Friday's opinion.
Nine alleged abuse investigations of minors receiving gender-affirming health care were opened by state, Patrick Crimmins, a Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) spokesman, confirmed to CNN in March.
"Just secured a win for families against the gender ideology of doctors, big pharma, clinics trying to 'trans' confused, innocent children. SCOTX green-lighted investigations that lower Dem courts froze," Paxton tweeted Friday. "'Transing' kids through surgery/drugs is abuse & I'll do all I can to stop it."
In the new ruling, the Texas Supreme Court also argued that Abbott's directive to DFPS "cites no legal authority" and doesn't legally bind DFPS to follow his directive, unlike some of his other executive orders. The court, in its opinion, also affirmed that Paxton's opinion does not alter pre-existing law or legal obligations of DFPS.
"The State does not contend in this Court that the Governor's letter formally changed the legal obligations of DFPS, of parents in Texas, or of medical professionals in Texas. Nor does it contend that the Attorney General's opinion did so," the opinion states.
If DFPS decides to resume investigations of families other than the Doe family, then "it's still our position to do so would be unlawful," Paul Castillo, senior counsel at Lambda Legal who represents the Doe family, told CNN on Friday.
The parties in the Doe lawsuit are set to make their arguments before the appellate court this month and in June, according to Castillo.
DFPS is reviewing the ruling and has "no immediate comment beyond that," said spokeswoman Marissa Gonzales.
More than 58,000 transgender youth 13 and older across the U.S. are facing restricted access or proposals, and could soon lose access to gender-affirming care, according to UCLA's Williams Institute, which conducts independent research on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy.
Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed two bills into law targeting transgender youth in the state, including one that restricts access to gender-affirming health care for minors.
The Florida Department of Health advised against any gender-affirming care for children and adolescents in guidelines released in April.
Last year, Republican lawmakers in Arkansas overrode a veto from their governor to put their own health care ban on the books, and Tennessee has passed a similar ban. | 2022-05-14T18:32:37+00:00 | wisn.com | https://www.wisn.com/article/texas-gender-affirming-care/39994963 |
USDA giving WIC families formula waivers
(CNN) - Low income families will now have easier access to baby formula amid a nationwide shortage.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Monday it is offering waivers so families with federal Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, or WIC, benefits can access formula that is not normally available to them.
The products have been imported from other countries as part of Operation Fly Formula, a program the Biden administration launched last month in the wake of a massive recall of Abbott Nutrition baby formula in February.
About half of the infant formula in the U.S. is purchased by those using federal WIC benefits, which allow parents to obtain formula for free but comes with restrictions on type, size and brand.
About 1.2 million infants are part of the program.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | 2022-06-07T14:45:09+00:00 | newschannel6now.com | https://www.newschannel6now.com/2022/06/07/usda-giving-wic-families-formula-waivers/ |
MILWAUKEE, Jan. 9, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ademi LLP is investigating Paya (Nasdaq: PAYA) for possible breaches of fiduciary duty and other violations of law in its transaction with Nuvei.
Click here to learn how to join the action https://www.ademilaw.com/case/paya-holdings-inc or call Guri Ademi toll-free at 866-264-3995. There is no cost or obligation to you.
Ademi LLP alleges Paya's financial outlook and prospects are excellent and yet Paya shareholders will receive only $9.75 per share for total consideration of approximately $1.3 billion. The transaction agreement unreasonably limits competing bids for Paya by imposing a significant penalty if Paya accepts a superior bid. Paya insiders will receive substantial benefits as part of change of control arrangements.
We are investigating the conduct of Paya's board of directors, and whether they are (i) fulfilling their fiduciary duties to all shareholders, and (ii) obtaining a fair and reasonable price for Paya.
If you own Paya common stock and wish to obtain additional information, please contact Guri Ademi either at gademi@ademilaw.com or toll-free: 866-264-3995, or
https://www.ademilaw.com/case/paya-holdings-inc.
We specialize in shareholder litigation involving buyouts, mergers, and individual shareholder rights throughout the country. For more information, please feel free to call us. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
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SOURCE Ademi LLP | 2023-01-09T17:03:26+00:00 | uppermichiganssource.com | https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/prnewswire/2023/01/09/shareholder-alert-ademi-llp-investigates-whether-paya-holdings-inc-has-obtained-fair-price-its-transaction-with-nuvei/ |
Continued Commitment to Providing Options for Patient Access to Care Remains of the Highest Importance to APTA Members and the Patients They Serve
ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Physical Therapy Association supports new bipartisan legislation that would permanently allow physical therapist services delivered via telehealth to be covered under Medicare. The Expanded Telehealth Access Act (H.R. 3875), adds physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and other therapy providers in private practice, as well as facility-based outpatient therapy providers under Medicare Part B, as permanently authorized providers of telehealth under Medicare. The bill is endorsed by APTA, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Alliance for Connected Care, and the American Occupational Therapy Association.
"The use of telehealth during the pandemic helped ensure patient access to physical therapist services and provided an option for therapy clinics and their patients," said APTA President Roger Herr, PT, MPA. "The pandemic made it all the more clear just how valuable telehealth is to patients needing alternative access to therapy. It is critical that Congress make this option for therapy services permanent for Medicare patients. We applaud Reps. Mickie Sherrill and Diana Harshbarger for their leadership on this important bipartisan legislation."
In late 2022, Congress approved the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which included a provision that extended Medicare's temporary telehealth flexibilities for therapy until Dec. 31, 2024. The need for a permanent resolution on access to therapy services delivered under Medicare has become even more evident with the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' recent misinterpretation of Congress's extension of telehealth to not cover certain facility-based therapy settings, ultimately causing chaos and uncertainty to patients and providers. Due in part to APTA advocacy, CMS has since clarified its position to include all facility-based therapy settings, but still only temporarily. H.R. 3875 would permanently allow telehealth to be covered under Medicare and would add PTs and PTAs as permanent authorized providers of telehealth services, regardless of setting.
Physical therapy provided via telehealth can improve access to care for patients who live in rural and underserved areas. It has allowed patients to gain desired outcomes for various health conditions. It is critical for Medicare patients to continue to have the option to see their medical providers via telehealth when medically appropriate.
APTA urges health care providers and the patients they serve to visit the APTA Patient Action Center and email their members of Congress to ask them to expand the use of physical therapy via telehealth by cosponsoring H.R. 3875.
The American Physical Therapy Association represents more than 100,000 physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, and physical therapy students nationwide. Visit apta.org to learn more.
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SOURCE American Physical Therapy Association | 2023-06-07T17:38:14+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2023/06/07/legislation-introduced-permanently-allow-access-physical-therapist-services-via-telehealth/ |
MOUNT ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims from around the world raised their hands to heaven and offered prayers of repentance on the sacred hill of Mount Arafat in Saudi Arabia on Friday, an intense day of worship considered to be the climax of the annual hajj.
Multitudes stood shoulder to shoulder, feet to feet, for the emotional day of supplication in the desert valley where Muslims believe the Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon, calling for equality and unity among Muslims.
The experience sent many pilgrims to tears. Muslims believe prayer on this day at Mount Arafat, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of the holy city of Mecca, is their best chance at salvation and spiritual renewal. The pilgrims set out for Arafat before dawn, chanting as they trekked. They remain there until nightfall in deep contemplation and worship.
“I feel I am so close to God,” said Zakaria Mohammad, an Egyptian pilgrim praying as the sky brightened over the hilltop. “He gave me such joy. This is my feeling now — joy, great joy.”
Men wore unstitched sheets of white cloth resembling a shroud, while women wore conservative dress and headscarves, their faces exposed.
The hajj is a once-in-a-lifetime duty for all Muslims physically and financially able to make the journey, which takes the faithful along a path traversed by the Prophet Muhammad some 1,400 years ago.
“God brought me here,” said Khadije Isaac, who traveled to Mount Arafat from Nigeria, her voice clipped with emotion. “I cannot describe the happiness that I have.”
Strict pandemic limits had upended the event for the past two years, effectively canceling one of the world’s biggest and most diverse gatherings and devastating many pious Muslims who had waited a lifetime to make the journey. This year’s pilgrimage marks the largest since the virus struck, although the attendance by 1 million worshippers remains less than half of the pre-pandemic influx.
All pilgrims selected to perform the hajj this year are under age 65 and have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Pilgrims spend five days carrying out a set of rituals associated with the Prophet Muhammad and the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail, or Abraham and Ishmael in the Bible, before him. The rituals began on Thursday with the circling of the Kaaba, the black cube in the center of Mecca’s Grand Mosque, which Muslims around the world face during their daily prayers wherever they are in the world.
Around sunset on Friday, the pilgrims will march or take a bus 9 kilometers (5.5 miles) west to the rocky desert of Muzdalifa, where they comb the area for pebbles to carry out the symbolic stoning of the devil. That rite will take place on Saturday in the small village of Mina, where Muslims believe the devil tried to talk Ibrahim out of submitting to God’s will. Pilgrims stone the devil to signify overcoming temptation.
The ritual is a notorious chokepoint for surging crowds. In 2016, thousands of pilgrims were crushed to death in a gruesome stampede. Saudi authorities never offered a final death toll.
In their most noticeable effort to improve access, the Saudis have built a high-speed rail link to ferry masses between holy sites. Pilgrims enter through special electronic gates. Tens of thousands of police officers are out in force to protect the areas and control crowds.
With so many people from so many places crammed together, public health is a major concern. Saudi Arabia’s Health Ministry urged pilgrims to consider wearing masks to curb the spread of coronavirus, although the government lifted a mask mandate and other virus precautions last month.
Infections have increased steadily in the kingdom in recent months. There were no signs of social distancing in Friday’s mass procession.
With the hajj a major source of prestige and tourism for Saudi Arabia, the government is keen to do away with pandemic restrictions. Saudi Health Minister Fahad al-Jalajel told state-owned Al-Arabiya TV that authorities had not recorded an “outbreak” of the virus at the hajj, without elaborating on individual cases. He said he expected authorities to expand quotas for pilgrims next year.
The ministry also advised pilgrims to drink water and be aware of the signs of heat stroke in the desert, where temperatures can exceed 40 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit).
Once the hajj is over, men are expected to shave their heads, and women to snip a lock of hair in a sign of renewal.
Around the world, Muslims will mark the end of the pilgrimage with Eid al-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice. The holiday commemorates the prophet Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail at God’s request. Muslims traditionally slaughter sheep and cattle, dividing the meat among the needy, friends and relatives. | 2022-07-08T14:54:15+00:00 | kxnet.com | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/muslim-pilgrims-pray-at-mount-arafat-as-hajj-reaches-apex/ |
FILE - An aerial view of the seaside neighborhood of La Perla, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Aug. 25, 2017. Three U.S. tourists were stabbed in La Perla early Monday, Feb. 6, 2023 after someone told them to stop filming, and two of them remain hospitalized, according to police.
3 mainland US tourists stabbed in Puerto Rico neighborhood
Police say three tourists from the U.S. mainland were stabbed in Puerto Rico after someone told them to stop filming in a renowned seaside community known as La Perla that is popular with visitors
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Three tourists from the U.S. mainland were stabbed in Puerto Rico early Monday after police said someone told them to stop filming in a renowned seaside community known as La Perla that is popular with visitors.
The confrontation began when one of the tourists, who lives in South Carolina, began filming a mobile hamburger cart and was told to stop and leave the area, police said.
Two of the tourists remain hospitalized, including one who was stabbed six times, police said.
No one has been arrested.
The attack happened nearly two years after a tourist from Delaware was killed and set on fire after police said he was warned not to take pictures while buying drugs in La Perla. A friend of his also was beaten but survived.
La Perla is located in the historic part of Puerto Rico’s capital known as Old San Juan and became famous after it was featured in the video of “Despacito,” a song released in 2017 by Puerto Rican singers Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee.
The community was once a dangerous slum considered the island’s biggest distribution point for heroin, but crime has dropped since a 2011 raid by federal agents.
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accounts, the history behind an article. | 2023-02-06T20:26:54+00:00 | timesdaily.com | https://www.timesdaily.com/news/nation/3-mainland-us-tourists-stabbed-in-puerto-rico-neighborhood/article_57e86211-1c49-5234-a36e-11d6eef0fac4.html |
CROSSNORE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — The public’s help is requested in finding 83-year-old Hayden Vance and 79-year-old Rosalie Vance, according to the North Carolina Center for Missing Persons.
The Vances both suffer from dementia or Alzheimer’s. They are believed to be driving a gray 2016 Nissan Rogue with an N.C. license plate number ZWF8248 and a sticker in the bottom left corner of the back window that says “Mom’s Taxi”.
The pair were last seen on Jay Vance Lane in Crossnore. Officials say Rosalie Vance may be headed toward Boone, N.C., or Johnson City, T.N.
Hayden Vance is described as a white man standing at 5 feet, 11 inches, and weighing 180 pounds. He has blue eyes and short straight hair.
Rosalie Vance is said to stand at 5 feet, 5 inches tall, and weigh 120 pounds. She has blue eyes and shoulder-length white hair.
Anyone with information is asked to call Chief Deputy Van Williams with the Avery County Sheriff’s Office at 828-783-1402. | 2023-07-24T04:55:23+00:00 | qcnews.com | https://www.qcnews.com/news/u-s/north-carolina/avery-county/silver-alert-issued-for-avery-county-pair-ncdps/ |
SAN ANTONIO – What’s better than a shopping spree? More than one shopping spree.
This was the case for 24 kids across 12 H-E-B Plus stores who had a chance to gather as many toys as possible in 45 seconds and all for a good cause.
H-E-B will be donating all the toys collected to 12 different nonprofit organizations that are dedicated to serving families from at-risk communities.
The organizations include Blueprint Ministries, The Children’s Shelter, Clothing Carriage, Daughters of Charity, Family Life Center, Good Samaritan, Hill Country Family Services, Lytle Chamber of Commerce Santa Project, SAMMinistries, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children and Wish for Our Heroes.
“This is something that we look forward to every holiday season. We get to invite nonprofits to come down the aisles in a supermarket sweep, we have these little kids, we give them the baskets and say you’re Santa Claus for the day,” said Julie Bedingfield from H-E-B Public Affairs.
Read also: | 2022-12-07T19:50:54+00:00 | ksat.com | https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2022/12/07/kids-at-12-h-e-b-plus-locations-gather-as-many-toys-as-possible-in-45-seconds-for-a-good-cause/ |
(WSVN) - A case of suspected tax fraud has been put to an end.
Leandro Gonzalez, 26, and 50-year-old Juan Mendieta have been arrested.
Investigators said the duo owns an accounting firm and falsified information on clients IRS returns so the refunds would be sent to their bank.
They face several charges including organized scheme to defraud, money laundering and grand theft.
Copyright 2022 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 2022-08-02T22:12:40+00:00 | wsvn.com | https://wsvn.com/news/local/miami-dade/duo-arrested-for-suspected-tax-fraud-in-miami/ |
German prosecutor says clues to McCann child disappearance possible at Portuguese dam site
ARADE DAM, Portugal (AP) — Police searching for clues regarding the disappearance of Madeleine McCann, the British child who went missing in 2007 in Portugal, were concentrating operations Wednesday in several areas around a dam, including one where media reports say a lead suspect in the case often stayed.
The latest search for clues regarding the disappearance started Tuesday following a request by German authorities. Some 30 Portuguese, German and British police are taking part in the operation at the Arade dam, which is located about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the resort of Praia da Luz, where the 3-year-old girl was last seen 16 years ago.
In Germany, Braunschweig prosecutor Christian Wolters told German public broadcaster NDR, “We have indications that we could find evidence there. I don’t want to say what that is exactly, and I also don’t want to say where these indications come from.
“The only thing that I would clarify is that it doesn’t come from the suspect — so we don’t have a confession or anything similar now, or an indication from the suspect of where it would make sense to search, " Wolters said, adding that “it was other indications that prompted us to conduct this search.”
But Wolters appeared to calm expectations of what might be found, saying, “We never said that the girl disappeared where we are now searching.”
Police on Tuesday were studying an area where Portuguese and Spanish media say the suspect stayed around the time that Madeleine went missing.
Officers could be heard using a motor saw to clear trees and bushes in the zone, which is located on the far side of the reservoir from the base camp that police set up Monday.
Police have given no details on the progress of the searches so far, but leading Portuguese daily Expresso said Wednesday that the first day ended with no significant results, adding that police had collected some objects including fabrics and garments. It said that in places where the sniffer dogs signaled, the soil was dug up, possibly indicating that biological traces were also being sought.
The search is expected to end Wednesday or Thursday.
Detectives from the three countries are still trying to figure out what happened on the night when the toddler disappeared from her bed in the southern Portuguese resort on May 3, 2007. She was in the same room as her twin brother and sister, who were 2 at the time, while her parents had dinner with friends at a nearby restaurant.
Portuguese media say this is the fourth search for McCann, following the initial one in 2007 in the Algarve area and further efforts in 2013 and 2014. Another search was held in Germany in 2020.
In mid-2020, German officials said that a 45-year-old German citizen, identified by media as Christian Brueckner, who was in the Algarve in 2007, was a suspect in the case. Brueckner has denied any involvement.
Brueckner is currently serving a seven-year prison sentence in Germany for raping a 72-year-old woman in Portugal in 2005.
He is under investigation in the McCann case, but hasn’t been charged. He spent many years in Portugal, including in Praia da Luz, around the time of Madeleine’s disappearance.
The reservoir is currently less than half full owing to a drought affecting Portugal and neighboring Spain. Much of the area being searched would be below water level in years of normal rainfall.
Madeleine’s parents aren’t commenting because of the active investigation, according to an email response from the website set up for the search for the child, findmadeleine.com.
___
Ciarán Giles in Madrid, and Geir Moulson in Berlin, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-05-24T10:57:33+00:00 | kttc.com | https://www.kttc.com/2023/05/24/german-prosecutor-says-clues-mccann-child-disappearance-possible-portuguese-dam-site/ |
Participants in SURMOUNT-3, after 12 weeks of intensive lifestyle intervention, achieved an additional 21.1% mean weight loss with tirzepatide for a total mean weight loss of 26.6% from study entry over 84 weeks
Participants in SURMOUNT-4 achieved 21.1% weight loss during a 36-week tirzepatide lead-in period and an additional 6.7% weight loss during a 52-week continued treatment period, for a total mean weight loss of 26.0% over 88 weeks
INDIANAPOLIS, July 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY) announced results of two phase 3 tirzepatide studies in adults with obesity or overweight with weight-related comorbidities, excluding type 2 diabetes. SURMOUNT-3 and SURMOUNT-4 met all primary and key secondary objectives for tirzepatide compared to placebo. Across SURMOUNT-3 and SURMOUNT-4, participants on tirzepatide following intensive lifestyle intervention or with continued tirzepatide treatment, achieved up to 26.6% mean weight loss, for the efficacy estimandi.
The overall safety profile of tirzepatide in both studies was similar to previously reported SURMOUNT and SURPASS trials and to that of incretin-based therapies approved for the treatment of obesity and overweight. The most commonly reported adverse events in both trials were gastrointestinal-related and generally mild to moderate in severity.
"The results of SURMOUNT-3 and -4 showed the highest level of weight loss observed in the SURMOUNT program to date," said Jeff Emmick, MD, Ph.D., senior vice president, product development, Lilly. "Whether taking tirzepatide for 88 weeks in SURMOUNT-4 or taking tirzepatide for 72 weeks following intensive caloric restriction in SURMOUNT-3, participants achieved similar mean weight reduction — about 26%. The findings from SURMOUNT-3 challenge the notion that patients living with obesity or overweight can achieve their weight loss goals with diet and exercise alone. Additionally, the findings from SURMOUNT-4 reinforce that obesity should be regarded like other chronic diseases where chronic therapy may be needed to maintain treatment benefits."
Results from SURMOUNT-3
SURMOUNT-3 evaluated the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide compared to placebo for 72 weeks after a 12-week intensive lifestyle intervention lead-in period that included a low-calorie diet, exercise and weekly counseling sessions. The trial randomized adults with obesity or overweight who had at least 5% body weight reduction by the end of the 12-week lead-in period to placebo or tirzepatide. At study entry, the mean body weight was 241.4 lb. (109.5 kg). At the end of the 12-week lead-in period, participants achieved 6.9% mean weight loss.
Tirzepatide met both co-primary endpoints demonstrating superiority to placebo during the 72-week double-blind treatment period. For the efficacy estimand, those taking tirzepatide, on average, lost an additional 21.1% of their body weight from randomization, a co-primary endpoint, compared to those taking placebo who experienced mean weight regain of 3.3% over 72 weeks, for a placebo-adjusted net weight change of -24.5%. In addition, 94.4% of those taking tirzepatide achieved an additional ≥5% body weight reduction from randomization, the other co-primary endpoint, compared to 10.7% in the placebo group over 72 weeks. In a secondary endpoint, participants receiving tirzepatide had a total mean weight reduction of 26.6% from study entry after 12 weeks of intensive lifestyle intervention followed by 72 weeks of tirzepatide treatment.
For the treatment-regimen estimandii, those taking tirzepatide, on average, lost an additional 18.4% of their body weight from randomization compared to those taking placebo who experienced mean weight regain of 2.5% over 72 weeks. In addition, 87.5% of those taking tirzepatide achieved an additional ≥5% body weight reduction from randomization compared with 16.5% in the placebo group over 72 weeks. Participants receiving tirzepatide had a total mean weight reduction of 24.3% from study entry after 12 weeks of intensive lifestyle intervention followed by 72 weeks of tirzepatide treatment.
The full results of the SURMOUNT-3 study will be presented at the ObesityWeek conference in October and submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
Results from SURMOUNT-4
SURMOUNT-4 evaluated the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide compared to placebo for 52 weeks after a 36-week open-label tirzepatide lead-in period. The trial had two periods: a 36-week open-label lead-in period during which all participants took tirzepatide, followed by a 52-week double-blind treatment period during which participants were randomized to either continue on tirzepatide or switch to placebo. For randomized participants, the mean body weight was 236.6 lb. (107.3 kg) at study entry. At the end of the 36-week tirzepatide lead-in period, they achieved 21.1% mean weight loss.
Tirzepatide met the primary endpoint of superior mean percent change in body weight compared to placebo from 36 weeks to 88 weeks, indicating sustained weight loss. For the efficacy estimand, those taking tirzepatide, on average, lost an additional 6.7% of their body weight from randomization, compared to those taking placebo who experienced mean weight regain of 14.8% from randomization at 88 weeks, for a placebo-adjusted net weight change of -21.4%. In a secondary endpoint, participants who remained on tirzepatide after randomization achieved a total of 26.0% mean body weight loss from study entry over the entire 88-week period.
For the treatment-regimen estimand, those taking tirzepatide, on average, lost an additional 5.5% of their body weight from randomization, compared to those taking placebo who experienced mean weight regain of 14.0% from randomization at 88 weeks. Participants who remained on tirzepatide after randomization achieved a total of 25.3% mean body weight loss from study entry over the entire 88-week period.
The full results of the SURMOUNT-4 study will be presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes Annual Meeting in October and submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.
About SURMOUNT-3, SURMOUNT-4 and the SURMOUNT clinical trial program1
SURMOUNT-3 (NCT04657016) was a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled trial comparing the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide to placebo for 72 weeks after a 12-week intensive lifestyle intervention lead-in period in adults with obesity or overweight with weight-related comorbidities, excluding type 2 diabetes. The trial enrolled 806 participants across the U.S., Argentina, Brazil and Puerto Rico to a lead-in period with intensive lifestyle intervention. After 12 weeks, 579 participants achieved at least 5% body weight reduction and were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive tirzepatide or placebo. The co-primary objectives of the study were to demonstrate that tirzepatide is superior in percentage change in body weight from randomization and percentage of participants achieving ≥5% body weight reduction from randomization at 72 weeks compared to placebo.
SURMOUNT-4 (NCT04660643) was a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled trial comparing the efficacy and safety of tirzepatide to placebo in adults with obesity or overweight with weight-related comorbidities, excluding type 2 diabetes. The trial had two periods: a 36-week open-label lead-in period in which all participants took tirzepatide, and a subsequent 52-week double-blind treatment period in which participants were randomized to either continue on tirzepatide or switch to placebo. The trial enrolled 783 participants across the U.S., Argentina, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Taiwan into the open-label lead-in period and 670 participants were randomized in a 1:1 ratio in the 52-week double-blind treatment period to receive tirzepatide or placebo. The primary objective of the study was to demonstrate that tirzepatide is superior in percentage change in body weight from randomization at 88 weeks compared to placebo.
While SURMOUNT-1 and SURMOUNT-2 had fixed weekly tirzepatide doses, participants in SURMOUNT-3 and SURMOUNT-4 utilized a maximum tolerated dose of 10 mg or 15 mg once-weekly. The starting dose of 2.5 mg tirzepatide was increased by 2.5 mg every four weeks until maximum tolerated dose was achieved. Participants who tolerated 15 mg continued on 15 mg as their maximum tolerated dose. Participants who tolerated 10 mg but did not tolerate 15 mg continued on 10 mg as their maximum tolerated dose.
The SURMOUNT phase 3 global clinical development program for tirzepatide in chronic weight management began in late 2019 and has enrolled more than 5,000 people with obesity or overweight across six registration studies, four of which are global studies. The primary period of SURMOUNT-1 was completed in 2022 and SURMOUNT-2 was completed in the first half of 2023.
About tirzepatide
Tirzepatide is a once-weekly GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide) receptor and GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) receptor agonist. Tirzepatide is a single molecule that activates the body's receptors for GIP and GLP-1, which are natural incretin hormones. Both GIP and GLP-1 receptors are found in areas of the human brain important for appetite regulation. Tirzepatide has been shown to decrease food intake and modulate fat utilization. Tirzepatide is in phase 3 development for adults with obesity or overweight with weight-related comorbidities. It is also being studied as a potential treatment for people with obesity and/or overweight with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Studies of tirzepatide in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and in morbidity/mortality in obesity (MMO) are also ongoing.
Tirzepatide was approved as Mounjaro® (tirzepatide) by the FDA on May 13, 2022. Mounjaro is a glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptor and glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist indicated as an adjunct to diet and exercise to improve glycemic control in adults with type 2 diabetes.
About Lilly
Lilly unites caring with discovery to create medicines that make life better for people around the world. We've been pioneering life-changing discoveries for nearly 150 years, and today our medicines help more than 51 million people across the globe. Harnessing the power of biotechnology, chemistry and genetic medicine, our scientists are urgently advancing new discoveries to solve some of the world's most significant health challenges, redefining diabetes care, treating obesity and curtailing its most devastating long-term effects, advancing the fight against Alzheimer's disease, providing solutions to some of the most debilitating immune system disorders, and transforming the most difficult-to-treat cancers into manageable diseases. With each step toward a healthier world, we're motivated by one thing: making life better for millions more people. That includes delivering innovative clinical trials that reflect the diversity of our world and working to ensure our medicines are accessible and affordable. To learn more, visit Lilly.com and Lilly.com/newsroom or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn. P-LLY.
INDICATION AND SAFETY SUMMARY WITH WARNINGS
Mounjaro® (mown-JAHR-OH) is an injectable medicine for adults with type 2 diabetes used along with diet and exercise to improve blood sugar (glucose).
- It is not known if Mounjaro can be used in people who have had inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). Mounjaro is not for use in people with type 1 diabetes. It is not known if Mounjaro is safe and effective for use in children under 18 years of age.
Warnings - Mounjaro may cause tumors in the thyroid, including thyroid cancer. Watch for possible symptoms, such as a lump or swelling in the neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. If you have any of these symptoms, tell your healthcare provider.
- Do not use Mounjaro if you or any of your family have ever had a type of thyroid cancer called medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).
- Do not use Mounjaro if you have Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2 (MEN 2).
- Do not use Mounjaro if you are allergic to it or any of the ingredients in Mounjaro.
Mounjaro may cause serious side effects, including:
Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis). Stop using Mounjaro and call your healthcare provider right away if you have severe pain in your stomach area (abdomen) that will not go away, with or without vomiting. You may feel the pain from your abdomen to your back.
Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Your risk for getting low blood sugar may be higher if you use Mounjaro with another medicine that can cause low blood sugar, such as a sulfonylurea or insulin. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include dizziness or light-headedness, sweating, confusion or drowsiness, headache, blurred vision, slurred speech, shakiness, fast heartbeat, anxiety, irritability, or mood changes, hunger, weakness and feeling jittery.
Serious allergic reactions. Stop using Mounjaro and get medical help right away if you have any symptoms of a serious allergic reaction, including swelling of your face, lips, tongue or throat, problems breathing or swallowing, severe rash or itching, fainting or feeling dizzy, and very rapid heartbeat.
Kidney problems (kidney failure). In people who have kidney problems, diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting may cause a loss of fluids (dehydration), which may cause kidney problems to get worse. It is important for you to drink fluids to help reduce your chance of dehydration.
Severe stomach problems. Stomach problems, sometimes severe, have been reported in people who use Mounjaro. Tell your healthcare provider if you have stomach problems that are severe or will not go away.
Changes in vision. Tell your healthcare provider if you have changes in vision during treatment with Mounjaro.
Gallbladder problems. Gallbladder problems have happened in some people who use Mounjaro. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get symptoms of gallbladder problems, which may include pain in your upper stomach (abdomen), fever, yellowing of skin or eyes (jaundice), and clay-colored stools.
Common side effects
The most common side effects of Mounjaro include nausea, diarrhea, decreased appetite, vomiting, constipation, indigestion, and stomach (abdominal) pain. These are not all the possible side effects of Mounjaro. Talk to your healthcare provider about any side effect that bothers you or doesn't go away.
Tell your healthcare provider if you have any side effects. You can report side effects at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch.
Before using Mounjaro
- Your healthcare provider should show you how to use Mounjaro before you use it for the first time.
- Talk to your healthcare provider about low blood sugar and how to manage it.
- If you take birth control pills by mouth, talk to your healthcare provider before you use Mounjaro. Birth control pills may not work as well while using Mounjaro. Your healthcare provider may recommend another type of birth control for 4 weeks after you start Mounjaro and for 4 weeks after each increase in your dose of Mounjaro.
Review these questions with your healthcare provider:
❑ Do you have other medical conditions, including problems with your pancreas or kidneys, or severe problems with your stomach, such as slowed emptying of your stomach (gastroparesis) or problems digesting food?
❑ Do you take other diabetes medicines, such as insulin or sulfonylureas?
❑ Do you have a history of diabetic retinopathy?
❑ Are you pregnant, plan to become pregnant, breastfeeding, or plan to breastfeed? It is not known if Mounjaro will harm your unborn baby or pass into your breast milk.
❑ Do you take any other prescription medicines or over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, or herbal supplements?
How to take
- Read the Instructions for Use that come with Mounjaro.
- Use Mounjaro exactly as your healthcare provider says.
- Mounjaro is injected under the skin (subcutaneously) of your stomach (abdomen), thigh, or upper arm.
- Use Mounjaro 1 time each week, at any time of the day.
- Do not mix insulin and Mounjaro together in the same injection.
- You may give an injection of Mounjaro and insulin in the same body area (such as your stomach area), but not right next to each other.
- Change (rotate) your injection site with each weekly injection. Do not use the same site for each injection.
- If you take too much Mounjaro, call your healthcare provider or seek medical advice promptly.
Learn more
Mounjaro is a prescription medicine. For more information, call 1-833-807-MJRO (833-807-6576) or go to www.mounjaro.com.
This summary provides basic information about Mounjaro but does not include all information known about this medicine. Read the information that comes with your prescription each time your prescription is filled. This information does not take the place of talking with your healthcare provider. Be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about Mounjaro and how to take it. Your healthcare provider is the best person to help you decide if Mounjaro is right for you.
TR CON CBS 14SEP2022
Mounjaro® and its delivery device base are registered trademarks owned or licensed by Eli Lilly and Company, its subsidiaries, or affiliates.
i The efficacy estimand represents efficacy prior to discontinuation of study drug.
ii The treatment-regimen estimand represents the estimated average treatment effect regardless of treatment discontinuation.
Lilly Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements (as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) about tirzepatide as a potential treatment for adults with obesity or overweight and the timeline for regulatory submissions, future readouts, presentations and other milestones relating to tirzepatide and its clinical trials, and reflects Lilly's current belief and expectations. However, as with any pharmaceutical product, there are substantial risks and uncertainties in the process of drug research, development, and commercialization. Among other things, there can be no guarantee that planned or ongoing studies will be completed as planned, that future study results will be consistent with the results to date, that tirzepatide will receive additional regulatory approvals, or that tirzepatide will be commercially successful. For further discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties, see Lilly's most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by law, Lilly undertakes no duty to update forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this release.
References
- le Roux, C., Zhang, S., Aronne, L. et. al. Tirzepatide for the Treatment of Obesity: Rationale and Design of the SURMOUNT Clinical Development Program 2022 Obesity doi: 10.1002/oby.23612
©Lilly USA, LLC 2023. All rights reserved.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Eli Lilly and Company | 2023-07-27T11:50:21+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/27/tirzepatide-demonstrated-significant-superior-weight-loss-compared-placebo-two-pivotal-studies/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Moving your savings around by opening a new account and closing an old one can seem like a hassle. But it’s a use of time that can pay off.
After years of paying low rates for savers, banks are finally offering better interest on deposits. Though the increases may seem small, compounding interest adds up over the years, and you don’t want to miss the moment.
As the Federal Reserve has raised interest rates to try to cool inflation, some banks have improved their terms for savers as well. Even if you’re only keeping modest savings in your bank account, you could make more significant gains over the long term by finding an account with a better rate.
Here’s what you should think about if you’re considering moving your money:
WHAT KIND OF RATES ARE AVAILABLE?
While the biggest national banks have yet to dramatically change the rates on their savings accounts (clocking in at an average of just 0.23%, according to Bankrate), some mid-size and smaller banks have made changes more in line with the Federal Reserve’s moves.
Online banks in particular — which save money by not having brick-and-mortar branches and associated expenses — are now offering savings accounts with annual percentage yields of between 3% and 4%, or even higher, as well as 4% or higher on one-year Certificates of Deposit (CDs). Some promotional rates can reach as high as 5%.
WHAT SHOULD I KNOW ABOUT OPENING A NEW ACCOUNT?
Online banking has made moving money easier, so it’s fairly straightforward to keep your existing account while opening a new high-yield account at a different institution. Many have low minimums (as low as $1), so you can transfer the minimum amount required to begin the process while keeping your primary checking account open.
WHAT ARE SOME REASONS PEOPLE DON’T MOVE THEIR MONEY TO HIGH YIELD SAVINGS ACCOUNTS?
According to Bankrate’s Sarah Foster, many Americans simply don’t know about high-yield savings accounts and the significant benefits available with the now dramatically higher rates. The average relationship between a consumer and their bank is 17 years, she said, and trust in the largest banks means they’re “swimming in deposits” and don’t feel a need to offer better rates to attract customers.
Some people don’t realize that most high-yield savings accounts are just as safe as traditional banks, she said, as long as they’re equivalently FDIC-insured up to $250,000. You can check at FDIC.gov.
There’s a familiarity people have with traditional banks that can inspire a sense of security.
If you have a longstanding relationship with your existing bank, you may simply be comfortable there, as well as aware of the rewards and perks of that institution, such as waiving ATM fees or account management fees, cash back, or other upsides. You likely also have direct deposit and auto-withdrawals set up when it comes to income, bills, and other regular expenses and payments.
Setting up a new high yield savings account doesn’t mean you have to immediately switch over all of those auto-pay and deposit transfers, though, according to Ken Tumin, founder of DepositAccounts.Com.
That can take time and energy, so you can do that more slowly, if you choose to do it at all. However, that could also be a chance to review your spending, cancel unwanted subscriptions, auto-payments and services, or negotiate down recurring bills and expenses where possible.
“Some people also say they aren’t banking with an online bank because they prefer access to a local branch and the in-person services that come along with that,” Foster said.
WHAT DO THOSE INTEREST RATES ADD UP TO, IN REAL NUMBERS?
Let’s say you invest $500 at one of big five banks that have an interest rate of 0.23%. After one year, if you don’t touch it and add nothing, you’ll have earned $1.15. After five years, with compound interest, you’ll have earned $5.78. After 10, $11.62. After 25, $29.56.
If you deposit the same $500 in a high-yield savings account with an interest rate of 4%, then, after one year, you’ll earn $20. After five, $108.33. After 10, $240.12. And after 25, $832.92.
With $1,000, it works out to the following: At .23% — after one year, $2.33. After five, $11.55. After ten, $23.24. And after twenty five, $59.12.
And at 4%: After one year, $40. After five, $216.65. After 10, $480.24. And after 25, $1,665.84.
In both cases, that assumes you don’t add to the account each year, but a best practice would be contribute even small amounts from each paycheck biweekly, monthly, or yearly.
To make your own calculations, factoring in yearly contributions and changing rates, you can use the SEC’s compound interest calculator.
DO YOU PAY TAXES ON EARNED INTEREST?
Yes. Since you’ve already paid taxes on the deposit balance of the high yield savings account, you only pay additional taxes on the interest you earn each year. That interest is taxed at your earned income rate — so, the same rate your income is taxed at in that year.
COULD THE SAVINGS RATES ON THESE ACCOUNTS CHANGE?
Yes. Banks may advertise one rate for these accounts and then adjust that rate depending on other factors, such as the Federal Reserve’s own changing rate. To avoid such changes, and to lock in a guaranteed rate, you could opt for a Certificate of Deposit instead, assuming you don’t need to access that money right away. Treasury securities also offer competitive rates.
HOW DOES A CERTIFICATE OF DEPOSIT WORK?
A Certificate of Deposit pays a guaranteed rate for a fixed period, such as one month, six months or a year. CDs can be purchased through most banks, and many run special offers. Those offered rates can be comparable to those at a high yield savings account. However, you typically face a penalty if you want access to the money before the chosen term has ended.
WHAT ABOUT INVESTING IN TREASURIES?
The U.S. Department of the Treasury sells Treasury bills, notes, bonds, Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS), and savings bonds through TreasuryDirect.gov. All of these securities are all backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. government, with varying rates over varying terms. The minimum investment is $100, and some of the rates and yields on these investments are as competitive and safe as the CD’s and high yield savings accounts listed above.
Currently, one rate for I bonds, for example — which are savings bonds designed to protect you from inflation — is 6.89%. With an I bond, you earn both a fixed rate of interest and a rate that changes with inflation. Twice a year, the Treasury Department sets the inflation rate for the next six months. You can cash in the bond anytime after twelve months, though you’ll lose certain portions of interest if you redeem it in less than five years.
HOW DO I COMPARE BANK RATES FOR DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS?
Trusted sites like DepositAccounts.com, founded by Tumin, can help you comparison shop, ranking banks and accounts by rates and other factors. Other resources include Bankrate.com, NerdWallet, and MyCreditUnion.gov.
Tumin says that if you want to check for yourself that an online bank is insured by the FDIC, you can go to FDIC.gov and search to make sure.
“In addition to finding the highest rate, it also makes sense to make sure these banks have a history of offering a competitive rate on that account for multiple years,” he added. “There are a lot of new banks now offering higher rates, but they haven’t been around long. If they don’t have much history, they may not stay competitive.”
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You can see all of AP’s Financial Wellness coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/financial-wellness
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The Associated Press receives support from Charles Schwab Foundation for educational and explanatory reporting to improve financial literacy. The independent foundation is separate from Charles Schwab and Co. Inc. The AP is solely responsible for its journalism. | 2023-04-25T04:19:45+00:00 | krqe.com | https://www.krqe.com/news/business/bank-rates-are-up-how-to-avoid-leaving-money-on-the-table/ |
Casper Could See More Than Five Inches of Snow Today
The National Weather Service claims Casper could see four inches of snow today with a 40% chance of the stuff before nighttime, increasing to 80% tonight.
"Higher amounts of around 3 to 5 inches are possible along the foothills of Casper Mountain on the south side of Casper"
On Wednesday, Snow is also likely, mainly before 11am, then a slight chance of snow showers after 2pm. "Chance of precipitation is 60%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible."
Get our free mobile app | 2023-01-17T15:51:18+00:00 | k2radio.com | https://k2radio.com/casper-could-see-more-than-five-inches-of-snow-today/ |
Top Players to Watch: Baylor vs. Creighton - Second Round
The NCAA tournament at Ball Arena on Sunday features a second-round matchup that pits the Baylor Bears against the Creighton Bluejays at 7:10 PM ET. The Bears' Adam Flagler and the Bluejays' Baylor Scheierman are two players to watch in this contest.
In the article below, we'll give you all the info you need to know about who to watch in this matchup on TBS.
Use our link to get a free trial of fuboTV, where you can watch college hoops and tons of other live sports without cable!
How to Watch Baylor vs. Creighton
- Game Day: Sunday, March 19
- Game Time: 7:10 PM ET
- Arena: Ball Arena
- Location: Denver, Colorado
- TV: TBS | Watch select March Madness games live on FuboTV
Watch select March Madness games without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to fuboTV!
Baylor's Last Game
Baylor won its most recent game against UCSB, 74-56, on Friday. Flagler led the way with 18 points, and also had one boards and five assists.
Creighton's Last Game
In its most recent game, Creighton topped NC State on Friday, 72-63. Its top scorer was Ryan Kalkbrenner with 31 points.
Baylor Players to Watch
Keyonte George leads the Bears at 15.6 points per game, while also averaging 2.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds.
Jalen Bridges posts a team-best 5.6 rebounds per game. He is also averaging 10.2 points and 1.1 assists, shooting 50% from the field and 32.1% from downtown with 1.1 made 3-pointers per game.
LJ Cryer averages 14.5 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest, shooting 44.4% from the floor and 41.8% from downtown with 2.5 made 3-pointers per game.
Flo Thamba is posting 5 points, 0.6 assists and 4.7 rebounds per contest.
Creighton Players to Watch
Scheierman is posting a team-best 8.3 rebounds per contest. And he is delivering 12.7 points and 3.3 assists, making 42.2% of his shots from the field and 35.7% from beyond the arc, with 2.3 treys per contest.
Kalkbrenner is putting up a team-best 15.9 points per game. And he is producing 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists, making 71.7% of his shots from the field (second in the country).
Trey Alexander is averaging 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, making 44.9% of his shots from the floor and 42.8% from 3-point range, with 1.8 triples per contest.
Ryan Nembhard is posting a team-high 4.9 assists per contest. And he is contributing 11.9 points and 4 rebounds, making 42.7% of his shots from the field and 36% from 3-point range, with 1.4 treys per game.
Arthur Kaluma gets the Bluejays 11.9 points, 6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. He also posts 0.6 steals and 0.6 blocked shots.
Baylor Top Performers (Last 10 Games)
Creighton Top Performers (Last 10 Games)
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-03-18T11:06:36+00:00 | live5news.com | https://www.live5news.com/sports/betting/2023/03/19/baylor-creighton-college-basketball-players-to-watch/second-round/ |
CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A Chesterfield man was convicted this week on charges of conspiracy and wire fraud for embezzling funds alongside a paralegal from a local law firm, according to court documents.
According to court records, 40-year-old Joshua Brian Romano owned businesses that purchased, rehabilitated, and sold homes around the City of Richmond. He funded his businesses through construction loans that were trusted to a Chesterfield County law firm. The loans were only meant to be used by Romano to purchase or rehabilitate properties, and loans could only be used with the lender’s approval for each payment.
Romano asked Lindsey Epps Passmore, 39, a paralegal at the law firm, to pay out $1.2 million intended for Romano’s projects. However, this money was not spent on Romano’s projects, breaking the agreement with the lender.
A federal jury convicted Romano on Thursday, Oct. 21 on charges of conspiracy and wire fraud, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. He will be sentenced on Jan. 19, 2023 and faces 20 years in prison for each charge.
Passmore pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in June, according to court documents, and is scheduled for sentencing on Nov. 17. | 2022-10-22T15:24:43+00:00 | wric.com | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/chesterfield-county/chesterfield-man-convicted-for-fraud-after-embezzling-money-alongside-local-law-firm/ |
Coppin State Eagles (3-4) at Maryland Terrapins (5-0)
The Eagles are 1-4 in road games. Coppin State is 0-4 in games decided by at least 10 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Don Carey averages 2.0 made 3-pointers per game for the Terrapins, scoring 8.4 points while shooting 30.3% from beyond the arc. Donta Scott is shooting 52.5% and averaging 16.8 points for Maryland.
Sam Sessoms is scoring 22.0 points per game and averaging 4.4 rebounds for the Eagles. Tarke is averaging 12.9 points for Coppin State.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. | 2022-11-25T08:51:54+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/no-23-maryland-hosts-tarke-and-coppin-state/2022/11/25/5fd48230-6c95-11ed-8619-0b92f0565592_story.html |
The Week’s Greatest Hits
Most popular articles and press releases in the past week
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Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
Most popular articles in the past week.
Milwaukee could set another record as Viking adds second ship to Great Lakes roster. But when will new dock be ready?
May 4th, 2023 by Jeramey Jannene
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Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
County would subdivide about 20 acres of vacant land for residential development.
May 1st, 2023 by Graham Kilmer
MU campus staple known for its burgers and bloody marys will close at semester’s end.
May 2nd, 2023 by Sophie Bolich
1883 Walker’s Point building on S. 5th St. will be protected.
May 3rd, 2023 by Jeramey Jannene
Filipino street food business closes food truck and Public Museum kiosk.
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Summer Spinz will be held every third Friday in June, July and August.
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All the city news you can use.
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Formerly Sanders Super Bowl, eight-lane bowling alley could reopen as Barry’s Senior Bowling by this summer.
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Press Releases
Most popular press releases in the past week. | 2023-05-07T15:30:13+00:00 | urbanmilwaukee.com | https://urbanmilwaukee.com/2023/05/07/most-popular-2023-05-07/ |
FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — New Jersey Devils players watch from the bench often and marvel at some of the things Jack Hughes can do on the ice.
“Every game, at least a couple times, I’ll be like, ‘Oh my God, that guy’s amazing,’” forward Michael McLeod said. “He just gets it done every night.”
The same goes in Buffalo, where Rasmus Dahlin described Sabres teammate Tage Thompson’s development as “a ticking time bomb.” And in Dallas, where coach Peter DeBoer lay awake dreaming of coaching Jason Robertson with the Stars.
While being an All-Star is old hat for the NHL’s old guard of Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and even unquestioned best player in the world Connor McDavid, the festivities this weekend in South Florida are a showcase for the league’s next generation of stars, led by Hughes and Robertson now that Thompson is out with injury and replaced by Dahlin. Hughes is an All-Star for the second consecutive season and Robertson for the first time, and their emergence could upend the way the standings — and leaderboards — look for years to come.
“Once you establish yourself as an NHL player, the next step is how you figure out how to try to win,” said Hall of Famer, two-time MVP and six-time Stanley Cup champion Mark Messier. “It’s been fascinating to me to see these players going through that process of becoming not only NHL players but bona fide superstars, but more importantly how they’re trying to figure out how to win in this league.”
With Thompson, Robertson and Hughes all in the top 10 in goals and points, it’s no coincidence each player’s respective team is in the playoff race at the break. So are the surprising Seattle Kraken, the only team without an All-Star after rookie Matty Beniers was injured, but they’ll need him more down the stretch to make it in their second season of existence.
The Devils are on pace to play playoff hockey for the first time since 2018 and just the second in 11 years thanks in large part to Hughes, who trails only McDavid, Boston’s David Pastrnak, Colorado’s Mikko Rantanen and Thompson in the goal-scoring race. Mike Rupp, who won the Cup with New Jersey in 2003, expected Hughes to produce at a 100-point pace but did not anticipate his scoring to become so meaningful this season.
“He’s scoring in big moments,” said Rupp, an NHL Network analyst who will see Hughes up close this weekend in Sunrise. “It’s the way he’s doing it. He’s carrying his team at certain times. He’s pushing his team along, Jack and Tage, (too). And I think that is the incredible part is they’re not just great talents: They’re great talents, and they seem like they’ve got nerves of steel.”
Thompson’s nerves and playmaking ability could be on display in the playoffs if Buffalo can finish strong and knock either Crosby’s Pittsburgh Penguins or Ovechkin’s Washington Capitals out of a wild-card spot. The Sabres have by far the league’s longest playoff drought at 11 seasons, and if they snap it, Thompson will be a big part of it, even before starting a $51 million, seven-year contract he was rewarded with last summer.
Messier credited Thompson for getting stronger in the offseason, augmenting the hands that made the now-25-year-old a 38-goal scorer in 2021-22 and putting him on track for more than 50 this season. Norris Trophy-winning defenseman P.K. Subban, who experienced Thompson’s growth firsthand from playing against him several times the past five years before retiring and joining Messier as an ESPN analyst, sees him as a taller version of Hughes with the same level of skill.
“What separates him from a lot of players in the league, and is going to separate him from a lot of players in the league going forward, is his ability at that size to do everything at top speed (with) his range, his skill with the puck, his skating ability,” Subban said. “He has all the tools to be a dominant player in this league for a long time.”
So does Dahlin, who probably should have been an All-Star in the first place. The Swede who was the top draft pick in 2018 a year before Hughes went first ranks second among defensemen in goals and points this season.
Like Thompson, Robertson got a lucrative extension before opening night. The 23-year-old from California, who is Filipino American and hopes to be a role model for players of Asian descent, has a big personality that matches his play and could soon be one of the faces of the league.
Coming off a breakout 41-goal season, Robertson has put on a show this season with 66 points in 51 games.
“You kind get used to it, and you almost have to sit and think about it after about how special it is what you’re witnessing,” DeBoer said. “It’s unbelievable. He’s making it look easy.”
And, along with Hughes and Thompson, he’s making it easier for the NHL not to lean on Crosby and Ovechkin, both of whom broke in more than 15 years ago.
“Obviously they’re all-time greats, but it was kind of just them,” Rupp said. “It was a couple guys that had to really carry the league. (Now) there’s a ton of guys carrying it, so I think that puts the league in a very healthy spot with superstars.”
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Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno
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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-02-02T21:50:44+00:00 | wboy.com | https://www.wboy.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-all-star-festivities-showcase-next-generation-of-nhl-stars/ |
Revitalized Berkshires property highlights how furnishings and décor upgrades elevate a space and deliver greater return on investment for property owners
ATLANTA, Oct. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Home Depot® announces the launch of a refreshed vacation rental home – the Berkshires Home Makeover. Complete with furnishings and décor from The Home Depot including exclusive brands like Home Decorators Collection, StyleWell and The Company Store, the property has been revamped to offer a specialized, elevated experience for guests. The project was achieved in collaboration with Vrbo, part of Expedia Group, and select design-focused influencers.
"Making upgrades to any home or rental property with furniture, wall art, wallpaper and textiles can truly change its personality without the need for a major renovation," said Corinne Bentzen, general manager for The Home Depot Home. "Through the makeover of a vacation rental in the Berkshires, we're excited to showcase just how impactful these easy and attainable home updates, from fresh bedding and throws to functional seating, can be for travelers and property owners."
The Home Depot partnered with influencers including Holly and Brad Lauritzen (Our Faux Farmhouse), Fariha Nasir (Pennies for a Fortune) and Danielle Guerrero (Our Nest on Powell) to re-imagine the entrance, patio, kitchen, living areas and guest rooms within the rental home. Using only products found at The Home Depot or HomeDepot.com, the influencers created designs to exemplify current trends throughout the Berkshires property, including:
- Timeless Décor Elements – modern styles are blended with traditional classics to create a nostalgic, comforting feel throughout the home. Combining vintage-inspired wallpaper and lighting with contemporary furniture creates a sense of comfort and familiarity, which has become increasingly more important when considering home design.
- Balanced Color Palette – using Behr's 2023 Color of the Year "Blank Canvas" as a central backdrop throughout common areas, designers showcase possibilities to lean into the tranquility of the color with neutral tones in furniture, or balance it with bold, colorful accents throughout the space.
- Functional Spaces + Cozy Living – from the coffee bar in the kitchen to the textiles in the bedrooms, the property has been thoughtfully curated for functionality through design and ultimate comfort for guests. For both rental properties and personal spaces, décor should serve a purpose and make one feel at ease within the space.
As the expert in private, whole home accommodations for families, Vrbo understands the power of staying with the people you love. With more than two million unique Vrbo properties to choose from, families prioritize selecting vacation homes with the best spaces and amenities they can enjoy together. Adding intentional home upgrades from The Home Depot not only enhances the guest experience, but also helps homeowners maximize the return on their investment properties.
As a part of the home transformation, The Home Depot will make in-kind donations of unused furniture, décor and housewares items to nonprofit organizations including Habitat for Humanity, House2Home, Safe Haven Family Shelter and Oasis Center.
To book your stay at the Berkshires property and get an up-close look at the latest interior design trends visit https://www.vrbo.com/2579114?noDates=true&unitId=3149424.
Visit https://www.homedepot.com/c/BerkshiresHomeMakeover to explore the transformation and shop the look for the newly upgraded Berkshires vacation rental property.
To learn more about The Home Depot's wide selection of affordable home décor and furniture, visit www.homedepot.com/decor.
ABOUT THE HOME DEPOT
The Home Depot is the world's largest home improvement specialty retailer. At the end of the second quarter of fiscal year 2022, the company operated a total of 2,316 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. The company employs approximately 500,000 associates. The Home Depot's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor's 500 index. The Home Depot is #17 on the 2022 Fortune 500.
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SOURCE The Home Depot | 2022-10-31T13:58:24+00:00 | wlbt.com | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/10/31/home-depot-showcases-power-home-dcor-design-through-vacation-rental-property-makeover-with-vrbo-design-influencers/ |
DETROIT, April 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Up Paint™ (www.uppaint.com), the world's first upcycled paint company, is excited to announce the launch of its new product, the Up Box™ (patent pending), on Earth Day 2023. The Up Box™ is a first-of-its-kind solution for responsible recycling of post-consumer water-based paint, providing a sustainable alternative to traditional paint disposal methods combined with an innovative "upcycling" program. As a testament to the company's innovation, Up Paint™ has been awarded "Best Inventions" by Time Magazine and named "Most Innovative Companies" by Fast Company.
Each year in the US over 85 million gallons of paint goes unused. Most of it is either incinerated or relegated to landfills. Currently, over 90% of homes have left over paint with no easy way to deal with it responsibly. The Up Box™ offers an easy and fast solution by shipping any unwanted latex or acrylic paint directly to Up Paint™.
Each Up Box™ comes in a variety of sizes, including 1 gallon, 2 gallons, 4 gallons, 5 gallons, or 4 quarts, and is specifically designed to fit each type of paint container. The Up Box™ comes as a "kit," complete with lid securing clips, packing tape, and a prepaid shipping label for easy return of post-consumer paint
All viable paint received in an Up Box™ will be recycled and turned into new paint, making it a truly circular supply chain. Once the kit is received, every component from the lid securing clips to the box itself is recycled.
In addition to its environmentally friendly design, Up Box™ also participates in a zero-carbon offset program. Furthermore, each Up Box™ purchase provides consumers with a discount on new Up Paint™ purchases as part of a circular supply chain.
"We are beyond excited to introduce the Up Box™ to the market," said Dustin Martin, CEO of Up Paint™. "Our team has worked tirelessly to create a product that is both convenient for consumers as well as a sustainable solution for preserving our environment. We believe the Up Box™ is a game-changer in the paint industry, and we are excited to offer our customers an opportunity to participate in a new circular supply chain for paint."
Up Paint™ is committed to creating a more sustainable future and believes that the Up Box™ is just the beginning. As the company continues to grow, it intends to launch several more innovative, earth-kind solutions for the paint industry.
The Up Box™ is available for purchase now on the Up Paint™ website. To learn more about Up Paint™ and its commitment to sustainability, visit www.uppaint.com.
About Up Paint:
Up Paint™ is the world's first upcycled paint company specializing in sustainable, earth-kind paint at scale. We provide premium upcycled latex paint as well as the Up Box™, a solution for responsible recycling paint providing a sustainable alternative to traditional paint disposal methods combined with an innovative "upcycling" program. Up Paint™ has been awarded "Best Inventions" by Time Magazine and named "Most Innovative Companies" by Fast Company. Through our proprietary Evergood Upcycled Paint Technology™, we are able to rescue, reformulate and retail paint at a fraction of the price of traditional brands, diverting it all from landfills. Our goal is to rescue 25 million gallons of paint by the end of 2025.
Instagram (@uppaintco)
Facebook (@uppaintco)
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SOURCE Up Paint | 2023-04-22T10:07:31+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2023/04/22/up-paint-sustainable-paint-company-launches-up-box-first-of-its-kind-way-consumers-ship-back-recycle-old-paint/ |
In 2018, Ordino Arcalís was fully incorporated into Grandvalira. This yielded Grandvalira Resorts, to which the La Massana resort has now been added
From the 2022-23 season, all Grandvalira ski passes will allow access to Ordino Arcalís and Pal Arinsal in both winter and summer
ANDORRA LA VELLA, Andorra, July 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pal Arinsal will be incorporated into Grandvalira Resorts from the 2022-2023 season. This alliance will unify Andorra's winter snow and mountain leisure activities 365 days a year, bring together a total of 303 km slopes for winter sports and make Grandvalira one of Europe's top destinations for the skiable area available. All Grandvalira Resort ski passes (including the season pass) will therefore be valid both at Pal Arinsal and at Ordino Arcalís, which was incorporated into Grandvalira Resorts in 2018.
The addition of the La Massana station to Grandvalira Resorts will provide some very beneficial changes for skiers. For example, multi-day ski passes that combine skiing at Pal Arinsal and Ordino Arcalís with days at Grandvalira will be available for purchase.
Grandvalira Season Ski Pass
The Grandvalira Season Ski Pass will be the new countrywide ski pass that offers access to all Andorra's resorts, making a total of 303 km of slopes for snow sports available, offering the chance to enjoy the mountains 365 days a year and unlimited access to Vallnord Pal Arinsal Mountain and Bike Park.
In the coming weeks Grandvalira Resorts will define the full details of the product, price and brand.
Pal Arinsal customers will be incorporated into My Grandski, the loyalty club that simplifies access and user queries regarding the resorts' platforms, while offering a range of skiing-related benefits such as Wi-Fi access, online shopping, ski track logs and subscription to the newsletter.
Pal Arinsal will also benefit from synergies with Grandvalira Resorts with a view to improving aspects of technology, marketing and communication, as well as its sales channels.
Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1863144/Soldeu_El_tarter.jpg
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SOURCE Grandvalira Resorts | 2022-07-20T15:43:40+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2022/07/20/pal-arinsal-is-be-incorporated-into-grandvalira-resorts-countrywide-ski-pass-launched-provide-access-303-km-slopes/ |
(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)
Pam Longobardi, Georgia State University
(THE CONVERSATION) I am obsessed with plastic objects. I harvest them from the ocean for the stories they hold and to mitigate their ability to harm. Each object has the potential to be a message from the sea – a poem, a cipher, a metaphor, a warning.
My work collecting and photographing ocean plastic and turning it into art began with an epiphany in 2005, on a far-flung beach at the southern tip of the Big Island of Hawaii. At the edge of a black lava beach pounded by surf, I encountered multitudes upon multitudes of plastic objects that the angry ocean was vomiting onto the rocky shore.
I could see that somehow, impossibly, humans had permeated the ocean with plastic waste. Its alien presence was so enormous that it had reached this most isolated point of land in the immense Pacific Ocean. I felt I was witness to an unspeakable crime against nature, and needed to document it and bring back evidence.
I began cleaning the beach, hauling away weathered and misshapen plastic debris – known and unknown objects, hidden parts of a world of things I had never seen before, and enormous whalelike colored entanglements of nets and ropes.
I returned to that site again and again, gathering material evidence to study its volume and how it had been deposited, trying to understand the immensity it represented. In 2006, I formed the Drifters Project, a collaborative global entity to highlight these vagrant, translocational plastics and recruit others to investigate and mitigate ocean plastics’ impact.
My new book, “Ocean Gleaning,” tracks 17 years of my art and research around the world through the Drifters Project. It reveals specimens of striking artifacts harvested from the sea – objects that once were utilitarian, but have been changed by their oceanic voyages and come back as messages from the ocean.
Living in a plastic age
I grew up in what some now deem the age of plastic. Though it’s not the only modern material invention, plastic has had the most unforeseen consequences.
My father was a biochemist at the chemical company Union Carbide when I was a child in New Jersey. He played golf with an actor who portrayed “The Man from Glad,” a Get Smart-styled agent who rescued flustered housewives in TV commercials from inferior brands of plastic wrap that snarled and tangled. My father brought home souvenir pins of Union Carbide’s hexagonal logo, based on the carbon molecule, and figurine pencil holders of “TERGIE,” the company’s blobby turquoise mascot.
Today I see plastic as a zombie material that haunts the ocean. It is made from petroleum, the decayed and transformed life forms of the past. Drifting at sea, it “lives” again as it gathers a biological slime of algae and protozoans, which become attachment sites for larger organisms.
When seabirds, fish and sea turtles mistake this living encrustation for food and eat it, plastic and all, the chemical load lives on in their digestive tracts. Their body tissues absorb chemicals from the plastic, which remain undigested in their stomachs, often ultimately killing them.
The forensics of plastic
I see plastic objects as the cultural archaeology of our time – relics of global late-capitalist consumer society that mirror our desires, wishes, hubris and ingenuity. They become transformed as they leave the quotidian world and collide with nature. By regurgitating them ashore or jamming them into sea caves, the ocean is communicating with us through materials of our own making. Some seem eerily familiar; others are totally alien.
A person engaging in ocean gleaning acts as a detective and a beacon, hunting for the forensics of this crime against the natural world and shining the light of interrogation on it. By searching for ocean plastic in a state of open receptiveness, a gleaner like me can find symbols of pop culture, religion, war, humor, irony and sorrow.
In keeping with the drifting journeys of these material artifacts, I prefer using them in a transitive form as installations. All of these works can be dismantled and reconfigured, although plastic materials are nearly impossible to recycle. I display some objects as specimens on steel pins, and wire others together to form large-scale sculptures.
I am interested in ocean plastic in particular because of what it reveals about us as humans in a global culture, and about the ocean as a cultural space and a giant dynamic engine of life and change. Because ocean plastic visibly shows nature’s attempts to reabsorb and regurgitate it, it has profound stories to tell.
I believe humankind is at a crossroads with regards to the future. The ocean is asking us to pay attention. Paying attention is an act of giving, and in the case of plastic pollution, it is also an act of taking: Taking plastic out of your daily life. Taking plastic out of the environment. And taking, and spreading, the message that the ocean is laying out before our eyes.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/my-art-uses-plastic-recovered-from-beaches-around-the-world-to-understand-how-our-consumer-society-is-transforming-the-ocean-187970. | 2023-02-14T15:14:41+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/news/article/my-art-uses-plastic-recovered-from-beaches-around-17783269.php |
- Second quarter 2022 net income attributable to SXC was $18.0 million, or $0.21 per share; Year-to-date net income attributable to SXC was $47.5 million, or $0.56 per share
- Adjusted EBITDA(1) for the quarter was $71.3 million, an increase of $3.3 million versus the prior year period; Year-to-date 2022 Adjusted EBITDA was $155.1 million
- Increased quarterly dividend to 8 cents per share; a 33% increase
- Entered into a non-binding letter of intent with United States Steel Corporation ("U.S. Steel") that sets out the principal terms and conditions upon which SunCoke would acquire U.S. Steel's Granite City blast furnaces and build a 2.0M ton per year granulated pig iron facility with a 10 year initial term
- Increasing full year 2022 Adjusted EBITDA guidance range from $240 million - $255 million to $270 million - $285 million, reflecting continued success in the export coke market and strong performance at CMT
LISLE, Ill., Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SunCoke Energy, Inc. (NYSE: SXC) today reported results for the second quarter 2022, reflecting continued strong performance in our Domestic Coke and Logistics segments.
"Our Domestic Coke and Logistics segments continued to perform well in the second quarter with the backdrop of strong commodity markets. Although our coke production was impacted due to planned outages this quarter, it was more than offset by higher margins from our export coke sales. Our Logistics segment continues to deliver solid results, with higher volumes at our domestic terminals and favorable pricing at CMT," said Mike Rippey, President and Chief Executive Officer of SunCoke Energy, Inc. "Recognizing both record first half performance and softening export coke market conditions, we are increasing full year Adjusted EBITDA guidance to $270 million - $285 million. Additionally our Board of Directors approved a 33% increase in quarterly dividends from 6 cents to 8 cents per share effective the next quarterly payment on September 1st."
Revenues in the second quarter of 2022 increased $137.6 million as compared to the same prior year period, primarily reflecting the pass-through of higher coal prices and favorable export coke pricing.
Net income attributable to SXC increased $26.8 million from the same prior year period. The prior year period included a $22.7 million, net of tax impact of debt extinguishment costs related to our debt refinancing during the second quarter of 2021.
Adjusted EBITDA increased $3.3 million as compared to the same prior year period, primarily as a result of higher margins on export sales partially offset by lower domestic coke sales volumes described below.
Domestic Coke
Domestic Coke consists of cokemaking facilities and heat recovery operations at our Jewell, Indiana Harbor, Haverhill, Granite City and Middletown plants.
Revenues increased $133.9 million as compared to the same prior year period primarily reflecting the pass-through of higher coal prices and favorable export coke pricing.
Adjusted EBITDA increased $2.9 million as compared to the same prior year period largely due to higher margins on export sales partially offset by lower domestics coke sales volumes as a result of changes in the mix of production and timing of plant outages and repairs.
Logistics
Logistics consists of the handling and mixing services of coal and other aggregates at our Convent Marine Terminal ("CMT"), Lake Terminal, Kanawha River Terminals ("KRT") and Dismal River Terminal ("DRT").
Revenues and Adjusted EBITDA increased by $3.1 million and $1.1 million, respectively, as compared to the same prior year period driven by favorable pricing at CMT based on the API2 coal index price.
Brazil Coke
Brazil Coke consists of a cokemaking facility in Vitória, Brazil, which we operate for an affiliate of ArcelorMittal.
Revenues and Adjusted EBITDA were $9.6 million and $3.9 million, respectively, during the second quarter 2022, which was comparable to revenue and Adjusted EBITDA of $9.0 million and $4.0 million, respectively, in the second quarter 2021.
Corporate and Other
Corporate and other expenses, which include activity from our legacy coal mining business, was $9.4 million during second quarter 2022, $0.6 million higher than expense of $8.8 million during second quarter 2021 driven primarily by higher employee related expenses and higher professional services.
2022 REVISED OUTLOOK
Our 2022 revised guidance is based on higher export margins in our Domestic Coke plants and the API2 price adjustment benefit at CMT.
Our 2022 revised guidance is as follows:
- Domestic Coke total production is expected to be approximately 4.1 million tons
- Consolidated Adjusted EBITDA is expected to be between $270 million to $285 million
- Capital expenditures are projected to be approximately $80 million
- Cash generated by operations is estimated to be between $200 million to $215 million
- Cash taxes are projected to be $10 million to $12 million
We will host our quarterly earnings call at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time (10:30 a.m. Central Time) today. The conference call will be webcast live and archived for replay in the Investors section of www.suncoke.com. Investors and analysts may participate in this call by dialing 1-888-660-6347 in the U.S. or 1-929-201-6594 if outside the U.S., confirmation code 36382.
SunCoke Energy, Inc. (NYSE: SXC) supplies high-quality coke to domestic and international customers. Our coke is used in the blast furnace production of steel as well as the foundry production of casted iron, with the majority of sales under long-term, take-or-pay contracts. We also export coke to overseas customers seeking high-quality product for their blast furnaces. Our process utilizes an innovative heat-recovery technology that captures excess heat for steam or electrical power generation and draws upon more than 60 years of cokemaking experience to operate our facilities in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Virginia and Brazil. Our logistics business provides export and domestic material handling services to coke, coal, steel, power and other bulk customers. The logistics terminals have the collective capacity to mix and transload more than 40 million tons of material each year and are strategically located to reach Gulf Coast, East Coast, Great Lakes and international ports. To learn more about SunCoke Energy, Inc., visit our website at www.suncoke.com.
SunCoke routinely announces material information to investors and the marketplace using press releases, Securities and Exchange Commission filings, public conference calls, webcasts and SunCoke's website at http://www.suncoke.com/English/investors/sxc. The information that SunCoke posts to its website may be deemed to be material. Accordingly, SunCoke encourages investors and others interested in SunCoke to routinely monitor and review the information that SunCoke posts on its website, in addition to following SunCoke's press releases, Securities and Exchange Commission filings and public conference calls and webcasts.
- Adjusted EBITDA represents earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA"), adjusted for any impairments, restructuring costs, gains or losses on extinguishment of debt and transaction costs. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA do not represent and should not be considered alternatives to net income or operating income under GAAP and may not be comparable to other similarly titled measures in other businesses. Management believes Adjusted EBITDA is an important measure in assessing operating performance. Adjusted EBITDA provides useful information to investors because it highlights trends in our business that may not otherwise be apparent when relying solely on GAAP measures and because it eliminates items that have less bearing on our operating performance. EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA are not measures calculated in accordance with GAAP, and they should not be considered a substitute for net income or any other measure of financial performance presented in accordance with GAAP. Additionally, other companies may calculate Adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, limiting its usefulness as a comparative measure.
- Adjusted EBITDA attributable to SXC represents Adjusted EBITDA less Adjusted EBITDA attributable to noncontrolling interests.
This press release and related conference call contain "forward-looking statements" (as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended). Forward-looking statements often may be identified by the use of such words as "believe," "expect," "plan," "project," "intend," "anticipate," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "continue," "may," "will," "should," or the negative of these terms, or similar expressions. However, the absence of these words or similar expressions does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but instead represent only our beliefs regarding future events, many of which are inherently uncertain and involve significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties (many of which are beyond the control of SunCoke) that could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from the anticipated results and financial condition indicated in such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties described in Item 1A ("Risk Factors") of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the most recently completed fiscal year, as well as those described from time to time in our other reports and filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
In accordance with the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, SunCoke has included in its filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission cautionary language identifying important factors (but not necessarily all the important factors) that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in any forward-looking statement made by SunCoke. For information concerning these factors and other important information regarding the matters discussed in this presentation, see SunCoke's Securities and Exchange Commission filings, copies of which are available free of charge on SunCoke's website at www.suncoke.com. All forward-looking statements included in this presentation are expressly qualified in their entirety by such cautionary statements. Unpredictable or unknown factors not discussed in this presentation also could have material adverse effects on forward-looking statements.
Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, but are based upon the current knowledge, beliefs and expectations of SunCoke management, and upon assumptions by SunCoke concerning future conditions, any or all of which ultimately may prove to be inaccurate. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of the earnings release. SunCoke does not intend, and expressly disclaims any obligation, to update or alter its forward-looking statements (or associated cautionary language), whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, after the date of the earnings release except as required by applicable law.
In addition, throughout this press release, we will use non-GAAP financial measures. Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered as alternatives to the measures derived in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Non-GAAP financial measures have important limitations as analytical tools, and you should not consider them in isolation or as substitutes for results as reported under U.S. GAAP. Reconciliations to the most comparable GAAP financial measures can be found in the Appendix to this presentation.
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SOURCE SunCoke Energy, Inc. | 2022-08-02T11:46:03+00:00 | wafb.com | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/02/suncoke-energy-inc-reports-strong-second-quarter-2022-results/ |
Expelled Tennessee lawmakers both seeking seats again
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Two former Black Democratic lawmakers who were expelled by Republican colleagues in Tennessee say they want to be reappointed, then elected back to their seats, following their ouster for a protest on the House floor urging passage of gun-control measures in the wake of a deadly school shooting.
Nashville’s metro council is likely to reappoint Justin Jones to the seat during a specially called Monday meeting. The Shelby County Commission plans to announce soon when it will meet to fill the vacancy left by Justin Pearson’s expulsion. Likewise, commissioners can reinstall Pearson, who is from Memphis.
Both former lawmakers told NBC’s Meet the Press that they want to return to their positions as lawmakers. Special elections for the seats, which have yet to be set, will follow in the coming months.
The expulsions have made Tennessee a new front in the battle for the future of American democracy. The former lawmakers have quickly drawn prominent supporters. President Joe Biden spoke with them and Vice President Kamala Harris visited them in Nashville.
“You know, we will continue to fight for our constituents,” Jones said. “And one thing I just want to say ... is that this attack against us is hurting all people in our state. You know, even though it is disproportionately impacting Black and Brown communities, this is hurting poor white people. Their attack on democracy hurts all of us.”
In separate votes on Thursday, the GOP supermajority expelled Jones and Pearson, a move leaving about 140,000 voters in primarily Black districts in Nashville and Memphis with no representation in the House.
Pearson and Jones were expelled in retaliation for their role in the protest the week before, which unfolded in the aftermath of a school shooting in Nashville that killed six people, including three young students.
A third Democrat, Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, was spared expulsion by a one-vote margin. Johnson is white, spurring outcry at the differing outcomes for the two young, Black lawmakers. Republican lawmakers who split their votes have cited Johnson’s points on the floor that her role in the protest was lesser — she didn’t speak into the megaphone, for example.
Johnson has also suggested race was likely a factor on why Jones and Pearson were ousted but not her, telling reporters it “might have to do with the color of our skin.”
Republican House Speaker Cameron Sexton said that’s a “false narrative.”
“It’s unfortunate, she’s trying to put political racism in this, which there was nothing on this,” Sexton told Fox News on Friday.
GOP leaders said the expulsion actions — used only a handful times since the Civil War — were necessary to avoid setting a precedent that lawmakers’ disruptions of House proceedings through protest would be tolerated.
Pearson said the statehouse has been a “toxic work environment.” He noted the scrutiny he received for wearing a black dashiki — a tunic-like garment that originated in west Africa — for session, rather than a suit and tie.
“It’s about us not belonging in the institution because they are afraid of the changes that are happening in our society, and the voices that are being elevated,” Pearson said on Meet the Press.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-04-09T16:54:31+00:00 | ktiv.com | https://www.ktiv.com/2023/04/09/expelled-tennessee-lawmakers-both-seeking-seats-again/ |
Forecasters trim hurricane season outlook a bit, still busy
(AP) - This hurricane season may be a tad quieter than forecasters initially thought, but it is still likely to be busier than normal, government forecasters and others say.
NOAA forecasters Thursday trimmed their hurricane season outlook from a 65% chance for above-normal activity to 60% and increased the odds of a normal season from 25% to 30% because of uneven sea surface temperature, including a patch of cooler water off Portugal. Parts of the Atlantic are warmer than normal, but the variability had forecasters “backing off on the higher end” of their predictions, said lead hurricane outlook forecaster Matthew Rosencrans.
The weather agency now predicts 14 to 20 named storms instead of its May forecast which was 14 to 21. The predicted number of hurricanes remains the same at six to 10 while those storms that hit major category of at least 111 mph are now forecast to be three to five instead of three to six. The forecast includes the three tropical storms that formed in June and early July, about average for this time of year, but quieter than the last few years.
An average season has 14 named storms with seven becoming hurricanes and three of those being majors, according to NOAA. There were 21 named storms last year, a record 30 in 2020 and 18 in 2019.
“While the tropics have been relatively quiet over the last month, remember that it only takes one landfalling storm to devastate a community. This is especially critical as we head into what the team here anticipates is likely to be a busy peak of the season,” Rosencrans said in a press briefing.
A persistent La Nina — the natural cooling of parts of the Pacific that changes weather worldwide — weak trade winds and some warmer than normal Atlantic water temperatures still point to a busy season, Rosencrans said. But the patches of cool water, with temperatures closer to normal than originally predicted in some places, “could kind of tamp down on activity,” he said.
Colorado State University, which pioneered hurricane season forecasts, also dialed back its predictions for the season compared to what it said in April. The school now predicts 18 named storms, down from 19, with eight becoming hurricanes, down from nine. Colorado State predicts four major hurricanes, same as it forecast in April.
“I don’t think the season is going to be a dud, but it’s taking its sweet time getting going,” said Colorado State University hurricane researcher Phil Klotzbach, head of the school’s forecast team.
Klotzbach said this year with its strong La Nina and nearer to average water temperatures seems similar to 1999, 2000, 2011 and last year, which featured a devastating Hurricane Ida that hit Louisiana and sloshed into the Northeast with heavy rain, causing many deaths in the New York-New Jersey region.
“Hopefully, we’ll have no Idas this year, but the overall environment is very similar,” Klotzbach said.
About 90% of Atlantic storms happen from August on. Hurricane season peaks from mid-August to mid-October with the season ending on Nov. 30.
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Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears
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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2022-08-04T18:32:16+00:00 | foxcarolina.com | https://www.foxcarolina.com/2022/08/04/forecasters-trim-hurricane-season-outlook-bit-still-busy/ |
SACRAMENTO (AP) _ The winning numbers in Wednesday evening's drawing of the California Lottery's "Daily 4" game were:
5-6-1-7
(five, six, one, seven)
¶ Ticket-holders with all four winning numbers in the order given win the top prize. Lesser amounts are also awarded to ticket-holders with other varying combinations of the winning numbers. | 2023-01-26T03:52:39+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/lottery/article/winning-numbers-drawn-in-daily-4-game-17742556.php |
T.J. Newman began writing the hijack thriller Falling while she was a flight attendant. She'd jot down ideas on paper napkins in the quiet moments on red-eye flights. Originally broadcast July 2021.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air
T.J. Newman began writing the hijack thriller Falling while she was a flight attendant. She'd jot down ideas on paper napkins in the quiet moments on red-eye flights. Originally broadcast July 2021.
Copyright 2022 Fresh Air | 2022-06-24T19:01:10+00:00 | wksu.org | https://www.wksu.org/2022-06-24/fasten-your-seat-belts-flight-attendant-turned-novelist-shares-stories-from-the-sky |
FREEHOLD, N.J. (AP) — A man has been convicted in the 2018 killing of an emergency medical technician and freelance photographer in New Jersey after authorities said he targeted the victim because of his race.
Jurors in Monmouth County convicted 30-year-old Jamil Hubbard of Sayreville of murder Friday in the May 2018 attack on 56-year-old Jerry Wolkowitz near his Freehold apartment. The violence left Wolkowitz on life support for almost six months before he succumbed to his injuries.
Prosecutors said Hubbard told investigators that he had been sleeping in his car after a fight with his ex-girlfriend, and when he woke up he saw the victim walking nearby and decided to attack him because he was white. He said he probably would have left Wolkowitz alone if he was Black, authorities said.
Authorities said Hubbard punched and kicked Wolkowitz from behind, took his wallet and keys, dragged him into the parking lot and ran him over before fleeing in the victim's vehicle. The Sayreville man was also convicted of bias intimidation, theft and motor vehicle theft, eluding and a weapons crime. He is scheduled for sentencing March 31.
Defense attorneys argued that Hubbard suffered from serious mental illness, including bipolar disorder, that prevented him from knowing what he was doing or appreciating its wrongfulness, but jurors rejected their plea for an acquittal on insanity grounds.
The Asbury Park Press said Wolkowitz worked as photographer, EMT and ambulance supervisor, and his work often appeared in the Asbury Park Press.
One of the victim's sisters, Judy Marcus, speaking for the family outside the courtroom, called the case “a living nightmare for almost five years for all of us.” She praised the work of investigators and prosecutors that she said ”gave us the ability to go on and end the nightmare.’’
Marcus said the ordeal was particularly difficult because both of their parents were Holocaust survivors and, for two years, while her mother was still alive, the family couldn’t bear to tell her that her son had been murdered, the Asbury Park Press reported. | 2022-11-19T17:55:17+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Man-convicted-in-New-Jersey-attack-slaying-on-17597488.php |
By STEVE REED
AP Sports Writer
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Carolina Panthers have agreed to terms with Ejiro Evero on Sunday to be their new defensive coordinator.
The 42-year-old Evero was the Denver Broncos defensive coordinator last season and was one of nine candidates to interview for the Panthers head coaching position before owner David Tepper hired Frank Reich.
The Broncos ranked seventh in the league in total defense in 2022 under Evero and were 14th in points allowed. Evero previously worked as the Broncos secondary coach before being promoted to coordinator.
He has also experience coaching with the Los Angeles Rams, Green Bay Packers, San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Steve Wilks was Carolina’s defensive coordinator to start the 2022 season, but was later promoted to interim head coach after Matt Rhule was fired. Al Holcomb took over as interim defensive coordinator and remained in that role for the rest of the season.
Carolina’s defense, led by defensive end Brian Burns and safety Jeremy Chinn, finished 22nd in the league last season in yards allowed per game and allowed the 19th-most points in the league, but the defense is generally considered the strength of a team that finished 7-10.
Evero has ties to Carolina.
Dom Capers, who served as Carolina’s first head coach, was a senior defensive assistant on Evero’s staff last season in Denver. Evero also spent four years on the 49ers staff under Vic Fangio, the Panthers defensive coordinator from 1995-98 under Capers.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | 2023-02-06T00:32:02+00:00 | wtmj.com | https://wtmj.com/sports/2023/02/05/panthers-hire-evero-as-new-defensive-coordinator-2/ |
No matter your budget, you can find gifts for everyone on your holiday shopping list
There’s nothing worse than waiting until the last minute to do your holiday shopping. But if you’re having trouble finding gifts for your friends and family, you can run out of shopping time before you know it.
If you need gift ideas for items that’ll definitely arrive by the holidays, we’ve gathered some of the best we could find, including a Sony Bluetooth speaker for music lovers, a LEGO set for the kids and a cozy Levi’s unisex beanie. So whether you’re looking for gifts under $25, under $50, or under $100, you’ll find the perfect option for everyone on your list.
Popular gift ideas under $25
Sony Compact Portable Bluetooth Speaker
This small Bluetooth speaker still delivers big sound, with extra bass that can instantly boost any party. It has a handy carrying strap to make it easy to take on the go and a splashproof design that’s perfect for use at the beach or pool. The rechargeable battery can go six hours between charges, too.
Sold by Amazon
Philosophy Festive Frosty Favorites 3-Piece Shower Gel Set
This shower gel set features three winter-inspired scents, including peppermint stick, cinnamon buns and Snow Angel, which captures the scent of freshly fallen snow. The Philosophy shower gels offer a 3-in-1 formula, too, so they can be used as a shower gel, shampoo or bubble bath. They’re also creamy and gentle enough for everyday use.
Sold by Ulta
LEGO Classic Creative Suitcase Building Kit
This classic yellow suitcase not only provides a perfect spot to store your children’s LEGOs but also comes with over 200 pieces. They include various options, such as bricks, wheels and other shapes. They’re compatible with all LEGO construction sets for creative building, too.
Sold by Amazon
Numi Organic Tea World of Tea Gift Set
The tea drinker on your list will appreciate this high-quality tea sampler. It includes 45 tea bags with premium organic full-leaf tea in various flavors, including Breakfast Blend, Aged Earl Grey and Jasmine Green. The teas don’t feature artificial flavors; instead, they contain 100% real fruit, flowers and spices.
Sold by Amazon
Levi’s All-Gender Classic Knit Cuffed All Season Beanie Hat
This comfy beanie has a one-size-fits-all design suitable for both men and women. It’s made of 100% acrylic and offers excellent warmth in cold weather. The stretchable material is also easy to pull down over the ears for protection. You can choose from more than 25 colors.
Sold Amazon
Yankee Candle Balsam & Cedar Classic Large Tumbler Candle
Help your loved one get in the holiday spirit with this classic candle scented with balsam, cedar wood and juniper berry. It’s made of premium-grade wax that offers a clean, even burn and provides up to 110 hours of burn time. The candle is 100% recyclable, too.
Sold by Amazon
Mio Marino Retro Leather Alphabet Keychain
This stylish genuine leather keychain features a metal monogrammed letter in the center. It has three easy clasp key hooks for adding and removing keys, as well as double stitching to improve its durability. It even comes in a designer gift box.
Sold by Macy’s
The Star Wars fan on your list will love this fun, mini wooden music box that plays the Star Wars Theme. Each side has artwork of various Star Wars characters, including Yoda, a Storm Trooper and Darth Vader. It also features a hand crank design, so it doesn’t require batteries.
Sold by Amazon
Glocusent USB Rechargeable Book Light
This LED book light is a perfect gift for the avid reader on your list. It offers five brightness levels and three color modes to make reading as comfortable as possible. The compact design also makes it perfect for travel. The rechargeable battery provides up to 80 hours of reading time, too.
Sold by Amazon
Betsey Johnson Pearl Critters Owl Drop Earrings
These whimsical owl-shaped earrings have faux pearl and mixed stone accents for a fun, blinged-out look. They feature gold-tone metal and a secure lever back that keeps them in place all day. They also work well day or night.
Fringe Studio 3-Piece Gingerbread Everything Plush Pet Toys
This sweet gingerbread-themed toy set makes the perfect holiday gift for your pet. The small gingerbread-shaped toys are ideal for puppies and small dogs and feature squeakers to keep your pup entertained.
Sold by Macy’s
Isotoner Women’s Cable Knit Gloves with Touchscreen Palm Patches
These stylish cable-knit gloves can keep your loved one’s hands warm all winter. They’re lined with fleece to provide effective insulation against the cold and have a non-slip palm patch to provide an improved grip. The thumb, index and middle fingers are touchscreen-compatible, too, making it easy to use a smartphone or tablet.
Sold by Amazon
Other top gift ideas under $25
- This artnaturals Large bath Bombs Gift Set contains 12 bath bombs in various scents, making it an excellent gift for a friend who enjoys at-home spa nights.
- With this Mr. Coffee Mug Warmer, the coffee or tea drinker in your life will never have their favorite hot beverage go cold before they finish it again.
- The Crayola Caddy Portable Coloring Set comes with makers, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, paper and more. It’s the ideal gift for children who love arts and crafts.
- The Tarte Tartelette Tease Clay Eyeshadow Palette contains six versatile shadow shades and is compact enough to fit in any purse or pocket.
- This 100 Movies Scratch Off Poster can serve as a film bucket list for the movie buff in your life. It includes films across various genres and timeframes.
- This DASH Mini Waffle Maker makes more than just make waffles; it’s also perfect for preparing hash browns, cookies and mini pizzas. The compact size makes it ideal for anyone on your list with a small kitchen.
- The VTech Baby Lil’ Critters Moosical Beads is a fun, educational toy for kids aged 0 to 24 months and plays more than 30 songs, melodies, sounds and phrases.
- The Milk Makeup Bronze, Glow, Go 3-Minute Face and Eye Set contains a bronzer stick, cream blush and lip tint, highlighter and lengthening mascara, making it ideal for anyone who wants a quick makeup look.
- This Amazon Essentials Blanket Scarf is large enough to do double-duty as a wrap and comes in nine fashionable colors.
- The Hot Wheels City Super Twist Tire Shop Playset features plenty of twists and turns for kids to take their Hot Wheels down and even comes with a car of its own.
- For that friend or family member who likes their food extra spicy, this Melinda’s Hot Sauce Variety Pack is an ideal gift. It includes five flavorful sauces, including Garlic Habanero and Ghost Pepper.
- The Dionis Inspire Goat Milk Hand Cream Collection can keep your loved one’s hands smooth and hydrated all winter.
- If you’re looking for a practical gift, this PAPERAGE 2023 Weekly & Monthly Planner with a durable, vegan-leather cover is an excellent choice.
- The Melissa & Doug Food Groups Wooden Play Food Set can inspire hours of imaginative play for children aged 3 and up.
- Help your favorite amateur chef and baker take their kitchen game up a notch with this set of dessert toppers sea salt collection. It includes three unique flavors.
- The HOMEDICS Bubble Bliss Foot Bath makes an excellent gift for anyone who spends all day on their feet. It offers soothing heat and massage functions.
- The Squishmallows Brown and Black Calico Cat Plush is super-soft and squishy, making it ideal for cuddling.
- The INKEY List Winter Skin 101 Kit can help keep skin soft and supple even in cold, dry winter weather.
- If you have a loved one who enjoys yoga, the AmazonBasics ½-inch Extra Thick Exercise Yoga Mat can make their practice more comfortable. It even has a shoulder strap, so it’s easy to carry to class.
- This two-pack of Charter Club Women’s Fuzzy Butter Socks is warm and cozy and includes solid red and Buffalo plaid pairs.
- This Amish Country Popcorn Variety Set can make movie night a little more exciting. It comes with six types of kernels and a shaker of butter-flavored salt.
- If you have a cat lover on your list, this set of ceramic, cat-shaped measuring spoons is sure to be a hit.
- The W&P Hot Toddy Craft Cocktail Kit contains premium ingredients for making a delicious Hot Toddy on the go, all in a travel-friendly green tin.
- You can’t go wrong with gifting a classic party game like Jenga, which is suitable for one or more players aged 6 and up.
- This Celestial Silk Mulberry Silk Scrunchies Set comes with three large scrunchies made of 100% pure mulberry silk. Each set includes a charcoal, pink and ivory scrunchie.
- This Malibu Barbie It Takes Two Camping Doll with Puppy and Accessories is an ideal gift for Barbie fans aged 3 to 7 who enjoy camping and the outdoors.
- This set of Stress Relief and Self Care Cards offers 52 mindfulness, meditation, anxiety relief, stress management and self-care exercises that can be done nearly anywhere.
- Encourage your loved one to stay hydrated with this CamelBak Chute Mag Vacuum Insulated Stainless Steel Water Bottle, which comes in more than 10 colors.
- These Jessica Simpson Metal Aviator Sunglasses offer a chic, stylish look but still provide 100% UV protection.
Popular gift ideas under $50
Elite 3-in-1 Waffle and Sandwich Maker
This handy little appliance will help anyone in a hurry prepare waffles and sandwiches in minutes. It comes with interchangeable waffle and sandwich cooking plates that are easy to remove, replace, and clean. The trim design doesn’t take up much storage space.
Not only is this beauty-lovers collection packed with a nice selection of makeup in beautiful colors, but it also comes with an attractive aluminum case that can be reused. Brushes are included for flawless application.
Sold by Amazon
2019 1881 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon
What could be a better gift for a wine lover than a flavorful Cabernet? Bottled in Napa Valley, the robust notes of this delicious red wine will have your favorite wine connoisseur guessing that you spent much more than $50 for the bottle.
Sold by Wine Access
Sur la table Professional Carbon Steel Wok
Stir fry is just one tasty dish that can be made in a wok. From eggs to fish to vegetables, this wok is built to prepare numerous foods thanks to the durable stainless steel construction that distributes heat evenly for outstanding results.
Sold by Sur la table
JLB Go 3 Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker
The Go 3 Bluetooth speaker is made for music lovers on the go, as it has a compact design and carrying loop. Although small, it delivers impressive sound. The waterproof construction makes it perfect to include on trips to the beach or pool.
AquaSonic Black Series Ultra Whitening Toothbrush
You can give the gift of a whiter smile with the AquaSonic toothbrush that gently whitens with 40,000 vibrations per minute. It’s an affordable, rechargeable model that offers four operational modes and comes with eight brush heads.
Sold by Amazon
Anyone who loves to brew coffee from K-Cups will appreciate a simple way to store them. This carousel features a tiered design that rotates and will accommodate 36 K-Cups. The attractive design looks nice next to any single-serve coffee machine.
Amazon Basic Enameled Cast Iron Covered Casserole Skillet
The avid home cook will love the possibilities of cooking with an enameled cast iron skillet. Amazon’s model boasts a 3.3-quart capacity with convenient loop-style handles and a lid. It can accommodate temperatures up to 400 degrees F. You have a choice of several stylish colors.
Sold by Amazon
Other top gift ideas under $50
- The Echo Dot 5th Gen Smart Speaker was released this year and delivers clear sound with notable bass.
- With a Disney theme and cosmetics that are made with clean ingredients, the Disney Edition Beauty Box makes a great gift.
- These WallFlower Junior’s Insta Stretch Jeans are highly rated and feature a classic style with a comfortable fit.
- A rice cooker like this model by Aroma is a nice gift for anyone who likes to steam rice and vegetables at the same time.
- The Roku Express 4K+ makes streaming simple thanks to the easy setup and voice-controlled remote.
- The Amazfit 5 is a feature-packed activity tracker that’s available at a fraction of the price of high-end brands.
- The Revlon One-Step Hair Dryer and Styler dries and styles hair for salon-quality looks.
- Annovero Ice Cream Bowls have festive designs that look great in any kitchen.
- Home cooks can always use new utensils. The Umite Chef Set contains 33 practical pieces for every cooking need.
- The Amazon Essentials Full-Zip Fleece Jacket is available in numerous sizes and stylish colors.
- The Magic Bullet Blender is a great gift for anyone who likes to make smoothies and shakes. The kit includes three cups and matching lids.
- This Hot Wheels Track Set sports a shark theme that’s appealing to youngsters.
- It’s easy to pamper curls with Briogeo’s Superfoods Avocado + Kiwi Mega Moisture Hair Mask that’s made with quality ingredients that nourish hair.
- Black Diamond’s Wooltech Gloves are lightweight and comfortable yet toasty warm.
- Nagaliving Organic Bath Bombs will make any gift recipient feel pampered. It includes 50 bath bombs that come nicely packaged in a pretty box.
- It’s ceramic and ionic technology that makes it possible for the Hot Tools Pro Signature Hair Dryer to create gorgeous blowouts.
- Eddie Bauer Flannel Sheets are soft and cozy. This set comes in a choice of patterns.
- DRQQ Earbuds are affordable but emit excellent sound.
- The Black + Decker 2-Slice Toaster has wide slots that can accommodate bagels and artisan breads.
- The ProForm Kettlebell Kit includes weights in 5, 10, and 15 pounds plus an instructional DVD with workout ideas.
- Belkin SOUNDFORM Mini Wireless Headphones are designed to be comfortable and fun for kids.
- BioPEDIC Bed Pillows provide comfortable support. The collection includes four pillows.
- This unique LEGO Set is perfect for Harry Potter fans.
- This Apollo Tool Set is packed with 135 tools that are colored pink.
- The Prestige Waiters Wine Bottle Opener is an awesome gift for the wine lover on your list.
Popular gift ideas under $100
Hamilton Beach 2-Way Brewer Coffee Maker
A coffee lover will appreciate having the option of brewing a single cup or a full pot with the Hamilton Beach 2-Way Brewer. That’s because one side is a single-serve coffee maker while the other is a classic 12-cup brewing machine.
Sold by Amazon and Home Depot
Dakota Fields Heated Throw Blanket
The combination of soft material and multiple heat settings make this heated blanket a cozy gift. Auto shutoff adds peace of mind during use. It’s also machine-washable in the cold cycle for easy care.
Sold by Wayfair
Classic Gourmet Favorites Gift Basket
Tea, cookies, popcorn, and more – a gourmet gift basket is a present that keeps giving as the recipient indulges in the treats it contains. The best option will include a nice selection of goodies, like the Classic Gourmet Favorites Gift Basket.
Sold by Amazon
Sharper Image Acupressure Foot Massager
You can help that special person ease the stress of the day with this foot massager. It offers a combination of heat, vibration, and acupressure to relieve sore, tired feet while providing a relaxing experience.
Sold by Amazon
Columbia Men’s Hatana Breathe Hiking Shoes
Any guy who spends time venturing off trail will love this pair of hiking shoes. Their rugged soles are paired with breathable material, so they are ideal for hiking rough terrain in warm weather. They are good looking too, and available in numerous sizes.
Sold by Backcountry and Dick’s Sporting Goods
JBL Bar 2.0 All-In-One Soundbar
You don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to convert a TV into an entertainment hub. The JBL 2.0 soundbar produces theater-quality sound that any audiophile will appreciate. Bluetooth connectivity means there’s no wires to get in the way of quality entertainment.
Sold by Amazon
If you are shopping for someone who wants to stay fit but has limited space, the InStride Cycle XL is the answer. This compact exerciser can be used from any chair as a cycle or can be placed on a table to exercise the upper body.
Sold by Dick’s Sporting Goods and Amazon
Other top gift ideas under $100
- The Deluxe Brush Set by Sephora is a comprehensive collection that any beauty enthusiast will appreciate.
- In addition to a 20-volt cordless drill, the Black + Decker Project Kit includes useful hand tools. It’s an ideal gift for any DIYer.
- An air fryer is a thoughtful gift for anyone who likes to try innovative small kitchen appliances, The GoWISE USA 7-Quart 8-in-1 Digital Air Fryer features a sleek touch panel with one-touch presets for simple meals in minutes.
- Urban Decay’s Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette contains beautiful shades that are ideal for creating subtle and dramatic eye looks.
- The Degrees of Comfort Weighted Blanket is a top-rated pick that features a removable fleece cover.
- In addition to being warm, the Michael Kors Big Girls Heavy Weight Stadium Jacket offers an attractive design that’s always in style.
- The Journey Girls Kitchen and Bakery Accessories Set will encourage hours of play. It includes numerous accessories for a well-stocked play kitchen.
- Made by a top brand in the industry, this Holy Stone RC Drone is great for beginners and experienced hobbyists.
- The Hamilton Beach Set and Forget Programmable Slow Cooker is a compact model that’s great for cooks on the go.
- Grilling indoors is easy with the Mueller Ultra Gourmet Electric Grill that heats quickly, has a non-stick cooking surface, and doesn’t produce annoying smoke.
- The Echo Show 5 is a good choice for anyone who prefers a smart speaker with a vivid screen.
- Not sure which cologne to buy as a gift for a special person on your list? Sephora’s Cologne Sampler contains 12 enticing fragrances for them to try.
- Your favorite tea drinker will be thrilled to display the Le Creuset Demi Tea Kettle that’s as beautiful as it is functional.
- Dash’s Delish Stand Mixer is an affordable model that mixes with ease.
- Levi’s Mens Trucker Denim Jacket has timeless appeal and comes in several fashionable colors.
- Any young Batman fan will be thrilled to open the LEGO Technic Batmobile that includes 1,360 pieces for an epic building experience.
- The All New Kindle is the brand’s most compact and affordable model yet. The slim, 6-inch design is easy to stash in a bag and go.
- A small air purifier like this model by Honeywell is perfect for cleaning the air in small spaces.
- The stylish Aislinn Metal Desk Lamp by Mercury Row is a nice gift for that special person who works from home.
- The Red Carpet Manicure LED Soft Gel Starter Kit is easy for beginners to use to create beautiful gel manicures.
- The Fire HD Tablet is a feature-packed device for a low price. It works with Alexa for hands-free control.
- If you are shopping for someone who loves to bake, NutriChef’s 8-Piece Kitchen Deluxe Set comes with all of the must-have pieces.
- With soft material and an attractive fit, The North Face Osito Fleece Jacket is a gift that will keep giving every time they slip it on.
- Koolaburra by UGG Slip-On Mule Slippers are warm, comfortable, and easy to wear.
- The Leap Frog Magic Adventures Microscope will make any kid excited to learn.
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Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | 2022-11-21T04:22:29+00:00 | wjhl.com | https://www.wjhl.com/reviews/br/apparel-br/holiday-br/100-popular-gift-ideas-of-2022-you-can-shop-now-in-time-for-the-holidays/ |
LONDON (AP) — A bubble barrier that prevents plastic waste from reaching the ocean is one of 15 initiatives named as finalists for the year’s Earthshot Prize, a global competition aimed at finding new ways to protect the planet and tackle climate change.
Prince William, the heir to the British throne, unveiled the finalists on Friday. The five winners, who will be announced next month in Boston, will receive 1 million pounds ($1.1 million) to develop their ideas and scale up their projects.
The prince and his charity, the Royal Foundation, launched the prize in 2020 inspired by U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s 1962 “Moonshot” speech that challenged Americans to go to the moon by the end of the decade.
William described the finalists as “visionaries’’ who offer reasons to be optimistic about the planet’s future.
“They are directing their time, energy and talent towards bold solutions with the power to not only solve our planet’s greatest environmental challenges, but to create healthier, more prosperous, and more sustainable communities for generations to come,’’ he said in a statement.
Among the finalists are The Great Bubble Barrier, a Dutch invention that pumps air through perforated tubes installed in riverbeds and canals to create a curtain of bubbles designed to push plastic up to the surface and into a waste collection system.
This removes plastic from the waterways and prevents it from reaching the ocean, “where it is nearly impossible to capture and remove,” the promoters say.
A startup from Kenya aims to provide cleaner burning stoves to make cooking safer and reduce indoor air pollution. It was the brainwave of Charlot Magayi, who grew up in one of Nairobi’s largest slums and sold charcoal for fuel. When her daughter was severely burnt by a charcoal-burning stove in 2012, she developed a stove that uses a safer fuel made from a combination of charcoal, wood and sugarcane.
The stoves cut costs for users, reduce toxic emissions and lower the risk of burns, Magayi says.
Other projects include Fleather, a project in in India that creates an alternative to leather out of floral waste; Hutan, a conservation project in Malaysia to protects orangutans; and SeaForester, a cutting-edge seaweed farming effort meant to restore the ocean’s forgotten forests.
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For a list of the finalists: Earthshotprize.org
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Follow AP’s coverage of the climate and environment: https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment | 2022-11-04T20:10:01+00:00 | fox59.com | https://fox59.com/morning-news/technology/ap-technology/ap-bubble-barrier-among-finalists-for-prince-williams-prize/ |
INDIANAPOLIS – While more construction is ahead for I-465, the Indiana Department of Transportation revealed new details about work completed during the three-week closure on the eastbound side.
Starting on June 2, INDOT closed I-465 between I-65 and I-70. By the time the interstate reopened on Thursday, June 22, workers had made significant progress.
INDOT said crews placed more than 16,000 tons of stone and more than 12,000 tons of asphalt during the project. They laid down more than 3,000 feet of drainage structures and set more than 140 posts for sound barriers.
Other work included the addition of 15 high mast lighting towers and three bridge deck overlays. You can see some of the work here.
The closure allowed crews to have safe access to areas where it would be otherwise dangerous to work when dealing with traffic.
While the interstate has reopened, drivers will encounter nightly single-lane restrictions on eastbound I-465 so trucks hauling materials can enter and exit the work zone.
Westbound 465 work scheduled for July 7
INDOT isn’t finished with I-465. Crews will work on the other side of the interstate, with construction set to start July 7 and wrap up on July 29.
Essentially, crews will do the same thing in the westbound lanes, closing 465 to perform bridge and structure work, add lanes, install drainage structures and the like. Again, keeping that section of the interstate closed will allow crews to access the site without worrying about oncoming traffic.
The official detour is I-65 northbound to I-70 westbound in the South Split.
The following ramps will close:
- I-65 northbound/southbound to I-465 westbound
- East Street/U.S. 31 to/from I-465 westbound
- Harding Street/S.R. 37 to/from I-465 westbound
- Kentucky Avenue/S.R. 67 to/from I-465 westbound
The southbound U.S. 31 (East Street) ramp to I-465 westbound will remain closed through late 2024, INDOT said.
INDOT is laying the groundwork to widen the interstate to four lanes by the end of 2024. The work is part of the “I-69 Finish Line Project” to connect Indianapolis to Evansville. | 2023-06-27T11:36:04+00:00 | cbs4indy.com | https://cbs4indy.com/indiana-news/stone-asphalt-and-drainage-indot-reveals-details-of-eastbound-i-465-work/ |
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — Daniss Jenkins and Clayton Walker Jr. both scored 18 points to help Iona defeat Siena 93-60 on Sunday.
Michael Eley led the Saints (17-12, 11-7) in scoring, finishing with 12 points. Zek Tekin added 10 points and four steals for Siena. Jackson Stormo also had nine points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. | 2023-02-26T22:55:45+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/colleges/jenkins-scores-18-iona-downs-siena-93-60/2023/02/26/9b787dbc-b620-11ed-b0df-8ca14de679ad_story.html |
MONTROSE, Pa. (AP) — A plea hearing has been scheduled for next week in the long-running case of a natural gas driller facing felony charges over allegations it polluted the aquifer of a small Pennsylvania community 14 years ago.
Houston-based Coterra Energy Inc. will appear in Susquehanna County Court on Tuesday, according to online court records.
Coterra’s corporate predecessor, Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., was charged in June 2020 with 15 criminal counts after a grand jury investigation found the company drilled faulty gas wells that leaked flammable methane into residential water supplies in Dimock and surrounding communities.
Dimock drew national notoriety after residents were filmed lighting their tap water on fire in the Emmy Award-winning 2010 documentary “Gasland,” one of the most notorious pollution cases ever to emerge from the U.S. drilling and fracking boom. The tiny crossroads in northeastern Pennsylvania is about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from the New York state line.
Many residents continue to avoid using their well water, using bottled water, bulk water purchased commercially, and even water drawn from creeks and artesian wells instead.
Cabot, which merged with Denver-based Cimarex Energy Co. to form Coterra, has long maintained the gas in residents’ water was naturally occurring.
Ahead of the plea hearing, top officials in the state attorney general’s office, which is prosecuting Coterra, briefed Dimock residents earlier this week on a plan to connect their houses to a clean source of water.
The plan calls for Pennsylvania American Water, a water utility, to drill two water wells and build a treatment plant that will remove any contaminants from the water before piping it to about 20 homes in Dimock.
Messages were sent to the attorney general’s office and to Coterra on Wednesday seeking details about the upcoming plea hearing.
On Tuesday, the company — the most prolific driller in the nation’s No. 2 natural gas-producing state — said it was working to resolve the criminal charges. | 2022-11-24T07:27:16+00:00 | nwahomepage.com | https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/business-news/ap-plea-hearing-scheduled-in-gasland-drilling-pollution-case/ |
NEPTUNE, N.J. (AP) — Coastal communities around the world are adding a tropical twist to shoreline protection, courtesy of the humble coconut.
From the sands of the Jersey Shore to the islands of Indonesia, strands of coconut husk, known as coir, are being incorporated into shoreline protection projects.
Often used in conjunction with other measures, the coconut material is seen as a cost-effective, readily available and sustainable option. This is particularly true in developing countries. But the material is also popular in wealthy nations, where it’s seen as an important part of so-called “living shorelines” that use natural elements rather than hard barriers of wood, steel or concrete.
One such project is being installed along a section of eroded river bank in Neptune, New Jersey, about a mile from the ocean on the Shark River. Using a mix of a federal grant and local funds, the American Littoral Society, a coastal conservation group, is carrying out the $1.3 million project that has already added significantly to what was previously a severely eroded shoreline in an area that was pummeled by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
“We’re always trying to reduce wave energy while shielding the shoreline, and whenever we can, we like to employ nature-based solutions,” said Tim Dillingham, the group’s executive director. “This material is readily available, particularly in developing countries and it’s relatively inexpensive compared with harder materials.”
Coir is made of the stringy fibers of coconut shells, and spun into mats or logs, often held together with netting. In developing areas, discarded or ripped fishing nets can be incorporated.
Its flexibility allows it to be molded and contoured as needed on uneven areas of shoreline, held in place by wooden stakes.
The coconut-based material biodegrades over time, by design. But before it does, it is sometimes pre-seeded with shoreline plants and grasses, or those plants are placed in holes that can be punched into the coir logs.
The logs hold the plants in place as they take root and grow, eventually breaking down and leaving the established plants and sediment around them in place to stabilize the shoreline.
Coconut-based materials are being used around the world for erosion control projects.
One of them is in Boston, where Julia Hopkins, an assistant professor at Northeastern University, is using coconut fibers, wood chips and other material to create floating mats to blunt the force of waves, and encourage growth of aquatic vegetation. A pilot project has four such mats in waterways around Boston. Hopkins envisions a network of hundreds or even thousands of mats linked together to protect wider areas.
She’s pleased with what she’s seen so far.
“Coconut fiber is organic material, it’s relatively cheap and it’s a discard,” she said. “It’s actually recycling something that was going to be discarded.”
Two projects in East Providence, Rhode Island, used coconut logs in 2020, and 2,400 feet (731 meters) of shoreline in New York’s Jamaica Bay that were eroded during Superstorm Sandy were stabilized in 2021 by a project that also included coconut coir logs.
Cape Cod, Massachusetts, did a similar project last year, and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is offering funding to help landowners, homeowner associations and others install living shorelines made of materials that can include coconut fibers.
A project in Austin, Texas, stabilized part of the Lake Austin shoreline; monitoring from 2009 to 2014 showed decreased erosion and the healthy growth of native plants at the water’s edge.
Indonesia is the world’s largest coconut producer, with more than 17 million metric tons in 2021. Scientists from the Oceanography Program of Bandung Institute of Technology used coconut husk material to help build a sea wall in the Karangjaladri village of Pangandaran Regency in 2018.
Residents of Diogue Island in Senegal are using wooden structures and coconut fronds and sticks to reclaim eroded sections of beach.
It doesn’t always work, however.
In 2016, the Felix Neck Wildlife Refuge in Edgartown, Massachusetts, on Martha’s Vineyard installed it at the Sengekontacket Pond, where a salt marsh had eroded by several feet in previous years. While it did help reduce erosion for a while, the husks did not last long due to strong wave action.
“It got blown out multiple times,” said Suzan Bellincampi, the sanctuary’s director. “We had it in place for a few years and we decided not to reinstall it.
“The project was really interesting in terms of what we wanted to do and how we adapted it,” she said. “It’s not for every site; it has to be site-specific. It works in some places; it doesn’t work in all places.”
Similarly, coconut fiber mats and logs were used recently on Chapel Island in Nova Scotia, Canada, but they were damaged by bad weather.
Another Canadian site, Lac des Battures, a lake on Montreal’s Nuns’ Island, uses coconut mats to control the growth of invasive reeds along the shoreline.
At the New Jersey site, a few miles south of the musical hotbed of Asbury Park, trucked-in sand has joined with sediment accruing from the tides to create a beach that is noticeably wider than what used to be there.
“Underneath your feet right now are hibernating fiddler crabs,” said Capt. Al Modjeski, a restoration specialist with the Littoral Society. “They’ll be excited about this new habitat.”
___
Follow Wayne Parry on Twitter at https://twitter.com/WayneParryAC. | 2023-03-12T15:05:00+00:00 | pix11.com | https://pix11.com/news/national-news/ap-national/its-natural-coconuts-become-tool-in-shoreline-protection/ |
NEW YORK, May 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- InvestorsObserver issues critical PriceWatch Alerts for DKS, KSS, XOM, QCOM, and BBY.
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SOURCE InvestorsObserver | 2022-05-25T16:20:44+00:00 | kcrg.com | https://www.kcrg.com/prnewswire/2022/05/25/thinking-about-trading-options-or-stock-dicks-sporting-goods-kohls-exxon-mobil-qualcomm-or-best-buy/ |
A man in California is charged with five felony counts of practicing medicine without a license.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Stephan Gevorkian owns a clinic that conducts blood tests on patients and advises them on treatments for various conditions, including cancer.
An undercover investigator reportedly visited Pathways Medical in North Hollywood in November 2022.
"In the consultation, Gevorkian allegedly failed to accurately address abnormal levels of a hormone that could indicate a serious medical condition," the district attorney's office stated.
Prosecutors claim Gevorkian has been practicing medicine without a license on thousands of individuals for several years.
SEE MORE: Woman sentenced for posing as licensed physician's assistant
“Practicing medicine without a license is not only a criminal activity in California, it can cause irreparable harm to the health of unsuspecting people, some with serious illnesses, who believe they are under the care of a licensed physician,” District Attorney George Gascón said.
It's unclear whether Gevorkian's advice led to harmful outcomes that could have been prevented.
Prosecutors are asking people who may have been seen or treated by Gevorkian to come forward as soon as possible. They can call the Consumer Protection hotline at (213) 257-2465.
Gevorkian is expected in court May 24 for a preliminary hearing.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | 2023-04-25T19:52:11+00:00 | kivitv.com | https://www.kivitv.com/man-accused-of-impersonating-a-doctor-victims-asked-to-come-forward |
Bills legend Bruce Smith will host a celebrity golf tournament and gala Aug. 29 to raise money for the Lt. Aaron Salter Memorial Scholarship.
Salter, a former police officer who was working as a security guard at the Tops Markets on Jefferson, was among 10 people killed in a racially motivated massacre at the store May 14.
“I give so much credit to this hero ... for his sacrifice in preventing this from being an even worse tragedy,” Smith said in a news release. “One would believe that there would have been other acts of violence, murders, and killing that would have taken place if it had not been for Aaron Salter’s heroism.”
Organizers say they intend to award 10 scholarships to “recognize students whose mechanical and technical skills and passion mirror Salter’s.” Salter excelled in technical and mechanical schools while a student at Hutchinson-Central Technical High School in the 1980s. The scholarship fund was founded by three of Salter’s close friends and former officers Bradford Pitts, Earl Perrin and Nate Goldsmith.
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The golf tournament begins at 9 a.m. with a shotgun start and a scramble format at Lockport Town and Country Club. Tickets are $250 and include food, drinks and lunch.
The gala is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Seneca One tower with a three-hour open bar and silent auction, including signed NFL memorabilia.
Tickets can be purchased at aaronsalterscholarship.com/. | 2022-08-22T14:37:19+00:00 | buffalonews.com | https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/bills-legend-bruce-smith-to-host-golf-tournament-gala-for-scholarship-fund-for-aaron-salter/article_3da3d024-221e-11ed-9609-efc81174ec4d.html |
By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER
AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Surging prices for gas, food and rent catapulted U.S. inflation to a new four-decade peak in June, further pressuring households and likely sealing the case for another large interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve, with higher borrowing costs to follow.
Consumer prices soared 9.1% compared with a year earlier, the government said Wednesday, the biggest yearly increase since 1981, and up from an 8.6% jump in May. On a monthly basis, prices rose 1.3% from May to June, another substantial increase, after prices had jumped 1% from April to May.
The ongoing price increases underscore the brutal impact that inflation has inflicted on many families, with the costs of necessities, in particular, rising much faster than average incomes. Lower-income and Black and Hispanic Americans have been hit especially hard, because a disproportionate share of their income goes toward such essentials as housing, transportation and food.
Some economists have held out hope that inflation might be reaching or nearing a short-term peak. Gas prices, for example, have fallen from the eye-watering $5 a gallon reached in mid-June to an average of $4.63 nationwide Wednesday — still far higher than a year ago but a drop that could help slow inflation for July and possibly August.
In addition, shipping costs and commodity prices have begun to fall. Pay increases have slowed. And surveys show that Americans’ expectations for inflation over the long run have eased — a trend that often points to more moderate price increases over time.
Still, the breadth of the price gains shows how rising costs have seeped into nearly every corner of the economy. Grocery prices have jumped 12.2% compared with a year ago, the steepest such climb since 1979. Rents have risen 5.8%, the most since 1986. New car prices have increased 11.4% from a year earlier. And airline fares, one of the few items to post a price decline in June, are nevertheless up 34% from a year earlier.
From May to June, the cost of dental services surged 1.9%, the biggest one-month increase since record-keeping began in 1995.
The relentless spike in inflation has diminished consumers’ confidence in the economy, sent President Joe Biden’s approval ratings tumbling and posed a major political threat to Democrats in the November congressional elections. Forty percent of adults said in a June AP-NORC poll that they thought tackling inflation should be a top government priority this year, up from just 14% who said so in December.
In the immediate aftermath of the 2020 pandemic recession, as Americans focused their spending on items for the home, like furniture, appliances and exercise equipment, supply chains became overwhelmed and prices for physical goods soared. But as consumer spending has gradually shifted away from goods and toward services like vacation travel, restaurants meals, movies, concerts and sporting events, some of the highest price increases have occurred in services.
Housing costs have also risen sharply. A shortage of houses for sale has kept prices high just as mortgage rates have also soared.
With many people priced out of the market for houses and looking instead to rent, demand for apartments has sent rental rates beyond affordable levels. The average cost of new leases has jumped 14% in the past year, according to real estate brokerage Redfin, to an average of $2,016 a month.
Rents as measured by the government’s inflation index have risen more slowly because they include all rents, including existing leases. But economists expect the rising expense of new leases to send the government’s inflation measure higher in coming months.
The persistence of high inflation has unnerved Chair Jerome Powell and other Fed officials, who are engaged in the fastest series of rate hikes since the late 1980s to try to slow the price spikes. The central bank is expected to raise its key short-term rate later this month by a hefty three-quarters of a point, as it did last month, with potentially more large rate hikes to follow.
Powell has stressed that the central bank wants to see “compelling evidence” that inflation is slowing before it would dial back its rate hikes. Such evidence would need to be a “series of declining monthly inflation readings,” Powell said at a news conference last month.
Many economists worry that the Fed’s drive to quell inflation will cause it to tighten credit too aggressively even while the economy, by some measures, is slowing. Much higher borrowing costs could trigger a recession, potentially by next year.
Consumers have started to pull back on spending, home sales are falling as mortgage rates rise and factory output slipped in May. Yet steadily robust job growth points to an economy that is still expanding, with little sign of an imminent recession.
Though inflation may slow later this year, it’s not clear by how much. Oil prices fell Tuesday to about $96 a barrel. And other commodities, including metals such as copper, have also become less expensive, mostly because of recession fears in both the United States and Europe.
With fewer ships stuck at the Port of Los Angeles and Long Beach, America’s largest, shipping costs for international freight have fallen. Wholesale gas prices have fallen to about $3.40 a gallon, which suggests that retail prices could drop to as low as $4.20 by August, according to Omair Sharif, founder of Inflation Insights.
And wholesale used car prices are also falling, which point to declining used car prices in the coming months.
Inflation has spiked overseas as well. It reached 9.1% in the United Kingdom in May, the highest level in four decades, driven mostly by higher gas and food prices. Annual inflation in the eurozone’s 19 countries hit 8.6% in June, surging past the 8.1% recorded in May. Inflation is now at its highest level since recordkeeping for the euro began in 1997.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | 2022-07-13T16:43:00+00:00 | wtmj.com | https://wtmj.com/national/2022/07/13/us-inflation-reached-a-new-40-year-high-in-june-of-9-1-3/ |
SAN DIEGO (AP) _ Histogen Inc. (HSTO) on Thursday reported a loss of $3.9 million in its second quarter.
On a per-share basis, the San Diego-based company said it had a loss of $1.55.
The biotechnology company posted revenue of $5,000 in the period.
_____
This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on HSTO at https://www.zacks.com/ap/HSTO | 2022-08-11T22:04:18+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/business/article/Histogen-Q2-Earnings-Snapshot-17367897.php |
BALTIMORE, June 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. (NASDAQ-GS: TROW), today reported preliminary month-end assets under management of $1.35 trillion as of May 31, 2023. Preliminary net outflows for May 2023 were $9.6 billion.
The below table shows the firm's assets under management as of May 31, 2023, and for the prior month-, quarter-, and year-end by asset class and in the firm's target date retirement portfolios.
Founded in 1937, Baltimore-based T. Rowe Price (troweprice.com) is a global investment management organization that provides a broad array of mutual funds, subadvisory services, and separate account management for individual and institutional investors, retirement plans, and financial intermediaries. The organization also offers a variety of sophisticated investment planning and guidance tools. T. Rowe Price's disciplined, risk-aware investment approach focuses on diversification, style consistency, and fundamental research.
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SOURCE T. Rowe Price Group, Inc. | 2023-06-12T13:46:10+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2023/06/12/t-rowe-price-group-reports-preliminary-month-end-assets-under-management-may-2023/ |
Porsche has an answer for those who want something different in the Porsche 718 lineup, but it’s not the upcoming 2023 Porsche 718 Spyder RS.
On Tuesday, the 2023 Porsche 718 Cayman Style Edition and 718 Boxster Style Edition were announced with an available vibrant and eye-catching finish.
The Style Edition can optioned in a new Ruby Star Neo color, which Porsche said is a modern take on the Ruby Star color last seen on the 964 Carrera RS. Regardless of exterior color choice, all Style Editions will ride on gloss-black 718 Spyder wheels with colored Porsche crest center caps. Sport tailpipes will be standard and are finished in black, as is the Porsche script on the rear deck lid. Opting for the open-top 718 Boxster will add a Boxster script on the soft top just above the side windows.
Inside, Style Editions add edition-specific contrasting stitching in Chalk color, a leather-wrapped heated steering wheel, illuminated stainless steel door sill guards, and headrests with an embossed Porsche crest
Buyers looking for a little something extra will be able to choose from two optional 718 Style Edition contrast packages in black or white. The package will add decorative stripes to the hood along with Porsche logos on the side. Cars with this option package can be optioned with gloss-white wheels.
The Style Editions carry over the 718 Boxster and Cayman’s 2.0-liter 4-cylinder rated at 300 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque mated to a standard 6-speed manual transmission so buyers can #GiveAShift. Porsche quotes a 0-60 mph time of 4.9 seconds, but the optional 7-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission and Sport Chronograph Package will drop the 0-60-mph sprint to 4.5 seconds. All models have a top speed of 170 mph.
Porsche noted the Style Editions will first go on sale in Europe with U.S. availability to come in 2023. Pricing will be announced closer to the special edition’s launch in the U.S.
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- Review: Lamborghini Huracán Tecnica balances track and street | 2022-11-02T18:32:38+00:00 | ourquadcities.com | https://www.ourquadcities.com/automotive/internet-brands/2023-porsche-718-cayman-and-boxster-lineup-add-style-editions/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Facebook on Monday removed a campaign video by Republican Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens that shows him brandishing a shotgun and declaring that he’s hunting RINOs, or Republicans In Name Only.
In the ad, Greitens, a former Missouri governor who resigned in disgrace in 2018, is flanked by a tactical unit outside a home on a tree-lined street as he whispers, “The RINO feeds on corruption and is marked by the stripes of cowardice,” using a term popularized by former President Donald Trump and his allies to deride moderate or establishment Republicans.
The armed tactical team breaks through the front door and throws what appear to be flash-bang grenades inside. Greitens enters an empty living room through the smoke and says: “Join the MAGA crew. Get a RINO hunting permit. There’s no bagging limit, no tagging limit and it doesn’t expire until we save our country.”
Facebook said the video was removed “for violating our policies prohibiting violence and incitement.” Twitter said Greitens’ post violated its rules about abusive behavior but said it was leaving it up because it was in the “public’s interest” for the tweet to be viewable. The company’s move prevented the post from being shared any further.
The video comes at a time of renewed focus on violence in politics following fatal mass shootings and threats to government officials. Two weeks ago, a man carrying a gun, a knife and zip ties was arrested near Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s house after threatening to kill the justice. Around the same time, a gunman killed a retired county judge in Wisconsin before fatally shooting himself, and he had a list that included the names of Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers.
On Sunday, Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, one of two Republicans serving on the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, said he recently received a letter at his home threatening “to execute me, as well as my wife and 5-month-old child.”
Greitens is among the Republican candidates in a highly competitive Aug. 2 primary to fill the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Roy Blunt. The provocative new ad appeared as Greitens looks to improve his standing in the polls, jolt lackluster fundraising and move past graphic allegations of domestic abuse made in a sworn affidavit filed by his ex-wife in March in their child custody case.
Sheena Greitens has alleged that Eric Greitens was physically abusive to her and one of their sons, while demonstrating such “unstable and coercive behavior” that steps were taken to limit his access to firearms, court documents state.
The former governor has vehemently denied the allegations, but they’ve dogged him on the campaign trail. He resigned in 2018 amid criminal investigations and after he was accused of having an extramarital affair with his hairdresser and taking a compromising photo of her to keep her from talking about it.
Helen Wade, Sheena Greitens’ lawyer, told The Kansas City Star that she would “absolutely” use the new campaign video in the couple’s court case.
“This is over the line,” Wade told the newspaper while indicating she would file court papers to make the video an exhibit in the case. Wade did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
Republican Caleb Rowden, majority leader of the Missouri state Senate, tweeted: “We have been in contact with the Missouri Highway Patrol and hope that former Gov. Greitens finds the help he needs. Anyone with multiple accusations of abuse toward women and children should probably steer clear of this rhetoric.”
Other candidates in the Senate race also condemned the video.
Republican state Sen. Dave Schatz called it “completely irresponsible.”
“That’s why I’m running. It’s time to restore sanity and reject this nonsense. Missouri deserves better,” Schatz said in a tweet.
Democratic Senate candidate Lucas Kunce tweeted that “terrorists, child abusers, and criminals” like Greitens “shouldn’t even be able to get a weapon.”
“Help me beat this guy in November, and I’ll keep our families safe from criminals like him,” Kunce said.
The Missouri Fraternal Order of Police, which has endorsed state Attorney General Eric Schmitt in the Republican Senate race, denounced Greitens’ video, saying it shows that Greitens “does not possess the sound judgment necessary” to represent the state and that “he has learned nothing from the legal problems” that preceded his resignation as governor.
Greitens’ campaign dismissed the outrage that erupted over the new ad.
“If anyone doesn’t get the metaphor, they are either lying or dumb,” campaign manager Dylan Johnson said in statement.
The firestorm enveloping Greitens follows a well-worn playbook that has helped other Republican candidates juice their standing: Make an inflammatory statement or ad, wait for a backlash to develop, then cite the backlash while trying to raise money from grassroots donors online. In Greitens’ case, the actions taken by the social media giants could prove to be a further boon, tapping into resentment toward large technology companies that increasingly courses through the Republican Party.
Once a swing state, Missouri has become more reliably Republican in recent years. But the Senate race is nonetheless receiving national attention because some in the GOP establishment are anxious that, if Greitens wins the primary, he would be vulnerable against a Democrat in November. With the Senate evenly divided, the GOP can’t afford to lose what would otherwise be a safe seat. | 2022-06-21T10:09:15+00:00 | krqe.com | https://www.krqe.com/news/national/facebook-removes-rino-hunting-video-by-gop-candidate/ |
Shakira's new single is a full-on diss track, aimed at her ex. It also went straight to the top of the Spotify Top 50 Global chart and hit 100 million views on YouTube in under 3 days.
Copyright 2023 NPR
Shakira's new single is a full-on diss track, aimed at her ex. It also went straight to the top of the Spotify Top 50 Global chart and hit 100 million views on YouTube in under 3 days.
Copyright 2023 NPR | 2023-01-17T22:46:00+00:00 | kunm.org | https://www.kunm.org/2023-01-17/a-rolex-for-a-casio-why-shakiras-new-song-is-breaking-records |
ST. LOUIS, Nov. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Spartech, a leading manufacturer of engineered thermoplastics and custom packaging solutions, is pleased to announce two new additions to the team: Dave Murphy as Director of Sales, Central Region, and David Dennemann as Account Manager, Western Region.
Murphy will be instrumental in development and execution of a sales strategy focused on long-term profitable growth for the complete line of Spartech products, while Dennemann will be responsible for driving profitable sales growth as he works with both Spartech distribution channel partners and direct customers.
Prior to coming to Spartech, Murphy has held varying sales management positions of increasing responsibility throughout his career. Most recently he was the Regional Sales Director – North American for Lindal Group of Hamburg, Germany. He holds a BS in Economics from Elmhurst University in Elmhurst, Illinois, and an MBA from Purdue University.
Dennemann spent the last nine years with a plastic's material manufacturer in their Pennsylvania, Washington, and California locations in Sales, with his most recent position as Senior Outside Sales Representative. At his former position he demonstrated a strong track record in growing sales and closing new business utilizing a consultative selling approach. In 2020, Dennemann was selected as a recipient for the prestigious President's Club Award. He holds a BS in Business Administration from Tiffin University in Tiffin, Ohio.
Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri with a unique innovation center and 17 manufacturing facilities located throughout the United States, Spartech is a leading plastics manufacturer of engineered thermoplastic materials and specialty packaging products. Meeting exact standards for everything from food packaging to aerospace and automotive applications, Spartech continues to make a world of difference with sustainable, diverse, reliable, and innovative products including UltraTuf®, Royalite®, Korad®, PreservaPak®, and Polycast®. https://spartech.com
Media Contact:
For Spartech
Sheldon Ripson
sheldon@spokemarketing.com
636-751-5733
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SOURCE Spartech | 2022-11-01T15:35:27+00:00 | kcrg.com | https://www.kcrg.com/prnewswire/2022/11/01/spartech-announces-dave-murphy-director-sales-david-dennemann-account-manager/ |
BENGALURU – In May last year Fortum India, a subsidiary of a Finnish solar developer, won the bid for a solar power project in the state of Gujarat. The project was due to be completed three months ago and would have generated enough electricity for 200,000 homes.
But like many other solar power projects in the country, it's been delayed as Fortum India struggles to source and pay for necessary components.
“For the last six months, we have not been able to finish developing any new projects,” said Manoj Gupta, who oversees Fortum India's solar projects in India.
Gupta said solar panels and cells have become obstructively expensive because of protective taxes the Indian federal government implemented in April last year. The basic customs duty imposes a levy of 40% on imported solar modules and 25% on solar cells.
The government says it wants to encourage the domestic manufacture of components required to produce solar power and reduce the country's reliance on imports.
But solar developers say homegrown producers, while rapidly growing and being pushed along by policy initiatives, are still too fledgling to meet demand. Current cell and module manufacturing capacity in India is around 44 gigawatts per year, just a fraction of what's needed to meet India's renewable aims.
In 2022, India had a target to install 100 gigawatts of solar energy as part of goal to add 175 gigawatts of clean electricity to its grid. But only 63 gigawatts of solar power were ultimately installed last year, according to Indian federal government data. India missed its 2022 renewable energy target by just nine gigawatts.
“Without these duties we would have easily achieved our targets for larger solar projects, at least,” said Jyoti Gulia of the renewable energy research and advisory firm JMK Research.
Most solar developers in India and around the world rely on China, with the nation producing more than 80% of the world's solar components, according to the International Energy Agency. Many countries have tried to encourage domestic production to limit dependence on the country. The United States' recent climate law, for example, also incentivizes homemade renewable energy manufacturing.
“China controls the market and we saw during both the pandemic and the geopolitical conflict between our countries that they just stopped the supply chain completely,” said Chiranjeev Saluja from the Indian solar manufacturer Premier Energies. “I think the government wants to develop the whole solar ecosystem, that is the intent behind such policies.”
Saluja added that a bustling solar manufacturing industry also had wider economic benefits.
“The jobs in manufacturing are well-paying, secure jobs. And while developers employ only a handful of people, to manufacture cells required to produce one gigawatt of solar energy, you will need at least 500 people,” he said.
A 2022 report found that India’s renewable energy sector could employ more than one million people by 2030, but only if domestic manufacturing continued to scale up considerably.
Another Indian government policy that mandates that solar components can only be bought from government-approved manufacturers to ensure that the modules and cells are of good quality is also stalling projects, according to analysts.
Developers are unable to purchase from southeast Asian countries as manufacturers there have yet to be approved or have not applied. Many of those countries have free trade agreements with India which would make them exempt from import taxes.
“The situation is quite grim today,” said Vinay Rustagi, managing director at the renewable energy consultancy Bridge to India. “Global supply chain issues, material shortages and, of course, the duty on solar components has led to a lot of projects being postponed.”
Rustagi said the growth in domestic manufacturing as a result of the tax is “encouraging, but I do not think it is sustainable.” He added that the government “should be aiming to create strong domestic capabilities that can be a preferred choice without any taxes or duties.”
Solar manufacturers do not agree.
“We have allowed for dumping from other countries for too long. Otherwise domestic manufacturing would have taken a strong root already,” said Gyanesh Chaudhary, vice chairman at Vikram Solar, an Indian solar manufacturer.
“These taxes and policies were announced well in advance and there was enough time to factor them into costs,” Chaudhary said. “Mandates such as the approved list of manufacturers are to make sure the quality of products coming into India are of a certain minimum quality.”
But Srivatsan Iyer of solar developer Hero Future Energies said the unpredictability of the sector made it hard to factor in the extra costs.
“Land, connectivity to the project site, supply chain issues are just some dynamic factors and, of course, the pandemic,” said Iyer of the difficult landscape for solar projects. “With these duties, clean power is just more expensive for India now.”
Iyer is worried that the extra costs could also thwart India's next renewable energy target in 2030. But he's hopeful the government might defer some duties in the upcoming federal budget announcement scheduled for Feb. 1.
The government hasn't yet given any indication that it will make amendments to its tax policy.
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Follow Sibi Arasu on Twitter at @sibi123
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | 2023-01-30T06:38:23+00:00 | local10.com | https://www.local10.com/news/world/2023/01/30/taxes-slow-indias-solar-power-rollout-but-boost-manufacture/ |
From Meteorologist Jeremy Landgrebe:
Today was relatively cool with temps in the lower 70s, as well as a nice breeze. However we are still in the humid category with dewpoints in the low 60s. Tonight our dewpoint will drop to more comfortable levels with temps in the low 50s, making for a very nice night. Though, the next couple of days look to heat up, and by the end of the week cool down.
Tomorrow is going to be a beautiful day with plenty of sunshine, and a bit of humidity. Tomorrow night will be a little warmer with temps in the low 60s. Very early Tuesday morning has a slight chance of storms, but thankfully this will be around 3 am with the rest of the day being warm.
Temps for Tuesday are going to be in the 80s, making for a warm day, though humidity will be.. READ MORE | 2022-09-19T03:13:03+00:00 | wqow.com | https://www.wqow.com/weather/forecast/uncomfortable-humidity-before-our-week-ends-with-cool-temps/article_7296d21a-3798-11ed-90bb-bfc3f173e1ca.html |
The NFL is entering its final, game-packed Sunday of the regular season less than a week after a shocking on-field injury jolted players and fans and prompted a flood of well wishes from across the country.
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains hospitalized after collapsing during a Monday night match-up against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Hamlin, who suffered a cardiac arrest following a tackle, "is making continued progress" but is still in critical condition, the team said Saturday.
Players and coaches from all 32 NFL teams had vowed to wear "Love for Damar 3" t-shirts during pregame warmups over the weekend, commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement on Saturday.
"Seeing the entire NFL family – teams, players, coaches, and fans like you – band together was yet another reminder that football is family: human, loving and resilient," Goodell added.
The Buffalo Bills, who were scheduled to face the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon in their first game since Hamlin's collapse, posted a video tribute to Hamlin on social media and wrote in a separate post: "Today is for 3."
It wasn't just Hamlin's own team that paid tribute to the injured safety.
The Jacksonville Jaguars and the Tennessee Titans took a knee as a group before their game Saturday. Players from several teams across the league wore Hamlin's No. 3 jersey before their respective match-ups as a show of support. Even ESPN journalists turned their microphone flags upside down during broadcasts to make their 'E' logo look like a '3.'
Hamlin took to social media Saturday in his first public statement since his collapse to thank supporters for their words and gestures of encouragement.
"Putting love into the world comes back 3xs as much... thankful for everyone who has reached out and prayed," he said. "This will make me stronger on the road to recovery, keep praying for me!"
Still, despite Hamlin's recovery so far, the incident has served as a reminder to players of the physical risks involved in the sport.
"You put all this work in for months to try to go out there and play your best football," Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said ahead of his team's game on Saturday. "But when you get on that field, I'm sure it'll be a little bit of a weird feeling because it was such a scary incident. That was terrifying."
Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence said he and his teammates were blessed to be able to play professional football, but that Hamlin's injury was a reminder that "this game is a dangerous sport."
Howard Bryant, a sports commentator with Meadowlark Media, told NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday that injuries such as Hamlin's will always be a part of football as it's currently played.
"What's the line about football? It's the one sport with a 100% guaranteed injury rate. The goal in football is to hurt people," Bryant said. "So when you see something like this, there's no way out."
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2023-01-08T17:46:32+00:00 | kgou.org | https://www.kgou.org/sports/2023-01-08/shows-of-support-and-signs-of-unease-mark-the-first-nfl-sunday-since-hamlins-injury |
Trans people face ‘horrifying’ rhetoric at statehouses
By ANDREW DeMILLO
Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — It was pharmacist Gwendolyn Herzig’s first time testifying before a legislative committee when she spoke to several Arkansas lawmakers in a packed hearing room this month about a bill restricting gender-affirming care for minors.
Herzig, who is transgender, spoke out against the legislation and told the panel that one of the biggest obstacles trans people face is a lack of empathy. Only a few minutes later, a Republican lawmaker asked her an inappropriate question about her genitalia.
“It was horrifying,” she said.
The exchange, which was livestreamed on the Legislature’s website and has since been widely shared on social media, is an example of the type of demeaning questions and rhetoric that transgender people meet when they show up to statehouses to testify against new bills targeting their rights.
In South Dakota, a lawmaker invoked “furries” — people who dress up as animals — when talking about gender-affirming care. In Montana, a legislator compared parents supporting their children in finding treatment to asking doctors to carry out medically assisted suicide.
Advocates worry that increasingly hostile rhetoric about transgender people could have a chilling effect on those who want to speak out against new restrictions and could do lasting damage to a community of trans youth that is already marginalized.
“I feel like that’s what they’re trying to do, to keep us from coming and exercising this right that we have,” said Rumba Yambu, executive director of Intransitive, an advocacy and support group for transgender people in Arkansas. “Because who wants to go and be asked about their genitalia in front of a bunch of strangers? Especially strangers in power.”
So far this year, at least 150 bills targeting transgender people have been introduced, which is the highest in a single year, according to the Human Rights Campaign.
Bans on gender-affirming care for minors have already been enacted this year in South Dakota and Utah, and Republican governors in Tennessee and Mississippi are expected to sign similar bans into law. Arkansas and Alabama have bans that were temporarily blocked by federal judges.
The push has included efforts in some states to restrict gender-affirming care for adults and proposed bans on drag shows that opponents have warned would also discriminate against transgender people.
Herzig came to the state Capitol to testify against a bill attempting to reinstate Arkansas’ ban on gender-affirming care for minors by making it easier to file malpractice lawsuits against providers. In her testimony, Herzig talked about working with transgender patients who are on hormone replacement therapy.
“Bills like SB199 are designed to hinder, not help, Arkansans by creating barriers to evidence-driven health care they deserve under the guise of helping the young and innocent,” she said, later saying a vote for the bill was “unpatriotic, and casts doubts on our own health and research institutions who have worked through health care fields to improve the lives of Americans.”
During follow-up questions, Republican Sen. Matt McKee asked Herzig if she is transgender.
When she said yes, he asked: “Do you have a penis?”
The question was met with jeers and audible gasps in the packed committee room.
“That’s horrible,” Herzig responded, telling McKee that asking her such a question was inappropriate and noting she was testifying as a health care professional.
“I had never been so publicly humiliated in my life,” Herzig told The Associated Press in an interview days later.
McKee did not respond to an email or phone call, but defended his question in a written statement.
“As a father of 4 daughters, I will do everything in my power to protect my children and the children of Arkansas, especially from the woke mob who intend to push their agenda and beliefs down our throats and destroy our families,” McKee’s statement said.
The idea of protecting children by withholding medical care is undermined by health experts, who have said minors with gender dysphoria who do not receive appropriate care face dramatically increased risk of suicide and serious depression.
McKee’s questions were similar in tone to those posed to Debi Jackson’s teen Avery, who is transgender and nonbinary, when they testified before Missouri legislators last year about a proposal to ban trans girls and women from participating on sports teams matching their gender identity.
During the hearing, a lawmaker asked Avery if they were “gonna go through the procedure.” Since that exchange, Jackson said Avery hasn’t wanted to testify again before the Legislature.
“It’s this same idea that in any of these discussions about trans people just being treated with basic dignity and respect, legislators want to reduce them to one body part,” Jackson said. “They miss the entirety of the human being sitting in front of them having a conversation.”
Advocates say the rhetoric surrounding these proposed bans further exacerbates an already treacherous environment for transgender people, their families and medical providers. Children’s hospitals around the country have faced an uptick of harassment and threats of violence for providing gender-confirming care.
Though she said she’s received an outcry of support since her testimony, Herzig said she and the pharmacy she owns have also gotten hateful emails and calls.
People opposed to gender-affirming care for minors argue that children are too young to make decisions about their futures, sometimes comparing such treatments to child abuse. That’s despite medical experts saying the care is safe when administered properly.
Nearly every major medical group, including the American Medical Association, has opposed the bans on such care for minors.
Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott last year ordered the state’s child welfare agency to investigate reports of gender-affirming care for kids as abuse, but a judge has since blocked those investigations.
Amber Briggle, the mother of a transgender teenager in Texas whose family was investigated after Abbott’s order, said she gets frustrated when speaking before lawmakers in her state who she thinks already have made up their minds on the issue. But Briggle said she plans on returning to Texas’ Capitol this year and that Herzig’s encounter motivates her even more to show up and speak out.
“They should not have to fight this alone,” Briggle said of transgender people testifying in statehouses. “They should know they have loving, supporting allies in their corner.”
Herzig said she probably would not have testified had she known she was going to be asked about her genitalia.
“I felt like I was pretty much prepared for any combative question,” she said. “Except that.” | 2023-02-27T13:11:48+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/news/ap-utah/2023/02/27/trans-people-face-horrifying-rhetoric-at-statehouses/ |
CINCINNATI, Ohio (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a hunter has been sentenced to just under a decade in prison for illegal possession of a weapon used to shoot and seriously wound an Ohio Department of Natural Resources officer investigating a deer poaching complaint in 2020.
The U.S. attorney’s office for the southern district of Ohio says 45-year-old Brian Liming of Jamestown pleaded guilty in August and was sentenced to nine years and 364 days.
Clinton County prosecutors said earlier that Liming was convicted of felonious assault, evidence-tampering and misdemeanor hunting charges.
Federal prosecutors said he was sentenced to 54 months and his federal sentence will run consecutively to his local sentence. | 2022-07-04T15:56:25+00:00 | wdtn.com | https://www.wdtn.com/news/crime/prosecutor-man-sentenced-on-gun-charge-in-officer-shooting/ |
NEW YORK, Nov. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --
WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Rite Aid Corporation (NYSE: RAD) between April 14, 2022 and September 28, 2022, both dates inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important December 19, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.
SO WHAT: If you purchased Rite Aid securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Rite Aid class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=9388 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than December 19, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, throughout the Class Period, defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) despite representations to the contrary, the number of new members (i.e., "lives") that Elixir's (a subsidiary of the Company) pharmacy benefit management ("PBM") services business was adding during the selling season ending on January 1, 2023 was in material decline; (2) Rite Aid was likely to recognize a significant charge for the impairment of goodwill related to Elixir due to a decrease in "lives" covered by Elixir's PBM services business; and (3) as a result, the Company's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the Rite Aid class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=9388 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
-------------------------------
Contact Information:
Laurence Rosen, Esq.
Phillip Kim, Esq.
The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-1060
Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
Fax: (212) 202-3827
lrosen@rosenlegal.com
pkim@rosenlegal.com
cases@rosenlegal.com
www.rosenlegal.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. | 2022-11-12T09:11:00+00:00 | wbrc.com | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/11/12/rosen-top-ranked-law-firm-encourages-rite-aid-corporation-investors-secure-counsel-before-important-deadline-securities-class-action-rad/ |
Foster Moreau, who has played with the Raiders since 2019, revealed he has cancer and is stepping away from the game.
"Through somewhat of a miraculous process, this Free Agency period has been life changing for me," the tight end said in a tweet.
He added that he was undergoing a routing physical by the Saints' medical team in New Orleans when doctors told him he has Hodgkin's lymphoma.
While Moreau, is stepping away from the game for now, he said he plans to be back after he beats a "new opponent."
SEE MORE: AI discovers potential new cancer treatment in just 30 days
Hodgkin's lymphoma is a cancer that starts in the the tissues and organs that produce, store, and carry white blood cells, which fight infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, feeling tired and weight loss. It's unclear whether Moreau noticed any of those symptoms prior to the diagnosis.
Hodgkin's lymphoma is considered one of the most curable forms of cancer, according to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Treatment options include chemotherapy and radiation.
Moreau has not said what type of treatment he plans to undergo.
The 25-year-old thanked his supporters for standing by his side during this time. The Raiders tweeted Moreau saying, "Your Raider family is with you, Foster."
SEE MORE: Higher cancer rates found in military pilots, ground crews | 2023-03-23T19:16:12+00:00 | kgun9.com | https://www.kgun9.com/news/national/nfl-player-learns-he-has-cancer-during-routine-physical-exam |
HERNDON, Va., June 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Deltek, the leading global provider of software and solutions for project-based businesses, announced today that it has developed the GovWin IQ Small Business Resource Center curated specifically to support the thousands of small businesses looking for ways to find and win more government contracting opportunities with limited resources.
Small businesses are a focus in government contracting, but pursuing and winning contracts can be challenging. The White House recently called for government agencies to create a more diverse federal marketplace, requiring them to focus more on "small business entrants, where the decline in the supplier base has been especially acute."
However, Deltek's Clarity Government Contracting industry study found that, despite the government's prioritization of creating opportunities for small businesses, the elements involved in pursuing and winning those opportunities temper growth. Only 37% of self-identified small businesses (under $20 million in revenue) reported growth in government contracts last year, as compared to 49% overall and 56% of the largest companies. They also report lower profit margins than their larger counterparts (8% vs. 24%).
Deltek's GovWin IQ Small Business Resource Center provides smaller companies with a comprehensive toolkit of everything they need at each stage of the government contracting lifecycle. The Resource Center pulls together government contracting opportunities, learning guides on government agency buying behavior, assistance with identifying potential teaming partners, government contact lists, research and analysis into market conditions, educational resources, and more. The content, aimed at increasing small business representation among government contractors, is primarily for Deltek GovWin IQ subscribers, but there are also free resources available.
"We're proud of our continued commitment to supporting small businesses with their goals of finding and winning more business with government agencies," said Kevin Plexico, Senior Vice President of Information Solutions at Deltek. "We know that small businesses often don't have the time, resources, or knowledge of the market to compete with their large business counterparts. We want to level the playing field and enable their success with educational content and tools for finding and winning more business."
About Deltek
Better software means better projects. Deltek is the leading global provider of enterprise software and information solutions for project-based businesses. More than 30,000 organizations and millions of users in over 80 countries around the world rely on Deltek for superior levels of project intelligence, management and collaboration. Our industry-focused expertise powers project success by helping firms achieve performance that maximizes productivity and revenue. www.deltek.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Deltek | 2023-06-28T13:34:08+00:00 | wcjb.com | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2023/06/28/deltek-supports-government-contractors-with-new-govwin-iq-small-business-resource-center/ |
CT New York NY Zone Forecast for Saturday, August 13, 2022
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078 FPUS51 KOKX 140720
ZFPOKX
Zone Forecast Product
National Weather Service New York NY
319 AM EDT Sun Aug 14 2022
CTZ005-142000-
Northern Fairfield-
319 AM EDT Sun Aug 14 2022
.TODAY...Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Northwest winds around
5 mph, becoming southwest around 5 mph this afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly
cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s. South winds around 5 mph, becoming
northwest after midnight.
.MONDAY...Partly sunny. A slight chance of showers in the
afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance
of rain 20 percent.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows around 60. East winds around
5 mph.
.TUESDAY...Partly sunny in the morning, then mostly cloudy with a
chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s.
Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. Chance of
rain 30 percent.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of
showers. Lows in the upper 50s.
.WEDNESDAY...Partly sunny with a 40 percent chance of showers.
Highs in the mid 70s.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of
showers. Lows in the upper 50s.
.THURSDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 60s.
.FRIDAY...Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly
cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
$$
CTZ009-142000-
Southern Fairfield-
319 AM EDT Sun Aug 14 2022
.TODAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Northwest winds
around 5 mph, becoming south this afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly
cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. South winds 5 to 10 mph, becoming
west after midnight.
.MONDAY...Partly sunny. A slight chance of showers in the
afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. East winds 5 to 10 mph. Chance
of rain 20 percent.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. East winds
5 to 10 mph.
.TUESDAY...Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers in the afternoon.
Highs in the upper 70s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of
rain 30 percent.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of
showers. Lows in the lower 60s.
.WEDNESDAY...Partly sunny with a 40 percent chance of showers.
Highs in the upper 70s.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of
showers. Lows in the lower 60s.
.THURSDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs around 80.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 60s.
.FRIDAY...Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly
cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
$$
CTZ006-142000-
Northern New Haven-
319 AM EDT Sun Aug 14 2022
.TODAY...Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Northwest winds around
5 mph, becoming southwest this afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s. South winds
around 5 mph in the evening, becoming light and variable.
.MONDAY...Partly sunny. A slight chance of showers in the
afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Northeast winds around 5 mph,
becoming east in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows around 60. East winds around
5 mph.
.TUESDAY...Partly sunny in the morning, then mostly cloudy with a
chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s.
Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph. Chance of
rain 30 percent.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of
showers. Lows around 60.
.WEDNESDAY...Partly sunny with a 40 percent chance of showers.
Highs in the mid 70s.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of
showers. Lows around 60.
.THURSDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 60s.
.FRIDAY...Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly
cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
$$
CTZ010-142000-
Southern New Haven-
319 AM EDT Sun Aug 14 2022
.TODAY...Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Northwest winds around
5 mph, becoming southwest this afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. South winds 5 to
10 mph, becoming northwest after midnight.
.MONDAY...Partly sunny. Highs around 80. Northeast winds around
5 mph, becoming southeast in the afternoon.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s. East winds
5 to 10 mph.
.TUESDAY...Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers in the afternoon.
Highs in the upper 70s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph with gusts up
to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of
showers. Lows in the lower 60s.
.WEDNESDAY...Partly sunny with a 40 percent chance of showers.
Highs in the mid 70s.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of
showers. Lows in the lower 60s.
.THURSDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs around 80.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 60s.
.FRIDAY...Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
$$
CTZ007-142000-
Northern Middlesex-
319 AM EDT Sun Aug 14 2022
.TODAY...Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Northwest winds around
5 mph, becoming southwest around 5 mph this afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s. South winds
around 5 mph in the evening, becoming light and variable.
.MONDAY...Partly sunny. Highs around 80. Northeast winds around
5 mph, becoming southeast in the afternoon.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows around 60. East winds around
5 mph.
.TUESDAY...Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers in the afternoon.
Highs in the upper 70s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph with gusts up
to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of
showers. Lows around 60.
.WEDNESDAY...Mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly
sunny. A 40 percent chance of showers. Highs in the mid 70s.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of
showers. Lows in the lower 60s.
.THURSDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs around 80.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 60s.
.FRIDAY...Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly
cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
$$
CTZ011-142000-
Southern Middlesex-
319 AM EDT Sun Aug 14 2022
.TODAY...Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Northwest winds around
5 mph, becoming southwest this afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. Southwest winds
5 to 10 mph, becoming west after midnight.
.MONDAY...Partly sunny. Highs around 80. Northeast winds around
5 mph, becoming southeast in the afternoon.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s. East winds
5 to 10 mph.
.TUESDAY...Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers in the afternoon.
Highs in the upper 70s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of
rain 30 percent.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of
showers. Lows in the lower 60s.
.WEDNESDAY...Mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly
sunny. A 40 percent chance of showers. Highs in the mid 70s.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of
showers. Lows in the lower 60s.
.THURSDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs around 80.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 60s.
.FRIDAY...Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly
cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
$$
CTZ008-142000-
Northern New London-
319 AM EDT Sun Aug 14 2022
.TODAY...Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Northwest winds around
5 mph, becoming southwest this afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s. South winds 5 to
10 mph in the evening, becoming light and variable.
.MONDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs around 80. East winds 5 to 10 mph.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows around 60. Northeast winds
around 5 mph.
.TUESDAY...Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers in the afternoon.
Highs in the upper 70s. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph with gusts up
to 20 mph. Chance of rain 30 percent.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance of
showers. Lows around 60.
.WEDNESDAY...Mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly
sunny. A 40 percent chance of showers. Highs in the mid 70s.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of
showers. Lows in the lower 60s.
.THURSDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear. Lows in the lower 60s.
.FRIDAY...Sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly
cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
$$
CTZ012-142000-
Southern New London-
319 AM EDT Sun Aug 14 2022
.TODAY...Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s. Northwest winds around
5 mph, becoming southwest this afternoon.
.TONIGHT...Partly cloudy. Lows in the mid 60s. Southwest winds
5 to 10 mph, becoming northwest after midnight.
.MONDAY...Partly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s. East winds 5 to
10 mph.
.MONDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy. Lows in the lower 60s. Northeast
winds 5 to 10 mph.
.TUESDAY...Mostly cloudy. A chance of showers in the afternoon.
Highs in the upper 70s. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of
rain 30 percent.
.TUESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of
showers. Lows in the lower 60s.
.WEDNESDAY...Mostly cloudy in the morning, then becoming partly
sunny. A 40 percent chance of showers. Highs in the mid 70s.
.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...Mostly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of
showers. Lows in the lower 60s.
.THURSDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the upper 70s.
.THURSDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear. Lows in the mid 60s.
.FRIDAY...Sunny. Highs in the lower 80s.
.FRIDAY NIGHT...Mostly clear in the evening, then becoming partly
cloudy. Lows in the upper 60s.
.SATURDAY...Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid 80s.
$$
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Copyright 2022 AccuWeather | 2022-08-14T08:10:16+00:00 | ourmidland.com | https://www.ourmidland.com/weather/article/CT-New-York-NY-Zone-Forecast-17372372.php |
NEW YORK, June 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Voyager Digital Ltd. ("Voyager" or the "Company") (TSX: VOYG) (OTCQX: VYGVF) (FRA: UCD2) today announced that the Company signed a non-binding term sheet with Alameda Research to secure a revolving line of credit providing Voyager with access to further capital. The Company pursued this term sheet considering the current crypto market conditions. The proceeds of the credit facility are intended to be used to safeguard customer assets in light of current market volatility and only if such use is needed. Voyager is putting the facility in place to better serve and protect its customers.
"Today's actions give Voyager more flexibility to mitigate current market conditions and strengthen our relationship with one of the industry leaders," said Stephen Ehrlich, Chief Executive Officer, Voyager. "Safeguarding customer assets is always our top priority, and ongoing, prudent risk management as well as a strong balance sheet are two ways that we continue to demonstrate that priority."
The term sheet with Alameda Research provides for revolving term credit facilities each having a term expiring December 31, 2024, and having an annual interest rate of 5% payable on maturity. The first credit facility is a cash/USDC-based credit facility with an aggregate principal amount of US$200 million. The second revolving credit facility is for 15,000 in Bitcoin (BTC). The credit facilities will only be used by Voyager if needed to safeguard customer assets. In addition to the funds available under the credit facilities, Voyager has more than US$200 million on its balance sheet.
Voyager and Alameda are working to execute definitive documentation, which is expected to be completed in the coming days.
Voyager Digital Ltd.'s (TSX: VOYG) (OTCQX: VYGVF) (FRA: UCD2) US subsidiary, Voyager Digital, LLC, is a cryptocurrency platform in the United States founded in 2018 to bring choice, transparency, and cost-efficiency to the marketplace. Voyager offers a secure way to trade over 100 different crypto assets using its easy-to-use mobile application. Through its subsidiary Coinify ApS, Voyager provides crypto payment solutions for both consumers and merchants around the globe. To learn more about the company, please visit https://www.investvoyager.com.
Certain information in this press release, including, but not limited to, statements regarding future growth and performance of the business, momentum in the businesses, future adoption of digital assets, the terms of the term sheet and any definitive loan documentation and the Company's anticipated results may constitute forward looking information (collectively, forward-looking statements), which can be identified by the use of terms such as "may," "will," "should," "expect," "anticipate," "project," "estimate," "intend," "continue" or "believe" (or the negatives) or other similar variations. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Voyager's actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any of its future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements. Moreover, we operate in a very competitive and rapidly changing environment. New risks emerge from time to time. It is not possible for our management to predict all risks, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements we may make. In light of these risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, the future events and trends discussed in this press release may not occur and actual results could differ materially and adversely from those anticipated or implied in the forward-looking statements. There is no assurance that the transactions contemplated by the non-binding term sheet will be completed or if completed they will be on the terms agreed. There is no assurance that the funds available under any definitive loan agreement will be available or if available will, together with any other assets of Voyager be sufficient to safe guard customer assets. Forward looking statements are subject to the risk that the global economy, industry, or the Company's businesses and investments do not perform as anticipated, that revenue or expenses estimates may not be met or may be materially less or more than those anticipated, that parties to whom the Company lends assets are able to repay such loans in full and in a timely manner, that trading momentum does not continue or the demand for trading solutions declines, customer acquisition does not increase as planned, product and international expansion do not occur as planned, risks of compliance with laws and regulations that currently apply or become applicable to the business and those other risks contained in the Company's public filings, including in its Management Discussion and Analysis and its Annual Information Form (AIF). Factors that could cause actual results of the Company and its businesses to differ materially from those described in such forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, a decline in the digital asset market or general economic conditions; changes in laws or approaches to regulation, the failure or delay in the adoption of digital assets and the blockchain ecosystem by institutions; changes in the volatility of crypto currency, changes in demand for Bitcoin and Ethereum, changes in the status or classification of cryptocurrency assets, cybersecurity breaches, a delay or failure in developing infrastructure for the trading businesses or achieving mandates and gaining traction; failure to grow assets under management, an adverse development with respect to an issuer or party to the transaction or failure to obtain a required regulatory approval. In connection with the forward-looking statements contained in this press release, the Company has made assumptions that no significant events occur outside of the Company's normal course of business and that current trends in respect of digital assets continue. Readers are cautioned that Assets Under Management and trading volumes fluctuate and may increase and decrease from time to time and that such fluctuations are beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements, past and present performance and trends are not guarantees of future performance, accordingly, you should not put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, current or past performance, or current or past trends. Information identifying assumptions, risks, and uncertainties relating to the Company are contained in its filings with the Canadian securities regulators available at www.sedar.com. The forward-looking statements in this press release are applicable only as of the date of this release or as of the date specified in the relevant forward-looking statement and the Company undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after that date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as required by law. The Company assumes no obligation to provide operational updates, except as required by law. If the Company does update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that it will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements, unless required by law. Readers are cautioned that past performance is not indicative of future performance and current trends in the business and demand for digital assets may not continue and readers should not put undue reliance on past performance and current trends. There is no assurance that the transactions contemplated by the non-binding term sheet will be completed or if completed they will be on the terms agreed. There is no assurance that the funds available under any definitive loan agreement will be available or if available will, together with any other assets of Voyager be sufficient to safe guard customer assets.
The TSX has not approved or disapproved of the information contained herein.
Press Contacts
Voyager Digital, Ltd.
Voyager Public Relations Team
pr@investvoyager.com
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SOURCE Voyager Digital (Canada) Ltd. | 2022-06-17T22:39:57+00:00 | wlbt.com | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/06/17/voyager-digital-signs-term-sheet-us200-million-15000-btc-revolving-line-credit-with-alameda-research/ |
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Four key suspects in the killing of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse were transferred to the United States for prosecution as the case stagnates in Haiti amid death threats that have spooked local judges, U.S. officials announced Tuesday.
The suspects now in custody of the U.S. government include James Solages, 37, and Joseph Vincent, 57, two Haitian-Americans who were among the first arrested after Moïse was shot 12 times at his private home near the capital of Port-au-Prince on July, 7 2021.
Also charged is Christian Emmanuel Sanon, an elderly pastor, doctor and failed businessman that authorities have identified as a key player. His associates have suggested he was duped by the real — and still unidentified — masterminds behind the assassination that has plunged Haiti deep into political chaos and unleashed a level of gang violence not seen in decades.
The fourth suspect was identified as Colombian citizen Germán Rivera García, 44, who is among nearly two dozen former Colombian soldiers charged in the case.
Rivera, along with Solages and Vincent, face charges including conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside the U.S. and providing material support and resources resulting in death, the U.S. Justice Department said.
Sanon is charged with conspiring to smuggle goods from the U.S. and providing unlawful export information. Court documents state that he allegedly shipped 20 ballistic vests to Haiti, but that the items shipped were described as “medical X-ray vests and school supplies.”
It was not immediately known if the four suspects had attorneys who could comment on the development. The men are scheduled to appear in federal court Wednesday in Miami.
A total of seven suspects in the case are now in U.S. custody. Dozens of others still languish in Haiti’s main penitentiary, which is severely overcrowded and often lacks food and water for inmates.
The case has reached a virtual standstill in Haiti, with local officials last year nominating a fifth judge to investigate the killing after four others were dismissed or resigned for personal reasons.
One judge told The Associated Press that his family asked him not to take the case because they feared for his life. Another judge stepped down after one of his assistants died under murky circumstances.
Court documents state that exactly two months before Moïse was killed, Vincent texted Solages a video of a cat “reacting alertly” to the sound of gunfire and that Solages laughed, prompting Vincent to respond: “That’s the way Jovenel will be pretty much, but (sooner) if you guys really up to it!”
The document states that Solages responded that “(this) cat will never come back,” and “trust me brother, we definitely working our final decision.”
Then in June, some 20 former Colombian soldiers were recruited to supposedly help arrest the president and protect Sanon, who envisioned himself as Haiti's new leader. Rivera was in charge of that group, the documents state.
The plan was to detain Moïse and whisk him to an unidentified location by plane, but that plot fell through when the suspects couldn't find a plane or sufficient weapons, authorities said.
A day before the killing, Solages falsely told other suspects that it was a CIA operation and that the mission was to kill the president, according to the documents. Shortly before the killing, authorities said, Solages shouted that it was allegedly a DEA operation to ensure compliance from the president’s security detail.
About a year after the killing, U.S. authorities say they interviewed Solages, Vincent and Rivera while they were in Haitian custody and that they agreed to talk.
The other suspects already in U.S. custody are Rodolphe Jaar, a former U.S. government informant and a Haitian businessman who was extradited from the Dominican Republic, where he was detained in January 2022.
That same month, U.S. authorities arrested Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios, a former Colombian soldier who was deported by Jamaica after fleeing there from Haiti. While en route to Colombia, he was detained by U.S. officials in Panama during a layover.
Also in January 2022, authorities arrested former Haitian Sen. John Joël Joseph, who also had fled to Jamaica.
Alfredo Izaguirre, a Miami-based lawyer for Palacios, said Tuesday's arrival of the four other suspects will postpone the trial because they all have to be tried at the same time. He said Palacios had been prepared for the trial to begin in early March, but now it could be postponed for up to four months.
Haiti police say other high-profile suspects remain at large, including a former Supreme Court judge who authorities say was favored to seize power from Moïse instead of Sanon as originally planned. Another fugitive is Joseph Badio, alleged leader of the plot who previously worked for Haiti’s Ministry of Justice and the government’s anti-corruption unit until he was fired, police say.
Emmanuel Jeanty, an attorney for the president’s widow, Martine Moïse, who was injured in the attack and flown to the U.S. for care, did not return a message for comment.
In December, Martine Moïse tweeted that her husband — who also has been accused of corruption, which he denied — had fought against it, which resulted in his assassination. "Despite the blockages, 17 months later, the people are demanding #Justice,” she wrote.
___
Associated Press writer Gisela Salomon in Miami contributed to this report. | 2023-02-01T00:31:33+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/4-key-suspects-in-haiti-presidential-slaying-in-17755130.php |
NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Can Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) really help women suffering from gynecological issues?
Indeed, it can, several doctors said at the recent "2022 US-China Integrated Western and Chinese Medicine Symposium," that took over Zoom on August 25th, thanks to the Committee of Medical Collaboration of the Sino-American Friendship Association, (SAFA), and the US-China Center for TCM.
Distinguished doctors from China, including Dr. Minru Liu, the first women living legend of a TCM master; Dr. Songping Luo, Yale senior visiting scholar and a leading inheritor of Gynecology Master Yuankai Luo; Dr. Yigong Fang, Vice-Dean of China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences Hospital of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, as well as US experts in the field, including Dr. Ting Bao, Director of Integrative Breast Oncology Program of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Dr. Tony Tsai, Director of New York Fertility Center, shared their knowledge with over 3,800 participants from the US and around the world.
All of the doctors shared new ideas on a coordinated integration of western and Chinese medicine. The Chinese doctors shared that integration of TCM and acupuncture, combined with Western medicine, can be helpful to women with fertility issues while the Western doctors agreed that a combination therapy could be beneficial.
Guolin Zhou, Counselor of the Chinese Consulate General in New York, noted that "the philosophy of the TCM has great impact, and enjoys a very bright future."
Li Li, co-chair of the Committee of Medical Collaboration of the Sino-American Friendship Association, added: "We are hopeful this event will help to enhance communication between medical professionals and strengthen the exchanges and collaborations between the U.S and China, so more people can benefit from it."
New York State Governor Kathleen Hochul, in her congratulatory letter noted that "the partnership among healthcare officials, doctors and professors, to discuss unique perspectives between western and Chinese medicines is important in exploring various treatment options."
New York Mayor Eric Adams and US Congresswoman Grace Meng also sent congratulatory letters.
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SOURCE SAFA | 2022-08-28T21:22:02+00:00 | wbrc.com | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/08/28/safa-top-medical-experts-offer-advice-traditional-chinese-medicine-treatment-female-disorders/ |
Creighton and San Diego State shared a chartered flight to the Maui Invitational four months ago and the two head coaches sat across from each other on the aisle, talking about possibly playing in the tournament championship game.
That didn’t happen in Maui but the Aztecs and Bluejays are about to play on a much bigger stage.
Sixth-seeded Creighton (24-12) and fifth-seeded San Diego State (30-6) are the final two teams standing in the South Region. Both programs are aiming to reach new heights when they share the court in Louisville, Ky., with a Final Four berth on the line.
They are flying in unprecedented altitude as neither school has ever reached the Final Four. The Aztecs hadn’t advanced past the Sweet 16 until stunning No. 1 overall seed Alabama 71-64 on Friday, while the Bluejays’ 86-75 win over 15th-seeded Princeton got them into their first Elite Eight since 1941 when there were just eight total teams in the tournament.
This is heady territory for San Diego State coach Brian Dutcher. He initially came to the school as Steve Fisher’s top assistant prior to the 1999-2000 season. The Aztecs then went 5-23 and didn’t win a single Mountain West Conference game.
Now the school is an NCAA Tournament regular but it typically is done by this stage of March Madness.
“We recruit and we say our goal is to win a national championship, so we can’t act surprised when we have an opportunity to advance to the Final Four,” Dutcher said after the knockout of Brandon Miller-led Alabama. “That’s what we tell them when we recruit them, and it’s just not words to get them to come here. It’s words we believe in.”
Dutcher sat across from Creighton coach Greg McDermott on that flight to Maui that began with the Bluejays boarding in Omaha, Neb. The plane stopped in San Diego to refuel and that’s when the Aztecs boarded.
The two schools also flew back to the mainland together.
“We talked on the way out about wanting to meet in the championship of Maui and then we would be OK with one of us winning and one of us losing,” McDermott said. “So it’s pretty ironic that we’re going to meet with an opportunity to go to the Final Four. It’s going to be a fun Sunday.”
The teams also met in the first round of last season’s NCAA Tournament, and the ending wasn’t much fun for San Diego State.
The Aztecs led by nine points with under four minutes left in regulation before the Bluejays went on a 9-0 run to force overtime. Creighton eventually prevailed 72-69.
The game will include a sibling rivalry as well. The Bluejays’ Arthur Kaluma, who averages 11.8 points per game, is the younger brother of San Diego State’s Adam Seiko (6.2 points per game).
Seiko is tied for the team lead with 53 3-pointers, along with Matt Bradley, who is the Aztecs’ lone double-digit scorer at 12.8 points per game.
San Diego State revolves around tenacious defense — Alabama’s Miller was 3 of 19 shooting and committed six turnovers — and team basketball. The offensive hero on Friday was Darrion Trammell, who scored 21 to raise his average to 9.8.
“This point in the year, you kind of just have to have that confidence that you’re going to knock those shots down that you’ve been working on,” Trammell said.
Aztecs big man Nathan Mensah is a two-time Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and he will be asked to keep Creighton big man Ryan Kalkbrenner in check.
Kalkbrenner, who is a two-time Big East Defensive Player of the Year, is averaging 21 points on 24-of-36 shooting (66.7 percent) during Creighton’s three-game NCAA Tournament run. For the season, he is averaging 15.9 points and shooting 70.8 percent.
The 7-foot-1 Kalkbrenner is one of five double-digit scorers for the Bluejays.
“There are eight teams left, to be one of those eight teams is just crazy,” Kalkbrenner said. “It means what we worked for all year. It’s what you work for since you get here on campus in the summer, and it’s just all the hard work paying off now.”
The winner will fly alone to Houston for the Final Four and will face either third-seeded Kansas State or ninth-seeded Florida Atlantic.
–Field Level Media | 2023-03-26T11:07:21+00:00 | siouxlandproud.com | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/sports/ncaa-basketball/no-5-san-diego-state-no-6-creighton-soar-into-south-region-final/ |
Program improving electric grid resilience expected to be the largest electric vehicle smart charging program in the U.S.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WeaveGrid, a software company that builds data products to enable increased adoption of electric vehicles, announced the launch of evPulse, a new pilot program available to eligible Northern and Central California electricity customers who are electric vehicle (EV) drivers. evPulse optimizes EV charging and helps increase EV driver preparedness in communities that may experience power outages due to weather, wildfire risk, or other emergencies.
The evPulse pilot program, which WeaveGrid is implementing on behalf of Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), is focused on improving grid resiliency and enabling customers to save money by opting into automated EV charging during "smart times" — when electricity costs are lowest and when energy from renewable resources is often more abundant. As a member of Elemental Excelerator's Cohort X, WeaveGrid received funding to support this pilot program.
The evPulse pilot program targets enrolling 8,000 - 16,000 eligible EV drivers and is expected to be the largest program of its kind in the United States. WeaveGrid will leverage vehicle telematics to automate charging schedules, incorporating factors like customer preferences, utility rates, and electricity grid needs. Customer participation in the program will help the grid become more reliable and resilient and play a key role in shaping the future of EV charging.
"WeaveGrid is thrilled to be supporting this groundbreaking, innovative pilot program focused on grid resilience and smart EV charging. We believe our technology can enhance the relationship between the utility and their customers by creating an excellent experience for EV drivers," Apoorv Bhargava, Co-Founder & CEO of WeaveGrid
Customers in eligible zip codes will be invited to enroll in a data insights or smart charging program. Participating PG&E customers will receive a Recommended Charging Schedule along with access to a personalized dashboard that will show optimal charging times to help EV drivers make smarter daily charging decisions. WeaveGrid helps pilot participants prepare for potential outages and Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events with text alerts. A PSPS event may occur in response to potential extreme wind-driven weather conditions in order to mitigate wildfire risk. Pilot participants will also receive $50 for joining and up to $100 more for continued participation.
Administered through PG&E, the evPulse pilot program is implemented by WeaveGrid as part of PG&E's 2021 Low Carbon Fuel Standards (LCFS) Implementation Plan to fulfill the resiliency requirement. Eligible EV and plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV) makes include Tesla, Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, and Kia. To participate, PG&E customers must either be in a Tier 2 or 3 High Fire-Threat District as defined by the California Public Utilities Commission Fire Map, or have been impacted by a Public Safety Power Shutoff event in the last five years. Customers are able to enroll in the pilot program this Summer and Fall.
For more information, visit https://join.pge.ev-pulse.com.
WeaveGrid is a software company building data products to enable the electric transportation transition. The SaaS company's platform connects a growing wave of electric vehicles to an electric grid that was not designed to support the high power needs of widespread charging. WeaveGrid uses cutting edge data science and optimization to bring value to all stakeholders in this transition, including utilities, automakers, and drivers. For more information, visit www.weavegrid.com
Elemental Excelerator is on a mission to redesign the systems at the root of climate change. Elemental fills two gaps that are fundamental to addressing climate change with the urgency required by funding first-of-a-kind projects for climate technologies in real communities and embedding equity and access into everything climate-related. Since launching in 2009, Elemental has invested in over 130 growth-stage companies and celebrated more than 20 exits, funded more than 100 technology projects, and built a platform for scaling equitable, market-driven solutions to climate change. To learn more or find out how your organization can get involved with Elemental, visit elementalexcelerator.com.
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SOURCE WeaveGrid | 2022-08-31T14:43:18+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2022/08/31/weavegrid-launches-evpulse-northern-central-california-based-ev-drivers/ |
The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Don't Waste Your Money may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website.
If you’re the type of traveler who prefers to hit the road after dark or catch the first train out in the morning, you’re in luck. Amtrak has just announced its new “Night Owl Fares.”
This series of discounted fares is only for select routes between New York City and Washington, D.C., with several stops along the way. In addition, the fares are available on specific trains that depart between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m., allowing you to travel in comfort and style at a fraction of the usual cost.
These fares include journeys from Philadelphia to Baltimore, New York to Newark and Washington D.C. to Baltimore, all starting at just $5.
For those looking to travel from New York to Philadelphia, New York to Wilmington, Virginia, Philadelphia to Washington D.C., or Washington D.C. to Wilmington, fares start at just $10.
And if you’re planning a longer journey from New York down to Washington D.C., you can travel for just $20 — all in coach seats, which come with free Wi-Fi, power outlets at every seat, and the ability to bring two personal items and two bags included in the fare.
Night owls can also relax in Amtrak’s quiet car, where conversation is limited, and phone calls are not allowed. With low overhead lighting, it’s the perfect place to unwind and rest as you travel through the night.
In addition to expanding its Night Owl Fares, Amtrak is also investing in upgrading overnight and long-distance trains, as well as its Acela trains on the Northeast Corridor line. The new Acela trains will feature cutting-edge amenities, including contactless storage for luggage and winged headrests, adding a touch of luxury to your journey.
Amtrak has also extended its fee waiver for reservation changes through Dec. 31, 2023. However, cancellation fees still apply, and ticket holders who cancel a Saver Fare ticket after 24 hours will receive only 75% of their ticket price as a non-refundable eVoucher.
With expanded Night Owl Fares, upgraded trains, and extended fee waivers, there are more options than ever for budget-conscious travelers looking for an affordable, comfortable, and convenient way to travel.
This story originally appeared on Don't Waste Your Money. Checkout Don't Waste Your Money for product reviews and other great ideas to save and make money. | 2023-03-22T18:01:55+00:00 | abc15.com | https://www.abc15.com/amtrak-launches-night-owl-fares-with-routes-priced-as-low-as-5 |
Kim Kardashian did not damage Marilyn Monroe's dress, according to Ripley's
Kardashian only wore the dress for red carpet photos before she changed into a replica she had made for the rest of the event.
Kardashian only wore the dress for red carpet photos before she changed into a replica she had made for the rest of the event.
Kardashian only wore the dress for red carpet photos before she changed into a replica she had made for the rest of the event.
Kim Kardashian did not ruin Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress at the Met Gala.
Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, the company which owns Monroe's dress and lent it to Kardashian for the May event, said in a statement Thursday that despite claims saying otherwise, Kardashian "did not, in any way, damage the garment in the short amount of time it was worn at the Met Gala."
Amanda Joiner, Ripley's VP of publishing and licensing, accompanied the dress as it was transported from Florida to New York and also while Kardashian was wearing it. She stated the gown remained the same "from the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned."
Ripley's stated the dress was slightly damaged at the time the company acquired it through auction in 2016, with "a number of the seams pulled and worn" and "puckering at the back by the hooks and eyes."
Monroe made the dress famous when she dressed in the gown to sing "Happy Birthday" to President Kennedy in 1962. Kardashian only wore the dress for red carpet photos before she changed into a replica she had made for the rest of the event.
The gown is now on exhibit at Ripley's Believe It or Not! Hollywood through the fall. | 2022-06-16T23:10:44+00:00 | wyff4.com | https://www.wyff4.com/article/marilyn-monroe-dress-kim-kardashian-did-not-damage-according-to-ripleys/40315022 |
Latest MN workforce stats show drop in jobs, increase in labor force participation
ST. PAUL, Minn. (KTTC) – For the fourth month in a row, Minnesota has seen an increase in labor force participation. June’s statistics, released my the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) on Thursday, showed the labor force participation rate at 68.4%
“Another 9017 people have joined the labor market in Minnesota,” said DEED Commissioner Matt Varilek, “With those new workers, our labor force participation rate has increased 2/10′s of a percent.”
The national average is 62.6%. While there’s more progress to be made to reach pre-pandemic levels of participation, the state seems to be on a consistent road to recovery.
“Pre-pandemic, the labor force participation rate for Minnesota was around 70%, and the pandemic prompted earlier retirements,” said Angelina Nguyen with DEED.
While participation rose, jobs in the month of June were down in the state.
“Even though our labor force numbers increased, Minnesota lost 4,300 jobs in the last month on a seasonally adjusted basis,” Varilek said.
Varilek stressed that those numbers aren’t indicative of a larger trend. In fact, 9 of the last 12 months have seen positive job growth. Despite losses this month, Minnesota’s unemployment numbers still sit well below the national average.
“The national unemployment rate is around 4-5%,” said Nguyen, “So right now, with our unemployment rate of 2.9%, it’s actually a tight labor market.”
The newly announced statistics come as Governor Tim Walz continues a statewide tour to highlight investments in the workforce made this past spring.
Copyright 2023 KTTC. All rights reserved. | 2023-07-20T23:14:13+00:00 | kttc.com | https://www.kttc.com/2023/07/20/latest-mn-workforce-stats-show-drop-jobs-increase-labor-force-participation/ |
Request unsuccessful. Incapsula incident ID: 418000450048860658-38193911535110984 | 2022-08-16T20:06:40+00:00 | bizjournals.com | https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2022/08/16/western-southern-open-gets-underway-with-big.html |
BROCK AND SALK
Seahawks’ 7th-round RB Kenny McIntosh could have big role
May 29, 2023, 12:29 PM
(Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The Seattle Seahawks have put a lot of focus on the running back position in the NFL Draft over the past two years.
Rost: Two areas Seattle Seahawks can take the biggest step forward
It began with Kenneth Walker III in the second round out of Michigan State in 2022. Then last month they targeted another standout back in the second round, this time going with Zach Charbonnet out of UCLA.
The Hawks didn’t stop there, either. In the seventh round, they picked up Kenny McIntosh from the national champion Georgia Bulldogs.
Being that Seattle picked the 6-foot, 210-pound McIntosh late, he doesn’t come to the team with nearly the same kind of expectations that Charbonnet has or that Walker had a year ago. But don’t rule him out for having a key role for the Seahawks even as a rookie. In fact, as Seattle Sports’ Brock Huard explained last week, there’s one thing about McIntosh that makes him perfectly suited to contribute on offense right away.
“I’m trying to think of a of a back that they have had that truly has been as equal a receiver as a rusher,” Huard said of the Seahawks.
The reason: McIntosh is exactly that.
As a senior for Georgia in 2022, he rushed for 829 yards and 10 touchdowns on 149 attempts, but just as important were the 505 yards and two scores he added on 43 receptions.
Even when he had a lesser role with the Bulldogs, he still contributed regularly in the passing game, totaling 356 receiving yards to 699 rushing yards in his first three college seasons.
Another set of legs for the Running Back room that competed at the highest level. 😤
@1_blueprint x @GeorgiaFootball pic.twitter.com/Nu1QSnDZoA— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) April 29, 2023
Huard, a former NFL quarterback and current FOX college football analyst, pointed out that while the Seahawks have tried in the past with running backs that were skilled as receivers (most notably C.J. Prosise), McIntosh is different from the kind of players head coach Pete Carroll’s team usually goes for in the backfield.
“McIntosh (at OTAs is) running wheel routes and different routes out of the backfield, and you just see that this guy is is adept at receiving the ball,” Huard said. “That’s not always what Pete, I think, asks of the scouting department. What he wants first and foremost is what they got in the second round the last two years, and that’s somebody that is going to gore you, someone that just has a contact level that is violent. I mean, the Marshawn Lynches of the world. What he has looked for traditionally is some of that just straight physical presence, and they’ve drafted to that.”
Huard said the Seahawks have had success drafting running backs late before, including Chris Carson, a seventh-round pick in 2017 who rushed for over 1,000 yards twice with Seattle. McIntosh stands out for a different reason than the bruising Carson did, though.
“You’re gonna be like, ‘Oh, wow.’ He makes it look really easy,” Huard said of McIntosh’s receiving skills.
Kenny content? Kenny content.#GoHawks x @1_blueprint pic.twitter.com/xrKppRFpJ6
— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) May 24, 2023
“Ken Walker is capable, Charbonnet is capable (as a receiver),” Huard continued. “This guy is fluent. … He and (Kansas State star and Dallas Cowboys rookie) Deuce Vaughn were the only ones in college football with 500 (yards) rushing, 500 receiving, and it’s not one of those, ‘Oh, there’s a lot of checkdowns.’ No, no, he’s running routes and making it look easy.”
Listen to the full Blue 88 segment with Huard below. Blue 88, where Huard answers three football questions, airs at 7:45 a.m. during each edition of Brock and Salk on Seattle Sports.
More from Huard on Seattle Seahawks rookies
• How offensive guard Anthony Bradford must improve
• Three focuses for pass rusher Derick Hall to develop
• Where wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba has room to grow
• Charbonnet has fewest tweaks to make of all Seahawks rookies
• Three adjustments for top Seattle Seahawks pick Devon Witherspoon | 2023-05-30T01:09:16+00:00 | sports.mynorthwest.com | https://sports.mynorthwest.com/1757840/seahawks-rb-kenny-mcintosh-could-have-big-role/ |
DENVER (KDVR) — Monkeypox cases are rapidly rising in the U.S., with cases surpassing 14,000 this week.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced additional supply of the limited vaccine is on the way, but medical experts are urging leaders to distribute the medicine to communities who need it.
Health officials have delivered messaging on the disease’s impact on people in the gay community, but new demographic data shows monkeypox is disproportionately affecting people of color, too.
“Similar to the data we experienced and what we saw with COVID-19, we are seeing overrepresentation of cases among some of our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) communities,” said Dr. Rachel Herlihy, the state epidemiologist of Colorado. “So we see overrepresentation of cases in our Hispanic population and also our African American community.”
It is not just Colorado either. It is part of a national trend.
About 28% of the more than 14,000 cases in the U.S. are among African Americans, and nearly 33% are from Hispanic communities, despite Black and Hispanic communities only making up around 12% and 16% of the U.S. population, according to U.S. Census data.
“The percentages are almost identical to what we saw in COVID, and I think what that is demonstrating is that the healthcare system has a lot of work to do in providing equal care to all populations,” said Dr. Reginald Washington, chief medical officer for Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center.
Washington said the reason for the disproportionate number of cases in communities of color may have less to do with ancestry and more to do with equity.
“There’s no evidence, absolutely no evidence that monkeypox is more contagious, for example, in one population or another,” Washington said. “Minorities have inadequate access to the healthcare system. That means they will have delays in seeking treatment and getting and receiving treatment. They also have a delay in finding healthcare sites that will care for them, and there’s also a delay in even admitting that they may have a problem.”
It is an issue the White House says it is working on. The administration also launched an effort to vaccinate people at Pride events, but they said there are plans are in the works for similar efforts in the Black and Latino communities. | 2022-08-20T18:44:02+00:00 | kxnet.com | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/monkeypox-disproportionately-affecting-people-of-color-data-shows/ |
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MOST POPULAR | 2022-07-29T23:34:01+00:00 | lmtonline.com | https://www.lmtonline.com/business/article/UPS-AND-DOWNS-17339321.php |
Maine has seen its share of despairing homebuyers writing letters to owners about why they love the house or even offering to move in months after the purchase closes so the owners have more time to find a new home.
If you think it’s hard to buy a home in Maine now, here are some of the extremes prospective buyers in other parts of the country are going to in order to curry favor with sellers to accept their offer in the fiercely competitive housing market, according to a recent national survey by HomeLight, an online real estate marketplace.
— Offering to buy the home using Bitcoin.
— Trying to give the seller two fully paid tickets to a Hawaiian resort.
— Tempting the seller with exotic animals and a car.
— Offering toys and gifts for the seller’s children.
There also was some bad behavior by buyers that sellers reported in the HomeLight survey.
— Lying that the buyer knew the seller’s grandmother.
— Telling the seller their house was on ancestral lands.
— Promising one price but later making an offer at a significantly lower one. | 2022-05-08T05:57:03+00:00 | bangordailynews.com | https://bangordailynews.com/2022/05/08/business/desperate-homebuyers-use-bitcoin-and-vacations-joam40zk0w/ |
Best products for hybrid workers
Hybrid working is becoming the default for many workplaces. However, this can lead to problems when you realize what you need is at home when you’re in the office or vice versa. By kitting yourself out with office-on-the-go essentials, you can more easily transition between working from home and working in the office.
If you’re sick of realizing the file you need is still in the office or working less comfortably because you don’t have the right setup, it pays to be prepared. With portable office essentials, you can up your hybrid work vibe.
What is hybrid working?
Hybrid working doesn’t have a single clear definition and can be applied to various modes of working. However, in this article, hybrid working is defined as an individual working some days from home and some days from their in-person office.
Many employers are now offering a hybrid work environment. As employees proved they could work effectively from home during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, many don’t want to return to the office full time. Hybrid working allows employees to enjoy the convenience of working from home some of the time while also being present for tasks that are easier in person.
There’s no set pattern for hybrid working. Some people have set days each week that they come into the office, while others have the flexibility to choose which days they come in or only turn up when necessary.
What are the benefits of hybrid working?
Although hybrid working isn’t a perfect system, it has a range of benefits for employees.
- Less commute time: Commuting is among the worst aspects of in-person work, especially when you live a long way from your place of work or live somewhere with bad rush hour traffic. Since you aren’t working from the office every day, this significantly reduces your commute time over a week.
- Work-life balance: Most people report a better work-life balance from a hybrid working schedule compared to going into the office every day. Not only does the lack of commute help, but many people find they can do household chores on lunch breaks, freeing up the evening for recreation.
- Money saved: Not only will you spend less on gas or public transit, but you may also find you save money by not spending so much on takeout lunches and coffee.
- Reduced isolation: If you feel isolated working from home 100% of the time, hybrid working patterns give you some time in the office to enjoy the social aspect of work. Some people find this works better for them than full-time remote work.
What challenges does hybrid working pose?
Although hybrid working is an excellent solution for many, it still has some flaws. You may find these challenges affect you when spending some time working from home and some time in the office.
- Transporting your stuff: Having two workplaces means you have to cart essential gear from home to the office and back again unless you get two of everything, which isn’t practical.
- Home office setup: If you’ll have a hybrid working pattern for the foreseeable future, you’ll need a decent home office setup. Even if you don’t have a dedicated room you can use as an office, you should have somewhere you can put a desk and a supportive office chair.
- Scheduling issues: It can be hard to keep track of when your colleagues will be in the office and when they won’t, which can lead to scheduling issues.
- Collective creativity: You can often find the best creative ideas and solutions to problems when working collaboratively. This type of collective creativity often flows better in person than on Zoom or other digital platforms.
What makes hybrid working easier?
If you’re struggling with some of the challenges of hybrid working, you’ll be pleased to know about ways to make it easier.
- Portable office gear: A hybrid work schedule is much less stressful when you can simply pack up all your office gear to take it home or to the office. Choose lightweight gear that can be easily packed into a bag for your journey. Don’t overlook basics, such as stationery and file folders.
- Distraction-free home office: For some people, working at home can be a challenge. You need a dedicated spot to work in, whether that’s a full-on home office or a corner of your living room or bedroom. Either way, it should be stocked with everything you need and be as distraction-free as possible.
- Flexibility: Ideally, there should be some flexibility over which days you and your colleagues come into the office and which you spend at home. This makes it easier to get together to work on projects or to stay home when you’d work more effectively there.
Best office-on-the-go essentials
With a speedy processor and a choice of RAM up to 32 gigabytes, this laptop is more than powerful enough for work use, even in creative industries. You can customize the specs to get it just how you want it.
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Besign LS10 Aluminum Laptop Stand
A laptop stand can help you work more comfortably, whether at home or in the office. This one folds nearly flat to make it more conveniently portable between workspaces.
Sold by Amazon
Logitech MK545 Advanced Wireless Keyboard and Mouse Combo
Using a wireless keyboard and mouse with a laptop lets you work in a more ergonomic position, reducing the chance of repetitive strain injuries. You can easily pack them up to take to and from the office.
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Inateck 60 Protective Laptop Sleeve
Since you’ll be transporting your laptop to and from the office, you’ll need a protective case. This one fits laptops from 13 to 13.5 inches and is well-padded to keep it safe.
Sold by Amazon
Carhartt Legacy Standard Work Backpack with Padded Laptop Sleeve
Thanks to its dedicated laptop sleeve and spacious main compartment, you can use this bag to carry everything you need for the office. It is durable and has several pockets to keep your belongings organized.
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This six-pack of college rule notebooks is perfect for all your note-taking needs. Measuring roughly 8 inches by 10 inches, they’re neither too small nor too large to be easily portable.
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Zebra Pen Z-Grip Retractable Ballpoint Pen
You’ll never regret having a healthy supply of pens at your disposal. These simple retractable ballpoints write smoothly and reliably.
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Your pens, pencils and other similar supplies are easier to pack up and take to the office when you have a pencil case. This one is simple, sturdy and available in a range of colors, including black, navy and red.
Sold by Amazon
Five Star Six-pocket Expanding File Organizer
If you still work with physical documents, you’ll need a way to organize them to take them from home to the office and back again. This six-pocket file folder is up to the task.
Sold by Amazon
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Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | 2022-05-27T21:57:25+00:00 | localsyr.com | https://www.localsyr.com/reviews/br-reviews/office-br/office-supplies-br/up-your-hybrid-work-vibe-with-these-office-on-the-go-essentials/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana’s governor signed a relief bill Friday night that will provide $200 rebate payments from the state’s surging budget surplus.
Though below his initially proposed $225 refunds, Republican Gov. Eric Holcomb said the measure “fulfills what I set out to accomplish when calling the General Assembly into special session” and establishes “long overdue increased funding” for families and young children.
The bill, which passed earlier Friday 37-9, represented a concession from GOP senators who were initially wary that the rebates would further fuel inflation.
Sen. Travis Holdman, who sponsored the bill, said the funding was to ensure “pregnant women and children are taken care of as best we can” in the wake of an abortion ban bill that the governor also signed Friday night after Senators approved the restrictions.
Republican Rep. Tim Brown, who sponsored the spending and relief bill in the House, said Thursday the package was an agreement with Senate negotiators.
That compromise includes utilizing about $1 billion from the state’s record $6.1 billion in cash reserves for the rebates. Another approximately $1 billion will flow toward a state teacher pension fund’s future obligations, a debt Senate Republican leaders have prioritized paying.
Though several Senate Democrats voted in favor of the Senate bill, they said they were unhappy with its outcome.
“They got the short end of the stick, and it’s their money,” Democratic Leader Greg Taylor said of Indiana taxpayers. He voted against the bill.
Democrats in the House had similar concerns, arguing that the pension debt included in the bill was manageable and that the $1 billion could go toward more pressing needs such as education, improving public health and supporting child care programs.
“I’m going to vote yes because a little bit is better than nothing,” Rep. Gregory Porter said earlier Friday. “We love this state like you love the state. But when it comes to what we have to say, it falls on deaf ears.”
Indiana senators on July 29 first approved a $45 million spending bill without rebates for state agencies that “support the health of pregnant women, postpartum mothers, and infants,” especially among low-income families. The services would be available for families with children under 4 years old and for those who adopt.
Lawmakers retained elements of the House’s relief bill also passed July 29, including repealing the state tax on children’s diapers. | 2022-08-08T00:06:16+00:00 | kokomotribune.com | https://www.kokomotribune.com/news/state_news/holcomb-signs-relief-bill-giving-every-hoosier-taxpayer-200/article_15351920-167c-11ed-b3f8-272f87dd4b55.html |
TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (WSVN) - It’s the first day of the legislative session in the state capitol, and there’s already plenty of controversy brewing.
Republicans and Democrats are battling over a new abortion bill.
That’s just one of several measures up for debate in this jam-packed session.
“We’ll fight. They have never seen a war like they are about to see,” said Lauren Book, D.-Plantation.
Florida Democrats are reacting to a bill introduced by Republicans banning abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.
“We are proud to be pro-family, and we are proud to be pro-life in the State of Florida,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during his State of the State address on Tuesday.
Currently, abortion in the state is banned after 15 weeks.
The new measure — Senate Bill 300 — would provide exceptions for rape or incest up until 15 weeks.
“This six-week abortion ban, let me tell you, I think they have bitten off more than they can chew,” said Fentrice Driskell, D.-Tampa. “I do not think that Floridians are gonna be happy about this. It does not poll well. Frankly I’m surprised to see the governor go with such a dramatic and drastic measure.”
The White House also condemned the bill.
“Republican state legislators in Florida proposed today a bill that would ban abortion before many women would even know that they are pregnant, virtually eliminating a woman’s right to make healthcare decisions about her own body,” said White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
They, along with Planned Parenthood, said the measure will affect people in and out of Florida.
Laura Goodhue, Vice President of Public Policy and Executive Director of Planned Parenthood of South, East And North Florida said, “We’ve seen devastating effects of abortion ban across this country, especially in the south. Planned Parenthood health centers have seen an onslaught of patients coming from as far away as Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, where they have just lost complete access to care.”
The bill is part of a legislative session poised to focus on issues like parental rights in education and transgender rights.
The legislature has already filed a bill that would ban discussion of sexual identity and gender up to grade 8, an extension of the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.
Two other bills would eliminate transition-related care, like hormone therapy or puberty blockers, for people under 18 and allow the state to take custody of children who are “at risk” of seeking gender-affirming care.
“The topic of things like gender ideology, I think is inappropriate,” said DeSantis. “I mean, you’re having these kids, and they’re basically being told well, yeah, you may not be a boy, you may be a girl. Parents don’t want that. I don’t think they want any of this stuff.”
“They want to talk about ‘Don’t Say Gay,’ ‘Don’t Say They.’ They want to talk about which bathroom we should be using,” said Book. “Floridians deserve better, and we’re here for the next 60 days to fight for each and every one of those Floridians.”
The new abortion bill would also prohibit sending any sort of abortion medication through the mail from out of state. So far, the bill has not been assigned to any committees, which would be the next step.
Copyright 2023 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 2023-03-08T01:39:07+00:00 | wsvn.com | https://wsvn.com/news/local/florida/florida-gop-introduces-new-abortion-bill-banning-procedure-after-6-weeks/ |
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — It is the first day of Severe Weather Awareness Week at KCAU 9, and we start with what criteria we need to have a thunderstorm be categorized as severe.
The National Weather Service (NWS) issues a Severe Thunderstorm Warning when at least one of the following criteria occurs…
1. Thunderstorm has produced hail of 1 inch or greater in diameter
2. Expected wind speeds of over 58 MPH
3. Radar-indicated tornado, or verified by a spotter
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings are issued because these different factors can present risk to live and property. The first safety tip in order to keep yourself safe from a Severe Thunderstorm, make sure to seek shelter in an interior room of a sturdy building, go to the lowest level of a building, if possible, particularly in a basement. The second tip is to avoid contact with electrical equipment as it can increase the likelihood of getting shocked by lightning. The last tip is to stay out of areas that have windows that way you are not hurt by debris or broken glass if the windows break. The best place to go is usually a bathroom or the basement. Make sure to have a plan for you and your family in case of a severe thunderstorm.
During any severe weather event, make sure you tune in to KCAU 9 News for the most up to date and accurate information. Make sure to download the new KCAU 9 Weather app, as it sends you alerts for your current location, and best of all, it’s free! Make sure you also have a NOAA Weather Radio, as it is a good tool to keep you ahead of the storm 24/7.
Stay with KCAU 9 News for Severe Weather Awareness topics throughout the week and get the local forecast any time right here. | 2023-03-20T15:29:40+00:00 | siouxlandproud.com | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/weather/severe-weather-awareness/severe-weather-awareness-week-day-1-criteria-for-severe-thunderstorms/ |
DALLAS, Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Education Perfect (EP), a leading provider of comprehensive online education, is pleased to announce that Brett Laquercia has joined the company as Head of Sales for the US. Laquercia will be responsible for bringing Education Perfect's world-class suite of online language learning tasks, assessments, individualized learning, and robust progress data to language educators across the country.
With an MBA from Columbia University and nearly 20 years' experience in online language education sales and business development, Laquercia is a well-known and respected figure throughout the language education community. His experience includes launching the two most widely-used world language assessments that have become market leaders in the US.
Chief Executive Alex Burke sees huge potential in the US K-12 sector and is looking forward to the future. "We are so excited to have Brett join Education Perfect. With his extensive background in US K-12 language education, he is perfectly situated to lead Education Perfect in the US, help educators improve outcomes and ensure teachers have better access to data, as well as more manageable workloads."
"I'm so pleased to be joining Education Perfect," said Laquercia. "I am passionate about language education and Education Perfect's suite of tools is a game changer that meshes with my goal of bringing innovation, improved outcomes, and efficiency to the field. In these times of teacher shortages and increased workloads, Education Perfect enables language teachers to offer more individualized learning more efficiently, while making it fun for students. At the same time, meaningful data will be more accessible to teachers and leaders. It's the ultimate combination."
Education Perfect is an intuitive digital learning platform that seamlessly provides an exceptional evidence-based toolkit for teachers that is comprehensive, curriculum-aligned, and fully customizable. As a New Zealand start-up company making waves in the global education landscape, Education Perfect has a strong presence across the world with over one million students logging on to learn every year. Education Perfect is on a mission to humanize technology that empowers teachers and students.
View original content:
SOURCE Education Perfect | 2022-10-11T23:28:12+00:00 | live5news.com | https://www.live5news.com/prnewswire/2022/10/11/brett-laquercia-joins-education-perfect-head-sales-us/ |
BOSTON (AP) — Elon Musk tweeted Sunday that Twitter will permanently suspend any account on the social media platform that impersonates another.
The platform’s new owner issued the warning after some celebrities changed their Twitter display names — not their account names — and tweeted as “Elon Musk” in reaction to the billionaire’s decision to offer verified accounts to all comers for $8 month as he simultaneously laid off a big chunk of the workforce.
“Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying ‘parody’ will be permanently suspended,” Musk wrote. While Twitter previously issued warnings before suspensions, now that it is rolling out “widespread verification, there will be no warning.”
In fact, “any name change at all” would compel the temporary loss of a verified checkmark, the world’s richest man said.
Comedian Kathy Griffin had her account suspended Sunday after she switched her screen name to Musk. She told a Bloomberg reporter that she had also used his profile photo.
“I guess not ALL the content moderators were let go? Lol,” Griffin joked afterward on Mastodon, an alternative social media platform where she set up an account last week.
Actor Valerie Bertinelli had similarly appropriated Musk’s screen name — posting a series of tweets in support of Democratic candidates on Saturday before switching back to her true name. “Okey-dokey. I’ve had fun and I think I made my point,” she tweeted afterwards.
Before the stunt, Bertinelli noted the original purpose of the blue verification checkmark. It was granted free of charge to people whose identity Twitter employees had confirmed; with journalists accounting for a big portion of recipients. “It simply meant your identity was verified. Scammers would have a harder time impersonating you,” Bertinelli noted.
“That no longer applies. Good luck out there!” she added.
The $8 verified accounts are Musk’s way of democratizing the service, he claims. On Saturday, a Twitter update for iOS devices listed on Apple’s app store said users who “sign up now” for the new “Twitter Blue with verification” can get the blue check next to their names “just like the celebrities, companies and politicians you already follow.”
It said the service would first be available in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the U.K. However, it was not available Sunday and there was no indication when it would go live. A Twitter employee, Esther Crawford, told The Associated Press it is coming “soon but it hasn’t launched yet.”
Twitter did not respond on Sunday to an email seeking comment on the verified accounts issue and Griffin’s suspension.
Musk later tweeted, “Twitter needs to become by far the most accurate source of information about the world. That’s our mission.”
If the company were to strip current verified users of blue checks — something that hasn’t happened — that could exacerbate disinformation on the platform during Tuesday’s midterm elections.
Like Griffin, some Twitter users have already begun migrating from the platform — Counter Social is another popular alternative — following layoffs that began Friday that reportedly affected about half of Twitter’s 7,500-employee workforce. They fear a breakdown of moderation and verification could create a disinformation free-for-all on what has been the internet’s main conduit for reliable communications from public agencies and other institutions.
Many companies have paused advertising on the platform out of concern it could become more unruly under Musk.
Yoel Roth, Twitter’s head of safety and integrity, sought to assuage such concerns in a tweet Friday. He said the company’s front-line content moderation staff was the group least affected by the job cuts.
Musk tweeted late Friday that there was no choice but to cut jobs “when the company is losing over $4M/day.” He did not provide details on the daily losses at Twitter and said employees who lost their jobs were offered three months’ pay as severance. | 2022-11-07T14:40:19+00:00 | mytwintiers.com | https://www.mytwintiers.com/news-cat/national-news/comedian-kathy-griffin-suspended-from-twitter-musk-threatens-to-boot-more/ |
Kenny Neal and Germany’s Ruf Records released the Baton Rouge bluesman’s 18th album last week.
“Straight from the Heart” arrives in the 35th anniversary year of Neal’s recording debut, “Bio on the Bayou.”
“Wow, ain’t that a trip?” Neal said in the control room of his Brookstown Recording Studio. “The kids in the blues field, who are 30 years old right now, they weren’t even around.”
A worldwide musician since his early 20s, Neal lately has been thinking about his place in the blues hierarchy.
“Trying to get to the next slot,” he said. “Not that I’m bragging on myself, but I’ve done all the work and I understand the music and the history.”
Neal’s new album follows his made-in-Nashville, Grammy-nominated 2016 release, “Bloodline.” The first of his albums recorded in his hometown, “Straight from the Heart” takes Neal home to Baton Rouge and the Louisiana music that shaped him.
“It’s coming from my dad, Raful, and James Johnson, Rudolph (Richard), Fats Domino, Ernie K-Doe, Johnny Adams,” he said. “When I was here in my studio, I focused on how Rudy, Raful and them played. That’s why I say ‘straight from the heart.’ I captured what I remember from back as a kid. That goes for the whole album.”
A restlessly creative artist and entrepreneur, Neal doesn’t sit still for long. In addition to producing and recording “Straight from the Heart,” the other projects he made at this studio during the pandemic include Tito Jackson’s first blues album, “Under Your Spell;” Buffalo, New York blues singer Patti Parks’ “Whole Nother World;” and South Korean-American singer-pianist Hanna PK’s “Blues All Over My Shoes.”
Neal assumed the role of sole producer of “Straight from the Heart” and purposefully recorded the project at the local studio he built in 2017.
“I’ve got great engineers here and all my musicians around town,” he explained. “I had a chance to just do what I wanted to do this time. I didn’t have any other input around me saying, ‘Oh, you should try this, do that.’ It’s totally Kenny, because nobody can tell me what Rudolph and James and they used to tell me.”
Neal’s production choices included making many horn arrangements. Via multi-tracking, the New Orleans-based Jason Parfait and Ian Smith, aka the 504 Horns, recorded all of those horn parts.
“I filled it up with horns because that’s the way Fats (Domino) and them did it,” Neal said.
Neal’s guest stars include Jackson (“Two Timing”); the Grammy-winning Mississippi singer-guitarist Christone “Kingfish” Ingram (“Mount Up on the Wings of the King”); his Los Angeles-based daughter, Syretta; Big Nate Williams and the Zydeco Twisters; Rockin’ Dopsie Jr. and the Zydeco Twisters; and the late Buckwheat Zydeco’s band members Lee Allen and Kevin Menard.
Neal also brought Baton Rouge pianist Darrell Jefferson to the studio for “Someone Somewhere,” a Little Junior Parker song that Jefferson performed on the bandstand with Raful Neal.
“Darrell was the right one for it,” he said. “My little brother wasn’t the right one. My other keyboard player wasn’t the guy. I had to get the old schoolers in here, who know how it’s done.”
Of course, the old school Baton Rouge bluesmen include Neal’s late singing and harmonica-playing father, Raful.
“I feel like he’s still alive in me, because sometimes I think the way he thinks. Pops was a straightforward guy who’d be honest with you. He used to say, ‘Be a man to your word.’ ”
Happily busy for the past two pandemic years with recording sessions and his entrepreneurial non-musical projects, Neal didn’t begin performing again until last month. So far this year he’s appeared at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Live After Five in Baton Rouge and the Blues Music Awards in Memphis.
“Getting back in the groove, " he said. | 2022-05-26T15:29:46+00:00 | theadvocate.com | https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/article_64e2a3e6-db73-11ec-ae1b-0fafb4d7162f.html |
- To proponents of the new Freshwater Research & Innovation Center. A $15 million state allocation announced Thursday will cover most of the cost of the facility planned for the Discovery Center & Pier property in Traverse City.
The goal of the new center is to offer a place for students, scientists and entrepreneurs to test out new technology. The project is the result of a partnership between the Discovery Center, Michigan Technological University, Northwestern Michigan College, Traverse Connect and 20Fathoms, and has solid bipartisan support from area state legislators, including Rep. Betsy Coffia, D-Traverse City; Sen. John Damoose, R-Harbor Springs; and Rep. John Roth, R-Traverse City.
NMC’s Vice President for Strategic Initiatives Jason Slade said the development is meant to establish the state’s position as a leader in the freshwater blue economy.
- To the Kalkaska Battlers, a new semi-pro hockey club set to begin play in late October as part of the Michigan Independence Hockey League. The team will play its home games at the Kaliseum.
“It’s going to give us some new exposure, bring in new people,” Kaliseum Director John Starr said. “They’re really stressing getting youth involved.”
- To the Benzie Wellness and Aquatic Center for offering a free swim skills and water safety program for kids. Beginner and intermediate classes will take place this month.
- To Northwestern Michigan College instructor and artist Glenn Wolff. “The Accidental Reef and Other Ecological Odysseys in the Great Lakes” — written by Lynne Heasley and illustrated by Wolff — was selected as a top indie book by the Independent Book Publishing Professionals Group, receiving a grand prize for nonfiction in the 2023 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and finishing at the top of the education/academic and animals/pets categories. | 2023-07-01T17:41:39+00:00 | record-eagle.com | https://www.record-eagle.com/opinion/editorials/cheers-07-01-2023/article_b9c7ddb0-1766-11ee-b533-4f9868492d89.html |
'General Hospital' star Sonya Eddy dead at 55
"General Hospital" star Sonya Eddy has died, executive producer Frank Valentini has confirmed. She was 55.
On Tuesday, Valentini took to Twitter to share the news, writing: "I am heartbroken about the loss of the incredible @TheRealSonyaEd. I truly loved her not only as actress, but as a friend. The lights in the hub of the nurse’s station will now be a little dimmer, but her spirit and light will live on in both the show and our set."
Eddy's close friend Octavia Spencer also shared a heartfelt tribute on Instagram.
"My friend @sonyaeddy passed away last night," Spencer, 52, wrote alongside a photo of Eddy. "The world lost another creative angel. Her legions of @generalhospitalabc fans will miss her."
No cause of death was provided.
"General Hospital" also issued a statement, remembering Eddy as a "fan favorite" and "beloved member" of their family.
"'General Hospital' is sad to confirm the passing of ‘General Hospital’ actress Sonya Eddy, who embodied her character… the tough but compassionate, head nurse, Epiphany Johnson – and immediately became a fan favorite and beloved member of our ‘GH’ family when she joined the show in 2006," the statement obtained by Fox News Digital read.
ROBYN GRIGGS, ‘ANOTHER WORLD’ AND ‘ONE LIFE TO LIVE’ ACTRESS, DEAD AT 49
Valentini added in the statement: "On behalf of the entire GH cast and crew, we send our deepest sympathy to her family, friends and fans. She will be very missed."
Eddy made her debut on "General Hospital" in March 2006. She played Port Charles General Hospital's no-nonsense head nurse Epiphany Johnson on the long-running ABC soap opera.
The California native also starred on the show's primetime spinoff series "General Hospital: Night Shift" from 2007 to 2008. Eddy played school secretary Tammy on the TruTv sitcom "Those Who Can't" from 2017 to 2019. She had a recurring role on the ABC sitcom "Fresh Off the Boat" from 2015-2017.
In addition, Eddy appeared on "Glee," "Mike & Molly," "Reba," "2 Broke Girls," "The Middle," "Mom," "Castle," "In Case of Emergency", "Everybody Hates Chris," "Daybreak" and "Malcolm In the Middle."
Her film credits include roles in "Inspector Gadget," "Barbershop," "Daddy Daycare," "Matchstick Men," "Bad News Bears," "Seven Pounds," "The Perfect Game" and "Pee-Wee's Big Holiday."
In 2022, Eddy appeared in the movies "Satanic Hispanics," "Frank and Penelope and "V/H/S/99," the Apple+ series "The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey" and the miniseries "This Show Sucks Truth + Consequences."
According to IMDb, Eddy was born in Concord, California, and graduated from UC Davis. She launched her acting career in 1990 when she starred in Ruby Dee's play "Zora, Is My Name!"
She also appeared in productions of William Shakespeare's "The Comedy of Errors," Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods" and Rodgers and Hammerstein's "South Pacific."
Eddy's business partner Tyler Ford shared a statement on her passing with Fox News Digital on Tuesday. Ford wrote, "It is with the heaviest heart that I have to announce the sudden passing of my business partner, creative soulmate, and best friend Sonya Eddy.
"She left an indelible imprint in every person that she touched, through the screen and off. In honor of her memory contributions can be made to The Foundation of the National Student Nurses’ Association Inc." | 2022-12-21T04:25:56+00:00 | fox9.com | https://www.fox9.com/news/general-hospital-star-sonya-eddy-dead-at-55 |
Olivia Wilde has formally requested in court that Jason Sudeikis start paying child support for their two children, claiming she "has borne the lion's share of the expenses for their children" even though "he earns significantly more than" her.
According to legal documents, first obtained by The Blast, the actress requested that a Los Angeles judge order the Ted Lasso star to pay child support "retroactive" to the date in which she first filed the case. The outlet reports that the actress claims to have more than $107,000 in monthly expenses, which includes almost $60,000 in "rent/mortgage" and $4,000 in "laundry and cleaning."
Wilde claims that while she and Sudeikis "have been splitting certain expenses for the children, such as their school tuition," she's the one "bearing 100% of the costs of the children's care when they are with me, including, but not limited to, their food, clothing, childcare, extracurricular activities and transportation costs."
ET has reached out to Wilde and Sudeikis' reps for comment. A source close to Sudeikis tells ET, "Jason shared costs equally and fairly throughout his relationship, including everything related to the children. Jason took it upon himself to initiate the proceedings in the first place to ensure that the kids would be properly cared for by both parents based on the court deciding what is fair financially going forward."
According to the court documents, Wilde told the court she makes $40,000 a month in salary, $60,000 from "Wilde Company income" and "rental property income." She also told the court she has $645,187 in bank accounts and over $10 million in other assets.
But the actress also claimed in court docs "it is undisputed that [Sudeikis] earns significantly more than Olivia and has greater access to funds" and that "Jason shares equal responsibility with Olivia for the support of their children." Wilde claims that, despite her requests, Sudeikis "is not currently paying child support" and she's asking the court "that we agree upon an interim support amount to avoid further litigation in this matter."
She wants the court "to make an order regarding child support so that I can adequately provide for our children commensurate with Jason's standard of living." Wilde and Sudeikis share two children -- Otis, 8, and Daisy, 6.
The actress also wants Sudeikis to cover her legal bills, to the tune of no less than $500,000. She told the court, "I am also asking that Jason make a contribution to my attorney and accountant fees and costs, not only due to him being in a significantly superior position than me financially, but because the vast majority of the fees I have incurred have been due to Jason and his counsel's egregious, unnecessary, and aggressive conduct."
Previously, Wilde had claimed that her ex was trying to litigate her into debt amid their contentious custody battle.
RELATED CONTENT: | 2023-04-06T01:03:09+00:00 | ktvb.com | https://www.ktvb.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/olivia-wilde-claims-jason-sudeikis-does-not-pay-child-support-amid-her-107000-monthly-expenses/603-189f7e8e-3beb-418a-b66c-2e54b143beba |
Beefalo is a crossbreed of cattle and bison. The meat is lean and the animals are relatively docile, but ranchers have been reluctant to raise beefalo. The meat isn’t available in most grocery stores because it comes from mostly small producers. Some hope beefalo will soon be widely found all over the country.
Jonathan Ahl of Harvest Public Media reports.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2022-07-08T20:23:30+00:00 | nepm.org | https://www.nepm.org/2022-07-08/beefalo-producers-want-their-meat-to-be-more-than-just-a-niche-product |
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The United States Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) stance on butter storage is contributing to significant consumer confusion.
Since July 2019 the FDA has stated on the USDA website "Butter and margarine are safe at room temperature. However, if butter is left out at room temperature for several days, the flavor can turn rancid so it's best to leave out whatever you can use within a day or two."
While it is correct that 'Butter and margarine are safe at room temperature,' they're safe at room temperature (68-78°) for 21 days, not 1-2 days.
"As the governmental authority on the safe handling of food, the American public looks to the FDA for guidance and fact-based data," states Joelle Mertzel, President of Kitchen Concepts and a national advocate for countertop butter. "However, no information could be obtained by representatives of the FDA when pressed for supplemental data regarding their recommendations."
Kitchen Concepts, a housewares manufacturer in Northridge, CA, worked with Michelson Laboratories Inc, an FDA-approved food safety lab to test butter stored at room (ambient) temperature. A variety of butter brands were analyzed every 3-7 days, and tested for spoilage organisms such as general bacteria, coliforms, yeast and mold that could limit shelf life. The samples were also tested for thiobarbituric acid (TBA) to monitor oxidation and rancidity.
The results for these microbiological tests were non-detectable up to 21 days under ambient temperature. The results for the TBA tests did not indicate rancidity during the 21-day study.
According to Anne Vitoreli, Microbiology Manager at Michelson Laboratories Inc. "The butter samples were of good microbial quality when stored at ambient temperature for 21 days."
In February 2023 Kitchen Concepts submitted a petition to the FDA to request they change their recommendation on butter storage from this general reporting, "whatever you can use within a day or two" to the specific study-based finding: 21 days or 3 weeks. This change in regulation will allow thousands of Americans to enjoy one of their favorite dairy products in new ways.
"Our mission at Kitchen Concepts is to eliminate consumer confusion with regards to the safe storage of butter," continues Mertzel. "Having soft butter is such a joy. It's easier to bake with, it's easier to spread, and it tastes better at room temperature. There is nothing more frustrating than ripping your toast while trying to use a cold, hard stick of butter."
About Kitchen Concepts Unlimited, LLC
Kitchen Concepts is a housewares company based in Northridge, CA. Since 2016, Kitchen Concepts' mission has been to eliminate consumer confusion about keeping butter on the counter and to educate America that butter does not require refrigeration. Kitchen Concepts manufactures, sells, and distributes innovative household products including IncrediBulb, a 100% shatterproof LED light bulb; SnapAway, a patent-pending tub butter knife, and Butterie, a flip-top butter dish. For more information, visit kcunlimited.com.
Media Contact:
Gio Gomez, Kitchen Concepts Unlimited LLC
gio@kcunlimited.com • (818) 678-9002
View original content:
SOURCE Kitchen Concepts | 2023-02-22T13:31:09+00:00 | uppermichiganssource.com | https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/prnewswire/2023/02/22/kitchen-concepts-petitions-fda-change-their-butter-storage-recommendations/ |
Initially the plan was to redecorate the guest bedroom. However, once Jodi Sokoloff, who lives in Chestnut Hill with her three sons, connected with designers Ryan Stanton and Jessica Schwartz, she decided to change the vibe throughout. “I wanted to start fresh after my divorce and make all the rooms feel more like me,” Sokoloff says.
The designers helped Sokoloff cultivate her personal style. “I needed to figure out my individual taste,” she says. Her sister-in-law was a sounding board and her mom weighed in, too. “They called me together about refinishing the dark floors because they weren’t working with the hip, new design,” Sokoloff recalls. “They said, ‘Do it right!’”
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Stanton and Schwartz leaned into a feminine aesthetic with a palette of bright neutrals, natural woods, dusty pinks, and deep purples, accented with hits of green and black to lend an edge. “It’s the juxtaposition that makes it interesting,” Schwartz says.
Once the floors were lightened, the entry was an easy fix. White paint replaced the grass-cloth wallcovering, while black and pale gray paint enlivened the fusty brown wood of the stairs. A charcoal runner with aubergine undertones grounds the space, a sculptural pendant floats above, and an oak console with a leather top by Providence maker Liz Welch is an earthy, artisanal touch.
The high-contrast scheme enriched with natural wood carries into the kitchen, where the statement marble backsplash kicked off the design. The stone — Caribbean Island — is the same type Gwyneth Paltrow used for the bar in her Montecito, California, home (though the designers point out that they installed the backsplash before the star’s Architectural Digest reveal). The countertops are much less precious. “Quartz is a better choice for families since it’s so durable,” Schwartz says. “Design decisions have to support how clients use the space.”
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In keeping with that directive, they doubled the size of the island and created tons of storage. “The house is a revolving door for friends; now Jodi can entertain without a second thought,” Schwartz says. The team also re-engineered the pass-through to the dining room into a walk-in pantry, a feature that was sorely lacking in a family with three growing boys. The brass and glass Moorish pendants by L’Aviva Home reflect Sokoloff’s penchant for Bohemian flavor.
In the dining room, the team demolished the columns that flanked the opening from the entry in favor of walls with crisp edges and painted the wainscoting the same shade as the walls to modernize it. A ceramic chandelier from L’Aviva Home and an artisan-made wall tapestry speak to Sokoloff’s boho aesthetic, while the aubergine rug toughens up the soft neutrals and ties to the runner on the stairs.
Oak is introduced with the sideboard and tabletop, both by Providence maker Shaun Bullens. The table legs are made out of pink and terracotta-colored marble repurposed from another of the designers’ clients. “The stone was left over from slabs we sourced in Portugal for clients who were inspired by [influencer] Athena Calderone’s bathroom,” Stanton says.
There’s a bit more color in the living room thanks to splashes of mossy green in the camouflage-patterned rug and the mixed-media artwork with florescent flourishes. Sokoloff’s sectional hugs a low-slung oak coffee table, another piece by Liz Welch. As the family’s main living space, the furnishings are comfortable and withstand roughhousing. “I want our home to look lived in by a family who loves each other and does things together,” Sokoloff says.
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The adjacent office is painted in Farrow & Ball’s Sulking Room Pink, a dusty rose that makes for an alluring backdrop for the sturdy but sexy desk that the duo designed. New, two-tone custom cabinetry stretches along one wall with an integrated window seat; there’s also a Sherpa chair. “It’s an office that invites her sons to join her,” Schwartz says. Before, the room had two clunky desks and papers piled everywhere. “Now, it’s like, ahhhh,” the homeowner says.
That sentiment extends to the whole house, which Sokoloff says is totally her. She attributes the result to the designers’ exquisite taste and dynamic. “Jess really got me as a mom and Ryan pushed the envelope,” she says. The designers love that they helped Sokoloff discover her voice. “It took time,” Stanton says, “but once we found it, it was magic.”
RESOURCES
Interior Designer: Stanton Schwartz Design Group, stantonschwartz.com
Contractor: Phoenix Home Services, pci-1.net
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Marni Elyse Katz is a contributing editor to the Globe Magazine. Follow her on Instagram @StyleCarrot. Send comments to magazine@globe.com. | 2023-03-30T13:38:30+00:00 | bostonglobe.com | https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/03/30/magazine/after-divorce-mother-three-goes-all-her-own-home-style/ |
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Movie tells true story about the rescue of children from slavery
Tim Ballard rescued a boy from sex traffickers, then went a step further — many steps actually — and rescued his sister and more than 100 children.
That’s a true story. And it’s told with honesty and compassion in “Sound of Freedom,” a movie you should see. It’s now screening at theaters in Santa Barbara, Goleta and Santa Maria.
Talented actor Jim Caviezel stars as Tim, a real-life federal agent who found making arrests wasn’t enough. A father himself, Tim knew he had to rescue children, and he risked his life to do so.
Alejandro Monteverde directed the movie, distributed by Angel Studios. The director tells the story as a straightforward narrative that shows the abuse the children experienced as sex slaves.
“Sound of Freedom” tells the horrible details but doesn’t exploit the horror. Mr. Monteverde, who co-wrote the story with Rod Barr and knows when to show restraint in the camera work, respects the children in this story, which was filmed on location in Cartagena, Colombia. “Sound of Freedom” demonstrates that a difficult topic can be shown on screen without graphic or sensational details.
When Tim decides to go on a dangerous mission to save Roberto’s (Jose Zuniga) daughter Rocio, he quits his job and heads to Colombia, where he and others go undercover in a sting operation to rescue more than 50 children at one time and apprehend the villains. It’s amazing to see the careful steps Tim and his colleagues, including his right-hand man Vampiro (Bill Camp), take to ensure the children’s safety before and during their rescue.
Mr. Camp brings a lot to this movie, and it’s a reflection of his Broadway experience, which includes”The Crucible” and “The Death of A Sales.”
Mr. Caviezel, whose movies have included “The Count of Monte Cristo,” and Mr. Camp do a great job in playing these real-life individuals. And Oscar-winning star Mira Sorvino adds to the film’s depth as Katherine Ballard, Tim’s wife.
The film is enhanced by the performances by Lucas Avila and Cristal Aparicio as Miguel and Rocio, the siblings who were kidnapped by sex traffickers. The young actors give an honest, compelling portrayal.
After “Sound of Freedom” was completed, it took another five years for it to land in theaters. The original distribution deal was with 20th Century Fox, but the distribution didn’t proceed after Disney bought the studio. Angel Studios acquired the global distribution rights after getting help from an online group of 10,000 investors.
The movie was produced by Eduardo Verastegui, who plays Paul in the movie, and the production company behind it is Santa Fe Films.
Tim Ballard requested that Mr. Caviezel portray him in the movie, and it is one of Hollywood’s better casting decisions.
Mr. Caviezel, who considers “Sound of Freedom” to be one of his most important films, discusses the movie and its potential for inspiring positive changes during the closing credits.
email: dmason@newspress.com | 2023-07-07T15:19:41+00:00 | newspress.com | https://newspress.com/review-sound-of-freedom/ |
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