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Congress will grill the head of the Federal Aviation Administration Wednesday to determine how the US government plans to keep passengers and crews safe.
The nation's top aviation official talked about the safety risks of "complacency" in a Senate hearing Wednesday, and said the Federal Aviation Administration is juggling three competing systems of controlling US airspace.
Billy Nolen, the acting FAA administrator, appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee to address the software outage that halted flight departures nationwide last month, a near miss between an American Airlines plane and a Delta Air Lines plane on a JFK airport runway last month, another close call between a FedEx cargo plane and a Southwest plane in Austin, Texas, earlier this month, and other recent safety problems plaguing the aviation industry.
He said efforts to upgrade the NOTAM safety messaging system that failed in January will be mostly completed "by mid-2025," an acceleration of work that he previewed in a letter last month.
In a letter to Congress in early February, the FAA said it plans to dramatically accelerate replacing its outdated Notice To Air Missions (NOTAM) safety system, whose failure led to a nationwide air travel grounding in January. The software failure and ground stop led to thousands of delayed and canceled flights a month ago. The regulator also said it has taken steps to prevent a repeat of the meltdown in the interim.
A contractor working for the FAA unintentionally deleted files related to the key pilot safety system, the FAA said. NOTAM messages could include information about lights being out on a certain runway, or a tower near an airport not having the required safety lights working, or an air show taking place in the air space nearby.
The FAA has found no evidence of a cyberattack or malicious intent, and the agency says it has taken steps to make the system more resilient.
The near collisions have also raised concerns that the FAA's safety systems may be insufficient.
Nolen told the Senate Commerce Committee that he believes that "the fixes that we have in place today will prevent the reoccurrence of the event that we saw in January," but under pressure admitted that vulnerabilities remain in the NOTAM safety messaging system.
"Can I sit here today and tell you that there will never be another issue on the NOTAM system? No, I cannot," Nolen said.
The FAA instituted changes that require two people to be present when programming changes to the system, and a delay before syncing changes between multiple redundant systems.
Nolen said the older system that initially failed is used by only about 20% of the total users of NOTAMs. Many airlines and pilots, he indicated, use a newer system that also suffered an outage when changes to the older database were synced with the new system.
Nolen also said the FAA is handling three overlapping methods of managing the nation's airspace, including the long-standing air traffic control system, an upgraded system dubbed NextGen, and systems for handling drones, space launches, and future aircraft.
"For us to sustain, implement, and plan for all of these systems, we have a lot of work ahead," Nolen said.
A recent National Transportation Safety Board report said an American Airlines widebody Boeing 777 jet crossed an active runway without clearance from air traffic control, causing a narrowbody Delta 737 to abort its takeoff last month. The NTSB is also investigating the FedEx and Southwest incident involving two aircraft at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. That near collision happened after air traffic controllers cleared the FedEx Boeing 767 to land on Austin's Runway 18 Left, according to the FAA.
Nolen on Tuesday said he has ordered a sweeping review of the agency, and asked in prepared testimony to the Senate Commerce committee for additional funding to meet the demands, including modernizing the legacy computer system that failed.
"We are experiencing the safest period in aviation history, but we cannot take this for granted," Nolen wrote in a memo. "Recent events remind us that we must not become complacent."
One focus of the safety review team will be determining "whether there are other incidents that resemble ones we have seen in recent weeks." It will also look at ways to better integrate the FAA's air traffic control arm into the agency's broader safety efforts. | 2023-02-15T16:13:24+00:00 | albanyherald.com | https://www.albanyherald.com/news/business/faa-chief-gets-grilled-by-congress-for-recent-airline-groundings-and-safety-concerns/article_f311aad5-c6b3-524e-843b-288af030bc22.html |
BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) — Donald Trump’s former interior secretary, Ryan Zinke, stood in the cold outside a Loaf ‘N Jug gas station in southwestern Montana and weathered a barrage of curses, friendly honks, obscene gestures and shouts of support as he waved a “Veterans for Zinke” sign.
Love him or hate him, Zinke is a well-known commodity in this Western state with a complicated political record.
“If I get a honk out of a Subaru it’s a victory,” Zinke joked Thursday, referencing the vehicles considered popular among many liberals in the college town of Bozeman. “Some people express their dissent.”
More than three years after resigning from Trump’s Cabinet amid multiple ethics investigations and then going to work for the petroleum industry he used to regulate, Zinke’s bid to return to the U.S. House is challenged by a well-financed Democrat on the left, a determined Libertarian on the right — and by his own reputation among Montana voters. Republican Zinke barely survived June’s primary against a hard-right conservative.
The former U.S. Navy SEAL has responded with characteristic aplomb to rising hope among Democrats they can defeat him: He boasted later that day in Bozeman during a tour of a wildfire aircraft hangar about his expectation to be on the influential House Appropriations Committee.
Once viewed as a moderate, Zinke’s rightward shift under Trump and revelations that Zinke lied in two federal ethics cases have exposed him to sharp attacks from Democrat Monica Tranel, a longtime consumer rights attorney who once worked for former Republican U.S. Sen. Conrad Burns. Libertarian John Lamb has toured the state with Tranel attending Democratic-sponsored debates. They’ve differed sharply on issues but united in painting Zinke as lacking integrity.
Montana is rich in fossil fuels and while at Interior, Zinke loosened restrictions on the industry.
“This is a follow-the-money campaign,” Tranel said. “His financial interests are definitely served by advocating for fossil fuels. I’m looking at it in terms of what’s going to serve Montana.”
It’s the first election for a newly drawn House district, created last year after Montana gained a seat following the 2020 census. The Republican-leaning seat includes liberal strongholds such as Missoula, Butte and Helena that offer Tranel a chance to become the first Montana Democrat elected to the House since 1994.
A GOP wave swept Montana in recent elections, ending years of residents splitting their votes between Republicans and Democrats.
But the June primary revealed Zinke’s lackluster support within his party: he won with 42% versus 40% for conservative Al Olszewski.
Zinke in an interview waxed nostalgic for more civil times, which he said disappeared after former President Barack Obama left office. Yet he’s bitter over a supposed “deep state” that supposedly targeted him in Washington. He dismissed as vindictive investigators’ reports that Zinke lied during a probe into a Native American casino proposal and about his involvement in a real estate project in his hometown.
His legislative priority for Congress is the proposed FEAR Act, for Federal Employees Accountability and Reduction, to make it easier to fire federal workers.
“Those who are abusing power, we should be able to go after them,” he said. “I don’t think targeting people who are doing wrong is a breach of civility.”
There’s been minimal polling in the race and Lamb’s presence adds to the uncertainty.
Mailers recently sent to voters postmarked from a Democratic-linked group in Washington D.C., described Lamb as the race’s “true conservative” and panned Zinke. Similar flyers dropped over the weekend bore the Montana GOP logo, according to party officials who denounced them.
Outside groups used similar tactics — promoting a Libertarian to peel away Republican votes — during Montana’s 2012 and 2018 U.S. Senate races. In the 2018 race, a man who registered as a Green Party candidate was on the GOP payroll. Democratic Sen. Jon Tester narrowly won both.
Lamb, an antigovernment extremist who thinks the punishments for many Jan. 6 Capitol rioters have been too harsh, denounced Democrats for sending campaign material in his name. He also criticized Zinke, who Lamb said asked him to drop out of the race at an August debate.
“His policies are no better than the Democrats’,” Lamb said. “There’s going to be no changes with either one of those two.”
Just months ago national political trends were breaking in Tranel’s favor, when the Supreme Court’s rejection of constitutional protections for abortions energized liberals. Worries over crime and inflation now dominate — indicators more favorable to Republicans, said University of Montana political analyst Robert Saldin.
Still, anxiety has grown among Republicans as the race appears to tighten ahead of Nov. 8, spending reports show. A conservative political committee called “More Jobs Less Government” spent more than $616,000 on ads opposing Tranel in October. The liberal Big Sky Voters PAC spent about $326,000 attacking Zinke in October.
“It’s going to be a lot about Zinke if he ends up losing,” Saldin said. “Does the dislike of Zinke extend far enough where some voters vote for Tranel, some vote for the Libertarian, some hold out? Those things can add up.”
Zinke’s campaign spent $5.7 million as of Oct. 19, versus $2.6 million for Tranel, according to federal election filings. Of Zinke’s itemized donations, 71% are from out of state, compared to about 23% of Tranel’s, filings show. Lamb is not spending money.
During a recent campaign stop in Butte, Tranel held a news conference alongside climate change activists to deride a looming utility rate hike from NorthWestern Energy, then headed up the street to call a game of bingo at the Belmont Senior Center
Senior Arlene Munyon complained to Tranel that Zinke “doesn’t stay in one place,” a reference to his leaving the House to join Trump’s Cabinet months after winning reelection to a second term. Tranel sought to steer the conversation away from Zinke but another resident chimed in to question if Zinke was even a Montana resident because his wife’s primary residence is in California.
The exchange underscored Tranel’s challenge: getting voters to look past Zinke’s links to national Republicans and her party’s stumbles under President Joe Biden.
“They’re trying to make it a generic ‘R’ versus a generic ‘D,’” Tranel said, referring to the Republican and Democratic parties. “This is Ryan versus Monica.”
__
This story has been updated to corrected the spelling of Sen. Jon Tester’s first name.
__
Learn more about the issues and factors at play in the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections. And follow the AP’s election coverage of the 2022 elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections. | 2022-10-31T19:50:38+00:00 | wcia.com | https://www.wcia.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-zinkes-trump-cabinet-days-shape-montana-race-for-us-house/ |
AKRON, Ohio — As far back as he can recall, Akron Police Officer Aaron Williams has felt a calling to help people.
In fact, Williams expressed that sentiment in March while at the Akron Police academy. During that time, he also shared his inspirational journey of losing about 100 pounds to pursue a dream career in law enforcement.
"Even from a young age, my mom always told me I had a protective nature about me," Williams said.
That protective nature was on full display on November 25 — with just three months on the job — when Williams found himself as the first responder on the scene while smoke poured from a home in Akron, Ohio, around 3:15 a.m.
The emergency was ramped up when neighbors reported that residents were inside the burning home: 91-year-old Lorene Sampson, who is bedridden, and her 70-year-old son, Willie O'Neal.
"I'm running up full sprint and I'm hearing all this, and at the same time, I'm like there's somebody in there. The least I can do is try to kick this door in," Williams said.
After kicking in the front door, Williams realized the senior citizen, who was unable able to walk, was on a bed, but he couldn't see her through the thick smoke.
However, the sound of her voice provided all the motivation he needed to not give up on the rescue.
"I kicked in the door an I'm yelling, 'Is anybody in the house?' And I hear, "I'm right her, babe,'" Williams recalled. "At that time, I didn't know she couldn't walk."
Without any protective gear that firefighters wear, the officer said he went in and out of the house two or three times. He remembers coughing and crawling until he made his way toward Sampson.
A short time later, two paramedics, also not wearing gear, appeared in the smoke-filled house and the trio worked together to carry the senior citizen to safety.
"They ended up grabbing her and we all like kind of pulled each other like, 'Go, go, go, go, go' to run out of the house," Williams said.
After the first rescue, firefighters raced upstairs and saved O'Neal from a bedroom.
Sampson was taken to Cleveland Clinic Akron General. O'Neal was transported to the burn unit at Akron Children's Hospital.
Both remained hospitalized as of Thursday evening, but are expected to recover, according to Stephanie Muhammad, who is Sampson's daughter and O'Neal's sister.
Muhammad said the actions of Williams and the other first responders were heroic.
"This young man, Aaron Williams, is a hero. He's a hero because he didn't have to do that. He could have waited for the fire department, but he didn't," Muhammad said.
Muhammad, who lives in Phoenix, had a brief but emotional conversation with Williams via video chat on Wednesday.
"God sent you to my family, and I take it personally. He sent you to me. You saved my mother," Muhammad said.
The rookie officer said returning to the scene and talking about what happened was nearly as emotional as the morning of the dramatic rescue. However, he doesn't consider himself a hero, rather a police officer with a protective nature doing his job.
"We're always here to help people. I don't think it's necessarily heroic," he said. "If there's somebody that can be saved, you at least gotta try."
This article was written by Bob Jones for WEWS. | 2022-12-02T16:06:20+00:00 | denver7.com | https://www.denver7.com/news/national/ohio-rookie-officer-rescues-91-year-old-bedridden-woman-from-fire |
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Freshman Josh Kuroda-Grauer's two-run single capped a five-run seventh inning and second-seeded Rutgers beat seventh-seeded Purdue 10-3 on Wednesday in the Big 10 Tournament.
Four walks in the seventh broke a 3-3 tie before Tony Santa Maria singled in a run, Richie Schiekofer plated a run with a ground out and Kuroda-Grauer ripped a single into left.
The Scarlet Knights (42-14), who set a school record for regular-season wins and are making their first tournament appearance since joining the Big Ten in 2015, face No. 6 seed Penn State in the second round on Friday. Purdue (29-20) goes against No. 3 seed Iowa, which lost to the Nittany Lions earlier.
Ryan Lasko homered in the first inning and Mike Nyisztor hit a two-run double in the second for Rutgers, which leads the nation in scoring at 9.7 runs a game. Evan Sleight, who had a bases-loaded walk in the seventh, added a two-run double in the eighth.
Purdue got three runs in the second inning on a two-run homer from Cam Thompson and a fielder's choice by Steve Ramirez.
___
More AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 | 2022-05-26T22:43:27+00:00 | seattlepi.com | https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/Rutgers-gets-first-Big-Ten-tourney-win-10-3-over-17201864.php |
Teams picked to finish near the bottom of their respective conferences will have a chance to give their league some bragging rights when Nebraska hosts Boston College in an ACC/Big Ten Challenge contest on Wednesday night in Lincoln, Neb.
Nebraska (4-3) is coming off a seventh-place finish at the ESPN Events Invitational, beating Florida State 75-58 on Sunday. It was the Cornhuskers’ third-largest margin of victory against a power-conference opponent under fourth-year coach Fred Hoiberg.
“It was a huge win,” Hoiberg said afterward. “We had to have it.”
Derrick Walker, who missed Nebraska’s first five games this season, had a career-high 20 points and 13 rebounds in the win. He had 15 points and 12 rebounds against Memphis in his return to action.
Boston College (5-2) has won its last two, most recently a 53-49 home victory over Rhode Island. The Eagles shot just 30.4 percent in that game, which saw them again missing several players expected to be part of the rotation due to illness or injury.
Those absences contributed to earlier losses against Maine and Tarleton State, but head coach Earl Grant is keeping things positive by noting how the experience gained by other players can only benefit Boston College down the road.
“I think the growth of those players, because of what we’re dealing with, is actually going to help us in January, February, March,” Grant said.
Sophomore guard Jaeden Zackery is coming off back-to-back 16-point games, while sophomore forward Devin McGlockton has scored 23 points over the last two contests after registering 18 points in the first five.
Boston College is 7-6 all-time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, which began in 1999, while Nebraska is 5-6. Neither team has won a Challenge game since 2018, and Nebraska has the lone head-to-head victory with a 71-62 home triumph in 2017.
–Field Level Media | 2022-11-30T23:50:37+00:00 | siouxlandproud.com | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/sports/ncaa-basketball/nebraska-boston-college-look-to-build-off-much-needed-wins/ |
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
In Dreams
Season 3 E 5 • 11/14/2014
In Dreams: Creatures that feed off dreams trap the Turtles inside their own dreams as April and Casey must find a way to wake them up.
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When Shredder teams with the Kraang to receive a batch of mutagen, the Turtles' problems only get worse-even putting their friendship with April at stake.
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Invasion of the Squirrelanoids
While tracking mutagen, the Turtles bring a mutated squirrel back to the lair. When it starts multiplying, the Turtles must hunt the squirrel mutants and prevent them escaping into the city.
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Follow the Leader
When the Turtles face Shredder’s newest threat, an army of Robot Foot Soldiers, Karai captures Leonardo and forces him to do battle with these new and improved ninjas that can adapt to his every move.
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Donatello obsessively experiments with mutagen in a bid to find a cure for April’s mutated father. Unfortunately this puts April in danger from a new threat—Mutagen Man!
11/09/2013
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Mikey Gets Shellacne
Michelangelo is tired of being the "runt of the litter." But when he fools around with some mutagen, he gets a dangerous infection that is mutating out of control.
11/16/2013
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Target: April O'Neil
April tries to resume a normal teenage life, but when Karai starts hunting her again, April realizes she may have put her new friend Casey Jones in danger as well.
11/23/2013
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Slash and Destroy
The Turtles find themselves being hunted by a new threat—another mutant turtle called Slash, who has a personal vendetta against the brothers.
11/30/2013
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The Good, The Bad, and Casey Jones
After encountering mutants and ninjas, Casey Jones decides to take on "pure evil" alone. When he meets Raphael, the two hot-headed fighters must put their dislike for each other aside and work together against a common foe.
02/02/2014
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The Kraang Conspiracy
Feeling left out of the action, April insists on joining the Turtles on a mission to TCRI, where they learn a shocking secret about April’s past.
02/09/2014
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Fungus Humungous
A fungus mutant spreading through the sewers causes the Turtles and April to experience their worst fears as Leonardo must face his greatest fear— losing his team.
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Within the Woods
The team comes to grips with the possibility that Leo won’t get better, while things only get worse: a new mutant captures Raph!
10/03/2014
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A Foot Too Big
A Foot Too Big: The Turtles discover Bigfoot in the woods, and Donnie befriends it, insisting they protect it from a hunter that is after it.
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Buried Secrets
Buried Secrets: The team discovers a Kraang ship buried under April's house where they find… April's Mom! But as April reconnects with her lost mother, is she really all that she seems?
10/17/2014
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The Croaking
The Croaking: An upset Mikey runs away from home and befriends a Mutant Frog in the woods. When he learns its Frog family plans to attack the human world, he has to figure out a way to stop them.
11/07/2014
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In Dreams: Creatures that feed off dreams trap the Turtles inside their own dreams as April and Casey must find a way to wake them up.
11/14/2014 | 2023-06-06T13:56:29+00:00 | nick.com | https://www.nick.com/episodes/izuqcb/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-in-dreams-season-3-ep-5 |
An unexpected culprit toppled beach chairs along the sand at normally calm Clearwater Beach, Florida, last Wednesday. West Coast surfers might snicker at the cause, but the National Weather Service confirms the rare 4-foot (1.2 meter) wave was caused by a kind of tsunami, just not the kind you usually hear about.
It was a meteotsunami, a type caused by storms with strong gusting winds, rather than the dramatic tsunamis triggered by earthquakes.
WHAT IS A METEOTSUNAMI?
According to Paul Close, senior forecaster at the National Weather Service in the Tampa Bay area, when a line of storms tracks over the ocean, there can be 30- to 50-mph (48- 80-kph) winds near the leading edge. The winds push the water, increasing the wave height near the coast before it eventually crashes onto shore.
Meteotsunamis only last about an hour because once the leading edge of the storm passes onto land, the action subsides.
The meteotsunami was about 2.5 feet (0.8 meters) higher than the forecast wave height and around 4 feet (1.2 meters) higher than average sea level.
Six-foot (1.8 meter) and higher meteotsunamis have been recorded around the world.
The weather service does not issue specific advisories for meteotsunamis. If the agency forecasts that a storm will have substantial impact, it issues a coastal flood watch or warning.
WHEN DO METEOTSUNAMIS FORM?
Close said that stronger storms and squall lines — groups of storms that track in a line with intense winds and heavy rain — are more common during the winter around Florida.
“They don’t happen that often this time of year, but the current atmospheric pattern has been kind of unusual with all the heat out in Texas and the cool and damp weather in the Northeast,” Close said.
This time of year, winds from the east are more common, he said. But the winds have been from the west almost all of June. | 2023-06-27T10:39:29+00:00 | fox59.com | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/did-a-tsunami-really-hit-florida-yes-but-not-the-kind-you-think/ |
GONZALES, La. (AP) _ Crown Crafts Inc. (CRWS) on Wednesday reported fiscal first-quarter net income of $1.4 million.
The Gonzales, Louisiana-based company said it had net income of 14 cents per share.
The maker of children's products posted revenue of $15.7 million in the period.
_____
This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on CRWS at https://www.zacks.com/ap/CRWS | 2022-08-17T12:12:08+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Crown-Crafts-Fiscal-Q1-Earnings-Snapshot-17378943.php |
Business Talent Group's 5th annual Skills Index shows 500% increase in demand for artificial intelligence and machine learning; 400% increase in demand for cost reduction; 314% increase in human resources; 91% increase in interim finance leaders
LOS ANGELES, July 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A new report from Business Talent Group (BTG)—the leading talent marketplace for independent management consultants, interim executives, subject matter experts, and project managers, and a wholly owned subsidiary of Heidrick & Struggles (Nasdaq: HSII)—reveals the most in-demand and fastest growing skills leveraged by global companies amid ongoing economic uncertainty, an extraordinarily tight labor market, and rising geopolitical tensions.
BTG's fifth annual Skills Index, based on an analysis of proprietary BTG data, provides deep insights into how high-end independent talent are helping business leaders pursue growth while balancing risk, harness advances in data science and technology, and adapt their workforces, processes, and financial practices for the uncertain business environment ahead. The report comes as 59% of CEOs say the labor and skills shortage remains a top disruptor for their businesses, according to a recent Fortune/Deloitte study. Additionally, 55% of executives say they are concerned about the difficulty of hiring the right talent at the right price quickly enough, according to Mercer.
"Five years ago, we began reporting on project and skill needs driving the use of high-end independent talent at top companies. Since that time, we've witnessed both a massive influx of top talent choosing the independent path and a fast-growing understanding among business leaders of how to best use this highly skilled talent segment," said Jody Greenstone Miller, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Business Talent Group. "Today, high-end independent talent has become a core pillar in the talent strategies of leading enterprises—offering an indispensable source of in-demand skills that are simply inaccessible in the broader labor market."
Key insights from the 2022 Skills Index include:
- Requests for artificial intelligence and machine learning skills increased by 500% as companies seek to tap big data for more informed decision-making, automate processes for efficiency and cost reduction, and leverage technology to anticipate and respond to rising consumer needs.
- Demand for cost reduction experts grew 400% as companies look to increase resilience, right-size spending, and position organizations for choppy waters ahead.
- Global human resources (+314%), compensation strategy (+215%), and benefits planning and management (+100%) all made the list of fastest growing skills as companies seek experts to build out or scale up HR capabilities, design strategies to attract and retain top talent, and fill critical gaps in the HR organization. Notably, requests for interim HR leaders at all levels increased 400% year-over-year.
- Financial controls, accounting, and audit and financial planning, analysis, and modeling entered the top 10 most in-demand skills for the first time—driven in large part by the 91% increase in demand for interim CFOs and other finance leaders—reflecting the changing demands placed upon the function as its responsibilities grow in complexity and scope.
- Market landscape and growth strategy remained on the most in-demand skills list, but with requests for experts in risk management rising by 200% year over year, it's clear that business leaders find themselves balancing optimism for continued growth with concern that key initiatives could be derailed by any number of economic, geopolitical, ecological, and cybersecurity threats present in today's extraordinary risk environment.
BTG's most in-demand and fastest growing skills are as follows:
TOP 10 MOST IN-DEMAND SKILLS FOR 2022
- Project Management
- Organizational Design and Workforce Planning
- Market Landscape and Research
- Financial Controls, Accounting, and Audit
- Financial Planning, Analysis, and Modeling
- Process Optimization and Transformation
- Growth Strategy
- Program Management Office (PMO)
- Strategic Planning
- Corporate and Business Unit Strategy
TOP 10 FASTEST GROWING SKILLS FOR 2022
- Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (+500%)
- Cost Reduction (+400%)
- Global Human Resources (+314%)
- Compensation Strategy (+215%)
- Risk Management (+200%)
- Engagement Management (+167%)
- Data Visualization (+120%)
- Benefits Planning and Management (+100%)
- Database Architecture and Management (+82%)
- Product Development (+82%)
For a detailed look at the most in-demand and fastest growing skills, view the full 2022 Skills Index from BTG.
About BTG
Business Talent Group (BTG) is the leading talent marketplace that connects independent management consultants, subject matter experts, project managers, and interim executives with the world's best companies. BTG provides just the right on-demand talent needed: remote or on-site, part-time or full-time, individuals or teams, all around the world. That's why more than 50% of the F100 and hundreds of other leading companies trust BTG to curate, vet, and compliantly deliver talent who fuel growth, innovation, and performance improvement. BTG is a wholly owned subsidiary of Heidrick & Struggles (Nasdaq: HSII).
For more information, visit businesstalentgroup.com and join the conversation on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Business Talent Group Media Contact:
Jennifer Napier
+1 (312) 315-3860
jennifer.napier@businesstalentgroup.com
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SOURCE Business Talent Group | 2022-07-28T13:36:46+00:00 | wcjb.com | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/07/28/amidst-ongoing-inflationary-pressures-looming-concerns-recession-new-data-reveals-most-in-demand-skills-needed-drive-growth-mitigate-risk-2022/ |
Mom found dead next to SUV with sleeping toddler inside
TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) - Police are investigating the death of a Florida mother as a homicide after she was found dead next to an SUV with a toddler asleep inside.
Officers found the woman, who was in her 20s, dead at the scene in a Tampa neighborhood around 10 p.m. Monday. She was next to a Ford EcoSport SUV in which police found a boy under the age of 2 sleeping in a car seat.
The boy was not hurt and is now in the care of a relative.
Investigators say the victim had trauma to her upper body. They are currently investigating her death as a homicide.
The victim does not appear to live in the neighborhood in which she was found, according to police.
A person who was walking in the area first discovered her body.
Copyright 2023 WFTS via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | 2023-02-01T08:00:05+00:00 | wafb.com | https://www.wafb.com/2023/02/01/mom-found-dead-next-suv-with-sleeping-toddler-inside/ |
By AYSE WIETING and SUZAN FRASER
Associated Press
ISTANBUL (AP) — Russia and Ukraine signed separate agreements Friday with Turkey and the United Nations clearing the way for exporting millions of tons of desperately needed Ukrainian grain — as well as Russian grain and fertilizer — ending a wartime standoff that had threatened food security around the globe.
The deal will enable Ukraine — one of the world’s key breadbaskets — to export 22 million tons of grain and other agricultural products that have been stuck in Black Sea ports due to Russia’s invasion. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres called it “a beacon of hope” for millions of hungry people who have faced huge increases in food costs.
“A deal that allows grain to leave Black Sea ports is nothing short of lifesaving for people across the world who are struggling to feed their families,” said Red Cross Director-General Robert Mardini, who noted that over the past six months prices for food staples have risen 187% in Sudan, 86% in Syria, 60% in Yemen and 54% in Ethiopia.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov signed separate, identical deals with Guterres and Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar at a ceremony in Istanbul that was witnessed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“Today, there is a beacon on the Black Sea,” Guterres said. “A beacon of hope, a beacon of possibility, a beacon of relief in a world that needs it more than ever.”
“You have overcome obstacles and put aside differences to pave the way for an initiative that will serve the common interests of all,” he told the Russian and Ukrainian envoys.
Guterres described the deal as an unprecedented agreement between two parties engaged in a bloody conflict. Erdogan said he hoped the initiative would be “a new turning point that will revive hopes for peace.”
The European Union and the U.K. immediately welcomed the agreements.
“This is a critical step forward in efforts to overcome the global food insecurity caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. “Its success will depend on the swift and good faith implementation of today’s agreement.”
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said her country applauded Turkey and the U.N. for brokering the agreement.
“We will be watching to ensure Russia’s actions match its words,” Truss said. “To enable a lasting return to global security and economic stability, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin must end the war and withdraw from Ukraine.”
Ukraine is one of the world’s largest exporters of wheat, corn and sunflower oil, but Russia’s invasion of the country and naval blockade of its ports have halted shipments. Some Ukrainian grain is being transported through Europe by rail, road and river, but the prices of vital commodities like wheat and barley have soared during the nearly five-month war.
Although international sanctions against Russia did not target food exports, the war has disrupted shipments of Russian products because shipping and insurance companies did not want to deal with Russia.
Guterres said the plan, known as the Black Sea Initiative, opens a path for significant volumes of commercial food exports from three key Ukrainian ports: Odesa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny.
“It will help stabilize global food prices, which were already at record levels even before the war – a true nightmare for developing countries,” Guterres added.
The deal makes provisions for the safe passage of ships through the heavily mined waters. A coordination center will be established in Istanbul, staffed by U.N., Turkish, Russian and Ukrainian officials, to monitor the ships and run the process through specific corridors. Ships would undergo inspections to ensure they are not carrying weapons.
A senior U.N. official said cargo ships would use “safe channels” identified by Ukraine as they sail in and out of ports and would be guided by Ukrainian pilots. The plan does not foresee a further demining of Ukraine’s territorial waters, which would have delayed the process.
No military ships would be used as escorts but a minesweeper could be on standby in case the safe channels “need occasional verification,” the official said.
Ships entering the Ukrainian ports would be scrutinized by inspection teams that would include representatives of all parties involved to make sure there are no weapons on board. The unloading of grain onto the vessels will also be monitored.
A key element of the deal is an agreement by both Russia and Ukraine that there will be no attacks on any of the vessels, according to the official.
It will take a few weeks before the deal is fully working, the official noted, saying Ukraine needs about 10 days to get the ports ready and also needs time to “identify and be clear about those safe corridors.”
An initial movement of ships could be possible before then “just to show that they can work,” the official said.
The aim is to export about 5 million tons of grains per month to empty Ukraine’s silos in time for the new harvest, according to the U.N. official. The agreement is for a renewable 120-day period.
Guterres first raised the critical need to get Ukraine’s agricultural production and Russia’s grain and fertilizer back into world markets in late April during meetings with Putin in Moscow and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv.
He proposed a package deal in early June amid fears that the war was endangering food supplies for many developing nations and could worsen hunger for up to 181 million people.
Peter Meyer, head of grain and oilseed analytics at S&P Global Platts, said the deal does not “mean that the global supply crisis is over.’’
Traders anticipated a deal for the past several weeks, he said, so its effect might already have shown up in grain prices, which means they may not drop sharply. And the agreement covers the 2021 crop. There’s still considerable uncertainty about Ukrainian production this year and even next, Meyer said.
Before the deal, Russian and Ukrainian officials blamed each other for the blocked grain shipments. Moscow accused Ukraine of failing to remove sea mines at the ports to allow safe shipping and insisted on its right to check incoming ships for weapons. Ukraine argued that Russia’s port blockade and launching of missiles from the Black Sea made any safe shipments impossible.
Ukraine has sought international guarantees that the Kremlin wouldn’t use the safe corridors to attack the key Black Sea port of Odesa. Ukrainian authorities have also accused Russia of stealing grain from eastern Ukraine and deliberately shelling Ukrainian fields to set them on fire.
Volodymyr Sidenko, an expert with the Kyiv-based Razumkov Center think tank, said it appeared that Ukraine did not raise in the negotiations the issue of grain stolen from occupied territories in the talks.
“Apparently, it was part of a deal: Kyiv doesn’t raise the issue of stolen grain and Moscow doesn’t insist on checking Ukrainian ships. Kyiv and Moscow were forced to make a deal and compromise on many differences,” he said.
The deal was also important for Russia’s geopolitical relations, the analyst noted.
“Russia decided not to fuel a new crisis in Africa and provoke a hunger and government changes there,” Sidenko said. “The African Union asked Putin to quickly ease the crisis with grain supplies and put pressure on the Kremlin, which has its interests in Africa.”
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the Russia-Ukraine war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | 2022-07-22T23:35:54+00:00 | wtmj.com | https://wtmj.com/national/2022/07/22/a-beacon-of-hope-ukraine-russia-sign-grain-export-deal-5/ |
This satellite image taken at 8:40am ET and provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Lisa under Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2022. Lisa is forecast to make landfall in Central America later in the week as a likely hurricane.
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Hurricane Lisa strengthened Wednesday in the western Caribbean as it headed for a landfall in Belize later in the day.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Lisa had maximum sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph) by early afternoon. The storm's center was about 35 miles (60 kilometers) east-southeast of Belize City and moving west at 14 mph (22 kph).
Belize's National Emergency Management Organization said the strom was expected to come ashore near Belize City, the country's capital, but warned that "residents across the country are reminded to be prepared.”
Einer Gomez, the assistant manager at Ramon's Village Resort in San Pedro on Ambergris Caye, just off the coast of Belize, said a light rain had started to fall and there was some storm surge, but no high winds yet.
“All the guests that are in the beachfront units have been relocated" to less exposed rooms, and beach furniture had been secured, Gomez said. “Everyone is just waiting for it too pass,” he said.
Lisa was forecast to cross Belize into northern Guatemala and then move into southeastern Mexico by Thursday.
The hurricane center warned of the danger of flooding and mudslides from heavy rains. It said the storm could drop 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain on Belize, the Bay Islands, northern Guatemala, the eastern portion of Mexico's Chiapas state and the Mexican state of Tabasco.
A hurricane warning was posted for Roatan island and the other Bay Islands of Honduras as well as the coast of Belize north and the southern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula from Chetumal to Puerto Costa Maya.
Lisa could re-emerge into the Gulf of Mexico, but as a tropical depression.
Far out in the Atlantic, Tropical Storm Martin rose to hurricane strength Wednesday, but forecasters said it posed no immediate threat to land.
Martin had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (110 kph). It was centered about 790 miles (1,270 kilometers) south-southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland, and moving to the east-northeast at 26 mph (43 kph).
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
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SILVER SPRING, Md., June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is providing an update on additional steps it has taken that will lead to more infant formula available in the U.S. under the agency's recent increased flexibilities.
Company (Product Origin): Nestlé (Mexico)
Product(s): Gerber Good Start Gentle
Type of Formula: General
Estimated Quantity: About 1.3 million cans (about 2.2 million pounds or nearly 33 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles)
Availability: Expected beginning in July through October - the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is evaluating options for getting the products to the U.S. as quickly as possible.
More Information and Where to Find the Products: Expected to be sold on Gerber.com and through key retailers.
The FDA is exercising enforcement discretion for the importation of the infant formula products listed above following the review of information provided pertaining to nutritional adequacy and safety, including microbiological testing, labeling, and additional information about facility production and inspection history.
The agency is leveraging a number of flexibilities to bolster the supply of products that serve as the sole source of nutrition for many infants while ensuring the infant formula can be used safely and provides adequate nutrition. The FDA remains in further discussions with manufacturers and suppliers regarding additional supply to ensure there's adequate infant formula available wherever and whenever parents and caregivers need it.
The FDA issued guidance on May 16 that outlined a process by which the agency would not object to the importation of certain infant formula products intended for a foreign market or distribution in the U.S. of products manufactured here for export to foreign countries. This guidance also may provide flexibilities to those who manufacture infant formula products domestically and may be able to increase further the quantity of domestically produced product for the U.S. market. The agency has posted a webpage that will be updated with information about additional products headed to the U.S.
Ongoing FDA Steps to Increase Availability of Safe, Nutritious Infant Formula
The agency's around-the-clock work as part of the all-of-government efforts has already begun to improve supply and availability. The agency expects that the measures and steps it is taking, and the potential for Abbott Nutrition's Sturgis, Michigan, facility to safely resume production in the near-term, will mean more and more supply is on the way or on store shelves moving forward.
The FDA continues to advise against making infant formulas at home or diluting formula. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to work with their child's health care provider for recommendations on changing feeding practices, if needed. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also has additional information available at HHS.gov/formula, including information to help families find infant formula.
The agency also monitors online marketplaces for fraudulent products and works with major online retailers to remove violative and harmful products offered for sale on their sites. Additionally, since many of these fraudulent products originate overseas, the agency targets and examines these products at ports of entry. The FDA also monitors and follows up on various external signals such as consumer complaints about potential counterfeit and fraudulent products.
The FDA will continue to dedicate all available resources to help ensure that safe and nutritious infant formula products remain available for use in the U.S. and will keep the public informed of progress updates.
Additional Information:
- Infant Formula Information and Ongoing FDA Efforts to Increase Supply
- Enforcement Discretion to Manufacturers to Increase Infant Formula Supplies
- HHS.gov/formula
- HHS.gov/news
- FDA Investigation of Cronobacter Infections: Powdered Infant Formula (February 2022)
- Powdered Infant Formula Recall: What to Know
- CDC Information on Cronobacter Infection and Infants
Media Contact: FDA Office of Media Affairs, 301-796-4540
Consumer Inquiries: 888-723-3366
The FDA, an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, protects the public health by assuring the safety, effectiveness, and security of human and veterinary drugs, vaccines and other biological products for human use, and medical devices. The agency also is responsible for the safety and security of our nation's food supply, cosmetics, dietary supplements, products that give off electronic radiation, and for regulating tobacco products.
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SOURCE U.S. Food and Drug Administration | 2022-06-03T16:47:42+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2022/06/03/fda-infant-formula-update-june-3-2022/ |
PHOENIX (AP) — Devin Booker made the Chicago Bulls pay for some mediocre defense with a couple early mid-range jumpers. Then he made a few more. And a few more.
Suddenly, it was one of those nights for the Suns All-Star guard.
“It felt like a double-sized rim out there,” Booker said. “If I rise up, it’s going in.”
Booker scored a season-high 51 points in just three quarters, Deandre Ayton had 30 points and 14 rebounds and Phoenix stretched its winning streak to six games with a 132-113 victory Wednesday night.
Booker scored 25 points in the first half and had 26 more in a sublime third quarter that included 10 of 11 shooting. After a contested 3-pointer splashed through the net, “MVP! MVP!” chants broke out across Footprint Center, and the 26-year-old is certainly making an early season case.
“It’s the best,” Booker said about the home crowd. “I don’t know how many sellout crowds that is in a row, but it’s impressive. Mondays, Tuesdays, Saturdays, it doesn’t matter what day of the week it is. They show up and show out.”
The three-time All-Star had a steal late in the third before sprinting downcourt and flushing home a dunk for his 50th and 51st points. He added six assists and four rebounds.
“A guy like that gets in a rhythm and it’s too late,” Bulls guard Zach LaVine said. “He gets it going and it’s over.”
Booker didn’t play in the fourth quarter with the Suns holding a healthy lead.
Even more remarkable than Booker’s point total was his efficiency. He shot 20 of 25 from the field, going 6 of 7 from 3-point range. He is the second player over the last 25 years with 50 points and 80% shooting through the first three quarters of a game, joining James Harden in 2017, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
“There’s not a level where he can’t score,” Suns coach Monty Williams said. “He can use both hands, he can score with a hand in his face and he’s willing to take the tough shots.”
It was Booker’s second straight 40-point game. He had 44 in a victory at Sacramento on Monday night. The Suns have the best record in the Western Conference at 15-6 and have won 12 out of 13 home games.
The Bulls struggled on defense the entire night, particularly against Booker and Ayton. Chicago coach Billy Donovan was particularly irritated in the third quarter, angrily calling a time out after Phoenix scored a couple easy buckets.
DeMar DeRozan led Chicago with 29 points. Zach LaVine added 21.
The Suns took a 64-43 lead at halftime. Booker roasted the Bulls with 25 points before the break, repeatedly finding open mid-range jump shots.
“We threw everything at him,” Donovan said. “We trapped him, we threw a box and one at him. We tried to face guard him and to his credit had had a great night.
Phoenix shot 58% in the first half. Chicago made just 1 of 14 (7.1%) of its 3-point attempts.
TIP-INS
Bulls: Alex Caruso scored 14 points off the bench. … The Bulls shot 4 of 25 (16%) from 3-point range.
Suns: G Chris Paul missed his 11th consecutive game with right heel soreness. … It was Booker’s 21st career game with at least 40 points. … Landry Shamet added 12 points off the bench. … Hosted a 39th consecutive sellout crowd. … Ayton shot 11 of 18 from the field. … Booker’s 51 points were the most ever scored by a Suns player at Footprint Center. Gilbert Arenas has the record for any player with 54.
UP NEXT
Bulls: At Golden State on Friday.
Suns: Host Houston on Friday.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2022-12-02T01:22:11+00:00 | ksn.com | https://www.ksn.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-devin-booker-scores-51-points-in-3-quarters-suns-rout-bulls/ |
EDITORIAL: Progressive Tooth Fairy makes student debt disappear
August 24, 2022 - 9:00 pm
After months of waffling, President Joe Biden pulled the trigger on student loan forgiveness Wednesday, a move that will transfer billions of dollars from the working class to the well-off. The details of the vote-buying giveaway are problematic on many levels.
Under Mr. Biden’s plan — which will justly be challenged in court as an abuse of presidential authority — the administration will wave a magic wand, and up to half a trillion dollars in outstanding obligations will magically vanish. Those eligible for up to $10,000 in “forgiveness” include individuals making less than $125,000 a year and couples who take home less than $250,000. Recipients of Pell grants, which go to lower-income students, can deduct $20,000 from their student loan tab.
The latter is a half-hearted attempt to means-test the amnesty, tacitly acknowledging the injustice in asking those who didn’t go to college, or those who graduated and honored their financial commitments, to foot the bill for debt incurred by graduate, law or medical students. Yet by also including wealthy graduates in the plan, the White House ensures that lucrative benefits will accrue to those on the higher end of the income scale.
But aside from the obvious fairness issues, the Biden move has the potential to exacerbate inflation while sending a message to colleges and universities that they can continue their unsustainable tuition trajectories because Democrats will tap federal taxpayers to bail out students who borrow too much.
Debt forgiveness becomes even more indefensible given that Mr. Biden proposes no real reforms to ensure the cycle doesn’t repeat itself, leaving taxpayers squirming on the line and students under the impression that they have no duty to make good on their obligations.
As the president congratulated himself, the federal government was continuing to provide loans to college students while failing to exercise even the most basic underwriting standards to ensure the money will be repaid. If the system is broken, why is it still doling out money? What are the ramifications for future student loan collections if borrowers believe the progressive Tooth Fairy will eventually relieve them of their debts?
Even some Democrats recognize the problems with this effort to bribe younger voters.
“Pouring roughly half trillion dollars of gasoline on the inflationary fire that is already burning is reckless,” tweeted Jason Furman, who served as chairman of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers during the Obama-Biden administration. “Doing it while going well beyond one campaign promise ($10K of student loan relief) and breaking another (all proposals paid for) is even worse.”
Mr. Biden’s economic agenda over his first 20 months has been a failure. His actions Wednesday don’t inspire confidence in a turnaround. | 2022-08-25T04:22:36+00:00 | reviewjournal.com | https://www.reviewjournal.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-progressive-tooth-fairy-makes-student-debt-disappear-2629316/ |
Travis County Declares an Opioid Crisis
The declaration comes with funding for harm reduction
By Lina Fisher, Fri., June 3, 2022
After years of organizing by Texas Harm Reduction Alliance, including an emotional town hall at the beginning of May, the Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously declared the opioid overdose epidemic a public health crisis on May 24. Overdose is now the leading cause of accidental death in the county, and since 2020, fentanyl-related overdoses have almost tripled. The crisis resolution dedicates $350,000 to harm reduction organizations for supplies and outreach staff positions, looks into expanding access to overdose-reversal drug naloxone throughout the county, increases safe syringe disposal systems, and creates monthly check-in meetings for the next six months between directly impacted community members, outreach workers, and county Health and Human Services staff to report progress to the court.
The resolution builds upon prior investments to address the crisis in 2021, including $100,000 to Central Health-contracted providers of methadone treatment (which reduces opioid craving and withdrawal) and $150,000 to Integral Care's Medication Assisted Therapy program, as well as funds from the $100 million in American Rescue Plan dollars earmarked by the county for housing and services to help people exit homelessness. The new $350,000 will likely be offset by an influx of funds from the state of Texas' $1.9 billion settlements with opioid makers; it's intended to go directly to community organizations such as THRA. The county's HHS staff will work with Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes to authorize funds for broader naloxone distribution, and commissioners have asked for a report by Oct. 15 with an "asset map" of existing services and resources – though that date could change, as it comes two weeks after the fiscal year 2023 budget is approved.
In addition to the county's resolution, Integral Care made a presentation outlining plans to expand access to methadone, an opioid dependence treatment. Central Health has been providing buprenorphine/naloxone (Suboxone) for use in the MAT program, but in response to advocates' calls for expanded methadone access specifically, Integral Care plans to open new access points sometime this summer. IC's rep said they are in talks with two providers at four sites across the county, but that "going live" with services will likely not happen until after the summer. In the meantime, patients can call 512/472-HELP (4357), IC's 24/7 help line.
THRA and other advocates celebrated the crisis declaration: "As overdose deaths continue to surge, we need to meet this crisis by putting resources into communities most at risk. That's exactly what this declaration does," said THRA's Paulette Soltani. But as the directives are implemented over the next six months, questions remain. Commissioner Brigid Shea pointed out that the county is short-staffed and may not be able to carry out the resolution's directives with the urgency required. "It won't be as quick as you want it," warned Pilar Sanchez, the county executive over HHS; she requested a new special project staff position from the commissioners, as her department doesn't have a dedicated position for substance use disorder response.
How the $350,000 will be divided up is yet to be delineated. Alongside prioritizing urgent Narcan distribution, advocates asked for funding to increase staff at The Other Ones Foundation and Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center, who have existing relationships with directly affected populations. Many speakers who addressed the court drove home the same message: Harm reduction is about providing medication and supplies, but also about reducing stigma against drug users and building trust – mandates that THRA and other organizations on the ground have been following for years. As David Johnson of Grassroots Leadership put it, "Leave it to the people who are doing the work."
Got something to say? The Chronicle welcomes opinion pieces on any topic from the community. Submit yours now at austinchronicle.com/opinion. | 2022-06-02T13:39:37+00:00 | austinchronicle.com | https://www.austinchronicle.com/news/2022-06-03/travis-county-opioid-crisis/ |
NEW YORK, Oct. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Levi & Korsinsky, LLP notifies investors in Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc ("Centessa" or the "Company") (NASDAQ: CNTA) of a class action securities lawsuit.
CLASS DEFINITION: The lawsuit seeks to recover losses on behalf of Centessa investors who were adversely affected by alleged securities fraud. This lawsuit is on behalf of a class consisting of persons and entities that purchased or otherwise acquired: (a) Centessa American Depositary Shares pursuant and/or traceable to documents issued in connection with the Company's initial public offering conducted on or about May 28, 2021; and/or (b) Centessa securities between May 28, 2021 and June 1, 2022. Follow the link below to get more information and be contacted by a member of our team:
CNTA investors may also contact Joseph E. Levi, Esq. via email at jlevi@levikorsinsky.com or by telephone at (212) 363-7500.
CASE DETAILS: The filed complaint alleges that defendants made false statements and/or concealed that: (i) the Company's product, lixivaptan, was less safe than defendants had represented; (ii) defendants overstated lixivaptan's clinical and commercial prospects; (iii) another Centessa product, ZF874, was less safe than defendants had represented; (iv) defendants overstated ZF874's clinical and commercial prospects while downplaying the drug's safety issues; and (v) as a result, documents issued in connection with Centessa's initial public offering and the Company's public statements throughout the class period were materially false and/or misleading and failed to state information required to be stated therein.
WHAT'S NEXT? If you suffered a loss in Centessa during the relevant time frame, you have until November 28, 2022 to request that the Court appoint you as lead plaintiff. Your ability to share in any recovery doesn't require that you serve as a lead plaintiff.
NO COST TO YOU: If you are a class member, you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out-of-pocket costs or fees. There is no cost or obligation to participate.
WHY LEVI & KORSINSKY: Over the past 20 years, the team at Levi & Korsinsky has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for aggrieved shareholders and built a track record of winning high-stakes cases. Our firm has extensive expertise representing investors in complex securities litigation and a team of over 70 employees to serve our clients. For seven years in a row, Levi & Korsinsky has ranked in ISS Securities Class Action Services' Top 50 Report as one of the top securities litigation firms in the United States.
CONTACT:
Levi & Korsinsky, LLP
Joseph E. Levi, Esq.
Ed Korsinsky, Esq.
55 Broadway, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10006
jlevi@levikorsinsky.com
Tel: (212) 363-7500
Fax: (212) 363-7171
www.zlk.com
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SOURCE Levi & Korsinsky, LLP | 2022-10-13T10:31:05+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2022/10/13/cnta-lawsuit-alert-levi-amp-korsinsky-notifies-centessa-pharmaceuticals-plc-investors-class-action-lawsuit-upcoming-deadline/ |
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. went up slightly last year after two big leaps during the pandemic.
Officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say the numbers plateaued for most of last year. Experts aren’t sure whether that means the deadliest drug overdose epidemic in U.S. history is finally reaching a peak, or whether it’ll look like previous plateaus that were followed by new surges in deaths.
“The fact that it does seem to be flattening out, at least at a national level, is encouraging,” said Katherine Keyes, a Columbia University epidemiology professor whose research focuses on drug use. “But these numbers are still extraordinarily high. We shouldn’t suggest the crisis is in any way over.”
An estimated 109,680 overdose deaths occurred last year, according to numbers posted Wednesday by the CDC. That’s about 2% more than the 107,622 U.S. overdose deaths in 2021, but nothing like the 30% increase seen in 2020, and 15% increase in 2021.
While the overall national number was relatively static between 2021 and 2022, there were dramatic changes in a number of states: 23 reported fewer overdose deaths, one — Iowa — saw no change, and the rest continued to increase.
Eight states — Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia — reported sizable overdose death decreases of about 100 or more compared with the previous calendar year.
Some of these states had some of the highest overdose death rates during the epidemic, which Keyes said might be a sign that years of concentrated work to address the problem is paying off. State officials cited various factors for the decline, like social media and health education campaigns to warn the public about the dangers of drug use; expanded addiction treatment — including telehealth — and wider distribution of the overdose-reversing medication naloxone.
Plus, the stigma that kept drug users from seeking help — and some doctors and police officers from helping them — is waning, said Dr. Joseph Kanter, the state health officer for Louisiana, where overdose deaths fell 4% last year.
“We’re catching up and the tide’s turning — slowly,” said Kanter, whose state has one of the nation’s highest overdose death rates.
Beginning in the mid-1990s, abuse of prescription opioid painkillers was to blame for deaths before a gradual turn to heroin, which in 2015 caused more deaths than prescription painkillers or other drugs. A year later, the more lethal fentanyl and its close cousins became the biggest drug killer.
Last year, most overdose deaths continued to be linked to fentanyl and other synthetic opioids. About 75,000, up 4% from the year before. There also was a 11% increase in deaths involving cocaine and a 3% increase in deaths involving meth and other stimulants.
Overdose deaths are often attributed to more than one drug; some people take multiple drugs and officials say inexpensive fentanyl is increasingly cut into other drugs, often without the buyers’ knowledge.
Research from Dr. Daniel Ciccarone, a drug policy expert at the University of California, San Francisco, suggests “there appears to be some substitution going on,” with a number of people who use illicit drugs turning to methamphetamines or other options to try to stay away from fentanyl and fentanyl-tainted drugs.
Ciccarone said he believes overdose deaths finally will trend down. He cited improvements in innovations in counseling and addiction treatment, better availability of naloxone and legal actions that led to more than $50 billion in proposed and finalized settlements — money that should be available to bolster overdose prevention.
“We’ve thrown a lot at this 20-year opioid overdose problem,” he said. ”We should be bending the curve downward.”
But he also voiced some caution, saying “we have been here before.”
Consider 2018, when overdose deaths dropped 4% from the previous year, to about 67,000. After those numbers came out, then-President Donald Trump declared “we are curbing the opioid epidemic.”
But overdose deaths then rose to a record 71,000 in 2019, then soared during the COVID-19 pandemic to 92,000 in 2020 and 107,000 in 2021.
Lockdowns and other pandemic-era restrictions isolated people with drug addictions and made treatment harder to get, experts said.
Keyes believes that 2022’s numbers didn’t get any worse partly because isolation eased as the pandemic ebbed. But there may be issues ahead, others say, like increased detection of veterinary tranquilizer xylazine in the illicit drug supply and proposals to scale back things like prescribing addiction medications through telehealth.
“What the past 20 years of this overdose crisis has taught us is that this really is a moving target,” Keyes said. “And when you think you’ve got a handle on it, sometimes the problem can shift in new and different ways.”
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | 2023-05-17T23:48:24+00:00 | keloland.com | https://www.keloland.com/news/healthbeat/ap-health/us-drug-overdose-deaths-slightly-increased-in-2022-cdc-says/ |
Standing by the bar in a small Stamford Bridge hospitality suite was a figure who had had not been spotted at the stadium in three years: Roman Abramovich.
Last November, the Chelsea owner was back in London at his English Premier League club to host the president of Israel. There was no obvious security entourage around the Russian billionaire and little fuss, just close associate and Chelsea director Euguene Tenenbaum.
After making small talk with guests and posing for photos with President Isaac Herzog in front of the pitch, the party moved onto an afternoon tea event for around 50 people, with scones and cucumber sandwiches.
Abramovich was feted with speeches praising his work through Chelsea to campaign against antisemitism. It looked like the gradual reintroduction of Abramovich into a more high-profile role around Chelsea again, attached to his social activism.
There was, maybe, a British visa to be regained after he withdrew his application for a renewal in 2018.
Then everything rapidly changed from Feb. 24 when Russia invaded Ukraine.
Three months later, Abramovich is being replaced as Chelsea owner by a group fronted by American investor Todd Boehly, a prospect unimaginable when the oligarch was on the field in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 9 lifting the FIFA Club World Cup.
It would turn out to be the 21st and last men’s team trophy in 19 years running the team his wealth transformed from being glamorous but only occasionally competing for the biggest trophies, into one of the most successful in European football.
Abramovich tried to cling onto Chelsea, even as anger over Russia’s unprovoked aggression toward its neighbor intensified, backed not just by loyal fans but club greats including John Terry hailing him as “the best.”
Within hours of the war beginning, Abramovich was accused in the House of Commons of having links to corrupt activity and paying for political influence in Russia. The demands grew for Abramovich to be sanctioned by the British government, which had already thwarted his efforts to regain the visa in recent years, according to a legislator.
Sensing the need to act, Abramovich offered cosmetic changes to the ownership on Feb. 26 with the pledge to relinquish “stewardship and care” of the club to its charitable foundation trustees.
They had not signed off on the plan, though, and the vague proposal did not quell the anger that a man accused of being so closely linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin could retain the ownership of a high-profile status symbol in the heart of London.
Another public play to shield his reputation from Putin’s war came on Feb. 28 when Abramovich’s PR pushed an apparent move for him to broker peace. Abramovich did not condemn the war, and he has yet to do so despite talking about the need to publicly condemn atrocities only two days before the invasion. The rare comments came in a statement launching a new partnership backing the Jerusalem-based Holocaust museum.
“Yad Vashem’s work in preserving the memory of the victims of the Holocaust,” Abramovich said, “is instrumental to ensure that future generations never forget what antisemitism, racism and hate can lead to if we don’t speak out.”
Yet, Abramovich never has practiced what he preached, even as the death toll mounted in Ukraine and areas were reduced to rubble by Russian bombing and shelling. Yad Vashem suspended its partnership with Abramovich, as did the Imperial War Museum in London, where he funded a Holocaust exhibition and which hosted an event for him hours after the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
It was only six days into the invasion when Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss leaked that Abramovich was actually trying to quickly dispose of Chelsea and the club was publicly put up for sale.
“I hope,” Abramovich said, “that I will be able to visit Stamford Bridge one last time to say goodbye to all of you in person.”
A week later, any immediate hopes of returning to London were ended by the government. Sanctions and travel restrictions were placed on Abramovich, his assets were frozen, and Chelsea was allowed to operate only under the terms of a government-issued license until the end of May.
New match tickets couldn’t be sold by Chelsea. Players couldn’t be handed new contracts. Even merchandise stores had to close.
The job of finding a buyer for Chelsea was placed with the New York-based Raine Group merchant bank. An array of prospective investors went public, some seemingly more viable owners than others, before the bank produced a shortlist of four bidders in early April.
The sale ended where it began with Wyss.
The Raine Group -- working with Abramovich’s associates on the board leading Chelsea — eventually selected the group featuring Wyss and fronted by Boehly, part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, with investment from Clearlake Capital.
The sale price was 2.5 billion pounds ($3.2 billion), the most ever for a team in world sports, with the proceeds having to go to a foundation supporting Ukrainian victims of the war. Boehly also had to pledge to invest 1.75 billion pounds ($2.2 billion) in the coming years in the teams and infrastructure.
The final stage of the process encapsulated how laced in politics the process was with approval needed from the British and European authorities that sanctioned Abramovich, ensuring he would not profit from the sale.
It was an unceremonious end to his 19 years as owner.
After buying Chelsea for 140 million pounds in 2003, Abramovich ended up with nothing. Not even a return of the 1.6 billion pounds of loans he had to write off to allow the club to be sold and continue playing.
It was never about money for Abramovich, though. More about status and winning trophies.
“In hindsight, especially with the public profile it would bring me, maybe I would have thought differently about owning a club,” Abramovich was quoted as telling Forbes a year before losing control of Chelsea. “But, at the time, I just saw this incredible game, and that I wanted to be a part of that in one way or another.”
No more, in England at least.
Ultimately, though, the association with Putin that Abramovich spent so long trying to distance himself from cost him the ability to retain the ownership of Chelsea.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Credit: Alastair Grant
Credit: Alastair Grant
Credit: Frank Augstein
Credit: Frank Augstein | 2022-05-26T13:22:30+00:00 | springfieldnewssun.com | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/how-abramovich-was-forced-to-sell-chelsea-in-fall-from-grace/DATYL2D4SNAR5LG34UY53AI46E/ |
Request unsuccessful. Incapsula incident ID: 418000430132644976-372165706569091788 | 2022-08-02T10:14:52+00:00 | bizjournals.com | https://www.bizjournals.com/memphis/news/2022/08/01/jack-morris-auto-glass-acquired.html |
PELL CITY — Local children and the Pell City Police Department got together Monday for fun, food and a conversation on safety as part of the department's annual Cops and Kids day.
Police Chief Clay Morris and several other officers met up with children and parents at the Pell City Splash Pad to talk school and internet safety and eat plenty of hot dogs, popcorn and popsicles. Morris said Monday's event is the first of two events this year, the next will be held July 25 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The chief said the event is another way for his department to connect with the community, especially children.
“Kids don’t know policemen now like they should, they have different opinions of us than, quite obviously, I think they should,” he said, “so it's a way for us to break down barriers, build walls, have fun and talk to the kids about some safety that I think is important and they need to listen to during this time.”
Morris said his big focus during the event was online safety with some general school safety tips as well. During his talk he also fielded questions from children on issues like kidnapping. The chief said one thing he really wanted to focus on was online safety because it seemed to affect every child at the event even if they were rather young.
“As I talked to the kids… from five years up, everybody played on their mom’s iphone, ipad, xbox, playstation or computer,” Morris said. “So the online portion was very important for them to understand.”
The chief said it is important for children to understand some basic principles, like interacting with only people they know in person, talking to parents when they encounter something that makes them uncomfortable and always protecting identifying information. He said the biggest thing is for children to understand not to talk to strangers on online games.
“It's simple rules that we know but kids don’t really understand,” Morris said. “If [someone] says something or shows you something that makes you uncomfortable you get offline and tell your parents. You don't send them pictures of yourself, you don't give them your phone number, you don't meet them at walmart or freddies or for ice cream, you don't tell them where you go to school, because you don’t know who you are talking to.”
Morris said he also talked to parents about parental controls and other tools they can use to better protect their children online.
He said being safe is always the priority and that just means taking a few common sense steps.
Pell City Councilman Jay Jenkins, who attended the event with his grandchildren, said he feels the event is very important for both children and parents..
“It gets our policemen out in another environment and lets the kids get to know our policemen, it's extremely important,” he said. “It's a good thing I am glad we do this.” | 2022-07-20T01:12:22+00:00 | annistonstar.com | https://www.annistonstar.com/the_st_clair_times/stclair_news/pell-city-police-talk-online-safety-during-cops-and-kids-event/article_e74ef056-07af-11ed-a9ff-f355535e99f4.html |
ROCHESTER, Ill. (WAND)- The Rochester Police Department warns of a buckle in the pavement on Route 29 in the left southbound lane near the Taft Drive intersection.
Police urge all motorist traveling within the area to drive with caution.
The Illinois Department of Transportation has been notified of the hazard.
Copyright 2022. WANDTV. All Rights Reserved. | 2022-06-15T00:08:54+00:00 | wandtv.com | https://www.wandtv.com/news/pavement-buckled-on-route-29-police-urge-drive-with-caution/article_4cf4bc08-ec2e-11ec-b175-ff01ba5850da.html |
NEW YORK, Aug. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ADCOLOR, the premier organization dedicated to celebrating and promoting professionals of color and diversity in the creative industries, today announced its 2022 class of ADCOLOR FUTURES and the inaugural class of ADCOLOR LEADERS. The two talent programs build upon ADCOLOR's "Rise Up, Reach Back" motto, encompassing those just beginning their career and those well-established in their respective industry.
Launched in 2012, the ADCOLOR FUTURES program identifies and nurtures the next generation of leaders who have one to three years of experience in their industry. Now in its 11th year, the program provides training, mentorship and empowerment to selected young professionals with the goal of supporting the talent of tomorrow, today.
After an extensive application and interview process, 30 young professionals were chosen as the 2022 class of ADCOLOR FUTURES. These individuals showcase strong leadership potential, sustained involvement in reaching back, interest in partnering with leadership to drive change through DE&I initiatives and innovative thinking to solve today's problems. As part of the program, the 30 FUTURES will be immersed in ADCOLOR University, an intensive training facilitated by top-ranked leadership and talent consulting firms. They will also partake in the annual FUTURES Hackathon, presented by Apple.
To add upon this prestigious FUTURES program, ADCOLOR, together with Google, launched the ADCOLOR LEADERS program earlier this year. This program aims to support historically excluded professionals with 15+ years of experience in creative industries as they rise to executive roles.
From the many applications received, 30 emerging leaders were selected as the inaugural class of LEADERS. Those chosen as LEADERS are in a position to institute change in their field, believe in the power of diversity and display a passion to champion DE&I for the long term. The inaugural program will feature cutting-edge workshops, discussions with thought leaders and curated exercises encouraging self-exploration. The aim is for participants to walk away from the program with a renewed sense of purpose, a reinvigorated approach to their work, and meaningful relationships to propel them to the next level.
The 2022 classes of ADCOLOR FUTURES and ADCOLOR LEADERS can be found below.
"This is an exciting year for ADCOLOR as we see our talent program expanding beyond young professionals and encompassing seasoned professionals as well – two groups I believe can inspire and learn from one another," said Criseli Saenz, Director of ADCOLOR Programs. "This year's classes of FUTURES and LEADERS embody the fortitude and determination of our #StillRising theme. As current and future leaders, they are bound to make a lasting impact on their respective industries, not only as promising professionals, but as true advocates of diversity, equity and inclusion."
Both programs offer sponsorship to attend ADCOLOR 2022, taking place November 17-20 at the JW Marriott LA Live in Los Angeles, CA. ADCOLOR 2022 – which encompasses the 16th Annual ADCOLOR Awards, the ADCOLOR Conference and the FUTURES and LEADERS programs – marks the highly anticipated return to a fully in-person gathering following a virtual-only event in 2020 and a smaller, hybrid event in 2021.
To learn more about the FUTURES and LEADERS programs, please visit https://adcolor.org/futures and https://adcolor.org/leaders. For additional updates and information on ADCOLOR 2022, please follow ADCOLOR on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
ABOUT ADCOLOR
ADCOLOR® is a not-for-profit 501(c) (6) organization whose mission is to celebrate and champion diversity in the creative industries. Our process is twofold. First, we help individuals and organizations RISE UP, letting their accomplishments and ideas shine. Then we teach these new leaders and would-be-mentors how to REACH BACK and find others who deserve to be noticed and promoted. Our goal is to create a community of diverse professionals who are here to support and uplift one another. Learn more by visiting www.adcolor.org.
ADCOLOR FUTURES & LEADERS Partners
Spotify, Google | YouTube, Apple, Deutsch LA, Adobe, Delta Air Lines, Disney Yellow Shoes, Microsoft
ADCOLOR 2022 PARTNERS
Amazon, Disney, Google | YouTube, Meta, Microsoft, Diageo, Sony Music Group, Droga5, LinkedIn, Yahoo, MSL, PublicisGroupe, TikTok, Hearst Magazines, IPG, Tripadvisor, GroupM/WPP, Block, Inc., Edelman, 72andSunny, Adobe, Condé Nast, Dentsu, Dentsu Creative, Disney Yellow Shoes, Integral Ad Science, Lionsgate | Starz, MAS, Mediahub Worldwide, MullenLowe, TBWA, Twitter, VaynerX
ADCOLOR Corporate Members
The Advertising Club of New York, American Advertising Federation, Ampersand, Deutsch LA, Droga5, Energy BBDO, Google | YouTube, Instacart, JKR Global, Marc Strachan, Mark D'Arcy, McCann Worldgroup, Meta, Michele Thornton-Ghee, Microsoft, MSL, The One Club for Creativity, Richemont, Sony Music Group, Stephen Kim
ADCOLOR Vendor Partners
5WPR, Adewole Photography, Adrianne Lipscomb Graphic Design, Akande Music, Bravely, Chauncie Burton, Cevallos Brothers Productions, Chispa Hospitality, Crown + Conquer, Epidemic Sound, Isa Beltré/Plush Merchandising Consultants, Mark Clennon Photography, Progressive Wine Co., Sound Investment, Squeaky, STAMP Event Co., the STUDIO, Tabernacle, The Urban Grape, Virtual Event Site, Wendy Shanker
2022 ADCOLOR FUTURES
- Alexa Padron: Copywriter, TBWA\Chiat\Day New York
- Alyssia Jackson: Resume Coach, ProjectBasta
- Anne Julliene (Joan) Barcelona: Product Manager, Box
- Brody Cook: Coordinator, Player Marketing, Major League Baseball
- Brooke Edwards: Executive Assistant, Chief Content & Studios Officer, Headspace Health
- Caleb Dawkins: Art Director, FleishmanHillard Chicago
- Camaryn McKenzie: Associate Brand Marketing Manager, Google
- Christyna Conway: Account Manager Associate, Google
- Elyse Nganwuchu: Producer, R/GA
- Gabrielle Benson: Inclusion and Engagement Specialist, Integral Ad Science
- Illen Asmerom: Creative Strategist, Meta
- Imani Yorker: Digital Strategist, Edelman
- Isabeth Mendoza: U.S./Canada Editor, Apple Podcasts
- Kamillah Collins: Strategic Planner, BBDO New York
- Kayla Griffis: Senior Strategist, Saatchi & Saatchi
- Kevin Kim: Senior Analyst, Product Development, Mastercard
- Loryn Hairston: Associate Product Marketing Manager, Google
- Makia Jones: Digital Engagement Manager, Progressive Promotions
- Makisha Noel: Social Media Strategist, Ogilvy
- Mario Williams: Account Supervisor, Wieden+Kennedy
- Omar Murphy: Partner Manager, Westbrook Media
- Patricio Ramos: AMP Marketing Associate, Spotify
- Riane Capalad: Editorial Intern, Oprah Daily
- Sequaña Williams-Hechavarria: Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Program Manager, 72andSunny
- T'Essence Minnitee: Development & Current Programming Coordinator, OWN Network
- Tiffany Leung: DEI Program Manager, Amazon
- Tosha Studmire: Web Marketing Manager, 23andMe
- Walter Little: Account Manager, Meta
- Yohanny Capellan: Project Manager & Creative Strategist
- Zach Wright: Strategist, 72andSunny
2022 ADCOLOR LEADERS
- A Hunter Sunrise: SVP/Head of Marketing, Postclick and Instapage
- Adwoa Frimpong: Former Global Marketing Program Director, IBM
- Alex Parraga: Chief Digital Officer, UC Santa Barbara
- Amber Laws: Sr. Solutions Manager, Amazon
- Andrea Harry Bibbs: Former Vice President, Ad Sales Marketing and Studio Operations, Warner Bros. Discovery
- Anita Schillhorn: Director of Strategy, Mckinney
- Archana Mahadevan: VP, Strategy Director, DDB
- Bart Van de Vel: Global Program Manager, Meta
- Chris Lin: Head of Marketing, Google Fi at Google
- Courtney Richardson: Creative Director, Droga5
- Danielle Bias: Director of Partner Relations, Global Corporate Communications, Audible (an Amazon company)
- Elaine Bragg: VP, Creative Director, TPN (an Omnicom company)
- Jacqueline Jones LaMon: Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Adelphi University
- Jessalin Lam: VP Member Development & Diversity, Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB)
- Karla Cobreiro: Vice President, Quinn PR
- Kristen Marston: Chief Impact Officer, The League
- Lily Ng: Head of Data Strategy, Droga5
- Lois Castillo: Head of DEI, Basis Technologies
- Marques Zak: Director, Cultural Platforms, American Express
- Megan Hall: EVP, Executive Creative Director, Entrée Health
- Melissa Bonnick: Executive Director, Head of Programmatic & Ad Operations, JP Morgan Chase & Company
- Neisha Tweed Bell: Global Head of Inclusive Content & Experiences, Meta
- Oyinda Elias: Group Account Director, Droga5
- Raphaella Martins Antonio: Program Manager, Creative X, Meta
- Sarab Al-Jijakli: VP of Brand and Content Marketing, Gannett | USA TODAY Network
- Shannon Womack: Director, Brand Marketing, Delta Air Lines
- Simeon Coker: Creative Development Manager, Twitter
- Syma Mian: US Agency Lead, TikTok
- Valerie L. Williams-Sanchez, PhD: Vice President, Cultural Intelligence & Relevance, Blue Chip Marketing WorldWide
- Vivian Odior: Global Head of Brand, WhatsApp
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SOURCE ADCOLOR | 2022-08-25T17:48:09+00:00 | wagmtv.com | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2022/08/25/adcolor-announces-2022-class-adcolor-futures-inaugural-class-adcolor-leaders/ |
BEIJING, May 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Seraphim Energy Group Co., Ltd. (Seraphim), one of the world's leading solar product manufacturers, made a sparking appearance with its new PV modules at the SNEC 16th (2023) International Photovoltaic Power Generation and Smart Energy Conference & Exhibition (SNEC PV POWER EXPO), a world's leading show of the photovoltaic industry opened last week in Shanghai, east China.
Seraphim has presented its S4 182mm, S5 210mm double-sided series and new N-TOPCon series modules during the expo, attracting many professional visitors at home and abroad.
Seraphim's new N-TOPCon series, which became a highlight of the expo, are expected to bring lower kilowatt-hour cost for distributed PV projects and large ground power stations.
During the expo, Seraphim also reached strategic cooperation with Raystech Group and other upstream and downstream enterprises in the photovoltaic industry.
The long-term friendly cooperation with Raystech has laid the foundation for Seraphim to jointly explore the global distribution market. Through Raystech's overseas sales network, Seraphim will continue to expand the distribution of its high efficiency modules and product technologies to the global market, according to Polaris Li, president of Seraphim.
Looking forward to the future, Seraphim will focus on product research and development, high-efficiency technology, market development and other fields to promote the in-depth development of cooperation with other enterprises, aiming to jointly explore photovoltaic development opportunities with all parties and accelerate the achievement of dual carbon goals, Li added.
As a highly influential international, professional and large-scale photovoltaic exhibition, SNEC PV POWER EXPO has attracted more than 300,000 visitors from over 3,100 enterprises in 95 countries and regions around the world this year.
With the help of SNEC platform, Seraphim discussed the development trend and cooperation strategy of photovoltaic industry with experts from all over the world, shining a Chinese business card in the photovoltaic and new energy field.
Original link: https://en.imsilkroad.com/p/334343.html
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SOURCE Xinhua Silk Road | 2023-05-31T05:53:50+00:00 | wagmtv.com | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2023/05/31/xinhua-silk-road-seraphim-presents-new-series-pv-modules-snec-pv-power-expo-2023/ |
REIDSVILLE, N.C. — A horse was found shot in the back with a broadhead arrow in Reidsville, NC on Thursday, Dec. 15.
Rockingham County Sheriff's Office is offering a $500 reward for the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the shooting.
The money is coming from the Ear Merricks Stop the Cruelty Fund and is being offered by the Danville Area Humane Society.
The horse had the arrow removed and is expected to recover from the injury.
Photos of the arrow
Anyone with information or tips about the case is encouraged to reach out to the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office. | 2022-12-22T19:50:44+00:00 | wfmynews2.com | https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/crime/horse-shot-with-arrow-rockingham-sheriffs-office-reward/83-b7fcf280-d5bb-4e3c-a1dd-074a217272c7 |
EAU CLAIRE — A Chippewa Falls woman will spend two years on probation for physically assaulting three staff members while being treated at an Eau Claire hospital.
Rachel A. Cox-Tuj, 33, 10875 40th Ave., pleaded no contest Friday in Eau Claire County Court to a felony count of bodily harm to a health care provider.
As conditions of probation, Eau Claire County Judge Jon Theisen ordered Cox-Tuj not to have violent or abusive contact with anyone.
Cox-Tuj must also undergo a mental health assessment and any other recommended programming or treatment.
According to the criminal complaint:
An Eau Claire police officer was sent to Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire at 2 a.m. Saturday, July 16, because Cox-Tuj, who was being treated there, was being combative with staff members.
A woman told the officer she took Cox-Tuj back to her room following a CT scan. Once in the room, Cox-Tuj called the woman names and punched her twice in the arm with a closed fist. The woman said she was trying to attach the blood pressure cuff when Cox-Tuj struck her.
A second officer was called to the hospital 90 minutes later after Cox-Tuj assaulted a nurse.
The nurse said she helped Cox-Tuj use the bathroom. After the nurse helped her back to her bed, Cox-Tuj punched the nurse in the arm.
A third officer was then sent to the hospital to take Cox-Tuj to the Eau Claire County Jail in response to the two reported assaults.
The officer went to Cox-Tuj’s room, where hospital staff were preparing her for release. As they were removing her IV, Cox-Tuj became argumentative toward one nursing staff member.
As the officer attempted to secure Cox-Tuj, she kicked the nurse in the shin with her foot. | 2023-01-07T14:34:12+00:00 | leadertelegram.com | https://www.leadertelegram.com/news/front-page/cf-woman-gets-probation-for-assaulting-three-staff-members-at-ec-hospital/article_5cb8354b-ebeb-5e36-8a91-259c36ed033b.html |
The 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic Odds & Preview: Davis Riley
Davis Riley is in 25th place, at -4, after the first round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic at Detroit Golf Club.
Looking to place a wager on Davis Riley at the Rocket Mortgage Classic this week? Read on for the betting odds and stats you need to know before you make your picks.
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Davis Riley Insights
- Over his last 13 rounds, Riley has shot better than par on four occasions, while also shooting one bogey-free round and six rounds with a better-than-average score.
- He has finished with the best score of the day in one of his last 13 rounds, while scoring among the top five in three of those rounds.
- Riley has registered a score within three shots of the day's best in three of his last 13 rounds, while finishing within five strokes of the top score of the day five times.
- In his past five appearances, Riley has had an average finish of 41st.
- The past five times he has played a tournament, he's made the cut three times.
- Riley has finished with a score better than the tournament average in one of his past five appearances, including one finish within five strokes of the leader.
- Riley hopes to make the cut for the fourth straight time.
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Over the last year
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Rocket Mortgage Classic Insights and Stats
- Riley wound up 25th at this tournament the one time he finished the tournament.
- Riley made the cut in one of his past two entries in this event.
- Riley last competed at this event in 2023 and finished 25th.
- Courses on the Tour in the past year have averaged 7,030 yards, a good bit shorter than the 7,370-yard length for this tournament.
- The average course Riley has played in the past year has been 63 yards shorter than the 7,370 yards Detroit Golf Club will be at for this event.
Riley's Last Time Out
- Riley finished in the 64th percentile on the 16 par-3 holes at the Travelers Championship, with an average of 2.88 strokes.
- His 3.92-stroke average on the 48 par-4 holes at the Travelers Championship placed him in the 59th percentile.
- On the eight par-5 holes at the Travelers Championship, Riley was better than 41% of the golfers (averaging 4.63 strokes).
- Riley carded a birdie or better on three of 16 par-3s at the Travelers Championship, better than the field average of 2.0.
- On the 16 par-3s at the Travelers Championship, Riley carded one bogey or worse (the other competitors averaged 1.7).
- Riley's 12 birdies or better on the 48 par-4s at the Travelers Championship were more than the field average (7.6).
- At that last tournament, Riley had a bogey or worse on eight of 48 par-4s (the field averaged 4.8).
- Riley ended the Travelers Championship bettering the field's average of birdies or better on par-5s (2.9) with five on the eight par-5 holes.
- On the eight par-5s at the Travelers Championship, Riley recorded more bogeys or worse (one) than the tournament average (0.6).
Rocket Mortgage Classic Time and Date Info
- Date: June 29 - July 2, 2023
- Course: Detroit Golf Club
- Location: Detroit, Michigan
- Par: 72 / 7,370 yards
- Riley Odds to Win: +6600 (Bet now with BetMGM!)
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All statistics in this article reflect Riley's performance prior to the 2023 Rocket Mortgage Classic.
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-06-30T07:42:20+00:00 | witn.com | https://www.witn.com/sports/betting/2023/07/01/davis-riley-rocket-mortgage-classic-pga-odds/ |
Leaders and representatives of five Oklahoma-based tribes on Wednesday told a U.S. Senate committee that they have followed treaties and court rulings regarding the citizenship of Freedmen and that the federal government should respect their sovereignty.
Freedmen were the freed Black people enslaved by the Cherokee, Seminole, Choctaw, Muscogee (Creek) and Chickasaw nations. They were guaranteed the rights of citizens of the tribes under separate 1866 treaties with the United States.
That happened in the territory that became Oklahoma and not the rest of the slaveholding South because the U.S. government enforced stricter terms on Native American nations with slave-owners, and fully or partially joined with the Confederacy during the Civil War.
“History does not bode well in terms of efforts by the United States to impose its values,” on Native American tribes, Muscogee (Creek) Nation Ambassador Jonodev Chaudhuri told members of Senate Committee on Indian Affairs in Washington, D.C. The testimony comes amid an ongoing reckoning over a history of racism in the U.S.
California U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, a Democrat, told the committee that Freedman have been denied services intended for tribal citizens, including housing assistance, COVID-19 vaccinations and federal stimulus funding, because some tribes do not include them as members.
“We must stand by the rights promised to Freedmen in the treaties that guaranteed those rights over a century ago,” Waters said.
Choctaw Nation attorney Michael Burrage said the nation does not recognize Freedmen as citizens, citing the Choctaw constitution that was adopted under a federal court order in 1983.
“We think the Choctaw Nation as a sovereign entity should be able to determine its memberships,” Burrage said. “Tribal membership is based on blood,” referring to the Certificate Degree of Indian Blood, or CDIB.
But Seminole Nation Assistant Chief Brian Thomas Palmer said the nation has recognized the right of Freedmen to become citizens since 1866.
“This short testimony to discuss select provisions (of the treaty) is a disservice to the Seminole and warrants a deeper conversation,” Palmer said.
In prepared comments to the committee, Palmer and Seminole Nation Chief Lewis Johnson said the tribe does not offer healthcare, life insurance, or the COVID-19 vaccine to tribal members because of a lack of funding. They said federal funding eligibility is determined by the funding agency, such as the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
BIA Assistant Secretary Bryan Newland told the committee that the bureau relies on the tribes to determine tribal citizenship.
Among the tribes, only the Cherokee Nation has met its obligations regarding Freedmen citizenship, which came following a federal court ruling in 2017, Newland said.
Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said the tribe chose not to appeal the ruling because of its own actions regarding the Freedmen, including denying them the right to vote in tribal elections.
“The enslavement of other human beings and the subsequent denial to them and their descendants of their basic rights is a stain on the Cherokee Nation, and it’s a stain that must be lifted,” Hoskin said.
“Mr. Chairman, I offer an apology on behalf of the Cherokee Nation for these actions,” Hoskin told committee Chair Sen. Brian Schatz, a Democrat, of Hawaii.
Marilynn Vann, a Freedmen descendant and president of The Descendants of Freedmen of the Fives Tribes Association, called for congressional action to provide the descendants with funds from future appropriations to tribes, require the Interior Department register Freedmen descendants and to hold committee field hearings in Oklahoma to allow other descendants to attend.
Schatz said the goal of the committee is to “start a respectful dialogue … and to educate the committee and the public” about the removal of Native Americans from their native lands in the southeastern U.S. and enslavement of Black people in the U.S. He did not describe the next steps. | 2022-07-27T23:26:07+00:00 | wnct.com | https://www.wnct.com/news/national/oklahoma-based-tribes-say-followed-rules-on-freedmen-rights/ |
It’s not the big fish everyone is waiting for them to spear, but the Yankees made a move on Monday to retain a major piece of their core.
The club exercised its option on right-handed pitcher Luis Severino, bringing him back for the 2023 season for $15 million. Severino is now set to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2023 season, which is the last year of the extension he signed prior to the 2019 campaign.
“He’s an impactful pitcher,” Brian Cashman said on Friday when asked if he planned to pick up the option. “So the answer to that would be an easy yes.”
The move ensures that the Yankees will head into next year with their three-headed pitching monster still intact. Combined with Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes, Severino gives the Yankees one of the best top-of-the-rotation trios in the American League. The only concern surrounding Severino, who has pitched in seven big-league seasons but is still just 28 years old, is health. His highly valuable right arm has been beset by rotator cuff inflammation, lat strains and a torn UCL and bone chip that were repaired with Tommy John surgery.
That operation kept him out of the 2020 season and most of the 2021 season, and he only threw 12 regular season innings in 2019. This season was the first in four years that Severino was at full strength, and it started very well until injury knocked at the door again. Severino made 16 starts from the beginning of the season until the All-Star break, with a few extra rest days mixed in. He posted a 3.45 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 86 innings, but in his final start before the break, he left early with shoulder tightness.
Many feared the worst when that was diagnosed as another lat strain, and Severino himself was upset that the club put him on the 60-day injured list, but caution proved to be the right move. In his final three regular season outings after coming back from the injury, Severino allowed just five hits and struck out 17 batters in 16 frames. Opponents hit .100 off him in those three starts and failed to get a ball over the outfield wall. He looked capable of making history against the Rangers but was removed after seven no-hit innings and 94 pitches. He was solid if not spectacular in the playoffs, going at least five innings in both of his starts while allowing three earned runs and fanning six in each one.
In both of those games though (Game 3 against the Guardians and Game 2 against the Astros), the Yankees wound up losing. Severino, like the rest of his teammates, now has a longer offseason than he would have liked to stew over the loss to Houston. Severino owns a 5.15 career postseason ERA across 11 games, going all the way back to the 2017 Wild Card game when he recorded one out and gave up two long balls to the Minnesota Twins. The failure to stay consistently healthy, paired with his October struggles, have kept Severino from becoming the true ace that he looked primed to be. But if he’s your third starter, your pitching staff is in good shape, and that’s the reality for the Yankees as they gear up for next spring.
Severino is the longest-tenured player on the team, and if Aaron Judge says goodbye, he’ll have that distinction by several years. Severino made his debut nearly two and a half years before Aaron Boone took over the managerial duties. He pitched two games in the hard-fought 2017 ALCS, which is the deepest the Yankees have been in the postseason since winning it all in 2009. Now that Judge, Chad Green and Aroldis Chapman are officially free agents, Severino and Aaron Hicks are the only players under contract for the Yankees who appeared in that series.
When that 2017 ALCS ended after seven memorable games, the Yankees looked poised to get over the hump thanks in large part because of Severino. At the time, it was hard to envision the young nucleus of Severino, Judge and Gary Sanchez being held down for long, especially with Gleyber Torres arriving on the scene the very next season. Aroldis Chapman was still at the top of his game, Dellin Betances was one of the best setup men in the league and still shy of his 30th birthday, and that offseason they traded for Giancarlo Stanton. Hicks and Didi Gregorius looked like deft pickups by the front office as well, Masahiro Tanaka still had a lot left in the tank, and Greg Bird had just slugged .512 during the postseason run.
Six years later, the Yankees still have not tasted the World Series, and many of those players that inspired so much confidence are no longer part of the picture. It’s very possible that Severino will be the lone bridge from that era of promise to this new one of uncertainty. The good news for the Yankees is that despite the injuries and aging’s natural effects, Severino hasn’t lost a ton of the velocity that made him such a sparkling prospect.
In 2017, when he finished third in the Cy Young voting as a 23-year-old, Severino’s heater averaged 97.5 miles per hour. In 2022, it was at 96.3, a drop for sure, but still good enough to keep him in the 80th percentile of fastball velocity. His secondary pitches have made tangible improvements as well, particularly the changeup that he trusts a lot more than he did as a young bullheaded pitcher. Bringing Severino back significantly raises the Yankees’ floor, but their ceiling is still yet to be determined.
If this ends up being the biggest get of the winter — which wouldn’t be saying much, given that picking up the option was basically a formality, evidenced by how early into the offseason it happened — the Yankees are in serious trouble.
The offense needs a lot of attention, and while locking up a two-time All-Star pitcher for at least one more year will help win games, you can’t win them all by 2-1 or 3-2 scores.
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UPDATE: Police are still investigating a reported threat. While the shelter in place has been lifted, road closures remain in effect in the area.
Residents surrounding Wheaton North High School were told to "shelter in place" for nearly an hour as police evacuated students and staff from the school and investigated a recent threat Monday morning.
According to the city, anyone within a two-block radius of the school was urged to "shelter in place and stay indoors" around 10 a.m.
Police said they received a threat called into 911 referencing the school and were investigating. Details on the threat weren't immediately released.
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While school was not in session due to the Presidents Day holiday Monday, students and staff who were at the school for activities were being evacuated as authorities conducted a search of the building and investigated the threat, officials said.
Just before 11 a.m., the city said an investigation remained ongoing, but the threat may have been what is known as a "swatting" call.
Police said similar incidents were called in at other locations outside of Wheaton, indicating the threat could be a swatting call, "in which a false threat is called in to draw a large law enforcement response to one location."
Local
The shelter in place was lifted, but police noted that residents near the school on Thomas, Papworth and Morse will likely continue to experience road closures as an investigation continues.
Check back for more on this developing story. | 2023-02-20T17:39:54+00:00 | nbcchicago.com | https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/residents-near-wheaton-north-high-school-asked-to-shelter-in-place-as-police-investigate-threat/3077066/ |
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — An attack Monday by unknown hackers idled the website of the Polish government office regulating public investment.
The Public Procurement Office said the attack came from outside servers Monday morning and only idled the office’s e-Procurements platform. The platform was still inaccessible in the afternoon. It was not immediately clear if there were any leaks.
Experts were working to restore its functioning.
The office’s task is to regulate public investment and ensures the hiring of companies is according to the law and transparent.
Poland’s government’s websites have been previously targeted by hacking attacks, believed to be mostly launched by Russian-speakers.
A break-in a few years ago into the private mailbox of a close aide to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has led to leaks on the Russian social media app Telegram, revealing informal email exchanges on some government decisions. Government officials have denied their authenticity. | 2022-11-08T15:09:33+00:00 | wric.com | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/ap-hacking-attack-idles-polish-governments-investment-website/ |
Gay bar shooting suspect faces murder, hate crime charges
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The man suspected of opening fire at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs was being held on murder and hate crimes charges Monday, two days after the attack that killed five people and left 17 others with gunshot wounds.
Online court records showed that 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich faced five murder charges and five charges of committing a bias-motivated crime causing bodily injury in Saturday night’s attack at Club Q. He remained hospitalized with unspecified injuries, police said.
The charges were preliminary, and prosecutors had not filed them in court. The hate crime charges would require proving that the gunman was motivated by bias, such as against the victims’ actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity.
The attack was halted when a patron grabbed a handgun from Aldrich, hit him with it and pinned him down until police arrived minutes later.
Court documents laying out what led to Aldrich’s arrest have been sealed at the request of prosecutors, who said releasing details could jeopardize the investigation. Information on whether Aldrich had a lawyer was not immediately available.
A law enforcement official said the suspect used an AR-15-style semi-automatic weapon, but a handgun and additional ammunition magazines also were recovered. The official could not discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
Officials on Monday clarified that 18 people were hurt in the attack, not 25 as they said originally. Among them was one person whose injury was not a gunshot wound. Another victim had no visible injuries, they said.
Thirteen people remained hospitalized Monday, officials said. Five people have been treated and released.
Mayor John Suthers said there was “reason to hope” all of the hospitalized victims would recover.
Questions were quickly raised about why authorities didn’t seek to take Aldrich’s guns away from him in 2021, when he was arrested after his mother reported he threatened her with a homemade bomb and other weapons.
Though authorities at the time said no explosives were found, gun-control advocates have asked why police didn’t use Colorado’s “red flag” laws to seize the weapons his mother says he had. There’s no public record prosecutors ever moved forward with felony kidnapping and menacing charges against Aldrich.
The shooting rekindled memories of the 2016 massacre at the Pulse gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, that killed 49 people. Colorado has experienced several mass killings, including at Columbine High School in 1999, a movie theater in suburban Denver in 2012 and at a Boulder supermarket last year.
It was the sixth mass killing this month, and it came in a year when the nation was shaken by the deaths of 21 in a school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
The violence pierced the cozy confines of an entertainment venue long cherished as a safe spot for the LGBTQ community in the conservative-leaning city.
A makeshift memorial that sprang up in the hours after the attack continued to grow Monday, as a steady stream of mourners brought flowers and left messages in support of the LGBTQ community. The shooting site remained cordoned off.
“It’s a reminder that love and acceptance still have a long way to go,” Colorado Springs resident Mary Nikkel said at the site. “This growing monument to people is saying that it matters what happened to you … We’re just not letting it go.”
The club was one of few nightspots for the LGBTQ community in Colorado Springs, residents said. Authorities were called at 11:57 p.m. Saturday with multiple reports of a shooting, and the first officer arrived at midnight.
Joshua Thurman said he was in the club with about two dozen other people and was dancing when the shots began. He initially thought it was part of the music, until he heard another shot and said he saw the flash of a gun muzzle.
Thurman, 34, said he ran to a dressing room where he hid with others. They locked the door, turned off the lights and got on the floor as they heard the violence unfolding, including the gunman being subdued.
“I could have lost my life — over what?” he said, tears running down his cheeks. “We weren’t out harming anyone. We were in our space, our community, our home, enjoying ourselves like everybody else does.”
Detectives were examining whether anyone had helped the suspect before the attack. Police Chief Adrian Vasquez said patrons who intervened during the attack were “heroic” and prevented more deaths.
Club Q is a gay and lesbian nightclub that features a drag show on Saturdays, according to its website. Club Q’s Facebook page said planned entertainment included a “punk and alternative show” preceding a birthday dance party, with a Sunday all-ages drag brunch.
Drag events have become a focus of anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and protests recently as opponents, including politicians, have proposed banning children from them, falsely claiming that they are used to “groom” children.
The shooting came during Transgender Awareness Week and just at the start of Sunday’s Transgender Day of Remembrance, when events around the world are held to mourn and remember transgender people lost to violence.
Colorado Springs, a city of about 480,000 located 70 miles (110 kilometers) south of Denver, is home to the U.S. Air Force Academy and the U.S. Olympic Training Center, as well as Focus on the Family, a prominent evangelical Christian ministry that lobbies against LGBTQ rights. The group condemned the shooting and said it “exposes the evil and wickedness inside the human heart.”
In 2015, three people were killed and eight wounded at a Planned Parenthood clinic in the city when a gunman targeted the clinic because it performed abortions.
Since 2006, there have been 523 mass killings and 2,727 deaths as of Nov. 19, according to The Associated Press/USA Today database on mass killings in the U.S.
You can find more national news here. | 2022-11-21T22:20:33+00:00 | wbbjtv.com | https://www.wbbjtv.com/2022/11/21/gay-bar-shooting-suspect-faces-murder-hate-crime-charges/ |
The U.S. and allies are scaling up training of Ukrainian troops in Germany. NPR's Dwane Brown talks to Dr. Raphael Cohen of the RAND Corporation about what this means for the war against Russia.
Copyright 2023 NPR
The U.S. and allies are scaling up training of Ukrainian troops in Germany. NPR's Dwane Brown talks to Dr. Raphael Cohen of the RAND Corporation about what this means for the war against Russia.
Copyright 2023 NPR | 2023-01-13T11:41:52+00:00 | kvpr.org | https://www.kvpr.org/2023-01-13/ukrainian-soldiers-will-be-trained-in-combined-arms-tactics-in-germany |
Mega Millions jackpot grows to $630 million
Published: Jul. 20, 2022 at 9:23 AM PDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
(Gray News) - The estimated jackpot for the next Mega Millions lottery drawing has grown to $630 million - the fifth-highest total ever if someone wins.
Friday’s drawing will be the 28th in this jackpot run. No one matched all the numbers from Tuesday - 2, 31, 32, 37 and 70, plus the gold Mega Ball 25 - Mega Millions said in a news release Wednesday.
The $630 million prize marks the fifth time in Mega Millions’ 20-year history that the winnings would exceed $600 million. And it would be the largest since $1.05 billion was won in Michigan on Jan. 22, 2021, Mega Millions stated.
The record jackpot is $1.537 billion, won in South Carolina on Oct. 23, 2018.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | 2022-07-20T17:58:07+00:00 | fox5vegas.com | https://www.fox5vegas.com/2022/07/20/mega-millions-jackpot-grows-630-million/ |
While stuck in their worst losing streak in 10 seasons, the Tampa Bay Lightning turned to an old friend Tuesday night to start winning again — their elite power play.
After scoring three times on the man advantage and breaking a five-game losing streak by beating the Philadelphia Flyers 5-2, the Lightning will play the second of a four-game homestand Thursday when they host the Vegas Golden Knights.
Behind three-point outings by Nikita Kucherov and Alex Killorn, the Eastern Conference champions stopped their losing slide, which equaled the mark set in the 2013-14 campaign.
Kucherov netted twice on the power play and set up Killorn for another. The left winger also scored at even strength and handed out an assist, matching Kucherov’s output.
The club’s power play, which grids second overall at 26.2 percent (59 of 225), came to the rescue when Tampa Bay trailed on Morgan Frost’s marker off a neutral-zone turnover.
“The big thing for me was when we fell behind 1-0, we came back, and the power play was on tonight,” said coach Jon Cooper. “The rebound after going down 1-0 was big for me. The boys took it home after that.”
Without defenseman Victor Hedman, who is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury, newcomers Tanner Jeannot (assist, three hits) and Michael Eyssimont (three hits, two takeaways) stepped up and played their best games with the Lightning.
“I feel great for them because it was their first win with us,” Cooper said. “Tanner creates a lot of space out there for his linemates, and I thought Mikey was all over the ice tonight in a positive way.”
In the first match of its five-game road swing Tuesday night in South Florida, Vegas failed to muster much offense, though it did score on the man advantage once, and lost 2-1 to the Florida Panthers.
Despite being outplayed in scoring chances and outshot 41-32, Vegas was in it until the final buzzer thanks to the standout effort of goaltender Adin Hill.
The 6-foot-4 Hill stood tall and affected numerous Florida shots, especially in the first two periods as the Panthers worked a strong cycle.
He was beaten by a high shot from Ryan Lomberg in the first period and by Aleksander Barkov in the second on an attempt that deflected off the stick of defenseman Nicolas Hague.
Hill (16-7-1) stopped 39 of 41 shots, had his two-game winning streak snapped and lost for just the second time in his past eight decisions.
The Comox, British Columbia, netminder set a franchise record with 47 saves in his previous start Friday against the New Jersey Devils.
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said his team couldn’t keep up with the Panthers’ pace from the start.
“We chased the game the whole night and never caught up to them,” said Cassidy, whose squad lost for the first time in four games. “…But you got to be ready when the puck drops. And they were; we weren’t.”
Added Knights defenseman Shea Theodore of the upcoming match: “We’ve had stretches where we’ve bounced back really quick.”
Vegas is 6-3-0 all-time against the Lightning and won 5-4 on Feb. 18.
–Field Level Media | 2023-03-09T05:08:37+00:00 | krqe.com | https://www.krqe.com/sports/nhl-hockey/bolstered-by-potent-power-play-lightning-face-knights/ |
SPECIAL EDITION ALBUM AND FIRST-EVER VINYL PRESSING OUT NOW HERE
LOS ANGELES, June 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, You Me At Six are celebrating the 10 year anniversary of their milestone U.K. Gold certified album, Sinners Never Sleep (UMe) with the first ever vinyl pressing, including an expanded color vinyl 3LP set featuring the entire album, the 2012 The Final Night Of Sin At Wembley Arena album, and a third LP of unreleased rarities. Alongside this will be the standard 12 track album on 1LP, digital, and a 3CD deluxe package with previously unreleased bonus material, now available, here.
Released by Virgin Records on October 3rd, 2011, Sinners Never Sleep reached No. 3 in the U.K. album chart on its release, selling over 182,000 copies and cementing You Me At Six as one of the most important and influential bands in U.K. alternative rock. Songs like "Loverboy" and "Bite My Tongue" (ft. Oli Sykes) proved transcendent and genre-shifting classics. Created when You Me At Six were barely out of their teens, "Sinners Never Sleep" was applauded for and fuelled by heroic hooks and towering choruses, lauded as the heaviest album they had ever made both sonically and lyrically at this point in their career.
You Me At Six are one of the most successful alternative rock bands in Britain. Their 15-year career has seen two U.K. Number 1 albums, four U.K. Gold Records, six Top Ten Albums in the U.K., and 17 consecutive A-List singles on BBC Radio One. In addition, they've sold out multiple U.S. headline tours, with a Number One rock song in the U.K., Australia, and Top Five Rock Radio track in North America.
Following the release of their 2021 U.K. No. 1 album, SUCKAPUNCH, You Me At Six continue to play shows & work on new music.
Sinners Never Sleep 10th Anniversary Tracklisting
LP1:
SIDE A:
- Loverboy
- Jaws On The Floor
- Bite My Tongue
- This Is The First Thing
- No-one Does It Better
- Little Death
- Crash
SIDE B:
- Reckless
- Time Is Money
- Little Bit Of Truth
- The Dilemma
- When We Were Younger
LP2:
SIDE A:
- Loverboy (Acoustic Version)
- No One Does It Better (Acoustic Version)
- Moonchild (Bonus Track)
- Takes One To Know One (Bonus Track)
- Brother (B-side)
SIDE B:
- Lost (B-side)
- Lover Boy (Alternative Mix)
- Bite My Tongue (Alternative Mix)
- No One Does It Better (Alternative Mix)
- Reckless (Alternative Mix)
LP3: Live at Wembley
SIDE A:
- The Swarm
- Loverboy
- Little Death
- The Dilemma
- Jaws On The Floor
- Crash
SIDE B:
- Reckless
- When We Were Younger
- Stay With Me
- Bite My Tongue
- Underdog
Follow You Me At Six:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | WEBSITE | SPOTIFY
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Universal Music Enterprises | 2022-06-03T14:25:03+00:00 | wlbt.com | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/06/03/you-me-six-celebrate-10-year-anniversary-sinners-never-sleep/ |
Which ergonomic chair with footrest is best?
Whether you’re working from home or at the office, having a high-quality ergonomic chair is very important. Traditional office chairs lack the support most people need to be comfortable during long hours of sitting at a desk. Thankfully, ergonomic chairs are widely available and designers are constantly working to improve their efficacy. Some ergonomic chairs come with a footrest which makes office chairs even more comfortable. These footrests can be removed or tucked away depending on your needs.
The best ergonomic chair with footrest is the Sihoo office chair, which has a breathable mesh back, lumbar support, adjustable headrest and optional footrest.
What to know before you buy a ergonomic chair with footrest
Ergonomics
By definition, ergonomics refers to a design that’s meant to improve the physiology of product users. For a long time, chairs, laptops and numerous office accessories weren’t designed for comfort. Now, with ergonomics leading the way, numerous products will actually help break our bad physical habits and help us lead more comfortable lives. The most important products that use ergonomics are office chairs. Sitting and typing for long periods of time can cause back problems and neck strain. Ergonomic office chairs help to address those issues — especially ones with footrests. Footrests enable you to elevate your feet and improve circulation to your lower body.
Gaming vs. office chairs
You’ll come across two different varieties when searching for ergonomic chairs with footrests: office chairs and gaming chairs. While these chairs can be relatively interchangeable, there are a few differences. The most apparent difference is the style: Gaming chairs tend to be sportier, use more back padding, and have a wraparound approach to backrests. They also have edges on the seats that jut upwards from the base. Office chairs, on the other hand, usually go with a more minimalist look. They often use mesh backing and simple mechanics. Gaming chairs also utilize headrests and removable lumbar supports, while office chairs build them into the frame. The biggest commonality is that both chair styles use ergonomics to shape their design, including adding footrests.
Materials
Mesh is the most common material used in ergonomic office chairs. Mesh is breathable and lightweight, which keeps your back and bottom free of sweat. For gaming chairs, polyurethane “leather” is often used to add a more executive look to otherwise sporty chairs. Most chairs’ wheels are made with nylon to provide the smoothest roll possible. The bottom portion of the frames are made with high-quality aluminum or steel to support body weight, while the upper frame is usually made with sturdy plastic.
What to look for in a quality ergonomic chair with footrest
Adjustability
Ergonomic chairs are all about adjustability. No two people are the same, and therefore will require different adjustments to their personal chairs. This is why most high-quality ergonomic chairs will have numerous ways of adjusting. Height adjustment is the most important for ergonomic comfort, while lumbar support comes in a close second. There are also adjustments for headrests, armrests and of course footrests for reclining back in your chair.
High-density foam
One thing that shouldn’t be overlooked when it comes to ergonomic chairs is the seat cushion. After hours sitting in a chair, you’ll often notice discomfort in your rear end more than anywhere else. High-density foam cushions use a very compact foam and cover it with a soft, breathable material. This type of cushion absorbs your weight well enough to conform to your body, but also provides enough support so you don’t sink to the base. Footrests are also made with high-density foam to prevent your feet from resting on hard plastic or metal.
Warranty
Ergonomic chairs can be pretty expensive. They’re also quite complicated to build because of the intricacies of all the adjustable levers. For these reasons, it’s good to have a warranty. High-quality ergonomic office chairs and gaming chairs will often include a warranty. This way, if a single piece breaks or a portion of the mesh or leather rips, you can get the chair replaced.
How much you can expect to spend on an ergonomic chair with footrest
An ergonomic chair with footrest will cost between $100-$280.
Ergonomic chair with footrest FAQ
Do ergonomic chairs really work?
A. Ergonomic chairs are scientifically proven to improve posture and promote a healthier lifestyle. They help with the physical stress of sitting for long hours at a computer. There have been several studies on ergonomics that have proven their efficacy.
How do you sit in an ergonomic chair?
A. The best way to sit in an ergonomic chair is to simply sit down, notice how the chair feels and make adjustments accordingly. Ideally, you’ll want your feet sitting flat on the ground at a 90-degree angle with about one inch between the back of your knees and the chair. Your arms should be at a 90-degree angle as well and resting comfortably on the desk. You should feel the lumbar support pressing against the lower part of your back as you sit straight up.
What’s the best ergonomic chair with footrest to buy?
Top ergonomic chair with footrest
Sihoo ergonomic chair with footrest
What you need to know: As one of the top-rated ergonomic chairs with a footrest, this chair is perfect for long days at the office.
What you’ll love: This chair has been officially approved by the Ergonomic Association for its ability to promote circulation and encourage better posture. There are multiple ways to adjust the chair, including the backrest, headrest, footrest, seat height and armrests among others.
What you should consider: The price is slightly higher than other ergonomic chairs of this kind.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top ergonomic chair with footrest for the money
Von Racer Gaming Chair with footrest
What you need to know: This ergonomic gaming chair offers premium features at an affordable price, and it comes in a variety of colors.
What you’ll love: The Von Racer is made with artificial leather to help cut costs, and includes a heavy-duty metal base to help support up to 250 pounds. The chair also boasts easy-to-assemble instructions.
What you should consider: It only comes in a large size, which may feel too big for smaller body types.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Homefun ergonomic office chair with footrest
What you need to know: This chair from Homefun is designed to look and feel like an executive office chair, with an included footrest for casual relaxing.
What you’ll love: It can recline up to 135 degrees, and has a reinforced frame, lumbar support, extra-thick padding and a padded headrest. The footrest is also reinforced to account for the weight of your feet while reclining.
What you should consider: The plastic pieces on this chair are slightly less durable than on other models.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Jordan Beliles writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | 2022-05-29T19:27:22+00:00 | texomashomepage.com | https://www.texomashomepage.com/reviews/br/office-br/office-furniture-br/best-ergonomic-chair-with-footrest/ |
- Nearly half (47%) of US consumers have made a purchase through social media, while 6 in 10 (58%) are interested in doing so.
- Another 39% of US consumers have made a purchase through social media and would do so again.
- 34% of consumers would be more interested in shopping on social media if they knew how their data was being kept secure.
- 46% of US consumers have made a purchase through a livestream event and would do so again*.
CHICAGO, April 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Social commerce made up about 5%** of US eCommerce sales in 2022 and is expected to inch up to nearly 7%*** by 2025, according to Mintel research. The sector is growing at a much slower pace compared to other countries. China, for example, saw an estimated $327 billion in livestreaming sales in 2021, accounting for 10% of overall eCommerce sales. However, new Mintel data shows that US consumers remain engaged with social commerce opportunities. Half (47%) of Americans say they have purchased through social media, 58% say they are interested in doing so, and 39% have made a purchase on social media and would do so again.
Katie Hansen, Senior Retail and eCommerce Analyst, Mintel Reports US, said:
"Social commerce is growing in the US, albeit at a much slower pace compared to the rest of the world. This, however, does not mean that brands should ignore the emerging shopping option. Our research shows that nearly half of consumers have made a purchase via social media and 58% are interested in doing so, showcasing that this channel is not going away. Brands have the opportunity to establish and refine their social commerce strategy now, when the channel is still new, by educating consumers about the process of shopping via social media, communicating the safety and security of their data, and leveraging the high engagement opportunities the platforms offer."
Consumer concern over data security
For social commerce to grow significantly, consumers need to understand and feel confident in the safety of a brand's social media sites. Less than one in five (17%) consumers say they are more comfortable purchasing from a brand's social media compared to its website (41%) and 40% say they lack trust in the security of their payment information. However, 34% say they would be more interested in shopping on social media if they knew how their data was being kept secure. Additionally, it seems that Americans are willing to extend trust to brands online as 35% say they would purchase from a brand's social media channel if someone they trusted recommended it.
"Consumer interest in social commerce is shining a bright light on the future of the shopping channel. Brands need to consider what consumers need to move past current hesitations and barriers. For example, getting more for less is always appealing; brands could look to offer special prices for first-time social commerce buyers. Even simple measures such as offering money-back guarantees or highlighting free returns could give consumers the confidence they need to give social commerce a try.
Trust in data security is a key concern among US consumers shopping on social media. Brands that provide testimonials to showcase the validity of their products and the security of the purchasing channel will further instill trust and win over consumers," continued Hansen.
Leveraging livestreaming
When examining social media platforms, 75% of US consumers say they have shopped on Facebook, 50% on Instagram, 29% on YouTube, and 18% on TikTok. The popularity of video content on social media is undeniable as 31% of consumers say they often watch videos brands post on social media and nearly a quarter (22%) pay attention to livestreaming from brands. In fact, nearly half of Americans (46%) have purchased through livestream and would do so again. This indicates that video, particularly shoppable video, is a key success factor in driving social commerce.
"While Facebook holds the lead when it comes to where consumers shop, largely influenced by Facebook Marketplace, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok are making strides. Brands will need to be patient as consumers adjust their behaviors while providing education and safety reassurances to encourage consumers to shop and buy via social media. Brands can optimize the livestreaming option by bringing in experts and leveraging value-focused offerings such as exclusive discount codes for those who join to increase overall participation in events," concludes Hansen.
Additional research on US consumer attitudes toward social commerce and interviews with the analyst are available upon request from the Mintel Press Office. For those interested in purchasing the full report, please visit the Mintel Store.
*699 internet users aged 18+ who frequently use social media platforms and shop online and who have participated in a livestreamed social media event.
**Influencer Marketing Hub Jul. 2022
***Insider Intelligence, Dec 2022
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SOURCE Mintel Group, Ltd. | 2023-04-20T16:14:36+00:00 | wbrc.com | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2023/04/20/nearly-half-us-consumers-say-they-have-made-purchase-through-social-media/ |
ROCAMADOUR, France (AP) — Jonas Vingegaard thundered through the last serious test of the Tour de France to increase his overall lead on Saturday and all but guarantee winning cycling’s biggest race.
After three weeks of exhausting racing, the Jumbo-Visma leader dug deep in his reserves to deliver yet another impressive performance in a long time trial in southern France.
“It means everything, it’s really incredible,” Vingegaard said. “It’s the biggest thing within cycling and we did it.”
Vingegaard, who is not a pure specialist of the race against the clock, could have played it safe given his more than three-minute lead at the start. He, instead, took all the risks on the technical course and had a scare close to the finish when he misjudged a curve and had to brake hard to avoid a crash.
Vingegaard then slowed down dramatically as he approached the finish line. He finished the 20th stage in second place 19 seconds behind winner Wout van Aert, his key teammate.
Vingegaard and Van Aert hugged each other warmly at the finish and the Danish rider was emotional after he was greeted by his wife and daughter after the stage.
“Having my two girls on the finish line means even more to me,” said Vingegaard, who improved on last year’s runner-up finish.
“Since last year, I always believed I could do it and now it’s happened. It’s really incredible. It’s both a relief and I’m just so happy and proud.”
Van Aert, a versatile competitor with multiple titles and wins across the sport’s most prestigious events, has been crucial in pacing Vingegaard through the mountain stages. His third stage win this month was his ninth overall.
Van Aert, who also claimed the best sprinter’s green jersey, has proved he can win on all surfaces and could be a leader in his own right in any given team. He has so far deflected talk of mounting a challenge for the yellow jersey in the future.
“This has been the question over the last few days, I think,” Van Aert said. “I have answered a thousand times. Right now, it’s just an incredible feeling to win this Tour with the team and to win three stages and the green jersey. For the moment, I don’t want to talk about the future.”
Van Aert crossed the finish line with a blistering average speed of 50.9 kph. The 41.7-kilometer stage from Lacapelle-Marival to Rocamadour was the longest individual time trial since 2014.
With the final day of the race on Sunday usually uneventful until the last sprint on the Champs-Elysees, Vingegaard will become the first rider from Denmark to win the Tour since 1996, barring a crash or a last-minute incident.
The time trial marked the final hurdle of an epic race that has featured a thrilling duel between Vingegaard and two-time defending champion Tadej Pogacar.
Vingegaard built his success in the mountains. He first took the yellow jersey from Pogacar in the Alps with a memorable ride up the Col du Granon, and followed up this week with an impressive display of strength in the last Pyrenean stage to the resort of Hautacam.
Given Vingegaard’s healthy time advantage, it was unlikely Pogacar would be able to challenge the Danish rider’s supremacy in the time trial. Pogacar took third place, 27 seconds behind Van Aert.
“The battle between me and Jonas for the yellow jersey has been very special,” Pogacar said. “We have some very interesting next two or three years ahead of us. Jonas has stepped up his game this year.”
Vingegaard will carry a lead of 3 minutes, 34 seconds over Pogacar into the final day, a 116-kilometer ride to Paris. Geraint Thomas, the 2018 Tour champion, lagged more than eight minutes off the pace in third place.
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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/apf-sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2022-07-24T16:42:49+00:00 | cenlanow.com | https://www.cenlanow.com/sports/vingegaard-has-first-tour-de-france-win-all-but-secured/ |
GWINNER, N.D. (KXNET) — Two people are injured after a semi and tank trailer hauling fertilizer crashed into a tractor pulling a mower Monday just before 3 p.m.
According to the North Dakota Highway Patrol, the driver of a Case International Harvester was pulling a mower trailer west on ND Highway 13, one mile west of Gwinner while another driver in a Volvo VNL hauling a tank trailer with fertilizer was also driving west and came up behind the tractor on the road.
The 43-year-old man from Lidgerwood, driving the Volvo VNL was distracted by something near his feet and failed to see the tractor, rear-ending the mower the tractor was pulling.
The tractor, driven by a 52-year-old Gwinner man, was pushed into the north ditch, where the tractor and mower separated and rolled, and the driver was ejected from the back of the tractor.
The 52-year-old was seriously injured and taken to Lisbon Hospital before being transported to Sanford Health in Fargo.
The 43-year-old was taken to Lisbon hospital for his injuries.
Both vehicles were heavily damaged and were totaled during the crash. | 2022-08-23T02:12:51+00:00 | kxnet.com | https://www.kxnet.com/news/local-news/2-injured-in-2-vehicle-crash-in-sargent-county/ |
Poll: Most in US say misinformation spurs extremism, hate
(AP) - Americans from across the political spectrum say misinformation is increasing political extremism and hate crimes, according to a new poll that reflects broad and significant concerns about false and misleading claims ahead of next month’s midterm elections.
About three-quarters of U.S. adults say misinformation is leading to more extreme political views and behaviors such as instances of violence based on race, religion or gender. That’s according to the poll from the Pearson Institute and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
“We’re at a point now where the misinformation is so bad you can trust very little of what you read in the media or social media,” said 49-year-old Republican Brett Reffeitt of Indianapolis, who participated in the survey. “It’s all about getting clicks, not the truth, and it’s the extremes that get the attention.”
The Pearson Institute/AP-NORC survey shows that regardless of political ideology, Americans agree misinformation is leaving a mark on the country.
Overall, 91% of adults say the spread of misinformation is a problem, with 74% calling it a major problem. Only 8% say misinformation isn’t a problem at all.
Big majorities of both parties — 80% of Democrats and 70% of Republicans — say misinformation increases extreme political views, according to the survey. Similarly, 85% of Democrats and 72% of Republicans say misinformation increases hate crimes, including violence motivated by gender, religion or race.
Overall, 77% of respondents think misinformation increases hate crimes, while 73% say it increases extreme political views.
“This is not a sustainable course,” said independent Rob Redding, 46, of New York City. Redding, who is Black, said he fears misinformation will spur more political polarization and violent hate crimes. “People are in such denial about how dangerous and divisive this situation is.”
About half say they believe misinformation leads people to become more politically engaged.
Roughly 7 in 10 Americans say they are at least somewhat concerned that they have been exposed to misinformation, though less than half said they are that worried that they were responsible for spreading it.
That’s consistent with previous polls that have found people are more likely to blame others than accept responsibility for the spread of misinformation.
Half of U.S. adults also believe misinformation reduces trust in government.
“Just because it’s on the internet doesn’t mean it’s true,” said 74-year-old Shirley Hayden, a Republican from Orange, Texas. “A lot of it is opinions and a lot of it is just troublemaking. I don’t believe any of it anymore.”
The poll finds that Americans who rate misinformation as a major problem are more likely to say it contributes to extreme political beliefs and distrust of government than those who do not. They’re also more likely to try to reduce the spread of misinformation by running claims by multiple sources or fact-checking websites.
Overall, roughly three-quarters of adults say they have decided not to share something on social media at least some of the time because they didn’t want to spread misinformation, including about half who do that most of the time. Similar percentages regularly check the sources of news they encounter and check other sources of information to ensure they’re not encountering misinformation.
Only 28% of Americans consult fact-checking sites or tools “most of the time,” though an additional 35% do some of the time. About a third say they do so hardly ever or never.
“My Facebook page is loaded with this stuff. I see it on TV. I see it everywhere,” 63-year-old Democrat Charles Lopez from the Florida Keys said of the misinformation he encounters. “Nobody does the research to find out if anything is fake or not.”
Whether it’s lies about the 2020 election or the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, COVID-19 conspiracy theories or disinformation about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, online misinformation has been blamed for increased political polarization, distrust of institutions and even real-world violence.
The spread of misinformation in recent decades has coincided with the rise of social media and declines in traditional, often local journalism outlets.
The results of the Pearson Institute/AP-NORC poll didn’t surprise Alex Mahadevan, director of MediaWise, a media literacy initiative launched by the Poynter Institute that works to equip individuals with defenses in the fight against misinformation.
“You have uncertainty, polarization, the decline of local news: it’s a perfect storm that’s created a flood of misinformation,” Mahadevan said.
People can teach themselves how to spot misinformation and avoid falling for dubious claims, according to Helen Lee Bouygues, founder and president of the Paris-based Reboot Foundation, which researches and promotes critical thinking in the internet age.
First, rely on a variety of trusted, established sources for news and fact checks, Bouygues said.
She also encouraged people to double-check claims that seem designed to play on emotions like anger or fear, and to think twice about reposting content that relies on loaded language, personal attacks or false comparisons.
“There are steps people can take — simple steps — to protect themselves,” Bouygues said.
Lopez, the survey respondent from Florida, said he has lost friends after pushing back on misinformation they posted online and that new laws are needed to force tech companies to do more to address misinformation. Maybe that will happen, he said, if voters can pierce the fog of misinformation ahead of next month’s election.
“You can always have hope,” Lopez said. “We’ll see what happens after this election. You may want to call me back then.”
___
Associated Press writer Nuha Dolby in New York contributed to this report.
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The poll of 1,003 adults was conducted Sep. 9-12 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4.0 percentage points.
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Follow the AP’s coverage of misinformation at https://apnews.com/hub/misinformation.
Learn more about the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research at www.apnorc.org.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2022-10-13T05:37:43+00:00 | wlbt.com | https://www.wlbt.com/2022/10/13/poll-most-us-say-misinformation-spurs-extremism-hate/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — A once-prominent neurologist was found guilty Friday on charges of sexually abusing patients while treating them with pain medications.
A New York City jury reached the verdict after deliberating for about three days at the trial of Dr. Ricardo Cruciani.
Cruciani, 68, was convicted on 12 criminal counts — one count of predatory sexual assault, one of attempted rape, one of sex abuse, two of rape and seven of criminal sexual acts. He was acquitted on two other counts.
“We entrust doctors to respect our bodies and health when we go to them for help, yet Dr. Cruciani utterly violated that duty,” District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. Cruciani, Bragg added, “left in his wake six survivors who continue to suffer from debilitating diseases, and now, years of trauma.”
Cruciani had worked for several leading pain-management providers during his career. He has denied the sexual abuse allegations. His attorney, Fred Sosinsky, said Friday there would be an appeal.
“My client and his beautiful family are crushed by today’s verdict,” the lawyer said. “In the end, it appears that the collective weight of six accusers, rather than a fair consideration of each of their problematic accounts, carried the day.”
Cruciani, who had been out on bail, was jailed after the verdict was announced.
Prosecutors alleged Cruciani groomed vulnerable patients by overprescribing pain killers, sometimes to treat serious injuries from car wrecks and other accidents.
Six women testified the sexual abuse often occurred behind closed doors during appointments in 2013 at a Manhattan medical center, where the doctor would expose himself and demand sex.
“He didn’t finish writing my prescriptions until I did something for him,” one told the jury.
In closing arguments, prosecutor Shannon Lucey called the behavior “just pure evil,” adding, “This defendant is nothing but a drug dealer who used his prescription pad as a weapon.”
Sosinsky countered by arguing the witnesses weren’t credible, telling the jury the women “were willing to lie” and “dispute the indisputable” to make the charges stick.
Among the witnesses at a trial that began seven weeks ago was Hillary Tullin, who helped fuel the case by calling a sexual abuse hotline in 2017 and reporting that Cruciani had abused her between 2005 and 2013.
“Mr. Cruciani and his lawyers were indefatigable in their attempts to portray me and the other witnesses as liars but the truth prevailed,” Tullin said Friday in response to the verdict. “What happened to us is real, it’s traumatic, and it can no longer be denied.”
The AP does not typically identify people who say they are survivors of sexual assault unless they grant permission, which Tullin has done.
Cruciani is still facing federal charges accusing him of abusing multiple patients over 15 years at his offices in New York City, Philadelphia and Hopewell, New Jersey.
The federal charges and state trial follow years of public complaints by Cruciani’s accusers that authorities in some places were not taking his crimes seriously, particularly in Philadelphia, where he pleaded guilty to relatively minor misdemeanor groping counts involving seven patients.
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This story has been corrected to show that Cruciani was found guilty on 12 criminal counts, not five. | 2022-07-30T00:19:39+00:00 | wdtn.com | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/ap-us-news/neurologist-guilty-on-5-counts-for-sexually-abusing-patients/ |
– Preliminary results of first cohort in the first-in-human Phase 1a allows Company to proceed to 16 mg/kg dose of WP1122 in second cohort toward establishing maximum tolerated dose (MTD) –
– Multiple ascending dose (MAD) cohort to commence after completion of at least 3 successful SAD dosing cohorts –
HOUSTON, June 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Moleculin Biotech, Inc., (Nasdaq: MBRX) ("Moleculin" or the "Company"), a clinical stage pharmaceutical company with a broad portfolio of drug candidates targeting highly resistant tumors and viruses, today reported preliminary results from the first cohort of the Company's first-in-human Phase 1a study of WP1122. This cohort consisted of 9 subjects dosed with 8 mg/kg or placebo in the dose escalation trial evaluating the safety and pharmacokinetics (PK) of WP1122 in healthy volunteers in the United Kingdom (UK). Based on the overall results in Cohort 1, the Company deemed the first cohort dose safe and well-tolerated and will open SAD Cohort 2 with a dose escalation to 16 mg/kg.
The Phase 1a, first-in-human, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, overlapping SAD and MAD is investigating the effects of WP1122 administered as an oral solution in healthy human volunteers. It is the first step in a planned investigation of WP1122 for the treatment of COVID-19. Dose escalation will take place in sequential SAD cohorts, and MAD will start as soon as SAD has successfully completed at least 3 dosing cohorts. This study in healthy volunteers will explore safety and PK, and subsequent antiviral clinical development will be in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 to further evaluate safety and establish a favorable risk/benefit profile. The Company expects to enroll approximately 80 subjects in this trial.
Walter Klemp, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Moleculin commented, "While still very early in our first-in-human Phase 1a study of WP1122, we are encouraged by the preliminary safety data demonstrated by WP1122. With this Cohort now complete and no dose escalating stopping criteria seen to date, we are actively working to enroll healthy volunteers in Cohort 2 at 16 mg/kg and advance toward establishing a maximum tolerated dose. Setting an MTD for WP1122 is key to having potential future Phase 2 WP1122 clinical studies for the treatment of certain viruses, including COVID-19, and cancers."
During the SAD portion of this study, dose escalation will proceed up to a maximum dose of 64 mg/kg as a single dose. Dosing of WP1122 began in SAD at 8 mg/kg as a single dose and will escalate in two-fold increments (i.e., to 16 then 32 mg/kg as single doses, etc.) in subsequent cohorts. Dosing of WP1122 in the MAD cohorts will start after a dose of 32 mg/kg has been achieved in the single dose cohort. The first dose administered in MAD will be 16 mg/kg every 12 hours (32 mg/kg/day) for 7 days and dosing in the second MAD cohort will escalate to 32 mg/kg every 12 hours (64 mg/kg/day) for 7 days.
For more information about the study, please visit clinicaltrials.gov and reference identifier NCT05195723. Moleculin is also in the process of identifying additional countries where potential future Phase 2 COVID-19 clinical studies could occur.
WP1122 was developed as a 2-DG prodrug to provide a more favorable pharmacological profile and was found to have greater potency than 2-DG alone in preclinical models where tumor cells require higher glycolytic activity than normal cells. WP1122 has also been shown to have a greater antiviral effect than 2-DG against SARS-CoV-2 in MRC-5 cells in culture. The improved pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) profile of WP1122 compared to 2-DG was noted in female mice following oral dosing at equimolar (i.e., equivalent levels of 2-DG) doses.
While the Company is in the process of identifying additional countries where potential future Phase 2 COVID-19 clinical studies might occur, the volatility and unpredictability of COVID-19 incidence in various countries may limit the ability to recruit certain subjects and could make it infeasible to conduct a Phase 2 clinical trial in a given country. Additionally, Moleculin recently received IND clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to initiate a Phase 1 study of WP1122 for the treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM). The Company is seeking collaborators with the intent to commence clinical trials of WP1122 in cancer indications including GBM, pancreatic cancer and others.
Moleculin Biotech, Inc. is a clinical stage pharmaceutical company focused on the development of a broad portfolio of drug candidates for the treatment of highly resistant tumors and viruses. The Company's lead program, Annamycin, is a next-generation anthracycline designed to avoid multidrug resistance mechanisms with little to no cardiotoxicity. Annamycin is currently in development for the treatment of relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and soft tissue sarcoma (STS) lung metastases.
Additionally, the Company is developing WP1066, an Immune/Transcription Modulator designed to be capable of inhibiting p-STAT3 and other oncogenic transcription factors while also stimulating a natural immune response, targeting brain tumors, pancreatic and other cancers; and WP1220, an analog to WP1066, for the topical treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma. Moleculin is also engaged in the development of a portfolio of antimetabolites, including WP1122, for the potential treatment of COVID-19 and other viruses, as well as cancer indications including brain tumors, pancreatic and other cancers.
For more information about the Company, please visit www.moleculin.com and connect on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
Some of the statements in this release are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements in this press release include, without limitation, whether the results of Moleculin's preclinical models can be replicated in human trials, Moleculin's ability to identify additional countries where potential future Phase 2 COVID-19 clinical studies could occur, Moleculin's ability to identify and attract collaborators for additional clinical trials of WP1122, and the ability for WP1122 to be shown safe and effective in humans. Although Moleculin believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date made, expectations may prove to have been materially different from the results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Moleculin has attempted to identify forward-looking statements by terminology including 'believes,' 'estimates,' 'anticipates,' 'expects,' 'plans,' 'projects,' 'intends,' 'potential,' 'may,' 'could,' 'might,' 'will,' 'should,' 'approximately' or other words that convey uncertainty of future events or outcomes to identify these forward-looking statements. These statements are only predictions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, including those discussed under Item 1A. "Risk Factors" in our most recently filed Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") and updated from time to time in our Form 10-Q filings and in our other public filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of its date. We undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release to reflect events or circumstances occurring after its date or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Investor Contact:
JTC Team, LLC
Jenene Thomas
(833) 475-8247
MBRX@jtcir.com
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SOURCE Moleculin Biotech, Inc. | 2022-06-16T13:24:32+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2022/06/16/moleculin-announces-completion-first-single-ascending-dose-sad-cohort-phase-1a-clinical-trial-wp1122-uk/ |
Avoid refund shock next year, meet with Jackson Hewitt Tax Pros now
JERSEY CITY, N.J., July 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- July marks the halfway point in the year, which is the perfect time to analyze financial items related to filing taxes and complete a mid-year check-in. To help ensure taxpayers have a smooth tax filing next year that can potentially help reduce money owed or even increase a tax refund amount, the Tax Pros at Jackson Hewitt Tax Services® are encouraging taxpayers to organize their documents and schedule a mid-year planning appointment today.
"Many Americans' experienced smaller tax refunds this past tax season, and in many cases, there was an increase in people owing balances due compared to last year. Next year's Tax Day might look very similar for many taxpayers if they don't take immediate action now to make adjustments," said Mark Steber, Chief Tax Information Officer at Jackson Hewitt. "Taxpayers have more control over their tax return than you might think, but it's necessary to keep ahead of financial and life changes that can impact you and your family so you avoid refund shock and manage expectations at tax time. That's why we strongly encourage having a mid-year planning appointment with a Jackson Hewitt Tax Pro."
To do a mid-year tax planning, taxpayers should first review their 2022 tax return and a summary of their current income amount so far in 2023 and compare the basic facts. Then, taxpayers should think of notable personal changes from this year that have or will happen by December 31, 2023, that will impact their tax return, including a change in dependents, employment status, new or different earnings or gains, as well as getting married or divorced. With this information, taxpayers can calculate a mid-year estimate for the first half of the year, then double or annualize an estimate for the full year and compare it to the tax amount previously paid.
If taxpayers aren't satisfied with the estimated tax refund, or balance due, it's an opportunity to take action. A Jackson Hewitt Tax Pro can help taxpayers with what can be changed, including altering tax withholdings, increasing retirement contributions, and other strategies.
"Taxpayers have experienced many changes in the last few tax filing seasons. During the height of the pandemic, many taxpayers benefitted from stimulus payments and increased tax credits, but this past tax season was reflective of what filing was before 2020," said Steber. "We expect this year's tax filing to be a similar experience and are recommending to all of our clients to do a mid-year planning session with their Tax Pro to make sure they better understand their situation and to plan for any changes during the remainder of the year."
While every taxpayer should consider mid-year planning, it's an important activity for those who are self-employed. "Updated tax law changes are in effect for self-employed taxpayers who use third-party payment apps (Venmo, Zelle, PayPal, and others) for business payments," said Steber. "Those who use these apps for business purposes and accept $600 or more during 2023 will now receive a 1099-K form from the app. Previously these users didn't receive a form from the vendor unless they accepted $20,000. These earnings have always been considered taxable income, but the change is receiving a 1099-K form from the third-party vendor."
For more information, visit jacksonhewitt.com and to locate an office to schedule a mid-year planning appointment.
About Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc.
Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. is an innovator in the tax industry with a mission to provide its hard-working clients access to simple, low-cost solutions to manage their taxes and tax refunds. Jackson Hewitt is devoted to helping clients get ahead and stands behind its work with its Maximum Refund Guarantee and Lifetime Accuracy Guarantee® (restrictions apply, see Jackson Hewitt's website for more details). Jackson Hewitt has more than 5,600 franchise and company-owned locations nationwide, including 2,700 in Walmart stores as well as online tax prep services, making it easy and convenient for clients to file their taxes. For more information about products, services, and offers, or to locate a Jackson Hewitt office, visit www.jacksonhewitt.com or call 1 (800) 234-1040.
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SOURCE Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. | 2023-07-25T15:58:32+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2023/07/25/mid-year-tax-planning-more-important-than-ever-before/ |
IRVINE, Calif. (WBOY) — Taco Bell announced Thursday the return of its “Volcano Menu,” which stems from an item introduced nearly three decades ago in 1995.
The Volcano Menu, to be available in late June, features three main offerings in its lineup: the Volcano Burrito, the Volcano Taco, and an optional “Lava Sauce” (a spicy cheese sauce) which can be added to any menu item.
The Volcano Burrito was the first of “Volcano” item to debut on Taco Bell’s menus in 1995 as a promotional tie-in to the film “Congo,” according to an online Taco Bell resource hosted by Fandom, which was created and edited by fans. (A representative for Taco Bell was not immediately available to confirm the debut dates.) A commercial released upon the Volcano Burrito’s debut detailed its ingredients, which included seasoned beef, beans, rice, a three-cheese blend and “fiery red sauce.”
Other items, including the Volcano Taco, Volcano Nachos and Lava Sauce (which accompanied those items), debuted on the menu over a decade later and stayed for several years, according to the Taco Bell Fandom page.
Taco Bell claims its Volcano Menu has developed a cult-like following among customers who have “relentlessly championed its return,” Taco Bell said. Some even submitted petitions for the restaurant to return the items to its menu, according to the company.
The Volcano Menu’s offerings will be available at participating locations as of June 27, 2023, for Taco Bell Rewards Members, and June 29 for everyone else. | 2023-03-17T20:14:17+00:00 | wjhl.com | https://www.wjhl.com/news/national/taco-bell-bringing-back-volcano-menu-items-including-one-from-the-90s/ |
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — A Memphis-area man has been convicted on several counts for his involvement in the Jan. 6 riot, the U.S. Department of Justice reported Thursday.
Matthew Bledsoe, 38, spent 22 minutes inside the U.S. Capitol after scaling a wall to get inside, prosecutors said. He was arrested Jan. 15, 2021.
Bledsoe was found guilty by a jury in Washington, D.C. of the felony offense of obstruction of an official proceeding, and four misdemeanor offenses, including entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a Capitol Building; disorderly conduct in a Capitol Building, and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol Building.
Sentencing is set for Oct. 21.
Federal prosecutors said in a criminal complaint that a tip led the FBI to Bledsoe. An investigation revealed video posted to a social media account that authorities said showed Bledsoe on top of the wall outside the Capitol, and inside the Capitol, on Jan. 6.
According to prosecutors, Bledsoe turned to the camera and said, “In the Capitol. This is our house. We pay for this ****. Where’s those pieces of **** at?”
Nexstar’s WREG has previously reported that Bledsoe was the owner of Primetime Movers in Memphis. He declined an interview last year.
Bledsoe formerly was a resident of Cordova, Tennessee, and now resides in Olive Branch, Mississippi, both suburbs of Memphis, prosecutors said. | 2022-07-21T22:30:59+00:00 | kdvr.com | https://kdvr.com/news/nationalworld-news/capitol-rioter-who-declared-this-is-our-house-is-convicted-for-jan-6-crimes/ |
Kelly Knight Craft joins crowded Republican field in race for Kentucky governor
(WYMT) - A crowded field in the 2023 Republican primary for Kentucky Governor has gotten even more crowded.
Former UN Ambassador Kelly Knight Craft announced her intention to run for the nomination Wednesday morning.
Craft served as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations during the latter half of the Donald Trump administration, from September 2019 until January 2021 when President Joe Biden took office. Before her UN post, Craft served as the United States Ambassador to Canada from 2017 through 2019.
I'm Kelly Craft and I am running for Governor of Kentucky because I know our best days are ahead of us.
— Kelly Craft (@KellyCraftKY) September 7, 2022
Watch my story and join our conservative movement
here: https://t.co/lQTHkLaOxB pic.twitter.com/K4JOhOnzDz
She is married to coal magnate and Hazard native Joe Craft. The couple also recently offered help almost immediately after devastating flooding throughout Eastern Kentucky. You can read more about that here.
Craft joins a very crowded field for the nomination, including Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Auditor of Public Accounts Mike Harmon, State Rep. Savannah Maddox, and Commissioner of Agriculture Ryan Quarles. The winner of the primary is expected to take on incumbent Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, who is running for his second term.
You can see her announcement here.
Copyright 2022 WYMT. All rights reserved. | 2022-09-07T12:07:41+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/2022/09/07/kelly-knight-craft-joins-crowded-republican-field-race-kentucky-governor/ |
LUSAIL, Qatar (AP) — Cristiano Ronaldo was a solitary figure as he walked off the field following a World Cup match in which he was not the center of attention.
He’d come off the bench in a 6-1 victory over Switzerland on Tuesday that moved Portugal into the quarterfinals. Ronaldo’s 21-year-old replacement scored a hat trick in the win — a performance sure to raise questions over Ronaldo’s future with his national team.
Ronaldo congratulated Gonçalo Ramos at midfield at the end of the game, then walked toward the Portugal section of fans and briefly clapped in their direction.
But as the rest of the squad had their moment of fan appreciation, Ronaldo left his teammates behind and walked off alone through the tunnel.
Ronaldo breezed through the post-match interview area with a huge grin on his face, only responding to one question: Was he happy?
“Of course, of course,” the superstar grinned. “Portugal won.”
Really?
Fernando Santos expressed frustration with his 37-year-old star the day before he dropped Ronaldo from the starting lineup.
Santos said the decision was tactical and not disciplinary, but he’d acknowledged Monday he was bothered by Ronaldo’s poor attitude after he pulled him late in a 2-1 loss to South Korea in the final game of group play.
“I think those issues have been solved. I said that in my last press conference and I repeat myself: This is something which is finished, solved,” Santos said. “I have a very close relationship with (Ronaldo). I have known him since he was 19 years old in sporting.
“I think Ronaldo and I never misinterpret the human and personal aspect with that of manager and player, and what we need to do during the match,” the coach added. “That is what we will do. I will always consider he is a very important player to have in the team.”
Santos instead started Ramos, a little-known forward who made his international debut three weeks ago. Ramos’ first career start for his national team came as Ronaldo’s replacement and he scored on just his fourth touch of the game in the 17th minute to give Portugal a 1-0 lead.
Santos added goals in the 51st — a goal Ronaldo celebrated as he warmed up on the sidelines with the rest of the substitutes — and again in the 67th.
Bruno Fernandes, who also played with Ronaldo at Manchester United, was the only member of the Portugal squad to indicate Ronaldo wasn’t pleased with being benched. Fernandes seemed prepared for the controversy surrounding Ronaldo and stood firm in defending him as a Portugal team representative tried multiple times to pull Fernandes away.
“We won the first two games with Cristiano in the first 11, and it could be that if Cristiano played, he could score three goals and no one would be speaking about Cristiano being on the bench,” Fernandes said. “Cristiano is doing his job, he’s doing his part, he’s happy with the result because the goal for everyone is to go as far as possible.
“I don’t think people should be talking about Cristiano and why he’s not playing, because when Cristiano plays and the team wins, no one talks about that,” Fernandes continued. “When Cristiano plays and the team loses, everyone talks.”
Fernandes called Ronaldo “the most famous player in the world. No one is more famous than Cristiano in sports, not in football, in sports.” But when Fernandes was asked about Ramos’ reaction to getting the start, he defensively turned the question toward Ronaldo.
“Do you think anyone likes to be on the bench?” Fernandes said. “I don’t think Cristiano would be happy. If the manager put me on the bench in the next game, I would be angry.”
The match marked the first time Ronaldo didn’t lead his teammates onto the field as the captain in Qatar, with Pepe taking the armband. The 39-year-old defender then scored Portugal’s second goal, with Ronaldo running off the bench to hug the veteran near one of the corners.
By the time Portugal had taken a 4-1 lead, the crowd at Lusail Stadium was loudly chanting “Ronaldo! Ronaldo!” for the star to enter the game. The cheers then turned to boos directed at Santos for ignoring the pleas.
Ronaldo, wearing a yellow substitute bib in the dugout, was expressionless as the crowd called for him. When he was finally sent onto the field in the 72nd, the crowd erupted. Pepe wrapped the captain’s armband on Ronaldo’s bicep before Ronaldo jogged onto the field.
This is expected to be Ronaldo’s final World Cup.
Ramos, who has 21 goals this season for Portuguese club Benfica, made his debut for Portugal last month in a warmup game against Nigeria and scored his first international goal. He replaced Ronaldo late in the opening World Cup match against Ghana, and again against Uruguay.
Ronaldo opened the tournament with a goal against Ghana to become the first player to score in five different World Cups. But he was ineffective in Portugal’s final two games of group play and has been shadowed by distractions since arriving in Qatar.
Ronaldo cut ties with Manchester United before Portugal’s first game, and he’s reportedly being wooed by a Saudi Arabian team with the promise of an exorbitant paycheck. And, a poll in Portugal showed that fans in his home country wanted the superstar dropped from the lineup.
It’s not unprecedented for Ronaldo to get less playing time, because the aging superstar has faded of late. He barely played in the Premier League for United through the first half of the season, and Santos dropped him from the Portugal lineup for a Nations League game against Spain in March.
With Ronaldo, Portugal has advanced to the round of 16 of the World Cup in four of his five tournaments, but he’s never played in a final at the tournament. Portugal in 2006 lost to France in the semifinals — the deepest Ronaldo has ever reached at the World Cup.
Although he’s scored in five tournaments, he has only eight goals in 20 World Cup matches. His 118 goals in international play is a world record for men, but Ronaldo has never scored in the knockout stage of the World Cup.
Lionel Messi, Ronaldo’s greatest rival over the years, has scored three goals so far in this World Cup and helped Argentina reach the quarterfinals. Messi has nine career World Cup goals, and like Ronaldo, has never won the tournament.
___
AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2022-12-07T11:10:04+00:00 | mytwintiers.com | https://www.mytwintiers.com/sports/ap-ronaldo-benched-for-world-cup-match-against-switzerland/ |
Holed up in her hotel room, Lauren Swaddell could hear the wind howl as Typhoon Mawar approached Guam.
"The storm is going to hit in approximately two hours," she said in a voice memo to NPR, recorded on Wednesday afternoon local time.
"I'm looking out of my window and I just see massive waves in what's normally a super calm bay. Trees are losing their branches. The coconut trees are flying everywhere."
"It is so strange to me that it's only 2pm right now and it feels like it's been an entire day ... Time is moving so slowly with this storm."
At one point, Swaddell says she could feel the walls of the hotel shaking.
Swaddell, 33, grew up in Guam and now works in Washington, D.C. She is visiting home for a work trip, just in time for the category 4 storm to pass over the island.
It brought 140mph winds and forecasts of a 25-foot storm surge, knocking out power throughout the island. The typhoon is the strongest to hit the U.S. island territory in decades.
"This is my fourth major typhoon ever on Guam," Swaddell said.
Typhoon Pongsona was the last major storm to hit the island – a category 4 storm that battered Guam in December 2002. Swaddell said experiencing Mawar was different for her.
"I was in middle school [in 2002], and I was still a kid. So I didn't know the level of responsibility and fear that an adult would have preparing for a typhoon, because my mom took care of all of that ... My mom kept me safe," she said.
This time, it was Swaddell helping out: "I went to my mom's house, helped her board up the home."
Guam is still under flash flood warnings, so a full assessment of the damage will take more time. But Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero told Morning Edition that she knows of at least one rescue mission in which eight people were taken to a shelter.
"There's a lot of anxiety not knowing the outcome of what will happen to the island around us," said Amanda Shelton, a Democratic senator in the Guam legislature.
Shelton braced for the storm while staying in the northern part of the island. In voice memos to NPR, she said she was thankful that President Joe Biden signed off on the island's state of emergency request so quickly – the island has both local and federal emergency responders ready.
"We do have folks here on the ground ready to respond as soon as they are needed, as soon as it is safe for us to go out after the storm passes," Shelton said.
She said that despite the concerns the storm brings, she was heartened by the community response.
"I think that's one positive thing to look at throughout the next several hours," she said, before the storm hit. "We're together, and we're able to pray together and wait out the storm together and help in any way that we can."
While waiting out the storm, the hotel Swaddell was staying at moved guests to a ballroom farther from any windows. As the wind thrashed the outside of the building, guests inside shared a meal.
"There's just a bunch of folks who are sharing drinks, playing games, and meeting each other for the first time and sharing stories," she said.
"There's the stress of it, but also there's this sense that we're all in this together. And there's nothing you can really do besides ride it out."
The storm was forecast to move away from the island as of Wednesday evening local time, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).
"Mawar is forecast to intensify slowly over the next few days, possibly becoming a Super Typhoon over the Philippine Sea well west of the Marianas," the NWS said.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2023-05-24T21:18:23+00:00 | wboi.org | https://www.wboi.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-05-24/time-is-moving-so-slowly-two-people-describe-the-power-of-typhoon-mawar-in-guam |
WFO DALLAS / FT. WORTH Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Thursday, May 4, 2023
_____
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SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Fort Worth TX
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1058 PM CDT Thu May 4 2023
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1115 PM CDT
FOR NORTHWESTERN FREESTONE...CENTRAL HENDERSON AND EASTERN NAVARRO
COUNTIES...
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At 1058 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line
extending from near Forest Grove Reservoir to near Angus, moving east
at 30 mph.
HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.
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SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage to
roofs, siding, and trees.
Locations impacted include...
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Corsicana, Gun Barrel City, Mabank, Malakoff, Tool, Kerens, Seven
Points, Eustace, Trinidad, Angus, Enchanted Oaks, Caney City,
Navarro, Forest Grove Reservoir, Flag Lake, Cedar Creek Reservoir,
Richland-Chambers Reservoir, Trinidad Lake, Payne Springs and Log
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Cabin.
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northern La Salle
County through 1145 PM CDT...
At 1057 PM CDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm
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over Millett, or south of Dilley, moving east at 30 mph. Another
strong thunderstorm was located northeast of Big Wells, moving east
HAZARD...Winds in excess of 40 mph and half inch hail.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
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unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Millett, Los Angeles, Gardendale, Woodward and Fowlerton.
This includes Interstate 35 between mile markers 70 and 82.
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PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
LAT...LON 2858 9880 2841 9883 2849 9940 2864 9940
2865 9880
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TIME...MOT...LOC 0357Z 275DEG 28KT 2859 9917
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH
The National Weather Service in Fort Worth has issued a
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* Severe Thunderstorm Warning for...
North central Freestone County in central Texas...
Henderson County in central Texas...
Northern Anderson County in central Texas...
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* Until midnight CDT.
* At 1101 PM CDT, severe thunderstorms were located along a line
extending from 10 miles north of Athens to 6 miles northwest of
Fairfield Lake, moving east at 50 mph.
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HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Hail damage to vehicles is expected. Expect wind damage
to roofs, siding, and trees.
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* Locations impacted include...
Palestine, Athens, Chandler, Malakoff, Frankston, Brownsboro,
Berryville, Trinidad, Edom, Lake Palestine, Forest Grove Reservoir,
Montalba, Coon Creek Lake, Fairfield Lake, Richland-Chambers
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Reservoir, Cedar Creek Reservoir, Brushy Creek, Cross Roads, Log
Cabin and Murchison.
For your protection get inside a sturdy structure and stay away from
windows.
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Copyright 2023 AccuWeather | 2023-05-05T05:06:51+00:00 | seattlepi.com | https://www.seattlepi.com/weather/article/tx-wfo-dallas-ft-worth-warnings-watches-and-18080479.php |
No. 23-4-00983-8
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON IN PIERCE COUNTY
In re the Estate of:
MARK ANDREW DEMCHOK,
Deceased.
The Personal Representative named below has been appointed and has qualified as Personal Representative of this estate. Any person having a claim against the decedent must, prior to the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to the personal representative or the personal representative’s attorney at the address stated below a copy of the claim and filing the original of the claim with the Clerk of this Court. The Claim must be presented within the later of: (i) Thirty (30) days after the personal representative is served or is mailed the notice to the creditor as provided under RCW 11.40.020(3); or (ii) four (4) months after the date of first publication of this notice. If the claim is not presented within this time frame, the claim is forever barred, except as otherwise provided in RCW 11.40.051 or 11.40.060. This bar is effective as to claims against both the decedent’s probate and non-probate assets.
DATE OF FILING COPY OF NOTICE
TO CREDITORS with Clerk of Court: April 24, 2023
DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION:
May 1, 2023
JACKIE MARIE DEMCHOK 14417 Grant Ave. SW
Lakewood, WA 98498
JAMES A. JONES
Turnbull Born & Jones, PLLC, Attorneys for Personal Represen-
tative
950 Pacific Avenue, Suite 1050
P.O. Box 2315
Tacoma, WA 98401-2315 (253) 383 7058
IDX-975748
May 1, 8, 15, 2023 | 2023-05-02T01:00:16+00:00 | tacomadailyindex.com | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/no-23-4-00983-8-notice-to-creditors/2466941/ |
FDA also accepts company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate a follow-on phase 2b clinical trial, called KEVLARx
TORREY PINES, Calif., March 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- EpicentRx, Inc. ("EpicentRx"), announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track Designation to RRx-001, a direct NLRP3 inhibitor and Nrf2 upregulator with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, for the prevention/attenuation of severe oral mucositis in chemotherapy and radiation-treated head & neck cancer patients. The FDA also accepted the company's Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate a follow-on phase 2b clinical trial, called KEVLARx, in the same head & neck cancer patient population.
According to the FDA, Fast Track is a process designed to facilitate the development and expedite the review of drug candidates to treat serious or life-threatening conditions and fulfill an unmet medical need so that they reach approval, and patients, sooner. In this case, the unmet medical need is severe oral mucositis (SOM), for which no treatment is currently available. SOM is not only a debilitatingly painful side effect of chemotherapy and radiation, but it is also potentially life-threatening because of concomitant infections. The benefits of Fast Track Designation include a "rolling review" of completed sections of the New Drug Application (NDA), more frequent interaction with the FDA to expedite the review process, and potential eligibility for accelerated approval and priority review.
"The Fast Track Designation is great news for EpicentRx, and it puts us one step closer to a potential treatment for this critical unmet need of oral mucositis with RRx-001," said EpicentRx CEO, Dr. Tony Reid.
About RRx-001
RRx-001 is a highly selective NLRP3 inhibitor under investigation in a Phase 3 trial for the treatment of small cell lung cancer (SCLC), and a planned Phase 2b trial for protection against oral mucositis in first line head and neck cancer. It is also under development as a medical countermeasure for nuclear and radiological emergencies and as a treatment for neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and ALS/MND.
About EpicentRx
EpicentRx is a leading-edge clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a complementary pipeline of small molecules, novel drug delivery devices, and cancer selective virus platforms that target inflammatory diseases of significant unmet need. For more information visit www.epicentrx.com.
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SOURCE EpicentRx, Inc. | 2023-03-29T11:29:17+00:00 | wsfa.com | https://www.wsfa.com/prnewswire/2023/03/29/epicentrx-receives-fast-track-designation-us-fda-lead-asset-rrx-001-preventattenuate-chemotherapy-radiation-treatment-induced-severe-oral-mucositis/ |
BALTIMORE — A man shot and killed during a confrontation with people cleaning windshields for cash at a downtown Baltimore intersection “should have just kept driving” instead of swinging a baseball bat at one or more of them, the man’s father said Friday.
He “swung the bat at one or more of those squeegee workers. In return, one of the squeegee workers pulled out a gun and fired, striking this male victim,” Harrison said. He added that police didn’t know if Reynolds hit anyone with the bat.
The man’s father, Carroll Reynolds, told the Baltimore Sun that he learned of his son’s death several hours after the shooting. The elder Reynolds had spent Thursday evening watching his grandson play baseball.
“He should have just kept driving,” Carroll Reynolds repeatedly said during an interview, shaking his head in disbelief.
Squeegee workers, also known as squeegee kids, consist mostly of teens from low-income neighborhoods who clean drivers’ windshields at intersections in exchange for money. Some drivers in Baltimore have complained about them.
The workers ran away after the shooting, Harrison said. No arrests were announced as of Friday afternoon.
City officials said there would be increased police patrols at intersections frequented by squeegee workers.
“We are not going to tolerate acts of violence regardless of who is committing them,” Mayor Brandon Scott told reporters on Friday. “If you’re assaulting motorists, if you’re damaging their cars, we are going to arrest you.”
The police commissioner said Friday that detectives were still looking for evidence, including video, related to the deadly shooting.
“We are combing through a lot of evidence right now in search of the person who shot the victim,” Harrison said.
Reynolds, who was white, was pronounced dead at a hospital.
He had three children, earned a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins University and was an engineer. | 2022-07-08T22:21:13+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/family-stunned-by-mans-killing-in-squeegee-confrontation/2022/07/08/9e649184-ff03-11ec-b39d-71309168014b_story.html |
MOSCOW, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that more U.S.-Russian prisoner exchanges are possible if Moscow and Washington find a compromise.
Putin spoke a day after Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout was swapped for WNBA star and two-time Olympian Brittney Griner.
Asked after a summit in Kyrgyzstan whether other prisoners could be swapped, Putin replied that “everything is possible,” noting that “compromises have been found” that cleared the way for Thursday’s exchange of Griner for Bout.
“We aren’t refusing to continue this work in the future,” the Russian leader said, making his first comments about the closely watched trade.
Despite negotiating for Griner's release, the most high-profile American jailed abroad, the U.S. failed to win freedom for another American, Paul Whelan. Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive, has been imprisoned in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government have said are baseless.
U.S. officials said they did not see an immediate path to bringing about Whelan’s release, saying Russia has treated his case differently because of the “sham espionage” charges against him. Still, they said they believe communication channels with the Russians remain open for negotiations about his freedom.
Putin said the U.S.-Russia talks that resulted in Thursday’s exchange didn’t touch on other subjects.
“Whether this could set stage for a dialogue with the U.S. is a separate issue,” he said. “We didn’t set the task to move from those talks to something else, but they do create a certain atmosphere.”
On a similar note, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was Russian and U.S. intelligence agencies that agreed to exchange Bout for Griner and their contacts were focused exclusively on hammering out its specifics.
“It has no impact on the overall state of bilateral ties that looks sad,” Peskov said in televised remarks.
Peskov said that “special services may continue their work if necessary,” and also noted the role of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in helping broker the swap.
Bout, dubbed the “Merchant of Death” who provided arms for some of the world’s worst conflicts and spent over 14 years behind bars in the U.S., was seen in Russia as unjustly imprisoned after an overly aggressive U.S. sting operation.
The Russian state media hailed his release, carrying the footage of him talking to his family from a private jet following a swap at Abu Dhabi’s airport and then embracing his wife and his mother on a snowy tarmac in Moscow.
Speaking in an interview for RT channel with Maria Butina, who also served 18 months in a U.S. prison after being convicted of acting as an unregistered foreign agent in the United States, Bout said he was still struggling to control his emotions after his imprisonment.
He charged that the West’s long-held objective was to destroy Russia.
“The West believes that it has failed to finish us off when the Soviet Union began to collapse,” Bout said. “And our efforts to live independently, be an independent power is a shock to them.” | 2022-12-09T15:37:58+00:00 | wcnc.com | https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/nation-world/putin-says-more-us-russia-prisoner-exchanges-possible/507-eef7b2f0-a3e6-480d-a900-e4d6c5256e08 |
(WAND) -- The Friday Frenzy rolled on this week even though the rain postponed several games around central Illinois.
In this edition, we find out where Jaida Taylor and Zack Hawkinson are continuing their basketball careers.
We hear from Millikin's Elyce Knudsen on what it means to her to win the 2023 Jostens Trophy.
We also find out who our WAND Athlete of the Week and Team of the Week are.
Check it all out on this edition of the Original Friday Frenzy.
Copyright 2023. WAND TV. All rights reserved. | 2023-03-25T04:41:43+00:00 | wandtv.com | https://www.wandtv.com/sports/friday-frenzy/3-24-friday-frenzy/article_87645a54-cabf-11ed-923d-5b45c343c7bf.html |
DALLAS, March 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Brazos Residential, LLC, a leading multifamily real estate private equity firm, has announced the appointment of Michele Flores as its Chief Operating Officer.
Michele brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the Brazos team, having spent three decades in the multifamily industry, serving various roles in property management, including her most recent position as President of S2 Residential.
During her career, Michele has led property operations for over 60,000 units cumulatively. Prior to joining Brazos Residential, she held property management positions with S2, US Residential Group, Encore/MC Residential, and Capstone, among others. Michele is known for her ability to build and manage highly successful teams, as well as her hands-on approach to departmental collaboration to ensure scalable processes that deliver impactful results to residents, investors, and associates.
"Michele's impressive track record of success in the multifamily industry and her deep understanding of the market make her an invaluable addition to our team," said James Roberts, Brazos Residential's Cofounder and Managing Partner. "Her extensive experience in evaluating and maximizing property performance, combined with her strong leadership skills, will be instrumental in driving our continued growth and success. We are thrilled that she has come onboard!"
Michele is a current candidate for the Certified Property Manager (CPM) designation through IREM and a Board Member for the Apartment Association of Tarrant County (AATC). She is also a former Leadership Lyceum graduate of AATC.
About Brazos Residential:
Founded in 2022, Brazos Residential owns, operates, and manages multifamily real estate assets for institutional and high-net-worth investors across the country. The firm holds over 2,700 multifamily units across the American sunbelt, predominately in Texas and North Carolina. Brazos employs a dynamic team of real estate, private equity, accounting, and capital market professionals and controls over $350 million in multifamily real estate investments.
For more information, please contact Taylor Leander, Director of Investor Relations, at Investors@BrazosResidential.com
Brazos Residential
(214) 432-8065
Investors@BrazosResidential.com
www.BrazosResidential.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Brazos Residential | 2023-03-30T00:50:19+00:00 | kmvt.com | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2023/03/29/brazos-residential-taps-michele-flores-30-year-industry-veteran-serve-chief-operating-officer/ |
BRYAN, Texas — A spokesperson for the City of Bryan has provided an update on the Single Member District 5 Runoff Election between Marca Ewers-Shurtleff and A.J. Renold.
Here are the Early Voting and Election Day Totals provided by the City of Bryan:
- Marca Ewers-Shurtleff - 497 votes (70.3%)
- A.J. Renold - 210 votes (29.7%)
Note: These results have not been officially certified by the City of Bryan.
Should Ewers-Shurtleff be declared the official winner of the runoff election, she will be sworn in at a special city council meeting on Monday, Dec. 19 at 5:30 p.m. | 2022-12-09T04:36:14+00:00 | kagstv.com | https://www.kagstv.com/article/news/politics/elections/bryan-city-council-single-member-district-5-runoff-election-results/499-b3294d38-68d1-47e8-8061-9a2a3916bcd1 |
Mortgage originations continue to decline in early 2022 compared to 2021 year-end
SEATTLE, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Milliman, Inc., a premier global consulting and actuarial firm, today announced the first quarter (Q1) 2022 results of the Milliman Mortgage Default Index (MMDI), which shows the latest monthly estimate of the lifetime default risk of U.S.-backed mortgages.
During Q1 2022, the default risk for government-sponsored enterprise (GSE) acquisitions (purchased and refinanced loans backed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae) increased from 1.90% at 2021 year-end to 2.39% as of March 31, 2022. This means that for loans originating in Q1, the expectation is that 2.39% will become delinquent (180 days or more) over their lifetimes.
"Rising interest rates typically translate to fewer refinance loans or higher-risk refinance loans, leading to increased overall borrower risk for the GSEs," says Jonathan Glowacki, a principal at Milliman and author of the MMDI. "Combined with inflation, we're anticipating a slowdown in home price growth, which is what's driving the uptick in mortgage default risk."
GSE mortgage originations continued to decline over Q1 2022 compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. Of these mortgages, refinance loans made up more than half of originations, at about 57%, which is generally consistent with the prior quarter.
The MMDI reflects a baseline forecast of future home prices. For more on the MMDI, go to www.milliman.com/mmdi/.
To access additional mortgage market thought leadership, go to https://www.milliman.com/en/products/milliman-m-pire.
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Milliman is among the world's largest providers of actuarial and related products and services. The firm has consulting practices in healthcare, property & casualty insurance, life insurance and financial services, and employee benefits. Founded in 1947, Milliman is an independent firm with offices in major cities around the globe. For further information, visit milliman.com.
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SOURCE Milliman, Inc. | 2022-08-02T19:42:45+00:00 | witn.com | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/02/milliman-analysis-expected-slowdown-home-price-growth-driving-uptick-mortgage-risk-q1-2022/ |
KYIV – Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands announced Tuesday that they plan to provide Ukraine with at least 100 refurbished Leopard 1 battle tanks, a pledge that comes as Kyiv anticipates a new Russian offensive around the anniversary of its invasion.
The announcement followed Germany agreeing last month to allow deliveries of the more modern German-made Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.
In a joint statement, the defense ministers of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands said the shipment of the older Leopard 1 tanks was part of an effort “to support Ukraine in their endeavor to withstand Russian aggression.”
”(It) will significantly enhance Ukraine’s military potential for the restoration of their violated territorial integrity,” they said, adding that the delivery would occur “within the coming months” and include logistical support and training.
Ukrainian officials say they expect Russian forces to make a new drive in eastern and southern Ukraine, as the Kremlin strives to secure territory it illegally annexed in late September and where it claims its rule is welcomed.
The anticipated Russian push may seek to recapture territory Moscow lost in a late summer counteroffensive. Battlefield setbacks in Ukraine have embarrassed the Kremlin, and Russian President Vladimir Putin is keen to cement public support for the war.
Some Western military analysts were skeptical, however, of Russia’s ability to mount a large new offensive in coming weeks, particularly in time for the Feb. 24 anniversary, that might alter the course of the war. Ukraine and Russia are both still training their new troops and amassing weapons.
News agency dpa quoted Germany's defense minister, Boris Pistorius, as saying during a visit to Kyiv on Tuesday that the first 20-25 Leopard 1 tanks would reach Ukraine this summer.
Pistorius’ office said German authorities have authorized the export of up to 178 Leopard 1 A5 tanks to Ukraine, but noted that the actual number sent would depend on the refurbishments required.
The three countries that made the pledge said Belgium has also shown interest in participating in the initiative.
The Leopard 1, manufactured between the mid-1960s and the mid-1980s, was the first battle tank built for West Germany’s Bundeswehr. The German military hasn’t had any of the tanks since 2003.
Germany last month agreed to send 14 newer Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its military’s current stocks. Several other European countries have equipped their armies with German-made Leopard 2s, and Germany’s move following weeks of mounting pressure meant that those nations could also give some of their stocks to Ukraine.
In some of the latest fighting of the war in Ukraine, local authorities reported Tuesday that Russian shelling damaged a hospital and apartment buildings.
The shelling in the northeastern town of Vovchansk caused multiple fires late Monday, including at the two-story municipal hospital, the regional State Emergency Service said in an online statement.
Emergency crews evacuated eight civilians from the site before putting out the blaze, which caused no casualties, authorities said.
Vovchansk is in the Kharkiv region, which was occupied by Russia after its full-scale invasion began on Feb. 24 and subsequently retaken by Ukraine in the course of its counteroffensive.
Russian forces are “regrouping” as they attempt to break Ukrainian lines in five areas in the country’s east and northeast, the Ukrainian military reported Tuesday.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Moscow was focusing its efforts near the towns of Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Novopavlivka in the eastern Donetsk province, as well as Kupiansk in Kharkiv province.
In the Donetsk region, Russian forces also kept up their shelling of Vuhledar, a mining town that has become one of Moscow’s key targets, the Ukrainian presidential office said. Five apartment buildings were destroyed in the town, the office said, which had a prewar population of 14,000.
Donetsk province has seen a marked influx of Russian troops in the past few days, according to Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko.
“The transfer of Russian army units goes on day and night. (Russian) shelling intensifies, pressure from the Russians intensifies each day,” Kyrylenko said on Ukrainian television.
Russia is also preparing for a major offensive in Luhansk province, which is directly north of Donetsk, Gov. Serhii Haidai said in televised remarks.
The number of Russian attacks in the province increased “dramatically” on Monday and overnight, he said.
“The occupiers are looking for weak points and have brought a lot of equipment and thousands of troops to the front line,” Haidai said.
About 60,000 households in Marhanets were left without water after Russian shelling near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant cut the power supply to a local pumping station, authorities reported.
Mykola Lukashuk, who heads the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, accused Russian forces of firing on towns and villages neighboring the plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, with heavy artillery and multiple rocket-launchers overnight.
The U.K. Ministry of Defense said in an assessment Tuesday that Russia is “requiring undermanned, inexperienced units to achieve unrealistic objectives due to political and professional pressure.”
“Russian leaders will likely continue to demand sweeping advances,” it added. “It remains unlikely that Russia can build up the forces needed to substantially affect the outcome of the war within the coming weeks.”
Michael Kofman, an American military analyst and director of Russia Studies at the CAN research organization in Arlington, Virginia, tweeted on Monday it was unclear how big an offensive Russia is able to mount.
He added, “but I suspect it may prove underwhelming, focused largely on the Donbas.”
Michael Clarke, visiting professor of war studies at King’s College London, said he would be “amazed, I mean, truly amazed, if (the Russians) are in any shape to launch a strategic offensive on the 24th.”
He acknowledged Moscow has been scaling up its troop deployment in Ukraine and said Russia could also launch local offensives or major air attacks. But he recalled that Russian commanders are still smarting from their failed attempt early in the war to take Kyiv and topple the Ukrainian government.
He said that “military planners in Russia will be aware that when they start this new offensive, they’ve got to get it right.
“After the fiasco of the first (offensive), it would be better to leave it and go late than go early and make a mess of it again,” Clarke told The Associated Press.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian parliament on Tuesday appointed national police chief Ihor Klymenko as the country’s new interior minister. Klymenko had served as acting interior minister since the Jan. 18 death of his predecessor, Denys Monastyrskyi, in a helicopter crash on the outskirts of Kyiv..
The Ministry of Internal Affairs controls the police and border forces, National Guard, and emergency response service.
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, also appointed Vasyl Malyuk to lead Ukraine’s main security agency.
___
Jordans reported from Berlin. Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | 2023-02-07T18:12:30+00:00 | ksat.com | https://www.ksat.com/business/2023/02/07/russian-shells-spark-hospital-fire-ahead-of-expected-assault/ |
Lawsuit Alleges Wells Fargo Misusing Arbitration to Avoid Responsibility
ONTARIO, Calif., Dec. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- McCune Law Group, McCune Wright Arevalo Vercoski Kusel Weck Brandt APC (MLG) – a national law firm specializing in Financial Services and Class Actions – has filed a lawsuit on behalf of four individuals who have been allegedly prevented from engaging in the type of expedited arbitration promised by Wells Fargo in their contracts. The complaint alleges that Wells Fargo avoids legal liability by forcing consumers into arbitration, but then allegedly obstructs the process so profoundly that consumers cannot get the resolution they were promised.
This case has significant implications. There has been national attention to the disputes between consumers and banks about the use of contractual arbitration and class action bans to allegedly deny consumer class action cases and effective remedies for consumers. "This case sheds light on how the actual workings of Wells Fargo arbitrations (as opposed to theoretical workings of an arbitration) operate to deny customers remedy for wrongdoing," remarks MLG Partner Richard D. McCune, "It is not the arbitration clause at issue here. It is Wells Fargo's hidden defense of arbitrations that makes arbitration unfair to consumers."
If successful, this case could establish an obligation on Wells Fargo to arbitrate their cases in a way consistent with how they portray arbitration in their contract. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has not weighed in on the case or the alleged tactics of Wells Fargo in arbitration, but, as the federal regulatory entity in charge of protecting consumers from unfair practices of banks, it may have some interest in the case. The Biden administration and the CFPB have recently made clear that the CFPB is looking closely at banks practices relating to alleged surprise overdraft fees.
Each of the four plaintiffs involved in the lawsuit have been allegedly stymied for almost a year, with no end to the stalemate in sight. When these individuals opened their accounts, Wells Fargo claimed that "arbitration is beneficial because it provides a legally binding decision in a more streamlined, cost-effective manner than a typical court case." But in practice, the complaint alleges, Wells Fargo blocks access to an efficient or cost-effective dispute resolution.
These individuals are just four of thousands of claims that are allegedly unable to even get an arbitration hearing, much less a decision on their claims. "It is bad enough that Wells Fargo has engaged in unfair overdraft practices, but now Wells Fargo has first forced customers to arbitrate as individual cases, and then obstructed the arbitration process. It is clear by how Wells Fargo is defending these arbitrations that it not about the promised streamlined and cost-effective resolution of claims, it is about using the arbitration process to attempt to deny any remedy for consumers," says McCune.
About McCune Law Group, McCune Wright Arevalo Vercoski Kusel Weck Brandt APC: McCune Law Group has a deep history of success for its clients against banking institutions, including a $203 million verdict against Wells Fargo Bank and a $70 million settlement against TD Bank MLG maintains California offices in Ontario, San Bernardino, Carson, Palm Desert, and Irvine and supports its national practice with offices in Illinois and New Jersey. Visit mccunewright.com for more information.
Media contact: dct@mccunewright.com
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SOURCE McCune Law Group, McCune Wright Arevalo Vercoski Kusel Weck Brandt, APC | 2022-12-15T17:53:45+00:00 | wcjb.com | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/12/15/national-financial-litigation-firm-bringing-lawsuit-against-wells-fargo/ |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A Tennessee judge on Friday promised to rule quickly on a request for public access to records that detail the treatment of a death row prisoner who cut off his penis while on suicide watch in October.
In a lawsuit filed in Chancery Court in Nashville, inmate Henry Hodges accused the state of providing inadequate medical and mental health care.
The inmate, who was sentenced to die for the 1990 killing of a telephone repairman, also accused the state of cruel and unusual punishment for his treatment upon his return to the prison from the hospital. That included keeping him naked and tied down with restraints on a thin vinyl mattress over a concrete slab in a room where the lights were always on and there was no TV or radio.
Hodges was taken to Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where surgeons reattached his penis. After a few weeks in the hospital, he was returned to the prison. Hodges ended up having to return to the hospital to have his penis surgically removed after necrosis set in, according to court filings.
The state has asked for a court order that would protect broad categories of documents from public disclosure, including all video recordings of Hodges’ treatment while inside the prison. The Associated Press and the Nashville Banner are asking for those records to be open.
In court on Friday, Assistant Attorney General Dean Atyia argued that state law exempts certain categories of documents from public disclosure. Those include investigative reports, surveillance video, and other document directly related to the security of the prison.
The state has filed an affidavit by Ernest Lewis, the associate warden of security at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution, stating that public disclosure of the prison records “could pose a severe security risk to both inmates and staff.”
“We have to protect the public,” Atyia said. “We have to keep prison transportation safe, keep prison officials safe, keep contraband out of the prisons.”
Nashville Banner attorney Daniel Horwitz argued that the state’s assertions of a vague security risk and the single-page affidavit from Lewis are not nearly sufficient to justify keeping the records secret. Officials have to demonstrate specific harm that would come from release of specific documents, rather than broad, conclusory allegations.
“The state has concerns about prisoner transportation?” he said. “Great. Let us know where that is” in the videos.
Hodges’ attorney, Kelley Henry, spoke in favor of disclosure, saying that videos of the prison interior are already public on the Tennessee Department of Correction’s own YouTube channel.
“By putting it on the internet, that shows it doesn’t compromise safety and security,” she stated.
In addition, the videos refute the state’s version of events about Hodges’ actions and his treatment by prison officials, she said.
In addition, there is an exception to the statute that protects video and other records deemed to implicate security. They can be released in several cases, including where they show possible criminal activity, said Paul McAdoo, an attorney with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, who is representing The AP.
Henry, who has seen the videos in question, suggested in court that Hodges’ treatment by prison officials could be considered criminal, although she did not go into detail.
No official has been charged with a crime.
Prison security is important, McAdoo argued, but it is up to the judge to review the records the state wants to keep private and determine whether security is likely to be compromised by them.
Hodges has said he wants all the records open to the public, including his medical records. Atyia said they would not oppose the release of the medical records.
A Nashville jury convicted Hodges of murder in 1992 and sentenced him to death for the killing of the repairman, Ronald Bassett. Hodges also was sentenced to 40 years in prison for robbing Bassett. | 2022-12-17T19:47:15+00:00 | nwahomepage.com | https://www.nwahomepage.com/news/national/ap-records-access-sought-in-case-of-inmate-who-severed-penis/ |
Judge questions FBI’s role in post-9/11 sting and orders 3 of ‘Newburgh Four’ freed from prison
NEW YORK (AP) — Three men ensnarled in an infamous post-9/11 terrorism sting have been ordered freed from prison by a judge who deemed their lengthy sentences “unduly harsh and unjust” and decried the FBI’s role in radicalizing them in a plot to blow up New York synagogues and shoot down National Guard planes.
Onta Williams, David Williams and Laguerre Payen — three of what’s known as the “Newburgh Four” — were “hapless, easily manipulated and penurious petty criminals” caught up in a scheme more than a decade ago driven by overzealous FBI agents and a dodgy informant, U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon said in her ruling Thursday.
“The real lead conspirator was the United States,” McMahon wrote in a 28-page decision granting the men’s request for compassionate release, effective in three months.
The U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment on the decision.
The judge, citing concerns for the men’s health and her own qualms about the case, cut the 25-year mandatory minimum sentences she imposed on the men in 2011 to time served plus 90 days. A fourth man, James Cromitie, has not sought early release and is expected to complete his prison sentence in 2030.
“The 14-plus years that the moving defendants have already served for starring in the Government’s made for TV movie of May 20, 2008, is at the upper end of what the court would have imposed if it had been free to fashion a sentence that accurately reflected the nature and circumstance of the offense and the history and characteristics of the impoverished and susceptible criminals who committed it,” McMahon wrote.
Delaying the men’s release until the end of October will give probation officials time to prepare and a lawyer for Payen — who has a severe mental illness — a chance to line up supportive housing for him, the judge said.
Payen, Cromitie and the Williamses were arrested in 2009, during a period of heightened public and law enforcement concern about the threat of terror strikes hatched within the U.S. by supporters of foreign extremists.
Officials portrayed Cromitie as the ringleader of a “chilling plot” among “extremely violent men” loyal to a Pakistani terrorist group. A court complaint described him as a man seething with anti-American and antisemitic sentiment and eager to translate those feelings into bloody action.
Prosecutors said the defendants had spent months scouting targets and securing what they thought were explosives and a surface-to-air missile, aiming to shoot down planes at the Air National Guard base in Newburgh, New York, and blow up synagogues in Riverdale, a heavily Jewish part of the Bronx. They were arrested there after allegedly planting bombs that were, in fact, packed with inert explosives supplied by the FBI.
From the start, relatives said the four were men who were down on their luck after doing prison time. Payen’s lawyer said he has intellectual disabilities and schizophrenia.
The men’s lawyers soon raised questions about entrapment — a legal defense that argues that people were enticed into illegal conduct they wouldn’t have otherwise committed.
Calling the case “a government-inspired creation from day one,” the defense lawyers said an oft-used federal informant, Shaheed Hussain, tried to stir up the men with rhetoric and went on to choose the targets, offer to pay lots of money, buy the defendants groceries, provide the fake bombs and missile, and act as chauffeur. The defense portrayed Hussain as a self-serving manipulator who was trying to please the government after his own, unrelated fraud conviction.
Jurors deliberated for eight days before convicting the men in 2010. Three years later, they lost an appeal.
Hussain also worked with the FBI on another sting targeting an Albany pizza shop owner and an imam, who said they were tricked in a case involving a business loan using money from a fictitious missile sale. Both were convicted of money laundering and conspiring to aid a terrorist group.
A few years later, Hussain came under renewed scrutiny when a stretch limo crashed in rural Schoharie, New York, killing 20 people. Hussain owned the limo company.
After it emerged that the limo had failed a safety inspection a month before the crash and that the slain driver didn’t have a commercial license, Hussain’s son, Nauman — the company’s operator — was charged with criminally negligent homicide and manslaughter. His lawyer blamed a repair shop for the vehicle’s problems and said his client was being treated like a scapegoat.
Nauman Hussain was convicted this May and is serving five to 15 years in prison.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-07-27T23:27:08+00:00 | wlbt.com | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/27/judge-questions-fbis-role-post-911-sting-orders-3-newburgh-four-freed-prison/ |
Chief Justice Roberts says Supreme Court can do more on ethics but offers no specifics
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chief Justice John Roberts said there is more the Supreme Court can do to “adhere to the highest standards” of ethical conduct, an acknowledgment that recent reporting about the justices’ ethical missteps is having an effect on public perception of the court.
Speaking at a law dinner Tuesday where he was honored with an award, Roberts provided no specifics but said the justices “are continuing to look at the things we can do to give practical effect to that commitment.”
He said he is “confident there are ways to do that consistent with our status as an independent branch of government and the Constitution’s separation of powers.”
The court has resisted adopting an ethics code of its own, and Roberts has raised questions about whether Congress could impose a code of conduct on the court.
All nine justices recently signed a statement of ethics that Roberts provided to the Senate Judiciary Committee. His remarks Tuesday suggested he knows that statement is not enough to quiet critics.
The chief justice’s remarks follow a series of stories, mainly by the investigative news site ProPublica, that have detailed lavish trips and other gifts provided to Justice Clarence Thomas by Republican megadonor Harlan Crow.
Democrats have used the revelations to call for stronger ethics rules for the Supreme Court, and the Democratic-controlled Senate has held two hearings on ethics issues in recent weeks. Republicans have defended Thomas.
Roberts, who has led the court since 2005, also said the hardest decision he has made as chief justice was to keep protesters away from the court last year, in the wake of the leak of the draft opinion overturning Roe v. Wade.
“The hardest decision in 18 years I had to make was whether to erect fences and barricades around the Supreme Court. I had no choice but to go ahead and do it,” he said at the American Law Institute dinner in Washington.
The fencing was removed before the court’s new term began in October.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-05-24T14:01:57+00:00 | kalb.com | https://www.kalb.com/2023/05/24/chief-justice-roberts-says-supreme-court-can-do-more-ethics-offers-no-specifics/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll finds a growing percentage of Americans calling out abortion or women’s rights as priorities for the government in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, especially among Democrats and those who support abortion access.
With midterm elections looming, President Joe Biden and Democrats will seek to capitalize on that shift.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in remarks immediately after the decision that “reproductive freedom is on the ballot in November.” But with pervasive pessimism and a myriad of crises facing the nation, it’s not clear whether the ruling will break through to motivate those voters — or just disappoint them.
“It does feel like a major setback,” said 26-year-old Lauren Nelson of San Diego, who has been worrying about the environment her young niece will grow up in. She doesn’t think the midterms will change the course that states are on. “You can’t help but feel kind of helpless, as though there’s not much that can be done.”
Twenty-two percent of U.S. adults name abortion or women’s rights in an open-ended question as one of up to five problems they want the government to work on, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. That’s more than doubled since December, when an AP-NORC poll found a notable uptick in mentions of abortion from years before, likely in anticipation of the Dobbs ruling on abortion.
The new poll, which included interviews conducted before and after the Supreme Court’s ruling, finds prioritization of the issues grew sharply following the decision.
The Dobbs ruling kicks decision-making on abortion back to states, and in the last week, Republican governors and legislatures have moved to introduce or advance legislation that bans or curtails abortions.
Polling conducted before the decision showed it was unpopular with a majority of Americans, who wanted to see the court leave Roe as is. A majority of Americans support abortion access in general, though many say there should be restrictions. About a third say abortion should be legal in all cases, roughly another third legal in most cases, about a quarter illegal in most cases. About 1 in 10 say it should be illegal in all cases.
Mentions of abortion specifically are not limited to Americans who support abortion rights; instead, the poll shows abortion is named as a priority by roughly a quarter of adults with hardline opinions on both sides of the issue — those who think abortion should be legal in all cases and those who think abortion should be illegal in all cases.
Earnestine Smith, a 68-year-old resident of Waukegan, Illinois, said the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe represents progress. The issue is one of her highest priorities right now.
“We want abortion abolished and done away with,” she said. “We got to stand up and say no.”
Still, it’s significant that those with the most liberal views on abortion and those with the most conservative views are about equally likely to prioritize the issue; historically, research has shown opponents of abortion have been more likely to consider the issue important to them than those supporting abortion access.
And the new poll finds mentions of women’s rights are almost exclusively by those who think abortion should be legal.
According to the poll, the percentage of women prioritizing abortion or women’s rights was already higher in interviews conducted before the ruling than six months ago, 21% vs. 9% in December; it swelled to 37% in the days after. Mentions grew sharply among men, too, but the growth was concentrated in the wake of the ruling, from 6% in interviews conducted before to 21% after.
Lyle Gist said he wouldn’t have thought of abortion as a top priority a few years ago. The court decision to overturn Roe, though unsurprising, makes it a major issue.
“I think the ramifications of this are substantial,” said 36-year-old Gist of Los Angeles. Gist thinks that there will be ripple effects, including a “mass exodus” of people moving out of states with abortion bans.
In a small town in Louisiana in 1968, when abortion was illegal, Anne Jones carried a pregnancy to term and gave her daughter up for adoption. Jones, now 74 in Plano, Texas, worries about what the Republican Party might go after next — like birth control — and thinks it’s hypocritical that lawmakers like Texas Gov. Greg Abbott want to “hold the woman accountable for the child that she may not be able to afford to keep” even as they limit health and social services for women and children.
“Politics in Texas has taken a wrong turn,” she said. She wants to see abortion access made national law but remains skeptical that Biden and Democrats can do so.
The poll shows these issues have been increasingly important to Democrats, growing from just 3% in 2020 to 13% in 2021 and now 33%. In interviews before the ruling, 18% of Democrats mentioned abortion or women’s rights; that was 42% after.
Among Republicans, 11% identify abortion or women’s rights as a priority in the new poll, a modest increase from 5% who said that in December.
Steven Lefemine, who protests outside the Planned Parenthood in Columbia, South Carolina, called Roe’s reversal a “major benchmark” but said lawmakers needed to do much more, including pursuing a constitutional amendment to protect unborn children.
“I’d like to see legislation that lives up to God’s word,” he said.
Biden and Democrats have vowed to fight for abortion access, but they’ve struggled with how to act given crippling opposition from Republicans in a sharply divided Senate. Biden said to reporters on Thursday that he would support an exception to the filibuster rule to codify Roe into law.
Roderick Hinton, who voted for Biden, wants to see the president move on court reform, saying the court’s decisions “are not matching today’s time.” He was angry after the court overturned Roe — that the older generation is “putting the screws” to younger Americans, including his two daughters.
Biden commissioned a review of the Supreme Court after promising to do so on the campaign trail, a response to rhetoric within the Democratic Party about expanding the court following former President Donald Trump’s three conservative appointments. The report released last year exercised caution about proposals to expand the court or set term limits.
“Their lifetime position is really crazy,” Hinton said. “As neutral as the courts were, it’s now becoming political. Their personal beliefs are being put in place.”
___
Associated Press/Report for America reporter Claire Savage in Chicago and AP writer Matt Sedensky in New York contributed to this report.
___
The poll of 1,053 adults was conducted June 23-27 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 4 percentage points. | 2022-07-01T20:05:29+00:00 | cbs4indy.com | https://cbs4indy.com/news/ap-top-headlines/abortion-womens-rights-grow-as-priorities-ap-norc-poll/ |
CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Bengals’ voluntary offseason workouts are about more than just getting in shape.
Head coach Zac Taylor has emphasized the importance of lightening the physical workload of offseason workouts. The challenge for Taylor is walking the fine line between getting his guys ready for the grueling training camp grind that looms in July while keeping their bodies fresh and injury-free.
Taylor said in his press conference on Tuesday that he wants his players to feel like they’re in “peak physical condition” when they wrap up mandatory minicamp on Jun. 15. In order to get to that point though, Taylor said that the team culture has to be instilled in the locker room, especially with new faces in the locker room.
“So, it’s just good to see the camaraderie and those guys start to come together. And that’s what I think is so important in the offseason. Developing that chemistry and integrating new players, rookies and free agents. And then there’s tweaks that we make on both sides of the ball, really all three phases,” Taylor said on Tuesday.
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The word “culture” is a cliché term tossed around different teams and locker rooms with different meanings. Cincinnati has used this offseason to prove that the Bengals’ locker room does have a niche culture though. One example that epitomizes the ‘camaraderie’ that Taylor referenced is defensive tackle B.J. Hill’s latest look.
Hill shaved his head bald after he took to Twitter back in March saying he would do so if the team re-signed his teammate and close friend, linebacker Germaine Pratt. Pratt re-signed with the team on a three-year extension days later and Hill later kept his word like a true friend.
Now Hill anxiously awaits for his hair to grow back. But his haircut is a perfect example of keeping locker room bonds fresh and renewing them to ensure they don’t miss a beat from last season.
“I would do it all over again if I had to. It’s definitely worth it. There’s team building to it as well. People make jokes here and there, but my hair is growing back so I’m cool with it,” Hill told cleveland.com on Tuesday.
If Hill is still worried about his appearance, his head coach validated the veteran defensive tackle’s new look.
“I think it looks great. I’ll just leave it at that,” Taylor laughed.
While Hill’s hair has gotten shorter, quarterback Joe Burrow’s hair has grown even longer. Burrow has been sporting his newest viral look by wearing a headband during the team’s offseason workouts. “Headband Joe,” a name tossed around on social media, is the newest nickname that’s been added to Burrow’s lengthy list of nicknames.
Maybe the headband hasn’t had a magical effect on building relationships with his new weapons, like rookies Chase Brown and Charlie Jones, or veteran tight end Irv Smith Jr, but Burrow’s confidence and aura is rubbing off on them. Burrow has said himself he likes what he’s seen from his new guys and they’ve reciprocated the same mutual respect.
The Bengals have gradually boasted near-perfect attendance since the start of offseason workouts back in April. With exception to injured stars like Chidobe Awuzie and La’el Collins, both of whom are nursing their own respective ACL injuries, and disgruntled offensive tackle Jonah Williams, just about everyone else has shown up at some point to train, practice and, more importantly, keep the Super Bowl standard fresh.
“I think it’s critical. I think guys got to get along. Guys got to know how to push each other. Guys got to help each other. You don’t have to love each other necessarily, you got a lot people in the locker room, I know how that goes, but you got to respect the work that everyone’s putting in and I think that our guys do that,” Taylor said.
Taylor said he expects players to do their own independent film and playbook study during the offseason. New safety Nick Scott has already taken the initiative to learn defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo’s complex schemes, which are vastly different from Scott’s old system with Raheem Morris in Los Angeles.
Scott has big shoes to fill with the departure of Vonn Bell in free agency, which is why Scott want’s make sure he’s constantly one step ahead with his new teammates in Dax Hill and Jordan Battle.
“I’m just real impressed with this defense, especially his (Anarumo) attention to detail and we learn the defense, study the defense and get better and make corrections. It’s only going to bode well as we go into the season because you have to make corrections week-to-week,” Scott told cleveland.com.
Left guard Cordell Volson, now entering his second season, has also taken his own initiative but has also leaned in on the support of offensive line coach Frank Pollack. Volson and Pollack have put in additional work this offseason as Volson looks to make a bigger leap in 2023.
“We have extra meetings together. I’ll text him and be like ‘Hey, can we come up and watch a couple of things?’ And it’s great. He’s always willing to help his guys out and he truly wants them to succeed,” Volson said.
The Bengals wrap up their moderate offseason workouts with organized team activities that kick off next week on Jun. 5, followed by their mandatory minicamp. When everything is said and done before training camp, Taylor said the Bengals will be hungrier than ever in pursuit of an elusive Super Bowl championship.
“They understand when you come to play for the Cincinnati Bengals, you’re playing to win a division title and you’re playing to go win a championship. That’s what everybody in this locker room understands and the new guys, we make sure that they understand that in our team meetings. Guys have really bought into that and are unselfishly pursuing all those goals,” Taylor said.
Mohammad Ahmad covers the Bengals for cleveland.com. You can follow him on Twitter @MohammadAhmadTV and read all his coverage at StrictlyStripes.com.
If you or a loved one has questions and needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or the National Council on Program Gambling Helpline (NCPG) at 1-800-522-4700 or visit 1800gambler.net for more information. 21+ and present in Ohio. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
Ad not displaying properly? Become a Cincinnati Football Insider by clicking here. | 2023-05-31T14:42:10+00:00 | cleveland.com | https://www.cleveland.com/bengals/2023/05/how-zac-taylor-reinforces-the-bengals-super-bowl-expectations-with-offseason-camaraderie.html |
- Supports continued expansion in DC Fast Charging Market
- Complements existing BorgWarner European and North American charging footprint by adding China presence
- Leverages BorgWarner's global capabilities across quality, engineering, supply chain, manufacturing, and sales
- Closing expected in first quarter 2023
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Sept. 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- BorgWarner Inc. (NYSE: BWA) and Hubei Surpass Sun Electric (SSE) today announced that they have entered into an Equity Transfer Agreement under which BorgWarner has agreed to acquire the Electric Vehicle Solution, Smart Grid and Smart Energy businesses of SSE. The transaction has an enterprise value of up to RMB 410 million, of which approximately RMB 267 million would be delivered at or soon after closing. Up to RMB 143 million could be paid in the form of contingent payments over approximately two years following the closing.
Headquartered in Xiangyang, Hubei province, China, SSE's electrification business supplies patented electric vehicle charging solutions to customers in China and more than 70 other countries. SSE has delivered over 50,000 charging points and has led the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of more than 250 charging station sites. SSE's charging and electrification capabilities in China are expected to complement BorgWarner's existing capabilities in Europe and North America. SSE's 2022 revenues for the electrification business are expected to be approximately RMB 180 million.
The transaction is subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions and SSE shareholder approval. The closing is expected in first quarter 2023.
"This transaction makes good business sense as we continue to bolster our fast-charging capabilities globally," said Frédéric Lissalde, President and CEO of BorgWarner. "SSE will bring enhanced offerings while supporting Charging Forward, our strategy to accelerate our growth in electrification. We look forward to welcoming their talented team to BorgWarner."
For more than 130 years, BorgWarner has been a transformative global product leader bringing successful mobility innovation to market. Today, we're accelerating the world's transition to eMobility — to help build a cleaner, healthier, safer future for all.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements as contemplated by the 1995 Private Securities Litigation Reform Act that are based on management's current outlook, expectations, estimates and projections. Words such as "anticipates," "believes," "continues," "could," "designed," "effect," "estimates," "evaluates," "expects," "forecasts," "goal," "guidance," "initiative," "intends," "may," "outlook," "plans," "potential," "predicts," "project," "pursue," "seek," "should," "target," "when," "will," "would," and variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Further, all statements, other than statements of historical fact contained or incorporated by reference in this press release that we expect or anticipate will or may occur in the future regarding our financial position, business strategy and measures to implement that strategy, including changes to operations, competitive strengths, goals, expansion and growth of our business and operations, plans, references to future success and other such matters, are forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by us in light of our experience and our perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors we believe are appropriate under the circumstances. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and the Company's actual results may differ materially from those expressed, projected or implied in or by the forward-looking statements.
You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond our control, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed, projected or implied in or by the forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties, among others, include: supply disruptions impacting us or our customers, such as the current shortage of semiconductor chips that has impacted original equipment manufacturer ("OEM") customers and their suppliers, including us; commodities availability and pricing; competitive challenges from existing and new competitors including OEM customers; the challenges associated with rapidly-changing technologies, particularly as relates to electric vehicles, and our ability to innovate in response; uncertainties regarding the extent and duration of impacts of matters associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, including additional production disruptions; the difficulty in forecasting demand for electric vehicles and our electric vehicles revenue growth; potential disruptions in the global economy caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine; failure to realize the expected benefits of this or other acquisitions on a timely basis; the failure to promptly and effectively integrate this or other acquired businesses; the ability to identify targets and consummate acquisitions on acceptable terms; the potential for unknown or inestimable liabilities relating to the acquired businesses; the uncertainty of the global economic environment and potential for recessionary conditions in regional economies; and the other risks noted in reports that we file with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in our most recently-filed Form 10-K and/or Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q. We do not undertake any obligation to update or announce publicly any updates to or revisions to any of the forward-looking statements in this press release to reflect any change in our expectations or any change in events, conditions, circumstances, or assumptions underlying the statements.
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SOURCE BorgWarner | 2022-09-20T11:45:09+00:00 | live5news.com | https://www.live5news.com/prnewswire/2022/09/20/borgwarner-acquire-charging-business-hubei-surpass-sun-electric-sse/ |
Appalling recognition
I have been watching with our shared sadness the media coverage of the two most recent mass shootings, Buffalo and Uvalde. I cringe every time I see the media show a picture and give the name of the shooter. I find it appalling that they give any recognition to these cowards. Don’t they think that the next deranged shooter is noticing the “fame” given to these heinous, deranged murderers?
I was just watching NBC’s "Meet the Press." They put a full screen shot of the face of the Uvalde shooter for their national audience to see for a full 10 seconds and gave his name! What is the value of 10 seconds on national television worth? Why give these monsters any notoriety? Obviously anyone who would perpetrate such a senseless killing of innocent lives is at the very bottom of society with very little chance to make anything of their lives. Why give them what they crave? Recognition.
Thank you, Traverse City Record-Eagle for not showing these or any future shooters’ faces in your newspaper. I wish the television networks would recognize this and stop showing any pictures of these monsters.
Joe Buechel
Beulah | 2022-06-15T20:10:18+00:00 | record-eagle.com | https://www.record-eagle.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/letter-buechel/article_d013ac2c-e826-11ec-966f-dfa95277c909.html |
When a colleague pulled out his iPhone in the Chicago Cubs clubhouse Thursday afternoon to show a factoid he received from the team’s historian, my head began to spin.
After the four-game sweep by the San Diego Padres, the Cubs had been outscored by 20 or more runs in back-to-back series for only the second time in franchise history. The other time it happened was in September 1879, when the Providence Grays outscored the Cubs by 20 runs (29-9) and the Boston Braves by 23 (31-8).
Of all the bad teams in Cubs history, we finally have a matching set, separated by only 143 years.
I wondered how the 1879 Cubs handled their beatings. Did they have stand-up players such as closer David Robertson or catcher Willson Contreras who stepped up Thursday and faced media members after the embarrassing losing streak had reached 10 games? Was the manager on the hot seat afterward? Did Cubs fans of 1879 ignore the drubbings on the field and focus on building the longest beer-cup snake known to modern man at Lake Front Park?
Thanks to modern technology — a subscription to the Chicago Tribune — I was able to find some answers.
The Tribune, which turned 175 on June 10, did not employ a baseball beat writer back in 1879, when the Cubs were known as the White Stockings, Rutherford B. Hayes was president and the telephone had just been invented three years earlier.
The 1879 team was managed by Cap Anson, a first baseman who led the White Stockings to the National League pennant in 1876, the first year of the new league. Anson later was called “baseball’s first superstar” by the Society for American Baseball Research, which wrote: “So good was Anson’s bat control that he struck out only once during the 1878 season and twice in 1879.” Cubs slugger Patrick Wisdom, who can strike out three times in one afternoon, is no Cap Anson.
There was no account of the 17-8 loss in Boston on Sept. 10, 1879, the first time in Cubs history the team had lost consecutive series by 20 or more runs. The big sporting news in the Tribune’s Sept. 11 edition was that Syracuse, one of the eight NL clubs, had disbanded, canceling the three games scheduled against the White Stockings that weekend in New York.
As it turned out, Anson’s 1879 team had more dissension than manager David Ross’s 2022 version, which has been controversy-free so far. Under the news of Syracuse folding was an item on the release of right fielder George Shaffer, who apparently was a talkative fellow nicknamed “Orator.”
“A good many people in Chicago during the present season have objected to George Shaffer … on the ground that he was too much of a ‘chinner,’ ” the paper reported. “The Tribune has on several occasions alluded to the peculiarity of this young man, but out of consideration for him did not state, as it might have done, in addition to being noisy and troublesome on the field, Shaffer was the far worst kind of disorganizer. Even going so far not so long ago to charge another member of the nine to selling games, thus starting a rumor, that spread all over the country, that there was crookedness in the White Stockings camp.”
This was before baseball rumors spread on Twitter or TikTok, because, you know, the phone had just been invented. That meant Orator Shaffer’s rumor the White Stockings had been selling (throwing) games was spread by a combination of word of mouth, the telegraph and newspapers.
Anyways, Shaffer — whose baseball encyclopedia listing is spelled “Shafer” — had been in a “rough and tumble fight” outside a Boston hotel with teammate Ed Williamson, according to the Tribune. Shaffer was “badly worsted and somewhat used up by the encounter,” the report said, and demanded his immediate release.
This was the kind of dust-up White Sox general manager Rick Hahn would refer to as a “nothing burger,” but the Tribune reported the White Stockings refused to release Shaffer until it could telegraph the team president in Chicago. White Stockings President William Hulbert eventually sent a telegraph back to Boston stating it was imperative to release Shaffer, who no longer would orate in Chicago.
The Tribune item ended with the unnamed author taking one last shot at Shaffer, concluding Hulbert’s actions would be endorsed “by the Chicago public to a man.” Even 143 years ago, Tribune sports writers were trying to dump unpopular players. Imagine that.
That was the end of the saga, and the Tribune virtually ignored the White Stockings the next couple of weeks. But the paper provided a brief summary of the team’s up-and-down season in a Sept. 28 article headlined: “Providence Wins the Pennant.” The story mentions the White Stockings’ 14-1 start in May and the slew of injuries that followed: “The Chicago boom continued with great force until the 1st of July, and then began the chapter of accidents and misfortunes that landed the team in third place.”
The Trib report was particularly harsh on White Stockings pitcher Terry Larkin, one of the team’s two starters, who went 31-23 with a 2.44 ERA in 58 starts with 57 complete games:
“For the loss of power Larkin himself was alone to blame. He is simply an addition to the long list of ball-players who have ruined themselves by dissipation. They deserve no pity and seldom receive any.”
The story included the long list of injuries that doomed the 1879 White Stockings, who went 4-12 in September to finish fourth with a 46-33 record.
If you believe the adage “what goes around comes around,” there could be hope for Ross’ 2022 Cubs. Despite enduring back-to-back series beatings that no team in franchise history would match until now, the 1879 White Stockings would go on to capture three straight NL pennants from 1880-82, a couple of decades before the first World Series.
And just like in 1879, you can read about it here.
() | 2022-06-19T16:05:35+00:00 | denverpost.com | https://www.denverpost.com/2022/06/19/column-2022-chicago-cubs-share-dubious-history-with-the-1879-team-but-there-could-be-a-sign-of-hope/ |
CLEVELAND (AP) _ The winning numbers in Saturday afternoon's drawing of the Ohio Lottery's "Pick 4 Midday" game were:
3-5-8-8
(three, five, eight, eight)
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Video of Miami University students going crazy for World Cup U.S. win... | 2022-12-03T19:10:16+00:00 | daytondailynews.com | https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/ohio/winning-numbers-drawn-in-pick-4-midday-game/ND4GWHL2HFFYPL2Q4K7LCZCRAM/ |
This evening in Bloomington: Partly cloudy. Low 68F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph. The forecast is showing a hot day in Bloomington Friday. It looks like it will be a balmy 82 degrees. 64 degrees is tomorrow's low. Models are suggesting a 22% chance of precipitation in Friday's outlook. High UV indexes are expected. Be careful outside, especially during late morning through mid-afternoon. If your shadow is shorter than you, seek shade and wear protective clothing and generously apply sunscreen on exposed skin. The Bloomington area should see a light breeze, with forecast models showing only 11 mph wind conditions coming up from the west. This report is created automatically with weather data provided by TownNews.com. Keep an eye on pantagraph.com for forecast information and severe weather updates.
Jun. 30, 2022 evening weather update for Central Illinois
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Just isolated showers and weak storms during the day today, but as a cold front moves in this evening, rain looks likely. A few severe storms are possible. Full details in our updated forecast.
No chance of rain Friday or Friday night, but as a cold front approaches and works over us, there is a chance of showers and storms for the rest of the weekend. Find out when rain is most likely here.
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From 1920 to 2021, here's what summer weather was like, based on data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Today's temperature in Bloomington will be warm. It looks like it will be a comfortable 78 degrees. Today's forecasted low temperature is 56 d…
Hot temperatures are predicted today. Temperatures are projected to be a quite sizzling high of 91. Today has the makings of a perfect day to …
Bloomington folks will see warm temperatures today. The forecast calls for it to be a pleasant 78 degrees. 55 degrees is today's low. Expect p… | 2022-06-30T21:35:14+00:00 | pantagraph.com | https://pantagraph.com/weather/jun-30-2022-evening-weather-update-for-central-illinois/article_869f098b-8f73-5ef4-b9ba-a31efb1b17bf.html |
Stocks fell broadly on Wall Street, extending the market's losses amid worries about inflation and the path ahead for the economy.
The S&P 500 shed 2.1% Monday, its biggest drop since mid-June. Some 95% of stocks in the benchmark index lost ground. It finished in the red last week, breaking a four-week winning streak. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq also fell. Technology companies and retailers had some of the heaviest losses. Signify Health soared after The Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon would bid for the company. Investors are looking ahead to this week's Federal Reserve conference.
Stocks dropped in afternoon trading on Wall Street Monday, extending the market's losses amid worries about inflation and the path ahead for the economy.
The S&P 500 fell 2.1% as of 3:07 p.m. Eastern and more than 90% of stocks in the benchmark index posted losses. It finished in the red last week, breaking a four-week winning streak.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 649 points, or 1.9%, to 33,058 and the Nasdaq fell 2.5%.
Technology companies and retailers had some of the heaviest losses. Microsoft fell 2.9% and Target fell 3%.
Movie theater operators were volatile following a report that Cineworld is considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The industry is still struggling to recover from the virus pandemic. AMC Entertainment fell 3.4% in choppy trading. Cinemark fell 4.6%.
Bright spots in the market included Signify Health, which jumped 32.4% after The Wall Street Journal reported that Amazon would bid for the company.
Smaller company stocks also fell, sending the Russell 2000 index 2.2% lower.
Bond yields gained ground. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences rates on home mortgages and other loans, rose to 3.04% from 2.97% late Friday.
The broader market's losses come on the heels of a weeks-long rally. Investors are trying to figure out where the economy goes from here as stubbornly hot inflation hurts businesses and consumers. Record-high inflation also has investors focusing on central banks and their efforts to fight high prices without further damaging economic growth.
"You've had quite a rally and there's reason to not be sure where we're going from here," said Tom Martin, senior portfolio manager with Globalt Investments. "There's still decent potential for a recession."
Minutes last week from the Federal Reserve's July board meeting affirmed plans for more rate hikes despite signs of weaker economic activity. Traders worry aggressive steps to slow the economy might go too far and bring on a recession. The U.S. economy has already contracted through the first half of 2022 and Wall Street will get more information on Thursday when the government releases an updated report on the U.S. economy for the second quarter.
Investors are also looking ahead to this week's Federal Reserve conference for signals about more possible U.S. rate hikes to cool surging inflation. The central bank holds its annual meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on Thursday. Fed Chair Jerome Powell is scheduled to give a speech on Friday morning.
The Fed is holding its meeting following a heavy week of company and economic data that showed inflation is still squeezing the economy, but consumer spending remains resilient. Falling gasoline and food commodity prices, for wheat and corn, have helped relieve some of that pressure. That helped essentially stall inflation's advance in July, though prices still remain stubbornly high.
"I don't think we're out of the woods yet on inflation," Martin said. "We still don't really know how inflation is going to pan out and what the Fed is going to do." | 2022-08-22T21:16:47+00:00 | tmj4.com | https://www.tmj4.com/news/national/stocks-fall-broadly-on-wall-street-to-start-the-week-extending-market-losses |
President Joe Biden's first sweeping executive orders on climate included launching an entirely new office within the Department of Health and Human Services with an important mandate: dealing with the public health impacts of climate change.
But nearly a year after the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity was established, it still has not been funded by Congress. With no full-time staff, the office is instead getting temporary employees assigned from other parts of HHS to work on its initiatives, which include tackling extreme heat, air pollution from wildfire smoke, flooding, and working with disadvantaged communities that suffer disproportionately from climate's impacts.
Officials at the office told CNN they can't do the job properly without funding and more resources, especially as human-caused climate change worsens extreme weather.
"Public health decisions have to be based on the realities of climate change, and the [office] needs resources to make that happen at the federal level," said Adm. Rachel Levine, assistant secretary for health at HHS, in a statement to CNN.
Levine pointed the recent spate of early season heat waves that have affected tens of millions in the US. This week alone, as many as 80 million people were under heat alerts as the heat index climbed to as high as 115 in the Midwest and South.
Heat is one of the most pernicious climate change-related killers and as global temperatures continue to rise, it's only expected to get worse. Scientists from Duke University and the University of Washington recently found that the US could see as many as 100,000 more heat-related deaths per year as temperatures soar.
"We're seeing right now what extreme temperatures can do to human health and environmental quality," Levine told CNN. "We can't respond effectively at the Department of Health and Human Services without funding, staffing and political support, and I'm hoping Congress recognizes the value and importance of what we're trying to build here."
The office has made do with the few resources it has, according to Aaron Bernstein, the interim director C-CHANGE at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. But he said Congress needs to recognize the seriousness of the threat.
"It would be as if 9/11 happened and we didn't create the Department of Homeland Security, is essentially what we're doing," Bernstein told CNN.
Staffing challenges, and a broad mandate
At its inception in August 2021, administration officials vowed the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity would "fulfill President Biden's vision" to combat the climate crisis and the devastating health impacts brought by extreme heat and wildfire smoke.
"We've always known that health is at the center of climate change, and now we're going to double-down on a necessity: fighting climate change in order to help protect public health in our communities," HHS Secretary Xavier Beccera said in August.
Biden's budget request to Congress asked for $3 million to fund eight full-time positions at the office. It has yet to receive any appropriation. A House Appropriations Committee spokesperson noted the office would be funded under the fiscal year 2023 budget that recently passed out of committee, but that budget also needs to be agreed to in the Senate, where Republicans aren't not sympathetic to Biden's climate goals.
CNN spoke with two HHS officials who requested anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak publicly on the topic. Both officials said the team is making progress on a shoestring budget, but need Congressional funding to fulfill the mission it was tasked with.
"We've kind of scraped and borrowed to piece together a team," one official said.
With zero full-time staff, the climate office instead has been loaned detailees from other agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health. But their time there could be temporary. Detailees typically stay at a new office for 120 days, after which they need approval to continue. Political appointees in the department's climate office will only stay as long as Biden remains in office.
Another official added the office is hoping to make some full-time staff hires in the coming months. But without dedicated funding, a stream of temporary detailees could slow down projects and make it difficult for states and local communities to keep up with who is in charge.
"There's a long history of going out and talking and not being able to provide sustained support, and I don't want this office to be repeating that at all," that official said.
Coordinating crucial work
Those who work in OCCHE readily admit it was never intended to be a massive office with billions in funding. Instead, they see it as a nimble agency that can coordinate work in other departments that deal with climate change and its disasters but don't often communicate -- like the CDC and FEMA.
"Federal bureaucracies, their silos were built up well before climate change was considered a major issue," Bernstein told CNN, adding that up until this year, FEMA didn't consider extreme heat as a disaster. "The reality is climate is affecting health right now, and for lots and lots of Americans."
Even with few resources, HHS officials say that they've been able to make progress. In addition to publishing informational climate health outlooks on extreme heat and doing outreach to impacted communities, the office is also actively working with major health care organizations and hospitals to try to decarbonize the health care sector. It recently announced major pharmaceutical companies and hospitals, including Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Kaiser Permanente, agreed to cut emissions 50% by 2030 and get to net-zero emissions by 2050.
"What we've stitched together in less than a year is a commitment from the US towards major greenhouse gas reductions in the health sector," an HHS official CNN. "I can tell you with 100% surety, that would not have happened without us working here."
Other big focuses have been coordinating funding for cooling assistance for areas struggling with heat or getting air purifiers and better air filtration to communities dealing with wildfire smoke. Another official told CNN the office is looking at existing government grant programs like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program or Medicare Flex cards being used to provide air filters for people in communities where wildfires are burning.
"That's something you could do without a ton of money in your pocket, but with people that know where the right kind of levers are," that official said.
With the second major heatwave of the summer season baking the Midwest and Southeast this week and fires continuing to rage in the Southwest and Alaska, the health impacts of climate are clear and urgent.
"At the end of the day, if governments do not carve out these types of offices or people that are working intentionally on climate and health, we're going to fail," an HHS official told CNN.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | 2022-07-09T00:42:20+00:00 | abc12.com | https://www.abc12.com/the-federal-office-focused-on-health-impacts-of-climate-crisis-has-no-permanent-staff-or/article_711026ac-749e-5dd2-b249-8faf1313f316.html |
Inflation has caused food prices to jump significantly, and cookout staples are among the products most impacted.
According to the American Farm Bureau Foundation, the cost of a standard cookout for 10 people this July 4 is $69.68, a 17% increase from a year ago.
While some items — strawberries, sliced cheese and potato chips — have actually seen a price decrease, meat prices are up significantly. The American Farm Bureau Foundation reports that ground prices are up 36%, chicken breast is up 33%, and pork and beans are also up 33%.
Other items like lemonade and ice cream have seen more modest price hikes.
The organization cited ongoing supply chain disruptions, inflation, and the war in Ukraine for the price hikes. The American Farm Bureau Foundation said farmers are not benefiting from the higher prices.
“Despite higher food prices, the supply chain disruptions and inflation have made farm supplies more expensive; like consumers, farmers are price-takers, not price-makers,” said American Farm Bureau Foundation chief economist Roger Cryan. “Bottom line, in many cases, the higher prices farmers are being paid aren’t covering the increase in their farm expenses. The cost of fuel is up, and fertilizer prices have tripled.”
The American Farm Bureau Foundation utilized 176 volunteer shoppers across the country for its data.
Federal data shows that overall, there has been a 10.1% increase in the cost of food at the grocery store in the 12-month period ending last month. Meat prices have been impacted at a higher rate, with a jump of 12.3% over the last year. | 2022-06-28T15:40:10+00:00 | news5cleveland.com | https://www.news5cleveland.com/news/national/this-years-july-4-cookout-will-cost-you-17-more-than-last-year |
La Verne Mayor Tim Hepburn is sworn in for a four-year term
MONROVIA, Calif., Oct. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- At their October meeting today, the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority (Construction Authority) Board of Directors welcomed its newest member – La Verne Mayor Tim Hepburn. Appointed by the city of Pasadena for a four-year term, Mayor Hepburn joined the nine-member board as its newest member following his swearing in at the beginning of the monthly board meeting. Montclair Mayor Pro Tem Bill Ruh was appointed as the Alternate member.
"We are happy to welcome Mayor Hepburn to our board," said Construction Authority Board Chair and Claremont Mayor Pro Tem Ed Reece. "While we are more than halfway through with construction on the nine-mile extension of the project to Pomona, there is still a lot of work ahead, including securing the funding needed to complete the project to Claremont and Montclair. Mayor Hepburn brings years of local and regional leadership experience to the board, which will be helpful as he gets quickly up to speed on the project during this very busy period."
Major construction activities are now underway throughout the 9.1-mile project segment from Glendora to Pomona that will add four new stations to the Metro rail system (one in each of the following cities: Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, and Pomona). The fully funded four-station project segment is nearly 60% complete and is on schedule to be turned over to LA Metro for pre-revenue operations in early-January 2025. The Construction Authority continues to seek $748 million to fund completion of the project, which includes two more stations - Claremont and Montclair.
"I am honored to be serving on this board with such an accomplished group of leaders," stated Mayor Tim Hepburn about his swearing in. "Completing the project to not only Pomona, but to Claremont and Montclair, is a critical step to improving mobility and the quality of life for all of our corridor cities and the region. I look forward to helping support that effort and being part of this important project in the coming years."
The Foothill Gold Line board is made up of elected and appointed representatives from throughout the project corridor. The board is currently made up of Claremont Mayor Pro Tem Ed Reece (Chair), Pomona Mayor Tim Sandoval, Glendora Council Member Mendell Thompson, Los Angeles City representative Melchor Ilomin, Ontario Council Member Alan Wapner (non-voting), Pasadena Council Member Gene Masuda (non-voting), and South Pasadena representative Dan Evans (non-voting). The governor's appointee is currently vacant.
About the Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority – The Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority is an independent transportation planning and construction agency created in 1998 by the California State Legislature to plan, design and build the Metro Gold Line (currently called the L Line) light rail system from Union Station to Montclair. The agency completed the first segment from Union Station to Pasadena in 2003 and the Pasadena to Azusa segment in 2015; both on time and under budget. The agency began work on the Glendora to Montclair segment in 2003. When completed, the extension will add new light rail stations in the cities of Glendora, San Dimas, La Verne, Pomona, Claremont and Montclair. The project will be built in phases, due to funding constraints. The current 9.1-mile construction segment is funded mostly by Measure M, along with residual funds from Measure R not used to complete the Pasadena to Azusa segment. The project is also utilizing a State of California TIRCP (greenhouse gas reduction) grant.
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SOURCE Foothill Gold Line Construction Authority | 2022-10-13T00:55:22+00:00 | kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/10/12/foothill-gold-line-board-welcomes-new-member/ |
ATLANTA — ATLANTA (AP) — Jared Shuster kept his emotions in check on the mound and during his postgame interviews following his first major league win.
Then the rookie was presented with the lineup card at his locker as a souvenir. Finally, Shuster broke out a big grin as he admired the keepsake on his day to remember — and possibly an important day for Atlanta's rotation.
Shuster allowed one hit in six innings and the Braves took their first series victory over Seattle in 12 years by beating the Mariners 3-2 on Sunday.
"I felt much more comfortable out there," said Shuster (1-2), who had seven strikeouts with only one walk in his fourth career start.
After beginning the day with a 7.24 ERA, the left-hander made a strong case for earning a longer look in a rotation that has lost Max Fried and Kyle Wright to injuries.
"It was much better, just trusting myself, trusting the catcher and trusting everyone behind me," Shuster said.
Shuster's calm demeanor served him well in overcoming his April struggles and helped keep him focused after being optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett before being recalled on May 16.
"He's kind of one of those guys who doesn't show a lot of emotion," Braves manager Brian Snitker said.
One day after the Braves fell to 0-3 in bullpen committee games with a 7-3 loss to the Mariners, Shuster gave the depleted rotation a lift. He won a spot on Atlanta's opening-day roster by posting a 1.74 ERA in six spring training appearances before allowing a combined eight earned runs in his first two starts.
The performance by Shuster provided a confidence boost as Atlanta, which leads the NL East, prepares for three games against the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers.
"That was awesome. Really, really impressive, what he did," said Snitker.
Jarred Kelenic led off the second with his ninth homer for the Mariners' only hit off Shuster. Kelenic struck out in his next three at-bats.
Atlanta led 3-1 before Jose Caballero hit his first big league homer, an eighth-inning liner to left field off Nick Anderson.
Raisel Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his third save in four chances, completing a game that took just 2 hours, 5 minutes.
Braves catcher Travis d'Arnaud had two hits, including his first homer of the season.
Seattle right-hander George Kirby (5-3) allowed three runs in seven innings as the Mariners wrapped up a 4-5 trip. One of Kirby's few mistakes was an 0-2 changeup to Eddie Rosario, who reached out as if just trying to protect the plate and poked the ball into center field in the third inning to drive in Matt Olson, who walked.
"He put a good swing on it," Kirby said. "I could have put it lower, but I don't want to think about that, you know? I'm just trying to take the positives."
The Braves won two of three for their first series win over the Mariners since 2011, when Atlanta swept three games in Seattle. The Mariners won two of three at home against the Braves last season.
Before this series, the Mariners had not played in Atlanta since the 2017 debut of Truist Park.
Atlanta produced a first-inning run for the 20th time this season. Ronald Acuña Jr. singled, extending his hitting streak to 11 games, and scored from first on Olson's double to the right-field corner.
FALCONS IN THE HOUSE
Atlanta Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder threw out the ceremonial first pitch and sat beside running back Tyler Allgeier during the game.
SPEED THREAT
Caballero, who began the day with three stolen bases this season, doubled his total. He became the first Mariners player with three steals in a game since Mallex Smith had four against Texas on May 27, 2019. Smith had 46 stolen bases that season.
Caballero was hit by a pitch in the third inning before stealing second and third. He walked in the sixth and stole second. In each inning, Caballero was stranded on third base.
UP NEXT
Mariners: RHP Luis Castillo (2-2, 3.31 ERA) will face LHP Kyle Muller (1-3, 7.71) when Seattle opens a home series against Oakland on Monday night.
Braves: RHP Charlie Morton (5-3, 2.85 ERA) will start when Atlanta opens a three-game home series against the Dodgers on Monday night in a matchup of first-place teams with the two best records in the NL. Morton is 1-2 with a 4.94 ERA in five career starts against the Dodgers. | 2023-05-22T00:19:34+00:00 | king5.com | https://www.king5.com/article/sports/mlb/mariners/atlanta-rookie-shuster-allows-only-1-hit-as-braves-edge-mariners-3-2-for-series-win/281-e2c1553a-edc6-4882-90c0-3b00e7217a76 |
USPS recognized 23 additional companies for mailing industry innovation and industry best practices
CHARLOTTE, N.C., May 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- USPS today recognized Capital One and CenterWell Pharmacy with the 2023 Partnership for Growth award on the final day of the National Postal Forum (NPF), the country's premier mailing and shipping conference. The Partnership for Growth award is bestowed annually at NPF to recognize companies that have made significant contributions to the mailing and shipping industry with forward-thinking and innovative practices.
The Postmaster General and USPS Executive Leadership Team personally select the winners, who have successfully worked with the organization to enhance the value of what we deliver every day — mail and packages.
Capital One has a longstanding commitment to innovation and working with USPS to create and co-create successful direct mail campaigns. Capital One recently created an inventive acquisition campaign using USPS Informed Delivery in conjunction with unique creative treatments that included advanced trailing-edge die-cut (TED-C) designs, grooved envelopes, embossed lettering and dynamic foils that stand out in the mailbox, differentiating their brand in the marketplace and increasing response. Mailing services expanded beyond Marketing Mail to also include First-Class Mail as part of a targeted micro-segmentation campaign.
Capital One continues to be a mailing industry trailblazer through their commitment to mail, Direct Mail, and the use of new and unique technologies, including TED-C designs, which generated excitement within their customer marketplace. Capital One has excelled in driving innovation and growth using the mail.
CenterWell Pharmacy is a home-delivery pharmacy that helps customers manage their prescription and over-the-counter medications with convenient, safe and on-time delivery to their front doorsteps or locations of their choice. With an integrated care strategy that focuses on improving quality of care and achieving improved health outcomes, CenterWell Pharmacy has a dedicated team of more than 600 pharmacists available to customers who have questions or concerns about their medications.
"We are grateful for this recognition that highlights our strong and longtime commitment to advancing this industry, which is at the forefront of everything we do. Shipping plays a prominent role in how we ensure our customers have a positive experience, receiving their prescription and over-the-counter medications safely and on-time," said Alan Martin, vice president of CenterWell Pharmacy Operations.
CenterWell Pharmacy, which uses a variety of USPS delivery options, is a part of the Humana-owned CenterWell family of health brands, which includes CenterWell Senior Primary Care and CenterWell Home Health.
USPS also recognized 23 additional companies for mailing industry innovation and industry best practices at NPF.
Awards were presented to customers in 10 categories: the Mailing and Digital Award, the Shipping and eCommerce Award, the Innovation and Growth Award, the Transportation Partner of the Year Award, the USPS Connect Local Shipping Growth Award, the USPS Connect Local Mailing Growth Award, the Interagency Collaboration Award, the New Shipping Solution Award, the Regional Shipping Solution Award and the Commerce Solution Award.
The Mailing and Digital Award recognizes customers who demonstrate creativity by finding new methods to use mail to drive significant business results and mail growth. The winners of this award are:
- Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, CO
- Japs-Olson Co., St. Louis Park, MN
- PEL Hughes, New Orleans, LA
- Wayfair, Boston, MA
- Marlette Holdings/Best Egg, Wilmington, DE
The Shipping and eCommerce Award honors customers who have used industry best practices to implement new technologies to maximize efficiencies, and to convert requests for purchase and fulfillment into package volume. The winners of this award are:
- alphabroder, Trevose, PA
- 3 Tone Enterprise, Katy, TX
- Truepill Inc., Hayward, CA
- Oriental Trading Co., La Vista, NE
- Orthofeet Inc., Norwood, NJ
The Innovation and Growth Award recognizes companies that have taken steps to position themselves for significant growth with USPS as their partner. The winners of this award are:
- 1 UP Nutrition, Hialeah, FL
- HelloFresh, New York, NY
- SoFi Social Finance Inc., San Francisco, CA
- Robot Ink Marketing, Stoughton, WI
- Distribution Management, St. Charles, MO
The Transportation Partner of the Year Award recognizes Postal Service vendors who excel in transportation performance, contribute to low emissions and have an Electric Vehicle Future state (EV) plan that coincides with the Postal Service's Delivering for America plan. The two award winners are:
- AJR Trucking, Compton, CA
- Mail Management Services Inc., Lincoln, NE
The USPS Connect Local Shipping Growth Award recognizes a company that has successfully used USPS Connect Local Shipping.
- Serket Pharmacy, Montclair, NJ
The USPS Connect Local Mailing Growth Award recognizes a company that has successfully used a USPS local mail solution.
- AmeriSave Mortgage, Fairfax, VA
The Interagency Collaboration Award recognizes a federal agency that worked closely with USPS to develop a solution that delivered value to their customers.
- U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC
The New Shipping Solution Award recognizes a company that has aligned their supply chain/transportation network based on USPS offerings.
- Belk, Charlotte, NC
The Regional Shipping Solution Award recognizes a company that is using USPS Connect Regional to deliver packages.
- REI, Sumner, WA
The Commerce Solution Award recognizes a company that partnered with USPS to begin shipping packages based on the Postal Service's products and services.
- GameStop, Grapevine, TX
The National Postal Forum and USPS congratulate all award winners. We appreciate the partnerships with our mailers and their commitment to increasing the value of the U.S. Mail through innovation.
Please Note: The United States Postal Service is an independent federal establishment, mandated to be self-financing and to serve every American community through the affordable, reliable and secure delivery of mail and packages to nearly 165 million addresses six and often seven days a week. Overseen by a bipartisan Board of Governors, the Postal Service is implementing a 10-year transformation plan, Delivering for America, to modernize the postal network, restore long-term financial sustainability, dramatically improve service across all mail and shipping categories, and maintain the organization as one of America's most valued and trusted brands.
The Postal Service generally receives no tax dollars for operating expenses and relies on the sale of postage, products and services to fund its operations.
For USPS media resources, including broadcast-quality video and audio and photo stills, visit the USPS Newsroom. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn. Subscribe to the USPS YouTube Channel and like us on Facebook. For more information about the Postal Service, visit usps.com and facts.usps.com.
Contact: Tatiana Roy
tatiana.l.roy@usps.gov
usps.com/news
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SOURCE U.S. Postal Service | 2023-05-24T16:46:17+00:00 | kalb.com | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/05/24/postal-service-honors-capital-one-centerwell-pharmacy-national-postal-forum/ |
Michigan-based Agency Creates a Centralized System of Record to Improve Customer and Employee Experience
LAS VEGAS, Sept. 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- InsureTech Connect 2022 -- Encore Insurance, a digital-native independent insurance agency specializing in personal lines, has selected Novidea's cloud-native, data-driven agency management system (AMS) to scale and create a better customer experience. By putting real-time customer data at every employee's fingertip, regardless of where they choose to work, Encore can now boost conversions, resolve customer disputes more quickly, and make better-informed business decisions.
"As a modern, digital-first independent agency, we have a future goal to scale beyond Michigan and service clients across all 50 states. To accomplish this, we knew we needed an agency management system that could support us as we grow," said Peter Vitale, Founder and CEO of Encore. "Novidea empowered us to revamp how we manage and assign incoming business opportunities and how agents use data to create a great customer experience. For the first time, we can evaluate our new business closure rate and determine whether we're spending too much on the leads we acquire. The solution's API architecture enabled us to create a singular, secure, and centralized system of record where all our prospect and customer data is accessible in real-time when agents need it most."
Today's independent agents must provide a seamless, digital-first customer experience or risk losing business to more tech-savvy competitors. Customer expectations have shifted towards real-time, self-service workflows across multiple channels; however, agents must balance this with support from a human when customers need it. Only Novidea's agency management system enables self-service customer portals while supporting customer contact agents who need instant access to policy information. Independent agents, brokers, and MGAs can optimize every step of the insurance policy distribution lifecycle, from quote to policy binding and servicing to claims processing and renewals. All this makes Encore's sales team more efficient with each customer interaction, resulting in a more satisfying work experience for employees who feel empowered and supported.
"Encore understands that giving customers multichannel choices and a seamless experience is no longer a 'nice to have,' but a means of fueling growth and sustainability for independent agencies," said Eric Ayala, Senior Vice President and General Manager, North America for Novidea. "We're proud to partner with Encore as they strive to build out a customer-focused digital agency of the future. We're looking forward to supporting Encore as they find new ways to leverage their configurable Novidea solution to solve more challenges and remove more barriers in their quest to become a national agency."
The Novidea platform enabled Encore to unify its tech stack and create a highly customized, centralized system of record in which all customer data resides. Built on Salesforce Big Technology with an open API architecture, Novidea's configurable software made it easy for Encore to integrate its digital communications technology, third-party lead bidding, and customer contact centers into the management console. Novidea serves as the data collection and analysis hub where Peter and his team can pull data from connected applications and create reports on his sales team's customer call performance, prospect conversion rates, and much more. Vitale and his team can leverage the insights of the end-to-end Novidea system to measure Encore's return on investment (ROI) on its business development spending. Novidea even provides a record of customer interaction across channels, from emails to phone calls and text messages, so agents can refer to that history the next time they speak with a customer.
Learn more about the Novidea agency management platform live at InsureTech Connect 2022, September 20-22 at Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas – Booth #2422.
About Novidea
Novidea is a leading provider of the first born-in-the-cloud, data-driven insurance platform that enables brokers, agents, and MGAs to modernize and manage the customer insurance journey end-to-end and drive growth across the entire insurance distribution lifecycle. The Novidea platform, built to leverage the power of Salesforce's Big Technology, provides a complete ecosystem spanning every aspect of an insurance business. The platform's technology provides a 360-degree view of the customer and all stakeholders, enabling full integration between customer-facing policy transactions and the middle and back office. Brokers, agencies, and MGAs extract more value from customer and policy data with actionable intelligence from any device, anywhere. Novidea turns data into insight at the point of need, enabling better-informed decisions and delivering greater customer value through products and services tailored to individual needs. Novidea, a member of MGAA and an ACORD partner, supports more than 100 customers, including agents, brokers, MGAs, and the London market, managing tens of millions of policies across 22 countries.
For more information, please go to: www.novideasoft.com.
For further information contact
Michelle Barry
Chameleon Collective for Novidea U.S.
Michelle.barry@chameleon.co
T: +1 (603) 809-2748
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1723159/Novidea_Logo.jpg
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SOURCE Novidea | 2022-09-21T15:30:20+00:00 | mysuncoast.com | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/09/21/encore-insurance-builds-future-forward-digital-first-independent-agency-with-novidea/ |
How to Watch the 76ers vs. Nets: Streaming & TV Channel Info for NBA Playoffs Game 4
Published: Apr. 22, 2023 at 6:31 AM CDT|Updated: 21 minutes ago
The Philadelphia 76ers and the Brooklyn Nets square off in a decisive Game 4 of the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
Keep reading for everything you need to know about this matchup between the Nets and 76ers, including how to catch the action live with a free trial to Fubo.
Watch live sports and TV without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to Fubo!
76ers vs. Nets Game Info
- When: Saturday, April 22, 2023 at 1:00 PM ET
- Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York
- TV: FOX
- Watch 76ers vs. Nets with Fubo
Watch the NBA and tons of other live sports without cable! Use our link to get a free trial with Fubo.
76ers Stats Insights
- This season, the 76ers have a 48.7% shooting percentage from the field, which is 2.4% higher than the 46.3% of shots the Nets' opponents have knocked down.
- Philadelphia is 43-11 when it shoots higher than 46.3% from the field.
- The Nets are the 28th-ranked rebounding team in the league, the 76ers sit at 26th.
- The 76ers score only 2.7 more points per game (115.2) than the Nets allow (112.5).
- Philadelphia has a 41-5 record when putting up more than 112.5 points.
Nets Stats Insights
- The Nets' 48.7% shooting percentage from the field this season is 1.4 percentage points higher than the 76ers have given up to their opponents (47.3%).
- Brooklyn has compiled a 36-12 straight-up record in games it shoots higher than 47.3% from the field.
- The 76ers are the 27th best rebounding team in the league, the Nets rank 29th.
- The Nets' 113.4 points per game are only 2.5 more points than the 110.9 the 76ers allow.
- When it scores more than 110.9 points, Brooklyn is 35-15.
76ers Home & Away Comparison
- Offensively the 76ers have been worse in home games this year, averaging 114.2 points per game, compared to 116.2 per game when playing on the road.
- At home, Philadelphia is surrendering 2.8 fewer points per game (109.5) than when playing on the road (112.3).
- When playing at home, the 76ers are averaging 0.6 more three-pointers per game (12.9) than when playing on the road (12.3). They also own a better three-point percentage at home (38.9%) compared to on the road (38.5%).
Nets Home & Away Comparison
- At home the Nets score 113 points per game, 0.7 less than away (113.7). Defensively they concede 110 points per game at home, five less than away (115).
- Brooklyn gives up 110 points per game at home, and 115 away.
- The Nets collect 0.9 more assists per game at home (26) than on the road (25.1).
76ers Injuries
Nets Injuries
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-04-22T11:53:43+00:00 | kalb.com | https://www.kalb.com/sports/betting/2023/04/22/76ers-vs-nets-nba-playoffs-game-4-live-stream-tv/ |
Volaris Reports Financial Results for the Second Quarter 2022
Published: Jul. 21, 2022 at 5:50 PM CDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
MEXICO CITY, July 21, 2022/PRNewswire/ -- Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. (NYSE: VLRS and BMV: VOLAR) ("Volaris" or "The Company"), the ultra-low-cost airline serving Mexico, the United States of America, Central and South America, today announces its financial results for the second quarter 20221.
Second Quarter 2022 Highlights2
(All figures are reported in U.S. dollars and compared to 2Q 2021 unless otherwise noted)
Volaris reported double-digit growth in revenue, kept CASM ex-fuel controlled at industry-leading levels, and maintained a strong liquidity position and a healthy balance sheet during the second quarter. Volaris' EBITDAR margin was impacted by rapidly rising fuel prices that increased at a rate faster than its TRASM.
Total operating revenue of $691 million, a 20% increase. Total revenue per available seat mile (TRASM) remained flat at $8.3 cents.
Total operating expenses of $710 million, a 61% increase. Total operating expenses per available seat mile (CASM) increased 35% to $8.5 cents, while CASM ex-fuel decreased 1% to $4.2 cents. Average economic fuel cost increased 107% to $4.4 per gallon.
Net loss of $49 million. Loss per share of $0.04 and loss per ADS of $0.42.
EBITDAR of $107 million, a 54% decrease. EBITDAR margin was 15.5%, a decrease of 25.3 percentage points.
Cash generation of $9 million, with. cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash position of $759 million, representing 30% of the last twelve months total operating revenue.
Net debt-to-LTM EBITDAR ratio of 2.9 times, compared to 4.5 times.
"During the quarter, the Company passed on a portion of higher jet fuel prices through fare increases or, in certain cases, reallocated flights to more profitable routes, while efficiently controlling ex-fuel costs. Volaris has always been disciplined about adding capacity to match passenger demand and has demonstrated flexibility to adapt capacity," said Enrique Beltranena, Chief Executive Officer. "We will continue with our strategy of disciplined growth and will remain nimble and respond decisively to any changes in market conditions in the coming months. We have grown quickly in the last two years allowing us to fill the void left by some of our competitors and, considering we have met our objectives, will return to our historic growth rate during 2023," Mr. Beltranena added.
Second Quarter 2022 Financial and Operations Highlights3
(All figures are reported in U.S. dollars and compared to 2Q 2021 unless otherwise noted)
*Note: Figures are rounded for convenience purposes.
Total operating revenue in the quarter was $691 million, a 20% increase, driven by higher capacity, healthy load factors, and solid unit revenue. Moreover, demand has remained relatively strong throughout the quarter notwithstanding certain headwinds (high inflation, economic uncertainty, and an increase of COVID-19 cases) registered in the markets where Volaris operates.
Volaris transported 7.5 million passengers in the quarter, an increase of 20%. Domestic and international passengers increased 22% and 14%, respectively; while total capacity, in terms of available seat miles (ASMs), increased 19% to 8.4 billion. Load factor reached 85.6%, 1.0 percentage point lower than the same period of 2021.
TRASM remained flat at $8.3 cents in the quarter. Average base fare was $56, an increase of 3%. Ancillary revenue per passenger was $37, a 6% decrease, due to lower baggage revenue. Ancillary revenue represented 40% of total operating revenue, compared to 42% in the same period of 2021. Total operating revenue per passenger decreased 1% to $93.
Total operating expenses in the quarter were $710 million, a 61% increase, driven by higher fuel costs. The average economic fuel cost increased 107% to $4.4 per gallon in the period. CASM totaled $8.5 cents, 35% higher when compared to same period of 2021. CASM ex-fuel decreased 1% to $4.2 cents due to Volaris' disciplined and efficient cost control, which offset inflationary pressures.
Comprehensive financing result represented a loss of $61 million in second quarter of 2022, compared to a loss of $22 million in the same period of 2021. This result was impacted by an exchange loss and higher financial costs.
In the second quarter, the Mexican peso remained flat against the U.S. dollar to an average of Ps.20.04 per U.S. dollar. At the end of the quarter, the Mexican peso stood at Ps.19.98 per US dollar, similar level registered at the end of the first quarter of 2022.
Income tax benefit was $32 million, compared to the $33 million expense posted in the second quarter of 2021.
Net loss in the quarter was $49 million, with loss per share of $0.04 and loss per ADS of $0.42.
EBITDAR was $107 million, a decrease of 54%, negatively impacted by higher fuel costs. EBITDAR margin was 15.5%, a decrease of 25.3 percentage points.
Balance Sheet, Liquidity and Capital Allocation
During the second quarter, Volaris generated $9 million in cash compared to the first quarter. As of June 30th, 2022, cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash position were $759 million, representing 30% of the last twelve months total operating revenue. Net cash flow provided by operating and investing activities were $158 million and $30 million, respectively, while cash outflow from financing activities was $183 million. Positive net foreign exchange difference was $4 million.
On June 30th, 2022, net debt was $2,080 million, which included $203 million of financial debt, $2,636 million of leasing liabilities, less cash, cash equivalents and restricted position of $759 million. The net debt-to-LTM EBITDAR ratio was 2.9 times, compared to 4.5 times in the same period of 2021 and 2.3 times in first quarter of 2022.
Full Year 2022 Outlook
Despite the global macroeconomic and geopolitical challenges, demand remains robust throughout Volaris' network. Accordingly, Volaris expects to continue with its growth plans while closely monitoring demand trends.
Givena higher-than-expected increase in fuel prices compared to its prior forecast, Volaris is updating its full year 2022 guidance. Of note, the Company:
Adjusts its capacity growth guidance (ASMs) to 23-25% compared to 2021.
Holds its total operating revenue in the range of $2.8 to $3.0 billion for 2022.
Continues expecting a full year CASM ex-fuel growth between 1% and 3% compared to 2021.
Decreased its EBITDAR margin guidance from high twenties to low twenties.
Confirms CAPEX in the range of $140 to $145 million.
This outlook assumes a full year average USD/MXN rate between Ps.20.50 to Ps.20.70 and an average economic fuel price between $3.70 to $3.90 per gallon, also it assumes no significant unexpected disruptions related to COVID-19, macroeconomic factors, or other negative impacts on its business.
Fleet
During the second quarter, the Company incorporated 9 new A320neo family aircraft (5 A320neo and 4 A321neo) to its fleet. As of June 30th, 2022, Volaris' fleet was composed of 113 aircraft (6 A319s, 86 A320s and 21 A321s), of which 50% are New Engine Option (NEO) models. Volaris' fleet had an average of 190 seats per aircraft and an average age of 5.4 years. The Company plans to end 2022 with approximately 115 aircraft.
Investors are urged to carefully read the Company's periodic reports filed with or provided to the Securities and Exchange Commission, for additional information regarding the Company
*Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. ("Volaris" or the "Company") (NYSE: VLRS and BMV: VOLAR), is an ultra-low-cost carrier, with point-to-point operations, serving Mexico, the United States, Central and South America. Volaris offers low base fares to build its market, providing quality service and extensive customer choice. Since the beginning of operations in March 2006, Volaris has increased its routes from 5 to more than 205 and its fleet from 4 to 113 aircraft. Volaris offers more than 500 daily flight segments on routes that connect 45 cities in Mexico and 28 cities in the United States, Central and South America with the youngest fleet in Mexico. Volaris targets passengers who are visiting friends and relatives, cost-conscious business and leisure travelers in Mexico, the United States, Central and South America. Volaris has received the ESR Award for Social Corporate Responsibility for thirteen consecutive years. For more information, please visit: www.volaris.com.
Forward-looking Statements:
Statements in this release contain various forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the US Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which represent the Company's expectations, beliefs or projections concerning future events and financial trends affecting the financial condition of our business. When used in this release, the words "expects," "intends," "estimates," "predicts," "plans," "anticipates," "indicates," "believes," "forecast," "guidance," "potential," "outlook," "may," "continue," "will," "should," "seeks," "targets" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Similarly, statements that describe the Company's objectives, plans or goals, or actions the Company may take in the future, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the Company's intentions and expectations regarding the delivery schedule of aircraft on order, announced new service routes and customer savings programs. Forward-looking statements should not be read as a guarantee or assurance of future performance or results and will not necessarily be accurate indications of the times at, or by, which such performance or results will be achieved. Forward-looking statements are based on information available at the time those statements are made and/or management's good faith belief as of that time with respect to future events and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual performance or results to differ materially from those expressed in or suggested by the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to several factors that could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from the Company's expectations, including the competitive environment in the airline industry; the Company's ability to keep costs low; changes in fuel costs; the impact of worldwide economic conditions on customer travel behavior; the Company's ability to generate non-ticket revenue; and government regulation. Additional information concerning these, and other factors is contained in the Company's US Securities and Exchange Commission filings. All forward-looking statements attributable to us or persons acting on our behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements set forth above. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release. You should not put undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. We assume no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect actual results, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking information, except to the extent required by applicable law. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.
Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. and Subsidiaries
Financial and Operating Indicators
Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. and Subsidiaries
Financial and Operating Indicators
Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statement of Operations
Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statement of Operations
Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. and Subsidiaries
Reconciliation of total ancillary revenue per passenger
The following table shows quarterly additional detail about the components of total ancillary revenue:
Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. and Subsidiaries
Reconciliation of total ancillary revenue per passenger
The following table shows the first one half of the year additional detail about the components of total ancillary revenue:
Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statement of Financial Position
Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows – Cash Flow Data Summary
Controladora Vuela Compañía de Aviación, S.A.B. de C.V. and Subsidiaries
Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows – Cash Flow Data Summary
1 The financial information, unless otherwise indicated, is presented in accordance with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS).
2As of January 1, 2022, all figures are reported in U.S. dollars.
3As of January 1, 2022, all figures are reported in U.S. dollars.
SOURCE Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, S.A.B. de C.V. - Volaris
The above press release was provided courtesy of PRNewswire. The views, opinions and statements in the press release are not endorsed by Gray Media Group nor do they necessarily state or reflect those of Gray Media Group, Inc. | 2022-07-21T23:59:30+00:00 | wbrc.com | https://www.wbrc.com/prnewswire/2022/07/21/volaris-reports-financial-results-second-quarter-2022/ |
Britain’s NHS was once idolized. Now its worst ever crisis is fueling a boom in private health care
By Hanna Ziady, CNN
Tens of thousands of nurses and nearly 12,000 ambulance workers went on strike Monday over pay and working conditions in the biggest walkout in the 75-year history of Britain’s National Health Service (NHS).
Escalating industrial action comes after years of falling wages, stretched budgets and staff shortages that have left the NHS in a state of crisis, with waiting times for treatment at a record high. At the same time, an aging population needs its services more than ever.
That unhappy mix is fueling a boom in demand for private health care from a much broader swathe of the UK population than ever before — a fundamental shift for a nation with one of the world’s best-known universal health systems.
“Our providers are telling us that people are going private, many for the first time, and the key factor driving that is the challenge in accessing NHS care,” said David Furness, policy director at the Independent Healthcare Providers Network, an industry body for private healthcare companies.
At the end of November, a record 7.2 million patients in England were waiting for non-urgent medical treatment on the NHS, known as “elective” care. This spans diagnostic tests and scans, procedures such as hip and knee replacements, but also cardiac surgery, cancer treatment and neurosurgery.
More than half of those on the list had been waiting up to 18 weeks and about 400,000 patients had been waiting more than a year, according to data from NHS England.
To avoid joining a waiting list, more and more people are paying for their own private medical care or taking out health insurance.
In the second quarter of 2022, the number of patients paying directly for private hospital care increased 34% compared with the same period in 2019 to reach 67,000, according to the Private Healthcare Information Network, which collects data on UK private healthcare.
The figures revealed a 184% jump in the number of people paying privately for hip replacements over that period, a 153% increase in self-pay for knee replacements and a 42% rise in private cataract surgery.
Private hospital groups flourish
To keep up with growing demand for their services, private health care providers are expanding at a rapid clip.
US group Cleveland Clinic plans to open its third UK facility in London later this year, adding to the 184-bed hospital and the six-floor clinic it opened in the capital city in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
HCA Healthcare, another American group, which has over 30 facilities in London and Manchester, will be opening a £100 million ($120 million) private hospital in Birmingham — the second biggest UK city — later this year.
And Spire Healthcare, one of the largest private hospital groups in the United Kingdom, is adding new clinics, theaters and beds around the country as it races to keep up with demand.
CEO Justin Ash estimates that the market for private health care in the United Kingdom has doubled since before the pandemic to 15 million people.
“Our biggest single challenge is how do we treat the numbers of patients coming towards us,” he told CNN.
The group plans to develop two new clinics in 2023, which are quicker to build than hospitals and are designed for procedures that don’t require overnight stays — for example, those in ophthalmology, gynecology and dermatology.
Spire is also pushing into primary care services, citing demand for face-to-face appointments with general practitioners. In December, it acquired The Doctors Clinic Group, a network of 22 private GP clinics with a strong presence in central London.
Ash said that appetite for private health care spans a much broader set of ages and incomes than in the past.
“This is not the super-rich. This is ordinary people who are choosing to go private, and that is a shift,” he said.
Health insurance on the rise
One such patient is Emma Freeth, a website administrator. She decided to take out private medical insurance after waiting nine months to see a specialist on the NHS.
“That’s what really triggered it: the idea that I just want to be able to get the help when I need it, rather than having to wait and wait and wait,” she told CNN. “If I was in pain or discomfort this would be a real problem,” she said of her thoughts at the time.
In November, Freeth, 58, and her 55-year-old husband Peter, a photographer, took out medical insurance in their personal capacity for the first time in their lives.
Their story is mirrored in data from health insurers. Bupa added 150,000 new UK health insurance customers in 2022, while rival VitalityHealth has seen a 20% rise in customers over the past year to more than 900,000.
“We expect the growth we have seen in health insurance uptake to continue in 2023,” said Neville Koopowitz, CEO of Vitality UK.
“This is because people are undoubtedly turning to private healthcare to ensure they have access to high-quality care, quickly, if they were to get ill,” he added.
The Freeths, who are self-employed, said minimizing time off work with ill health was a major factor in their decision making, particularly given long wait times for appointments on the NHS.
According to the Office for National Statistics, record numbers of Brits are leaving the workforce due to long-term sickness, a problem it partly ascribes to long wait times for NHS treatment.
This is an issue of growing concern to employers. Recent polling by Savanta of more than 1,000 businesses on behalf of the Independent Healthcare Providers Network found that over half are worried that rising NHS waiting times may result in employees taking long absences or permanently leaving work due to sickness.
And one in five said they were considering offering private medical insurance to their employees in the coming year.
A two-tier health system?
With the NHS estimating that it will take years for wait times to fall, the demand for private health care in Britain is set to keep growing.
Longer-term, there are questions about whether the NHS is sustainable in its current form, offering comprehensive free health care to all funded purely by taxes, particularly against the backdrop of an aging population and strained government finances.
The NHS is already the largest single item of public expenditure in Britain, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility, with ONS figures showing that healthcare spending amounts to around 12% of GDP.
Some experts worry that moving away from a universal NHS would lead to a two-tier health system where people with means pay for private care, enabling them to go back to work and resume normal life more quickly than those who are less well-off and forced to rely on constrained public services.
“The risk is less a sudden privatization and more an emergence of something resembling the English education system — where the very best education is so often conditional on ability to pay,” researchers at the Institute for Public Policy Research, a think tank, wrote in a report last year.
“If this were to become the new normal… it would worsen overall health and widen inequality,” they added.
But Ash of Spire Healthcare has a less dystopian view of the future. “We’ve clearly moved into a world in which we’re all NHS patients but have episodes of private care,” he said.
That’s “a million miles from a US system,” he added. There is no universal health care in America and most people have private health insurance because health care is very expensive.
“There is huge commitment to the NHS. You cannot underestimate that,” Ash said.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | 2023-02-06T18:13:25+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/news/2023/02/06/britains-nhs-was-once-idolized-now-its-worst-ever-crisis-is-fueling-a-boom-in-private-health-care/ |
The federal student loan application website is now live. Here's what to expect
The Biden administration has opened the application process for Americans seeking student debt relief in a beta period starting Friday evening, officials told CNN, allowing applicants to begin signing up before the website is formally unveiled later this month.
In August, President Joe Biden announced his decision to cancel up to $10,000 in student loan debt for individuals making less than $125,000 a year or as much as $20,000 for eligible borrowers who were also Pell Grant recipients.
"Tonight, the Department of Education will begin beta testing the student debt relief website. During the beta testing period, borrowers will be able to submit applications for the Biden-Harris Administration's student debt relief program," a spokesperson for the Department of Education told CNN exclusively Friday.
The website is available at: https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application.
Anyone who applies for debt relief in the beta period will receive a confirmation email, but their application will not be processed until the site formally launches, expected at a to-be-announced date before the end of October. Once processing begins, most qualifying borrowers are expected to receive debt relief within weeks.
The spokesperson continued, "Those borrowers will not need to reapply if they submit their application during the beta test, but no applications will be processed until the site officially launches later this month. This testing period will allow the Department to monitor site performance through real-world use, test the site ahead of the official application launch, refine processes, and uncover any possible bugs prior to official launch."
The Department of Education's technical team will be looking at site performance in real time and the beta version of the website will have scheduled pauses as the team assesses what refinements and tweaks are needed, an administration official told CNN in a phone interview, another official adding that "high spikes of demand" are expected. Anyone who is trying to submit their application during a beta pause will be encouraged to check back.
While there won't be any changes made to the application itself, there could be changes to the website software as the tech team tracks how it's working in the beta mode.
The form to apply will include information on the debt relief, who qualifies for it and how it works. It will ask applicants for information including their full names, Social Security number, date of birth, phone number and an email address.
Potential applicants who previously signed up for updates on the student debt relief process will receive an email notifying them about the beta website, and once the website is formally launched, the White House will begin to leverage its social channels to spread the word. There are also plans to brief digital creators and influencers in the coming weeks, officials said. | 2022-10-15T00:49:00+00:00 | 4029tv.com | https://www.4029tv.com/article/how-to-use-federal-student-loan-application-website/41628642 |
Hawkins to succeed David Karafa, who is retiring after 40 years with FirstEnergy
AKRON, Ohio, Oct. 25, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE) today announced that John Hawkins has been named vice president of Operations Support, effective Oct. 24. He will report to Sam Belcher, FirstEnergy senior vice president of Operations. Hawkins succeeds David Karafa, who is retiring after more than 40 years of service with FirstEnergy.
In this role, Hawkins will be responsible for providing oversight and leadership of numerous departments that support distribution, transmission and customer experience functions, including Workforce Development, Utility Operations Support, Work Management and Process Improvement, Distribution Systems Operations, Vegetation Management, Emergency Preparedness and the Advanced Distribution Management Systems (ADMS) project.
"John brings to FirstEnergy a wealth of utility experience with a safety-first mindset that will help enhance our performance excellence," said Belcher. "His knowledge of reliability performance, along with his expertise in all aspects of transmission, substation and distribution operations, will help drive success as we expand our smart grid investments."
Hawkins joins FirstEnergy from Entergy Louisiana, Entergy's largest operating company, where he held a variety of leadership roles within utility operations. He most recently served as vice president of Reliability, where he was responsible for the engineering, operations and maintenance of the transmission and distribution systems, including statewide strategic direction and customer-focused objectives. In this role, he was the incident commander for major restoration events following hurricanes Laura and Ida.
Beyond his time at Entergy Louisiana, Hawkins gained nearly two decades of experience leading various areas of utility operations and engineering. He held several operations roles with Florida Power & Light, where he rapidly advanced through a series of promotional assignments in both transmission and distribution. He also spent time at Duke Energy.
Hawkins earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering technology from Purdue University and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University. He is a licensed professional engineer in Ohio and Texas.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its ten electric distribution companies form one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems, serving customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company's transmission subsidiaries operate more than 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy on Twitter @FirstEnergyCorp or online at www.firstenergycorp.com.
Editor's Note: A professional photo of John Hawkins is available for download on Flickr.
(102522)
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp. | 2022-10-25T16:00:55+00:00 | wsfa.com | https://www.wsfa.com/prnewswire/2022/10/25/firstenergy-names-john-hawkins-vice-president-operations-support/ |
WFO HOUSTON/GALVESTON Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Tuesday, January 31, 2023
_____
FLOOD WARNING
Flood Statement
National Weather Service Houston/Galveston TX
1232 PM CST Mon Jan 30 2023
...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers in Texas...
San Bernard River near Boling affecting Brazoria, Wharton and
Fort Bend Counties.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive
cars through flooded areas.
Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.
Additional information is available at www.weather.gov.
The next statement will be issued late tonight at 1200 AM CST.
...FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL JUST AFTER MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT...
* WHAT...Minor flooding is occurring.
* WHERE...San Bernard River near Boling.
* WHEN...Until just after midnight tonight.
* IMPACTS...At 18.0 feet, Minor lowland flooding begins upstream
from gage. Minor backwater flooding up Peach Creek in Wharton
County threatens low lying areas.
* ADDITIONAL DETAILS...
- At 11:15 AM CST Monday the stage was 18.2 feet.
- Recent Activity...The maximum river stage in the 24 hours
ending at 11:15 AM CST Monday was 19.1 feet.
- Forecast...The river is expected to fall below flood stage
late this afternoon and continue falling to 12.7 feet early
Saturday afternoon.
- Flood stage is 18.0 feet.
- Flood History...This crest compares to a previous crest of
18.1 feet on 01/16/2010.
- http://www.weather.gov/safety/flood
Fld Observed Forecasts (12 pm CST)
Location Stg Stg Day/Time Tue Wed Thu
San Bernard River
Boling 18.0 18.2 Mon 11 am CS 16.8 15.6 15.4
_____
Copyright 2023 AccuWeather | 2023-01-30T19:37:55+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/tx-wfo-houston-galveston-warnings-watches-and-17751750.php |
BERLIN (AP) — The first regular shipment of liquefied natural gas from the United States arrived in Germany on Tuesday, part of a wide-reaching effort to help the country replace energy supplies it previously received from Russia.
The tanker vessel Maria Energy arrived at the North Sea port of Wilhelmshaven, where its shipment of LNG will be converted back into gas at a special floating terminal that was inaugurated last month by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Germany has rushed to find a replacement for Russian gas supplies following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The facility in Wilhelmshaven is one of several such terminals being put in place to help avert an energy supply shortage.
Germany has also temporarily reactivated old oil- and coal-fired power stations and extended the life of its last three nuclear power plants until mid-April.
Environmental campaigners said they planned to protest the arrival of the Maria Energy, arguing Germany shouldn’t be importing fossil fuels, particularly gas obtained through fracking.
Reserves in Germany’s gas storage facilities rose above 90% at the start of the year as unseasonably warm temperatures across much of central Europe reduced heating demand. | 2023-01-04T00:03:25+00:00 | localsyr.com | https://www.localsyr.com/news/international/ap-1st-tanker-carrying-lng-from-us-arrives-in-germany/ |
Country music star Naomi Judd dies at 76 By Elizabeth Blair Published May 1, 2022 at 8:30 AM EDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Listen • 3:05 Naomi Judd, who sang with daughter Wynonna as part of country music's famed duo The Judds has died at 76. Copyright 2022 NPR | 2022-05-01T13:08:56+00:00 | delawarepublic.org | https://www.delawarepublic.org/2022-05-01/country-music-star-naomi-judd-dies-at-76 |
Remark AI-Powered Smart Safety Platform and Smart Sentry Units generate detailed video analytics that provide insight into real-time large capacity crowd counts and traffic patterns
LAS VEGAS, Nov. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Remark Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARK), a diversified global technology company with leading artificial intelligence ("AI") solutions and video analytics, announced that it has partnered with the Fremont Street Experience to deploy its AI-powered Smart Safety Platform ("SSP") and Smart Sentry Units.
SSP enables organizations to make real-time data-driven decisions and allows users to uncover data insights from the autonomous detection of security incidents and breaches, around the clock.
Remark AI's SSP AI-powered features generates real-time alerts for proactive security and safety including:
- Intelligent pre and post-forensic investigation that provides meta-data searches by utilizing physical and object-recognition attributes to speed up the investigation process
- Intrusion / loitering / object / vehicle / trespassing detection
- Live real-time large-capacity people counting and crowd analysis
- Preventative behavioral analysis such as loitering, dropping of unattended bags, vandalism, graffiti, fights
- Suspicious fire, object, and smoke detection
- Visual dashboard with actionable insights and reports for daily monitoring and customer flow analysis
"We are pleased to announce the Fremont Street Experience as an anchor customer and partner. Each year, 26 million visitors, or the equivalent of a daily 70,000 person sold-out Las Vegas Raiders game, come downtown to visit the Fremont Street Experience. Its security is paramount to the City of Las Vegas. Our Smart Safety Platform takes raw video content and turns it into data-driven intelligence with actionable insights and real-time alerts on potential security breaches. Users can monitor and respond to incidents in real time, simplify and automate security operations, and accelerate response times," said Kai Shing Tao, Chief Executive Officer of Remark Holdings.
"We are delighted with the performance of Remark's AI-powered Smart Safety Platform, having seen its benefits during two recent well attended free concerts by the Stone Temple Pilots and Flo Rida" says Mark Reddon, Director of Security for the Fremont Street Experience. "Remark delivered as promised, giving us the analytical insights into crowd count and traffic patterns, allowing us to properly manage our security presence and ensure the safety of the high turnout audience. Having seen its efficacy, we are looking to further deploy Remark's SSP among our other cameras, while supplementing security coverage for live events with Remark's Smart Sentry Units. As we continue with the future 3rd street expansion of the Fremont Street Experience, we are excited about growing our long-term partnership with Remark and look forward to utilizing its full suite of AI products."
About the Fremont Street Experience
The Fremont Street Experience is a five-block entertainment district in historic downtown Las Vegas, Nevada.The centerpiece of the Fremont Street Experience is Viva Vision, the world's largest video screen. The Viva Vision screen is 1,375 feet long, 90 feet wide and is suspended 90 feet above the pedestrian mall below. The screen has 49.3 million LED lights and a 600,000-watt sound system.Viva Vision features free light shows, free, every night of the week. Fremont Street Experience also has an extensive schedule of live concerts and entertainment on three stages.
About Remark Holdings, Inc.
Remark Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARK) delivers an integrated suite of AI solutions that help organizations monitor, understand and act on threats in real-time. Remark consists of an international team of sector experienced professionals that have created award winning video analytics. The company's GDPR-compliant and CCPA-compliant solutions focus on sectors including retail, federal agencies, public safety, hospitality and transportation. With headquarters in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, operational offices in New York and international offices in London, England.
For more information, please visit the company's website (www.remarkholdings.com).
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain forward-looking statements, including information relating to future events, future financial performance, strategies, expectations, competitive environment and regulations. Words such as "may," "should," "could," "would," "predicts," "potential," "continue," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "believes," "estimates," and similar expressions, as well as statements in the future tense, identify forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors, including those discussed in Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors in Remark Holdings' Annual Report on Form 10-K and Remark Holdings' other filings with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements reflect Remark Holdings' current views with respect to future events, are based on assumptions, and are subject to risks and uncertainties. Given such uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which represent Remark Holdings' estimates and assumptions only as of the date hereof. Except as required by law, Remark Holdings undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements after the date hereof, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
Company Contacts
Fay Tian
Vice President of Investor Relations
F.Tian@remarkholdings.com
(+1) 626-623-2000
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SOURCE Remark Holdings, Inc. | 2022-11-29T14:42:36+00:00 | witn.com | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/11/29/fremont-street-experience-deploys-remark-ai-powered-smart-safety-platform-smart-sentry-units-improve-public-safety-security-its-26-million-annual-visitors/ |
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Extras | 2023-07-02T10:53:44+00:00 | lakeshorepublicmedia.org | https://www.lakeshorepublicmedia.org/shows/nova/episodes/nova-lifes-greatest-miracle |
Century-old law let voters file baseless recount petitions and delay Pa.’s election certification
This story originally appeared on Spotlight PA.
Good-government advocates and voting experts say Pennsylvania should change a recount law that was weaponized by activists and delayed the state’s certification by several weeks.
A Votebeat and Spotlight PA review of historical legislative records and news articles found that the 1927 provision has not been substantially updated in the near-century since its passage, and was designed to combat a type of fraud now easily detected by modern improvements to election administration.
The recount petition fee, for example, has never been updated from the $50 amount set in 1927. Adjusted for inflation, the modern equivalent is $860.
By design, the authors of the law specifically didn’t require citizens submitting recount petitions to include proof of fraud. That means almost none of the petitions submitted this year offered actual evidence of malfeasance.
“Having an outlet for a citizen who sees something is important,” Commissioner Josh Maxwell, chair of the Chester County elections board, said. Instead, “there was no fraudulent behavior and [the statute is] being abused and used possibly to delay the certification of elections.”
Roughly 150 petitions were filed across the state in November, most targeting the gubernatorial and U.S. Senate races. The petitions held up certification in several counties as judges considered them and, in the counties where recounts moved forward, election administrators fed the ballots back through high-speed scanners. None of the outcomes were altered by the recounts, which found almost no errors.
This year, “I think the scope and the motivations [behind the recount petitions] are pretty novel,” said Forrest Lehman, elections director in Lycoming County. He noted that Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein did use the provision in a “scattered” way, relying as well on other parts of Pennsylvania election law. This year, he said, “you had people filing dozens” of petitions.
Adam Bonin is a Philadelphia-based attorney who regularly works with Democratic candidates and said he has used the statute in local races, such as school board or township supervisor races, when the margin is close and a recount may be justified.
The low fee of $50, originally “meant to be cost-prohibitive,” has now made it too easy to file such requests due to inflation, Bonin suggested, describing the amount as now equivalent to “a rounding error.”
Lehman and Bonin said the statute should at least be adjusted for inflation.
But Elizabeth Grossman, a senior regulatory counsel at Informing Democracy, a nonprofit focused on the vote-counting process, has been researching the law’s origin and said simply upping the cost may not be the right solution. While cost provisions and evidence standards might lessen the number of petitions, motivated parties who refuse to accept the results will climb whatever barriers are placed before them. Instead, she said, the state should consider whether the 1927 provision is still needed at all.
“I think this is more about ‘what is this for,’” she said. “If the purpose is to check if there is an error, we don’t need it. This is an old bill. We have recounts when the margin is slim, and we have audits in Pennsylvania.”
Provision dates back to 1927
The provision was championed by the newly elected Republican Gov. John Fisher as part of a package of election reform proposals Fisher had offered during his 1926 campaign. It had been a cause championed by his predecessor, Gov. Gifford Pinchot, also a Republican.
Fisher and Pinchot were attempting to push back against what they saw as the corruption of elections by machine politics, which, Pinchot said in a 1926 address to the state legislature, was on display when attorneys in Philadelphia sought to block the opening of ballot boxes in the 1925 election. Those later showed “undisputed evidence of fraud,” he said.
According to coverage at the time from The Inquirer, “glaring debauchery” was committed against Benjamin H. Renshaw, who’d received zero votes out of more than 20,000 that were cast in his race for judge. Renshaw’s campaign petitioned for recounts in 25 precincts, submitting sworn statements from voters who had voted for him or who said they saw ballot boxes being stuffed. He was aided by the Committee of Seventy, an influential Philadelphia-based nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for good government measures aimed at improving democracy, such as informing voters and combating corruption.
In one incident, a judge of elections told a watcher for Renshaw’s campaign that he would only credit Renshaw with 50 votes — and the watcher was told to “take that or nothing.”
But despite what many considered extensive evidence of election malfeasance, not all the petitions were granted. As a result, Pinchot formed a “committee of 76″ prominent men from around the state to consider necessary election reforms. According to newspaper coverage at the time, one of the committee’s recommendations was to take away judicial discretion when it came to recount petitions.
Fisher’s bill did that, mandating that the ballot box be opened if three voters in a precinct posted $50 and submitted a petition stating it was their “belief” that fraud had occurred in a race. The money would only be returned if fraud was found. The law also said, as it still does today, that the petitioners did not have to provide evidence of their claims. The logic behind this was articulated in a March 1927 editorial in The Inquirer.
“Since whatever evidence of fraud or error is locked up in the box, the petitioners are not required to prove corruption in advance,” the editorial read.
But that’s no longer how elections operate, said Al Schmidt, current president of the Committee of Seventy.
“No doubt Philly had a problem with voter fraud a long time ago, as did every other major American city, but there are safeguards now that exist that didn’t then,” said Schmidt, pointing to modern updates such as voter ID requirements for mailed ballots and banning party committee members from collecting ballots.
‘Unsupported’ petitions cause delay, spark calls for change
The Department of State said there was a “significant increase” in the number of counties receiving “unsupported” petitions filed this year. In 2016, Stein’s petitions targeted 15 counties and were heavily concentrated in Allegheny and Philadelphia, according to the Department of State. The petitions this year were spread out across at least 27 counties, according to a spokesperson for the state’s court system.
The agency told counties they could delay their certification past the statutory Nov. 28 deadline if they received valid petitions. Many did, leading to the latest date for full state certification, Dec. 22, in at least the past three years. Some petitions are still pending in Bucks County, but most were dismissed. Judges were particularly incensed by petitions filed by judges of elections, who filed recount petitions in their own jurisdictions despite previously certifying the results.
One Republican judge on the Court of Common Pleas, Jeffrey Sommer of Chester County, released a scathing opinion castigating the petitioners for embarking on what he called a “fishing expedition.”
Some judges, relying upon a separate part of election code which says if voters are going to use the 1927 provision they have to have at least some evidence or submit petitions in every voting district, dismissed petitions for lacking evidence.
Others, confounded by both the vagueness of the law and apparent contradictions within state statutes, urged the legislature to amend the 1927 provision.
“A sustained failure to address this deficiency will continue to burden the courts, elections bureaus, elections boards, county executive branches and the voting public by allowing manufactured challenges without a scintilla of evidentiary support to any and possibly all election certification processes in future elections,” Harry Judge Smail Jr., a Republican judge in Westmoreland County, wrote.
Election law experts say the lack of clarity around an evidentiary requirement should be addressed by the legislature.
Lycoming’s Lehman said the legislature should consider an evidentiary standard, a sentiment echoed by state Sen. Ryan Aument (R., Lancaster), whose race was the subject of such petitions, and by Schmidt, who was targeted by former president Donald Trump after speaking out against false claims of voter fraud in Philadelphia while serving as a commissioner there.
“I think it is a matter of having to put forward some evidence that an impartial juror could consider when considering where to examine that election,” said Schmidt. “That mechanism is in the code for some reason and the solution isn’t to get rid of it because some people are abusing it; it is to require evidence. The great thing is that the courts can be a ‘put-up-or-shut-up’ moment when it comes to election lies.”
The delayed certification may not have had reverberating impacts in 2022, but Grossman said she is worried about the potential for chaos in a presidential election year when the state must submit certified results for the Electoral College in early December. Schmidt, as well, said he is worried about future elections without legislative intervention.
“You could say, ‘What is the harm of having them certify a few days later,’” Schmidt said. “2020 showed they are trying to prevent certification. Just because someone isn’t trying what they did in 2020 doesn’t mean they aren’t testing vulnerabilities to the system.”
Carter Walker is a reporter for Votebeat in partnership with Spotlight PA. Contact Carter at cwalker@votebeat.org.
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media.
WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today. | 2022-12-30T17:06:59+00:00 | whyy.org | https://whyy.org/articles/pa-midterm-election-2022-recount-petitions-certification-history/ |
Marcell Ozuna Player Prop Bets: Braves vs. Phillies - May 27
Published: May. 27, 2023 at 5:25 AM EDT|Updated: 42 minutes ago
Marcell Ozuna and his .462 on-base percentage over his past 10 games (135 points higher than his season-long percentage), will be in action for the Atlanta Braves versus the Philadelphia Phillies and Zack Wheeler on May 27 at 4:10 PM ET.
He notched a home run while going 3-for-4 in his most recent game against the Phillies.
Marcell Ozuna Game Info & Props vs. the Phillies
- Game Day: Saturday, May 27, 2023
- Game Time: 4:10 PM ET
- Stadium: Truist Park
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo!
- Phillies Starter: Zack Wheeler
- TV Channel: Fox Sports 1
- Hits Prop: Over/under 0.5 hits (Over odds: -175)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +400)
- RBI Prop: Over/under 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +200)
- Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 runs (Over odds: +135)
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Discover More About This Game
Marcell Ozuna At The Plate
- Ozuna is hitting .238 with four doubles, 11 home runs and 17 walks.
- Ozuna has gotten a hit in 21 of 37 games this season (56.8%), with multiple hits on eight occasions (21.6%).
- In 27.0% of his games this season, he has homered, and 7.5% of his trips to the plate.
- Ozuna has an RBI in 13 of 37 games this year, with multiple RBI in five of them. He has also driven home three or more of his team's runs in two contests.
- He has scored at least once 15 times this year (40.5%), including three games with multiple runs (8.1%).
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Marcell Ozuna Home/Away Batting Splits
Phillies Pitching Rankings
- The 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings put together by the Phillies pitching staff ranks fourth in the league.
- The Phillies have a 4.65 team ERA that ranks 24th among all MLB pitching staffs.
- Phillies pitchers combine to allow the ninth-fewest home runs in baseball (53 total, one per game).
- Wheeler makes the start for the Phillies, his 11th of the season. He is 3-4 with a 4.11 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings pitched.
- The righty's last appearance came on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, when he threw six innings, surrendering three earned runs while giving up eight hits.
- Among qualifying pitchers in MLB action this season, the 32-year-old's 4.11 ERA ranks 43rd, 1.228 WHIP ranks 41st, and 10.1 K/9 ranks 18th.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-05-27T10:07:42+00:00 | atlantanewsfirst.com | https://www.atlantanewsfirst.com/sports/betting/2023/05/27/marcell-ozuna-mlb-player-prop-bets/ |
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Kendric Davis scored 31 points, including 14 in a big run before halftime, and Memphis held on to beat short-handed No. 1 Houston 75-65 in the American Athletic Conference tournament championship game Sunday.
DeAndre Williams had 16 points and 13 rebounds for coach Penny Hardaway and the Tigers (26-8), who got the league’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid. They are going to March Madness for the second year in a row.
Houston (31-3) played without AAC player of the year Marcus Sasser, who strained his groin in the first half of Saturday’s semifinal game. The senior guard’s status will remain a question mark for the Cougars, who entered their final AAC game already a sure bet for their first No. 1 NCAA seed since 1983 during the Phi Slama Jama era.
The Cougars, who are moving to the Big 12 next season, beat Memphis 71-53 in last year’s AAC tournament championship game, and won both regular-season matchups this season.
J’Wan Roberts had 12 points and 20 rebounds for Houston. Jamal Shead had 15 points on 3-of-14 shooting, and Jarace Walker had 13 points before fouling out.
The Cougars trailed by 18 at halftime, but got within 55-50 with 11:03 left after Shead scored eight points in a row for them in a two-minute span. His 3-pointer capped a 12-1 run, and he made another long-range shot before two free throws, but that was the closest Houston would get.
Memphis had taken control with a 16-2 run in the first half. Davis had all but two of those points and made two 3-pointers only 9 seconds apart.
That big spurt started on a fast-break layup by Davis with just under eight minutes left. Davis made a 3, and then Alex Lomax made a backcourt steal and passed to Davis at the top of the key for another 3. By time Davis made another fast-break layup with 3:36 left, the Tigers had doubled up Houston, 40-20.
BIG PICTURE
Memphis: Hardaway played in the 1992 and 1993 NCAA Tournaments in his only two seasons as a player for the Tigers, and now has taken them to as many as a coach. He has 110 wins in his five seasons as Memphis’ coach. … Memphis will make its 28th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Houston: Sasser dressed and went through some pregame warmups, but watched the entire game from the bench. … The Cougars led only at 3-2 on a 3-pointer by Terrance Arecenaux before Williams responded with a 3 for Memphis. … It was the first loss for Houston in 12 games at Dickies Arena. The Cougars had won the two AAC tournament titles there, and regular-season games each of the last three years.
___ 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 | 2023-03-13T13:10:42+00:00 | mytwintiers.com | https://www.mytwintiers.com/sports/memphis-topples-no-1-houston-hardaway-back-to-ncaa-tourney/ |
TODAY:
Clouds are starting our day with some stray showers throughout the morning. The more widespread rain arrives this afternoon with some isolated thunderstorms possible. Some of those thunderstorms could be strong to severe with strong winds being the main concern. This is due to a cold front. During the afternoon, heavy rain is likely at times. Rainfall accumulation looks to be 1-2 inches for today.
TONIGHT:
Overnight, we are drying out with a mostly cloudy sky.
TOMORROW:
Dry air is in place for the start of Tuesday which leads to some sunshine. Clouds are quick to return going into late day Tuesday and stray showers develop. Showers continue into Tuesday night. | 2023-06-12T15:47:05+00:00 | mytwintiers.com | https://www.mytwintiers.com/regional-forecast-southern-tier/regional-forecast-southern-tier-6-12-23/ |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Striker Jesus Ferreira scored three first-half goals against Trinidad and Tobago to become the first United States men's national team player to score consecutive hat tricks in international competition.
The six combined goals came in an 88-minute period at the Gold Cup, with the first three coming on Wednesday against St. Kitts and Nevis in St. Louis, as the U.S. cruised past T&T 6-0 to win its group on goal difference after finishing level on points with Jamaica in Group A.
- Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Ferreira also became just the second player in USMNT history with three career hat tricks, joining the team's joint all-time leading scorer Landon Donovan.
No other player, regardless of country, has multiple career Gold Cup hat tricks, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.
Ferreira gave the U.S. the lead in the 14th minute from a DeJuan Jones assist and doubled the lead in the 38th minute before a penalty in stoppage time completed the hat trick.
Cade Cowell, Gianluca Busio and Brandon Vazquez all scored second-half goals for the U.S. to finish off the 6-0 victory and the team will now await the results from Group D on Tuesday to see who it will play in the quarterfinals. | 2023-07-03T02:03:29+00:00 | espn.com | https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/37951022/ferreira-makes-usmnt-history-back-back-hat-tricks |
Photo: April Biggs - aprilbiggs.org
April Biggs 'Sick Girl'
April Biggs 'Sick Girl'
On the way into Sick Girl, audience members are given intake forms on clipboards. The atmosphere is somewhere between an art gallery, a small stage theatre and a doctor’s office waiting room. One by one members of the audience are called up to a front desk from numbers. that have been written on the intake forms. The three-page intake forms are general wellness questions. Some of them are whimsically poetic. Some of them are rather abstract. Under the bold heading “Medicine,” there is the question: “Do you take any?” This is followed by the question “How do you feel about that?”
At the front desk, audience members have the opportunity to check temperature, blood pressure and blood oxygen level. There’s the opportunity to walk around the installation, It consists of various artifacts of the medical journey of the artist: April Biggs. Years ago she’d suffered from cystic fibrosis. She’d survived a double lung transplant. There are jars full of hospital wristbands. There’s a small poster made from old prescription labels.
The audience has the opportunity to wade into a tub of empty plastic prescription bottles. Numbers continue to be called as audience members work their way through the installation. At the end of the installation, the Patient will see you. There she is: April Biggs sits in a consultation area in a medical gown with a long train that includes empty syringes and various trappings of the journey to recovery. She’s radiant at the end of it all. Once everyone has been through the installation, she engages in dance movement and abstraction of drama. There is pain. There is passion. There is the sound of air—inhalations and exhalations with lungs Biggs wasn’t born with. It’s a powerful experience reflecting on the nature of human survival through diagnoses and drugs and plastic and so much more on the constant path to recovery.
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April Biggs’ Sick Girl ran for one weekend only at The Pink House as a part ofTRIP/syck, a program of three shorts with 53212 Presents. For information about more upcoming shows with the 53212 team, visit their website at 53212presents.org. | 2023-06-27T01:24:45+00:00 | shepherdexpress.com | https://shepherdexpress.com/culture/theater/an-installation-a-performance-and-a-doctors-office/ |
'Dome' over Indianapolis brings days of heat. What you need to know to stay safe.
Indianapolis residents, lather on your sunscreen and put on an extra swipe of deodorant this week. It's about to be hot.
Temperatures will stay in the upper 80s through Thursday and rise to the 90s by the end of the week.
Isolated afternoon showers and storms might give you a break from the heat, but don't count on it. Meteorologist Andrew White from the National Weather Service said some areas of Indianapolis might experience rain, but most places will stay dry.
Scrub Hub:What are the risks of algal blooms and how does my family stay safe?
How to stay safe in the heat
If you're outside in the sun this week, here are some tips to stay cool, from White and the Red Cross:
- Along with the heat, the UV index will be high, so sunscreen is essential.
- Stay hydrated.
- Drink a lot of water.
- Avoid sugary, caffeinated and alcoholic drinks.
- Combine your water with snacks or a sports drink to replace salt and minerals you lose while sweating.
- Take breaks from the sun.
- If you don't have access to air conditioning, public libraries and malls can be spots to cool off.
- Visit in211.communityos.org/extremeweather for more safety tips and information on heat related illness.
- Take cool showers or baths.
- Wear lightweight, loose clothing.
More ways to stay cool:Here's when you can hit the city pools, splash pads this summer in Indianapolis
Why it's so hot
White said this heat wave is a result of a high-pressure dome above Indianapolis, which is an area of warm air that sticks in place. Luckily, he said, it won't feel hotter than it actually is.
The National Weather Service calls this heat a "warming trend" over Central Indiana.
White said this is partly why Indianapolis is experiencing air quality issues. Air doesn't circulate well with light wind and heat.
Knozone Action Day:Here's what you need to know
It's not unheard of to have temps this high this early in the season, White said, but it is warmer than normal.
Indianapolis forecast from the National Weather Service
As of May 30, here's Indianapolis' seven-day forecast:
Tuesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4 p.m. Sunny, with a high near 87. Calm wind becoming southeast 5 to 8 mph in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tuesday night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 7 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southeast wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Wednesday: Scattered showers and thunderstorms after 2 p.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 89. Southeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Wednesday night: Scattered showers and thunderstorms before 8 p.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66. Southeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Thursday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Sunny, with a high near 90. Southeast wind around 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.
Friday: Sunny and hot, with a high near 92.
Friday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 66.
Saturday: Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 93.
Saturday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 67.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.
Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 65.
Monday: Isolated showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 88. Chance of precipitation is 20%. | 2023-05-30T14:47:59+00:00 | indystar.com | https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/indianapolis/2023/05/30/indianapolis-heat-wave-temperatures-80-90-degrees-weather-safety-tips/70267953007/ |
JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. (WJHL) – Lovers of art can rejoice in a unique sharing of the arts.
The McKinney Center is bringing back its popular ‘Masterpiece Mingle’ event. It’s an evening of art, music, food, and community collaboration.
It’s happening at the McKinney Center on Friday, April 28 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The evening will feature 125 different works of art and each guest will be able to take one of those works home.
Tickets are $50 and only 125 people can attend since that’s how many works of art they will have on hand. As of Monday morning, only 24 tickets remained for the upcoming event.
Tickets can be purchased here.
Theresa Hammons with the McKinney Center sat down with our Good Morning Tri-Cities team to talk about the reason behind the fundraiser. | 2023-04-17T18:50:40+00:00 | wjhl.com | https://www.wjhl.com/news/local/masterpiece-mingle-returning-to-the-mckinney-center/ |
The Red Sox continued to have plenty to celebrate during Top Prospect List Season as another top 100 dropped with four potential future Boston players landing on it.
Keith Law’s top 100 for the Athletic joined rankings from Baseball America and MLB Pipeline to come out in January.
- Online sports betting is coming to the state of Massachusetts. Learn more about the anticipated online sportsbooks such as FanDuel MA and DraftKings MA
Like MLB Pipeline, Law didn’t treat Masataka Yoshida, the Red Sox free agent signee from Japan, as a prospect. The other four top 100 entrants were the same, but landed in a different order.
Marcelo Mayer, the Red Sox top prospect and projected future star at shortstop jumped from No. 18 to No. 11 on Law’s list, landing him in a similar sport to Baseball America (No. 11) and Pipeline (No. 9).
Law has Ceddanne Rafaela, who was unranked last year higher than either of the other two lists. Rafaela, who could play center field, second base or shortstop down the road is a plus defender in each of those spots and is a terrific fastball hitter, especially for someone as small as he is (listed at 5-foot-8, 152 pounds). Law, like everyone, questions Rafaela’s willingness to swing at everything. Law saw a low floor for Rafaela:
“Rafaela swings first and asks questions later, with a very fast bat and excellent bat control that helps him make contact even on pitches out of the zone, although it also leads to a lot of weaker contact on those same pitches. ... His defense is elite and he’s a 70 runner as well, so he doesn’t have to hit that much to be a solid big leaguer, and he could be an above-average regular as a low-OBP, 20+ homer guy.”
BA and Pipeline have Triston Casas, who Law has ranked at 40, higher than Rafaela. Casas is Boston’s likely starter at first base in 2023 and will quickly play himself out of prospect status. Law wrote:
“He projects as an above-average or better regular at first base and he’s ready to take over in Fenway right now, but he doesn’t have a huge tool, no 80 power or elite defense and definitely not big speed. He’s patient, disciplined, and has very good feel to hit, with hard contact that so far has produced a ton of doubles although there’s no real reason to think he can’t put more of those balls over the fence.”
At 72, Law has Michael Bleis higher than BA (No. 88) and MLB Pipeline (93) too. The 19-year-old is 6-foot-3, 170 pounds with power. Law wrote:
“Bleis is still growing into his frame, but shows exceptional ability to handle the bat, with the potential for huge power and lots of hard contact, and has a chance for every tool to end up above-average. He’s an outstanding athlete who could stay in center depending on how he fills out and whether he stays an above-average runner.” | 2023-02-01T11:37:12+00:00 | masslive.com | https://www.masslive.com/redsox/2023/02/four-red-sox-prospects-crack-keith-laws-top-100-rankings.html |
(iSeeCars) — Every new car sold comes with two distinct warranties: the bumper-to-bumper warranty and the powertrain warranty. Together, the two warranties offer comprehensive coverage should anything fail prematurely on your new or almost-new car.
The powertrain warranty covers the most expensive components of your car, yet what it covers and what it excludes isn’t clear for a lot of car buyers. We break down the ins and outs of what the powertrain warranty includes.
What is the Powertrain?
A car’s powertrain refers to the critical components that produce the power for a car and deliver it to the wheels. These parts include the engine, transmission, differential, axle shafts, and, depending on whether a car is front-wheel, rear-wheel, or all-wheel drive, the transaxle, driveshaft, and transfer case. In short, if a component directly engages with the creation or flow of engine power, it’s part of the powertrain.
As you might imagine, these parts are complex pieces of engineering – there’s nothing simple about an engine or transmission. When there’s a major failure with one of these parts, the cost can be high due to the labor hours necessary for repair as well as the cost of obtaining replacement parts. This is becoming doubly true as cars incorporate more and more technology under the hood.
All vehicles also have something called a drivetrain, a term that can be easily confused with the powertrain. The drivetrain, however, focuses on the driven wheels. All-wheel drive (AWD), four-wheel drive (4WD), front-wheel drive (FWD), and rear-wheel drive (RWD) are the four types of drivetrains. The components of these drive systems are covered by the powertrain warranty. (For more on drivetrains, refer to our guides: 4WD vs. AWD and RWD vs. FWD.)
What is Covered by a Powertrain Warranty?
The powertrain warranty is a type of limited warranty that covers the cost of any repairs or replacement of any of a vehicle’s powertrain component.
Exactly what is protected differs in detail from warranty to warranty. Typically, covered parts include seals and gaskets, internal parts like the crankshaft, pistons, valves, fuel injectors, and timing chain, the cylinder block and oil pan, transmission gears and synchronizers, and all the hardware that composes the differential and axle systems.
It’s important to note that coverage of all these components can be voided if the vehicle has been altered from factory specifications, if it has been used irregularly, or was otherwise intentionally abused. What this means is that you shouldn’t expect a powertrain warranty to cover the damage arising from off-roading your Mitsubishi Mirage.
Getting in an accident also voids the warranty. Any powertrain repairs needed as the result of a collision will be covered by your insurance, not the warranty.
Also, be sure to take your car to authorized service providers and dealerships when it’s time for a warranty claim; the work of a local independent mechanic will not be covered by the terms of the factory warranty.
What is Not Covered by a Powertrain Warranty?
With every warranty, there’s a long list of exclusions as to what’s not covered; sometimes this list seems longer than the list of covered parts. As we mentioned, the particulars of what is and isn’t included differs with every manufacturer, but a common theme is that all electronics, engine control module sensors, belts, hoses, emissions, and cooling systems are not covered. Wheel bearings, catalytic converters, oil pumps, and water pumps are other parts that are potentially not covered.
A good rule of thumb is that anything considered to be a wear item is not covered by a powertrain warranty. For instance, if your clutch goes on your manual-transmission car, don’t expect the dealership to cover the replacement cost. Even if it lasted just 20,000 miles, the service department will simply call it a wear and tear item and hand you the bill. The same goes for other items such as the timing belt or CV joints, which are considered wear items and will not be covered by a warranty.
Common maintenance items like oil changes, tire rotations, and brake pads will also not be covered. The warranty is designed to protect car owners from unexpected repairs, not pay for routine maintenance.
If you don’t want to be surprised at your local mechanic about what is and isn’t covered by your service contract, you’ll need to read the fine print regarding your warranty coverage. It doesn’t matter whether you’re buying a new car with factory coverage or some third-party warranty – the contract will clearly spell out the terms of the warranty.
How Long Does a Powertrain Warranty Last?
The length of a powertrain warranty differs with every manufacturer, but coverage terms are usually written like this: five years or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. The longest-lasting warranty belongs to Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, and Mitsubishi; which include powertrain coverage that lasts for ten years or 100,000 miles. The Korean brands have been providing decade-long powertrain coverage since the late 1990s; twenty years later their warranty remains the most long-lasting in the industry. Here is a list of automakers and the length of their powertrain warranties:
How Does a Powertrain Warranty Differ from a Bumper-to-Bumper Warranty?
Together, these two auto warranties are known as the manufacturer’s warranty. The powertrain warranty covers the most expensive, crucial mechanical components of your vehicle. As previously noted: if it has to do with the direct creation or flow of power, it’s part of your powertrain and would fall under the terms of a powertrain warranty.
The bumper-to-bumper warranty, on the other hand, is a comprehensive warranty that covers any systems and components that don’t fall under the powertrain warranty. Suspension and brake components that aren’t considered wear and tear items would fall under the bumper-to-bumper warranty, as would the power steering system, air conditioning, infotainment system, and lighting systems.
The bumper-to-bumper is intended to protect against shoddy workmanship, defective materials, or any other premature failures that aren’t due to neglect, abuse, or wear. Typical bumper-to-bumper warranties only last about three years or 36,000 miles, which is less than the typical five years or 60,000 miles of coverage provided by a powertrain warranty.
Should I Buy an Aftermarket Extended Powertrain Warranty?
Plenty of companies offer extended warranty coverage to concerned buyers looking for the peace of mind provided by a warranty. These third-party warranties typically cost $1,000 to $3,000, depending on the extent of coverage as well as the age and mileage of the used vehicle to be covered.
Considering that the cost of powertrain repairs can be in the thousands, an extended third-party warranty can look like a tempting proposition. But it only looks that way: in truth, most buyers of these extended powertrain warranties never actually use them. If they do, the cost of repairs often turn out to be less than the cost of the warranty.
A better financial decision is to save what a third-party warranty would cost you in an account that’s earmarked for emergency car repairs. If you need to tap into it because of an unforeseen trip to your mechanic, the money is there; if you don’t need it, you have extra savings toward your next vehicle purchase.
For more information on aftermarket warranties, read our article on extended car warranties.
The Bottom Line
The powertrain is the heart of an automobile. If any component in this integrated series of systems fails, your car becomes undrivable. A properly working powertrain is vital to having a reliable, dependable vehicle.
The powertrain warranty is a welcome safety net in the event your car suffers a major premature failure of any major mechanical system that could require expensive repairs. A powertrain warranty protects the consumer and also allows them to feel better about their purchase. Automakers benefit as much as the car buyer: Hyundai and Kia, for instance, saw their own sales increase markedly after the introduction of their ten-year warranty.
Whatever car you’re buying, read the fine print about any powertrain warranty that may be included or offered with the sale. Know the duration of coverage, what is and isn’t covered, and what any deductibles might cost if you do need to use the warranty. Being informed is the most effective way to avoid any surprises during the warranty period.
More from iSeeCars:
If you’re in the market for a used or new vehicle, you can search over 4 million used cars and new cars, trucks, and SUVs with iSeeCars’ award-winning car search engine that helps shoppers find the best car deals by providing key insights and valuable resources, like the iSeeCars free VIN check and Best Cars rankings. | 2022-10-29T15:56:39+00:00 | valleycentral.com | https://www.valleycentral.com/automotive/what-is-a-powertrain-warranty-and-what-does-it-cover/ |
Best Minecraft figures
Minecraft is famous for a lot of things: engaging gameplay, a massive open-world and an innovative crafting and mining system. But perhaps the most striking element of the game is its colorful, pixel-based art style. Its blocky look has inspired countless toy manufacturers to produce their own lines of Minecraft figures.
The best Minecraft figure you can buy is the Minecraft Craft-A-Block Zombie Figure. This features a Zombie figure that resembles the ones in the game, complete with a rotten flesh accessory and two material blocks.
What to know before you buy a Minecraft figure
Minecraft has a naturally simplistic look
Minecraft features a blocky, pixelated look as part of its art style. The simple graphics harken back to the early video games of the ’80s and ’90s, with very limited animations and 8-bit sprites. Even the most detailed Minecraft figures attempt to recreate this style. That’s why you’ll most likely see cubic figures with few points of articulation — it’s just part of the original design.
Based on one of the most popular games of all time
To say Minecraft is a worldwide sensation may be putting it lightly — the game is a multibillion-dollar franchise with countless products and media lines. Originally released in 2009, the game has grown to a player base of almost 140 million monthly active users. It even caught the eye of software and hardware developer Microsoft, which purchased the intellectual property for $2.5 billion. Since then Minecraft has spawned multiple spin-off games, used in educational settings, and even inspired an annual convention.
Made by differing manufacturers
Some Minecraft figures may look vastly different from others. These variations may take shape in the form of various textures, slight model discrepancies or even differences in size. For example, Mattel produces standalone figures that are about 3 inches high. Jazwares makes figures that are about an inch high. Then there are multiple third-party brands attempting to rip off the name without official licensing. Always check to make sure it has the official Minecraft logo and branding before you buy.
What to look for in a quality Minecraft figure
Detail
Minecraft isn’t known for having high graphical fidelity, rather it has a distinct pixelated art style. Recreating this effect isn’t too difficult, but it’s a matter of paying attention to the right details. Fortunately, most of the licensed toys hit the target. For example, even though the Minecraft bed only has three distinct colors (brown, red and white), there are a few pixels that break up the solid color to give it that old-school pixel feel. Keep an eye out for these small details when looking for a good Minecraft figure.
Build quality
Just like other action figures, children will pose and play with figures in several ways. It’s crucial to find figures that will be able to withstand continuous play. Although toys are usually cheap, it’s no excuse for a manufacturer to sell broken toys. Buy figures that are made with hard, durable plastic and reliably constructed. Stay away from third-party manufacturers that are not officially licensed.
Accessories and additional characters
Although you can get a single figure as a standalone purchase, it’s definitely more fun to buy additional characters or accessories to make playtime more like the actual game. You may notice special sets that come with additional equipment (such as the bed and crafting table), tools (like a diamond sword) or even enemies (creeper, zombie and so on). When you collect them all, it can make for a highly engrossing play experience!
How much you can expect to spend on Minecraft figures
Minecraft figures are $9-$45, depending on how many accessories are included, the size of the figures and the rarity of the toy line.
Minecraft figure FAQ
Why is it called Minecraft?
A. The two most common activities in the game are mining resources, like iron and diamond, and crafting tools and equipment. Put them together, and you have Minecraft.
Which figure should I buy for a young Minecraft player?
A. There are dozens of Minecraft characters and creatures, so stick to the original characters, Steve and Alex, or one of the iconic creatures, like Zombie or Enderman. These characters best represent Minecraft.
What’s the best Minecraft figure to buy?
Top Minecraft figure
Minecraft Craft-A-Block Zombie Figure
What you need to know: Get an iconic Minecraft character and monster: Zombie! He even comes with rotten flesh and two papercraft material blocks.
What you’ll love: At 3.25 inches, he is a great table decoration or pocket-sized toy for children of any age.
What you should consider: He doesn’t come with many accessories, so you’ll have to collect other figures and sets.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Top Minecraft figure for the money
What you need to know: Grab an awesome collection featuring the iconic Steve and the essential equipment for surviving the first night.
What you’ll love: It comes with a sword, pickaxe, bed, crafting table and a chest for endless variations of playtime.
What you should consider: Steve is about 2 inches tall in this set, making him smaller than the Mattel version.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Worth checking out
Minecraft Dungeons Hal & Nameless One 3.25″ Figures 2-Pk Battle Figures
What you need to know: If you’ve played Minecraft Dungeons, then you’ll probably recognize Hal and Nameless One, recreated true to game form in these figure sets.
What you’ll love: Comes with the Nameless One’s staff and Hal’s bow and arrow.
What you should consider: Unfortunately the accessories don’t fit in the figures’ hands snugly, and they tend to fall off frequently.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Leo Herrera-Lim writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | 2022-07-29T17:52:33+00:00 | ourquadcities.com | https://www.ourquadcities.com/reviews/br/toys-games-br/action-figures-playsets-br/best-minecraft-figure/ |
News organizations readying for the midterms are facing a tougher atmosphere than ever when projecting winners on election night.
Former President Trump’s refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election, his fury at Fox News for calling Arizona for Joe Biden and the dozens of GOP candidates who have followed his lead in questioning the validity of election results is making the projection of races an even more fraught process than before.
“You can go back to the 2000 election, you can go back to certainly the last election, the way that Fox News made the call in Arizona and the way the Trump campaign responded, it’s a difficult position news organizations find themselves in the sense that they don’t want to find themselves in the center of the story,” said Benjamin Toff, senior research fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
“For the people involved it’s a really uncomfortable position to be in and so they’re all very careful about not wanting to prematurely call a race based on insufficient data and evidence,” he said.
David Scott, who as vice president of news strategy and operations at The Associated Press oversees one of the largest election coverage operations in the country, told The Hill this week the AP is prepared for the biggest election night spotlight the outlet has been in since 2020.
“Even in this moment for our democracy where there is a lot of misinformation and intense focus on the vote count, we take comfort in the standard that we’ve used and the care and the effort that goes into calling races. That has always served us well and is also the right one for this moment,” Scott said.
Across the country, dozens of news leaders are prepping plans to deliver race calls in real-time, a complicated and painstaking science that uses reporting from various localities, data from recent elections and exit polling to quantify leaders and eventual winners in races for the House, Senate and other contests.
Projections have been controversial or wrong in the past. The night of the presidential election of 2000, networks inaccurately called the race for either Democrat Al Gore or Republican George W. Bush.
More recently, Trump was infuriated and complained about the Arizona projection to the highest levels of Fox’s management before falsely telling his supporters he had won.
Fox stood by the call and has brought Decision Desk Director Arnon Mishkin, who took intense flak from Trump supporters in 2020, back for the network’s coverage of the 2022 and 2024 elections.
Trump has continued to push unsubstantiated claims about the election, and a number of Republicans running for office in this year’s midterms have backed those allegations.
Those denials are having an effect on public opinion. An ABC News poll earlier this year found only 20 percent of Americans have a high level of confidence in election systems.
Because of this, industry experts say it is more imperative than ever that news organizations peel back the curtain for their audiences and explain the nuances of how votes are counted and projections are made.
“We put the Decision Desk right in the studio and I can talk directly to our viewers, so that you get it straight from us. When we’re seeing something, we show it to viewers,” said Anthony Salvanto, CBS News’s director of elections and surveys. “My goal is to always be able to deliver an explanation for what’s happening in very specific terms.”
Salvanto said his network will this cycle have a renewed emphasis on outlining for viewers which ballot types are being counted on election night, citing partisan trends in same-day versus early or mail-in voting.
“That will be a challenge because it’s something we’ve seen emerge over the last couple of cycles in greater numbers,” he said.
Especially for the national television networks, pressure to fill airtime with election result analysis can be immense as results are reported, in some cases slowly, from local governments and others counting votes across the country.
“The things the networks need to be careful about, and for the most part they are, is making sure the audience understands what a Steve Kornacki or a John King are doing on Election Day,” said Mark Lukasiewicz, a former network executive and now dean of the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication at Hofstra University. He referenced the MSNBC and CNN personalities connected to analysis and election night projections at those two networks.
“They are not predicting the outcome, they are not sitting there with the results telling you, ‘Here’s how we think people are going to vote.’ What they are saying is, ‘Based on the historical models, we believe that once all the votes have been counted this is where it’s gonna land.’ That’s a subtle but important distinction.”
Complicating matters further for the media organizations tracking election results minute by minute is the declining nationwide trust in public opinion polling and exit polls on election night.
In recent years, media companies have found content relating to how voting works has resonated with audiences and are looking to capitalize on that trend as they work to create more transparency and faith in the process.
“Readers, viewers, news consumers, voters … they are super interested in that. They want that information,” Scott said. “Some of the content that we would call explanatory journalism where we are pulling back the curtain and explaining what we’re doing is some of the most popular stories and videos and story telling that we do on election night. It really signals an interest in democracy. People want to know what’s taking place.” | 2022-10-25T18:42:33+00:00 | pix11.com | https://pix11.com/hill-politics/getting-the-call-right-projection-pressure-rises-for-news-organizations/ |
RICHMOND, Va., May 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- George C. Freeman, III, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Corporation (NYSE:UVV), stated, "Fiscal year 2023 was a good year for Universal. Tobacco shipments were strong, as logistical constraints eased in fiscal year 2023, and despite tight tobacco supply conditions, we were able to secure the leaf tobacco needed by our customers. Our plant-based ingredients platform continued to perform well, and we are excited about our progress in integrating our ingredients companies and executing on our strategies. During fiscal year 2023, we enhanced and increased the scope of our platform by adding sales and research and development resources, and we recently announced plans to expand our plant-based ingredients platform's manufacturing capabilities.
"Our operating income and net income for fiscal year 2023 were up 13% and 43%, respectively, compared to fiscal year 2022, in part due to higher tobacco shipments and sales volumes. Our results for fiscal year 2023 and the quarter ended March 31, 2023, included a favorable final ruling on a legal case involving one of our subsidiaries in Brazil regarding the exclusion of certain tax credits on exported goods in the calculation of taxable income. As a result of the favorable ruling, we recognized $5.0 million of interest income and a $24.2 million net income tax benefit in the quarter ended March 31, 2023.
"We were pleased to see a return to more normal shipping conditions, particularly for our tobacco operations, in fiscal year 2023. Due to this improved logistical environment, we were able to ship a large amount of carryover tobacco from prior crops, notably from Brazil. Some of the tobacco shipped in fiscal year 2023 was lower margin tobacco due to sales mix and sales of tobacco written down in prior quarters, however, operating income for our Tobacco Operations segment was up about 10% in fiscal year 2023, compared to fiscal year 2022, largely on the higher tobacco shipments. Results for our Tobacco Operations segment were also up in the quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2022, as lower tobacco inventory write-downs offset slightly lower tobacco sales volumes. Tobacco supply was tight for virtually all types of tobacco in fiscal year 2023, and African burley crops sizes were particularly small, largely due to weather conditions. Our uncommitted tobacco inventory levels remained low at 11% of tobacco inventory as of March 31, 2023.
"Both worldwide flue-cured and burley tobacco crops to be grown in our fiscal year 2024 are forecast to be larger than those produced in our fiscal year 2023, but we still expect flue-cured and burley tobaccos to remain in undersupply positions. The tobacco marketing season is underway in Brazil, and the Brazilian flue-cured crop is larger than the crop produced in our fiscal year 2023. We are carefully monitoring the burley crops in Africa where above average rainfall was received in some of our key growing areas even before Cyclone Freddy arrived. Although weather has reduced burley crop sizes, especially in Mozambique, we are still forecasting that the fiscal year 2024 African burley crops will be larger compared to those grown in our fiscal year 2023.
"While gross margins for the Ingredients Operations segment were flat for fiscal year 2023, compared to fiscal year 2022, operating income for our Ingredients Operations segment was lower in the fiscal year and quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to the same periods in fiscal year 2022, on higher costs related to an increase in corporate overhead allocation and the expansion of sales and product development capabilities, as well as some softening of demand and margin pressures from our customers during the second half of fiscal year 2023. We believe that the softening in demand and margin pressures are temporary and related to our customers adjusting their inventories to reflect both current supply chain conditions and inflationary pricing pressures on the end consumer. We are continuing to enhance and increase the capabilities of our plant-based ingredients platform and have made considerable progress on our vision for the segment, providing a total solution-based approach for our customers that utilizes our broad spectrum of capabilities in fruits, vegetables and botanical extracts and flavorings.
"Returning value to our shareholders in our operations remains an important priority for Universal. We were very pleased to announce our 53rd annual common dividend increase today, continuing our commitment to deliver shareholder value.
"We also achieved important milestones in our sustainability efforts during fiscal year 2023. Notably, we are proud to have substantially met 2022 supply chain goals outlined in our Sustainability Report. For example, we provide access to personal protective equipment to our contracted farmers and their workers. In addition, we were named a Supplier Engagement Leader by CDP for the second consecutive year, earning recognition for our work in engaging our suppliers on climate change. We are excited about the opportunities within our operations to improve our environmental performance and look forward to continuing to achieve our sustainability goals in fiscal year 2024."
Net income for the year ended March 31, 2023, was $124.1 million, or $4.97 per diluted share, compared with $86.6 million, or $3.47 per diluted share, for the year ended March 31, 2022. Excluding certain non-recurring items detailed in Other Items below, net income and diluted earnings per share decreased by $0.2 million and $0.02, respectively, for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, compared to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022. Operating income of $181.1 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, increased by $20.8 million, compared to operating income of $160.3 million for the fiscal ended March 31, 2022. Adjusted operating income, detailed in Other Items below, of $181.1 million increased by $7.5 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, compared to adjusted operating income of $173.6 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022.
Net income for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, was $53.7 million, or $2.15 per diluted share, compared with $25.8 million, or $1.03 per diluted share, for the quarter ended March 31, 2022. Excluding certain non-recurring items detailed in Other Items below, net income and diluted earnings per share decreased by $1.3 million and $0.06, respectively, for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2022. Operating income of $52.4 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, decreased by $4.7 million, compared to operating income of $57.1 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2022.
Consolidated revenues increased by $466.2 million to $2.6 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, compared to the fiscal year 2022, on higher tobacco sales volumes and prices as well as the addition of the business acquired in October 2021 in the Ingredients Operations segment. For the quarter ended March 31, 2023, consolidated revenues were $694.0 million, an increase of $47.0 million compared to $647.0 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, on higher tobacco sales prices.
TOBACCO OPERATIONS
Operating income for the Tobacco Operations segment increased by $15.1 million to $172.9 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, compared to the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022. Tobacco Operations segment results improved in fiscal year 2023, compared to fiscal year 2022, primarily due to increased tobacco shipments, which included a large amount of carryover crop tobacco. While sales volumes were higher for the Tobacco Operations segment in fiscal year 2023, compared to fiscal year 2022, gross profit and operating margins were lower due to sales mix and sales of tobaccos that were written down in prior quarters. Tobacco shipments from Brazil of both carryover and current crops were up significantly in fiscal year 2023, compared to fiscal year 2022. The increased Brazilian shipments were partially offset by lower African burley tobacco volumes in fiscal year 2023. African burley tobacco crop sizes were smaller largely due to weather conditions in fiscal year 2023, compared to fiscal year 2022. Results for our oriental tobacco joint venture were down, compared to fiscal year 2022, on lower sales volumes, higher interest expense, and unfavorable foreign currency comparisons. Selling, general, and administrative expenses for the Tobacco Operations segment were higher in fiscal year 2023, compared to fiscal year 2022, primarily due to higher compensation costs; higher provisions on advances to suppliers, in part due to weather-related lower crop yields; and unfavorable foreign currency comparisons. Revenues for the Tobacco Operations segment of $2.3 billion for fiscal year 2023, were up $422.5 million, compared to fiscal year 2022, on higher tobacco sales volumes and prices.
Operating income for the Tobacco Operations segment increased by $1.7 million to $53.9 million, for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2022, on lower tobacco inventory write-downs which offset slightly lower tobacco sales volumes. Tobacco inventory write-downs in the quarter ended March 31, 2023, were lower compared to the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2022, when tobacco inventory was written down due to volatile market conditions in Brazil. Tobacco sales volumes in the quarter ended March 31, 2023, were slightly lower than sales volumes in the quarter ended March 31, 2022, as higher sales volumes for the United States were outweighed by lower sales volumes in other origins, including Africa where burley crop sizes were lower in fiscal year 2023. For the quarter ended March 31, 2023, selling, general, and administrative expenses for the Tobacco Operations segment were higher compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2022, largely due to higher compensation costs and higher legal and professional fees related to a tax ruling. Revenues for the Tobacco Operations segment of $615.6 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, were up $48.4 million, compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2022, on higher tobacco sales prices.
INGREDIENTS OPERATIONS
Segment operating income for the Ingredients Operations segment decreased by $6.0 million to $10.6 million for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, compared to fiscal year 2022. Ingredients Operations segment results declined despite relatively flat gross margins for fiscal year 2023, compared to fiscal year 2022, largely due to higher costs related to an increase in corporate overhead allocation and the expansion of sales and product development capabilities, as well as market and margin pressures from some of our customers during the second half of fiscal year 2023. Results for the Ingredients Operations segment for fiscal year 2023 included the October 2021 purchase of Shank's Extracts, LLC ("Shank's"). Operating income for the Ingredients Operations segment was $0.7 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to $6.0 million for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, largely on lower sales of botanical extracts and flavorings, reduced margins, and higher costs. Selling, general, and administrative expenses for the segment increased in the fiscal year and quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to the same periods in fiscal year 2022, largely on costs related to the expansion of sales and product development capabilities of our plant-based ingredients platform as well as higher compensation costs. Selling, general, and administrative expenses for the segment also increased in the fiscal year 2023, compared to the fiscal year 2022, on the addition of Shank's. Revenues for the Ingredients Operations segment increased by $43.8 million to $311.6 million for fiscal year 2023, compared to fiscal year 2022, largely on the addition of the revenues for the acquired business as well as higher sales volumes and prices for the existing businesses. For the quarter ended March 31, 2023, revenues for the Ingredients Operations segment decreased by $1.4 million to $78.4 million, compared to the quarter ended March 31, 2022, on lower sales of botanical extracts and flavorings.
OTHER ITEMS
Cost of goods sold in the fiscal year and quarter ended March 31, 2023, increased by 25% and 9% to $2.1 billion and $571.1 million, respectively, compared to the same periods in fiscal year 2022, as a result of higher raw material costs. The percentage increases in cost of goods sold were higher than comparable percentage increases in revenues in the same periods primarily due to some lower margin sales in the Tobacco Operations segment. Selling, general, and administrative costs for fiscal year 2023 increased by $36.5 million to $277.2 million compared to fiscal year 2022, on higher compensation costs, additional costs from the acquisition of Shank's in the Ingredients Operations segment as well as higher provisions on advances to suppliers. Selling, general, and administrative costs for the quarter ended March 31, 2022, increased by $5.2 million to $70.4 million compared to the same period in the prior fiscal year, on higher compensation costs and higher legal and professional fees related to a tax ruling. Interest expense for the fiscal year and quarter ended March 31, 2023, compared to the same periods in fiscal year 2022, increased by $21.6 million to $49.3 million and by $9.1 million to $16.0 million, respectively, largely on higher debt balances and interest rates.
For the fiscal year and quarter ended March 31, 2023, our effective tax rate on pre-tax income was 8.3% and a benefit of 22.8%, respectively. In fiscal year 2023, one of our subsidiaries in Brazil received a favorable final judgement from the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice. The lawsuit asserted certain tax credits on exported goods should be excluded from taxable income. The Brazilian revenue authority asserted certain tax credits generated on purchased goods and services that were ultimately exported from Brazil should be included in the calculation of taxable income. The Brazilian Superior Court of Justice affirmed the tax credits are non-taxable in accordance with the historical and existing tax legislation in Brazil. The ruling resulted in recognition of $26.6 million of Brazilian tax credits due to the recalculation of federal income taxes in Brazil for years 2015 through 2022. The affirmative ruling also resulted in recognition of $5.0 million of interest income for the fiscal year and quarter ended March 31, 2023. The ruling resulted in a net income tax benefit of $24.2 million for the fiscal year and quarter ended March 31, 2023. The net income tax benefit included a $2.4 million income tax provision for U.S. federal income taxes. Without this interest income and income tax benefit, the consolidated effective tax rate for the quarter ended March 31, 2023, would have been approximately 33.4%.
In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, we sold our idled Tanzania operations and recognized $1.1 million of income taxes. Without this item and the favorable judgement in Brazil discussed above, the consolidated effective income tax rate for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023, would have been approximately 25.5%. Additionally, the sale of our idled Tanzania operations resulted in a $1.8 million reduction to consolidated interest expense related to an uncertain tax position.
For the fiscal year and quarter ended March 31, 2022, our effective tax rate on pre-tax income was 27.2% and 37.2%, respectively. In the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, we recognized a $1.7 million income tax benefit related to a final tax ruling at a foreign subsidiary and a $1.2 million benefit due to finalizing the prior year U.S. tax return. Without these income tax benefits, the adjusted effective tax rate for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, would have been 29.2%.
Reconciliation of Certain Non-GAAP Financial Measures
The following tables set forth certain non-recurring items included in reported results to reconcile adjusted operating income to consolidated operating income and adjusted net income to net income attributable to Universal Corporation:
Additional information
Amounts described as net income (loss) and earnings (loss) per diluted share in the previous discussion are attributable to Universal Corporation and exclude earnings related to non-controlling interests in subsidiaries. Adjusted operating income (loss), adjusted net income (loss) attributable to Universal Corporation, adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share, and the total for segment operating income (loss) referred to in this discussion are non-GAAP financial measures. These measures are not financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered as substitutes for operating income (loss), net income (loss) attributable to Universal Corporation, diluted earnings (loss) per share, cash from operating activities or any other operating or financial performance measure calculated in accordance with GAAP, and may not be comparable to similarly-titled measures reported by other companies. A reconciliation of adjusted operating income (loss) to consolidated operating (income), adjusted net income (loss) attributable to Universal Corporation to consolidated net income (loss) attributable to Universal Corporation and adjusted diluted earnings (loss) per share to diluted earnings (loss) per share are provided in Other Items above. In addition, we have provided a reconciliation of the total for segment operating income (loss) to consolidated operating income (loss) in Note 3 "Segment Information" to the consolidated financial statements. Management evaluates the consolidated Company and segment performance excluding certain significant charges or credits. We believe these non-GAAP financial measures, which exclude items that we believe are not indicative of our core operating results, provide investors with important information that is useful in understanding our business results and trends.
This release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The Company cautions readers that any statements contained herein regarding financial condition, results of operation, and future business plans, operations, opportunities, and prospects for its performance are forward-looking statements based upon management's current knowledge and assumptions about future events, and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any anticipated results, prospects, performance, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and subvariants; success in pursuing strategic investments or acquisitions and integration of new businesses and the impact of these new businesses on future results; product purchased not meeting quality and quantity requirements; our reliance on a few large customers; its ability to maintain effective information technology systems and safeguard confidential information; anticipated levels of demand for and supply of its products and services; costs incurred in providing these products and services including increased transportation costs and delays attributed to global supply chain challenges; timing of shipments to customers; higher inflation rates; changes in market structure; government regulation and other stakeholder expectations; economic and political conditions in the countries in which we and our customers operate, including the ongoing impacts from the conflict in Ukraine; product taxation; industry consolidation and evolution; changes in exchange rates and interest rates; impacts of regulation and litigation on its customers; industry-specific risks related to its plant-based ingredient businesses; exposure to certain regulatory and financial risks related to climate change; changes in estimates and assumptions underlying its critical accounting policies; the promulgation and adoption of new accounting standards, new government regulations and interpretation of existing standards and regulations; and general economic, political, market, and weather conditions. Actual results, therefore, could vary from those expected. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties, and other factors can be found in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022, and in other documents the Company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission. This information should be read in conjunction with the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the years ended March 31, 2022 and March 31, 2023, which is expected to be filed later this week. The Company cautions investors not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements as these statements speak only as of the date when made, and it undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements made.
At 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on May 24, 2023, the Company will host a conference call to discuss these results. Those wishing to listen to the call may do so by visiting www.universalcorp.com at that time. A replay of the webcast will be available at that site through August 24, 2023. A taped replay of the call will be available through June 7, 2023, by dialing (866) 813-9403. The confirmation number to access the replay is 361746.
Universal Corporation (NYSE: UVV), headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, is a global business-to-business agri-products supplier to consumer product manufacturers, operating in over 30 countries on five continents. We strive to be the supplier of choice for our customers by leveraging our farmer base, our commitment to a sustainable supply chain, and our ability to provide high-quality, customized, traceable, value-added agri-products essential for our customers' requirements. We find innovative solutions to serve our customers and have been meeting their agri-product needs for more than 100 years. Our principal focus since our founding in 1918 has been tobacco, and we are the leading global leaf tobacco supplier. Through our plant-based ingredients platform, we provide a variety of value-added manufacturing processes to produce high-quality, specialty vegetable- and fruit-based ingredients as well as botanical extracts and flavorings for the food and beverage end markets. For more information, visit www.universalcorp.com.
NOTE 1. BASIS OF PRESENTATION
Universal Corporation, with its subsidiaries ("Universal" or the "Company"), is a global business-to-business agri-products supplier to consumer product manufacturers. The Company is the leading global leaf tobacco supplier and provides high-quality plant-based ingredients to food and beverage end markets. Because of the seasonal nature of the Company's business, the results of operations for any fiscal quarter will not necessarily be indicative of results to be expected for other quarters or a full fiscal year. All adjustments necessary to state fairly the results for the period have been included and were of a normal recurring nature. These financial statements should be read in conjunction with the financial statements and notes thereto included in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2022.
NOTE 2. EARNINGS PER SHARE
The following table sets forth the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share:
NOTE 3. SEGMENT INFORMATION
Management regularly evaluates the Company's global business activities, including product and service offerings to its customers, as well as senior management's operational and financial responsibilities. Assessments include an analysis of how its chief operating decision maker measures business performance and allocates resources. As a result of this analysis, senior management has determined the Company conducts operations across two reportable operating segments, Tobacco Operations and Ingredients Operations.
The Tobacco Operations segment activities involve contracting, procuring, processing, packing, storing, and shipping leaf tobacco for sale to, or for the account of, manufacturers of consumer tobacco products throughout the world. Through various operating subsidiaries located in tobacco-growing countries around the world and significant ownership interests in unconsolidated affiliates, the Company processes and/or sells flue-cured and burley tobaccos, dark air-cured tobaccos, and oriental tobaccos. Flue-cured, burley, and oriental tobaccos are used principally in the manufacture of cigarettes, and dark air-cured tobaccos are used mainly in the manufacture of cigars, pipe tobacco, and smokeless tobacco products. Some of these tobacco types are also increasingly used in the manufacture of next generation tobacco products that are intended to provide consumers with an alternative to traditional combustible products. The Tobacco Operations segment also provides physical and chemical product testing and smoke testing for tobacco customers. A substantial portion of the Company's Tobacco Operations' revenues are derived from sales to a limited number of large, multinational cigarette and cigar manufacturers.
The Ingredients Operations segment provides its customers with a broad variety of plant-based ingredients for both human and pet consumption. The Ingredients Operations segment utilizes a variety of value-added manufacturing processes converting raw materials into a wide spectrum of fruit and vegetable juices, concentrates, dehydrated products, botanical extracts, and flavorings. Customers for the Ingredients Operations segment include large multinational food and beverage companies, smaller independent manufacturers, and retail organizations. FruitSmart, Silva, and Shank's are the primary operations for the Ingredients Operations segment. FruitSmart manufactures fruit and vegetable juices, purees, concentrates, essences, fibers, seeds, seed oils, and seed powders. Silva is primarily a dehydrated product manufacturer of fruit and vegetable based flakes, dices, granules, powders, and blends. Shank's manufactures botanical extracts and flavorings and also offers bottling and custom packaging for customers. In fiscal year 2021, the Company announced the wind-down of CIFI, a greenfield operation that primarily manufactured both dehydrated and liquid sweet potato products.
Universal incurs overhead expenses related to senior management, sales, finance, legal, and other functions that are centralized at its corporate headquarters, as well as functions performed at several sales and administrative offices around the world. These overhead expenses are currently allocated to the reportable operating segments, generally on the basis of projected annual financial and operational performance, including volumes planned to be purchased and/or processed. Management believes this method of allocation is currently representative of the value of the related services provided to the operating segments. The Company currently evaluates the performance of its segments based on operating income after allocated overhead expenses, plus equity in the pretax earnings of unconsolidated affiliates.
Operating results for the Company's reportable segments for each period presented in the consolidated statements of income were as follows:
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SOURCE Universal Corporation | 2023-05-24T21:56:04+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2023/05/24/universal-corporation-reports-annual-results/ |
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