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At age 33, Houston still adding to sack total with Ravens
By NOAH TRISTER
AP Sports Writer
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — Justin Houston already has 8 1/2 sacks this season despite missing three games. The 33-year-old linebacker has 6 1/2 sacks in three games since returning from a groin injury. His Baltimore Ravens won each of those. Houston has raised his career sack total to 110 1/2. He already has his highest mark in a season since he had 11 in 2019 with Indianapolis. He’s had multiple sacks in each of the past three games. And he earned AFC defensive player of the week honors after contributing 2 1/2 sacks and an interception at New Orleans on Nov. 7.
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2022-11-17T01:04:24+00:00
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localnews8.com
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https://localnews8.com/news/2022/11/16/at-age-33-houston-still-adding-to-sack-total-with-ravens/
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MESA, Ariz., July 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Verra Mobility Corporation (NASDAQ: VRRM), a leading provider of smart mobility technology solutions, announced today that it will report financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2022, after market close on August 3, 2022.
Verra Mobility's Chief Executive Officer, David Roberts, and Chief Financial Officer, Craig Conti, will host a conference call and live webcast to discuss financial results for investors and analysts at 5:00 p.m. ET on August 3, 2022.
To access the conference call, dial 1-800-289-0720 for the U.S. or Canada and 1-323-701-0160 for international callers with conference ID 1070500. A live webcast will be available on the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's website at ir.verramobility.com.
An audio replay of the call will also be available until 11:59 p.m. ET on August 17, 2022, by dialing 1-844-512-2921 for the U.S. or Canada, and 1-412-317-6671 for international callers and entering passcode 1070500.
In addition, an archived webcast will be available in the "News & Events" section of Verra Mobility's Investor Relations website at ir.verramobility.com.
About Verra Mobility
Verra Mobility Corporation (NASDAQ: VRRM) is committed to developing and using the latest in technology and data intelligence to help make transportation safer and easier. As a global company, Verra Mobility sits at the center of the mobility ecosystem – one that brings together vehicles, devices, information and people to solve complex challenges faced by our customers and the constituencies they serve.
As a leading provider of connected mobility systems, Verra Mobility serves the world's largest rental car companies and commercial fleets by managing tolling and violation transactions for millions of vehicles each year through integration and connectivity with hundreds of tolling and issuing authorities. Verra Mobility also fosters the development of safe cities, partnering with law enforcement agencies, transportation departments and school districts mainly across North America operating thousands of speed, red-light, bus lane and school bus stop arm safety cameras, and by offering parking hardware and software solutions. Arizona-based Verra Mobility operates in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.verramobility.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include, but are not limited to, statements about Verra Mobility's plans, objectives, expectations, beliefs and intentions and other statements including words such as "hope," "anticipate," "may," "believe," "expect," "intend," "will," "should," "plan," "estimate," "predict," "continue" and "potential" or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. The forward-looking statements herein represent the judgment of the Verra Mobility, as of the date of this release, and Verra Mobility disclaims any intent or obligation to update forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those currently anticipated. This press release should be read in conjunction with the information included in Verra Mobility's other press releases, reports and other filings with the SEC and on the SEC website, www.sec.gov. Understanding the information contained in these filings is important in order to fully understand Verra Mobility's reported financial results and our business outlook for future periods. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in the forward-looking statements and the assumptions and estimates used as a basis for the forward-looking statements.
Additional Information
We periodically provide information for investors on our corporate website, www.verramobility.com, and our investor relations website, ir.verramobility.com. We intend to use our website as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor our website, in addition to following the Company's press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts.
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2022-07-22T13:52:07+00:00
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kfyrtv.com
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https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/07/22/verra-mobility-schedules-second-quarter-2022-earnings-call/
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Calls to end Wisconsin elections panel grow ahead of vote
Madison, Wis. – The only Republican candidate running for governor in Wisconsin who had supported keeping the bipartisan state elections commission in place reversed his position Wednesday, calling for it to be dissolved hours before the panel was to vote on who would be its next chairman.
Construction company co-owner Tim Michels said in a statement that he now supports doing away with the commission after speaking with attendees at the Wisconsin Republican Party convention last weekend, including commissioner Bob Spindell. Spindell, who is running to be the next chair of the commission, was one of 10 Republicans who tried to cast Electoral College votes for former President Donald Trump in Wisconsin, even though he lost.
The next chair of the commission will hold the position heading into the November election and in the lead up to the 2024 presidential election in battleground Wisconsin. The chair by state law approves the vote canvass following elections and certifies results. The chair also sets the agenda for the commission and can exert influence over how questions are framed, an important power on the board that is evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats.
Spindell would need at least one of the commission’s three Democrats to vote for him in order to be elected. State law requires the next chair to be a Republican and the only other commissioner allowed to seek the post is Dean Knudson, a former state representative. Knudson said on Tuesday that he did not anticipate having any comment before the commission’s meeting.
Michels three weeks ago said he wanted to keep the commission in place but make changes to it. Now he wants it abolished, the same position as other GOP candidates Rebecca Kleefisch, Kevin Nicholson and state Rep. Timothy Ramthun. The winner of the Aug. 9 primary will advance to face Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, who supports keeping the commission in place.
“While this evolution may be uncommon in politics, I’m not a politician,” Michels said in a statement. “I’ve come to the conclusion the WEC is not salvageable. To have non-elected officials overseeing the administration of elections has proven to be fundamentally flawed.”
Michels did not say what he wants to replace the commission with and did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
Spindell does not support doing away with the commission. Spindell and the other fake GOP electors were sued last week.
Kleefisch on Wednesday threw her support behind Spindell to be the commission’s next chair “to ensure that our laws are followed this election cycle.” If Kleefisch gets her way, the commission won’t exist for the next election.
|
2022-05-25T16:16:52+00:00
|
detroitnews.com
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https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/politics/2022/05/25/calls-end-wisconsin-elections-panel-grow-ahead-vote/9926403002/
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Funds raised will accelerate company's launch
SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Atsign Company, ("Atsign"), a technology company that makes it easy to secure the privacy of individuals, organizations, and things on the Internet, announced today the launch of their capital raise campaign on the Republic platform at https://republic.com/atsign. U.S. and International investors may purchase equity in Atsign via a SAFE note.
Atsign's award-winning technology platform (the "atPlatform") allows IoT (Internet of Things) device manufacturers and integrators to secure connected devices better than any other current technology, giving device administrators remote access with zero network attack surfaces, zero static IP addresses, and end-to-end encryption. The atPlatform also makes it easy for enterprise and consumer app developers to build privacy-first applications that give individuals control over what personal data they share, with whom they share it, and how long the data is available.
Since 2019, Atsign has raised $11M from Angel investors and aims to grow to $14M with this current round. The company is looking to raise $1M from the community and $1M from private investors to add to a $1M commitment already obtained from Angel investors. Atsign will use the new round of funding to complete and execute their go-to-market strategy in the $6B IoT security market.
"As a company, we are always looking for ways to prioritize people and the planet," said Barbara Tallent, co-founder and CEO of Atsign. "We're really excited to give our community of privacy advocates, cyber-security professionals, and retail investors the opportunity to make a difference in the world and improve their investment portfolios at the same time."
Learn more about investing in Atsign.
About Atsign
Atsign is an award-winning technology company that believes the privacy and security of every person, organization, and device is a fundamental right, and they're working towards making it a reality. They won the 2022 IoTSF Champion award and the 2023 IoT Global Award for Securing IoT.
Learn more at Atsign.com.
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2023-02-22T12:49:16+00:00
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waff.com
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https://www.waff.com/prnewswire/2023/02/22/atsign-announces-equity-crowdfunding-round/
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HUDSON, Wis. (AP) — A 52-year-old Minnesota man was charged Monday with killing a teenager and stabbing four other people in a dispute that allegedly began with a lost cellphone during a weekend tubing excursion on a western Wisconsin river.
Investigators said in court documents that Nicolae Miu, of Prior Lake, Minnesota, attacked the group after people accused him of approaching children in the water. Miu told investigators that he had acted in self-defense.
He faces one count of first-degree intentional homicide and four counts of attempted first-degree intentional homicide in St. Croix County, which sits along Wisconsin’s border with Minnesota. The judge set bond at $1 million cash for Miu, who appeared at the hearing by video.
The family of the teen who died has identified him as 17-year-old Isaac Schuman, of Stillwater, Minnesota. He would have been a senior at Stillwater High School this fall.
The victims were tubing on Saturday down the Apple River northeast of Stillwater, which is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Minneapolis when they were attacked, sheriff’s officials said. Those wounded were two men from Luck, Wisconsin, ages 20 and 22, a 24-year-old woman from Burnsville, Minnesota, and a 22-year-old man from Elk River, Minnesota.
Minnesota Public Radio obtained a copy of the criminal complaint against Miu. According to the complaint, Miu was tubing down the river with his wife and several other people. Another group of people also was tubing on the river.
Miu told investigators that he was using a snorkel and goggles to look for a lost cellphone. Video and witness accounts indicate bystanders accused him of approaching children in the water. Witnesses said Miu was bothering a group of juveniles and others told him to leave, the complaint states.
Instead of leaving, Miu punched a woman and a fight ensued, according to the complaint. Video shows him falling into the river, emerging with a knife and then stabbing a person.
“There was enough blood in the river that the water turned a red tint in places,” the complaint states.
Miu told investigators that he was provoked, according to the complaint. He said at least two others in the crowd had knives and he took one of the knives away from one of the males in the crowd but didn’t know what happened to it.
“They attacked me,” he said. “I was in self-defense mode.”
The Burnsville victim, Ryhley Mattison, wrote in a GoFundMe post that she was tubing with her friends when they came across a group asking for help. She said there was an older man who was “being inappropriate and was asked to leave, but wouldn’t,” and that he stabbed her and several other people.
The victims from Luck have been released from the hospital, St. Croix County Sheriff Scott Knudson said Monday.
Schuman’s family said in a statement that he was an honor roll student and was preparing to apply to several universities to study electrical engineering.
“He had an incredibly bright future ahead of him and we are all heartbroken and devastated beyond words that his future has been tragically and senselessly cut short,” the family said. “We very much appreciate the overwhelming outpouring of love and support from our friends, Isaac’s friends and the Stillwater Community.”
Stillwater High School Principal Robert Bach said in an e-mail to families that “we extend our deepest sympathy to the family and everyone impacted directly or indirectly.”
Bach told parents the school would help them and their children work through the difficult process.
“The death of a classmate, even for those who didn’t know them well, will impact each student differently, and all reactions need to be addressed with great care and support,” he wrote. “We encourage you to talk with your children about this sad news and help them to process their feelings.”
|
2022-08-02T13:05:16+00:00
|
pahomepage.com
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https://www.pahomepage.com/uncategorized/minnesota-man-charged-with-killing-teen-stabbing-4-others-on-river/
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Hamad Medjedovic 2023 Swiss Open Gstaad Odds
The Swiss Open Gstaad is nearing its close in Gstaad, Switzerland, as Hamad Medjedovic plays in a quarterfinal against Yannick Hanfmann. Medjedovic's monyeline odds to win it all at Roy Emerson Arena are +1200.
Find all the latest odds for the 2023 Swiss Open Gstaad and place your bets with a new user bonus from BetMGM.
Medjedovic at the 2023 Swiss Open Gstaad
- Next Round: Quarterfinals
- Tournament Dates: July 14-23
- Venue: Roy Emerson Arena
- Location: Gstaad, Switzerland
- Court Surface: Clay
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Medjedovic's Next Match
In the quarterfinals on Friday, July 21 (at 4:30 AM ET), Medjedovic will play Hanfmann, after defeating Dominic Thiem 7-5, 2-6, 6-3 in the previous round.
Want to bet on Medjedovic? Head to BetMGM using our link for a bonus bet special offer for new players!
Medjedovic Stats
- In the Round of 16 on Wednesday, Medjedovic defeated No. 94-ranked Thiem, 7-5, 2-6, 6-3.
- Medjedovic has not won any of his six tournaments over the past year, with an overall record of 6-6.
- In three tournaments on clay over the past year, Medjedovic has gone 3-3.
- Medjedovic, over the past year, has played 12 matches across all court surfaces, and 26.4 games per match.
- In his six matches on a clay surface over the past year, Medjedovic has averaged 26.0 games.
- Medjedovic, over the past year, has won 75.0% of his service games and 24.6% of his return games.
- As far as serve/return winning percentages on clay over the past year, Medjedovic has won 63.5% of his games on serve, and 26.5% on return.
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved.
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2023-07-19T20:05:30+00:00
|
foxcarolina.com
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https://www.foxcarolina.com/sports/betting/2023/07/14/hamad-medjedovic-swiss-open-gstaad-betting-odds/
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- The Company's net operating revenue reached R$3.2 billion in 2Q22, exceeding by 215% and 3% the amounts recorded in 2Q21 and 2Q19, respectively;
- GOL confirmed the growth in corporate demand and transported 5.8 million passengers in the quarter, more than double that of 2Q21 and still 30% below the volume of 2Q19;
- The disciplined capacity management associated with the consistent recovery in demand resulted in an average yield per passenger of R$43 cents, a record for the Company and a positive growth of 66% over 2Q21;
- Operating results improved, with recurring EBIT at R$50.8 million (margin of 1.6%) and recurring EBITDA at R$439.0 million (margin of 13.5%, positive for the third consecutive quarter); and
- GOL took delivery of three new Boeing 737 MAX-8 aircraft in the quarter and totaled 34 (24% of the current fleet), driving operating cost efficiencies and less carbon emissions.
SÃO PAULO, July 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. ("GOL" or "Company") (NYSE: GOL and B3: GOLL4), the largest domestic airline in Brazil, released its consolidated results for the second quarter of 2022 (2Q22). During this period, and while taking an assertive approach to capacity management and increasing productivity, the Company recorded the highest yield in its history as well as the highest net operating revenue in a second quarter.
Paulo Kakinoff, Board Member, said: "In June, I ended my 10-year term as an executive at GOL and I would like to express my deep gratitude to the entire Team of Eagles, who have been by my side, both in the most challenging moments and for the countless wins that we have achieved together. With the confidence that we have now overcome one of the most difficult periods in the history of the aviation industry, I am handing over the controls to a new generation of leadership who will lead GOL in the next cycle of sustainable growth."
Celso Ferrer, CEO, added: "I have had the privilege of working with Kakinoff for more than seven years and witnessed his unparalleled leadership skills. I took on the role of CEO with the commitment to focus on three main pillars: growth, consistency and proximity, and look forward to sharing more with you about my vision for these over the coming quarters. GOL's strength has always been our commitment to serving our Customers and being the best for all, and that will continue to be our guiding light as a Company. It is an exciting time for the airline industry as a whole, and with the help of our Team of Eagles, I am confident in leading GOL to even greater heights."
All information in this press release is presented in Brazilian Reais (R$), as per the international accounting standards (IFRS) and with adjusted metrics, made available to enable the comparison of this quarter with the same year-ago quarter (2Q21). Adjusted (recurring) indicators exclude non-recurring expenses linked to the quarter's results and are detailed in their respective tables.
- Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK) grew 103.0%, while the total Available Seat Kilometers (ASK) grew by 123.7%;
- Net Revenue more than tripled to R$3.2 billion. Ancillary Revenue, mainly from SMILES and GOLLOG, grew 75% to R$246.4 million;
- The average load factor fell by 7.9 p.p. to 77.2%. Domestic load factor fell by 8.5 p.p. compared to 2Q21, while the international load factor was 86.7%;
- Aircraft utilization was 10.2 hours a day, a gain of 27.5% in productivity;
- The number of passengers transported by GOL doubled to 5.8 million, equivalent to 71.4% of the pre- pandemic number recorded in 2Q19;
- Net Revenue per Available Seat-Kilometer (RASK) grew by 41% to R$35.94 cents;
- Average yield per passenger grew by 66.2% to R$43 cents, which is a record for the Company;
- Recurring Cost per Seat-Kilometer fell by 20.4% to R$35.38 cents. CASK Fuel grew by 72.2% to R$16.06 cents, due to the 80.5% increase in jet fuel (QAV) prices;
- Recurring EBIT was positive by R$50.8 million with 1.6% margin, while recurring EBITDA was positive by R$439 million with 13.5% margin;
- Net Loss reached R$2.8 billion, loss per share reached R$6.81 and loss per ADS reached US$2.77, mainly due to exchange and monetary variations; and
- The net debt ratio (including 7x annual lease payments and excluding the perpetual bonds) over recurring EBITDA LTM reached 9.5x on June 30, 2022, down by 1.6x compared to March 31, 2022 (11.1x), mainly due to the sequential recovery of recurring EBITDA.
Access the earnings release, presentation and full financial statements at: www.voegol.com.br/ri
2Q22 Conference Call: July 28, 2022, 10:00 a.m. (New York time; US EDT), Phone: +1 (412) 317-6382, Code: GOL, broadcast via webcast (https://webcastlite.mziq.com/cover.html?webcastId=bc6af7b7-cbdb-4c09-9bbd-29e85939673a).
Investor Relations: ri@voegol.com.br, +55(11) 2128-4700
About GOL Linhas Aéreas Inteligentes S.A. (www.voegol.com.br): The largest airline in Brazil, leader in the corporate and leisure segments. Since founded in 2001, the Company has the lowest unit cost in Latin America, thus democratizing air transportation.
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2022-07-28T12:32:16+00:00
|
uppermichiganssource.com
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https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/prnewswire/2022/07/28/gol-announces-second-quarter-2022-results/
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New details have emerged about the murder plot of notorious Boston crime boss James “Whitey” Bulger in a West Virginia prison.
According to new details stated in court on Monday, Justice Department prosecutors said that inmates knew ahead of time that Bulger was being moved to Penitentiary Hazleton, the Associated Press reported.
According to prosecutors, the plan began when one of the men charged with killing Bulger, Sean McKinnon, called his mother the night before the high-profile inmate's arrival, ABC News reported.
Bulger was found beaten to death inside his prison cell in October 2018, hours after he was transferred from a prison in Florida to USP Hazelton, the news outlets reported.
According to prosecutors, Fotios “Freddy” Geas, Paul J. DeCologero and McKinnon allegedly gathered outside Bulger's prison cell around 6:07 a.m., then went in, and stayed there for seven minutes before killing him, the news outlets reported.
Prison guards find Bulger's body by 8:07 a.m., according to ABC News.
NBC News reported that McKinnon is accused of being the looking man while Geas and DeCologero killed the 89-year-old.
The men were charged last week with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, the Associated Press reported.
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2022-08-24T18:51:57+00:00
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krtv.com
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https://www.krtv.com/news/national/prosecutors-say-inmates-knew-whitey-bulger-was-moving-to-prison
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NEW YORK — Billionaire investor turned philanthropist George Soros is ceding control of his $25 billion empire to a younger son, Alexander Soros, according to an exclusive interview with The Wall Street Journal published online Sunday.
Soros’ business holdings include his nonprofit Open Society Foundations, which is active in more than 120 countries around the world and funnels about $1.5 billion annually to groups such as those that back human rights and promote the growth of democracies around the world, according to its website.
The 37-year-old, who goes by Alex, told the Wall Street Journal that he is “more political” than his 92-year-old father, who has been a right-wing target for his backing of liberal causes such as reducing racial bias in the justice system. But he noted that the two “think alike."
Alex said he was broadening his father's “liberal aims” and embracing different causes including voting and abortion rights, as well as gender equity. He said he aims to keep using the family's wealth to back left-leaning U.S. politicians.
Alex told the Wall Street Journal that he recently met with Biden administration officials, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and heads of state, including Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, to push for issues related to the family foundation.
In December, the board of Open Society Foundations, known as OSF, elected Alex as its chairman, succeeding his father. The newspaper also reported that Alex now directs political activity as president of Soros’ super PAC.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the younger Soros is the only family member on the investment committee overseeing Soros Fund Management, which manages money for the foundation and the family.
During the interview with the newspaper, Alex expressed concern that former President Donald Trump would return to the White House and hinted that the Soros organization would play a key financial role in the 2024 presidential race.
“As much as I would love to get money out of politics, as long as the other side is doing it, we will have to do it, too,” he said in the interview that took place at the fund manager’s New York offices.
Alex is the oldest of two sons from George Soros' marriage with his second wife, Susan Weber, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The appointment passes over George Soros' elder son Jonathan Soros, 52, a lawyer with a background in finance. He had been believed to be the clear successor until “a falling out and a change of heart,” according to the paper.
|
2023-06-12T04:15:05+00:00
|
ktvb.com
|
https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/nation-world/report-george-soros-gives-billionaire-empire-to-alexander-soros/507-d5ea19cb-a0cb-4dd8-8ba5-6442d88f2a16
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13 hospitalized from carbon monoxide leak at Massachusetts apartment building
LAWRENCE, Mass. (WHDH) - A carbon monoxide leak at a Massachusetts apartment building left around a dozen people hospitalized, including two children and two first responders.
Authorities were called to the area in Lawrence for a reported gas leak on Thursday morning.
When they arrived, the CO levels were above normal.
Four people in a third-floor apartment and seven workers at the street-level restaurant had to be evaluated, investigators said.
Fire officials discovered a furnace and a faulty stove caused the high levels of carbon monoxide.
They say carbon monoxide detectors were not found on every floor and smoke detectors had been taken down.
Some residents were allowed to return to their homes, but the restaurant remained closed.
Copyright 2022 WHDH via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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2022-12-16T08:28:18+00:00
|
wfsb.com
|
https://www.wfsb.com/2022/12/16/13-hospitalized-carbon-monoxide-leak-massachusetts-apartment-building/
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Both UMary and Minot State soccer were back at home on Sunday. The Mauraders looked to stay perfect on the season while hosting the University of Minnesota Duluth. In Minot, the Beavers looked for their first win of the season playing St. Cloud State.
Scores:
UMary Mauraders 1, University of Minnesota Duluth 1
Minot State Beavers 1, St. Cloud State Huskies 0
|
2022-09-12T06:10:26+00:00
|
kxnet.com
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https://www.kxnet.com/sports-2/soccer-umary-plays-to-tie-minot-state-wins-at-home/
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Transgender people born in Kansas could be prevented from changing their birth certificates to reflect their gender identities if the state’s conservative Republican attorney is successful with a legal move he launched late Friday.
Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a request in federal court asking a judge to end a requirement for Kansas to allow transgender people to change their birth certificates. He is not seeking to undo past changes, only prevent them going forward.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree imposed the requirement in 2019 to settle a lawsuit filed by four transgender Kansas residents against three state health department officials. The suit challenged a policy that critics said prevented transgender people from making changes even after transitioning, legally changing their names and obtaining new driver’s licenses and Social Security cards.
Luc Bensimon, a Black transgender activist who was one of the plaintiffs in that lawsuit, said Saturday he was already getting calls and emails from people trying to change their birth certificates who are concerned they won’t be able to complete the process.
“We didn’t go through that case just to have him try and change it now,” Bensimon said. “I thought this was already dealt with but I have the energy to go back and deal with it again if we have to.”
It wasn’t clear whether Kobach’s effort would succeed, given a U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2020 declaring a federal law barring sex discrimination in employment also prevents discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity.
Also in 2020, federal judges in Idaho and Ohio struck down rules against transgender people changing their birth certificates. But this month, federal judges in Tennessee and Oklahoma dismissed challenges to two of the nation’s few remaining state policies against such changes.
Kobach’s move appears to be in keeping with a new, sweeping Kansas law taking effect July 1 that rolls back transgender rights and was enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature over Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto. A memo filed electronically with the request by Kobach shortly before midnight cited the law as a reason to revisit the 2019 settlement.
Kelly’s office did not immediately return a message Saturday seeking reaction to Kobach’s decision.
The memo argued Crabtree’s order makes it “impossible” to follow the new state law and that since the Legislature “has spoken,” the state health department, which handles birth certificates, is now “bound to execute the law as written.”
Kobach already had scheduled a Monday afternoon news conference at the Statehouse to discuss enforcement of the new law.
Crabtree’s 2019 order blocked a policy imposed by former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration that was among the toughest against birth certificate changes in the U.S. Kelly is a strong supporter of LGBTQ+ rights and her administration agreed to settle the lawsuit less than six months after she took office.
That decision came almost a year after Crabtree declared the Kansas policy violated transgender people’s constitutional rights to due legal process and equal treatment under the law. His order notes that federal courts in Idaho and Puerto Rico had struck down no-change policies. Kobach’s memo called those rulings outdated.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and the LGBTQ+-rights legal group Lambda Legal, representing the four Kansas residents, condemned Kobach’s move. Lamda Legal’s Omar Gonzalez-Pagan called it “unnecessary and cruel.”
Kansas ACLU Executive Director Micah Kubic added in a statement: “Mr. Kobach should rethink the wisdom — and the sheer indecency — of this attempt to weaponize his office’s authority to attack transgender Kansans just trying to live their lives.”
The new Kansas law is designed to prevent transgender people from using restrooms, locker rooms and other single-gender facilities associated with their identities. At least nine other states have such laws, mostly focused on public schools.
Kobach has said he believes the new Kansas law also prevents transgender people from changing their driver’s licenses, though the law contains no specific enforcement mechanisms. Lawmakers wrote the bill so it could prevent transgender people from changing their birth certificates, except for the 2019 federal court order, without specifically mentioning either birth certificates or driver’s licenses.
For weeks, a project of Kansas Legal Services, a nonprofit law firm, encouraged transgender Kansans to change their driver’s licenses before the new law took effect. Kelly’s administration, which oversees the licensing of drivers, hasn’t said whether it believes such changes would still be allowed under the new law.
Ellen Bertels, the attorney spearheading the effort, said that while a transgender person could sue after the law takes effect to protect people’s right to change their driver’s licenses, a lawsuit from a state official against Kelly’s administration could seek to prevent such changes.
As for birth certificates, the small number of states not allowing transgender people to change them shrunk through previous federal court challenges like the one in Kansas.
The ACLU of Montana says it plans to challenge a rule imposed there last year barring people from changing the sex listed on their birth certificates.
LGBTQ+ rights advocates say changing birth certificates, driver’s licenses and other records to reflect a transgender person’s gender identity is key to affirming their identities and often greatly improves their mental health.
Policies against changing birth certificates and other documents have practical implications for transgender residents, too. For example, Kansas requires voters to show a photo ID at the polls or when obtaining an absentee ballot.
Critics of the new Kansas law contend it is designed to legally erase transgender people.
It declares that state law recognizes only two genders, male and female, and defines them based on a person’s “biological reproductive system” at birth. A woman is someone whose system “is designed to produce ova,” while a male only is someone with a system “designed to fertilize the ova of a female.”
The law then declares “important governmental objectives” of protecting people’s health safety and privacy justify having sex-segregated spaces in line with those definitions.
___
Associated Press Writer Amy Hanson in Helena, Montana, contributed to this story.
___
Follow John Hanna on Twitter: https://twitter.com/apjdhanna
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2023-06-24T20:51:21+00:00
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wwlp.com
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https://www.wwlp.com/news/political-news/ap-politics/kansas-attorney-general-is-moving-to-block-trans-people-from-changing-their-birth-certificates/
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BRISTOL, Va. (AP) — The pastors smiled as they held the doors open, grabbing the hands of those who walked by and urging many to keep praying and to keep showing up. Some responded with a hug. A few grimaced as they squeezed past.
Shelley Koch, a longtime resident of southwest Virginia, had witnessed a similar scene many Sunday mornings after church services. On this day, however, it played out in a parking lot outside a modest government building in Bristol where officials had just advanced a proposal that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of her community.
For months, residents of the town have battled over whether clinics limited by strict anti-abortion laws in neighboring Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia should be allowed to continue to hop over the border and operate there. The proposal on the table, submitted by anti-abortion activists, was that they shouldn’t. The local pastors were on hand to spread that message.
“We’re trying to figure out what we do at this point,” said Koch, who supports abortion rights. “We’re just on our heels all the time.”
The conflict is not unique to this border community, which boasts a spot where a person can stand in Virginia and Tennessee at the same time. Similar disputes have broken out across the country following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the landmark 1973 decision establishing a constitutional right to abortion.
As clinics have been forced to shutter in Republican-dominant states with strict abortion bans, some have relocated to cities and towns just over the border, in states with more liberal laws. The goal is to help women avoid traveling long distances. Yet that effort does not always go smoothly: The politics of border towns and cities don’t always align with those in their state capitals. They can be more socially conservative, with residents who object to abortion on moral grounds.
Anti-abortion activists have tapped into that sentiment — in Virginia and elsewhere — and are proposing changes to zoning laws to stop the clinics from moving in. Since Roe was overturned, such local ordinances have been identified as a tool for officials to control where patients can get an abortion, advocates and legal experts say.
In Texas, even before Roe was overturned, more than 40 towns prohibited abortion services inside their city limits. That trend, led by anti-abortion activist Mark Lee Dickson, has since successfully spread to politically conservative towns in Iowa, Louisiana, New Mexico, Nebraska and Ohio.
Under Roe, the high court had ruled that it was unconstitutional for state or local lawmakers to create any “substantial obstacle” to a patient seeking an abortion. That rule no longer exists.
While such zoning changes are no longer necessary in Texas, which now has one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country, Dickson says he and others will continue to pursue them in other states with liberal abortion statutes.
“We’re going to keep on going forward and do everything that we can to protect life,” he said.
In New Mexico, which has one of the country’s most liberal abortion access laws, activists in two counties and three cities in the eastern part of the state have successfully sought zoning changes restricting the procedure. Democratic officials have since proposed legislation to ban them from interfering with abortion access.
In the college town of Carbondale, Illinois, a state where abortion remains widely accessible, anti-abortion activists have asked zoning officials to block future clinics from opening after two already operate in town. Thus far, they’ve been unsuccessful.
Meanwhile, some of the states that have severely restricted abortion access are trying to make it harder for residents to end their pregnancies elsewhere. Employees at the University of Idaho who refer students to a clinic just 8 miles (13 kilometers) away in the liberal-leaning state of Washington could face felony charges under a recently passed state law.
Perhaps no other place so neatly encapsulates the issue as the twin cities of Bristol, Virginia, and Bristol, Tennessee. Before Roe, an abortion clinic had operated for decades in Bristol, Tennessee. After Roe, which triggered the Volunteer State’s strict abortion law, the clinic hopped over the state line into Bristol, Virginia.
That’s when anti-abortion advocates began pushing back. At the request of some concerned citizens, the socially conservative, faith-based Family Foundation of Virginia helped draft an amendment to the city’s zoning code that says, apart from where the existing clinic sits, land can’t be used to end a “pre-born human life.”
“Nobody wants their town to be known as the place where people come to take human life. That’s just not a reputation that the people in Bristol want for their area,” said foundation President Victoria Cobb.
The amendment has stalled before the Planning Commission as the city’s attorney, the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia and others question its legality. Meanwhile, the board of supervisors in Washington County, which surrounds Bristol, passed a similar restrictive zoning ordinance on Feb. 14, and at least three counties have since adopted resolutions declaring their “pro-life stance,” according to the Family Foundation.
Before Roe was overturned, such zoning restrictions would have been unconstitutional, noted ACLU attorney Geri Greenspan. Now, however, “we’re sort of in uncharted legal territory,” she said.
It’s a struggle that residents like Koch weren’t expecting.
In 2020 — when Democrats were in full control of state government — they rolled back restrictions on abortion services, envisioning the state as a safe haven for access. Virginia now has one of the South’s most permissive abortion laws, which comforted Koch when Roe was overturned.
Now, however, her relief has been replaced by anxiety.
“I realized how little I knew about the workings of local government,” she said. “It’s been a detriment.”
The Bristol Women’s Health clinic is battling multiple lawsuits but would not be affected by the proposed ordinance unless it tried to expand or make other changes. While some residents oppose the facility, “they’re more afraid that this industry is going to expand and that Bristol is going to just become a multistate hub of the abortion industry,” said the Rev. Chris Hess, who as pastor of St. Anne Catholic Church has advocated for the zoning change.
Debra Mehaffey, who has spent more than a decade protesting outside abortion clinics, said people are coming to Bristol from Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Georgia, “all over to come get abortions, you know, because they can’t get them in their state.”
“So it will be great to see it totally abolished,” she said.
Clinic owner Diane Derzis, who has owned numerous other abortion clinics — including the one in Mississippi at the center of the Supreme Court’s recent decision — downplays the pushback. She said she’s grown accustomed to protests and even experienced the bombing of a separate clinic.
But Derzis is also girding herself for many more post-Roe battles in the future.
Abortion “is just under attack and it’s going to be for years,” she said.
|
2023-03-03T19:10:59+00:00
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cbs4indy.com
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https://cbs4indy.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/ap-abortion-clinics-crossing-state-borders-spark-local-disputes/
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Woman wins $146K in lottery, hands out gift cards to strangers
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Gray News) – A woman in Kentucky decided to pay it forward after winning an instant play jackpot.
Crystal Dunn made a $20 wager playing the Bank Buster Jackpot Instant Play game online and ultimately won $146,351, according to the Kentucky Lottery.
Dunn was in awe and didn’t believe it at first. It wasn’t until she received an email from lottery officials confirming the win that she knew it was real.
“It’s a pretty exciting feeling. I never thought I would win something like this, but this goes to show it can happen,” she said.
After claiming her prize of $103,909.73, after taxes, she went to a grocery store in the area and bought $2,000 in gift cards to give to random strangers in the store.
“A few were taken back, thinking I was wanting something in return,” Dunn said.
Dunn told lottery officials she believes in paying it forward and wanted to pass along her good fortune.
“I’ve worked hard for everything I’ve had. This is a pretty amazing gift,” she said.
According to the Kentucky Lottery, Dunn plans to use the rest of her winnings on things she was already working toward, like buying a car and paying off bills.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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2022-07-14T20:58:15+00:00
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waff.com
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https://www.waff.com/2022/07/14/woman-wins-146k-lottery-hands-out-gift-cards-strangers/
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WFO NORMAN Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 11, 2023
_____
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Norman OK
802 AM CDT Thu May 11 2023
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of south central
Jackson, west central Tillman, northwestern Wilbarger and east
central Hardeman Counties through 830 AM CDT...
At 802 AM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Chillicothe, moving northeast at 25 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 40 mph and half inch hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Chillicothe, Elmer, Odell, Fargo, and Hess.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Severe weather is not expected and no warnings are anticipated at
this time.
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
LAT...LON 3414 9949 3428 9963 3454 9932 3433 9912
TIME...MOT...LOC 1302Z 231DEG 23KT 3426 9950
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
_____
Copyright 2023 AccuWeather
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2023-05-11T14:52:49+00:00
|
ourmidland.com
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https://www.ourmidland.com/weather/article/tx-wfo-norman-warnings-watches-and-advisories-18093615.php
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Emma Ronsiek scored 23 points and Lauren Jensen scored 19 and 20th-ranked Creighton controlled from the outset in an 85-66 win over Northern Iowa on Sunday.
With the exception of a little more than two-minute span early, the Bluejays (3-0) held the lead. Molly Mogensen's layup with 7:12 left in the first quarter put Creighton in front 6-5 and the Bluejays never trailed again. Creighton lead 25-12 at the end of one and expanded the margin to 49-26 at halftime.
Morgan Maly scored 14 points with four of her five made baskets coming from beyond the 3-point line and Carly Bachelor scored 10 for Creighton.
Maya McDermott scored 14 points and reserve Ryley Goebel scored 14 for Northern Iowa.
___
AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
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2022-11-21T00:33:06+00:00
|
expressnews.com
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https://www.expressnews.com/sports/article/No-20-Creighton-women-bounce-N-Iowa-85-66-17599781.php
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(The Hill) – Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said a shortage of antibiotic drugs in the U.S. is the result of pharmaceutical companies not expecting a surge in demand rather than any disruptions in the supply chain.
Gottlieb told CBS “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan on Sunday that distributors made estimates for the year based on lower demand in the past two years, which stems from Americans taking extra precautions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Demand went up this year, they anticipated some increase in demand, but not as much as we’re seeing and not this early in the season,” Gottlieb said. “So it’s not any kind of disruption in supply. This isn’t like what we had with baby formula where manufacturers have been taken out of the market.”
The baby formula shortage earlier this year came after a major manufacturing plant from Abbott Nutrition was shut down, disrupting the supply chain.
Pharmacies and health care providers are running out of antibiotics like Amoxicillin, worrying Americans who use the drug for bacterial infections, including ear infections for children.
Three of the largest manufacturers of Amoxicillin — Hikma Pharmaceuticals, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries and Sandoz — have all reported shortages of the antibiotic drug this year.
There’s also a shortage of cold and flu medications as the U.S. struggles with a deadly Flu season, along with the coronavirus pandemic and RSV, another respiratory disease.
Gottlieb, a board member with the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, repeated that manufacturers simply did not anticipate this much demand, adding the pharmaceutical industry operates with a “sophisticated supply chain” and should catch up soon.
“Supply should catch up with demand and there are alternatives for things that are in shortage,” he said.
|
2022-12-19T21:33:47+00:00
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fox59.com
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https://fox59.com/news/national-world/gottlieb-drug-shortage-isnt-like-what-we-had-with-baby-formula/
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Tri-Cape will look to become the first franchise to win three titles in a row when the 2023 Carpenter Cup begins play Monday at FDR Park in South Philadelphia.
A showcase event that kicked off in 1986, the annual event features teams from New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Rosters are capped at 25 players and five teams from the Garden State are set to participate - Tri-Cape, Olympic Colonial, Burlington County, Mercer County and Jersey Shore.
The first game of the single-elimination event will feature a New Jersey matchup between Jersey Shore and Burlington County.
The championship game is scheduled to be played at Citizens Bank Park on June 27, and the tournament is sponsored by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Following is the schedule for the 2023 Carpenter Cup:
Monday, June 12 - Showcase Field/FDR Park
- Game 1: Jersey Shore vs. Burlington County, 12:30
- Game 2: SEPA vs. Bucks-Mont, 4
Tuesday, June 13 - Showcase Field/FDR Park
- Game 3: Lehigh Valley vs. Tri-Cape, 9
- Game 4: Chester County vs. Mercer County, 12:30
- Game 5: Berks County vs. Delaware North, 4
Wednesday, June 14 - Showcase Field/FDR Park
- Game 6: Olympic Colonial vs. Philadelphia Catholic, 9
- Game 7: Delaware South vs. Philadelphia Public, 12:30
- Game 8: Inter-Ac/Independents vs. Delaware County, 4
Friday, June 16: Showcase Field/FDR Park
- Game 9: Winner 1 vs. Winner 2, 9
- Game 11: Winner 3 vs. Winner 4, 12:30
Friday, June 17: Ashburn Field/FDR Park
- Game 10: Winner 6 vs. Winner 5, 10:30
- Game 12: Winner 7 vs Winner 8, 2
Monday, June 26 - Citizens Bank Park
- Game 13: Winner 9 vs. Winner 10, 9
- Game 14: Winner 12 vs. Winner 11, 12:30
Tuesday, June 27 - Citizens Bank Park
- Game 15: Championship, 9:30
Following are the rosters for each of New Jersey’s five teams. Click here if you can’t see the charts in your current browser.
Tri-Cape roster
Olympic-Colonial roster
Burlington County roster
Jersey Shore roster
Mercer County roster
The N.J. High School Sports newsletter now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now and be among the first to get all the boys and girls sports you care about, straight to your inbox each weekday. To add your name, click here.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a subscription.
Kevin Minnick covers South Jersey baseball. He can be reached at kminnick@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @kminnicksports
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2023-06-09T02:46:15+00:00
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nj.com
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https://www.nj.com/highschoolsports/2023/06/baseball-five-nj-teams-set-to-participate-in-annual-carpenter-cup.html
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HOUSTON (AP) — A man who fatally stabbed a real estate agent inside a model home in suburban Dallas faces execution Wednesday evening, more than 16 years after the slaying.
Kosoul Chanthakoummane was on parole when he was condemned for killing 40-year-old Sarah Walker in July 2006. She was found stabbed more than 30 times in the model home in McKinney, about 30 miles (48 km) north of Dallas.
Prosecutors say Chanthakoummane entered the model home and then beat Walker with a wooden plant stand and stabbed her before stealing her Rolex watch and a silver ring, which were never found. DNA evidence showed Chanthakoummane’s blood was found in various places inside the model home, including under Walker’s fingernails.
Walker had been a top-seller for home builder D.R. Horton. She had been recently divorced and had two children.
Chanthakoummane, 41, the son of immigrants from Laos, has acknowledged he was in the model home but said he only went inside to get a drink of water. He had been on parole in Texas after serving time in North Carolina for aggravated kidnapping and robbery.
“I am innocent,” Chanthakoummane said in a letter filed in federal court in March.
His attorneys had asked the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals to stay his execution, challenging the DNA evidence, which was previously described by the appeals court as the “linchpin of the state’s case.” The appeals court this week denied the request. Eric Allen, one of Chanthakoummane’s attorneys, said he hadn't decided if he would file a final appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court.
His attorneys had argued new science raises the possibility Chanthakoummane’s DNA could have been transferred to Walker’s fingernails without any direct contact between the two.
But authorities say prior DNA testing in his case has failed to clear Chanthakoummane.
“Any belief by Chanthakoummane that further DNA investigation would yield results that will be helpful to his case is a fantasy,” lawyers with the Texas Attorney General’s Office wrote in court documents last month.
On Monday, the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles declined to grant Chanthakoummane either a 120-day reprieve or a commutation of his death sentence to a lesser penalty.
Chanthakoummane’s attorneys say their concerns about the DNA evidence is part of a pattern by prosecutors of using faulty evidence in the case.
At Chanthakoummane’s trial, a forensic dentist testified the death row inmate was the source of a bite mark on Walker’s neck. Such evidence has since been discredited and in 2016, Texas became the first state to call for banning bite mark analysis in criminal cases.
The two witnesses who said they saw Chanthakoummane near the murder scene were hypnotized by officers with the Texas Department of Public Safety, or DPS, to help identify him.
A 2020 report by the Dallas Morning News found most Texas judges still allow evidence derived from hypnosis despite criticism it can distort memories and lead to wrongful convictions. In January 2021, DPS stopped using hypnosis. Last year, Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed a bill that would have banned people who have been hypnotized from testifying in a criminal trial.
In October 2020, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals found that while the bitemark testimony would no longer be admissible in court, Chanthakoummane’s attorneys had failed to discredit the hypnosis-related testimony.
The appeals court also found the DNA evidence was still strong.
At his trial, Chanthakoummane’s attorney, Keith Gore, told jurors his client was guilty “and he wanted to rob (Walker), and it didn’t go the right way, and he killed her.”
Walker’s father, Joseph Walker, who died last year, had opposed Chanthakoummane’s execution and had told the Times Union in New York in 2013 he had forgiven his daughter’s killer.
If Chanthakoummane is executed, he would be the second inmate put to death this year in Texas and the ninth in the U.S.
While Texas has been the nation’s busiest capital punishment state, the use of the death penalty in the state has reached near historic lows. Juries have continued to issue fewer death sentences and in the last couple of years most executions have been delayed by the pandemic or by legal questions over what spiritual advisers can do in the death chamber.
___
Follow Juan A. Lozano on Twitter: https://twitter.com/juanlozano70
|
2022-08-17T04:32:04+00:00
|
sfgate.com
|
https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Texas-to-execute-man-for-slaying-of-Dallas-real-17378550.php
|
Request unsuccessful. Incapsula incident ID: 6522000300099657238-254265014993160081
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2023-03-09T20:36:58+00:00
|
bizjournals.com
|
https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/news/2023/03/09/lenexa-city-center-adventhealth-tif-district.html
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WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – The Federal Reserve decided not to raise interest rates, which comes as good news for Americans who are looking to make big purchases with loans or credit cards, however, the pause isn’t permanent.
This is the first pause in interest rate hikes after 10 consecutive hikes but the Fed expects more interest rate increases in 2023.
“In light of how far we’ve come in tightening policy…today, we decided to leave our policy interest rate unchanged,” Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said. “I think it allows the economy a little more time to adapt.”
The country had a more robust May jobs report than expected and the economy also cooled with inflation falling to four percent — a sharp drop compared to the nine percent inflation rate the United States saw last June.
“This is all evidence that the president’s economic plan is working to lower costs for families, invest in America,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre said.
But on Capitol Hill, Republicans like Senator John Thune are not impressed – saying Americans are still struggling.
“Nine out of 10 Americans are worried about higher prices, in fact, it’s the number one issue for Democrats and Republicans,” Senator John Thune (R-SD) said.
Powell says more rate hikes are likely, adding that “inflation pressures continue to run high and the process of getting inflation back down to two percent has a long way to go.”
According to Powell, the Federal Reserve will continue to raise interest rates in the future and it’s possible the U.S. could see two more rate hikes soon.
|
2023-06-15T22:46:58+00:00
|
wnct.com
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https://www.wnct.com/news/washington-dc/federal-reserve-pauses-interest-rate-hike-amid-inflation-concerns/
|
The partnership expands Infineon's ModusToolbox™ software ecosystem to Edge Impulse's studio environment, allowing for easy configuration of the high-performance, low-power PSoC™ 6 MCU series for edge ML applications.
SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Edge Impulse and Infineon have announced cross-platform support for their software environments, allowing for high-powered, flexible machine learning development on the Infineon PSoC™ 6 microcontroller series.
The collaboration gives Edge Impulse studio users access to ModusToolbox™, Infineon's MCU configuration software, allowing them to natively develop and configure applications on the PSoC-6™-based CY8CKIT-062S2 Pioneer Kit coupled with the CY8CKIT-028-SENSE Dev Kit, which incorporates accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, microphone, pressure, and temperature sensors. Data from these sensors can now be used with Edge Impulse for the easy generation of TinyML-based AI models, optimized for low-power, private, low-cloud-cost edge environments. These models can then be deployed on any PSoC™ 6-based MCU.
Edge Impulse, the leading development platform for ML on edge devices, allows developers to quickly and easily create and optimize solutions with real-world data. The company's platform streamlines the entire process of collecting and structuring datasets, designing ML algorithms with ready-made building blocks, validating the models with real-time data, and deploying the fully optimized production-ready result to an edge target such as the PSoC™ 6. The Edge Impulse development platform, already in use by thousands of companies, stands to unlock massive value across every industry, with millions of developers making billions of devices smarter.
PSoC™ 6 MCUs offer Arm® Cortex® M4 plus M0+ chip architecture, multiple wired and wireless connectivity options, configurable voltage and frequency settings, built-in hardware-based security, state-of-the-art capacitive interfaces, and more, on a single chip. Their combination of power, efficiency, size, and programmability make them perfectly suited for IoT, wearable, or remote monitoring purposes that require the ability to run advanced algorithms.
"We couldn't be more excited to work with Infineon to support PSoC™ 6 development," said Zach Shelby, CEO and co-founder of Edge Impulse. "This is a proven hardware platform that offers an undeniable set of features, and is the perfect companion to Edge Impulse for almost any use case."
"With the performance and extremely low power design of the PSoC™ 6, running TinyML models down at the edge becomes even more capable than before. By using Edge Impulse to simplify the barrier to machine learning, product makers can focus on real data they collect from the device to make an innovative and effective product," said Danny Watson, Director, Software Product Marketing Manager of Infineon Technologies.
Infineon and Edge Impulse will be demonstrating the Cypress PSoC™ 6 integration at the upcoming Imagine conference; for more information and to register, visit edgeimpulse.com/imagine.
Edge Impulse is the leading machine learning platform, enabling all enterprises to build smarter edge products. Their technology empowers developers to bring more ML products to market faster, and helps enterprise teams rapidly develop industry-specific solutions in weeks instead of years. The Edge Impulse platform provides powerful automation and low-code capabilities to make it easier to build valuable datasets and develop advanced ML with streaming data. With over 40,000 developers, and partnerships with the top silicon vendors, Edge Impulse offers a seamless integration experience to validate and deploy with confidence across the largest hardware ecosystem. To learn more, visit edgeimpulse.com.
Infineon Technologies AG is a world leader in semiconductor solutions that make life easier, safer and greener. Microelectronics from Infineon are the key to a better future. With around 50,280 employees worldwide, Infineon generated revenue of about €11.1 billion in the 2021 fiscal year (ending September 30th) and is one of the ten largest semiconductor companies worldwide.
Infineon is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ticker symbol: IFX) and in the USA on the over-the-counter market OTCQX International Premier (ticker symbol: IFNNY).
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Edge Impulse
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2022-09-13T20:15:49+00:00
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kalb.com
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https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/edge-impulse-infineon-announce-machine-learning-software-support-psoc-6-microcontrollers/
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Wells Fargo and Mentor Collective Team Up to Create
Lasting Socioeconomic Change for HBCU Students
BOSTON, Aug. 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Wells Fargo and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) have announced the winners for this year's College Completion Scholarship Program. Awarded to a minimum of two hundred (200) senior scholars attending TMCF-member schools, the spring scholarship provides up to $5,000 for the 2021-22 academic year and career mentorship from leading large-scale mentorship program provider Mentor Collective. A full list of winners and their schools can be downloaded here.
Established to honor the U.S. Supreme Court's first African-American justice, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund partners with organizations like Wells Fargo and Mentor Collective to help provide access to a high-quality college education while connecting high-performing, world-ready students with top-tier employment opportunities.
"None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody – a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns – bent down and helped us pick up our boots." - Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
Critical to the College Completion Scholarship Program is a mentorship component facilitated by Mentor Collective. Mentor Collective applies scholarly research on mentorship to purposefully match each scholarship winner with a professional mentor at Wells Fargo. A 2021 study found that young adults with career mentors experienced greater career enhancement and reported higher levels of well-being in the short and long term. Additional research performed across over 700 students in Mentor Collective's programs also show significant improvements in retention and sense of belonging; namely that peer mentorship influenced an average 5.67% increase in year-over-year retention. These results were considerably more profound when students had 3+ conversations with their mentor (average 11.8% increase in retention and 13.39% increase in sense of belonging).
"Social and financial capital are two essential components necessary to help students graduate and transition their learning into a fulfilling career," said Gigi Dixon, Wells Fargo head of external engagement for Diverse Segments, Representation, and Inclusion. "We are honored to play a role in empowering the next graduating class with both financial and networking assistance. Through the Mentor Collective program, these scholarship recipients will be paired with a Wells Fargo employee to help them navigate the professional landscape beyond their post-secondary career."
"Through our research and experience with career readiness programs, we've found that mentorship at this formative time before graduation not only better prepares students for academia or the workforce, it contributes to significant upward movement on the socioeconomic strata," said Jackson Boyar, Co-Founder and CEO of Mentor Collective. "Wells Fargo has been an incredible partner in helping Mentor Collective reach students with the most to gain from life-changing relationships, and we look forward to seeing the impact an initiative like this can make."
Wells Fargo's Senior Lead Diversity & Inclusion Consultant Dewey Norwood, Jr. will be conversing with other senior leaders across higher education on August 11th about equitable career outcomes at Mentor Collective's next virtual roundtable event. He is joined by leaders from The University of Delaware and Georgetown University's Center on Education and the Workforce.
Established in 1987, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) is the nation's largest organization exclusively representing the Black College Community. TMCF member-schools include the publicly-supported Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs). Publicly-supported HBCUs enroll over 80% of all students attending HBCUs. Through scholarships, capacity building and research initiatives, innovative programs, and strategic partnerships, TMCF is a vital resource in the K-12 and higher education space. The organization is also a source for top employers seeking top talent for competitive internships and good jobs.
Wells Fargo & Company (NYSE: WFC) is a leading financial services company that has approximately $1.9 trillion in assets, proudly serves one in three U.S. households and more than 10% of small businesses in the U.S., and is a leading middle market banking provider in the U.S. We provide a diversified set of banking, investment and mortgage products and services, as well as consumer and commercial finance, through our four reportable operating segments: Consumer Banking and Lending, Commercial Banking, Corporate and Investment Banking, and Wealth & Investment Management. Wells Fargo ranked No. 41 on Fortune's 2022 rankings of America's largest corporations. In the communities we serve, the company focuses its social impact on building a sustainable, inclusive future for all by supporting housing affordability, small business growth, financial health, and a low-carbon economy.
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2022-08-10T13:52:51+00:00
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wcjb.com
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https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/10/thurgood-marshall-college-fund-provides-scholarship-winners-with-career-advancing-mentorships/
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Biden at UN to call Russian war an affront to body’s charter
NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden is ready to make the case to world leaders at the U.N. General Assembly that Russia’s “naked aggression” in Ukraine is an affront to the heart of what the international body stands for as he looks to rally allies to stand firm in backing the Ukrainian resistance.
Biden, during his time at the U.N. General Assembly, also planned to meet Wednesday with new British Prime Minister Liz Truss, announce a global food security initiative and press allies to meet an $18 billion target to replenish the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
But White House officials say the crux of the president’s visit to the U.N. this year would be a full-throated condemnation of Russia as its brutal war nears the seven-month mark.
“He’ll offer a firm rebuke of Russia’s unjust war in Ukraine and make a call to the world to continue to stand against the naked aggression that we’ve seen these past several months,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said in previewing the president’s address. “He will underscore the importance of strengthening the United Nations and reaffirm core tenets of its charter at a time when a permanent member of the Security Council has struck at the very heart of the charter by challenging the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty.”
The address comes as Russian-controlled regions of eastern and southern Ukraine have announced plans to hold Kremllin-backed referendums in days ahead on becoming part of Russia and as Moscow is losing ground in the invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday announced a partial mobilization to call up 300,000 reservists and accused the West of engaging in “nuclear blackmail.”
Biden is confronting no shortage of difficult issues as leaders gather this year.
In addition to the Russian war in Ukraine, European fears that a recession could be just around the corner are heightened. Administration concerns grow by the day that time is running short to revive the Iran nuclear deal and over China’s saber-rattling on Taiwan.
When he addressed last year’s General Assembly, Biden focused on broad themes of global partnership, urging world leaders to act with haste against the coronavirus, climate change and human rights abuses. And he offered assurances that his presidency marked a return of American leadership to international institutions following Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign policy.
But one year later, global dynamics have dramatically changed.
Stewart Patrick, senior fellow and director of the Global Order and Institutions Program at the Washington think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote in an analysis that Biden’s task this year is “immense” compared to his first address to the U.N. as president.
“Last year, the U.S. leader won easy plaudits as the ‘anti-Trump,’ pledging that ‘America was back,’” Patrick said. “This year demands more. The liberal, rules-based international system is reeling, battered by Russian aggression, Chinese ambitions, authoritarian assaults, a halting pandemic recovery, quickening climate change, skepticism of the U.N.’s relevance, and gnawing doubts about American staying power.”
Beyond diplomacy, the president is also doing some politicking. This year’s gathering comes less than seven weeks before pivotal midterm elections in the United States. Shortly after arriving in Manhattan on Tuesday night, Biden spoke at a Democratic National Committee fundraiser for about 100 participants that raised nearly $2 million, and he’s set to hold another fundraiser on Thursday before heading back to Washington.
His Wednesday address comes on the heels of Ukrainian forces retaking control of large stretches of territory near Kharkiv. But even as Ukrainian forces have racked up battlefield wins, much of Europe is feeling painful blowback from economic sanctions levied against Russia. A vast reduction in Russian oil and gas has led to a sharp jump in energy prices, skyrocketing inflation and growing risk of Europe slipping into a recession.
Biden’s visit to the U.N. also comes as his administration’s efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal appears stalled.
The deal brokered by the Obama administration — and scrapped by Trump in 2018 — provided billions of dollars in sanctions relief in exchange for Iran’s agreement to dismantle much of its nuclear program and open its facilities to extensive international inspection.
Sullivan said no breakthrough with Iran is expected during the General Assembly, but Biden would make clear in his speech that a deal can still be done “if Iran is prepared to be serious about its obligations.” He added that administration officials would be consulting with fellow signatories of the 2015 deal on the sidelines of this week’s meetings.
This year’s U.N. gathering is back to being a full-scale, in-person event after two years of curtailed activity due to the pandemic. In 2020, the in-person gathering was canceled, and leaders instead delivered prerecorded speeches; last year was a mix of in-person and prerecorded speeches. Biden and first lady Jill Biden were set to host a leaders’ reception on Wednesday evening.
China’s President Xi Jinping opted not to attend this year’s U.N. gathering, but his country’s conduct and intentions will loom large during the leaders’ talks.
Last month, the U.N. human rights office raised concerns about possible “crimes against humanity” in China’s western region against Uyghurs and other largely Muslim ethnic groups. Beijing has vowed to suspend cooperation with the office and blasted what it described as a Western plot to undermine China’s rise.
Meanwhile, China’s government on Monday said Biden’s statement in a CBS “60 Minutes” interview that American forces would defend Taiwan if Beijing tried to invade the self-ruled island was a violation of U.S. commitments on the matter, but it gave no indication of possible retaliation.
The White House said after the interview that there has been no change in U.S. policy on Taiwan, which China claims as its own. That policy says Washington wants to see Taiwan’s status resolved peacefully but doesn’t say whether U.S. forces might be sent in response to a Chinese attack.
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Follow AP coverage of the U.N. General Assembly at https://apnews.com/hub/united-nations-general-assembly
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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2022-09-21T11:14:28+00:00
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wbrc.com
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https://www.wbrc.com/2022/09/21/biden-un-call-russian-war-an-affront-bodys-charter/
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HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) — Four people are missing after intense thunderstorms dumped record amounts of rain across a wide swath of Canada’s Atlantic-coast province of Nova Scotia over the past two days, causing flash flooding, road washouts and power outages.
The floods submerged multiple vehicles, and Royal Canadian Mounted Police spokeswoman Cindy Bayers said two such incidents in West Hants north of Halifax have left two adults and two children unaccounted for as of Saturday morning.
The two children went missing after the vehicle they were travelling in got stuck underwater, Bayers said, noting the three other occupants were able to escape safely.
Two other individuals, who Bayers described as a youth and a man, remain unaccounted for following a separate vehicle submersion. Two other people in that vehicle were rescued, she said, adding police are actively searching for all four missing people.
Torrential downpours started on Friday afternoon across the Halifax region, dumping more than 200 millimeters of rain in some areas. The port city typically receives about 90-100 mm of rain during an average July.
Based on radar estimates and unofficial observations, Environment Canada said on Saturday that some areas may have received more than 300 mm in 24 hours. Radar maps show the heaviest rainfall extending along the province’s southwestern shore to a point north of Halifax.
Widespread flooding has also been reported in Lunenberg County, which is west of the Halifax region.
On Friday night, water levels rose so fast in the Bedford area that volunteers with Halifax Search and Rescue were using small boats to rescue people from inundated homes.
In the Hammonds Plains area, northwest of the city, flooding washed out driveways and the shoulders of many roads.
That’s the same area where where 151 homes and businesses were destroyed by a wildfire that started on May 28, forcing evacuations that affected 16,000 residents. And for much of the past week, the Halifax area has been sweltering under an immobile dome of humidity — a rare event so close to the coast.
It was only last fall that post-tropical storm Fiona descended on the Atlantic region, killing three people, flattening scores of homes and knocking out power to more than 600,000 homes and businesses. Fiona was the most costly weather event in the region’s history, causing more than 800 million Canadian dollars ($604 million) in insured damage.
“It’s pretty obvious that the climate is changing — from Fiona last year to the wildfires in the spring and now flooding in the summer,” Halifax Mayor Mike Savage said.
“We’re getting storms that used to be considered one-in-50-year events … pretty regularly,” he added.
While the official statistics have yet to be recorded, it’s believed the Halifax region has not seen this level of rainfall since Aug. 16, 1971, when hurricane Beth made landfall near the eastern tip of mainland Nova Scotia and then roared over Cape Breton. At that time, almost 250 mm of rain fell on the Halifax area, causing widespread flooding and damage.
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2023-07-23T02:26:27+00:00
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fox59.com
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https://fox59.com/news/national-world/ap-international/ap-record-breaking-downpours-along-canadas-atlantic-coast-cause-flooding-in-nova-scotia/
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EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — The NBA just completed its highest-scoring regular season in 53 years, its teams scoring 282,127 points while a record 20 players made at least 200 3-pointers.
And now two low-seeded playoff teams are surging toward the conference finals with dominant defense.
The Lakers and the Heat are widely considered to be two of the best defensive teams in a league that has rarely been more offense-oriented, and both veteran-led groups turned in sterling defensive performances to take 2-1 series leads in the second round.
Miami hosts the Knicks and Los Angeles hosts the Warriors on Monday night with a chance to seize control of both series largely because they’ve been better defensively.
“We’re playing the way we envisioned the Lakers to play,” LeBron James said. “No matter what goes on, we hang our hats on our defense.”
Eighth-seeded Miami held New York to 86 points while winning Game 3 on Saturday, and the seventh-seeded Lakers held Golden State under 100 points for only the fifth time all season in a 30-point blowout win. The victories didn’t decide either series, but they clearly showed the direction both winners want to go — and how they want to get there.
The Lakers’ opponents are shooting an NBA-low 41.3% in the postseason, and they give most of the credit to Anthony Davis. The big man has blocked a whopping 37 shots in LA’s nine playoff games while altering countless others and playing with the defensive fire of his best NBA seasons, including the Lakers’ 2020 championship run in the bubble.
“The biggest thing for me is for us to come out with a mindset to just defend,” Lakers coach Darvin Ham said Sunday after practice. “Everything that happens offensively, that’s more who has it going, which actions are working. I’m not worried about how we’re going to score as long as we’re on point defensively, starting with (Davis).”
The Heat went to work late Sunday morning to watch film, before players scattered their separate ways for some semblance of an off day. And there were tons of options: some were going to the Formula 1 race in Miami Gardens, others were making the trip north to Sunrise to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning host Game 3 of their NHL playoff series.
“The guys all understand that we have to get a rest, get off your feet,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They’re not going to be standing around, doing that kind of stuff, but I also don’t want them just obsessing about the game (Monday). We have to rest up, recover, let your mind kind of wander to other things. … It’s a fun time right now in South Florida. It really is.”
For Miami, Jimmy Butler — even with his right ankle at less than 100% — is on a tear like only one other player in Heat playoff history.
He’s scored at least 25 points in all seven of his appearances in this postseason. That’s the second-longest such streak in Heat history; James had 15 games of at least 25 points on the way to his first championship in 2012.
“He’s on his run right now,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said. “He’s playing at an all-time high.”
He’s shooting 56% so far in these playoffs, 60% from 2-point range. But as far as “at an all-time high,” Butler would disagree, sort of.
“I think if you’d have watched me at Tomball High School, you would say that I was way better than I am now because I was very, very dominant then,” Butler said. “I’m comfortable. I’m confident. I work extremely hard at my craft and I’m very grateful to be able to play for an organization and a city like Miami.”
KNICKS AT HEAT
Miami leads 2-1. Game 4, 7:30 p.m. EDT, Monday, TNT
— NEED TO KNOW: New York shot 34% on Saturday, its second-worst effort of the season, and regressed from going 16 for 40 on 3s in Game 2 to 8 for 40 in Game 3. On the plus side, it can’t get much worse. On the other side, Miami didn’t exactly sizzle offensively in Game 3 either — 39% from the field, 22% from 3-point range.
— KEEP AN EYE ON: Julius Randle. A game-high 14 rebounds in Game 3 was a good thing, but he shot only 4 of 15 from the field and missed all five of his 3-point tries. He shot 30% in his playoff debut in 2021, is shooting just under 35% in this year’s playoffs, and clearly needs to do more on the offensive end.
— INJURY WATCH: Butler made it through Game 3 with his ankle, which still needs treatment. Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson is toughing out an ankle problem, and his backup, Immanuel Quickley, turned an ankle midway through the fourth quarter of Game 3. Quickley is “day to day,” coach Tom Thibodeau said.
— PRESSURE IS ON: Miami. The Heat have to expect that New York will be better offensively in Game 4, and all the Knicks have to do to reclaim the home-court edge is simply win one game. Miami can’t let the momentum pendulum swing back New York’s way now.
WARRIORS AT LAKERS
Los Angeles leads 2-1. Game 4, 10 p.m. EDT, Monday, TNT
— NEED TO KNOW: The Lakers are unbeaten in their downtown arena since March, going 7-0 with four playoff wins and a play-in victory. They’ve won 10 of 11 at home overall as part of their overall 16-5 surge since St. Patrick’s Day.
— KEEP AN EYE ON: The whistles. The Lakers have shot 83 free throws in the series to the Warriors’ 39, which isn’t really a surprise given these teams’ sharply contrasting offensive styles. Yet the Warriors and their fans are crying foul over the officials’ decisions — even though Golden State was called for 22 fouls to the Lakers’ 21 in Game 3 — and the momentum could shift if Golden State gets to the line more or limits the Lakers’ free throws.
— INJURY WATCH: Neither team is significantly limited by injuries, and Davis’ continued good health is the Lakers’ greatest asset. After missing big chunks of the past three seasons, he’s close to full strength — even if Lakers fans hold their collective breath each time he takes one of his many awkward falls to the court.
— PRESSURE IS ON: Golden State. They’ve rallied from a 3-1 series deficit only once in their playoff history, beating Oklahoma City in the 2016 Western Conference finals — right before that 73-win team infamously blew a 3-1 series lead to James’ Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.
___
AP Basketball Writer Tim Reynolds contributed.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2023-05-08T16:17:15+00:00
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cbs4indy.com
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https://cbs4indy.com/sports/ap-sports/lakers-heat-surging-in-series-through-defensive-superiority/
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Oconomowoc approves bowhunting in parts of the city to manage the deer population
To control the deer population, bowhunting is now permitted in certain parts of the city of Oconomowoc, including two designated public parcels.
The common council voted unanimously Oct. 5 to change the existing ordinance for discharging weapons to include the ability for residents to bow hunt at least 50 yards from a habitable building and in two designated zones in the city.
While the city does not require any specific registration, potential hunters are still required to have proper licenses from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
More:Oconomowoc considers allowing bowhunting on city land to manage deer population
More:Wisconsin hunting seasons officially begin with early geese, teal and doves
The effort to allow for bow and arrows and crossbows was spearheaded by Aldermen Lou Kowieski and Charles Schellpeper in conjunction with the city of Oconomowoc Police Department. It mimics efforts by other Lake Country municipalities like Nashotah and the city of Delafield which have allowed for bowhunting to manage the local deer population.
"I think this is going to be a great addition to our community," Oconomowoc Police Chief James Pfister said. "I think it's going to help prevent the car-deer accidents we have and help thin out the herd here in Oconomowoc. Working with attorney Stan Riffle, I think we have some great language in here that protects citizens of Oconomowoc and keeps everybody safe at the same time."
Private landowners with enough space from a habitable dwelling are still able to hunt on that land, as are people with written permission to hunt on the private land from the owner, in accordance with DNR laws and local ordinances.
The city also set aside two zones specifically for bow hunting.
The first zone includes about 34 acres bordered by the wastewater treatment plant to the north, interurban trail to the east, Oconomowoc River to the west and the conservatory to the south.
The second zone includes 27 acres by the Oconomowoc Industrial Park and River Bluff subdivision. Pfister said that signage will be posted in the near future to notify hunters and passersby.
One issue brought forward by Ald. Jennifer Aultman-Kloth was the first zone being split by the Lake Country Trail and the possible danger of hunters shooting across the trail, which is illegal.
"The deer population in this area is so terrible that something needs to be done and I am 100% in favor of hunting," Aultman-Kloth said. "Where I get tripped up is I’ve just seen so many irresponsible hunters since Nashotah opened up their hunting. On one hand, the Lake Country Trail is closed this year and this would be good for the first year because technically you shouldn’t be on the trail. On the flip side, maybe the hunters will get used to having no traffic on the trail and then I’m afraid they won’t be as safe."
This sparked a discussion about items to keep in mind during the pilot season that could bring forward changes in 2023. Changes discussed included implementing wearing blaze orange in the designated zones and increasing or decreasing land or distances based on the pilot season.
The pilot season will operate within DNR bow hunting laws. The 2022-23 bow hunting deer season opened Sept. 17 and runs to Jan. 8.
Without deer tags or an official system to track hunters and zone usage, the city did not list standards that need to be met. However, they will revisit the matter again in 2023.
"I am going to go ahead and trust you just with the understanding that next year we can switch things up whether that’s space off of the trail or blaze orange," Aultman-Kloth said.
In related action, the council also changed the ordinance to allow shotgun and muzzle loaders to be discharged legally within 100 yards of a habitable dwelling. The previous distance had been 200 yards.
Drew Dawson can be reached at ddawson@jrn.com or 262-289-1324.
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2022-10-10T19:21:56+00:00
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jsonline.com
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https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/lake-country/2022/10/10/control-deer-population-oconomowoc-oks-bowhunting-ordinance/8187134001/
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TULSA, Okla. — The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a high-profile DC law firm that takes on religious liberty cases has sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of the Saint Francis Health System.
At issue is the hospital system’s request for an appeal and reconsideration from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that would allow them to continue a longstanding practice of burning a “sanctuary candle” in its chapels.
Since Saint Francis opened its doors in 1960, they say their health system has had a sanctuary candle with what’s called a “living flame” in its chapels as a sign of the living presence of Jesus.
Saint Francis is a Catholic hospital system.
They were recently issued a citation during their re-accreditation process which they tried to appeal. This entire issue revolves around their use of a lighted candle in their chapels.
"This has never been a problem before, this has been approved by the fire marshall," said Lori Windham, vice president and senior counsel with the becket fund for religious liberty. "St. Francis takes fire safety very seriously."
Windham said the candle is inside a glass holder, which is inside another a glass holder and under a brass cover up on the wall.
"They've had their living flame burning for many years without a problem so we're not sure why it's being cited now," she said.
In a letter from the centers for medicare and medicaid services dated April 20,there's a reference to the use of lighted candles, which states that such candles must be "placed in a substantial candle holder and supervised at all times they are lighted." But according to information gathered by the joint commission and a survey, found that "there was a lit candle with open flame burning unattended 24/7."
CMS recommends that the hospital system engage on a plan correction to address what they call a "deficiency".
Windham says this has never been an issue in the past.
In her letter to HHS she writes, "the citation is inconsistent with the applicable fire-safety rules, with which St. Francis complies. The false choice put to St. Francis violates the religious freedom restoration act and the first amendment."
"This is a sanctuary candle that has been lit with the living flame for many years," Windham said. "They've taken many steps to make sure it's safe … this is not a danger to anyone, this is just an expression of faith."
FOX23 reached out to CMS for comment and have not heard back at this time.
Late Wednesday afternoon we received an email from the Becket Fund saying that they “are in talks with HHS" and that they will send us an update no sooner than Thursday.
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2023-05-05T01:02:01+00:00
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fox23.com
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https://www.fox23.com/news/local/saint-francis-hospital-fighting-citation-against-sanctuary-candle/article_fba9a224-ea14-11ed-a873-6f5bcc2daa65.html
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2023-05-04T02:46:45+00:00
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wyomingnews.com
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/milestones/obituaries/overberg-rickey-alice/article_87c5708c-3e77-57d1-87cb-e3d1d5856207.html
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LINKÖPING, Sweden, May 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- International medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra (STO: SECT B) and UniHA, a cooperative of French public hospitals, have signed a framework agreement for Sectra Digital Pathology. The framework agreement will enable hospitals connected to UniHA to purchase Sectra's solution on pre-negotiated terms and conditions without undergoing a public tender process. This makes it possible for pathologists to review and collaborate around cases in a way that is not possible with microscopes. It will reduce variation and increase efficiency in primary diagnostics, thereby improving cancer care.
"I'm excited that Sectra has been selected to support public hospitals in this incredibly important transformation to digital pathology. I am confident that together, we can improve patient care through more efficient image review, collaboration, sharing of expertise and implementation of new technology such as AI," says Fabien Lozach, President of Sectra in France.
Using digital images of tissue samples instead of physical glass slides, Sectra's solution allows pathologists to instantly access and share current and historical images and information between departments and hospitals and to benefit from evolving technology such as AI. The digital solution provides pathologists with assistance at critical decision points, such as grading or performing more precise measurements. It also enables image analysis, which in turn reduces variation and improves the precision of tasks such as cell counting. Digital access further facilitates second opinions and external reading resources as well as enabling integrated diagnostics.
The four-year framework agreement, signed in May 2022, includes Sectra's solution for reviewing and reporting on pathology cases. Sectra was selected for both single-site and multi-site hospitals.
UniHA, Union des Hôpitaux pour les Achats, is a cooperative of French public hospital purchasers created in 2005 by the hospital staff themselves (32 university hospitals and 20 hospitals). Today, 1,144 hospitals and 120 Territorial Hospital Groupings have joined UniHA. By pooling their purchasing expertise and strengthening their financial positions, they aim to provide the best patient care and healthcare service as well as equal access to care.
Sectra's pathology solution is part of its enterprise imaging solution, which provides a unified strategy for all imaging needs while lowering operational costs. The scalable and modular solution, with a VNA at its core, allows healthcare providers to grow from ology to ology and from enterprise to enterprise. Visit Sectra's website to read more about Sectra and why it's top-ranked in 'Best in KLAS'.
About Sectra
Sectra contributes to a healthier and safer society by assisting health systems throughout the world to enhance the efficiency of care, and authorities and defense forces in Europe to protect society's most sensitive information. The company, founded in 1978, is headquartered in Linköping, Sweden, with direct sales in 19 countries, and distribution partners worldwide. Sales in the 2020/2021 fiscal year totaled SEK 1,632 million. The Sectra share is quoted on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange. For more information, visit Sectra's website.
CONTACT:
Dr. Torbjörn Kronander
CEO and President Sectra AB
+46 (0)705 23 52 27
Marie Ekström Trägårdh
Executive Vice President Sectra AB and President Sectra Imaging IT Solutions
+46 (0)708 23 56 10
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SOURCE Sectra
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2022-05-31T08:21:43+00:00
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wymt.com
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https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2022/05/31/sectra-signs-framework-agreement-supply-public-hospitals-france-with-imaging-it-digital-pathology/
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Aaron Boone looked out his office door around 8:15 p.m. and saw the unusual site of players out of the clubhouse and waiting outside his door. He said they looked like lions stalking, anxious to get going. The Yankees manager was on one of the many zoom calls with MLB and weather officials trying to figure out when they could play Game 5 of the American League Division Series.
“It was weird,” the Yankees manager said of Monday night’s disastrous weather issues. “We had what turned into every 20-minute Zoom calls. … we had settled on a 9:30 start time when the weather guys said ‘Something just popped up.’”
The Yankees, the Guardians and MLB were trying to get the decisive game of this best-of-five series played Monday night. The Astros were back in Houston holding a workout and waiting for the winner on Tuesday while Boone and Guardians manager Terry Francona were juggling their pitching staff for the biggest game of their season.
Boone decided to go with Nestor Cortes on three days’ rest and Guardians manager Terry Francona stayed with Aaron Civale. The only good thing that came out of Monday night is that the deciding game of this series would not be played on a sloppy field in the rain and that both the Guardians and Yankees pitching staffs would be rested.
The rest of the night was kind of a disaster.
Monday night, with the first weather issue predicted well in advance, the Yankees made an announcement at 6:35 p.m. that the scheduled start at 7:07 p.m. would be delayed. There was no word for media — or fans — again until after 9:30 p.m. that the game was postponed by what Yankees GM Brian Cashman said was a second weather front that “popped up” later in the evening. Fans leaving spent at least an hour trying to get out of the local parking garages and with construction on the highways around the Stadium, many were still stuck an hour and a half after the announcement.
During the delay, fans huddled under the overhangs and on the concourses to try and stay dry from the cold rain. Inside the Guardians’ clubhouse, they had to try and find hotel rooms. With the game being the final one of the series, they planned to be heading to Houston for the AL Championship Series or back to Cleveland after Monday night’s game. They had to split up with team management staying in Manhattan and the players sleeping in Yonkers.
“We had to make some adjustments just because our hotel was full,” Francona said. “But JJ [Jared Jones] does our travel. He’s outstanding … We’re fine. We split up and they got it all mapped out and it was no big deal.”
Players were trying to kill time and still get ready in time for several rumored start times. The biggest concern was when to warm up the starting pitchers. For the Yankees that was Jameson Taillon.
“Obviously, we have everything you need to be ready. By the end there, because we had J-Mo after the 8:20 call, we said, we think we’re going at 9:30. We just have to get the news for sure that it’s clear so that we are not warming up in rain,” Boone said. “He was ready to go out there at the nine o’clock call, I had players ready to go, had eye black on, like what’s going on, at my door, basically. And it just kept getting pushed back a little bit, and then obviously got too [late]. We’re like, all right, tomorrow at 4. Let’s go.”
In the Guardians clubhouse things were a little more chill. They had the most rain issues of any team this season
“I think most of them were playing cards or a couple guys playing chess,” Francona said. “Every time we had a little zoom update, we would update our players and they just kept hanging out.”
()
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2022-10-19T08:39:02+00:00
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twincities.com
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https://www.twincities.com/2022/10/18/yankees-manager-aaron-boone-recaps-wild-night-before-mlb-finally-postponed-game-5-after-lengthy-rain-delay/
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UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United States and its allies urged the U.N. Security Council on Monday to condemn North Korea’s unlawful ballistic missile launches, but China and Russia blamed the U.S. for escalating tensions with stepped-up military exercises targeting Pyongyang.
At the emergency meeting, U.S. Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council that the United States will propose a presidential statement, saying at a minimum all 15 members should be agreeable to condemning the North’s unprecedented missile launches, to urging Pyongyang to comply with U.N. Security Council sanctions resolutions, and “to engage in meaningful dialogue.”
A presidential statement from the Security Council requires the support of all its members, including North Korea’s closest allies, China and Russia.
Thomas-Greenfield said the United States condemns North Korea’s firing of two short-range ballistic missiles Monday following the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile Saturday “in the strongest terms” as “flagrant violations” of the council’s ban on the country’s ballistic missile launches.
The launches and North Korea’s threatening rhetoric are undermining international peace and security, Thomas-Greenfield said.
And she warned the council that its silence and failure to condemn the North’s missile activities “leads to irrelevance.”
But Pyongyang’s allies China and Russia countered that what’s needed now is dialogue between North Korea and the Biden administration, a de-escalation of military exercises, an easing of sanctions on North Korea, and approval of a resolution they circulated in November 2021 aimed at resolving the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
That resolution urges the Security Council to end a host of sanctions against North Korea and calls on the U.S. and North Korea to resume dialogue and consider taking steps to reduce tensions and the risk of military confrontation including by adopting a declaration or peace treaty formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War. The war ended with an armistice, leaving the peninsula technically in a state of war.
China’s Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dai Bing said joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises “on a higher level and a bigger scale,” the deployment of U.S. strategic assets, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s high-profile visit to Seoul and Tokyo two weeks ago, are “”highly provocative” to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, “and aggravate a sense of insecurity.”
“Since the U.S. has repeatedly expressed its willingness to unconditionally engage in dialogue with the DPRK, it should take tangible steps to start and maintain a dialogue,” he said. “Exclusively pursuing and piling on sanctions will only lead to a dead end.”
Russia’s deputy ambassador Dmitry Polyansky told the council North Korea is responding with missile tests to “the unprecedented military maneuvers in the region under the United States umbrella which are clearly anti-Pyongyang in nature.”
Japan’s U.N. Ambassador Kimihiro Ishikane, whose country called the emergency meeting, told the council that Saturday’s ICBM fell in the Japan’s exclusive economic zone just 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Hokkaido, where people could see it falling from the sky.
“I assume we can all imagine how terrifying it must have been to see a missile flying to you,” he said, stressing that it endangered vessels and aircraft and was “an act of intimidation and threatening by force.”
To those who contend that Security Council meetings provoke North Korea “and hence we should remain silent,” Ishikane retorted that remaining silent “will only encourage rule-breakers to write the playbook as they like.”
After the council meeting, Thomas-Greenfield, read a statement on behalf of 10 council nations and South Korea, surrounded by their ambassadors, strongly condemning the latest missile launches and urging the other five council nations to join in condemning “the DPRK’s irresponsible behavior.”
The 11 countries — Albania, Ecuador, France, Japan, Malta, Mozambique, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, U.S. and South Korea — “remain fully committed to diplomacy and continue to call on the DPRK to return to dialogue,” the statement said.
“But we will not stay silent as the DPRK advances its unlawful nuclear and missile capabilities, threatening international peace and security,” their statement said.
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2023-02-21T05:33:01+00:00
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krqe.com
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https://www.krqe.com/news/world/ap-us-urges-un-to-condemn-north-korea-china-russia-blame-us/
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SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Brittney Griner returned to the United States early Friday, nearly 10 months after the basketball star’s detention in Russia made her the most high-profile American jailed abroad and set off a political firestorm.
Griner’s status as an openly gay Black woman, her prominence in women’s basketball and her imprisonment in a country where authorities have been hostile to the LGBTQ community heightened concerns for her and brought tremendous attention to the case. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after her arrest complicated matters further.
The deal that saw Griner exchanged for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden. But the U.S. failed to win freedom for another American, Paul Whelan, who has been jailed for nearly four years.
Asked if more such swaps could happen, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that “everything is possible,” noting that “compromises have been found” to clear the way for Thursday’s exchange.
Biden’s authorization to release Bout, the Russian felon once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death,” underscored the heightened urgency that his administration faced to get Griner home, particularly after the recent resolution of her criminal case on drug charges and her subsequent transfer to a penal colony.
Griner, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and Phoenix Mercury pro basketball star, was seen getting off a plane that landed Friday at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland in Texas.
“So happy to have Brittney back on U.S. soil. Welcome home BG!” tweeted Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs.
The WNBA star, who also played pro basketball in Russia, was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February after Russian authorities said she was carrying vape canisters with cannabis oil. The U.S. State Department declared Griner to be “wrongfully detained” — a charge that Russia has sharply rejected.
Griner pleaded guilty in July but still faced trial because admitting guilt in Russia’s judicial system does not automatically end a case. She was sentenced to nine years.
She acknowledged in court that she possessed canisters with cannabis oil but said she had no criminal intent and accidentally packed them. Her defense team presented written statements that she had been prescribed cannabis to treat pain.
The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed Thursday’s swap, saying in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the exchange took place in Abu Dhabi and Bout had been flown home.
Biden spoke by phone with Griner. U.S. officials said she would be offered specialized medical services and counseling.
In releasing Bout, the U.S. freed a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the Justice Department once described as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers. He was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and extradited to the U.S. in 2010.
Bout was serving a 25-year sentence on charges that he conspired to sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons that U.S officials said were to be used against Americans.
___
Tucker reported from Washington.
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2022-12-09T19:45:48+00:00
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pahomepage.com
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https://www.pahomepage.com/news/national/ap-plane-believed-to-be-carrying-griner-lands-in-us/
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(WHTM) – The terms frost and freeze are used a lot when it comes to plants and the growing season.
While both are bad for plants, they don’t necessarily mean the same thing.
The National Weather Service (NWS) says that a frost can form when the temperature falls below 36 degrees Fahrenheit, with it being more than likely in rural areas. Frost becomes more widespread when the temperature falls below 32 degrees. But this is also where freeze can occur.
The NWS usually issues advisories, watches, and warnings for both frost and freezes. Below are definitions the weather services use to alert the public:
Frost Advisory
A frost advisory is issued when the minimum temperature is forecast to be between 33 and 36 degrees Fahrenheit on clear and calm nights during the growing season.
Freeze Watch
A freeze watch is issued when significant and widespread freezing temperatures are expected, sometime within the next 24 to 36 hours.
Freeze Warning
This is issued when significant, widespread freezing temperatures are expected more imminently.
Both events mean bad news for your outside plants.
GardeningKnowHow.com, an online gardening resource, further defines frost as occurring when a plant is exposed to temperatures of 32 degrees Fahrenheit or below. These temperatures may only last for a short time, but frosts can still damage very delicate plants, such as vegetable plants.
A freeze is more impactful, and occurs when the interior temperature of the plant reaches 32 degrees Fahrenheit, GardeningKnowHow noted. The frozen inside of the plant warms during the day and the cells release water and break down. This results in brown and black spots, as well as mushy areas that result in the death of annual plants.
The simplest protection you can do is cover them with an old sheet, or a light tarp.
When frost begins to occur, however, one thing is certain: Winter is on its way, which means it might be time to begin preparing your garden for next year.
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2022-10-20T13:59:34+00:00
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krqe.com
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https://www.krqe.com/weather/what-is-the-difference-between-a-frost-and-a-freeze/
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FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Lawmakers on Thursday teed up a sweeping state aid package for a flurry of climactic votes in a special legislative session convened to assist flood-ravaged eastern Kentucky.
The nearly $213 million measure will be heard in committee Friday morning, setting the stage for House and Senate votes that would send the legislation to Gov. Andy Beshear.
The package would dip into the state’s massive budget reserves to aid the recovery of cities, counties, school districts and utilities in the devastated Appalachian region.
Floodwaters last month destroyed homes and businesses and engulfed communities. The disaster caused at least 39 deaths and robbed thousands of families of all of their possessions.
Lawmakers from the region continued offering heart-wrenching details of the devastation caused by the historic flooding. It's expected to take years for the region to recover.
Republican Sen. Brandon Smith, who represents some of the stricken Appalachian counties, proposed an amendment Thursday that would expand the legislation to include housing assistance.
“At this moment, I’m telling you we need this,” Smith, his voiced choked with emotion, said as he previewed the amendment he plans to present Friday for a vote.
Smith said his proposal also would extend housing assistance to people still struggling from devastating tornadoes that hit portions of western Kentucky in December. Earlier this year, lawmakers passed a $200 million package for the tornado-stricken region.
The current version of the eastern Kentucky relief plan would draw $200 million from the state Budget Reserve Trust Fund. The biggest chunk — $115 million — would support cities, counties, school districts, state agencies and utility service providers. Another $45 million would help repair and replace bridges and roads. And $40 million would be used for repairs to school buildings, additional transportation costs for displaced students and services for children and families.
Nearly $12.7 million in federal funds would be used for water and sewer infrastructure projects.
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2022-08-25T22:34:25+00:00
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lmtonline.com
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https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/Kentucky-lawmakers-tee-up-flood-relief-package-17398706.php
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NASA aims to use Boeing’s Starliner space vehicle for a crewed mission to the International Space Station as soon as February, the agency said. The flight will mark a major milestone in Starliner’s development, which has suffered from delays and testing setbacks.
The planned eight-day mission would be Starliner’s first with astronauts aboard. While the exact launch date hasn’t been set, February “is likely the best window,” Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said Thursday in a news conference. The agency had previously said it hoped to launch by the end of this year.
NASA selected Boeing and Elon Musk’s SpaceX in 2014 to build and operate vehicles that will ferry crews to the space station. In June, NASA announced it had selected two astronauts to fly on Starliner’s first crewed flight.
The plans come on the heels of a successful uncrewed test flight in May that was a welcome development after years of setbacks. Boeing has accrued $595 million in charges to cover Starliner delays, including $185 million last October.
Despite recent stock performance gains, Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun has remained under fire from customers and investors as the company has grappled with problems in its commercial aircraft operations.
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2022-08-25T22:28:36+00:00
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seattletimes.com
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https://www.seattletimes.com/business/boeing-nasa-target-february-for-crewed-starliner-mission/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world
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MONACO (AP) — Rafael Nadal is aiming to make his comeback from a hip injury at the clay-court Monte Carlo Masters next month, organizers said Wednesday.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion has been sidelined with a left hip flexor injury since the Australian Open, and pulled out of hard-court tournaments at Indian Wells and Miami.
The Monte Carlo Masters begins on April 8 and tournament director David Massey is optimistic Nadal will play.
“Rafa was the first (player) to be registered,” Massey said in statement. “He really wants to play at the Monte Carlo Masters and is giving himself every chance to take part in the tournament he’s so fond of.”
Nadal has won the tournament a record 11 times, including an Open Era record streak of eight consecutive titles from 2005 to 2012.
The 36-year-old Spaniard uses the event as a key part of his preparations for the French Open, which takes place May 28-June 11.
Nadal has won 14 of his major titles on clay at Roland Garros, including last year while dealing with chronic pain in his left foot.
In January, Nadal hurt his hip flexor during a second-round loss to Mackenzie McDonald of the United States at the Australian Open.
An MRI exam the next day revealed the extent of the injury.
___
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2023-03-15T23:45:29+00:00
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wnct.com
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https://www.wnct.com/sports/nadal-aiming-to-make-comeback-from-injury-at-monte-carlo/
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AUSTIN (Nexstar) — In just over a week, lawmakers will return to the Texas Capitol for a new legislative session. One thing that makes this session different is the state’s financial situation: Lawmakers will start budget talks with a record surplus.
Back in the summer, State Comptroller Glenn Hegar predicted lawmakers would have a record $27 billion surplus. Then in November, he hinted the amount could actually be much larger. He called it a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity.
“We will never again have an annual tax total collection, compared to the prior year of 25%. We will not still have some federal money that can be utilized instead of state money for general revenue,” Hegar said at an event held by the Austin Chamber of Commerce. “So it is going to be a remarkable opportunity.”
Hegar will issue his official revenue projection right before the start of the session.
Governor Greg Abbott has called for a large part of the surplus to go toward property tax cuts.
He campaigned on spending half of the surplus to cut property taxes. It’s also the top priority for Lt. Governor Dan Patrick. But he points out that state law actually limits how much of the surplus the state can spend.
“If we have a $27 billion surplus, and I think again, it’s gonna be more than that, but half of that half of 27 is 13. Right? Well, that’s more than we can spend on the constitutional cap. So that would split that would take everything we have,” Patrick explained.
“I agree with the governor in this respect, we need to make property tax our number one priority,” Patrick said.
The issues driving the debate under the dome
From budget battles to fights over hot-button issues like guns and the border, the upcoming legislative session is bound to bring tension to the State Capitol. For insight into the issues that will frame the debates under the dome, Monica Madden spoke with politics reporters James Barragán from the Texas Tribune and Niki Griswold of the Austin American-Statesman. What follows is a partial transcript of that interview.
Monica Madden: The state’s massive budget surplus is going to be a driver of conversations throughout the entire legislation. James, I’ll start with you. What fights and conversations are you expecting to play out this session over how to spend that surplus?
James Barragán: We’ve already seen it sort of start to play out with the governor saying he wants to use half of that budget surplus for property tax relief. We’ve seen the Lieutenant Governor come out and say, hold on, wait a minute, there’s no way constitutionally that we can do that. We can get creative with constitutional amendments. And we could do other things. But let’s also think about not spending the whole thing because we have to be financially prudent. And we want to have some money left over for cases of emergency add to that House Speaker Dade Phelan saying we might want to use some of this for infrastructure. And it’s starting to set the tone and tenor of what the debate is going to look like during the legislative session.
Niki Griswold: Building off of what James said that budget surplus isn’t necessarily a sustainable source of funding. And so the speaker’s argument is that it’s more prudent to invest that in a one-time investment when it comes to infrastructure, rather than giving property owners maybe a one-time property tax relief, but the governor has campaigned pretty heavily on that. So, it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out the session.
Monica Madden: Last session, a lot of red meat issues drove the headlines, fights over abortion, transgender rights, the election laws. I mean, do you think that Republicans have an appetite to go further on some of those issues or do you think it’s going to be more of a policy-focused session rather than some of those red-meat topics?
James Barragán: Looking at the makeup of both chambers, Republicans have grown their majorities in both chambers. So if they felt like they had a mandate in 2020, to pursue these cultural war, socially conservative issues. I don’t see how they would change their mind this time around since they’ve grown their numbers.
Niki Griswold: And if we’re just going off of a lot of these Republicans, campaigns stump speeches, I have seen a lot of them focus on LGBTQ issues and tackling that this session, you know, defining childhood, including the definition of child abuse to include providing gender-affirming care to transgender students, restricting how teachers can talk about race and sexism and gender identity in the classroom. I think those are cultural issues that will be top of mind for Republicans this session.
Monica Madden: I know Niki, you and I both reported heavily on the mass shooting in Uvalde. How much do you expect the conversation to be more on guns versus mental health based on what Texas has done in the past following other mass shootings?
Niki Griswold: Democrats have already followed up on their promise to those Uvalde families to file legislation that would raise a raise the minimum age required to purchase a semi-automatic rifle like the one used in the shooting from 18 to 21. Governor Abbott has already said he thinks that is unconstitutional, though the Supreme Court hasn’t definitively ruled on that yet. I think it’s pretty clear that Republicans don’t have much appetite to tackle the gun portion of that issue and have focused far more on mental health and school security. So it’ll be interesting to see how much financial investment they put into those two areas.
Monica Madden: We know Republicans campaigned very heavily on border security and immigration, touting Governor Abbott’s Operation Lone Star, which James, you’ve reported on. Do you see this as something that they’re going to continue to fund? I mean, what is the future of Operation Lone Star as we stand today?
James Barragán: Well, the numbers haven’t gotten any better. So I think it’s very, very clear that they are going to continue this Operation Lone Star, this border security effort. The question is, how do we pay for it? And what does it look like? You know, at some point, the governor bragged about having 10,000 troops down there. That has gone down to 5000, making it a little bit more feasible to do economically. But that’s still a long-term bill that you’re gonna have to pay, if your argument is that the federal government isn’t doing its job. So yes, I expect to see more border security efforts going forward. But the big fight is going to be how do we pay for it?
Poll shows how Texans feel about state leaders, issues heading into session
A new poll is giving us a better idea of what Texans are thinking about the issues facing the state as we head into the legislative session. For insight, we spoke with Jim Henson, the executive director of the Texas Politics Project at the University of Texas. What follows is a partial transcript of our interview.
Monica Madden: Jim, your poll asked Texans what they think about state government specifically, whether it’s addressing the needs of the people right now. And the numbers weren’t great. What is your takeaway on that?
Jim Henson: You know, it was very interesting. We gave people a pair of sets of oppositions where he said, Do you agree with this statement or that statement? And the key finding there was that only 37% of Texans said that they thought that state government met the needs of Texans, 46% the plurality said they didn’t. This tracks with some of our long-standing kind of right track, wrong track numbers, things we’ve seen. But there’s definitely a skepticism about responsiveness out there right now.
Ryan Chandler: To put it mildly, these numbers show that people may not have a high regard for their state governments. But what about the people in charge of that government? Lieutenant Governor Patrick, Governor Abbott, they have different opinions about the people?
Jim Henson: Well, interestingly enough, the leadership in the state got a little bit of a bump now that we’re out of campaign season, not as much negative advertising. And after all the people were pulling on are the winners and people tend to be a little more positive about winners. So everybody went up a little bit, particularly Governor Abbott, he had probably the best ratings that we’ve seen him get in, in over a year. Same with Lieutenant Governor Patrick versus and same with virtually all of the statewide officials. So none of them are over 50%. So we don’t want to like exaggerate the gap. But they’re doing better.
Monica Madden: And as we head into the upcoming legislative session, what would you say are some of the standouts from this poll?
Jim Henson: Well, one of the things that we asked a lot of questions about was business and policy in the state. And there were a lot of interesting results in that one of the things we did was asked Texans whether they thought business was doing too little or too much on a range of hot-button issues that the legislature is paying a lot attention to business policy on it surely enough. The top response in which Texans said that business was doing too little was climate change, almost half said the business was doing too little on climate change. I think that’s going to be a very active issue going into the session, how the how the state is going to respond to things like ESG policies, we’ve heard a lot about, quote-unquote, woke business. It seems like it’s another area where the Republican majority is a little further to the right than where most Texans are.
The next Texas House will include the most women ever
When the state legislature convenes next month for the 88th regular legislative session, the composition of the Texas House of Representatives will include the most women ever.
The November election resulted in the number of female House members growing to 45, so they’ll soon make up 30% of the 150 seats in the lower chamber. The most growth is happening in the Republican caucus. The number of GOP women in the Texas House will double to 13, as seven female candidates emerged victorious from their respective elections.
Ellen Troxclair, the former Austin City Council member, will serve as the new representative for House District 19, which stretches into several Hill Country counties. Ahead of her taking office, the Republican already filed three bills, including one that would ban other Texas cities from copying Austin in creating a guaranteed income program.
“Young Republican women are ready to step up and do our part to protect our families and our communities,” Troxclair said, “and I’m just really thrilled to be a part of this class who I think are going to bring unique perspectives and experiences to the table and do good things for our state.”
The Democratic ranks in the Texas House will grow to 32 women, including the newest addition, Lulu Flores of Austin. She’ll represent House District 51.
“That is music to my ears,” Flores said during an interview with KXAN.
She previously served as president of the National Women’s Political Caucus, an organization that seeks to increase women’s political participation. She finds it fitting now to start her time in office alongside a record number of other women, but she’d like to see more progress made.
“The more inclusive a body can be, I think, the better results you have because you have more voices at the table,” Flores said. “I’m hopeful that having more women in the legislature will add our perspectives and will bring those issues that we’ve had to deal with, and our experiences will come to bear on finding solutions — real practical solutions to things and equitable solutions.”
This high mark for female representation in the state legislature comes 100 years after voters elected the first woman to a seat in the Texas House. Edith Eunice Wilmans served only one term representing Dallas from 1923-1925, according to the Legislative Reference Library of Texas.
Sherri Greenberg, a former state lawmaker who is now a professor of practice at the University of Texas at Austin, said research shows more women serving in a legislative body help to build better consensus and raise specific issues to the forefront. According to an analysis published in the American Journal of Political Science, for example, two researchers found that congresswomen secure roughly 9% more spending from federal discretionary programs than congressmen. They also said women sponsor and cosponsor significantly more bills than their male colleagues.
“When you look at policies, of course, it varies according to the philosophies and parties of women — you can’t stereotype women, right?” Greenberg said. “However, there are some policies that you see that gain traction: for instance, maternal health, early childhood, health insurance. Some policies like that seem to gain traction, and in a bipartisan way, when more women are elected.”
She said she’d now like to see representation in elected offices statewide mirror the number of women participating as voters and living in Texas.
“I hope that by increasing the number of women who are elected to the Texas legislature that you will continue to see more progress on many of those issues that are nonpartisan and bipartisan,” Greenberg said, “particularly in workforce and health care and childcare, and some of those issues that are fundamental to everyone in our society.”
Republicans
- Ellen Troxclair, House District 19
- Caroline Harris, House District 52
- Carrie Isaac, House District 73
- Angelia Orr, House District 13
- Terri Leo Wilson, House District 23
- Janie Lopez, House District 37
- Kronda Thimesch, House District 65
Democrats
- Lulu Flores, House District 51
- Mihaela Elizabeth Plesa, House District 70
- Josey Garcia, House District 124
The 88th Legislative Session starts Jan. 10.
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2023-01-02T17:37:10+00:00
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valleycentral.com
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https://www.valleycentral.com/news/texas-politics/state-of-texas-looking-ahead-to-the-2023-legislative-session/
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From dressing as Roman soldiers in Antigua, Guatemala, to carrying palm fronds on the streets of Lagos, Nigeria, Christians around the world are celebrating Holy Week.
For millions of Christians, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter, known as Holy Week, is the most sacred time of the year. It’s the week Christians commemorate the passion of Jesus Christ.
The week began with Palm Sunday, where mass at the Vatican was celebrated by Pope Francis in St. Peter’s Square the day after he was discharged from the Agostino Gemelli University Hospital in Rome, where the Vatican said he was treated for bronchitis.
In Bolivia’s highland region, artists gathered for an annual event where they built sand sculptures based on Bible stories. Members of the faithful in Brazil wore tunics and hoods to take part in the Procession of Souls in Goiás state. And in Managua, Nicaragua, a child dressed as an angel during an event observing Good Friday, during which a masked worshipper held a religious banner depicting Jesus Christ on a cross.
Half a world away, Catholic nuns held candles during a Holy Thursday procession at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Old City of Jerusalem. It’s the site where Jesus was crucified and buried according to tradition. Celebrations in Haiti included a Stations of the Cross reenactment in Port-au-Prince on Good Friday. In Spain, worshippers carried a portable dais platform supporting a statue of the Virgin Mary through the streets of Seville.
In recent years, Holy Week has been scaled back due to COVID-19 restrictions that require precautions such as social distancing and mask use. However, this year many of the faithful gathered in celebrations reminiscent of the era before the virus changed the nature of religious observance.
This year’s Holy Week was a year for gathering together in prayer.
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2023-04-08T15:18:35+00:00
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texomashomepage.com
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https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national/ap-photos-joyous-holy-week-celebrations-around-the-world/
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3 people and 2 dogs were rescued after jumping from a burning yacht, New Hampshire police say
By Liam Reilly, CNN
A fire of unknown origin left a 70-foot yacht submerged in the waters off of Kittery, Maine, on Saturday, police said.
Three passengers — 67-year-old Arthur Watson, 57-year-old Diane Watson and 33-year-old Jarrod Tubbs — as well as two family dogs jumped overboard as the boat was engulfed in flames, New Hampshire State Police said in a release.
The yacht Elusive was bound for the Wentworth Marina when a passenger took stock of black smoke billowing from the ship’s lower deck, according to the release. Within minutes, the boat was shrouded in smoke, passengers told police.
The three individuals were rescued by nearby boats that took them ashore. They were transported to Portsmouth Hospital, treated and released, according to police.
Police received reports of a boat fire on the Piscataqua River near New Castle just after 4 p.m., the release said, and the department’s Marine Patrol division responded to the scene within minutes.
Still, law enforcement was unable to save the boat, and within two hours of the initial call, the yacht had drifted across the state line with the outgoing tide and was submerged, the release said.
New Hampshire police asked any witnesses or anyone with information related to this incident to contact them.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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2022-06-20T02:43:02+00:00
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keyt.com
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https://keyt.com/news/national-world/cnn-national/2022/06/19/3-people-and-2-dogs-were-rescued-after-jumping-from-a-burning-yacht-new-hampshire-police-say/
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HOUSTON (AP) — Kyle Schwarber stayed near home plate after he had already rounded the bases on what was initially ruled a fair ball. He was about to get another swing, and the slugger launched a long drive again.
Neither of those meaty cuts in the eighth inning Saturday night — which sent balls a total of 756 feet — resulted in a much-needed homer for the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 2 of the World Series as they tried to overcome another five-run deficit.
Following a 5-2 loss to the Houston Astros, the wild-card Phillies go home even in the Fall Classic. They are 5-0 this postseason at Citizens Bank Park, where Game 3 is Monday night.
With a runner at first and no outs, Schwarber pulled reliever Rafael Montero’s 96 mph fastball down the right field line, a towering shot near the pole. The slugger leaned to watch the ball, along with plate umpire Pat Hoberg.
After some initial confusion, Schwarber didn’t even drop his bat and start trotting around the bases until right field umpire James Hoye appeared to signal fair ball.
“I thought, you know, I don’t know — I was like, oh, did they see something I didn’t see?” Schwarber said. “Maybe he thought it nicked (the pole) or something.”
The six umpires then came together to discuss the play. They went to a replay review, which showed the ball barely hooked foul — just as Astros fans in that corner had been signaling since Schwarber sent the 2-2 pitch soaring 403 feet.
“It was close, but it was foul,” Schwarber said.
“Well, it looked foul to me, but the umpire called it fair, and then they got together, called it foul,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “I just went out and I said, `Why don’t we just check it just to make sure it just didn’t clip off the foul pole?’”
When Schwarber got back in the box, he got another 96 mph fastball from Montero. Schwarber hit another deep shot, this one 353 feet and caught by right fielder Kyle Tucker with his back against the wall.
“You don’t see it too often where a guy hits a foul home run and then hits a fair home run,” Thomson said. “But he almost pulled it off. That would have been nice.”
Pinch-hitter Bryson Stott started the eighth by drawing a walk, the fourth inning a row the Phillies got their leadoff runner on base. Only one of them scored.
The Phillies didn’t have two runners on base at the same time until the sixth, after Schwarber walked and Rhys Hoskins singled. They were in the perfect part of their batting order to start another big comeback, too.
Except J.T. Realmuto, whose 10th-inning homer in Game 1 was the difference in a 6-5 win, swung and missed at a 96 mph heater from Astros starter Framber Valdez. Cleanup hitter Bryce Harper grounded into an inning-ending double play on the next pitch.
“I thought he kept us off balance pretty well tonight,” Harper said about Valdez. “We had some opportunities, especially myself, to get something going, but wasn’t able to do that.”
Harper went 0 for 4 with a strikeout and stranded five runners. That ended the NL Championship Series MVP’s postseason hitting streak at 11 games. He had reached base in each of the Phillies’ first 12 postseason games.
The Astros also turned a double play in the fifth after a leadoff single.
Nick Castellanos started the seventh with a double and scored Philadelphia’s first run on a sacrifice fly by Jean Segura right after Valdez came out of the game.
Phillies ace Zack Wheeler was quickly doubled up in his first World Series start. He allowed three doubles on the first four pitches he threw as the Astros jumped ahead 2-0.
The right-hander began the postseason with 11 1/3 scoreless innings and pitched in two Philadelphia wins during the NLCS against San Diego. But he struggled against the Astros, who weren’t going to blow a 5-0 lead for the second night in a row.
Wheeler gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits over five innings. He struck out three and walked three while throwing 41 of 69 pitches for strikes.
An error by shortstop Edmundo Sosa extended the first and allowed a third run to score, then Alex Bregman hit a two-run homer off Wheeler in the fifth.
“He was just a little off. It was a little bit light stuff, and location was a little bit off,” Thomson said. “Should have only given up two runs in the first inning and then Bregman hits a home run. He got behind him, and beat him to the spot.”
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2022-10-30T13:01:17+00:00
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wric.com
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https://www.wric.com/sports/sports-headlines/ap-schwarbers-2-big-swings-went-756-feet-got-phillies-nothing/
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HENDERSON, Nev., Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Grove Inc. (NASDAQ: GRVI), a market leader in Amazon and eCommerce brand ownership and aggregation, announces that today, August 17, 2022, its trading name on the Nasdaq officially changed from "Grove Inc." to "Upexi, Inc." and its ticker symbol changed from "GRVI" to "UPXI". This accompanies previous press releases notifying investors of this change.
CEO Allan Marshall stated, "Last month, we announced our growth strategy in a letter to shareholders that focused on our acquisition plan to bring more, profitable eCommerce brands in various industries under our umbrella. Moving to a new name and stock ticker is a reflection of the progress we have made and our goal for continued growth."
No action is required by the company's current shareholders as a result of this change, and the change in its ticker symbol will have no effect on its business goals, strategy, or fees and expenses.
Upexi Inc., is an innovator in aggregation, accelerating Amazon and eCommerce businesses by combining consumer data and vertical integration to scale brands in multiple industries, while lowering costs with a growing distribution network. Through strategic acquisitions, Grove continues to expand into numerous consumer markets, and utilizes its in-house, SaaS programmatic ad technology to help achieve a lower cost per acquisition and accumulate consumer data for increased cross-selling between its growing portfolio of brands.
Andrew Norstrud
Email: investorinfo@upexi.com
Phone: (702) 332-5591
Investor Relations Contact
TraDigital IR
John McNamara
Email: john@tradigitalir.com
Phone: (917) 658-2602
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with business strategy, potential acquisitions, revenue guidance, product development, integration and synergies of acquiring companies and personnel. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that the beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
View original content:
SOURCE Grove, Inc.
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2022-08-17T21:37:58+00:00
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wsfa.com
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https://www.wsfa.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/grove-inc-announces-name-symbol-change-upexi-inc-upxi/
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WFPD responds to wreck on Kell East Blvd
Published: May. 10, 2022 at 5:29 PM CDT|Updated: 8 hours ago
WICHITA FALLS, Texas (KAUZ) - The Wichita Falls Police Department responded to a crash in the 2500 block of Kell East Blvd. on Tuesday.
It happened around 5 p.m. and involved two vehicles.
News Channel 6 crews on scene saw at least one person placed in an ambulance, but there is no word on the conditions of the vehicle occupants at this time. Law enforcement reportedly arrested a woman at the scene for DWI.
This is a developing story. Stick with News Channel 6 as we learn more.
Copyright 2022 KAUZ. All rights reserved.
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2022-05-11T06:49:48+00:00
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newschannel6now.com
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https://www.newschannel6now.com/2022/05/10/wfpd-responds-wreck-kell-east-blvd/
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KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — The Women’s World Cup is getting 300% increase in prize money for this year’s tournament.
The $150 million fund for the first 32-team tournament is a huge boost from the 24-team edition in 2019, and 10 times what it was in 2015.
Some of that prize money must be dedicated to paying players, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Thursday after being re-elected by acclimation through 2027.
Infantino also again expressed his anger with broadcasters for offering too little for TV rights. He said FIFA will not sell broadcast rights for the tournament in Australia and New Zealand at the prices currently being offered.
“Women deserve much, much more than that and we are there to fight for them and with them,” he said.
Female players worldwide have been fighting for equal pay and equal respect with men’s national teams, including the defending champion United States, Canada, France and Spain.
Infantino set a target of equal prize money for men and women at their next World Cups, in 2026 and 2027, respectively — a tough task when the 32 men’s teams shared $440 million at last year's World Cup in Qatar.
The FIFA president angrily targeted broadcasters, some of them public service channels funded by taxpayers, who he said offered up to 100 times less for rights to the women’s tournament.
Infantino first raised the issue in October in New Zealand, and insisted FIFA still would not sell at those prices with women’s soccer drawing audiences perhaps 20-50% less than for men’s games.
“Well, offer us 20% less, 50% less. But not 100% less," Infantino said in closing remarks to the FIFA Congress. "That’s why we can’t do it.”
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2023-03-16T11:41:24+00:00
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lmtonline.com
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https://www.lmtonline.com/sports/article/women-s-world-cup-prize-money-increases-300-to-17842709.php
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INDIANAPOLIS (AP)Jlynn Counter’s 23 points helped IUPUI defeat Texas A&M-Commerce 62-52 on Tuesday night.
Counter shot 9 of 13 from the field and 4 for 4 from the line for the Jaguars (3-10). Daylan Hamilton added 14 points and three steals. Vincent Brady had 11 points.
The Lions (4-9) were led by Demarcus Demonia, who recorded 10 points. Kalen Williams added 10 points and three steals for Texas A&M-Commerce. Luka Vasic also recorded nine points.
—
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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2022-12-21T16:45:20+00:00
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siouxlandproud.com
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https://www.siouxlandproud.com/sports/ncaa-basketball/counter-scores-23-as-iupui-defeats-texas-am-commerce-62-52/
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The Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Kennesaw State Owls 5-0 to win their seventh consecutive game. Nicholas Newbold pitched his second shutout of the season as the Bulldogs moved to 11-3-2 on the season. Cameron Campbell scored twice in the first game of what will be the captain's final homestand of his career.
After defeating Kennesaw State 14-0 on Nov. 4, Georgia’s one score in the first period seemed like a slow start. The single goal came from Declan Conway on an assist from Matt Bigda with 5:39 left in the opening frame.
Campbell netted his second goal of the season with 17:49 to play in the second period. He took advantage of a two-on-one and cashed in on Trevor Gutmann’s pass. Campbell will graduate at the end of the fall semester, so this was his final homestand with the Ice Dawgs. The captain scored a second goal while the Bulldogs were on a penalty kill late in the second period.
“Good things happen to good people,” coach John Camp said. “I’ve given [Campbell] I don’t know how many books and personal experiences of what it takes to be a captain and he’s grabbed it, ran with it, and has had a great career.”
Camp pointed to Campbell as a reason for the team’s success over the last few seasons.
“It’s a requirement if you want to have a good team to have good captains and I’ve been very blessed to have [Campbell] as my captain the last two years,” Camp said.
While Campbell is finishing up his career as an Ice Dawg, Matthew Schwanekamp’s career is just beginning. He showed his potential, scoring his first career goal with six minutes to play in the second frame. Georgia’s bench erupted when Schwanekamp lit the lamp with a rebound goal. Campbell and Schwanekamp combined for three goals in a dominant second period for the Ice Dawgs.
“Just on a whim I called down and said ‘Schwaney, you’re going out on this line in place of Crawford’ and he goes out there and gets the goal,” Camp said. “So it made me look like a genius but those are special when it happens that way.”
David Eberly scored for a seventh time this season to ice the game with just 3:28 to play in regulation. Eberly struck from the high slot to take advantage of one of the few clean looks created by Georgia in the final period.
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2022-12-06T05:11:47+00:00
|
redandblack.com
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https://www.redandblack.com/sports/campbell-nets-two-in-georgia-hockeys-shutout-win-over-kennesaw-state-university/article_feb95622-74ed-11ed-9783-83a0c074be18.html
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U.S. Government Takes Active Role in Quantum-Safe Cybersecurity
WATERLOO, ON and SAN FRANCISCO, June 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- ISARA, the leader in post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and cryptographic risk management, and The LightBridge Group, today announced their strategic partnership to advance post-quantum cryptography solutions and risk management services across the U.S. government.
"The LightBridge Group brings decades of government experience and insight which, in addition to its quantum science and cybersecurity expertise, complements ISARA's capabilities and roadmap plans. We warmly welcome this partnership and look forward to advancing PQC and cryptographic risk management, together, at the federal level," stated Atsushi Yamada, CEO of ISARA.
Quantum Computing Prioritization and Leadership at the Federal Level
U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act into law on December 21, 2022. The law sets requirements for federal agencies to inventory their active cryptographic assets, assess their vulnerabilities to future quantum computers, and perform proof-of-concept testing of post-quantum cryptographic algorithms.
"U.S. Government agencies are committed to preparing their IT systems for the arrival of cryptography-breaking quantum computers," said Jonah Force Hill, Managing Director & Head of Client Services at The LightBridge Group. "We believe that ISARA has the right experience and the right technologies to address the government's critical, quantum-safe needs."
Hill previously served as the director for cybersecurity and emerging technology on the staff of the National Security Council at The White House, where he was responsible for directing President Biden's National Security Memorandum on post-quantum cryptography (NSM 10).
About The Lightbridge Group
The LightBridge Group provides business consulting services for quantum technology companies. Our experts bring decades of experience in business, government, science and technology, providing guidance to clients from early-stage startups to established Fortune 500 firms in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and Europe. We specialize in U.S. government procurement and contracting, commercial marketing and public relations, executive recruiting, and investment and M&A advisory services. LightBridge leverages an extensive network of experts to advance clients' business priorities.
About ISARA
ISARA's mission is to build a quantum-safe world. Founded in 2015, Canada-based ISARA specializes in cryptographic risk management and crypto-agile and quantum-safe security solutions and services for today's information technology ecosystems. We work with enterprises and government agencies to futureproof mission-critical systems and achieve quantum-safe and Zero Trust goals. For more information, visit https://www.isara.com.
ISARA Media Contact: 877-319-8576, media@isara.com
View original content:
SOURCE ISARA
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2023-06-07T15:50:59+00:00
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kswo.com
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https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2023/06/07/isara-lightbridge-group-partner-advance-post-quantum-cryptography-government/
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CLEVELAND — Jedrick Wills Jr. is getting more time to prove to the Cleveland Browns that he’s worth a long-term investment.
While the move was expected, it wasn’t guaranteed. General manager Andrew Berry declined to discuss Wills’ future on Saturday during the NFL draft, leading to speculation the Browns may have had other plans.
The team had until Tuesday to pick up the option, which will be worth $14.1 million. He is under contract for two more seasons and the Browns can work out a longer deal with him if they feel Willis is worth keeping.
The Browns have one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, led by coach Bill Callahan.
Wills played right tackle in college before switching to the left side, which didn’t become a pressing need for the Browns until 2018, when 10-time Pro Bowler Joe Thomas retired. Thomas is being enshrined in the Hall of Fame this summer.
Wills hasn’t played poorly; it’s more that he hasn’t been dominant. However, the team felt he made major progress in 2022 that he can build upon.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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2023-05-01T15:35:03+00:00
|
washingtonpost.com
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nfl/2023/05/01/browns-nfl-jedrick-wills-jr/a3ba2de0-e82f-11ed-869e-986dd5713bc8_story.html
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LOS ANGELES, Sept. 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After more than two months of audit and confirmation by the CMMI Institute of the United States, AiDot Inc. officially passed the software CMMI-DEV V2.0 certification evaluation, and obtained the Level 5 certification, which is currently the strictest and most authoritative certification in the international software research and development field.
This is another important milestone for AiDot Inc. to obtain authoritative certification in terms of product quality, innovation strength, management and service level.
What does CMMI level 5 company mean?
Passing the CMMI 5 level certification indicates that AiDot Inc.'s software technology research and development capabilities, project management capabilities, quality assurance capabilities and solution delivery capabilities continue to maintain the international advanced level, and can provide customers with more mature industry solutions. Higher quality service is of great significance to the sustainable development of the company in the future.
Statistics data from official website of CMMI shows that only 15.8% of the 10,987 CMMI-certified companies have achieved Level 5 certification. According to SEI (Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Mellon University), software development companies that CMMI certified and actually implement the CMMI management model, have improved project estimation and control capabilities by about 40%-50%, and productivity has increased by 10%-20%,Product error rates fell by more than a third.
AiDot's scope of this evaluation included 19 process time domains such as software requirements development management, technical solution implementation, project management (including planning, estimation, monitoring, risk management, quantitative management, etc.), Agile software development practices, root cause analysis, decision analysis, peer review, testing management, training management, configuration management, quantitative management, organizational process assets, and high-level governance. The evaluation team unanimously determined that AiDot Inc.'s software R&D process system complied with the high maturity specifications and requirements of CMMI-DEV V2.0, and successfully passed the 5-level certification of CMMI-DEV V2.0.
About CMMI:
CMMI is the Software Capability Maturity Integration Model, was commissioned by the U.S. Department of Defense and jointly developed by CMU-SEI (Carnegie Mellon University's Software Engineering Institute), is the industry standard for measuring the capability maturity and project management level of software enterprises, and is also the most authoritative software capability assessment system in the world. CMMI maturity level 5 is the optimizing level, which is the highest level.
About AiDot:
AiDot is a smart home platform that connects devices across brands and ecosystems. With AiDot, your home becomes a connected space that makes your life simpler, safer, and more entertaining.
The AiDot app is the central part of the platform for controlling all smart home devices installed in your home. No matter where you are, you can control "Works with AiDot" devices in your home, including lights, switches, outlets, cameras, sensors and household appliances, or create scenes and automation around your routines.
"Works with AiDot" (WWA) is a mark of interconnectivity across different brands and categories. You can easily control any product featuring the WWA label with AiDot app. Brands that have joined the AiDot ecosystem include well-known smart device brands, such as Linkind, OREiN, Mujoy, Winees, WELOV, Syvio, GoGonova, Ganiza, etc.
For more information, visit: www.AiDot.com
Contact us: marketing@aidot.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Works with AiDot
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2022-09-28T16:59:17+00:00
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kwtx.com
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https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2022/09/28/aidot-inc-obtained-level-5-certification-cmmi-dev-v20/
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BERNALILLO COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) — The New Mexico Attorney General’s Office and the Livestock Board hosted a fundraising event Saturday. It’s called the Western Hoedown.
The event took place at the Bernalillo County Sheriff`s Posse in the North Valley and supports the Special Olympics of New Mexico.
Story continues below:
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The Special Olympics aims to provide sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Dancing and a green chile cheeseburger cook-off were also featured during the event.
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2023-07-23T02:16:24+00:00
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krqe.com
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https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/money-raised-for-special-olympics-through-hoedown-at-bernalillo-county-sheriffs-posse/
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‘Star Trek’, swear words and TV characters’ changing mores
For nearly four decades, Jean-Luc Picard of “Star Trek” has largely been presented as genteel, erudite and — at times — quite buttoned up. Yes, he loses his temper. Yes, he was reckless as a callow cadet many years ago. Yes, he occasionally gets his hands dirty or falls apart.
But the Enterprise captain-turned-admiral stepped into a different place in last week’s episode of the streaming drama “Star Trek: Picard.” Now, he’s someone who — to the shock of some and the delight of others — has uttered a profanity that never would have come from his mouth in the 1990s: “Ten f—-ing grueling hours,” Patrick Stewart’s character says at one point during an intense conversation in which he expects everyone will die shortly.
The whole thing was in keeping with the more complex, nuanced aesthetic of this decade’s “Star Trek” installments. And the online conversation that ensued illustrates the journey undertaken when a fictional character voyages from the strictures of network and syndicated television to high-end streaming TV.
“’Star Trek’ was G-rated when it first came out. ‘The Next Generation’ was clean-cut and optimistic. What we’re seeing now with ‘Picard’ is a little bit more of the grit,” says Shilpa Davé, a media studies scholar at the University of Virginia and a longtime “Trek” fan.
Over the weekend, “Star Trek” Twitter reflected that tension.
“Totally out of character,” said one post, reflecting many others. Some complained that it cheapened the utopia that Gene Roddenberry envisioned, that humans wouldn’t be swearing like that four centuries from now, that someone as polished as Picard wouldn’t need such language.
“Part of Star Trek’s appeal is the articulate way characters speak. Resorting to gutter language feels like a step backward since Star Trek’s characters are meant to be better than this,” John Orquiola wrote for the website Screen Rant on Sunday.
The backlash to the backlash followed. Christopher Monfette, the Paramount+ show’s co-executive producer, wrote an extensive and persuasive thread about the moment and why he believed it worked.
“It’s easy to hear that elevated British tone escaping the mouth of a gentlemanly Shakespearean actor and assume some elevated intellectualism,” he said, while acknowledging: “Criticism of its use is fair even if it just strikes a personal nerve — or if you’ve equated ‘Trek’ with more broader, family-friendly storytelling. But regardless, cursing in the show is carefully debated & discussed in the room or on set. We don’t take it lightly.”
The showrunner for “ Star Trek: Picard ” this season, Terry Matalas, said the F-word from Picard wasn’t scripted but was a choice by Stewart in the moment. The result, Matalas said, was “so real.”
“Everything you do as artists, as writers and actors, even as editors, is authenticity. That’s the thing you want to feel,” he told Collider. “I was really torn because hearing that word come from your childhood hero, Captain Picard, it throws you. But wow, is it powerful.”
“Star Trek” has a long history of pushing boundaries, linguistic and otherwise.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Capt. James T. Kirk said on network TV in 1967, when that word was edgy. He’d just lost someone dear to him in the most trying of circumstances. Dr. McCoy, the ship’s irascible physician, would often say, “Dammit, Jim.” And in the larger realm, the original series delicately danced with NBC censors over everything from women’s costumes to racial, sexual and war references.
But the crossing of last week’s linguistic frontier is an interesting case. It highlights the turbulence generated when a beloved character born during the “family-friendly” TV era evolves against the streaming landscape, where constraints are fewer and opportunities for unflinching authenticity greater.
“This isn’t just a rethinking of a fictional world. This is the same actor and the same character in the same setting that we had before. And all these years, he has been speaking and behaving in a certain way,” says Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University.
Sometimes this transition unfolds erratically. Velma, a member of the Gen-X-era Saturday morning cartoon “Scooby Doo,” recently appeared in a more multicultural cartoon reboot on HBO Max that featured a high-school shower scene and overt sexual references. It has been roundly panned. Several years ago, when “Riverdale” premiered, the attempts to push Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica from the sunny world of comics into the darker realm of teen drama produced uneven, sometimes jarring results.
“Star Trek” is in a whole different universe, so to speak.
Roddenberry famously framed it as a utopian future where the main characters generally avoided conflict with each other, their society wasn’t motivated by greed and humanity was seen as inexorably moving forward. Purists have criticized the recent years of what they call “new Trek” as a darker, more fragmented universe.
Nonsense, say many others: Both allegory and word usage evolve with the times. After all, it was only seven decades ago that Lucille Ball (and her character) was expecting a baby on “I Love Lucy” and the word “pregnant” couldn’t be uttered on national television — except, oddly, in French.
And for years before and after that, Hollywood’s production code prescribed the ways morality and amorality could be depicted in film, with strict regulation of everything from sexual innuendo to whether criminals were portrayed sympathetically to whether the good guys won. Hence the term “Hollywood ending,” which remains with us today in many parts of life.
All of which raises the question: Could it also be the boundaries themselves that help create memorable film and television, rather than merely the breaking of them?
“Star Trek had a certain kind of sincerity — almost like ‘the 23rd century will be a family-friendly kind of thing,’” Thompson says. “The question is, what happens when your characters outlive the media industry standards? How do you accommodate the fact that you’re no longer limited without completely betraying the world that you’ve created?”
In this case, Stewart has said he returned to the character because he was persuaded there were new stories to tell. Just as he had aged two decades since his last “Star Trek” appearance, so, too, had Picard — with all the evolution that went along with it.
The kind of evolution, perhaps, that might make a man facing his own end choose a word that still carries a lot of power — even in today’s swearing, streaming world. When Jean-Luc Picard says that word, you can be absolutely sure he means it.
___
Ted Anthony, director of new storytelling and newsroom innovation for The Associated Press, has been writing about American culture since 1990. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/anthonyted
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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2023-03-16T06:32:29+00:00
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kob.com
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https://www.kob.com/news/us-and-world-news/star-trek-swear-words-and-tv-characters-changing-mores/
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In an announcement shared first with CNN Business, the entertainment giant said Monday that it would add new original shows featuring members of the South Korean pop group to Disney+.
That will result in five new titles with HYBE, BTS' management company. The firm was previously known as Big Hit Entertainment.
At least two of the new titles will be shot with the entire band, including a taped concert special in Los Angeles and a behind-the-scenes documentary series. Disney expects the latter to debut next year.
🚨 CALLING ALL DISNEY+ FANS 🚨 @bts_bighit has a message for you. #DisneyPlusSG pic.twitter.com/ZKiAb6D3Hf
— Disney+ Singapore (@DisneyPlusSG) July 11, 2022
In a recorded video message shared with CNN Business, the band said they were looking forward to showing fans "a more up-close and personal side of us."
BTS has enjoyed meteoric success in recent years, attracting legions of fans around the world known as the "Army."
Recently, however, the seven-person group announced that it would be taking a break to explore various projects, including some on a solo basis.
The new tie-up with Disney reflects that. One forthcoming title is a reality show that will see V, a BTS star, head on vacation with other Korean celebrities, the company said.
The band's documentary will also peek into their daily lives "as they prepare for their second chapter," Disney and HYBE said in a joint statement.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The move shows how Disney is focusing on top-tier talent as it continues to go after Netflix and cash in on the recent wave of popularity surrounding Korean content and culture.
Last year, for example, fans worldwide buzzed over "Squid Game," the South Korean hit from Netflix that became the company's top show globally. Disney said it has also found success with titles like "Snowdrop," a Korean series that has become one of its most-watched titles throughout Asia recently.
"This collaboration represents our creative ambition - to work with iconic content creators and top stars in Asia-Pacific so their talent can be enjoyed by mainstream audiences in multiple ways," Jessica Kam-Engle, Disney's head of content for Asia Pacific, said in a statement. "We believe these new titles will captivate consumers worldwide and look forward to introducing more music content on our service."
The move is part of a major expansion into Asian content announced by the company last October. It plans to greenlight more than 50 original titles from the region by 2023.
The Hollywood giant said at the time that it was commissioning new shows from South Korea, Japan, Australia, Taiwan and Indonesia. Many of the programs will be presented in local languages, from Bahasa Indonesia to Mandarin.
Netflix has also been pouring money into original Asian language content and touting the global success of its Korean and Japanese programs in particular.
But the company's stock has faced pressure in recent months after it revealed in April that it had lost subscribers for the first time in a decade. The news reignited debate about long-term prospects for the streaming sector.
Investors, however, seem calmer about Disney. The company said in its most recent earnings presentation in May that it had added more Disney+ subscribers than expected over the past quarter, bringing its total to 137.7 million.
The Walt Disney Co. is the parent company of this ABC station.
The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved.
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2022-07-12T14:44:58+00:00
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abc30.com
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https://abc30.com/bts-disney-plus-on-documentary-busan-concert-2022/12046052/
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SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- SKYPLAY Inc. announced the listing of its cryptocurrency, SKP(SKYPlay Token) on ProBit Global —one of the world's leading digital-asset trading platforms.
SKYPlay began its first steps towards becoming an official blockchain platform by listing SKP on MEXC Global last May. Following the listing on MEXC and ProBit Global, the company plans to accelerate the process of expanding its global presence as it continues to list SKP on prominent global and domestic cryptocurrency exchanges.
SKP, the key currency of SKYPlay platform, uses the Polygon(MATIC) network, which offers low transaction fees, fast speed, and scalability as one of the top Ethereum Layer 2 blockchain.
Under the leadership of the Singapore corporation, SKYPLAY Inc. will release a variety of new lifestyle content as well as a range of eP2E games via SKYPlay–the easiest P2E and NFT business platform. In addition to the launching of Coin Grid and the SKYPlay platform, two other games will be released this year including a game from Retrocat, which just announced the signing of an onboarding contract with SKYPlay.
Sang-ok Chang, the CEO of SKYPLAY Inc. said, "SKYPlay has expanded community users from 170 countries with events and entertaining activities. Throughout the listing on ProBit Global, we are glad to demonstrate the reliability and scalability by outlining our consistent roadmap with our brand catchphrase, FUEL—uphold Fun, Utility, and Easy content while maintaining the platform's Liquidity."
SKYPlay
SKYPlay will offer a rich variety of lifestyle content including easy P2E games, sports, education, music, and art-all of which will be provided through an easy NFT business platform optimized for mobile UI/UX.
SKYPlay will offer a bigger and better space than a simple portal, encouraging users and service providers to grow and thrive within an easy-to-use, reliable, and trustworthy ecosystem.
ProBit Global
ProBit Global is a Top 20 crypto exchange worldwide providing unlimited access to trade and buy Bitcoin, Ethereum and 600+ altcoins in 1000+ markets.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE SKYPlay
|
2022-09-06T14:21:56+00:00
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wafb.com
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https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2022/09/06/skyplay-go-global-with-probit-global-listing/
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Ukrainian rocket strike targets Russian ammunition depot
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) - A Russian ammunition depot was apparently targeted by Ukrainian forces overnight, resulting in a massive blast captured on social media.
The Ukrainian military’s southern command said the rocket strike targeted the depot in Russian-held Nova Kakhovka, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) east of the important Black Sea port city of Kherson, which is also occupied by Russian forces.
Video on social media showed a massive explosion. The nature of the strike suggested that Ukrainian forces used U.S-supplied multiple-launch High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, to strike the area.
Russia’s Tass news agency offered a different account, saying that the target was a mineral fertilizer storage facility that exploded, and that a market, hospital and houses were damaged. Some of the ingredients in fertilizer can be used for ammunition.
Ukrainian authorities also said that Russian fire struck the southern city of Mykolaiv on Tuesday morning, hitting two medical facilities and residential buildings. Four people were wounded in the shelling attack, Mykolaiv regional governor Vitaliy Kim said on Telegram.
Air raid sirens sounded early Tuesday morning in the western city of Lviv and other areas of Ukraine as Russian forces continued to make advances.
According to a Tuesday intelligence briefing from the British military, Russia is continuing to make “small, incremental gains” in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region, where heavy fighting led the province’s governor last week to urge its 350,000 remaining residents to move to safer places in western Ukraine.
Yet many in the Donbas, a fertile industrial region in eastern Ukraine made of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, refuse — or are unable — to flee, despite scores of civilians being killed and wounded each week.
The death toll in a Russian rocket attack that struck an apartment building in eastern Ukraine on Saturday has risen to 34. The head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Pavlo Kyrylenko, made the announcement on social media, saying nine wounded people had been recovered from the building in Chasiv Yar.
The British intelligence briefing said Russia had seized the Ukrainian town of Hryhorivka and continued to push toward the Donetsk province cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk.
“Russian forces are likely maintaining military pressure on Ukrainian forces whilst regrouping and reconstituting for further offensives in the near future,” the intelligence briefing said.
However, Russia may be relying more heavily on private forces, like the Wagner mercenary group, to avoid a general mobilization, the British said.
___
Jon Gambrell in Lviv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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2022-07-12T10:37:53+00:00
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waff.com
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https://www.waff.com/2022/07/12/ukrainian-rocket-strike-targets-russian-ammunition-depot/
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Photography News: Nikon has announced a new Z System NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S super-telephoto lens along with an accessory grip for remote camera control.
NEW YORK, Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- B&H is excited to announce the Nikon NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens. The Z 600mm f/4 lens joins the Z 400mm f/2.8 lens as a fast super-telephoto option for the Z mirrorless system. It features a built-in 1.4x teleconverter, lighter weight, and an updated AF and optical performance. For video shooters, the MC-N10 Remote Grip offers improved control over shooting settings when working from a tripod, slider, shoulder rig, or gimbal.
Key Features
- Z-Mount Lens/FX Format
- Built-In 1.4x Teleconverter
- Silky Swift VCM Autofocus System
- 5.5-Stop VR Image Stabilization
- Super ED, ED, Fluorite, and SR Elements
- Meso Amorphous and ARNEO Coatings
- Customizable Fn and Memory Set Buttons
- Weather-Sealed Design, Fluorine Coating
The Nikon Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S is the latest super-telephoto in Nikon's lineup and is the second Z lens to feature a built-in teleconverter for greater versatility. The fast 600mm f/4 design can instantly be switched over to an effective 840mm f/5.6 for greater reach and the internal, dedicated TC design helps maintain a high degree of sharpness and clarity when in place.
Compared to the F-mount 600mm f/4 for SLR cameras, this Z-mount mirrorless lens sees a 14% reduction in weight (7.2 vs 8.4 lb) and has nearly the same dimensions despite featuring a built-in teleconverter. It also improves on past 600mm designs with an updated optical layout that includes a series of fluorite, short-wavelength refractive, and extra-low dispersion elements to control a variety of different aberration types. Also, it features a Meso Amorphous Coat that improves on previous anti-reflective coatings, especially with regard to diagonal incident light.
The Z 600mm f/4 features a host of technologies that debuted with the Z 400mm f/2.8, including the Silky Swift VCM autofocus system, which is especially quiet and fast, along with the use of an ABS encoder for high accuracy that benefits working with moving subjects. Also, VR performance is rated at 5.5 stops when used in conjunction with an IBIS-enabled camera and Synchro VR, or 5 stops of VR for the lens itself.
Additionally, this lens also features Nikon's intuitive "no-look" layout that includes various rings and buttons for lens-based control over shooting settings. The Focus, Control, and Fn Rings all have different knurled textures to differentiate them and there are four L-Fn buttons on the lens barrel.
The second announcement from Nikon is the MC-N10 Remote Grip, whose development was previously announced earlier in 2022. This auxiliary grip is compatible with Nikon Z9 camera and will also be compatible with the Z7 II and Z6 II cameras later this year following a forthcoming firmware update. This grip offers improved control over camera settings when working from a mounted position or in other circumstances where it is more convenient to change the settings on the camera body itself. The grip incorporates Fn buttons and command dials, along with an ARRI-style rosette for attaching to cages or rigs. It connects to the camera via USB-C and is powered using two AA batteries.
Learn more about the Nikon Z 600mm Super-Telephoto Lens at B&H Explora
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/explora/videos/photography/nikon-z-600mm-lens-and-remote-grip
Hand On Nikon NIKKOR Z 600mm f/4 TC VR S lens – First Look
https://youtu.be/RvF5UwJyvQc
As the world's largest source of photography, video, and audio equipment, as well as computers, drones, and home and portable entertainment, B&H is known worldwide for its attentive, knowledgeable sales force and excellent customer service, including fast, reliable shipping. B&H has been satisfying customers worldwide for over 48 years.
Visitors to the website can access a variety of educational videos and enlightening articles. The B&H YouTube Channel has an unmatched wealth of educational content. Our entertaining and informative videos feature product overviews from our in-house specialists. You can view the B&H Event Space presentations from many of the world's foremost experts and interviews with some of technology's most dynamic personalities. Tap into this exciting resource by subscribing to the B&H YouTube Channel here. In addition to videos, the B&H Explora blog presents new product announcements, gear reviews, helpful guides, and tech news written by product experts and industry professionals, as well as our award-winning podcasts.
When you're in Manhattan, take a tour of the B&H Photo SuperStore, located at 420 Ninth Avenue. The techno-carousel spins all year round at the counters and kiosks at B&H. With hundreds of products on display, the B&H Photo SuperStore is the place to test-drive and compare all the latest gear.
Contact Information
Henry Posner
B&H Photo Video
212-615-8820
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE B&H Photo
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2022-11-02T05:35:11+00:00
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uppermichiganssource.com
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https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/prnewswire/2022/11/02/nikon-announces-z-600mm-f4-super-telephoto-lens-hands-first-look-youtube-video-bamph/
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NEW YORK (AP) — Fans had waited more than two months for the first Yankees-Red Sox game of the year. It did not disappoint, at least for Boston.
With the Red Sox clinging to a one-run lead with two on and two outs in the ninth inning, Anthony Volpe came to the plate and drove a full-count slider from Kenley Jansen deep down the left-field line.
“I knew it was hooking. I just wanted it to hit the pole or something,” said the rookie, playing for the first time in the rivalry following years of watching from the stands.
After the ball landed about 10 feet foul, Volpe popped up the next pitch to shortstop and Boston earned a 3-2 win over New York on Friday night in the first of 13 meetings this season.
From 2001 through last year, there were 18 or 19 matchups annually under the unbalanced schedule. A crowd of 46,007 filled Yankee Stadium in the ballpark’s sixth sellout this season.
“You can tell from the get-go. When I got out there at 6:30 for a 7 o’clock game, 7:10, you see the people up there in right field, way up there, there’s people there, you know it’s going to be fun,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “It was loud.”
Rafael Devers and Kiké Hernández homered, and Kenley Jansen got his 14th save in 17 chances after giving up two-out singles to Billy McKinney and Gleyber Torres.
Gerrit Cole (7-1) lost for the first time this season after going unbeaten in his first 13 starts.
Garrett Whitlock (3-2) allowed two runs — one earned — and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and one walk. The right-hander, who turns 27 on Sunday, came off the injured list in late May after being sidelined for 1 1/2 months with a compressed nerve in his pitching elbow. He has a 4.78 ERA in six starts after pitching out of a bullpen as a rookie in 2021 and alternating between starting and relieving last year.
He credited Corey Kluber and former Red Sox pitcher Nathan Eovaldi for passing along their wisdom.
“With pitch selection and reading at-bats, Kluber has helped me tremendously,” Whitlock said.
Whitlock was an 18th-round pick by the Yankees in the 2017 amateur draft and was taken by Boston in the December 2020 winter meeting draft of unprotected players. He is 15-8 in big league career, going 4-1 against the Yankees.
“I’ve never held a grudge,” Whitlock said. “I understood the whole thing.”
Cole gave up two runs and seven hits in six innings as New York (37-28) dropped 9 1/2 games behind AL East leader Tampa Bay.
“The other Garrett just outpitched me,” Cole said. “I threw a nice game, but he threw a better one.”
Triston Casas had an RBI single in the fourth, and the Red Sox twice broke out the inflatable dumbbells they use for dugout celebrations after home runs. Devers hit his seventh career homer off Cole, on a changeup in the sixth.
Cole marveled at Devers.
“I haven’t come across any other player quite like him,” he said.
Josh Donaldson cut the deficit in the bottom half with a 448-foot home run into the netting above Monument Park — five of his six gits this season have been homers.
Hernández homered off Albert Abreu in the seventh and Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled, stole second, took third when Connor Wong’s throw bounced into center for an error and came home on a wild pitch.
TOUGH EAST, WEAK CENTRAL
Boston, which lost eight of its previous 11, got back to .500 at 32-32. While the Red Sox are last in the AL East, their record matches that of AL Central-leading Minnesota.
“I think when you look at it like that, it’s eye-opening sometimes,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said before the game. “But I’m not surprised how good our division is.”
SLUMPING
Volpe is 10 for his last 67 and Anthony Rizzo is hitless in 16 at-bats since returning from a neck injury.
THEY’RE BACK
CF Adam Duvall went 0 for 3 with a walk in his first game since April 9. He missed 54 games after breaking his left wrist while attempting a diving catch. … RF Alex Verdugo went 2 for 5. He was removed from Wednesday’s game in the eighth inning after not running hard on a seventh-inning grounder and didn’t play Thursday.
NO THANKS
Cora said he isn’t interested in the coaching job at the University of Miami, where Gino DiMare quit after five seasons. Cora, who played at Miami, endorsed Hurricanes pitching coach J.D. Arteaga.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Red Sox: LHP Chris Sale (stress reaction left scapula) was moved to the 60-day IL and is out until at least August.
Yankees: OF Greg Allen will be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks, according to manager Aaron Boone, after straining his right hip flexor at Los Angeles on June 2. … Boone wouldn’t say whether CF Harrison Bader (strained right hamstring) might need a minor league rehab stint.
UP NEXT
RHP Tanner Houck (3-5, 5.46) starts Saturday night for the Red Sox and RHP Domingo Germán (3-3, 3.69) for the Yankees, who will be starting on five days’ rest.
____
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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2023-06-10T17:45:51+00:00
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wivb.com
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https://www.wivb.com/sports/ap-sports/whitlock-pitches-red-sox-over-yanks-3-2-in-rivals-1st-meeting-this-year/
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During the Summer of 1977, people across America were sitting in darkened movie theaters, crunching away on popcorn as the screen went to black.
A short phrase appeared that would change movie history. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away… And with that, we were hooked on the story of Luke Skywalker and his battle against the Empire. Star Wars and all its sequels have not only reshaped pop culture, but also moviemaking in general.
There are spin-offs galore and merchandise deals of galactic proportions! Any year a new movie is released you can expect an estimated 7 billion dollars worth of merchandise to be sold.
On National Star Wars Day, celebrate by dressing up as a Jedi or Wookie and whatever you do, May the Fourth Be With You!
Today we also celebrate: National Interpreter Appreciation Day, National Bike to School Day, National Skilled Trades Day, Bird Day, National Candied Orange Peel Day, National Renewal Day, National Orange Juice Day, and National Weather Observers Day.
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2022-05-04T14:34:10+00:00
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kxnet.com
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https://www.kxnet.com/video/national-day-calendar-national-star-wars-day-2/
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Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen claimed his eighth victory of the 2023 Formula 1 World Championship season on Sunday at the British Grand Prix, which served as round 11.
The win was the first for the reigning champion at the U.K. race, but it was McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri who really impressed on the day. Thanks to recent upgrades made to their cars, the McLaren duo had the pace to chase for the lead, and Norris managed to hold the position for the first few laps.
However, Norris had to settle for second place by the end of the race, with just 3.8 seconds separating him from Verstappen, who won the last race by 24 seconds. Mercedes-Benz AMG’s Lewis Hamilton rounded out the top three podium positions by finishing close to seven seconds behind Verstappen. Hamilton barely edged out the rookie Piastri who finished fourth, while fellow Mercedes driver George Russell finished fifth.
Verstappen started the race on the pole position with Norris joining him at the front of the grid. Norris got the better start and was followed closely by Verstappen and Piastri in the first few laps, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc also in the mix. On lap five, Verstappen was finally able to pass Norris and take the lead thanks to some help from the Drag Reduction System.
The top of the order didn’t change much from that point, but on lap 33 the virtual safety car was deployed after Haas’ Kevin Magnussen suffered power unit troubles. His car eventually came to a stop the following lap, requiring the actual safety car. Most drivers took the opportunity to pit, including race leader Verstappen.
The safety car left the track at the end of lap 38 and Verstappen managed to keep his lead at the restart, while Norris was held up due to battles with Hamilton. This allowed Verstappen to build up a gap that he held onto until the end of the race.
There were few additional dramas, though Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll received a penalty for causing contact with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, who was forced to retire thereafter. And Red Bull’s other driver, Sergio Perez, after yet another poor qualifying session that left him starting the race 15th, spent the day fighting through the pack, ultimately finishing in sixth place.
Following the weekend’s action, Verstappen has a clear lead in the 2023 Drivers’ Championship with his total of 255 points, versus the 156 points of Perez in second. Third in the standings is Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso with 137 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull leads with 411 points, versus the 203 of Mercedes in second and 181 of Aston Martin in third. The next race on the calendar is the Hungarian Grand Prix in two weeks.
Below are the full results from the 2023 Formula 1 British Grand Prix:
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
2) Lando Norris, McLaren +3.798 seconds
3) Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-Benz AMG +6.783 seconds
4) Oscar Piastri, McLaren +7.776 seconds
5) George Russell, Mercedes-Benz AMG +11.206 seconds
6) Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing +12.882 seconds
7) Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin +17.193 seconds
8) Alexander Albon, Williams +17.878 seconds
9) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari +18.689 seconds
10) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari +19.448 seconds
11) Logan Sargeant, Williams +23.632 seconds
12) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo +25.830 seconds
13) Nico Hulkenberg, Haas +26.663 seconds
14) Lance Stroll, Aston Martin +27.483 seconds
15) Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo +29.820 seconds
16) Yuki Tsunoda, AlphaTauri +31.225 seconds
17) Nyck De Vries, AlphaTauri +33.128 seconds
18) Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri – DNF
19) Kevin Magnussen, Haas – DNF
20) Esteban Ocon, Alpine – DNF
Related Articles
- 2023 F1 standings: Verstappen grows title lead while McLaren shows resurgence
- 2023 F1 British Grand Prix preview
- Ford Mustang Dark Horse R racing toward July 27 debut
- Brad Pitt F1 movie will be filming during this weekend’s British GP
- Koenigsegg’s one and only race car up for sale
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2023-07-10T23:47:21+00:00
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wearegreenbay.com
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https://www.wearegreenbay.com/automotive/internet-brands/verstappen-wins-2023-f1-british-grand-prix/
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Perhaps you know Josh Segarra from his scene-stealing role as Lance on HBO Max’s “The Other Two,” or remember him as a crooked district attorney of Star City in the CW’s “Arrow,” or you caught him on Broadway when he originated the role of Emilio Estefan in “ On Your Feet! ” However you know him, Segarra is becoming more and more recognizable and this month adds two new projects to that list.
First, Segarra appears in “ Scream VI ” as Danny, the boyfriend of Melissa Barrera’s character. Segarra says when he auditioned he had two wishes if he got the part: he would either be the new Ghostface killer or he would die a spectacular death on screen. His callback audition scene seemed to grant one of those dreams.
“They sent me a whole monologue confessing that I’m the killer. So I’m sitting there and I’m like, ‘Oh, I’m the killer.’ I tell my wife, ‘I’m the killer.’ I tell my team, ‘Yo, I’m the killer.’”
After he was cast, he found out everybody auditions with the killer’s monologue.
“That’s part of their callback process. So everybody thinks that they’re the killer and everybody is telling all their friends that they’re the killer in the new ‘Scream’ movie. And then everyone gets the script and realizes not everyone is the killer.”
The “Scream” franchise, has always cast buzzy stars including Drew Barrymore, Sarah Michelle-Gellar, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Joshua Jackson for cameo roles, and also enlists up-and-coming talent for its main roles.
For the current “Scream” filmmakers — Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett directing and Chad Villella executive producing — the casting process is “simple” because it comes down to “casting people who are cool.”
“We were fans of him on ‘The Other Two’ and as soon as Josh auditioned, we were like, ‘Oh, Josh has to be that character,’ says Bettinelli-Olpin.
“You couldn’t not see it,” adds Gillett.
The movie’s recent premiere had a special meaning for Segarra. It was held at the New York movie theater where he and his wife, Brace, had their first date.
“That’s when I learned that she likes the worst candies in the world: Hot Tamales, Junior Mints and Whoppers. I wanted Reese’s Cups, M&M’s and Sour Patch Kids,” he says.
Next up is the series “ The Big Door Prize ” debuting March 29 on Apple TV+. Based on a novel by M.O. Walsh, it follows the residents of a small town — led by Chris O’Dowd as a local teacher — where a machine appears that can predict a user’s true destiny. With quirky characters and a lot of heart, the show is created and written by David West Read, who was a producer and writer on “Schitt’s Creek.”
Segarra plays Giorgio, a former hockey player who now owns a cheesy Italian restaurant — offering gondola rides — that doubles as an arcade so customers can eat pasta and play Dance Dance Revolution. His character is a former schoolmate of O’Dowd’s character Dusty and his wife, Cass. Like his restaurant, Giorgio is tacky and in your face. He’s also hopelessly in love with Cass and makes no effort to hide it. As the episodes roll out, a loneliness to Giorgio is revealed and viewers may end up rooting for him.
“In the hands of a lesser actor, Giorgio could easily come across as a one-dimensional, egomaniacal bully,” says Read. “But Josh has such a big heart that he finds the beating heart of Giorgio, bringing unexpected vulnerability and compassion to the role. It takes an incredibly intelligent actor to play someone who occasionally talks and acts like an idiot with such warmth and sensitivity. But like Giorgio, Josh goes big or goes home, and his unbridled passion and enthusiasm is contagious on set.”
If he had the chance, Segarra says he would try out a machine like the one in “The Big Door Prize.” He’s happy with his career as it is but says if it told him he was meant to be a professional wrestler, he’d “flip it.”
“My first introduction to theater was pro wrestling,” said Segarra. “They were my first superheroes. I used to escape into it without realizing that’s what I was doing. I’m pretty sure that’s how I became an actor,” he says.
Segarra fell in love with the drama, stunts and spectacle of pro wrestling. “My first acting lesson was trying to imitate The Ultimate Warrior in the mirror or Macho Man or Hulk Hogan. It all started like that for me.”
|
2023-03-23T17:36:30+00:00
|
washingtonpost.com
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2023/03/23/josh-segarra-big-door-prize-scream/f88c6240-c997-11ed-9cc5-a58a4f6d84cd_story.html
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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Every game the Texas Longhorns play feels like an audition for interim coach Rodney Terry.
At some point, the school must decide if he deserves a callback.
What would that take? A Big 12 championship? A deep run into the NCAA Tournament? Texas hasn’t won the league’s regular-season title or made it to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament since doing both in 2008.
Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte won’t discuss the search for a permanent replacement for Chris Beard, who was fired Jan. 5, or whether Terry is a top candidate for the position.
But the AD can see what everyone else can: Texas (17-3, 6-2 Big 12) is ranked No. 10, shares first place in the Big 12 and hasn’t missed a step since Beard was first suspended on Dec. 12 and then fired following his arrest on a felony domestic violence charge.
“I’m really proud of what they are doing,” Del Conte said of the team this week. “I couldn’t be more pleased for him and our entire team.”
Terry, who was the head coach at Fresno State and UTEP before joining Beard’s Texas staff, also deflects questions about his future in burnt orange and whether he’s thinking about it every time he’s on the court.
“The thing I can control right now is working with these guys every single day. I love the team that we have. They believe in what we’re trying to get done,” Terry said. “I’m a firm believer in living where your feet are and living in the moment. Enjoy this season, this journey. Tomorrow is not promised to us.”
Terry took over a team that’s deep in veteran experience and maturity. Star guard and leading scorer Marcus Carr is a sixth-year graduate student. Forward Timmy Allen, the second leading scorer, is a fifth-year senior. Both are 23 years old.
Sixth man Sir’Jabari Rice is a graduate transfer from New Mexico State and the Longhorns’ go-to player to put games away in the final minutes with his 86% free-throw shooting — third in the Big 12.
Texas players have described the confusion that surrounded Beard’s arrest, suspension and ultimate firing. Carr said the older players quickly redirected the focus to the basketball court and not the courtroom.
In return, Texas is 10-2 under Terry, with its only losses coming against No. 5 Kansas State and No. 12 Iowa State, the two teams at the top of the Big 12 with the Longhorns.
Terry wasn’t a stranger to Texas, having served on Rick Barnes’ Longhorns staff from 2002-2011.
Terry and Barnes will see each other again Saturday when the Longhorns play at No. 4 Tennessee in the Big 12/SEC challenge. When they were together at Texas, the Longhorns had their greatest decade in program history: two national players of the year in T.J. Ford and Kevin Durant and making the Final Four in 2003 and the Elite Eight in 2006 and 2008.
Terry said Barnes called him after he led Texas to an overtime win over Rice, which came just hours after Beard was first suspended.
“He said to me, ‘Be prepared to will this team throughout the course of the rest of this season, and you’re more than prepared for this opportunity … Go out and enjoy the ride try to take these guys as far as you can take them,” Terry said.
Beard was hired to jumpstart a program that became stagnant in Barnes’ final years and couldn’t break through under Shaka Smart. It was working, too. Last season, Texas got its first NCAA Tournament win since 2014. Beard also pushed for people to come to Texas’ new arena, the Moody Center, and connected with fans during his campus “fireside chats.”
Then came the arrest and the charges, and Terry’s takeover.
Terry recently stepped into the spotlight a bit by appearing on a weekly radio show and a television program on the Longhorn Network. Del Conte said putting Terry in those slots fulfills network contract obligations.
But they also allow Terry to build his own voice as the leader of the Longhorns program, one that he insists is a player-led team.
“You put your players first,” Terry said. “I don’t need to be the face of the program. My face is not pretty enough.”
___
AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25
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2023-01-28T18:33:24+00:00
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wivb.com
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https://www.wivb.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-rodney-terry-constantly-auditioning-as-texas-interim-coach/
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TAMPA, Fla. — There’s a new type of flower bed springing up in South Tampa and it doesn’t require any water, soil, or sunlight. That’s because it’s all made from recycled materials.
When most people finish their can of beans or soup, the tin can becomes trash, but not for artist Joe Bureker. Instead, he decided to turn tin cans into an innovative flower garden.
“Coffee cans, soda cans, dog food cans, all sorts of cans,” said Bureker. “Pretty much anything I can get my hands on, I try to turn into a flower.”
Just call Bureker the Tin Man of South Tampa.
First, he collects them, then he transforms them.
“So I kind of begin cutting them, and you can imagine each cut becomes its own separate petal basically,” said Bureker.
He’s always had a knack for turning the boring into the beautiful.
“I started at a pretty young age, my grandmother was an artist. She had her own art store, so I started out in diapers playing with paint, and I just kept going from there,” said Bureker.
Bureker was inspired by the support he gained from his neighbors, who leave cans, or in this case, supplies, outside their doors for him to pick up.
“It’s not what I was intending, but I just got such an outpouring of neighbors wanting to help me out it was great,” said Bureker. “It was kind of overwhelming at first, there were just so many things coming at me with cans.”
Now, this local artist is taking his creation to national fairs and expos.
“It was nice I got a lot of nice kind words and a lot of smiles, so it was really good that was probably my favorite part,” said Bureker.
Who knows, there could be a new trend when it comes to backyard flower gardens, all thanks to the South Tampa Tin Man.
“I’m your guy. I’m making metal ones, guaranteed to bloom,” said Bureker.
This article was written by Robert Boyd for WFTS.
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2022-09-20T17:06:14+00:00
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wkbw.com
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https://www.wkbw.com/news/national/tin-man-of-south-tampa-turns-old-cans-into-flowers
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I had an epiphany last week. I looked in the bathroom mirror and realized that I couldn’t see my face clearly until I put on my reading glasses. Which led me to wonder: How do you put on makeup while wearing glasses? Lots of people must do this because lots of people wear glasses. But how? And is it normal to wake up one day and suddenly not be able to see your face in the mirror? What else am I not seeing? And what else, dear God, is next?
Which led me to my epiphany: We need a guidebook for growing old. We have traditional books, “How Not to Become a Little Old Lady,” “Honest Aging,” “The Book about Getting Older” full of advice about how to age. Plus we have, everywhere we look, anti-aging messages assailing us: Tips for anti-aging. Make-up for anti-aging. Diets for anti-aging. Meditation for reverse aging! Would that there were an actual fountain of youth. But there isn’t. If you live long enough you will grow old. So how do we navigate these years?
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With a guidebook!
“As you are getting older, everything about you is changing: the way you look, the way you are shaped, the way you feel, the way you react, and the things that you find interesting. This happens for every girl your age, but sometimes it feels as if you are the only one going through it.”
This is how the very popular American Girls book, “The Care & Keeping of YOU, The Body Book for Older Girls 2″ — written for girls 10 and up — begins.
So why not a guidebook like this for even older girls (and even older adults)?
First, let’s talk about the word “seniors.” When you’re 18 and a senior in high school, the word is positive. Same when you’re a senior in college. But not when you’re a senior citizen. In the US, there’s a lot of negativity attached to senior citizens.
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In September 2021, AARP reported that those age 50 and over are seven times more likely to be portrayed negatively in online ads than people under age 50. If you’re over age 50, you already know this: There is blatant bias in advertising.
But age is good. Age is wisdom and experience and a lifetime of knowledge. Age is to be honored. Elders is a word that implies these attributes. It’s time to retire senior and adopt elders. And so our guidebook would be called “A Guide for Elders.”
Chapter 1: When should you call a doctor? My friend has what she refers to as “the dizzies.” Some days the dizzies keep her close to home. Some days the dizzies disappear and she feels fine. Is this normal? Are the dizzies as innocuous as a teenager sleeping for 15 straight hours, then pulling an all-nighter two days later? Is growing old as mercurial as growing up? Wouldn’t it be handy to have a book that addresses issues like this?
Chapter 2: Let’s talk about body changes. Who stole my waist? And where did it go? And why are there hairs on my chin that I can’t see but can feel? And when did they appear? And why are they there? And should you shave them or buy one of those fancy facial hair trimmers for women or just yank them out with tweezers?
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Chapter 3: Why can’t I remember the name of the book I just read? Is this normal? Have I read too many books? Is this why I can’t remember anymore? Or is this, as the poet Billy Collins wrote, simply the way it is: “The name of the author is the first to go followed obediently by the title, the plot, the heartbreaking conclusion, the entire novel which suddenly becomes one you have never read, never even heard of …”
“Treat Your Body Right”
“Your New Look”
“Snooze Time”
“Keeping Clean”
These are just some of the chapters in the American Girl book.
“The Care and Keeping of You, The Body Book for Older Girls 2,” all of which help kids navigate the unknown (to them) stages of growing up. Why not a similar book for people who are growing old and navigating unknown (to them) stages, too? Some practical topics: “Closed captioning is your friend.” “Why high beams coming at you at night are blinding.”
People who are over 50 make up 34 percent of the US population. Kids from 12 to 17 make up just 7.6 percent. There are a lot more people growing older than turning into teenagers in this country. And these growing older people still buy — and read — books. A simple guidebook would not just be useful, but a certain bestseller.
Beverly Beckham’s column appears every two weeks. She can be reached at bev@beverlybeckham.com.
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2022-11-25T16:00:27+00:00
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bostonglobe.com
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https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/11/25/metro/when-should-you-call-doctor-who-stole-my-waist-other-questions-we-older-folks-want-answered/
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Milwaukee bankruptcy avoidance plan clears Wisconsin Legislature
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Legislature on Wednesday passed a bipartisan plan to prevent Milwaukee from going bankrupt that also sends more state aid to every community in the state, a long-sought-after funding increase agreed to by Republican lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
The measure is part of a larger deal struck by Evers and Republican legislative leaders after months of talks that also increases K-12 education funding by more than $1 billion. It was the highest profile deal reached between Evers, in the first year of his second term, and Republicans, who have found little common ground on most issues.
The local government funding bill, which passed both the Senate and Assembly with bipartisan support and opposition, now heads to Evers. The Senate also passed the school funding bill, which the Assembly was expected to approve late Wednesday night.
Milwaukee leaders warned of dire consequences and catastrophic budget cuts as the city faces bankruptcy by 2025. Milwaukee is struggling with an underfunded pension system and not enough money to maintain essential police, fire and emergency services.
“We cannot let our largest city fail,” said Democratic Sen. Mark Spreitzer before the Senate passed it on a bipartisan 21-12 vote. The Assembly passed it later on a bipartisan 68-26 vote.
Evers, speaking Wednesday on WTMJ-AM before the vote, heralded the deal as “really, really important” both for Milwaukee city and county but also children due to the increase in funding, including more for mental health.
“We’ve met the issue square on,” Evers said. “Each side gave up on some things that are important to them. That’s how compromise is made.”
Both the Milwaukee proposal and the corresponding school funding bill have their Republican and Democratic detractors, despite the bipartisan deal.
Conservatives deride the Milwaukee bill as a bailout for the state’s largest and most Democratic city and say local sales tax increases should need voter approval. The state teachers union doesn’t like increasing voucher payments to private schools that are a part of the education funding plan and called on Evers to veto it.
“This is no compromise,” said Democratic Sen. Lena Taylor, who argued that the deal did not do enough to help Milwaukee. “This is grand theft.”
Democratic senators also objected to various parts of the bill that weren’t related to state aid, like a ban on local communities from placing advisory referendums on the ballot and limiting how long local health officials can order businesses closed during a health emergency.
“This Frankenstein monster of a bill should be slaughtered,” said Democratic Sen. Chris Larson, of Milwaukee.
Republican Sen. Mary Felzkowski said the bill was not perfect, “but let’s not let perfect get in the way of very, very good.”
The deal resolved the largest sticking point over who could determine whether Milwaukee city and county can raise the local sales tax to pay for pension costs and emergency services. Under the bill, that power rests with the Milwaukee County Board and the Milwaukee Common Council. Some Republicans wanted to require voter approval before taxes could be raised.
The long-sought-after proposal to stave off Milwaukee’s bankruptcy also sends more money to all of Wisconsin’s towns, villages, cities and counties.
The roughly $1.6 billion in aid to local governments — known as shared revenue — would be paid for by tapping 20% of the state’s 5-cent sales tax. Aid would then grow along with sales tax revenue.
Shared revenue to local governments has remained nearly unchanged for almost 30 years and was cut in 2004, 2010 and 2012.
Evers and Republicans have praised the deals as transformational wins for Milwaukee and local governors, as well as the state’s schools, while conceding that there are elements they oppose.
Evers, a former state superintendent, has long opposed expanding the state’s private school voucher system, which allows public school students to attend private schools for free. Under the deal, payments that private schools receive to accept public school students would increase. That would lower costs to allow private schools to expand the number of non-voucher students they accept.
Advocates for voucher schools say the additional funding will help slow the closure of cash-strapped voucher schools. More than 40% of private schools that received vouchers have closed since the program began in Milwaukee in 1990. That was the first voucher program in the country. It expanded statewide in Wisconsin in 2013, but there are enrollment caps that would not grow under the deal.
The plan also calls for spending $50 million more on reading and literacy programs in schools, but it doesn’t detail what exactly those programs are. The bill will also increase a reimbursement for special education costs to cover a third of districts’ expenses and dedicate $30 million to address mental health in schools, both priorities for Evers and Democrats.
The Senate passed the school funding bill on a bipartisan 24-9 vote.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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2023-06-15T03:01:36+00:00
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kaaltv.com
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https://www.kaaltv.com/news/political-news/milwaukee-bankruptcy-avoidance-plan-clears-wisconsin-legislature/
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SALEM, Ore., May 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Willamette Valley Vineyards, Inc. (NASDAQ:WVVI) (the "Company"), a leading Oregon producer of Pinot Noir, generated a loss per common share after preferred dividends of $0.11 and $0.05 for the period ended March 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively, an increase of $0.06, for the period ended March 31, 2022 over the prior year period.
Sales revenue for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 was $6,242,318 and $5,765,338, respectively, an increase of $476,980, or 8.3%, in the current year period over the prior year period. This increase was caused by an increase in revenues from direct sales of $651,124 being partially offset by a decrease in revenues from shipments to distributors of $174,144 in the current year three-month period over the same period in the prior year. The increase in direct sales to consumers was primarily the result of increased retail sales revenues from our tasting rooms, wine club and kitchen. The decrease in revenue from the distributors was primarily attributed to the lack of available inventory to ship.
Gross profit for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 was $3,720,029 and $3,493,567, respectively, an increase of $226,462, or 6.5%, in the first quarter of 2022 over the same quarter in the prior year. This increase was primarily the result of an increase in direct sales in the first three months of the current year compared to the same period in 2021.
Selling, general and administrative expenses for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 was $3,856,261 and $3,317,558, respectively, an increase of $538,703, or 16.2%, in the current quarter over the same quarter in the prior year.
Net income (loss) for the three months ended March 31, 2022 and 2021 was $(98,942) and $122,685, respectively, a decrease of $221,627, or 180.6%, in the first quarter of 2022 over the same quarter in the prior year.
Jim Bernau, Founder and CEO of the winery said, "Unforeseen inventory delays have limited our ability to offset expenses related to our new developments. While we expect supply interruptions, higher supply costs and labor shortages to reduce margins and earnings in the near term, our growth initiatives are designed to produce greater profitability in the long term."
For a complete discussion of the Company's financial condition and operating results for the first quarter, see our Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2022, as filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission on EDGAR.
Willamette Valley Vineyards, Inc. is headquartered at its Estate Vineyard near Salem, Oregon. The Company's common stock is traded on NASDAQ (WVVI).
Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the Company's business, and beliefs and assumptions made by management. Words such as "expects," "anticipates," "intends," "plans," "believes," "seeks," "estimates," "predicts," "potential," "should," or "will" or the negative thereof and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Therefore, actual outcomes and results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in such forward-looking statements due to numerous factors, including, but not limited to: availability of financing for growth, availability of adequate supply of high quality grapes, successful performance of internal operations, impact of competition, changes in wine broker or distributor relations or performance, impact of possible adverse weather conditions, impact of reduction in grape quality or supply due to disease or smoke from forest fires, changes in consumer spending, the reduction in consumer demand for premium wines, the impact of supply chain and transportation disruptions, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the policies of United States federal, state and local governments in response to such pandemic. In addition, such statements could be affected by general industry and market conditions and growth rates, and general domestic economic conditions. Many of these risks as well as other risks that may have a material adverse impact on our operations and business, are identified in Item 1A "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, as well as in the Company's other Securities and Exchange Commission filings and reports.
The following is the Company's Statement of Income for the three months ended March 31, 2022 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2021:
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SOURCE Willamette Valley Vineyards
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2022-05-12T23:53:01+00:00
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kcbd.com
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https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/05/12/willamette-valley-vineyards-posts-results-q1-2022/
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PARIS — France began voting in a presidential runoff election Sunday with repercussions for Europe’s future, with centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron the front-runner but fighting a tough challenge from far-right rival Marine Le Pen.
The result of voting in France, a nuclear-armed nation with one of the world’s biggest economies, could also impact the conflict in Ukraine, as France has played a key role in diplomatic efforts and support for sanctions against Russia.
Le Pen’s support in France’s electorate has grown during this campaign to her highest level ever, and much will depend Sunday on how many people turn out to vote. Many of those expected to choose Macron are doing so to keep out Le Pen and ideas seen as too extreme and anti-democratic, such as her plan to ban the Muslim headscarf in public, or her ties to Russia.
Both candidates are trying to court the 7.7 million votes of a leftist candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, defeated in the first vote.
For many who voted for left-wing candidates in the first round April 10, this runoff vote presents a unpalatable choice between a nationalist in Le Pen, and a president who some feel has veered to the right during his first term. The outcome could depend on how left-wing voters make up their minds: between backing Macron or abstaining and leaving him to fend for himself against Le Pen.
All opinion polls in recent days converge toward a win for the 44-year-old pro-European centrist — yet the margin over his 53-year-old nationalist rival varies broadly, from 6 to 15 percentage points, depending on the poll. Polls also forecast a possibly record-high number of people who will either cast a blank vote or not vote at all.
Earlier this week, Macron took the gloves in a two-hour-45-minute debate -- the last of the campaign -- tearing into his far-right challenger as he seeks the votes he needs to win.
Le Pen has sought to appeal to working class voters struggling with surging prices amid the fallout of Russia’s war in Ukraine -- an approach that even Macron acknowledged has found resonance in the wider public. She said bringing down the cost of living would be her priority if elected as France’s first woman president, and she portrayed herself as the candidate for voters unable to make ends meet.
She says that Macron’s presidency has left the country deeply divided. She has repeatedly referenced the so-called yellow vest protest movement that rocked his government before the COVID-19 pandemic, with months of violent demonstrations against his economic policies that some thought hurt the poorest.
France’s presidential campaign has been especially challenging for voters of immigrant heritage and religious minorities. Polling suggests that much of France’s Muslim population — the largest in Western Europe — voted for far left candidates in the first round, so their voice could be decisive.
Macron has also touted his environmental and climate accomplishments in a bid to draw in young voters popular with far left candidates. Citizens and especially millennials voted in droves for Melenchon. Many young voters are particularly engaged with climate issues.
Although Macron was associated with the slogan “Make The Planet Great Again,” in his first five-year term, he capitulated to angry yellow vest protesters by scrapping a tax hike on fuel prices. Macron has said his next prime minister would be placed in charge of environmental planning as France seeks to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Le Pen, once considered a climate-change skeptic, wants to scrap subsidies for renewable energies. She vowed to dismantle windfarms and invest in nuclear and hydro energy.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the French election at https://apnews.com/hub/french-election-2022
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2022-04-24T07:14:38+00:00
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washingtonpost.com
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/voting-opens-in-france-runoff-between-macron-and-le-pen/2022/04/24/52bf57c2-c395-11ec-b5df-1fba61a66c75_story.html
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WASHINGTON — Novo Nordisk will start slashing some U.S. insulin prices up to 75% next year, following a path set earlier this month by rival Eli Lilly.
The Danish drugmaker said Tuesday that pre-filled pens and vials of long- and short-acting insulins will see list price reductions. They include Levemir, Novolin, NovoLog and NovoLog Mix70/30.
Novo also will drop the list price of unbranded products like Insulin Aspart to match the lower price of the branded insulins.
The price cuts go into effect Jan. 1. A vial of NovoLog and NovoLog Mix 70/30 will drop 75% to $72.34 from $289.36. FlexPen options will fall to $139.71 from more than $500.
Levemir and Novolin vials and FlexPens will drop 65% from their current list prices.
Eli Lilly and Co. said March 2 that it will cut the list prices for its most commonly prescribed insulin, Humalog, and for another insulin, Humulin, by 70% or more in the fourth quarter, which starts in October.
List prices are what a drugmaker initially sets for a product and what people who have no insurance or plans with high deductibles are sometimes stuck paying.
Patient advocates have long called for insulin price cuts to help uninsured people who would not be affected by price caps tied to insurance coverage. They have noted that high insulin prices force many people to ration doses, which can be dangerous for their health.
Research has shown that prices for insulin have more than tripled in the last two decades. Pressure is growing on drugmakers to help patients.
Major insulin makers like Lilly and Novo have said they offer patient assistance programs and other help. But Lilly CEO David Ricks noted earlier this month that discounts the drugmaker offers from its list prices often don’t reach patients through insurers or pharmacy benefit managers.
The federal government in January started applying a $35 cap on monthly out-of-pocket costs to patients with coverage through its Medicare program for people age 65 and older or those who have certain disabilities or illnesses.
Insulin is made by the pancreas and used by the body to convert food into energy. People who have diabetes don’t produce enough insulin. Those with Type 1 diabetes must take insulin every day to survive.
More than 8 million Americans use insulin, according to the American Diabetes Association.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the price cuts Tuesday morning.
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2023-03-14T14:10:47+00:00
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wgrz.com
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https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/nation-world/novo-nordisk-insulin-price-cuts-eli-lilly/507-1fb6e90a-888d-4635-b0b8-7eaff62d930f
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DETROIT (AP) — The fastest Corvette ever made comes out later this year, and it’s not powered solely by a howling V8.
The E-Ray is a gas electric hybrid, the first all-wheel-drive version of Chevrolet’s storied sports car with the front wheels running on an electric motor the traditional 6.2-liter V8 powering the back.
Aimed at affluent buyers who want new technology in the top-line Chevrolet sports car, the $104,000 E-Ray jerks your head back as it goes from zero to 60 mph (97 kilometers per hour) in 2.5 seconds. General Motors says it can cover a quarter mile in 10.5 seconds.
Although those figures are slightly faster than its race track-ready brothers, the Z06 and Z07, it’s civil enough for the daily commute even though its rear tires are almost wide enough to compete in the Indianapolis 500.
Tadge Juechter, the Corvette’s executive chief engineer, said people would ask for the best version of the car, only to wind up a “track monster” that they’re trying to drive every day. “For the same money you can get all-wheel-drive, and comfort, security, and the livability that comes with a car like this,” he said. “We’ve really divided the family into pure track and to everyday utility.”
The E-Ray, which is being unveiled exactly 70 years after the first Corvette was introduced in New York back in 1953, is a step toward an all-electric version of the car that will come out at at unspecified date.
Although GM may be over-selling the practicality, the E-Ray does come with all-season tires so it can be driven year-round, and the all-wheel-drive system is configured so it’s confident in the snow, up to just 4 inches due to its low ground clearance.
“This is going to propel the Corvette to a new set of markets,” said Mark Wakefield, global co-leader of automotive for the consulting firm AlixPartners.
As performance cars go, the Corvette always has been more practical than most, with storage space in the hatch and the front trunk, said Sam Abuelsamid, e-Mobility analyst for Guidehouse Research. “It is actually surprisingly liveable,” he said, conceding that someone buying a sports car costing over $100,000 probably has another vehicle in their garage for the daily drive.
Unlike most hybrids, it’s not really made for efficiency, although will get a little better city mileage than a standard Stingray at 16 mpg. But because of higher mass and air drag, it will do worse than the standard Corvette’s 24 mpg on the highway. The electric motor adds 160 horsepower to the 495 generated by the V8, for a total of 655. Both systems come on at once for maximum acceleration.
Engineers say its technology sets the stage for the all-electric Corvette. When the latest generation of ‘Vette came out four years ago with the engine in the middle, engineers designed it so there could be hybrid and electric versions in the future.
This version of the Corvette, code named “C9,” may be the last one to have a gasoline engine, in light of GM’s plans to sell only electric passenger vehicles by 2035, Abuelsamid said. But he sees this version evolving at least through the end of the decade.
The E-Ray’s computers are configured to keep it stable by applying power to individual wheels when it’s slippery. GM engineers say most electronic stability controls rely on braking individual wheels. It’s a lot of engineering work for a niche product, but GM says knowledge from developing the car will show up in other vehicles. GM sold only 34,510 Corvettes last year.
“I think the blending of the motor control and brake control is something that they’ll be able to apply to the EVs,” Abuelsamid said.
The 1.9 kilowatt-hour battery is small compared with a full electric vehicle. It’s positioned under the console. You can’t plug it in to recharge it, but it gets energy restored from regenerative braking and from the V8 motor. It can be driven in “stealth mode” up to 45 mph for about two miles to quietly leave a neighborhood, GM says.
“As fast as you can discharge it, we recharge it, and we always keep it at a pretty optimum state of charge,” said Mike Kutcher, lead development engineer for the E-Ray.
The E-Ray will hit showrooms sometime during the second half of this year as a 2024 model, GM said.
____
AP Video Journalist Mike Householder in Detroit contributed to this report.
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2023-01-18T14:28:53+00:00
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wcia.com
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https://www.wcia.com/technology/ap-technology/ap-fastest-corvette-ever-is-all-wheel-drive-gas-electric-hybrid/
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The photo hit the internet like a mic drop.
When the Justice Department rejected former President Donald Trump's call for a special master in his records dispute, it included a photo of top secret documents splayed across a carpeted floor in Mar-a-Lago — two months after Trump's team certified all such documents had been turned over.
The photo, which many observers called unprecedented, immediately drove discussions about Trump's legal problems into overdrive.
To Orin Kerr, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley, the jaw-drop-inducing photo and filing are the latest steps in an extraordinary sequence, with the U.S. government arguing about national secrets with its former chief executive.
"This is an unusual response, but that's to be expected," Kerr said. "It was filed in reply to an unusual request by a judge to respond to a very unusual filing by Trump."
The photo was staged for dramatic effect, Trump's team says
In their own response filed late Wednesday, Trump's legal team called the Justice Department's filing "extraordinary."
They accuse the government of "criminalizing a former President's possession of personal and Presidential records in a secure setting."
Trump's team also homed in on the image of the documents, with attorney Lindsey Halligan writing that the Justice Department "gratuitously included a photograph of allegedly classified materials, pulled from a container and spread across the floor for dramatic effect."
As photographs go, the FBI image doesn't look particularly well-composed, with papers scattered across the carpet. But those papers' bright yellow and red markings, their "TOP SECRET" coversheets, make the randomness of the scene more striking: here is hard-won information that's highly compartmentalized by the government, lying on the floor of a private office in Florida.
"In some instances, even the FBI counterintelligence personnel and DOJ attorneys conducting the review required additional clearances" before they could examine some folders' contents, the Justice Department said.
What about those abbreviations?
The photo quickly sparked intense interest into the arcane abbreviations that label America's national secrets.
One of the most scrutinized markings states that several folders' contents are marked "TOP SECRET//SCI" and restricted "UP TO HCS-P/SI/TK." Here's a quick breakdown of those terms:
HCS-P - HUMINT Control System Product, using the acronym for human intelligence. According to the office of the Director of National Intelligence's classification manual, "HCS protects the most sensitive HUMINT operations and information acquired from clandestine and/or uniquely sensitive HUMINT sources, methods, and certain technical collection capabilities, technologies, and methods linked to or supportive of HUMINT."
SCI - Sensitive Compartmented Information, a broad term for intelligence information that requires a formal system to control its distribution.
SI - Special Intelligence, or more specifically, "technical and intelligence information derived from the monitoring of foreign communications signals by other than the intended recipients" — the type of work done by the National Security Agency, for instance.
TK - Talent Keyhole, a long-held designation that refers to classified spy satellite data.
Those terms are merely on the cover sheets. The internal documents themselves were redacted, along with their detailed compartmentalized designations.
Which case is this again?
While Trump's legal embroilments are extensive, this particular case dates to Aug. 22, when the former president asked a federal district judge in Florida to appoint a special master to review all the materials taken from his home.
Trump is the plaintiff in the case; the defendant is the United States of America.
"Politics cannot be allowed to impact the administration of justice," Trump's team said in its initial filing, calling him "the clear frontrunner" in the 2024 presidential race, "should he decide to run."
In that filing, Trump sought to block the Justice Department from reviewing the materials until a special master is appointed. He also asked the judge to make the government provide a "sufficiently detailed receipt" of seized items, and "promptly return anything taken that is outside of the search warrant's scope.
The judge in the case is Aileen M. Cannon, whom Trump appointed in 2020. She is herself a veteran of the U.S. Attorney's Office in Southern Florida, which is now contesting the case.
"In a normal case, a judge would find DOJ's response persuasive and would be done with it," Kerr said. "It's possible that this particular judge will try to give more to Trump, but my guess is that it won't matter much: Whether a special master is appointed probably doesn't make much difference to the case."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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2022-09-02T00:50:04+00:00
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mainepublic.org
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https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/npr-news/2022-09-01/why-the-dojs-photo-of-top-secret-documents-held-by-trump-matters
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The largest online marketplace in Australia to add Trader Interactive's US marketplaces to their brand portfolio
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va., June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- carsales.com Ltd (carsales), the largest online marketplace in Australia focusing on the automotive, motorcycle, and marine realms, has announced the intention to purchase the remaining 51% of Trader Interactive from the current investors, Eurazeo and Goldman Sachs Asset Management to bring their holding up to 100%. The official announcement was made before the ASX this morning. The move to acquire Trader Interactive first started last year, when carsales purchased 49% of Trader Interactive in August of 2021. The deal is expected to conclude in late Q3.
Through its industry leading brands such as Cycle Trader, RV Trader, Commercial Truck Trader and Equipment Trader, Trader Interactive connects over 13 million consumers monthly to over 9,500 dealers while providing customers with innovative solutions to improve their profitability and drive a more seamless experience with their buyers.
The acquisition of Trader Interactive by carsales furthers Trader Interactive's goal of transforming lifestyles and livelihoods through innovative digital solutions that seamlessly connect people to vehicles for work and play, and to pioneer digital solutions that empower our customers to reach consumers searching for their next vehicle or service by utilizing the international experiences of the carsales brand portfolio.
"I've worked with the carsales leadership team over the last 12 months and I have been extremely impressed. We can see how compatible we are from a culture and strategy perspective" said Lori Stacy, Trader Interactive's Chief Executive Officer. "The backing of carsales, along with their domain expertise from their worldwide marketplace portfolio, will enable us to accelerate innovation across all of our verticals, while refining and improving both the buying and selling experiences for our consumers and dealers alike."
"The first year of ownership has been very successful and we have strong conviction in the quality of the Trader Interactive business, the management team and its growth opportunities. Culturally, there is strong alignment between the carsales and Trader Interactive teams and we are excited to be working more closely together to execute on our strategic objectives." Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of carsales Cameron McIntyre said of the acquisition.
"I wish to thank our sponsors, Eurazeo and Goldman Sachs Asset Management, for their support over the past few years. They have been tremendous partners leveraging their consumer focus and technology experience which supported our most recent phase of growth. They have been great supporters of our strategy and we appreciate the value they have brought through their experience and aligned vision. It has been a pleasure to work with them," said Lori Stacy.
"We are delighted to have partnered with Trader over the past five years and would like to especially thank the Trader management team, as well as our partners at Eurazeo, for their strong partnership and support for the company," said Harsh Nanda, Managing Director and head of technology within Private Equity, and Joon Park, Managing Director in Private Equity within Goldman Sachs Asset Management. "Since we invested in Trader, the company has achieved rapid innovation and growth, further strengthening its leadership position in each of the marketplace verticals it serves. We believe carsales will continue to be a strongly synergistic partner for Trader and we wish them continued success in their next phase of growth."
Vivianne Akriche, Managing Director and Henri Domange, Director at Eurazeo added, "We want to thank Lori and the team for their strong leadership and incredible partnership over the last five years. We have enjoyed the opportunity to support Trader Interactive, alongside our partners at Goldman Sachs Asset Management, as they have grown share and advanced the value they provide to their customers. We look forward to continuing to watch Trader Interactive and carsales successfully grow their businesses together globally."
Trader Interactive connects buyers and sellers in the powersports, recreational vehicle, commercial vehicle, and heavy equipment industries through a broad portfolio of marketplaces that reach 13 million unique monthly visitors. Linked by a widely recognized family of "Trader" trademarks dating back several decades, the company's brands include lifestyle vehicle marketplaces Cycle Trader, RV Trader, ATV Trader, PWC Trader, Snowmobile Trader, Aero Trader, and Trade-A-Plane, as well as commercial vehicle marketplaces Commercial Truck Trader, Equipment Trader, NextTruck, Rock & Dirt, and Tradequip. Additionally, the company portfolio includes Statistical Surveys, the leading provider of market share data to the lifestyle vehicle industries. For more information, visit www.TraderInteractive.com.
Founded in 1997, carsales.com Ltd (ASX: CAR) operates the largest automotive, motorcycle and marine classifieds business in Australia and Encar, the leading automotive business in South Korea. carsales wholly owns classifieds businesses in Mexico, Argentina and Chile and is a significant minority shareholder of webmotors in Brazil. carsales is regarded as one of Australia's original disruptors and has expanded to include a large number of market-leading brands. The carsales network is Australia's number one online destination for buying and selling cars, motorbikes, trucks, boats, caravans and machinery equipment. carsales has world leading technology and advertising solutions that can be leveraged across its businesses around the world. Find out more at www.carsales.com.au
Eurazeo is a leading global investment company, with a diversified portfolio of €32 billion in assets under management, including nearly €23.2 billion from third parties, invested in 530 companies. With its considerable private equity, venture capital, private debt as well as real estate and infrastructure asset expertise, Eurazeo accompanies companies of all sizes, supporting their development through the commitment of its nearly 360 professionals and by offering deep sector expertise, a gateway to global markets, and a responsible and stable foothold for transformational growth. Its solid institutional and family shareholder base, robust financial structure free of structural debt, and flexible investment horizon enable Eurazeo to support its companies over the long term.
Eurazeo has offices in Paris, New York, London, Frankfurt, Berlin, Milan, Madrid, Luxembourg, Shanghai, Seoul, Singapore and Sao Paulo.
Eurazeo is listed on Euronext Paris.
ISIN: FR0000121121 - Bloomberg: RF FP - Reuters: EURA.PA
Bringing together traditional and alternative investments, Goldman Sachs Asset Management provides clients around the world with a dedicated partnership and focus on long-term performance. As the primary investing area within Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS), we deliver investment and advisory services for the world's leading institutions, financial advisors and individuals, drawing from our deeply connected global network and tailored expert insights, across every region and market—overseeing more than $2 trillion in assets under supervision worldwide as of March 31, 2022. Driven by a passion for our clients' performance, we seek to build long-term relationships based on conviction, sustainable outcomes, and shared success over time. Goldman Sachs Asset Management invests in the full spectrum of alternatives, including private equity, growth equity, private credit, real estate and infrastructure. Established in 1986, the Private Equity business within Goldman Sachs Asset Management has invested over $75 billion since inception. We combine our global network of relationships, our unique insight across markets, industries and regions, and the worldwide resources of Goldman Sachs to build businesses and accelerate value creation across our portfolios.
View original content:
SOURCE Trader Interactive
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2022-06-27T21:36:38+00:00
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ksla.com
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https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2022/06/27/carsalescom-ltd-purchase-100-trader-interactive/
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Woman bitten by black bear in Connecticut
AVON, Conn. (WFSB/Gray News) - A woman was bitten by a bear in Avon on Friday morning.
The Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said it was investigating the attack.
The victim was a 74-year-old woman who was out walking her dog. She suffered non-life-threatening superficial injuries with minor puncture wounds on her arm and leg, authorities said.
She managed to walk back to her home and call for help.
After declining medical attention on scene, she went to the hospital herself to be treated.
“In these situations, public safety is DEEP’s top priority,” the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection said. “Under DEEP’s Black Bear Response protocol, an attack on a human is a category 4 response, meaning humane euthanization of the bear.”
The agency confirmed that a 12-year-old female bear was euthanized. She had three cubs with her, but authorities said they are yearlings who are just about ready to make it on their own.
Officials said they’ve seen an increase in bear-human conflicts in the past years, including one euthanized in a home this past week.
Copyright 2023 WFSB via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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2023-04-21T18:27:05+00:00
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foxcarolina.com
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https://www.foxcarolina.com/2023/04/21/woman-bitten-by-black-bear-connecticut/
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LEXINGTON, Ky., June 14, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lexmark, a global imaging and IoT solutions leader, today announced it has been named a Leader in Cloud Print Services by global print and market insight research firm Quocirca.
In its Cloud Print Services Market Landscape 2022 report, Quocirca identified Lexmark as a Leader based on its continued investment in the enhancement and expansion of its cloud services offerings, including Lexmark Cloud Print Management and Cloud Fleet Management solutions.
"Being recognized by Quocirca as a Leader in cloud print services demonstrates our commitment to the continued development of our extensive cloud offering," said Brock Saladin, Lexmark senior vice president and chief commercial officer. "Our investment in innovation and new technologies continues to provide Lexmark customers with the industry-leading products and solutions they expect from us."
Quocirca highlights Lexmark's IoT-enabled features that provide partners and SMB customers with enterprise-level insight and functionality, including predictive service alerts and algorithms, which notify users of supply and replenishment.
In naming Lexmark a cloud print leader, Quocirca highlights Lexmark's entire portfolio of cloud solutions:
- The Lexmark Cloud Bridge connectivity suite pairs data with digital twin technology to power sophisticated algorithms that ensure system uptime and availability, delivering simplicity directly to customers.
- Lexmark Cloud Print Management enables authenticated users to send and print documents from any computer, tablet or smartphone and retrieve them from any enabled Lexmark device.
- Lexmark Cloud Fleet Management provides Lexmark partners with tools to expand print service capabilities and manage customer accounts remotely.
- Lexmark Cloud Print Infrastructure as a Service gives customers a modern secure print infrastructure, not just the devices, through subscription-based options.
Quocirca director Louella Fernandes said, "As organizations ramp up their digitization journeys and remote working becomes a permanent feature for many, cloud initiatives are set to accelerate through 2022 and beyond. Quocirca believes Lexmark is well positioned to serve this market need and we have named them a Leader in our 2022 Cloud Print Services Market Landscape."
Supporting Resources
- Read an excerpt of the Quocirca report.
- Learn more about Lexmark Cloud Services.
- Subscribe to the Lexmark News Blog.
- Follow Lexmark on LinkedIn and Twitter.
About Lexmark
Lexmark creates cloud-enabled imaging and IoT technologies that help customers worldwide quickly realize business outcomes. Through a powerful combination of proven technologies and deep industry expertise, Lexmark accelerates business transformation, turning information into insights, data into decisions, and analytics into action.
Lexmark and the Lexmark logo are trademarks of Lexmark International, Inc., registered in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
About Quocirca
Quocirca is a global market insight and research firm specializing in analyzing the convergence of print and digital technologies in the future workplace.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Lexmark
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2022-06-14T14:55:04+00:00
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kwtx.com
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https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2022/06/14/lexmark-named-2022-cloud-print-leader-by-quocirca/
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Updated June 30, 2023 at 10:42 AM ET
By a 6 to 3 vote, the high court ruled that federal law does not authorize the Department of Education to cancel student loan debt.
Last August, President Biden told federal student loan borrowers that the U.S. government would cancel up to $20,000 of debt for low income students who had received a Pell Grant to attend college, and up to $10,000 for the vast majority of remaining borrowers. He cited a 2001 law that allows the Secretary of Education "to alleviate the hardship that federal student loan recipients may suffer as a result of national emergencies." That is the same law that President Trump used to freeze federal student loan payments and interest accrual due to the COVID pandemic.
Soon after Biden's announcement, however, six states filed a lawsuit to stop the implementation of the debt cancellation plan, arguing that Biden exceeded his authority under the federal law. The Supreme Court ultimately stepped in to review the case.
In a second student loan case, the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed on standing grounds a challenge to the plan to forgive some or all federal student loan debt for tens of millions of Americans.
This story will be updated.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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2023-06-30T15:11:06+00:00
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klcc.org
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https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-06-30/supreme-court-kills-bidens-student-debt-plan-in-a-setback-for-millions-of-borrowers
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NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – Jeannine Jaramillo, the woman charged with the murder of two first responders after telling police she had been kidnapped leading them on a wrong way chase down I-25 is facing more charges. The criminal complaint also shows there was a second person in the vehicle with Jaramillo that day before the chase started.
After the manhunt and police chase by Santa Fe Police, Jaramillo was the only person to exit the white Chevy Malibu after the crash. Court records showed the vehicle had been reported stolen in Las Vegas, New Mexico just two days prior to the pursuit. Video surveillance obtained by New Mexico State Police a day after the deadly pursuit that killed Santa Fe Police Officer, Robert Duran and retired Las Vegas Firefighter, Frank Lovato shows a man get out of the stolen Chevy Malibu at the Vizcaya apartments, where the call for help originated prior to the pursuit.
It turns out the investigation led to a Ford F-150 that Jaramillo is now accused of stealing out of San Miguel County. Documents reveal Jaramillo was in that pickup truck the same day she is accused of leading authorities on the chase. Police say the key of the stolen truck was found on Jaramillo after the crash. The victim of that vehicle told police he was warming up his truck and it was stolen out of his driveway.
Jeannine Jaramillo is scheduled for a first appearance on this charge Tuesday. No trial date has been set for the chase and murder.
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2022-12-13T03:27:18+00:00
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krqe.com
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https://www.krqe.com/news/crime/new-evidence-brings-more-charges-for-jeannine-jaramillo/
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NEW YORK, March 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans received a whopping 225 billion robotexts, a 157% increase from 2021 and the most significant increase on record, according to Robokiller's annual phone scam report released today. Scammers haven't shifted too far away from robocalls yet, as those reached 78 billion in 2022, a modest 8% increase from the year prior.
Government efforts to stop harmful robocalls are paying dividends
In 2021, the FCC rolled out STIR/SHAKEN, a mandatory regulation for voice service providers designed to stop caller ID spoofing. Now, the bureau is going after some of the most harmful robocall scams with great success. Notably, they shut down an illegal car warranty scam operation, which dropped those calls from 1 billion in June 2022 to fewer than 7 million by September. The FCC also asked carriers to stop carrying student loan robocalls, which have dropped 33% since the announcement.
Robocall losses are higher than ever
Despite these efforts, scammers are stealing more money than ever before. According to Robokiller, Americans lost $65 billion to robocalls in 2022, more than double that of 2021. According to the FTC, the median money lost per phone scam is $1,500. With the average household unable to afford a $400 emergency expense, a loss to a robocall scam could cause financial hardship.
Robotexts earn dubious distinction of spam of the year
Unfortunately, while the government focused on stopping robocalls, scammers found opportunities elsewhere in the form of robotexts. Robotexts surpassed robocalls for the third year in a row, sending a record 225 billion unwanted SMS messages and stealing $20 billion from Americans, increases of 157% and 105%, respectively.
However, not all of those robotexts were scams: The significant increase is due in part to the fact 70% of messages in November and December were marketing-related. Robokiller estimates that, excluding brand marketing messages, Americans would have received 157 billion robotexts.
Looking forward
Robokiller predicts that in 2023 robocalls will reach 82 billion, a modest 5% increase as government efforts to stop harmful scams will continue to make a dent in overall robocall volume. Robotexts will continue to escalate to 236 billion with a predicted growth rate of 50% as the government and carriers continue to focus their efforts on combating robocalls.
To view the full report, follow the link below:
Robokiller 2022 phone scam report
About Robokiller
With more than 12 million downloads and $600 million in losses prevented, Robokiller is the leading independent spam call and text blocker. Robokiller has been named a leader in technical and mobile achievement by the Webby Awards, Media Excellence, Best in Biz, and more. Robokiller was named the most effective solution to robocalls by the FTC.
Robokiller's robocall and spam text insights are powered by a global database of millions of phone scams and audio fingerprints. Robokiller's proprietary data insights have been featured by The New York Times, ABC World News, NBC Nightly News, and many others.
Robokiller is available for download in the Apple App Store and Google Play. To learn more, visit www.robokiller.com.
Robokiller, a Teltech brand, is a division of Mosaic Group, an IAC Company (NASDAQ: IAC).
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE RoboKiller
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2023-03-06T15:47:08+00:00
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uppermichiganssource.com
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https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/prnewswire/2023/03/06/robocall-growth-slows-spam-texts-explode-according-robokiller-2022-phone-scam-insights-report/
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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Monday evening's drawing of the Missouri Lottery's "Show Me Cash" game were:
02-04-11-13-34
(two, four, eleven, thirteen, thirty-four)
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The winning numbers in Monday evening's drawing of the Missouri Lottery's "Show Me Cash" game were:
02-04-11-13-34
(two, four, eleven, thirteen, thirty-four)
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2022-05-10T02:47:00+00:00
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seattlepi.com
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https://www.seattlepi.com/lottery/article/Winning-numbers-drawn-in-Show-Me-Cash-game-17160947.php
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Brother uses slingshot to save sister from being abducted, police say
ALPENA TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WNEM/Gray News) - An 8-year-old girl in Michigan was able to escape an alleged kidnapper with the help of her older brother.
According to Michigan State Police, the girl was mushroom hunting in her backyard on Wednesday when an unknown male appeared from the woods.
The male suspect held the victim’s mouth shut before a struggle ensued and the girl was able to break free.
Police said the girl’s 13-year-old brother witnessed the assault and shot the suspect with his slingshot,
The 17-year-old suspect ended up being hit in the head and chest, according to authorities.
A family member reportedly spotted the 17-year-old leaving the area and troopers were able to find him hiding at a nearby gas station.
Police did not release the suspect’s name due to his age, but they said he was taken into custody where he confessed that he planned to severely beat the young girl.
The teen is facing charges that include attempted kidnapping and assault. Authorities said he will be charged as an adult and was booked in jail on a $150,000 bond.
Copyright 2023 WNEM via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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2023-05-12T22:58:08+00:00
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wagmtv.com
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https://www.wagmtv.com/2023/05/12/brother-uses-slingshot-save-sister-being-abducted-police-say/
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FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Nine people died in avalanches in Austria and Italy over the weekend as heavy snow and school holidays drew skiers into the Alps, with some of the victims dying after skiing in unmarked areas despite warnings of elevated avalanche risk, police said.
On Sunday a snow plow driver in East Tirol in Austria was recovered dead after being swept away. In Oetztal a 32-year-old Chinese skier died, while in Zillertal a 17-year old male from New Zealand was buried and in Kleinwalsertal a 55-year-old German man missing since Friday was found dead.
More than a dozen avalanches were reported in the Tirol region of Austria alone and authorities had set the warning level at four on a scale of five and urged caution.
A 31-year-old German woman was killed Saturday in the South Tirol region of Italy when a snowmass broke loose at 2,200 meters (7,200 feet) near the Limo Pass some 80 kilometers (50 miles) east of Bolzano, the dpa news agency reported. Rescue efforts were complicated by 120-kilometer-per-hour (75-mile-per-hour) winds; her body was recovered from under 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) of snow. Another woman skiing with her was freed from the snow unharmed.
Other victims Saturday included a 29-year-old ski guide and his 33-year-old male guest who were skiing away from prepared ski runs when a snowboarder set off an avalanche above them in St. Anton in Austria. And in Kaunertal a 62-year old man was killed by another snowslide.
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2023-02-06T19:13:07+00:00
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myfox8.com
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https://myfox8.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-avalanches-kill-9-in-italy-austria-as-heavy-snow-hits-alps/
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U.S. Army Spc. Luke Harrison, center, a field artillery radar operator assigned to the Wyoming National Guard, representing Region VI, approaches the finish line of a 14.2-mile ruck march during the Army National Guard’s Best Warrior Competition at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, July 13, 2023.
Master Sgt. David Eichaker/U.S. Air National Guard
U.S. Army Spc. Luke Harrison, a field artillery radar operator assigned to the Wyoming Army National Guard, representing Region VI, stares off into the distance during the National Guard Best Warrior Competition at Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska, on July 11, 2023.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — U.S. Army Spc. Luke Harrison, a dedicated field artillery radar operator serving in the Wyoming Army National Guard and representing Region VI, has been bestowed with the title of the Army National Guard’s Soldier of the Year.
He has earned this distinction through his achievements in the 2023 All-Guard Best Warrior Competition, held from July 8-13 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska.
U.S. Army Sgt. Bailey Ruff, a horizontal construction engineer serving in the South Dakota Army National Guard and representing Region VI, has been named the Non-Commissioned Officer of the Year in the competition. This recognition comes from his exceptional performance, unparalleled expertise and unwavering dedication throughout the competition.
Fourteen competitors, filled with anticipation, gathered at the Sheraton Hotel in Anchorage to discover the outcome of the rigorous six-day competition. The events thoroughly tested the adaptiveness and lethality of these soldiers, pushing them to their limits. The competition featured a series of challenging trials, including the Army Combat Fitness Test, land navigation exercises, shooting matches and an arduous obstacle course. It culminated with a grueling 14-mile ruck march. Each participant showcased their resilience, skill and determination in their pursuit of victory.
Harrison embarked on his journey to the national competition by willingly participating in additional training for the Wyoming Guard Best Warrior State Competition. Initially, his motivation for signing up was solely to gain further familiarity with various weapons systems and to test his physical fitness limits.
“I never planned to compete at the state level, but now, here I am,” Harrison said. “I approached this competition as a training exercise, giving my best effort. Winning the title has made me realize the amount of effort and passion I invested in it. I am incredibly grateful for this victory.”
In pursuit of triumph, 14 exceptional individuals from Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming converged in Alaska for the arduous competition. These participants, composed of seven non-commissioned officers and seven enlisted soldiers, emerged victorious in smaller contests at state and regional levels, signifying their status as the nation’s elite within the Army National Guard. Representing their respective regions, each NCO and enlisted soldier embodied the epitome of excellence in their field.
“Spc. Luke Harrison demonstrated outstanding dedication, commitment and attention to detail in mastering and performing more than 40 graded tasks and events, leading to him winning the National Guard Best Warrior of the Year in the Soldier category,” said State Command Sgt. Maj. Lindsey Schmidt. “He is an example for all our junior leaders who prove effective training, being a good follower, and doing more than the minimum lead to individual success representing all of the Wyoming National Guard. Please wish him well as he advances to the U.S. Army Best Squad Competition.”
As champions of the Army National Guard Best Warrior Competition, Spc. Harrison and Sgt. Ruff, along with Staff Sgt. Leo Kerfeld, Minnesota National Guard, Region IV; Spc. Bret Williams, West Virginia National Guard, Region II; and Spc. Hunter Gammon, Missouri National Guard, Region V, will advance to compete against teams from the Regular Army and Army Reserves in the upcoming fall in a conquest for the Best Squad Competition.
This next stage of the competition will bring together the best warriors from various branches of the Army to vie for the ultimate honor and recognition. With their exceptional skills and unwavering dedication, Spc. Harrison, Bailey Ruff and their squad members will represent the Army National Guard with pride and determination in their quest for victory.
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2023-07-22T11:42:18+00:00
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wyomingnews.com
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/local_news/wyoming-army-national-guard-soldier-named-top-soldier-of-the-year/article_04c1ad86-27ee-11ee-85c3-c3600fb86964.html
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PALATINE, Ill., Jan. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cornerstone Bancorp, Inc. (OTC Pink: CNBP), the bank holding company for Cornerstone National Bank & Trust Company (collectively "Cornerstone"), today reported net income of $3.1 million, or $3.12 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to $2.1 million, or $2.10 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of 2021.
For the year ended December 31, 2022, net income increased 6.7% to $10.48 million, or $10.54 per diluted share, compared to $9.83 million, or $9.88 per diluted share, for the year ended December 31, 2021. Continued strong core deposits and a higher net interest margin as a result of Cornerstone's high level of liquidity contributed to profitability for the year. All 2022 results are unaudited.
"Cornerstone's performance in 2022 benefited from the short duration of our investment portfolio in a rising rate environment coupled with strong core deposit relationships," stated Jeffrey T. Boundy, President & CEO of Cornerstone National Bank & Trust Company. "We carried a high level of liquidity over the last three years which allowed us to benefit from increasing interest rates through much of 2022."
"Our loan portfolio had another strong year increasing $49 million," Boundy continued. "We are pleased with the favorable quality, diversification, and performance of our loan portfolio as we navigate through the current inflationary pressures. We assisted a number of large clients with the sale of their businesses in 2022 resulting in sizeable loan payoffs. Fortunately, we added many new client relationships to Cornerstone that gave us favorable net growth in loans."
Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2022 Highlights:
- Net income $3.1 million, or $3.12 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2022, compared to $2.1 million, or $2.10 per diluted share, in the fourth quarter of 2021.
- For 2022, net income increased 6.7%, to $10.5 million, or $10.54 per diluted share compared to $9.8 million, or $9.88 per diluted share, in 2021.
- Interest and fees recognized on Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans totaled $2,700 in the fourth quarter of 2022 versus $1.2 million a year earlier.
- The activity in the Mortgage Division was slow in 2022 as a result of rising rates. The Bank sold $5.9 million of qualified mortgage loans and realized gross revenue of $71,000 during the fourth quarter of 2022.
- Total assets increased 4.0% to $989.1 million at year-end, compared to $950.7 million a year earlier.
- Tangible shareholders' equity improved 7.9% to $61.4 million at December 31, 2022, compared to $56.9 million a year earlier.
- The loan portfolio, excluding PPP loans, totaled $608.7 million at December 31, 2022, $48.8 million, or 8.7%, higher than a year earlier.
- Total deposits and repurchase agreements increased 4.6% to $899.3 million at December 31, 2022, compared to $860.1 million a year earlier.
- Trust assets decreased 16.5% to $848.7 million at December 31, 2022 from $1.0 billion a year earlier.
- Tangible book value per share increased 7.9% to $61.73 at year-end, compared to $57.20 per diluted share at December 31, 2021.
- The Bank continues to be well-capitalized, with a Tier 1 Leverage Capital Ratio of 8.68% at December 31, 2022 compared to 8.10% at December 31, 2021.
Cornerstone is also announcing today that its Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program to repurchase up to 30,000 shares of the Company's issued and outstanding common stock.
The Company may purchase shares on a discretionary basis from time to time through open market purchases, privately negotiated transactions or other means, including through Rule 10b5-1 trading plans. The timing and amount of the repurchase transactions will be subject to the discretion of the Company based upon market conditions and other opportunities that the Company may have for the use or investment of its cash balances or the terms of any 10b5-1 trading plan. The repurchase program has no expiration date, does not require the purchase of any minimum number of shares and may be suspended, modified or discontinued at any time without prior notice. The number of shares to be purchased and the timing of purchases will be based on the Company's trading windows and available liquidity, general business and market conditions, and other factors, including legal requirements and alternative investment opportunities.
About Cornerstone Bancorp, Inc.
Founded in 2000, Cornerstone Bancorp, Inc., and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Cornerstone National Bank & Trust Company (collectively "Cornerstone") is committed to serving the commercial banking and investment needs of families and family-owned businesses. Cornerstone serves its clients by investing heavily in people and technology, providing an uncommon relationship experience. Cornerstone has been successful in attracting new clients and talent as the Chicago market consolidates and large banks deemphasize relationships in favor of an institutional approach.
Cornerstone is a leader in commercial lending services including equipment, real estate and construction loans and operating lines of credit as well as business treasury management services and association loans for condominium and townhome associations.
For individuals and families, wealth management services are offered, including investment management, trust and custody services, retirement plans, and estate and guardianship administration.
Headquartered in Palatine, Illinois, Cornerstone maintains offices in Crystal Lake, Deer Park, Naperville and Schaumburg. Visit us on the web at www.cnbtc.bank.
Forward Looking Statement
This release may contain "forward-looking statements" that are subject to risks and uncertainties. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect management's views only as of the date hereof. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, regarding our financial position, business strategy and management's plans and objectives for future operations are forward-looking statements. When used in this report, the words "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," and "intend" and words or phrases of similar meaning, as they relate to Cornerstone or management, are intended to help identify forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Although we believe that management's expectations as reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot assure readers that those expectations will prove to be correct. Forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results to differ materially and adversely from our expectations as indicated in the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include our ability to maintain or expand our market share or net interest margins, and to implement our marketing and growth strategies. Further, actual results may be affected by our ability to compete on price and other factors with other financial institutions; customer acceptance of new products and services; the regulatory environment in which we operate; and general trends in the local, regional and national banking industry and economy, as those factors relate to our cost of funds and return on assets. In addition, there are risks inherent in the banking industry relating to collectability of loans and changes in interest rates. Many of these risks, as well as other risks may have a material adverse impact on our operations and business.
FINANCIAL TABLES FOLLOW
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2023-01-25T19:33:50+00:00
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kwtx.com
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https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2023/01/25/cornerstone-bancorp-earns-31-million-fourth-quarter-105-million-year-2022/
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UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS, Ohio --
City Council voted Monday (Feb. 6) to pay for help in trying to achieve the city’s goal of getting some federal funding for needed sewer repairs.
Lee Weingart, the Republican candidate for the position of Cuyahoga County commissioner last fall, is the president of president of LNE Group, which he told council is the oldest and largest combined federal and state lobbying firm in Ohio. LNE Group will pursue money for University Heights through the earmark process that is part of the federal budget.
“After a long hiatus, in 2021, earmarks came back into the federal budget,” Weingart said while addressing council and Mayor Michael Dylan Brennan. “Earmarks are simply directed spending by members of Congress.”
Last year, there were about $15 billion in earmarks set aside for projects across the United States while, Weingart said, LNE Group secured about $25 million of that money for its clients in Ohio and across the U.S. While earmarks are typically used for economic development, community development and health and safety projects, Weingart said there is often an emphasis placed on preventing flooding and sewer work.
“(Sewer work) is a good area to focus on,” he said, “because there’s a lot of money in the federal budget for governments when it comes to sewers, flooding and water related projects, especially in Ohio.”
LNE Group will lobby U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown, D-11, and Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, while Weingart said it is not yet known if new Republican Sen. J.D. Vance will entertain earmarks. If Vance does, LNE will approach him with University Heights’ needs
The deal to which council agreed with LNE will cost the city up to $30,000. The city will pay $10,000 for LNE to lobby Congresswoman Brown, Senator Brown and possibly Sen. Vance. If the University Heights project appears in one of the U.S. budget’s 12 appropriations Bills, the city will pay LNE $10,000 more.
If the city’s project is not included in one of the 12 Bills, University Heights will not owe LNE any more than the initial $10,000.
U.S. Representatives can submit up to 15 projects for inclusion in the final Bill, while there is no limit for Senators.
Weingart said that once made part of an appropriation Bill, a project is never dropped from the budget process. The only possible pitfall, he said, is if a federal budget is not passed as originally written and a prior year’s earmarks are stripped.
If and when a federal budget is enacted, and the city is awarded its money, then LNE would get its final payment of $10,000. Weingert said that, if University Heights chose instead to use a retainer-based lobbyist, the city would have to continue paying that lobbyist, even if it learned it would not be receiving any money.
“We have a good record over the years,” he said. “About 65 percent of what we submit gets funded.”
Brennan said that, in May,2020, the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District informed University Heights of needed repairs that had to be made to its sewer system. In 2020 dollars, Brennan said the city was facing work that totaled $178 million to be done in phases.
“If we were to pay for that ourselves without seeking any outside money,” Brennan said, “that approximates about $42,000 a household. We’re not in a position where we want to ask our residents to pay $42,000 on their property tax bill to upgrade all the sewers.
“There are things that need to be done under the Clean Water Act, things that need to be done to help keep Lake Erie clean, which is in everybody’s best interests, not just the residents of University Heights.”
Brennan said he, Service Director Jeff Pokorny and City Engineer Joseph Ciuni teamed last year to try and get federal funding via an earmark, but did not make the cut.
“It felt like we should be doing something more to get an earmark for our community to get started on this project,” Brennan said. “And, thus, the conversation with Mr. Weingart and his firm.”
“We know the process, we know the players, we know how to make sure we present your project in the best light to maximize your chances of being selected for the funding,” Weingart told council.
“We’re looking at a nice, bite-sized project to get us started,” said Brennan, who added that he recently met with an EPA representative. “But the time has come to be in compliance with the Clean Water Act.
“We’ve got to start somewhere. What we do not want is a situation where we end up with a consent decree because we’ve failed to take steps.”Brennan said the city’s sewer repair program has well maintained sewers, but that some major upgrades are going to be needed.
“Even if Mr. Weingart is unsuccessful we can point to this and say (to the EPA), ‘We have been trying.’” Brennan said it is also important to strive to improve the sewers for residents, as there have been past flooding incidents.
Weingart recommended starting out by seeking funding for a project costing $1 million-$2million.
Council approved the hiring of LNE Group by a 7-0 vote.
See more Sun Press news here.
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2023-02-07T08:14:45+00:00
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cleveland.com
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https://www.cleveland.com/community/2023/02/university-heights-council-hires-lobbyist-to-try-and-get-funding-for-needed-sewer-upgrades.html
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BERLIN (AP) — The Swiss government on Wednesday rejected the idea of introducing a third gender option or no-gender option for official records, a position which differs from that of some neighboring countries.
Responding to two proposals from parliament, the governing Federal Council said “the binary gender model is still strongly anchored in Swiss society.”
“The social preconditions for the introduction of a third gender or for a general waiver of the gender entry in the civil registry currently are not there,” it said.
The Federal Council added that such options would require “numerous” changes to the Swiss Constitution and to laws both at the national level and in the country’s 26 cantons (states). Currently, people are entered into the civil registry as male or female, with no other option.
The government said a national ethics commission found in a 2020 report that the time wasn’t yet right for a change to the system.
Switzerland has an unusual political system in which four parties from the left to the nationalist right are represented in the government and frequent referendums are held on all kinds of issues.
In 2018, the German government approved a third gender option for official records, allowing people to be registered as “diverse.” The law already allowed for gender to be left blank.
In doing so, Germany complied with a ruling the previous year from the country’s highest court, which decided that people must be allowed to be entered in records as neither male nor female.
Ruling on a case brought by an intersex person, judges ordered German authorities either to create a third identity or scrap gender entries altogether.
In Austria, a federal court ruled in 2018 that authorities must allow people to be entered in official records as something other than male or female, if they so wish. However, it found no need to change the country’s existing law since it didn’t specify explicitly that people’s gender must be male or female.
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2022-12-21T12:21:56+00:00
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wwlp.com
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https://www.wwlp.com/news/ap-international-news/ap-swiss-government-rejects-3rd-gender-option-at-least-for-now/
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BUFORD, Ga. (AP) — A slate of Georgia Republicans led by Gov. Brian Kemp handily won reelection last year over far-right primary opponents endorsed by Donald Trump and backed by the state party chairperson, showing the limits of the former president and his 2020 election lies in the critical swing state.
Despite those stinging primary losses, the state GOP is showing little interest in moving on from Trump.
Last weekend, Republicans in Georgia’s 1st Congressional District, which includes Savannah, elected as its chair Kandiss Taylor, a Kemp gubernatorial challenger who ran on a “Jesus Guns Babies” platform and denies the legitimacy of her primary defeat. In metro Atlanta’s 6th Congressional District, Republican activists considered a resolution rejecting the results of the 2020 election and declaring Democrat Joe Biden the “acting” president.
“In many ways, the Georgia Republican Party is a train that has left Crazytown, and the governor is trying to present a scenario and lead and demonstrate that that’s not the path to success,” said John Watson, a former state Republican Party chair aligned with Kemp.
Kemp and a handful of other elected Republicans said this week that they won’t attend the state’s GOP convention in June, when the new leader of the state party will be chosen, citing unhappiness with current party leaders.
Georgia is one of a number of states where far-right Republicans aligned with Trump are joining the ranks of party leadership, giving them increasing influence over the party’s direction. But mounting electoral losses, including in last year’s midterms, raise questions about whether the state parties are growing out of step with the voters they’re supposed to represent.
Republican delegates in Michigan earlier this year elected Kristina Karamo as state party chair, elevating an election conspiracist who was defeated in November in her secretary of state race. In Kansas, Mike Brown, a conspiracy theorist who lost his primary bid for secretary of state, was named chair of the state party. And in Idaho, Dorothy Moon, an election denier and former state representative, became state GOP chair last year shortly after her unsuccessful primary run for secretary of state.
In addition to concerns about the party’s direction, Georgia Republican incumbents are still mad at outgoing party Chair David Shafer, who promoted a Trump-aligned ticket of primary challengers against them in last year’s primaries. Those state officials, including Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger and Attorney General Chris Carr, not only won their primaries but also went on to beat their Democratic rivals by convincing margins.
“I am going to stand up with those that believe in electing and supporting Republicans, but I don’t think it’s right when you have a party that went after an entire statewide ticket and undermined our ability to get elected,” Carr said Wednesday after a bill-signing in Buford.
Carr and others voice hope that one of the three candidates running to replace Shafer as party chair will patch things up. Chairman since 2019, Shafer is stepping down while a target of investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis into attempts to overturn President Joe Biden’s Democratic victory in Georgia in 2020.
Shafer said he isn’t seeking reelection because he wants to refocus on his family.
Republicans have also lost three races for U.S. Senate since January 2021 under Shafer. Democratic Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, representing a once reliably Republican state, provide the margin of Senate control for their party.
Kemp has been trying to promote a Trump-divergent vision for Republicans since shortly after the 2020 election, when he defied the then-president’s demands to help overturn Trump’s narrow loss in the state. His impressive win over Democrat Stacey Abrams last year stoked presidential speculation, but Kemp has said he’s not going to seek the White House in 2024. He has, however, been angling for national influence through the Republican Governors Association and could be setting up a 2026 Senate run against Ossoff.
“If you look in the rearview mirror too long while you’re driving, you’re going to look up, and you’re going to be running into somebody, and that’s not going to be good,” Kemp told CNN in mid-April, shortly after delivering the same message at the Republican National Committee donors’ retreat in Nashville.
But it’s not Kemp who elects the leader of the state party — it’s activists. And that setup has caused conflict before.
Kemp got booed at the 2021 state party convention, and some members tried to censure Republican Gov. Nathan Deal, Kemp’s predecessor. Deal skipped the two conventions in his second term.
“The people show up at party events are not representative of Georgia’s Republican primary electorate,” said Brian Robinson, a political consultant who was Deal’s chief spokesperson. “They are, by and large, much further to the right, much more ideologically driven.”
The discord is also raising questions about whether control of the party apparatus matters anymore. In Georgia, voters don’t register by party and can participate in whatever primary they like. Unlike in some states, Georgia party leaders can’t kick candidates off the primary ballot for disloyalty. And a recent Georgia law allows Kemp and some other state officials to raise unlimited sums of money and coordinate with campaigns, which used to be key party functions.
Kemp kept his political operation running after his reelection and loaned its get-out-the-vote effort to the unsuccessful Senate runoff campaign of Herschel Walker, while forming a federal political action committee that lets the governor influence races for Congress and president.
“I don’t have a rift with the state GOP,” Kemp told reporters Tuesday in Atlanta. “You know, I just think that to win, we have to have a robust ground operation. The state GOP was not doing that. And so we did that ourselves.”
The three candidates running to lead the state party acknowledge that a new chair needs to focus on rebuilding an organization that has shrunk to two employees, increase fundraising and do more to train party activists how to win votes. Shafer is backing Josh McKoon, a former state senator who is now a lawyer for the state technical college system. McKoon acknowledges a need for unity, saying that a focus on ousting Biden in 2024 should help.
“There’s been a lot of infighting, not just within the primary, but between Republicans, between party officials and elected officials,” McKoon said. “We’ve got to lay that aside.”
But Watson said that may be hard to achieve if activists aren’t ready to change.
“If the party and the party organization continues to focus on conspiracy, backward looking, fringe ideas, fringe policies, then again it will have completed its path to irrelevance,” Watson said.
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2023-04-29T05:44:15+00:00
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seattletimes.com
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https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/georgias-kemp-veers-from-trump-but-state-gop-not-moving-on/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all
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David and Marcia Elder packed their bags anticipating a month-long stay at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., when David went in for a bone-marrow transplant in late February, as part of his treatment for multiple myeloma, a blood cancer.
A few hours after surgery, the couple were amazed when staff offered them the option of returning home that day. "They came to us and said, 'We have this hospital-at-home program' and I was like, 'What? I'd never even heard of it,'" Marcia Elder says.
By dinnertime that day, paramedics had set up a make-shift recovery room in their living space and they returned to convalesce at home.
Such a thing was unimaginable, just a few years ago. The Mayo Clinic was among the first hospitals in the country to experiment with sending acute patients home for remote care four years ago. Now, some 250 similar programs exist throughout the country.
That's largely because during the pandemic, the federal agency that runs Medicare and Medicaid relaxed normal rules requiring around-the-clock, on-site nurses for hospitals requesting the exception. This allowed at-home hospital care programs to rapidly expand. Those pandemic-era waivers will remain in place until at least the end of 2024, although some experts anticipate policy changes allowing such programs to remain in place permanently.
As a result, at-home hospital care is fast becoming an option for acute care for many conditions, even for treatment of cancer, or for patients like Elder, recovering from complex procedures. Such shifts could potentially reshape the future of hospital care, affecting many more patients.
The practice has been enabled by other recent trends as well – for instance the increase in traveling medical staff and the prevalence of portable Internet-enabled devices to connect with medical help remotely. The crisis of the pandemic also normalized remote care. And dealing with COVID surges made hospitals — as well as regulators and health insurers — more receptive to the notion that at-home care might be healthier, cheaper, and generally more pleasant than at a hospital.
"People do better; they're more mobile, they recover faster," says Michael Maniaci, an internist who directs virtual care for the Mayo Clinic. "They use physical therapy or skilled nursing care less. You ask: Why is that? Because there's something magical about being at home."
Of course, not every patient is stable enough to qualify for at-home care, and the program is purely voluntary, so about a quarter of patients opt not to. But of nearly 700 patients studied at Mayo, none died while receiving care at home. Fewer than 10% required hospital readmission in the first month.
Letting patients recuperate in the comfort of home
Nine days after surgery, when physician's assistant Jessica Denton came to visit David Elder in person, his living room was serene and sunny.
Denton rang the doorbell and walked into his home, as Elder, 60, greeted her from his favorite recliner, looking out onto a backyard patio. Behind him stood a pole to hang intravenous fluids. A card table set up next to him keeps pills, an oxygen monitor and a tablet for video calls within reach.
He said he finds comfort in all the familiar things a hospital can't provide — his own TV remote, his favorite food, his wife's helping hand.
"Honestly, there's a lot more restfulness, here at home," he said. Sitting next to him, his wife agreed: "We've been married 37 years, and I think he sleeps better when I'm next to him, too."
The comfort of the familiar home environment, Maniaci says, is better for patients regardless of whether they live in a home with others, or alone — and even if they're acutely ill.
He says hospitals are — ironically — terrible environments for healing, with their constant swirl of staff, noise, and risk of infection. "They're away from family, they're isolated, they're hungry, they're sleep deprived all night with all the vital sign checks, beeps and creeps," he says.
Elder said there were many benefits to recovering within the community he's a big part of. Until last fall, when he got sick, Elder had been a pastor at his church in St. Augustine. It's something of a family business; his sons, also pastors, live nearby and could visit with the Elders' grandchildren.
Risks of care without in-person nursing
Most hospital-at home programs provide in-person medical visits twice or three times a day – nurses or paramedics take patients' vitals, replenish medications and supplies, and consult with a doctor via video conference, if necessary.
But some argue the hospital-at-home trend can put patients at risk, leaving them at home, and alone in some cases, when immediate care might be called for.
"This is crisis standard of care being normalized to the normal standard of care — it's substandard care by its definition," says Michelle Mahon, assistant director of nursing practice at National Nurses United. Mahon argues hospitals are trying to reap more profit by providing fewer skilled nurses and doctors, and relying on cheaper, less-trained staff to go into peoples' homes.
Mahon, who is a registered nurse, says she's had many experiences with seemingly stable patients who then had pulmonary embolisms or other sudden deteriorations in their condition that required immediate intervention. She argues it's a matter of time before things go very wrong for patients who do not have that kind of wrap-around care at home.
"We don't need the data to know what will happen in the home, because we know what's happening in the hospital," she says.
Mahon worries that the pursuit of savings will mean the American hospital industry generally will try to make at-home care standard for most patients.
"Hospital-at-home programs are billing in-patient care rates while shifting all of the care responsibilities to family members, the patients themselves, and the public 9-1-1 system," she says.
At-home care is not without its risks. Some days into his recuperation, Elder developed a fever and sores in his throat — common signs of infection — and he landed back in the hospital 30 miles away for enhanced monitoring. He returned home a day later, but paramedics remained on standby in case of emergency.
I asked Marcia Elder if she worried about not having the doctor down the hall. She says no, pointing to words emblazoned on her blue shirt: "Look back and thank God and look forward and trust God."
"We've had to do that," she said. She said believes the hospital wouldn't have sent him home, if they weren't certain he was safe. "We've had to trust God and the doctors."
Maniaci says there are safeguards in place to protect patients. Local paramedics and transportation are on call, in case a patient must be readmitted, for example. And at-home patients have 24-hour access to doctors on call with the touch of a button. In addition, a doctor calls in to check on Elder about twice a day.
On the day of Denton's visit, Dr. Patricia Chipi called in via video link on Elder's tablet and asked about his sores, and his appetite, then verified his vitals with Denton, the physician's assistant — all while getting input from Elder's wife.
Still, at-home care means those doctors, in turn, also often rely more on family members like Marcia Elder for the various tasks of caregiving, from keeping medication schedules to bringing the patient food and water. For patients who live alone, or for family members who cannot give care, the hospital can order a home health aide to help with these tasks.
For Marcia, at-home care is a more "intense" responsibility than watching others carry out those tasks at the hospital, but that's also a huge advantage to being at home. Hospital care involves lots of waiting — for the nurse, the medicine, the paperwork — but with this at-home setup, she can swiftly take care of business and still access a doctor online, at any hour.
"The minute I see him start to get nauseous, I can grab the pills, call and say I want to give him [anti-nausea medication] and he's got it in him probably within 60 seconds," she says.
Cost savings and reduced need for staff
The Mayo Clinic runs its hospital-at-home program from its virtual command center, right across from the brick-and-mortar hospital. At any given time, 20 doctors and nurses stationed there can care virtually for up to 150 patients, including in Wisconsin and Arizona, near Mayo's other hospitals.
By comparison, the gleaming white hospital across the street is 20 times bigger and operates with eight times the health care staff — but can treat only double the number of patients.
That kind of data sold Maniaci on the virtual hospital concept. At first, he was a vocal skeptic arguing, "there's no way I can take care of people in the home. I've got to see them every day!"
Maniaci changed his tune when he saw patient care improve, and costs reduce. Virtual care can save up to 15% over hospital care, according to Maniaci. The programs are still new, so it's not clear where cost savings will end up, or how those savings might be passed on to patients, but the American Hospital Association says early data show there are also potentially big cost savings from lower hospital readmission rates for patients receiving care at home.
Maniaci says seeing those savings made him more keenly aware of the waste in routine hospital care: "We over-monitor people; we do too many I.V. meds and not oral meds; we overuse medicine at the hospital because the resources are available."
One of the most complex aspects of providing at-home care is coordinating all the various supplies and services that would normally be found in the hospital. Mayo partners with Boston-based company Medically Home to handle the logistics — making sure medical supplies, transport, medical meals, and services are available at the patient's home.
The company was started in 2017 by a group of engineers, one of whom lost his father due to poor hospital care. That prompted them to try to engineer software and logistical systems that might enable more care to be delivered safely at home.
CEO and co-founder Rami Karjian says the pandemic transformed the concept of at-home from radical idea to mainstream in very short order. Hospitals became hazard zones, and the sudden search for alternatives made their at-home business boom. "That really encouraged so many more hospitals to come ... and start developing the capabilities to offer these types of programs," he says.
Currently, a hospital or health system that wants to roll out such a program must request a waiver from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the federal agency managing those programs. Some industry leaders hope Congress and CMS will act to extend the ability of at-home hospital programs to continue beyond the current end date of December 2024.
"Hospitals realized that you don't just have to use hospital-at-home to manage COVID patients," says Mark Howell, director of policy and patient safety for the American Hospital Association. "We're all better off if Congress decides to move forward and authorize a permanent program."
Maniaci agrees. He says, the time spent not running the hallways of a hospital gives him more time to spend at patient bedside — virtually, of course. Plus, remote care lets him peek into their lives, chat with family caregivers, or see telling details, like when a heart patient drinks too much grape Kool-Aid. Once, he warned a patient that pet birds chirping in the background might carry allergens.
"Even though I'm not physically with my patient, I'm giving better care than I did for the last 15 years in the hospital — it's kind of a strange thing to me," he says.
But then again, it isn't strange at all, he says, pointing to an old leather doctors' bag on display at the entrance of Mayo's offices. A century ago, doctors used them to carry medicines and exam tools to patients' homes, because all medical care was done by house call. "This is just the modern version of that," he says.
Editing and visuals production for the digital version of this story by Carmel Wroth.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
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2023-05-07T23:27:01+00:00
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kanw.com
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https://www.kanw.com/npr-news/npr-news/2023-04-29/post-pandemic-even-hospital-care-goes-remote
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KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — The head of U.S. intelligence says fighting in Russia’s war in Ukraine is running at a “reduced tempo” and suggests Ukrainian forces could have brighter prospects in coming months.
Avril Haines alluded to past allegations by some that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advisers could be shielding him from bad news — for Russia — about war developments, and said he “is becoming more informed of the challenges that the military faces in Russia.”
“But it’s still not clear to us that he has a full picture of at this stage of just how challenged they are,” Haines, the U.S. director of national intelligence, said Saturday at the Reagan National Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California.
She said her team was “seeing a kind of a reduced tempo already of the conflict” and looking ahead expects both sides will look to refit, resupply, and reconstitute for a possible Ukrainian counter-offensive in the spring.
“But we actually have a fair amount of skepticism as to whether or not the Russians will be in fact prepared to do that,” Haines said. “And I think more optimistically for the Ukrainians in that time frame.”
On Sunday, the British Ministry of Defense, in its latest intelligence estimate, pointed to new signs from an independent Russian media outlet that public support in Russia for the military campaign was “falling significantly.”
Meduza said it obtained a recent confidential opinion survey conducted by the Federal Protection Service, which is in charge of guarding the Kremlin and providing security to top government officials.
The survey, commissioned by the Kremlin, found that 55% of respondents backed peace talks with Ukraine while 25% wanted the war to go on. The report didn’t mention the margin of error.
Levada Center, Russia’s top independent pollster, found in a similar poll carried out in November that 53% of respondents supported peace talks, 41% spoke in favor of continuing the fight, and 6% were undecided. It said that poll of 1,600 people had a margin of error of no more than 3.4%.
The British Defense Ministry noted that “despite the Russian authorities’ efforts to enforce pervasive control of the information environment, the conflict has become increasingly tangible for many Russians” since Putin in September ordered a “partial mobilization” of reservists to bolster his forces in Ukraine.
“With Russia unlikely to achieve major battlefield successes in the next several months, maintaining even tacit approval of the war amongst the population is likely to be increasingly difficult for the Kremlin,” the British ministry said.
In recent weeks, Russia’s military focus has been on striking Ukrainian infrastructure nationwide, pressing an offensive in the Donetsk region city of Bakhmut and shelling sites in the city of Kherson, which Ukrainian forces liberated last month after an 8-month Russian occupation.
In his nightly address on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy lashed out at Western efforts to crimp Russia’s crucial oil industry, a key source of funds for Putin’s war machine, saying their $60-per-barrel price cap on imports of most Russian oil was insufficient.
“It is not a serious decision to set such a limit for Russian prices, which is quite comfortable for the budget of the terrorist state,” Zelenskyy said, referring to Russia. He said the $60-per-barrel level would still allow Russia to bring in $100 billion in revenues per year.
“This money will go not only to the war and not only to further sponsorship by Russia of other terrorist regimes and organisations. This money will be used for further destabilisation of those countries that are now trying to avoid serious decisions,” Zelenskyy said.
Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, the United States and the 27-nation European Union agreed Friday to cap what they would pay for Russian oil at $60 per barrel. The limit is set to take effect Monday, along with an EU embargo on Russian oil shipped by sea.
Russian authorities have rejected the price cap and threatened Saturday to stop supplying the nations that endorsed it.
“We will sell oil and oil products to those countries, which will work with us on market conditions, even if we have to somewhat cut production,” Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Sunday.
In yet another show of Western support for Ukraine’s efforts to battle back Russian forces and cope with fallout from the war, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland on Saturday visited the operations of a Ukrainian aid group that provides support for internally displaced people in Ukraine, among her other visits with top Ukrainian officials.
Nuland assembled dolls out of yarn in the blue-and-yellow colors of Ukraine’s flag with youngsters from regions including Kharkiv in the northeast, Kherson in the south and Donetsk in the east.
“This is psychological support for them at an absolutely crucial time,” Nuland said.
“As President Putin knows best, this war could stop today, if he chose to stop it and withdrew his forces — and then negotiations can begin,” she added.
___
Merchant reported from Washington.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
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2022-12-04T19:43:02+00:00
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everythinglubbock.com
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https://www.everythinglubbock.com/news/latest/ap-us-intel-chief-thinking-optimistically-for-ukraine-forces/
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‘Be pals with each other’: Couple celebrates 75th wedding anniversary
Published: Jun. 26, 2023 at 12:23 PM CDT|Updated: 52 minutes ago
EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (Gray News) – A Wisconsin couple is celebrating a big milestone.
Bill and Betty Davey celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary Sunday.
According to WQOW, the couple got married in Eau Claire on June 19, 1948. They have three children together.
After Bill Davey retired, the couple moved to Fort Walton Beach, Florida, but they ultimately decided to move back to Wisconsin in 2021 to be closer to family.
Betty Davey said the key to a successful marriage is to be best friends.
“Be pals with each other. I think that’s one of the goodest ones I can think of. Be a friend,” Betty Davey told WQOW.
Copyright 2023 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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2023-06-26T18:17:11+00:00
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kfyrtv.com
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https://www.kfyrtv.com/2023/06/26/be-pals-with-each-other-couple-celebrates-75th-wedding-anniversary/
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NEW YORK, June 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Gross Law Firm issues the following notice to shareholders of CareDx, Inc..
Shareholders who purchased shares of CDNA during the class period listed are encouraged to contact the firm regarding possible lead plaintiff appointment. Appointment as lead plaintiff is not required to partake in any recovery.
CONTACT US HERE:
CLASS PERIOD: This lawsuit is on behalf of all persons or entities who purchased CareDx common stock between February 24, 2021, and May 5, 2022.
ALLEGATIONS: The complaint alleges that during the class period, Defendants issued materially false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) defendants had engaged in a variety of improper and illegal schemes to inflate testing services revenue and demand, including pushing a surveillance protocol through inaccurate marketing materials, offering extravagant inducements or kickbacks to physicians and other providers, and improperly bundling expensive testing services with other blood tests as part of the Company's RemoTraC service for remote, home-based, blood-drawing; (2) these practices, and others, subjected CareDx to an undisclosed risk of regulatory scrutiny; (3) these practices rendered the Company's testing services revenue reported throughout the class period artificially inflated; and (4) as a result, defendants' positive statements about the Company's business, operations, and prospects were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.
DEADLINE: July 22, 2022 Shareholders should not delay in registering for this class action. Register your information here: https://securitiesclasslaw.com/securities/caredx-inc-loss-submission-form/?id=29280&from=4
NEXT STEPS FOR SHAREHOLDERS: Once you register as a shareholder who purchased shares of CDNA during the timeframe listed above, you will be enrolled in a portfolio monitoring software to provide you with status updates throughout the lifecycle of the case. The deadline to seek to be a lead plaintiff is July 22, 2022. There is no cost or obligation to you to participate in this case.
WHY GROSS LAW FIRM? The Gross Law Firm is nationally recognized class action law firm, and our mission is to protect the rights of all investors who have suffered as a result of deceit, fraud, and illegal business practices. The Gross Law Firm is committed to ensuring that companies adhere to responsible business practices and engage in good corporate citizenship. The firm seeks recovery on behalf of investors who incurred losses when false and/or misleading statements or the omission of material information by a company lead to artificial inflation of the company's stock. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
CONTACT:
The Gross Law Firm
15 West 38th Street, 12th floor
New York, NY, 10018
Email: dg@securitiesclasslaw.com
Phone: (646) 453-8903
View original content:
SOURCE The Gross Law Firm
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2022-06-29T17:41:43+00:00
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kcbd.com
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https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/06/29/shareholder-alert-gross-law-firm-notifies-shareholders-caredx-inc-class-action-lawsuit-lead-plaintiff-deadline-july-22-2022-nasdaq-cdna/
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Dawn M. Sweigart, 66, of Adamstown, passed away on Saturday, April 15, 2023, at her home.
She was born in Ephrata to the late Andrew E. and Joyce L. (Kring) Sweigart and was the wife of Glenn S. Sweigart, with whom she shared 37 years of marriage.
Dawn was a former member of Adamstown Fire Co. Ladies Auxiliary. She loved spending time with her grandson and going to the beach, especially Cape May and Wildwood, NJ. She enjoyed attending yard sales, cooking meals for her family, and she was an avid Hershey Bears fan.
Dawn was a graduate of Cocalico High School Class of 1974. She worked as an office manager for Nichol's for 25 plus years and Redner's Warehouse Markets for 10 plus years.
In addition to her husband, she is survived by a daughter, Rebecca, wife of Shawn McCafferty of Adamstown, and grandson, Conner.
Services will be private at the convenience of the family.
Memorial contributions in Dawn's memory may be made to Adamstown Fire Company, P.O. Box 52, Adamstown, PA 19501.
Arrangements by Roseboro Stradling Funeral & Cremation Services, Inc., Denver. Online condolences can be given at roseborostradling.com.
A living tribute »
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2023-04-18T04:26:57+00:00
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lancasteronline.com
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https://lancasteronline.com/obituaries/dawn-m-sweigart/article_19d2d2d9-db64-50c6-a9e9-a94fe5f7618d.html
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Grant brings 20 years of business development and sales management to help drive the next stage of Performio's APAC Growth
IRVINE, Calif. and MELBOURNE, Australia, March 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Performio, a leading incentive compensation management (ICM) provider, announced today Grant Weinstein, has started his position as Head of Sales, APAC. In this role, Grant's extensive enterprise technology and data analytics background will be instrumental in further cementing Performio's category leadership in the APAC region. Founded in 2006 in Australia, Performio is the only incentive compensation management provider with a dedicated team in the APAC region. Grant's hire will ensure Performio continues to be the dominant ICM provider in this market.
Most recently Grant held a leadership role in the APAC region with Sisense, a global business intelligence technology vendor, where he drove impressive revenue results and delivered successful customer outcomes. Grant brings both regional and global experience to the role with proven results scaling technology companies such as Equifax, SAP Concur, Sensis (Telstra), and Amadeus across the APAC region. His background in B2B solution-based sales across an array of industries, including financial services, travel, marketing services, business intelligence, and data analytics, made him an ideal choice for Performio's incentive compensation management solution, which serves customer needs across these industries.
"I'm thrilled to be joining Performio to contribute to their growth and success in the APAC region," said Grant Weinstein. "Incentive Compensation Management is critical for organisations to manage well and plays a crucial role in driving the motivation and performance of sellers across multiple industries. What drew me to Performio was its impressive enterprise-grade offering and comprehensive data transformation capabilities. Their reputation in the APAC market as a customer-centric partner for global enterprise companies is second to none."
"We're honored to have Grant Weinstein join us as our Head of Sales, APAC," says Neil Graham, CRO, Performio. "With Performio's extensive history successfully serving customers and partners in the APAC region, we were ready to expand our revenue operations in the region. Grant's proven track record helping other B2B SaaS providers scale and grow throughout the Asia Pacific region made him the obvious choice for the company's performance culture and growth plans."
"We are thrilled to welcome Grant Weinstein to the Performio sales leadership team," said Grayson Morris, CEO, Performio. "Grant's respected background in enterprise software sales made him an ideal choice for this important role in the APAC region."
About Performio
Performio is the only Incentive Compensation Management provider that drives business performance with a product built to handle complexity, a team delivering world-class service, and a proven track record of long-term global success. Performio's product is used by large global enterprises and growing mid-market companies worldwide such as Abbott Laboratories, News Corp, Vodafone, Draeger, Johnson & Johnson, Nexstar, Optus, Wedbush Securities, and WP Engine. Performio's feature-rich cloud application enables enterprises to automate their sales compensation calculations, provide increased transparency to their sales reps, and adapt to changing market conditions with confidence. For more information, visit www.performio.co.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Performio
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2023-03-29T19:38:29+00:00
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kcbd.com
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https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2023/03/29/grant-weinstein-joins-performio-head-sales-apac-performio-strengthens-global-sales-leadership-team/
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Record-breaking winnings: Guest turns $10 bet into over $14M
Published: Apr. 4, 2023 at 8:20 AM EDT|Updated: 56 minutes ago
LAS VEGAS, Nev. (KVVU/Gray News) – Someone went to Atlantis Casino in Reno Sunday and came home with record-breaking winnings.
The lucky guest turned a $10 bet into more than $14 million after winning a massive Megabucks jackpot.
According to the Atlantis Casino Resort Spa, the unidentified guest won a Megabucks Jackpot worth $14,005,832.09.
The property said it had confirmed with IGT and the guest’s massive win marked the biggest slot machine jackpot in Reno history.
Copyright 2023 KVVU via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
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2023-04-04T13:17:33+00:00
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witn.com
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https://www.witn.com/2023/04/04/record-breaking-winnings-guest-turns-10-bet-into-over-14m/
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — The New York Giants took it on the chin against the Dallas Cowboys.
Dropping a hard-fought 23-16 decision to the rival Cowboys on Monday night to lose for the first time under new coach Brian Daboll hurt. What was worse came at the end of the game.
Wide receiver Sterling Shepard, the Giants’ longest-tenured player and one of the key leaders on a young team, sustained a leg injury on New York’s final offensive play and it did not look good.
Shepard, who took a pay cut to come back this year, had to be carted off the field and Daboll said there’s a possibility the injury is very serious.
Shepard made it back for the season opener and caught a touchdown pass after recovering from an Achilles tendon injury late last season.
“It was heartbreaking,” offensive tackle Andrew Thomas said. “Shep worked really hard to get back and to see him go through something like that again, I feel for the guy. He loves the game, he works hard.”
Daboll had no immediate information on the extent of the injury but he was clearly worried about the 29-year-old who led the Giants (2-1) with five catches for 49 yards.
New York quarterback Daniel Jones, who was sacked five times by the Cowboys and was on the run most of the game eluding pass rushers, said seeing Shepard go down on a play where they was seemingly no contact was rough.
“Real tough to see that, for sure,” said Jones, who ran for 79 yards and threw for 196. “A guy who works so hard, he’s battling back from an injury last year. I feel for him as a teammate, as a close friend and yeah, that’s tough to see.”
Shepard was not made available to reporters after the game.
Saquon Barkley, whose 36-yard touchdown run gave the Giants a 13-6 lead in the third quarter, said he will go home, say a prayer for Shepard and hope for the best.
“Just the type of guy Shep is, he is a character, especially the energy he brings to the team,” Barkley said. “He’s one of my best friends, if not my best friend. So to see him go down, you know, we all got his back.”
Daboll called the injury a shame.
“Guys work their butts off to get back from injuries, and if this is something that he’s out for the whole season – which we’ll probably know tomorrow morning or maybe even tonight – you hurt for those guys because they put everything into it,” he said.
As for the loss, Daboll said his approach will be the same. It’s one game and the team needs to correct its mistakes and get ready to play the Bears on Sunday.
“You can’t let these things linger just like you can’t let a win linger,” he said. “You have to move on and get ready on the next opponent. To ride the rollercoaster, there’s going to be a lot of ups and downs throughout the league, throughout the year for any team.”
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
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2022-09-27T11:37:33+00:00
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seattletimes.com
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https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/giants-take-2-body-blows-from-cowboys-a-loss-and-injury/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world
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SOUTH JORDAN, Utah and VEENENDAAL, Netherlands, Sept. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Experlogix, a leading provider of Configure, Price, Quote (CPQ) and Document Automation software, announced today an expansion of its sales team: Mark Conway joined the company as Vice President of Sales for EMEA, and Angie Cox has come on board as Vice President of Sales for North America.
Conway brings to Experlogix over two decades of global experience in the software/IT services industry, managing clients across the US, UK, Europe and Asia. Before joining Experlogix, Conway was Executive Director EMEA at Flintfox since 2019 where he defined and led their sales, marketing, service level management and technical support teams. He has built successful business development teams within the industry with a focus on all things digital and disruptive technology. He has successfully collaborated with C- level client stakeholders on many strategic businesses and IT digital and data transformation deals that have brought forward immense value to client organizations.
"I am honoured and elated to join Experlogix which has built a robust foundation and culture over the years, to deliver a world class CPQ experience to their clients globally," said Conway. "I look forward to collaborating with the leadership team to leverage their rich knowledge coupled with its winning software to drive further value of our clients' digital journey."
Cox brings more than 20 years of sales leadership experience, with an extensive background in building and developing successful business units and teams. She is an expert in building top producing sales teams through strategic account planning, product development, critical partnerships, and tactical coaching. Before joining Experlogix, Cox led the acquisition of a B2B software solution to one of the world's largest software companies.
"I am excited for the opportunity to lead the North America Sales Team as we develop and win new business by continuing to deliver best-in-class CPQ, Document Generation and Document Automation solutions." Cox said. "I look forward to building on the company's strong track record of success."
"The addition of Angie and Mark to our team positions us well for even stronger growth", says Beth Thornton, CRO of Experlogix. "Their depth of combined global experience will accelerate our results and our existing and future talent will be poised for even greater levels of success. I am very pleased with what I am seeing so far."
Experlogix has expanded teams across multiple regions and departments over the last year, resulting in more than 100 new hires from 2021 to 2022 to support an increasingly global customer base. Worldwide, more than 600 organizations leverage Experlogix CPQ and Document Automation software with more than 100,000+ users.
Experlogix solutions simplify and humanize the most complex products and processes to unlock workflow velocity and create a better customer experience. Experlogix CPQ makes configuration and other processes faster than you ever thought possible and simpler than you dared to imagine. Experlogix Document Automation simplifies and optimizes even the most complex document processes for companies worldwide, in any industry. Experlogix — simplifying the complex.
Experlogix is a global company headquartered in Salt Lake City, with European headquarters in Veenendaal, Netherlands. We're online at www.experlogix.com.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Experlogix
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2022-09-06T18:32:50+00:00
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kcbd.com
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https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/09/06/experlogix-expands-senior-sales-leadership-team-with-appointment-two-new-vps/
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LAKE FOREST, Ill. (AP) _ Reynolds Consumer Products Inc. (REYN) on Tuesday reported first-quarter earnings of $52 million.
On a per-share basis, the Lake Forest, Illinois-based company said it had net income of 25 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 26 cents per share.
The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of three analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of 25 cents per share.
The company posted revenue of $818 million in the period, falling short of Street forecasts. Three analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $856.5 million.
For the current quarter ending in July, Reynolds Consumer Products expects its per-share earnings to range from 23 cents to 27 cents.
The company said it expects revenue in the range of $873 million for the fiscal second quarter.
_____
This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on REYN at https://www.zacks.com/ap/REYN
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2022-05-10T12:04:18+00:00
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seattlepi.com
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https://www.seattlepi.com/business/article/Reynolds-Consumer-Products-Q1-Earnings-Snapshot-17161556.php
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Mike Conley Player Prop Bets: Timberwolves vs. Kings - March 27
Mike Conley and his Minnesota Timberwolves teammates will match up versus the Sacramento Kings on Monday at 10:00 PM ET.
Below we will look at Conley's stats and trends, helping you make good selections on prop bets.
Mike Conley Prop Bets vs. the Kings
Looking to bet on one or more of Mike Conley's player prop bets? Sign up at DraftKings with our link to get a first deposit bonus today!
Mike Conley Insights vs. the Kings
- Conley's opponents, the Kings, have a middling offensive tempo, ranking 14th in the NBA with 103.3 possessions per game, while his Timberwolves average the sixth-most possessions per game with 104.2.
- Defensively, the Kings are ranked 26th in the league, conceding 118.5 points per game.
- On the boards, the Kings are ranked eighth in the NBA, conceding 42.1 rebounds per game.
- In terms of assists, the Kings are ranked last in the league, giving up 26.6 per game.
- Looking at 3-pointers, the Kings are ranked 20th in the NBA, giving up 12.5 makes per game.
Mike Conley vs. the Kings
Want another way to try to win cash prizes? Add Conley or any of his Timberwolves teammates to your lineup in FanDuel Daily Fantasy NBA contests. Use our link to sign up and get a great offer for new users. (See website for offer details, not available in all areas.)
Not all offers available in all states. Please gamble responsibly. If you or someone you know has developed a gambling problem or addiction, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved.
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2023-03-27T22:20:17+00:00
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kttc.com
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https://www.kttc.com/sports/betting/2023/03/27/mike-conley-nba-player-prop-bets-timberwolves-vs-kings/
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URBANA — A Champaign teen, who with his brother, is accused of the murder of a man in Rantoul during a robbery last fall, will also be prosecuted as an adult.
As she did last week for Tomari Johnson, 15, Judge Anna Benjamin found that the state had presented ample evidence to support the transfer of Tomir Johnson, 16, from juvenile to adult court.
The ruling issued Thursday subjects Tomir Johnson to far more serious penalties if he’s convicted as an adult of the Nov. 20, 2022, fatal shooting of Decarlo Douglas, 34.
On Friday, Benjamin arraigned Tomir Johnson on five counts of first-degree murder alleging that he personally fired the gun that killed Mr. Douglas during the commission of a robbery.
Rantoul police determined, through examining the victim’s cellphone records, that Tomari Johnson had contacted Mr. Douglas to buy cannabis from him and arranged to meet on Falcon Drive in Rantoul. Tomari indicated they would be on foot and Mr. Douglas let him know he would arrive in a Jeep. They also exchanged information on how the payment for the cannabis would be made.
Mr. Douglas’ 7-year-old son, who was in the Jeep with his younger brother, said once they arrived on Falcon about 1:40 p.m. that Sunday, two males approached the vehicle and one held a gun to his dad’s head. The Jeep was shot up, the child said, and his dad tried to run, leaving his flip-flops behind.
The child said his father did not have a gun, which authorities later determined not to be true based on the crime scene and the fact that Tomir Johnson was shot six times, some of the shots hitting his midsection.
When police arrived, they found Tomir coming out of a nearby apartment building holding a bath towel to his abdomen. Mr. Douglas was found in the road, where he staggered and fell after being shot, dropping a black handgun.
Witnesses described two males running away from the Jeep after an exchange of gunfire but they could not say who fired first.
Police also found numerous text communications between the brothers involving guns, robberies and videos of firearms, although no specific talk about robbing Mr. Douglas.
In finding that probable cause exists to charge Tomir Johnson with felony murder, Benjamin said a “common-sense analysis” of the evidence presented by State’s Attorney Julia Rietz suggested that the brothers intended to rob Mr. Douglas of cannabis rather than pay the asking price.
“They were perhaps surprised when Mr. Douglas was also carrying a firearm, and either shot at them after being held up at gunpoint, or shot back after being fired upon. There is no requirement to show that they set out to murder him,” the judge wrote.
Benjamin heard evidence of the youth’s abysmal childhood put on by Public Defender Lis Pollock. That included that he and his brother were both neglected and abused by their parents, whose parental rights were ultimately terminated, and that he suffers from several mental health problems because of his unstable home life that affect his decision-making.
However, Benjamin said there was evidence that the crime was “premeditated and committed aggressively.” She also noted that Tomir Johnson was less than a month away from his 16th birthday, when a transfer to adult court would have been automatic.
Although he had no previous juvenile convictions, Tomir Johnson had numerous prior police contacts and was charged previously with possession of a stolen vehicle and given a chance to participate in services that resulted in the case being dismissed. The judge noted that Tomir Johnson had “extensive services through the juvenile system” and at the time of the alleged murder, was in a stable placement with his grandmother.
“The fact that the juvenile system would have only five years to rehabilitate (Tomir) Johnson, to provide him all the services that he needs to address past trauma, anger issues and reactivity, is of grave concern to the court and presents a serious risk to the community,” she wrote
“There is too great a risk to the public to keep Mr. Johnson in a system that mandates he be released when he becomes 21 years old,” she said.
Johnson’s case has been assigned to Judge Roger Webber. He’s due back in court Aug. 29.
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2023-06-30T18:08:34+00:00
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news-gazette.com
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https://www.news-gazette.com/news/second-teen-accused-in-rantoul-murder-to-be-tried-as-an-adult/article_c16e47d0-cf21-5932-a366-451361545ace.html
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Donald Trump has more than $100 million in his political war chest. But he has something even more valuable — an active FBI investigation against him.
Anyone can raise money. Few can dominate the nation’s political consciousness, cleaving the country into two passionately opposed sides and giving rise to perfervid theories and counter-theories, based on being the target of a law enforcement action. That’s the quality that Trump has brought to the table for years, and it is boosting him still.
Democrats all over the country have been cynically and not-so-subtly promoting MAGA candidates in GOP primaries. If the Federal Bureau of Investigations were doing the same thing, it wouldn’t have handled its search of Mar-a-Lago any differently.
The raid has put Trump front-and-center again. It has made it easy for him to portray himself as an embattled victim. It has caused nearly everyone in the GOP to embrace him.
Of course, none of this was intended by FBI Director Christopher Wray, although it was entirely foreseeable.
No one is above the law, yet if the FBI search was really over a document dispute, it’s hard to see how the law-enforcement stakes were big enough to justify taking a step sure to inflame roughly half the country.
The episode and its fallout are a reminder that the magnitude of controversy and attention generated by Trump is beyond what anyone else can hope to match.
Ron DeSantis recently suspended a “woke” county prosecutor who pledged not to enforce laws that he opposed. For a couple of days, this felt like a big deal. Yet, compared to the action at Mar-a-Lago, the firing was a picayune dispute over county government — Hollywood, Florida, compared to Hollywood, California.
The FBI search played into Trump’s hands in another way. Populism thrives on the sense that big, out-of-control forces are wielding outsize power, that things aren’t what they seem, and that institutions are fundamentally corrupt.
Trump built his political career playing to this sentiment. He portrays himself as the courageous fighter against such malign forces, and their victim.
For him, the contention that he’s being treated unfairly, a constant throughout his adult life, is both a negotiating posture (“How dare you charge such an exorbitant amount to build the clubhouse at my new golf course?”) and a worldview. In the political realm, the more he’s being cheated, the worse and more malevolent his enemies are — and the more his supporters need to rally to his side.
That’s what happened after the raid — for good reason.
It is impossible to overestimate the effect of the Russia investigation on the Republican psyche. To have a couple of years of “the walls are closing in” media coverage, speculation Trump might be a Russian agent, and an intense special counsel investigation all coming to naught and predicated on the Steele dossier that was laughably bogus from the start won’t soon be forgotten.
After that experience, no assurance that, “There’s no way the FBI would do that,” or, “Well, they had a warrant, so it must be OK,” is ever going to get any traction for Republicans.
And because any political taint around federal law enforcement naturally raises apocalyptic fears — and don’t kid yourselves progressives, you’d feel the same way if the shoe was on the other front — there is no room for modulation or nuance.
To the extent Trump becomes the central figure in a Manichean struggle between good and evil, it makes any other concern — electability, a well-considered and achievable agenda — seem small-minded by comparison.
Now, maybe what we learn about the classified material sought by the FBI turns out to be so shocking that the search looks different in the cold light of day.
Maybe, the initial rallying around Trump fades.
Maybe. For now, the chances of another Republican beating Trump for the GOP nomination look more remote. Thank you, Christopher Wray.
Rich Lowry is a syndicated columnist. Follow him on Twitter @RichLowry.
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2022-08-26T23:45:58+00:00
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wyomingnews.com
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https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/opinion/guest_column/why-is-the-fbi-choosing-bidens-opponent-for-him/article_c9aa1b6c-24b4-11ed-848c-7b79f0c60df9.html
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The Federal Reserve is expected to raise its benchmark lending rate to the highest level in 22 years after a year of successive hikes aimed at fighting inflation.
Copyright 2023 NPR
The Federal Reserve is expected to raise its benchmark lending rate to the highest level in 22 years after a year of successive hikes aimed at fighting inflation.
Copyright 2023 NPR
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2023-07-26T09:26:29+00:00
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knkx.org
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https://www.knkx.org/2023-07-26/the-federal-reserve-is-expected-to-raise-key-interst-rate-again-on-wednesday
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Brittney Griner back on the court ahead of her return to the WNBA
Published: Feb. 24, 2023 at 11:53 AM EST|Updated: 17 minutes ago
(CNN) – After 294 days in a Russian prison, WNBA star Brittney Griner is back to what she does best – playing basketball.
Griner worked out Thursday night with members of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns since the women’s pro basketball season doesn’t start until May.
She was forced to cut her trademark dreadlocks due to them freezing in Russia, so she is now sporting a new, shorter hairstyle.
Griner officially re-signed with the Phoenix Mercury earlier this week, shortly after her one-year anniversary of being wrongfully detained in Russia.
The 6′9″ center last played for the WNBA’s Mercury in 2021, taking the team to the finals, averaging nearly 21 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Copyright 2023 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved.
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2023-02-24T17:12:14+00:00
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mysuncoast.com
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https://www.mysuncoast.com/2023/02/24/brittney-griner-back-court-working-out-with-phoenix-suns/
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Student loan borrowers await President Biden plan on debt forgiveness
Millions of Americans were waiting to learn the fate of their federal student debt on Wednesday as President Joe Biden prepared to deliver on his campaign promise to provide up to $10,000 in debt cancellation.
Details of the plan have been kept closely guarded, but borrowers who earn less than $125,000 a year would be eligible for the loan forgiveness, according to three people familiar with the decision. Biden is also set to extend a pause on federal student loan payments through January.
If it survives legal challenges that are almost certain to come, Biden’s plan could offer a windfall to a swath of the nation in the run-up to this fall's midterm elections. More than 43 million owe a combined $1.6 trillion in federal student debt, with almost a third owing less than $10,000, according to federal data.
Still, the action is unlikely to thrill any of the factions that have been jostling for influence as Biden weighs how much to cancel and for whom.
Biden has faced pressure from liberals to provide broader relief to hard-hit borrowers, and from moderates and Republicans questioning the fairness of any widespread forgiveness. The delay in Biden’s decision has only heightened the anticipation for what his own aides acknowledge represents a political no-win situation. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss Biden's intended announcement ahead of time.
The continuation of the coronavirus pandemic-era payment freeze comes just days before millions of Americans were set to find out when their next student loan bills will be due. This is the closest the administration has come to hitting the end of the payment freeze extension, with the current pause set to end Aug. 31.
Wednesday’s announcement was set for the White House after Biden returns from vacation in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The administration had briefly considered higher education schools in the president’s home state for a larger reveal but scaled back its plans.
During the 2020 presidential campaign, Biden was initially skeptical of student loan debt cancellation as he faced off against more progressive candidates for the Democratic nomination. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had proposed cancellations of $50,000 or more.
As he tried to shore up support among younger voters and prepare for a general election battle against President Donald Trump, Biden unveiled his initial proposal for debt cancellation of $10,000 per borrower, with no mention of an income cap.
Biden narrowed his campaign promise in recent months by embracing the income limit as soaring inflation took a political toll and as he aimed to head off political attacks that the cancellation would benefit those with higher take-home pay. But Democrats, from members of congressional leadership to those facing tough reelection bids this November, have pushed the administration to go as broad as possible on debt relief, seeing it in part as a galvanizing issue, particularly for Black and young voters this fall.
The frenzied last-minute lobbying continued Tuesday even as Biden remained on his summer vacation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., one of the loudest advocates in recent years for canceling student loan debt, spoke privately on the phone with Biden, imploring the president to forgive as much debt as the administration can, according to a Democrat with knowledge of the call.
In his pitch, Schumer argued to Biden that doing so was the right thing morally and economically, said the Democrat, who asked for anonymity to describe a private conversation.
Inside the administration, officials have discussed since at least early summer forgiving more than $10,000 of student debt for certain categories of borrowers, such as Pell Grant recipients, according to three people with knowledge of the deliberations. That remained one of the final variables being considered by Biden heading into Wednesday’s announcement.
Democrats are betting that Biden, who has seen his public approval rating tumble over the last year, can help motivate younger voters to the polls in November with the announcement.
Although Biden’s plan is narrower than what he initially proposed during the campaign, “he’ll get a lot of credit for following through on something that he was committed to,” said Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster who worked with Biden during the 2020 election.
She described student debt as a “gateway issue” for younger voters, meaning it affects their views and decisions on housing affordability and career choices. A survey of 18- to 29-year-olds conducted by the Harvard Institute of Politics in March found that 59% of those polled favored debt cancellation of some sort — whether for all borrowers or those most in need — although student loans did not rank high among issues that most concerned people in that age group.
Some advocates were already bracing for disappointment.
“If the rumors are true, we’ve got a problem,” Derrick Johnson, the president of the NAACP, which has aggressively lobbied Biden to take bolder action, said Tuesday. He emphasized that Black students face higher debut burdens than white students.
“President Biden’s decision on student debt cannot become the latest example of a policy that has left Black people — especially Black women — behind,” he said. “This is not how you treat Black voters who turned out in record numbers and provided 90% of their vote to once again save democracy in 2020.”
John Della Volpe, who worked as a consultant on Biden’s campaign and is the director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, said the particulars of Biden’s announcement were less important than the decision itself.
“It’s about trust in politics, in government, in our system. It’s also about trust in the individual, which in this case is President Biden," Della Volpe said.
Combined with fears about expanding abortion restrictions and Trump’s reemergence on the political scene, Della Volpe said student debt forgiveness “adds an additional tailwind to an already improving position with young people.”
Republicans, meanwhile, see only political upside if Biden pursues a large-scale cancellation of student debt ahead of the November midterms, anticipating backlash for Democrats — particularly in states where there are large numbers of working-class voters without college degrees. Critics of broad student debt forgiveness also believe it will open the White House to lawsuits, on the grounds that Congress has never given the president the explicit authority to cancel debt on his own.
The Republican National Committee on Tuesday blasted Biden’s expected announcement as a “handout to the rich,” claiming it would unfairly burden lower-income taxpayers and those who have already paid off their student loans with covering the costs of higher education for the wealthy.
“My neighbor, a detective, worked 3 jobs (including selling carpet) & his wife worked to make sure their daughter got quality college degree w/no student debt,” Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, the top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, tweeted Tuesday. “Big sacrifice. Now their taxes must pay off someone else’s student debt?”
Biden’s elongated deliberations have sent federal loan servicers, who have been instructed to hold back billing statements while Biden weighed a decision, grumbling.
Industry groups had complained that the delayed decision left them with just days to notify borrowers, retrain customer service workers and update websites and digital payment systems, said Scott Buchanan, executive director of the Student Loan Servicing Alliance.
It increases the risk that some borrowers will inadvertently be told they need to make payments, he said.
“At this late stage I think that’s the risk we’re running,” he said. “You can’t just turn on a dime with 35 million borrowers who all have different loan types and statuses.”
___
AP Education Writer Collin Binkley in Washington contributed to this report.
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2022-08-24T13:35:22+00:00
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wtae.com
|
https://www.wtae.com/article/president-biden-student-loan-debt-forgiveness/40973972
|
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Firefighters have rescued a 13-year-old blind dog that fell into a hole at a California construction site.
According to KABC-TV, the dog, named Cesar, lives next to the site in Pasadena with his owner. The dog apparently wandered onto the site, said Cesar’s owner Mary, who declined to give her last name.
Cesar then fell into the hole, which was about 15 feet (4.5 meters) deep and 3 feet (0.91 meters) wide, around 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Mary was alerted by the barking of her other dog. Cesar responded and she could hear he was no longer in her own yard. A Pasadena search and rescue team soon responded to the scene.
Pasadena Fire Chief Chad Augustin said confined-space rescues present unique challenges for firefighters. “There’s lot of steps we need to do to make it as safe as possible. For not just the dog but also our rescuers,” Augustin said.
The team hooked up a series of ropes and pulleys to lower one team member into the hole. It took the team member about 12 minutes to reach the dog, secure him in a harness and bring him back to the surface.
Cesar appeared to be healthy and uninjured after he was brought out of the hole. He shook off a heavy coat of construction dirt and dust and was reunited with his owner at the scene.
|
2022-09-22T01:18:54+00:00
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wate.com
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https://www.wate.com/news/firefighters-rescue-blind-dog-from-hole-at-california-construction-site/
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SHANGHAI, Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Sep. 13, 2022, Qidi Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Qidi") announced the completion of an angel round financing of RMB 100 million (14.44 million USD), with Joy Capital as the leading investor, Matrix Partners China and Meridian Capital as the co-investors, and Winsoul Capital as the financial advisor.
Founded in December, 2021, Qidi is a scientifically and technologically innovative enterprise that takes the 24/7 smart glasses as the core and aims at catering to the customers with its unique Vertical Integration Pattern. Starting from the full-link integration of underlying technologies such as hardware, software, and algorithm, and with cutting-edge products and up-to-date solutions, Qidi focuses on creating hands-free revolutionary smart glasses, which safeguards a trouble-free journey worldwide for the users.
New technical tipping point calling for product revolution
With the massive popularity of "metaverse" and the development of AR technology, smart glasses have once again come under the spotlight. Unlike Google Glass that transiently appeared a decade ago, or the last round of AR entrepreneurship mania, Qidi believes that an epoch-making revolution that could transform glasses from a mere "functional device" to "smart machine" has reached a tipping point.
In recent years, digital industries, such as 5G, artificial intelligence and big data, have witnessed a rapid development on the fundamental technologies. The displaying, interaction, algorithm, and computing power of smart glasses have also greatly changed compared with the era in which the product was first emerged.
One could expect that the human-computer interaction in Web 3.0 will be more multidimensional. As for the common digital products such as PC, mobile phone, and tablet, the real world is separated from the digital world by the screen. However, the smart AR glasses can shatter the barrier, and is expected to revolutionize the way we obtain information and our way of living, and inspire a boundless imagination. "This is probably the most imaginative and innovative product for individual users throughout the human history, and will revolutionize the way we interact with the digital world." Says the founder of Qidi.
Besides, the whole industry also sees smart glasses as a promising product, and expects them to be widely utilized in the next generation of human-computer interaction center and mobile terminals. At present, smart glasses have gained access to the market of some industries, yet there are still some gaps regarding the weight, battery life, and comfort of wearing between the existing products and the standard and positioning of the next generation of human-computer interaction center; therefore, in the field of product application, especially in the consumer market, there hasn't been a real sense of hot-sale products that have ever occurred, and a new "product revolution" is simply inevitable.
An optimal solution from Qidi: "Clever" glasses & Vertical Integration Pattern
A pair of ideal smart glasses that is suitable for long-time wearing often faces many challenges, such as the weight, comfort of wearing, battery life and heat dissipation, while in the meantime, as a daily-wear item, the glasses should be both high-tech and fashionable, which sets a higher bar on the design, quality, and custom-tailored uniqueness of the product. From the perspective of the working principle, the smart glasses are made of different units, such as acquisition unit, computing unit, and display unit, which delicately harness a series of key technologies on optics, displaying techniques, interaction, algorithm, and operating system. If we just adopt the key logic of "smart glasses" and the development model of supply chain technology integration, as well as mixing intelligent functions all in one, it'll easily turn the "smart glasses" into "a clumsy helmet."
The founder of Qidi stresses that the core is to figure out the fundamental logic of glasses and explore the irreplaceable role of glasses in our life. "The most distinctive feature of smart glasses is that they can perceive the environment and recognize everything from the first perspective, and provide instant feedback in front of the uses' eyes, while at the same time, the hands-free service that they provide can raise efficiency to a great extent." The guiding principle on Qidi's product development is to inject "intelligence" to the glasses – that is, with the users' daily needs being satisfied, the smart glasses are equipped with intelligence, which aims at the three basic properties that users concern the most, that are – flexibility, popularity, and fashion. Besides, the smart glasses have undergone in-depth innovation on the weight, battery life, and comfort of wearing, and dioptric adjustment is also available, which can truly realize a trouble-free journey worldwide for the users.
But how to make such an impeccable product? Qidi has come up with a vertical integration pattern, that is to perfectly match the top-level designs that suit the terminal ends with the basic operation system, drive system and algorithm, and maximize the energy efficiency of the scene circuit module, and fundamentally resolve the technological problems.
This requires the team to have the capability to develop new category hardware, to complete system construction, and to independently innovate core technologies, which is exactly the strength of Qidi's founding team. The key members in Qidi are from China's leading technology companies, such as Huawei and DJI, who have rich pioneering experiences in related industries. Besides the fact that this is a well-experienced and well-integrated team, it is also worth noted that the founder has successfully launched flagship products with a sales volume of over ten million, and has a deep understanding and pre-judgement of user needs, product development, and technology innovation.
"We have focused on making flagship phones all along, so the pursuit of high quality, elegant design and extreme user experience has become the gene of our team," says the founder of Qidi, "It's been more than ten years since we dealt with smart glasses. Based on our deep understanding of the core technologies, we believe that the tipping point of the relevant technologies is just around the corner. We hope to take on the role of China's technology innovator to explore a new definition of smart glasses, and make the perfect product that the users want, and ultimately take it as a lever to push forward a real smart society."
Investors' views
Liu Erhai, founder and managing partner of Joy Capital, says, "As the next-generation computing platform following personal computers and mobile phones, smart glasses are a promising product, but a bit technically difficult to make. Qidi team has been working in related fields for a long time, and mastered advanced technology and rich experience. I believe that their products will form an inseparable link in the metaverse ecosystem, and offer unprecedented and magical experiences for all users."
Wang Bingxing, director of Matrix Partners China, says, "At present, the global economies are facing more and more risks and uncertainties, but we still believe that groundbreaking technologies, innovative ideas, and new trend are the key to make a breakthrough. For the time being, wearable AR devices, such as smart glasses, are most likely to become the next-generation computing platform and interaction entrance, and all the future entertainment, education, work, and travel may be realized through these terminals. Qidi team has accumulated years of technical skills and R&D experiences in leading technology enterprises, and gained profound insight into consumer electronic products. They also have large-scale production experience and quality control ability. We are very optimistic about their future development, and look forward to seeing the innovative products made by them."
Ji Wei, founder and managing partner of Meridian Capital, says, "As the next-generation computing terminal to replace mobile phones, the terminal device of AR glasses and the upstream technology are maturing rapidly. Now is the right time to invest, and choosing Qidi is like taking a head start on the right racing track. We are very optimistic that Qidi team will become an important facilitator, or even a definer, on this long and bumpy track in the near future."
Liu Tianjie, Investment Director of Meridian Capital, says, "We are deeply impressed by Qidi team's outstanding industry background, R&D capabilities, and execution power. The team's huge success and experience in the development of many flagship mobile phone products is what AR device manufacturers can draw on, and sets an important basis for exploring the next-generation hot-sale smart devices. We hope that the funding will help Qidi to quicken their steps in making technological exploration and setting the scenes for making consumer AR products, and become a powerful driving force in the transformation of computing platforms."
Media Enquiries: Mia Lu, +86-15021452275, ya.lu@singularly.net
View original content:
SOURCE Qidi Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd.
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2022-09-16T07:15:34+00:00
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kcrg.com
|
https://www.kcrg.com/prnewswire/2022/09/16/qidi-has-completed-an-angel-round-financing-rmb-100-million-yuan-with-joy-capital-lead-investor-matrix-partners-china-meridian-capital-co-investors/
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