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Jury to hear opening statements in Johnny Depp libel case
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A jury in Virginia is scheduled to hear opening statements Tuesday in a defamation lawsuit filed by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Depp says Heard libeled him when she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Depp is never mentioned by name, but he says the article implicates him nonetheless because it refers to past accusations Heard made when she sought a restraining order against him. Depp denies the abuse allegations.
A civil jury of seven members, plus four alternates, was selected Monday to hear the case in Fairfax County Circuit Court. Heard’s lawyers had sought to have the case tried in California, where the actors reside. But a judge ruled that Depp was within his rights to bring the case in Virginia because The Washington Post’s computer servers for its online edition are located in the county.
The trial is expected to last for more than a month. A lengthy witness list includes actors Paul Bettany and James Franco, and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. Some witnesses are slated to appear in person, while others are scheduled to appear via video link.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/12/jury-hear-opening-statements-johnny-depp-libel-case/ | 2022-04-12T08:54:09 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/12/jury-hear-opening-statements-johnny-depp-libel-case/ |
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Temperatures climb quickly after sunrise today, and afternoon highs will be in the upper 80s. That’s just a few degrees shy of the record high of 91 set in 2020.
Despite the heat, the lower humidity and light breeze keep it relatively comfortable all day, especially in the shade. It should be a nice evening outdoors with lows in the upper 60s.
Another hot day tomorrow with highs in the upper 80s. Humidity begins to increase, but no rain is expected. Rain chances do enter the forecast on Thursday at 20% as a cold front stalls just to our north.
The front stays there through the weekend, so warm and humidity conditions continue. Highs will be in the mid-upper 80s throughout Easter Weekend. While rain chances are small, a few spotty showers will develop each afternoon.
Looking long range, a slightly stronger cold front may bring temperatures back to normal in the low 80s early next week. | https://www.wfla.com/weather/forecast/dry-and-warmer-than-average-today/ | 2022-04-12T08:57:23 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/weather/forecast/dry-and-warmer-than-average-today/ |
New Jersey police have cracked a decades-old cold case involving the sexual assault of a woman whose body was found in a popular Jersey Shore town.
Jerry Rosado, of Millville, was arrested Friday after police used DNA matching technology to connect him to the case. Investigators believe that Rosado, 62, sexually assaulted 20-year-old Susan Negersmith in 1990 while she was vacationing with friends in Wildwood.
Her remains were found behind a restaurant in the town more than 30 years ago.
Prosecutors said Rosado could face more charges as the investigation continues. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/nj-man-charged-in-cold-case-sex-assault-of-woman-whose-body-was-found-on-jersey-shore/3641375/ | 2022-04-12T09:02:23 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/nj-man-charged-in-cold-case-sex-assault-of-woman-whose-body-was-found-on-jersey-shore/3641375/ |
An iconic Little Italy shop might have to close for good due to the financial strain from the pandemic.
"Alleva Dairy" has been selling fresh cheese since 1892, and is considered to be the oldest cheese store in America. But Little Italy businesses were hit especially hard during COVID, and it might be too much for "Alleva" to come back from.
Business at the neighborhood staple is slowly getting back on track, after having recently expanded to become a café, offering things like arancini and sandwiches.
But owner Karen King says the Manhattan mainstay is in jeopardy, with the pandemic having wiped out a lot of their business.
“We virtually worked for nothing. We could not pay the rent," King said.
The lack of tourists and having many restaurants that used to buy Alleva Dairy cheese in bulk close down combined to badly hamper the shop that King calls "the corner and heart of Little Italy."
Alleva is now nearly two years — more than $500,000 — behind in rent.
News
"I’m willing to pay the rent, I’m willing to pay the back rent. I’m asking for time to be able to pay that," said King.
The landlord has taken them to court, demanding the money. King said she’s done her best to pivot and keep business alive.
"I had deliveries of bread, eggs, milk, and of course cheese and butter. All the things people need," she said.
But it's not enough. Decades of history and neighborhood legacy may not survive the pandemic hurdle. That's a reality King is not ready to face.
She's hoping the state or federal government can step in with more assistance to struggling businesses — anything to help the oldest cheese shop in the U.S. stay open.
"I’m gonna fight until I can’t fight anymore but I’m keeping these doors open," she said. "I’ve kept them open this long and I’m gonna keep them open. I’m not giving up." | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/little-italy-staple-alleva-dairy-oldest-cheese-shop-in-u-s-may-soon-be-forced-to-close/3641358/ | 2022-04-12T09:02:29 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/little-italy-staple-alleva-dairy-oldest-cheese-shop-in-u-s-may-soon-be-forced-to-close/3641358/ |
"I thought it was a firecracker, to be honest," 17-year-old Isaiah Duncan said.
But the pain the Bronx teen felt didn't come from a firecracker — it came from a bullet, fired outside of his school.
Duncan, one of the students who survived being shot after gunfire erupted near the corner of Saint Ann's Avenue and East 156th Street in the Melrose neighborhood Friday afternoon, spoke for the first time on Monday about the triple shooting that left a classmate dead.
The Mott Haven Village Prep junior, and cousin of NBC New York reporter Myles Miller, was simply walking home from school with his girlfriend when the unthinkable happened.
"We were gonna go buy my mom an early birthday gift. And next thing I know, we’re playing around, and I just got hit," said Duncan. "I didn’t know I really got shot until I saw my blood."
He said he tried to stay calm after a bullet struck his thigh, and told his girlfriend to go get his mother.
"I try to be strong," Duncan said.
His mother, Ravin Scott, was at their home at the time of the shooting, just a block away.
"I just ran downstairs, everything was flashing before my eyes, I’m stopping traffic, yelling 'Where’s my son, where’s my son," she told NBC New York, as she held her son's hand while he recovers at the hospital.
Scott raced to the scene before ambulances even arrived, and it was there she witnesses something that haunts any parents' nightmares.
"That has been my worst fear," she said. "I don’t think any parent wants to go through what I’ve been through, or the other victims parents have been going through."
The family quickly realized there were other victims, too.
"I looked back and I see another girl, the girl I know on the floor back there," Duncan said.
That 16-year-old girl was shot in the leg, and is expected to recover. However, her friend, 16-year-old honor student Angellyh Yambo did not survive. Funeral services for the teen are scheduled for Tuesday.
"The young girl was right next to my son. Even in the hospital, I was right there. I seen the young lady," said Scott. "I’m still traumatized. I still can’t get her out of my mind...or imagining my child like that."
Duncan did not know Angellyh, but he and his mother offered their condolences to her family, knowing that the roles easily could have been reversed.
"The bullet could have went anywhere else. I’m just lucky I get to have my leg and just happy I’m alive," he said.
Scott said that she feels for Angellyh's parents, adding that something needs to be done in order to prevent it from happening again.
"What I want is for there to be more police on patrol," the mother said. "The time when it happened, there could have been young kids (around)."
Learning that the alleged 17-year-old shooter, the same age as her son, used a so-called "ghost gun" infuriates Scott even more.
"How did they not red flag that? How do they just send the parts?" she asked.
Scott said she didn't send her younger son to school on Monday, as it is also close to the site of the shootings.
Duncan, an avid basketball player, was worried he'd never be able to play again, but fortunately he's expected to make a full recovery. He said that the city's spiraling gun crisis has made his neighborhood feel unsafe, and pleaded with other teens to put the guns down.
"A lot of people is dying, it could have been your family member. How would you feel?" he said.
Grief counselors continued to help students, teachers and parents on Monday, the first day back in class after the tragedy. Police said none of the three students were intended targets of the shooter, who was in Bronx court two days after his arrest on Saturday. He is next due back in court on April 21.
The Biden administration is unveiling a completed rule aimed at reining in the proliferation of ghost guns, firearms without serial numbers that have been turning up at crime scenes across the nation in increasing numbers.
The White House and the Justice Department argue that regulating the firearms parts and requiring dealers to stamp serial numbers on ghost guns will help drive down violent crime and aid investigators in solving crimes. Gun groups, however, argue that the government is overreaching and that its rule violates federal law.
Generally, firearms manufactured by licensed companies are required to have serial numbers – usually displayed on the frame of the gun – that allow officials to trace the gun back to the manufacturer, the firearms dealer and original purchaser.
Ghost guns, however, are made of parts and are then assembled together. The critical component in building an untraceable gun is what is known as the lower receiver. Some are sold in do-it-yourself kits and the receivers are typically made from metal or polymer.
An unfinished receiver — sometimes referred to as an “80-percent receiver” — can be legally bought online with no serial numbers or other markings on it, no license required. Under the current rules, the federal government does not consider unfinished lower receivers to be firearms.
The new rule changes the current definition of a firearm under federal law to include unfinished parts, like the frame of a handgun or the receiver of a long gun. It says those parts must be licensed and include serial numbers. Manufacturers must also run background checks before a sale — as they do with other commercially made firearms. The requirement applies regardless of how the firearm was made, meaning it includes ghost guns made from individual parts, kits, or by 3D-printers.
Justice Department statistics show that nearly 24,000 ghost guns were recovered by law enforcement at crime scenes and reported to the government from 2016 to 2020. It is hard to say how many are circulating on the streets, in part because in many cases police departments don’t contact the government about the guns because they can’t be traced. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/relative-of-nbc-new-york-reporter-shares-story-after-surviving-deadly-bronx-triple-shooting/3641275/ | 2022-04-12T09:02:35 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/relative-of-nbc-new-york-reporter-shares-story-after-surviving-deadly-bronx-triple-shooting/3641275/ |
Monica Kariuki is about ready to give up on farming. What is driving her off her 10 acres of land outside Nairobi isn’t bad weather, pests or blight — the traditional agricultural curses — but fertilizer: It costs too much.
Despite thousands of miles separating her from the battlefields of Ukraine, Kariuki and her cabbage, corn and spinach farm are indirect victims of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion. The war has pushed up the price of natural gas, a key ingredient in fertilizer, and has led to severe sanctions against Russia, a major exporter of fertilizer.
Kariuki used to spend 20,000 Kenyan shillings, or about $175, to fertilize her entire farm. Now, she would need to spend five times as much. Continuing to work the land, she said, would yield nothing but losses.
"I cannot continue with the farming business. I am quitting farming to try something else,’’ she said.
Higher fertilizer prices are making the world's food supply more expensive and less abundant, as farmers skimp on nutrients for their crops and get lower yields. While the ripples will be felt by grocery shoppers in wealthy countries, the squeeze on food supplies will land hardest on families in poorer countries. It could hardly come at a worse time: The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said last week that its world food-price index in March reached the highest level since it started in 1990.
The fertilizer crunch threatens to further limit worldwide food supplies, already constrained by the disruption of crucial grain shipments from Ukraine and Russia. The loss of those affordable supplies of wheat, barley and other grains raises the prospect of food shortages and political instability in Middle Eastern, African and some Asian countries where millions rely on subsidized bread and cheap noodles.
“Food prices will skyrocket because farmers will have to make profit, so what happens to consumers?’’ said Uche Anyanwu, an agricultural expert at the University of Nigeria.
More Russia-Ukraine War Coverage
The aid group Action Aid warns that families in the Horn of Africa are already being driven “to the brink of survival.’’
The U.N. says Russia is the world’s No. 1 exporter of nitrogen fertilizer and No. 2 in phosphorus and potassium fertilizers. Its ally Belarus, also contending with Western sanctions, is another major fertilizer producer.
Many developing countries — including Mongolia, Honduras, Cameroon, Ghana, Senegal, Mexico and Guatemala — rely on Russia for at least a fifth of their imports.
The conflict also has driven up the already-exorbitant price of natural gas, used to make nitrogen fertilizer. The result: European energy prices are so high that some fertilizer companies “have closed their businesses and stopped operating their plants,’’ said David Laborde, a researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute.
For corn and cabbage farmer Jackson Koeth, 55, of Eldoret in western Kenya, the conflict in Ukraine was distant and puzzling until he had to decide whether to go ahead with the planting season. Fertilizer prices had doubled from last year.
Koeth said he decided to keep planting but only on half the acreage of years past. Yet he doubts he can make a profit with fertilizer so costly.
Greek farmer Dimitris Filis, who grows olives, oranges and lemons, said “you have to search to find’’ ammonia nitrate and that the cost of fertilizing a 10-hectare (25-acre) olive grove has doubled to 560 euros ($310). While selling his wares at an Athens farm market, he said most farmers plan to skip fertilizing their olive and orange groves this year.
“Many people will not use fertilizers at all, and this, as a result, lowers the quality of the production and the production itself, and slowly, slowly at one point, they won’t be able to farm their land because there will be no income,’’ Filis said.
In China, the price of potash — potassium-rich salt used as fertilizer — is up 86% from a year earlier. Nitrogen fertilizer prices have climbed 39% and phosphorus fertilizer is up 10%.
In the eastern Chinese city of Tai’an, the manager of a 35-family cooperative that raises wheat and corn said fertilizer prices have jumped 40% since the start of the year.
“We can hardly make any money,” said the manager, who would give only his surname, Zhao.
Terry Farms, which grows produce on 2,100 acres largely in Ventura, California, has seen prices of some fertilizer formulations double; others are up 20%. Shifting fertilizers is risky, vice president William Terry said, because cheaper versions might not give “the crop what it needs as a food source.''
As the growing season approaches in Maine, potato farmers are grappling with a 70% to 100% increase in fertilizer prices from last year, depending on the blend.
“I think it’s going to be a pretty expensive crop, no matter what you’re putting in the ground, from fertilizer to fuel, labor, electrical and everything else,” said Donald Flannery, executive director of the Maine Potato Board.
In Prudentopolis, a town in Brazil's Parana state, farmer Edimilson Rickli showed off a warehouse that would normally be packed with fertilizer bags but has only enough to last a few more weeks. He's worried that, with the war in Ukraine showing no sign of letting up, he'll have to go without fertilizer when he plants wheat, barley and oats next month.
“The question is: Where Brazil is going to buy more fertilizer from?" he said. "We have to find other markets.''
Other countries are hoping to help fill the gaps. Nigeria, for example, opened Africa's largest fertilizer factory last month, and the $2.5 billion plant has already shipped fertilizer to the United States, Brazil, India and Mexico.
India, meanwhile, is seeking more fertilizer imports from Israel, Oman, Canada and Saudi Arabia to make up for lost shipments from Russia and Belarus.
“If the supply shortage gets worse, we will produce less,” said Kishor Rungta of the nonprofit Fertiliser Association of India. “That’s why we need to look for options to get more fertilizers in the country.”
Agricultural firms are providing support for farmers, especially in Africa where poverty often limits access to vital farm inputs. In Kenya, Apollo Agriculture is helping farmers get fertilizer and access to finance.
“Some farmers are skipping the planting season and others are going into some other ventures such as buying goats to cope,” said Benjamin Njenga, co-founder of the firm. “So these support services go a long way for them.”
Governments are helping, too. The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last month that it was issuing $250 million in grants to support U.S. fertilizer production. The Swiss government has released part of its nitrogen fertilizer reserves.
Still, there's no easy answer to the double whammy of higher fertilizer prices and limited supplies. The next 12 to 18 months, food researcher LaBorde said, “will be difficult.''
The market already was “super, super tight" before the war, said Kathy Mathers of the Fertilizer Institute trade group.
“Unfortunately, in many cases, growers are just happy to get fertilizer at all,’’ she said.
Asadu reported from Lagos, Nigeria, and Wiseman from Washington. Contributing to this story were: Tatiana Pollastri in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Debora Alvares in Brasilia, Brazil; Sheikh Saaliq in New Delhi; Lefteris Pitarakis in Athens; Jamey Keaten in Geneva; Joe McDonald and Yu Bing in Beijing; Lisa Rathke in Marshfield, Vermont; Dave Kolpack in Fargo, North Dakota; Kathia Martínez in Panama City; Christoph Noelting in Frankfurt; Fabiola Sánchez in Mexico City; Veselin Toshkov in Sofia, Bulgaria; Tarik El-Barakah in Rabat, Morocco; Tassanee Vejpongsa and Elaine Kurtenbach in Bangkok; Ilan Ben Zion in Jerusalem; Edie Lederer at the United Nations; and Aya Batrawy in Dubai. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/russian-war-worsens-fertilizer-crunch-risking-food-supplies-amid-soaring-costs/3641381/ | 2022-04-12T09:02:41 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/russian-war-worsens-fertilizer-crunch-risking-food-supplies-amid-soaring-costs/3641381/ |
With ever-rising costs for food, gasoline, housing and other necessities squeezing consumers and threatening the economy, inflation in the United States likely set yet another four-decade high in March.
The government's consumer price index being released Tuesday is expected to show that prices shot up 8.4% from 12 months earlier, according to economists surveyed by the data firm FactSet. That would mark the fastest year-over-year inflation since December 1981. And it would surpass the 7.9% 12-month increase in February, which itself set a 40-year high.
Economists have also forecast that from February to March, consumer prices jumped 1.1%. That would be the sharpest month-to-month jump since 2005.
The March numbers will be the first the capture the full surge in gasoline prices that followed Russia's invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Moscow's brutal attacks have triggered far-reaching Western sanctions against the Russian economy and have disrupted global food and energy markets. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of gasoline — $4.11 — is up 44% from a year ago, though it has fallen back in the past couple of weeks.
The escalation of energy prices has led to higher transportation costs for the shipment of goods and components across the economy, which, in turn, has contributed to higher prices for consumers.
“The war in Ukraine has complicated the inflation outlook,’’ noted Luke Tilley, chief economist at Wilmington Trust.
More Inflation Coverage
Economists point out that since the economy emerged from the depths of the pandemic, consumers have been gradually broadening their spending beyond goods to include more services. A result is that high inflation, which at first had reflected mainly a shortage of goods — from cars and furniture to electronics and sports equipment — has been gradually emerging in services, too, like travel, health care and entertainment.
If the March price figures come in as expected, they will solidify expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise rates aggressively in the coming months to try to slow borrowing and spending and tame high inflation. The financial markets, in fact, now foresee much steeper rate hikes this year than Fed officials had signaled as recently as last month.
The central bank’s rate increases will make loans sharply more expensive for consumers and businesses. Mortgage rates, in particular, though not directly influenced by the Fed, have rocketed higher in recent weeks, making home-buying more expensive. Many economists say they worry that the Fed has waited too long to begin raising rates and might end up acting so aggressively as to trigger a recession.
For now, the economy as a whole remains solid, with unemployment near 50-year lows and job openings near record highs. Still, rocketing inflation, with its impact on Americans' daily lives, is posing a political threat to President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies as they seek to keep control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
Economists generally express doubt that even the sharp rate hikes that are expected from the Fed will manage to reduce inflation anywhere near the central bank's 2% annual target by the end of this year. Tilley, Wilmington Trust economist, said he expects year-over-year consumer inflation to still be 4.5% by the end of 2020. Before Russia's invasion of Ukraine, he had forecast a much lower 3% rate.
In Tuesday’s government report, even excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core inflation for the past 12 months is expected to have hit 6.6%, according to the FactSet survey. That would be the biggest such year-over-year jump since August 1982.
Inflation, which had been largely under control for four decades, began to accelerate last spring as the U.S. and global economies rebounded with unexpected speed and strength from the brief but devastating coronavirus recession that began in the spring of 2020.
The recovery, fueled by huge infusions of government spending and super-low interest rates, caught businesses by surprise, forcing them to scramble to meet surging customer demand. Factories, ports and freight yards struggled to keep up, leading to chronic shipping delays and price spikes.
Critics also blame, in part, the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion March 2021 stimulus program, which included $1,400 relief checks for most households, for helping overheat an already sizzling economy.
Many Americans have been receiving pay increases, but the pace of inflation has more than wiped out those gains for most people. In February, after accounting for inflation, average hourly wages fell 2.5% from a year earlier. It was the 11th straight monthly drop in inflation-adjusted wages. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/sticker-shock-march-inflation-expected-to-set-another-40-year-high/3641333/ | 2022-04-12T09:02:47 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/sticker-shock-march-inflation-expected-to-set-another-40-year-high/3641333/ |
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As seen on News 4 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/teenage-survivor-of-deadly-triple-shooting-speaks/3641331/ | 2022-04-12T09:02:54 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/teenage-survivor-of-deadly-triple-shooting-speaks/3641331/ |
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As seen on News 4 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/vigil-for-ny-teen-fatally-stabbed-following-parade-celebrating-student-athletes/3641330/ | 2022-04-12T09:03:01 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/vigil-for-ny-teen-fatally-stabbed-following-parade-celebrating-student-athletes/3641330/ |
- March's consumer price index is due out at 8:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday.
- The data is expected to show an 8.4% annual increase in prices.
The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield hit 2.82% on Tuesday morning, its highest point since December 2018.
The yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note rose 3 basis points to 2.8205% at 4:15 a.m. ET. The yield on the 30-year Treasury bond moved 1 basis point higher to 2.8353%. Yields move inversely to prices and 1 basis point is equal to 0.01%.
The spike in the 10-year rate comes ahead of key inflation data.
March's consumer price index is due out at 8:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday. The data is expected to show an 8.4% annual increase in prices — the highest level since December 1981 — according to economists polled by Dow Jones, with rising food costs, rents and energy prices expected to be the main contributors to the spike.
The March producer price index is due out at 8:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday.
These inflation readings are key in determining how aggressive the Federal Reserve will be in tightening monetary policy.
Money Report
Rising prices and a more hawkish Fed have given rise to investor fears that a recession may be on the horizon, as seen in the inversion of bond yields. Investors have been selling out of shorter-dated Treasurys in favor of longer-dated debt, indicating their concerns about the near-term strength of the economy, though rates had reverted on Tuesday.
Nigel Bolton, co-chief investment officer at BlackRock Fundamental Equities, told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" on Tuesday that increased market volatility reflected concerns about central banks making "policy mistakes and that rolls over into global recession that's 12 to 18 months out."
However, Bolton said he didn't think a recession was "definitely on the cards."
Fed Governor Lael Brainard is due to speak at the Wall Street Journal Jobs Summit at 12:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
In addition to inflation data, the April IBD/TIPP economic optimism index is due out at 10 a.m. ET on Tuesday.
An auction is scheduled to be held on Tuesday for $34 billion of 10-year notes.
— Samantha Subin contributed to this market report. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/money-report/10-year-treasury-yield-hits-2-82-its-highest-point-since-december-2018/3641397/ | 2022-04-12T09:03:14 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/money-report/10-year-treasury-yield-hits-2-82-its-highest-point-since-december-2018/3641397/ |
Holes in Gaston County's safety net leave homeless people scrambling for place to stay
Dozens of people and more than 20 families were left looking for a new place to live when they were kicked out of a Gastonia hotel earlier this month.
Those families were living at the Fairfield Inn on Remount Road in Gastonia with help from a government assistance program after falling on hard times because of the pandemic.
But with little warning on April 1 they were told that the deal with a social services program to help pay the bill fell through and that they needed to pack their bags and leave.
“I heard rumors, but I wasn’t sure if everything was true,” said Wendy Conklin, who was one of those staying at the Gastonia hotel through the Gaston County Emergency Rental Assistance Program.
Gaston County runs the Emergency Rental Assistance Program as a safety net to help people on the verge of homelessness find a place to stay.
The county's Health and Human Services Department uses federal emergency rental assistance funding to provide needed temporary housing, county spokesman Adam Gaub said.
The hotel decided it no longer wanted to participate in the program, Gaub said.
"Fairfield Inn communicated to us that they were experiencing a number of issues with some of the individuals staying at their property through our (Emergency Rental Assistance Program) program," said Adam Gaub, the county's director of communications.
The county planned to work with those forced to leave the hotel to find housing, Gaub said.
"More than that, we continue to work with many of the individuals using the ERAP program to help get them self-sufficient financially so they are no longer in need of that temporary support system," said Gaub.
Conklin's unstable living circumstances began after her boyfriend, who she lived with in Bessemer City, died from COVID last year, she said.
A week after he died, she was told by a family member of his that she needed to find somewhere else to live.
Conklin had lived in her car for a few months before totaling her vehicle in a wreck in January. She has stayed with friends since the car wreck.
“I thought the rental assistance program was a godsend after all that happened,” said Conklin.
Staying in the hotel for free was helping her save money to buy a new car, she said.
“This is just wrong to do this to people,” Conklin said. “It was such short notice. I didn’t know where I was going to go or what I was going to do.”
Conklin only stayed at the hotel for two weeks and got a job within walking distance from the hotel two days after her first day at the hotel.
“I heard rumors that there were drug dealings and bad things happening outside the hotel and that ruined the opportunity for us to stay at the hotel,” said Conklin. “It’s really not fair when I don’t drink or do drugs.”
Conklin says a Gaston County social services representative told her that she would receive funding for a hotel or apartment after finding an entity that would accept the rental assistance program.
A friend of her father gave Conklin a place to stay while she searched for an apartment willing to accept payment from the county's assistance program.
“I’m not asking for a handout. I’m working now,” said Conklin. “I just need help and I don’t know where I’m going to go.”
Reach Janiya Winchester at 980-319-6819 or jwinchester@gannett.com. | https://www.gastongazette.com/story/news/2022/04/12/gaston-countys-safety-net-homeless-people-scrambling-fairfield-inn/9461716002/ | 2022-04-12T09:18:15 | 0 | https://www.gastongazette.com/story/news/2022/04/12/gaston-countys-safety-net-homeless-people-scrambling-fairfield-inn/9461716002/ |
UPDATE: Man arrested after body found near First Avenue, Wetmore
Published: Jan. 21, 2022 at 2:33 PM MST|Updated: Apr. 4, 2022 at 12:12 PM MST
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - A man has been arrested after a body was found near First Avenue and Wetmore in Tucson on Friday, Jan. 21.
The Tucson Police Department said Rafael Martinez, 48, was found dead in a common area of an apartment complex in the 800 block of East Wetmore.
On Thursday, Jan. 27, Daniel Noel Rodriguez was arrested in connection with the incident. The 23-year-old Rodriguez is facing a charge of second-degree murder and is being held on a $500,000 bond.
It was the second homicide investigation in Tucson in less than 12 hours.
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/01/24/update-man-arrested-after-body-found-near-first-avenue-wetmore/ | 2022-04-12T09:22:18 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/01/24/update-man-arrested-after-body-found-near-first-avenue-wetmore/ |
UPDATE: Man arrested in connection with fatal shooting in Tucson
Published: Jan. 21, 2022 at 11:10 AM MST|Updated: Feb. 24, 2022 at 1:00 PM MST
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - The man accused of killing a Tucson woman last month has been captured.
The Tucson Police Department said Emilio Casimiro Lopez, 31, was arrested near Broadway and Houghton late Wednesday, Feb. 23.
Lopez, who is facing charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault, is being held on a $500,000 bond.
The TPD said Lopez fatally shot Alejandra Valles Valenzuela, 36, near Irvington and Park on Jan. 20. A man was also shot, but he survivied.
Detectives think the victims got into a confrontation with Lopez before the shooting.
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/02/24/update-police-identify-suspect-deadly-shooting-jan-20/ | 2022-04-12T09:22:25 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/02/24/update-police-identify-suspect-deadly-shooting-jan-20/ |
Jury convicts former Virginia police officer in Jan. 6 case
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - Monday, a jury in Washington, D.C. found Thomas Robertson guilty on all of the six charges brought against him by the U.S. Department of Justice.
- Count 1 – Obstruction of an Official Proceeding and Aiding and Abetting
- Count 2 – Civil Disorder and Aiding and Abetting
- Count 3 – Entering and Remaining in a Restricted Building or Grounds
- Count 4 – Disorderly and Disruptive Conduct in a Restricted Building or Ground
- Count 5 – Disorderly Conduct in a Capitol Building
- Count 6 – Obstruction of an Official Proceeding
Thomas Robertson disputed the government’s charges against him and is just the third January 6th defendant to go to trail rather than take a plea deal.
Prosecutors relied heavily on video and Robertson’s social media posts. Robertson’s former co-defendant, and also former Rocky Mount police officer, Jacob Fracker testified against Robertson. Fracker took a plea deal last month.
Fracker provided key testimony supporting the sixth count, obstruction of an official proceeding. He testified that after the pair learned that they were under investigation for trespassing at the Capitol, Robertson asked him for his cell phone. Fracker said he was terrified that investigators would see other pictures and videos that he took on January 6th.
Text messages showed Robertson speaking with another acquaintance about whether he turned over a phone to investigators. Prosecutors say this text exchange on January 15th, 2021 shows Robertson admitting to destroying a phone.
Robertson: “Anything that may have been problematic is destroyed”
Unknown acquaintance: “So they didn’t seize your phone and search your house and interrogate your wife and dogs and neighbors who don’t have….”
Robertson: “Including my old phone”
Robertson: “Took a lake swim”
Robertson: “No. They asked for my phone but I’m not a re***d”
A sentencing date has not been set.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/11/former-virginia-police-offer-convicted-by-jury-jan-6th-case/ | 2022-04-12T09:22:31 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/11/former-virginia-police-offer-convicted-by-jury-jan-6th-case/ |
Game on: University of Arizona professors build one of the world’s largest video game archives
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - Two professors at the University of Arizona turned their passion for video games into a profession, building one of the world’s largest archives devoted to video games.
Ken McAllister and Judd Ruggill are co-directors of the Learning Games Initiative Research Archive, which they started in 1999.
The archive is an international, transdisciplinary, and multi-institutional research collected that studies, teaches with, and builds computer games in educational contexts.
“We pulled our collections together and that was sort of the start of the archive. Of course, it’s turned into something much more substantial these days,” Ruggill said.
The archive now has more than a quarter million items, including 15-thousand games, more than 200 gaming systems, and more.
Designed around the concept of “preservation through use,” LGIRA makes accessible to researchers all over the world and of all ages, a constantly expanding collection of computer games, systems, peripherals, memorabilia, scholarship, and other game-related materials.
From game-branded food to lab notes by early game developers, the archive contains items from all over the world.
“Researchers, they will be on vacation, and they will say, ‘Oh! The archive would love this.’ And they will pick something up from Turkey or Iceland, or wherever they happen to be and they will send it to us,” McAllister said.
The collection also a handful of Soviet era knock offs of Nintendo Game and Watch.
“The IP rights were not recognized by the Soviet Union so they would get the Nintendo product, reverse engineer them and create these systems that they would sell in the store totally legally,” McAllister said.
While a lot of the items were donated, McAllister and Ruggill have gone to extremes to grow the collection, like when they visited the unearthing of Atari games from a New Mexico landfill.
“So that was buried for 30 years,” Ruggill said as he pointed to an E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Atari 2600 game.
Ruggill and McAllister said the game documents the crash of the game industry in the early 1980s.
Ruggill and McAllister said in 1983, there was an urban legend that Atari decided to bury a surplus of games in a landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
Fast-forward to 2014, and Ruggill said a group of archeologists and a filmmaker went digging in the landfill to see if there was any truth to the story.
Sure enough, they unearthed cartridges.
“If you watch the documentary, they pan by all of these people waiting to get in, we were there,” Ruggill said.
Ruggill and McAllister took a cartridge back to the archive, sealed away in a plastic bag.
“There’s all of this mystique around it, but people forget it’s garbage,” McAllister said.
Since 1999, McAllister and Ruggill have partnered with researchers in Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Utah, Germany and Australia.
Both gaming aficionados, McAllister and Ruggill still cannot believe they turned their passion into a career.
“I wouldn’t spend my lunch money just so I could sneak to the arcade and play some games for a little while. No way could I imagine I would be making a living some day surrounded by games,” McAllister said.
The LGI Research Archive is open to all game researchers, not matter their ages or institutional affiliations.
“If they contact us and say they are working on a paper, we will put things in a box and send it to them. One of the things we really like when we do that is it is not uncommon they will put something else in there to donate,” McAllister said.
McAllister and Ruggill worked for more than two decades to partner with researchers across the country, even in Australia and Germany to grow the collection.
To set up an appointment or to consult with an archivists by clicking here.
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/11/game-university-arizona-professors-build-one-worlds-largest-video-game-archives/ | 2022-04-12T09:22:38 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/11/game-university-arizona-professors-build-one-worlds-largest-video-game-archives/ |
Disturbing trend: reports of online child exploitation spike, setting new record
Last year, NCMEC received 29 million reports of suspected sexual exploitation of children
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - A danger on the streets is shifting to a danger behind screens. Reports of online child exploitation have reached a new record in the U.S. This includes everything from grooming, to luring, to child pornography and sex trafficking.
Child advocates believe the pandemic played a role by driving more children online, and more predators, too.
“Real world abductions are going down, thankfully,” said Callahan Walsh, a spokesperson for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). “With cameras everywhere, it’s getting more difficult and exploiters know that. So, they are going online.”
Walsh, who is known for his work on ‘In Pursuit with John Walsh,’ is determined to prevent other families from suffering a similar fate. His 6-year-old brother was abducted and killed in the early 80s.
“We all are experiencing increased screen time; parents, children and exploiters alike,” said Walsh. “They know that this is the time to exploit and prey on children. In fact, we have seen chatter on the dark web amongst these exploiters sharing best practices and tips on how to groom and lure these children.”
‘Stranger danger’ is something many parents teach their children. However, NCMEC is moving away from this practice because children are much more likely to be harmed by someone they know. Walsh says it also plants false expectations of what a predator looks like.
“Often times, the pandemic gives parents a false sense of security,” said Walsh, “because they see their child sitting there on the couch, they are home, they are safe. But [parents] don’t often know who that child is talking to online.”
NCMEC operates a cyber tip line for suspected cases of child exploitation online. In 2019, the center received 16.9 million reports. In 2020, NCMEC received 21.7 million reports. In 2021, a record-breaking 29 million cases of potential sexual abuse of children were reported.
Detective Virginia Howard is with the Pima County Sheriff’s Department’s (PCSD) crimes against children unit. She says predators are experts at concealing their identity, befriending children and building relationships.
“There has been an increase in the numbers [of child enticement cases],” said Howard. “On social media, the different types of apps and video games. Over time, [predators] get closer and closer and they start feeling more comfortable and safe. That’s when they are able to say, ‘Hey, meet me at the bus stop,’ or, ‘Which school are you at?’”
Tucson’s human trafficking unit warns the dangers go beyond predators posing as children online. Detective Jennifer Crawford with the Tucson Police Department says teenagers and young adults sometimes recruit for sex traffickers.
“I had a case a couple years ago where an 18-year-old girl recruited her 17-year-old bestfriend,” said Crawford. “It could be a regular straight-A student who just gets mixed up with the wrong person, usually someone who is considered a boyfriend. Look for behavioral changes in your kids. If they are usually an outgoing child and suddenly they are really withdrawn, or the opposite. How are they dressing? Has their clothing changed? Do they suddenly have a new phone? Or new devices or video games? A new purse or makeup? If you are their parent and you are not paying for [these things], somebody else obviously is.”
Here are some ways experts say parents can help protect their kids from predators:
- learn the apps your children use
- make sure you have full access to their devices
- set ground rules and stick to them
- make sure your child’s social media accounts are set to ‘private’
- have open and ongoing conversations
- confiscate your child’s phone at bedtime, set up an alarm clock instead
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the average age a child receives their first phone is now 10 years old.
To learn more about protecting your kids online, a community education event will be held on Thursday, April 14, at Wilson K-8 School from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
It’s free and open to the public.
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/disturbing-trend-reports-online-child-exploitation-spike-setting-new-record/ | 2022-04-12T09:22:44 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/disturbing-trend-reports-online-child-exploitation-spike-setting-new-record/ |
GRAPHIC: Mayor: More than 10,000 civilians dead in Ukraine port city
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Corpses are now “carpeted through the streets” of Mariupol after Russian troops killed more than 10,000 civilians over the past six weeks in their unsuccessful fight to capture the strategic southern port, the mayor said, while Western powers warned Tuesday of an ongoing buildup for a suspected Russian assault in Ukraine’s east.
The British Ministry of Defense said Russian forces are continuing to pull out of Belarus to support operations in eastern Ukraine, focused on the Donbas region, where Russian-allied separatists have claimed independence.
“Fighting in eastern Ukraine will intensify over the next two to three weeks as Russia continues to refocus its efforts there,” the ministry said in a tweet. “Russian attacks remain focused on Ukrainian positions near Donetsk and Luhansk with further fighting around Kherson and Mykolaiv and a renewed push toward Kramatorsk.”
The southeastern port city of Mariupol has seen some of the heaviest attacks and civilian suffering in the 6-week-old war, but the land, sea and air assaults by Russian forces fighting to capture it have increasingly limited information on circumstances inside the city.
Speaking by phone Monday with The Associated Press, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko accused Russian forces of having blocked weeks of attempted humanitarian convoys into the city in part to conceal the carnage. Boychenko said the death toll in Mariupol alone could surpass 20,000.
WARNING: Images and videos used could be graphic to some audiences. Viewers discretion advised.
Boychenko also gave new details of allegations by Ukrainian officials that Russian forces have brought mobile cremation equipment to Mariupol to dispose of the corpses of victims of the siege.
Russian forces have taken many bodies to a huge shopping center where there are storage facilities and refrigerators, Boychenko said.
“Mobile crematoriums have arrived in the form of trucks: You open it, and there is a pipe inside and these bodies are burned,” he said.
Boychenko spoke from a location in Ukrainian-controlled territory but outside Mariupol. The mayor said he had several sources for his description of the alleged methodical burning of bodies by Russian forces in the city, but did not further detail the sources of his information.
The discovery of large numbers of apparently executed civilians after Russian forces retreated from cities and towns around the capital, Kyiv, already has prompted widespread condemnation and assertions that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine.
U.S. officials also point to further signs Russia’s military is gearing up for a major offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, switching its focus after Russian forces failed in their initial drive to capture Kyiv.
Donbas has been torn by fighting between Russian-allied separatists and Ukrainian forces since 2014, and Russia has recognized the separatists’ claims of independence. Military strategists say Russian leaders appear to hope local support, logistics and terrain in Donbas favor Russia’s larger and better-armed military, potentially allowing Russian troops to gain more territory and weaken Ukraine’s fighting forces.
Russia has appointed a seasoned general to lead its renewed push in the eastern Donbas region.
A senior U.S. defense official on Monday described a long Russian convoy now rolling toward the eastern city of Izyum with artillery, aviation and infantry support, as part of redeployment for what appears to be the looming Russian campaign.
More artillery is being deployed near the city of Donetsk, while ground combat units that withdrew from around the Kyiv and Chernihiv areas appear destined for refitting and resupplying before they position in Donbas, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal U.S. military assessments.
With their offensive in many parts of the country thwarted, Russian forces have relied increasingly on bombarding cities — a strategy that has flattened many urban areas and killed thousands of people.
The U.N. children’s agency said nearly two-thirds of all Ukrainian children have fled their homes in the six weeks since Russia’s invasion began. The United Nations has verified 142 children have been killed and 229 injured, though the actual numbers are likely much higher.
Ukrainian authorities accuse Russian forces of committing atrocities, including a massacre in the town of Bucha, outside Kyiv, airstrikes on hospitals and a missile attack that killed at least 57 people last week at a train station.
In Bucha, the work of exhuming bodies from a mass grave in a churchyard resumed.
Galyna Feoktistova waited for hours in the cold and rain in hopes of identifying her 50-year-old son, who was shot and killed more than a month ago, but eventually she went home for some warmth. “He’s still there,” her surviving son, Andriy, said.
In Mariupol, about 120,000 civilians are in dire need of food, water, warmth and communications, the mayor said.
Only those residents who have passed the Russian “filtration camps” are released from the city, Boychenko said.
Ukrainian officials say Russian troops are confiscating passports from Ukrainian citizens, then moving them to the camps in Ukraine’s separatist-controlled east before sending them to distant, economically depressed areas in Russia.
Boychenko said Monday that those who did not pass the “filtering” have been moved to improvised prisons. He said 33,000 people or more have been taken to Russia or separatist territory in Ukraine.
Russian has denied moving people against their will.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned Ukrainians that Russia might use chemical weapons in Mariupol. “We take this as seriously as possible,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Monday.
Western leaders warned even before Russian troops moved into Ukraine that Russia could resort to unconventional weapons there, particularly chemical agents.
A Russia-allied separatist official, Eduard Basurin, appeared to urge their use Monday, telling Russian state TV that Russian-backed forces should seize a giant metals plant in Mariupol from Ukrainian forces by first blocking all the exits out of the factory. “And then we’ll use chemical troops to smoke them out of there,” he said.
A Ukrainian regiment, without evidence, also claimed Monday that a drone had dropped a poisonous substance in Mariupol. It indicated there were no serious injuries.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said in a statement that the U.S. could not confirm the drone report out of Mariupol. But Kirby noted the administration’s persistent concerns “about Russia’s potential to use a variety of riot control agents, including tear gas mixed with chemical agents, in Ukraine.”
Western military analysts say Russia’s assault increasingly is focusing on an arc of territory stretching from Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, in the north, to Kherson in the south.
Questions remain about the ability of depleted and demoralized Russian forces to conquer much ground, however, after determined Ukrainian defenders repelled their advance on Kyiv.
___
Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Anna reported from Bucha, Ukraine. Associated Press writer Robert Burns in Washington, and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/graphic-mayor-more-than-10000-civilians-dead-ukraine-port-city/ | 2022-04-12T09:22:51 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/graphic-mayor-more-than-10000-civilians-dead-ukraine-port-city/ |
Iowa rejected Biden, but president back to sell rural plan
WASHINGTON (AP) — Iowa has never been fertile ground for Joe Biden.
His 1988 presidential bid imploded in a plagiarism scandal sparked by comments he made at a debate there. He abandoned his 2008 White House run after a fifth-place Iowa caucus finish. And his 2020 campaign limped to a fourth-place finish in the state’s technologically glitchy caucus.
After bouncing back to win the Democratic nomination, Biden returned for a rally at the Iowa state fairgrounds four days before Election Day 2020, only to see Donald Trump win the state by 8 percentage points.
Biden heads back to Iowa for the first time as president on Tuesday at a moment when he’s facing yet more political peril. He’s saddled with sagging approval ratings and inflation at a 40-year high while his party faces the prospect of big midterm election losses that could cost it control of Congress.
The president is set to promote his economic plans to help rural families struggling with higher costs at the gas pump and elsewhere, while highlighting the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law enacted last fall. It includes money to improve internet access, as well for modernizing wastewater systems, reducing flooding threats and improving roads and bridges, drinking water and electric grids in sparsely populated areas.
Proponents of an emergency waiver that would allow year-round sales of gasoline mixed with 15% ethanol are hopeful Biden will use his trip to announce the move, which they say would help ease rising gas prices.
Biden will be visiting a biofuel company in Menlo, a farming community west of Des Moines, Iowa’s capital. It is in Guthrie County, which backed Trump over Biden by 35 percentage points in 2020.
“Part of it is showing up in communities of all sizes, regardless of the results of the last election,” said Jesse Harris, who was a senior adviser to Biden’s 2020 campaign in Iowa and directed get-out-the-vote and early voting efforts for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.
Harris said most presidents who come to Iowa typically visit the state’s largest cities. Hitting an area like Menlo “does speak to the importance the administration places on infrastructure broadly, but also infrastructure in rural and smaller communities.”
The Biden administration plans to spend coming weeks pushing billions in funding for rural areas. Cabinet members and other senior officials will travel the country to help communities get access to money available as part of the infrastructure package.
“The president is not making this trip through a political prism,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “He’s making this trip because Iowa is a rural state in the country that would benefit greatly from the president’s policies.”
Iowa State University political science professor Steffen Schmidt said part of Biden’s trouble is that key social issues that are driving the national Democratic agenda — including gay rights and combating institutional racism — can turn off moderate voters in the heartland.
“Iowa’s a traditional, rural state, and even Democrats are middle-of-the-roaders,” he said.
To win over voters more focused on pocketbook issues, administration officials have long suggested that Biden travel more to promote an economy that is rebounding from the setbacks of the coronavirus pandemic. The number of Americans collecting unemployment has fallen to the lowest levels since 1970, for example.
But much of the positive jobs news nationally has been overshadowed by surging gas, food and housing prices that have pushed consumer inflation to 7.9% over the year ending in February. That’s the sharpest spike since 1982. Inflation figures for March, due out Tuesday, are likely to bring more bad news for the Biden administration.
“Maybe a trip back to Iowa will be just what Joe Biden needs to understand what his reckless spending, big government policies are doing to our country,” Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement.
After Iowa, Biden will visit Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday.
Psaki blamed Russia’s war in Ukraine for helping to drive up gas prices, and said the administration expects the consumer price index for March to be “extremely elevated” in large part because of it.
Members of Congress from both parties have urged Biden to issue the ethanol waiver.
“Homegrown Iowa biofuels provide a quick and clean solution for lowering prices at the pump and bolstering production would help us become energy independent once again,″ said Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. He and eight Republican and seven Democratic senators from Midwestern states sent Biden a letter last month urging him to allow year-round E15 sales.
Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol. Farmers in corn-rich Iowa have pushed for widespread sale of a 15% ethanol blend. That product is banned in the summer because of concerns that it adds to smog in high temperatures.
The Environmental Protection Agency has lifted seasonal restrictions on E15 in the past, including after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The Trump administration allowed for selling E15 in the summer months two years later, but saw the rule struck down by a federal appeals court.
The price of ethanol peaked in December but has been falling more recently. Wholesale ethanol has traded about $1.20 per gallon cheaper than gasoline, though not all savings are passed on to drivers.
___
Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/iowa-rejected-biden-president-back-sell-rural-plan/ | 2022-04-12T09:22:58 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/iowa-rejected-biden-president-back-sell-rural-plan/ |
Jury to hear opening statements in Johnny Depp libel case
FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — A jury in Virginia is scheduled to hear opening statements Tuesday in a defamation lawsuit filed by Johnny Depp against his ex-wife, Amber Heard.
Depp says Heard libeled him when she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a “public figure representing domestic abuse.”
Depp is never mentioned by name, but he says the article implicates him nonetheless because it refers to past accusations Heard made when she sought a restraining order against him. Depp denies the abuse allegations.
A civil jury of seven members, plus four alternates, was selected Monday to hear the case in Fairfax County Circuit Court. Heard’s lawyers had sought to have the case tried in California, where the actors reside. But a judge ruled that Depp was within his rights to bring the case in Virginia because The Washington Post’s computer servers for its online edition are located in the county.
The trial is expected to last for more than a month. A lengthy witness list includes actors Paul Bettany and James Franco, and tech entrepreneur Elon Musk. Some witnesses are slated to appear in person, while others are scheduled to appear via video link.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/jury-hear-opening-statements-johnny-depp-libel-case/ | 2022-04-12T09:23:05 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/jury-hear-opening-statements-johnny-depp-libel-case/ |
Redistricting means some changes for Pima County voters
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - There are some changes ahead for the political map in Pima County following the redistricting maps being finalized by the redistricting committee.
The biggest changes will come to Marana and Sahuarita which are now split up among districts.
Marana, which is split between two supervisors districts, 3 and 1, will likely be moved into one district at the town’s request.
It will likely mean it will move West into District 3 and will be represented by Pima County Board Chair Sharon Bronson.
Sahuarita, which is now split into three districts, will also be moved into one district, again at the request of the town, potentially District 5 although that is yet to be determined.
“They’d like to be more together in a district so that they can influence that district as a community,” said Steve Lynn, the chair of the redistricting committee. “And we certainly understand that.”
The goal of the committee is to have all five districts fairly equal in population which proves difficult since the Northwest, Marana, and the Southeast, Sahuarita, are the fastest growing areas in the county. Those areas will likely start with a slightly smaller population base.
“What we trying to do is build in a small cushion so that the impact of that growth is somewhat less over ten years, than if we started with a dead even population everywhere,” Lynn said.
The other goal of the committee is to preserve minority voting rights as required by the Voting Rights Act.
“They need to be significant enough of the population in that district to have an impact on the outcome of the election,” Lynn said. “It doesn’t mean that they’ll only elect minority representation.”
He pointed out District 2 which has a majority minority but elected Democrat Matt Heinz.
What the committee is not trying to do is make the districts equal when it comes to political affiliation or to give one an advantage over another.
“It may be that we have slightly altered the voting demographics like slightly R and slightly D, but quite honestly, that hasn’t been a focus of what we’re trying to do,” Lynn said.
The committee is scheduled to have what it hopes to be its final meeting on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. It will be broadcast here.
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/redistricting-means-some-changes-pima-county-voters/ | 2022-04-12T09:23:12 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/redistricting-means-some-changes-pima-county-voters/ |
Shooting challenges downtown Sacramento’s rebuilding efforts
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The mass shooting that police say was a gun battle between rival gangs that left six dead and 12 wounded earlier this month shook the downtown core of California’s capital — and created another challenge for a city trying to redefine itself as a destination for more than just government workers.
In recent years, downtown Sacramento has benefited from billions of dollars of development but has been rattled by rising crime, protests resulting in property damage and an economic drubbing caused by the pandemic. Now, the city is reeling from the aftermath of the April 3 shooting, when at least five gunmen fired 100 shots as people left bars and nightclubs.
The violence just blocks from the Capitol highlights the successes and challenges many U.S. urban centers are facing as struggles with crime and homelessness persist despite revitalization efforts.
Though Sacramento is home to more than 500,000 people, it’s considered sleepy by California standards. The derisive nickname “Cowtown” grew out of its agricultural roots.
Today, downtown is at the center of the city’s efforts to become an entertainment and food destination. Local officials have worked to rebrand the city as “America’s Farm to Fork Capital,” a nod to a large number of well-regarded restaurants that get ingredients from the region’s many farms.
A major part of the revitalization is a six-block strip of K Street anchored by a renovated convention center and the Golden 1 Center, home to the NBA’s Sacramento Kings and a regular stop for major concert tours. The shooting happened on a block that’s home to high-end nightclubs but also dotted by vacant buildings that once housed coffee shops and restaurants.
Police have made two arrests connected to the shootings, but no one has been charged with homicide. The violence “came at a really pivotal moment for downtown,” said Sacramento City Councilwoman Katie Valenzuela, who represents the area.
“It’s causing me to sort of reflect on where we go from here — and as a city, not just as downtown,” she said.
A century ago, K Street was a bustling, diverse center of activity. But the strip struggled as people moved into the suburbs — giving way to decades of failed revival efforts, including the construction of a mall in the late 1960s and the launch of a light rail commuter line in the 1980s.
A fresh wave of investment came to the area about a decade ago, with new businesses opening on K Street as part of an effort to revive downtown after the financial crisis. The Golden 1 Center’s 2016 opening sought to build on that, helping generate $6.7 billion in nearby investment and spurring the opening of 150 new businesses, according to the Downtown Sacramento Partnership business group.
Then the pandemic hit, sending many of downtown’s 100,000 workers home and forcing some businesses closed. Now about 45,000 people work downtown daily, according to the partnership.
As employment fell, crime rose. Aggravated assaults, burglaries and vandalism were up in 2020 and 2021 compared to the five previous years for a roughly 100-square block area that includes the Capitol and the arena, according to Sacramento police crime data.
The city’s central hub has also served as the epicenter for protests focusing on racial justice and police misconduct. Protesters in 2018 shut down a downtown freeway entrance and blocked fans from entering the arena after Sacramento police shot and killed a young Black man. Then demonstrations in 2020 over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis swept the city. Many downtown properties were vandalized and some were ransacked.
“We’ve had a lot of different realities kind of hit downtown in different waves,” said Dion Dwyer, director of public space services for business partnership.
Now Sacramento is among the ranks of cities recovering from recent mass shootings. Since 2017, there have been 133 mass shootings in the U.S., according to a database compiled by The Associated Press, USA Today and Northeastern University.
Dayton, Ohio, in 2019 was shaken when a gunman killed nine people and wounded 17 just after midnight at a bar in the main entertainment district for the city of 140,000. Sandy Gudorf, president of the Downtown Dayton Partnership, said officials mounted an “intentional strategy to reclaim the district” after the shooting.
Within three weeks of the violence, there was a free performance by Dave Chappelle, who lives outside the city. The community rallied to support local businesses, but it took time for people to feel comfortable returning to nightlife. The pandemic hit just as that activity was rebounding, Gudorf said.
“In people’s minds and hearts they knew that this did not define who we are. It was an incident, it was a tragic incident where we lost lives and people were inured,” she said. “I think it just took time to process all of that.”
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg repeatedly said people should continue to feel comfortable going downtown.
“It’s not one or the other” when it comes to enjoying the city’s entertainment offerings and feeling safe,” he said last week.
Rachel Muro, a manager at the locally owned Capital Books several storefronts away from the shooting, said downtown has problems like any city but that people should not avoid it. The bookstore’s owners recently opened a board game cafe just around the corner.
“We believe in this part of town enough to continue to help make it thrive,” Muro said.
Elsewhere on the block, the area’s troubles are obvious, with many office and restaurant spaces vacant. Homelessness downtown and elsewhere in Sacramento has been a vexing problem.
Last week the City Council voted to place a measure on the November ballot requiring the city build to more shelter beds and ban encampments on public land. Valenzuela, the councilwoman, opposed the plan and said it was inappropriate to debate that proposal so soon after the tragedy.
Crystal Sanchez, president of the Sacramento Homeless Union, said homeless people live downtown because the area has street lighting and lots of activity and plenty of alcoves near businesses where they can shelter.
“People are here because there are coves for protection,” Sanchez said.
At a brewery a few blocks from the shooting site, co-workers enjoying a drink reflected on whether the shooting changed their view of the city.
Braden Kolb, who was at a downtown bar for a friend’s 30th birthday the night before the shooting, said he patronizes downtown about once a month and that the shooting “is not going to change my behavior.”
But his friend Jason Slieter said the incident made him wonder if Sacramento is the right place to raise his family, saying he felt a sense of heaviness downtown when coming to work after the six people were killed.
“It definitely felt like something had changed,” he said.
__
Associated Press journalists Adam Beam in Sacramento and Camille Fassett in Oakland contributed.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/shooting-challenges-downtown-sacramentos-rebuilding-efforts/ | 2022-04-12T09:23:19 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/12/shooting-challenges-downtown-sacramentos-rebuilding-efforts/ |
ORLANDO, Fla., April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ten Republican Mayors and City Council members in Orange County have formally endorsed Vennia Francois for State Representative, District 45. They include Winter Garden Mayor John Rees, Ocoee Mayor Rusty Johnson, Apopka Mayor Bryan Nelson, Windermere former Mayor Gary Bruhn, Belle Isle Mayor Nick Fouraker, and Edgewood Mayor John Dowless. City Council members include Winter Garden Commissioners Lisa Bennett, Mark Maciel, and Windermere Council Members Loren "Andy" Williams and Tony Davit.
"Vennia has the right values, the right motivation, and is the one candidate in this race who will be able to hit the ground running on day one in Tallahassee," said Winter Garden Mayor John Rees.
"Vennia is smart, experienced, conservative, and genuinely cares about people," stated Windermere Council member Loren "Andy" Williams.
"I've known Vennia for over 25 years and she is not afraid to fight for what she believes in. As a lifelong Republican woman of color, she has been swimming against the tide for years. There's no doubt she will be an effective State Representative," said Edgewood Mayor John Dowless.
According to Vennia, "I am honored to receive the endorsements of these ten leaders and elected city officials who live and work in Orange County. Along with the residents of West Orange and Osceola, they will be able to count on me to fight for our conservative values and work every day to make our community the best place to live and work."
District 45 is an open seat in southwest Orange County and western Osceola County that includes parts of Winter Garden, Oakland, Windermere, Orlando, Celebration, and Champions Gate.
About Vennia Francois
Vennia lives in Windermere, is a commercial transactions attorney in Orlando, and a state officer for the Florida Federation of Republican Women. She serves on multiple non-profit boards, including Matthew's Hope, Downtown Arts District, House of Hope, and the Civil Rights Studies Alliance. She graduated from Florida A&M School of Law, formerly worked for U.S. Senator Mel Martinez as a policy advisor, and at the U.S. SEC in consumer protection against fraudulent and deceptive financial practices. For more information, please visit venniaforflorida.com or follow her on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.
Political advertisement paid for and approved by Vennia Francois, Republican for State Representative, District 45.
Contact: Heather Herold
(321) 626-6760
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NORTHRIDGE, Calif., April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 22, 2022, a retired Pastor and Elder of the AME Church filed a class-action lawsuit challenging the management of and debilitating financial losses in the Church-sponsored pension plan, called the African Methodist Episcopal Church Ministerial Retirement Annuity Plan. The case alleges that the Church and other defendants breached their duties under federal and state law, resulting in losses of over $90 million and the unlawful freezing of pension benefits earned by clergy and other Church employees.
Because of the Church's and other defendants' imprudent, extraordinarily risky investments in a now-defunct capital venture firm, a promissory note to an Illinois installer of solar panels, and a purchase of undeveloped land in Florida, Defendants have unlawfully reduced the pension benefits of clergy and other employees by 70% and have prevented most retirees from receiving any of their retirement savings.
The Plan also requires the Church to enroll all Bishops, General Officers, College Presidents, Deans of Theological Seminaries, and Itinerant Elders, and fund their retirements through Church-paid contributions of 12% of each plan participant's annual salary. The lawsuit claims that the Church failed to live up to these promises.
The lawsuit seeks, among other things, an order for the Church and other defendants to (1) enroll and make contributions of 12% of salary to all eligible clergy and other employees, (2) restore the pension benefits at the level listed on the statements provided to plan participants in 2021, and (3) promptly pay retired participants all of the pension benefits owed to them.
If you are a Plan participant in the African Methodist Episcopal Church Ministerial Retirement Annuity Plan or believe you may meet the criteria for benefits under the Plan, you may be affected by this lawsuit. If you are interested in learning more about this lawsuit, please contact Amy Harrison of Kantor & Kantor LLP at aharrison@kantorlaw.net or (818) 350-6031.
About Kantor & Kantor, LLP
Kantor & Kantor is recognized as one of the most experienced, reliable, and persistent law firms in the field of ERISA and pension law. We know the difficulty our clients face when dealing with these legal matters. The attorneys at Kantor & Kantor bring a wealth of experience in litigating from the Federal level to the various Circuit Courts of Appeal across the US.
Since 2004, our law firm has grown from its Northridge, California home office base to an additional 6 offices on the west coast, with capabilities to represent people nationwide. Getting the best representation is critical and we have a proven track record of being the law firm that provides the best for our clients, from beginning to end.
For more information, contact:
Julie Fisher, Marketing Director
Kantor & Kantor, LLP
19839 Nordhoff St.
Northridge, CA 91324
jfisher@kantorlaw.net
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SOURCE Kantor & Kantor, LLP | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/african-methodist-episcopal-church-pension-plan-litigation/ | 2022-04-12T09:23:35 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/african-methodist-episcopal-church-pension-plan-litigation/ |
DATAmatic Suite Builds on Success of Popular OTAmatic Software Management Solution and 20+ Years of Airbiquity Program Development and Deployment Expertise
SEATTLE, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Airbiquity®, a global leader in connected vehicle services, today launched DATAmatic®, a suite of edge data management solutions to address the increasing need for services and tools that help automakers manage and monetize connected vehicle data. The suite includes the DATAmatic Edge Data Platform and DATAmatic Edge Data Logger.
The data generated by connected vehicles is growing exponentially in volume, diversity, and economic value to automakers. While providing an untapped opportunity to power new vehicle features and further personalize consumer services and driving experiences, this trend is also creating significant new data management challenges for automakers. In fact, McKinsey projects that 95 percent of new vehicles sold globally in 2030 will be connected, up from 50 percent today, and the monetization value of that data could be as high as $400 billion. Additionally, the continued evolution of automotive technology and features such as electric drivetrains and autonomous driving will be reliant on real-time access to data and analytics both on-board the vehicle at the "edge" and off-board in the cloud.
The DATAmatic suite delivers secure solutions designed to help automakers address their data challenges and move confidently into the future. Airbiquity's most robust data management offering, DATAmatic Edge Data Platform, is a comprehensive solution and tool set that is designed for automakers who want to fully leverage the power of edge analytics by dynamically and efficiently developing and deploying edge analytic modules while achieving an optimized mix of on-board and off-board computing. DATAmatic Edge Data Logger allows efficient and flexible dynamic data logging for both on-board edge and cloud-based analytics.
- Leverages a hybrid edge and cloud environment to give automakers the control they need across the entire data management lifecycle
- Provides a secure and sophisticated analytic module development environment and deployment capability
- Supports a variety of traditional and distributed electrical architectures easing integration into automotive vehicle platforms, systems, and components
- Provides a resilient run time environment, enabling analytic module portability while ensuring proper use of target device resources
- Dynamically configure what data is logged, with what frequency, and under what conditions
- Maximizes data set availability for analytics while mitigating data transmission expense
- Designed and optimized to work with resource limited ECUs, thereby easing integration into automotive vehicle platforms, systems, and components
"We've spoken with dozens of automakers and validated their need to solve mounting data generation and delivery challenges in a way that creates value for their business and their customers," said Airbiquity President and CEO Kamyar Moinzadeh. "We solved the challenge of over-the-air software management with OTAmatic, and now with DATAmatic we're providing market leading data management solutions and tools that our automotive customers can leverage to launch new vehicle features and services that will give them a competitive edge."
To learn more about DATAmatic, click here. To learn more about Airbiquity, visit www.airbiquity.com.
Airbiquity® is a global leader in connected vehicle services and pioneer in the development and engineering of automotive telematics technology. Always at the forefront of automotive innovation, Airbiquity develops the industry's most advanced connected vehicle software technology and cloud services. Working with Airbiquity, automakers and automotive suppliers have deployed highly scalable, manageable, and secure connected vehicle service programs for millions of vehicles in over 60 countries around the world. Learn more about Airbiquity at www.airbiquity.com or join the conversation @Airbiquity.
Contact:
airbiquity@finnpartners.com
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SOURCE Airbiquity | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/airbiquity-expands-service-offerings-help-automakers-manage-explosion-connected-vehicle-data/ | 2022-04-12T09:23:42 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/airbiquity-expands-service-offerings-help-automakers-manage-explosion-connected-vehicle-data/ |
New technology will result in more sustainable flexible polyethylene packaging
CHICAGO, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Amcor (NYSE: AMCR) (ASX:AMC), a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging solutions, today announced it is the first company to purchase certified circular polyethylene material using ExxonMobil's Exxtend™ technology for advanced recycling. Amcor will leverage this new material across its global portfolio, providing customers in healthcare and food industries with more recycled content in a variety of solutions and applications.
Increasing the use of advance recycling materials, such as circular polymers, is one way Amcor is meeting its sustainability pledge to develop all of its packaging to be recyclable or reusable by 2025. The use of these materials will significantly add to the 113,000 metric tons of recycled material Amcor used in its packaging in fiscal year 2021. The technology behind advance recycling materials allows plastic waste to be converted into brand new products that are no different in quality and performance from ones made with virgin raw materials, providing customers peace of mind and the benefit of increasing the use of recycled content in their packaging.
"Using advanced recycled materials is yet another step forward in Amcor meeting the challenges of our industry and offering our customers more sustainable packaging solutions," said Amcor Chief Commercial Officer Peter Konieczny. "By leveraging ExxonMobil's Exxtend technology across our global product portfolio, Amcor is providing a true differentiator for our customers and the environment."
"We are proud to see our relationship with Amcor expand with our Exxtend technology to help address their sustainability goals, as well as those of their customers," said David Hergenrether, Vice President, Polyethylene, ExxonMobil. "We look forward to working closely with Amcor to develop products that meet customer expectations for high-performance PE products, while helping to recycle plastic waste."
Using its Exxtend technology, ExxonMobil offers certified circular polymers with the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus (ISCC PLUS) certification, which is widely recognized as an effective standard for certifying the circularity of chemical products that result from advanced recycling operations via mass balance attribution.
About Amcor
Amcor is a global leader in developing and producing responsible packaging for food, beverage, pharmaceutical, medical, home and personal-care, and other products. Amcor works with leading companies around the world to protect their products and the people who rely on them, differentiate brands, and improve supply chains through a range of flexible and rigid packaging, specialty cartons, closures and services. The Company is focused on making packaging that is increasingly light-weighted, recyclable and reusable, and made using an increasing amount of recycled content. Around 46,000 Amcor people generate $13 billion in annual sales from operations that span about 225 locations in 40-plus countries.
About ExxonMobil
ExxonMobil, one of the largest publicly traded international energy and petrochemical companies, creates solutions that improve quality of life and meet society's evolving needs. The corporation's primary businesses - Upstream, Product Solutions and Low Carbon Solutions - provide society with products that enable modern life, including energy, chemicals, lubricants, and lower-emissions technologies. ExxonMobil holds an industry-leading portfolio of resources, and is one of the largest integrated fuels, lubricants and chemical companies in the world. To learn more, visit exxonmobil.com, the Energy Factor and exxonmobilchemical.com/exxtend.
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SOURCE Amcor | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/amcor-increases-use-advance-recycling-materials-leveraging-exxonmobils-exxtend-technology/ | 2022-04-12T09:23:49 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/amcor-increases-use-advance-recycling-materials-leveraging-exxonmobils-exxtend-technology/ |
STOCKHOLM and NEW YORK and Usa, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Autoliv, Inc. (NYSE: ALV and SSE: ALIVsdb), the worldwide leader in automotive safety systems, is supporting the United Nations Road Safety Fund (UNRSF) to strengthen insights into road safety challenges, contribute to safer mobility and help deliver Autoliv's goal of saving 100,000 lives a year.
By exchanging valuable insights, knowledge, and data, Autoliv and UNRSF will actively support the Global Plan for the Second Decade of Action 2021-2030, which seeks to prevent at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030.
Road traffic crashes claim 1.35 million lives every year and are the leading cause of death among children and young adults. More than 90 per cent of road traffic fatalities take place in developing countries. Autoliv's support of UNRSF is an important step to further democratize road safety and increase awareness and availability of life-saving products where it is most needed.
Shaping the future of mobility in a safer and more sustainable way
Autoliv's vision of Saving More Lives directly supports UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number three, which aspires to ensure good health and well-being for all, with one of its targets focused on halving global deaths and injuries from road traffic crashes.
"Cross-sector collaboration is key if the world is to advance its positions on the Sustainable Development Goals. Supporting the UNRSF is a way for Autoliv to share our expertise while gaining additional insights into the main road safety challenges facing the world today. Through our core business of life-saving products, we have an important role to play. Saving More Lives is an integral part of our sustainability agenda, and our aim is to save 100,000 lives a year", says Mikael Bratt, CEO and President, Autoliv.
Cross-sector collaborations required to reach global sustainability goals
"As a member of the multi-stakeholder UNRSF Platforms of Engagement, Autoliv directly supports UNRSF thinking on high-impact road safety projects. With its financial contribution, Autoliv is also directly supporting UNRSF project operations in low- and middle-income countries. It is this type of multi-pronged engagement from the private sector which will leapfrog the global community towards achieving the SDGs on safe, sustainable and inclusive mobility for all" says Nneka Henry, Head of the UNRSF Secretariat.
Autoliv's commitment to support the UNRSF will directly result in road safety interventions in low- and middle-income countries ranging from better vehicle standards and road infrastructure design to effective systems to improve road user behavior and emergency post-crash response.
Inquiries:
Media: Gabriella Ekelund, Tel +46 (70) 612 64 24
Investors & Analysts: Anders Trapp, Tel +46 (0)8 587 206 71
Investors & Analysts: Henrik Kaar, Tel +46 (0)8 587 206 14
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
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SOURCE Autoliv | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/autoliv-launches-multi-year-commitment-support-un-road-safety-fund/ | 2022-04-12T09:23:55 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/autoliv-launches-multi-year-commitment-support-un-road-safety-fund/ |
The firm will exhibit its creations at Barcelona Bridal Night
BARCELONA, Spain, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --The fashion artists Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren will present the world's first fashion show of their bridal line during Barcelona Bridal Night, the gala night of the Barcelona Bridal Fashion Week event, which once again confirms itself as a world reference in bridal fashion. The fashion show - which is also the brand's first in Spain - will take place on Wednesday the 20th of April at the Xavier Corberó Centre for Research and Artistic Activities.
Founded in 1993, the luxury brand created by artists Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren is one of the most famous in the world of haute couture due to its distinctive avant-garde DNA, characterised by the spectacular fusion of art and design. The company will present the world's first fashion show of its Viktor&Rolf Mariage line, dedicated exclusively to brides. The show will include the creations of the spring/summer 2023 season and a carefully chosen selection of iconic pieces from its haute couture collections and dresses from its bridal line.
For the Barcelona Bridal Night show, Viktor&Rolf are preparing a presentation inspired by haute couture influences with a surreal and signature touch, resulting in a bold take on their striking bridal range of sculptural and romantic designs, complemented by avant-garde haute couture pieces and others endowed with large, light volumes that reflect the designers' perspective, always in search of the limits of transformation. On their upcoming participation in the event, the designers have stated: "We are delighted to be part of BBFW and to present our first bridal fashion show in Barcelona."
Organised by Fira de Barcelona, it will celebrate its next edition between the 20th and 24th of April 2022 at the Plaza de España venue with large companies and young designers from all over the world among the exhibitors. In addition to the catwalk, which will host the fashion shows of 33 designers between the 20th and 23rd of April, the organisation will have participation from over 320 firms, 80% being international from 27 countries at the trade fair, which from the 22nd to 24th of April will connect exhibitors with buyers, promoting business and networking in the international sphere.
Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1794366/Fira_de_Barcelona.jpg
Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/659718/Fira_Barcelona_Logo.jpg
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SOURCE Fira de Barcelona | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/barcelona-bridal-fashion-week-presents-worlds-first-fashion-show-viktoramprolf-mariage-bridal-line/ | 2022-04-12T09:24:02 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/barcelona-bridal-fashion-week-presents-worlds-first-fashion-show-viktoramprolf-mariage-bridal-line/ |
- Bayer AG's MagicTrap automatically detects pest infestations and provides optimum crop protection
- 1NCE provides global connectivity for smart monitoring systems
COLOGNE, Germany , April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- To help farmers detect pests early and protect critical agriculture, Bayer AG's Crop Protection Innovation Lab developed the MagicTrap ― a yellow trap that catches and counts potential pests in canola fields automatically and provides data for developing an efficient crop protection system. For communication between the yellow trap and the app used by farmers, Bayer AG relies on 1NCE, the only provider of connectivity and software for IoT with a global flat rate.
"Farmers should not have to worry about SIM cards and contracts," said Fabian Born, product manager at Bayer. "The device must be ready to use anywhere, immediately, and without technical preparation. 1NCE convinced us with its unique offer of worldwide availability and a simple pricing model over the entire lifecycle of a device."
Alexander P. Sator, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of 1NCE GmbH added: "Classic mobile contracts with long term lengths or volume tariffs are a showstopper for the development of smart and scalable IoT solutions, and worldwide accessibility at a fixed price over the entire lifecycle of a device is a must-have. We are pleased to work with Bayer AG on this important concept to protect the world's crops."
Full press release: https://1nce.com/en/news/
Project details: https://1nce.com/en/blog/
About Bayer and 1NCE
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition: www.bayer.com. 1NCE is the only provider of connectivity and software for IoT with a global flat. rate: www.1nce.com
Media Contact
Dennis Knake, 1NCE
E-Mail: dennis.knake@1NCE.com
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SOURCE 1NCE | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/bayer-ags-crop-protection-innovation-lab-implements-1nce-services-smart-insect-traps-protect-worlds-canola-crops/ | 2022-04-12T09:24:10 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/bayer-ags-crop-protection-innovation-lab-implements-1nce-services-smart-insect-traps-protect-worlds-canola-crops/ |
The compact portable battery supports users during home energy outages and outdoor activities, with a power output of 2500W and has 1843Wh super large capacity, being 80% recharged in 1.5 hours, and having an UPS function
SHENZHEN, China, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The BigBlue Cellpowa2500 Compact Portable Power Station crowdfunding campaign will coming soon on kickstarter on April 19th.
This power station can be charged with an AC cable and reaching 80% capacity in 1.5hours. At the same time, 3 independent DC input ports allow Cellpowa2500 to obtain 1200W power from six solar panels, extending its Bullet-D fast charging technology to the outdoor world.
Cellpowa2500 may be used to charge or power a computer, an electric oven, a heater, medical equipment, or any electronic device. It supports an output of 2500W, going up to 5000W surge. Featuring 6 AC ports, 2 USB fast charging ports, 2 PD 45W ports, and 2 PD 100W ports, among others, this power station allows users to charge or power 15 devices simultaneously, at any given time.
For people who are traveling or venturing off-grid, keeping car battery powered at all times is critical. Cellpowa 2500 can charge car batteries during off-grid emergencies, by the way, which is just as useful.
Not only that, what if you suddenly lose power when you are using a computer to write a script, or watching the World Cup on TV? Cellpowa 2500's UPS function keeps you away from this annoyance. Connect devices to Cellpowa2500, and connect the Cellpowa 2500 to the grid with an AC cable, then even if the grid loses, your devices will not be affected, Cellpowa2500 will automatically detect the grid and power your device within 10ms.
On the other hand, Cellpowa2500's GPS positioning function allows you to know exactly where you are, and you can use a walkie-talkie or car radio to report your location to someone nearby and ask for help.
Cellpowa2500 is equipped with 1843.2Wh automotive level LiFePO4 battery, which supports 3,500+ lifecycles. In other words, Cellpowa2500 can be used frequently for up to 10 years. Once these 3,500 lifecycles are used up, the device will still retain 80% of its original capacity.
Along with featuring its user-friendly on-device controls, Cellpowa2500 can also be controlled wirelessly through BigBlue app that gives users remote access to the power station's recharging capabilities.
Backers who support the campaign gain early and discounted access to the device. You can visit Cellpowa2500 promotional page on BigBlue official website for more information.
About BigBlue Energy
BIGBLUE ENERGY INC is a professional portable solar generator manufacturer with more than 1000 employees. Born in 2007, Bigblue aims to relief people's worries about lacking power by its clean and renewable energy solution. We have been committed to off-grid solar products which closely meets market needs and create customer value as a tech company. In order to provide fast delivery and convenient after-sales service to our customers, we have branches and local warehouses in USA, Europe and Japan, meanwhile, we have factories in Vietnam and China.Carrying out research and development work for a Solar-Wind-Power Station.
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SOURCE BigBlue | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/bigblue-cellpowa2500-ultra-fast-power-station-is-launching-kickstarter-soon/ | 2022-04-12T09:24:17 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/bigblue-cellpowa2500-ultra-fast-power-station-is-launching-kickstarter-soon/ |
SHENZHEN, China, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Here's a news report from Shenzhen Daily:
A ceremony marking the commencement of the construction of Shenzhen's key projects in the second quarter (Q2) was held in Guangming District on the morning of April 8.
Among the 200 key projects that will begin construction in Q2, 30 are located in Guangming District and they fall into the four categories: industrial projects, real estate projects, urban infrastructure projects, and projects for citizens' wellbeing. The total investment on the 30 projects will be around 18.3 billion yuan, with 2.41 billion yuan planned to be invested this year.
Among these projects, a highlight is the BTR industrialization project, whose construction site is where the ceremony was held. Located in Xitian Community in Gongming Subdistrict, the project, which is dedicated to expanding BTR's production of anode materials for high-end lithium-ion batteries, covers 64,000 square meters of land and has a total construction area of 200,000 square meters. Upon completion, the five-billion-yuan project will expand the company's production of silicon-based anode materials by 40,000 tonnes, which will greatly enhance the company's competitiveness in the global market.
Established in 2000, BTR is a world-leading supplier of anode materials for lithium-ion batteries. The company's shipment of anode materials has topped the world market for nine years running since 2013.
The BTR project is also important in that it is the pilot demonstration project of a new model rolled out by Guangming, which aims to minimize the time needed for project approval procedures before a project is allowed to begin its construction. Under the new model, a timetable will be formulated after a key project is approved and relevant approval procedures will be streamlined to ensure that the construction process can begin as quickly as possible once the land lot for the project has been confirmed.
This is a Shenzhen Daily news report:
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SOURCE Shenzhen Daily | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/ceremony-marking-launch-shenzhens-q2-key-projects-held-guangming/ | 2022-04-12T09:24:24 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/ceremony-marking-launch-shenzhens-q2-key-projects-held-guangming/ |
Shreveport's Cooper Road celebrates proud beginnings with native NFL and saxophone players
As saxophonist Sarah Nicole Gardner played to the crowd a selection of 70's and modern classics like Ron Isley's "For the Love of You" and "Latch" by Disclosure and Sam Smith, Shreveport deejay and former 103.7 radio personality Hot Boy Yoshi said this is what Cooper Road Day is all about.
"I watched her march in the parade for Cooper Road USA and to see her come back is inspirational," Yoshi said Saturday about witnessing the evolution of Gardner's talents.
Cooper Road Day is annual event at David Raines Park that celebrates the community's depth of talent and independent history in order to inspire neighborly love and greatness from its members, said organizer Carl Moore.
Moore boasts about the community's resilience, saying they created their own police department, public transportation system, and sewerage system before being annexed into Shreveport in 1978.
The Day starts with a parade and ends with a festival. This is the event's 20th year but the first one since the start of the pandemic.
Moore said natives doing great things like Gardner and NFL wide receiver Marquez Stevenson help motivate others when they show up to the event like they both did Saturday.
Cooper Road was founded in 1926 on what is today Martin Luther King Drive on a former plantation reclaimed by the children of enslaved African Americans, Moore said. He said Cooper Road was known as the nation's second biggest African American community only after Harlem in New York City.
Gardner is a senior at Berkelee College of Music in Boston and about to release an album. Stevenson plays for the Buffalo Bills alongside fellow Cooper Road native Tre'Davious White.
“We got two kids from cooper road playing for the same NFL team. Who else can say that," Moore said.“It lets them know there’s no ceiling on Cooper Road."
“It’s one of the only places in America you can go from elementary school to college and actually walk from elementary school to college," Moore added.
Gardner began playing saxophone while a sixth grader at Donnie Bickham Middle School and has been attending the Cooper Road celebration since she was a middle school student performing with her school band in the parade.
"Some of these pieces I played in high school so I wanted to show how much I have grown since those days," Gardner said about the process that went into choosing her Saturday playlist. "I also wanted to show that I can play real jazz."
More: Shreveport looks to build multi-purpose field, technology workforce center at Cedar Grove park
Gardner acted at the Marshall of the parade this year then performed on stage later in the evening.
Disc jockey services were provided by GoDJ Teddy B, who grew up on Cooper Road and learned his trade from his cousin Yoshi, who deejayed the celebration in previous years, has been a tour deejay for rapper Rick Ross and recently deejayed a party for Deion Sanders at Jackson State University.
Yoshi said his father hosted a Juneteenth celebration for years at David Raines Park where he and his family would give out over 2,000 hotdogs and sodas to his neighbors. He said he participates in this celebration because it reminds him of the one his family held.
Shreveport comedian and preacher Tonja Robinson revived her quarterly clothes giveaway under the park’s pavilion Saturday, allowing people to take bags of mostly second hand professional and casual attire with tags from Tommy Hilfiger, Polo Ralph Lauren, and a number of other brands.
More: 10-year-old's designer sneakers inspired by love for LSU and Converse
This is the first time since the pandemic began that Robinson has held the giveaway, which is usually staged at Greater Saint Mary Baptist Church.
Robinson was born and raised on Cooper Road. She collects the clothes from other community members.
“When you come from an underprivileged or impoverished neighborhood, sometimes you need a boost,” Robinson said.
Local horse riding group Top of Da Chain attended the festival with several of their horses, five rode by the founder Pamela Dale's grandchildren and two by Dale and her partner. Dale's been in the industry of training horses and horse riders for 30 years now and grew up on Cooper Road.
She says they ride the horses to the festival in order to show neighborhood children the diversity of hobbies they're able to participate in.
Moore said he holds another Cooper Road Day in Dallas because there are enough ex-Shreveporters out there to have large gatherings.
Mayor Adrian Perkins and Council woman Tabatha Taylor attended and helped fund Cooper Road Day this year, Moore said.
“We maintained our own identity even though we are part of Shreveport," Moore said. "We gave Shreveport its first black mayor."
"Cooper Road Day allows us to accentuate the positive aspects of our community," Moore said.“We maintained our own identity even though we are part of Shreveport. We gave Shreveport its first black mayor."
Kendrick Dante writes for the USA Today Network and is a government watchdog reporter in Shreveport, Louisiana. He enjoys cooking, concerts, and content. Email him at kdbrown1@gannett.com or connect on Twitter @kendrickdante. | https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2022/04/12/shreveports-cooper-road-celebrates-native-nfl-and-saxophone-players/7274543001/ | 2022-04-12T09:24:27 | 1 | https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2022/04/12/shreveports-cooper-road-celebrates-native-nfl-and-saxophone-players/7274543001/ |
CHICAGO, LONDON and SINGAPORE, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, today announced a new regional leadership structure to support its growing international business in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific.
The new structure is designed to enhance the company's ability to provide local expertise and globally relevant products and services that meet the diverse risk management needs of its clients around the world. Reporting to Derek Sammann, Senior Managing Director, Global Head of Commodities, Options and International Markets and a member of the CME Group Management Team, the following executives have been appointed to new roles:
- Michel Everaert, has been named Managing Director and Head of EMEA, a new position based in London. Everaert joined CME Group in 2011 and most recently served as the company's Managing Director and Co-Head of Client Development & Sales (CD&S) for EMEA. He has 30 years of experience in derivatives markets including roles at IMEX Group, GFI Group, Logica, Reuters and Dow Jones.
- Russell Beattie will join CME Group in May as Managing Director and Head of Asia Pacific. Based in Singapore, Beattie has over 25 years of experience in the listed and OTC derivatives markets and most recently served as Head of Asia Pacific Derivatives Indexes for MSCI. He also held APAC leadership roles for Bank of America Securities, Barclays, Deutsche Bank and HSBC. He replaces Chris Fix who retired in March 2022.
Additionally, Serge Marston has been appointed Managing Director and Head of CD&S for EMEA, responsible for leading CME Group's sales efforts in the region across both listed derivatives and cash markets. Marston will be based in London and will report to David Hartney, Global Head of CD&S. Marston joined CME Group in 2018 following the company's acquisition of NEX Group and most recently served as Co-Head of CD&S for EMEA. Marston previously worked at Deutsche Bank for nearly 20 years where he held a variety of roles including Global Head of eCommerce Sales.
William Knottenbelt, who currently serves as Senior Managing Director, Head of International, will retire at yearend.
"After record volume growth in EMEA and Asia Pacific for each of the past 10 years, approximately 30% of our revenue is now generated from non-U.S. markets," said Sammann. "Building on that momentum, the organizational changes announced today further elevate both the significance and opportunities that these regions represent to our overall business and reflect the many achievements of our talented regional team members. To that end, I want to thank William for his contributions in getting us to this point in the continued evolution of our international business.
"I'm now pleased to appoint Michel Everaert, who is a long-standing CME Group employee, to head our EMEA region and name Russell Beattie to lead our business in Asia Pacific. Our new structure will enhance our ability to provide local expertise and globally relevant products and services to meet the diverse risk management needs of our clients around the world."
In Q1 2022, outside the United States, CME Group reached average daily volume (ADV) of 7.3 million contracts, up 18% year on year. The increase was driven by 17% growth in EMEA (5.1 million contracts ADV) and 22% growth in Asia Pacific (1.9 million contracts ADV), compared to the same period last year.
In 2021, CME Group saw a record ADV of 5.5 million contracts from outside of the U.S., representing 28% of total volume. EMEA volume reached a record 4 million ADV, up 3%; Asia Pacific reached a record 1.3 million in ADV, an increase of 5%; and Latin America volume was up 5% over the same period.
As the world's leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, energy, agricultural products and metals. The company offers futures and options on futures trading through the CME Globex® platform, fixed income trading via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform. In addition, it operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing.
CME Group, the Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Globex, and, E-mini are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. CBOT and Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc. NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. BrokerTec and EBS are trademarks of BrokerTec Europe LTD and EBS Group LTD, respectively. Dow Jones, Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and S&P are service and/or trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC, Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and S&P/Dow Jones Indices LLC, as the case may be, and have been licensed for use by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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SOURCE CME Group | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/cme-group-announces-new-regional-leadership-structure-strengthen-focus-international-business-growth-facilitate-enhanced-service-clients-outside-united-states/ | 2022-04-12T09:24:31 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/cme-group-announces-new-regional-leadership-structure-strengthen-focus-international-business-growth-facilitate-enhanced-service-clients-outside-united-states/ |
CHENGDU, China, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Keymed Biosciences (2162.HK) announced that its new drug candidate CMG901 (the "Claudin 18.2 antibody drug conjugates") for the treatment of gastric cancer and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma has been granted the Orphan-drug Designation by the Food and Drug Administration of the United States (the "FDA") recently. Previously, in March 2021, the Company received the clinical trial application approval of CMG901 from the FDA for the clinical trial in gastric cancer and gastroesophageal junction adenocarcinoma in the United States.
"The ongoing Phase 1 trial of CMG901 demonstrated promising anti-tumor activity in advanced gastric and GEJ adenocarcinoma patients," said Joy Yan, MD, PhD, Keymed Biosciences Chief Medical Officer, "We look forward to working closely with the FDA to finish the design of the global pivotal trial in Claudin 18.2-positive advanced gastric and GEJ adenocarcinoma".
About CMG901
CMG901 is the first Claudin 18.2 ADC to obtained IND approval in China and in the U.S. CMG901 consists of three components: a monoclonal antibody targeting Claudin 18.2, a cleavable linker and a potent cytotoxic payload (MMAE). Claudin 18.2 has been identified as a highly selective molecule that is widely expressed in multiple solid tumors, including gastric cancer and pancreatic cancer, suggesting that Claudin 18.2 is an ideal target for tumor therapeutic development.
CMG901 can cause tumor cell death by several mechanism:
- CMG901 binds to Claudin 18.2 positive cell via its monoclonal antibody portion. After binding, CMG901 will be internalized into lysosome by tumor cells and release the cytotoxic payload, leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of the tumor cells.
- CMG901 can stimulate cellular and soluble immune effectors that activate antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) and complement-dependent cytotoxicity (CDC) to destroy the Claudin 18.2 positive cells.
Preclinical studies suggest that CMG901 can effectively kill gastric cancer cells with much stronger antitumor potency than zolbetuximab analog or the unconjugated antibody of CMG901. Meanwhile, CMG901 also shown good tolerance and favorable safety profile in preclinical studies.
For additional information, please visit website: http://en.keymedbio.com/
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SOURCE Keymed | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/cmg901-treatment-gastric-cancer-gastroesophageal-junction-adenocarcinoma-was-granted-orphan-drug-designation-by-food-drug-administration-united-states/ | 2022-04-12T09:24:38 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/cmg901-treatment-gastric-cancer-gastroesophageal-junction-adenocarcinoma-was-granted-orphan-drug-designation-by-food-drug-administration-united-states/ |
Community solar projects can do far more for communities than expand access to clean energy and create local jobs; with a new approach called "Community Solar+," projects can accelerate numerous other community-wide sustainability and equity goals.
BOULDER, Colo., April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The first generation of community solar enabled greater access to clean energy while boosting local jobs and economic investments. A new RMI report released today introduces "Community Solar+," a whole-systems approach to planning and deploying community solar projects to capture greater economies of scale and advance community-wide sustainability and equity goals.
Community solar projects have increased 10-fold in the United States since 2015. Community Solar+ shows how this continued growth presents an undertapped opportunity to use community solar to help achieve climate action targets more strategically and equitably.
"At its core, Community Solar+ is doing more with less. So, rather than just focusing on the clean energy component, projects can be designed to also help build out EV charging, prepare the grid for an electrified future, mitigate urban heat island effects, and more," said Madeline Tyson, RMI manager and report co-author. "For local governments, this means better managing competing priorities for limited city budgets."
The report provides a new framework, an illustrative financial model, four case studies, and recommendations for state and local governments, utilities, and developers to think more deliberately about full project value when planning and deploying new community solar projects. Additional values that can be achieved through Community Solar+ include:
- Accelerating investment in EV charging infrastructure
- Increasing energy resilience for critical assets and vulnerable communities
- Aligning evolving grid and customer needs for an electrified future
- Creating a more equitable energy system
- Providing covered parking and weather protection
- Mitigating urban heat island effects
"Momentum is building for more community solar. But let's deploy community solar in a way that truly creates community assets," said Matthew Popkin, RMI manager and report co-author. "I hope Community Solar+ gives state, local, and utility leaders the tools and creative license to think outside the box in pursuit of a more electrified, resilient, and equitable clean energy future."
To download the report and an infographic on Community Solar+, visit: https://rmi.org/insight/community-solar-plus.
Mike Banker, Strategic Communications Manager, T: +1 303.567.8549 E: mbanker@rmi.org
RMI is an independent nonprofit founded in 1982 that transforms global energy systems through market-driven solutions to align with a 1.5°C future and secure a clean, prosperous, zero-carbon future for all. We work in the world's most critical geographies and engage businesses, policymakers, communities, and NGOs to identify and scale energy system interventions that will cut greenhouse gas emissions at least 50 percent by 2030. RMI has offices in Basalt and Boulder, Colorado; New York City; Oakland, California; Washington, D.C.; and Beijing.
More information on RMI can be found at www.rmi.org or follow us on Twitter @RockyMtnInst.
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SOURCE RMI | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/community-solar-reimagines-potential-community-solar-advance-local-climate-equity-goals-per-rmi-report/ | 2022-04-12T09:24:47 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/community-solar-reimagines-potential-community-solar-advance-local-climate-equity-goals-per-rmi-report/ |
SKÅNES FAGERHULT, Sweden, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Concentric AB has received a new development contract to supply high voltage electric coolant pumps for a battery electric mining machine. The customer, a global construction OEM, will use our e-pumps for cooling the batteries and power electronics on a large fully electric mining machine.
Battery electric powertrains will be one of the key technology enablers for zero emissions from off-highway machines. Mining machines are one of the early adopters of this technology as construction OEM's expect their customers will enjoy a reduction in the total cost of ownership as well as enabling zero emissions.
The electric coolant pump has the following key benefits:
- Enables the use of high voltage supply, eliminating the need for a low voltage DC converter;
- Robust design which includes a wet rotor eliminating the possibility of a dynamic seal failure;
- Long service life aided by liquid cooled electronics and DC brushless design giving service life >50,000 hours;
- Integrated diagnostics and utilising sensors for temperature and pressure; and
- Compact and low noise characteristics.
Martin Kunz, President and CEO of Concentric AB commented: "This new agreement is another innovation milestone in the development of Concentric's e-pumps. We already supply e-pumps to many global OEMs for their hybrid and battery electric vehicles, this important contract will enable the development of a high voltage pump in the expected growth area of battery electric off-highway machines."
For additional information please contact
Martin Kunz,
telephone +44-121-445 6545
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
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SOURCE Concentric AB | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/concentric-receives-development-contract-global-oem-high-voltage-electric-coolant-pump-battery-electric-mining-machine/ | 2022-04-12T09:24:54 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/concentric-receives-development-contract-global-oem-high-voltage-electric-coolant-pump-battery-electric-mining-machine/ |
Offering the Lowest Power Consumption in its Class, the New High-Performance WorkForce Pro WF-C4810 MFP is Engineered for Reliability and Productivity
LOS ALAMITOS, Calif., April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- With the technology available today, businesses are looking for office solutions that offer both functional and environmental benefits. Epson is shaping the future of printing with its PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology™, the core technology powering the new WorkForce® Pro WF-C4810 Color MFP. The new WF-C4810, engineered for fast-paced environments, has the lowest power consumption in its class.1
Providing unwavering speed and high-volume printing, the WF-C4810 prints 25 black/12 color ISO ppm† and, with no warmup time, delivers a fast first page out. With minimal maintenance parts, the WF-C4810 is designed to maximize uptime and reduce intervention.
The WF-C4810 features duplex, auto two-sided printing and built-in copy, scan and fax capabilities. The included two-year limited warranty offers product protection businesses can count on while the accurate dot placement and DURABrite® Ultra instant-dry pigment inks deliver the professional-quality prints businesses rely on.
"Epson is committed to empowering businesses with tools and technologies that use fewer resources to help move the needle when it comes to environmental impact," said Kaila Murphy, product manager, Business Inkjet, Epson America, Inc. "The WorkForce Pro WF-C4810 not only supports ultra-productive workflows, but also offers the benefits of low power consumption and cost-effective, high-quality color printing."
Additional features include:
- Latest wireless connectivity: Supports authentication with WPA3, the latest wireless security protocol
- Convenient, wireless setup: Simple wireless setup using a smartphone or mobile device2 with Bluetooth® Low Energy (BLE) to setup and includes built-in wireless, Wi-Fi Direct®3 and Ethernet networking
- Seamless scanning: Epson ScanSmart® supports easy scanning and editing with a modern, user-friendly interface
- Easy to use: 4.3" color touchscreen for quick navigation, plus Epson Smart Panel® App4 connectivity from a mobile device2
Availability and Support
The Epson WorkForce Pro WF-C4810 Color MFP is now available through authorized BusinessFirstSM dealers. For more information and availability, please visit epson.com/business-inkjet-printers.
About Epson Business Inkjet
Epson's portfolio of high-performance business inkjet printing solutions forge the future of office printing and set the new standard for minimal intervention, affordability and low energy consumption. Engineered with Epson's innovative PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology, Epson's groundbreaking business printing solutions – from Supertank, WorkForce, WorkForce Pro and WorkForce Pro HC for hybrid work-from-home and in-office small businesses to WorkForce Enterprise – deliver high performance with few moving parts to exceed market needs.
To learn more about Epson's portfolio of business inkjet printing solutions, visit Epson.com/BusinessInkjet. To learn more about Epson PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology, visit Epson.com/Heat-Free.
About Epson
Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to co-creating sustainability and enriching communities by leveraging its efficient, compact, and precision technologies and digital technologies to connect people, things, and information. The company is focused on solving societal issues through innovations in home and office printing, commercial and industrial printing, manufacturing, visual and lifestyle. Epson's goal is to become carbon negative and eliminate use of exhaustible underground resources such as oil and metal by 2050.
Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of around JPY 1 trillion. global.epson.com/
Epson America, Inc., based in Los Alamitos, Calif., is Epson's regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson, please visit: epson.com. You may also connect with Epson America on Facebook (facebook.com/Epson), Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonAmerica), YouTube (youtube.com/epsonamerica), and Instagram (instagram.com/EpsonAmerica).
*This product uses only genuine Epson-brand cartridges. Other brands of ink cartridges and ink supplies are not compatible and, even if described as compatible, may not function properly or at all.
† Black and color print speeds are measured in accordance with ISO/IEC 24734. Actual print times will vary based on factors including system configuration, software, and page complexity. For more information, visit www.epson.com/printspeed
1 Compared to similarly featured conventional color laser printers priced at $499 (USD) or less and 30 ppm or less based on industry available data as of July 2021. Actual power savings will vary by product model and usage.
2 Most features require an Internet connection to the printer, as well as an Internet- and/or email-enabled device. For a list of Epson Connect™ enabled printers and compatible devices and apps, visit www.epson.com/connect
3 Wi-Fi CERTIFIED™; level of performance subject to the range of the router being used. Wi-Fi Direct may require printer software.
4 Requires Epson Smart Panel App download. Data usage fees may apply.
EPSON, Epson ScanSmart, Epson Smart Panel, DURABrite, PrecisionCore and WorkForce are registered trademarks, EPSON Exceed Your Vision is a registered logomark and Epson Connect and PrecisionCore Heat-Free Technology are trademarks of Seiko Epson Corporation. Wi-Fi Direct is a registered trademark and Wi-Fi CERTIFIED is a trademark of Wi-Fi Alliance®. BusinessFirst is a service mark of Epson America, Inc. All other product and brand names are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Epson disclaims any and all rights in these marks. Copyright 2021 Epson America, Inc.
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SOURCE Epson America, Inc. | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/epson-announces-new-a4-desktop-color-multifunction-printer-ideal-eco-conscious-businesses/ | 2022-04-12T09:25:01 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/epson-announces-new-a4-desktop-color-multifunction-printer-ideal-eco-conscious-businesses/ |
German United Robotics Group acquires SoftBank Robotics Europe in Paris
BOCHUM, Germany, PARIS and TOKYO, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Robotics Group (URG), a subsidiary of the RAG-Stiftung in Essen, has reached an agreement with SoftBank Robotics Group Corp. (SBRG) to acquire their French subsidiary SoftBank Robotics Europe SAS (SBRE). SBRG will acquire a minority stake in URG and the two companies will continue to cooperate in the global marketing of various robots. By acquiring SBRE, URG will become one of the leading service robotics companies in Europe.
With this acquisition, URG is following its strategy of securing a leading position in the robotics market through organic growth and acquisitions. The extensive know-how and experience of SBRE's highly qualified employees not only ideally complement URG's broad product range, but the combined forces will above all accelerate research and development and thus further strengthen the company's innovative power.
Headquartered in Paris, France, SBRE is a leader in humanoid robotics and the developer and manufacturer of the world-renowned Pepper and NAO robots. URG has been the master distributor in the European market since October 2021, responsible for sales, service and maintenance of Pepper and NAO. URG companies such as Humanizing Technologies and ENTRANCE Robotics have already been partners of SBRE since 2017.
URG, SBRG and SBRE will hold a strong partnership to develop and distribute various robots including Pepper and will continue to provide services together to customers around the world.
SBRE will revert to its former name of Aldebaran, a pioneer in interaction robotics and academics market. General Manager of SBRE, Xavier Lacherade, will continue to lead the company. The transaction is subject to merger clearance and is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022.
"We are pleased to welcome SBRE with more than 180 exceptionally motivated robotics specialists," said Thomas Hähn, founder and CEO of United Robotics Group. "This is an important step for us on the way to further internationalizing our company. The future Aldebaran with their strong reputation in the market will help us to further expand our great potential in combining interaction robotics with our knowledge in collaborative industrial robotics."
Fumihide Tomizawa, President & CEO, SoftBank Robotics Group, said: "We are strengthening our strategic partnerships with various robotics leader companies around the world. We are very pleased to form a strong partnership with a successful company, URG. We will leverage this great relationship to develop and market Pepper and a variety of other robots."
Xavier Lacherade, General Manager of SoftBank Robotics Europe, said: "We know URG as a strategic partner in sales, services and software development. I am very excited about the combination of the two companies into one large network. I am firmly convinced that the short management paths, which are also characterized by the German-French friendship, will inspire the work on both sides of the Rhine and lead us to new successes in the near future."
About United Robotics Group
The United Robotics Group is a subsidiary of RSBG SE, a wholly owned investment entity of the RAG-Stiftung, which primarily focuses on technology driven engineering companies. With a long-term oriented buy and build strategy, RSBG SE is a valuable partner for successful mid-sized companies such as the United Robotics Group.
The United Robotics Group (URG), headquartered in Bochum, Germany, unites young service robotics companies into a unique ecosystem. URG bundles hardware and software expertise under one roof, develops customized service robotics solutions with its partners and customers to meet challenges in the medical, care, hospitality and education sectors, and offers Robot as a Service. Customer needs, product quality, data protection and sustainability are the drivers of development at URG.
For more information: https://www.unitedrobotics.group
About SoftBank Robotics Europe
Leader in humanoid robotics, SoftBank Robotics Europe is headquartered in Paris and regroups about 180 employees. Creator of the robots NAO and Pepper, used today in more than 70 countries worldwide, in various fields, such as retail, healthcare, tourism and education, SoftBank Robotics Europe is a subsidiary of SoftBank Robotics Group Corp.
For more information: www.softbankrobotics.com/emea
About SoftBank Robotics Group
SoftBank Robotics is driving technology forward by becoming a worldwide leader in robotics solutions. Rapidly expanding with offices in Tokyo, San Francisco, Boston, London, Paris, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Singapore, Sydney, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. SoftBank Robotics is constantly exploring and commercializing robotics solutions that help make people's lives easier, safer, more connected, and more extraordinary. SoftBank Robotics' robots are used in more than 70 countries worldwide and we offer innovative applications relevant in the fields of retail, tourism, healthcare, finance, education, facilities management, cleaning, warehouse, and logistics.
For more information: https://www.softbankrobotics.com/
Picture is available at AP Images (http://www.apimages.com)
Press contacts:
Johannes Kober
Corporate Communication, United Robotics Group GmbH
+49 174 61 59 342
+49 69 42 72 60 238
J.Kober@unitedrobotics.group
Nicolas Halftermeyer
Communications & Product Branding Director, SoftBank Robotics Europe SAS
nicolas.halftermeyer@softbankrobotics.com
Kiminari Iwanaga
Public Relations Office, SoftBank Robotics Group Corp.
SBRGRP-PR@g.softbank.co.jp
SOURCE United Robotics Group | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/establishing-an-international-robotics-key-player/ | 2022-04-12T09:25:07 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/establishing-an-international-robotics-key-player/ |
CHICAGO, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of people in search of alternative therapies have recently discovered the therapeutic benefits of Nesas Hemp, the world's first full-spectrum CBDa hemp extract. Created by Inesa Ponomariovaite, Nesas Hemp is one of the few companies in the world that offer customers certified organic hemp oil made with CBDa, rather than CBD.
Unlike CBD products that use extreme temperatures and other harmful processes to extract cannabinoids from the hemp plant, CBDa is made with living hemp and is a much higher quality than CBD. People who consume it reap the benefits of the plant's healthy fats, vitamins, and beneficial phytonutrients which have proven to help reduce chronic aches and pains, promote better sleep, improve digestion, help stabilize moods, and ease mental tension.
"You can't transform others unless you transform yourself first," said Inesa Ponomariovaite, CEO and founder of Nesas Hemp.
Inesa is no stranger to suffering. Her childhood in Lithuania was marked by harsh living conditions and ill-health. When she moved to the United States as a young adult, adversity struck again as she experienced her health declining, domestic abuse, homelessness and more. Searching for answers, she discovered the secret to health and wellness was proper nutrition. Inesa rapidly converted to a natural, holistic lifestyle. Within a year her health was completely restored.
Unfortunately, her road to recovery was shattered a few years later when her mother received a diagnosis of cancer. With only six months to live, Inesa dropped everything and traveled the world searching natural ways to save her mother's life. This led her to hemp, a plant with the miraculous ability to heal the mind, body and soul.
After further investigation, Inesa was shocked to learn the CBD industry, which promised to help heal people was unregulated and full of companies more concerned with profit than providing safe and effective products that actually helped.
Determined to change this, she dedicated all her time and resources to creating Nesas Hemp, which is the world's first full-spectrum CBDa hemp extract. Since launching her product, she has helped thousands of people live happier and healthier lives.
About Nesas Hemp
Nesas Hemp is the world's first biological and living CBDa full spectrum hemp extract. The plant is handled in precise ways to extract the oil using a carefully designed process. This ensures the finished bottle of oil contains the same frequency as the living plant with all of its compounds maintained. It's proven to be up to 1,000 times stronger than any other CBD product on the market.
Nesas products are the most rigorously tested cannabis products on the market and the first brand to receive the "Tested Safe" seal from the ACS FDA, a registered laboratory. See lab results here.
Nesas Hemp
press@nesashemp.com
1-224-240-0620
Nesashemp.com
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SOURCE Nesa's Hemp | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/holistic-health-expert-disrupting-hemp-industry/ | 2022-04-12T09:25:14 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/holistic-health-expert-disrupting-hemp-industry/ |
NEW YORK, April 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hoth Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOTH), a patient-focused biopharmaceutical company, today announced the pricing of its underwritten public offering of 8,235,294 shares of common stock (the "Common Stock") at a public offering price of $0.85 per share, priced at-the-market under Nasdaq rules, for aggregate gross proceeds of approximately $7.0 million, prior to deducting underwriting discounts, commissions, and other offering expenses. In addition, the Company has granted the underwriters a 45-day option to purchase up to an additional 1,235,294 shares of Common Stock at the public offering price per share, less the underwriting discounts and commissions, to cover over-allotments, if any.
The offering is expected to close on or about April 14, 2022, subject to satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
The Company intends to use the net proceeds from this offering for general corporate and working capital purposes.
EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC, is acting as sole book-running manager for the offering.
The proposed offering of the Common Stock described above is being offered by the Company pursuant to a "shelf" registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-236887) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and declared effective by the SEC on March 11, 2020, and the accompanying prospectus contained therein.
A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering have been filed with the SEC and are available on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. A final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC's website.
Copies of the prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus relating to this offering may be obtained, when available, on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov or by contacting EF Hutton, division of Benchmark Investments, LLC Attention: Syndicate Department, 590 Madison Avenue, 39th Floor, New York, NY 10022, by email at syndicate@efhuttongroup.com, or by telephone at (212) 404-7002.
This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. Any offer, if at all, will be made only by means of the prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus forming a part of the effective registration statement.
Hoth Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing new generation therapies for unmet medical needs. Hoth's pipeline development is focused to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from skin toxicities associated with cancer therapy, mast-cell derived cancers and anaphylaxis, Alzheimer's Disease, atopic dermatitis and other indications. To learn more, please visit https://ir.hoththerapeutics.com/.
This press release includes forward-looking statements based upon Hoth's current expectations which may constitute forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws, and are subject to substantial risks, uncertainties and assumptions. These statements concern Hoth's business strategies; the timing of regulatory submissions; the ability to obtain and maintain regulatory approval of existing product candidates and any other product candidates Hoth may develop, and the labeling under any approval Hoth may obtain; the timing and costs of clinical trials, the timing and costs of other expenses; market acceptance of Hoth's products; the ultimate impact of the current Coronavirus pandemic, or any other health epidemic, on Hoth's business, its clinical trials, its research programs, healthcare systems or the global economy as a whole; Hoth's intellectual property; Hoth's reliance on third party organizations; Hoth's competitive position; Hoth's industry environment; Hoth's anticipated financial and operating results, including anticipated sources of revenues; Hoth's assumptions regarding the size of the available market, benefits of Hoth's products, product pricing, timing of product launches; management's expectation with respect to future acquisitions; statements regarding Hoth's goals, intentions, plans and expectations, including the introduction of new products and markets; and Hoth's cash needs and financing plans. There are a number of factors that could cause actual events to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which include words such as "could," "believe," "anticipate," "intend," "estimate," "expect," "may," "continue," "predict," "potential," "project" or similar terms, variations of such terms or the negative of those terms. Although Hoth believes that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, Hoth cannot guarantee such outcomes. Hoth may not realize its expectations, and its beliefs may not prove correct. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation, market conditions and the factors described in the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Hoth's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Hoth's other filings made with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All such statements speak only as of the date of this press release. Consequently, forward-looking statements should be regarded solely as Hoth's current plans, estimates, and beliefs. Hoth cannot guarantee future results, events, levels of activity, performance or achievements. Hoth does not undertake and specifically declines any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events or circumstances or to reflect the occurrences of unanticipated events, except as may be required by applicable law.
LR Advisors LLC
Email: investorrelations@hoththerapeutics.com
www.hoththerapeutics.com
Phone: (678) 570-6791
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SOURCE Hoth Therapeutics, Inc. | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/hoth-therapeutics-inc-announces-pricing-70-million-underwritten-public-offering-priced-at-the-market/ | 2022-04-12T09:25:21 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/hoth-therapeutics-inc-announces-pricing-70-million-underwritten-public-offering-priced-at-the-market/ |
- IDEG opens segregated portfolio company vehicle in the British Virgin Islands
- Announces new thematic fund product shelf, called T-I-M-E-S, with public debut of IDEG Ethereum Trust to qualifying investors
- Appoints Coinbase Prime a strategic partner
ROAD TOWN, British Virgin Islands, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IDEG Asset Management Limited (IDEG), a professional digital asset manager, announced today that it has debuted its T-I-M-E-S product shelf of thematic digital asset funds with strategic support from Coinbase Prime.
IDEG has added the Ethereum Enhanced Portfolio to its T-I-M-E-S product offering, following the successful launch of its Asia Bitcoin Trust and Atlas Mining Trust in 2019. The Ethereum Enhanced Portfolio is an actively managed investment vehicle tracking the performance of Ethereum, combined with an arbitrage strategy capturing spot and futures basis to enhance investor returns while reducing the often-volatile delta exposure of the asset. The strategy aims to outperform Ethereum.
The T-I-M-E-S suite of products offers qualifying investors a professionally managed and third party custodied, exposure to digital assets, managed through IDEG's rigorous compliance, risk and internal controls processes, offering a mix of thematic strategies with varying risk profiles that spans Trust, Interest, Mining, Yield Earning, and Structured solutions. IDEG is planning to launch additional thematic funds under the T-I-M-E-S umbrella in 2022, with actively manage multi-coin, decentralized finance (DeFi) yield farming, and GameFi/Metaverse play-to-earn (P2E) strategies being piloted in-house.
"Institutional investors find it difficult to include DeFi "on-chain" strategies into their asset allocation despite the potential positive returns beyond buy and hold strategies. IDEG's portfolio of managed fund products offer excellent alternative solutions to gain varied crypto exposure," said Emma Hu, Product Partner of IDEG. "The Ethereum Enhanced Portfolio is our first of such products, providing qualifying investors an opportunity to capitalize on Ethereum, the most renowned smart-contract platform, while enhancing risk-adjusted returns compared to holding Ethereum."
Chief Compliance Officer and COO, Suen Son Poon added, "Investor protection is paramount to us. With ambitious product development in our future, the SPC route provides us significant operational flexibility and shows our commitment to investor protections. We have enjoyed a positive relationship with Coinbase as both an early investor by our group's venture arm, Fundamental Labs, and as institutional client of Coinbase, with the inception of our first Trusts as early as 2019. As we expand, the need for a reputable, compliance-focused partner to meet our unique trading needs and to safeguard our assets, and by extension safeguard the investments of our clients, led us back to Coinbase as our preferred prime broker and custodian."
"We are thrilled to be expanding our relationship with IDEG and supporting their development of innovative crypto investment products. We are committed to providing best-in-class service to help achieve shared success, attract more professional and institutional investors into the space and to see further growth in the market," said Kayvon Pirestani, Head of Coinbase Institutional Sales, APAC.
Hu added, "It's time for institutional investors to include digital assets in their asset allocation strategies. Traditional large investors need to understand that there are trusted and professional managers that can take away much of the complexity and anxiety that comes from self-trading through volatile markets. "
PwC Legal and Advisory advised on the structuring of IDEG's BVI SPC, while Ascent is the Ethereum Enhanced Portfolio fund administrator.
More about IDEG and T-I-M-E-S
IDEG is a digital asset-only asset management group of companies.
IDEG Asset Management Limited is IDEG Group's offshore fund manager, a BVI Approved Manager licensed with the British Virgin Islands Financial Services Commission. IDEG Asset Management Limited acts as investment manager to various products in the T-I-M-E-S product shelf.
IDEG has pioneered a multi-strategy thematic product shelf, T-I-M-E-S, allowing accredited and institutional investors to access digital asset market opportunities with varying risk exposure. T-I-M-E-S includes actively managed Trust products; Interest earning products; Mining backed products; Earnings products with exposure to DeFi strategies; and Structured solutions that are tailored to the needs of the investor.
In 2019, IDEG launched Asia's first Bitcoin Trust and the Atlas Mining Trust. Unlike passively managed funds and trusts, Asia Bitcoin Trust I is an enhanced Bitcoin trust, which seeks to improve returns by using active management by applying a range of hedging and arbitrage strategies to enhance returns for the investors while effectively controlling the risk of drawdowns. The funds are open only to qualifying investors.
LEGAL DISCLAIMER: No interests in securities are being offered by virtue of this press release. None of these securities have been registered for public offering with any securities regulator in any jurisdiction and are not available for retail or public subscription. Digital assets investing involves significant risk and a potential for total loss of capital. You are advised to seek independent professional financial and legal advice. Regulatory status is not an endorsement by any regulator. No regulator has approved or endorsed this publication.
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SOURCE IDEG Asset Management | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/ideg-launches-its-new-times-suite-thematic-digital-asset-strategies-with-debut-ethereum-enhanced-portfolio-with-coinbase-prime-strategic-partner/ | 2022-04-12T09:25:28 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/ideg-launches-its-new-times-suite-thematic-digital-asset-strategies-with-debut-ethereum-enhanced-portfolio-with-coinbase-prime-strategic-partner/ |
- The round marks the largest Series B in European Proptech history.
- New York-based Oak HC/FT, a venture and growth equity fund, led the round alongside Moore Specialty Credit and existing investors FinTech Collective and Talis Capital.
- IMMO has raised over $2.5 billion in capital commitments from leading institutional investors, such as pension funds and insurance companies, to deploy into single-family rental housing in Europe.
- Company uses technology to buy and manage single family homes at scale, professionalising the $50tn market for European residential investment.
LONDON, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- IMMO, the tech-driven residential investment platform revolutionising how people can sell, rent and invest in single-family rental (SFR) housing, has closed a $75 million Series B equity funding. The round was led by Oak HC/FT, a US based venture and growth equity fund investing in healthcare and fintech, alongside Moore Speciality Credit and existing investors FinTech Collective and Talis Capital. The company will use the capital to accelerate its expansion across Europe and purchase 10,000 homes backed by $2.5 billion in commitments from leading institutional investors.
IMMO uses a tech-enabled and data driven approach to building scalable residential exposure for ethically minded investors, offering an ecosystem solution from sourcing and acquisition to lettings and property management. IMMO's technology analyses over €6 billion in properties per month to identify investment opportunities. The IMMO team then physically inspects selected homes collecting over 300 data-points using the company's proprietary inspection app in order to make an offer. Post purchase, IMMO upcycles the properties into modernised, beautiful homes that are offered to residents via their "living-as-a-service" rental platform at affordable prices and 52% less carbon footprint than a full redevelopment.
"Now is the time to unlock and professionalise the European residential category. Residents deserve a better, more convenient, affordable and environmentally sensitive rental product. Responsibly minded institutions, on the other hand, need the scalable, low-risk investment exposure that single unit residential assets have to offer. We are delivering the future of residential investing through our platform, as well as what the future of living is going to be. Redefining what residents can expect from their homes is a great responsibility and at the same time an amazing opportunity," said Hans-Christian Zappel, CEO and Co-Founder of IMMO. "We're incredibly excited to partner with Oak HC/FT. Oak's experience in guiding companies that open new asset classes paired with their willingness to dive deep into our business to support on an operational level makes clear why they are one of the leading fintech growth investors in the world. We have an incredible set of investors behind us and are grateful for their support."
Having experienced 1,200% growth in the last 6 months, IMMO has now partnered with some of the largest global investment managers to invest into SFR across many European markets. In addition to accelerating the company's geographical expansion within its offices in London, Hamburg, Cologne, Berlin, Madrid, and Delhi, this funding will fuel the growth of IMMO's technology and operations through investment in talent acquisition in all offices globally.
"IMMO is a growth stage company that has become synonymous with SFR investments in Europe: one of the most in-demand, supply-deficient asset classes. IMMO is leading the unlocking of this new asset class, and is setting the standard for data-driven portfolio aggregation in Europe," said Dan Petrozzo, Partner at Oak HC/FT. "We're always seeking to partner with disruptive companies that fill white spaces and positively impact the communities that they serve, and IMMO is a perfect fit. We're excited to support the company as it expands into new markets and builds an iconic brand in residential living."
Notes to Editors:
About IMMO
IMMO is Europe's first technology-led residential real estate investment platform designed to create portfolios of quality from existing single-family rental (SFR) assets at scale and at speed.
The company has built a unique capability in the form of an end-to-end service solution, providing investor clients with everything from sourcing, acquisition and portfolio management through to lettings and property management, in order to drive performance and maximise returns.
Powered by technology, managed by experts, the platform sources, underwrites and structures SFR assets into large portfolios for investors, resulting in stabilised rental income, capital appreciation and best-in-class property management. IMMO is active across 10 major German markets (Hamburg, Cologne, Düsseldorf, Bonn, Hanover etc.) as well as Spain markets (Madrid), the UK (London), and has a growing team in India.
IMMO has been awarded "Tech Pioneer" by the World Economic Forum and has been titled "Real estate asset manager of the future" by Goldman Sachs. The company was cofounded in 2017 by CEO Hans-Christian Zappel who has been acknowledged on the Forbes 30 under 30 list, together with its CIO Samantha Kempe (Blackstone, PwC), and COO Avinav Nigam (Walt Disney, Procter & Gamble). IMMO's team is 120 people strong with offices in the UK, Spain, Germany and India.
About Oak HC/FT
Oak HC/FT is a venture and growth equity firm investing in companies driving transformation in healthcare and fintech, two uniquely complementary and high-growth sectors. With deep domain expertise and strategic resources, Oak HC/FT partners with leading entrepreneurs at every stage, from seed to growth, to build businesses that make a measurable, lasting impact on these industries. Founded in 2014, the firm has $3.3 billion in assets under management and is headquartered in Greenwich, CT, with investors in San Francisco and Boston. Follow Oak HC/FT on Twitter and LinkedIn and learn more at oakhcft.com.
About Talis Capital
Founded in 2009, Talis is a London-based venture capital firm, backing visionary founders at seed and Series A in the US and Europe. Investing on behalf of an interdisciplinary community of entrepreneurs who've built billion-dollar businesses, Talis is uniquely placed to add value to the whole entrepreneurial journey, supporting founders who see the future differently through every stage of their company lifecycles. Darktrace (LSE), Onfido, Ynsect, Garten, Luminance, iwoca, Plum Guide and Pirate.com are among Talis' portfolio of 55+ companies. For more information, see www.taliscapital.com.
About FinTech Collective
FinTech Collective (www.fintech.io) is an SEC registered investment adviser and global venture capital firm focused on technology startups with the potential to reimagine financial services. Founded in 2012, the firm has deep experience investing across capital markets, wealth management, banking, lending, payments, insurance, and digital assets. The managing partners of FinTech Collective met in their mid 20's and helped build, scale, and sell four fintech businesses generating over $1.5 billion of shareholder value.
Backed by some of the world's leading institutional investors, FinTech Collective has already invested in 60+ portfolio companies across traditional fintech and DeFi. Notable investments include Anyfin (Stockholm), Axoni (NYC), Centrifuge (Berlin), Flutterwave (Lagos), IMMO Capital (London), Minu (Mexico City), MoneyLion (NYC), NYDIG (NYC), Ocrolus (NYC), Quovo (NYC, acquired by Plaid), Rainbow Wallet (NYC), UMA (Distributed), Vestwell (NYC), and Willa (Stockholm / LA).
FinTech Collective publishes a weekly newsletter, with over 16,000 subscribers across 420+ issues since 2014. Sign up here: https://www.fintech.io/newsletter
For more information please contact:
Europe: Ellie Crocker, Talis Capital: ellie@taliscapital.com, +44799 463008
US: Amalia Lytle, Prosek Partners: alytle@prosek.com
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SOURCE IMMO | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/immo-raises-landmark-75-million-series-b-funding-execute-25-billion-capital-demand-become-largest-residential-investment-platform-europe/ | 2022-04-12T09:25:34 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/immo-raises-landmark-75-million-series-b-funding-execute-25-billion-capital-demand-become-largest-residential-investment-platform-europe/ |
NEW YORK, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jackpot World, the world-leading, free-to-play social casino mobile game and one of the top 15 highest-grossing casino mobile games in the world, is launching the special Jackpot World 4tune campaign in celebration of its fourth anniversary.
Featuring Jackpot World's iconic character Jenny, users will be able to accumulate special items by spinning the special campaign slot machine. Once they have accumulated a sufficient number of special items from their spins, they will be able to create their own special bonus game. For example, if a player obtains 1,000 special items from spinning the special campaign slot machine, they will be able to exchange the items for one free game. If they reach 1,500 items, they can exchange the items for one free game, as well as a set of special symbols. The games are all free, and players will be able to enjoy these unique rewards without spending any of their in-game money.
"Jackpot World is delighted to celebrate our fourth anniversary with the fantastic 4tune campaign," said Emma Li, Producer of Jackpot World. "We are constantly exploring ways to enhance our game experience, bringing entertainment to our users around the world. With this campaign, we are celebrating this special milestone with our valued players and enriching our free mobile app with even better games."
The Jackpot World app offers a rich and constantly growing selection of slot machine games. They include the classic 777 slot machine game, Fortune Babies, Fortune Tree, Mighty Tiger, and Penguin Quest, as well as new games such as Leprechaun Blast, Werewolf Night, and Myth of Medusa. The games offer bonus features and free coins to recreate the exhilarating Las Vegas casino slot machine experience, while there are also bonuses, stamps, and prizes that are up for grabs. Jackpot World is committed to ensuring a consistently thrilling entertainment experience, rolling out a new slot machine at least once a week.
Social at its core, Jackpot World can be played with friends, families, and other slot machine lovers from all over the world. The Jackpot World app is available for both IOS and Android operating systems.
For more information, please visit Jackpot World.
About Jackpot World
Jackpot World is a leading free social casino slot game with the ambition to become the most player-centric social casino game. It is one of the top 15 highest-grossing casino gaming apps in the world.
Media Contact:
Zhiwei Gu
+8613651200209
jackpotworld-market@spinxgames.com
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SOURCE Jackpot World | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/jackpot-world-celebrates-4th-anniversary-with-jackpot-world-4tune-campaign/ | 2022-04-12T09:25:42 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/jackpot-world-celebrates-4th-anniversary-with-jackpot-world-4tune-campaign/ |
SEOUL, South Korea, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lambda256, the blockchain arm of a South Korean fintech leader Dunamu and an operator of a blockchain service platform Luniverse, has announced the launch of "Luniverse Multichain NFT Bridge" service along with the upgrades on NFT-related services on April 12. Luniverse is playing a key role in Lambda256's competitiveness in Asian NFT market, by providing a technical base for NFT services of Lambda256 such as Upbit NFT. Through Luniverse Multichain Bridge service, Lambda256 aspires to expand Luniverse ecosystem to multichain environment such as Ethereum.
The new Luniverse Multichain NFT service provides NFT features including the NFT bridge service connecting Luniverse and Ethereum, IPFS, APIs dedicated to NFT, and a carbon-neutral blockchain environment.
Lambda256 expects to expand the utility of Luniverse NFT with the Bridge service, which will enable Luniverse-based NFTs to be transferred to the Ethereum chain. The Bridge enables Luniverse-based NFTs sold on both Luniverse and Ethereum NFT markets such as Upbit NFT and OpenSea. Luniverse Bridge is provided without the transaction fee temporarily for the expansion of its user base. Users can claim the fee from Faucet platform on the Luniverse Bridge website. Another merit of Luniverse NFT is multichain scalability at reasonable cost, intensified by the recent upgrade on the NFT API with the functions such as bulk minting, Ethereum minting, and IPFS metadata management. The metadata management system using IPFS, a feature to be supported soon, will be a foundation of decentralized and a developer-friendly environment.
According to Lambda256, "the Luniverse Multichain NFT service with a stronger API and the Bridge service together have built a convenient and highly utilized development environment. By connecting to the Ethereum chain, and other mainnet protocols in the future, the services will contribute to the expansion of the Luniverse ecosystem. Luniverse now provides easy and pleasant development for developers and an affordable NFT business model for contents creators and entrepreneurs."
Lambda256 will unveil the Luniverse Multichain NFT Bridge on April 12. Detailed information on the service could be found on Luniverse Community and Luniverse Medium after the reveal.
About Lambda256
Lambda256 was separated from Dunamu in March 2019, with Luniverse - a blockchain service platform that offers a comprehensive portfolio of blockchain solutions that addresses various challenges of blockchain adoption - to popularize blockchain. Lambda256 managed to receive series A funding of $1.4m in March 2021, followed by series B funding of $8.5m in December 2021. In 2019, Lambda256 established a Travel Rule firm, VerifyVASP, in Singapore. VerifyVASP is now a solution helping VASPs worldwide meet the Travel Rule requirement by using a decentralized protocol to exchange real-time information of the originator/beneficiary of virtual assets. Lambda256 is actively expanding its ecosystem through NFT tech service, such as Upbit NFT and Cyphrly, a global NFT marketplace.
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SOURCE Lambda256 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/lambda256-launches-nft-bridge-connecting-luniverse-ethereum/ | 2022-04-12T09:25:49 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/lambda256-launches-nft-bridge-connecting-luniverse-ethereum/ |
SOLNA, Sweden, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The bonds entail an extension of the existing sustainability-linked bond program, which matures on November 30, 2026. The interest rate on the bonds now issued is variable and is based on 3-month Stibor plus 1.48 percentage points. The proceeds will be used for general corporate purposes and to refinance loans.
Similar to the previously issued sustainability-linked bonds, the new bonds will be listed on the Nasdaq Stockholm Sustainable Bond List.
The sustainability-linked bonds are issued under Loomis' MTN program and under Loomis' Sustainability-Linked Financial Framework, which was published on Loomis' website in November 2021.
Nordea and Danske Bank jointly acted as issuing institutions for the completed issue.
This press release is also available on the company's website, www.loomis.com.
CONTACT:
Anders Haker
Chief Investor Relations Officer
Mobile: +1 281 795 8580
E-mail: anders.haker@loomis.com
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
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SOURCE Loomis AB | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/loomis-ab-issues-sek-300-million-sustainability-linked-bonds/ | 2022-04-12T09:25:56 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/loomis-ab-issues-sek-300-million-sustainability-linked-bonds/ |
HOUSTON and ROTTERDAM, Netherlands, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LyondellBasell (NYSE: LYB) today announced the publication of its 2021 sustainability report: "Future Focused." The report details the company's ambitions to help end plastic waste in the environment, address climate change and support a thriving society, including:
- The pathway to meeting the company's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets
- Plans to ramp up mechanical and advanced recycling of plastics and the use of renewable-based feedstock
- A new goal to assess the company's key suppliers using sustainability criteria
- New Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) efforts, including the addition of ambitious targets
"We are future focused and we believe our goals for more circular and sustainable plastics and decarbonization are critical to the long-term success of LyondellBasell. They help create a better future for our employees and our communities, as well as advance our customers' sustainability ambitions," said Kenneth Lane, Interim CEO of LyondellBasell. "A net zero economy without plastic waste in the environment will require collaboration throughout the value chain and is key to securing society's transition toward a more sustainable future."
In 2021, LyondellBasell joined a number of collaborative platforms aimed at accelerating the positive impact on areas aligned with our sustainability strategy. Examples are:
- Cyclyx International, a feedstock management consortium, with a mission to increase the recycling rate of plastic from 10 percent to 90 percent;
- Together for Sustainability, a joint initiative of chemical companies focused on developing and sharing best practices to drive and deliver tangible, measurable improvements in the sustainability performance of supply chains; and,
- In Houston, the company joined with 10 industry peers to support large-scale development of carbon capture and storage technology.
The company is also investing catalytic capital into funds focused on advancing a circular economy. For every dollar LyondellBasell invests in venture funds addressing the plastic waste challenge, the company aims to help catalyze another five dollars from co-investors by 2030. This includes commitments of more than $10 million to circular plastics funds led by Closed Loop Partners in the United States and Infinity Recycling in Europe.
The company also recently established two new goals to advance DEI in the workplace as it seeks to support a thriving society. LyondellBasell aims to achieve gender parity in senior leadership globally by 2032 and increase the number of people from underrepresented groups in U.S. senior leadership roles to reflect to general population ratio by 2032.
For more information, please read the 2021 "Future Focused" sustainability report here.
About LyondellBasell
As a leader in the global chemical industry, LyondellBasell strives every day to be the safest, best operated and most valued company in our industry. The company's products, materials and technologies are advancing sustainable solutions for food safety, access to clean water, healthcare and fuel efficiency in more than 100 international markets. LyondellBasell places high priority on diversity, equity and inclusion and is Advancing Good with an emphasis on our planet, the communities where we operate and our future workforce. The company takes great pride in its world-class technology and customer focus. LyondellBasell has stepped up its circularity and climate ambitions and actions to address the global challenges of plastic waste and decarbonization. In 2022, LyondellBasell was named as one of FORTUNE Magazine's "World's Most Admired Companies" for the fifth consecutive year. For more information, please visit www.lyondellbasell.com or follow @LyondellBasell on LinkedIn.
Forward-Looking Statements
The statements in this release relating to matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon the expectations and assumptions of management of LyondellBasell, including expectations based on third-party information and projections, which are believed to be reasonable at the time made and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. In addition, any statements that refer to LyondellBasell's emissions reduction, circularity, diversity, equity and inclusion goals or other sustainability goals and related efforts are forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially based on factors including, but not limited to, market conditions, the business cyclicality of the chemical, polymers and refining industries; the availability, cost and price volatility of raw materials and utilities, particularly the cost of oil, natural gas, and associated natural gas liquids; our ability to meet our sustainability goals, including the ability to operate safely, increase production of recycled and renewable-based polymers, and reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and energy usage; implementation of new technology and the ability to realize the expected benefits therefrom; our ability to access capital to fund our climate related initiatives; actions by our suppliers and customers, including the use of the Circulen family of products; our ability to procure renewable energy and reduce our reliance on coal; uncertainties and impacts related to the extent and duration of the pandemic; competitive product and pricing pressures; labor conditions; operating interruptions (including leaks, explosions, fires, weather-related incidents, mechanical failure, unscheduled downtime, supplier disruptions, labor shortages, strikes, work stoppages or other labor difficulties, transportation interruptions, spills and releases and other environmental risks); the supply/demand balances for our and our joint ventures' products, and the related effects of industry production capacities and operating rates; our ability to manage costs; future financial and operating results; climate change developments; legal and environmental proceedings; our ability to achieve gender parity and increase representation of U.S. underrepresented groups in senior leadership; tax rulings, consequences or proceedings; technological developments, and our ability to develop new products and process technologies; and potential governmental regulatory actions, including climate related disclosure requirements. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in the "Risk Factors" section of our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021 and in our subsequent filings with the SEC, which can be found at www.LyondellBasell.com on the Investor Relations page and on the Securities and Exchange Commission's website at www.sec.gov.
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Leading independent public relations firm establishes its UK purpose division and appoints new Deputy MD
LONDON, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- MikeWorldWide (MWW), a leading independent and integrated public relations agency, today announces the promotion of three senior team members in the London office, further demonstrating its commitment to purpose.
In the last 12 months, MWW's London office has achieved organic growth alongside the successful acquisition and integration of Chameleon, and the expanded UK team has launched its 'Progressive Communications' strategy.
"Progressive Communications is the standard we've set for ourselves as a team. It prioritizes the continual advancement of PR capabilities and our recognition and support of the diversity of participants within our industry," states Tom Buttle, President & Managing Director, London. "I am incredibly proud we're announcing these promotions so that we can immediately progress on our commitments."
MWW London has created a new Head of UK Purpose role to be filled by SVP Jasmin Athwal in this promotion. She will oversee the UK team's commitment to diversity, inclusion and equality (DE&I) across internal operations and in the firm's client consultancy. Amadi Tagoe is promoted to Vice President to co-lead the DE&I programme, with specific responsibilities for driving best practice across the UK business.
The senior leadership of MWW in the UK will also be enhanced with the promotion of Alizia Walker to Senior Vice President and Deputy Managing Director of the London office. With eight years spent at MWW / Chameleon, she carries a wealth of experience consulting to some of the world's leading tech brands. Walker will work closely with UK MD Tom Buttle to drive the delivery of the UK team's strategy and support growth across Europe.
"I'm proud to be part of an agency that puts diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything it does, from internal practices and culture to client consultancy," said Athwal. "So much so that MWW worked with me to create the new UK Head of Purpose role. With this new focus, there are new clients, relationships and projects already well underway, and we will be introducing lots of new initiatives from our team over the coming months so watch this space!"
"I am excited at the opportunity to increase my participation in the success of MWW and that of our incredible clients. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the team to build relationships based on adding value as we help our clients make their mark on the digital everything world and take them to the next level," added Walker.
About MikeWorldWide
Thirty-five years young, MWW is among the world's leading independent, full-service PR agencies with talent hubs across the US and the UK. It prioritizes CorpSumerTM insights, cultural currency, and earned-worthy impact to create integrated programs that turn brands' reasons to believe into audiences' reasons to care. Because more than ever, Caring Counts.
MWW combines corporate reputation, consumer marketing, crisis & issues management, and public affairs expertise with dedicated strategy, analytics, DE&I, digital, and creative and content teams.
To learn more about MikeWorldWide, visit https://www.mww.com or follow us on social @MWW_PR.
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STOCKHOLM, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Devyser announces a strengthening of its commercial organization with the appointment of Theis Kipling as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) with global responsibility for sales, marketing, product management and tech support. Theis Kipling's employment within Devyser's management team will commence latest by June 1, 2022.
Theis Kipling has a comprehensive commercial background in the global life sciences sector. Theis joins Devyser from his most recent post as CCO at the Swedish biotechnology company Atlas Antibodies, where he was responsible for developing the commercial organization and driving the company's strong organic growth. Prior to that, Theis spent several years at the global diagnostics company Agilent, holding a number of management positions in different areas of the business and European regions. His previous experience also includes various commercial roles at the Danish pharmaceutical company Lundbeck.
"Devyser is on a strong journey of growth which will both strengthen our presence in existing markets and break into new ones, and I am therefore delighted that we are welcoming Theis to our team. With his extensive experience from senior commercial positions, along with his expertise in the sector and specifically diagnostics companies, Theis will play a very important role driving the company's continued global expansion", said Fredrik Alpsten, CEO of Devyser.
"I'm really looking forward to leading the commercial department at Devyser and becoming part of the already strong team at Devyser. I am impressed by Devyser's success in achieving leading positions in several European markets. I am confident that we have only seen the beginning of Devyser's commercial potential, and it will be very exciting to be part of this journey," said Theis Kipling.
Following Theis Kipling's appointment, the company's group management team will comprise of Fredrik Alpsten, CEO, Sabina Berlin, CFO, Theis Kipling, CCO, Göran Rydin, COO and Ulf Klangby, Deputy CEO.
This information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact persons below, on April 12, 2022, at 10:30 CET.
For more information, please contact:
Fredrik Alpsten, CEO
E-mail: fredrik.alpsten@devyser.com
Tel: +46 706 673 106
Sabina Berlin CFO
E-post: sabina.berlin@devyser.com
Tel: +46 739 519 502
About Devyser Diagnostics AB (publ)
Devyser is specialized in the development, manufacture, and sales of diagnostic kits. The products are sold to routine diagnostic laboratories in more than 45 countries. The products are used for complex DNA testing in the hereditary disease, oncology and post-transplantation monitoring fields, to enable targeted cancer treatment, the diagnosis of a large number of genetic diseases, and transplant patient follow-up. Devyser's product development focuses on simplifying and streamlining complex testing processes to improve throughput, reduce hands-on time and produce accurate and trusted results. Devyser was founded in 2004 and is based in Stockholm, Sweden.
Devyser's shares are listed on Nasdaq First North Growth Market Stockholm (ticker: DVYSR). The company's Certified Adviser is Redeye AB, e-mail address certifiedadviser@redeye.se and telephone number +46 8 121 576 90. For more information, visit www.devyser.com.
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SOURCE Devyser Diagnostics AB | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/new-appointment-devysers-management-team-enhances-commercial-focus/ | 2022-04-12T09:26:17 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/new-appointment-devysers-management-team-enhances-commercial-focus/ |
- Proteomics International establishes world class Clinical Advisory Board promarkerd.com/clinical-advisory-board
- Comprises highly-respected physicians specialising in diabetes and kidney disease care from the United States, Europe and Australia
- New advisory board offers doctors' viewpoint in commercialisation of the PromarkerD blood test for the prediction of diabetic kidney disease
- Doctors will ultimately order PromarkerD for diabetes patients with the advisory board able to provide specific and tailored advice from the voice of the customer perspective
PERTH, Australia, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd (Proteomics International; ASX: PIQ) is pleased to announce it has assembled a team of world leading clinicians specialising in nephrology and endocrinology to advise the Company on its clinical and commercial initiatives towards a successful launch of the PromarkerD test for diabetic kidney disease to physicians globally.
The clinicians—from the United States, Europe and Australia—are global experts in diabetes technology and care, and influential key opinion leaders (KOLs) in their respective fields. Together, they form a world class clinical advisory board to offer expert opinion on the best strategies for the market rollout of PromarkerD from a doctor's viewpoint.
The engagement of the Clinical Advisory Board builds upon a powerful clinical utility study that demonstrated the PromarkerD predictive test for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) can help inform doctors' treatment decisions and improve clinical outcomes for patients with type 2 diabetes [ASX 18 Oct 21]. Ultimately it is physicians that will order the PromarkerD test for their patients, and generate sales for Proteomics International.
Proteomics International Managing Director Dr Richard Lipscombe said, "Our new Clinical Advisory Board will provide a great insight into what doctors, being the end users of the product, regard as the key topics for the successful rollout of PromarkerD globally, so it's critical to have their perspective."
Proteomics International Chief Commercialisation Officer Vik Malik said, "We are excited with the recruitment of world-class clinical thought leaders in the fields of endocrinology and nephrology to serve as our global brand ambassadors and provide validation towards our clinical and commercial initiatives."
"Wide adoption of PromarkerD testing could inform doctors' treatment decisions to help avoid end-stage interventions such as dialysis and kidney transplant in patients with type 2 diabetes, and this offers potentially significant benefit to patient quality of life and cost savings for healthcare systems. We are looking forward to our KOLs providing specific and tailored advice from the voice of the customer perspective to assist the rollout of the PromarkerD test to the world," he said.
The Clinical Advisory Board comprises seven highly-respected physicians, researchers and thought leaders, from some of the world's top hospitals and universities specialising in the care of diabetes and its complications.
Authorised by the Board of Proteomics International Laboratories Ltd (ASX.PIQ).
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- Collaboration awarded €3 million grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
- Focus on developing a scale-up manufacturing process for the production of ReiThera's vaccine candidates based on its GRAd platform, including its COVID-19 vaccine candidate (GRAd-COV2)
- Scale-up development will use Univercells Technologies NevoLine™ Upstream platform, which provides automated large-scale virus manufacturing in a compact footprint
ROME, Italy and JUMET, Belgium, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ReiThera Srl, a biotech company dedicated to the technology development, GMP manufacturing and clinical translation of genetic vaccines and medicinal products for advanced therapies, and Exothera, a full-service Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO), announced today that they have entered into a collaboration agreement to develop a large-scale, low cost per dose manufacturing process for the production of ReiThera's novel vaccines.
The collaboration will be financed by a €3 million grant awarded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop and deliver new low-cost vaccines based on ReiThera's GRAd technology platform, including against COVID-19 and HIV, mostly for Low- and Middle-Income countries (LMIC) in Africa. Immunization remains one of the most impactful and cost-effective public health interventions in Low and Middle-Income countries who are still struggling to secure access to adequate supplies.
The scale-up manufacturing process will leverage Exothera's unique expertise using the NevoLine™ Upstream platform (integrating the intensified structured fixed-bed scale-X™ nitro bioreactor), developed by Exothera's sister company, Univercells Technologies. This innovative biomanufacturing technology has a highly compact footprint while delivering unmatched cost-effective vaccine production.
Under the terms of the agreement, Exothera will scale up the proprietary cell line into the NevoLine and infect them with GRAd vector to create the bulk vaccine product, which ReiThera will then purify. The viral bulk generated after the infection will be purified by a high performing process developed by ReiThera.
ReiThera will start with its GRAd vector currently used in its COVID-19 vaccine candidate (GRAd-COV2) for the initial process development set-up and transition it into final form for further clinical trial purposes in its state-of-the-art GMP manufacturing facility.
Stefano Colloca, ReiThera's Chief Technology Officer and co-Founder, commented, "This collaboration with Exothera is an important step in providing ReiThera's novel vaccines for further study in a range of serious diseases, and in particular for seeking a solution that makes these vaccines more readily available once approved to people in LMIC regions. This second Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant, following an initial grant to ReiThera in November 2021 to support the development of the GRAd platform, provides further validation of ReiThera's innovative technology and underscores our technical expertise in clinical manufacturing and bio-risk management."
"ReiThera's innovative GRAd platform technology paired with Exothera's process development and scaling-up know-how has the potential to make important vaccines available for all," said José Castillo, Exothera's Chairman. "Combining our process know-how with Univercells Technologies' Nevoline will provide Low- and Middle-Income countries with access to much needed solutions for unmet medical needs such as HIV as well as against the current global pandemic."
About ReiThera Srl
ReiThera Srl is a biotech company dedicated to the technology development, GMP manufacturing and clinical translation of genetic vaccines and medicinal products for advanced therapies. The company's management and scientific teams have developed a highly innovative technological platform based on simian adeno-vectored vaccines against several infectious diseases, such as RSV and Ebola.
ReiThera is led by an experienced management team that has worked together for many years in previous successful enterprises, including Okairos (acquired by GSK), and has a long-standing expertise in scalable processes for viral vector manufacturing, supported by a cGMP facility inclusive of filling suite and quality control laboratories.
ReiThera has its headquarters, R&D laboratories and GMP facilities in Rome, Italy.
For further information see: www.reithera.com
About Exothera SA
Exothera is a viral vector CDMO (contract manufacturing and development organization) using standard and innovative bioproduction platforms to rapidly deliver affordable viral vector-based vaccines and cell and gene therapies. As a Univercells company, Exothera capitalizes on novel manufacturing technologies and best-in-class bioprocessing expertise to provide custom-made process optimization and GMP clinical and commercial production of viral vectors. Based on its extensive technology expertise, Exothera selects technologies to optimally answer customer needs for cost-effective and agile viral vector manufacturing and provides QC services and analytical development.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/exothera / Website: www.exothera.world
About the GRAd Platform
Simian adenoviral (SAd) vectors have been extensively used as delivery agents for genetic vaccine candidates against multiple infectious diseases, including Ebola and RSV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus), in different populations, including the elderly and infants enrolled in early and late-stage clinical trials to date.
ReiThera's novel GRAd vector belongs to species C adenoviruses that are considered the most potent vaccine carriers and has low seroprevalence in humans. This means that GRAd vaccine immunogenicity is not hampered by pre-existing anti-human adenovirus antibodies.
About Univercell's NevoLine™ Upstream platform
The NevoLine™ Upstream platform is an innovative biomanufacturing technology that delivers cost-effective viral production. The high-performance, intensified platform features a flexible design to accommodate viral vaccine, gene therapy, and oncolytic virus production. The platform integrates all upstream and midstream unit operations such as cell culture, virus production, clarification, concentration, dilution, and conditioning to deliver a concentrated, clarified bulk product. With the NevoLine™ Upstream platform automated GMP clinical and commercial-scale upstream production is achieved within a 3 m² footprint, a 3-fold reduction in equipment footprint compared to conventional technologies.
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SOURCE EXOTHERA | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/reithera-exothera-collaborate-develop-large-scale-low-cost-per-dose-manufacturing-process-deliver-novel-vaccines-low-middle-income-countries/ | 2022-04-12T09:26:30 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/reithera-exothera-collaborate-develop-large-scale-low-cost-per-dose-manufacturing-process-deliver-novel-vaccines-low-middle-income-countries/ |
Chinese banks retain top slots while U.S. banks improve in rankings
NEW YORK, April 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- European banks lost some of their dominance in global asset size rankings in 2021, while major Chinese lenders maintained their lead as the world's biggest financial institutions, according to the Global Bank Rankings published by S&P Global Market Intelligence, an annual ranking of the 100 largest banks in the world in terms of total assets.
Twenty-six of the 37 European lenders on the list of the world's 100 largest banks slid down the rankings by between one and nine notches as of 2021-end from a year ago. The total assets of all European banks on the list contracted 2.16% to $36.9 trillion in 2021 from $37.7 trillion a year earlier.
"European lenders saw their balance sheets shrink as their home markets offered slower economic growth relative to the rest of the world. Several European lenders also scaled back their stateside operations after facing strong competition from major U.S. lenders," said Nathan Stovall, Principal Analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence.
Spain's Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA, for instance, slid one place to No. 47 after selling a 639-branch business in the U.S. with almost $103 billion in total assets. HSBC Holdings PLC, however, maintained its position at No. 8 as its pivot to Asia's wealth management business helped offset the impact of the sale of its retail banking operations in the U.S. and France.
Meanwhile, major Chinese banks – Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd., China Construction Bank Corp., Agricultural Bank of China Ltd. and Bank of China Ltd. – kept their top four positions with an expanded balance sheet, widening their lead over most other banks in the world.
"Beijing has been pushing banks to lend more to infrastructure projects and small businesses while cutting key interest rates to free up more liquidity for lending," Stovall said. "The policy goal was to speed up economic recovery, which started slowing again in the second half of 2021 amid a wave of bond defaults by property developers."
Major U.S. banks, such as JPMorgan Chase & Co., Bank of America Corp. and The Goldman Sachs Group Inc., saw an expansion in their balance sheets in 2021, pushing their asset size rankings higher. JPMorgan and Bank of America moved up the ranks by one and two notches to No. 5 and No. 7, respectively.
"Government efforts to mitigate the economic impact of the pandemic flooded the markets with liquidity and inflated U.S. bank balance sheets," Stovall said. "The absence of government stimulus and the Fed's efforts to combat elevated inflation, including through the reduction of its $9 trillion balance sheet, will lead to slower balance sheet growth in the future."
Regional rankings from the Global Bank Rankings series covering the U.S., Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America & Caribbean, and African and the Middle East will also be available in the coming weeks.
To access the Top 100 list, or any of the regional bank rankings, please contact pressinquiries.mi@spglobal.com.
About S&P Global Market Intelligence
At S&P Global Market Intelligence, we understand the importance of accurate, deep and insightful information. We integrate financial and industry data, research and news into tools that help track performance, generate alpha, identify investment ideas, perform valuations and assess credit risk. Investment professionals, government agencies, corporations and universities around the world use this essential intelligence to make business and financial decisions with conviction.
S&P Global Market Intelligence is a division of S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI), the world's foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks and analytics in the global capital and commodity markets, offering ESG solutions, deep data and insights on critical business factors. S&P Global has been providing essential intelligence that unlocks opportunity, fosters growth and accelerates progress for more than 160 years. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence.
Media Contact
SungHa Park
S&P Global Market Intelligence
+82 2 6001 3128
sungha.park@spglobal.com
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STOCKHOLM, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lumber trade flows changed almost instantly when Russia invaded Ukraine in late February. Trade sanctions and restrictions in financial transactions by Europe, North America, and major markets in Asia halted shipments from Russia and Belarus. In addition, exports from Ukraine were also disrupted. The total lumber exports from the three countries in the war zone were 34 million m3 in 2021. Over 25% of that volume was exported to countries with current sanctions against Russia and Belarus. In addition, the two major wood certification organisations, FSC and PEFC, have labeled all timber from the two countries as "conflict timber." The removal of the labeling means that the timber cannot be used in certified products, which will impact any country buying wood from Russia and Belarus and manufacturing certified products, e.g., lumber, plywood, pulp, and paper for sales worldwide.
The total volume of softwood lumber that is now unlikely to reach the market in Europe and Asia (outside China) because of sanctions is an estimated 10 million m3, or just over 30% of the total export volume shipped from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine in 2021, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. In addition, lumber sold to customers in China that require certified wood for manufacturing forest products targeting Europe and North America will no longer be available from Russia. Europe, which imported 8.5 million m3 of softwood lumber from the three countries in 2021, will be the hardest hit, as the lumber import volume accounted for close to 10 percent of the total consumption on the continent in 2021.
Although the Chinese government has not set up any barriers to trade between them and Russia, it is still conceivable that there will be interruptions in shipments between the two neighbors. Some of the factors that may reduce trade even with countries that have no sanctions with Russia and Belarus include:
- Foreign investors in the Russian forest industry may withdraw their presence and financial funding, making it more challenging to produce and export to any market.
- A weak Russian Rouble (down over 20% in three weeks since the war started) will make importing equipment and spare parts for logging companies and forest product manufacturers very costly.
- The removal of Russian banks from the international payment transaction system SWIFT will complicate payments for exported Russian products and imports of most equipment for the forest industry, from timber harvesters and forwarders to machinery for sawmills, plywood mills, and pulp mills.
- Russian manufacturers of pulp, paper, plywood, and lumber can no longer offer PEFC or FSC certified products.
Global trade flows of forest products have already changed significantly and will continue to change due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Even when peace is ultimately reached, it is improbable that trade will revert to pre-war patterns.
Are you interested in the worldwide wood products market information? The Wood Resource Quarterly is a 75-page quarterly report established in 1988 and has subscribers in over 30 countries. The publication tracks prices for sawlog, pulpwood, lumber, and pellets and reports on trade and wood market developments in key regions worldwide. For more insights on the latest international forest product market trends, please visit www.WoodPrices.com
CONTACT:
Wood Resources International LLC
Hakan Ekstrom
info@woodprices.com
www.woodprices.com
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SOURCE Wood Resources International LLC | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/sanctions-against-russian-exports-will-permanently-alter-global-trade-forest-products/ | 2022-04-12T09:26:44 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/sanctions-against-russian-exports-will-permanently-alter-global-trade-forest-products/ |
SINGAPORE, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore, owned by Pan Pacific Hotels Group, has established its position as Singapore's first 'Garden-in-a-Hotel' with over 2,400 plants and trees spread across 15,000 square feet of space in the hotel.
As part of its long-term commitment to sustainability and business growth, the hotel has actively embraced sustainable practices across a broad spectrum of its operations. Taking on a 'rejuvenate' approach to enhance existing assets instead of tearing down and reconstructing the building during its SGD45-million transformation in 2020, the hotel preserved the iconic structure, designed by Architect John Portman, and prevented over 51,300 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide from being produced, equivalent to cutting down 8.7 million trees.
Energy & Water Management - To enhance energy management, motion sensors in guestrooms and public areas power down lights and air conditioning when guests are not present. The hotel has also recently installed 210 solar panels, which generate more than 350kwh of electricity daily, sufficient to power 540 typical households in Singapore in a day. The overall energy consumption is now reduced by 1.4%. With an expected lifespan of 25 years, the solar panels are projected to save SGD450,000, which can help fund other sustainability projects. The hotel has also installed low-flow shower heads that reduce water flow from 27 to nine litres per minute.
Plastic Waste Management - The in-room water filtration system has eliminated the need for bottled water, eliminating the carbon impact from the production and eventual waste processing of over 360,000 plastic bottles annually. Straws, containers and cutleries used for takeaways have now been replaced with bio-degradable alternatives.
Food Waste Management - Better planning of meals months in advance help reduce the hotel's food waste by close to 72%. The hotel always tries to offer seasonal greens so that the vegetables can be grown at the Urban Farm, or at least sourced from local suppliers.
Food waste are often recycled or usage from every part of the food is maximised. For example, at the hotel's restaurant, Peppermint, the chefs utilise the beef trimmings from other beef dishes to make Shredded Beef Ragu Pasta. Another ingredient that the hotel recycles is the watermelon rind – the white parts of the rind are used like a vegetable for stir-fried dishes. The hotel has also recently installed energy-efficient digesters, which break down food waste in an environmentally friendly manner, into a liquid that is safe for disposal into the waste pipe.
Urban Farm - The hotel is home to one of the largest urban farms in the Central Business District, with over 60 varieties of vegetables, herbs and edible flowers, forming the backbone of the hotel's farm-to-table, farm-to-bar and farm-to-spa concepts. Used coffee beans are processed and used as compost in the Urban Farm.
To date, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore has been recognised at the World Travel Mart World Responsible Tourism Awards 2021 with a silver award in the "Reducing Plastic Waste in the Environment" category, and has won "Best Sustainable Hotel Award 2021" by Savour BlackBookAsia Awards 2021.
Mr. Melvin Lim, General Manager, PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore, said, "As the issue of climate change and awareness of business' impact on the environment have grown, so too has adopting policies that have a favourable effect on that impact. Sustainability is everyone's responsibility, and adopting green innovations is at the core of our hotel's green values. Sustainability is what is best for the planet, and our guests are increasingly demanding this level of commitment from us."
PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, Singapore's Green Innovations and Initiatives can be downloaded from here.
Club Indulgence
Calling all green travellers, enjoy 30% savings on our COLLECTION Club rooms for weekday stays. Perched at the top floors of the hotel, these rooms feature commanding views of the resplendent city or Marina Bay. Book at https://panpacific.co/3pCJ711.
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OXFORD, England, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Sitryx Therapeutics Ltd (the "Company"), a biopharmaceutical company pioneering the field of immunometabolism, today announced the appointment of Dr. Ravi M. Rao as its Chief Medical Officer. Dr. Rao is a rheumatologist and pharmaceutical physician with over fifteen years of leadership experience in both large and mid-sized pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies with a wide range of therapeutic area expertise including immunology, metabolic medicine, and rare diseases.
"We are delighted to appoint Ravi to this new role of Chief Medical Officer at Sitryx. He has led programs across specialties in all stages of development - including through registration and launch - and his experience at GlaxoSmithKline and Roche adds important medical expertise to our team," said Neil Weir, Chief Executive Officer of Sitryx. "Ravi will help us drive our immunometabolism programs into the clinic and build a valuable pipeline of small molecules against high-value targets for diseases with high unmet medical need."
Dr. Rao joins Sitryx from Swedish Orphan Biovitrum, where he served as Head of Research and Development and Chief Medical Officer leading the development of several medicines in rare diseases across immunology and haematology. Prior to that, he was Chief Medical Officer of Aeglea Biotherapeutics, a company specialising in rare metabolic diseases. Previously, he held several senior positions in R&D at GlaxoSmithKline working in immunology and specialty medicines and was a Group Medical Director at Roche working in immunology development. Ravi was an academic physician-scientist at Imperial College (London) and is a Member of the Royal College of Physicians, London and an Honorary Member of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine. He received his MB. BChir from Cambridge University and his Ph.D. in vascular biology from Imperial College, completing a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School. He is also an independent board director of DBV Technologies. Ravi will be combining his role at Sitryx with a role at Oxford Biomedica.
"I am very excited to join Sitryx at a time when the company is beginning to demonstrate the potential of its immunometabolism product engine and is preparing to transition to a clinical-stage company," added Dr. Rao. "Sitryx is well-positioned to exploit the intersection of the immune system function and metabolism to pioneer this field. I look forward to creating meaningful, disease-modifying therapies through this approach to improve the lives of patients with autoimmune diseases and cancer."
About Immunometabolism
Immunometabolism is a fast-emerging area of investigation into the role of metabolic pathways in immune cell function. Changes to these pathways have been shown to be pivotal in the development of a number of severe diseases, including a range of autoimmune conditions and cancer. Correcting immune cell function and/or inhibiting tumor cell growth through immunometabolic therapies have the potential to be key, complementary and highly differentiated approaches to treating disease.
About Sitryx Therapeutics
Sitryx is a global biopharmaceutical company pioneering the field of immunometabolism. The company's proprietary platform and Product Engine are built on a deep understanding of the intersection of inflammatory signaling and metabolism. Sitryx is advancing a pipeline of disease-modifying therapies towards the clinic, on its own and with its strategic partner, Eli Lilly and Company, for a wide range of autoimmune disorders. In 2018, Sitryx raised $30 million Series A funding from an international syndicate of specialist investors including SV Health Investors, Sofinnova Partners, Longwood Fund and GSK. In 2020, Sitryx formed a global licensing and research collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company. Lilly also became an investor in the Company. Sitryx is headquartered in Oxford, UK with offices in the United States.
For more information, please visit www.sitryx.com and engage with us on LinkedIn.
Contact:
Amy Conrad
Juniper Point
amy@juniper-point.com
858-366-3243
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- Automobili Pininfarina reveals how it has engineered the unique new 'sound of sustainable luxury' for its pure-electric hyper GT, Battista
- Composed using advanced sound engineering and the 'voice' of its phenomenal pure-electric powertrain, Battista's sound resonates at 54 Hz, a frequency that aims to have a positive influence on the driver's comfort and wellbeing
- Paolo Dellachà, Chief Product and Engineering Officer for Automobili Pininfarina: "Our sound designers and engineers have crafted a unique, organic EV sound experience for clients. The Battista voice is emotional and authentic for everyone experiencing the vehicle"
- Video on the unique sound of Battista and its frequency displayed in natural elements: youtu.be/E5etYYeFnik
CAMBIANO, Italy and MUNICH, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Automobili Pininfarina has revealed 'SUONO PURO' – the sound concept created for the world's first pure electric hyper GT as the Italian brand continues to develop new products and experiences aiming to lead creation of a sustainable new era in luxury.
Creating a unique sound experience presented key challenges, while ensuring an unrivalled ownership and driving experience with exquisite luxury, design heritage and sustainability remain at the core. What does beauty and power sound like in the world of electrification? What voice should this award-winning design masterpiece and the Automobili Pininfarina brand have? How may natural and emotional connection between driver, car and the driving experience be created?
Aural sensations have been carefully crafted to embody the purity of Battista's design and give Automobili Pininfarina a unique voice that aims to resonate positively with the driver. Using advanced technology and following more than 2,000 hours of composition, development and fine-tuning by vehicle and sound designers and engineers, a unique brand experience is played out in exquisite frequencies and tones.
Paolo Dellachà, Chief Product and Engineering Officer for Automobili Pininfarina, said, "Our sound designers and engineers have crafted a unique, organic EV sound experience, something special and authentic for people experiencing the vehicle. It is a signature for Battista and the Automobili Pininfarina brand that is as recognisable, pure and individual as its design."
SUONO PURO honours the purity of Automobili Pininfarina's design DNA, incorporating wellbeing qualities associated with the 432 Hz frequency. It is warm and uplifting, as found in the positive emotional effect of Tibetan singing bowls and was used by classical music composers such as Mozart or Verdi.
At idle speed, the Battista's sound frequency is 54 Hz (down three octaves from 432 Hz) – a pure and resonant signature base note. The purity of this frequency can be visualised by the way in which it impacts water, creating beautiful, organically symmetrical ripples. The effect of this frequency on the human body, which is in average around 70 percent water, intends to contribute to a sense of wellbeing. Clients will experience this in their own Battista, with deliveries worldwide starting this year.
Interview with the experts who crafted SUONO PURO for Battista
Automobili Pininfarina worked closely with sound designers Novo Sonic to craft a unique voice for the brand and Battista. Automobili Pininfarina NVH & Sound Managing Engineer, Garry Lane, and Novo Sonic Founder and CEO, Tom Huber, formed the core partnership that brought this to life, with a small team of dedicated and passionate sound experts. Here they talk in detail about the project.
What was the initial brief? How did you want to make people feel when they hear the Battista?
Garry Lane: We are bringing a unique hyper GT to the luxury car world. It is a first-of-a-kind reimagination of electric mobility – including its sound. SUONO PURO needed to be authentic and reflective of the brand. We decided to let the four powerful electric motors speak for themselves, combined with a special sound experience delivering a positive effect on the driver's wellbeing.
Tom Huber: We wanted to achieve a natural sound experience, and this comes from the use of frequency. 440 Hz was first introduced to the American music industry in the first half of the 20th century to establish a reference tuning tone for instruments and orchestras. Music tuning worldwide was adapted to this as a result. However, prior to this, 432 Hz was the tuning of the classical music world, including by Verdi. Listening to an orchestra playing in the original tuning, many would agree on a substantial difference in terms of warmth and positive impact.
The sound experience should resonate through all aspects of how the Automobili Pininfarina brand is experienced, not just the product – where a lot of excitement comes from the emotive powertrain sounds. There needs to be an emotion and authenticity to all of it, which is why we took a holistic approach with the use of the 432 Hz frequency throughout the brand experience, with a consistent sound landscape at every point of contact.
What was the biggest challenge?
GL: We had to make sure the Battista is instantly recognisable – we wanted people to be able to hear it and know it was Battista before they could see it, fully embracing and celebrating its pure-electric powertrain. It had to be carefully curated and developed for a truly special car, and an entire brand, in around half the time it takes larger-volume manufacturers, who would typically develop a sonic signature in four to five years of research and engineering. That has been a tremendous challenge.
TH: Beautiful visual design is pure emotion. A beautiful car like the Battista gives you goosebumps. The same goes for music – emotions can come across in different ways and connect with the human body. The challenge was to create a soundscape that emotionalises a sound that many people have not yet experienced – the sound of an electric motor. We tackled this head-on by fully embracing it, showing that the natural, pure-electric sound can be beautiful and uplifting.
How did you achieve the goal of representing design and beauty in the sound of Battista?
TH: The sound is inspired by the signature Design line around the body of Battista. Sound creation in the studio began with the brand's Chief of Design Luca Borgogno, forming a design-inspired 'leitmotif' - a short, recurring musical phrase. This was translated onto a music sheet displaying the brand's design philosophy based on its unique proportions represented by curves, length and harmony – something that has never been done before in this context.
This is transformed into the sound of Automobili Pininfarina and the Battista, using 54 Hz as a unique and organic base note that is always present, creating harmony between performance and wellness – just like the car itself. This is the Automobili Pininfarina 'Sonic Line'.
What was the biggest innovation?
GL: The development of bespoke software, which we call the 'sound heart'. Not only did it have to be created from scratch for Battista, but the way it was implemented was unique, working on a specified software solution to enable the highest quality sound. It is all delivered via the newly engineered, individually tuneable synthesisers that respond to a range of vehicle systems, from the speed and torque profiles of the powertrain to the steering input, and 12 specially developed exterior and interior speakers in harmony with Naim Audio.
The speaker system was meticulously designed to project the 54 Hz tone across the whole frequency spectrum in immense quality. The car creates the sound in real time, a seamless, high-resolution sound experience that encompasses those inside the car, and provides a signature sound graphic on the outside. The sound is seamlessly transmitted to the interior for a natural aural experience. It is low frequency but brings in more of the EV sound experience.
TH: We want to be able to convey the highest quality sonic story to those experiencing it, so ensuring we had the right software and hardware to reproduce what we created in the studio was really important. It is very different from working with ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles as they develop their own, much wilder sounds. The Battista's inherent futuristic sound is unique, but also interesting and new with a positive natural effect on those experiencing it. In this regard, the Battista can be seen as an exquisitely engineered and finely tuned instrument, played by the conductor and composer behind the wheel, altering the output by the way they drive in real-time.
What is the most special thing about the final sound? What are you most proud of?
GL: Personalised experiences and beautiful design are very important to our clients, and drivers can enjoy as much or as little of the Battista's fine quality sound as they'd like. This results from the extensive engineering and development on the real sound of the electric motors, which develops through the different drive modes.
Ensuring the driver experiences defined differences in sound between the driving modes was a challenge, but very rewarding to have achieved that variation. It's a testament to the team's efforts. High levels of personalisation run through all aspects of Battista, enhancing the luxury experience to new dimensions, ensuring the driver is encompassed not only by the combination of performance from the powertrain and the material quality of the luxurious interior, but also the way in which the car communicates and makes the driver feel.
TH: The purity of the sound, I think, is very special. From the beginning we wanted to tune the sound to 432 Hz. The 54 Hz base frequency conveys the soulful power of the car and is organic, using the vehicle's hardware to provide as unique and authentic base as possible. It resonates with what Automobili Pininfarina stands for: pure design, sustainable luxury and outstanding performance.
The way the sound embodies the Battista's design, as well as the wider brand values is also unique. We haven't just created a sound for a vehicle. We've evaluated in great detail how people experience the entire brand, the way it communicates with people, and what the 'voice' of the vehicle is. The same design and sound themes run through the whole experience. That, to me, is genuine and original, and tells an important story about innovation at Automobili Pininfarina.
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SHENZHEN, China, April 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, Associate Professor Hongyan Fu from Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (Tsinghua SIGS) was invited by the international journal "Nature" to publish a critical analysis and review of on-chip LiDAR imaging systems. The paper summarizes and discusses the key technologies currently used in on-chip LiDAR systems, and specifically addresses the on-chip integrated focal plane switching array technology. The performance of the system is also analyzed in the context of the important demands of future consumer electronics and smart cities for the LIDAR systems, and future directions for the development of this technology area are proposed.
The article focuses on two current integrated beam-steering devices for on-chip LIDAR: the optical phased array (OPA) and the focal plane switching array (FPSA). The working mechanism of OPA is analyzed and the article identifies the reasons that make them difficult to integrate densely on a single chip on a large scale. In contrast, FPSA uses a camera-like optical system to map each angle in the field of view where the target is located to each pixel in the focal plane behind the imaging lens. The article suggests the possibility of integrating a large array of antennas on a single chip. The article further reviews the work of Ming C. Wu's group at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, published in the same issue of "Nature" on a MEMS-based large-scale FPSA LiDAR system. The article presents the problem of insufficient lateral resolution in FPSA-based LIDAR systems and offers a solution to improve the performance by reducing the size of the optical switches. Finally, the article comments that further miniaturization and improvements in performance will make FPSA a promising technology for applications including megapixel 3D lidar and optical communications with the mature of processing technologies.
About:
Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (TBSI) is jointly established by Tsinghua University and University of California, Berkeley under the support of the Shenzhen Municipal Government. Especially, Data Science and Information Technology, full-English program, has dual degree for master of Tsinghua University and Master of Engineering at University of California, Berkeley.
How to Apply?
THU Online Application System http://gradadmission.tsinghua.edu.cn/
Select "Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School"
Choose Program "Data Science and Information Technology"
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SOURCE Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/tbsi-tsinghua-sigs-published-an-important-research-review-technological-breakthrough-on-chip-lidar-systems-nature/ | 2022-04-12T09:27:14 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/tbsi-tsinghua-sigs-published-an-important-research-review-technological-breakthrough-on-chip-lidar-systems-nature/ |
Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express is the Best Credit Card for Beating Inflation, a new editors' choice award.
WASHINGTON, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in rankings and consumer advice, today announced the winners of its Best Credit Cards Awards. The top cards for 2022 were recognized in nine card categories, with the Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express winning two awards, including a new editors' choice award: Best Credit Card for Beating Inflation.
Selected as the editors' choice winner for being a rewards credit card that earns money back at the supermarket, at gas stations and on transit, and secures a 0% introductory APR for 12 months, Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express also won as the overall Best Rewards Credit Card.
"A credit card that pays you back with cash back rewards or points, whether you're filling up or stocking up, can help you offset the effects of record-high inflation," said Beverly Harzog, credit card expert and consumer finance analyst at U.S. News. "The winners of the third annual U.S. News Best Credit Cards Awards stood out among hundreds of cards in their respective categories, providing consumers with a great place to start as they search for a credit card that's right for them."
The 2022 U.S. News Best Credit Cards Awards Winners:
Best 0% APR Credit Card – BankAmericard® credit card
Best Airline Credit Card – Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card
Best Balance Transfer Credit Card – Wells Fargo Reflect℠ Card
Best Business Credit Card – Capital One Spark Miles for Business
Best Cash Back Credit Card – Chase Freedom Unlimited®
Best Rewards Credit Card – Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express
Best Student Credit Card – Discover it® Student Cash Back
Best Travel Rewards Credit Card – Capital One VentureOne Rewards Credit Card
Best Credit Card for Beating Inflation (editors' choice) – Blue Cash Preferred® Card from American Express The winning cards were determined based on a comprehensive, data-driven methodology that includes factors such as rewards rates; sign-up bonuses; annual, foreign transaction and balance transfer fees; and introductory and ongoing APRs. To determine which card was best in each category, U.S. News compiles the scores that top cards have received each month to calculate overall scores. The 2022 U.S. News Best Credit Cards Awards winners earned the highest average scores in their respective categories the previous quarter. For more information, read the methodology.
U.S. News also publishes in-depth credit card guides to help consumers understand how to make credit cards work in their favor. Consumers can find advice about comparing cards, maximizing rewards and much more.
About U.S. News & World Report
U.S. News & World Report is the global leader in quality rankings that empower consumers, business leaders and policy officials to make better, more informed decisions about important issues affecting their lives. A multifaceted digital media company with Education, Health, Money, Travel, Cars, News and 360 Reviews platforms, U.S. News provides rankings, independent reporting, data journalism, consumer advice and U.S. News Live events. More than 40 million people visit USNews.com each month for research and guidance. Founded in 1933, U.S. News is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
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SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P. | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/us-news-amp-world-report-announces-2022-best-credit-cards-awards-winners/ | 2022-04-12T09:27:20 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/us-news-amp-world-report-announces-2022-best-credit-cards-awards-winners/ |
AMSTERDAM, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON) (Euronext Amsterdam: VEON), a leading global provider of connectivity and digital services, today confirms that on 7 April 2022 VEON received notification from the Listing Qualifications Department of The Nasdaq Stock Market ("Nasdaq") that VEON is not in compliance with the minimum bid price requirement set forth in Nasdaq's Listing Rule 5550(a)(2).
The Minimum Bid Price notification has no immediate effect on the continued listing status of VEON's American Depositary Shares ("ADSs") on Nasdaq. Furthermore, VEON's business operations are not affected by the receipt of the notification.
Nasdaq Listing Rule 5550(a)(2) requires listed securities to maintain a minimum bid price of USD 1.00 per share and Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A) provides that a failure to meet the minimum bid price requirement exists if the deficiency continues for a period of 30 consecutive business days. Based on the closing bid price of VEON's ADSs for the 30 consecutive business days ended 6 April 2022, VEON no longer meets the minimum bid price requirement.
In accordance with Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(A), VEON has an initial grace period of 180 calendar days, or until 4 October 2022 (the "Compliance Period"), to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. During this time, VEON's common stock will continue to be listed and traded on Nasdaq. If, at any time during the Compliance Period, the bid price for VEON's ADSs closes at USD 1.00 or more for a minimum of 10 consecutive business days, Nasdaq will provide notification to VEON that it complies with the minimum bid price requirement, unless Nasdaq exercises its discretion to extend this 10 day period requirement pursuant to Nasdaq Listing Rule 5810(c)(3)(F).
In the event VEON does not regain compliance within the 180 calendar day Compliance Period and it complies with all other listing standards and requirements, VEON may be eligible for an additional 180 calendar day Compliance Period.
VEON intends to monitor the closing bid price of its ADSs and may, if appropriate, consider available options to regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement. There can be no assurance that VEON will regain compliance with the minimum bid price requirement during the Compliance Period, secure a second period of 180 days to regain compliance or maintain compliance with the other Nasdaq listing requirements.
VEON is also listed on the Euronext Amsterdam Stock Exchange and the Minimum Bid Price notification from Nasdaq does not affect VEON's compliance status with its Euronext Amsterdam listing.
Disclaimer
This release contains "forward-looking statements", as the phrase is defined in Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts, and include statements relating to, among other things, expectations regarding management plans. Forward-looking statements are inherently subject to risks and uncertainties, many of which VEON cannot predict with accuracy and some of which VEON might not even anticipate. The forward-looking statements contained in this release speak only as of the date of this release. VEON does not undertake to publicly update, except as required by U.S. federal securities laws, any forward-looking statement to reflect events or circumstances after such dates or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
About VEON
VEON is a NASDAQ and Euronext Amsterdam-listed global provider of connectivity and internet services. For more information visit: www.veon.com
Contact Information
VEON
Investor Relations
Nik Kershaw
ir@veon.com
+31 20 79 77 200
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SOURCE VEON Ltd | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/veon-confirms-notification-nasdaq-minimum-share-price-requirement/ | 2022-04-12T09:27:27 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/veon-confirms-notification-nasdaq-minimum-share-price-requirement/ |
Anodot's AI- and ML-powered autonomous network and services monitoring platform will help optimise Vodafone New Zealand's network performance visibility to maximise service uptime
AUCKLAND, New Zealand, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Vodafone New Zealand has selected Anodot, the autonomous business monitoring company, to transform network performance visibility to improve customer experience. Through advanced anomaly detection, Anodot will help Vodafone identify, diagnose, and resolve potential service interruptions that result in a loss of connectivity, ideally before customer service is impacted.
Vodafone operates approximately three million connections for consumer and business customers across Aotearoa New Zealand, with a mobile network that covers 98.5% of the country's population. On any given month, Vodafone customers consume around 1.1 billion mobile and fixed line phone minutes, while using over 26PB (which is 26million GB) of mobile data and 166PB (which is 166million GB) of fixed line data.
Due to the vast amount of data Vodafone New Zealand must monitor and analyse to ensure service uptime, it uses Anodot's dynamic AI-driven monitoring technology to distill billions of data events into single, scored, network operations alerts. These high-fidelity alerts enable Vodafone New Zealand's network operations teams to immediately know when customer experience has begun to degrade and to quickly determine why it's happening, so incidents can be resolved with minimal impact to network and service uptime.
"We know how important reliable connectivity is to New Zealanders, so it's ideal if we can detect and resolve potential service issues wherever possible before our customers experience interruptions," said Tony Baird, Head of Wholesale & Infrastructure, Vodafone of New Zealand.
"Anodot's ability to analyse the high volumes of data that we generate daily allows us to identify in real-time the business-critical anomalies in our network, to enable our teams to maintain consistent operations in order to deliver an enhanced customer experience. While there will inevitably be unexpected weather occurrences or third-party connectivity issues such as power outages to cell sites or construction activity that damage underground cables, Anodot provides another layer of defence so we can better detect network occurrences and keep our customers connected wherever possible," continued Baird.
"Telco service providers like Vodafone New Zealand must generate and process a vast amount of data from multiple sources to ensure service uptime across their complex network environments," said Amir Kupervas, Telecom Managing Director, Anodot. "Anodot monitors granular performance and telemetry data in real-time across the entire telco stack from all network types, layers and domains, allowing communications service providers (CSPs) to understand what is happening across their networks. These capabilities will give Vodafone New Zealand full visibility into service degradation incidents and provide the swift time-to-resolution its customers require."
Anodot's easy-to-use anomaly detection technology combines performance and fault monitoring to give CSPs an end-to-end view for real-time detection of service-impacting incidents. Anodot immediately learns the normal behavior of all business metrics and constantly monitors each metric in real-time. Its correlation engine connects anomalies across all data stacks, identifies events and contributing factors, and slashes time to detection and remediation.
For more information on Anodot's network performance monitoring, please click here. For real time information about Vodafone's network and customer impacting events, please visit www.vodafone.co.nz/help/network-status/
About Vodafone New Zealand
Vodafone New Zealand is one of Aotearoa's leading connectivity companies and we offer a range of broadband, mobile and technology products. We believe every New Zealander will thrive with access to the world's best digital services and network technology. We maintain almost three million connections to consumer, business and public sector customers, as well as partner with world-leading brands to offer best-in-class ICT services to organisations in Aotearoa and beyond. Vodafone New Zealand is owned by Infratil and Brookfield Asset Management and we are now a partner market in the Vodafone Group, one of the world's largest telecommunications companies. For more information, please visit www.vodafone.co.nz
About Anodot
Anodot's Business Monitoring platform uses machine learning to constantly analyze and correlate every parameter of a business, providing real-time anomaly alerts and forecasts in context. Fortune 500 companies – from digital businesses to telecoms – trust Anodot's patented technology to reduce time to detection and resolution for revenue-critical issues by as much as 80 percent. Anodot is headquartered in Virginia and Israel, with sales offices worldwide. To learn more, follow Anodot on LinkedIn and Twitter.
Media Contacts
Nicky Preston, Vodafone New Zealand - +64 21 445 295 / nicky.preston@vodafone.com
Allison Grey,
Headline Media
anodot@headline.media
+1 323 283 8176
+44 203 807 4482
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SOURCE Anodot; Vodafone New Zealand | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/vodafone-selects-anodot-faster-detection-resolution-network-interruptions-further-improve-customer-experience/ | 2022-04-12T09:27:34 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/vodafone-selects-anodot-faster-detection-resolution-network-interruptions-further-improve-customer-experience/ |
ALLENTOWN, Pa., April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Yourway, the only truly integrated premium courier and clinical packager in the clinical trials supply chain market, announced the expansion of its controlled ambient capabilities in Allentown, Pennsylvania. This expansion adds ~100,000 ft2 to Yourway's existing extensive storage capabilities at its Allentown headquarters. The new location in Allentown is close to Yourway's Global Headquarters and main storage facility, which is strategically located close to key airports, offering convenient global access to several domestic and international cities.
The decision was made to fulfill increased demand for long-term temperature-controlled storage. This new facility adds space for 5,000 pallets at ambient temperature. Yourway has completed mapping, validation, and full GMP qualification of the warehouse space.
An expanded complex is being constructed at Yourway's Global Headquarters, including both an extension of the main building, which is completed and has added an additional 1,000 pallets of 2–8 °C storage, and new buildings on the Allentown campus. When complete, the expansion will effectively double the primary and secondary packaging, storage, and distribution capabilities of the current facility. The expansion will significantly extend Yourway's temperature-controlled storage capacity, addressing the growing need for temperature-controlled storage, clinical packaging, and distribution services for clinical trials involving investigational products, biologics, cell and gene therapies, and other advanced modalities.
The company views this strategic expansion as an investment to meet anticipated demand for long-term storage capacity. "Yourway likes to stay ahead of the curve and have excess capacity available before customers need it," said Gulam Jaffer, Founder and President of Yourway. "This is an example of serving that need."
Yourway Allentown, PA site offers convenient access to three major international airports combined with all the value-added integrated services offered by Yourway allow the transport of clinical materials around the world in hours, not days, and for trials to start quickly. Large capacities of all levels of temperature-controlled storage are available, from ambient room temperature (20 °C) to liquid nitrogen storage at –180 °C.
About Yourway
Yourway is the only truly integrated premium courier and clinical packager, providing a full range of primary and secondary clinical packaging, ancillary materials sourcing, logistics, storage and distribution, and premium courier services serving the global biopharmaceutical industry. Headquartered in Allentown, Pennsylvania, with a global network of fully managed GMP depots worldwide, Yourway is an agile and reliable partner with over 20 years of experience. Visit https://www.yourway.com/
Contact:
Leandro Moreira
SVP, Corporate Development
+1 610 395 9198
leandro.moreira@yourway.com
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BEIJING, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GoTo Group, officially debuted its Initial Public Offering (IPO) on the Indonesian Stock Exchange (IDX), with the stock code GOTO. The group raised USD 1.1 billion after issuing 46.7 billion shares at IDR 338 per share, making it one of biggest IPO in the world year-to-date. After market close, GOTO shares surge 13.2%, reaching a market capitalization of USD 31.5 bn.
Andre Soelistyo, the CEO of GoTo said, "As Indonesia's market leader, with an ecosystem that can solve two-thirds of household consumption. Our business has grown from one of the world's most promising regions and we are proud to lead the technology of Indonesian. Goto's platform had more than 55 million users, 14 million merchants and 2.5 million drivers as of September last year, bringing out a more convenient mobile Internet life experience to society in Indonesia."
Vivian Xu, partner of ZWC Partners said, "Congratulations to GoTo Group and its team. As an investor, we have witnessed GoTo/Tokopedia throughout its journey from a start-up into a technology giant in Southeast Asia. Today we have seen the flourishment of our initial investment thesis. With our long term and systematic research on Southeast Asia technology development landscape, we have been impressed by the team's deep local insight, excellent operating experience and determination to drive significant impacts in the Southeast Asia digital ecosystem. Today's milestone is a good testimony of the GoTo team's vision and entrepreneurship. With huge growth potential of the Internet economy in both Southeast Asia and Indonesia, we are very optimistic about the future prospect of GoTo Group."
As the fourth most populous country with relatively young demographic, Indonesia has a high mobile internet penetration rate (approximately 80%). Indonesian is one of the fastest growing e-commerce markets in the world while still having a large room for growth within its e-commerce penetration. Formed from the merger of the two unicorns, Tokopedia and Gojek, GoTo Group is currently the largest digital platform in Indonesia with annual transaction volume exceeding USD 28 bn last year. The combined synergies of one-stop shopping, instant on-demand services, and fintech services like e-wallet have nurtured an ecosystem supporting every-day needs of the 270 million and counting Indonesians.
ZWC Partners is a private equity firm specializing in investment opportunities in emerging markets across Asia. ZWC Partners has offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Singapore, and Jakarta. ZWC Partners invested over 15 unicorns including GoTo, Kanzhun, Xpeng Motor, and 4 Paradigm. Through the establishment of Zynergy Entrepreneurship Accelerating Camp, ZWC Partners has been driving impacts region wide across Asia by enabling innovation technologies together with local expertise within Asian emerging markets.
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Posted: Apr 12, 2022 / 04:33 AM EDT Updated: Apr 11, 2022 / 10:36 AM EDT SHARE This Daily Pledge of Allegiance features Mrs. Ehinger’s 2nd grade class at St. Therese School. | https://www.wane.com/daily-pledge/the-daily-pledge-mrs-ehingers-2nd-grade-class/ | 2022-04-12T09:34:18 | 0 | https://www.wane.com/daily-pledge/the-daily-pledge-mrs-ehingers-2nd-grade-class/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — Police in Indianapolis arrested a man after he led officers on an overnight pursuit while going the wrong way on the shoulder of the interstate.
Just before 1 a.m., Marion County deputies tried to pull over a man who was wanted on two felony warrants.
The man, who was driving a white truck, then led police on a chase on the west side of the city, and ended up going the wrong way on I-465.
“The truck got on the wrong way going on the interstate, which our protocol is to terminate the pursuit at that point,” said IMPD Nightwatch Commander Kerry Buckner. He continued, “But because the individual did not jump back off the interstate, what we did was we slowed the truck.”
Police say they attempted to stop any traffic ahead of the chase to avoid any crashes.
“He was driving on the interstate on the wrong lane, then he was on the shoulder, then on the berm, then he was driving in the middle of the interstate,” said Buckner.
Right after the Michigan Road overpass, officers deployed stop sticks. That caused the truck to lose a tire and come to a stop.
Police say the driver, identified as 47-year-old Richard Benedict, was then arrested without incident.
“I can’t tell you why he did it. I don’t know if he’s got a narcotics issue. I’m just really happy that this turned out without anybody getting hurt,” Buckner commented.
Benedict’s original felony warrants were for a meth-related charge and for resisting officer with a vehicle.
Police say speeds were between 25 to 60 mph once the pursuit reached the interstate. | https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/driver-leads-police-on-wrong-way-chase-on-i-465-i-cant-tell-you-why-he-did-it/ | 2022-04-12T09:38:51 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/indycrime/driver-leads-police-on-wrong-way-chase-on-i-465-i-cant-tell-you-why-he-did-it/ |
The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers of the latest way scammers are trying to steal your money– cryptocurrency!
Cryptocurrency accounted for the second highest scam losses reported to the Federal Trade Commission last year – with losses totaling more than $750 million.
The total value of the cryptocurrency market more than doubled in one year.
The BBB says along with its increasing popularity comes increasing risks as scammers are finding new ways to steal your money through cryptocurrency.
Experts are pointing to two reasons why.
The first is that cryptocurrency lacks regulation. It does not rely on banks to verify transactions which has created a fertile environment for scams.
The other reason is a lack of consumer education. This has led to thousands of people getting scammed and losing their money.
So what can you do to protect yourself?
A few tips include guarding your wallet, looking carefully at email addresses and do not pay for products with cryptocurrency. No one with the government will ever ask for this form of payment.
Beware of fake recovery companies claiming they can recover stolen money. Be wary of celebrity endorsements. Experts say those endorsements are often not authorized.
Don’t be afraid to seek help and support if you think you are a victim of a scam. Cybercrime Support Network offers a free, confidential support program for romance scam survivors. | https://fox59.com/news/scammers-targeting-cryptocurrencies-heres-how-to-protect-yourself/ | 2022-04-12T09:38:54 | 0 | https://fox59.com/news/scammers-targeting-cryptocurrencies-heres-how-to-protect-yourself/ |
Patchy fog will continue this morning through sunrise and eventually burn off, as temperatures hover in the upper 40s out-the-door. As sunshine returns, warmth will come along with it today, marking the warmest day (so far) for the month of April! Highs later today should reach the lower 70s in most locations, while winds blow from the southeast at 6-13 mph.
A few, widely scattered showers will develop late afternoon and for the evening, as warm temperatures hold through the night. Expect winds to increase overnight, as spotty storms could develop by sunrise Wednesday.
Tomorrow brings more rain and storms…likely to come in two waves! The first round will be in the morning with heavy downpours, some lightning and stronger gusts. As this wave pushes north, some sunshine will work back in bringing highs back into the lower 70s. A new wave will develop west of Indiana by late afternoon and advance into the area for the evening and part of the overnight.
The second wave is associated with a potent cold front and will likely prompt severe weather warnings. The main threat will remain wind damage, but some hail, heavy downpours and a small chance of tornado will exist through 1 Thursday morning.
Cooler air to follow for Thursday and into Easter weekend with many dry hours to enjoy but with a jacket or sweater. | https://fox59.com/weather/best-day-of-the-week-severe-threat-wednesday/ | 2022-04-12T09:38:55 | 0 | https://fox59.com/weather/best-day-of-the-week-severe-threat-wednesday/ |
Every region game matters, especially late in the season. The IAHS Indians are right in the thick of the Region 1-4A race.
Itawamba AHS 4 Corinth 2
While it took the IAHS Indians a few innings to get their bats going in their road matchup with Corinth, Cooper Waddle was dealing on the mound.
The Warriors took an early 1-0 lead on a pass ball. They added to their lead on a balk in the third.
In the fifth, the Indians got things going at the plate. Kaleb Davis worked a walk, and Dylan Walters followed up with the first hit of the game, a single through the six hole. Carson Shells got a single to load the bases. Waddle helped his cause with a two-RBI single to tie the game at 2-2. William Blake walked with the bases loaded later in the inning to extend the Indians' to 3-2.
In the sixth, Zion Ashby's solo homer to left-centerfield have IAHS all the insurance they'd need.
Solomon Smith pitched two scoreless innings in relief to earn the save. Waddle worked five innings of one-hit baseball, striking out 12 and adding two RBIs on the night. IAHS ran their record to 5-12 (3-4 in Region 1-4A).
Corinth 1 Itawamba AHS 0
Senior William Blake threw a gem, but errors plagued the Indians in their homestand against the Warriors.
IAHS could not get the timely hit, and they left seven runners on base. Cooper Waddle was the lone Indian to have a base hit; he went 2-for-4 on the night. The rest of the Indians' baserunners reached by walks.
Corinth got the lone run of the game after two Indian errors in the sixth. IAHS had five errors on the evening.
Blake threw seven strong innings, allowing only one hit.
IAHS fell to 5-13 (3-5 in Region 1-4A).
Looking ahead
IAHS finishes region play with Shannon. The Indians control their destiny in the playoff race. If they win, they’re in. | https://www.djournal.com/itawamba/iahs-baseball-controls-its-own-destiny-in-final-stretch-of-regular-season/article_334ac5b6-5a72-59f9-a49b-457ca85e0c62.html | 2022-04-12T09:53:20 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/itawamba/iahs-baseball-controls-its-own-destiny-in-final-stretch-of-regular-season/article_334ac5b6-5a72-59f9-a49b-457ca85e0c62.html |
DEAR ABBY
Difference of opinion ends longtime friendships
DEAR ABBY: The pandemic has put a strain on relationships. Last year, I lost my best friend of 40 years over the COVID vaccines. I believe the vaccine helps to keep me safe, as well as helps my family and friends. This friend decided he and his family would not take the jab. He quit his job rather than get vaccinated. This caused a rift so wide that, in his eyes, he and his family could not continue being friends with our family. I’m sad about it.
The big problem my wife and I are contending with concerns our 8-year-old daughter. She has been best friends with my (former) best friend’s daughter since birth. There have been eight years of sleepovers, birthdays, park visits, get-togethers and everything in between. We haven’t seen them in six months. We can’t keep telling our daughter the pandemic is the reason she can’t see her best friend. This situation is so simple and so complicated. What do I tell my daughter about her best friend? — VICTIM OF THE TIMES
DEAR VICTIM: Tell your daughter the truth — that her friend’s parents will no longer allow it. Then explain why. That way she won’t think that this is in any way her fault.
DEAR ABBY: I was recently contacted by my graduating class to help organize a reunion. Since then, one of the organizers has decided that our committee is an inseparable trio who must get together regularly by Zoom and occasionally in person.
We were not in touch before the reunion and we have little in common, but I can tell she’s lonely, so I’ve indulged her so far. However, she now wants to convene periodically for long weekends at a nearby inn. I do not want to leave my spouse for long weekends or spend money and time on a person whom I don’t care to befriend.
When I’ve tried to demur with “unavailability” excuses, she insists we are a trio and we simply will wait a few weeks until I can find an open date. I don’t want to be rude, but I can’t figure out how to politely tell her that I have no interest in accepting her suggestions for an extended slumber party. How should I handle this? — RELUCTANT ALUMNA IN THE WEST
DEAR ALUMNA: Handle it by being frank with this needy individual. Tell her, “This isn’t going to happen. I do not wish to leave my husband for a weekend. I don’t mind helping with the reunion, but your demands on my time have increased to the point where they are too much for me.”
DEAR ABBY: The season of pleasant weather and outdoor concerts is approaching. Invariably, we end up sitting by the chatterboxes. These folks seem oblivious to anyone else, including the performers and the rest of us who want to enjoy the performance. I realize these are free concerts, but I don’t want to have to listen to these rude people. Any suggestions for silencing them so we can hear what the rest of us came for? — DISGUSTED IN SOUTH CAROLINA
DEAR DISGUSTED: Keep your tone civil. You might ask, “Would you please talk more quietly? We are trying to enjoy the performance.” However, if they aren’t receptive to your suggestion, consider moving as far away from them as possible.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
CELEBRITY BIRTHDAYS
Jazz musician Herbie Hancock is 82. Rock singer John Kay (Steppenwolf) is 78. Actor Ed O’Neill is 76. Talk show host David Letterman is 75. R&B singer JD Nicholas (The Commodores) is 70. Singer Pat Travers is 68. Actor Andy Garcia is 66. Country singer Vince Gill is 65. Rock singer Art Alexakis (Everclear) is 60. Folk-pop singer Amy Ray (Indigo Girls) is 58. Actress Retta (“Good Girls”) is 52. Actress Shannen Doherty is 51. Actress Claire Danes is 43. Model-actress Brooklyn Decker is 35. Rock singer-musician Brendon Urie (Panic! at the Disco) is 35. Actress Saoirse Ronan is 28.
TODAY'S HOROSCOPE
Consider what makes you happy, and work to incorporate it into your daily routine. Honing your skills and setting yourself up for advancement will give you the confidence to go one step further than you’ve ever gone. Live up to your expectations, and the rewards you receive will give you hope.
ARIES (March 21-April 19) — Follow through with your intentions. Don’t let anyone push you in a direction you don’t care to go. Follow your instincts and your heart, and take charge. It’s up to you to pursue your goals.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20) — Take the initiative to get things done. Don’t wait for someone to make a move. Step up and take charge. Your independence and leadership qualities will help you get things done and get ahead. Set high standards and expectations.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20) — Make your point heard. Be direct about what you want and why. Set guidelines and boundaries, and stick to your plan. You don’t have to keep up with anyone. The only person you must please is yourself.
CANCER (June 21-July 22) — Offer exciting suggestions. Make a difference to something that matters to you. Update your look or qualifications, and it will convince others that you are ready for a new challenge.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) — Common sense will pay off. Put more thought into how you handle your finances. Use charm and finesse, and you will make an impression on someone influential. Budget wisely.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) — Listen carefully and respond with clarity. A good connection with someone who shares your sentiments will give you the courage to pursue your goal. Share your vision.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) — Do it yourself if you want something done. Make use of your time and talent, and you’ll reach your destination. A reward will give you the incentive to pick up the pace.
SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) — Tweak your space at work or home to make it more convenient. Don’t begrudge yourself something that brings you joy or peace of mind. Refuse to let anyone dump others’ responsibilities onto you.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) — Take better care of your health and well-being. Don’t take a risk or let someone put you in a vulnerable position. Stay on top of your expenses. When pushed, push back.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) — Say what’s on your mind, but be ready to back your claims. Attitude will play a role in how well you do and whom you impress. Use common sense and charm.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) — Do your homework. Preparation is essential if you want to avoid being railroaded. Show compassion and offer suggestions.
PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) — Leave nothing to chance or unfinished. When it comes to delivering on your promises, accuracy and promptness are the best ways to gain respect.
NEWS OF THE WEIRD
By Chuck Sheppard
Questionable Judgments: An unnamed 22-year-old student at Brigham Young University in Utah was busily trying to make 5 pounds of rocket fuel on Feb. 20 in his dorm kitchen when the mixture exploded, People reported. Flames “engulfed the walls and ceiling around the stove, and the intense heat tripped the fire sprinkler system,” BYU police said in a statement. Although no one was injured, 22 students were relocated while cleanup and repairs were undertaken. Lt. Jeff Long said the student was trying to re-create something he saw online. “He didn’t think this through,” Long said. Which is basically a subhead for every article about a college student. | https://www.kokomotribune.com/news/features/stuff-we-like-tuesday-april-12-2022/article_4488a130-b4f5-11ec-81ee-efa838420170.html | 2022-04-12T09:53:20 | 0 | https://www.kokomotribune.com/news/features/stuff-we-like-tuesday-april-12-2022/article_4488a130-b4f5-11ec-81ee-efa838420170.html |
Felonies
The following people were booked into the Lee County-Tupelo Adult Jail in connection with felony charges ending Monday at 11 a.m.
Jonathan David Boyd, 32, of Saltillo, was arrested by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, driving under the influence-second offense, leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a suspended license, expired driver’s license, no proof of insurance.
Brittany Brumfield, 31, no address listed, was arrested by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, driving under the influence third offense.
Zachary Flanagan, 27, of Tupelo, was arrested by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, credit card fraud.
Alexander Hubbard, 29, no address listed, was arrested by the Verona Police Department, possession of a Schedule II drug.
Reginald Jones, 29, of Shannon, was arrested by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, felony possession of marijuana, no driver’s license.
Willie Montgomery, 33, of Tupelo, was arrested by the Mississippi Department of Corrections, violation of probation.
Jamie Lee Moore, 45, of Paris, Tennessee, was arrested by the Mississippi Highway Patrol, possession of methamphetamine, driving under the influence.
Darryl Pleasant, 26, of Tupelo, was arrested by the Tupelo Police Department, aggravated domestic violence, no insurance.
Steven Riley Sandborn, 29, of Saltillo, was arrested by the Guntown Police Department, possession of a Schedule II drug.
Timothy Scales, 20, of Tupelo, was arrested by the Tupelo Police Department, possession of a Schedule II drug.
Jonathan Smith, 38, of Tupelo, was arrested by the Verona Police Department, possession of methamphetamine.
Lee County Sheriff's Office
The following reports were filed Monday by the Lee County Sheriff's Office.
A County Road 931 Auburn woman said a neighbor’s three pit bulls came into her yard and attacked her puppy, which was recently hit by a car and had trouble moving.
A Ryland Drive Auburn man returned home to discover a roommate had stopped up a toilet. He told the roommate he could borrow his car to go buy a plunger. The roommate wanted the man’s Cash App card. He refused because the roommate owed him money, prompting a verbal altercation. The man left the residence to go get a plunger himself. When he returned, he told the roommates if they didn’t have the next week’s rent money, they needed to leave. The roommates then threatened the man with weapons.
A County Road 2330 Guntown woman said she was concerned with dogs running in a pack in the area.
A man said while he was getting a haircut, his girlfriend was sitting outside in his car. She got a text from someone accusing the man of seeing another woman. She got mad and drove off in his car. She later texted him that she left the car in the West Main Walmart parking lot with the keys in it.
An employee at Mike’s Quick Stop in Nettleton said a male tried to cash a check the clerk could tell was fake. The suspect left before deputies could arrive.
A County Road 54 man saw a black Mazda SUV parked on his property by the creek. He thinks the person was looking for arrowheads.
An East Point Drive Saltillo woman said one of her son’s friends, 28, stayed the night at her house. While she was at work, the friend allegedly stole two pistols, diamond jewelry and cash.
Two Highway 348 Blue Springs women invited a female acquaintance over to hang out and drink. After an argument, they asked the guest to leave around 1 a.m. and she refused. The guest told deputies she had been drinking and should not drive. It was agreed that she would sleep in her car and leave the next morning.
A County Road 1389 Saltillo man said someone dumped five Lab or Lab-mix puppies at his house.
A County Road 1766 woman said a car kept pulling in the neighbor’s drive and driving slowly by her house after 9 p.m. A male got out and started looking through her mailbox. The husband told the man to leave. He returned and started cursing at the couple. When they called 911, he left but returned while the deputy was taking the report. The deputy stopped the 21-year-old suspect and told him to leave and not return.
An Okolona man was driving on Highway 371 in the Richmond community around 10:30 p.m. He noticed a white Chevy pickup traveling at a high rate of speed crossing over the center line. He saw the passenger door open and a female try to jump out of the moving vehicle. The truck stopped at County Road 806, and the woman got out. The man stopped to check on the woman, who had bruising to the head and a bite mark on her finger. She wanted a ride to her sister’s house in Itawamba County, so he drove her. She did not request law enforcement or medical attention.
A County Road 520 Shannon man said a truck pulled into his neighbor’s drive around 11:30 p.m. and sat there for about 10 minutes. The vehicle pulled into the grass trying to turn around but got stuck. A couple got out of the truck, talked to the neighbor and left on foot when the man called 911. The neighbor let the couple leave the truck there until the morning when they could make arrangements to remove it.
A Highway 371 Mooreville mechanic said he had been working on a 2007 Ford Ranger and took it for a test drive. The truck backfired and started smoking while he was on County Road 1551. It then caught on fire and burned until the fire department arrived and put it out.
Tupelo Police Department
No reports filed since April 8.
Anyone with information on any of these crimes is urged to call the Lee County Sheriff's Office at 841-9041, the Tupelo Police Department at 841-6491 or Crime Stoppers of Northeast Mississippi at (800) 773-TIPS or download the P3 Tip App and leave an anonymous tip that way. | https://www.djournal.com/news/crime-law-enforcement/crime-reports-tuesday-april-12-2022/article_8c3cf8ac-1d64-562a-b0c5-4d0341da275b.html | 2022-04-12T09:53:26 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/news/crime-law-enforcement/crime-reports-tuesday-april-12-2022/article_8c3cf8ac-1d64-562a-b0c5-4d0341da275b.html |
TUPELO • For at least 8 months, Jonathan Boyd put on a Verona police uniform and patrolled the streets despite not having a valid driver’s license.
That fact only came to light after Boyd, 32, of 5628 Pulltight Road, Saltillo, was arrested Friday night on a variety of charges, including a second DUI and leaving the scene of an accident, all while wearing his Verona Police Department uniform.
In Mississippi, driver’s licenses expire on a person’s birthday, so Boyd’s license would not have been valid since at least July 20.
When asked if Boyd had been patrolling the streets over the past year, Verona Police Chief Marsenio Nunn said the incident is under investigation and refused to answer.
“I will give you a full statement in the next day or two after the internal investigation is complete,” Nunn told the Daily Journal Monday afternoon.
Saltillo Police Chief Daniel McKinney said Boyd sideswiped another vehicle around 7 p.m. April 8 on U.S Highway 45. After stopping briefly on the four-lane, the drivers agreed to continue on to a convenience store near the intersection of highways 45 and 145. When Boyd did not stop, the other driver called 911. Dispatchers contacted Boyd via his 911 radio, and he returned to the scene.
Because it involved an officer, Saltillo police requested the Mississippi Highway Patrol take over the case as an outside agency. MHP charged Boyd with DUI-second offense, leaving the scene of an accident, driving with a suspended license, expired driver’s license and no proof of insurance.
It was not immediately clear if the driving with a suspended license charge was related to Boyd’s first DUI in the fall of 2020 that cost him his job with the Saltillo Police Department. He pleaded no contest to that charge in Lee County Justice Court, then immediately appealed it to Lee County Court. Generally, when a case is appealed, any penalties — including a license suspension — are delayed until the appeal process works its way through the court.
That appeal is scheduled to be heard by Lee County Court Judge James Moore on June 15.
The first DUI charge was the result of a one-car accident Oct. 1, 2020, inside the Saltillo city limits. At the time of the wreck, Boyd was employed by the Saltillo Police Department and driving his personal vehicle.
“Saltillo reached out to us due to him being a city employee,” Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson said. He said Boyd submitted a breath sample and was determined to be well over the limit.
Four days after that wreck, Boyd ended his six-year-tenure with the Saltillo department. Saltillo Mayor Copey Grantham said Boyd resigned Oct. 5, 2020.
It was not immediately clear when Boyd was hired by the Verona Police Department or if they were aware of the pending charges against him at the time.
Nunn did say that Boyd was suspended after he learned that the officer was involved in a hit and run and appeared to be under the influence while in uniform.
“Officer Boyd was off duty at the time of this incident, so per my request, all of officer Boyd’s work equipment was immediately removed, and he was suspended and an internal investigation was initiated,” Nunn said.
Boyd was booked into the Lee County Jail Friday night. He was released on bond about 11 hours later, Saturday morning around 8:30. | https://www.djournal.com/news/crime-law-enforcement/verona-officer-patrolled-streets-without-a-driver-s-license/article_537dd693-ead1-521e-8bba-daa13087cba5.html | 2022-04-12T09:53:32 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/news/crime-law-enforcement/verona-officer-patrolled-streets-without-a-driver-s-license/article_537dd693-ead1-521e-8bba-daa13087cba5.html |
TUPELO • Former Mayor Jason Shelton is once again fighting another condemnation order from the city, just weeks after the building which at one time housed his late-brother's law firm, was demolished.
Shelton formerly owned both 306 and 308 North Spring Street, but recently sold them both to Bill Simpson, who recently demolished the 306 building after the city condemned the structure at that address. Shelton then in turned leased back 308 North Spring Street from Simpson.
However, the buildings at 306 and 308 shared a wall, and city officials say the demolition left the remaining building structurally unsound because the surviving shared wall was taller than the remaining 308 building. Development Services Director Tanner Newman said officials fear the unsupported portion of the taller wall could fall.
“If a gust of wind comes by, it could snap off the top of the (306 North Spring Street) wall onto 308 (North Spring Street)'s roof,” Newman said.
Shelton and Simpson have a chance to reverse the order during a 6 p.m. Planning Committee meeting Thursday. Newman said Simpson did not appeal the condemnation but Shelton, as the tenant, appealed, sparking the Thursday night hearing. Simpson said he and Shelton planned to attend the meeting.
“Jason Shelton contacted a structural engineer, and they suggested ways for the building to be adapted to continue habitation,” he said. “We are going in front of the city Thursday to see if they will reverse the condemnation order based on the report.”
Simpson said he was working with an engineer on plans for the the needed repairs for the property but did not have a timeframe for completion.
Simpson also noted the property was currently in use by attorney Tommy Reynolds. Simpson had an agreement with Shelton to finish a two-year lease before he would further develop the property. Shelton is subleasing the property to Reynolds.
When asked if Shelton’s appeal as a tenant was still valid though he is not using the property, City Attorney Ben Logan said as the primary leaseholder, Shelton had a vested interest in the property and a right to appeal the condemnation.
The condemnation does not mean the building would be up for forced demolition, but it is a possibility, Newman said, if Simpson refuses to address the structural issues.
“A condemnation only means that city identified the property as not habitable,” Newman said. “Once a condemnation has been ordered, if the owner doesn't make an effort to correct it, the city can choose to move forward with the demolition process."
Shelton, who served as mayor from 2013 until 2021, contended that the condemnation was part of a continued “harassment” effort by Mayor Todd Jordan’s administration.
“They are messing with me for petty politics," Shelton said. "At the end of the day, the mayor and development services director have a retaliatory mindset to get revenge because I campaigned against (Jordan).”
Newman said the condemnation was about public safety, not scoring political points.
“He does not own that building. This was the result of a routine inspection following a permitted demolition,” he said. “This has absolutely nothing to do with politics. Our top job is public safety. It doesn't matter who the owner is. The building codes are the same for everyone.”
Once Simpson finished clearing the property, he said he planned to develop mixed-use buildings on the land, with storefronts on ground level and apartments on the second floor. | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/former-mayor-at-odds-with-city-again-over-new-condemnation-order/article_294aa1a6-ff5a-5028-88c2-5a4f0882c7be.html | 2022-04-12T09:53:38 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/former-mayor-at-odds-with-city-again-over-new-condemnation-order/article_294aa1a6-ff5a-5028-88c2-5a4f0882c7be.html |
RIPLEY • Cedric Burnside, torchbearer of the Northeast Mississippi hill country blues, won "Best Traditional Blues Album" at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for his 2021 album "I Be Trying."
Burnside, 43, was raised in Holly Springs and now lives in Ashland. He spends quite a bit of time in Ripley, where he's set up an office on the square and will soon be opening a juke joint.
On Monday night, Ripley Mayor Jon Grisham declared April 11 "Cedric Burnside Day" during a Grammy celebration at Jefferson St. Tap Room.
The Ripley Main Street Association also unveiled a portrait of Burnside painted by Sam Ingram to be displayed at the Blues Alley downtown alongside local blues greats like Burnside's grandfather, R.L. Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough.
Third time's the charm
Burnside had been nominated two times prior to his Grammy win. The phrase "third time's the charm" proved true, and Burnside took home a Grammy on April 8.
"Considering I had never won a Grammy before, it felt good to actually win," Burnside said. "It gets me a few steps further to doing what I need to do, not just for music, but for my community."
"It's cool to win these Grammys," he added. "I think this is just one of many, but also, I know I'll get further ahead on helping people."
When Burnside's named was called on "music's biggest night," he jogged to the stage with his tour manager, Chuck Duncan.
"Wow, thank y'all so much," Burnside said, still in awe. He thanked the Recording Academy, his record label, promotion team and Jesus Christ "for letting the universe work with me."
Recording the album
Burnside wrote the record, "I Be Trying," in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, save for one song — "Love Is The Key."
But the album's themes of getting knocked down by life, struggling and trying to be the best person you can be resonate deeply in a time when a whole lot of the world have experienced "the blues" firsthand.
When he got ready to go into the studio in 2020, the virus shut everything down and put recording on pause. But he picked it up at the end of that year.
"It's funny how it pertains to what's going on in the world today," Burnside said.
»WATCH: Step In official music video
"I Be Trying" was recorded in the span of three days in late 2020 at Royal Studios in Memphis — the same recording studio where Willie Mitchell, Al Green and other soul artists cranked out hit after hit in the 1960s and 70s.
It released in June 2021, sharing songs inspired not only by Burnside's own life experiences, but those of his family and friends.
"I feel like every day, life gives you something to talk about, something to write about," Burnside said. "And that might be good or it might be bad."
Burnside feels the core message of the album is positivity.
"I want people to know that no matter what you go through, you're still going to have to be strong and embrace it," Burnside said. "But your actions, that's what determines how your life is going to go."
Carrying on a family legacy
Burnside first toured with his grandfather, hill country blues legend R.L. Burnside, at 13 years old.
He's been playing hill country blues for more than 30 years now. To bring home a Grammy to Mississippi for continuing the musical tradition of the place and people he loves means the world to him.
"(Hill country blues) started to get the recognition that it deserves in the late 90s, early 2000s, but not as much as it should have," Burnside said. "Now, just to have North Mississippi, the hill country part, on the map now. I feel like we're now on the map."
Burnside recorded a cover of "Bird Without a Feather" by his late grandfather, whom he refers to as Big Daddy, for the album.
"I want to just keep creating it, creating my own music as well as my Big Daddy's music and Junior's music," Burnside said. "So it meant a lot to me when they called my name for this award. To win this Grammy, it meant a lot to me. I honestly think my Big Daddy would be very proud, as well as my mom, my dad and my brother — everybody who's gone on before me, who has passed, that was a big part of my life."
While carrying on the family legacy, Burnside aspires to leave behind his own: a legacy of positivity, love and inspiration.
He shared a bit of that positivity Monday morning when he visited the classrooms of hundreds of Ripley Elementary School students whose artwork now adorn the front windows of Burnside's office and juke joint — drawings of Grammy awards and guitars with messages reading "Congratulations Cedric."
Opening the Jook Joint
This summer, Burnside will open a juke joint — aptly named Jook Joint — in downtown Ripley.
"I want to help the community and I want to bring people from all over the world," Burnside said of his vision for the juke joint.
"I want to bring people together," he said. "I want people to come to Ripley, I want them to see what Ripley has to offer and I also want Ripley to see something that they never saw before. And not just Ripley, the whole hill country."
The venue will feature live music with a focus on the blues. Customers will have the option to grab a beer and a bite to eat while they enjoy the tunes in a laid back, authentic juke joint atmosphere.
Although he's from the Holly Springs area, Burnside has spent a considerable amount of time working in Ripley over the last few years, and he's grown fond of the town.
He even recorded an album in Ripley a couple of months ago at the soon-to-open juke joint. Burnside has a name for the album but isn't ready to share it yet. He hopes to release it later this year.
On the heels of the Grammy win, Burnside will be releasing new merch and music soon. Fans can find updates at Burnside's Facebook page, and those eager to visit the Jook Joint when it opens can follow along on Facebook as well. | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/furthering-the-hill-country-blues-cedric-burnside-wins-grammy-for-best-traditional-blues-album/article_5b2b11e4-5c1b-5f8d-bec4-21e6e9de29c2.html | 2022-04-12T09:53:44 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/news/local/furthering-the-hill-country-blues-cedric-burnside-wins-grammy-for-best-traditional-blues-album/article_5b2b11e4-5c1b-5f8d-bec4-21e6e9de29c2.html |
RIPLEY • Cedric Burnside, torchbearer of the Northeast Mississippi hill country blues, won "Best Traditional Blues Album" at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards for his 2021 album "I Be Trying."
Burnside, 43, was raised in Holly Springs and now lives in Ashland. He spends quite a bit of time in Ripley, where he's set up an office on the square and will soon be opening a juke joint.
On Monday night, Ripley Mayor Jon Grisham declared April 11 "Cedric Burnside Day" during a Grammy celebration at Jefferson St. Tap Room.
The Ripley Main Street Association also unveiled a portrait of Burnside painted by Sam Ingram to be displayed at the Blues Alley downtown alongside local blues greats like Burnside's grandfather, R.L. Burnside, and Junior Kimbrough.
Third time's the charm
Burnside had been nominated two times prior to his Grammy win. The phrase "third time's the charm" proved true, and Burnside took home a Grammy on April 8.
"Considering I had never won a Grammy before, it felt good to actually win," Burnside said. "It gets me a few steps further to doing what I need to do, not just for music, but for my community."
"It's cool to win these Grammys," he added. "I think this is just one of many, but also, I know I'll get further ahead on helping people."
When Burnside's named was called on "music's biggest night," he jogged to the stage with his tour manager, Chuck Duncan.
"Wow, thank y'all so much," Burnside said, still in awe. He thanked the Recording Academy, his record label, promotion team and Jesus Christ "for letting the universe work with me."
Recording the album
Burnside wrote the record, "I Be Trying," in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, save for one song — "Love Is The Key."
But the album's themes of getting knocked down by life, struggling and trying to be the best person you can be resonate deeply in a time when a whole lot of the world have experienced "the blues" firsthand.
When he got ready to go into the studio in 2020, the virus shut everything down and put recording on pause. But he picked it up at the end of that year.
"It's funny how it pertains to what's going on in the world today," Burnside said.
»WATCH: Step In official music video
"I Be Trying" was recorded in the span of three days in late 2020 at Royal Studios in Memphis — the same recording studio where Willie Mitchell, Al Green and other soul artists cranked out hit after hit in the 1960s and 70s.
It released in June 2021, sharing songs inspired not only by Burnside's own life experiences, but those of his family and friends.
"I feel like every day, life gives you something to talk about, something to write about," Burnside said. "And that might be good or it might be bad."
Burnside feels the core message of the album is positivity.
"I want people to know that no matter what you go through, you're still going to have to be strong and embrace it," Burnside said. "But your actions, that's what determines how your life is going to go."
Carrying on a family legacy
Burnside first toured with his grandfather, hill country blues legend R.L. Burnside, at 13 years old.
He's been playing hill country blues for more than 30 years now. To bring home a Grammy to Mississippi for continuing the musical tradition of the place and people he loves means the world to him.
"(Hill country blues) started to get the recognition that it deserves in the late 90s, early 2000s, but not as much as it should have," Burnside said. "Now, just to have North Mississippi, the hill country part, on the map now. I feel like we're now on the map."
Burnside recorded a cover of "Bird Without a Feather" by his late grandfather, whom he refers to as Big Daddy, for the album.
"I want to just keep creating it, creating my own music as well as my Big Daddy's music and Junior's music," Burnside said. "So it meant a lot to me when they called my name for this award. To win this Grammy, it meant a lot to me. I honestly think my Big Daddy would be very proud, as well as my mom, my dad and my brother — everybody who's gone on before me, who has passed, that was a big part of my life."
While carrying on the family legacy, Burnside aspires to leave behind his own: a legacy of positivity, love and inspiration.
He shared a bit of that positivity Monday morning when he visited the classrooms of hundreds of Ripley Elementary School students whose artwork now adorn the front windows of Burnside's office and juke joint — drawings of Grammy awards and guitars with messages reading "Congratulations Cedric."
Opening the Jook Joint
This summer, Burnside will open a juke joint — aptly named Jook Joint — in downtown Ripley.
"I want to help the community and I want to bring people from all over the world," Burnside said of his vision for the juke joint.
"I want to bring people together," he said. "I want people to come to Ripley, I want them to see what Ripley has to offer and I also want Ripley to see something that they never saw before. And not just Ripley, the whole hill country."
The venue will feature live music with a focus on the blues. Customers will have the option to grab a beer and a bite to eat while they enjoy the tunes in a laid back, authentic juke joint atmosphere.
Although he's from the Holly Springs area, Burnside has spent a considerable amount of time working in Ripley over the last few years, and he's grown fond of the town.
He even recorded an album in Ripley a couple of months ago at the soon-to-open juke joint. Burnside has a name for the album but isn't ready to share it yet. He hopes to release it later this year.
On the heels of the Grammy win, Burnside will be releasing new merch and music soon. Fans can find updates at Burnside's Facebook page, and those eager to visit the Jook Joint when it opens can follow along on Facebook as well. | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/news/furthering-the-hill-country-blues-cedric-burnside-wins-grammy-for-best-traditional-blues-album/article_1c36515f-ad0a-5384-930a-bf3bf68b11f6.html | 2022-04-12T09:53:50 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/news/furthering-the-hill-country-blues-cedric-burnside-wins-grammy-for-best-traditional-blues-album/article_1c36515f-ad0a-5384-930a-bf3bf68b11f6.html |
FALKNER • Pinpointing the strike zone was a challenge for Falkner on Friday night.
The Eagles’ struck out 13 times – six of those looking – while the pitching staff issued seven walks, the last of which resulted in the game-winning run in the fifth inning as Jumpertown escaped with a 6-5 win, knocking off Falkner from the ranks of the unbeaten in Division 1-1A play.
“We missed out spots a lot. Against any team, you’ve got to hit your spots and we didn’t do that tonight,” said Falkner head coach Brad Barnes. “That’s kind of uncharacteristic of us.”
Falkner committed just one error on the night, but it came in the first inning that aided the Cardinals to a 1-0 start.
Jumpertown tacked on a pair of runs in the second after two walks and a single loaded the bases for Ayden Jones, who connected on a RBI single to move everybody up 90 feet. Reece Johnson then drew the third walk of the inning for the 3-0 lead.
All of Falkner’s offense came in the fourth inning, where they took its first and only lead of the game. Joseph Swinford led the frame off with a single and came around to score on a single from Jackson Jordan. A fielder’s choice off the bat of Gavin Wooley made it 3-2 before Bryson Kennedy gave Falkner a 4-3 lead with a RBI infield single that forced a throwing error on the same play to score Wooley.
Hunter Griffin capped off the five-run frame with a RBI double to deep center field.
But from that point, the offense went back to what it was the previous three innings – failing to take advantage of the runners that reached base. The Eagles stranded 11 runners for the game two each in the fifth, sixth and seventh.
“It was just spotty,” Barnes said of the offense. “We struck out looking too many times. I tell our guys all the time, ‘You can’t leave it in the umpire’s hands.’ If it’s anywhere near the strike zone – especially when the pitcher’s throwing strikes – he’s probably not going to call it in your favor.”
Three walks to the first four batters in the fifth led to another bases-loaded situation for Jumpertown, where Coby Pannell came through with a 2-RBI single to tie it 5-5. Two batters later, Jones drew the game-winning run with another walk to secure the victory.
Even with the loss, the Eagles (5-17, 5-1) secured a first-round home playoff game after defeating the Cardinals 6-0 last Tuesday behind a complete game shutout from Griffin, who struck out 11 and allowed just two hits and no walks.
With, at worst, the No. 2 seed locked up, Falkner’s division championship hopes still are alive this week, but they need a sweep of Biggersville to accomplish that.
“I was telling them ‘You don’t have time to dwell on this game, we’ve got to move on,’” said Barnes. “It’s over. I told them I’m no longer worried about Jumpertown. They’re no longer on our list. They’re done and we’ve got to keep playing. We’ve got two huge games coming up with Biggersville and we’ll need to play well in those.” | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/sports/eagles-drop-first-division-1-1a-contest-of-the-season/article_bab6c6a8-59b0-510f-9266-2347a7e1f193.html | 2022-04-12T09:53:56 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/sports/eagles-drop-first-division-1-1a-contest-of-the-season/article_bab6c6a8-59b0-510f-9266-2347a7e1f193.html |
Ripley's Craig Bullock takes a swing near the cart path on Hole 10 at Kirkwood Nation Golf Club on Thursday. Bullock won medalist honors after a three-way tiebreaker at 2-over 38.
Hickory Flat's Emma Wilson chips onto the green at the Par 4 11th at Kirkwood National Golf Club on Thursday. Wilson earned medalist honors with a 53 to lead the Lady Rebels to a team tournament win.
Ripley's Craig Bullock takes a swing near the cart path on Hole 10 at Kirkwood Nation Golf Club on Thursday. Bullock won medalist honors after a three-way tiebreaker at 2-over 38.
Hickory Flat's Emma Wilson chips onto the green at the Par 4 11th at Kirkwood National Golf Club on Thursday. Wilson earned medalist honors with a 53 to lead the Lady Rebels to a team tournament win.
HOLLY SPRINGS • Ripley golf continued its winning ways on the greens Thursday at Kirkwood National Golf Club in Holly Springs.
The Tigers shot a tournament-low 157 to best second place Hickory Flat (176) and third place Walnut (188) in the 9-hole event to win their fourth event in a row.
“We’re playing really good golf across the board right now,” said Ripley golf coach Chad Brown. “These boys are being consistent with their approach and it’s leading us to some big wins in the tournaments we’ve been at.”
Ripley’s Craig Bullock, Jake Moffitt and Hickory Flat’s Drew Wilson all tied at a 2-over par 38 atop the leaderboard. Bullock was named the medalist after the tiebreaker went to a playoff hole on the scorecard, with Hole 14 – the course’s second-highest handicap hole, and the top on the back-nine – being the deciding hole. Bullock birdied his look on the 476-yard Par 4 that lifted him to the win.
“It’s good to have good two guys on our team right there with a golfer of Wilson’s caliber,” Brown said. “I’m proud of Craig and Jake for playing well. And sometimes things come down to how you play on one hole, and Craig was able to pull it out today.”
Following Bullock and Moffitt was brothers Clay Adams (40) and Cole Adams (41) to round out the Tigers’ score. Those scores were good enough for fourth and fifth individually in the field.
For Hickory Flat, Landen Wilkerson shot a 42, Alex Tatum a 44, and Minor Hopper a 52 for its top scores.
Walnut’s Brantley Porterfield and Grant McCoy led the Wildcats with an 8-over 44 apiece on their scorecards. Drew Jackson tallied a 48 and Jack Pulse a 52.
On the girls side of the tournament, Hickory Flat pulled out a close victory with a combined 110 from medalist Emma Wilson (53) and Anna Reese Woods (57).
Myrtle landed in second with a score of 117, edging Walnut by one stroke as Amber Grace Mills (56) and Chloe Delashmit (62) fell just short of the Lady Hawks.
On Monday
Ripley returned to the course Monday, hosting rival New Albany and Booneville at Pine Hill Country Club in Ripley.
The Tigers took a comfortable 11-stroke win to move their streak to five straight tournament wins as they inch closer to the Division 1-4A Tournament at Shiloh Ridge Athletic Club in Corinth on April 20. | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/sports/tigers-golf-continues-hot-streak-lady-rebels-pick-up-tournament-win/article_f06661d8-51fa-504f-bb41-742d7df1f58b.html | 2022-04-12T09:54:02 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/sports/tigers-golf-continues-hot-streak-lady-rebels-pick-up-tournament-win/article_f06661d8-51fa-504f-bb41-742d7df1f58b.html |
Walnut's Eli Akins tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits and two walks, while striking out 15 in a 1-0 win over Myrtle on Friday to clinch a spot in the Class 2A playoffs.
WALNUT • Walnut baseball is finding its stride at the right time under first-year head coach Cody Brownlee.
After a 1-0 win over Myrtle on Friday completed the Wildcats’ second straight sweep in Division 1-2A play, Walnut (13-11, 5-5) earned a spot in the MHSAA Class 2A playoffs for the first time since 2016 and just the third time in 20 years.
“We’re young and we’ve come a long way since last year, when I think they won one division game,” Brownlee said. “They buckled down and started playing well. And that was one of our goals, was to get to the playoffs. It just shows how much they’ve worked and how far they’ve come.”
Spearheading the recent surge is senior Eli Akins, who pitched yet another gem in the series-ending win over Myrtle.
Akins tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits and two walks, while striking out 15. The 6-foot-4 right-hander escaped out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the bottom of the seventh, using 10 pitches to record three straight strikeouts to close out the game.
Akins is 4-2 with one save in 34 2/3 innings of work this season, boasting a 2.22 ERA with 68 strikeouts to 30 walks. He’s batting .466 with seven doubles, three home runs, 28 RBIs and 27 runs scored.
“I tell you, there’s no one else I’d rather have on the mound,” said Brownlee of his ace. “He’s had an off game or two throughout the year – which he’s an 18-year-old kid – but he’s pretty dominant all year long and that just kind of showed what he’s capable of. Bases got loaded, no outs, had an infield single, a bloop hit that fell into no man’s land, and he just dug deep and threw 10 pitches that they didn’t have any chance of hitting.”
Walnut defeated Thrasher 10-0 in five innings and Hickory Flat 11-1 in another five-inning rout on Saturday to make them winners of four straight games – and nine of their last 11.
Brownlee hopes that momentum carries over into the 1-2A regular season series finale against Belmont that began on Tuesday.
“We’re tied for third, I guess, with this series – we could win it and move up a spot in the (seedings),” said Brownlee. “All you’ve got to do is get there. You never know what can happen after that.” | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/sports/wildcats-hitting-stride-as-postseason-nears/article_b6f218ce-3ae3-579b-87de-c3aea2fab4db.html | 2022-04-12T09:54:08 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/sentinel/sports/wildcats-hitting-stride-as-postseason-nears/article_b6f218ce-3ae3-579b-87de-c3aea2fab4db.html |
We’ve been blessed with talented writers at The Daily Journal through the years.
The current lineup includes Kevin Tate, our Outdoors contributor.
It’s not uncommon for people to stop me in Tupelo and tell me how much they have enjoyed something Kevin’s written.
I can’t replace Kevin, and that’s not my goal.
But I do have an Outdoors column today, a career first.
I’ve always enjoyed spending time in God’s creation, but I never had the patience for fishing. I’d rather be in the water than on it.
In the fall and winter I’d rather watch deer through binoculars than shoot them.
In my native land of Louisiana uphill means your seats are on the second level or higher.
Here it still fascinates me to see the hikes and views I can find a short drive away.
When Kyle Alford invited me to join he and his wife’s family for a turkey hunt I immediately agreed and looked forward to time with my son – which is harder to find – and new friends.
It was cool and clear, and the stars were bright in Simpson County last Saturday morning.
The mood for the hunt was stoked the night before when Uncle John saw on game cameras that a wild hog, trouble around the farm for a year, was nearby. His minutes were dwindling, though, as he was eliminated and strung up in short order.
We got up early, and the coffee drinkers did their thing.
The final member of our party arrived with leaves rustling on his camouflage that suddenly made my long sleeves off the rack of a local retailer seem inadequate.
He looked to me like the scene from so many movies with special forces rising up from jungle brush after hours hidden away.
We walked for about a half mile.
I watched and listened as our skilled guide tracked and talked with turkeys.
I saw deer, squirrels various fowl. One turkey came into view but not enough for a shot. The hog should have been as stealthy.
Eventually the effectiveness of layered clothing waned as I sat back-to-tree in the shadows while longing for the sunshine just a few feet away.
I hung tough, though, and waited for the signal to stand, thus completing my one real job which was to not screw up the hunt for others.
It was great to experience for the first time what draws men, women and families to hunting.
There’s a lot to appreciate in the wild even with no shots fired.
I can see myself getting back in a different season though this will likely end up being something less than a full hobby.
The sports that pay the bills still play on the weekends.
PARRISH ALFORD is the college sports editor and columnist for the Daily Journal. Contact him at parrish.alford@journalinc.com. | https://www.djournal.com/sports/thrill-of-the-hunt-confirmed-even-with-no-shots-fired/article_be37bc6c-af2e-5691-9df8-5990d3ab52ef.html | 2022-04-12T09:54:15 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/sports/thrill-of-the-hunt-confirmed-even-with-no-shots-fired/article_be37bc6c-af2e-5691-9df8-5990d3ab52ef.html |
State Question 780 is perhaps the most significant criminal justice reform measure in Oklahoma’s history.
Enacted by voters in 2016, the ballot initiative reclassified several drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. Lawmakers made the measure retroactive in 2019, prompting the largest single-day mass commutation in U.S. history.
Oklahoma’s prison population has dropped 25% since State Question 780 took effect in July 2017.
The state Department of Corrections, once in desperate need of bed space, announced it would close a minimum-security men’s prison in Fort Supply last summer due to reduced admissions.
A related ballot initiative, State Question 781, proposed allocating funds saved from incarcerating fewer people to county-level mental health and substance abuse programs. It passed with 55% of the vote and triggered the creation of a County Community Safety Investment Fund.
The legislature has never sent any money to the fund, citing difficulties coming up with a funding formula.
Lawmakers say they’ve followed the people’s will by increasing appropriations to the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. But justice reform advocates argue the state must commit long term to make mental health and substance abuse treatment accessible to all.
Last year, the Office of Management and Enterprise Services, working with the Department of Corrections and left-leaning Oklahoma Policy Institute, nailed down a funding formula that calculated the state’s savings in Fiscal Year 2020 at $10.6 million.
House Bill 3294, sponsored by Rep. Justin Humphrey, R-Lane, and Sen. Zack Taylor, R-Seminole, would require the state to utilize the funding formula and allocate funds to county justice systems annually.
It cleared the House without objection in late March and is eligible to be heard in the Senate.
In an interview with the Stillwater News-Press last week, Humphrey said he plans to amend the bill to specify how the funds should be spent and how they should be distributed.
The money could be particularly beneficial to rural jail administrators, who often struggle to finance repairs and hire qualified mental health professionals. | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/legislature-could-fund-county-mental-health-diversion-programs/article_8f04f188-b9b8-11ec-9129-53f8130aee72.html | 2022-04-12T10:00:26 | 1 | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/legislature-could-fund-county-mental-health-diversion-programs/article_8f04f188-b9b8-11ec-9129-53f8130aee72.html |
BALTIMORE — The federal tax deadline is Monday, April 18, and if you need to file there are ways to do it for free.
Millions of people are missing out on this opportunity. A Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration report in 2020 found that of the 104 million taxpayers eligible for free-filing, only 2.5 million people used the IRS’s program. In contrast, more than 34.5 million taxpayers who met the program criteria, used commercial software to file their tax return.
In Maryland, anyone can file their state returns at no cost, regardless of income.
And while different tax preparers advertise free filing, the Federal Trade Commission said that's not the full truth.
The agency filed a complaint in federal court calling Intuit’s commercials for free filing with their Turbo Tax software misleading and requested the company be ordered to immediately end its deceptive advertising.
The consumer protection agency argued most tax filers don't qualify like gig workers with 1099 forms or those who earn farm income, and in 2020, around two-thirds of tax filers could not use Turbo Tax’s free product.
Intuit is challenging the complaint.
“The FTC’s arguments are simply not credible. Far from steering taxpayers away from free tax preparation offerings, our free advertising campaigns have led to more Americans filing their taxes for free than ever before and have been central to raising awareness of free tax prep,” said Kerry McLean, executive vice president and general counsel of Intuit.
In its response to the complaint, the company also wrote that its ads clearly state Turbo Tax free edition is for simple U.S. returns only, and customers are referred to its website to check if they qualify.
While this dispute plays out in court, taxpayers who made less than $73,000 can use the IRS program to file at no cost.
“Ours is free and free means free,” said Maryland Comptroller Peter Franchot.
The Comptroller of Maryland provides free income tax preparation for state returns at its 12 tax service locations. Customers will need to have a copy of their completed federal tax return.
“I think it gives the taxpayer piece of mind knowing that we’ve done their return or we prepare the return, and hand them a copy or we mail the return for them,” said Jeannette Smith, manager of the Towson branch office for the Comptroller of Maryland.
Taxpayers can also use the state’s internet tax filing system to file returns online.
“Actually, all of our services are free. So, whether you’re coming to the branch office to file or go online, everything is free,” Smith said.
And in Maryland, you’ll have an extra three months to file. The Comptroller pushed back the deadline for state returns for the third year in a row. The deadline is now July 15, 2022.
“That’s in effect. It’s 90 days, interest-free, penalty-free, no application necessary loan of between $1.5 billion and $2 billion to Maryland small businesses and Maryland families,” said Comptroller Franchot.
If you taxpayers make more than $73,000, they can still file a free federal return by filling out forms on the IRS’s website.
And if you want to visit the Comptroller’s office for assistance with your state return, you’ll need to make an appointment online. If one isn’t available, give them a call. Certain locations are also accepting walk-ins.
Click here for additional tax assistance resources in Maryland.
AARP offers free tax preparation for seniors who have low-to-moderate income. If you’re over age 50, you can schedule an in-person or virtual tax preparation appointment with a Tax-Aide volunteer. You can find a local site by calling 2-1-1 or searching the database. You can also find one through AARP. | https://www.wmar2news.com/matterformallory/taxes-are-due-how-to-find-free-help-and-the-company-accused-of-falsely-advertising-free-services | 2022-04-12T10:10:44 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/matterformallory/taxes-are-due-how-to-find-free-help-and-the-company-accused-of-falsely-advertising-free-services |
Boy bitten by shark in shallow water in Florida
Published: Apr. 12, 2022 at 4:30 AM CDT|Updated: 40 minutes ago
(CNN) - A young boy was bitten by a shark in south Florida.
It happened in shallow water in Palm Beach County on Monday, officials said.
He said he saw the shark before it bit his foot and estimates it was about 4 feet long.
Paramedics bandaged the wound and took him to the hospital.
Sharks are not uncommon in shallow water, but unprovoked attacks are rare.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/boy-bitten-by-shark-shallow-water-florida/ | 2022-04-12T10:11:10 | 0 | https://www.kttc.com/2022/04/12/boy-bitten-by-shark-shallow-water-florida/ |
The Miami Dolphins brought in a former first-round pick who hasn’t played in the NFL since 2018 for a workout on Friday.
Reuben Foster, a former Alabama standout the San Francisco 49ers selected with the 31st pick in the 2017 NFL draft, worked out with the Dolphins on Friday morning, according to a league source.
Foster’s career was cut short because of a troublesome knee injury he suffered in May of 2019, which led to him losing feelings in his toes.
He’s finally healthy, and has been working to resume his NFL career. A thorough physical could determine whether the Dolphins offer him a minimum-salary contract, giving the 28-year-old an opportunity to train with the team this offseason, and possibly compete during training camp for a spot on the roster.
Coming out of college at Alabama, Foster was named a unanimous All-American and won the Butkus Award as the nation’s top linebacker in 2016. But he also had a troublesome history with the law because of marijuana possession, and a domestic violence charge that was eventually dropped.
In 10 games as a rookie in 2017, Foster led the 49ers with seven tackles for loss and finished second on the team with 72 total tackles.
He had 29 tackles in six games for the 49ers in 2019 before being arrested on domestic violence charges, and was subsequently released.
Prosecutors in Florida dismissed the misdemeanor domestic violence battery charges that stem from an alleged altercation he had with his former girlfriend in a Tampa hotel that November, the night before a game.
New Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel was part of the 49ers organization as an offensive assistant during the 2018 season, so he has some familiarity with Foster, who spent the 2019 season on Washington’s roster.
Foster worked out with the New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns last season, but wasn’t signed.
If the Dolphins sign Foster, he’d be competing with Elandon Roberts, Jerome Baker, Duke Riley, Calvin Munson and Sam Eguavoen for a role as one of Miami’s inside linebackers.
Even though the Dolphins re-signed all the defensive free agents, linebacker happens to be a position of need for Miami considering the unit’s lack of depth, and the absence of players with playmaking ability.
The Dolphins moved Baker, the team’s leading tackler the past three seasons, to outside linebacker late last year, which opened the door for Jaelan Phillips, the team’s 2021 first-round pick, to be used strictly as a pass rusher. If both Baker and Phillips remain in those roles, Miami would need to find a starting caliber player to be paired with Roberts as an inside linebacker in Miami’s hybrid scheme.
When healthy and in his prime, Foster, who is 6-foot, 230 pounds, was known for his physicality and his sideline-to-sideline range. But he lacked technique, struggled to stack and shed blockers, and had a history of suffering concussions.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/dolphins-look-to-bolster-lb-corps-with-a-former-first-round-pick-2/ | 2022-04-12T10:13:48 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/dolphins-look-to-bolster-lb-corps-with-a-former-first-round-pick-2/ |
As the Orlando Magic walked off the floor and into the hallways of Amway Center after finishing their season Sunday, they did so with an energy that didn’t resemble a team with a 22-60 record.
It helped that the Magic ended the season by tying their single-game 3-point record (23) in a 125-111 win over the Miami Heat in which both teams sat most of their starters.
But the spirit Orlando had as it closed out its season was the embodiment of what first-year Magic coach Jamahl Mosley has spoken about since he was hired in July.
“Our guys understand there’s a bigger picture than just this moment here,” Mosley said Sunday. “Our guys have embraced every single moment; every single day of getting better every game. That’s how you keep that energy, and we have a special group of young men. They care about each other so much, continue to encourage each other and fight for one another.”
That care was shown in the little and big moments throughout the seven-month-long regular season: from the entertaining postgame walk-off interviews and celebrating each other’s personal accolades such as Franz Wagner’s Rookie of the Month award for December to wearing Markelle Fultz t-shirts when he returned from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in late February.
The Magic ultimately understood the 2021-22 season, their first full season after kick-starting a rebuild at the March 2021 trade deadline, was more about the development of their younger players than their final record.
From a development standpoint, progress was made.
Wendell Carter Jr. came into his own with the Magic a year after being traded to Orlando from the Chicago Bulls by averaging career-highs in points (15), rebounds (10.5) and assists (2.8) and a true-shooting percentage (60.1%), which is a formula that incorporates free throws and higher-value 3-point shots.
Wagner, the No. 8 pick in last year’s draft, played with a steadiness, versatility and efficiency not displayed by most young players, averaging 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 79 games (the most among rookies).
Second-year guard Cole Anthony averaged career-highs in points (16.3), assists (5.7) and rebounds (5.4). Mo Bamba also put up career-highs in points (10.6), rebounds (8.1) and blocks (1.7) in a bigger role.
When available, Jalen Suggs showed the defensive presence and passing vision that made him the No. 5 pick in last year’s draft.
Fultz came back from his injury seemingly not missing a beat, averaging 10.8 points (47.4% shooting), 5.5 assists and 1.1 steals in 20 minutes.
R.J. Hampton and Chuma Okeke also took steps forward in their development, especially defensively.
The Magic’s defensive rating from Jan. 1 to the end of a season — their final 46 games — of 111.3 was the league’s 10th-best mark.
“I know the record doesn’t always show what’s grown and progressed, but this group of young men stayed together. There’s been a spirit on the court every single night and that’s just going to turn up another level as we walk into next year,” Mosley said. “Our guys are excited about it and the fans should be extremely excited about it because they see the way in which these young men play for one another and battle no matter what’s happening.”
There was a common phrase used by multiple players Sunday: “The sky’s the limit.”
“With us being so young, it gives us an opportunity to really mold everyone,” Carter said. “We’re in a perfect opportunity where everybody understands what everyone’s capable of and we all like each other. No one’s hating on each other. None of that’s going on. That’s rare. We got an opportunity to be really special.”
Suggs was one of the players who echoed those words when speaking with the media.
“I mean that wholeheartedly,” Suggs said. “I don’t say that with fake confidence. I say that because I truly believe in it.”
But the Magic also know more steps will need to be taken.
And for as much young talent as they have, with six lottery picks since 2017 on the roster, leveling up next season will be more difficult than it was this year.
It’ll help that the Magic will have a 52.1% chance of securing a top-four pick in the June 23 draft, giving Orlando even more talent to build with next season.
Orlando’s odds in the draft will be: 14% for the No. 1 pick; 13.4% for No. 2; 12.7% for No. 3; 12% for No. 4; 27.8% for No. 5; 20% for No. 6.
But as Wagner said, “Potential’s just potential at the end of the day. It’s on us to get better and move forward.”
Added Fultz: “It’s not going to be easy at all. We all understand that. We can be something special, but it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, a lot of trust, [and] a lot of learning. We’re all ready for that challenge.”
As the Magic put the final touches on the season, they did so feeling confident that next year and the seasons to follow will bring more success because the foundation they laid during 2021-22 was a strong one to build off.
“The one thing we’ve talked about with these guys is the foundation is set,” Mosley said. “Now it goes into the little things, the tiniest of details that they have to understand of what we’re trying to do. Leveling up one more.”
Or as Carter said, “We’re going to be lit next year.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at khprice@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/magic-encouraged-by-foundation-theyve-built/ | 2022-04-12T10:13:54 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/magic-encouraged-by-foundation-theyve-built/ |
The Ravens’ defensive line improved with the recent re-signing of free-agent defensive end Calais Campbell, but not to the point where Baltimore can ignore interior defenders in this month’s NFL draft.
Campbell, 35, agreed to a two-year deal reportedly worth $12.5 million and could earn as much as $16 million with incentives. His addition will improve the Ravens in several ways because he is a quality player and team leader both on and off the field.
But even with Campbell, the Ravens’ defensive line is still a patched-up unit. They’re hoping for the return of a quality starter in end/tackle Derek Wolfe from a hip injury and that recently signed nose tackle Michael Pierce can play at the same top level he did three to four years ago in Baltimore.
As of right now, who is the top performer on this defensive line? Who keeps offensive coordinators up late at night? Who is the top pass-rushing threat in the middle, an area of concern for the past four years?
The same questions can be asked about the Ravens’ front seven. In fact, there should be concern about the run defense because the Ravens have yet to re-sign nose tackle Brandon Williams.
Williams, 33, has angered and disappointed several members of the front office and coaching staff because they didn’t believe he played hard all the time, but Pierce played in only eight games in two years with the Minnesota Vikings. The 6-foot, 340-pound Pierce opted out of the 2020 season because of coronavirus concerns and missed nine games last year with triceps and elbow injuries.
The Ravens signed Pierce, 29, to a three-year deal worth $16.5 million in mid-March. Now Campbell is back. But they still need more help, and they need it quickly.
“At outside linebacker, defensive linemen, certainly, we’re not done yet, and we have a lot of different opportunities,” Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said last week. “There are still some good players out there, and as we look at the first round, second round, third round of the draft, we see guys that can come in right away and contribute and be good players.”
The Ravens also recently re-signed inside linebacker Josh Bynes to a one-year contract, but he’s 32. A middle linebacker is usually as good as the nose tackle who protects him. The tackle occupies one or two blockers, allowing a player like Bynes to run free and make plays.
Is Pierce that guy? He was in 2018 and 2019 when he collected a combined 67 tackles and started 28 games.
But 2019-20 was a contract year and Pierce showed up for minicamp and training camp out of shape and overweight. That’s a cause for concern, especially for a player who was set to sign what should have been his biggest payday.
With his recent injury concerns, Pierce seems like a 50-50 proposition to be ready for the start of the 2022 regular season.
Campbell will be ready to play. He is the consummate professional as far as eating and training properly. He can tie up two blockers and hold his ground with that 6-8, 300-pound frame.
The young players respect and admire Campbell and he’s like an extra coach on the field. But at some point, his body is going to break down and he will miss a few games, like he has the past two years. It’s almost as certain as death and taxes.
But when Campbell does sit out, who is going to step up? At this point, it can’t be Williams, and it can’t be 6-2, 350-pound tackle Justin Ellis, who recently signed with the New York Giants.
The Ravens have some options in Broderick Washington, Isaiah Mack and Aaron Crawford, but only Washington appears ready to possibly handle a starting role.
Third-year player Justin Madubuike and Wolfe will battle for the starting end position. Madubuike, 24, is fast and might have the quickest “get off” of any of the linemen. The 2020 third-round pick can be disruptive with his inside penetration but seems lighter than the 293 pounds listed in the team’s media guide. If he is going to establish himself as a starter in the NFL, now is the time.
Wolfe, 32, was an enigma last season after suffering a scary injury in a training camp practice against the Carolina Panthers. In 2020, he played well and stepped in when both Williams and Campbell were out of the lineup.
There was speculation last season that he was going to return from a hip injury in late October, but several weeks later he was put on injured reserve. His status is as uncertain as Pro Bowl left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who missed 16 games last season because of an ankle injury suffered in 2020 that required another surgery, and outside linebacker Tyus Bowser, who tore his Achilles tendon late last season.
The Ravens have too many “what ifs” when it comes to players returning from major injuries. New defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald and line coach Anthony Weaver are young, and they’ll come up with some new ideas and schemes to help the Ravens improve. But let’s not expect magic.
The Ravens have said the draft, which starts April 28, is loaded with talent, especially at defensive line and outside linebacker.
Let’s hope they prove it.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/mike-preston-calais-campbells-return-helps-but-the-ravens-need-another-starter-on-the-defensive-line-commentary/ | 2022-04-12T10:14:00 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/12/mike-preston-calais-campbells-return-helps-but-the-ravens-need-another-starter-on-the-defensive-line-commentary/ |
Jurors will hear more testimony this morning in the trial for Anthony Todt, the Connecticut physical therapist accused in the killings of his wife, children and dog at their Central Florida home.
Todt, 46, is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and one count of animal cruelty in the killings of his wife, 42-year-old Megan Todt; the couple’s children Alek, 13, Tyler, 11, and Zoe, 4; and their dog Breezy. The bodies were found in January 2020 at their Celebration home on Reserve Place.
He has pleaded not guilty.
During opening statements Monday at the Osceola County Courthouse, prosecutors said Todt confessed to suffocating his family members one by one as part of a pact he claimed he made with his wife.
“Everybody needed to die in order to pass over to the other side together because the apocalypse was coming,” Assistant State Attorney Danielle Pinnell told jurors.
Todt’s defense attorneys did not give an opening statement, electing to make a presentation after the state has rested its case.
Authorities discovered Todt living with the decomposing bodies of his wife, children and dog inside their Celebration home Jan. 13, 2020 while serving a warrant to arrest Todt on federal health care fraud charges related to his Connecticut physical therapy business.
The victims, who were found wrapped in blankets, had stab wounds and toxic amounts of Benadryl in their bodies, according to autopsy reports. Investigators said they were killed weeks before their bodies were discovered.
Prosecutors said Todt’s fingerprints were found on boxes of Benadryl scattered throughout the house.
Although Todt initially confessed to the killings, he has since blamed his wife for the slayings in jailhouse writings. Todt claimed she took her life after poisoning the children with a tainted dessert and stabbing them in their sleep.
This story is developing. Check here for updates.
mcordeiro@orlandosentinel.com | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/crime/os-ne-anthony-todt-florida-killings-trial-day-2-20220412-sezesvwnnjbrhev5xbhbwqfbaq-story.html | 2022-04-12T10:15:41 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/crime/os-ne-anthony-todt-florida-killings-trial-day-2-20220412-sezesvwnnjbrhev5xbhbwqfbaq-story.html |
Mask mandate returns in Philly, is New Jersey Next?
As new COVID-19 infections rise sharply in Philadelphia, city health officials are reinstating their indoor mask mandate.
Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Cheryl Bettigole says cases have risen 50% in the last 10 days, but remain a fraction of what they were during the peak of the omicron wave. Despite the higher numbers, the city is not seeing a spike in the number of hospitalizations.
City health inspectors will begin enforcing the mask mandate on April 18.
The numbers in Philly are similar to what New Jersey has been seeing over the same period of time. Could that trigger renewed mask mandates in the Garden State?
So far, Gov. Phil Murphy has insisted that New Jersey has "to learn how to live with COVID as we move from a pandemic to the endemic phase of this virus.”
In an interview with CNBC, Murphy said his hope was that "we'll be able to live with this in a normal way responsibly, like we do with the flu.”
Murphy has given no indication that he will impose new restrictions, but has said the state needs to be flexible, saying, "This virus dictates the terms, not us."
However, in the past, Murphy has used the specter of a return to mask mandates and other restrictions to try and boost vaccination rates.
As of Monday, New Jersey's rate of transmission (r/t) had risen to 1.23. An r/t of over 1.0 indicates there is active viral spread. For every 100 people infected, they are infecting another 123.
In the past, that would have been cause for concern, but even with a rising r/t, there has been no indication of a sharp rise in serious illness and hospitalizations remain around 330 statewide. In January more than 6,000 were hospitalized with, or for, COVID infections.
The CDC data tracker still lists community spread as 'low' for all 21 counties.
Mask mandates have been one of the most controversial restrictions throughout the pandemic. This was especially true in schools, where mandates triggered parental protests outside school buildings and at board of education meetings. Gov. Murphy lifted the school mask mandate for schools on March 7.
Last Month, Murphy also lifted the mask mandate in state buildings, including motor vehicle offices and agencies.
However, masking is still required in all healthcare facilities and on busses, trains, planes and inside transportation hubs as per federal mandate.
Many New Jersey colleges and universities have relaxed mask rules in community settings, but still require them inside classrooms and libraries.
Eric Scott is the senior political director and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at eric.scott@townsquaremedia.com
Click here to contact an editor about feedback or a correction for this story. | https://nj1015.com/mask-mandate-returns-in-philly-is-new-jersey-next/ | 2022-04-12T10:16:01 | 1 | https://nj1015.com/mask-mandate-returns-in-philly-is-new-jersey-next/ |
Boy bitten by shark in shallow water in Florida
Published: Apr. 12, 2022 at 5:30 AM EDT|Updated: 56 minutes ago
(CNN) - A young boy was bitten by a shark in south Florida.
It happened in shallow water in Palm Beach County on Monday, officials said.
He said he saw the shark before it bit his foot and estimates it was about 4 feet long.
Paramedics bandaged the wound and took him to the hospital.
Sharks are not uncommon in shallow water, but unprovoked attacks are rare.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/12/boy-bitten-by-shark-shallow-water-florida/ | 2022-04-12T10:27:25 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/12/boy-bitten-by-shark-shallow-water-florida/ |
Sticker shock: March inflation likely set new 40-year high
WASHINGTON (AP) — With ever-rising costs for food, gasoline, housing and other necessities squeezing consumers and threatening the economy, inflation in the United States likely set yet another four-decade high in March.
The government’s consumer price index being released Tuesday is expected to show that prices shot up 8.4% from 12 months earlier, according to economists surveyed by the data firm FactSet. That would mark the fastest year-over-year inflation since December 1981. And it would surpass the 7.9% 12-month increase in February, which itself set a 40-year high.
Economists have also forecast that from February to March, consumer prices jumped 1.1%. That would be the sharpest month-to-month jump since 2005.
The March numbers will be the first the capture the full surge in gasoline prices that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Moscow’s brutal attacks have triggered far-reaching Western sanctions against the Russian economy and have disrupted global food and energy markets. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of gasoline — $4.11 — is up 44% from a year ago, though it has fallen back in the past couple of weeks.
The escalation of energy prices has led to higher transportation costs for the shipment of goods and components across the economy, which, in turn, has contributed to higher prices for consumers.
“The war in Ukraine has complicated the inflation outlook,’’ noted Luke Tilley, chief economist at Wilmington Trust.
Economists point out that since the economy emerged from the depths of the pandemic, consumers have been gradually broadening their spending beyond goods to include more services. A result is that high inflation, which at first had reflected mainly a shortage of goods — from cars and furniture to electronics and sports equipment — has been gradually emerging in services, too, like travel, health care and entertainment.
If the March price figures come in as expected, they will solidify expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise rates aggressively in the coming months to try to slow borrowing and spending and tame high inflation. The financial markets, in fact, now foresee much steeper rate hikes this year than Fed officials had signaled as recently as last month.
The central bank’s rate increases will make loans sharply more expensive for consumers and businesses. Mortgage rates, in particular, though not directly influenced by the Fed, have rocketed higher in recent weeks, making home buying more expensive. Many economists say they worry that the Fed has waited too long to begin raising rates and might end up acting so aggressively as to trigger a recession.
For now, the economy as a whole remains solid, with unemployment near 50-year lows and job openings near record highs. Still, rocketing inflation, with its impact on Americans’ daily lives, is posing a political threat to President Joe Biden and his Democratic allies as they seek to keep control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.
Economists generally express doubt that even the sharp rate hikes that are expected from the Fed will manage to reduce inflation anywhere near the central bank’s 2% annual target by the end of this year. Tilley, Wilmington Trust economist, said he expects year-over-year consumer inflation to still be 4.5% by the end of 2020. Before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he had forecast a much lower 3% rate.
In Tuesday’s government report, even excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core inflation for the past 12 months is expected to have hit 6.6%, according to the FactSet survey. That would be the biggest such year-over-year jump since August 1982.
Inflation, which had been largely under control for four decades, began to accelerate last spring as the U.S. and global economies rebounded with unexpected speed and strength from the brief but devastating coronavirus recession that began in the spring of 2020.
The recovery, fueled by huge infusions of government spending and super-low interest rates, caught businesses by surprise, forcing them to scramble to meet surging customer demand. Factories, ports and freight yards struggled to keep up, leading to chronic shipping delays and price spikes.
Critics also blame, in part, the Biden administration’s $1.9 trillion March 2021 stimulus program, which included $1,400 relief checks for most households, for helping overheat an already sizzling economy.
Many Americans have been receiving pay increases, but the pace of inflation has more than wiped out those gains for most people. In February, after accounting for inflation, average hourly wages fell 2.5% from a year earlier. It was the 11th straight monthly drop in inflation-adjusted wages.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/12/sticker-shock-march-inflation-likely-set-new-40-year-high/ | 2022-04-12T10:27:31 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/12/sticker-shock-march-inflation-likely-set-new-40-year-high/ |
From moments of great pain will come great music. Aspects of the African American experience are at the fore of the next Bach Festival Society concert, in collaboration with the Bethune-Cookman University Concert Chorale.
Slavery and the killings of unarmed Black men, including Sanford’s Trayvon Martin, are explored musically in “Elation and Dissent,” which will be presented April 23-24 at Rollins College in Winter Park. “The Ordering of Moses” — about the exodus of the Jews from captivity — also is on the program, as is a new piece written as a response to the war in Ukraine.
“We think about music being an aid for social justice and activism,” said Terrance Lane, director of the concert chorale at the historically Black university in Daytona Beach. He will conduct the combined Bach and Bethune-Cookman choirs’ performance of “Seven Last Words of the Unarmed” — creating a rare sight by the absence of Sinclair.
“It’s not too often conductors actually give up their podium,” said Lane, acknowledging the moment. “Just the fact we are doing this concert together, we hope, speaks volumes about what the world needs.”
Sinclair, who is white, said it was essential for Lane to conduct Joel Thompson’s composition, which contains the last words of Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner and others killed by police officers or other authority figures.
“I don’t know what it’s like,” to grow up Black in America, Sinclair said. “I have immense empathy but I don’t have the credibility for this.”
George Zimmerman, a neighborhood-watch volunteer, fatally shot Martin, 15, in 2012 in Sanford. He was later acquitted of second-degree murder. Brown, 18, was killed by a white police officer in 2014 in St. Louis. No charges were filed in that case. Garner, 43, died in 2014 after a New York Police officer put him in a chokehold as he repeatedly said, “I can’t breathe.” No charges were filed in that case, although New York City agreed to pay Garner’s family $5.9 million in an out-of-court settlement.
Thompson sets each of the seven men’s last words in a different musical style in his piece.
Lane said he can relate to the music personally: He knows what it’s like to be followed by store employees “in case I’m going to steal something.” And a cousin was killed by a police officer.
The emotional context of Thompson’s work can create difficult moments for the singers, Lane said.
“It’s important for us to talk about it in rehearsal, go through it and then express it,” he said. “If we can’t feel it, the audience can’t feel it.”
Also on the program is Florence Price’s “Ethiopia’s Shadow in America” — a work both Lane and Sinclair selected simultaneously without knowing the other also had it in his sights.
“It’s a very powerful instrumental piece,” said Sinclair, explaining the music takes a journey from the arrival of slaves in America, to their resignation to their new lives, to an expression of how their faith carried them through.
Price, who died in 1953, was a Black pianist, organist and composer of more than 300 works.
“The Ordering of Moses” also was created by a Black composer who didn’t get deserved recognition while alive: R. Nathaniel Dett, who died in 1943.
“I was moved to tears because I read the story of Nathaniel Dett,” Sinclair said. “He was brilliant and did not get his due because of the color of his skin.”
Added Lane: “We long for the day our composers can be recognized as simply great composers.”
Lane and Sinclair have collaborated on “The Ordering of Moses” before, but this time plan to record the piece.
Guest soloists on the program include Laquita Mitchell, Krysty Swann, Samuel McKelton and Kevin Deas.
“A Prayer for Ukraine,” by John Rutter, was a last-minute addition to “Elation and Dissent.”
“We thought we needed to say something,” Sinclair said. “Artists have an obligation to be part of society, to be if not the solution, part of the dialogue.”
Lane pointed out that Rollins and Bethune-Cookman have a long history of supporting each other and contributing to progress on social issues.
“I think we have to use music to keep the message alive, to keep the motivation alive,” he said. “We’re not going to let anyone turn us around.”
‘Elation and Dissent’
- When: 7:30 p.m. April 23 and 3 p.m. April 24
- Where: Knowles Memorial Chapel at Rollins College, 1000 Holt Ave. in Winter Park
- Cost: $20 and up
- Info: bachfestivalflorida.org
Find me on Twitter @matt_on_arts, facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com. Want more theater and arts news and reviews? Go to orlandosentinel.com/arts. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/arts-and-theater/os-et-bach-festival-bethune-cookman-choir-20220412-y3v4raq4dna4dgwtnrq4z7xcry-story.html | 2022-04-12T10:29:44 | 0 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/arts-and-theater/os-et-bach-festival-bethune-cookman-choir-20220412-y3v4raq4dna4dgwtnrq4z7xcry-story.html |
WUCF and the Heart of Florida United Way will be presenting a new special next week looking at the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Central Florida community.
“From Chaos to Resiliency: COVID Two Years Later” will debut at 10 p.m. April 18 and will feature Heart of Florida United Way’s Nancy Alvarez.
“This is a first of what we hope are more collaborations between our nonprofits,” said Alvarez during a press conference on March 9. “Maintaining an open, authentic conversation about mental wellness is essential to healing.”
“As Central Florida’s storytellers, we want to make sure we are telling all the stories,” said Jennifer Cook, WUCF executive director. “Being two years removed from the beginning of the pandemic, we have learned a lot but still have a lot to learn about the long-term effects on our community and mental wellness. That is why partnerships such as this with Heart of Florida United Way are important in telling the community’s story.”
WUCF’s NewsNight producer Steve Mort will also be featured in the special, and will speak with mental health expert Dwight Bain.
“Pre-COVID you already had loneliness as a significant mental health issue… and then we have lock down and we have isolation, and we have ‘two weeks to stop the spread.’ And that was 102 weeks ago,” Bain says during the TV special while discussing the senior population. “You have some people who have not seen their loved ones in two years. And isolation can sometimes turn to desperation.”
The special will rerun on WUCF twice at 5 p.m. on April 22 and at 12 p.m. on April 24.
Want to reach out? Email me at akondolojy@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun things, follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/os-et-covid-19-pandemic-special-wucf-nancy-alvarez-united-way-20220412-7g5hfqaupff6fcp7zggzfrhr2a-story.html | 2022-04-12T10:29:51 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/entertainment/tv/os-et-covid-19-pandemic-special-wucf-nancy-alvarez-united-way-20220412-7g5hfqaupff6fcp7zggzfrhr2a-story.html |
During my junior year of high school, while most kids were learning to drive, I was learning to fly. I helped start an aviation club where, alongside a pilot coach, we learned how to clean and refuel planes at a local airport, studied and passed the pilot’s exam and practiced flying for hours. I still remember gliding above West Palm Beach, catching aerial views of lagoons, the ocean and the sun-dappled land I call home.
In the air I felt free, but on the ground, I felt trapped. Early in high school, my parents delivered some devastating news. I would lose my legal status when I turned 21 and be forced to self-deport.
This should never have happened. My parents are legal immigrants from India who applied for permanent residency in 2016. The assumption was that we’d get our green cards long before I was no longer considered their dependent. We had no idea that we’d end up waiting for decades — and even more than a century! — for our turn. I’m currently one of about 250,000 “documented Dreamers” in this exact situation.
Some of us find ways to extend our stay; I filed for international student status. And recently, the White House expanded options for international STEM graduates and other high-skilled immigrants to work here temporarily. But what we really need is comprehensive immigration reform from Congress —legislation like the America’s Children Act, which would permanently end aging out and create a path to citizenship for children who are raised and educated in the United States with a legal status.
Passing the America’s Children Act would be a win-win for everyone. Young American-educated people like me would be able to stay close to family, pursue careers and give back to the country that raised us. We’d help fill labor shortages in key industries — especially in STEM — where employers are struggling to find workers. About a quarter of all job openings in Florida are STEM positions, according to a 2018 report by the Florida Chamber of Commerce in 2018. Meanwhile, about 25 percent of the state’s STEM workers are immigrants.
I’m currently pursuing my master’s degree in thermofluids engineering at the University of Central Florida and will graduate with the skills needed to work in a variety of jobs, including engineering jobs focused on aerospace, sustainable energy, engine design and more. After graduation, I’ll be allowed to work here for three years. But then, if I can’t win one of the few temporary high-skilled visas that come available via lottery, I’ll be forced to leave. In other words, my future company will have hired me, trained me and invested in me, only to lose me.
Few people in this country see how families like mine struggle under the current rules. Since high school, I’ve been anxious. My 21st birthday no longer represented a rite of passage into adulthood; it became the age my life fell off a cliff. The clock was ticking. I wanted to get my college degree before being forced out of the country, so in high school, I took every advanced placement and dual-enrollment class possible and walked into college with 80 credits under my belt. I received a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Central Florida in two and a half years. When I turned 21, I transferred from a dependent visa to an international student visa.
But after those three allotted years of working here after graduation, I face the likely prospect of being forced to leave my parents and younger sister behind and starting my life over somewhere else. I’ve lived in America since I was four. I barely remember India. More likely, I’d take advantage of Canada’s friendly immigration policies and bring my skills to the country that is ranked as the most accepting country in the world for migrants.
It doesn’t have to be this way. The America’s Children Act would give us the security we need. It would help families stay together, and it would help my generation give back to the country that raised us. But Congress must take action now.
Tanuj Solanki is a mechanical engineering master’s degree student at the University of Central Florida studying thermofluids. He is a member of Improve the Dream, a youth-led organization advocating for documented Dreamers. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/guest-commentary/os-op-americas-childrens-act-21st-birthday-20220412-ttucjafov5ejffd7qdlqedjeby-story.html | 2022-04-12T10:29:57 | 0 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/guest-commentary/os-op-americas-childrens-act-21st-birthday-20220412-ttucjafov5ejffd7qdlqedjeby-story.html |
ANAHEIM, CALIF. — Michael Lorenzen had been looking forward to making his first start for his hometown team since signing with the Los Angeles Angels last November.
The right-hander made sure it was memorable.
Lorenzen allowed one run on two hits over six innings in his Angels debut as Los Angeles defeated the Miami Marlins 6-2 on Monday night.
“I’m not going to have this opportunity again. You only have your first start for your hometown team just once, so I went for it. Thankfully, it went my way,” said Lorenzen, who struck out seven in his first start since 2020. “I just told myself to attack, attack, attack and you’re either going to give up 10 homers or you’re going to go deep into the game with a low pitch count.”
Besides getting support from family and friends who were sitting in a suite, Lorenzen (1-0) got some help from his offense. Brandon Marsh hit a three-run homer in the first inning to give Los Angeles an early lead.
Jo Adell also went deep for the Angels, who bounced back after losing three of four to defending AL champion Houston in the season-opening series.
Jesús Sánchez accounted for both Marlins runs with a pair of solo homers. Miami manager Don Mattingly was ejected in the fourth for arguing with plate umpire Nick Mahrley.
Lorenzen, who grew up in Anaheim and went to Cal State Fullerton, signed a one-year contract with the Angels last November after seven seasons with the Cincinnati Reds. This is the first time since his 2015 rookie season that he’s being counted on as a regular starting pitcher after primarily being used out of the bullpen the past six years.
It was the first time since July 9, 2015, also against the Marlins, that he went at least six innings.
Lorenzen’s only costly mistake came in the fourth, when Sánchez drove a hanging cutter over the center-field fence.
Lorenzen (1-0) ended up using six pitches, throwing his sinker for strikes 20 of the 28 times he went to it.
“I loved every bit of his performance,” Angels manager Joe Maddon said. “I’ve seen him a lot in the National League. I’ve never seen him dominate like that. He had that bowling-ball sinker working. That plays all the time. Righties don’t like that at all.”
Shohei Ohtani led off the Angels’ first with a single and advanced to second with his first stolen base of the season. Max Stassi drew a walk with two outs before Marsh connected on Elieser Hernandez’s fastball over the middle of the plate for a three-run drive to center.
It was Marsh’s third big league home run, but first in the home confines of Angel Stadium.
Adell, who was 0 for 9 and struck out seven times in the season-opening series against Houston, led off the second with a shot to center to make it 4-0.
“I finally got in the swing of things,” he said. “I was trying to do a little too much the first couple games.”
Hernandez (0-1) went four innings and allowed four runs on five hits with six strikeouts.
“It took him a little bit to get going. Once he got his breaking ball and off-speed pitches going, he did a nice job,” Mattingly said.
The Angels added a pair of runs in the eighth on RBI doubles by Marsh and Adell.
Los Angeles pitchers retired 17 straight until Sanchez homered off Raisel Iglesias with two outs in the ninth.
TROUT OUT
Angels slugger Mike Trout did not play due to a stomach issue that also affected him last week. Maddon said the All-Star outfielder was available off the bench if needed, but didn’t want to risk starting him this early in the season.
FOR STARTERS
Lorenzen’s outing extended a great start to the season for the Angels’ rotation. The starters have allowed only six earned runs in 24 1/3 innings. Opponents have a .155 batting average.
TOSSED
Mattingly was ejected for arguing about balls and strikes.
“I thought it was quick,” he said. “It wasn’t my first argument of the night. Usually you get a little more rope, but obviously not tonight.”
TRAINER’S ROOM
Marlins: DH/OF Avisaíl García was scratched from the lineup due to back tenderness. Mattingly said he didn’t expect García’s injury to be serious, but it is possible he could also be held out Tuesday because Wednesday is an off day.
Angels: 2B David Fletcher came out in the seventh inning due to left hip tightness. ... OF Taylor Ward (left groin strain) is on track to come off the injured list when he is eligible to return this weekend, according to trainer Mike Frostad.
UP NEXT
Marlins: LHP Jesús Luzardo (6-9, 6.61 ERA in 2021) is 1-6 with a 7.03 ERA in 17 career road outings, including eight starts.
Angels: LHP Patrick Sandoval (3-6, 3.62) was originally slated to make his season debut last Friday against the Astros, but had his start pushed back due to arm soreness.
Joe Reedy is a writer for The Associated Press . | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/fl-sp-marlins-angels-monday-20220412-cy6pdq4tkvat7epypcbkwmxk5y-story.html | 2022-04-12T10:30:03 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/fl-sp-marlins-angels-monday-20220412-cy6pdq4tkvat7epypcbkwmxk5y-story.html |
WASHINGTON - One of the men accused of impersonating federal law enforcement to ingratiate himself with the U.S. Secret Service said he had "no intention of compromising any federal agent" and had provided them lavish gifts out of a "desire for friendship," while the other man charged said he had gotten carried away in a ruse he did not fully understand, according to court documents filed in federal court Monday.
The memos filed by the lawyers of Arian Taherzadeh, 40, and Haider Ali, 35, came as the men are set to appear in court Monday afternoon for a detention hearing on charges of impersonating federal law enforcement. Prosecutors, who have said they could add a charge of conspiracy, argued that the pair created "a potential risk to national security" and ought to be jailed pending trial.
The arguments from Taherzadeh and Ali shed new light on a bizarre case that surfaced Wednesday, when the FBI searched a luxury apartment building in D.C's Navy Yard area and found a stash of police weapons, access codes to federal agents' homes and equipment to create Personal Identification Verification cards that if programmed correctly can be used to access sensitive law enforcement computers. Prosecutors allege the men cozied up to Secret Services agents, including one currently assigned to first lady Jill Biden's security detail.
The investigation into the men began March 14, when a U.S. Postal Service inspector went to the building where Taherzadeh and Ali live in response to an unrelated complaint of an assault, according to court documents. While in the building - known to house many people who work for the FBI, Secret Service Department of Defense and Navy - residents told the inspector that Ali and Taherzadeh had identified themselves as Department of Homeland Security investigations special agents and may have witnessed the assault, according allegations investigators filed in court documents.
Federal authorities have since accused Taherzadeh and Ali of obtaining material such as police weapons and surveillance equipment to pose as Department of Homeland Security employees, and then giving members of the Secret Service rent-free apartments, iPhones, a drone and more. The FBI arrested the pair last Wednesday and placed four U.S. Secret Services members on leave, including one agent who was assigned to the first lady's detail.
Authorities have not identified a motive nor what the men wanted in return for the favors.
"This investigation is less than two weeks old, and every day the evidence gets worse and worse," Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Rothstein said in court Friday.
Taherzadeh's defense attorney argued that he was motivated by a desire for friendship and that he only provided gifts to agents "with whom he had a genuine friendship" and never asked for anything in return. Taherzadeh was previously licensed in D.C. as a private detective and special police officer tasked with protecting property of a person or corporation, according to D.C. police. He acknowledged to law enforcement, his attorney said in court documents, that he had made "an embarrassing misrepresentation that got out of control."
Ali's defense, on the other hand, shifted the blame to Taherzadeh, arguing in court documents that Ali "may well have naively but genuinely believed" that Taherzadeh was a Special Agent with Homeland Security Investigations. The defense explained Ali's alleged mistake by pointing to the government's own allegations that four U.S. Secret Service agents had made similar misjudgments by believing the other defendant.
"If all of those experienced federal agents, with their years or even decades of experience, did not see through Taherzadeh's claims, why is it fair to expect more from Mr. Ali, a high school graduate with no college degree and none of their formalized training?" wrote attorney Gregory Smith in court documents.
Multiple family members submitted letters on behalf of Ali, describing him as a hard-working man devoted to his family.
Prosecutors have also argued that Ali poses a flight risk, citing his past travel and unsubstantiated claim to one witness that he had ties to the Pakistani intelligence service. In a statement Friday, Pakistan Embassy spokeswoman Maliha Shahid denied Ali's claim of ties to the country's Inter-Services Intelligence. "The claim of Mr. Haider Ali is totally fallacious," she said. "The Embassy categorically rejects this false claim."
Ali, a naturalized U.S. citizen, apparently obtained a Pakistan national identity card in 2019 available to its citizens who live abroad, Rothstein said. He has traveled at least twice to his native Pakistan, once to Egypt and once to Iraq, and traveled to Iran sometime between July 2019 and January 2020.
"We have not even credited his statement [of ties to ISI]," Rothstein said Friday. "But we do have to take his statement seriously, if he claimed to an individual he has a connection to a foreign intelligence service."
Smith argued in the court documents that Ali's trips to Iran and Iraq are not "particularly remarkable, since Mr. Ali's faith's major religious shrines are located there, and these visits also all took place more than two years ago, with no visits or established contacts since."
Ali's defense denied risk of flight, saying he has lived in the U.S. for more than 20 years and that his family now resides in the area.
- - -
The Washington Post's Peter Hermann contributed to this report. | https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/man-accused-of-posing-as-federal-officer-says-he-acted-out-of-desire-for-friendship/article_79e015a3-74be-5fa2-96bd-3351f236f0b8.html | 2022-04-12T10:33:03 | 0 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/man-accused-of-posing-as-federal-officer-says-he-acted-out-of-desire-for-friendship/article_79e015a3-74be-5fa2-96bd-3351f236f0b8.html |
WASHINGTON - A former police officer from Rocky Mount, Virginia, whose bond was revoked last summer after he stockpiled firearms and endorsed political violence, was found guilty on all counts Monday at the second jury trial of a participant in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
After a three-day trial, a federal jury in Washington deliberated a day and a half before convicting Thomas Robertson, 49, on six counts including obstructing Congress as it met to confirm President Joe Biden's 2020 election victory, interfering with police during a riot, destroying evidence, and trespassing and disorderly conduct at the Capitol while armed with a dangerous weapon.
The charges, five of them felonies, are punishable by up to 20 years in prison.
"In our democracy, we don't decide elections with a cartridge box," Assistant U.S. Attorney Risa Berkower said in closing arguments, quoting the rhetoric of the defendant. "In our democracy, there is no room for vigilante justice, or mob rule, or counterinsurgency."
Robertson, 49, and Jacob Fracker, 30, were fired from the Rocky Mount Police Department in early 2021 after a photo they took of themselves posing in front of a statue of John Stark inside the building on Jan. 6 was shared with police colleagues.
Prosecutors relied on Capitol surveillance video showing the men entering the building with the first 100 or so pro-Trump rioters who broke through the Senate wing doors and windows at 2:13 p.m. Minutes earlier, officer-worn body-camera video footage showed Robertson wearing a gas mask, holding a three-foot-long wooden stick in front of him and refusing to move when a D.C. police squad moved through the crowd to assist overwhelmed Capitol Police.
Afterward, Robertson celebrated the mob's targeting of lawmakers, prosecutor Elizabeth Aloi said.
"We were stomping on the roof of their safe room chanting. WHO'S HOUSE, our HOUSE," the U.S. Army veteran, angered at the outcome of the 2020 election, exulted in a Jan. 9 message on Facebook.
"A government scared of its people. The pictures of them huddled in the floor crying is the most American thing I have ever seen," he wrote on Jan. 8, adding, "We . . . not Antifa. Stormed it."
Prosecutors said Robertson's own statements showed his purpose was to intimidate and impede Congress and that he planned for violence.
Initially released on personal recognizance after his January 2021 arrest, Robertson was jailed pending trial in July after he illegally stockpiled 34 firearms despite release conditions barring firearms possession, providing evidence that he had been "further radicalized" by his pending case, the judge ruled.
Days after the November 2020 election, Robertson wrote on Facebook, "A legitimate republic stands on four boxes: the soap box, the ballot box, the jury box and then the cartridge box." He said he was preparing for the fourth step: "Being disenfranchised by fraud is my hard line. I've spent most of my adult life fighting a counter insurgency. Im about to become part of one,and a very effective one."
On Jan. 8, he added, "The next revolution started in DC 1/6/21. The only voice these people will now listen to is VIOLENCE," saying that even if former president Donald Trump was done, he was prepared for "open armed rebellion" with "like minded and trained individuals."
On June 10 as he was hoarding weapons, Robertson wrote in statements that prosecutors produced for his bond hearing but not at trial, "I've said before. They are trying to teach us a lesson. They have. But its definitely not the intended lesson. I have learned that if you peacefully protest than you will be arrested, fired, be put on a no fly list . . . I have learned very well that if you dip your toe into the Rubicon . . . cross it. Cross it hard and violent and play for all the marbles."
At trial, defense attorney Mark Rollins urged jurors to judge Robertson based on his actions, not his words, and not based on the actions of those around him.
"This case is not about the police, political beliefs, the election, Trump or national views of January 6 as a whole," Rollins said.
The attorney argued that Robertson was guilty only of misdemeanor trespassing and disorderly conduct, but said the husband, father and mentor only entered the Capitol to find his friend Fracker after they became separated, and left.
"All T.J. did was enter, retrieve and depart," Rollins said.
Robertson was using a short wooden pole as a walking stick, not a weapon, because of gunshot wounds he sustained in an ambush while a military contractor training police in Afghanistan, Rollins said.
As roughly two dozen officers moved in two lines through the crowd under a hail of bottles, rocks and chunks of cement, Robertson did not get out of their way but held the stick with both hands across his chest "in a defensive posture," his attorney said, reasoning, "When I see this crowd act this way, I am guarded. I don't know what some of these fools, or some of these people are going to do."
Fracker, Robertson's co-defendant, pleaded guilty last month and testified against his former mentor at trial last week, saying the men intended to stop or overturn the actions of Congress and that Robertson destroyed their phones afterward.
"Anything that may have been problematic is destroyed," Robertson allegedly texted a friend after his Jan. 13 arrest, including his old phone, which "took a lake swim."
Fracker said Robertson invited him and a neighbor to go to Washington and gave them gas masks, but had no plan to enter the Capitol. Once there amid the chaos, however, he said, there was an unstated agreement to enter the building, likening their actions to when two cars pull up to a stop light, "You rev your engine and the other driver revs his engine. You're going to go" when the light turns green.
The verdict was the second time a jury in Washington has handed prosecutors a victory in Capitol attack prosecutions. In early March, a panel convicted Texas militia movement recruiter Guy Reffitt of five felonies, including obstruction of an official proceeding, interfering with police in a riot, transporting a firearm for that purpose, armed trespassing and witness tampering. Reffitt, unlike Robertson, was not accused of entering the building. | https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/virginia-police-officer-convicted-in-second-jan-6-jury-trial-on-all-counts/article_5ff03284-c92f-58a0-a882-d6fa8e5d4338.html | 2022-04-12T10:33:07 | 1 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/crime/virginia-police-officer-convicted-in-second-jan-6-jury-trial-on-all-counts/article_5ff03284-c92f-58a0-a882-d6fa8e5d4338.html |
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley is emerging as an early contender for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, already stumping in New Hampshire and marketing her brand to appeal to conservative voters.
Haley, the U.N. ambassador in the Trump administration, just wrapped up a trip to the Granite State, campaigning in Derry for congressional candidate Matt Mowers and courting key activists.
“If we don’t win in ’22 there will be no ’24,” she said. “So that’s why we’re around the country trying to make sure we do that. I don’t have to make a decision until the first of next year, but I can tell you I’ve never lost a race and I’m not going to start now. I’ll put 1,000% into it and finish it. If there’s not a place for me I’m going to fight for this country until my last breath.”
Haley is trying to walk the fine line of appealing to Trump’s base without allying herself to the former president. She needs to carve out her own brand of Republicanism if she wants to be a factor in the 2024 race.
But she has had a contentious relationship with Trump, and that could be a big problem if Trump runs or tries to dictate who the next nominee will be.
“We need to acknowledge he (Trump) let us down,” Haley said back in February 2021, shortly after the Jan. 6 Capitol rioting. “He went down a path he shouldn’t have, and we shouldn’t have followed him, and we shouldn’t have listened to him. And we can’t let that ever happen again.”
Haley went even further, saying she was outraged at Trump’s treatment of Vice President Mike Pence for presiding over the electoral vote count in Congress.
“When I tell you I’m angry, it’s an understatement,” she said. “Like, I’m disgusted by it.”
She also predicted Trump would not be “in the picture” in 2024 because “he’s fallen so far.”
Yikes. Those are fighting words to Trump, which he won’t ever forget. And they could be problematic to say the least if Haley tries to court Trump loyalists.
Maybe that’s why earlier this year Haley seemed to walk back some of the criticism, slamming Pence for going after Trump in a speech to conservative activists.
“I think he did what he thought was right on that day,” Haley said on Fox News. “But I will always say, I’m not a fan of Republicans going after Republicans.”
Haley was roasted for those comments because she herself has attacked fellow Republicans like Trump — a fact which the former president was keenly aware of.
“Well, every time she criticizes me, she uncriticizes me about 15 minutes later,” Trump told Vanity Fair.
Haley has been a fixture on Fox News in the past few months, which has given her a platform other GOP candidates would want.
And a woman of color who has never lost a race for elective office — twice elected in conservative South Carolina — she isn’t shy about reminding others of her political attributes.
That confidence will be sorely tested if Haley jumps into the treacherous waters of 2024.
©2022 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at bostonherald.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/voters/battenfeld-nikki-haley-testing-the-2024-waters-despite-contentious-relationship-with-trump/article_9607f68b-1329-5081-8805-8b38b8841b76.html | 2022-04-12T10:33:09 | 1 | https://www.unionleader.com/news/politics/voters/battenfeld-nikki-haley-testing-the-2024-waters-despite-contentious-relationship-with-trump/article_9607f68b-1329-5081-8805-8b38b8841b76.html |
Passover this year will mean for many, across the globe, a return to the in-person Seder table for the first time in three years. As remarkable as some Zoom Seders may have been, an extra dose of joy will be in attendance for those getting back to the old ways - even if coronavirus tests play a new part. Passover is, after all, a holiday whose very essence is brought to life when a group of people come together around a table - family, friends, acquaintances bumping elbows as they turn the pages of the Haggadah, lift four glasses of wine, pinky-dot plagues along the rim of a plate and grumble in reverent anticipation of an unleavened meal.
For many, it's also decidedly about the soup.
It could be said that Passover is the most important soup holiday in the Jewish and Jew(ish) tradition. Maker of memories generations long, matzoh ball soup signals both the true beginning of the festive meal and the reigniting of discourse on the buoyancy of balls. And given matzoh ball soup is available on secular menus all year long, I happen to think it's never not a good time to dive into the great debate: sinkers vs. floaters.
The crux, I believe (as what kind of eater would I be without an opinion?), is that sinkers are largely problematic, both during the soup course and long after, by way of their maker's reputation. Oh, there will be naysayers, because out there in this world are people who actually like sinkers. (We worry about them.)
My husband's dear aunt is a maker of sinkers. They are indeed . . . memorable. I recently, delicately, raised the subject of matzoh balls with her. Turns out, she's unabashed. "I make sinkers! My family loves them!" she exalted. I didn't tell her I once met the gaze of a guest across her Seder table, finding ourselves in a synchronized struggle to push our spoons into dense spheres at the bottom of our broth. A flash of acknowledgment passed between us: Team Floaters.
I've come to wonder whether Team Sinkers holds its ground in part because supporting - and cherishing - the efforts of our loved ones, especially when they're feeding us, is what love is all about. And Aunt Beth's matzoh balls, those perfect sinkers, are part of a picture I revisit in my head when I think fondly of Seders of yore.
My husband was so concerned for his aunt's feelings, I called her up to tell her I might make mention of her sinkers in the town square. Her response? She doubled down. "I make 'em hard, and I'm proud of it!" I find her total baller confidence a delight.
Still, I'm steadfast in my belief that consideration can be paid to ensure that neither you nor your guests require any muscle strength or an additional utensil to carve your matzoh balls. If you can't easily slice through them with the side of a spoon, perhaps it's time to rethink your method. If for nothing else, there are splash concerns.
In the height of soup season, Katz's Delicatessen, on the Lower East Side of New York City, serves about a thousand floating matzoh balls a day. Owner Jake Dell says, entirely serious, he hopes his customers like his matzoh balls second best. He explains, "The favorite should be your grandma's or someone you love."
Whether you're in the out-of-the-box camp or you make your mix from scratch (perhaps with seltzer!), look no further than your palms. But if you treat your mix like cookie dough, your balls will repay you by hitting the bottom of your bowls and alienating you from your guests. No one remembers perfect matzoh balls, because they're not really all that hard to achieve, but if you produce sinkers, well, people will talk. (Maybe even write about them.)
Rejoice! You're fully in charge of the density destiny of your balls. Here's what to keep in mind:
- Set ball goals. Make no mistake, floaters are no stranger to substance. Leah Koenig, author of "The Jewish Cookbook," likes a floater "with a bit of chew." She explains, "Feather-light matzoh balls don't do it for me. The perfect matzoh ball is technically a floater, in that it floats to the top of the pot when you boil them, but gives a little resistance under the teeth." Dell describes the Katz's matzoh ball as a floater, "but dense in your belly." (I'm going to be thinking about this for a while.)
- Embrace the practice. Making matzoh balls is not innate; it's learned through repetition, perhaps some flubs. Lean in. "I don't care what other experience you have in this world rolling other things, it's not the same," Dell says. Don't overthink it, just keep making them. Practice will set you free.
- You must chill. Never skip the refrigerated downtime for the mix. "You need that for the interaction between the matzoh meal, eggs and fat," Dell says. This, he adds, is what gives matzoh balls their "floating properties." But of course.
- Keep your hands wet. (And consider removing your rings.) Matzoh ball mix is a wee sticky, so be sure your palms and digits are watered. When forming your balls, keep a bowl of water next to your mix and dip in as needed.
- No pressure. To become a Katz's matzoh ball roller, Dell describes training that reminds me of Mr. Miyagi and something akin to "paint the fence." Because, according to Dell, hand technique is where it's at. No squeezing allowed. "It's how you cup and angle your hands. And it's not a stress ball. It's delicate." Think a bit hot potato. Remember, the only pressure involved should be what you put upon yourself to bring the star of the soup to the table.
My mother, who turns 80 next month, distinctly remembers her brush with sinkers at age 13. Her mother was out of town, so she decided to make matzoh ball soup, for the first time, to surprise her father. The broth was delicious, she recalls, but she forgot to chill the mix, and the result was, you guessed it, "leaden balls." I can picture the grandfather I know only from photographs sitting at a dining table, eating soup alongside a girl I also know only from photographs, but who would grow up to become my mom. Her dad ate the matzoh balls from the bottom of his bowl and didn't say a word.
And we're back to love.
- - -
Fluffy Matzoh Balls
Active time: 30 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes, plus 2 to 24 hours chilling time
8 to 16 servings (makes about 16 balls)
These matzoh balls are exceptionally fluffy and light, thanks to a rest in the refrigerator. Adding schmaltz infuses them with more flavor (if you make your own chicken soup, skim the fat from top of the soup and refrigerate it overnight), but you also can use a neutral oil, such as grapeseed or vegetable (see NOTE if making these for a Jewish holiday other than Passover). Cook these in salted water and then add to bowls of hot soup; cooking the matzoh balls in the soup itself will make the broth cloudy.
Make Ahead: The matzoh ball mixture needs to be prepared and chilled at least 2 and up to 24 hours in advance.
INGREDIENTS
1 cup matzoh meal (not matzoh ball mix)
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh dill or flat-leaf parsley, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 large eggs
1/3 cup schmaltz or grapeseed or vegetable oil (see NOTE)
1/4 cup club soda or seltzer
DIRECTIONS
In a medium bowl, use a fork to mix together the matzoh meal, dill or parsley, salt and pepper until combined. Using the same fork, incorporate the eggs until well blended. Add the schmaltz or oil, followed by club soda or seltzer, mixing until everything is thoroughly combined.
Cover and refrigerate until the mixture is firm and fully hydrated, at least 2 and up to 24 hours. It should be thick and malleable.
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Using a soup spoon, gently scoop the matzoh mixture into 1-inch balls, setting them on a plate. When all the balls are formed, use your hands to gently, without applying much pressure and compacting the mixture, reroll any misshapen balls.
Gently slide the matzoh balls into the boiling water and cook until they float to the top and puff up to about twice their original size, 12 to 15 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer the matzoh balls to a plate and cover to keep warm. When ready to serve, distribute to individual portions of soup, as needed.
NOTE: If making matzoh balls for Passover, make sure the cooking oil is labeled kosher-for-Passover.
Nutrition information per serving (1 matzoh ball), based on 16 | Calories: 90; Total Fat: 6 g; Saturated Fat: 1 g; Cholesterol: 58 mg; Sodium: 171 mg; Carbohydrates: 6 g; Dietary Fiber: 0 g; Sugar: 0 g; Protein: 3 g
This analysis is an estimate based on available ingredients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian's or nutritionist's advice.
Recipe from Washington Post assistant recipes editor Olga Massov. | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/lifestyles/holiday/for-light-fluffy-matzoh-balls-soak-up-these-tips-from-team-floaters/article_587812e2-d86d-59fd-ab1e-5666446a4a2d.html | 2022-04-12T10:33:09 | 1 | https://www.unionleader.com/nh/lifestyles/holiday/for-light-fluffy-matzoh-balls-soak-up-these-tips-from-team-floaters/article_587812e2-d86d-59fd-ab1e-5666446a4a2d.html |
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- One person is injured in a shooting overnight at a Raleigh motel.
Police are investigating after reports of a shooting at a motel on South Saunders Street in Raleigh. Officers say there is video of three masked men knocking on one of the motel room doors. A woman answers and then shuts the door. The men start to walk away before turning around and shooting at the door of the hotel room, hitting the woman in the abdomen.
Another bullet went through another hotel room with someone inside but no one in that room was hit.
The woman was taken to the hospital and is expected to be okay. She says she does not know who the men were.
There is no more information at this time as police continue to investigate.
No suspects have been arrested at this time. | https://abc11.com/woman-injured-super-8-motel-south-saunders-street-raleigh-shooting/11740082/ | 2022-04-12T10:33:39 | 0 | https://abc11.com/woman-injured-super-8-motel-south-saunders-street-raleigh-shooting/11740082/ |
New Jersey moved one step closer to allowing recreational marijuana sales after the state commission overseeing cannabis approved seven current medical pot companies to expand into recreational at 13 locations.
The Cannabis Regulatory Commission on Monday signed off on the recreation expansion by the existing medical facilities, but sales will not begin until three more hurdles are cleared. Officials said those hurdles could take less the a month, though no official deadlines exist.
Those hurdles remaining after the approvals yesterday include:
- Operational assessment for regulatory compliance
- Payment of expansion fees
- License issued by the regulatory commission
The chairwoman of the commission, Dianna Houenou, said at the meeting that a concern remains about overcrowding and "long lines" outside the facilities once recreational sales begin. Advocates agreed.
But, Houenou added, the commission will work with the facilities to ensure that local communities and elected officials are prepared for the opening of recreational sales.
A delay in the approvals occurred in March after the commission deemed the facilities lacked the adequate supply to meet recreational demands. Commission officials said last month the facilities were about 100,000 pounds short of the expected demand.
One stipulation for the eventual opening of recreational sales is that medical sales will have priority and dedicated hours at the facilities approved Monday, officials said.
Advocates for recreational marijuana said the approvals are a step in the right direction, but that the industry in New Jersey will still be dominated by national marijuana distributors until more dispensaries are approved.
"These are the largest cannabis corporations in America," longtime marijuana advocate Chris Goldstein, who is regional organizer for NORML in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, said Monday. "So socially conscious cannabis consumers will likely wait to purchase from a local small business."
He added that the sale of recreational marijuana at just seven locations initially could present a rush in the first few months.
"From a consumer perspective this could be a real challenge," Goldstein said. "These handful of stores will be open for New Jersey patients and anyone over 21 who wants some recreational cannabis in Pennsylvania, New York or New Jersey." | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/nj-moves-one-step-closer-to-recreational-marijuana-sales-after-commission-vote/3641415/ | 2022-04-12T10:33:39 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/nj-moves-one-step-closer-to-recreational-marijuana-sales-after-commission-vote/3641415/ |
New York City Mayor Eric Adams marked his 100th day in office — in quarantine. The mayor tested positive for COVID over the weekend, and spoke Monday afternoon for the first time since then.
"I feel fine, outside of the raspy voice, I feel fine. No fevers," Adams said in a virtual press conference that featured a few coughs from him. "I'm not tired, no aches or pains at all."
He credited his few symptoms to the COVID booster and vaccinations being effective at preventing worse conditions. His press secretary said Adams will continue working remotely while in isolation.
Adams did not get on all the regularly scheduled calls Monday, though did some city business via Zoom and seemed to be in good spirits, according to City Hall insiders who communicated with him. Aides tried to talk him out of making any virtual appearances, urging him to rest instead.
While the mayor isolates at Gracie Mansion, sources said City Hall staffers were wearing masks once again on Monday. Several other senior aides also tested positive for COVID.
It is not clear where Adams contracted COVID, including whether it was at the Gridiron Dinner in Washington D.C. on April 2nd, after which more than 70 guests tested positive. The mayor became the latest high-profile politician to contract the virus after attending the dinner, a growing list that includes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and New York Rep. Gregory Meeks.
Since that event, Adams had been out and about, attending the National Action Network convention, holding press events at City Hall, meeting indoors with clergy there on Thursday, and even visiting Yankee Stadium.
The mayor has pushed New Yorkers to go back to work and live with the virus, appearing mostly maskless in public. That includes an event last week benefitting New Yorkers with disabilities.
Critics unloaded on social media, saying that he knew he was exposed but still attended maskless — exposing hundreds of vulnerable people.
It was not known if the mayor was notified that he was considered a close contact of someone with COVID at that dinner.
Adams said he tries to do a rapid test most days, and will follow his doctor's advice to wait at least five days before going out with a mask on.
Sign up for our Breaking newsletter to get the most urgent news stories in your inbox. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coronavirus/raspy-voice-aside-nyc-mayor-eric-adams-says-he-feels-fine-after-positive-covid-test/3641422/ | 2022-04-12T10:33:46 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/coronavirus/raspy-voice-aside-nyc-mayor-eric-adams-says-he-feels-fine-after-positive-covid-test/3641422/ |
After three manhole explosions in Times Square Sunday night sent people running, triggering fear as smoke rose from streets in the heart of Manhattan, streets were reopened less than a day later — but many questions still remained.
Foremost among them: What caused the trio of blasts near near 43rd Street and Seventh Avenue shortly before 8 p.m.?
Con Edison confirmed at least one manhole explosion was because of a cable fire. No other details on the cause were immediately available as of Monday.
"We are analyzing what happened. What typically happens is the insulation fails," said Jamie McShane, of Con Edison.
The utility is very familiar with manhole incidents. In 2021, they handled more than 1,500 smoke conditions at manholes, and 85 manhole fires.
But why the insulation may have failed in Times Square remains a mystery still. In past years, an early Spring can be extra hazardous because melting snow mixed with salt can seep underground and spark some of the wires. However, there hasn't been any snow around for some time.
"When you have high voltage cables underground, remember that energy is 24/7, every minute of every day, trying to escape that cable," McShane said.
Local
Con Edison has taken extra steps to avoid such things from happening. The utility uses infrared scanners to monitor heat before an incident, and installed ventilated manhole covers. They also provided extra training for crews in a fog-infused manhole simulator.
Tens of thousands of manholes throughout the city will be inspected by Con Edison. In Times Square, they will see whether old cables had frayed before the blasts.
Repair work in the area may last another week. No power outages were reported because Con Edison has redundant lines. But jittery nerves remain for those who were present for the blasts.
"We saw black smoke out of the ground. Two minutes later — boom! The whole block is shaking now," said Joseph Romero. "It sounded like something blew up, man. Sounded like it could have been a terrorist attack."
Two police officers were taken to a hospital for ringing in their ears, but no other injuries were reported.
The sound from the blasts has been enough to jolt entire neighborhoods in the past, and this latest incident generated extra attention because of the location. The panicked evacuation reminiscent of 2019, when a motorcycle backfire sent crowds scurrying for safety. In summer 2021, a suspicious canister led to a similar scene. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/times-square-explosions-what-caused-manhole-blasts-that-sent-panicked-crowds-running/3641391/ | 2022-04-12T10:33:52 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/times-square-explosions-what-caused-manhole-blasts-that-sent-panicked-crowds-running/3641391/ |
President Joe Biden is visiting corn-rich Iowa on Tuesday to announce he'll suspend a federal rule preventing the sale of higher ethanol blend gasoline this summer as his administration tries to tamp down prices at the pump that have spiked during Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Most gasoline sold in the U.S. is blended with 10% ethanol. The Environmental Protection Agency will issue an emergency waiver to allow the widespread sale of 15% ethanol blend that is usually prohibited between June 1 and Sept. 15 because of concerns that it adds to smog in high temperatures.
Senior Biden administration officials said the move will save drivers an average of 10 cents per gallon at 2,300 gas stations. Industry groups say most of those stations are in the Midwest and the South, including Texas.
Biden is to announce the move at a biofuel company in Menlo, west of Des Moines. Iowa is the country's largest producer of corn, key to producing ethanol.
The waiver is another effort to help ease global energy markets that have been rocked since Russia invaded Ukraine. Last month, the president announced the U.S. will release 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve over the next six months. His administration said that has helped to slightly reduce gas prices lately, after they climbed to an average of about $4.23 a gallon by the end of March, compared with $2.87 at the same time a year ago, according to AAA.
Members of Congress from both parties, as well as industry groups, had urged Biden to grant the E15 waiver.
“Homegrown Iowa biofuels provide a quick and clean solution for lowering prices at the pump and bolstering production would help us become energy independent once again,″ said Iowa Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley. He was among nine Republican and seven Democratic senators from Midwestern states who sent Biden a letter last month urging him to allow year-round E15 sales.
More Gas Prices Coverage
The trip will be Biden's first as president to Iowa, where his 2020 presidential campaign limped to a fourth-place finish in the state's technologically glitchy caucus.
After bouncing back to win the Democratic nomination, Biden returned for a rally at the Iowa state fairgrounds four days before Election Day 2020, only to see Donald Trump win the state by 8 percentage points.
Biden heads back to the state at a moment when he's facing yet more political peril. He's saddled with sagging approval ratings and inflation at a 40-year high while his party faces the prospect of big midterm election losses that could cost it control of Congress.
The president also planned to promote his economic plans to help rural families struggling with higher costs, while highlighting the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure law enacted last fall. The law includes money to improve internet access, as well as for modernizing wastewater systems, reducing flooding threats and improving roads and bridges, drinking water and electric grids in sparsely populated areas.
“Part of it is showing up in communities of all sizes, regardless of the results of the last election,” said Jesse Harris, who was a senior adviser to Biden’s 2020 campaign in Iowa and directed get out the vote and early voting efforts for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign in 2008.
Harris said most presidents who visit Iowa typically go to the state’s largest cities. Hitting an area like Menlo, part of Guthrie County, which backed Trump over Biden by 35 percentage points in 2020, “does speak to the importance the administration places on infrastructure broadly but also infrastructure in rural and smaller communities.”
The Biden administration plans to spend the coming weeks pushing billions of dollars in funding for rural areas. Cabinet members and other senior officials will travel the country to help communities get access to money available as part of the infrastructure package.
“The president is not making this trip through a political prism," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said. "He's making this trip because Iowa is a rural state in the country that would benefit greatly from the president's policies.”
Still, administration officials have long suggested that Biden travel more to promote an economy that is rebounding from the setbacks of the coronavirus pandemic. The number of Americans collecting unemployment has fallen to the lowest level since 1970, for example.
But much of the positive jobs news nationally has been overshadowed by surging gas, food and housing prices that have pushed consumer inflation to 7.9% over the past year ending in February. That's the sharpest spike since 1982. Inflation figures for March, due out Tuesday, are likely to bring more bad news for the Biden administration.
“Maybe a trip back to Iowa will be just what Joe Biden needs to understand what his reckless spending, big government policies are doing to our country,” Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann said in a statement.
After Iowa, Biden will visit Greensboro, North Carolina, on Thursday.
Psaki blamed Russia's war in Ukraine for helping to drive up gas prices and said the administration expects the consumer price index for March to be “extremely elevated” in large part because of it.
The EPA has lifted seasonal restrictions on E15 in the past, including after Hurricane Harvey in 2017. The Trump administration allowed for selling E15 in the summer months two years later but had the rule struck down by a federal appeals court.
Associated Press writer Matthew Daly contributed to this report. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politics/biden-waiving-ethanol-rule-bid-lower-gasoline-prices/3641436/ | 2022-04-12T10:33:58 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politics/biden-waiving-ethanol-rule-bid-lower-gasoline-prices/3641436/ |
Alabama has become the first state to criminalize the use of puberty blockers and hormones to treat transgender people under age 19. In line with some other Republican-led states, legislators here also passed a law requiring students to use bathrooms corresponding to their sex at birth and prohibiting discussion of gender and sexual identity in the lower grades. Critics have derided the limitation on such discussions as the “Don't Say Gay” law.
The two GOP bills were signed into law Friday by Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, a day after being passed by the Alabama Legislature. Advocacy groups quickly filed a lawsuit Monday challenging the medication ban.
Republicans argue the bills are needed to protect children and that decisions on gender-affirming medications should wait until adulthood. Critics say the politicians are interfering with medical decisions that belong to families and their doctors. Cathryn Oakley, state legislative director and senior counsel for the Human Rights Campaign, a national advocacy group for the LGBTQ community, called the two pieces of legislation “the single most anti-transgender legislative package in history.”
What Does Alabama's Treatment Ban Do?
Titled the “Alabama Vulnerable Child Compassion and Protection Act,” the law makes it a crime to prescribe or administer to anyone under 19 puberty blockers or hormone treatment “for the purpose of attempting to alter the appearance of or affirm the minor’s perception of his or her gender or sex.”
Legislators made it a Class C felony to violate the law, meaning doctors who prescribe or administer such medication would be subject to up to 10 years in prison.
The law, which takes effect on May 8 unless blocked by the courts, also bans surgeries for the purpose of altering gender appearance, but doctors say those are generally not performed on minors.
Alabama's legislation goes further than measures passed in other states. Arkansas was the first state to pass a ban on gender-affirming drugs, but its measure did not include criminal penalties. The Arkansas law was blocked by a federal judge before it could go into effect. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state's Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate as child abuse reports of youth receiving such care.
More Transgender Rights Coverage
What Are the Criticisms of the Alabama Law?
Doctors, families and advocacy organizations say politicians are inserting themselves into decisions that belong with families and medical teams. The measures have prompted swift backlash from medical experts, Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration, the U.S. Department of Justice and the families of trans youth.
Doctors say the Alabama law is contrary to peer-reviewed research and applies a criminal label to standard medical care. Health experts also say that minors with gender dysphoria who do not receive appropriate medical care face a dramatically increased risk of suicide and serious depression.
Does the Law Do Anything Else?
Yes. The law requires counselors, teachers, principals and other administrators — in both public and private schools — to tell parents if a child discloses that they think they may be transgender. It also prohibits school staff from encouraging students to withhold the information from their parents.
What Does the Public School Bathroom Law Do?
The second piece of legislation signed by Ivey involves public school bathroom use and classroom instruction.
The law requires students in grades K-12 to use multi-person bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their sex at birth rather than their gender identity. It also prohibits teachers and others who provide lessons to grades K-5 from talking about sexual orientation or gender identity "in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
Critics have labeled a similar measure passed in Florida that applies to grades K-3 the “Don't Say Gay” law.
What Happens Next?
Opponents of the medication ban who filed the lawsuit are hoping a judge will grant their request to block it. A legal challenge is also expected to be filed against the bathroom and classroom instruction measures.
The U.S. Department of Justice sent a letter to states warning that efforts to block transgender minors from accessing gender-affirming care may be violating federal law and the constitutional protections. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politics/explainer-what-do-new-alabama-laws-say-on-transgender-kids/3641405/ | 2022-04-12T10:34:05 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politics/explainer-what-do-new-alabama-laws-say-on-transgender-kids/3641405/ |
Boy bitten by shark in shallow water in Florida
Published: Apr. 12, 2022 at 5:30 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
(CNN) - A young boy was bitten by a shark in south Florida.
It happened in shallow water in Palm Beach County on Monday, officials said.
He said he saw the shark before it bit his foot and estimates it was about 4 feet long.
Paramedics bandaged the wound and took him to the hospital.
Sharks are not uncommon in shallow water, but unprovoked attacks are rare.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/12/boy-bitten-by-shark-shallow-water-florida/ | 2022-04-12T10:45:31 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/12/boy-bitten-by-shark-shallow-water-florida/ |