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WASHINGTON – The United States will send another $450 million in military aid to Ukraine, including some additional medium-range rocket systems, U.S. officials said Thursday.
The latest package will include four High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, or HIMARS, and is expected to be announced later Thursday. The first four HIMARS that the U.S. previously sent have already gone into Ukraine and are in the hand of troops there.
One official said the latest package will also include 18 tactical vehicles, 18 coastal and riverine patrol boats, thousands of machine guns, grenade launchers and rounds of ammunition, and some other equipment and spare parts.
The new aid comes just a week after the U.S. announced it will send $1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, and as the Russian military continues to slowly expand its control in the eastern Donbas region. Ukrainian leaders have persistently asked for the more advanced, precision rocket systems in order to better fight back against Russia. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details ahead of an announcement.
The Russian military captured two villages in eastern Ukraine on Thursday and is fighting for control of a key highway in a campaign to cut supply lines and encircle frontline Ukrainian forces, according to British and Ukrainian military officials.
Russian forces have been bombarding the city of Sievierodonetskfor weeks with artillery and air raids, and fought the Ukrainian army house-to-house. The HIMARS gives Ukraine the ability to strike Russian forces and weapons from further away. The systems are mounted on trucks, which carry a container with six precision-guided rockets that can travel about 45 miles (70 kilometers).
It took about three weeks to train Ukrainian troops on the first four HIMARS, before they were moved to the fight.
The aid is part of the $40 billion in security and economic assistance passed last month by Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden.
Overall, since the war began in late February, the U.S. has committed more than $6 billion in security assistance to Ukraine, including this latest package. The latest $450 million will be from drawdown authority, which means the Defense Department will take weapons and equipment from it’s own stock and ship them to Ukraine. | 2022-06-23T20:05:06+00:00 | local10.com | https://www.local10.com/news/politics/2022/06/23/officials-us-to-send-rocket-systems-other-aid-to-ukraine/ |
SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean police are investigating what caused a crowd surge that killed more than 150 people during Halloween festivities in Seoul last weekend in the country’s worst disasters in years, as President Yoon Suk Yeol and other residents paid respects to the dead at temporary mourning sites.
Saturday’s deadly crowd surge was concentrated in a sloped, narrow alley in Seoul’s Itaewon neighborhood, a popular nightlife district, with witnesses and survivors recalling a “hell-like” chaos of people falling on each other “like dominoes." They say the entire Itaewon area was extremely jammed with slow-moving vehicles and partygoers clad in Halloween costumes, making it impossible for rescuers and ambulances to reach the crammed alleys in time.
Police launched a 561-member task force to delve into details of the crush, the Interior and Safety Ministry said in a release.
Officers are analyzing footage taken by security cameras in the area at the time of the crush and related video clips posted on social media. They were also interviewing witnesses to find exactly when and where the crowd surge started and how it developed, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency.
A team of police officers and government forensic experts were to conduct a joint investigation on the Itaewon area, according to local media reports.
“The government will thoroughly investigate the cause of the incident and do its best to make necessary improvements of systems to prevent a similar accident from recurring,” Prime Minister Han Duck-soo said at the start of a government meeting on the disaster.
The Itaewon area, famous for its cosmopolitan atmosphere, is the country’s hottest spot for Halloween-themed events and parties, which had increasing popularity among young South Koreans in recent years. An estimated 100,000 people were gathered there in the country’s largest Halloween celebrations since the pandemic began.
But some business owners in Itaewon say an even larger number of people gathered there in pre-pandemic Halloween weekend festivities.
Police said in a statement they fielded 137 officers to maintain order during Halloween festivities last Saturday — much more than the 34-90 officers mobilized in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Citing the figures, police dismissed as “different from the truth” speculations that a police station in the area suffered understaffing because it’s been providing extra security to Yoon, who relocated the country’s presidential office to a site near Itaewon. The police statement said police-provided security for a president has long been handled by two special police units and that the units have nothing to do with the Yongsan police station, whose jurisdiction includes Itaewon.
Some observers say the scope of the police investigation would include an apparent lack of safety steps, as well as looking into witness accounts of the crowd surge being caused by some people intentionally pushing others and making them fall. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency didn’t immediately publicize the details of its probe.
As of Monday morning, the government said it has identified 153 of the 154 dead people and informed bereaved relatives of their identifications. Nearly two-thirds of the dead — 98 — were women. It said 149 others remain injured. The death count could rise farther as officials said 33 of the injured were in serious conditions.
More than 80% of the dead were in their 20s or 30s and 11 were teenagers, the Interior Ministry release said.
The dead also included 26 foreigners. Five of them are from Iran; four from China; four from Russia; two from the United States; two from Japan; one each from Australia, Norway, France, Austria, Vietnam, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka, according to the Interior Ministry.
As the identifications of the dead neared completion, bereaved families were expected to begin funerals for their loved ones. Officials said the government will provide necessary support to bereaved relatives for funeral procedures.
One of the Americans killed was Anne Gieske, a University of Kentucky nursing student from northern Kentucky who was doing a study-abroad program in South Korea, the university said in a statement. The other was Steven Blesi, 20, his father Steve Blesi wrote on Twitter after earlier seeking information about his son.
Blesi appealed for information after not hearing from his son, asking: “If anyone has any news please share.” After a flood of responses offering help and support, he tweeted: “We just got confirmation our son died,” followed by “Thank you for the outpouring of love. We need time to grieve.”
One of the two Japanese dead is Mei Tomikawa, who was studying Korean language in Seoul, according to Japanese media. Her father Ayumu Tomikawa told Japan’s NHK television station that his daughter “really liked South Korea and was enjoying her life there." He and his wife reportedly left their home on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido to come to Seoul.
South Korean President Yoon on Sunday declared a one-week national mourning period and ordered flags at government buildings and public offices to fly at half-staff.
The government opened temporary memorials Monday in Seoul and other major cities in South Korea. People ranging from ordinary citizens to top officials including Yoon visited the sites, placed white flowers and deeply bowed to show respect. Many people also laid chrysanthemums, bottles of the Korean liquor soju, candles and snacks near an Itaewon subway station, with a host of condolence messages posted on the wall and elsewhere.
In the wake of the disaster, many hotels, department stores, amusement parks and other businesses in South Korea have canceled Halloween-themed events.
The crowd surge was South Korea’s deadliest disaster since 2014, when 304 people, mostly high school students, died in a ferry sinking.
The sinking exposed lax safety rules and regulatory failures. It was partially blamed on excessive and poorly fastened cargo and a crew ill-trained for emergency situations. Saturday’s deaths will likely draw public scrutiny of what government officials have done to improve public safety standards since the ferry disaster.
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Associated Press writers Adam Schreck in Bangkok and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report. | 2022-10-31T10:46:45+00:00 | wthr.com | https://www.wthr.com/article/news/nation-world/south-korea-crowd-surge/507-11c5e16d-ce2f-40cb-9cc8-a8ecfa4aef01 |
Dozens of animals sent to shelter cause overcrowding at Cincinnati Animal CARE
By Kendresa Cockrell
Click here for updates on this story
CINCINNATI (WLWT) — The holidays may be over, but it could be the perfect time to get your family a new pet.
Cincinnati Animal CARE has taken in hundreds of animals in the past few weeks. The shelter reports it has taken in 89 animals since Friday.
Ray Anderson the Community Engagement Manager at the shelter stopped by WLWT to talk about the need for more adoptions.
(Watch the video in player above to hear more about shelter needs.)
Cincinnati Animal CARE is open from 1 p.m. – 6 p.m. Monday- Sunday.
Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform. | 2023-02-01T15:14:17+00:00 | localnews8.com | https://localnews8.com/news/2023/02/01/dozens-of-animals-sent-to-shelter-cause-overcrowding-at-cincinnati-animal-care/ |
DENVER (AP) — When former members of the U.S. snowboarding team wanted to report sex-abuse allegations against a longtime coach, they received conflicting information that left them unsure of where to turn — or whether they wanted to pursue the cases at all.
An Instagram post during the Olympics by a former U.S. team member led to allegations that coach Peter Foley had molested them, coerced them into taking naked pictures, crawled into bed with them and nurtured an atmosphere in which women were treated as sex objects.
The episode has raised questions as to whether the reporting system for sex-abuse cases in Olympic sports, redesigned in the wake of former gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar’s abuse of hundreds of athletes, is working the way it should some five years since the overhaul.
Foley has denied wrongdoing. His attorney, Howard Jacobs, said that as of March 30 — 10 days after Foley was fired by the U.S. Ski & Snowboard federation and more than seven weeks after the allegations began surfacing — the 56-year-old coach had not been contacted by the U.S. Center for SafeSport, the organization formed to investigate claims such as those involving Foley.
“We only received the allegations from the U.S. Center for SafeSport after I emailed them to request that they provide them,” Jacobs said.
The Associated Press reviewed a series of emails between the athletes, an attorney at the U.S. Ski & Snowboard federation and employees at the U.S. Center for SafeSport that ensued after the initial social-media post by snowboarder Callan Chythlook-Sifsof. The correspondence painted a picture of athletes who didn’t trust their own sports federation to handle the cases appropriately and a SafeSport center that had received information on the case but would not pursue it unless it heard from the accusers themselves.
One email to USSS attorney Alison Pitt sent by a SafeSport intake coordinator said athletes “need to be educated that if they are not willing to come forward, be named and participate in the process, they are in effect choosing to participate in a self-fulfilling prophecy, in that nothing can or will be done to the accused.”
The email continued by saying accusers “seem to believe they can throw out allegations and Foley will be removed.”
That correspondence conflicts with the center’s own bylaws, which state “nothing in this Code shall be construed to require a victim of child abuse or other misconduct to self-report.” The bylaws also warn that anonymous reports can limit the center’s ability to respond.
Asked for details about this and other emails, spokeswoman Annie Skinner said the center does not comment about particular cases “to protect the integrity of the process and the confidentiality of affected individuals.”
“Correspondence with an NGB about a particular matter should not be considered a comprehensive representation of the center’s information or investigative intentions,” Skinner said.
While the SafeSport Center asked, and waited, for victims to come forward, Pitt, the USSS lawyer, might have had a potentially chilling effect on one athlete’s decision about whether to contact the center. An ESPN report that detailed the allegations quoted an unnamed Olympic medalist as saying the attorney described an “extensive and challenging” reporting process.
“It did make me question whether I wanted to go through with that process,” the athlete said.
USSS CEO Sophie Goldschmidt told AP that Pitt was “transparent that the process may take time” in her discussion with the athlete, but assured her that reporting to the SafeSport Center was the only way for the case to be resolved.
It took more than five weeks for either oversight organization to take decisive action against Foley: U.S. Ski & Snowboard fired him as a result of its own workplace investigation on March 20, two days after the SafeSport Center put him on temporary suspension pending its abuse investigation.
The SafeSport Center was formed after dozens of athletes across several sports detailed decades of abuse allegations that were not handled properly by U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and the sports organizations it oversaw. One reason it was formed was to prevent conflicts of interest that arose when executives or employees of a sports organization tried to resolve sex-abuse disputes involving athletes in their sport.
What happened between Chythlook-Sifsof’s initial accusations and the now-current investigation into Foley drew the attention of Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who sent USSS a letter suggesting it was skirting rules that call for the center to have exclusive jurisdiction in investigating sex-abuse complaints.
In his letter, Grassley said USSS interfered by conducting its own investigation instead of filtering the entire process through the SafeSport Center, and “has failed to make notifications regarding sexual misconduct to the center.”
USSS responded to Grassley with its own letter that says there is a “grave misunderstanding” about the actions the federation took when it first heard of the allegations.
USSS provided AP with several emails and documents that indicate it contacted the SafeSport center immediately upon learning of Chythlook-Sifsof’s Instagram post.
But the initial contact between USSS and the SafeSport Center did not result in any sanction for Foley by the center. Though the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee had imposed “temporary measures” to restrict Foley’s contact with athletes through the end of the Olympics, USSS grew more concerned as the snowboard team approached a trip to Austria for a post-Olympics competition in early March. The USOPC’s measures expired after the Olympics.
In a Feb. 16 email to Pitt, SafeSport Center vice president Bobby Click says “based on the information the center has, we have chosen not to implement any types of measure.”
The next day, an intake coordinator at the center emailed Pitt and said she had interviewed five “claimants,” all of whom denied misconduct.
“If I do not get a participating claimant soon, we will be closing” the case, the coordinator wrote.
The emails further pressing the athletes to come forward were sent March 14.
Over the same span, a USSS board member, Lisa Kosglow, contacted the former Olympic medalist interviewed in the ESPN story and told her “Peter is so devastated” about the allegations. ESPN reported Kosglow told the medalist Foley had asked Kosglow to reach out to her. The medalist told Kosglow she was one of the women hurt by Foley.
USSS acknowledged that Kosglow did not report any of this to the SafeSport Center and had subsequently resigned her seat.
“This was a mistake, which we regret,” USSS said in a statement.
But USSS stood firm on its decision to temporarily suspend and eventually fire Foley while it opened and then resolved its own investigation on workplace bullying and a toxic environment — a probe that stemmed from the initial sex-abuse allegations.
“Inevitably there was some overlap between the center’s sexual misconduct investigation and the U.S. Ski & Snowboard investigation into other workplace misconduct,” the federation said.
Meanwhile, as emails between USSS and the center went back and forth, a handful of athletes, including Chythlook-Sifsof, took their cases to the center, which opened an investigation that led to Foley’s temporary suspension. It came two days before his firing and more than five weeks after the original Instagram post.
“If not for USSS’s determination that Coach Foley’s conduct (even outside of the Center’s investigation into sexual misconduct) did not comport with the values of USSS, Coach Foley would have continued to have contact with athletes until the Center decided to act nearly four weeks later,” Goldschmidt wrote in the USSS’s response to Grassley.
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More AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2022-04-14T17:45:42+00:00 | fox44news.com | https://www.fox44news.com/news/snowboard-abuse-case-exposes-flaws-in-new-reporting-system/ |
Updated July 25, 2023 at 1:29 PM ET
A federal judge has blocked the Biden administration's new rules for asylum-seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.
U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar in Oakland, Calif., found the rules unlawful because they impose conditions on asylum-seekers that Congress did not intend.
Tigar stayed his own ruling for 14 days, giving the Biden administration a chance to appeal before it takes effect.
The asylum rules, which took effect in May, make it harder for migrants to get asylum if they cross the border illegally after passing through Mexico or another country without seeking protection there first.
Tigar wrote that "noncitizens who enter between ports of entry, using a manner of entry that Congress expressly intended should not affect access to asylum."
The judge's decision was not unexpected. At a hearing last week, Tigar joked that he heard somewhere that "2023 was going to be a big year for sequels." Tigar blocked a similar policy during the Trump administration, and immigrant advocates had urged him to do the same in this case.
At a hearing last week, a lawyer for the Justice Department argued that the Biden administration's policy is different from the Trump-era version, in part because it's paired with new legal pathways for migrants seeking protection.
The number of migrants crossing the border illegally dropped sharply in May and June, after the new rule took effect. The Biden administration says the decline is due in part to the new asylum rules — along with a mobile app called CBP One, which migrants can use to schedule interviews at official ports of entry, the first step toward filing a claim for asylum.
The Biden administration's border policies have also been challenged in court by Republican-led states. They argue that immigration authorities are releasing too many migrants into the country to pursue their asylum claims.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2023-07-25T17:37:10+00:00 | kgou.org | https://www.kgou.org/politics-and-government/politics-and-government/2023-07-25/judge-blocks-biden-administrations-new-rules-for-asylum-seekers-at-the-border |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Twitter's former security chief told Congress Tuesday there was “at least one agent” from China's intelligence service on Twitter's payroll and that the company knowingly allowed India to add agents to the company roster as well, potentially giving those nations access to sensitive data about users.
These were some of the troubling revelations from Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, a respected cybersecurity expert and Twitter whistleblower who appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee to lay out his allegations against the company.
Zatko told lawmakers that the social media platform is plagued by weak cyber defenses that make it vulnerable to exploitation by " teenagers, thieves and spies" and put the privacy of its users at risk.
“I am here today because Twitter leadership is misleading the public, lawmakers, regulators and even its own board of directors," Zatko said as he began his sworn testimony.
“They don’t know what data they have, where it lives and where it came from and so, unsurprisingly, they can’t protect it,” Zatko said. “It doesn’t matter who has keys if there are no locks."
“Twitter leadership ignored its engineers,” he said, in part because “their executive incentives led them to prioritize profit over security.”
In a statement, Twitter said its hiring process is “independent of any foreign influence” and access to data is managed through a host of measures, including background checks, access controls, and monitoring and detection systems and processes.
One issue that didn't come up in the hearing was the question of whether Twitter is accurately counting its active users, an important metric for its advertisers. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is trying to get out of a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter, has argued without evidence that many of Twitter's roughly 238 million daily users are fake or malicious accounts, aka "spam bots."
Even so, “that doesn’t mean that Musk won’t use Zatko’s allegation that Twitter was disinterested in removing bots to try to bolster his argument for walking away from the deal,” said Insider Intelligence analyst Jasmine Enberg.
The Delaware judge overseeing the case ruled last week that Musk can include new evidence related to Zatko’s allegations in the high-stakes trial, which is set to start Oct. 17. During the hearing, Musk tweeted a popcorn emoji, often used to suggest that one is sitting back in anticipation of unfolding drama.
Separately on Tuesday, Twitter's shareholders voted overwhelmingly to approve the deal, according to multiple media reports. Shareholders have been voting remotely on the issue for weeks. The vote was largely a formality, particularly given Musk's efforts to nullify the deal, although it does clear a legal hurdle to closing the sale.
Zatko's message echoed one brought to Congress against another social media giant last year. But unlike that Facebook whistleblower, Frances Haugen, Zatko hasn't brought troves of internal documents to back up his claims.
Zatko was the head of security for the influential platform until he was fired early this year. He filed a whistleblower complaint in July with Congress, the Justice Department, the Federal Trade Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Among his most serious accusations is that Twitter violated the terms of a 2011 FTC settlement by falsely claiming that it had put stronger measures in place to protect the security and privacy of its users.
Sen. Dick Durbin, an Illinois Democrat who heads the Judiciary Committee, said Zatko has detailed flaws “that may pose a direct threat to Twitter’s hundreds of millions of users as well as to American democracy.”
“Twitter is an immensely powerful platform and can’t afford gaping vulnerabilities,” he said.
Unknown to Twitter users, there’s far more of their personal information disclosed than they — or sometimes even Twitter itself — realize, Zatko testified. He said Twitter did not address “basic systemic failures” brought forward by company engineers.
The FTC has been “a little over its head”, and far behind European counterparts, in policing the sort of privacy violations that have occurred at Twitter, Zatko said.
Zatko’s allegation that Twitter was more concerned about foreign regulators than the FTC, Enberg said, “could be a wakeup call for U.S. lawmakers,” who have been unable to pass meaningful regulation on social media companies.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said one positive result that could come out of Zatko’s findings would be bipartisan legislation to set up a tighter system of regulation of tech platforms.
“We need to up our game in this country,” he said.
Many of Zatko’s claims are uncorroborated and appear to have little documentary support. Twitter has called Zatko’s description of events “a false narrative ... riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies” and lacking important context.
Still, Zatko came off as a convincing whistleblower who has “a lot of credibility in this space,” said Ari Lightman, professor of digital media and marketing at Carnegie Mellon University. But he said many of the problems he raised can likely be found at many other digital technology platforms
“They avoid security protocols in a sense of innovating and running really fast,” Lightman said. “We gave digital platforms so much autonomy at the beginning to grow and develop. Now we’re at a point where we’re, ‘Wait a minute ... This has gotten out of hand.’
Among the assertions from Zatko that drew lawmaker attention was Twitter’s apparent negligence in dealing with governments that sought to get spies a job inside the company. Twitter’s inability to log how employees accessed user accounts made it hard for the company to detect when employees were abusing their access, Zatko said.
Zatko said he spoke with “high confidence” about a foreign agent that the government of India placed at Twitter to “understand the negotiations” between India’s ruling party and Twitter about new social media restrictions and how well those negotiations were going.
Zatko also revealed Tuesday that he was told about a week before his firing that “at least one agent” from the Chinese intelligence service MSS, or the Ministry of State Security, was “on the payroll” at Twitter.
He said he was similarly “surprised and shocked” by an exchange with current Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal about Russia — in which Twitter's current CEO, who was chief technology officer at the time, asked if it would be possible to “punt” content moderation and surveillance to the Russian government, since Twitter doesn't really “have the ability and tools to do things correctly.”
“And since they have elections, doesn’t that make them a democracy?” Zatko recalled Agrawal saying.
Sen. Charles Grassley, the committee's ranking Republican, said Tuesday that Agrawal declined to testify at the hearing, citing the ongoing legal proceedings with Musk. But the hearing is “more important than Twitter’s civil litigation in Delaware," Grassley said. Twitter declined to comment on Grassley's remarks.
In his complaint, Zatko accused Agrawal as well as other senior executives and board members of numerous violations, including making “false and misleading statements to users and the FTC about the Twitter platform’s security, privacy and integrity.”
Zatko, 51, first gained prominence in the 1990s as a pioneer in the ethical hacking movement and later worked in senior positions at an elite Defense Department research unit and at Google. He joined Twitter in late 2020 at the urging of then-CEO Jack Dorsey.
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O'Brien reported from Providence, R.I.; Ortutay reported from Oakland, Calif.
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Follow Marcy Gordon at https://twitter.com/mgordonap
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Credit: Jacquelyn Martin | 2022-09-13T21:39:00+00:00 | springfieldnewssun.com | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/whistleblower-china-india-had-agents-working-for-twitter/A6VDJRJ7Y5HTXHTQH3SUY2O7VU/ |
The head of the House Democratic Caucus went after Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) on Tuesday, accusing the GOP leader of reneging on a budget deal he cut with President Biden this month as part of the debt ceiling package.
Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) said McCarthy, by encouraging GOP appropriators to set 2024 spending levels below the caps agreed upon with Biden, has both defied the terms of the deal and increased the likelihood of a government shutdown later in the year.
“It’s shocking that it took less than two weeks for Republicans to walk away from an agreement that they made,” Aguilar said during a press briefing in the Capitol.
“This is an agreement that the Speaker made directly. And he took pains — remember? — to get everybody else out of the room and to get to a deal with just him and the president. And now he’s walking away from that deal,” Aguilar continued. “If it wasn’t so dangerous, it would be laughable.”
Asked if the GOP’s strategy heightens the risk of a government shutdown, Aguilar didn’t pause.
“I think it very well could,” he said.
Under the debt ceiling agreement, McCarthy and Biden set caps on federal spending for fiscal 2024 — when outlays are essentially frozen at 2023 levels — and 2025, when a 1 percent increase would be in place.
Hard-line conservatives have bashed the legislation, saying it strays too far from the partisan debt ceiling package Republicans passed in late April, which featured much deeper cuts over a much longer window. The conservatives have accused McCarthy of caving to Biden on a top GOP priority, and now they want him to battle for steeper cuts as part of the effort to fund the government next year.
McCarthy has responded to the pressure by emphasizing that the caps he negotiated with Biden merely represent an upper limit.
“You always have to remember with appropriation levels — that’s your cap. You can always do less,” McCarthy told reporters Monday in the Capitol.
Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas), chairwoman of the powerful Appropriations Committee, has adopted that same argument, issuing a statement Monday night saying she’ll be marking up spending bills below the Biden-McCarthy caps. She’s aiming to cut spending back to 2022 levels.
“The Fiscal Responsibility Act set a topline spending cap – a ceiling, not a floor – for Fiscal Year 2024 bills,” Granger said. “That is why I will use this opportunity to mark up appropriations bills that limit new spending to the Fiscal Year 2022 topline level.”
That objective is estimated to cut federal spending by roughly $130 billion below current levels, raising questions about whether GOP leaders could rally the support from moderate GOP lawmakers who tend to support many of the programs likely to be affected. At this early stage, however, some of those moderates are downplaying those concerns.
“There’s going to be a process; it will play itself out,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.) said Tuesday.
Aguilar, who sits on the Appropriations Committee, noted that neither Biden nor the Democratic-led Senate will ever accept spending levels below those included in the debt ceiling agreement. With that in mind, he said House Republican leaders are forcing their rank-and-file members to take a politically risky vote on cuts to popular programs for one reason only: to prevent hard-line conservatives from going after McCarthy’s gavel.
“The Senate is going to mark up to the deal that was made. And so House Republicans are going to completely make themselves irrelevant [and] make their members vote on these deep, deep cuts, and it has no possibility of becoming law,” Aguilar said.
“[It’s] incredibly difficult to see that they want to put their members through this,” he added. “But these are the deals that Kevin McCarthy has to make in order to hold the gavel.” | 2023-06-13T20:16:46+00:00 | wjhl.com | https://www.wjhl.com/hill-politics/democratic-leader-accuses-mccarthy-of-reneging-on-budget-deal-with-biden/ |
LOS ANGELES — Forty seven years after he took the stage at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles in a sequined-studded baseball uniform as the world's biggest pop star, Elton John walked on to the same stage on Sunday night wearing a bedazzled Dodgers bathrobe, a uniform more fitting for a 75-year-old man on the verge of retirement.
The crowd of more than 50,000 roared at the moment that came in the final minutes of the final North American concert of a tour John says will be his last.
“I want to spend time with my family because I’ll be 76 next year," he said. “I want to bring them out and show you why I’m retiring.”
He embraced and kissed his husband, David Furnish, while his two sons, 11-year-old Zachary and 9-year-old Elijah, wearing matching Dodgers jackets that read “Elton” on the back, waved gleefully at the crowd.
John then broke into “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” the inevitable final song that gave the “Farewell Yellow Brick Road” tour its name.
The crowd full of rocket men and rocket women, of blue jean babies and LA ladies, many John's age but plenty in their 20s and 30s and 40s, swayed and sang along as they had throughout the two-hour show during songs like “Rocket Man” and “Tiny Dancer.” Some wiped away tears.
Many were wearing their own sequins and spangles, sparkling spectacles, top hats, feather boas, and in a few cases, Donald Duck suits, representing stages of John's 55-year career.
“Thank you all for dressing up," John said, "it makes me so happy when you wear the most fantastic costumes.”
When that last song ended, John shed the robe and exposed another retirement outfit, a green-and-red tracksuit, and climbed into a small, clear elevator that lifted him into an opening in the backdrop. He could then be seen on a giant video screen walking down a yellow brick road into the distance.
Many others joined John for the occasion.
Kiki Dee took the stage to sing their duet “Don't Go Breaking My Heart.”
“In 1975, this woman was here with me, and we sang this song,” John said as he brought out Dee. “I asked her to come and recreate that incredible moment.”
John jumped from his usual keyboard spot, grabbed a mic and sang and danced with Dee as his rehearsal piano player Adam Chester pounded the keys in his place.
John played “Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me” in tribute to the four bandmates who have died during his career, and after the first verse brought on another guest, shouting, “ladies and gentleman, Brandi Carlile!”
The moment was an unspoken tribute to another late collaborator, George Michael, who dueted with John in the same way on the song in 1991.
Carlile, who was central to Joni Mitchell 's recent return to the stage, was wearing her own Dodger-themed spangled suit. She belted out her verses and made a “can you believe this?!” face to the crowd as John put his arm around her and the soaked in the applause.
A drum machine pounded as Dua Lipa, in a black dress that contrasted with the sparkles on everyone else, came out for the first of the encores, “Cold Heart,” her 2021 hit with John.
“I can’t tell you how it feels to be 75 years old and to have the No. 1 record around the world,” John said after. “And this was my very first hit, 52 years ago.”
He started playing piano chords and sang, “It’s a little bit funny, this feeling inside," the opening line to 1970's “Your Song.”
“That was your song, Los Angeles!” he shouted after.
About two hours earlier, after taking the stage in a tuxedo with sequins that flared into a flame design and opening the concert with “Benny and the Jets,” he explained the significance of the city to his music.
“All right, this is a very special night for me, a very emotional night for me, and it’s been a long journey, and I first came here to America in 1970 to the City of Angels, Los Angeles, and I played a club called the Troubadour."
The concert, which streamed live on Disney+, was the last of a three-night stand at the stadium (and his 103rd show in the LA area, he told the crowd). The Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour began in September 2018 with the first of the 300-plus scheduled dates. It was suspended in 2020 because of the COVID pandemic and resumed in 2021.
In January, John heads to Australia and New Zealand, then moves on to Britain and Europe. He's set to conclude in Sweden in July, though he's made it clear he is only done traveling, not making music.
Many of those backing him up have been in his band from the start, or very near it, including Nigel Olsson, his drummer since 1969, and Davey Johnstone, his guitarist since 1971, who at age 71 stood at the front of the stage and led the band through a ripping version of “Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting.”
John also provided a rare on-stage glimpse of an even more long-running collaborator, the man who wrote most of the words the crowd sang along with all night, lyricist Bernie Taupin.
“We’ve been writing together now since 1967,” John said as he hugged Taupin, who could not have contrasted with his writing partner more with his bald head and plain, earth-toned coat. “We still love each other more than we’ve ever done before.” | 2022-11-21T16:40:01+00:00 | wfmynews2.com | https://www.wfmynews2.com/article/news/nation-world/elton-john-farewell-concert/507-64c28cda-2db0-4192-be16-8a051bcae403 |
During the month-long extravaganza, See's fans can look forward to delicious limited-time offerings, special deals, exciting promotions, and a chance to win free Lollypops for a year
SAN FRANCISCO, July 6, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- See's Candies, the renowned candy company, is delighted to announce the exciting arrival of its first-ever Lollypalooza.
For the entire month of July, all 13 of See's Candies Lollypop flavors will share the stage together for the first time. From classic favorites to limited-time flavors, Lollypop lovers will want to be first in line to grab a box.
To sweeten the festivities, See's is offering 20% off on all packaged Lollypops and Little Pops® throughout July, which includes the new 2023 Lollypalooza Lineup Box. This pre-packed, colorful assortment of 30 Lollypops features all 13 flavors and is now available for $22.80 (originally $28.50) in shops and online while supplies last.
Featured flavors include: Chocolate, Vanilla, Butterscotch, Café Latté, Cinnamon, Caramel Apple, Pumpkin Spice, Chocolate Caramel, Chocolate Coconut, Orange Cream, Strawberry Cream, Mint Cream and Root Beer.
For those seeking a more customized experience, the 2023 Lollypalooza Build Your Own Lollypop Lineup Box allows customers to select their favorite Lollypops from See's year-round and limited-time flavors, available for $22.80 (originally $28.50) in shops and $24.00 (originally $30.00) online while supplies last.
Additionally, customers who visit a See's shop on National Lollypop Day, July 20, will receive a free Lollypop of their choice.
"Our signature Lollypop was one of See's first product innovations. We didn't make them in our first year of operation (1921), but we have been making our square-corner Lollypops for nearly a century," said Pat Egan, President & CEO. "Our Lollypops are truly one-of-a-kind…and so are our customers! Our customers are the heart of our business, and we chose this July to produce each flavor—even those we only make part of the year—all at once.
"So, in honor of our customers and our first Lollypalooza, we're looking to candy enthusiasts and creative minds for their help in seeking See's next big act: a new Lollypop flavor," Egan continued. "We had such a wonderful experience with the first 'What's Your Sweet Idea?' campaign, and we can't wait to see the incredible flavor ideas our customers will come up with this time."
Brand fans are encouraged to share their ideas for what See's next Lollypop flavor should be at Sees.com/LollyIdea from July 6 through July 24, 2023.
Whether it's a unique twist on a classic taste, or an entirely new and daring combination, See's welcomes all suggestions.
Follow along and join See's Candies in celebrating the joy of Lollypops by visiting Sees.com/Lollypalooza or enter to win free Lollypops for a year by visiting Sees.com/LollypopDay.
About See's Candies
For over 100 years, See's Candies has been dedicated to making candy Mary See's way. American made, famous for deliciousness, with the friendliest customer service—since 1921. Founded and headquartered in sunny California, See's Candies has expanded from one candy shop to almost 250 shops across America and a flourishing online store. For more information visit https://www.sees.com/.
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SOURCE See's Candies | 2023-07-06T15:57:01+00:00 | mysuncoast.com | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2023/07/06/sees-candies-presents-lollypalooza/ |
Update on FDA Meeting Outcome Expected by End of April
PRINCETON, N.J., April 3, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Soligenix, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNGX) (Soligenix or the Company), a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products to treat rare diseases where there is an unmet medical need, announced today that the United States (U.S.) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a Type A meeting to discuss the contents of a refusal to file (RTF) letter previously issued regarding the Company's new drug application (NDA) for HyBryte™ (synthetic hypericin) in the treatment of early stage cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), a rare cancer, where it has successfully demonstrated statistically significant results in a Phase 3 clinical trial.
"We look forward to the Type A meeting which will provide an opportunity to discuss the issues raised in the RTF letter with respect to the NDA for HyBryte™ in CTCL," stated Christopher J. Schaber, PhD, President and Chief Executive Officer of Soligenix. "We remain determined to work with the FDA staff as quickly as possible to better understand the open issues and clarify the potential path forward. We intend to provide a further update once we have received the minutes from the meeting or when we have more clarity on next steps, which we anticipate having by or before the end of April."
About HyBryte™
HyBryte™ (research name SGX301) is a novel, first-in-class, photodynamic therapy utilizing safe, visible light for activation. The active ingredient in HyBryte™ is synthetic hypericin, a potent photosensitizer that is topically applied to skin lesions that is taken up by the malignant T-cells, and then activated by visible light approximately 24 hours later. The use of visible light in the red-yellow spectrum has the advantage of penetrating more deeply into the skin (much more so than ultraviolet light) and therefore potentially treating deeper skin disease and thicker plaques and lesions. This treatment approach avoids the risk of secondary malignancies (including melanoma) inherent with the frequently employed DNA-damaging drugs and other phototherapy that are dependent on ultraviolet exposure. Combined with photoactivation, hypericin has demonstrated significant anti-proliferative effects on activated normal human lymphoid cells and inhibited growth of malignant T-cells isolated from CTCL patients. In a published Phase 2 clinical study in CTCL, patients experienced a statistically significant (p=0.04) improvement with topical hypericin treatment whereas the placebo was ineffective. HyBryte™ has received orphan drug and fast track designations from the FDA, as well as orphan designation from the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
The recently published Phase 3 FLASH trial enrolled a total of 169 patients (166 evaluable) with Stage IA, IB or IIA CTCL. The trial consisted of three treatment cycles. Treatments were administered twice weekly for the first 6 weeks and treatment response was determined at the end of the 8th week of each cycle. In the first double-blind treatment cycle, 116 patients received HyBryte™ treatment (0.25% synthetic hypericin) and 50 received placebo treatment of their index lesions. A total of 16% of the patients receiving HyBryte™ achieved at least a 50% reduction in their lesions (graded using a standard measurement of dermatologic lesions, the CAILS score) compared to only 4% of patients in the placebo group at 8 weeks (p=0.04) during the first treatment cycle (primary endpoint). HyBryte™ treatment in the first cycle was safe and well tolerated.
In the second open-label treatment cycle (Cycle 2), all patients received HyBryte™ treatment of their index lesions. Evaluation of 155 patients in this cycle (110 receiving 12 weeks of HyBryte™ treatment and 45 receiving 6 weeks of placebo treatment followed by 6 weeks of HyBryte™ treatment), demonstrated that the response rate among the 12-week treatment group was 40% (p<0.0001 vs the placebo treatment rate in Cycle 1). Comparison of the 12-week and 6-week treatment groups also revealed a statistically significant improvement (p<0.0001) between the two groups, indicating that continued treatment results in better outcomes. HyBryte™ continued to be safe and well tolerated. Additional analyses also indicated that HyBryte™ is equally effective in treating both plaque (response 42%, p<0.0001 relative to placebo treatment in Cycle 1) and patch (response 37%, p=0.0009 relative to placebo treatment in Cycle 1) lesions of CTCL, a particularly relevant finding given the historical difficulty in treating plaque lesions in particular.
The third (optional) treatment cycle (Cycle 3) was focused on safety and all patients could elect to receive HyBryte™ treatment of all their lesions. Of note, 66% of patients elected to continue with this optional compassionate use / safety cycle of the study. Of the subset of patients that received HyBryte™ throughout all 3 cycles of treatment, 49% of them demonstrated a positive treatment response (p<0.0001 vs patients receiving placebo in Cycle 1). Moreover, in a subset of patients evaluated in this cycle, it was demonstrated that HyBryte™ is not systemically available, consistent with the general safety of this topical product observed to date. At the end of Cycle 3, HyBryte™ continued to be well tolerated despite extended and increased use of the product to treat multiple lesions.
Overall safety of HyBryte™ is a critical attribute of this treatment and was monitored throughout the three treatment cycles (Cycles 1, 2 and 3) and the 6-month follow-up period. HyBryte's™ mechanism of action is not associated with DNA damage, making it a safer alternative than currently available therapies, all of which are associated with significant and sometimes fatal, side effects. Predominantly these include the risk of melanoma and other malignancies, as well as the risk of significant skin damage and premature skin aging. Currently available treatments are only approved in the context of previous treatment failure with other modalities and there is no approved front-line therapy available. Within this landscape, treatment of CTCL is strongly motivated by the safety risk of each product. HyBryte™ potentially represents the safest available efficacious treatment for CTCL. With very limited systemic absorption, a compound that is not mutagenic and a light source that is not carcinogenic, there is no evidence to date of any potential safety issues.
The Phase 3 CTCL clinical study was partially funded by the National Cancer Institute via a Phase II SBIR grant (#1R44CA210848-01A1) awarded to Soligenix, Inc. In addition, the FDA awarded an Orphan Products Development grant to support the evaluation of HyBryte™ for expanded treatment in patients with early-stage CTCL, including in the home use setting. The grant, totaling $2.6 million over 4 years, was awarded to a prestigious academic institution that was a leading enroller in the Phase 3 FLASH study.
About Cutaneous T-Cell Lymphoma (CTCL)
CTCL is a class of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), a type of cancer of the white blood cells that are an integral part of the immune system. Unlike most NHLs which generally involve B-cell lymphocytes (involved in producing antibodies), CTCL is caused by an expansion of malignant T-cell lymphocytes (involved in cell-mediated immunity) normally programmed to migrate to the skin. These malignant cells migrate to the skin where they form various lesions, typically beginning as patches and may progress to raised plaques and tumors. Mortality is related to the stage of CTCL, with median survival generally ranging from about 12 years in the early stages to only 2.5 years when the disease has advanced. There is currently no cure for CTCL. Typically, CTCL lesions are treated and regress but usually return either in the same part of the body or in new areas.
CTCL constitutes a rare group of NHLs, occurring in about 4% of the approximate 700,000 individuals living with the disease. It is estimated, based upon review of historic published studies and reports and an interpolation of data on the incidence of CTCL that it affects over 25,000 individuals in the U.S., with approximately 3,000 new cases seen annually.
About Soligenix, Inc.
Soligenix is a late-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing products to treat rare diseases where there is an unmet medical need. Our Specialized BioTherapeutics business segment is developing and moving toward potential commercialization of HyBryte™ (SGX301 or synthetic hypericin) as a novel photodynamic therapy utilizing safe visible light for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). With a successful Phase 3 study completed, regulatory approval is being sought and commercialization activities for this product candidate are being advanced initially in the U.S. Development programs in this business segment also include expansion of synthetic hypericin (SGX302) into psoriasis, our first-in-class innate defense regulator (IDR) technology, dusquetide (SGX942) for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, including oral mucositis in head and neck cancer, and proprietary formulations of oral beclomethasone 17,21-dipropionate (BDP) for the prevention/treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) disorders characterized by severe inflammation including pediatric Crohn's disease (SGX203).
Our Public Health Solutions business segment includes active development programs for RiVax®, our ricin toxin vaccine candidate, and SGX943, our therapeutic candidate for antibiotic resistant and emerging infectious disease, and our vaccine programs targeting filoviruses (such as Marburg and Ebola) and CiVax™, our vaccine candidate for the prevention of COVID-19 (caused by SARS-CoV-2). The development of our vaccine programs incorporates the use of our proprietary heat stabilization platform technology, known as ThermoVax®. To date, this business segment has been supported with government grant and contract funding from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).
For further information regarding Soligenix, Inc., please visit the Company's website at https://www.soligenix.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter at @Soligenix_Inc.
This press release may contain forward-looking statements that reflect Soligenix, Inc.'s current expectations about its future results, performance, prospects and opportunities, including but not limited to, potential market sizes, patient populations and clinical trial enrollment. Statements that are not historical facts, such as "anticipates," "estimates," "believes," "hopes," "intends," "plans," "expects," "goal," "may," "suggest," "will," "potential," or similar expressions, are forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results in future periods to differ materially from what is expressed in, or implied by, these statements, such as experienced with the COVID-19 outbreak. Soligenix cannot assure you that it will be able to successfully develop, achieve regulatory approval for or commercialize products based on its technologies, particularly in light of the significant uncertainty inherent in developing therapeutics and vaccines against bioterror threats, conducting preclinical and clinical trials of therapeutics and vaccines, obtaining regulatory approvals and manufacturing therapeutics and vaccines, that product development and commercialization efforts will not be reduced or discontinued due to difficulties or delays in clinical trials or due to lack of progress or positive results from research and development efforts, that it will be able to successfully obtain any further funding to support product development and commercialization efforts, including grants and awards, maintain its existing grants which are subject to performance requirements, enter into any biodefense procurement contracts with the U.S. Government or other countries, that it will be able to compete with larger and better financed competitors in the biotechnology industry, that changes in health care practice, third party reimbursement limitations and Federal and/or state health care reform initiatives will not negatively affect its business, or that the U.S. Congress may not pass any legislation that would provide additional funding for the Project BioShield program. In addition, there can be no assurance as to the timing or success of any of its clinical/preclinical trials. Despite the statistically significant result achieved in the HyBryte™ (SGX301) Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, there can be no assurance that a marketing authorization from the FDA or EMA will be successful. Notwithstanding the result in the HyBryte™ (SGX301) Phase 3 clinical trial for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma and the Phase 1/2 proof-of-concept clinical trial of SGX302 for the treatment of psoriasis, there can be no assurance as to the timing or success of the clinical trials of SGX302 for the treatment of psoriasis. Further, there can be no assurance that RiVax® will qualify for a biodefense Priority Review Voucher (PRV) or that the prior sales of PRVs will be indicative of any potential sales price for a PRV for RiVax®. Also, no assurance can be provided that the Company will receive or continue to receive non-dilutive government funding from grants and contracts that have been or may be awarded or for which the Company will apply in the future. HyBryte™ potential market information is a forward-looking statement, and investors are urged not to place undue reliance on this information. While the Company has determined this potential market size based on assumptions that its believes are reasonable, there are a number of factors that could cause expectations to change or not be realized. These and other risk factors are described from time to time in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, Soligenix's reports on Forms 10-Q and 10-K. Unless required by law, Soligenix assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements as a result of new information or future events.
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SOURCE Soligenix, Inc. | 2023-04-03T12:32:27+00:00 | wlbt.com | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/04/03/soligenix-announces-scheduling-type-meeting-with-us-fda-hybryte-new-drug-application-treatment-cutaneous-t-cell-lymphoma/ |
Florida judge rejects attempt by Tiger Woods’ ex-girlfriend to throw out nondisclosure agreement
(AP) - A Florida judge ruled late Wednesday that the ex-girlfriend of Tiger Woods must abide by a nondisclosure agreement she purportedly signed and resolve her lawsuits seeking millions from the golf superstar through private arbitration behind closed doors.
Circuit Judge Elizabeth Metzger, in an 11-page opinion, rejected Erica Herman’s attempt to quash the 2017 agreement by saying Woods had committed sexual harassment against her, calling Herman’s allegations “vague and threadbare.”
“Herman has had the opportunity (to) provide factual specificity for any claim relating to sexual assault or sexual harassment, however, she has not done so,” Metzger wrote.
Metzger also said that the evidence shows that a nondisclosure agreement was negotiated between Herman and Woods in 2017, even if her attorney, Benjamin Hodas, now questions whether she actually signed it.
At a May 9 hearing, Hodas conceded that Herman signed an agreement, but he said she doesn’t remember ever seeing the one Woods’ attorneys presented to the court.
Metzger said that if Herman unequivocally denied signing the agreement, she would have ordered a hearing on that issue. But since Herman isn’t sure if she signed it or not, that is a question for the arbitrator to decide.
Nether Hodas nor Woods’ attorney, J.B. Murray, immediately responded to late Wednesday emails seeking comment. It is unknown of Hodas will appeal.
Herman, 39, had sued both Woods, 47, and the trust that owns his $54 million Florida mansion, seeking $30 million from the latter amid unspecified allegations of sexual harassment. Forbes Magazine estimates Woods’ net worth at $1.1 billion.
Herman, who managed Woods’ Palm Beach County restaurant before and during the first years of their romantic relationship, argues that the nondisclosure agreement is unenforceable under a new federal law that says such contracts can be voided when sexual abuse or sexual harassment occurred.
She alleged in court documents that Woods threatened to fire her if she didn’t sign a nondisclosure agreement. Hodas argued that is a type of harassment, treating one employee different than others because they have a sexual relationship.
But the sexual harassment allegation was barely mentioned during last week’s hearing. Metzger told Hodas she needed more information about what allegedly happened to consider it. Hodas said he couldn’t provide more information publicly in fear that he would be violating the nondisclosure agreement if it is ultimately upheld.
Murray has called the allegation “utterly meritless.”
In Herman’s lawsuit against Woods, she asked Metzger to either void the nondisclosure agreement or at least give her guidance about what she can say publicly. She also argued that the contract covers only her work relationship with Woods, not their personal matters.
In her unlawful-eviction lawsuit against the trust, she is basing her $30 million claim on how much it would cost to rent a property like Woods’ beachfront mansion north of Palm Beach for the six years of residence she was allegedly promised by the golfer and then denied.
Before they dated, Woods hired Herman in 2014 to help develop and then operate the golfer’s The Woods sports bar and restaurant in nearby Jupiter — but they do not agree when their romantic relationship and cohabitation began.
Herman says in her court filings that their romantic relationship began in 2015 and that in late 2016 she moved into Woods’ nearly 30,000-square-foot (2,800-square-meter) mansion in the ritzy Hobe Sound community. She says that in 2017, Woods verbally promised she could live there at least 11 more years. Herman says Woods pressured her to quit the job in 2020 so she could spend more time taking care of him and his children.
Woods, in his court documents, says their romantic relationship began in 2017 and that she moved in with him that August, about the time the disputed nondisclosure agreement was signed. In March 2017, Woods had put the mansion into the Jupiter Island Irrevocable Homestead Trust, an entity he created that has only himself and his two children as beneficiaries.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | 2023-05-18T04:27:19+00:00 | fox5vegas.com | https://www.fox5vegas.com/2023/05/18/florida-judge-rejects-attempt-by-tiger-woods-ex-girlfriend-throw-out-nondisclosure-agreement/ |
FLAGSTAFF, AZ — In an open letter directed to city officials in Flagstaff, neighbors ask leaders to address flash flooding concerns with ‘focus and urgency.’
People who live along Stevanna Way in Flagstaff have seen five flash floods within 15 days, and they’re asking for assistance with the culvert system in the area.
“The West side has now joined the east side in facing the gruesome reality of rapid environmental changes, poor planning, under-performing infrastructure, and their ensuing havoc,” the letter signed by more than a dozen neighbors reads.
RELATED: Flagstaff City Council plans to ask voters for bond measure for infrastructure projects
City officials tell ABC15 that they will need city engineers to evaluate the culvert systems as they look for long-term mitigation solutions.
“Watershed improvement is part of the solution,” the letter reads, “but correction of drainage flaws that repeatedly and explicitly expose citizens to a deadly and costly hazard is obviously the first step. Waiting for vulnerable areas to flood repeatedly is not innovation, it's irresponsibility.”
On Wednesday, Flagstaff officials received 250 pallets of pre-filled sandbags from the Flood Control District.
The sandbags have been placed at the Schultz Creek Trailhead along Highway 180.
Neighbors have expressed concerns about closer access to the filled bags, as they would drive to the east side of the county to pick them up in their own vehicles.
City officials say they aren’t able to place these bags in the neighborhoods because of lack of staff and resources.
The city allocated $300,000 for a private vendor from Phoenix to continue to receive pre-filled bags in the area.
ABC15 asked the city why it is paying for a private contractor for these bags since city residents pay a tax to the Flood Control District in the area.
“Frankly, we’re at capacity of what they have available, east flagstaff is taking from what our estimate is 1.2 million bags,” said Scott Overton, public works director with Flagstaff.
Overton said their sandbag stockpile has been ramped up to meet the demand in the area.
ABC15 has been reporting on how nine watersheds have burned, causing unprecedented flooding in multiple areas of the city and the county.
Overton said it’s unclear how many sandbags have been placed in the west side flood area, but estimates tens of thousands at this point.
The city has estimated that people who live along the Museum Fire burn scar will need sandbags as mitigation for up to eight years, however, it’s unclear how long sandbags will be needed in areas like Coconino Estates, Cheshire, and Stevanna Way.
“We have not done that analysis, we’re five weeks post the burn itself, as mitigation starts to be developed, we’ll be able to message that as those are delivered,” said Overton.
City officials were able to get federal funds for a detention basin that will begin mobilization next week, with construction starting on the 22nd. However, it won’t be completed until October.
The site will contain a lot of water capacity to be able to help alleviate downstream effects from Schultz Creek
Some neighbors are asking if there are mitigation measures that can be taken right now, “the true answer, and the truth in the answer is not really,” said Overton.
The director of the Flood Control District said they have provided most of the sandbags within the city for the Museum and Pipeline West flood areas.
In an email, she wrote, “The District has covered and managed the consulting engineering resources for this area and they have completed over 200 site assessments.”
Some of those are considered repeat visits though.
In total, over 20,000 sandbags were delivered by the FCD on Wednesday, “the sandbags should be placed to mitigate impacts to the homes not the entire property,” she added. | 2022-08-12T01:35:24+00:00 | abc15.com | https://www.abc15.com/news/region-northern-az/flagstaff/flagstaff-residents-ask-leaders-to-address-flood-concerns-with-focus-and-urgency |
MELVILLE, N.Y. and DAVIDSON, N.C., Sept. 16, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MSC INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY CO. (NYSE: MSM), a premier distributor of Metalworking and Maintenance, Repair and Operations supplies to industrial customers throughout North America, today announced that Martina McIsaac will join the company on Monday, Oct. 3 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. In this newly created role, McIsaac will have overall responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the company's United States and Canada businesses, including Sales, Field Service/Solutions, Category Management, Procurement, Pricing and Supply Chain.
McIsaac will join MSC following a nine-year tenure with Hilti Corporation, a multinational company that develops, manufactures and markets hardware, software and services for the construction, building maintenance, energy and manufacturing industries. Most recently, she served as Region Head and Chief Executive Officer of Hilti, Inc., leading the North America organization to significantly outperform the market with strong top-line and profit growth. Prior to joining Hilti, McIsaac held a series of progressively responsible leadership roles with Avery Dennison, a Fortune 500 global materials science and manufacturing company. During her 14-year tenure with Avery Dennison, McIsaac served in a range of sales, marketing, business development and operational roles in Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Canada and the U.S. prior to being named Vice President and General Manager of the Performance Polymers Division.
McIsaac earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Western University and a master's degree in international business from the University of South Carolina, where she serves on the board of the Folks Center for International Business. An advocate for diversity, equity and inclusion, McIsaac is a signatory to the Catalyst CEO Champion for Change pledge, joining other high-profile leaders who are personally committed to advancing women, including women of color, into senior leadership positions. She also chairs the Dallas Habitat for Humanity Women Build, is a member of the Texas Women's Foundation's Economic Leadership Council and serves on the Board of Directors for United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.
"We are delighted to welcome Martina to MSC. She brings strong leadership experience and has displayed outstanding ability to drive growth and success in an inclusive manner. She also has shown a commitment to delivering meaningful solutions and value to customers to improve performance, which aligns well with our purpose and approach to helping manufacturers solve their mission-critical challenges and boost the efficiency and effectiveness of their operations," said Erik Gershwind, President and Chief Executive Officer for MSC.
"With Martina focused on further improving our day-to-day operations, we look forward to producing industry-leading levels of organic growth and profitability, enhancing operational excellence across our organization, and developing a diverse and talented team of future MSC leaders, while preserving and building upon our unique culture and values."
McIsaac added, "I'm thrilled to be joining MSC, which has a rich history of driving innovation in the industrial distribution industry, a highly experienced team of more than 6,500 dedicated associates committed to delivering exceptional customer service, and a vibrant, healthy culture of doing the right thing for all of its stakeholders, including associates, customers, owners and suppliers."
With McIsaac moving into the Chief Operating Officer role, Doug Jones, Executive Vice President & Chief Supply Chain Officer, will begin transitioning his areas of responsibility to McIsaac in the coming months as part of his planned transition to retirement following a highly successful career with MSC spanning more than two decades. Jones will remain in his full-time role until early 2023, at which time he will move into a part-time advisory role overseeing the completion of several key supply chain initiatives.
"Doug has been a valuable member of MSC's leadership team for more than 20 years, playing a critical role in elevating our operational performance across the entire supply chain lifecycle," Gershwind said. "We are grateful for his outstanding leadership and wish him the very best as he transitions into retirement."
MSC Industrial Supply Co. (NYSE:MSM) is a leading North American distributor of a broad range of metalworking and maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) products and services. We help our customers drive greater productivity, profitability and growth with approximately 2 million products, inventory management and other supply chain solutions, and deep expertise from over 80 years of working with customers across industries. Our experienced team of more than 6,500 associates is dedicated to working side by side with our customers to help drive results for their businesses - from keeping operations running efficiently today to continuously rethinking, retooling, and optimizing for a more productive tomorrow. For more information on MSC, please visit mscdirect.com.
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SOURCE MSC Industrial Supply Co. | 2022-09-16T14:41:42+00:00 | kmvt.com | https://www.kmvt.com/prnewswire/2022/09/16/martina-mcisaac-join-msc-industrial-supply-co-executive-vice-president-amp-chief-operating-officer/ |
Justin Bieber is the latest musician to sell the rights to his entire catalog of music. NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Billboard music publishing reporter Kristin Robinson to explain the deal.
Copyright 2023 NPR
Justin Bieber is the latest musician to sell the rights to his entire catalog of music. NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with Billboard music publishing reporter Kristin Robinson to explain the deal.
Copyright 2023 NPR | 2023-01-25T23:35:11+00:00 | kcbx.org | https://www.kcbx.org/2023-01-25/justin-bieber-sells-the-rights-to-his-entire-catalog-for-over-200-million |
LOUIN, Miss. (AP) — Multiple tornadoes swept through Mississippi overnight, killing one and injuring nearly two dozen, officials said Monday.
State emergency workers were still working with counties to assess the damage from storms in which high temperatures and hail in some areas accompanied tornadoes. The death and injuries were reported by officials in eastern Mississippi’s Jasper County.
The small, rural town of Louin bore the brunt of the damage. Drone footage and photos showed wide expanses of debris-covered terrain, decimated homes and mangled trees. At least one person was lifted from the wreckage in a stretcher.
Standing in front of his damaged home on Monday, Lester Campbell told The Associated Press that his cousin, 67-year-old George Jean Hayes, is the person who died. Reached by phone Monday, Jones County Coroner Don Sumrall said Hayes was pronounced dead at 2:18 a.m. from “multisystem trauma.”
Campbell fell asleep in his recliner Sunday evening. He was awakened around midnight after the lights went out. After he walked to the kitchen to grab something from the refrigerator, the tornado struck.
“It happened so fast,” Campbell said. “It was like a train sound, a ‘roar, roar, roar.’”
He dropped to the floor and crawled to his bedroom closet, where his wife had already taken shelter. By the time he reached the closet, the tornado had passed.
Campbell said he heard calls for help across the street, where Hayes lived in a trailer home. He emerged from his home to find emergency workers carrying his cousin, with a bloodied forehead and leg, into an ambulance. She was conscious and talking when he saw her but died before reaching the hospital, he said.
Most of the people injured in Jasper County, including Hayes, were transported to the South Central Regional Medical Center in Laurel between 2 and 3 a.m., said Becky Collins, a spokesperson for the facility. About 20 people had bruises and cuts. Most were in stable condition Monday morning.
Eric Carpenter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Jackson, said an unseasonably strong jet stream blew through the area. A tornado emerged near Louin before traveling at least 7 miles (11 kilometers) south to Bay Springs.
Tornadoes typically hit Mississippi in early to mid-spring. Carpenter called the timing of the tornadoes, along with persistent thunder and hail as well as high temperatures, “a very unusual situation.”
“This is a whole different game here,” Carpenter said. “What we would typically see in March and April, we’re seeing in June.”
On March 24, a vicious tornado carved a path of destruction through parts of western and northern Mississippi, killing at least 26 and damaging thousands of homes. Some towns in the rural, poverty-stricken Mississippi Delta face a daunting task to rebuild.
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said Monday’s tornadoes also struck Rankin County, which borders the capital city of Jackson. Emergency crews were doing search and rescue missions and damage assessments, deploying drones in some areas because they were impossible to reach by vehicle due to downed power lines.
On Monday afternoon, another possible tornado struck the south Mississippi town of Moss Point. Photos showed homes with obliterated roofs and tilted power lines. As high winds and heavy rain blanketed Jackson County, WLOX-TV reported that eight people were trapped inside a bank in downtown Moss Point. They were later rescued uninjured. The county remained under a flash flood warning Monday.
In a Monday news release, the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency said more than 49,000 homes in central Mississippi were without power. Tens of thousands of people in Hinds County, the most populous area of the state, were still without power Monday morning after high winds pummeled the state early Friday.
Reeves said the state is opening command centers and shelters for those displaced by the severe weather.
After fleeing his home Monday morning, Campbell returned to survey the damage. He arrived to find that half of the roof was gone, the garage destroyed and the windows shattered. He felt lucky compared to his neighbors.
“Most of the houses are gone. They are demolished. They’re done,” Campbell said.
___
Goldberg is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mikergoldberg. | 2023-06-20T03:28:56+00:00 | ktalnews.com | https://www.ktalnews.com/news/u-s-world/multiple-tornadoes-have-killed-at-least-one-person-and-injured-nearly-two-dozen-in-mississippi/ |
HONOLULU (AP) — Lauren Wright continues to be leery of the water coming out of the taps in her family’s U.S. Navy home in Hawaii, saying she doesn’t trust that it’s safe.
Wright, her sailor husband and their three children ages 8 to 17 were among the thousands of people who were sickened late last year after fuel from military storage tanks leaked into Pearl Harbor’s tap water.
The family has returned to their military housing after spending months in Honolulu hotels, but they continue taking safety measures including taking short, five-minute showers. They don’t drink their tap water or cook with it.
A Navy investigation released Thursday blamed the fuel leak and the water crisis that followed on shoddy management and human error. Some Hawaii residents, including Native Hawaiians, officials and military families said the report doesn’t help restore trust in the Navy.
“I was at least hoping for some sort of remorse for the families and everybody involved in this,” Wright said.
She said the ordeal has changed her view on the military from a decade ago when her husband first joined.
“I was the proud Navy spouse, you know, stickers and T-shirts,” she said. “I feel like the Navy has failed at what they promised every service member. They failed at a lot of things. And I’m not so proud.”
It’s difficult to trust the Navy partly because Hawaii residents and officials for years have questioned the safety of the giant fuel storage tanks that have sat above an important aquifer since World War II, said Kamanamaikalani Beamer, a former trustee of the Commission on Water Resource Management.
“Releasing a report saying that they were lying to us is not a step towards building trust,” he said. “De-fueling and getting the tanks out permanently, setting aside funds to remediate the water systems all across Oahu and replant our forests — when I see steps like that happening — that’s a tangible step toward rebuilding trust.”
Some Native Hawaiians said the report only deepened a distrust in the military that dates to at least 1893, when a group of American businessmen, with support from U.S. Marines, overthrew the Hawaiian kingdom. More recently, Native Hawaiians fought to stop target practice bombing on the island of Kahoolawe and at Makua Valley in west Oahu.
“There’s no proof I should have faith in them,” said Kalehua Krug, with Ka’ohewai, a cultural organization advocating for a clean aquifer for Oahu. “They’ve done nothing but lie for generations.”
The Department of Defense recognizes the water problems “have damaged trust between the Department and the people of Hawaii, including Native Hawaiians — and it is committed to rebuilding that trust,” Gordon Trowbridge, acting assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, said in a statement.
The investigation report released Thursday listed a cascading series of mistakes from May 6, 2021, when operator error caused a pipe to rupture and 21,000 gallons (80,000 liters) of fuel to spill when it was being transferred between tanks. Most of the fuel spilled into a fire suppression line and sat there for six months, causing the line to sag. A cart rammed into this sagging line on Nov. 20, releasing 20,000 gallons (75,700 liters) of fuel.
The report said officials defaulted to assuming the best about what was happening when the spills occurred, instead of assuming the worst, and this contributed to their overlooking the severity of situation.
The spill contaminated the Navy’s water system. Fuel didn’t get into the Honolulu municipal water supply. But concerns the oil might migrate through the aquifer and get into the city’s wells prompted the Honolulu Board of Water Supply in December to shut down a key well serving some 400,000 people. The agency has been asking residents to conserve water because of this and unusually dry weather.
The tanks continue to pose a threat to Oahu’s drinking water while they hold fuel, said Ernest Lau, manager and chief engineer of the water utility.
The report saying it will take more than two years to drain the facility is concerning, Lau said Friday.
“The fact that they built this massive facility in three years, so can’t they find a way to do all the necessary work in less than two and a half years … I think it can be done,” he said, urging the Navy to look at shortening the timeline.
This week, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “directed the establishment of a Joint Task Force led by a senior Navy admiral solely dedicated to a swift defueling effort, who will report to him through the commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, to oversee defueling of Red Hill as rapidly as safety allows,” Trowbridge said. “The Department recognizes that what we say is far less important than what we do, which is why its most senior leaders are focused on this effort.”
Kristina Baehr, an attorney who represents more than 100 military and civilian families who lodged claims against the Navy, said it was especially troubling to read in the report how pervasive the errors were.
“This is a national security issue,” she said, noting many of her clients were still experiencing the effects of the tainted water. “And our families and military communities cannot be mission-ready if the government has made them sick.” | 2022-07-02T20:24:27+00:00 | kdvr.com | https://kdvr.com/news/nationalworld-news/ap-us-news/distrust-remains-after-navy-report-on-tainted-hawaii-water/ |
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | 2022-11-01T23:31:41+00:00 | wtmj.com | https://wtmj.com/ap-news/2022/11/01/ap-top-business-news-at-623-p-m-edt/ |
New York Yankees pitcher Domingo German did not let a single Oakland Athletics batter get on base Wednesday, becoming the first MLB hurler to throw a perfect game in 11 years.
German's outing was stunning given his recent performances. He allowed eight earned runs before getting pulled in the third inning of his last start against Seattle. His outing before that, he allowed seven runs over two innings against Boston.
German was accurate with his pitches Wednesday, firing 72 strikes among his 99 total pitches.
German said he was just getting over the death of an uncle before Wednesday's game.
"I cried a lot yesterday," German said through a translator in his postgame interview. "I had him with me, I was thinking about him, and it happened. This game is a tribute to him. He was someone who really brought a lot of joy to our family."
SEE MORE: Baseball is big business for companies that invest in players' futures
The Athletics, who lost the game by an 11-0 final, have not been on the losing end of a perfect game since Cy Young fired one on May 5, 1904. The last time the Athletics have been on the wrong end of a no-hitter was in 1990 when Nolan Ryan tossed one of his seven no-no's.
German is the 24th MLB pitcher to toss a perfect game, and the fourth Yankee to do so. Previous Yankees to have a perfect game include Don Larsen (1956 World Series), David Wells (1998) and David Cone (1999).
"So exciting. When you think about something unique in baseball, you know and not many people have an opportunity to pitch a perfect game, to accomplish something like this in my career, it's something I'll always remember," German said.
German said that returning to the mound for the ninth inning was "very different."
"I felt a pressure I have never felt before," he said.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | 2023-06-29T15:09:42+00:00 | kivitv.com | https://www.kivitv.com/yankees-domingo-german-throws-mlb-s-first-perfect-game-in-11-years |
BUILT&BROKEN
Dying to compete
When risking lives is part of the show
Alena Kosinova was hunched over a fan waiting for her spray tan to dry when she realized she couldn’t move. It was hours before the 2021 Europa Pro contest and the Czech bodybuilder was cramping again — just like she had at a contest in Portugal weeks earlier.
Kosinova was known by friends and competitors for embracing the extremes of bodybuilding — the training, the dieting, the drugs. But on that steamy August morning, her voice quivered as she whispered to another Czech athlete, Ivana Dvorakova, “I won’t be able to do it. I feel really ill.”
Dvorakova helped lay her down on the concrete floor as others gathered and gave Kosinova water, packets of salt and sugar. Kosinova answered questions about the diuretics she had taken before convulsing and losing consciousness.
It took nearly an hour for the ambulance to arrive at the venue in Alicante, Spain, according to four people who witnessed or were briefed on what happened. Kosinova, a 46-year-old mother who dreamed of winning the prestigious Olympia, died before the competition was over.
Her American coach, Shelby Starnes, wasn’t there — he rarely attended shows. But shortly after Kosinova died, Starnes received an alarming email from another client, Jodie Engle.
The 30-year-old single mother wrote that she had been hospitalized and might need open-heart surgery. Doctors blamed the diuretics she said she’d been advised to use for more than a week leading into the NPC National Championships in Florida.
Engle won first place in her division and earned a “pro card,” allowing her to compete professionally. But the price she paid was steep: tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills and, doctors told her, she would eventually need a kidney transplant.
Starnes, one of the most popular coaches for female bodybuilders, did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Engle takes responsibility for what happened — no one forced the drugs down her throat.
“I was stupid because I turned over the reins to somebody that was more reckless than myself,” she said.
Bodybuilders around the world are risking their lives and sometimes dying for the sport they love because of extreme measures that are encouraged by coaches, rewarded by judges and ignored by leaders of the industry, according to interviews with dozens of bodybuilders, coaches, judges, promoters, medical professionals and relatives of deceased athletes.
The Washington Post investigated the deaths of more than two dozen bodybuilders, focusing mostly on those who died leading up to or in the aftermath of competitions. A review of hundreds of documents including medical and autopsy records, police reports, 911 calls, emails and text messages, along with interviews with more than 70 people, reveals the devastating consequences of a sport that for years has operated under the halo of health and fitness.
Several of the industry’s top coaches, without formal training or medical licenses, supplied their clients with illegal steroids or other illicit substances; instructed them on dosages for using performance-enhancing drugs; or advised athletes not to seek medical care before competitions, The Post found.
Unlike other professional sports, the IFBB Pro League, the largest professional bodybuilding federation in the United States, does not routinely test athletes for steroids or other performance-enhancing drugs. There’s no health insurance or union to protect athletes. Nearly all steroids are illegal without a prescription in the United States, but bodybuilders say they are easily obtained and widely used by competitors.
Jim Manion, who runs the IFBB Pro and an amateur organization, the National Physique Committee (NPC), declined to answer specific questions and issued a company statement: “The health, safety and welfare of all our competitors has, and always will be, of utmost importance to us.”
But bodybuilders and coaches say the risks have intensified in recent years as contest judges increasingly reward athletes with nearly impossible-to-achieve physiques. Those who’ve warned against the dangers say they have faced pressure to stay silent and suffered backlash from federation officials and coaches after speaking out.
Bodybuilders typically spend months preparing for competitions with strict diets and hours of workouts often fueled by stimulants. Many add to that a cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs to build muscle and fat burners to get lean.
The grueling days before contests are known as “peak week” — when bodybuilders are at their leanest, most dehydrated state after taking diuretics to remove water so muscles are “dry” and defined.
In the fall of 2021, the coach of 37-year-old George Peterson found his client dead in an Orlando hotel room two days before the Olympia contest.
Police discovered hundreds of pills without prescription labels, including steroids, thyroid medication to speed up metabolism and clenbuterol, a drug that is approved only for horses in the United States but is used by bodybuilders as a fat burner.
Peterson’s coach, Justin Miller, declined to answer questions about his athlete’s use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The lack of safeguards has led to sick and dead bodybuilders in different federations around the world, said Georgina Dunnington, who was involved in the bodybuilding industry for 30 years and judged top competitions such as the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio.
She said the federations and a constellation of businesses around them are profiting off vulnerable athletes who rarely earn enough contest money to cover the thousands of dollars they spend to compete.
“You need to put the athletes before the money,” said Dunnington, who served as the chairperson of the Canadian Bodybuilding Federation until 2020. “We fail the athletes 110 percent on every aspect of the sport. We validated so many wrong things and made them acceptable.”
Those who survived the bodybuilding lifestyle described the lasting impact: kidney failure, stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, thyroid dysfunction, enlarged hearts, hormonal imbalances, hair loss, infertility, eating disorders, muscle dysmorphia and depression, along with various orthopedic injuries.
Sally Sandoe, whose 31-year-old son Luke died in the United Kingdom in 2020, said it’s inexplicable that so many bodybuilders are getting sick and dying and no one is confronting the problem.
“It is an absolute free-for-all,” Sandoe said. “There’s just real destruction and devastation and destroyed lives. How is that fair? How can that carry on? It can’t. It has to stop.”
Dead at 30
Daniel Alexander
Daniel Alexander stood with his hands on his hips as he gazed into the mirror at Crunch Fitness in Northridge, Calif., where he worked as a manager. “It’s almost that time of year I start growing and get to looking freaky,” Alexander posted on Instagram in March 2019.
He’d been training for months with his coach to add muscle after getting feedback from judges that his upper body thickness needed to match his massive 30-inch thighs.
Alexander was planning to compete at Legion Sports Fest that November. But by September, the contest prep was taking a toll on the 30-year-old. He messaged his coach, Dave Kalick, about “lots of frequently long cramps” after using fat burners and taking steroids.
His coach, a former bodybuilder who described himself as a nutritionist, instructed Alexander to take magnesium for the cramps and detailed six steroid dosages, according to text messages reviewed by The Post. Kalick does not have any medical or pharmacy licenses in California, where he lives. But he does have multiple felony convictions, including for methamphetamine possession.
Alexander was known for being fiercely loyal — to his friends, to his family and to his coach. In a podcast recorded with Kalick in mid-October, Alexander offered advice to other bodybuilders: “Trust the process. If you’re willing to let someone do your stuff for you, you need to trust everything that they’re doing for you. And it’ll work. Every time.”
On Oct. 15, Alexander messaged his coach about the plan to increase his dosages and asked for more steroids and clenbuterol.
“Yes got it,” Kalick texted.
When Alexander’s parents visited from out of town three days later, their son had trouble catching his breath while they walked around a mall. Alexander blamed his intense cardio workouts for heart palpitations and an upset stomach.
His parents had never seen their son so close to a competition, but he assured them it was normal to feel this way before a show.
Alexander consulted his coach and then told his parents the plan: drink a lot of water and kombucha to flush his system and ease his stomach. They stopped at a store to pick up supplies before dropping Alexander at his apartment.
Text exchange between Daniel Alexander and Dave Kalick
Daniel Alexander
Friday, Sept. 13, 2019
Got liquid and oral clen winny also in the last package
Clen is going good. Body adjusting to it. Very crampy the last 3 days. Lots of cramps. Lots of frequently long cramps.
Dave Kalick
Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019
Take 500mg magnesium with last meal for cramps
start 200mg inj win 2 days week
keep primo at 200mg 2 days a week
mast enanth 200mg 2 days a week
Start tren ace 100mg eod
mast prop 100mg eod
start oral win 50mg with meal 1, 50mg with meal 5
Daniel Alexander
Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2019
Need mast prop, tren Ace and clen
Test will be good through the show
Might need more anavar and winny if we are upping those doses
Dave Kalick
yes got it
here
Daniel Alexander
Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019
We upping winny to 2 tabs 2x a day
Dave Kalick
yes
Texts edited for length
The bodybuilder also texted a friend who worked as a nurse practitioner: “5% body fat rn. Lots of stims. I have had a very irregular heart beat for over an hour. Becoming painful. Still hard to breathe. Worry?”
She told him to go to urgent care and repeated the advice when he reached out later that evening. “I’m pretty sure I got winstrol in my blood during my shot today. It’s better. Just not gone,” texted Alexander, referring to a steroid injection he’d given himself. “I will go if I feel like I’m dying. But being 23 days away from my show I don’t want to get pumped with fluids and ruin my physique for not a heart attack.”
The next morning, his coach messaged at 5:45 a.m.: “How is your heart rate?”
Alexander never responded. His friends Aaron and Robyn Wyner said they were on the phone with Kalick when the couple found Alexander in the shower with the water running. They performed CPR until paramedics arrived.
Drugs were everywhere, Aaron Wyner said, and Kalick told him to hide anything out in the open and delete Kalick’s messages from Alexander’s phone. Wyner said that without thinking, he brushed some pills off a desk into a drawer before someone told him this was a crime scene.
Police recovered more than a dozen different drugs, and an autopsy concluded Alexander died of steroid-induced cardiomyopathy.
Kalick wanted to hold a memorial at Legion Sports Fest, and he paid for the Wyners and Alexander’s parents, Janine and Michael, to attend. But when they arrived, they said, they were told show organizers wouldn’t let them do anything official. Instead, there was a casual discussion encouraging bodybuilders to get bloodwork done before Kalick spoke briefly about Alexander.
“It felt like we were holding up the show,” Janine Alexander said. “It was more hurtful than it was helpful.”
Kalick did not respond to messages seeking comment. He still features a photo of Alexander on a coaching website under “Transformations & Testimonials.” Alexander is quoted as saying, “Since working with Dave, my body has grown correctly, safely and I have seen nothing but success in the shows I have done. By far the best decision I made in my bodybuilding career.”
But his parents see it very differently. They only learned later, after going through their son’s phone, about the details of Kalick’s prep for Alexander.
“My son paid for his own death, literally,” his mother said.
Dead at 23
Brandon Char-Lee
A year earlier in 2018, police found Brandon Char-Lee dead in his Livermore, Calif., apartment four days before a show. They counted more than 100 needles and multiple vials of steroids.
A friend said Char-Lee was on a strict diet for an upcoming bodybuilding show and “was not allowed to consume water during this time,” the police report stated.
At her son’s apartment, Carolyn Char Lunger took photos of the drugs she found, including five types of steroids, clenbuterol, diuretics and a bottle with the label T3 — a thyroid hormone — marked “NOT FOR HUMAN USE.”
A coroner never asked for a full toxicology analysis, according to police records, but concluded the 23-year-old died of cardiac failure and noted a history of using anabolic steroids.
Many coroners and medical examiners do not routinely test for the battery of substances that bodybuilders use, and some don’t request toxicology reports at all.
There is little medical research on bodybuilders, and in particular, the stacking of so many different drugs along with months of intense workouts and severe dieting. So when searching for causes of death, medical examiners say they typically look for well-studied links to cardiac arrest or heart failure, such as the use of anabolic steroids.
Char-Lee’s mother knew that her son was supposed to compete in a bodybuilding contest in Fresno, Calif., and sent photos of the drugs to the show’s promoter. She said she wanted answers but instead got an invite to “complete his journey” and attend the bodybuilding competition.
The promoter, Steve O’Brien, had served for many years as a vice president of the NPC and a contest judge. Problems with drug use were obvious, he told The Post, and he had warned his own children not to compete in the sport.
But testing athletes rarely came up during meetings with federation officials. Instead, O’Brien said, promoters were advised to be prepared at shows with medical personnel.
Bodybuilding has always been a sport of extremes, and the deaths of several high-profile athletes shortly after competing exposed the hazards of diuretics and steroids in the 1990s.
At the time, the IFBB was lobbying to make bodybuilding an Olympic sport. The organization began testing for steroids at certain competitions and taking away prize money from those who failed.
“It’s not only the image of the sport we’re concerned with, it’s the health of the athletes,” Ben Weider, then president of the federation, told the Los Angeles Times in 1990. “Bodybuilding is not body destruction.”
Manion, who has led the NPC for decades, talked in the 1990s about the importance of testing in a story that appeared for years on its website: “In a sense, because some of them won’t protect themselves, we have to be protectors of their health and protectors of the sports we love.”
But that story eventually disappeared from the website, and the movement for widespread testing dissipated. The International Olympic Committee’s provisional recognition of the IFBB lapsed in 2001.
Dead at 49
Terri Harris
In 2013, Terri Harris went into cardiac arrest on a stair machine in the gym two days after making her professional debut at the IFBB Tampa Pro.
Her partner, Hal Swaney, said she spent 16 weeks preparing with hours of daily training, a severely restricted diet and a mix of steroids and clenbuterol. Working with her coach, Harris was the leanest she’d ever been — about 10 pounds less than her typical stage weight.
The night before the show, Swaney said, she was cramping badly, likely because of diuretics.
“I tried to shove Pedialyte in her and she was afraid she was going to spill over … come into the show with too much water,” Swaney said.
An autopsy report concluded the 49-year-old suffered “sudden cardiac death” during exercising and that an “electrolyte disturbance could not be ruled out.”
Today, there is no widespread drug testing at hundreds of NPC and IFBB Pro shows around the world. These are the most popular federations in the United States and are run by Manion as for-profit businesses. Some select shows, branded as “natural,” claim to test athletes for banned substances by a polygraph test or urine sample.
Since 2017, Manion has been included on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited Association List aimed at those found to be afoul of the agency’s anti-doping code.
The International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation, a separate organization based in Spain that says it does drug testing, was sanctioned this fall by the World Anti-Doping Agency for failing to implement an effective testing program and devote sufficient resources to testing. A federation official said “the non-compliant situation is a regular procedure among signatories and it is a temporary situation which will be resolved soon.”
The failure to create or enforce protocols has essentially given the green light for bodybuilders, some in their teens, to experiment with a growing number of unregulated substances to achieve the sculpted physiques that are plastered all over social media. Many athletes say they are tracking down performance-enhancing drugs from underground labs on the internet, sourcing them from as far away as China.
Dead at 29
Bostin Loyd
Marie Raia spent more than a decade trying to get her son, Bostin Loyd, off steroids after he started competing in bodybuilding contests as a teen. She even sought the help of high-profile health professionals to confront him and expose the industry.
“Today he had surgery to remove water blisters in his arm from injecting too many needles,” she wrote in 2013 to the “Dr. Phil” television show in an email reviewed by The Post. “His doctor warned me that his liver and kidney will fail if he keeps this up … please take another look at this, the public needs to see what is going on with young kids.”
But they never got the chance to go on the show. Raia knew the sport better than most moms: She was a “natural” bodybuilder who enjoyed competing in drug-tested federations. These are smaller and typically offer less prize money.
When Loyd came home at age 21 with a tattoo that read “Get big or die trying,” Raia wondered how long he would last.
Loyd had suffered for years from kidney problems, and in 2020 he was diagnosed with Stage 5 kidney failure after injecting himself with large doses of a peptide that caused weight loss in monkeys, according to medical records. When he shared the news publicly on Facebook, he said: “I did this to myself with a idiotic experiment and it finally all caught up to me. Do I regret anything? Absolutely not.”
Raia said her son struggled with anxiety and depression after realizing he probably would never compete again. This past February, he collapsed at his home and died at age 29, leaving behind a 3-year-old son. Raia said she found syringes on Loyd’s kitchen counter that day.
A private autopsy determined he died of a “dissecting aneurysm of ascending aorta,” and also had a severely thickened heart muscle, a “massively enlarged” liver and significant kidney damage that could have been caused by steroids.
Raia still competes at age 63, but she doesn’t believe the industry will ever put safeguards in place.
“They’ll lose money. It’s the whole thing of bodybuilding — it’s a freak show,” she said. “They want freaks out there. The freakier you are, the more money you make.”
Dead at 43
Mariola Sabanovic-Suarez
Anita Suarez had a pit in her stomach when the phone rang and her son-in-law was on the other line: “Please don’t tell me that something’s happened with Mariola.”
It was just days after her daughter, Mariola Sabanovic-Suarez, competed in her first professional bodybuilding contest in the United States. The Dutch athlete had spent about 18 weeks preparing under the guidance of Starnes, the same coach who ended up working with Kosinova and Engle. Starnes was based in Michigan and told clients in emails that he did all of his consulting online.
Suarez knew about the long nights when her daughter stayed awake with hunger pains from her restrictive diet and the hours after hours she trained in the gym. But there were other parts of the contest prep that the 43-year-old kept hidden from her mother.
Three days after the Tampa Pro show in 2019, Sabanovic-Suarez was having trouble breathing in the middle of the night. Hours later, her teenage daughter found her dead in the hotel bed, according to law enforcement records.
Her husband told police that Sabanovic-Suarez had “no existing health concerns” but had been using clenbuterol, along with the steroids Winstrol and Anavar, for the bodybuilding contest. Officers found caffeine pills, and a toxicology analysis also revealed the presence of testosterone and boldenone, a horse steroid that bodybuilders use to build muscle and speed up their metabolism.
The medical examiner’s office concluded that she died of myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart that “may be related to anabolic steroid use.”
A few days later, Starnes posted a tribute to his client on Instagram: “Rest in peace, Mariola. A mother, wife, and sweet soul that passed away far, far too soon. Life is truly fragile and can be taken from us in an instant.”
Starnes, a former bodybuilder and self-described hermit, has coached hundreds of athletes around the world. He boasted on Instagram about his clients’ transformations, calling them “freak,” “Freak show,” “freakazoid” and “Team Tapeworm.”
Starnes studied psychology in college and has talked repeatedly in interviews about why he almost exclusively coaches women.
“I find that females are a little bit more trusting and just have less of an ego about everything,” Starnes explained in a 2019 interview on the “Revive Stronger” podcast.
Jodie Engle
Jodie Engle trusted Starnes completely and was pretty much willing to do anything to get that pro card — extreme is how she approached most things in life.
When Engle reached out to Starnes for help in August 2020, she was about 11 weeks away from competition. Her previous coach had gotten sick and a friend had recommended Starnes.
“I’m sure we can get you that pro card :)” Starnes wrote to Engle.
His emails always included a disclaimer that he wasn’t a doctor or registered dietitian. Starnes had learned coaching simply by doing it. “You’re not going to learn this stuff in books or courses,” he said in a 2020 podcast that aired a few months after he started working with Engle.
She said she had taken performance-enhancing drugs for several years after a judge recommended them as a way to build up her physique more quickly. But Engle had never seen such a detailed and aggressive plan as the one Starnes emailed her after she paid him $900.
Starnes instructed her to stay on clenbuterol and T3 for her entire prep, and added estrogen blockers to her list, according to emails reviewed by The Post. Her coach advised her to keep taking four different steroids, and to layer on three other steroids, including 50 milligrams of Winstrol daily for the last six weeks.
Engle, who worked as a finance manager in Louisville, thought it seemed early for some of the steroids and wondered why Starnes didn’t have her cycling on and off clenbuterol the way she normally had.
“I didn’t question it. I was just like, ‘Okay, Shelby makes freaks.’ This is what we do,” Engle said.
She fell off a stair machine and cut her ankle the first week because her blood glucose was too low after her coach slashed carbohydrates. Her cardio doubled from 45 to 90 minutes on some days.
Starnes seemed proud of his new client and posted photos of Engle’s progress almost every week on Instagram.
“Have a very good feeling about this one!” he wrote in September 2020.
Email exchange between Jodie Engle and Shelby Starnes
Emails edited for length
That same day, Starnes was bragging online about another client, the Czech athlete Kosinova, and posted a video of her flexing her biceps: “Would look great on the Olympia stage.”
About halfway through Engle’s training, she started getting fevers and her stomach was bloated. She didn’t worry too much until she got the diuretic protocol that she said started 10 days before the competition. It ramped up to 200 mg of Aldactone, she said, and added Dyazide starting the night before prejudging.
Engle lost more than six pounds in a week from the diuretics and was cramping on the plane as she headed to the show.
At the competition, her skin was gray under her spray tan, and she had to sit on the floor backstage at one point because it was too difficult to stand. Someone was walking around with cups of Pedialyte for competitors. Engle hadn’t drunk for hours — it wasn’t on the plan.
When she finally made it onstage, Engle said she almost fell over because she was cramping so badly. But she kept her feet planted and smiled at the judges.
Dead at 37
Ashley Gearhart
Ashley Gearhart was in tears, crying on her hotel bed after she accidentally missed the call to the stage for her division at the Pittsburgh Pro Masters in July 2021.
“This is the worst feeling to put in all this hard work and time, effort and money and to put your body through crazy emotions and symptoms,” Gearhart said in a video she posted on Facebook. “You guys have no idea how hungry you can get and how weak you get, how sore your body is and you still have to push through.”
She had been working for years with one of the industry’s top coaches, Shane Heugly, and earned her pro card under him. Turning pro helped her attract sponsors and build her own business as a personal trainer.
A few days after the Pittsburgh Pro, Gearhart traveled to Mexico for several surgeries to fix her breast implants and remove back skin from a tummy tuck she had done earlier. She hoped the operations would ease some pain and improve her physique for the ever-critical judges.
And when Gearhart visited her family in California this past January, she bragged about how she had lost 10 pounds in a week.
The morning after she flew home, the 37-year-old mother of two was found dead in the basement of her new house in Colorado. Her boyfriend told police that Gearhart was a bodybuilder and had started seriously dieting to prepare for a competition in July, according to law enforcement records.
“It wasn’t unusual for Ashley to wake up in the middle of the night to get something to eat because she was starving,” he told officers.
Heugly, who is listed in the bio on Gearhart’s Instagram profile, said through an attorney that Gearhart “was not a client” at the time of her death.
Renae Wegner, a former bodybuilder who got a stomach ulcer after taking the toxic chemical DNP to lose weight, said judges are fully aware of concerns in the sport about competitors with extremely low body fat. Since Wegner began judging several years ago, she said, officials have talked about rewarding a softer look, but she’s never seen it in practice.
“They do the complete opposite,” Wegner said. “If they didn’t reward it, bodybuilders wouldn’t be doing it. Bottom line.”
Gearhart’s death records reveal just how far she was willing to go. A toxicology analysis turned up positive for the diuretic spironolactone — commonly known by its brand name, Aldactone — and metformin, a diabetes medication that bodybuilders use for weight loss. She had other pills at home, including Bronkaid, an asthma medication, and caffeine pills — which coaches have recommended mixing together for weight loss.
Gearhart had prescriptions for metformin, spironolactone and a thyroid medication from Randolph Whipps, the founding physician of LifeMed Institute in Maryland, which bills itself as the largest concierge wellness facility on the East Coast.
But Gearhart did not have any apparent medical conditions that required the use of those prescription drugs, according to Leon Kelly, the El Paso County coroner whose office reviewed her medical records and interviewed family members.
Whipps declined to comment, citing “privacy concerns.”
The coroner’s office concluded that Gearhart died of cardiac arrest with a number of contributing factors, including caloric restriction, a thickened heart muscle, the use of steroids, diuretics and metformin, along with covid-19.
“You could see clearly the role that the bodybuilding played in all of it,” Kelly said. “It was very clear the impact the training regimen and all the medications had on her death.”
Dead at 26
Dallas McCarver
If anyone saw the warning signs of where the industry was headed, it was Guillermo Escalante. He loved bodybuilding and competed at shows in Southern California, not far from Muscle Beach Venice, the place that Arnold Schwarzenegger and other popular bodybuilders had called home.
As an athletic trainer and a professor of kinesiology, Escalante also recognized the dangers. Bodybuilders routinely showed up to contests in distress — cramping, fainting, hearts racing.
He offered to provide basic care for athletes after a competitor collapsed at a 2011 show in Culver City and then died at a hospital.
For years, he spent weekends trekking to contests with his black medical bag. In 2015, at the California State Championships, Escalante said he came across 24-year-old Dallas McCarver struggling with dizziness and cramps — signs of too many diuretics. After checking his vital signs and offering Pedialyte, Escalante said McCarver managed to get back onstage and take first place.
But Escalante was worried again when the young bodybuilder collapsed onstage at the Arnold Classic Australia two years later. After withdrawing from the show in March 2017, McCarver posted on Instagram about a respiratory infection he was fighting along with “being in a depleted/dehydrated state for the past three weeks straight.”
McCarver said in his post that he had discussed pulling out of the competition earlier with his coach, Chad Nicholls. But the two of them decided to press on. Nicholls, who did not respond to messages seeking comment, was a former bodybuilder. He had worked for years in the industry and knew how despondent athletes felt leading up to shows. A bodybuilding client’s friend once called Nicholls because he was worried that the athlete — who was training for the Olympia — was sick and asked if he should take him to the hospital.
“No you shouldn’t take him to the f---ing hospital,” Nicholls recounted in a 2020 interview with the “Real Bodybuilding Podcast.” “I go, ‘This is what he’s supposed to feel like.’ ... At that lowest point you feel like you’re dying, like you feel like your body is just shutting down.”
The fragile state of bodybuilders before contests is a stark contrast to the condition of most elite athletes before competing — at the peak of fitness.
Rumors swirled about McCarver’s health after he was carried offstage. So the bodybuilder posted a video with one of his supplement sponsors, Aaron Singerman of Redcon1.
BUILT&BROKEN
A Washington Post investigation into the world of bodybuilding. This multipart series explores the exploitation of women, the health risks to athletes and the man who runs the largest federations in the United States.
Have a tip on the bodybuilding world? Email the reporters at builtandbroken@washpost.com.
“I’m not dying. My kidneys ain’t failing. My heart’s not shutting down,” McCarver said, having trouble catching his breath.
But a doctor’s visit shortly after did confirm he had heart problems, according to autopsy records.
He continued training and posted frequently with Redcon1 about adding more muscle, fueled by the company’s line of supplements.
Most professional bodybuilders can’t earn a living on the limited prize money from contests, so they rely on contracts with companies like Redcon1 to help pay for coaches and travel.
In August 2017, months after collapsing onstage, McCarver was found unresponsive on his living room floor. Police collected pills by the couch, vials of drugs in the refrigerator. They identified steroids, growth hormones, peptides and estrogen blockers, according to law enforcement records.
An autopsy found the 26-year-old had a massively enlarged heart, kidneys and liver. The medical examiner noted that “chronic use of exogenous steroid and non-steroid hormones” contributed to McCarver’s “premature death.”
Dead at 31
Luke Sandoe
Just months after McCarver died, Escalante came across a seriously ill Luke Sandoe at a competition in California.
The British bodybuilder had recently competed at the Arnold Classic Australia. His coach, Chris Aceto, proposed Sandoe start using diuretics about a week before the show. The bodybuilder seemed a little nervous.
“That is early lol I’m sure you’ve done it a couple times this way before :)” Sandoe emailed in March 2018, according to messages reviewed by The Post.
“I do everything different,” Aceto responded.
Several days before the Arnold Classic, Aceto emailed Sandoe to take the diuretic Aldactone every 12 hours and discussed adding a second diuretic.
Sandoe made it through that competition in Australia, but he vomited twice during prejudging at the show in California a few months later, according to an email Sandoe sent to contest organizers. Escalante said he saw Sandoe having labored breathing and trouble holding his poses. After taking his vital signs, Escalante told him to go straight to the hospital.
When he followed up with Sandoe a few days later, the bodybuilder messaged back: “Honestly. If I didn’t go in, I would’ve died. My potassium was sky high, so dehydrated my kidneys all but shut down.”
On May 31, Aceto checked in with his client: “Really sorry for way everything went down this last week.”
“We play with fire in this game and sometimes things get burned :)” Sandoe responded.
He was a little more blunt about what happened when he got back home to the United Kingdom. Sandoe said the vomiting, combined with the diuretics he was advised to use by Aceto, put him in a life-threatening situation.
“I think Chris also forgot how much diuretics he was giving me to use. I didn’t use all of what he told me because I just didn’t have them with me,” Sandoe said during a June 2018 episode of “The Size Game” podcast he co-hosted. “I don’t know whether he just forgot what he was doing with me or whether he had too many other clients.”
Sandoe immediately faced a wave of backlash for speaking out and blaming Aceto, one of the top coaches for male bodybuilders. Sandoe emailed an apology to Aceto that August “for the way things spiralled out of control.”
They made amends, and shortly after, Sandoe signed on with Redcon1. As part of the sponsorship contract, Redcon1 agreed to pay Aceto’s coaching fee, which was $3,500 in 2020, according to an email exchange between Sandoe and a company official.
The agreement, which paid Sandoe $12,000 a month, had a lot of stipulations: Sandoe was expected to post at least once a day on Instagram and any other social platforms as directed by the company; be filmed daily for advertising and marketing; and make up to 24 appearances a year, among other requirements.
Email exchange between Luke Sandoe and Chris Aceto
Emails edited for length
Sandoe’s family said he built a gym in his home with his own money during the pandemic in part to meet his obligations. And he kept on training, hoping to compete once restrictions were lifted.
But that never happened. Sandoe died in May 2020 at age 31, leaving behind two children. A cardiac pathologist noted in a report that Sandoe had an enlarged heart with acute left ventricular failure and left ventricular hypertrophy.
“The underlying cause of his cardiac enlargement is likely to be his bodybuilding,” the report concluded.
Sandoe’s family said they didn’t know the full extent of performance-enhancing drugs that he used, but emails document him talking with Aceto about insulin injections and purchasing growth hormones from an Austrian pharmacist who instructed Sandoe to delete their emails.
Aceto declined to talk about Sandoe or answer questions about the risks of bodybuilding.
“No, it sounds like a shakedown to me, kind of like a little blackmailing. You’re being recorded by the way,” Aceto told a Post reporter.
Aceto, a former bodybuilder with a bachelor’s degree in health fitness, has worked in the industry for several decades.
When asked about his other former clients who had health issues and died under the age of 50, including Cedric McMillan and Shawn Rhoden, Aceto noted that athletes die in football, too.
Two days before Sandoe died, Redcon1 issued its last check to the athlete. The company had already slashed his pay 40 percent during the pandemic, according to emails.
But Redcon1 did briefly sell T-shirts with Sandoe’s photo on them in the immediate aftermath of his death — as it did with McCarver. The company eventually removed Sandoe’s shirts “to respect Luke’s family and provide them time [to] mourn their loss.”
Nearly two years after Sandoe’s death, Singerman, the founder of Redcon1, was sentenced to 54 months in prison for conspiring to sell illegal anabolic steroids and other products marketed as dietary supplements by Blackstone Labs, another business he helped start.
Federal prosecutors said Singerman and other company officials ignored injury reports from consumers and failed to notify the Food and Drug Administration of such complaints. Singerman and Blackstone’s chief executive were also ordered to forfeit $5.9 million.
Redcon1 officials, along with Singerman and his attorneys, did not respond to multiple messages seeking comment.
Prosecutors, in their sentencing memo, referenced Singerman’s lack of remorse during a speech he gave at a holiday party for Redcon1 last December: “The truth is I wouldn’t change anything. I wouldn’t do anything differently.”
Singerman, after serving less than a year, was released from prison last week.
THE QUESTIONERS
Clarisse began bodybuilding when she was in college, but the contest prep was so intense that she abandoned the sport for several years.
Clarisse, who spoke on the condition that her full name not be used for fear of retaliation, decided to give it another try in 2021.
She said she hired Heugly as her coach — he was everywhere on Instagram getting bikini competitors their pro cards.
Clarisse said she that had wanted to compete naturally but that her body wasn’t responding to her new coach’s plan. She was sometimes working out two hours a day and eating under 1,000 calories.
Early on, Heugly texted Clarisse asking what supplements she was using and whether she wanted to take fat burners, according to messages reviewed by The Post.
“Do you recommend any specific one?” she asked.
“Obviously due to it being an extreme sport most use Clen,” Heugly texted, appearing to refer to clenbuterol. “Some make EC with Caffeine and bronkaid or primatene tablets.”
Clarisse was struggling mentally, too, posting online how she felt like crying for days and wondering if it was because she was always hungry. She could barely get out of bed.
In June 2021, she asked Heugly whether it was possible to add more muscle before the show and her coach texted, “Absolutely. All of our girls do. Obviously anabolics help a lot.”
He later detailed dosages for the steroid Anavar, along with clenbuterol. She said she began feeling even worse and cut ties with her coach in late July.
Justin Heideman, an attorney for Heugly, said the coach has advised certain athletes to do two hours of cardio but “Shane does not sell, distribute, promote or require any PED use. In fact Shane has frequently advised clients to reduce or minimize PED use that the client had previously elected to engage in.”
Heugly, who is based in Utah, listed on his website a bachelor’s degree in exercise sport science as well as a bachelor’s of education in health promotion from the University of Utah. When questioned about Heugly’s academic credentials, his attorney acknowledged that the coach did not have a bachelor’s in exercise sport science and said he has since amended his website.
Heugly is also certified as a “performance enhancement specialist” by the National Academy of Sports Medicine, according to its online directory. The academy said it does not condone the use of performance-enhancing drugs or coaches who advise clients to take them.
Clarisse blamed herself at first for not being one of Heugly’s pro card success stories. But within weeks, she began to question her coach’s methods after other female bodybuilders started talking online about contest prep that they considered dangerous.
One of Heugly’s former clients posted anonymous messages on Instagram that she said came from athletes who had worked with him. Shortly after, Heugly filed a defamation lawsuit seeking $6.8 million in damages. He alleged that the “republished messages” were false and asked a judge for a restraining order to force her to take them down.
Heugly attached exhibits with the lawsuit that included some of the messages: “I’m suffering from noncardiogenic pulmonary edema. Having taken water pills and the use of clen, it just knocked me outta whack.” Another post read: “The peds, the 2-3 hrs cardio, sub 1k cals.”
The posts were voluntarily removed, but Heugly didn’t drop the lawsuit. A judge ultimately denied the restraining order, saying it would be adverse to the public interest and infringe on First Amendment rights. The case is pending.
Clarisse said she was one of the athletes who had their stories reposted, and she watched in dismay as Heugly tried to silence concerns. She had hoped, instead, that he would change his tactics.
“I don’t think that this needs to be something that is this dangerous,” Clarisse said. “I think it can be done in a way that’s a lot more healthy.”
Escalante had tried for years to make bodybuilding safer. He brought his medical bag around to shows and helped dozens of competitors.
For his day job as a professor at California State University at San Bernardino, he researched extreme contest prep measures and discovered cardiovascular abnormalities in the autopsies of bodybuilders who died under age 50. He and his co-authors found that bodybuilders had an average heart weight that was about 74 percent heavier than the typical male.
But he knew that wasn’t enough. He still worried about athletes relying on coaches mixing and matching performance-enhancing drugs without realizing the consequences.
“You’re basically left with somebody who doesn’t understand pharmacology, who doesn’t understand how these drugs interact and this is who you’re listening to,” said Escalante, who still competes in shows. “It’s just a recipe for disaster.”
After the death last year of Kosinova and other bodybuilders within a few weeks, Escalante decided to go straight to the top of the industry. He wrote to the owner of the Olympia contest and to Victor Prisk, a doctor who was friends with Jim Manion, the head of the NPC and the IFBB Pro, according to messages reviewed by The Post.
“I wanted to see if you could help me set up a meeting with Jim and Tyler Manion sometime in the near future,” Escalante wrote in an Aug. 21, 2021, text message to Prisk. “As a physician and bodybuilder, I’m sure you’ve seen the recent tragic deaths of 3 competitors over the last couple of weeks. I want to help make positive changes to make our sport safer as I’m sure you do.”
Prisk later responded that he talked to Jim Manion about several ideas, including putting together a safety guide for judges and creating a panel of physicians to help with blood testing and other possible testing for competitors who feel they are being subjected to unsafe techniques.
Prisk, who has also worked as a contest judge, declined to comment to The Post. Nobody, Escalante thought, wanted to take responsibility.
“It really has to come from a place outside of the NPC/IFBB,” Prisk wrote.
THE SURVIVORS
For years, Maggy Kheir never questioned anything that Starnes advised. Not the 120 micrograms of clenbuterol the 22-year-old was on days before the first show they did together, according to emails reviewed by The Post. Not the diuretics she said he gave her. Not the increase in thyroid medication he recommended — above the dosage that her doctor prescribed.
“I really think 10mcg daily is really low though,” Starnes wrote in a May 2019 email. “Even 25mcg daily is low.”
“I think my primary doctor started me off on a low dosage because it’s what’s ‘safe,’” Kheir responded.
After that first show with Starnes, Kheir said she struggled with thyroid and hormonal problems, along with depression. In 2021, she felt ready to compete again and signed up for another prep.
In emails, her coach advised her to get the steroid Anavar and detailed dosages. When Kheir tried to get clenbuterol in August 2021 — two weeks before Kosinova died — her doctor’s office said their pharmacy didn’t carry it: “Nor is it one that I recommend for my competitors. It is not a legal medication in the US. It is approved for horses only.”
Kheir stopped working with Starnes shortly after and then left the sport entirely.
She said Kosinova’s death was a wake-up call: “I care about my health. I care about my femininity. I care about being able to have kids one day. It’s just not worth a plastic trophy.”
Kosinova’s son declined to comment.
Email exchange between Maggy Kheir and Shelby Starnes
Emails edited for length
But other clients rushed to the coach’s defense after news of Kosinova’s death spread throughout the bodybuilding community. Trisha Vezirian Smick detailed the precise dosages she used to achieve her peak week look with clenbuterol, T3 and diuretics.
“Never pushed — merely presented and accepted BY ME! This has always been MY EXPERIENCE with Coach @shelbystarnes100 #beresponsible #takeownership #beaccountable.”
Smick had been working with Starnes after earning her pro card with Heugly as her coach.
She gave another shout-out to Starnes this past summer when she announced her retirement from bodybuilding: “I will be eternally grateful for all that we have accomplished together as a team.”
The end of her career was unexpected. At first, Smick blamed the fatigue and heaviness in her chest on the stress of contest prep. The 54-year-old was training to make her debut in the bodybuilding division — the most difficult category, requiring intense conditioning and muscle mass.
But it was far more serious: Smick told The Post she visited urgent care in July and was then sent to a hospital, where she went into cardiac arrest. Doctors put her into a medically induced coma.
“They felt like the performance-enhancing drugs definitely led to it,” she said of the doctors.
Smick said she took drugs willingly in her pursuit of getting bigger, getting harder.
“I put all accountability on myself because I was the one who made decisions to do whatever it is I did,” Smick said. “But I was devastated — absolutely still am.”
Jodie Engle
Engle is also trying to wrap her head around the reality she is now facing.
Weeks after she won her pro card in 2020, the bodybuilder ended up hospitalized. She emailed Starnes that doctors had diagnosed her with rhabdomyolysis, a potentially fatal condition that can be caused by overuse of diuretics.
“They said my kidneys were under more stress than they could handle,” she wrote on Dec. 14, 2020.
Starnes didn’t acknowledge her illness in his response: “Let’s stay on the diet plan (the off day plan) on all days for right now, but cut the carb portions all in HALF. No cardio or training for now. Let’s see how the next handful of days go.”
Engle said she was put on bed rest for six weeks and struggled to get better over the next six months. In June 2021 she started prepping again with Starnes, but her health deteriorated over the next several weeks.
On Aug. 16 — hours after Kosinova died — Engle wrote to Starnes that she hadn’t checked in the previous week because she’d been hospitalized again after having shortness of breath and swelling in her limbs.
“The doctor told me the diuretics are what put the strain on my heart without question.. that apparently my heart never recovered from them,” Engle wrote. “Maybe one day after a potential open heart surgery to get my heart valves pumping properly again I could come back for more lifestyle type things... because my pro career is done before I ever got to start it.”
“Damn, very sorry to hear that Jodie,” Starnes responded that day. “That’s a lot to process :( Why don’t we continue lifestyle coaching for now? Having a goal/ something to work towards would help mentally and physically, no?”
“I just cant even lie when I say I am completely heartbroken over this,” Engle wrote back. “I’ve never felt so low. Like I worked so hard for years on end.. for diuretics to end my career.”
Engle was back in the hospital three days after writing Starnes with chest pains, acute kidney injury, dehydration and cellulitis, among other conditions, according to medical records.
Email exchange between Jodie Engle and Shelby Starnes
Emails edited for length
She avoided heart surgery, but doctors told her it’s only a matter of time before she will need a kidney transplant.
Now 31, the single mom has a new set of drugs to take, including blood pressure medication, beta blockers and prednisone. She frequently has swelling in her legs and ankles and she is recovering from a shoulder replacement surgery.
Engle said she would give her pro card back in an instant — just for one day to live in her old body.
“My life is worth more than this little card,” she said. “And every single athlete’s life … is worth more than a card.”
Have a tip on the bodybuilding world? Email the reporters at builtandbroken@washpost.com. | 2022-12-07T11:28:34+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/interactive/2022/bodybuilding-extreme-training/ |
LONDON – Police have warned that armed dissident groups are planning violent attacks over the Easter holiday weekend as Northern Ireland marks 25 years since the peace accord that ended three decades of bloodshed.
U.S. President Joe Biden is due to visit Belfast next week as Northern Ireland commemorates the signing of the Good Friday Agreement on April 10, 1998. The U.S.-brokered deal got Irish republican and British loyalist paramilitary groups to lay down their arms and setup a power-sharing government for Northern Ireland.
The peace accord largely ended 30 years of violence, known as “the Troubles,” in which 3,600 people died, but small splinter groups mount occasional gun or bomb attacks on the security forces.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland Assistant Chief Constable Bobby Singleton said police had received intelligence about planned violence around a parade in Londonderry on Easter Monday commemorating the 1916 Easter Rising against British rule in Ireland.
He said there was “potential for dissidents to try and draw us in to disorder and then experience tells us where that happens, that can quite often become the platform for an attack on our officers.”
The threat from dissidents prompted U.K. authorities last month to raise Northern Ireland’s terrorism threat level to “severe,” meaning an attack is considered highly likely.
Police Chief Constable Simon Byrne said police officers, military personnel and prison staff, and their families, were the main targets.
“The style of attack that we are dealing with and trying to frustrate is gun attacks and bomb attacks on these people by a small number of determined dissident terrorists,” he said Thursday.
While the peace forged by the Good Friday Agreement has largely held, the political structures have been through multiple crises. The Northern Ireland Assembly has not sat for more than a year, after the main unionist party pulled out of the government to protest new post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland.
Under the terms of the agreement, people jailed for taking part in the violence were released, an issue that still pains families of the conflict’s victims.
A group of relatives of Troubles victims held a sunrise ceremony Friday on a beach in County Down, south of Belfast, to reflect on the conflict and the peace.
“It was incredible being here with all these people, Catholic and Protestant, unionist and nationalist, republican and loyalist — we have all lost people,” said Alan McBride, whose wife and father-in-law were killed by an IRA bomb in Belfast in 1993. “To look out at the sea and see the sun come up, that is the vision of the Good Friday Agreement, people standing together.”
Later, residents from Catholic nationalist and Protestant unionist neighborhoods were due to hold a ceremony at a gate in one of the fortified “peace walls” that still divide Belfast. | 2023-04-07T12:48:10+00:00 | wsls.com | https://www.wsls.com/news/world/2023/04/07/police-dissidents-may-try-attacks-as-n-ireland-marks-peace/ |
PADUCAH, Ky. (AP) — A Kentucky man who killed three students and injured five more in a school shooting a quarter century ago has a chance at parole this week.
Michael Carneal was a 14-year-old freshman in 1997 when he fired a stolen pistol at a before-school prayer group in the lobby of Heath High School, near Paducah, Kentucky. He received a life sentence with the opportunity for parole after 25 years, the maximum allowed at the time for someone his age.
The hearing that began on Monday is his first opportunity for parole and could also be his last. The parole board has discretion to release him, to defer the decision, or order him to spend the rest of his life in prison without further hope of release.
Monday was dedicated to testimony from the injured and the close relatives of those who were killed in a shooting that still reverberates in this small community, where everyone seems to have a connection to the tragedy and several of the victims considered Carneal, now 39, a friend.
Gwen Hadley, mother of Nicole Hadley, who was 14 when she was murdered on Dec. 1, 1997, expressed a sentiment that was often repeated on Monday, referring to Carneal only as “the shooter.”
“We — the families, the survivors, and people that were at the school, and the whole community — were given a life sentence by the shooter and didn’t have the opportunity to get a second chance, a reduced sentence,” she said, her voice cracking with emotion. “The life sentence the shooter has given us — I have made the choice not to be angry and to find joy in life. But I still really miss my daughter. And I don’t like that I don’t get to see her.”
Nicole’s sister, Christina Hadley Ellegood, just a year older than Nicole, was in school at the time of the shooting and found her sister in the lobby with a bullet hole in her head. She does not believe Carneal shot at random that day, she said. Nicole was the first person killed and she had recently turned Carneal down for a date.
“Michael was not a kid who did not have friends, as he’s led people to believe,” she said. “Nicole did not agree with how Michael treated people and the things that he did, but because she was so kindhearted, she was friends with him.”
Although Ellegood acknowledged that a child of 14 years old doesn’t have a fully developed brain and may not fully understand the consequences of his actions, she said, “I believe that Michael knew what he was doing the day of the shooting. …He fired eight shots and hit eight different people, which in my eyes is a very difficult task.”
Also killed that day were 17-year-old Jessica James and 15-year-old Kayce Steger.
Hollan Holm, who was wounded that day, recalled lying on the floor of the high school lobby, bleeding from his head and believing he was going to die. “Almost 25 years later, I still have trouble being in crowds of people,” he said. “I get agitated and scan for sources of danger and exit routes. I get anxious when I am seated in a restaurant with my back to the door.”
But Holm also remembers Carneal as a kid he rode the bus with every day and who he ate lunch with every day in third grade. Now that he is 40, he realizes just how immature they all were at 14, Holm said.
“I have to think that after 25 years, he’s a different person than he was that day, as we are all different people today than we were 25 years ago,” Holm said, adding that he would support supervised release if mental health experts think Carneal can be successful outside of prison.
Missy Jenkins Smith, who was paralyzed by one of Carneal’s bullets and uses a wheelchair, said it is too risky to let Carneal out. He has said he was suffering from delusions and paranoia at the time of the shooting, and she worries what would happen if he stopped taking his medications.
Jenkins Smith was in the band with Carneal and had considered him a friend. She even visited him in prison once. She has said she has forgiven him, but she does not think it would be fair for him to be set free.
“I could speak for hours about what my life has been like every minute of every day the last quarter century, without the use of my legs,” she said. “I’ve been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole — after living the consequence of Michael Carneal’s decision — to not be able to walk. I will continue to serve out that consequence. Michael’s decision for me will be my entire life.”
On Tuesday, Carneal will make his case for release from the Kentucky State Reformatory in La Grange. A two-person panel of the full parole board is hearing Carneal’s appeal. They have the option to release him or defer his next opportunity for parole for up to five years. If the two cannot agree on those options, they can send the case to a meeting of the full board next Monday. Only the full board has the power to deny Carneal any chance of parole, forcing him to stay in prison for the rest of his life.
The parole hearing, which took place by videoconference, was broadcast on local television in Paducah and on YouTube. There was also a public showing at a local community college where a handful of community members gathered to watch. They included Tommy Fletcher, a teacher who witnessed the aftermath of the shooting, entering the lobby just seconds after it was over.
In an interview after the hearing, Fletcher remembered the pain of that day when he stayed beside one of the students who died, but also the resilience of his community. On Dec. 2, 1997, school was open and students gathered for their prayer circle in the same lobby where their classmates had been shot the previous day.
“It was so empowering to see how everybody handled it,” Fletcher said. “It really brought us together.” | 2022-09-19T23:48:57+00:00 | myfox8.com | https://myfox8.com/news/kentucky-school-shooter-seeks-parole-25-years-after-killing-3-wounding-5/ |
Actor Pablo Lyle has been sentenced to five years in prison following his manslaughter conviction for a 2019 road rage killing in Miami.
Lyle, wearing an orange jail jumpsuit, appeared in a Miami-Dade courtroom Friday afternoon for the sentencing hearing.
The 36-year-old Lyle, a Mexican telenovela star, had faced between 9.25 and 15 years in prison. But Judge Melisa Tinkler Mendez showed leniency, giving him a sentence below the guidelines after noting that his remorse was genuine.
"Nobody here is going to be satisfied, nobody here is going to forget the pain that's been caused," Tinkler Mendez said in handing down the sentence.
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In addition to the five-year prison sentence, Lyle will also serve eight years of probation, 500 hours of community service, and must attend anger management classes. He will receive credit for time served.
Fighting tears, Lyle apologized to the family of the victim, Juan Ricardo Hernandez, before he was sentenced by Tinkler Mendez.
"I can only imagine the pain of losing a loved one, someone that important, especially in a situation like this," Lyle said. "I think about it every day. I pray that this day will bring you closure and that whatever happens today you can leave this courtroom with grace in your hearts."
Hernandez's family members also spoke Friday and had asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence.
"He was such a joyful person, very caring to everyone," son Juan Ricardo Hernandez Jr. said in Spanish through an interpreter. "A beautiful person, there are no words to describe who my father was."
A video of the victim's mother who remains in Cuba was also played in court.
"She believes in justice and asks for justice to be served so I ask all of those present and your honor for justice to be served in the memory of my father," Hernandez Jr. said.
A jury in October found Lyle guilty of manslaughter in the 2019 road rage incident that left the 63-year-old Hernandez dead.
A security camera video showed Lyle rushing up to Hernandez and punching him in the face. Hernandez died after hitting his head on the pavement.
"That Mr. Hernandez lost his life because of something I did, something that walks with me, it haunts me when I go to bed and it's still there when I wake up," Lyle said. "I never wanted any of this to happen, I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined something like this could have happened, that life could be lost and so many others affected so drastically in just a matter of seconds and just one punch."
PABLO LYLE CASE
Defense attorneys argued that Hernandez started the incident when he got out of his car and pounded on the window of the car Lyle was riding in at an intersection.
They also argued that Lyle was defending his family against what he thought was a threat posed by Hernandez.
"I'm so very sorry from the bottom of my heart," Lyle said. "I truly thought I was protecting my family."
But prosecutors said Hernandez had walked away and was heading back to his car before the punch. They also said that three witnesses testified that Hernandez had his hands up in a defensive posture and that there was no reason for Lyle to hit him at that point.
Lyle's brother-in-law, Lucas Del Fino, who was with him the day of the incident, spoke on his behalf Friday.
"I truly hope that we will be able to find peace," Del Fino said. "I'm truly sorry about the fateful events of that day."
His sister, Silvia Lyle, also spoke on his behalf.
"Pablo has the same qualities, the same heart, since he was a child," she said in Spanish through an interpreter. "He's a good man, and believe me, he's sorry."
Lyle became emotional when his wife, Ana Araujo, went before the judge.
"It's easy for everyone to judge a split-second reaction that you had and does not define you as a person," she said.
Lyle had sought a new trial but a judge in December denied his request. | 2023-02-04T01:12:03+00:00 | nbcmiami.com | https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/pablo-lyle-sentenced-to-5-years-in-2019-miami-road-rage-manslaughter-case/2965441/ |
Those columns on Jackson Street in the Chinatown-International district recently got a facelift.
The original column painting project was initiated by the CID activist architect Dennis Su back in 1998 and implemented with funding through InterIm. The current repainting was organized by Urban Artworks and done by volunteers from the community. | 2022-11-10T22:06:56+00:00 | nwasianweekly.com | https://nwasianweekly.com/2022/11/jackson-street-columns-repainted/ |
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Some of the asylum seekers staying at the Portland Expo participated in one of the most American of rituals last week — petitioning for redress of their grievances.
It was easy to portray the new arrivals in Maine as entitled and ungrateful. They are getting free housing and food. What do they have to complain about, this line of thinking goes.
Taking a step back and looking at the whole picture, it becomes increasingly clear that many immigrants to Maine are caught in a bad situation not of their making. A broken immigration system, federal law that prevents some immigrants from being able to quickly go to work, lack of a coordinated statewide plan for new arrivals and an extremely tight housing market have combined to make a stressful situation worse.
To be sure, municipal leaders — especially those in Portland and South Portland — and state officials deserve credit for quickly responding to last week’s concerns and for continually stepping up to provide shelter and other necessities for the hundreds of people who have arrived in Maine in recent months.
The problem is that solutions — especially long-term ones — are hard to come up with.
On Wednesday, several people who are staying at the Portland Expo protested the conditions there. They held signs and spoke of poor sleeping and sanitary conditions, and of being served food that was old and had sickened people. They also expressed anxiety about where they will go when the Expo is slated to stop housing them in mid-August.
“Where are we going to go?” a cardboard sign asked.
About 270 people, most of them from African countries, are housed at the sports facility in downtown Portland. A federal law prohibits those seeking asylum in the United States from working until at least six months after they apply for asylum. Maine’s congressional delegation has been working to reduce this time period, but has yet to be successful. Lawmakers passed a resolution directing the Maine Department of Labor to ask for a waiver from the federal rules. The sentiment is welcome, although there is no provision in federal law for such waivers.
This means that the asylum seekers are heavily reliant on general assistance and donations as they begin new lives in the U.S. This situation is frustrating immigrants, employers, policymakers and taxpayers.
“We need more help from our surrounding communities,” Portland City Manager Danielle West said after meeting with asylum seekers at the Expo on Wednesday. “We need more help from the state. We need more help from the federal government. We’ve consistently asked for that.”
On Friday, Portland officials asked the state to support a proposal to house up to 600 asylum seekers at Unity Environmental University in central Maine or to have the Maine National Guard open and operate a shelter. The college in Unity has many unused dorms and has been proposed as temporary housing for new arrivals. Unlike Portland, however, it doesn’t have a breadth of services or employment opportunities. Reception to the idea in Unity, as reported by the Portland Press Herald, was lukewarm at best.
A group in Aroostook County is also exploring how the region can welcome and support more immigrants. The County, like many areas of the state, has a need for more workers, but affordable housing remains a concern.
Maine has long been welcome to newcomers and will continue to be a welcoming place. The stresses placed on those seeking asylum in the U.S., however, are unsustainable. So, too, are the stresses placed on their host communities.
Both are caught up in a broken immigration system, with a nonsensical work authorization waiting period in a time and place with a shortage of affordable housing. In the short term, extending temporary housing is essential. In the long term, supporting welcoming communities beyond Cumberland County and continuing to push for common-sense changes in immigration policies remain essential. | 2023-07-05T15:17:48+00:00 | bangordailynews.com | https://www.bangordailynews.com/2023/07/04/opinion/editorials/maine-asylum-seekers-solutions/ |
With one week until the April 4 election, Madison mayoral candidates Satya Rhodes-Conway and Gloria Reyes squared off in a primetime debate Monday evening.
The debate, which was hosted by WISC-TV and The Cap Times, was streamed live on captimes.com and channel3000.com and will be aired again at 4 p.m. Tuesday on Channel 3.
As it has in previous forums, the city’s plan for bus rapid transit took center stage during the debate. Reyes continued her criticism of one of the centerpieces of the incumbent mayor’s first term, claiming that BRT will be largely responsible for a projected structural deficit for the city of Madison and taking aim at city employees for providing news outlets with information about the transit system.
For example, Metro department manager Justin Stuehrenber told the Cap Times that Reyes was wrong in suggesting the rapid transit would run up the deficit. Rhodes-Conway, too, countered that Madison’s projected deficit is a result of the state failing to increase shared revenue to municipalities and has little to do with buses.
Reyes repeated her assertions Monday night.
“There’s been a lot of back and forth about this and one of the disturbing things lately is we’re having city staff respond to (press requests) during an election,” Reyes said. “We’re borrowing $29 million on a system that is inequitable and is going to lead us to a $32 million deficit. …The quality of a mayor is how we are fiscally responsible and that’s where my concern is. We are going to look at the (Metro) network redesign and transit and think about what that’s going to cost us and share that data with the community.”
Rhodes-Conway, who was elected in 2019, has been criticized by former mayors who said she had not done enough to involve riders and other community members in developing BRT. Rhodes-Conway defended her approach during the debate.
“There has not been a lack of transparency or equity in this process,” Rhodes-Conway said. “The existing system is inequitable. We’ve had dozens of community engagement opportunities, some of which started eight years ago. The entire system is based on feedback from the community. It will benefit low-income and riders of color more than it will benefit other residents.”
Questions about Madison school safety
Reyes has accused Rhodes-Conway of being largely absent from Madison Metropolitan School District concerns during the height of the pandemic. Rhodes-Conway and school officials were able to produce documentation showing that she held regular meetings with the superintendent’s office and other school officials throughout the pandemic.
Reyes served as Madison School Board president during much of the pandemic and was on the board when it voted to remove police officers from schools, a move meant to address concerns about over-policing students of color. Reyes said during the debate that, with rising reports of violence, it is time to consider bringing the school resource officers back into MMSD schools.
“It didn’t make sense to keep officers in schools where they weren’t wanted,” Reyes said of the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of police. “We are seeing significant disturbances and fights. We need to ensure students are supported and safe in schools.”
Rhodes-Conway has maintained that the presence of police officers in schools is a decision only the MMSD leaders can make.
“This is a decision made by the elected School Board and it is something that if the School Board wants to reopen the conversation, I would be open to listening to them,” Rhodes-Conway said.
Rhodes-Conway pointed to the city’s new CARES program, which sends trained mental health workers to help diffuse behavioral issues, as being just as vital to school safety as police officers would be.
Transparency and Madison housing solutions
Housing remains a central issue in the mayoral race and one of the sharpest points of contention between Reyes and Rhodes-Conway.
Residents have complained about feeling left out of the decision-making process when it comes to redevelopment of existing neighborhoods. Some, including residents in south Madison and the far east side, have said they’re worried that areas like South Park Street could end up looking like East Washington Avenue, with several blocks dominated by skyscraping luxury apartment buildings.
Rhodes-Conway defended hers and the city staff’s approach to resident engagement as well as the look of East Washington Avenue, although she said not every neighborhood would be developed that way.
“It’s really important that we make opportunities for homeownership available,” Rhodes-Conway said. “It’s important that we continue to build as much housing as we can in Madison so that housing can become more affordable. Not every neighborhood should look like East Washington, but we do want some places to look like East Washington.”
Reyes said that, again, the process for adding housing needs to be equitable and transparent.
“We are in an affordable housing crisis. We can’t allow the crisis to manage us, however, and that is what is happening today,” Reyes said. “Our residents and neighbors are concerned because they have no voice in the process.”
Recent zoning changes have allowed for diverse types of housing to be built in single-family neighborhoods, including historic districts in Madison.
“We are losing historic districts,” Reyes said. “We don’t have to take away the uniqueness of our neighborhoods and our historic districts. It has to be a very thoughtful process and have neighborhood voices of our residents.”
Rhodes-Conway says the character of neighborhoods, including historic distinctions, has to be weighed against the future needs of the city. She also rebutted Reyes’ claim the city lacks a long-term plan with community involvement for housing development.
“Our planning division does a great job of creating comprehensive plans for each area,” Rhodes-Conway said. “These planning processes are totally driven by a desire to hear from our community. When we talk about balancing the character of our community while also building new things, that’s exactly what gets asked in our planning processes.”
Reyes raises worry about debate bias
Even before the first question was asked, Reyes’ campaign raised multiple issues about media coverage from the Cap Times prior to the debate.
On Thursday, Reyes expressed concerns about a Cap Times news report that quoted the Madison Metro manager saying she had made false statements about the city’s bus rapid transit plan.
Reyes also raised an issue about how she was depicted in an illustration on the cover of the March 22 Cap Times print edition. A sketch of Reyes, along with Rhodes-Conway, was placed at the top of a series of headshots of politicians running in the April 4 election. Immediately below Reyes was an illustration of Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Dan Kelly.
Reyes alleged that her placement on the same side of the page as Kelly, a conservative candidate, implied that the two of them were aligned in values and representing the same team.
The Reyes campaign also asked to receive the debate questions ahead of time, which the TV station and newspaper declined to provide.
Instead, the two media organizations agreed to supply their questions to an independent source for review for fairness and bias ahead of the debate. Neil Heinen, former editorial director at WISC-TV and an advisory board member for the University of Wisconsin School of Journalism and Mass Communications Center for Journalism Ethics, approved all of the questions the candidates were asked. Both campaigns agreed with selecting Heinen as the reviewer.
The spring election is April 4. Information about voting can be found here. | 2023-03-28T17:14:42+00:00 | captimes.com | https://captimes.com/news/government/madison-mayoral-candidates-reyes-rhodes-conway-air-sharp-contrasts/article_97768088-9c30-53f3-b972-d9b3a288e921.html |
LONDON (AP) — Asked to sum up 2022 in a word, the public has chosen a phrase.
Oxford Dictionaries said Monday that “goblin mode” has been selected by online vote as its word of the year.
It defines the term as “a type of behavior which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.”
First seen on Twitter in 2009, “goblin mode” gained popularity in 2022 as people around the world emerged uncertainly from pandemic lockdowns.
“Given the year we’ve just experienced, ‘goblin mode’ resonates with all of us who are feeling a little overwhelmed at this point,” said Oxford Languages President Casper Grathwohl.
The word of the year is intended to reflect “the ethos, mood, or preoccupations of the past twelve months.” For the first time this year’s winning phrase was chosen by public vote, from among three finalists selected by Oxford Languages lexicographers: goblin mode, metaverse and the hashtag IStandWith.
Despite being relatively unknown offline, goblin mode was the overwhelming favorite, winning 93% of the more than 340,000 votes cast.
The choice is more evidence of a world unsettled after years of pandemic turmoil, and by the huge changes in behavior and politics brought by social media.
Last week Merriam-Webster announced that its word of the year is “gaslighting” — psychological manipulation intended to make a person question the validity of their own thoughts.
In 2021 the Oxford word of the year was “vax” and Merriam-Webster’s was “vaccine.” | 2022-12-05T14:49:47+00:00 | krqe.com | https://www.krqe.com/news/world/ap-oxford-dictionaries-names-goblin-mode-its-word-of-the-year/ |
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander exercised patience during his lowest-scoring first half all season, routinely deferring to teammates such as Lu Dort and Josh Giddey in an effort to keep New Orleans defenders off balance in a winner-take-all postseason game.
“To start the game, I wasn’t expecting a huge outburst offensively,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “I wanted to kind of set the table to make sure my teammates were ready to go, confident and attacking. And I knew once I did that, the defense would have to worry about them as well and my offensive game would open up.”
And how.
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 25 of his 32 points after halftime, including a go-ahead baseline jumper and four clutch free throws in the final 29 seconds, and Oklahoma City beat the Pelicans 123-118 on Wednesday night to remain alive in the Western Conference play-in tournament.
The Thunder All-Star’s repertoire included spinning dribble drives, varying mid-range jumpers, and a 3-pointer as he once again shot 50% (11 of 22) to match his season average.
Giddey had 31 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds for Oklahoma City (41-42), the only Western Conference team still playing with a losing record.
“We did a great job of not getting rattled” after Brandon Ingram’s putback dunk gave the Pelicans a 110-108 lead, Giddey said. “Nothing ever phased us. It’s such a young group, but it’s such a composed team and that’s how you have to be down the stretch of tight games like that.”
The loss eliminated the ninth-seeded Pelicans, while 10th seed Oklahoma City advanced to play at Minnesota on Friday night for the right to enter the NBA playoffs as an eighth seed and meet No. 1 Denver.
Ingram scored 20 of his 30 points in the second half, including a 3-pointer with 4.3 seconds left to give the Pelicans a slim chance to come back.
But after Gilgeous-Alexander hit two free throws to put the Thunder up by three, Herbert Jones threw away an inbound pass, sealing New Orleans’ fate.
Dort scored 27, hitting four 3s and finishing with two free throws in the final seconds.
Jonas Valanciunas had 16 points and 18 rebounds for New Orleans, but checked out with 4:26 left after apparently hurting his right foot. He returned only briefly in the final minute.
Trey Murphy III scored 21 points, Jones had 20 and CJ McCollum 14 for the Pelicans, who a season ago went 2-0 in play-in games as a ninth seed to advance to the first round of the playoffs.
This time, New Orleans, which was at the top of the Western Conference standings in December, was left to wonder what might have been had All-Star forward Zion Williamson not strained his hamstring on Jan. 2 — an injury that wound up sidelined him the rest of the season.
“It’s important to have your guys on the floor,” coach Willie Green said. “It helps your team reach its potential. We didn’t do that this season.”
Gilgeous-Alexander scored 17 in the third quarter and Giddey added 12, including his third 3 of the game to give Oklahoma City a 95-85 lead.
“The third quarter, I thought we got a bit casual in our approach,” Green said. “They just made more plays than us.”
New Orleans went back in front when Josh Richardson’s steal and breakaway dunk made it 101-100 in the fourth quarter.
But as the Thunder came back up the court, Richardson knocking Giddey to the floor near midcourt. Giddey angrily came to his feet and strode toward Richardson and teammates held both back while officials called for a video review and determined that Richardson had committed a flagrant foul.
Giddey made one of two free throws to tie it and set the stage for an intense finish.
Dort, who averaged 13.7 points during the regular season, scored 14 in the first quarter. But a pair of 3s by Murphy helped New Orleans take a 63-57 halftime lead.
Ingram appeared to turn his left ankle late in the second quarter. He did not check out of the game, however, and played most of the second half.
TIP-INS
Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander has scored 10 or more points in a third quarter 40 times this season. … Oklahoma City outscored New Orleans 21-11 in points off turnovers. The Pelicans committed 11 turnovers, the Thunder seven.
Pelicans: Played without prominent frontcourt reserve Larry Nance Jr., who had been questionable since injuring his left ankle on Sunday in a loss at Minnesota to close the regular season. … Outrebounded the Thunder 48-38. … Williamson, who missed his 46th straight game as he continues his recovery from a Jan. 2 right hamstring injury, took part in warmups and finished up with a windmill dunk.
AILING MCCOLLUM
McCollum said he needed surgery three months ago on his right thumb.
“I delayed it to try and help our team get to the playoffs and we came up short,” McCollum said, adding that he also hurt his shoulder recently and expects to have that examined as soon as Monday. “I was doing what I could to try and help out the team.”
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-04-13T22:17:17+00:00 | myfox8.com | https://myfox8.com/sports/ap-sports/gilgeous-alexander-leads-thunder-past-pelicans-in-play-in/ |
Happy semiquincentennial: We're already planning America's 250th birthday in 2026
WASHINGTON - The United States will mark the 250th anniversary of its founding in 2026, and a commission tasked with planning and orchestrating the celebration is already getting to work.
The U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, known as America250, will formally kick off its three-year countdown campaign on July 4 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, when the Brewers host the Chicago Cubs at American Family Field. Fans will be invited to visit a booth and record a video that tells their own American story.
The nonpartisan Semiquincentennial Commission was established by Congress in 2016 to mark the anniversary and is chaired by former United States Treasurer Rosie Rios. The commission, along with its private, nonprofit partner the America250 Foundation, aims to build "the largest, most inclusive commemoration in history."
For Rios, a lot of their success will involve reaching everyday people on "Main Street" in towns across the U.S. – and particularly inspiring younger Americans to get involved.
"I think we'll be successful if as many Americans as possible feel like this is the land of opportunity all over again," she told FOX Television Stations. "And how do we inspire this next generation to pursue those opportunities that have been given to them?"
FILE - Fireworks explode over the National Mall as the US Capitol (R) and National Monument are seen on July 4, 2017, in Washington, DC. (Photo by PAUL J. RICHARDS/AFP via Getty Images)
The nonpartisan America250 commission is made up of four U.S. representatives and four senators, 16 private citizens appointed by both parties, and 12 other individuals from all three branches of the federal government and its independent agencies – including U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, and Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.
But the next three years of planning will come amid a 2024 presidential election, a time that’s always divisive, as well as what many would call an already politically-divided nation showcased during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot in 2021, backlash against corporations getting involved in social and political issues, and more.
Rios noted the atmosphere during the nation’s bicentennial celebration in 1976. America’s 200th anniversary of its founding was celebrated two years after Richard Nixon resigned his presidency over the Watergate scandal and in the post-Vietnam War era.
"I mean, think about what our country was going through at that time," Rios said. "Probably a lot of, you know, hesitation in general about how we could think about finding that collective voice. I see it as an opportunity."
"This isn’t about one person, this isn't about one commission. This is about the American people and all constructive voices are welcome," Rios added.
America’s bicentennial in 1976: ‘It wasn’t about the fireworks, it really was a feeling’
Some may remember the country's celebrations leading up to July 4, 1976, in which similar patriotic events were held across the nation to mark its 200th birthday. This included the American Freedom Train, which was visited by more than 7 million Americans during its tour of all 48 contiguous states.
For Rios, then an 11-year-old girl in Hayward, California, she still "very clearly" remembers the bicentennial celebrations. She recalls learning all the patriotic songs in school, taking a field trip to see the American Freedom Train while it was in town, watching the parade of tall ships coming through the New York and Boston harbors on television.
She even still has her bicentennial quarter, which was specially-produced in celebration of America’s 200th birthday.
"But I think the big memory that really sticks to me is the night of July 4th, 1976. I remember it was a cloudy night and those were probably the best fireworks I've ever seen. And it wasn't about the fireworks," Rios recalled to FOX Television Stations. "It really was a feeling, a feeling that I had at that very moment in time and, and really what it means to be American."
Rios grew up in a family of nine children and is the daughter of immigrants who moved to the United States in 1958 in search of work. She now has two adult children of her own.
"We are the American dream. We're living the American dream," Rios said. "And I want my kids to feel what I felt on July 4th, 1976."
How to get involved in America’s semiquincentennial celebration
The America250 commission has already enlisted the neighborhood app Nextdoor and the YWCA, the nation’s oldest and largest women’s organization, as partners for the anniversary celebration.
Over the next three years, America250 plans to host commemorative events in every U.S. state and territory.
"We hope to have this be a sea-to-shining-sea perspective," Rios said. "It's not about a coast, it's not about one area. It is about how to have this be about ‘Main Street’ and really a grassroots effort."
America250 is encouraging Americans "from all walks of life" to share their story through photos, videos, artwork, poems, songs and more, on its official website.
Rios, who will be in attendance at the July 4th Brewers vs. Cubs game in Milwaukee to kick off the campaign, said she hopes to meet as many people as possible and hear how they would like to celebrate.
"I want to hear firsthand, especially from kids," Rios said. "Tell us your story. How do you want to participate? And most importantly, how should we be planning this? We want this public engagement effort to really inform us on exactly how we should be putting this planning process in place.
"I want to hear what it means to be American, and I want to hear how we should be planning this once in a lifetime – well, I guess for me, it's twice in a lifetime – celebration and commemoration."
This story was reported from Cincinnati. | 2023-07-03T14:03:47+00:00 | fox10phoenix.com | https://www.fox10phoenix.com/news/were-already-planning-americas-250th-birthday-in-2026 |
CHICAGO, Dec. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Creation Investments Capital Management, LLC (Creation Investments), a global impact investment manager in emerging markets, today announced the final close of Creation Investments Social Ventures Fund V (Creation V), the most recent portfolio in its flagship private equity fund family. Creation V is oversubscribed with more than $270 million in commitments from a diverse group of investors, including insurance companies, pensions, foundations, fund of funds managers, and family offices.
Through Creation V, Creation Investments is committed to increasing access to financial capital to the unbanked and underbanked populations in emerging markets, with a focus on India and Mexico. Creation V exceeded initial targets and had strong participation from existing and new investors.
Investors in Creation V include managed funds by 57 Stars and strategies managed by Ascension Investment Management, which invested in earlier Creation Investments funds, and new investor Blue Earth Capital AG (BlueEarth), a global impact investment firm based in Baar-Zug, Switzerland.
"We are grateful to our diverse investor base, which for more than 15 years has enabled Creation to execute on our mission to improve the lives of those at the bottom of the economic pyramid in emerging markets," said Patrick Fisher, founder and managing partner of Chicago-based Creation Investments. "Creation's portfolio companies are providing financial access and helping raise the quality of life for millions of people and businesses in the developing world."
"We are thrilled to partner with the team at Creation Investments as they look to build on their successful track record of improving the lives of the unbanked and underbanked across emerging markets through increased access to financial services," said Rohan Ghose, principal, private equity funds and co-investments at BlueEarth.
Through its local presence in India and Mexico, Creation's team focuses on financial inclusion and sources opportunities from basic banking and insurance to fintech-enabled affordable housing, motor-vehicle, micro, small and medium-enterprise lending, education finance as well as supply chain finance. To date, Creation V has deployed approximately 60% of capital in its target markets across several sub-sectors. Investments include Avla in Latin America, DD360 in Mexico, and Oxyzo, Progcap, ReshaMandi, and Vastu Housing in India.
"Our portfolio companies in India have contributed immensely to furthering our mission of financial inclusion for individuals and businesses. While demonstrating phenomenal growth, these firms have maintained strong unit economics and high corporate governance standards," said Remika Agarwal, Creation's vice president and India country head.
"We continue to have a strong and growing pipeline in Mexico and look forward to putting Creation V's remaining capital to work across opportunities that align with our thesis of high growth and profitability, similar to our portfolio companies in region," said Amadeo Ibarra, director and Mexico country head for Creation.
Creation Investments Capital Management, LLC (Creation Investments), is a global impact investment manager in emerging markets. Through private equity and private credit, Creation Investments strives to build diversified portfolios, investing in next-generation financial services to maximize financial and social returns. Together with its portfolio companies, Creation Investments aims to improve the lives of those at the bottom of the economic pyramid by reducing poverty and its ill effects in the developing world. Creation Investments is headquartered in Chicago and has offices in Dallas, Bangalore, and Mexico City. As of Sept. 30, 2022, Creation had more than $1.8 billion in assets under management.
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SOURCE Creation Investments | 2022-12-01T15:50:26+00:00 | wlbt.com | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2022/12/01/creation-investments-closes-fifth-impact-fund-with-more-than-270-million-capital-commitments/ |
Amazon will wind down parts of its Indian operations, showing that even the crucial growth market with 1.4 billion consumers isn’t immune to Chief Executive Officer Andy Jassy’s cost-reduction campaign.
The company said it is exiting meal deliveries as well as a service providing bulk doorstep deliveries of packaged consumer goods to small businesses. The exits will involve layoffs of just several hundred out of a workforce of thousands, leaving Amazon relying on its core offerings such as online retail in the country, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Jassy is reducing expenses and jobs around the world amid slowing growth in several areas of Amazon’s business. In India, the pullback underscores Amazon’s struggles in one of the world’s fastest growing e-commerce markets, where it’s facing regulatory heat and competition from homegrown conglomerates Reliance Industries and Tata Group as well as Walmart’s Flipkart. After plowing billions of dollars into everything from grocery delivery to payments in India during the past decade, the company has failed to achieve the sort of dominance it enjoys in markets such as the U.S.
Several projects in beta testing are also likely to be shelved, said the person, who asked not to be named discussing internal deliberations. Amazon has announced that its Amazon Academy learning platform, which offers online test prep resources for students competing to enter India’s medical and engineering schools, will shut down in the coming months.
Job losses in the country are likely to be in the low hundreds, the person said, or just a fraction of Amazon’s India e-commerce workforce of over 10,000. Overall, Amazon employs more than 100,000 people full time in the country for its worldwide operations.
The company has attracted the wrath of a labor union assembling tech workers for making what it calls “voluntary separation” offers and giving employees limited time — only until Dec. 6 — to decide. Amazon doesn’t have a labor union.
Globally, Amazon plans to cut about 10,000 jobs, its largest ever headcount reduction, people familiar with the matter have said. It has projected the smallest revenue increase ever for its holiday quarter, and Jassy had put in place a hiring freeze on some corporate roles and shut down several experimental and smaller programs.
Amazon launched Amazon Food, the meal delivery service it’s now shuttering, in India in 2020. It offers food from restaurants and other providers serving everything from paratha stuffed bread to McDonald’s burgers and fries. Amazon’s business-customer unit will continue to provide small retailers and bulk buyers with goods such as groceries and medical supplies but will no longer offer door delivery of packaged consumer goods.
“We are discontinuing these programs in a phased manner to take care of current customers and partners,” the company said in an emailed statement. “We remain committed to India and will continue to invest across those areas where we can bring value to our customers.”
During the past decade, Amazon has added millions of sellers on its platform in India and expanded in segments like groceries and digital payments, while selling fashion, beauty products and flight tickets. The company said groceries, consumer electronics, fashion and business-to-business offerings will be among its focus areas in India. | 2022-11-28T20:55:30+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/amazon-is-shuttering-some-india-businesses-amid-global-cuts/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
ATLANTA, July 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Artivion, Inc. (NYSE: AORT), a leading cardiac and vascular surgery company focused on aortic disease, announced today that second quarter 2022 financial results will be released on Thursday, August 4, 2022 after the market closes. On that day, the Company will hold a teleconference call and live webcast at 4:30 p.m. ET to discuss the results, followed by a question and answer session hosted by Pat Mackin, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Artivion.
To listen to the live teleconference, please dial 201-689-8261 a few minutes prior to 4:30 p.m. ET. The teleconference replay will be available approximately one hour following the completion of the event and can be accessed by calling (toll free) 877-660-6853 or 201-612-7415. The conference number for the replay is 13730843.
The live webcast and replay can be accessed on the Investors section of the Artivion website at www.artivion.com and by selecting Webcasts & Presentations. In addition, a copy of the earnings press release, which will contain financial and statistical information for the completed quarter and full year, can be accessed in the Investors section of the Artivion website.
Headquartered in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, Artivion, Inc. is a medical device company focused on developing simple, elegant solutions that address cardiac and vascular surgeons' most difficult challenges in treating patients with aortic diseases. Artivion's four major groups of products include: aortic stent grafts, surgical sealants, On-X mechanical heart valves, and implantable cardiac and vascular human tissues. Artivion markets and sells products in more than 100 countries worldwide. For additional information about Artivion, visit our website, www.artivion.com.
Contacts:
Artivion
D. Ashley Lee
Executive Vice President &
Chief Financial Officer
Phone: 770-419-3355
Gilmartin Group LLC
Brian Johnston / Lynn Lewis
Phone: 332-895-3222
investors@artivion.com
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SOURCE Artivion, Inc. | 2022-07-21T12:50:26+00:00 | kxii.com | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/07/21/artivion-announces-release-date-teleconference-call-details-second-quarter-2022-financial-results/ |
Kansas native leaves Boeing to serve as member of U.S. Navy’s submarine force
MILLINGTON, Tenn. – Lt. Cmdr. Joshua Straka, a native of Wichita, is one of the sailors continuing a 123-year tradition of service under the sea aboard USS Springfield, operating out of Naval Base Guam.
Straka, a 2002 graduate of Northeast High School and a 2006 and 2008 graduate of Wichita State University, joined the Navy 11 years ago.
“I come from a family with a rich history of military service," said Straka. “I joined well after college with a career at Boeing. I needed something different.”
Skills and values learned in the Navy are similar to those found in Wichita.
“Growing up I learned to do the right thing, even though no one may be looking," said Straka. “Never give up, never quit.”
Today, Straka serves as an engineering officer.
“The thing I like best about my job is leading an engineering department of one of the finest U.S. submarines in the world," said Straka.
Known as America’s “Apex Predators!,” the Navy’s submarine force operates a large fleet of technically-advanced vessels. These submarines are capable of conducting rapid defensive and offensive operations around the world, in furtherance of U.S. national security.
There are three basic types of submarines: fast-attack submarines (SSN), ballistic-missile submarines (SSBN) and guided-missile submarines (SSGN).
Fast-attack submarines are designed to hunt down and destroy enemy submarines and surface ships; strike targets ashore with cruise missiles; carry and deliver Navy SEALs; conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions; and engage in mine warfare. The Virginia-class SSN is the most advanced submarine in the world today. It combines stealth and payload capability to meet Combatant Commanders’ demands in this era of strategic competition.
The Navy's ballistic-missile submarines, often referred to as "boomers," serve as a strategic deterrent by providing an undetectable platform for submarine-launched ballistic missiles. SSBNs are designed specifically for stealth, extended patrols and the precise delivery of missiles.
The Columbia-class SSBN will be the largest, most capable and most advanced submarine produced by the U.S. - replacing the current Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarines to ensure continuous sea-based strategic deterrence into the 2080s.
Guided-missile submarines provide the Navy with unprecedented strike and special operation mission capabilities from a stealthy, clandestine platform. Each SSGN is capable of carrying 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles, plus a complement of heavyweight torpedoes to be fired through four torpedo tubes.
Strategic deterrence is the Nation’s ultimate insurance program, according to Navy officials. As a member of the submarine force, Straka is part of a rich history of the U.S. Navy’s most versatile weapons platform, capable of taking the fight to the enemy in the defense of America and its allies.
With 90% of global commerce traveling by sea and access to the internet relying on the security of undersea fiber optic cables, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity of the United States is directly linked to trained sailors and a strong Navy.
"Our mission remains timeless - to provide our fellow citizens with nothing less than the very best Navy: fully combat ready at all times, focused on warfighting excellence, and committed to superior leadership at every single level," said Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations. "This is our calling. And I cannot imagine a calling more worthy."
As a member of the Navy, Straka is part of a world-class organization focused on maintaining maritime dominance, strengthening partnerships, increasing competitive warfighting capabilities and sustaining combat-ready forces in support of the National Defense Strategy.
“The U.S. Navy is a show of force," said Straka. “We are here to deter our adversaries and make them think twice.”
Straka has many opportunities to achieve accomplishments during military service.
"My proudest moment is being an engineer on board a fast attack submarine," said Straka. “I get to solve problems as well as be an Officer of the Deck, executing national tasking.”
As Straka and other sailors continue to perform missions, they take pride in serving their country in the United States Navy.
“Service to country is one of the greatest things in my life I can say I did," added Straka. “It protects our country, way of life and my family.” | 2023-03-21T05:31:59+00:00 | hutchnews.com | https://www.hutchnews.com/story/news/local/2023/03/20/kansas-native-enlists-in-military-after-career-at-boeing/70020155007/ |
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We've placed cookies on your device to improve your browsing experience. They're safe and don't contain sensitive information. | 2022-06-08T16:04:38+00:00 | tj.news | https://tj.news/times-and-transcript/101892326 |
WASHINGTON (BRPROUD) — U.S. Senator John Kennedy says he’s introducing a bill to strip federal funding from district attorney offices that fail to prosecute violent criminals.
The “Prosecutors Need to Prosecute Act” would require elected district attorneys to report violent crimes they fail to charge criminals with committing. Jurisdictions with policies that do not have cash bail for offenses involving guns would lose certain federal grant funding.
According to a news release from Kennedy’s office, the proposed bill is a response to a nationwide trend of district attorneys who are declining to prosecute murder, aggravated assault, robbery, rape, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson and other serious crimes.
“Criminals are victimizing innocent Americans, and woke prosecutors are letting them do it over and over again,” said Kennedy. “Louisianians and all Americans deserve to know when their district attorneys refuse to stand up for victims. Our bill would require prosecutors to report what crimes they fail to prosecute so that Americans can better hold their public servants accountable.”
The proposal comes within a week of the Orleans Parish district attorney having a case squashed for the second time in less than two months, after missing a deadline to charge an accused juvenile gunman.
Kennedy’s office said the proposed legislation would help the Justice Department “better determine which jurisdictions are allowing defendants to avoid criminal penalties for serious crimes.”
“For example, jurisdictions with a formal policy that eliminates cash bail for offenses involving a firearm would lose certain federal grant funding,” the news release stated.
Senators John Thune (R-S.D.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) are cosponsors of the bill. | 2023-02-08T23:11:24+00:00 | ktalnews.com | https://www.ktalnews.com/news/us-politics/sen-john-kennedy-introduces-bill-aimed-at-prosecutors-failing-to-charge-criminals/ |
PLEASANTON, Calif., June 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Cowbell Cyber the leading provider of cyber insurance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), is proud to announce that Cyber Defense Magazine (CDM), the industry's leading electronic information security magazine has named Cowbell the "Best Product in Cyber Insurance" in it's 10th Annual Global InfoSec Awards. Cyber Defense Magazine named Cowbell a winner on the opening day of the RSA Conference in San Francisco.
"Cowbell Cyber is dedicated to not only providing cyber insurance to businesses of all sizes but arming them with the tools needed to prevent cyber attacks in the first place," said Isabelle Dumont, SVP of Marketing and Technology Partners at Cowbell Cyber. "This recognition from Cyber Defense Magazine is proof that we are achieving our goal of providing the best cyber insurance product on the market for all businesses."
Cowbell's solution is built on the foundation of AI-based, continuous risk assessment. The process informs underwriting for cyber and every finding is shared with the customers so they benefit from insights provided to mitigate any security weakness. The result is policies aligned with the evolving cyber risk exposures of the customers due to ever-evolving threats and expanded digital footprints.
"Cowbell Cyber embodies three major features we judges look for to become winners: understanding tomorrow's threats, today, providing a cost-effective solution and innovating in unexpected ways that can help mitigate cyber risk and get one step ahead of the next breach," said Gary S. Miliefsky, Publisher of Cyber Defense Magazine.
The judging panel consists of CISSP, FMDHS, CEH, and other certified security professionals who voted based on their independent review of the company submitted materials on the website of each submission including but not limited to data sheets, white papers, product literature and other market variables.
To see a full list of this year's Global Global InfoSec Awards visit: http://www.cyberdefenseawards.com/
Please join us virtually at the #RSAC RSA Conference 2022, https://www.rsaconference.com/usa today, as we share our red carpet experience and proudly display our trophy online at https://cowbell.insure/ and on our social media channels.
Cowbell Cyber offers standalone, individualized, and easy-to-understand cyber insurance for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). In its unique AI-based approach to risk selection and pricing, Cowbell's continuous underwriting platform, powered by Cowbell Factors, compresses the insurance process from submission to issue to less than 5 minutes. Cowbell Insurance Agency is currently licensed in 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Cowbell Reinsurance Company is a licensed insurance captive in the State of Vermont. For more information, please visit www.cowbell.insure.
This is Cyber Defense Magazine's tenth year of honoring InfoSec innovators from around the Globe. Our submission requirements are for any startup, early stage, later stage, or public companies in the INFORMATION SECURITY (INFOSEC) space who believe they have a unique and compelling value proposition for their product or service. Learn more at www.cyberdefenseawards.com
Media Contact
John Kreuzer
Lumina Communications for Cowbell Cyber
Cowbell@LuminaPR.com
408-963-6418
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SOURCE Cowbell Cyber | 2022-06-06T17:17:57+00:00 | wymt.com | https://www.wymt.com/prnewswire/2022/06/06/cowbell-cyber-wins-global-infosecs-best-product-cyber-insurance-award-rsa-conference-2022/ |
NEW YORK – Lawyers for three Black NFL coaches alleging racial bias by the league took aim directly at Commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday in their latest arguments against arbitrating a dispute they say belongs before a jury.
In papers filed in Manhattan federal court, the lawyers wrote that arbitration would allow “unconscionably biased one-sided ‘kangaroo courts’” to decide the outcome of the lawsuit filed in February by Brian Flores, who was fired in January as head coach of the Miami Dolphins. He is now an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Two other coaches — Steve Wilks and Ray Horton — later joined the lawsuit as plaintiffs.
Their lawyers said Goodell, who would lead the arbitration if the case is not decided by a jury, could not be fair in overseeing and ruling on the dispute as to whether the league engages in systemic discrimination. They included in their submission articles about Goodell's salary and other personal details.
They cited the hundreds of millions of dollars he earns from teams, his public statement that the lawsuit is without merit and the likelihood that he could be a witness in the case.
In June, lawyers for the NFL and six of its teams said arbitration was required because the coaches had agreed in their contracts to multiple arbitration provisions “that squarely cover their claims.” They also said the coaches were required to go to arbitration individually rather than as a group.
Lawyers for the league and its teams did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday from The Associated Press.
Letting Goodell preside over the case would “deviate from established authority and societal norms” and create a new standard for arbitration that would let it be approved “no matter how biased and unfair the process,” lawyers for the coaches said in their latest submission.
And they added that it would “embolden employers to create manifestly unfair arbitrations with assurance that they will be approved by the courts.”
“If the Court compels arbitration, scores of employers following this case, and those who learn of it, will undoubtedly change their arbitration clauses to permit the appointment of an obviously biased decision-maker,” the lawyers said.
Several weeks ago, U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni denied a request by lawyers for the coaches to gather additional evidence before she rules on whether the case must go to arbitration.
That move made it more likely she'll rule on the arbitration issue within weeks rather than months.
___
More AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | 2022-08-31T19:20:52+00:00 | ksat.com | https://www.ksat.com/sports/2022/08/31/lawyers-bash-goodell-led-arbitration-in-nfl-racial-bias-suit/ |
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) – Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday signed legislation committing more than half a billion dollars to border security.
The bulk of the spending ($335 million out of the $564 million) is earmarked for border fence construction and technology improvements. Local news media reported that equates to installing motion sensors, infrared cameras, and aerial drones – a “virtual fence” – because the federal government owns most of the land adjacent to the border and most of it is already walled.
“Inaction by President Biden has led to the worst border crisis in over 20 years,” Ducey, a Republican, said in a statement. “With this investment, we are giving our law enforcement professionals another critical resource they need to do their jobs. We are standing for the rule of law and cementing Arizona’s commitment to securing our state and our nation.”
U.S. authorities have “encountered” 385,631 unauthorized migrants in Arizona since October 1. The Tucson Sector, which includes Eastern Arizona, has seen 44.4 percent more migrants than the previous year. In comparison, the Yuma Sector which comprises the western portion of the state reports a 345 percent increase in apprehensions.
“The number of migrant encounters has skyrocketed at our border, overwhelming law enforcement and Border Patrol,” said U.S. Rep. John Kavanaugh, R-Arizona. “We need more support and physical barriers. This is a reasonable investment in Arizona’s safety and security.”
The legislation includes more than $125 million to support local law enforcement in dealing with the collateral effects of illegal immigration. Sheriff’s deputies will be getting $53.4 million in salary compensation; local counties get $30 million to prosecute human smugglers; Cochise County will receive a $20 million state match for a new jail; local officers working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) get $15 million; and various departments can apply for $10 million in funds to reduce trafficking.
The package contemplates more than $55 million for operations. That includes $30 million for a new State Emergency Operations Center; $15 million for a state police Southern Border Coordinated Response Center; $10 million for National Guard troop deployment as needed; and $800,000 for the Department of Emergency and Military Affairs chain of command.
Another $25 million are to be spent on the migrants. A $15 million fund is created for the transportation of asylum-seekers and $10 million in state cash is earmarked for emergency health care and testing of migrants.
“This investment is critical to saving lives on the border and within our communities,” said Tim Roemer, director of the Arizona Department of Homeland Security. “Not only is this a border crisis, it’s a humanitarian crisis and it’s getting worse. More migrants are making the dangerous journey, fentanyl deaths are spiking […] This funding will go toward critical resources and tools to help us combat dangerous transnational organizations and protect victims.” | 2022-07-01T21:42:56+00:00 | wnct.com | https://www.wnct.com/border-report-tour/governor-commits-564-million-to-border-security-citing-biden-inaction-on-immigration/ |
It’s summer and peak season for taking your summer vacations. Booking airfare, hotels, car rentals and excursions can have a dramatic impact on your wallet. Trusted Advisor, Chad Van Horn of Van Horn Law Group, joined Inside South Florida to share tips on how to plan for that well-deserved dream trip without going into debt.
“The first thing you want to do is set a budget for that trip. What you may have booked last year, five years ago or 10 years ago could be double or triple the cost right now,” says Van Horn. “If you don't know the cost you need to get that budget together and make sure that you have enough money or credit to afford that beautiful trip this summer.”
Carrying cash may not be optimal while traveling and some consumers opt to use their credit cards. Fortunately, credit card holders can use their card and still plan wisely.
“The best way to use your credit card is utilize it to pay for everything, but then pay it off every month,” says Van Horn. “Again, that's going to come down to budgeting.”
Travelers on a budget can still opt for luxury and splurge.
“You want to build up that reserve account throughout the years,” says Van Horn. “If you know you do a once-a-year trip with the family, make sure that you're saving money every month, so that you can pay for that trip.”
Budgeting may seem grueling but there is technology that can help you keep your finances on the right track.
“There are many apps out there that will help you with it that I use, I use an old school spreadsheet, maybe I'm a little old school in that the key is getting real numbers,” says Van Horn. “Pull out those bank statements, pull out the credit card statements, get accurate information, and see where you can make cuts where you can add to your savings and pay down those credit card balances.”
There are also tax holidays and exemption periods that you can take advantage of and save.
“In Florida, there are tax exemption holidays. May 28 - June 10 was Disaster Preparedness tax holiday, in which you could have saved 6% on everything,” says Van Horn. “If you are going back to school shopping, looking for children's books, etc., there are tons of exemptions out there. Visit Florida’s state website and they lay out all the tax-exempt holidays.”
For more information, visit VanHornLawGroup.com
This Inside South Florida segment is paid for by Van Horn Law Group. | 2022-06-20T22:29:43+00:00 | wsfltv.com | https://www.wsfltv.com/inside-south-florida/trusted-advisor-chad-van-horn-shares-tips-on-how-to-save-money-and-travel-in-style |
America's tornado warning system is a patchwork of municipal sirens, cell phone alerts, and radio and TV messages. But even as forecasting for dangerous storms improves, people who live in rural areas too often miss the life-saving warnings.
Last month, a catastrophic tornado outbreak in Mississippi killed at least 26 people. A tornado rated 4 out of 5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale landed in Rolling Fork around 8 p.m. and was on the ground for an hour and 10 minutes, raging through the communities of Winona, Black Hawk and Silver City.
Victor Gensini, an associate professor of meteorology at Northern Illinois University, pins the rising probability of tragedies like Rolling Fork on multiple factors, including climate change, population growth, poverty, urban sprawl, and weak construction.
"A disaster itself is really a function of two things," Gensini tells NPR. "Number one is the physical risk of the hazard in this case, a particular tornado, and also the human vulnerability component ... how humans build along the landscape, how we cluster, how strong our structures are."
In Rolling Fork, as in many parts of the U.S., people who live in mobile homes often have no basement for sheltering from a storm. And Gensini says more than half of all tornado fatalities occur in weak-frame housing, "basically, like mobile home structures."
Climate change may exacerbate that risk. As global temperatures rise, some climate models suggest that the weather patterns that fuel tornadoes could become more common. A study co-authored by Gensini and published this year by the American Meteorological Society (AMS) predicted that by the end of the century, the average annual number of supercells — rotating storms known for producing monster tornadoes — could increase by 6.6% in the eastern U.S.
It remains unclear whether climate change or advances in the ability to monitor and study storms like tornadoes is driving that expansion. But Gensini says concepts like tornado "alley" and tornado "season" are outdated because they no longer capture how these storms behave.
"In reality, tornadoes don't really care what state it is, so to speak, and they certainly don't care what time of year it is," Gensini says. "There is a substantial climatological risk of tornadoes in most places east of the Rockies in the United States."
Luckily, Gensini says, improved forecasts for severe weather keep getting better. "Twenty years ago, we wouldn't even dream about trying to make a next day tornado forecast."
Why don't advanced tornado forecasts reach everyone?
"The science is there, the technology is there, the modeling is there, the forecasts are there. But we continue to see fatalities and casualties from these events because we're not getting across the finish line," Gensini says.
Experts say gaps in cell phone coverage and proximity to warning sirens and TV and radio play a part.
The National Weather Service (NWS) partners with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to send push alerts to smartphones when there is severe weather. But that only works with reliable cell service.
Kim Klockow-McClain, a senior scientist at The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Centers for Environmental Prediction, says weather messaging is delivered and people are then left to make decisions about how they want to be warned - by a favorite weather forecaster, a phone vibration, or a county siren. Klockow-McClain says warnings become a "social process."
"What we see is a lot of rural places receiving the poorest overall service, mainly in places that intersect with other social vulnerability factors like income and race," Klockow-McClain tells NPR.
Eleven minutes before last month's disaster in Mississippi, the NWS warned that a storm capable of producing tornadoes was headed for Rolling Fork. That warning triggered TV, radio and cell phone alerts, but residents of the small, predominantly Black city told The Washington Post they heard no warning sirens.
Even so, TV meteorologists interrupted March Madness to get the word out.
But Klockow-McClain, who used to work at the Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla., tells NPR communities can't always count on TV, because meteorologists may be under pressure to avoid breaking into primetime programming.
"Some station management has given meteorologists feedback in the past that they really want you to think about that," she says.
What about radio?
Sirens, Klockow-McClain says, are vital in rural, low-income communities. "Sirens can be a gap filler when nothing else is especially accessible or works well."
The AMS traces the history of the siren system to the Cold War when they were installed, not to warn about tornadoes, but to sound the alarm of an imminent attack. But the sirens are expensive to maintain and can't be heard everywhere.
For people out of siren or cell range, Klockow-McClain recommends a NOAA weather radio to sound an alarm. They're battery operated and come in a range of prices, starting at about the cost of a smoke and carbon monoxide detector for the home. But even though the weather service says it wants the radios to be as common as smoke detectors, only about 3-4% of the population has one.
"NOAA weather radio ... transmits warnings automatically. You can select different hazard types that you're interested in. If you're just interested in tornadoes, you can set it to that," Klockow-McClain says. "It's been something the weather service has been trying to get disseminated throughout the country for decades."
In Indiana, all new mobile homes are required by law to be equipped with a weather radio. The law honors 2-year-old C.J. Martin, who was killed in 2005 after a tornado tore through his mobile home community in the middle of the night. That storm killed 25 people.
Klockow-McClain says more people need to have a reliable warning system in their homes. "Especially at night when you really need something to reach out to you, NOAA weather radio is an amazing technology."
Jan Johnson, Simone Popperl and Rebecca Hersher contributed editing. contributed to this story
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2023-04-20T09:32:46+00:00 | wyomingpublicmedia.org | https://www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/2023-04-20/tornado-forecasts-are-more-accurate-why-arent-they-saving-more-lives |
Joey Gallo Player Prop Bets: Twins vs. Padres - May 11
Published: May. 11, 2023 at 9:29 AM CDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
The Minnesota Twins, including Joey Gallo (.229 on-base percentage in past 10 games, 75 points below season-long percentage), take on starter Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres at Target Field, Thursday at 1:10 PM ET.
He had a hitless showing in his most recent game (0-for-3) against the Padres.
Joey Gallo Game Info & Props vs. the Padres
- Game Day: Thursday, May 11, 2023
- Game Time: 1:10 PM ET
- Stadium: Target Field
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo!
- Padres Starter: Yu Darvish
- TV Channel: MLB Network
- Hits Prop: Over/under 0.5 hits (Over odds: -118)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +280)
- RBI Prop: Over/under 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +175)
- Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 runs (Over odds: +130)
Looking to place a prop bet on Joey Gallo? Check out what's available at BetMGM and sign up with this link!
Explore More About This Game
Joey Gallo At The Plate
- Gallo is hitting .169 with three doubles, a triple, seven home runs and 14 walks.
- Gallo has gotten a hit in 10 of 27 games this season (37.0%), with multiple hits twice.
- He has hit a home run in six games this season (22.2%), leaving the park in 7.6% of his trips to the dish.
- Gallo has driven in a run in six games this year (22.2%), including four games with more than one RBI (14.8%). He has also driven home three or more of his team's runs in three contests.
- He has scored at least once 11 times this season (40.7%), including one multi-run game.
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Joey Gallo Home/Away Batting Splits
Padres Pitching Rankings
- The Padres pitching staff is 20th in MLB with a collective 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings.
- The Padres have a 3.99 team ERA that ranks 12th among all league pitching staffs.
- Padres pitchers combine to give up 44 total home runs at a clip of 1.2 per game (to rank 14th in the league).
- Darvish gets the start for the Padres, his seventh of the season. He is 2-2 with a 3.19 ERA and 40 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings pitched.
- His last time out came on Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when the righty threw 6 2/3 innings, surrendering one earned run while allowing four hits.
- In six games this season, the 36-year-old has a 3.19 ERA and 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings, while allowing a batting average of .219 to opposing hitters.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-05-11T16:20:54+00:00 | ktiv.com | https://www.ktiv.com/sports/betting/2023/05/11/joey-gallo-mlb-player-prop-bets/ |
(iSeeCars) — Turn on your television for perhaps 20 minutes and chances are you’ll see at least one commercial for sport utility vehicles.
And chances are, in some portion of the commercial, they’ll show the SUV bounding over hills, through the desert, or speeding up to a mountain campsite.
And perhaps you think, “I’m getting an SUV. Maybe I’d like to do that stuff.”
And you can if you get the right SUV. But many of today’s SUVs are basically cars with SUV bodies – they lack the features to do even basic off-roading, and if you attempt some of the serious stuff they show on TV, these car-based versions could easily be damaged beyond repair.
That’s because the vast majority of sport-utes never (intentionally) leave the pavement, yet there remain plenty of SUV customers who take the first word in SUV – sport – seriously. For true off-pavement enthusiasts we’re providing this guide to the best SUVs for off-roading.
First, you’ll need an SUV that has either all-wheel-drive or, for the more rustic stuff, four-wheel-drive. AWD vehicles are typically front-wheel-drive in most circumstances, with some power going to the rear wheels when needed, such as on slippery pavement. AWD vehicles, with some exceptions, are not as well equipped for off-roading as 4WD SUVs. Those are mostly called “crossovers” and that’s important because non-crossover, 4WD vehicles are more rugged. They utilize primarily rear-wheel-drive power distribution until you shift them into four-wheel-drive, when you anticipate either rough weather or an off-roading opportunity.
4WD vehicles are also more likely to feature dedicated all-terrain tires, a locking rear differential, and advanced off-road driving modes that include features like hill descent control and crawl control. While several automakers produce extremely capable off-road SUVs, you may have to select a specific trim level to get all of the best off-road features.
We’ve compiled a list of vehicles that, ranked in order of off-road capability, will ensure some S in your SUV. Those lower on this list are best used for basic, cow-trailing-type off-roading. You’ll need something higher in our rankings to ford streams and plow through serious mudholes.
Keep in mind, too, that some of the top-ranked off-roaders may ride more roughly, deliver lower fuel efficiency, and forgo some common luxury components you’ll find lower on the list, all while generating more tire and wind noise than you may find acceptable. You should carefully consider your wants and needs to better find a happy medium between on-road refinement and off-road prowess.
The Top 28 SUVs for Off-Roading
1. Jeep Wrangler
iSeeCars Quality Score: 9.2
- Reliability Score: 8.5
- Retained Value Score: 9.8
- Safety Score: Not Available
Average New Car Price: $42,754
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $40,178
The Jeep Wrangler is the king of the off-road adventure, though it finally has competition with the introduction of the Ford Bronco. Unlike the Bronco, the Wrangler has “straight” axles like most pickup trucks. Take a pencil and hold it horizontally and press down on one end – the other end moves up. That’s how a straight axle works; it’s all connected. A vehicle with independent suspension is just that – one side of the suspension works independently of the other side. The Wrangler is the only new SUV sold with a straight front axle, which works great off-road, but will provide a slightly rougher ride on pavement. The Wrangler’s construction is body-on-frame, and it comes in two- and four-door models. Power is from a four- or six-cylinder engine, with an optional Hemi V-8 also offered. A plug-in hybrid has just been added to the model line, providing instant torque and quiet off-roading when desired. Models such as the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and the Sahara contain all the off-road equipment you will ever need, including the all-important tow hooks, front skid plates and rear skid plates, and there’s a wide range of additional off-road equipment offered by Jeep dealers.
2. Ford Bronco
iSeeCars Quality Score: Coming Soon
- Reliability Score: Coming Soon
- Retained Value Score: 6.6
- Safety Score: Not Available
Average New Car Price: $51,874
The long-awaited, new-for-2022 Ford Bronco takes a model name from the 1970s, and despite its traditional, angular body style, the Bronco is entirely up-to-date. It is aimed squarely at the Jeep Wrangler, and its presence in the market should generate some genuine competition between the two off-road kings. A turbo four-cylinder is standard; a turbo V6 engine is optional. Like the Jeep, the Bronco is offered in two- and four-door configurations; and like the Jeep, the roof and doors come completely off. Plenty of safety features are standard and more are optional. As with the Jeep, the price can rise quickly according to the features you want. And also like the Jeep, we predict that the Bronco’s resale value will be very high. Thanks in part to the independent front suspension, the on-road ride is better than the Jeep’s, but nowhere near as comfortable as some of the less aggressive SUVs. The Bronco is not to be confused with the smaller, Escape-based Bronco Sport; check it out at number 28.
3. Toyota 4Runner
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.6
- Reliability Score: 8.8
- Retained Value Score: 9.0
- Safety Score: 8.0
Average New Car Price: $46,698
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $45,844
The midsize four-door Toyota 4Runner is another of the comparative old-school SUVs that are capable of some serious off-roading, especially depending on the model you chose, and whether you partake of dealer-installed optional equipment such as larger tires and wheels. Compared to the Wrangler and Bronco, 4Runner customers give up a bit of off-road capability in return for Toyota’s legendary dependability. Power is from a V-6; standard is a part-time four-wheel-drive system, with the Limited model offering a four-wheel-drive system that can safely remain engaged.
4. Land Rover Defender
iSeeCars Quality Score: Coming Soon
- Reliability Score: Coming Soon
- Retained Value Score: 8.1
- Safety Score: Not Available
Average New Car Price: $76,568
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $81,960
The boxy, hard-to-get Land Rover Defender is basically the European version of the Jeep Wrangler and Ford Bronco. Engine choices are a turbocharged four-cylinder, a six-cylinder and a supercharged V-8. It’s possible to option up a Defender to well over $100,000, so be careful out there. It’s available as a two- or four-door and can carry as many as seven people. The Land Rover Defender is an excellent off-roader while being nimble and relatively refined on road.
5. Land Rover Range Rover
iSeeCars Quality Score: 7.8
- Reliability Score: 8.5
- Retained Value Score: 7.1
- Safety Score: Not Available
Average New Car Price: $118,526
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $110,488
One of the best off-road vehicles built anywhere is one that virtually never goes off-road. The muscular Land Rover brand ambassador has maintained its off-road chops while turning into one of Hollywood’s more desirable on-pavement rides. The freshened 2022 model is the first time the Land Rover Range Rover is offered with third-row seating. Another feature is four-wheel-steering, which allows the rear wheels to turn in and out slightly, trimming the turning circle considerably and making it easier to maneuver. Power is from a hybrid six-cylinder and a supercharged V-8, with an electric version coming in the near future. If you can afford it, and can afford to get it filthy and perhaps dented and scratched up a bit, the Range Rover will take you anywhere you want to go.
6. Toyota Land Cruiser
iSeeCars Quality Score: 9.2
- Reliability Score: 9.8
- Retained Value Score: 8.5
- Safety Score: Not Available
Average New Car Price: $91,276
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $91,976
After 60 years, the heavy-duty Toyota Land Cruiser has been discontinued in the U.S. for the 2021 model year, though it is still sold in many overseas markets. We include it here because it’s sort of a poor man’s Range Rover, though it’s quite expensive on its own, nearing $90,000 at the end, and maintaining stellar resale value. Luxurious, but never over-the-top like a Range Rover, the Land Cruiser has a reputation as being nearly bulletproof. The thirsty V-8 delivered a dismal 13 mpg city, 17 mpg highway, but had plenty of low-end power to tackle most any terrain, even though it weighed in at nearly 6,000 pounds. Two- or three-row seating was offered. We may see a brand-new Land Cruiser soon, as its corporate twin, the Lexus LX, remains on the market with a thorough redesign and V-6 power.
7. Jeep Grand Cherokee
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.3
- Reliability Score: 8.4
- Retained Value Score: 7.7
- Safety Score: 8.8
Average New Car Price: $44,700
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $41,763
Long one of the best compromises between good off-road capability and street smarts, the new-for-2022 Grand Cherokee maintains that tradition. Engines are a six-cylinder or a V-8, plus a turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid model. Rear-wheel-drive is standard, but there are three four-wheel-drive configurations available. True off-roaders might want to select the Trailhawk model, which offers air suspension and sway-bar disconnect. It’s a pretty fancy vehicle to take rock-crawling, but if you ask a properly-equipped Jeep Grand Cherokee to do it, the answer will be “Yes.” Worth noting: The previous-generation Grand Cherokee is also available alongside the redesigned model as the Grand Cherokee WK.
8. Mercedes-Benz G-Class
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.5
- Reliability Score: 8.2
- Retained Value Score: 8.7
- Safety Score: Not Available
Average New Car Price: $175,985
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $212,999
Perhaps the strangest vehicle on the list and one of the priciest ones, the Mercedes-Benz G-Class has found favor with celebrities such as the Kardashians, who – like most owners – are unlikely to do any off-roading anywhere, ever. Known also as the Geländewagen, the G-Class has so many off-roading features you’ll be pulling out the owner’s manual to see which button does what. Powered by a twin-turbo V-8, the G-Wagen has plenty of acceleration and a very good ride despite its militaristic styling. A premium ride, similar to Land Rover’s Range Rover, the G-Class 550 model starts at about $135,000.
9. Lexus LX
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.9
- Reliability Score: 8.8
- Retained Value Score: 8.9
- Safety Score: Not Available
Average New Car Price: $100,382
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $90,631
As mentioned in the Toyota Land Cruiser summary, the Lexus LX has long been a dressed-up Land Cruiser. The Land Cruiser was discontinued with the 2021 model, but a 2022 Lexus LX 600 has emerged completely redesigned with a twin-turbo six-cylinder replacing the V-8. Still a traditional body-on-frame configuration with a straight rear axle, there’s nothing old-school about the latest advanced technology throughout the LX’s plush cabin, making it ideal for a Saturday night on the town, followed by some dedicated off-roading on Sunday.
10. Land Rover Discovery
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.0
- Reliability Score: 8.4
- Retained Value Score: 7.5
- Safety Score: Not Available
Average New Car Price: $70,824
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $55,956
A turbocharged four-cylinder engine is standard in the Land Rover Discovery, but off-roaders may prefer the turbocharged six-cylinder engine for its low-end torque. There’s an optional air suspension that will increase comfort and performance on- and off-road.
11. Land Rover Range Rover Sport
iSeeCars Quality Score: Coming Soon
- Reliability Score: Coming Soon
- Retained Value Score: 7.8
- Safety Score: Not Available
Average New Car Price: $95,020
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $88,327
Sort of the sportier little brother to the Range Rover, the Land Rover Range Rover Sport can be equipped with plenty of off-road equipment, including optional low-range gearing. Power is from a six-cylinder engine or a supercharged V-8. A third-row seat is an option.
12. Nissan Armada
iSeeCars Quality Score: 7.7
- Reliability Score: 8.5
- Retained Value Score: 6.7
- Safety Score: 8.0
Average New Car Price: $63,345
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $47,077
Nissan has seldom touted the off-road capability of its big Nissan Armada, but properly equipped, it can get the job done. The first thing you need is its full-time four-wheel-drive, an option for the SUV that comes standard with rear-wheel-drive. A two-speed transfer case and hill start assist are part of the four-wheel-drive package. We like its big V-8 that has plenty of torque and horsepower to handle most any challenge, on-road or off. The old saw, “It can pass anything but a gas pump” applies here – the four-wheel-drive Armada is thirsty.
13. Infiniti QX80
iSeeCars Quality Score: 7.5
- Reliability Score: 7.5
- Retained Value Score: 6.8
- Safety Score: 8.0
Average New Car Price: $78,964
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $59,721
The luxurious INFINITI QX80 is the dressed-up twin to the Nissan Armada, so much of the Armada’s description applies here, including the fact that four-wheel-drive and the computer-controlled transfer case comes as an option. There’s an old-school vibe to the Armada and the QX80, which is not a criticism.
14. Nissan Pathfinder
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.4
- Reliability Score: 8.3
- Retained Value Score: 6.8
- Safety Score: 10.0
Average New Car Price: $42,357
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $30,225
There’s nothing old-school about the Nissan Pathfinder, thanks to a redesign for 2022. The Pathfinder, properly equipped, has always been a capable performer off-road, and the new model is no different. Smaller than the Armada, the Pathfinder still offers a third-row seat, and is powered by a six-cylinder engine instead of the Armada’s V-8. Four-wheel-drive is an option.
15. Toyota Sequoia
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.7
- Reliability Score: 9.4
- Retained Value Score: 8.0
- Safety Score: Not Available
Average New Car Price: $64,466
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $64,510
Full-time four-wheel-drive is an option for Toyota’s big three-row SUV, which is powered by a healthy, and thirsty, V-8 engine. If the Toyota Sequoia feels a little dated, that’s because it is – an all-new model is coming for 2023. Instead of the V-8, the new third-generation Sequoia will be powered by a twin-turbo V-6 hybrid powertrain. The four-wheel-drive system is part-time and controlled through a transfer case.
16. Jeep Grand Cherokee L
iSeeCars Quality Score: Coming Soon
- Reliability Score: Coming Soon
- Retained Value Score: 8.5
- Safety Score: 9.5
Average New Car Price: $51,878
Jeep has never had an SUV large enough to seat three rows of passengers comfortably, so it created one by extending the Grand Cherokee by nearly a foot, adding considerably to the interior space. All the off-road componentry available in the Grand Cherokee is available in the L version, but the extra length will make the L a bit more challenging to drive on tight trails.
17. Jeep Wagoneer
iSeeCars Quality Score: Coming Soon
- Reliability Score: Coming Soon
- Retained Value Score: 7.7
- Safety Score: Coming Soon
Average New Car Price: $72,845
As the Jeep Grand Cherokee L is the company’s solution for three-row seating, the Wagoneer and premium Grand Wagoneer answer the need for something to counter vehicles like the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, with the Grand Wagoneer aimed solidly at the Cadillac Escalade. Being Jeeps, the Wagoneers have some sophisticated off-road equipment, but they’re too big for serious off-roading. Power isn’t a problem, though, as both come with muscular V-8s.
18. Subaru Outback
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.8
- Reliability Score: 8.4
- Retained Value Score: 8.0
- Safety Score: 10.0
Average New Car Price: $36,679
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $34,433
One of the most capable car-based crossovers, the Subaru Outback doesn’t have the ground clearance of some of the more capable SUVs, but there is a new Wilderness model that sits up higher and is more adept at cow-trailing than the standard model. With the optional turbocharged four-cylinder, the Outlander can hold its own, and still manages to serve as a daily grocery-getter and car-pooler.
19. GMC Yukon/Yukon XL
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.1
- Reliability Score: 8.7
- Retained Value Score: 7.5
- Safety Score: 8.0
Average New Car Price: $73,293
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $59,353
GMC’s Yukon models, essentially the same as the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, are traditional body-on-frame vehicles, and as such are inherently more rugged than a unibody crossover. With optional four-wheel-drive, the Yukons have the power and adequate ground clearance for off-roading, but their weight and length makes them less nimble than smaller, lighter competitors. A new independent rear suspension helps smooth out the on-road ride and handling, and V-8 power makes serious towing possible.
20. Chevrolet Tahoe/Suburban
Chevrolet Tahoe
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.2
- Reliability Score: 8.7
- Retained Value Score: 7.8
- Safety Score: 8.0
Average New Car Price: $64,551
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $54,766
Chevrolet Suburban
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.0
- Reliability Score: 8.8
- Retained Value Score: 7.2
- Safety Score: 8.0
Average New Car Price: $67,883
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $57,792
What’s said above applies to the Tahoe and the longer Chevrolet Suburban. As with the Yukon XL, the Suburban’s extra length – nearly 226 inches total – makes tight, curving off-road trails a challenge, as does the weight of nearly three tons. The Z71 package is the best choice for an off-road capable version.
21. Ford Explorer
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.5
- Reliability Score: 8.4
- Retained Value Score: 7.1
- Safety Score: 10.0
Average New Car Price: $46,563
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $43,243
The Ford Explorer started out life as a smaller, more agile off-road-capable vehicle, but grew into the present alternative to the family sedan, leaving off-road pretenses behind. That said, the Timberline model has such off-road accouterments as steel skid plates, a terrain management system and a limited-slip rear differential that make the Explorer a genuine trail boss. Four-wheel-drive is optional on the Explorer. The standard engine is a four-cylinder EcoBoost.
22. Ford Expedition
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.6
- Reliability Score: 8.8
- Retained Value Score: 6.8
- Safety Score: 10.0
Average New Car Price: $66,814
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $61,716
The much larger Ford Expedition, like the GMC Yukon, is too big for confidence-inspiring off-road trails, but the turbocharged six-cylinder engine has the power to make it work. That said, the Expedition, like the Explorer, has a Timberline package with items such as a “Rough Road Suspension” that helps off-road handling and ground clearance.
23. Hyundai Palisade
iSeeCars Quality Score: Coming Soon
- Reliability Score: Coming Soon
- Retained Value Score: 6.8
- Safety Score: 10.0
Average New Car Price: $45,911
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $44,893
The rear-drive Hyundai Palisade, like its stablemate, the Kia Telluride, is offered in all-wheel-drive, but until now makes little mention ofoff-road capability. That changes with the Palisade’s XRT model, which has 20-inch tires, “skid plate design elements” and other features to at least look like it’s ready to go to the mountains.
24. Dodge Durango
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.1
- Reliability Score: 8.5
- Retained Value Score: 7.7
- Safety Score: 8.0
Average New Car Price: $49,264
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $41,300
The Dodge Durango has never touted its off-road ability, leaving corporate cousin Jeep to that role. But with optional four-wheel-drive, the Durango, which shares a platform with the Jeep Grand Cherokee, could be called upon for occasional off-roading, though it doesn’t offer a specific model for it. Six-cylinder- and V-8-power are offered. New Car Price Range: $34,320-$66,275
25. Cadillac Escalade
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.3
- Reliability Score: 9.4
- Retained Value Score: 7.5
- Safety Score: 8.0
Average New Car Price: $98,638
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $75,412
The full-size Cadillac Escalade luxury SUV has a lot in common with the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, but its more elegant nature would preclude getting too down ‘n dirty. It would not preclude life on a horse ranch, with the ability to drive from one pasture to another. A big V-8 is standard, and ground clearance is adequate.
26. Volvo XC60
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.2
- Reliability Score: 7.9
- Retained Value Score: 6.8
- Safety Score: 10.0
Average New Car Price: $53,538
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $43,896
Designed for an “all-road experience,” the Volvo XC60 has inadequate ground clearance for lively off-roading, but with all-wheel-drive, it can certainly hand23le muddy, rutted roads with little problem. Hill descent control is offered.
27. Porsche Cayenne
iSeeCars Quality Score: 8.4
- Reliability Score: 8.4
- Retained Value Score: 8.3
- Safety Score: Not Available
Average New Car Price: $126,711
Average 3-Year-Old Used Car Price: $108,113
A dark horse here, the Porsche Cayenne was partly developed in off-road situations that make it more capable there than you’d assume from a vehicle with a “Porsche” badge. With air suspension, there’s a healthy maximum air suspension of 9.6 inches, and the approach and departure angles are in the ballpark of serious off-roaders. That said, few are likely to take the Porsche off road, but it offers genuine capability if needed.
28. Ford Bronco Sport
iSeeCars Quality Score: Coming Soon
- Reliability Score: Coming Soon
- Retained Value Score: 7.3
- Safety Score: 10.0
Average New Car Price: $33,093
The Ford Bronco Sport is an Escape-based SUV, a little brother to the bigger and very off-road-capable Bronco. But it can be a good off-roader in its own right, albeit in more delicate situations. It has, Ford says, “standard 4×4 capability, G.O.A.T. Modes (Goes Over Any Type of Terrain) and a HOSS suspension system, [so] Bronco Sport is your gateway to the great outdoors.” There’s 8.8 inches of ground clearance on the Badlands model with the optional off-road tires.
Bottom Line:
Not all SUVs are created equal when it comes to off-road capability. Whether you want the occasional off-road adventure, or if going off the beaten path is part of your daily driving pursuits, there is a capable SUV to suit your needs.
More from iSeeCars:
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This article, 28 Best SUVs for Off-Roading, originally appeared on iSeeCars.com. | 2023-04-08T18:31:12+00:00 | ourquadcities.com | https://www.ourquadcities.com/automotive/these-are-the-28-best-suvs-for-off-roading-2/ |
Man sentenced for trying to rob three banks in one day
A U.S. District Court sentenced a Las Vegas man to more than 11 years in prison and three years of supervised release for a bank robbery spree, according to a news release issued by the Department of Justice on Tuesday.
Jasmine Bernard Austion, 35, was sentenced to 135 months in prison on Monday, according to the release. Austion pleaded guilty in January to three counts of bank robbery.
On Oct. 26, 2021, Austion went into a bank in North Las Vegas and passed a note to the teller that read “$20,000 all money robbery got gun now,” according to court documents. Bank employees told Austion they were calling 911 and he then fled the bank.
Austion then ran across the street into another bank, pushed an elderly customer away from a teller window and demanded “all the money” from the teller. The teller refused, and Austion fled from the bank.
About an hour and 15 minutes later, Austion entered a third bank in Las Vegas and passed a note to a teller that read “I will harm people all money all drawers,” U.S. District Court documents said. After the teller refused to give Austion money, he banged a fire extinguisher against the glass barrier in an attempt to break into the teller area, causing property damage. The Metropolitan Police Department SWAT team responded and arrested Austion.
In the sentencing memorandum, U.S. attorneys noted Austion’s criminal history included driving under the influence, trespass, disorderly conduct/disturbing the peace, obstruction, thefts, public intoxication, bank robberies, robbery and domestic violence.
“Despite numerous rehabilitative efforts and periods of incarceration, Austion continued on with his criminal activities,” they wrote.
Contact Justin Razavi at jrazavi@reviewjournal.com. Follow @justin_razavi on Twitter. | 2023-04-26T02:42:02+00:00 | reviewjournal.com | https://www.reviewjournal.com/crime/robberies/man-sentenced-for-trying-to-rob-three-banks-in-one-day-2767740/ |
Organizations unite to support responsible breeding and healthy dogs
BOSTON, June 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Embark Veterinary, Inc., a global leader in dog genetics, today announced its return for the fourth consecutive year as the official dog DNA test of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The 146th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Presented by Purina Pro Plan® is returning June 18-22 to Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, N.Y. for the second year after being postponed in January due to a COVID-19 surge.
The ongoing partnership between Embark and the Westminster Kennel Club (WKC) helps to preserve and protect the health and vitality of dog breeds. Through education and awareness, Embark is striving to support dog breeders through a variety of tools. Ultimately, the collaboration between Embark and WKC aims to support those who recognize the importance of genetic screening and informed breedings, to produce the next generations of healthy dogs.
"Embark's partnership with Westminster is one that we take great pride in. Our first genetic health discovery earlier this year would never have come to fruition without meaningful collaboration with breeders, owners, and a national breed club," said Embark CEO Ryan Boyko. "The more genetic data we collect from every breed, the closer we get to making more genetic discoveries that improve the life and longevity of all dogs."
"An important part of the Westminster Kennel Club's history and values is supporting canine health and research. The partnership with Embark brings innovative scientific research to our dog show community of preservation breeders," said Westminster Co-Show Chairman David A. Helming. "Driving awareness of the tools and research discoveries that can lead to healthy generations of dogs is important in our support of the passionate breeders in our dog show community.
Embark's booth in Sponsor Village will be open between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. throughout the event. Embark team members will be on hand to answer questions, Embark swag will be available for humans and dogs alike, and Embark leadership will be conducting a daily swab demonstration at the booth. Attendees can also visit Embark's Westminster-themed photo station for a printed and digital photo as a Westminster souvenir. Westminster exhibitors can additionally attend an Embark-hosted evening social event Tuesday June 21, at the Sleepy Hollow Hotel and Conference Center, 355 S. Broadway, Tarrytown, N.Y., from 6-9 p.m. Complimentary drinks and hors d'oeuvres will be served.
Embark Veterinary, Inc. was launched in 2015 by two brothers, Adam and Ryan Boyko, who have a passion for scientific research and a lifelong love for dogs. Starting with their best-in-class canine DNA test, Embark is building a powerful platform for scientific discovery that will accelerate advancements in personalized dog care. Embark offers the most scientifically advanced, most trusted, and highest-rated dog DNA tests on the market that helps dog owners, breeders, and veterinarians learn about their dog's breed, health, and ancestry. Customers gain hundreds of actionable insights that inform more proactive care, and every test fuels new research to help all dogs lead longer, healthier lives. Embark is an official research partner of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, was named to the Inc. 5000 list for the past two years, and was included on Forbes' next billion-dollar startups list.
For more information, visit Embark's website at EmbarkVet.com, and follow Embark on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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SOURCE Embark Vet | 2022-06-18T13:24:23+00:00 | kswo.com | https://www.kswo.com/prnewswire/2022/06/18/embark-returns-official-dog-dna-test-westminster-kennel-club-dog-show-fourth-consecutive-year/ |
State-of-the-Art Solution uses Data Tailored to each Patient's Anatomy
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Aug. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- As more people seek ways to stay active, healthy, and mobile, Duly Health and Care today announced the availability of advanced digital robotic technology at Duly Surgery Center Westmont.
According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, more than one in two adults—124 million Americans over the age of 18, reported a musculoskeletal medical condition. That exceeds the next two most common health conditions: circulatory conditions (such as heart disease, stroke, and hypertension) and respiratory conditions (such as emphysema and chronic asthma).
"This is the latest technology available for us to ensure our patients are getting the very best when it comes to joint replacement surgery," said Anthony Romeo, MD, Executive Vice President and orthopedic surgeon for Duly Health and Care. "The robotic technology will help our orthopedic surgeons perform joint replacement with more precision, consistency, and accuracy resulting in better health outcomes so patients can return to the activities they enjoy."
The VELYS™ Robotic-Assisted Solution helps surgeons perform a knee replacement with the use of data that is tailored to each patient's anatomy. It is designed to help ensure predictable results to improve health outcomes, increase mobility, and help patients recover faster.
"With the data from this technology, we will be able to correlate measurements with patient recovery and outcomes and learn more about how to continue to deliver the best care," added Dr. Romeo.
Duly Surgery Center Westmont, located at 815 Pasquinelli Drive, is an advanced Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) dedicated to providing outpatient orthopedic and spine surgery procedures. Board-certified orthopedic surgeons at the ASC are trained in the latest surgical advancements, such as total joint replacement surgeries, spine surgeries and sports medicine-related procedures. Click here to learn more about the ASC.
About Duly Health and Care
Duly Health and Care is one of the largest independent, multi-specialty physician-directed medical group in the nation with more than 1,000 primary care and specialty care physicians and more than 7,000 team members, in over 150 locations. The organization is wholly dedicated to helping all it serves flourish by challenging the expected to deliver the extraordinary in health and care.
Duly Health and Care physicians and team members support individuals in their personal health journeys each year, helping each one to meet their extraordinary potential through a holistic care delivery model designed to make health and care welcoming, simplified, and personalized.
For more information, visit www.dulyhealthandcare.com.
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SOURCE Duly Health and Care | 2022-08-03T16:31:28+00:00 | wcjb.com | https://www.wcjb.com/prnewswire/2022/08/03/digital-robotic-technology-knee-replacement-surgery-available-duly-health-care-patients/ |
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Kristian Sjolund’s 18 points helped Portland defeat North Dakota 90-69 on Saturday night.
Sjolund also had seven rebounds for the Pilots (7-4). Tyler Robertson scored 18 points while shooting 5 for 9 (1 for 3 from 3-point range) and 7 of 7 from the free throw line, and added six rebounds and five assists. Moses Wood shot 5 for 12, including 2 for 5 from beyond the arc to finish with 12 points, while adding 10 rebounds and six assists.
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The Fightin’ Hawks (5-5) were led by Mitchell Sueker, who recorded 15 points. A’Jahni Levias added 11 points for North Dakota. B.J. Omot also had 10 points.
Portland led North Dakota 44-30 at the half, with Robertson (10 points) their high scorer before the break. Portland outscored North Dakota in the second half by seven points, with Sjolund scoring a team-high 12 points after halftime.
___
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar. | 2022-12-04T07:20:04+00:00 | seattlepi.com | https://www.seattlepi.com/sports/article/Sjolund-scores-18-Portland-beats-N-Dakota-90-69-17629885.php |
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Merrick Garland on Thursday appointed a special counsel to investigate the presence of classified documents found at President Joe Biden’s home in Wilmington, Delaware, and at an unsecured office in Washington dating from his time as vice president.
Robert Hur, a onetime U.S. attorney appointed by former President Donald Trump, will lead the investigation and plans to begin his work soon. His appointment marks the second time in a few months that Garland has appointed a special counsel, an extraordinary fact that reflects the Justice Department’s efforts to independently conduct high-profile probes in an exceedingly heated political environment. Both of those investigations, including one involving Trump, relate to the handling of classified information, though there are notable differences between those cases.
Garland’s decision caps a tumultuous week at the White House, where Biden and his team opened the year hoping to celebrate stronger economic news ahead of launching an expected reelection campaign. But the administration faced new challenges Monday, when it acknowledged that sensitive documents were found at the office of Biden’s former institute in Washington. The situation intensified by Thursday morning, when Biden’s attorney acknowledged that an additional classified document was found at a room in his Wilmington home — later revealed by Biden to be his personal library — along with other documents found in his garage.
The attorney general revealed that Biden’s lawyers informed the Justice Department of the latest discovery at the president’s home on Thursday morning, after FBI agents first retrieved documents from the garage in December.
Biden told reporters at the White House that he was “cooperating fully and completely” with the Justice Department’s investigation into how classified information and government records were stored.
“We have cooperated closely with the Justice Department throughout its review, and we will continue that cooperation with the special counsel,” said Richard Sauber, a lawyer for the president. “We are confident that a thorough review will show that these documents were inadvertently misplaced, and the president and his lawyers acted promptly upon discovery of this mistake.”
Garland said the “extraordinary circumstances” of the matter required Hur’s appointment, adding that the special counsel is authorized to investigate whether any person or entity violated the law. Federal law requires strict handling procedures for classified information, and official records from Biden’s time as vice president are considered government property under the Presidential Records Act.
“This appointment underscores for the public the department’s commitment to both independence and accountability in particularly sensitive matters, and to making decisions indisputably guided only by the facts and the law,” Garland said.
Hur, in a statement, said: “I will conduct the assigned investigation with fair, impartial and dispassionate judgment. I intend to follow the facts swiftly and thoroughly, without fear or favor and will honor the trust placed in me to perform this service.”
While Garland said the Justice Department received timely notifications from Biden’s personal attorneys after each set of classified documents identified, the White House provided delayed and incomplete notification to the American public about the discoveries.
Biden’s personal attorneys found the first set of classified and official documents on Nov. 2 in a locked closet as they cleared out his office at the Penn Biden Center in Washington, where he worked after he left the vice presidency in 2017 until he launched his presidential campaign in 2019. The attorneys notified the National Archives, which retrieved the documents the next day and referred the matter to the Justice Department.
Sauber said Biden’s attorneys then underwent a search of other locations where documents could have been transferred after Biden left the vice presidency, including his homes in Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. Garland said that on Dec. 20, the Justice Department was informed that classified documents and official records were located in Biden’s Wilmington garage, near his Corvette, and that FBI agents took custody of them shortly thereafter.
A search on Wednesday evening turned up the most recently discovered classified document in Biden’s personal library at his home, and the Justice Department was notified Thursday, Garland revealed.
The White House only confirmed the discovery of the Penn Biden Center documents in response to news inquiries Monday and remained silent on the subsequent search of Biden’s homes and the discovery of the garage tranche until Thursday morning, shortly before Garland announced Hur’s appointment. Biden, when he first addressed the matter Tuesday while in Mexico City, also didn’t let on about the subsequent document discoveries. | 2023-01-13T01:43:27+00:00 | niagara-gazette.com | https://www.niagara-gazette.com/news/garland-appoints-special-counsel-to-investigate-biden-docs/article_4e5666ce-92cc-11ed-890e-6f0dc2bd7c9a.html |
BUCKEYE, Ariz. — Drive traffic-clogged Interstate 10 through Phoenix's West Valley suburbs and you'd hardly know the Southwest is as dry as it's been in 1,200 years.
Water gulping data centers, large warehouses and distribution centers have sprouted in the barren desert. Housing development after housing development is slated for construction.
A two lane highway is being widened in the former farming town of Buckeye, at the edge of the Phoenix sprawl, to make way for an 800 home "master planned community." A sign advertises new homes coming soon with the offer of joining "the VIP interest list."
City officials proudly promote Buckeye as one of America's fastest growing cities. In 2000, the population was around 6,500. Today it's north of 111,000, according to the city's mayor Eric Orsborn. His city's master plan calls for future growth encompassing a staggering 640 square miles of open land to the south, west and north.
"For perspective, the city of Phoenix is about 518 square miles, so we have this massive footprint to grow into," Orsborn says.
But where are they going to get the water? The answer is complicated.
People want to move to Arizona and Buckeye can't stop them
Phoenix is now America's fifth largest city. And the growth and economic boom particularly in its West Valley is continuing unabated despite larger questions about the future of water supplies amid a 23 year megadrought on the Colorado River.
Winter temperatures at the river's headwaters in the Rocky Mountains have risen by an estimated 3 degrees Fahrenheit since 1980, meaning less water for the region's snow fed reservoirs.
Arizona has some of the lowest priority rights to the river water of any of the seven basin states. So Phoenix and its suburbs are increasingly turning to groundwater as the state has endured big cuts to Colorado River water.
In Buckeye, Mayor Eric Orsborn, who owns a construction company and also grew up in the West Valley, is accustomed to fielding questions from a skeptical public who he says doesn't always understand how meticulously water is managed in Arizona. In Buckeye, he says, the city recently implemented a drought management plan. They're investing heavily in water reuse and recycling and and working aggressively to find water to import.
"A lot of people want to move here," Orsborn says. "Part of it is the regulation, the tax, how we do business in Arizona. Part of it is the open opportunity that's here."
Governor says her state is at a tipping point over water
But there's been a small damper on all the opportunity talk in the West Valley lately. Arizona's new Governor Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, released a state report she says was hidden by her Republican predecessor Doug Ducey. It shows that most all of the ground water in the West Valley is already spoken for and allocated, if not over-promised already.
"I just think there was a lack of real honesty with the people of Arizona about the situation we're in," Hobbs said in an interview with NPR.
Asked whether she thinks it's time to curb future development given the water crisis, Hobbs replied: "I don't think we're there yet. But I think if we don't really address these issues head on, look at the reality of the situation with water, look at how quickly we're growing, then we will get to that point."
Still, is Phoenix and the rest of booming central Arizona facing some sort of reckoning over growth? It's not yet clear.
In Buckeye anyway, city officials welcomed the release of that Department of Water Resources analysis. Mayor Eric Orsborn says it helps his city better plan. For now, most of the construction is continuing because developers already had met the state requirement to prove they have a one hundred year water supply lined up.
"I don't think we want to shut off all of the growth trying to figure out the solution for all the growth, " Orbsorn says. "We can do this in an incremental approach."
Much of Buckeye's growth plan relies on taking revenues from the boom to go out and buy what would most likely be imported water from other basins to support future growth here.
"It's definitely our intent to make sure we're doing exactly what we're required to do so that we don't ever run out of water," Orsborn says.
Phoenix uses way less water today despite exploding growth
Phoenix and most of its suburbs have become really good at using a lot less water even as their populations boomed, according to Sarah Porter, director of the Kyle Center for Water Policy at Arizona State University. Agriculture still uses the bulk of all the available water in Arizona - around 70%.
"We have largely decoupled urban growth from an increase in water demand," Porter says.
Many cities have been pumping a lot of their Colorado River water into the underground aquifers where they've stored it for years. West Valley suburbs have also spent millions on conservation and recycling. The city of Peoria's water advisor Brett Fleck says they've been trying to wean themselves off the river for years.
"When I see these headlines I think, yeah, if we continue on the path we're on, there might be an ecological disaster, there might be a real problem," Fleck says. "It's scary to think about, but we're trying to change the direction that we're headed in so those things don't happen.
People are even talking about a rescue plan to build a desalination plant on the Sea of Cortez and pipe water across Mexico to here. And it's not like the Hobbs groundwater report stopped new construction.
Most developers in cities like Buckeye already had approval to build or expand planned communities and resorts from state and local regulators.
But as is the case across the arid West, a lot of Arizona's rules on development and water are based on estimates - some written in cooler times - when most people didn't believe the Colorado River might actually run dry.
One person sounding the alarms is Kathy Ferris, an attorney and former director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources.
"For a long time a lot of those master planned community developers just thought well, we'll get to be able to do this, we'll get to be able to use this groundwater," Ferris says. "And you know what? They can't because there's not enough of it and it's already over-allocated."
A similar parallel is being drawn with the Colorado River itself. Ferris helped write what was at the time hailed as a landmark groundwater management act passed in Arizona in 1980. Then, many cities were relying solely on groundwater to support their growth. Now, Gov. Hobbs wants to expand and modernize it, especially to regulate uncontrolled pumping in rural areas, which Ferris finds encouraging.
"We cannot just grow anywhere and everywhere and as much as we want and still sustain every kind of economy and economic growth that we want, we have to make choices," she says.
One Phoenix suburb already ran out of water
A cautionary tale of uncontrolled development in a desert lies north of the wealthy Phoenix suburb of Scottsdale.
John Hornewer owns a water hauling company in Rio Verde Foothills, an unincorporated sliver of Maricopa County. Some people had wells but most families lived off of hauled water from Scottsdale, until that city cut them off at the start of this year, citing its shrinking Colorado River deliveries.
"You know what, when Scottsdale cut us off, that's a reality check," Hornewer says, standing next to one of his six silver delivery tank trucks. "In my personal opinion, we're living way outside our means, you know, to build when you don't have water just doesn't make sense."
And yet even on his country road, lots are still for sale and even some houses are being built. A few miles away, neighborhood activist Karen Nabity and her husband are living on about twenty gallons of hauled water a day. (a typical US family uses upwards of 300 gallons a day). They've been rationing what's left in their underground tank since January first, the date deliveries were cut off.
"It's like camping in your own home," Nabity says, with a chuckle. On a recent afternoon she was saving the water she'd used to wash vegetables in her kitchen sink, reusing it for toilet flushing.
Scottsdale recently said it would resume some water deliveries here. But Nabity knows it's not a permanent solution. She says her home state needs to get much more aggressive cracking down on turf and especially outdoor watering and landscaping.
"The water is overallocated in Arizona and years ago they didn't think the river would ever stop flowing but guess what, it just might and we need to be prepared for that."
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2023-02-28T03:12:46+00:00 | wlrn.org | https://www.wlrn.org/npr-breaking-news/npr-breaking-news/2023-02-27/heres-why-arizona-says-it-can-keep-growing-despite-historic-megadrought |
Discover the heart and soul of the LGBTQ+ community at The Pride Center, where celebration, empowerment, and support thrive, as CEO Robert Boo, Board Chair Christopher Bates, and Transinclusive Group founder Tatiana Williams unveil the incredible magic that happens at The Pride Center.
“We are totally involved in the community,” says Bates. “We have programs for lesbians, we have programs for African American gay men who want to meet and coalesce and grow community, we have an HIV program that is one of the best in South Florida, and we have over the years sponsored programs to help men come to terms with their homosexuality, to be comfortable being an HIV positive person, and to reintroduce them back into their communities.”
For more information, visit PrideCenterFlorida.com. | 2023-06-30T23:16:36+00:00 | wsfltv.com | https://www.wsfltv.com/inside-south-florida/uniting-empowering-and-celebrating-lgbtq-excellence-at-the-pride-center |
The Artemis 1 moon mission has been delayed, not once, not twice, but now three times.
The launch was scheduled for Tuesday, but NASA announced on Saturday that it had decided to postpone the mission in response to Tropical Storm Ian, which threatens to hit Florida next week as a hurricane. The Kennedy Space Center is located on Florida's east coast.
The space agency said the decision was made to protect its employees and the needs of their families while also maintaining a possible future opportunity if weather predictions improve.
The launch was originally scheduled for Aug. 29 and then again on Sept. 3 but continued to be postponed because of rocket malfunctions.
During the first effort, one of the spaceship's four engines didn't seem to cool down to the proper temperature of about minus-420 degrees Fahrenheit.
After evaluating the problem further, officials said the engine was in good condition. Rather, it was a sensor that was malfunctioning and simply giving a false temperature reading.
A few days later, crews working to fuel up the rocket detected a liquid hydrogen leak. Despite multiple attempts, they could not repair the leak in time for the launch.
The moon mission comes nearly 50 years after the last moon landing, Apollo 17. The name of the new exploration program comes from the Greek goddess and twin sister of Apollo. The space agency has vowed to eventually put the first woman and first person of color on the moon through the Artemis program.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | 2022-09-24T16:45:11+00:00 | delawarepublic.org | https://www.delawarepublic.org/npr-headlines/2022-09-24/nasa-delays-the-artemis-1-moon-mission-for-a-third-time-as-a-tropical-storm-approaches |
PARIS — Not even Kylian Mbappé’s substitute appearance could end Paris Saint-Germain’s slump, as it lost 1-0 at home to Bayern Munich on Tuesday in the first leg of their round-of-16 Champions League clash.
Bayern winger Kingsley Coman volleyed home inside the penalty area from Alphonso Davies’ left-wing cross in the 53rd minute.
The Paris-raised Coman, who PSG sold to Juventus when he was 18, held his hands up to show he wasn’t celebrating scoring against his former club — again.
“It’s the city where I was born and raised so it was difficult to celebrate here,” Coman said. “Given our performance we could have done more, but at the end it was a bit difficult so we’re satisfied with the win.”
When Bayern won the last of its six Champions League titles in 2020, it beat PSG 1-0 with Coman heading home the winner.
The World Cup superstar Mbappé made an unexpectedly quick recovery from injury and had two would-be goals disallowed for offside after coming on in the second half.
“It was difficult, unpredictable. I wasn’t supposed to play but I wanted to play and help my mates. We did everything, we worked night and day to get me some game time,” Mbappé said. “I wanted to (start the game). But sometimes you have to be satisfied with what you can do, and that’s all I could do.”
The return leg is on March 8.
PSG was eliminated by Real Madrid in the last 16 last season and may need Mbappé at this best to avoid another early exit.
“When we have our players ready and we can play our attacking game, they (Bayern) are not comfortable,” Mbappé said. “We have to retain how we finished the game. We saw that we can cause them problems.”
Mbappé showed no ill effects of the thigh tear he sustained two weeks ago.
He had a shot saved by Yann Sommer in the 73rd after racing through down the left. Sommer saved Neymar’s follow-up and the ball fell to Mbappé near the line, but he was well offside.
Mbappé peeled away in delight after volleying Nuno Mendes’ cross from close range with 10 minutes left, but it was chalked off following a quick video review.
“That’s the new soccer, there’s VAR. If it’s offside, it’s offside, you just have to switch quickly,” Mbappé said. “The important thing is to go over there and qualify, and from what I saw that’s possible.”
Bayern’s defense held firm under some late pressure, although defender Benjamin Pavard received a second yellow card was sent off for a late tackle on Lionel Messi in stoppage time.
Bayern immediately generated pressure from the start against a nervous-looking PSG by closing down high up the field. PSG hadn’t lost three straight games since late 2011, which was only months into the new reign of Qatari owners QSI.
“Bayern really got on top of us and we struggled to hold the ball high up the pitch. The first half was very difficult for us,” Galtier said. “I knew we could use Kylian in the second half, but unfortunately we conceded this goal just before I was going to bring him on.”
The dominance of Julian Nagelsmann’s team in midfield was so complete that it forced Messi to drop deep to get the ball, and Neymar was anonymous for most of the match.
“We were a bit surprised by how much of the ball we had. We didn’t expect Paris to be so passive; it was a good first half,” Nagelsmann said. “The two times they really threatened it was offside.”
Midway through the first half, Neymar lay face-first on the field after a shoulder barge from a defender. English referee Michael Oliver waved play on and Sommer — although nearby — didn’t check on Neymar, who at the 2018 World Cup in Russia earned an unwelcome reputation for diving and play-acting.
Bayern’s possession didn’t lead to clear chances, however, and midfielder Joshua Kimmich’s 20-meter drive was easily captured by goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the 43rd.
Nagelsmann showed shrewd tactical sense by bringing on Davies and switching Coman from the left to the right flank with seamless efficiency. Bayern came close to 2-0 when former PSG striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting had a shot tipped onto the post by Donnarumma.
PSG midfielder Warren Zaïre-Emery became the youngest player to start a Champions League knockout match at the age of 16 years, 343 days.
___
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2023-02-14T23:20:42+00:00 | washingtonpost.com | https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/soccer/bayern-munich-beats-struggling-psg-1-0-in-cl-round-of-16/2023/02/14/9c1da614-acb3-11ed-b0ba-9f4244c6e5da_story.html |
(WSYR-TV) — Head to the NewsChannel 9 Facebook page and click “Like” on your favorite picture. The picture with the most “Likes” will be featured as our Picture of the Day. To submit a photo for Picture of the Day, please send it to pictureoftheday@localsyr.com
Head to the NewsChannel 9 Facebook page and click “Like” on your favorite picture. The picture with the most “Likes” will be featured as our Picture of the Day. To submit a photo please send your picture to pictureoftheday@localsyr.com. | 2023-02-15T13:55:21+00:00 | localsyr.com | https://www.localsyr.com/picture-of-the-day/picture-of-the-day-february-15-2023/ |
NEW YORK, Aug. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Halper Sadeh LLP, an investor rights law firm, is investigating the following companies for potential violations of the federal securities laws and/or breaches of fiduciary duties to shareholders relating to:
Global Blood Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: GBT)'s sale to Pfizer Inc. for $68.50 per share in cash. If you are a Global Blood shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Avalara, Inc. (NYSE: AVLR)'s sale to Vista Equity Partners for $93.50 per share. If you are an Avalara shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
CyberOptics Corporation (NASDAQ: CYBE)'s sale to Nordson Corporation for $54.00 per share. If you are a CyberOptics shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Halper Sadeh LLP may seek increased consideration for shareholders, additional disclosures and information concerning the proposed transaction, or other relief and benefits on behalf of shareholders.
Shareholders are encouraged to contact the firm free of charge to discuss their legal rights and options. Please call Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or email sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com.
Halper Sadeh LLP represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Contact Information:
Halper Sadeh LLP
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SOURCE Halper Sadeh LLP | 2022-08-08T17:52:25+00:00 | mysuncoast.com | https://www.mysuncoast.com/prnewswire/2022/08/08/shareholder-investigation-notice-halper-sadeh-llp-investigates-gbt-avlr-cybe/ |
Program Expands to Research Institutions in addition to Universities
TOKYO, July 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Group Corporation (Sony) announced today that it is now accepting submissions for its Sony Research Award Program, currently in its seventh year. The program provides funding for projects researching emerging and innovative technologies in collaboration with Sony's own research groups, and is open to universities and, starting this year, to other research institutions such as government research institutes and nonprofit organizations. The program is offered in the U.S., Canada, 17 European countries*1 and India.
"Through the Sony Research Award Program, we have been working with universities around the world to promote research and development that will lead to new innovations and cutting-edge technologies," said Hisashi Tamai, President, R&D Center and Senior Vice President, Sony Group Corporation. "Since the establishment of the program in 2016, we have expanded the regions covered by the program from North America to Europe and India. We expect that this year's addition of research institutions other than universities provides opportunities for us to collaborate with a broader pool of talented researchers in the coming year."
The Sony Research Award Program is comprised of two awards – the Faculty Innovation Award and the Focused Research Award. The awards create new opportunities for academics to engage in cutting-edge research, leading to the introduction of breakthrough technologies.
The Faculty Innovation Award grants up to $100,000 USD to principal investigators for one year*2, for research projects that may fall within three broad subject categories (Information Technology, Devices & Materials, and Biomedical & Life Sciences) relevant to Sony's current research interests.
The Focused Research Award provides support for up to $150,000 USD for one year*2, to conduct research more focused in the areas of Sony's immediate interest.
"Working with Sony has been incredibly valuable for us," said Professor Virginia de Sa, University of California San Diego. "Brainstorming about the utility of various candidate biologically motivated architectural additions, such as lateral and feedback connections, has helped us to identify and focus on specific inductive priors that entail strong functional advantages for computer vision tasks, particularly in semantic segmentation. Our work with Sony has also helped focus our algorithm tests on specific application areas that are most relevant to real-world applications."
"It has been an honor to be funded and do research in collaboration with Sony for the past three years," said Assistant Professor Dimitris Papailiopoulos, University of Wisconsin-Madison. "The support and feedback from Sony have been very fruitful for my research group. Our collaboration has propelled our projects forward to tackle the many challenges of machine learning when deployed at a large scale. Our Sony colleagues helped us calibrate our research towards important and practical problems and steered us towards exciting new avenues."
"Collaborating with Sony for the past several years has been an amazing experience," said Associate Professor Daniel Sanchez of Massachusetts Institute of Technology. "Sony researchers have been eager to work on transformative computer architectures, sharing their challenges in accelerating important applications and adopting our ideas and prototypes to address these challenges. This collaboration has provided us with invaluable insights about real-world problems, and enabled technology transfer and impact that would not have been possible otherwise."
For more information about the awards, as well as a list of previous award recipients, please visit https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/research-award-program/ .
*1European countries included in the Program are Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
*2 With the possibility of an extension
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SOURCE Sony Group Corporation | 2022-07-15T14:39:45+00:00 | kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2022/07/15/sony-research-award-program-now-accepting-submissions-focused-emerging-innovative-technological-development/ |
As part of Moline Public Library’s contribution to the community-wide Out of Darkness project, the Simon Wiesenthal Mobile Museum of Tolerance is now in the north parking lot at 3210 41st St.
The bus will be here and open to the public until 6 p.m. today, 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday, and 2:30 to 4 p.m. Friday. The bus videos will alternate between The Power of Ordinary People and Anne Frank. The videos are about 10 minutes in length.
The Mobile Museum of Tolerance (MMOT) is the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s newest educational initiative, bringing world-class learning experiences to communities across the state of Illinois, according to the library.
The purpose of the MMOT is to inspire people of all ages and backgrounds, empowering them to raise their voices and combat anti-Semitism, bullying, racism, hate, and intolerance and to promote human dignity.
Modeled after the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center’s successful “Tour for Humanity” bus, which has visited hundreds of schools across Canada since launching in 2013, the MMOT is the first of its kind in the United States.
MMOT uses innovative technology and interactive lessons to bring its message of tolerance directly to Illinois communities. In addition to serving middle and high school students, the MMOT is an educational resource for teachers, faith groups, law enforcement agencies, and businesses, as well as community and government leaders.
With a plan to visit around 150 schools and communities each year, the MMOT hopes to inspire thousands of Illinoisans to stand up to hate and strive toward positive social change.
The permanent Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles is the educational arm of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, an internationally renowned Jewish human rights organization, according to its website.
The only museum of its kind in the world, the MOT is dedicated to challenging visitors to understand the Holocaust in both historic and contemporary contexts and confront all forms of prejudice and discrimination in our world today. | 2022-09-28T20:11:12+00:00 | ourquadcities.com | https://www.ourquadcities.com/news/local-news/mobile-museum-of-tolerance-is-at-moline-library/ |
Yan Gomes Player Prop Bets: Cubs vs. Mets - May 23
Published: May. 23, 2023 at 1:25 PM CDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
The Chicago Cubs and Yan Gomes (.379 slugging percentage over his past 10 games, including one homer), take on starter Kodai Senga and the New York Mets at Wrigley Field, Tuesday at 7:40 PM ET.
In his previous game, he went 1-for-3 against the Phillies.
Yan Gomes Game Info & Props vs. the Mets
- Game Day: Tuesday, May 23, 2023
- Game Time: 7:40 PM ET
- Stadium: Wrigley Field
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo!
- Mets Starter: Kodai Senga
- TV Channel: MARQ
- Hits Prop: Over/under 0.5 hits (Over odds: -175)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +750)
- RBI Prop: Over/under 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +230)
- Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 runs (Over odds: +180)
Looking to place a prop bet on Yan Gomes? Check out what's available at BetMGM and sign up with this link!
Explore More About This Game
Yan Gomes At The Plate
- Gomes is batting .293 with a double, six home runs and three walks.
- Gomes has reached base via a hit in 16 games this season (of 26 played), and had multiple hits in seven of those games.
- In 19.2% of his games this season, he has hit a long ball, and 6.1% of his trips to the plate.
- Gomes has driven in a run in 14 games this season (53.8%), including three games with more than one RBI (11.5%). He has also driven home three or more of his team's runs in one contest.
- In 10 games this season (38.5%), he has scored, including multiple runs twice.
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Yan Gomes Home/Away Batting Splits
Mets Pitching Rankings
- The 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings put together by the Mets pitching staff ranks 21st in the league.
- The Mets have a 4.68 team ERA that ranks 24th across all MLB pitching staffs.
- The Mets rank 25th in baseball in home runs surrendered (65 total, 1.4 per game).
- Senga (4-2 with a 3.77 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 43 2/3 innings pitched) makes the start for the Mets, his ninth of the season.
- His last time out came on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, when the righty threw six innings, surrendering one earned run while allowing three hits.
- In eight games this season, the 30-year-old has amassed an ERA of 3.77, with 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are batting .224 against him.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-05-23T20:02:51+00:00 | kcrg.com | https://www.kcrg.com/sports/betting/2023/05/23/yan-gomes-mlb-player-prop-bets/ |
BERLIN and BOSTON, April 18, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Cambrium, a leading German start-up focused on the application of generative AI to protein design and synthesis, and Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA, "Ginkgo"), which is building the leading platform for cell programming and biosecurity, today announced the successful completion of their collaboration. Through the partnership, Cambrium and Ginkgo combined their capabilities to enable the rapid and cost-effective design of high performing, industrially relevant microbes for protein production.
Almost 2 years ago, Cambrium and FGen, a subsidiary of Ginkgo now known as Ginkgo's Encapsulation and Screening team, announced a partnership to push the boundaries of data-driven metabolic engineering. Combining FGen's expertise in microbial strain development and ultra high-throughput screening (uHTS) techniques with Cambrium's Cloud Protein AI platform, the collaboration screened a vast quantity of cells to optimize their protein production.
The collaboration allowed scientists to map experimental data to in silico models, generating strain optimization insights and enabling faster convergence towards high performance protein production. It also enabled the isolation of novel cell lines which produced enhanced levels of high-value proteins. Through the collaboration, the teams were able to identify non-obvious engineering targets to significantly improve strain performance. In particular, the results show that, even with limited genome edits, it is possible to achieve significant increases across critical performance metrics in iterative fermentation cycles. With these advances, the partnership developed more efficient and cost-effective biomanufacturing methods for both companies and their partners.
"Partnering with FGen, and then Ginkgo, was a natural move to generate an immense amount of data to feed our AI algorithms," said Dr. Charlie Cotton, Chief Science Officer of Cambrium. "By leveraging our respective strengths, we gained extremely valuable insights for both strain engineering and product optimization."
"Using our ultra high-throughput screening (uHTS) capabilities and nanoliter-reactor technology, we were able to generate a vast quantity of data linked to specific phenotypes to feed the machine learning algorithms," said Dr. Rocio Aguilar Suarez, Research Scientist at Ginkgo Bioworks. "By partnering with Cambrium, we were able to design a novel concept of strain engineering."
The project was co-funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Education, Research, and Innovation and the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) in the framework of the Eurostars Project ArtIMiS (E!114792).
About Cambrium
Cambrium GmbH is a company specialized in generative AI-aided design of proteins and cell factories to create next-generation biomaterials in cosmetics, fashion and plastics. Cambrium's proprietary toolkit harnesses both nature's building blocks and the power of computer design to supercharge the design cycle of new biomaterials. For more information, visit cambrium.bio, read our blog, or find us on LinkedIn.
About Ginkgo Bioworks
Ginkgo Bioworks is the leading horizontal platform for cell programming, providing flexible, end-to-end services that solve challenges for organizations across diverse markets, from food and agriculture to pharmaceuticals to industrial and specialty chemicals. Ginkgo's biosecurity and public health unit, Concentric by Ginkgo, is building global infrastructure for biosecurity to empower governments, communities, and public health leaders to prevent, detect and respond to a wide variety of biological threats. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and concentricbyginkgo.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as Twitter (@Ginkgo and @ConcentricByGBW), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks and @ConcentricByGinkgo), or LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements of Ginkgo Bioworks
This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the capabilities and potential success of the partnership and Ginkgo's cell programming platform. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words "believe," "can," "project," "potential," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "strategy," "future," "opportunity," "plan," "may," "should," "will," "would," "will be," "will continue," "will likely result," and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) volatility in the price of Ginkgo's securities due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Ginkgo operates and plans to operate, variations in performance across competitors, and changes in laws and regulations affecting Ginkgo's business, (ii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and to identify and realize additional business opportunities, (iii) the risk of downturns in demand for products using synthetic biology, (iv) the unpredictability of the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and the demand for COVID-19 testing and the commercial viability of our COVID-19 testing business, (v) changes to the biosecurity industry, including due to advancements in technology, emerging competition and evolution in industry demands, standards and regulations, (vi) our ability to realize the expected benefits of merger and acquisition transactions, (vii) the outcome of any legal proceedings against Ginkgo, including as a result of recent acquisitions, (viii) our ability to realize the expected benefits from and the success of our Foundry platform programs, (ix) our ability to successfully develop engineered cells, bioprocesses, data packages or other deliverables, and (x) the product development or commercialization success of our customers. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the "Risk Factors" section of Ginkgo's annual report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on March 13, 2023 and other documents filed by Ginkgo from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Ginkgo assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Ginkgo does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.
GINKGO BIOWORKS INVESTOR CONTACT:
investors@ginkgobioworks.com
GINKGO BIOWORKS MEDIA CONTACT:
press@ginkgobioworks.com
CAMBRIUM CONTACT
Natassja dos Anjos
natassja.dosanjos@cambrium.bio
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SOURCE Cambrium | 2023-04-18T09:28:53+00:00 | wlox.com | https://www.wlox.com/prnewswire/2023/04/18/cambrium-ginkgo-bioworks-complete-successful-collaboration-data-driven-cell-factory-engineering/ |
NORTH TONAWANDA — People driving north or south along Niagara Falls Boulevard pass by the Wurlitzer Building where organs were once made. Lately, something sweeter has taken up residence there.
Platter’s Chocolates is marking 85 years in business this year, with President Joe Urban and his vice president and wife Heidi Urban saying they are taking this opportunity to celebrate all year long.
Carl Platter founded his chocolate company in 1938, when he started making some homemake orange chocolate while working for Merckens Chocolate. His wife Vera would take orders and deliver that chocolate and deliver it door-to-door, which would slowly grow over the years.
Roger Urban, Joe’s father, ran a drugstore in North Tonawanda and was born down the street from the house where the chocolate was made, knowing Carl Platter personally. He would buy the business from Platter in 1972, continuing to make chocolate out of the basement.
“He had always told him that if you ever want to get out of the business, let me know, I’d love to get in,” Urban said. “Even as a kid and a young man growing up, my father recognized what a great product Platter’s Chocolate had, and he felt he could really do something with a product like that.”
After a couple of moves, from East Felton Street to Oliver Street, Platter’s moved to its current location side the Wurlitzer Building in 2016. Joe said it completely transformed the business. It wasn’t just an historic building, but was located along one of the main thoroughfares in Western New York.
That allowed the company to set up a cafe serving coffee, hot chocolate and ice cream along with the candies made a few feet away, with windows showing different parts of how the various chocolate creations are made.
“It gives us the opportunity to just focus on our brand,” Heidi said, with Joe calling their facility a gathering place for the community. “People are coming in to buy their chocolates and candies for all the holidays. But on a Sunday morning, you might see a book club here. The weekdays in the morning, we have the old guys that come in.”
Roger passed away in 1993, with Joe, his brother Bruce, and sister Sherry taking over operations. That was how it stayed until May 2022, when Joe bought out his two siblings so that Heidi could assume her current role at the company, having previously worked in the technology industry.
“I wouldn’t have done it if she wasn’t on board with coming into Platter’s,” Joe said. “She was very excited to do it because of the connection that she gets with the community doing this, as opposed to working with a global company where you’re traveling for two weeks out of the month.”
Platter’s makes five different kinds of chocolate — milk, orange, dark, dark orange and white. Combined with the different items that are covered in the chocolate and molds made, more than 600 different chocolate items are sold.
About 80% of what Platter’s sells is made inside the Wurlitzer building’s chocolate factory, with the rest being items like jelly beans and sugar-free candy.
Prior to moving to the Wurlitzer Building, 75% of sales were through wholesale and the remaining 25% were retail. Two years after the move, those numbers flipped. In May of 2021, Platter’s decided to end selling through wholesale since it had trouble keeping up with both. This allowed the company to focus on selling in its store, online, and work with corporations in the area that buy their chocolates to give to employees or customers.
“When your business is thriving and you have to decide what to cut because you can’t make enough, that’s a good problem,” Joe said.
To celebrate 85 years in business, Platter’s will make new molds that highlight its logo, have different specials every month, and events that highlight the partners it has worked with throughout the years.
“Being around for 85 years is not just a true testament to the quality of product, but a true testament to our customers,” Heidi said, “the people that come here every day, the people that have left Western New York and buy from us online, and want us to be a part of their holidays and all of their special occasions.”
As for the future, Joe plans on continuing to focus on what they already have while Heidi said they get a lot of questions about opening new locations in other areas.
“We’re working on tightening up the organization, and then we’ll consider what the next steps are,” Joe said. | 2023-01-28T14:08:33+00:00 | niagara-gazette.com | https://www.niagara-gazette.com/news/local_news/platters-chocolate-celebrating-85th-anniversary-all-year-long/article_3c8b66a4-9d96-11ed-9c3c-bf6455f3f3c1.html |
AZUSA, Calif., May 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Giraffe Tools, the leader in the global retractable pressure washer market, will officially launch its new model, the Grandfalls P115-G20, on May, 25th at 10:00 AM NYT. Their wall-mounted Grandfalls Pressure Washers series are the first to combine a washer with a self-retracting hose, being the first and most user-friendly pressure washers in the market due to all their features.
Listening to the needs of its customers and, in its commitment to constant innovation as the main characteristic of its products; The Giraffe Tools company has decided to launch a new and more compact product that increases the quality of life of its users, making cleaning tasks more enjoyable, efficient, effortless and accident-free, leaving in the past the annoying experiences with conventional pressure washers that involve cumbersome and noisy machines, with dangerous loose wires, and that is tedious to install and store with each use.
The multiple Giraffe Tools products are intelligently designed to facilitate the user's work, their unique compact design and proven technology together create a series of benefits that will make the user's experience an unprecedented event. Here we share the most notable features:
Highlights at a Glance
- Geckelf Wall-Mounted Design; will save space and avoid mess.
- Built-in 65ft DS Trigger-retract super hose; covers a cleaning area of 1300 square meters. It is ideal for all the cleaning tasks you can imagine; From washing decks, patios, pavement, garden furniture, walls, and windows to car detailing.
- 180-degree body rotation; assists in covering more areas.
- Self-priming faucet with 2 water inlet methods, more convenient for water administration.
- It can start and work normally at 0.94-1.06 times the voltage. Insufficient voltage can also be used normally, no need to worry.
- Eco-certified power products and adapt durable recyclable materials, together for a Sustainable Future.
Ready to Takeoff, save time and effort
Giraffe Tools has been committed to saving time and energy in accessing, storing, and organizing; providing users with an amazing experience using tools. The Grandfalls Pressure Washer P115-G20 is a machine that requires no assembly before use. After installing it on the wall, it's ready to connect it to the power source, activate the trigger, pull out the hose, and start cleaning.
The machine comprises a 65ft hose with a DS Trigger-retract mechanism, which can be pulled out effortlessly for every use. After using it, the user will need to pull out the hose gently and it will automatically and neatly retract into the inside of the case without any effort to organize it. The machine is also equipped with a Shift-Lock mechanism that can stop the hose at any desired length, avoiding hose entanglement and accidents caused by mess.
All in one Unit, stay organized
Another reason why Giraffe Tools is a market leader is due to its intelligent design to keep spaces tidy and clean, since all its pressure washers have an ideal design to store all their accessories, thus avoiding losing them and making your garage a mess with accessories scattered everywhere.
The body of the P115-G20 has reserved quick storage locations for each accessory. You can store the nozzles, spray guns, foam pots, and hoses, inside the machine, all in one! Achieving quick storage and keeping the entire cleaning process organized.
Security protection, worry-free use
P115-G20 adopts a multi-piston triangle pump with high-rated pressure, compact structure, and high efficiency. The motor has high current overload protection, if the current is high for a short time, the protector will disconnect the circuit, and it will automatically reset after a period of time. It can start and work normally at 0.94-1.06 times the voltage, therefore, it can also be used when the voltage is low.
The strong material composition of the shell is ideal to protect the internal parts of the machine and reduce accidental damage.
Availability and Price
The Giraffe Tools Grandfalls Pressure Washer p115-g20 will be available on Indiegogo on May 25th at 10:00 AM PDT. Its super early bird ticket discount can be as high as 40% so this will be your perfect chance to get it, remember that Giraffe Tools will do the heavy lifting!
About Giraffe Tools
Giraffe Tools has been a market-leading expert in innovative tools, committed to redefining the convenience of tools in terms of access, storage, and organization. Covering a wide range of fields; from garden tools to garage tools.
Ranking 6th on Amazon with more than 100,000 units of garden tools sold in 2022, and being the leader in the industry in self-retracting technology since 2018, this company facilitates the users' work through easy and intuitive tools to use; to achieve simple, orderly handling of cleaning tasks, saving time and effort, and reducing the stress and complications of conventional tools.
For more information, please contact:
Chloe
+1(833)583-088
chloe@girafftools.com
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SOURCE Giraffe Tools | 2023-05-25T14:58:46+00:00 | kfyrtv.com | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/05/25/giraffe-tools-launches-its-newest-pressure-washer-model/ |
RIO DE JANEIRO >> Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has filed a request for a six-month visitor visa to stay in the U.S., indicating he may have no immediate intention of returning home, where legal issues await.
The application was first reported by The Financial Times, citing Bolsonaro’s immigration lawyer, Felipe Alexandre. Contacted by The Associated Press, the lawyer’s firm, AG Immigration, confirmed the report.
Bolsonaro left Brazil for Florida on Dec. 30, two days before the inauguration of his leftist rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The ceremony proceeded without incident, but a week later thousands of Bolsonaro’s die-hard supporters stormed the capital and trashed the top government buildings demanding that Lula’s election be overturned.
Bolsonaro is being investigated for whether he had any role in inciting that uprising. It is just one of several probes targeting the former president and that pose a legal headache upon his eventual homecoming, and which could strip him of his eligibility in future races — or worse.
For the first time in his more than three-decade political career as a lawmaker then as president, he no longer enjoys the special legal protection that requires any trial be held at the Supreme Court.
It has been widely assumed — though not confirmed — that Bolsonaro entered the U.S. on an A-1 visa reserved for sitting heads of state. If so, he would have 30 days from the end of his presidential term to either leave the U.S. or adjust his status with the Department of Homeland Security.
Meantime, the shape of his political future and his potential return to Brazil has been a matter of rumor and speculation.
Bolsonaro’s calculus appears to be to distance himself from the radicals whose destruction in the capital could implicate him in the short term, with the aim of some day returning to lead the opposition, said Mario Sérgio Lima, a political analyst at Medley Advisors.
“He is giving it some time, staying away a bit from the country at a moment when he can begin to suffer legal consequences for his supporters’ attitudes,” said Lima. “I don’t think the fact of him staying away is enough. The processes will continue, but maybe he thinks he can at least avoid some sort of revenge punishment.”
Bolsonaro has been staying in a home outside Orlando, Florida, and video has shown him snapping photos with supporters in the gated community and ambling around inside a supermarket.
In the wake of the rampage in the Brazilian capital this month, a group of 46 Democratic lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe Biden demanding Bolsonaro’s visa be revoked.
“The United States must not provide shelter for him, or any authoritarian who has inspired such violence against democratic institutions,” they wrote.
Bolsonaro’s son, a senator, told reporters at an event this weekend that he was not sure when his father would return to Brazil.
“It could be tomorrow, it could be in six months, he might never return. I don’t know. He’s relaxing,” Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro said.
Asked whether Bolsonaro has filed any request for documentation or help with visa processses, Brazil’s foreign ministry referred AP to U.S. authorities. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services referred AP to the State Department, which has repeatedly declined comment to questions about Bolsonaro’s visa status in the U.S. | 2023-01-30T22:59:41+00:00 | staradvertiser.com | https://www.staradvertiser.com/2023/01/30/news/brazils-bolsonaro-applies-for-6-month-u-s-visitor-visa/ |
LUCKNOW, India and MUMBAI, India, Feb. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri. Yogi Adityanath launched a new global gateway for the state with the inauguration of the first VFS Global Joint Visa Application Centre (JVAC) and the VFS Global Academy in Lucknow on 04, February 2023.
VFS Global is the world's largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions.
This spacious and comfortable facility equipped with modern amenities and services will have the capacity of processing approximately 1.2 lakh applications a year and will be of immense benefit to the citizens of Uttar Pradesh, who till now had to travel to other cities like New Delhi to submit their visa applications.
Spread across 24,000 sq.ft, the JVAC would cater to travellers bound to Austria, The Netherlands, The Czech Republic, Switzerland, Estonia, Hungary, Portugal, Germany, Italy and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Located strategically on the 1st floor of the Interstate Bus Terminal, Alambagh (Shalimar Gateway Mall), the centre provides unparalleled accessibility to travellers using the inter-state bus service from the remote parts of Uttar Pradesh. It is also a short drive away from the Lucknow railway station, airport and a walk away from the Alambaug metro station.
With 11 submission counters and three biometric enrollment stations, the JVAC is equipped to manage the travel demand seamlessly. For discerning set of applicants seeking enhanced submission experience services, the facility has premium optional services such as Premium Lounges that enables application submission without having to wait in a queue. Form-filling assistance, Courier Passback, Courier Insurance, Travel Medical Insurance and SMS Notification are some of the other optional services to be available at the centre.
In addition to easing visa accessibility, VFS Global will open an academy in partnership Indian Hotels Company Ltd. (IHCL), to train local youth in world-class hospitality skills and enable employability in line with the UP-government's skilling programme.
"It is our great honour and pride to have the Honourable Chief Minister of UP, Shri Yogi Adityanath, inaugurate the Lucknow joint visa application centre. This centre is a testament of our commitment to the people of UP. Given the visionary governance demonstrated by Yogiji's government, the state of UP has great potential to become a global investment hub. We have worked with the Ministry of External Affairs Government of India, for nearly 15 years supporting inbound tourism to India as well as aiding overseas travel for millions from the country. The new Lucknow VAC would augment our commitment by significantly easing visa accessibility, empowering local youth through skilling and job creation and contribute towards making UP shine on the global map," said Zubin Karkaria, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, VFS Global.
About VFS Global
VFS Global is the world's largest outsourcing and technology services specialist for governments and diplomatic missions. VFS Global is majority-owned by funds managed by Blackstone, the world's largest alternative asset manager.
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1996048/VFS_Global.jpg
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SOURCE VFS Global | 2023-02-04T12:13:09+00:00 | uppermichiganssource.com | https://www.uppermichiganssource.com/prnewswire/2023/02/04/uttar-pradesh-cm-yogi-adityanath-inaugurates-first-vfs-global-joint-visa-application-centre-skilling-academy-lucknow/ |
JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Oct. 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Margo Caribe, Inc. (OTC SYMBOL: MRGO) (Margo), a market leader in the home and garden segment, today announced third quarter operating results of its wholly-owned subsidiary, Margo Outdoor Living, Inc. for the quarter ended September 30, 2022.
Net sales for the third quarter ended September 30, 2022, totaled $10.2 million, down 5 percent from the third quarter last year. Year-to-date net sales for the period ended September 30, 2022, totaled $40.6 million, 8 percent lower than the same period last year. The Company reported unaudited results including pre-tax income of approximately $299 thousand for the third quarter and $6.4 million for the nine-month period ended September 2022.
Michael Spector, CEO, commenting on sales trends: "the decline in year-over-year sales can be primarily attributed to a single customer choosing to discontinue a transactional program initiated in 2021. Excluding this customer, total sales declined approximately 2.5 percent on a year-to-date basis, which is more in line with our industry segment averages. Sales to our large "big-box" customers have been impacted by their carrying of higher-than-normal inventory and the impact current economic conditions have had on discretionary spending".
Mr. Spector added, "our operating margins this year were impacted by higher labor costs, a historic spike in sea freight rates and elevated diesel fuel prices. Looking forward, we expect immediate relief from recent margin compression as sea freight rates continue to trend towards historical averages; current Asian freight quotes are down approximately 60 percent since the end of 2021. We see definitive progress being made in broadening our product offering and diversifying our geographic supplier distribution network. Specifically, sales growth opportunities exist for expanding our pottery segment sales using South American and European suppliers, our pebble tile segment and building on the success of our own e-commerce sales, up 75 percent year-to-date, primarily targeting the pro-business component of our industry segment."
Highlights for the Third Quarter Ended September 30. 2022
- Net sales were $10.2 million for the quarter, down 39% from the prior quarter and 4.8% from the third quarter last year.
- The sales growth profile remains strong, up 86% over 2019 pre-pandemic sales levels.
Margo Caribe, Inc. Announces Third Quarter 2022 Operating Results
- Year-to-date pre-tax income was $6.4 million, down $2.7 million or 30 percent from the prior year on gross sales decline of $3.8 million or 7.7 percent. In addition to the decline in sales, product margin compression due primarily to higher landed inventory costs, and higher rent, insurance, and fuel costs were the primary contributors to the lower pre-tax result.
- Cash flow remains strong, cash balances ended the third quarter $324 thousand higher than total debt, a $2.4 million improvement from the prior quarter and $8.3 million better than the first quarter 2022.
Margo Caribe, Inc. Announces Third Quarter 2022 Operating Results
About Margo Caribe, Inc.
Margo Caribe, Inc. through its subsidiary Margo Outdoor Living, Inc. (MOL). has benefited by building key relationships with the largest big-box retailers in its industry segment. Its focus on product development, world-wide supplier sourcing, cost-effective logistics and state-of-the-art automation has contributed to its success in growing both top and bottom-line results. MOL offers a wide range of products in the lawn and garden segment. This includes sales of landscaping pebbles, mulch, glass, pottery and tile products. The Company's customer base is predominantly big-box retailers but also sells products directly to consumers through the eCommerce sales channel.
MOL is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Margo Caribe, Inc., a Puerto Rico entity. Effective December 22, 2020, MOL converted from a Florida corporation to a Delaware corporation and changed its name from Margo State Line, Inc. to Margo Outdoor Living, Inc.
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SOURCE Margo Caribe, Inc. | 2022-10-31T23:36:00+00:00 | kfyrtv.com | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/10/31/margo-caribe-inc-announces-third-quarter-2022-results/ |
Accreditation is a testament to the organization's prowess in silicon design engineering
EAST HARTFORD, Conn., Aug. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Quest Global, one of the world's fastest growing engineering services firms, announced it has joined the Arm® Approved Design Partner program. This recognition further enables Quest Global to better support the organizations, by combining its expertise in designing ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and Custom SoCs (Systems on Chip) with Arm's powerful IP catalog.
As an Arm Approved Design Partner, Quest Global will have select access to Arm's vast library of IP, tools and models, as well as roadmap updates. This partnership will further strengthen Quest Global's reputation as a partner of choice by providing access to its team of extraordinary silicon engineers and offering Arm customers with design support to deliver Arm-based SoCs specifically augmented for target markets.
Speaking on the occasion, Satish Bagalkotkar, CTO, Semiconductor at Quest Global, said, "It is a very proud moment for all of us. This association will allow us to support our customers with ASIC development, helping them fast track their projects to market. Our international presence, wide range of expertise, brilliant team of engineers and our ability to deliver on our commitments no matter how challenging, will further enhance our capabilities to solve challenges faced across industries."
The organization currently supports designs up to 3nm and 60% of its silicon engineers work on 7/6/5/4/3 nm technology nodes. The semiconductor team at Quest Global has already supported 300+ custom SoC tape-outs in the last five years delivering organization specific requirements, achieving desired design frequency and low power performance targets at the target technology nodes.
"The Arm Approved Design Partner program was built to connect industry leading organizations with customers looking to successfully implement custom designs based on Arm IP," said Ciarán Dunne, vice president and general manager, Partner Enablement at Arm. "Our partners can now confidently approach Quest Global to help them with the required expertise and know-how to build Arm-based ASICs and SoCs."
About Quest Global:
We are Quest Global. We're in the business of engineering, but what we're really building is a brighter future. It's not just what we do, but why we do it that makes us different. We believe engineering has the unique opportunity to solve the problems of today that stand in the way of tomorrow. For 25 years, we have strived to be the most trusted partner for the world's hardest engineering problems. As a global organization headquartered in Singapore, we live and work in 17 countries, with 56 global delivery centers, driven by 13,000+ extraordinary employees who make the impossible possible every day.
Quest Global brings deep industry knowledge and digital expertise to deliver end-to-end global product engineering services. We bring together technologies and industries alongside the contributions of diverse individuals and their areas of expertise to solve problems better, faster. This multi-dimensional approach enables us to solve the most important and large-scale challenges across the Aerospace & Defense, Automotive, Energy, Hi-Tech, Healthcare, Medical Devices, Rail and Semiconductor industries.
Media Contact:
Quest Global - Anubhuti.Agarwal@quest-global.com
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1830310/Quest_Global_Logo.jpg
Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1874317/ARM_Logo.jpg
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SOURCE Quest Global | 2022-08-09T06:31:15+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2022/08/09/quest-global-becomes-arm-approved-design-partner/ |
HAMILTON, ON and BOSTON, Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: FUSN), a clinical-stage oncology company focused on developing next-generation radiopharmaceuticals as precision medicines, today announced that the compensation committee of the Company's Board of Directors granted stock option awards to purchase an aggregate of 197,200 shares of its common stock to 10 employees outside Fusion's 2020 Stock Option and Incentive Plan. The stock options were granted as an inducement material to the individual becoming an employee of Fusion in accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5635(c)(4).
The options have an exercise price of $2.83 per share, which is equal to the closing price of Fusion's common stock on September 12, 2022. Each option has a ten-year term and vests over four years, with 25% of the original number of shares vesting on the one-year anniversary of the grant date and then in equal installments for 36 months thereafter, subject to the employee's continued service with Fusion through the applicable vesting dates.
About Fusion
Fusion Pharmaceuticals is a clinical-stage oncology company focused on developing next-generation radiopharmaceuticals as precision medicines. Fusion connects alpha particle emitting isotopes to various targeting molecules in order to selectively deliver the alpha emitting payloads to tumors. Fusion's first program, FPI-1434 targeting insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor, is currently in a Phase 1 clinical trial. The pipeline includes FPI-1966, targeting the fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3), currently in a Phase 1 study; and FPI-2059, a small molecule targeting neurotensin receptor 1 (NTSR1), which has received FDA investigational new drug (IND) clearance and will begin a Phase 1 study. In addition to a robust proprietary pipeline, Fusion has a collaboration with AstraZeneca to jointly develop novel targeted alpha therapies (TATs) and combination programs between Fusion's TATs and AstraZeneca's DNA Damage Repair Inhibitors (DDRis) and immuno-oncology agents. Fusion has also entered into a collaboration with Merck to evaluate FPI-1434 in combination with Merck's KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in patients with solid tumors expressing IGF-1R. To support Fusion's growing pipeline of TATs, the company has signed strategic actinium supply agreements with TRIUMF and Niowave, Inc.
For further information: Amanda Cray, Senior Director of Investor Relations & Corporate Communications, 617-967-0207, cray@fusionpharma.com
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SOURCE Fusion Pharmaceuticals Inc. | 2022-09-14T04:40:56+00:00 | kfyrtv.com | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2022/09/13/fusion-pharmaceuticals-announces-inducement-grants-under-nasdaq-listing-rule-5635c4/ |
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The NATO military alliance warned Thursday it would retaliate for any attacks on the critical infrastructure of its 30 member countries and joined other Western officials in citing sabotage as the likely cause of damage to two natural gas pipelines in the Baltic Sea.
The warning came as the Swedish coast guard confirmed a fourth leak on the pipelines off southern Sweden, which is in the process of joining NATO. The first leaks in the pipelines that extend from Russia to Germany were reported on Tuesday, prompting energy companies and European governments to beef up security.
The fear of further damage to Europe’s energy infrastructure has added pressure on natural gas prices, which had already been soaring. Russia, a major supplier to Europe, cut off deliveries earlier this year in retaliation for sanctions imposed after its invasion of Ukraine. That has caused widespread economic pain across the continent.
NATO ambassadors said in a statement that “any deliberate attack against allies’ critical infrastructure would be met with a united and determined response.” They refrained from saying who they thought was responsible, even though some allies like Poland, and many experts, have said they believe that Russia is responsible.
“All currently available information indicates that this is the result of deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible acts of sabotage. These leaks are causing risks to shipping and substantial environmental damage,” the envoys said.
The rising tensions around energy security in Europe come as Russia prepares to annex four regions of occupied Ukraine, a move widely condemned by the West. Russian energy giant Gazprom heightened uncertainty around energy supplies Wednesday by threatening on Twitter to cease dealing with a Ukrainian company that controls one of the two remaining pipelines that ship Russian gas to Europe.
Rather than assigning blame to anyone specific, EU officials on Thursday said they would await the outcome of an investigation, which probably will not start in earnest until next week once the undersea pipelines are empty.
The two lines between Russia and Germany were not in operation. But they were filled with tons of methane, a major cause of global warming that is being emitted into the atmosphere and will continue to bubble to the Baltic Sea’s surface, probably until Sunday, according to energy experts.
Danish Defense Minister Morten Bødskov turned to Twitter to call the NATO statement a “joint condemnation and very strong signal from the alliance.” But NATO has made many statements of resolve to defend its members and their territory since Russia invaded Ukraine in February.
Two of the leaks are on the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that Russia recently turned off as it ramped up energy pressure on Europe. The other two are on Nord Stream 2, which has never been used. The Danish and Swedish governments have said that they believe the leaks were “deliberate actions.”
According to seismologists, the leaks were preceded by explosions. A first explosion was recorded early Monday southeast of the Danish island of Bornholm. A second, stronger blast northeast of the island that night was equivalent to a magnitude-2.3 earthquake. Seismic stations in Denmark, Norway and Finland also registered the explosions.
Speaking Wednesday before the fourth leak was reported, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said it would have taken a large explosive device to cause the damage.
Norway was among the first countries on Wednesday to beef up the protection of its energy installations. Finnish Finance Minister Annika Saarikko said Thursday that security measures have been tightened around the Balticconnector line running in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Estonia.
“Very exceptional and serious actions that point to sabotage give reason to intensify our preparations,” Saarikko told reporters.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday that the Nord Stream pipeline incident would have been impossible without a state actor’s involvement.
“It looks like a terror attack, probably conducted on a state level,” Peskov said in a conference call with reporters.
He dismissed media reports about Russian warships spotted in the area as “stupid and biased,” adding that “many more aircraft and vessels belonging to NATO countries have been spotted in the area.”
The U.N. Security Council has scheduled an emergency meeting Friday afternoon at Russia’s request to discuss the suspected pipeline sabotage.
Torben Ørting Jørgensen, a former admiral with the Danish navy, told The Associated Press that it was “not so demanding” to carry out an operation either by using a remotely operated underwater vehicle or sending divers from a submarine or a surface vessel.
“Those who carried out the operation knew they wouldn’t get caught,” Ørting Jørgensen said. “Who would have thought of an operation against pipelines in the Baltic Sea?”
___
Lorne Cook in Brussels and Jari Tanner in Helsinki contributed to this report. | 2022-09-29T22:38:19+00:00 | localsyr.com | https://www.localsyr.com/news/international/ap-4th-leak-reported-on-nord-stream-pipelines-in-baltic-sea/ |
Proposed US challenger bank will leverage Savana's Digital Delivery Platform for a holistic solution to process automation and digital user experience
MALVERN, Pa., Sept. 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Savana, an industry leader in financial software for banks and fintechs, today announced that Battle Financial, Inc., building the proposed Eagle County Colorado-based Battle Bank, has selected Savana as the digital delivery platform to orchestrate its technology ecosystem and automate processes between the core products and customer channels. Additionally, the bank will be the first to leverage Savana's newly launched online and mobile digital banking experience for consumer banking, business banking and account opening.
Pending regulatory approval, Battle Bank is expected to launch in early 2023 and is led by two pioneers in the banking industry, Frank Trotter and Vincent Amato. Both were part of the former group of founders of everBank.com, which was eventually acquired at just over $27 billion in total assets by TIAA in June 2017.
"We're building Battle Bank for the non-conforming. A national community bank of sorts, that empowers people to make better, more informed banking decisions," said Frank Trotter, President, Battle Financial, Inc. "An important piece of delivering on this promise is ensuring on day one that customers have a streamlined and intuitive user experience each time they interact with the bank from account opening to daily maintenance -- we've partnered with Savana to deliver exactly that."
While the Savana platform's robust API library can be leveraged to enhance the functionality of any new or existing digital UX for banks, Battle Bank prioritized reduced complexity and speed-to-market in choosing Savana's end-to-end digital solution. As a result, Battle Bank will benefit from a single, holistically designed platform encompassing the mobile and online experience, as well as the real-time orchestration of processes and transaction requests across the enterprise.
"We are proud to be selected by Battle Financial, Inc. as the digital delivery platform for Battle Bank," said Mike Wolfel, CEO, Savana. "The bank can now shape and own its processes and digital experience together through a single platform, a key differentiator illustrating Battle Bank's commitment to revolutionizing the banking experience."
Savana unlocks next-generation, customer-centric banking operations through the industry's first and only Digital Delivery Platform. Leveraging unmatched banking expertise combined with API-first technology, Savana removes the complexities that arise during digital transformation or in creating and launching a new bank. Redefining customer-first operations, Savana is powering the future of banking. For more information about Savana, visit www.savanainc.com.
Battle Financial, Inc. is building Battle Bank to revolutionize banking for the better. The bank will offer a client-first approach to banking with unmatched access to unique solutions. From regular banking solutions, foreign currency deposits, market index CDs self-directed IRAs and non-FDIC-insured precious metals, the diversified solutions will give you options for financial freedom. Battle Bank's founding leadership team has led several successful banking start-up experiences and is dedicated to launching and growing the bank into a successful national player in the banking industry. For more information about Battle Bank, visit www.battlebank.com.
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SOURCE Savana, Inc. | 2022-09-27T13:26:17+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2022/09/27/battle-financial-inc-selects-savana-power-end-to-end-digital-banking-solution/ |
TikTok star in Alabama grieving after son killed night before his birthday
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA/Gray News) - An Alabama mother and TikTok influencer is pleading for answers after her son was shot and killed Friday night in Prichard, Alabama, WALA reported.
“I have this hatred in my heart that I don’t recognize,” Ophelia Nichols said in a video. “Because I’ve never felt hate for anybody.”
Nichols runs a TikTok account under the name “shoelover99″ with 7 million followers.
“I have never asked y’all for anything, but I need your help with this,” she said. “He was just 18 years old. That’s the best part of somebody’s life, and I know they’re out there in my town. They’re out there.”
Randon Lee was shot at the Exxon on St. Stephens Road. He then drove across the street near the Energizer gas station, where he died from his injuries.
It is unclear what led to the shooting, but Nichols says investigators tell her that they are following leads.
“It’s hard because you’re putting all of your faith, hope and trust into these people and the police department, and you have to sit back and hope and pray that they do what needs to be done so that the person or people who did this to my baby child gets behind bars. You have no choice but to sit here and wait,” she said.
Now, she is using her platform to ask for help leading to an arrest.
“People talk. People talk, so I wanted that video to be seen because if the person who did this to my son could see what he did to our family. He took my son from me. My son,” Nichols said.
Lee would have been 19-years-old on Saturday.
“I spoke to him yesterday morning around 10 to tell him I had his money for his birthday. He was looking forward to it. Just hanging out with his friends and girlfriend. His family was his life,” Nichols said.
Nichols says her son was an organ donor and will live on even in death helping others.
Authorities say the investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information can contact the Prichard Police Department at 251-452-7800 or the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office at 251-574-8633.
Copyright 2022 WALA via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | 2022-06-26T11:31:24+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/2022/06/26/tiktok-star-alabama-grieving-after-son-killed-night-before-his-birthday/ |
Retired Lt. Colonel John Nelson commanded many helicopter squadrons during his 25 years of service in the U.S. Air Force as a combat search and rescue pilot.
The responsibilities were many and weighty for the Sandy Run resident who saw his military leadership role as one of service to his country and to his fellowman.
"One thing I loved about the Air Force was, particularly in the rescue business, you got to lead from the point end of the spear," the 64-year-old Nelson said. "You do the same thing you expect your people to do and you do it with them."
"If you do that and you do it well, they will walk over for broken glass for you," he said. "That is what leadership is all about: doing what your people do."
Nelson's military career embodied this servant leadership mindset that blossomed as he grew into young adulthood.
USC to Air Force
Born in Columbia in March 1958 at the old Columbia hospital on Harden Street the same day as his future wife, Nelson grew up in the Sandy Run community of Calhoun County. He attended Bethlehem Elementary School during the time of integration and was one of three white kids in the school during his eighth-grade year.
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He then attended the former John Ford High School in Calhoun County and ended up switching to Swansea High School, where he would graduate in 1976.
A son of a World War II U.S. Marine Corps veteran, Nelson said his father, who worked as a foreman at The State newspaper in Columbia, was a corporal in the Corps who personally witnessed much of the carnage of war during his time of service.
"My father really did not encourage me to join the military," Nelson said. "I kind of plowed my own row to do that."
Nelson entered the University of South Carolina in Columbia and joined the ROTC program with the intention to pursue a civil engineering degree. He soon realized it was not for him after he failed chemistry and calculus.
Being on probation and in danger of failing out of school, he changed his major and ended up graduating with a bachelor's degree in history and economics and a master's degree in public administration from the University of Oklahoma.
"I guess it was a calling more than anything else," Nelson said, when asked why he joined ROTC. "It was a calling of service."
A part of this calling was Nelson's desire to take flight.
"I wanted to be a pilot," Nelson said. "I thought I was going to fly a fixed wing."
Nelson started flying at Owens Field in downtown Columbia in 1978, learning to fly as part of the Air Force ROTC’s flight instruction program.
The change of major helped Nelson flourish, becoming a commandant of the cadet corps at USC and finishing with a grade-point average of over 3.
He served as the flight commander of the ROTC and led cadets in drill during his sophomore year. He also had a job with the South Carolina Tax Commission and did other odd jobs during this time in college.
During his sophomore year at USC at the age of 20, Nelson attended basic training to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware during the summer. He drilled and conducted other exercises. It was there that he was partnered with a female cadet to conduct a mental acumen test.
As a self-described "not the sharpest knife in the drawer," Nelson said he was fortunate to have her as a partner because she was "really brainy and figured it out."
"It helped me out in the rest of life," Nelson said. "Hey, everybody has deficiencies and what successful people do is recognize folks that can complement and help you overcome those deficiencies."
At Dover, Nelson was introduced to C5 cargo planes and other aircraft but flying in the planes did not attract him.
"I was trying to get comfortable with this and like this," he said, noting that he met some crew members and did not find their duties attractive. "I was like, you know, now I am not sure I want to fly these eight-hour carryover legs and cargo jets. I really wanted to be in a fighter jet. I still wanted to fly but I was not feeling it."
The next summer was a third lieutenant two-week program for cadets at Maryland's Andrews Air Force Base. There his first flight was with Vice President Walter Mondale to Boston.
He recalled stopping at Boston, and when Mondale was otherwise occupied, he was able to sit in Mondale's seat and use the vice president's phone and called his future wife, Peg, on the vice president's phone.
But the jet life still did grab him.
It was not until later in the week when he was introduced to the First Helicopter Squadron, whose role was to fly U.S. political leaders to a safe location in the event of a national emergency.
"They put me on a helicopter flight," Nelson recalled, noting the military would train and fly in the city of Baltimore. "There was a rooftop helipad that we came and landed on it. I will never forget when we were landing and taking off: It was in between two big old brick buildings. I remember taking off and counting those bricks. It was close right in there."
"It clicked," Nelson said. "I said, that is it. That is what I want to do. It was just like a light switch."
When he got back to USC, his commandant, who was a jet pilot, tried to talk him out of being a helicopter pilot.
"He had a real bias about it," Nelson said. "I stuck to my guns and I don't regret it one bit."
After graduation, Nelson worked part-time and enjoyed newlywed life.
Military service
In January 1981, he entered the Air Force as a second lieutenant and helicopter pilot.
Nelson's first assignment was Fort Rucker, Alabama, where he did basic start-up training through October 1981. He was trained by both the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force at the fort.
From there he was sent to Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, where he received his first H-3 helicopter, graduating fifth out of class of eight.
His first assignment was at Shaw Air Force Base as part of the tactical air support squadrons.
"Nobody else wanted to go where I wanted to go," Nelson said, noting he was happy to be heading back home to South Carolina.
The squadrons' main purpose was to ready for quick dispersal in the event of a Soviet attack on the United States. The helicopters were designed to fly people and equipment for ground forces as well as a secondary rescue mission.
For the first 3-1/2 years at Shaw, he flew CH-3s and worked his way up the ranks of flying expertise. He never had to engage in live battle.
"Thank God we never had to do it," Nelson said. "If we had to do our mission that would mean that the Soviet Union would have attacked Europe and we would have had World War III."
Training with the CH-3 was done throughout the United States and Canada over those years.
After the three years, Nelson said he was transferred to Okinawa, Japan, where he got involved in combat rescue. He joined the 33rd rescue squadron at the Kadena Air Base.
There was he was flying the Sikorsky HH-3E, also known as the "Jolly Green Giant," to perform combat search and rescue (CSAR) task forces to recover downed airmen during the Vietnam War.
The HH-3E carried both armor plating and armament to protect it from hostile forces during rescues of aircrews in a combat area.
"I never had to do it live," Nelson said. "We practiced the mess out of it. We would go from Okinawa, to Korea, to the Philippines."
As part of his training, his squadron joined rescue squadrons in Korea and the Philippines as part of "Jolly Drags," supporting each other with five-hour training flights.
The hours and days of training came in handy one evening in June 1986.
Nelson said an F-15C pilot's plane malfunctioned but he was able to eject safely, landing about 110 miles off the coast of Okinawa in the East China Sea.
Nelson was readying to go on a training flight as an instructor of the squadron, but his duty shifted. Nelson was qualified in night water operations and was the aircraft commander for the successful rescue operation.
"That is one of the moments I remember," Nelson said, noting this was the first real-life rescue he was able to conduct. "I will never forget that woman (the pilot's wife) coming in that helicopter and hugging her husband. I still get choked up about it. That did it for me. That was a great day."
Nelson said though the squadron was considered the "stepchild," in Okinawa for about two days the squadron was celebrated as heroes for the rescue.
"Our whole job for the first half of my Air Force career was to go in and save a fighter pilot who had a bad day and make sure he ends his day in a better position," Nelson said. I was not one of those people that was a fighter pilot wanna-be."
"I did exactly what I wanted to do in the military," Nelson said. "I did not go out and fly a fast jet and do airbags and drop bombs on people. I very much supported the military in the mission and things that we did. The element that really called out to me was the rescue part of it."
He would end up doing multiple tours to Kuwait and Turkey, supporting similar operations.
Six months after he left Okinawa, five guys --one of which Nelson knew in Shaw -- perished during a night water operation training. The helicopter backed into the water, exploded and flipped over. Three of the five guys were lost.
"Tom was one that was lost," Nelson said. "You lose those guys. We lost three of the five doing that maneuver."
"Over the years where we had the losses is just people training," Nelson said. "We did lose some in combat but it was mainly due to air refueling accidents. I have over two handfuls of friends and associates that lost lives doing what I do."
After Okinawa, Nelson went to Montgomery, Alabama, to Maxwell Air Force Base to squadron officer school. There he trained young officers for three years to "be better young officers."
"It is competitive," Nelson said. "Everybody wanted to go to squadron officer school and be a distinguished graduate."
After Alabama, Nelson went back to Kirtland Air Force Base and served as a H-3 instructor pilot at the air base in the early 1990s. He was one of the last to fly the H-3 helicopters as the aircraft was soon retired.
Nelson then became a H-60 pilot and instructor, also at Kirtland.
Nelson was transferred to Keflavik Naval Air Station in Iceland, where he flew the rescue H-60s.
The British had helped provide security to the country during World War II but when British troops had to leave to fight in the war, the United States established a presence in the country to house its fighter interceptors designed to be in place to attack Soviet bombers if they came across the ice caps, Nelson said.
"We had a lot of fighters who needed a rescue element there because if one of those fighters ... went into that very cold water, they had about 15 minutes of life," Nelson said. "It was great flying. It was a very hostile environment: cold, dark and windy."
Nelson said while in Iceland, he did participate in a rescue as part of a formation.
"We never went anywhere except in formation," Nelson said, noting the environment was too hostile to go alone.
Around Christmas 1994, Nelson was deployed as an operations officer from Iceland to Kuwait following the Gulf War to enforce the no-fly zone and to carry out rescue missions.
In a few years, he ended up at Holloman AFB in New Mexico as an operations officer. By this time, Nelson had reached the rank of lieutenant colonel. At the base he continued to fly H-60s and served as an instructor.
Nelson left New Mexico to command the 41st Rescue Squadron at Moody AFB in Georgia. The squadron was considered one of the largest units in the world, with about 14 primary aircraft, Nelson said.
The Kosovo War had begun, so Nelson was deployed to Brindisi, Italy, where he flew across the Adriatic Ocean and did missions supporting the war effort. The helicopter squadron worked with special operations aircraft in conducting the rescue missions.
After Kosova, Nelson oversaw a number of deployments and rescue missions, including a rescue mission that traveled from Moody in Georgia to Bermuda to help a British cargo ship with a crew in distress.
"It was so busy," he said. "All but two months we were deployed somewhere. We were just a real busy squadron."
In addition to wartime deployments, Nelson oversaw non-conflict-related flights.
One such flight required the squadron to be diverted from Kuwait to South Africa to Mozambique, Africa, in response to massive flooding rescues as part of Operation Atlas Response in 2000.
"I will never forgot calling those wives and telling them your husband is not coming home they have to go to this other thing," Nelson said, holding back tears. "Those are things those guys are trained to do. I was proud of them for doing that."
From Moody's, Nelson went to Langley Air Force Base in Virginia during the War in Afghanistan, recalling how everyone was on high alert following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Nelson was responsible for scheduling and ensuring rescue assets for missions during the war from the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
"In our case, our aircraft were armored but we were defensive," Nelson said. "In all my workings, we were what was considered a combative aircraft. In other words, we could legally under the rules of war be engaged."
Nelson said while he never had to fire upon an enemy combatant, he did witness combat between other aircraft. For his service, he received five meritorious medals.
Taking flight in civilian life
As retirement from the U.S. Air Force neared, Nelson's friend, who also served in the Air Force, hooked him up with a medical transport company in the United States called Omniflight CareForce.
Nelson joined the transport response unit in October 2005 prior to his retirement from the Air Force in February 2006. He trained on the Bell 206 helicopter while a member of the Air Force.
"For two or three months, I was getting paid by the Air Force and the CareForce," he said. "I just retired from the Air Force and then, boom, right into doing what I was trained to do with CareForce in Columbia."
Nelson officially joined the company, which has now become Air Methods LifeNet South Carolina, in the winter of 2007.
Since that time, Nelson has been the lead pilot at LifeNet 3 Base at the Regional Medical Center. He says he believes he has done over 1,500 medical missions in the past 15 years.
In both his military and civilian life, Nelson says there have been many nights away from home and family.
Nelson praised his wife of 42 years, Peg, for her dedication and faithfulness to be a military wife and her sacrifice for the family. The couple have a son, Jesse, and a daughter, Meg, and seven grandchildren.
"She was fantastic the whole time," Nelson said, noting Peg's service as a military wife was recognized in 1984 as she was named the Spouse of the Year at Shaw Air Force Base.
Nelson said what families have to go through is as much of a service as those who are wearing the uniform.
An example of this is when his wife Peg taught at a Christian school in Okinawa while they were overseas.
When he was away from his family at the air base in Okinawa, she got ill and the military chaplains and medical staff helped her while he could not be there.
"The military is your family," Nelson said, holding back tears. "These were tremendous people you worked with. Working with that caliber of people is kind of what sustained me and being privileged enough to be a part of that. These were really special people."
Now as a civilian pilot in the medical field, service continues to be a hallmark of his life.
"It is a box of chocolates every day," he said. "In a given week, I am going to fly four or five flights and probably two or three of them probably save somebody's life. You never know what is going to happen."
He says he has gotten letters from parents thanking him for saving their child's life. These letters are what keep him going.
In addition to his work with LifeNet, Nelson has served as a Calhoun County councilman for the past 12 years.
He chose not to run for re-election, having promised his constituents he would not run for more than three terms.
When he is not busy saving lives through LifeNet, Nelson is also currently raising 14 grass-fed Angus cows.
The couple also attend the Southern Methodist Church in the Sandy Run area, where they help tutor children.
When he does have down time, he is planning to go camping with his wife.
"We just need time off just the two of us," he said. | 2022-05-22T00:51:11+00:00 | thetandd.com | https://thetandd.com/news/local/stories-of-honor-you-get-to-lead-from-the-point-end-of-the-spear/article_a1464ede-a991-54f9-aa8b-4458f24ef442.html |
Grocery prices spike, breakfast items hit hard
Published: May. 12, 2022 at 10:57 AM CDT|Updated: 36 minutes ago
(CNN) - The cost of groceries is enough to give many Americans heartburn – or at least burn a hole in the wallet.
Food prices shot up nearly 9.5% last month compared to April 2021. That’s the biggest annual hike in 41 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Breakfast is the meal getting hit especially hard.
Eggs are over 22% more expensive, due in large part to a shortage caused by an infectious Avian Flu, but margarine, milk, bacon and coffee also saw price increases.
Consumers are also feeling the pinch when they go out to eat. Menu prices rose 7.2% over the past 12 months.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | 2022-05-12T16:34:00+00:00 | kfyrtv.com | https://www.kfyrtv.com/2022/05/12/grocery-prices-spike-breakfast-items-hit-hard/ |
A roundup of the week's most newsworthy environment industry press releases from PR Newswire, including expanded carbon capture in Texas and net-zero ambitions for F1.
NEW YORK, March 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help journalists covering the environment industry stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a roundup of stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.
The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.
- Deloitte launches GreenLight Solution, an end-to-end decarbonization software tool that helps unlock a clear, actionable path to net-zero emissions
GreenLight Solution helps organizations unlock a clear, optimized, actionable decarbonization roadmap that can be integrated into their broader business strategy and existing technologies. - GrubMarket Launches "Sustainable California" Initiative to Support Agricultural Sustainability and Promote Better Food Systems in California
The initiative will invest in preserving the farming environment of the Central Valley and other areas of California through methods such as planting trees; promoting organic farming practices by financially supporting local farmers to obtain organic certifications; and developing innovative technologies that improve the sustainability of California's farming system. - Vogtle Unit 3 reaches initial criticality A reactor achieves criticality when the nuclear fission reaction becomes self-sustaining. Achieving initial criticality is necessary to continue the startup of the Unit in order to generate sufficient heat for the production of electricity.
- Vistra to Create "Vistra Vision," a Leading Zero-Carbon Generation and Retail Platform, Through the Acquisition of Energy Harbor
This combination creates a leading integrated retail electricity and zero-carbon generation company with the second-largest competitive nuclear fleet in the country, along with a growing renewables and energy storage portfolio. - Smartville Takes Major Step Forward with MOAB™, Its Scalable, Second-Life Energy Storage System Installed for UC San Diego
By giving EV batteries a second life as ultra-low carbon storage with a high value per kilowatt hour and assured reliability, Smartville is bringing the U.S. closer to energy independence and the planet closer to a net-zero future. - Bayou Bend Expands Carbon Capture Project to Onshore Southeast Texas
The total acreage holds a gross storage capacity of more than one billion metric tons, positioning Bayou Bend to be a leading carbon transportation and storage solution for industrial emitters located in the Houston Ship Channel and Beaumont / Port Arthur region, one of the largest industrial corridors in the country. - CDC Foundation Supports Organizations Engaging Young People on Issues of Climate and Health Increasingly, young people are demanding action and are bringing their voices, energy and ideas to the fight against climate change. The organizations chosen to receive funding will build on this movement by promoting innovative youth-led and youth-focused outreach.
- Nestlé, John Deere, Cargill, and Nutrien Ag Solutions Join Leading Harvest's New Founding Supporter Council
Founding Supporter Council members share a vision of advancing sustainable agriculture, a commitment to continuous improvement, and a desire to create harmony in sustainability reporting and verification across diverse supply chains. - Nonprofit Joins Forces with Nation's Leading Port Authority to Bring Student-Led Environmental Sustainability Adventure to Area Schools
Students explore a variety of environmental strategies and assess each strategy's ability to meet goals while also taking into account criteria such as cost, impact on the local community, sea turtle migration patterns, and other ecological factors. - FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN SILVER LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX Driving Towards Net Zero Ambitions Through Event Partnership with Switch
F1® recently launched its first-ever sustainability strategy with the ambitious goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2030. As a FORMULA 1 HEINEKEN SILVER LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX event partner, Switch will help to bring the event in line with the sport's global commitments.
Read more of the latest environment-related releases from PR Newswire and stay caught up on the top press releases by following @PRNenv on Twitter.
Can't-Miss Earnings
In addition to these popular releases, several must-read earnings reports crossed the wire this week, including the quarterly results for CECO Environmental and Maxeon Solar Technologies.
Catch up on all the latest earnings reports here.
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SOURCE PR Newswire | 2023-03-10T13:00:56+00:00 | kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/prnewswire/2023/03/10/this-week-environment-news-10-stories-you-need-see/ |
MOSCOW (AP) — A volcano spewed out ash for a second day Wednesday on Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka Peninsula, throwing clouds of dust high into the sky and blanketing wide areas.
Shiveluch, one of Kamchatka’s most active volcanoes, started erupting early Tuesday, spewing dust over 500 kilometers (more than 300 miles) northwest and engulfing several villages in grey volcanic dust in the largest fallout in nearly 60 years.
The Kamchatka branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences Geophysical Survey said the eruption continued Wednesday, spewing clouds of dust 10 kilometers (more than 6 miles) into the sky.
Since the start of the eruption, the area has been closed to aircraft and residents have been advised to stay indoors.
The villages located about 50 kilometers (some 30 miles) from the volcano, were covered by a 20-centimeter (nearly 8-inch) layer of dust. Residents posted videos showing the ash cloud plunging the area into darkness.
Shiveluch has two parts — the 3,283-meter (10,771-foot) Old Shiveluch, and the smaller, highly active Young Shiveluch.
The Kamchatka Peninsula, which extends into the Pacific Ocean about 6,600 kilometers (4,000 miles) east of Moscow, is one of the world’s most concentrated area of geothermal activity, with about 30 active volcanoes. | 2023-04-12T14:24:13+00:00 | keloland.com | https://www.keloland.com/news/national-world-news/volcano-eruption-continues-for-2nd-day-on-russias-kamchatka/ |
Aurora, Colo. - After being quoted $1,000 for the removal of a dead tree and fallen branch, Charles and Janet Gomez had to just let their property be obstructed for months. That is, until our Denver7 viewers stepped in to help.
The Aurora couple's home was almost impaled when their dead tree's massive branch nearly fell on their roof. It remained there for months, until Denver7 Gives paid Preservation Tree Care to come and remove the tree, free of charge, this past month.
Charles was born with spinal meningitis, and still takes the bus every week to his job at Wal-Mart. He says they would not have been able to afford that steep price.
"We think that [Denver7} is going above and beyond the call of duty, and helping the community," said Gomez.
In the above story, you can meet Charles and Janet, and see how happy they were to finally have their yard back.
Click here to go directly to the Denver7 Gives donation form then choose a campaign
Denver7 features the stories of people who need help and now you can help them with a cash donation through Denver7 Gives. One hundred percent of contributions to the fund will be used to help people in our local community.
Want more stories of hope and ways to help in your inbox? Sign up to get the weekly Denver7 Gives Email Newsletter 💌 | 2023-03-20T15:53:08+00:00 | denver7.com | https://www.denver7.com/news/contact-denver7/denver7-gives/denver7-viewers-help-remove-fallen-tree-branch-from-home-of-man-with-disability |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials saw signs that the U.S. economy was weakening at their last meeting but still called inflation “unacceptably high’’ before raising their benchmark interest rate by a sizable three-quarters of a point in their drive to slow spiking prices.
In minutes from their July 26-27 meeting released Wednesday, the policymakers said they expected the economy to expand in the second half of 2022. But many of them suggested that growth would weaken as higher rates take hold. The officials noted that the housing market, consumer spending, business investment and factory production had decelerated after having expanded robustly in 2021.
Slower growth, they noted, could “set the stage’’ for inflation to gradually fall to the central bank’s 2% annual goal, though it remained “far above’’ that target. But the policymakers made clear that for now, they intend to continue raising rates enough to slow the economy.
In both June and July, the Fed sought to curb high inflation by raising its key rate by an unusually large three quarters of a percentage point twice. At their meeting last month, the policymakers said it might “become appropriate at some point to slow the pace of policy rate increases.’’
It remains unclear whether the Fed will announce yet another three-quarter-point rate hike when it next meets Sept. 20-21 or instead impose a more modest half-point hike then. Since the Fed’s meeting three weeks ago, the economy has sent mixed signals — unexpectedly strong hiring, a deterioration in the housing market and a surprising drop in inflation. Before the policymakers reconvene in September, they will see another monthly jobs report and another monthly report on consumer prices.
Compounding the challenge for the central bank is that it was slow to respond to a resurgence of inflation in the spring of 2021 as the economy roared back from the 2020 pandemic recession. For many months, Chair Jerome Powell characterized high inflation as “transitory,” mainly a result of supply chain backlogs that would soon unsnarl and ease inflationary pressure. They didn’t, and year-over-year inflation hit a 40-year high of 9.1% in June before edging lower last month.
So the Fed has had to play catch-up with a series of sharp rate increases. It raised its benchmark rate in March and again in May, June and July. Those moves have raised the central bank’s key rate, which influences many consumer and business loans, from near zero to a range of 2.25% to 2.5%, the highest since 2018.
Powell has said the Fed will do what it will take to tame inflation, and more rate hikes are expected. But many economists worry that the Fed will end up overdoing it in the other direction by tightening credit so much as to trigger a recession.
Concerns about a potential recession have been eased, for now, by the ongoing strength of the job market. Employers added a robust 528,000 jobs last month, and the unemployment rate has hit 3.5%, matching a half-century low that was reached just before the pandemic erupted in 2020.
In the minutes released Wednesday, the Fed’s policymakers acknowledged the strength of the job market. But they also noted that hiring tends to be a lagging indicator of the economy’s health. And they pointed to signs that the job market might be cooling, including an increase in the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits, a drop in Americans quitting their jobs and a reduction in job openings. | 2022-08-17T19:24:05+00:00 | kfor.com | https://kfor.com/business/ap-business/fed-saw-evidence-of-a-slowing-economy-at-its-last-meeting/ |
WACO, Texas (Fox 44) — December is here, and that means the holidays are right around the corner. But for the post office, that means the busiest time of the year.
Harvey Meredith’s son is a mail carrier, so he came to the post office today to send him a gift he can use at work.
“I’m picking up a box so I can mail a couple of thermos jugs to my son so he can have a coffee or a hot chocolate, whatever he’d like on the job because it’s a long day,” Meredith said.
Bret Watkins is the Waco Postmaster and says postal employees work countless hours, and one way to help them is to turn your porch light on if you’re expecting a package.
“It’s a safety issue for us as well for your packages,” Watkins said. “So it’s not sitting in the dark, so that would help us out a lot.”
Also, remember the deadlines to make sure your mail or package arrives by Christmas day. You can find those listed here.
“Our team is out working countless hours,” Watkins said. “Like I said before, they start early in the morning before dark, and they’re delivering up to and after dark in the evening to make sure we have a productive holiday delivery schedule and the customers get their packages and mail timely.”
One way to beat the lines at the post office is to take advantage of Click-N-ship where you print your own label, and your carrier will pick it up for you.
“Your regular carrier will do a pickup for you, which helps you avoid the line,” Watkins said. “Obviously, during a holiday season, the lines are quite long, so that would eliminate that for a customer.”
Meredith said his son delivered 163 packages and worked from 6 a.m. to almost 9 p.m last night. He says the postal workers are tough.
“They have a full time job, I’ll tell you that,” Meredith said. “And they have to put up with a few dogs here and there and snow, you know, and wind and a lot of things that they have to endure.” | 2022-12-02T01:30:57+00:00 | fox44news.com | https://www.fox44news.com/news/local-news/local/usps-is-ramping-up-for-the-holiday-season/ |
NEW YORK, Aug. 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, NSB, the musical moniker for North Star Boys, an Asian-American music group with over 55 million combined followers across social media platforms, released their debut hyperpop single "SUNSHINE".
Making their debut in the Hyperpop genre, North Star Boys release their new single "SUNSHINE".
"SUNSHINE" symbolizes perseverance and dedication to the ones you love, an overarching theme emphasized throughout the official music video. Each member has their own sunshine they drew inspiration from for this single, whether it's an ex, current lover, family member, or as NSB co-founder, Oliver Moy, says, his newfound friend group-turned-family. For NSB member Regie Macalino, this means shedding light on his heritage, with elements of his Filipino culture embedded throughout the music video.
"Being raised in the Philippines for half of my life, it's always been important to me to incorporate my roots in everything I do. My family and I came to the US like many other Asians to chase the American Dream. In the music video for SUNSHINE, it was a special moment for me and the boys to shine light on the country I grew up in and inspire my fellow Filipino friends and followers to embrace our culture and not be afraid of being different," said Regie Macalino.
The North Star Boys have taken the internet by storm not only through music but also through their captivating social media presence, unique personalities, and impromptu meet & greets. Their most recent transition into the web3 space has proved successful, selling out of their first NFT drop in an hour. The group of 7 boys aims to inspire and be the Asian representation in media that they didn't see growing up.
Stream SUNSHINE HERE
You can follow NSB on TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter
About North Star Boys
North Star Boys is the first Asian-American content group, founded in August 2021. Within their first six months as a group, they surpassed expectations gaining millions of followers across all platforms, including TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. The 7-member group of best friends is composed of founders and brothers, Oliver and Sebastian Moy along with Regie Macalino, Ryan Nguyen, Justin Phan, Darren Liang, and Kane Ratan managed by Forbes 30 Under 30's Tyler Bray.
Contact
Juliana Martins
Eleven11 Media Relations
juliana@eleven11mediarelations.com
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SOURCE North Star Boys | 2022-08-12T14:55:12+00:00 | ksla.com | https://www.ksla.com/prnewswire/2022/08/12/nsb-asian-american-music-group-debuts-hyperpop-single-sunshine/ |
LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Michigan state government is awash in tax dollars.
The state could end the fiscal year with a surplus of $5.1 billion in the general fund and $4.1 billion in the school aid fund, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s budget director said Friday. The budget year ends on Sept. 30.
Chris Harkins said nearly $6 billion of that total is for one-time use.
“We’re still in a very strong position on the balance sheet,” he said.
The House Fiscal Agency predicts that revenues have been running high enough to automatically trigger a drop in the income tax rate to 4.05% from 4.25%, under a 2015 law.
“We simply don’t know what’s going to happen because the books are not closed yet,” state Treasurer Rachael Eubanks said.
Separately, Whitmer has proposed removing a tax on pensions and increasing a tax credit for people with low or moderate incomes.
Republicans, who no longer have a majority in the Legislature, would welcome a broad tax cut.
“The hardworking people of our great state do not need more government bureaucracy. They need to keep more of what they earn; after all it is their money in the first place,” said Sen. Jon Bumstead, R-North Muskegon.
Michigan's unemployment rate should be down to around 3.9%, a pre-pandemic figure, by the end of 2025, said University of Michigan economic forecaster Gabe Ehrlich. | 2023-01-13T23:47:57+00:00 | expressnews.com | https://www.expressnews.com/news/article/Michigan-budget-surplus-projected-to-reach-9-2B-17717026.php |
The New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department launched a new dashboard Tuesday officials said is designed to shed more light on the inner workings of the embattled child welfare agency — giving the public a nearly real-time view of unfilled positions, the number of children in foster care, intensive behavioral health treatment and other key data.
"The 'Together We Thrive' dashboard is what people have been looking for, for transparency in the department," said Teresa Casados, who stepped in as acting Cabinet secretary of the agency last month following the resignation of Barbara Vigil.
The dashboard, which will be updated monthly, "is a work in progress, and anything that we can put on there legally that people feel is helpful, we want to make sure that we're able to accomplish that," Casados said in a virtual news conference Tuesday.
A long-troubled agency that operates largely in secret due to state and federal confidentiality laws, the Children, Youth and Families Department has faced heightened scrutiny in recent years over high-profile child deaths, reports showing high rates of repeat child maltreatment and rapid staff turnover and lawsuits alleging it failed to protect kids, returning them to neglectful homes where they were severely harmed.
Concerns prompted lawmakers from both major political parties to call for reforms during the legislative session earlier this year, but most bills aimed to improve the agency stalled.
The new dashboard was among a number of initiatives Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham announced during the session to address some of the department's challenges. At the time, the governor said information on specific cases would be sparse to avoid violating confidentiality laws.
Child welfare officials Tuesday touted the new dashboard as part of a data-driven approach to begin transforming the agency. Immediately after its introduction, however, the initiative faced criticism from at least one child advocate.
Maralyn Beck, executive director of the nonprofit advocacy group New Mexico Child First Network, described the dashboard as a "shiny object" meant to distract from CYFD's "continued failings."
The information on the dashboard was already readily available to the public on CYFD's old website, she argued.
"I have it on my desktop," she said. "The data that we're seeing on this very pretty website designed by a very expensive advertising firm is just putting lipstick on a pig."
Robert Johnson, a spokesman for the child welfare agency, said CYFD's "digital presence" is constantly evolving.
"We're doing a lot of work to make the department's work more readily available and more easy to understand, and we're going to continue to improve in that regard," he said.
The information the public wants but is missing from the dashboard is what the Arizona Department of Child Safety is mandated to release under state law, Beck said.
The Arizona agency is required to release preliminary information and, upon request, additional records in cases in which children have died or nearly died as a result of abuse, abandonment or neglect by a parent, guardian or caregiver, according to its website.
Asked about a push during the 60-day legislative session to change the state children's code to allow for the sharing of details of cases with other agencies, Casados said she believes there's more information CYFD needs to be able to share with other state agencies "and even with the public."
"If there are barriers for us to be able to share that information, and if the ability to share that information would result in better outcomes for kids, we will definitely be moving forward to do that," she said.
Casados encouraged New Mexico residents to visit the dashboard and offer recommendations on what other information should be included "so that they can help us to make sure that kids are thriving across the state."
"Giving them that information can help them to understand maybe some of the challenges that we have in the department," she said.
The challenges include a staff vacancy rate of nearly 25%.
The dashboard, which breaks down vacancy rates by division, shows the rate of unfilled jobs is highest in "Permanency Planning," the division responsible for managing the cases of children in foster care and their families.
"There's a high vacancy rate at CYFD, and there's a high turnover rate," Casados said. "We get people in. They're good. [But] it's a really difficult job; dealing with those kids who are seeing trauma and those parents who are also traumatized, it weighs on those individuals."
Casados said the agency is taking an "all-hands-on-deck" approach to recruiting and retaining employees.
"There's no wrong door for people who want to work at CYFD to come through," she said. "I think there's a population out there that we're missing, and we're hoping to really be able to engage with them, to talk to them about CYFD and the opportunities and really the benefits of working here and making a difference for kids."
Casados also called on news media to help change the narrative about the child welfare agency.
"People right now have such a negative connotation," she said. "If you say, 'Come work at CYFD,' all they hear is negative, and they don't want to do that. Our hope in talking with the media and providing the transparency on the website will help people to understand that it's not a terrible place to work. Terrible things happen to kids in our state, and with your help and their help, we can help to turn that around." | 2023-05-17T03:58:42+00:00 | santafenewmexican.com | https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/new-mexico-child-welfare-agency-unveils-data-dashboard/article_3efbc4da-f361-11ed-a425-1bf3c3ccec14.html |
College news
Graduations
Area students were among those who graduated from York College of Pennsylvania on May 14, 2022. They are listed with their hometowns, honors and degrees.
Christiana — Kelsey Sheets, cum laude, Bachelor of Science in sociology.
Columbia — Courtnie Betteley, cum laude, Bachelor of Science in secondary education-mathematics; Jordan Haberstroh, magna cum laude, Bachelor of Science in nursing; Olivia Tucker, Bachelor of Science in nursing; Elena Young, Bachelor of Science in human services.
Elizabethtown — Austin Denlinger, magna cum laude, Bachelor of Science in civil engineering; David Gates, Bachelor of Science in biology; Kaitlyn Smith, summa cum laude, Bachelor of Science in nursing.
Ephrata — Julea Truskey, Bachelor of Science in early elementary/special education.
Lancaster — Herbert Bryner, cum laude, Bachelor of Science in cybersecurity management; Samantha Garcia, Bachelor of Arts in intelligence analysis and human services; Victoria Good, cum laude, Bachelor of Arts in history; Natalie Hampton, Bachelor of Science in criminal justice; Rubina Khan, Bachelor of Science in nursing; Amir Muheiddin, Bachelor of Science in information technology management; Hannah Park, Doctor of nursing practice; Michele Patterson, master’s in public policy & administration; Emma Quigley, cum laude, Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design; Jacob Rutland, summa cum laude, Bachelor of Science in accounting; Aleah Shams, master’s in education; Nicholas Vassar, Bachelor of Science in supply chain operations management.
Leola — April Achey, summa cum laude, Bachelor of business administration in advertising and digital marketing.
Lititz — Peter Carrigan, magna cum laude, Bachelor of business administration in marketing; Adam Deckard, Bachelor of Science in criminal justice; Kimberly Delk, Bachelor Science in nursing; Steven Iseman, Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering; Tyler McWilliams, cum laude, Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering; Brianna Morgan, Bachelor of Science in criminal justice.
Manheim — Charles Williams, Doctor of nursing practice.
Marietta — Sydney Skirboll, summa cum laude, Bachelor of Science in biology.
Millersville — Sarah Harthan, magna cum laude, Bachelor of Science in recreation leadership.
Morgantown — Emily Netterville, cum laude, Bachelor of Science in sport management.
Mount Joy — Abigail Groft, cum laude, Bachelor of Science in medical laboratory science; Delaney Loucks, Bachelor of Science in supply chain operations management; Wesley McCleaf, Doctor of nursing practice.
Mountville — Aidan McFall, Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering; Kaitlin Sites, summa cum laude, Bachelor of Science in nursing.
New Holland — Alayna Henry, magna cum laude, Bachelor of Science in music industry and recording technology.
New Providence — Anne Farmer, Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering.
Nottingham — Hunter Hendrickson, Bachelor of Science in engineering management.
Oxford — Elena Stoleriu, cum laude, Bachelor of Science in business administration.
Quarryville — Benjamin Weyman, Bachelor of Arts in mass communications.
Email college news items to collegenews@lnpnews.com. | 2022-07-13T00:32:33+00:00 | lancasteronline.com | https://lancasteronline.com/news/regional/york-college-spring-2022-graduates/article_e62a948e-0235-11ed-be39-af8a20ce7ac9.html |
___
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Gisele Bündchen showed support her for ex-husband Tom Brady on Wednesday after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback announced he was retiring from the NFL for a second time.
In a brief video posted on social media, Brady told fans he is hanging up his helmet after 23 seasons in the NFL, and thanked them for their support.
A number of famous people responded with well wishes, including his supermodel ex.
“Wishing you only wonderful things in this new chapter of your life,” Bündchen commented under the post.
In October, Brady and Bündchen announced that they had finalized their divorce after 13 years of marriage.
Reports of tension in the marriage began circulating after Brady retracted his retirement status in 2022, and wound up playing another season with the Bucs.
“Obviously, the good news is it’s a very amicable situation, and I’m really focused on two things: Taking care of my family, and certainly my children, and secondly, doing the best job I can to win football games,” Brady said during an episode of his weekly podcast. “That’s what professionals do.”
The couple shares children Benjamin, 13, and Vivian, 10. Brady shares his eldest son, Jack, 15, with ex Bridget Moynahan.
After announcing his retirement, Brady shared photos of his teammates from the Buccaneers and the New England Patriots, as well as photos of his family, including both exes on his Instagram story.
“Thank you guys so much, to every single one of you, for supporting me,” Brady said. “My family, my friends, my teammates, my competitors. I could go on forever. There’s too many. Thank you guys for allowing me to live my absolute dream. I wouldn’t change a thing. I love you all.” | 2023-02-01T22:48:29+00:00 | wboy.com | https://www.wboy.com/news/national/gisele-bundchen-reacts-to-ex-tom-brady-announcing-his-retirement-for-2nd-time/ |
The following calls were included in the Albany County Sheriff’s Office responses:
MONDAY, SEPT. 26
• 3:39 a.m., 100 block of E. University Ave., possible impaired driving
• 6:30 p.m., Interstate 80, accident
• 8:33 p.m., 600 block of N. Cedar St., fighting
TUESDAY, SEPT. 27
• 10:27 a.m., 200 block of Wyoming Highway 230, emergency
• 6:45 p.m., 200 block of N. 6th St., disorderly conduct
• 8:45 p.m., Moulton Rd., aggravated assault
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 28
• 7:55 a.m., Wyoming Highway 130, accident
• 2:15 p.m., Hunt Road, emergency
THURSDAY, SEPT. 29
• 1 a.m., 300 block of E. Russell St., possible impaired driving
• 8:43 a.m., 1200 block of W. Lyon St., possible domestic disturbance
• 1:42 p.m., 1500 block of W. Snowy Range Rd., shoplifting
• 3:19 p.m., Cactus Hill Lane, possible sexual offense
• 7:08 p.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., possible possession of controlled substance
• 7:13 p.m., 100 block of Indian Springs Rd., possible domestic disturbance
• 7:48 p.m., 5700 block of E. Skyline Dr., possible impaired driving
The following calls were included in the Laramie Police Department responses:
MONDAY, SEPT. 26
• 8:09 a.m., 500 block of N. 8th St., fraud
• 8:18 a.m., 400 block of E. Ivinson Ave., disturbance/harassment-threats
• 9:41 a.m., 600 block of E. Harney St., vandalism
• 10:45 a.m., 500 block of E. Park Ave., possible possession of controlled substance
• 11:52 a.m., intersection of Boulder Dr. and Beech St., accident
• 12:53 p.m., intersection of S. 9th St. and E. Grand Ave., accident
• 5:39 p.m., 300 block of E. Grand Ave., fraud
• 5:59 p.m., 900 block of Tie Plant Rd., emergency
• 6:24 p.m., 900 block of N. McCue St., disturbance/harassment-threats
• 7:18 p.m., intersection of E. Harney St. and N. 11th St., accident
• 8:33 p.m., 600 block of N. Cedar St., fighting
• 10:11 p.m., 2000 block of Binford St., possible domestic disturbance
TUESDAY, SEPT. 27
• 12:38 a.m., 300 block of S. 13th St., emergency
• 8:46 a.m., intersection of N. 8th St. and E. Fremont St., accident
• 9:22 a.m., 2000 block of E. Grand Ave., accident
• 11:31 a.m., 4000 block of Grays Gable Rd., wildlife
• 12:50 p.m., 900 block of N. McCue St., possible domestic disturbance
• 2:06 p.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., trespassing
• 2:53 p.m., 600 block of S. 9th St., theft
• 3:06 p.m., 1700 block of N. McCue St., accident
• 3:17 p.m., 2300 block of N. 9th St., possible domestic disturbance
• 3:23 p.m., 900 block of S. 4th St., theft/unauthorized use of vehicle
• 3:34 p.m., 1600 block of N. Cedar St., animal bite
• 5:31 p.m., 700 block of S. 10th St., possible sexual offense
• 5:49 p.m., 500 block of E. Flint St., traffic hazard
• 6:45 p.m., 200 block of N. 6th St., disorderly conduct
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 28
• 7:36 a.m., intersection of S. 15th St. and E. Grand Ave., accident
• 8:33 a.m., 300 block of N. 6th St., trespassing
• 8:42 a.m., 1900 block of N. 7th St., littering
• 9:31 a.m., 2300 block of Harrison St., theft/unauthorized use of vehicle
• 9:59 a.m., intersection of N. 22nd St. and E. Hancock St., accident
• 11:22 a.m., 1800 block of Harrison St., mail theft/tampering
• 12:49 p.m., 300 block of E. Sheridan St., fraud
• 3:12 p.m., intersection of N. 21st St. and E. Hancock St., accident
• 3:19 p.m., 400 block of S. 3rd St., emergency
• 3:22 p.m., intersection of N. 17th St. and Beaufort St., accident
• 5:47 p.m., 600 block of E. Fremont St., burglary
• 5:54 p.m., intersection of N. 3rd St. and E. Harney St., traffic hazard
THURSDAY, SEPT. 29
• 1 a.m., 300 block of E. Russell St., possible impaired driving
• 4 a.m., 800 block of N. 14th St., emergency
• 8:16 a.m., 500 block of E. University Ave., emergency
• 8:33 a.m., 400 block of E. Boswell Dr., possible domestic disturbance
• 8:43 a.m., 1200 block of W. Lyon St., possible domestic disturbance
• 11:16 a.m., 900 block of Boulder Dr., emergency
• 11:28 a.m., 1500 block of Inca Dr., trespassing
• 11:31 a.m., 1300 block of N. 17th St., theft/unauthorized use of vehicle
• 11:35 a.m., 1900 block of E. Spring Creek Dr., emergency
• 12:24 p.m., intersection of S. 30th St. and E. Grand Ave., traffic hazard
• 12:42 p.m., 1700 block of Boulder Dr., possible possession of controlled substance
• 1:42 p.m., 1500 block of W. Snowy Range Rd., shoplifting
• 2:08 p.m., 1100 block of S. 3rd St., trespassing
• 3:15 p.m., 1200 block of E. Grand Ave., accident
• 3:53 p.m., 500 block of General Brees Rd., vandalism
• 4:56 p.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., accident
• 7:08 p.m., 4300 block of E. Grand Ave., possible possession of controlled substance
• 7:48 p.m., 5700 block of E. Skyline Dr., possible impaired driving
• 8:47 p.m., 2600 block of E. Sheridan St., emergency
• 9:02 p.m., 700 block of Plaza Ct., disturbance/harassment-threats
• 9:28 p.m., 1500 block of N. McCue St., accident
• 10:51 p.m., 1600 block of N. Cedar St., emergency | 2022-10-01T12:34:52+00:00 | wyomingnews.com | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/local_news/arrest_record_and_police_calls/on-the-record-oct-1-2022/article_45e38ace-40f8-11ed-95c3-13ae9db6521d.html |
2-year-old in need of kidney donor: ‘He needs a kidney to have a healthy life’
APPLETON, Wis. (WBAY/Gray News) - A Wisconsin family says they are looking for a miracle in the form of a kidney donor for their 2-year-old son.
WBAY reports Arlo Lesatz spends eight hours a night hooked up to machines that help to keep him alive.
Arlo’s father Max Lesatz said his son is a happy guy who loves running around, but he is in end-stage renal failure.
According to the boy’s family, Arlo was born with chronic kidney disease. He has had 12 surgeries, multiple hospital stays, and has been receiving in-home dialysis for more than six months.
“Arlo needs a kidney. He needs a kidney to have a healthy life. He can’t be on dialysis forever,” Liz Lesatz, Ario’s mother said. “Because he’s so young we’re hoping to do a live kidney donation, meaning to have a living donor give their kidney.”
Unfortunately, Arlo’s parents said neither of them can donate.
The family said the team at Children’s Wisconsin and Froedtert hospitals have joined them in looking for a person willing to help with the kidney donation.
“It would be great to be able to set Arlo onto that next path forward,” Max Lesatz said. “Someone being able to provide that gift for him would be amazing.”
Arlo’s ideal kidney donor reportedly needs to be a healthy adult with either type A or type O blood.
The family said they are hoping to find a donor sooner than later.
“This is an illness for Arlo that is not going to go away, and there will still be struggles that come with it even when he gets a kidney,” Liz Lesatz said. “It would give us peace of mind that he can have a longer, happier life and get to be a normal kid.”
More information regarding being a possible kidney donor is available here.
Copyright 2022 WBAY via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | 2022-11-12T02:32:54+00:00 | kcbd.com | https://www.kcbd.com/2022/11/12/2-year-old-need-kidney-donor-he-needs-kidney-have-healthy-life/ |
Drivers who weave in and out of the Interstate 70 mountain express lanes or use them when they’re closed soon will receive the first $75 fines as the state begins using cameras to target unsafe driving in its expanding toll-lane network.
The Colorado Department of Transportation on Wednesday will switch on a new automated enforcement system that will use cameras and sensors to catch violations in the I-70 mountain express lanes between the Veterans Memorial Tunnels and Empire. It tentatively plans to expand the system to other express-lane corridors — including several in metro Denver — by late 2024.
Drivers caught violating the rules on I-70’s shoulder express lanes will receive a warning in the mail during an initial 30-day grace period.
Starting July 21, they’ll be assessed fines that begin at $75 for a first offense, with the fine increasing to $150 if it’s not paid within 20 days.
The violations targeted include using the express lanes when they’re closed, crossing the solid yellow line between toll points when they’re open and driving an oversized vehicle in them, CDOT says.
CDOT added the narrower express lanes on I-70’s inside shoulders in the 13-mile corridor under a special arrangement with federal regulators, with the eastbound lane opening in 2015 and the westbound side following last year. They’re typically open only on weekends and holidays, since the arrangement still requires the lanes to be used as shoulders most of the time. Semitrailers and other vehicles with more than two axles or that are more than 25 feet long aren’t allowed in the express lanes.
“This technology is a game-changer,” CDOT spokesman Tim Hoover said in a news release. “It will not only help us identify and penalize drivers who are endangering themselves and others, we truly believe it will help save lives and make our roads safer for everyone.”
State lawmakers last year gave CDOT’s Colorado Transportation Investment Office, an enterprise arm that oversees its express lanes, more authority to crack down on violations in the I-70 mountain corridor. The bill, HB22-1074, allows fines up to $250 for repeat violations.
Since then, CDOT leaders have expanded the safety enforcement program’s scope to other corridors, where drivers bobbing in and out of express lanes — essentially using them as a passing lane — has become a frequent occurrence.
On the mountain corridor, CDOT has installed a system of sensors and cameras to identify violators that it says is the first of its kind in the nation for a highway enforcement program. It will work similarly to the license-plate tolling system, which can bill vehicle owners who lack a tolling transponder.
CDOT’s news release says it’s important to keep the I-70 mountain lanes clear when they’re serving as shoulders so that they can be used by emergency vehicles or to move broken-down vehicles out of traffic. A legislative analysis last year reported that in 2020, tolling equipment detected 47,828 vehicles in the eastbound express lane during times it was closed.
The stepped-up enforcement comes as CTIO prepares to begin tolling this summer on new I-70 express lanes in northeast Denver and later this year on Interstate 25 south of Castle Rock; both corridors are still in free testing periods.
CDOT’s other express-lane corridors don’t have as many restrictions as the I-70 mountain lanes and are open 24 hours a day, making it likely that the automated system will target weaving by drivers and other unsafe behavior.
Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter. | 2023-06-21T09:38:48+00:00 | dailycamera.com | https://www.dailycamera.com/2023/06/19/i-70-mountain-express-lane-enforcement-colorado/ |
Report throws cold water on potential Judge-Cubs pairing originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
So much for Kap’s offseason dream addition for the Cubs.
NBC Sports Chicago's David Kaplan, who wants no free agent more for the Cubs this coming offseason than Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, is going to be disappointed if ESPN’s Buster Olney’s sources are right.
Olney laid out seven potential fits (other than New York) this winter for Judge, when he’s set to hit free agency for the first time, including the Cubs. But a “rival evaluator” threw ice cold water on that possibility.
“He wants to win,” the rival evaluator told Olney. “He’s not going to sign with a loser like the Cubs are right now. I don’t see him signing up for the rebuild.”
Judge hinted at that in a conversation with NBC Sports Chicago this month, when asked whether the Cubs’ spending behavior and willingness to rebuild compared to the perennially aggressive Yankees would make a difference in his addition.
Local
“It may,” Judge said. “But I haven’t even thought about that yet. I’ve got a lot on my plate the next couple months.”
RELATED: Asking Aaron Judge (for a friend) about free agency, Cubs
Judge, who has an arbitration hearing scheduled Friday, already turned down a seven-year, $213.5 million extension offer from New York.
The 6-foot-7 slugger is putting together a career year for the MLB-leading Yankees and will be one of the most sought-after free agents on the market, if not the highest in demand.
Whether Judge would consider the Cubs, with where they are in their rebuild, this probably won't be the offseason they hand out the biggest contract in franchise history
Sorry, Kap. | 2022-06-23T00:24:43+00:00 | nbcchicago.com | https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/potential-cubs-aaron-judge-pairing-gets-cold-water-thrown-on-it/2863580/ |
A $52 million project to revamp the exit at College Drive for westbound motorists should be done by January of 2023 barring weather delays, Louisiana's transportation chief said.
"If we have multiple, back to back hurricanes given the evacuation route that exists there we would call time out," said Shawn Wilson, secretary for the state Department of Transportation and Development. "But we are pleased with the progress."
The original completion date was Nov. 30.
Wilson said weather delays often extend the length of a project by 20% to 30%.
He said that, if the work is wrapped up in January, "that to me is on schedule. Not technically but in the real world that seems to work."
In case of weather problems the finish date will be pushed back past January.
Taxpayers got their first look at the plans in October of 2019.
About 17,000 westbound motorists use the College Drive exit daily, and around 116,000 cars and trucks travel west between the I-10/12 split and College Drive each day.
The problem today is westbound motorists on I-10 have to cross three lanes of traffic to get to the College Drive exit, and navigate around traffic from I-12 merging onto I-10.
Those entering I-10 from I-12, and trying to move to the fastest-moving inside lanes, have to work around motorists trying to get off the interstate.
The new setup will allow cars and trucks on I-10 to cross one lane to reach the exit.
The work is part of a larger project to add a new lane in each direction on I-10 from La. 415 in West Baton Rouge Parish to the split.
Wilson also said a pinch point 1 3/4 miles east of College Drive, where I-10 narrows from three lanes to two, will remain in place for now.
The narrow roadway is the site of daily slowdowns but is less of a problem than when it first appeared in November.
Crews are working two shifts per day.
"There are certain pieces that will be done at night because you might have intermittent lane closures," he said.
The overhaul forced the removal of 250 trees from the I-10/12 split, which sparked major concerns among members of Baton Rouge Green, a non-profit group that planted and maintained the trees.
Earlier estimates put the number of trees to be removed at less than 200 but that changed when state officials scrapped plans to erect a flyover to the College Drive exit for westbound motorists.
Wilson has promised the state will gradually replace two trees for each one removed.
Around a dozen crepe myrtles are in an enclosed area at the I-10/12 median now.
DOTD has allowed Baton Rouge Green officials to work with the contractor for the project.
Sage Foley, executive director of Baton Rouge Green, said earlier this week she is satisfied with how the work has unfolded. | 2022-07-20T15:30:59+00:00 | theadvocate.com | https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_72fdf4f2-06a8-11ed-9a0a-7fff43a71f03.html |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Rep. Ilhan Omar, one of the biggest stars of the left, is facing a challenge from the center in her congressional primary in Minnesota on Tuesday, while Vermont Democrats will choose a nominee for an open U.S. House seat who will likely make history as the first woman representing the state in Congress.
Another key race is unfolding in western Wisconsin, where Democratic Rep. Ron Kind ‘s retirement after 26 years in office opens up a House seat in a district that has been trending Republican. Among the candidates running in the Republican primary to replace Kind is a former Navy SEAL who attended the “Stop the Steal” rally in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021, which preceded the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Minnesota is also holding a special election to fill the remaining months of Republican Rep. Jim Hagedorn ‘s term after his death earlier this year from cancer. And voters will be picking nominees for a full term representing the largely rural, Republican-leaning district.
Some of the top elections:
OMAR FACES PRO-POLICE CHALLENGER
A supporter of the “defund the police” movement, Omar is facing a Democratic primary challenge in Minnesota’s 5th Congressional District from a former Minneapolis City Council member who has made rising crime an issue in the race.
Don Samuels’ north Minneapolis base suffers from more violent crime than other parts of the city, and the moderate Democrat helped defeat a ballot question that sought to replace the city police department with a new public safety unit.
Omar has defended calls to redirect public safety funding more into community-based programs.
Samuels and others also successfully sued the city to force it to meet minimum police staffing levels called for in Minneapolis’ charter. Samuels says Omar, one of the leading voices in the national progressive movement, is divisive. He’s attracted big bucks to his campaign, though Omar as the incumbent has a significant cash advantage.
Omar, who crushed a similar primary challenge two years ago from a well-funded but lesser-known opponent than Samuels, has said she expects to win easily.
Two other members of the progressive Squad in Congress — Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri — won their Democratic primaries last week.
SPECIAL ELECTION AND PRIMARY ELECTION IN MINNESOTA
Voters in the 1st Congressional District in southern Minnesota will be weighing in on two races related to the seat.
In the special election, voters will choose between Republican Brad Finstad, who served in the U.S. Department of Agriculture during the Trump administration, and Democrat Jeff Ettinger, a former chief executive at Hormel Foods. Both won a May 24 special primary election for Hagedorn’s seat, and Tuesday’s winner will serve until January.
Finstad and Ettinger are also running in their parties’ primaries for a full term in the district, which includes Rochester and Mankato. Ettinger faces mostly token opposition, but Finstad is expecting a strong challenge from state Rep. Jeremy Munson, whom he just narrowly defeated in the special election primary.
Munson has the support of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan. He has said he doesn’t think President Joe Biden’s victory was legitimate, despite federal and state election officials, courts and Trump’s own attorney general saying there was no credible evidence the election was tainted.
WISCONSIN: REPLACING RON KIND
Republicans see a pickup opportunity in Wisconsin’s 3rd Congressional District, the seat being vacated by Democratic incumbent Kind.
The district covers a swath of counties along Wisconsin’s western border with Minnesota and includes La Cross and Eau Claire. Republican Derrick Van Orden is running unopposed in his primary Tuesday and has Trump’s endorsement.
Van Orden narrowly lost to Kind in the 2020 general election. He attended Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally near the White House but has said he never stepped foot on the grounds of the Capitol during the insurrection.
Four Democrats are competing to succeed Kind, including state Sen. Brad Pfaff, who previously worked for the retiring lawmaker and briefly served as state agriculture secretary. Pfaff has Kind’s endorsement.
The others are small-business owner Rebecca Cooke, retired CIA officer Deb McGrath and La Crosse City Council member Mark Neumann.
RARE VERMONT OPEN SENATE SEAT SPARKS HEATED HOUSE PRIMARY
The retirement of Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Senate’s longest-serving member, has opened the door for Vermont to elect its first-ever female member of the state’s congressional delegation.
Rep. Peter Welch, who currently holds Vermont’s lone House seat, is running to replace Leahy. The race to succeed Welch has largely centered around two Democratic women.
Lt. Gov. Molly Gray, a centrist who is a former staffer for Welch and has been backed by Leahy and former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, is squaring off against Becca Balint, the president pro tempore of the state Senate. Balint has endorsements from progressive leaders, including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
The winner immediately becomes the favorite in November’s general election — and could shape whether Vermont’s congressional politics going forward is dominated by Leahy’s largely centrist views or the progressive values more closely aligned with Sanders.
___
Associated Press writers Doug Glass in Minneapolis, Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis., and Wilson Ring in Montpelier, Vt., contributed to this report.
___
Follow AP for full coverage of the midterms at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections and on Twitter at https://twitter.com/ap_politics. | 2022-08-09T14:21:39+00:00 | wric.com | https://www.wric.com/news/politics/ilhan-omar-faces-centrist-rival-open-house-seat-in-vermont/ |
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) –An Albuquerque business is exploring the future of brewing. Rio Bravo Brewing Company is introducing a new beer made with the help of artificial intelligence technology.
Jennifer and Luke Baker both work at the Rio Bravo Brewing Company near 2nd and Haines Street. “We kind of dove into it. We got very excited about it. I think we spent a couple of weeks just like seeing everything it offered and all the options you could do,” says Jennifer Baker, Marketing Director at Rio Bravo Brewery Company.
Jennifer says she was using the AI online tool called “Chat GPT” to help her mom make a recipe, when they suddenly thought about using it to make beer. In order to make the recipe, they input an ingredient list and the AI did the rest. They say the technology even came up with a name for the beer.
“It gave us the name “Alegorithm” which we really liked because the recipe it gave us was a pale ale, so it’s a really light approachable beer for a lot of people so we were happy with that,” says Baker. But, the big question, how does it taste? Jennifer and Luke say that due to the brewing process, they actually don’t know yet.
In order to make sure the recipe would meet their company standards, their expert brewers reviewed the AI recipe before it went into production. Rio Bravo Brewing says they used the AI technology called “Midjourney” to also create the beer’s graphic design.
They’re hoping to have the AI beer available as a six-pack and on tap in April. They say they’re also looking at other ways to incorporate AI into their business. The brewery says depending on the public’s response they may explore more AI recipes in the future. | 2023-03-22T14:29:16+00:00 | krqe.com | https://www.krqe.com/news/albuquerque-metro/albuquerque-brewery-uses-ai-technology-to-make-beer/ |
2 New Jersey police chiefs facing misconduct, other charges
Apr 12, 2023, 1:22 PM
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey authorities on Wednesday arrested a small-town police chief, charging him with sexually assaulting subordinates over more than a decade, while also announcing misconduct charges against another police chief who recently retired.
Attorney General Matthew Platkin said that Manville police Chief Thomas Herbst, 55, of Bridgewater, New Jersey, was arrested earlier Wednesday and faces multiple counts of sexual assault, official misconduct and other similar charges.
Herbst’s lawyer, Jim Wronko, said in a phone interview that his client “categorically denies” engaging in nonconsensual sex with any woman. He said Herbst was released from jail after an initial court appearance.
Platkin also said official misconduct, tampering with records and witnesses and other charges were filed in state court against former Howell Police Chief Andrew Kudrick, 49, of Farmingdale. Robert Honecker Jr., Kudrick’s attorney, said in a phone call that his client denies the allegations and that Kudrick had fallen into “political disfavor.” “He intends to vigorously defend against these charges,” he said.
The charges were announced together, though the cases are unrelated, to show police couldn’t get away with abusing the power their positions give them, the attorney general said.
“I have a clear message: The badge doesn’t make you untouchable and your office does not give you a right to act with impunity because at the end of the day we all stand equal before the law,” Platkin said.
The case against Herbst made headlines last year when one of the women who said he sexually assaulted her filed a lawsuit against him. He’s been on paid leave since then. Wronko, his attorney, said he expects the leave to become unpaid as of Wednesday.
According to Platkin’s office, Herbst was sexually inappropriate toward at least three women. And from 2008 to 2021, he regularly groped, exposed himself to and sexually harassed and assaulted a department employee who reported directly to him, according to the attorney general. The attacks happened while on duty and around police headquarters, Platkin said.
The case against Kudrick stemmed from a special labor counsel investigation in Howell Township that was launched because news about a suspected romantic relationship between Kudrick and a subordinate had come into the open, according to the attorney general.
Shortly before a police captain who knew about the relationship was set to speak to the special labor counsel, Kudrick threatened to launch an illegitimate internal affairs investigation into the officer, Platkin said.
It was an effort to intimidate the captain from being truthful with the labor counsel, he added. Kudrick also falsely denied having an intimate relationship with the subordinate in violation of the township’s policy against engaging in romantic relationships with subordinates, Platkin said..
Manville is a borough of nearly 11,000 people in Somerset County. Howell Township, Monmouth County, has a population of more than 53,000. | 2023-04-12T23:37:41+00:00 | mynorthwest.com | https://mynorthwest.com/3874202/2-new-jersey-police-chiefs-facing-misconduct-other-charges/ |
Seattle’s parks may have already been among the dearest in our hearts, and a recent ranking shows they’re also among the best in the country.
Seattle’s public park system was named eighth-best in the country by the nonprofit Trust for Public Land.
The study compared park systems across the 100 most populous cities in the United States, analyzing them across five categories: access, investment, amenities, acreage and equity.
Seattle Parks and Recreation, with over 489 parks, climbed from the ninth spot last year. The park system is the largest landowner in Seattle, and contains one of the few complete Olmsted park systems — named after the son of an early pioneer of modern landscape design — in the country, said spokesperson Rachel Schulkin. John Charles Olmsted, Frederick Law Olmsted’s stepson, was the primary visionary of the Seattle park system.
Seattle’s ranking is “a recognition that our parks are unique and truly impactful assets for our city,” said Mayor Bruce Harrell in a news release. “Seattle is a city of natural beauty, made even more special by the dedicated work of park partners and professionals.”
Within the study’s top 25 cities, residents were 9% less likely to have poor mental health and 21% less likely to be physically inactive than those in lower-ranked cities, according to Trust for Public Land.
Seattle scored highest (100 out of 100 points) in the investment category, which analyzed spending across all of a park system’s agencies and organizations.
Seattle Parks and Recreation spends $329 per Seattle resident each year on public parks and recreation, which is more than triple the national median spending of $108 per resident, according to the Trust for Public Land.
Some of Seattle Parks and Recreation’s biggest investments in the past year include projects to renovate the Fairmount Park play area and Jefferson Community Center, said Schulkin, which cost over $2.6 million combined.
The system’s largest expense is park and facility maintenance — $86 million per year — which includes staffing, utilities and equipment, Schulkin added.
The 100 most populous cities invested a total of over $9 billion in their parks, with San Francisco leading the pack at $480 per resident, according to the Trust for Public Land.
Seattle’s park system also ranked high in the access category, which analyzed how many residents live within a 10-minute (or half-mile) walk of a park. With 99% of Seattle’s population living this close to a park, the Emerald City scores among the highest in this category, with a score of 98 out of 100 points.
Parks and green spaces have “public health superpowers,” said Dr. Howard Frumkin, a senior vice president at Trust for Public Land.
They can deliver cardiovascular benefits, fight loneliness, combat osteoporosis, counter stress and anxiety and more — “and they do those things without adverse side effects and at minimal cost,” said Frumkin, who is also a former dean of the University of Washington School of Public Health and a past official of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A 2023 study conducted in Philadelphia, one of the nation’s largest cities that has differing densities of green space, found those who live closest to green spaces often report better physical health and less stress than those who live farther. Research shows access to parks and green spaces offers especially strong health benefits for people with low incomes and those most likely to be in poor health.
While Frumkin and other health experts agree on the benefits of access to parks, “we know that it is not equitable,” said Dr. Pooja S. Tandon, a pediatrician and researcher at Seattle Children’s hospital and associate professor of pediatrics at the UW.
The Trust for Public Land study revealed neighborhoods of color across U.S. cities had access to an average of 43% less park acreage than predominantly white neighborhoods, and similar park-space inequities existed in low-income neighborhoods across cities.
In Seattle, the study found residents in low-income neighborhoods have access to 13% less park space per person than those in median-income neighborhoods and 36% less than those in high-income neighborhoods.
Seattle residents in neighborhoods of color have access to 40% more park space per person than the city median and 5% more than those in white neighborhoods, according to Trust for Public Land.
The study analyzed equity using two metrics: the fairness in the distribution of parks and park space between neighborhoods by race and income. Seattle scored 76 out of 100 points.
“This ranking reflects the commitment this city has towards improving access and equity throughout our park system and the abundant love Seattleites have for their park system,” said Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent AP Diaz.
Seattle scored 53 out of 100 points on acreage, which looked at the amount of large “destination” parks based on dedicated parkland area and median park sizes, according to the study.
There are 6,480 acres of park spaces (both parks and natural and undeveloped areas) in Seattle, which accounts for about 12% of city land.
Seattle’s lowest ranking was on amenities (about average at 46 out of 100 points), which looked at the amount of six popular park activities — basketball hoops, dog parks, playgrounds, bathrooms, recreation and senior centers, and splash pads — that are associated with a rise in physical activity, according to a 2016 national study.
To no surprise, Seattle scored highest in the number of dog parks across the city.
Seattle’s lowest score in the amenities category was for number of playgrounds.
Seattle Parks and Recreation plans to add between five and 10 play areas throughout Seattle within the next five years, Schulkin said, as well as renovate many of the existing ones. | 2023-07-02T14:16:18+00:00 | seattletimes.com | https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/seattle-parks-ranks-among-top-10-park-systems-in-the-country/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_all |
Customers of the Kroger subsidiary can now purchase 9OZ packs of Sahlen's latest hot dog product with more prep possibilities for on-the-go convenience.
BUFFALO, N.Y., Nov. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sahlen Packing Co., the family-owned and operated food production company, announced that its latest product, Sahlen's Grilled For You™ Pork & Beef Smokehouse Hot Dogs, is now available at various Harris Teeter locations.
Leveraging the company's beloved flagship product already available at Harris Teeter, the Tender Casing Pork & Beef Smokehouse Hot Dogs, as well as the company's leading-edge food manufacturing capabilities, Sahlen's Grilled For You™ Hot Dogs meet evolving consumer demand for more quality on-the-go dining options. Grilled For You™ Hot Dogs come in nine-ounce packages with real grill char marks, an authentic fresh-off-the-grill flavor, prolonged shelf life, and a variety of ways to quickly prepare.
Designed specifically for those who don't own a grill, are not permitted to grill, or just want to save time by not grilling outdoors, Sahlen's Grilled For You™ Hot Dogs can be quickly prepared using an air fryer, microwave, saute pan, oven, and a variety of other methods in less time than other traditional hot dog products. Harris Teeter shoppers up and down the Atlantic Coast can now experience the perfect hot dog-eating experience, regardless of the season, space, or grilling setup.
When it comes to increasing the national reach of Sahlen's Hot Dogs and introducing new markets to the company's latest Grilled For You™ product, Sahlen's VP of Marketing, Kenneth Voelker, explained, "We couldn't be more excited to provide Harris Teeter shoppers with a premium hot dog when and where they want it. With our Grilled For You™ Hot Dogs, you don't need grilling setups to savor the true Smokehouse flavor of our products. Nor do you need to spend time—that you often don't have—preparing a quality meal at home, on the road, or in the office. It's a perfect product for the modern day consumer."
Headquartered in Matthews, NC, Harris Teeter is a subsidiary of The Kroger Company, as of 2014, and operates over 250 grocery stores in seven South Atlantic states, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Delaware, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Many of the over 250 Harris Teeter locations already carry two of Sahlen's flagship hot dog products—Sahlen's Tender Casing Pork & Beef Smokehouse Hot Dogs and Sahlen's Tender Casing All Beef Smokehouse Hot Dogs.
Sahlen Packing Co., has ensured the highest quality meat product for retailers, foodservice operators, and families across the country, throughout its 150-year history. This heritage of quality and freshness spans the entire Sahlen product line, including Polish and Italian sausages, a variety of deli meats, and the flagship Smokehouse Tender Casing Hot Dogs, which Harris Teeter customers have been able to purchase prior to the release of Sahlen's Grilled For You™ Hot Dogs.
Now a five-generation family business, and sharing a like-minded, community-oriented approach as Harris Teeter, Sahlen Packing Co. has increased its national distribution and consumer demand thanks to a company-wide commitment to quality food production practices, active community outreach initiatives, and strong relationship-building with retailers like Harris Teeter.
For further information on Harris Teeter, and to find a location closest to you carrying Sahlen's Grilled For You™ Pork & Beef Smokehouse Hot Dogs, visit harristeeter.com.
For more information on the products and history of Sahlen Packing Co., please visit sahlen.com.
Sahlen Packing Co. | 318 Howard St., Buffalo, NY 14206 | grilled4you.com
Sahlen Packing Co.
318 Howard Street
Buffalo, NY 14206
716-852-8677
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SOURCE Sahlen Packing Co. | 2022-11-09T14:34:02+00:00 | kwtx.com | https://www.kwtx.com/prnewswire/2022/11/09/harris-teeter-adds-new-sahlens-grilled-you-pork-amp-beef-smokehouse-hot-dogs/ |
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Two Minneapolis police snipers fatally shot a man from the roof of an apartment building across the street from where he had been holed up in an overnight standoff, according to documents filed Friday.
But authorities have not yet said what prompted officers to shoot 20-year-old Andrew Tekle Sundberg early Thursday after around six hours of efforts to persuade him to surrender. The officers were identified as Aaron Pearson and Zachary Seraphin. A gun was recovered from Sundberg’s third-floor apartment, according to the state agency leading the investigation.
Officers activated their body cameras, according to a police report, but the video has not been released.
Investigators collected a .38-caliber handgun with an extended magazine from a bed, and live .45-caliber cartridges from a closet and a bowl in the living room, according to search warrant affidavits. At least seven spent bullets were recovered in the search of a separate unit on the same floor.
The affidavits also listed numerous “less lethal” rounds found inside and outside the building. They’re projectiles — often 40 mm foam rounds — meant to incapacitate a person without killing them. That indicates officers fired them at some point during the standoff, but court filings don’t say when they used them.
When the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension collected the officers’ rifles, their magazines still held more rounds, the filings said.
Police have said officers first responded Wednesday night after a third-floor tenant called 911 to report that someone fired gunshots through the wall of her unit. Officers moved her, her two young children and others to safety. Police said Sundberg had isolated himself in a neighboring apartment. Police attempted to negotiate with him by phone and by loudspeaker. Sundberg was shot about 4:30 a.m. Thursday.
Sgt. Sherral Schmidt, president of the Minneapolis Police Officers Federation, said “many tactics” were used to try to persuade Sundberg to surrender.
“These efforts became futile when the suspect endangered the lives of others and to prevent death or great bodily harm to another, officers used deadly force,” Schmidt said in a statement late Friday.
The Sundberg family has retained civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who has also represented the families of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Breonna Taylor and other Black people killed by police in recent years, often securing multimillion-dollar settlements. Crump also worked with his local partner Jeff Storms for the families of Amir Locke and Daunte Wright, who were both killed by Minneapolis-area police officers.
Investigators have not released information about Sundberg’s race, but an online fundraising campaign from 2015, after the then-13-year-old was injured in an ATV crash, said he was born in Ethiopia and adopted into a Minnesota family.
A GoFundMe organized for his funeral expenses describes him as “a brother, friend, uncle, son … talented artist, hilarious and energetic. His life was taken too soon by the Minneapolis Police Department. … He leaves behind many loving family members and friends.”
Sundberg’s death was the second involving Minneapolis police this year. Locke was shot at a downtown apartment on Feb. 2 while officers executed an early morning no-knock search warrant. Both officers who fired at Sundberg were also part of the SWAT team at the scene when Locke, 22, was shot.
Pearson used a key to enter the apartment where Locke stirred beneath a blanket on the couch and reached for a handgun. Officer Mark Hanneman fatally shot Locke within 10 seconds — an encounter recorded on Pearson’s body camera. Seraphine, a SWAT team medic, provided medical care to Locke on the scene, according to the BCA.
No officers were charged in Locke’s death.
The Minneapolis department has long been under scrutiny over allegations of brutality and racial injustice. Floyd’s killing in 2020 led to a state investigation that found the department has engaged in a pattern of race discrimination for at least the past decade. | 2022-07-16T15:27:46+00:00 | wate.com | https://www.wate.com/news/national-world/ap-us-news/vigil-held-for-man-killed-by-minneapolis-police-in-standoff/ |
NEW YORK, May 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning actor David Hyde Pierce, Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Spike Lee, former NFL player and entrepreneur Leonard Marshall, and Tony Award winner James Lapine will all highlight CaringKind's 26th annual Forget-Me-Not Gala on Monday, June 6th, at The Pierre Hotel in NYC. CaringKind is New York City's leading expert on Alzheimer's and dementia caregiving. The Forget-Me-Not Gala is a way for CaringKind to continue to raise funds to support the myriad of programs they offer. The Purist will serve as the media sponsor for the evening.
David Hyde Pierce will serve as the master of ceremonies for the event. Jon Henes, CEO of C Street Advisory Group, will serve as the Gala Chair. The event will feature music by DJ Mad Marj. In a special ceremony, Spike Lee will present Leonard Marshall with the "Courage and Leadership for Awareness Award." CaringKind's gala features a cocktail reception at 6:30pm, followed by dinner, awards, music, and a live auction at 7:30pm, ending the night with an afterparty beginning at 9:30pm.
The night will honor individuals that have demonstrated unparalleled dedication to providing quality care for individuals and families affected by Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Honorees will also include:
- Daughters InSanity (one of CaringKind's sponsors) founders Ellen Breslow Newhouse, Laura Kane, and Hail Breindel with the "Family Caregiver Award."
- Cofounder and Director of Product for Blue Zones, Nick Buettner, with the "Wellness and Longevity Leadership Award."
- Leonard Marshall, former NFL player, entrepreneur, and advocate, with the "Courage and Leadership for Awareness Award."
- James Lapine, Tony Award winner and Pulitzer Prize Director, with the "Creative Leadership Award."
CaringKind's mission is to create, deliver and promote comprehensive and compassionate care and support services for individuals and families affected by Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The organization achieves their mission by providing programs and services for individuals with dementia, their families, and professional caregivers. CaringKind is also committed to generating public awareness, collaborating with research centers, and informing public policy through advocacy.
In 2021, CaringKind responded to 8,300 helpline calls, initiated 1,000 social work consultations, enrolled over 500 people in their Wanderer's Safety program, and hosted 90 different support groups facilitated by trained leaders both virtually and in person.
This year's auction features comedian Seth Herzog and exciting lots detailed below.
The Paddle Raise will feature the incomparable Lydia Fenet of Christie's Auction House.
LOTS include:
- A stay at an authentic, fully renovated millhouse that sleeps 8, in France, just South of Paris.
- A dinner with Tony Award-winner James Lapine at the new Times Square location of Brooklyn Chop House.
- A luxury getaway to Pink Paradise, with a stay at The Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, golf, area shopping, a visit to The Norton Museum and a Roberto Coin gold and diamond bracelet.
- A romantic weekend to the exquisite St. Regis Bahia Beach Resort in Puerto Rico with dining, golf, and a Six Senses Spa massage for two.
- A New York Sports VIP experience, including tickets for the Yankees and Giants.
- A NYC cultural immersion with a stay at The Equinox Hotel at Hudson Yards, an Equinox Spa certificate, a show at The Shed theater at Hudson Yards, an art tour with renown art advisor Barbara Guggenheim, tickets for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and a $2500 gift certificate to Wempe Jewelry & Watch Boutique.
Tickets are still available and can be purchase here.
About CaringKind
CaringKind* is New York City's leading expert on Alzheimer's and dementia caregiving. With over 40 years of experience, CaringKind works directly with their community partners to develop the information, tools, and training to support individuals and families affected by dementia. They offer a CaringKind Helpline (646) 744-2900 run by professional staff; individual and family counseling sessions with licensed social workers; a vast network of support groups; education seminars and training programs; early-stage services and a wanderer's safety program. CaringKind believes in the power of caregiving and seek a world where everyone dealing with dementia has the support they need when they need it.
www.caringkindnyc.org
*Formerly Known As Alzheimer's Association, New York City Chapter.
About Eleonora Tornatore, CEO
Eleonora Tornatore-Mikesh spent almost 14 years at a premier assisted living community as the executive director. More recently Mrs. Tornatore-Mikesh was the CEO of the Alzheimer's Association's Connecticut Chapter. During her tenure of 7 years at the Association she more than doubled revenue and implemented statewide dementia training in over 140 facilities. She created a state-wide early-stage group and secured funding for the state. Mrs. Tornatore-Mikesh also served as chairperson for the Connecticut Assisted Living Association (CALA) where she created a statewide curriculum for an Executive Director course. She served as a representative for the Connecticut Assisted Living Association (CALA) for seven years on a Department of Public Health committee revising regulations for assisted living and the Institute of Senior Living Education. For the last fifteen months she has been a senior executive for an Assisted Living on the Upper East Side, charged with program development. She is currently the President and CEO of CaringKind, the Heart of Alzheimer's Caregiving. She returns to CaringKind having served as an intern under Jed Levine 25 years ago.
Websites of Interest
Blue Zones: https://www.bluezones.com/
Leonard Marshall: https://www.leonardmarshall.com/
James Lapine: http://www.jameslapine.com/
DJ Mad Marj: https://www.madmarj.com/
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SOURCE CaringKind | 2022-05-18T17:47:49+00:00 | kcrg.com | https://www.kcrg.com/prnewswire/2022/05/18/caringkind-hosts-26th-annual-gala-june-6th-pierre-with-star-studded-lineup-including-david-hyde-pierce-spike-lee-leonard-marshall-more/ |
- New Research from BCG and Microsoft Finds Significant and Widening Sustainability Skills Gap as Increasing Number of Companies Make Commitments to Reduce Emissions
- Companies Could Face Upskilling Up to 150 Million People in Under Ten Years to Turn Sustainability Ambitions into Action
- Roughly 2/3 of Sustainability Leaders Are Hired from Within; More Resources Needed to Support Skill-Building Efforts for Initial Talent and to Scale Efforts Across the Organization
BOSTON, Jan. 11, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- From 2007 through 2022, the number of companies setting science-based targets has grown by a factor of 36—to more than 4,200 companies. According to separate BCG research, only 17% of those that have set targets are on track to meet them. Meeting these goals will require organizations to embed sustainability across their business; however, according to new research by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Microsoft released today, there is a systemic sustainability skills gap that must first be closed.
The report, titled Put Talent at the Top of the Sustainability Agenda, examines some of the talent-related obstacles that could slow the process of making sustainability a reality, and details how sustainability frontrunners are innovating to meet those challenges during different stages of an organization's sustainability transformation journey: mobilize, embed, and accelerate. The research is based on the experiences of 15 companies, including Microsoft and BCG, in seven industries and three geographic areas (North America, Europe, and Asia). In addition, it highlights findings from a survey of almost 250 sustainability professionals at those companies and others, including more than 50 chief sustainability officers and sustainability leaders. Microsoft recently released its own report on closing the sustainability skills gap based on this research it conducted with BCG.
"Value creation for shareholders will increasingly be linked to effective leadership in sustainability, and employees are essential to that progress," said Rich Lesser, global chair of BCG and a coauthor of the report. "We're optimistic that an informed, inclusive approach to upskilling can provide us with the human capital we need. But given the urgency, this work must start now—at every company, across most business functions. We will need all companies to work together so that our global economy can quickly transition to a sustainable future for our planet."
According to the report, core teams helping companies to embark on sustainability transformations need individuals with a mix of four broad skill sets: sustainability, functional, transformational, and data and digital. Eighty-four percent of sustainability professionals surveyed listed priority skills for being successful in their role in at least two of those four capability areas. As there is limited talent with that broad skill profile, frontrunner companies are developing the talent they need by selecting employees with the necessary functional, transformational, and/or data and digital expertise, and then helping them rapidly gain the specific expertise to put their talents to work for sustainability.
Companies are relying heavily on their internal talent. More than half (68%) of sustainability leaders surveyed are "homegrown" and hired from within the company, while just 32% are brought in from the outside. More than half of people on sustainability teams (60%) say they were not hired for their sustainability expertise; with 32% considering themselves an expert in another field and 28% reporting they are not an expert in any field.
As talent step into their new sustainability-focused roles, they face a steep learning curve. Sustainability is a rapidly evolving domain, so the nascency of skills is by far the biggest upskilling challenge that sustainability professionals face (76% of those surveyed agreed), followed by not having enough time (38%), and facing a lack of access to fit-for-purpose training solutions that effectively bring sustainability to life in a business context (31%). The leading methods of upskilling found most useful by survey respondents were work experience (93% agreed), published material (63%), and attendance at conferences and presentations (57%) (see the exhibit).
Although companies can rely to a degree on external learning providers to upskill their teams, it's still difficult to find formalized courses and certification programs focused on the sustainability skills required for business.
To achieve corporatewide sustainability goals, skilling must go well beyond the core team that starts and then shepherds the journey. Each member of the organization must gain general sustainability fluency and merge their existing functional skills with the requisite sustainability skills for their role, in order to perform their jobs in new, sustainable ways. Companies in this "embedding" phase are guided by that core team of sustainability professionals established in the mobilize stage but must scale up their enablement efforts as they begin to transform how the business operates. They can rely on classic enablement approaches, as demonstrated by sustainability pioneers, such as:
- Cascading sustainability fluency throughout the organization by offering access to classroom instruction and online training opportunities that build a common understanding at scale, and provide a springboard for more specific learning thereafter
- Establishing a center of excellence model, where new sustainable business processes—and the skills that go with them—can be incubated until they are handed off to and deployed in functions or business units.
In the final phase of an organization's sustainability transformation, talent with sustainability capabilities is in place in every part of the organization, and sustainability is becoming part of business as usual. But the work of actually driving to sustainable outcomes is far from over, and the need for skilled talent remains as critical as ever. According to the research, as companies face this "new normal" phase, several talent priorities emerge, including:
- Planning proactively for career paths and creating future roles and mobility opportunities for core sustainability talent, whose value in the market for talent will increase
- Continuing to invest in ongoing education and upskilling opportunities to ensure talent—on the core team and across the organization—keeps up with new sustainability technologies and regulations
- Focusing on evolving corporate culture to make sustainability an intrinsic part of everyday work, and inclusively migrating the workforce to be part of new sustainable businesses, business processes, and ways of working.
Companies must think today about how they will support, enable, and retain their future sustainability-capable workforce, not only to mitigate the risk of losing them to competitors but ultimately to turn sustainability into lasting competitive advantage with their help.
"With crucial sustainability targets set for as soon as 2030, organizations are faced with a herculean undertaking: leading the charge on upskilling as many as 150 million people, in various facets of sustainability, in less than ten years," said Elizabeth Lyle, a managing director and partner at BCG and a coauthor of the report. "Our collaboration with Microsoft shines a spotlight on the practical workforce challenges that companies must navigate on their sustainability journeys. Our goal is to illuminate practices from pioneering companies that can make the path ahead easier for the many companies who will soon be seeking to build their sustainability-capable talent."
Download the publication here: https://www.bcg.com/publications/2023/prioritize-talent-within-sustainability-agenda
Media Contact:
Eric Gregoire
+1 617 850 3783
gregoire.eric@bcg.com
Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholders—empowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact.
Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.
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SOURCE Boston Consulting Group (BCG) | 2023-01-11T06:30:48+00:00 | waff.com | https://www.waff.com/prnewswire/2023/01/11/reach-sustainability-goals-organizations-must-address-critical-sustainability-skills-gap/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — An America that can already feel like it’s hurtling toward political disintegration has been jolted yet again, this time by the violent attack on the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi less than two weeks before Election Day.
Seizing a hammer and leaving a trail of broken glass, an intruder broke into the couple’s San Francisco home early Friday and repeatedly struck Paul Pelosi, 82. He had surgery to repair a skull fracture and serious injuries to his right arm and hands, and his doctors expect a full recovery, the speaker’s office said.
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The assailant confronted Paul Pelosi by shouting, “Where is Nancy,” according to another person familiar with the situation who was granted anonymity to discuss it. The Democratic congresswoman was in Washington at the time.
The calling out of her name was a sign that the assault could have targeted the lawmaker, who as speaker is second in line to the presidency. The ambush was a particularly savage reminder of the extremism that has coursed through American politics in recent years, adding to a sense of foreboding with the Nov. 8 election nearly at hand.
Armed watchers are staking out ballot drop boxes in Arizona to guard against false conspiracies about voter fraud. Threats against members of Congress have risen to historic levels. Public opinion surveys show fears for a fragile democracy and even of a civil war. Former President Donald Trump continues to deny that he lost the 2020 election to President Joe Biden, and his acolytes are attempting to consolidate their power over future elections.
A new domestic intelligence assessment from the Department of Homeland Security and other agencies said extremists fueled by election falsehoods “pose a heightened threat" to the upcoming midterms.
The assessment, dated Friday, said the greatest danger was “posed by lone offenders who leverage election-related issues to justify violence.”
“It is worse than it’s ever been,” said Cornell Belcher, a Democratic pollster. “This is uncharted waters.” Belcher blamed "the mainstreaming of behavior in politics that was, once upon a time, left or right, abhorrent.”
Police have not identified a motive for the attack on Pelosi's husband. Judging by social media posts, the suspect appears to have been stewing in a mix of conspiracy theories about elections and the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s bad regardless of the reasons, but if it’s politically motivated, it’s just another example of political violence and irresponsibility of folks who are opening the door to that type of violence against other elected officials," Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, chairman of the Senate Democrats' campaign arm, said in an interview. "It’s a very sad time for our country right now."
Politicians from both parties expressed outrage about the assault.
“This attack is shocking, and Americans should worry because it is becoming more common,” said Joe O’Dea, a Republican candidate for Senate in Colorado. “Partisanship and polarization are tearing the country apart.”
Some responses, however, reflected a sharp sense of partisanship.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Va., worked the incident into his remarks at a campaign stop for a congressional candidate as he called for Democrats to lose power in Congress.
“There’s no room for violence anywhere, but we’re going to send her back to be with him in California,” Youngkin said. “That’s what we’re going to go do.”
From the Civil War and attacks on Black voters during Jim Crow to the assassination of elected leaders like John and Robert Kennedy, the United States has experienced spasms of political violence. No party or ideology has a monopoly on it.
Five years ago, a left-wing activist opened fire on Republicans as they practiced for an annual charity baseball game. Rep. Steve Scalise of Louisiana was critically wounded. In 2011, then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., was shot in the head at an event outside a Tucson grocery store.
Today, violent rhetoric and imagery have become a staple of right wing politics in the United States, and it escalated during Donald Trump's presidency. Democrats viewed the intrusion into Pelosi's home as an extension of the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, when Trump's supporters interrupted the peaceful transition of power to Biden.
On that day, protesters searched for Pelosi and chanted that they wanted to hang then-Vice President Mike Pence, who had defied Trump's demands to overturn the election results.
Less than two years later, only 9% of U.S. adults think democracy is working “extremely” or “very well,” according to this month’s poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Members of the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack have received a steady stream of threats for their work.
“If we do not stop the big lie, perpetuated by those who seek to win at any cost, our democracy will cease to exist,” Rep. Elaine Luria, a Virginia Democrat who was assigned a security detail in recent months because of her work on the committee, said in an interview. “Then nothing else we do will have mattered.”
Nowhere has the temperature been hotter than in Arizona, a cauldron for election conspiracy theories. People inspired by unsupported claims that ballot drop boxes perpetuate election fraud have camped outside those boxes, photographing voters and their license plates as they turn in ballots.
Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone said on Monday that he is patrolling around drop boxes and devoting unprecedented manpower to election security after two people armed with pistols and wearing tactical gear were seen keeping watch on a ballot drop box outside Phoenix. The incident sparked fears of voter intimidation and the potential for confrontations that could escalate into violence.
“It goes very quickly from well-intended to poorly executed, and then bad things happen,” Penzone said.
Penzone, a Democrat, said there's “a growing toxic problem where individuals feel that it is appropriate to use forms of intimidation and threats to try to influence political outcomes.”
Left-leaning groups have filed two lawsuits against groups organizing watch parties, including one with ties to the Oath Keepers militia. A federal judge on Friday declined to order one group to stop its activities.
A 36-year-old man was arrested this past week for allegedly breaking into the campaign headquarters of Katie Hobbs, the Democratic nominee for governor and the current secretary of state. There’s no indication the burglary was politically motivated, but it alarmed her staff, which is constantly on guard for threats.
Federal prosecutors have charged three people with threatening to harm Arizona election officials, including Hobbs, since the last election.
Earlier in the week, three men were convicted of supporting a plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after a trial that raised fears about paramilitary training and anti-government extremism.
And on Friday, a man pleaded guilty to threatening to kill Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif. Also, a Kansas man is facing a felony charge of threatening to kill one of the state’s congressmen, Republican Jake LaTurner.
Rep. Val Demings, a Florida Democrat who is running for Senate, has campaigned with a large private security detail for much of the year. It is a necessary precaution, she said in an interview, given an uptick in violent threats in the months since she served as a House manager in Trump’s first impeachment trial.
“I never thought that I would have my worst moment, feeling like I was really going to die, in the Capitol on Jan. 6,” said Demings, a former Orlando police chief. "When I had been in back alleys and bar fights and arresting people who killed other people, and never did I have the feeling on the streets like I had that day. And it was all in politics, and I’m like, ‘What is going on?’”
Cooper reported from Phoenix and Peoples from New York. Associated Press writers Jake Bleiberg in Dallas and Farnoush Amiri and Mary Clare Jalonick contributed to this report.
Follow AP’s coverage of the elections at: https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections
Check out https://apnews.com/hub/explaining-the-elections to learn more about the issues and factors at play in the 2022 midterm elections. | 2022-10-29T16:23:16+00:00 | wcfcourier.com | https://wcfcourier.com/news/national/govt-and-politics/pelosi-attack-shocks-country-on-edge-about-democracy-threats/article_b1861f0b-ca35-56b7-8e34-c98742a87453.html |
The Rimac Nevera reached a top speed of 256 mph at a German test track, which the company claims is a record for production electric vehicles.
Rimac chief test and development driver Miro ZrnÄeviÄ accomplished that feat at the Automotive Testing Papenburg track in Papenburg, Germany, the company said in a press release. The oval track was selected by Rimac for the top-speed run because of its pair of 2.4-mile straights.
The main challenge was nailing the transitions from the track’s banked curves to maximize speed onto the straightaways, according to Rimac. ZrnÄeviÄ exited the banking at 155 mph before fully unleashing the full 1,914 hp and 1,740 lb-ft of torque from the Nevera’s quad-motor powertrain.
The top speed was achieved on road-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2R tires, with monitoring by a Michelin technician, Rimac noted. To preserve those tires, customer cars are limited to 218 mph, but Rimac said the limiter will be disengaged “in special customer events with the support from the Rimac team and under controlled conditions” where technicians can ensure proper tire setup.
Rimac released a video of the run complete with a readout of the 412 kph (256 mph) the car achieved. Check it out below.
Rimac in 2021 also set a quarter-mile record for production cars with the Nevera. YouTuber Brooks Weisblat achieved an 8.58-second time and 167.51-mph top speed at a California dragstrip. That was achieved after multiple runs in 98-degree temperatures, so conditions were less than ideal.
The Nevera is the production version of the C_Two first shown in 2018, and it has now nearly matched the 258-mph top speed Rimac quoted for the concept version. Production started in July, with the first customer car going to 2016 F1 champion Nico Rosberg. The Nevera is also cleared for U.S. sales, and is rated at 287 miles of range on the EPA testing cycle.
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- 2024 Porsche Macan EV coming with over more than hp | 2022-11-17T01:31:24+00:00 | wboy.com | https://www.wboy.com/automotive/internet-brands/rimac-nevera-hits-256-mph-becomes-worlds-fastest-production-ev/ |
CLEVELAND (AP) — Justin Verlander pitched six scoreless innings for his MLB-leading 15th victory, Chas McCormick and Martin Maldonado each homered and had three RBIs, and the AL West-leading Houston Astros beat the Cleveland Guardians 6-0 Thursday night.
Verlander (15-3), making his comeback from Tommy John surgery, extended his winning streak to seven starts and moved into a tie with Herb Pennock for 55th place all-time with 241 victories. He gave up two hits, both singles, and struck out five.
“It’s fun to be behind the plate for him,” Maldonado said. “Watching his preparation between games and his execution on the mound, that’s what future Hall of Famers do. I think he was born that way.”
In addition to leading the majors in wins, Verlander is first with a 1.73 ERA. The right-hander is 11-16 in his career at Progressive Field, where his 5.17 ERA is the highest of any ballpark that he has pitched in more than twice.
“Is it still over 5.00? Well, then I’ve still got some demons to exorcize here,” Verlander quipped. “These guys tormented me for a while. I’m not going to say that was something I focused on, but it was definitely on my mind.”
Verlander also triggered his $25 million player option for 2023 by reaching 130 innings. The 39-year-old will earn the same amount this season under the new contract that he signed last winter.
“I wanted a player option and I thought that was more than a fair ask because they’re going out on a limb paying an old guy,” Verlander said. “Because if I didn’t throw 130, then I didn’t earn what I made this year anyway.
“Crossing that threshold puts me in a good spot, but that isn’t something I’m thinking about now at all.”
Will Smith, Ryne Stanek and Phil Maton completed the three-hitter, helping Houston move within 1 1/2 games of the idle Yankees for the best record in the AL.
McCormick gave the Astros a 2-0 lead with run-scoring singles in the third and fifth off Cleveland starter Zach Plesac (2-10). Maldonado added a two-run double in the fifth against Nick Sandlin to make it 4-0.
McCormick and Maldonado struck again in the seventh with solo homers, the 11th of the season for both, off Kirk McCarty. McCormick equaled his career high with three hits on an evening when Houston left eight runners on base over the first three innings.
“I didn’t see them square up a ton of balls, but there was a ton of traffic right from the get-go,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “And Verlander was as advertised.”
Cleveland entered the day one game behind AL Central leader Minnesota and one game out of the final wild-card spot. Steven Kwan, Josh Naylor and Austin Hedges accounted for its hits in the loss.
Kwan matched Boston’s J.D. Martinez for the longest hitting streak in the AL this year at 18 games. It also is the longest run by a rookie since Pittsburgh’s Ke’Bryan Hayes had a 19-gamer in 2020-2021.
Plesac remained winless since June 5 in Baltimore, allowing four runs, seven hits and five walks in 4 1/3 innings. The right-hander is 0-6 in his last 10 starts and has dropped all five of his decisions in night games.
“I’m being tested right now, it’s just a weird time,” Plesac said. “I’m never going to back down from it and will get out of this funk of unluckiness or whatever it is. It seems like I can’t catch a break.”
SIGH OF RELIEF
The Astros picked up three significant veterans in 1B Trey Mancini, C Christian Vázquez and LHP Will Smith before the MLB trade deadline earlier this week, allowing manager Dusty Baker to take a deep breath.
“It feels fun, actually, to be done with that,” Baker said. “We’re in the dog days of the season, but this year, it seems like the dog showed up a little early.”
Vázquez ranks third in the AL with 74 starts behind the plate, the first 73 with Boston.
“Going to a new team is a difficult adjustment for catchers, which is where Vázquez is now,” Baker said. “You have to learn the philosophy of the pitching coach, how to talk to pitchers, and when to call timeout to calm a guy down. It’s not easy.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Astros: OF Aledmys Diaz (left ring finger) was hurt in the eighth inning when he collided with center fielder Jake Meyers on a fly ball to left-center by Cleveland’s Austin Hedges. Diaz was undergoing medical tests following the game.
Guardians: RHP Aaron Civale (right wrist sprain), who has been on the 15-day injured list since July 14, will make a rehab start Friday for Triple-A Columbus against Rochester. Francona said the goal for Civale is to pitch four innings.
UP NEXT
Astros: LHP Framber Valdez (9-4, 2.80 ERA) has earned the win in all three of his career appearances against Cleveland, posting a 2.81 ERA over two starts and one relief outing.
Guardians: RHP Hunter Gaddis will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus for his major league debut. Gaddis is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA since his promotion from Double-A Akron.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | 2022-08-05T15:13:51+00:00 | mytwintiers.com | https://www.mytwintiers.com/sports/verlander-wins-mlb-leading-15th-game-astros-blank-cleveland/ |
LOS ANGELES, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Balmoral Funds, LLC ("Balmoral") announced today that it has successfully completed its previously announced acquisition of Trecora Resources ("Trecora") at a price of $9.81 per share, net to each seller, in cash, without interest and subject to any required tax withholdings.
With the completion of the acquisition, Trecora's stock will cease trading on the New York Stock Exchange and Trecora will no longer be listed on any public market.
Blank Rome LLP served as legal advisor to Balmoral, and Piper Sandler served as financial advisor to Balmoral. Guggenheim Securities, LLC served as exclusive financial advisor to Trecora, and Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP served as legal advisor to Trecora.
Balmoral is a Los Angeles, CA based private equity fund that was founded in 2005. Balmoral's objective is to be the financial partner of choice for entrepreneurial, emotionally intelligent and successful C-suite executives and operating advisors creating transformative, revitalizing change in the businesses they co-invest in together. Balmoral has approximately $1.5 billion of assets under management. Balmoral typically invests in companies that have revenues between $30 to $500 million and require equity investments of $10 to $100 million, with the capability of investing an additional $100 million or more in particularly compelling opportunities.
Trecora owns and operates a specialty petrochemicals facility specializing in high purity hydrocarbons and other petrochemical manufacturing and a specialty wax facility, both located in Texas, and provides custom processing services at both facilities.
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" relating to the acquisition of Trecora by Balmoral. In some cases, forward-looking statements may be identified by terminology such as "believe," "may," "will," "should", "predict", "goal", "strategy", "potentially," "estimate," "continue," "anticipate," "intend," "could," "would," "project," "plan," "expect," "seek" and similar expressions and variations thereof. These words are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Balmoral and Trecora have based these forward-looking statements on current expectations and projections about future events and trends that they believe may affect the financial condition, results of operations, business strategy, short-term and long-term business operations and objectives and financial needs of Balmoral and Trecora. Forward-looking statements are subject to significant known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance or achievements in future periods to differ materially from those assumed, projected or contemplated in the forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, the following factors: the potential effects of the acquisition on Trecora, the participation of third parties in the consummation of the transaction and the combined company, the risk that stockholder litigation in connection with the transaction may result in significant costs of defense, indemnification and liability; and other risks and uncertainties, including those set forth in the "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" sections of Trecora's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended May 5, 2022, which are on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") and available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The information contained in this document is provided only as of the date hereof, and no party undertakes any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof, except as required by law.
CONTACT: Jeremy Hellman, jhellman@equityny.com
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SOURCE Trecora Resources | 2022-06-27T14:37:02+00:00 | kxii.com | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2022/06/27/balmoral-funds-llc-completes-acquisition-trecora-resources/ |
(WTAJ) – The National Park Service (NPS) took to Twitter with some sound advice for hikers and campers looking to keep themselves and their friends safe in the coming months.
“If you come across a bear, never push a slower friend down … even if you feel the friendship has run its course,” the NPS tweeted out.
The silly advice from the NPS comes just ahead of spring, when bears generally emerge from their dens after hibernation. Not to leave followers hanging, the agency followed up with a link to an online resource where visitors can learn how to stay safe in the event of a bear encounter.
In typical social media fashion, however, there was no shortage of responses to the initial tweet.
“What if you’re the slower friend?” one Twitter user asked. The NPS didn’t mince words with the reply.
“Check in on the friendship before you head out to the woods,” the service wrote.
The tips on the NPS site, meanwhile, may prove more useful to park visitors this spring. Among their top suggestions, the agency advises that visitors travel or hike in groups; pick up their children after spotting a bear; make themselves appear larger; and “do NOT run,” lest they risk triggering a predatory reaction from the bear.
Attacks are rare, NPS said, but they do happen. In the event of a grizzly attack, the NPS advises playing dead. In the event of a black bear attack, visitors should try to get away and/or fight back by hitting the bear with anything you can in the muzzle/nose area. The NPS also urges all park visitors to avoid any bears with cubs and not come between the cubs and their mothers.
Taking a can of bear spray along on hikes can help too, according to the NPS.
More helpful tips and suggestions can be found at the official NPS website. | 2023-03-03T16:05:01+00:00 | siouxlandproud.com | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/national-park-service-never-push-a-slower-friend-to-escape-a-bear/ |
Storm Prediction Ctr, Norman, OK Warnings, Watches and Advisories for Monday, January 2, 2023
_____
TORNADO WATCH
TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 1
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
323 PM CST MON JAN 02 2023
TORNADO WATCH 1 REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM CST FOR THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
TX
. TEXAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE
ANGELINA BOWIE CAMP
CASS CHEROKEE FRANKLIN
GREGG HARRISON MARION
MORRIS NACOGDOCHES PANOLA
RED RIVER RUSK SABINE
SAN AUGUSTINE SHELBY SMITH
TITUS UPSHUR WOOD
...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN SABINE COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
The tornadic thunderstorm which prompted the warning has moved out
of Sabine County. Therefore, the warning for Sabine County has been
cancelled.
A Tornado Watch remains in effect until 900 PM CST for northwestern
Louisiana...and eastern Texas.
...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 400 PM CST FOR
SOUTHEASTERN DE SOTO...NORTHWESTERN SABINE PARISHES IN NORTHWESTERN
LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEASTERN SHELBY COUNTIES...
At 322 PM CST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 8 miles east of Patroon, or 23 miles southeast of Center,
moving northeast at 40 mph.
HAZARD...Tornado.
SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.
IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage
to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is
likely.
This dangerous storm will be near...
Converse around 340 PM CST.
Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include Oak
Grove, South Mansfield, Pelican, Toledo Bend Reservoir North, Noble
and Huxley.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.
_____
Copyright 2023 AccuWeather | 2023-01-02T22:14:50+00:00 | sfgate.com | https://www.sfgate.com/weather/article/TX-Storm-Prediction-Ctr-Norman-OK-Warnings-17690223.php |
Royals vs. Rays Probable Starting Pitchers Today - June 24
The Tampa Bay Rays (53-26) meet the Kansas City Royals (21-55) on Saturday at Tropicana Field, at 4:10 PM ET.
The probable pitchers are Yonny Chirinos (3-2) for the Rays and Jordan Lyles (0-11) for the Royals.
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Royals vs. Rays Pitcher Matchup Info
- Date: Saturday, June 24, 2023
- Time: 4:10 PM ET
- TV: MLB Network
- Location: St. Petersburg, Florida
- Venue: Tropicana Field
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo!
- Probable Pitchers: Chirinos - TB (3-2, 2.72 ERA) vs Lyles - KC (0-11, 6.62 ERA)
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Read More About This Game
Royals Probable Starting Pitcher Tonight: Jordan Lyles
- Lyles (0-11) takes the mound first for the Royals in his 16th start of the season. He's put together a 6.62 ERA in 85 2/3 innings pitched, with 62 strikeouts.
- The right-hander's last appearance was on Monday against the Detroit Tigers, when he went six innings, surrendering three earned runs while giving up six hits.
- In 15 games this season, the 32-year-old has an ERA of 6.62, with 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are hitting .241 against him.
- Lyles enters this outing with two quality starts under his belt this year.
- Lyles is looking for his seventh straight outing lasting five or more innings. He averages 5.7 innings per start.
- He given up at least one earned run in each of his appearances in 2023.
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Rays Probable Starting Pitcher Tonight: Yonny Chirinos
- The Rays will send Chirinos (3-2) to the mound for his fourth start this season.
- The right-hander's last start was on Sunday, when he tossed 4 2/3 innings while giving up three earned runs on six hits in a matchup with the San Diego Padres.
- The 29-year-old has an ERA of 2.72 and 4.2 strikeouts per nine innings, with a batting average against of .196 in 10 games this season.
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | 2023-06-24T15:15:52+00:00 | kwch.com | https://www.kwch.com/sports/betting/2023/06/24/royals-vs-rays-mlb-probable-starting-pitchers/ |
A CDC-funded study shows that men who access Man TherapyⓇ as a digital mental health intervention report a decrease in depression and suicidal ideation, a reduction in poor mental health days, and an increase in help-seeking behavior.
DENVER, Dec. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Jodi Frey, PhD, LCSW-C, CEAP - Professor and Associate Dean of Research, University of Maryland School of Social Work - and Grit Digital Health announced new research today on the efficacy of ManTherapy.org, an innovative suicide prevention and mental health program for working-aged men. Designed as a comprehensive public awareness campaign, Man Therapy uses humor to connect with men, break through stigma, and help them engage with life-saving tools. The innovative campaign and 24/7 digital platform encourages men to think differently about mental health and take action before ever reaching a point of crisis.
From September 2016 to January 2019, a total of 554 men, aged 25-64, throughout the state of Michigan participated in a $1.2 million, CDC-funded randomized controlled trial, called Healthy Men Michigan (HMM), to evaluate Man Therapy's effectiveness in reducing suicidal ideation and depression among working-aged men. The results of this study, published this month, show that men who were offered Man Therapy as one of the digital tools to assess and address their mental health reported a significant decrease in depression and suicidal ideation over time, as well as a reduction in poor mental health days. Additionally, a follow-on study using Dr. Frey's HMM data shows that men in the Man Therapy intervention group reported statistically significant improved rates of engaging in formal help-seeking behaviors through tools like online treatment locator systems, making or attending a mental health treatment appointment, or attending a professionally led support group compared with those who only received screening and referrals.
"Interventions that can be offered online and scaled up to reach men throughout communities, including workplaces, are important additions to comprehensive suicide prevention programming," says Dr. Frey. "Web-based resources, such as Man Therapy, can play an important role in suicide prevention to engage men in considering risk and help-seeking, and this study shows that programs like Man Therapy should be part of a comprehensive, community-based intervention to reduce suicide and depression risk and increase resilience."
Suicide is a complex issue with many unique, contributing variables. In the United States, men represent 78% of all deaths by suicide, and men are four times as likely than women to die by suicide. While there is no magic solution when it comes to suicide prevention, Man Therapy was created under the guiding principle that difficult problems require bold solutions, and the best defense is a good offense. "We realized early on that if we waited until men were in crisis, we would be too late," says Grit Digital Health Founder and CEO, Joe Conrad. "I have always felt that creativity, innovation, and communication could solve any challenge. From the beginning, our team set three goals for Man Therapy: 1) Break through the stigma surrounding mental health by making it approachable; 2) Encourage help-seeking behavior; and 3) reduce suicidal ideation. Through research, men told us to just give them the information they needed to fix themselves, so we built a website that provides a broad range of information, resources, and tools to do just that. It is extremely rewarding to know that we are accomplishing our goal of positively impacting and changing men's lives."
Created in 2012 through a multi-agency effort comprised of Grit Digital Health, Cactus, and the Office of Suicide Prevention for the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment, Man Therapy has spent over a decade smashing the notion that men can't talk about their feelings. On the site, men meet fictional therapist Dr. Rich Mahogany, a no-nonsense man's man who asserts that honest talk about life's problems is how to start solving them. The site experience helps men take action through the proprietary 20-Point Head Inspection to assess their mental health, connect with manly mental health tools, and access a bank of resources that take a deep dive into life's more challenging areas (depression, anxiety, difficult transitions, sleep, grief, etc.).
Man Therapy's innovative approach has seen over 1.5 million web sessions, 3.7 million resources viewed, 400,000 completed head inspections, and 40,000 men connecting directly to a crisis line resource. Facebook's safety team used it to reach high-risk men, resulting in one of its most successful media campaigns ever. And, most importantly, Man Therapy is a proven tool, directly impacting and saving men's lives across the world, like Joe R, who stumbled across Man Therapy while he was feeling "depressed and desperate" and claimed: "It saved my life that night."
Man TherapyⓇ currently offers free, 24/7 access to any person who is looking for information and resources related to men's mental health and well-being. Additionally, Man TherapyⓇ is available for licensing with state and local governments, as well as individual and brand partnerships. Learn more at ManTherapy.org.
If you are concerned and think you or a loved one may need immediate help, please go to your local emergency department, or call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988 for 24/7, free and confidential support.
This research is supported by the Cooperative Agreement Number, 1 U01 CE002661-01, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the Department of Health and Human Services.
Dr. Jodi Frey - Professor and Associate Dean for Research, University of Maryland School of Social Work - is a senior scholar focused on researching adult and emerging adult behavioral health and well-being. For almost 20 years, she has dedicated a large portion of her work to suicide prevention. Dr. Frey also leads additional behavioral health and well-being efforts such as The Behavioral Health and Well-Being Lab, the International Employee Assistance Digital Archive (co-founder), and is co-chair of the Workplace Suicide Prevention and Postvention Committee.
Grit Digital Health develops behavioral health solutions through design and technology that envision a new way to approach mental health and well-being. They are the creators of Man Therapy, a ground-breaking men's mental health campaign that provides an upstream, innovative approach to preventing suicide for the highest-risk, working-aged men. Additionally, they created YOU at College, a comprehensive suite of solutions supporting higher education. Their work also supports veterans mental health and well-being through Operation Veteran Strong, emergency responder well-being through YOU | Responder strong, and well-being throughout Denver via YOU at Your Best. For more information, visit gritdigitalhealth.com.
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SOURCE Grit Digital Health | 2022-12-06T16:50:05+00:00 | kcbd.com | https://www.kcbd.com/prnewswire/2022/12/06/university-maryland-grit-digital-health-announce-new-research-man-therapy-an-innovative-mens-mental-health-intervention/ |
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