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The 75th Emmy Awards are the latest production to be put on pause due to the Hollywood strikes and will not air as planned in September.
A person familiar with the postponement plans but not authorized to speak publicly pending an official announcement confirmed the delay Friday. No information about a new date was immediately available.
The Emmy Awards were scheduled to be broadcast on Fox on Sept. 18. Rules laid out by the actors’ union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, say stars cannot campaign for the Emmys or attend awards shows while on strike.
Writers are also not permitted to work on awards shows until the strike ends.
Whenever the next Emmy Awards are held, HBO will walk in as the leading contender. The network is up for 74 awards for three of its top shows: “ Succession,” “The White Lotus” and “The Last of Us.”
“Ted Lasso” has the most comedy category nominations with 21, including best comedy series and best actor for Jason Sudeikis.
Roughly 65,000 SAG-AFTRA actors and 11,500 Writers Guild of America screenwriters are on strike, calling for better pay, structure with residual payments and protection from the use of artificial intelligence. | https://www.kxnet.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-the-emmy-awards-are-postponed-due-to-the-hollywood-actors-and-writers-strike-source-says/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:03 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-the-emmy-awards-are-postponed-due-to-the-hollywood-actors-and-writers-strike-source-says/ |
Montana judge temporarily lifts ban on drag performances ahead of major Pride event
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge in Montana on Friday temporarily blocked a new law that restricts drag performances just days before thousands of people are expected to attend Montana Pride’s 30th anniversary celebration in Helena.
The way the law is written “will disproportionally harm not only drag performers, but any person who falls outside traditional gender and identity norms,” including transgender people, U.S. District Court Judge Brian Morris said.
The law seeks to ban minors from attending what it calls “sexually oriented” performances, and bans such performances in public places where minors might be present. However, it does not adequately define many of the terms used in the law, causing people to self-censor out of fear of prosecution, plaintiff’s attorney Constance Van Kley with Upper Seven Law argued Wednesday.
“Plaintiffs, along with the approximately 15,000 Montanans who wish to attend the (Montana Pride) events, cannot avoid chilled speech or exposure to potential civil or criminal liability,” without the temporary restraining order, Morris wrote.
The ruling will allow Montana Pride to advertise and hold some of its events in public places, said Kevin Hamm, president of Montana Pride. The annual LGBTQ+ celebration — which includes a parade, street dance and drag brunch — begins on Sunday and runs through Aug. 6.
“The language used in the (temporary restraining order) is both impressive and should serve as a warning to discriminatory actions by legislators in the future,” Hamm said.
A lawsuit filed on July 6 challenges its constitutionality, and seeks a preliminary injunction to block it. The complaint was later amended to add the city of Helena as a defendant and Montana Pride as a plaintiff in order to request the more urgent move for a temporary restraining order. Montana Pride worked with the city to get permits to hold its public events.
The city of Helena supported the restraining order, saying the law put the city in the position of infringing on Montana Pride’s constitutional rights of free expression by denying the permit, or subjecting city employees to civil and criminal liability included in the law if it granted the permit. The lawsuit allows a minor who attends a drag performance that violates the law to file a civil lawsuit against organizers or participants at any time over the following 10 years.
The complaint — whose initial plaintiffs include a transgender woman, two small theaters and a bookstore that holds drag queen reading events — calls the Montana law “a breathtakingly ambiguous and overbroad bill, motivated by anti-LGBTQ+ animus.”
Judge Morris found that the law did not adequately define actions that might be illegal and appears likely to “encourage arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement.”
Montana’s law is flawed — like similar laws in Florida and Tennessee that have been blocked by courts — because it regulates speech based on its content and viewpoint, without taking into account its potential literary, artistic, political or scientific value, Morris found.
“Drag is definitionally political and artistic speech,” said Diana Bourgeois, president of the Imperial Sovereign Court of the State of Montana, an organization that puts on drag reading events and one of the plaintiffs. “The court’s order today protects our right to be commentators and artists and to create a safe, joyful and welcoming environment through our expression.”
Like many Republican-led states, Montana’s conservative lawmakers have passed other laws targeting transgender people. The state is among those to ban gender-affirming care for minors — which is also being challenged in court. It also passed a bill to define sex as only “male” or “female” in state law.
The law also made Montana the first state to specifically ban drag kings and drag queens — which it defined as performers who adopt a flamboyant or parodic male or female persona with glamorous or exaggerated costumes and makeup — from reading books to children in public schools or libraries, even though the performances do not have a sexual element.
The judge said the law does not define “flamboyant,” “parodic” or “glamorous,” among other terms.
Morris has scheduled an Aug. 26 hearing on the lawsuit’s request for a preliminary injunction, which could continue to block the law while the case moves through the courts.
“We look forward to presenting our written response and full argument at the upcoming preliminary injunction hearing to defend the law and protect minors from sexually oriented performances,” Emily Flower, a spokesperson for the Department of Justice, said in a statement.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Rep. Braxton Mitchell, has said that to him and his constituents, “keeping hyper sexualized events out of taxpayer funded schools and libraries” does not violate the First Amendment.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.kaaltv.com/news/us-world-news/montana-judge-temporarily-lifts-ban-on-drag-performances-ahead-of-major-pride-event/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:05 | 0 | https://www.kaaltv.com/news/us-world-news/montana-judge-temporarily-lifts-ban-on-drag-performances-ahead-of-major-pride-event/ |
US announces $345 million military aid package for Taiwan
WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Friday announced $345 million in military aid for Taiwan, in what is the Biden administration’s first major package drawing on America’s own stockpiles to help Taiwan counter China.
The White House’s announcement said the package would include defense, education and training for the Taiwanese. Washington will send man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS, intelligence and surveillance capabilities, firearms and missiles, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters ahead of the announcement.
U.S. lawmakers have been pressuring the Pentagon and White House to speed weapons to Taiwan. The goals are to help it counter China and to deter China from considering attacking, by providing Taipei enough weaponry that it would make the price of invasion too high.
The package is in addition to nearly $19 billion in military sales of F-16s and other major weapons systems that the U.S. has approved for Taiwan. Delivery of those weapons has been hampered by supply chain issues that started during the COVID-19 pandemic and have been exacerbated by the global defense industrial base pressures created by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The difference is that this aid is part of a presidential authority approved by Congress last year to draw weapons from current U.S. military stockpiles — so Taiwan will not have to wait for military production and sales. This gets weapons delivered faster than providing funding for new weapons.
The Pentagon has used a similar authority to get billions of dollars worth of munitions to Ukraine.
Taiwan split from China in 1949 amid civil war. Chinese President Xi Jinping maintains China’s right to take over the now self-ruled island, by force if necessary. China has accused the U.S. of turning Taiwan into a “powder keg” through the billions of dollars in weapons sales it has pledged.
The U.S. maintains a “One China” policy under which it does not recognize Taiwan’s formal independence and has no formal diplomatic relations with the island in deference to Beijing. However, U.S. law requires a credible defense for Taiwan and for the U.S. to treat all threats to the island as matters of “grave concern.”
Getting stockpiles of weapons to Taiwan now, before an attack begins, is one of the lessons the U.S. has learned from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Pentagon deputy defense secretary Kathleen Hicks told The Associated Press earlier this year.
Ukraine “was more of a cold-start approach than the planned approach we have been working on for Taiwan, and we will apply those lessons,” Hicks said. Efforts to resupply Taiwan after a conflict erupted would be complicated because it is an island, she said.
China regularly sends warships and planes across the center line in the Taiwan Strait that provides a buffer between the sides, as well as into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, in an effort to intimidate the island’s 23 million people and wear down its military capabilities.
Liu Pengyu, a spokesman for China’s embassy in Washington, said in a statement Friday that Beijing was “firmly opposed” to U.S. military ties with Taiwan. The U.S. should “stop selling arms to Taiwan” and “stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait,” Liu said.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.kaaltv.com/news/us-world-news/us-announces-345-million-military-aid-package-for-taiwan/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:11 | 1 | https://www.kaaltv.com/news/us-world-news/us-announces-345-million-military-aid-package-for-taiwan/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Rapper Travis Scott has released “Utopia,” his first album in five years and his first major release since 10 people died at his 2021 Astroworld music festival.
The star-studded 19-track “Utopia” features Beyoncé, SZA, Drake, Sampha, Young Thug, Playboi Carti, Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Future, Bon Iver, James Blake, Kid Cudi, 21 Savage, and many more.
The LP, Scott’s fourth full-length, was originally announced back in 2020 and follows 2018’s “Astroworld.” In November 2019, 10 people died as a result of compression asphyxia during a massive crowd surge during Scott’s Astroworld festival. A grand jury declined to file charges against Scott earlier this year.
Also Friday, Houston police released files that showed that some workers were concerned about the crowd conditions at the show. The 1,300-page report also included a summary of an interview with Scott in which he said he did not hear calls from the crowd to stop the show.
The first track from the album, the popetón -adjacent “K-pop”, was released on July 21 and features the Weeknd and Bad Bunny. The release spans genres — an eclectic mix of autotune ambient ballads (“My Eyes”), ferocious bars (“Looove”), futuristic trap (“Lost Forever,” Telekinesis”), and beyond.
In addition to the album, Scott hosted a one-night-only release of his feature film, “Circus Maximus” at select theaters on Thursday night.
“Utopia” was originally scheduled to be celebrated with a livestreamed concert at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, but was canceled due to “complex production issues,” Live Nation said in a statement. | https://www.kxnet.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-travis-scott-drops-utopia-his-first-album-since-the-astroworld-festival-tragedy/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:11 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-travis-scott-drops-utopia-his-first-album-since-the-astroworld-festival-tragedy/ |
Cardinals’ Mikolas suspended 5 games and fined for intentionally throwing at Cubs’ Happ
NEW YORK (AP) — St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Miles Mikolas was suspended for five games and fined an undisclosed amount by Major League Baseball on Friday for intentionally throwing at Ian Happ of the Chicago Cubs.
Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol was suspended for one game and fined as a result of Mikolas’ actions Thursday night. Mikolas appealed his penalties, while Marmol served his suspension Friday night against the Cubs.
In the first inning in the Cardinals’ 10-3 loss, Happ bloodied St. Louis catcher Willson Contreras when he hit him in the head with a long follow-through on a swing, then was soon hit himself by a pitch from Mikolas.
Andrew Knizner took over behind the plate for Contreras, and Mikolas brushed back Happ with the first pitch when play resumed to run the count to 3-1. With the next pitch, Mikolas hit Happ in the rear end.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.kaaltv.com/sports/national-sports/cardinals-mikolas-suspended-5-games-and-fined-for-intentionally-throwing-at-cubs-happ/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:17 | 1 | https://www.kaaltv.com/sports/national-sports/cardinals-mikolas-suspended-5-games-and-fined-for-intentionally-throwing-at-cubs-happ/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — The entertainment publication Variety, under fire this week for an article it published about former CNN chief Jeff Zucker’s interest in his old employer, revised the piece on Friday to reflect some of the complaints about it.
None of its changes affected what was written about Zucker, however. He has called for the story to be retracted.
The article by Tatiana Siegel, which initially ran online Tuesday, depicted Zucker as badmouthing his successor at CNN, Chris Licht, while simultaneously trying to buy the news organization that fired him in early 2021. Licht’s unsuccessful run atop the struggling news network ended with his firing in May.
The dispute also points to the dangers inherent in the use of confidential sources by journalists. There are at least a dozen claims made in the story that Variety did not attribute to a named source that were denied on the record, either in the story or after publication, leaving it up to readers to decide who to believe.
“There used to be a time when Variety held its content and its reporters to a high standard of truth and facts in journalism, but those days are clearly over,” said Risa Heller, a spokeswoman for Zucker. “It is stunning to read a piece that is so patently and aggressively false. On numerous occasions, we made it clear to the reporter and her editors that they were planning to publish countless anecdotes and alleged incidents that never happened. They did so anyway. The piece is a total joke.”
Variety’s co-editor-in-chiefs, Cynthia Littleton and Ramin Setoodeh, said in a statement Friday that they have been carefully following the conversation about the story.
“The story was heavily vetted and deeply sourced,” they said. “Everyone included in the story was asked to comment and given the chance to respond. We stand by our reporting and our award-winning reporter.”
The piece is also critical of two reporters who have covered CNN, Tim Alberta of The Atlantic and Dylan Byers of Puck. Both of those news organizations complained of inaccuracies and, in the changes made on Friday, Variety added their specific denials.
Zucker’s team hasn’t sought to hide ill feelings toward Licht, but strongly denied he has tried to buy CNN.
The story begins with an anecdote about Zucker, “with tears in his eyes,” approaching David Zaslav in Miami Beach in March. Zaslav is CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, current owners of CNN, and Variety said Zucker complained that Licht was unfairly maligning him in the press. Zaslav wanted to know if Zucker was trying to assemble investors to buy CNN.
Byers, writing for Puck, said “multiple sources” said no such run-in at the Faena Hotel ever took place and Zucker’s spokeswoman said that anecdote wasn’t checked with them.
The story outlines several specific efforts made by Zucker, or on his behalf, to convince investors to join him in buying CNN. The story includes his denials: “Any allegation or insinuation that Jeff has made any effort to purchase CNN is unequivocally false,” Heller said. Zucker is now head of a private equity firm, RedBird IMI.
At one point, Variety also floated the theory that a secret group of investors was using Zucker’s name without his knowledge to approach Warner Bros. Discovery about buying CNN.
In a June 4 article, The New York Times reported that Zucker was not in talks to buy CNN, although “he has told some associates he would be interested in acquiring the network” if it came up for sale one day, the newspaper said.
The Variety article “struck me as utterly implausible and sophomoric,” Byers wrote for Puck this week.
Variety’s piece called Byers “a former Zucker disciple at CNN who, by his own admission, wrote about Licht incessantly and even took a victory lap after his exit.” The piece described Byers as a writer of “Zucker fan fiction” and criticized him for a conflict of interest in not disclosing in any of his articles that Zucker once had discussions about funding Puck, an online subscription news service.
In its revision on Friday, Variety quoted Puck’s co-founder, Jon Kelly, saying the discussions with RedBird were not disclosed by Byers because “Dylan was intentionally unaware of them.”
For The Atlantic, Alberta wrote a widely-read story that seen by many as being instrumental in Licht’s dismissal by Zaslav. Variety was critical of Alberta, and accused the reporter of using material in his story that he had agreed to keep off the record — a serious charge of malfeasance against a journalist.
As with Byers, Variety didn’t change what it had written about Alberta. But it added a paragraph to its story using some of what Alberta had written on social media, including a denial that he had used off-the-record material, and disputing Variety’s claim of how many times he had met with Licht while reporting the story.
The story was reposted on Variety’s home page. The only indication that it had been changed was a note at its end: “This story was updated on July 28 to reflect new statements from Kelly and Alberta.” | https://www.kxnet.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-variety-revises-article-on-former-cnn-chief-jeff-zucker-that-was-sharply-criticized/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:18 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-variety-revises-article-on-former-cnn-chief-jeff-zucker-that-was-sharply-criticized/ |
Miguel Cabrera’s farewell tour makes a stop Miami, where his career started years ago
MIAMI (AP) —
Miguel Cabrera’s farewell tour has reached a special location.
The Detroit Tigers’ slugger is approaching the last two months of his major league career. And in his final season, Cabrera has received numerous tributes in visiting stadiums.
This weekend, the honors bring added significance.
The Tigers open a three-game series Friday in Miami against the Marlins. The 40-year-old Cabrera is returning to the city where he spent his first five seasons and is facing the organization that signed him shortly after his 16th birthday.
“It is very emotional because this is where it all started,” Cabrera, a native of Venezuela, said before Friday’s series opener. “To be back here is awesome.”
The Marlins brought up the then-20-year-old Cabrera two months into the 2003 season. Cabrera made an immediate impact, hitting a walk-off home run to help the Marlins beat Tampa Bay in his major league debut.
“I remember it well because in all the stadiums I’ve visited, that is the first video presented,” Cabrera said. “My teammates kid me because I was so skinny back then.”
It was a sign of things to come. Cabrera played a key role in the Marlins’ postseason run in 2003 that culminated with a World Series championship.
Cabrera was a four-time All-Star during his time with the Marlins. But the club, fearing it would lose Cabrera to free agency once he became eligible, dealt him to Detroit following the 2007 season.
“When I received that call, I had many questions on why I was being traded,” Cabrera said. “The club had a good young group and was growing tremendously. Had the group stayed together, we had a chance to contend for the division. They told me to be calm, that you’re going to a good club with a chance to win.”
Cabrera flourished in Detroit, becoming one of the game’s top hitters and a two-time AL MVP. In 2012, Cabrera won the AL Triple Crown, the first to accomplish the feat since Carl Yastrzemski in 1967.
But the offensive production, which included four AL batting titles, declined as Cabrera reached his late 30s. Nonetheless, Cabrera reached the career 3,000-hit and 500-homer milestones over the last two seasons.
Now limited to a parttime role, Cabrera will play the three games against Miami. The second game on Saturday also will be promoted as Venezuelan Heritage Day.
“It is going to be great for me and my family,” Cabrera said of the ceremony,” Cabrera said. “You have to enjoy this moment, every second, every minute. After that, you prepare for the game and do your best to help our team win.”
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.kaaltv.com/sports/national-sports/miguel-cabreras-farewell-tour-makes-a-stop-miami-where-his-career-started-years-ago/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:23 | 0 | https://www.kaaltv.com/sports/national-sports/miguel-cabreras-farewell-tour-makes-a-stop-miami-where-his-career-started-years-ago/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Signs that inflation pressures in the United States are steadily easing emerged Friday in reports that consumer prices rose in June at their slowest pace in more than two years and that wage growth cooled last quarter.
Together, the figures provided the latest signs that the Federal Reserve’s drive to tame inflation may succeed without triggering a recession, an outcome known as a “soft landing.”
A price gauge closely monitored by the Fed rose just 3% in June from a year earlier. That was down from a 3.8% annual increase in May, though still above the Fed’s 2% inflation target. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.2% from May to June, up slightly from 0.1% the previous month.
Last month’s sharp slowdown in year-over-year inflation largely reflected falling gas prices, as well as milder increases in grocery costs. With supply chains having largely healed from post-pandemic disruptions, the costs of new and used cars, furniture and appliances also fell in June.
The cost of some services, though, continued to surge. Average prices of movie tickets rose 0.5% from May to June, and are up 6.2% from a year earlier. Veterinary services, up 0.5% last month, are 10.5% higher than a year ago. And restaurant meal prices increased 0.4% in June; they’re up 7.1% from 12 months earlier.
A measure of “core” prices, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, did remain elevated even though it also eased last month. Economists track core prices because they are considered a better signal of where inflation is headed. Those still-high underlying inflation pressures are a key reason why the Fed raised its short-term interest rate Wednesday to a 22-year high.
Core prices were still 4.1% higher than they were a year ago, well above the Fed’s target, though down from 4.6% in May. From May to June, core inflation was just 0.2%, down from 0.3% the previous month, an encouraging sign.
A separate report Friday from the Labor Department showed that a gauge of wages and salaries grew more slowly in the April-June quarter, suggesting that employers were feeling less pressure to boost pay as the job market cools.
Employee pay, excluding government workers, rose 1%, down from 1.2% in the first three months of 2023. Compared with a year earlier, wages and salaries grew 4.6%, down from 5.1% in the first quarter.
The Fed is closely watching the pay gauge, known as the employment cost index. Smaller wage increases should slow inflation over time, because companies are less likely to need to raise prices to cover their higher labor costs.
Taken together, Friday’s data “will provide further support to the view that the economy is in the midst of a soft landing,” said Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide. The softer wage data, she suggested, “will be welcomed by Fed officials.”
Americans’ average paychecks are still growing briskly, boosting their ability to spend and underscoring the economy’s resiliency. The inflation report that the Commerce Department issued Friday showed that consumer spending jumped in June, despite two years of high inflation and 11 Fed rate hikes over 17 months. From May to June, consumer spending rose 0.5%, up from 0.2% the previous month.
“Better push out those recession forecasts by another quarter,” Stephen Stanley, chief U.S. economist at investment bank Santander, wrote in a research note.
The inflation gauge that was issued Friday, called the personal consumption expenditures price index, is separate from the better-known consumer price index. Earlier this month, the government reported that the CPI rose 3% in June from 12 months earlier.
The Fed prefers the PCE index because it accounts for changes in how people shop when inflation jumps — when, for example, consumers shift away from pricey national brands in favor of cheaper store brands. And housing costs, which are among the biggest inflation drivers but many economists think aren’t well-measured, carry about half the weight in the PCE than the CPI.
With inflation now steadily cooling, consumers are becoming more optimistic about the economy, a trend that could lead them to keep spending and driving growth.
On Friday, the University of Michigan reported that its consumer sentiment index rose in June to its highest level since October 2021, though it has still recovered only about half of the drop caused by the pandemic. And earlier this week, the Conference Board, a business research group, said its consumer confidence index rose this month to its highest point in two years.
The U.S. economy is in a hopeful but precarious place: A solid job market is bolstering hiring, lifting wages and keeping unemployment near a half-century low. Yet inflation is weakening rather than rising, as it typically does when unemployment is low. That suggests that the Fed may be able to achieve a soft landing.
The Fed’s policymakers, though, are concerned that the steadily growing economy could help perpetuate inflation. This can occur as persistent consumer demand enables more companies to raise prices, thereby keeping inflation above the Fed’s target and potentially causing the central bank to raise rates even higher.
The latest evidence of the economy’s resilience came Thursday, when the government reported that it grew at a 2.4% annual rate in the April-June quarter — faster than analysts had forecast and an acceleration from a 2% growth rate in the first three months of the year.
At a news conference Wednesday, Chair Jerome Powell suggested that the Fed’s benchmark short-term rate, now at about 5.3%, was high enough to restrain the overall economy and likely tame inflation over time. But Powell added that the Fed would need to see more evidence that inflation has been sustainably subdued before it would consider ending its rate hikes.
Powell declined to offer any signal of the central bank’s likely next moves. In June, Fed officials had forecast two more rate hikes this year, including Wednesday’s.
“I would say it is certainly possible that we would raise (rates) again at the September meeting, if the data warranted,” Powell said Wednesday, “and I would also say it’s possible that we would choose to hold steady at that meeting.” | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-an-inflation-gauge-that-is-closely-tracked-by-the-fed-falls-to-its-lowest-level-in-more-than-2-years/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:24 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-an-inflation-gauge-that-is-closely-tracked-by-the-fed-falls-to-its-lowest-level-in-more-than-2-years/ |
NFL teams are adapting to unrelenting heat as training camps ramp up
HENDERSON, Nev. (AP) — The sight of wide receivers Keith Kirkwood and Shaq Davis leaving practice early this week because of heat-related symptoms was nothing new for the New Orleans Saints, with the hot and humid Louisiana weather a test for even the best-conditioned athletes.
The unrelenting, record-breaking heat across the nation this year has made the opening of training camps even more challenging than usual, however, not only for the Saints but teams throughout the NFL.
Scientists have already calculated this will be the hottest July on record, with the Southwest and parts of the South especially hit hard. Most of the Midwest and East also have been affected. That means NFL teams have to be even more mindful than usual about keeping players safe while also getting as much work done as possible before the season begins in September.
Safety has been a centerpiece of the preseason since Minnesota offensive tackle Korey Stringer died on Aug. 1, 2001, after slipping and falling the previous day after a Vikings training camp practice. NFL teams at the time didn’t have medical training for exertional heat stroke.
Some teams are taking extra precautions this year, including more water breaks and early practice times.
“I don’t know all the science and all that stuff, but I do my best to understand it,” Saints quarterback Derek Carr said. “I’ve seen growth … from when I first came in the league to what we talk about now. It’s definitely a difference on the things we talk about, the way we practice, how long we do something … how much time you’re actually accumulating outside during the week.”
Carr is in his first season in New Orleans, so he’s acclimating to the wet, muggy conditions. He spent the previous three seasons with the Raiders in Las Vegas, where the air is dry but temperatures are considerably higher.
“It just feels like your skin is going to fall off,” Carr said of playing in Las Vegas. “It feels like it’s boiling.”
For their part, the Raiders have begun practicing at 8:30 a.m. to avoid the hottest parts of the day but still must contend with temperatures in the triple digits by the time they walk off the field.
The Raiders have an indoor facility but usually practice outside because it’s more spacious and the fields are grass rather than turf. Cool boxes are set up just off the 50-yard line near one of the three practice fields that players use, and coach Josh McDaniels said the team met before camp opened to discuss coping with the conditions.
McDaniels said the key was listening to medical professionals.
“They have a very scientific way to measure (weather and safety conditions) that I’m not really qualified to speak intelligently about,” McDaniels said. “But I understand when they tell me that we’ve entered into a zone where it’s dangerous to be out there with helmets, pads, etc., then we’ll do the right thing.”
Two warm weather teams avoid practicing in the heat altogether. The Arizona Cardinals use their retractable-roof stadium and the Dallas Cowboys hold camp in moderate Southern California.
Other teams, particularly those in the hottest parts of the country, have to adapt to the weather.
“The health and safety of the players is the most important thing for our team and our organization,” Houston Texans general manager Nick Caserio said. “Whatever we can do to help the players in that respect, that’s the most important thing. It’s going to be hot wherever you go, but you want to be smart.”
Caserio said some players wear hoodies and sweatpants so they can sweat “and let that heat leave your body. If you don’t, you can potentially be putting yourself at risk.”
For a second consecutive camp, coach Ron Rivera scheduled Washington Commanders practices for 9 a.m. as one way to try to beat the heat. A stretch of record temperatures last year contributed to several soft-tissue injuries, so the staff is taking further steps this time around, from more water breaks to a cooling tent that players are sent to if they begin to feel the effects.
“We’re constantly trying to get them to hydrate and get them focusing on hydrating prior to practice and post-practice,” Rivera said.
Other coaches take a different approach, knowing many early season games are played when temperatures are at their highest.
“You look at our first game against Pittsburgh last year here at home,” Cincinnati Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “On offense, there were over 100 snaps and you played an overtime game. … We want our guys to be ready for that, and we feel like we will.”
Few players go as hard as Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, who spent part of the offseason sparring with a UFC fighter. He said part of his preparation for the heat is building up the body before camp begins.
“You can’t just train in the air conditioning and then go out and feel like you’re going to be fine in the heat,” Crosby said. “So we’ve done back and forth. I’ve trained inside, I’ve trained outside this offseason, just doing a bunch of different things to get ready for training camp.”
Much is at stake in camp, so players want to be on the field far more than in the cooling box or on the trainer’s table. They’re fighting for starting jobs and roster spots, and those players know that coaches and general managers are watching to see who best battles through adversity.
“The job’s got to get done,” Miami Dolphins offensive tackle Kendall Lamm said, “with or without the heat.”
___
AP Sports Writers Brett Martel in Metairie, Louisiana; Kristie Rieken in Houston; Mitch Stacy in Cincinnati; Alanis Thames in Miami Gardens, Florida; and Stephen Whyno in Ashburn, Virginia, contributed to this report.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.kaaltv.com/sports/national-sports/nfl-teams-are-adapting-to-unrelenting-heat-as-training-camps-ramp-up/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:30 | 1 | https://www.kaaltv.com/sports/national-sports/nfl-teams-are-adapting-to-unrelenting-heat-as-training-camps-ramp-up/ |
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Europe’s banking sector could withstand a severe economic downturn without depleting their financial buffers against losses, the European Central Bank said Friday.
A survey of 98 large and medium-sized banks done by the ECB’s supervisory arm in conjunction with the European Banking Authority showed that even in the most adverse scenario — a fall of almost 10% in economic outpoint over three years — banks would still have enough capital to cover losses and then some.
The stress test was not a pass-fail exercise for banks in the 20 countries that use the euro currency. Rather, results for individual banks will be used by banking regulators in determining how much capital they need to hold in reserve.
Banks are crucial to the European economy because companies get most of their financing from them, instead of from financial markets — the opposite of the situation in the U.S.
The ECB took over supervision of the biggest banks after the eurozone debt crisis more than a decade ago, when bank losses led to heavy bailout costs for governments. National supervisors were perceived to have been less than vigilant on developing risks.
Scrutiny of bank finances has grown after the failure of three U.S. banks amid rising interest rates that led to losses on investments and mass withdrawal of deposits. The financial turmoil then hit Credit Suisse, a globally significant bank that had long-running problems, leading the Swiss government to engineer an emergency takeover by rival UBS to prevent further banking chaos.
Switzerland is not part of the European Union, where some of the safeguards instituted after the 2008-2009 global financial crisis were more widely applied. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-europes-banks-could-survive-a-drastic-economic-downturn-stress-test-shows/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:32 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-europes-banks-could-survive-a-drastic-economic-downturn-stress-test-shows/ |
MILAN (AP) — French luxury conglomerate Kering has reached a cash deal to purchase a 30% stake in Italian fashion house Valentino for 1.7 billion euros from a Qatari investment firm.
With the purchase, Kering is seeking to shore up its revenue stream as it struggles to turn around former powerhouse Gucci. Kering on Thursday reported first-half revenues of 10.1 billion euros, up 2%, as Gucci sales stagnate.
Under the deal announced Thursday, Kering has the option to buy 100% of Valentino no later than 2028. The partnership could lead to the Qatari investment firm, Mayhoola, becoming a shareholder in Kering, as well as other potential “joint opportunities,” the statement said.
Kering Chairman and CEO Francois-Henri Pinault expressed admiration for “the evolution of Valentino under Mayhoola ownership,” which Kering said turned Valentino “into one of the most admired luxury houses in the world.”
“I am very pleased of this first step in our collaboration with Mayhoola to develop Valentino and pursue the very strong strategic journey of brand elevation,’’ citing the role of Valentino CEO Jacopo Venturini, who “will continue to lead.”
Gucci, which accounts for nearly half of Kering revenues, is in the throes of a relaunch, with a new management team and a new creative director, Sabato De Sarn o, who will unveil his first collection during Milan Fashion Week in September.
Valentino, founded by Valentino Garavani in 1960, recorded revenues of 1.4 billion euros in 2022. Pierpaolo Piccoli has been creative director at Valentino since 2008, working alongside Maria Grazia Chiuri from 2008-16. With its corporate base in Milan and design studio in Rome, the fashion house is a mainstay of Paris fashion week with its womenswear and couture collections while recently returning menswear to Milan. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-french-luxury-group-kering-to-buy-30-stake-in-valentino-for-1-7-billion-euros-cash/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:39 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-french-luxury-group-kering-to-buy-30-stake-in-valentino-for-1-7-billion-euros-cash/ |
TOKYO (AP) — An official in charge of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant says the upcoming release of treated radioactive water into the sea more than 12 years after the reactors’ meltdown marks “a milestone,” but is still only an initial step in a daunting decades-long decommissioning process.
Junichi Matsumoto, the corporate officer in charge of treated water management for Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the Fukushima Daiichi plant, also pledged to conduct careful sampling and analysis of the water to make sure its release is safely carried out in accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency standards.
The water is being treated with what’s called an Advanced Liquid Processing System, which can reduce the amounts of more than 60 selected radionuclides to government-set releasable levels, except for tritium, which the government and TEPCO say is safe for humans if consumed in small amounts.
“The release of the ALPS-treated water into the sea is a major milestone for us, as well as for the decommissioning of the plant,” Matsumoto said in an interview with The Associated Press at TEPCO headquarters in Tokyo.
“In order to steadily advance decommissioning, the ever-growing amounts of water was a pressing issue that we could not put off, and we had a sense of crisis,” said Matsumoto, a nuclear engineering expert. “We still have to tackle far more challenging and higher-risk operations such as removal of melted debris and spent fuel” from the damaged reactors, he said.
Another task for TEPCO is combatting the damage to the reputation of Fukushima fisheries caused by the water release, he said.
A massive March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi plant’s cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt and contaminating their cooling water, which has since leaked continuously. The water is collected, filtered and stored in around 1,000 tanks, which will reach their capacity in early 2024.
Large amounts of fatally radioactive melted nuclear fuel remain inside the reactors. Robotic probes have provided some information about its status, but it remains largely unknown.
The government and TEPCO say the water must be removed to make room for the plant’s decommissioning, and to prevent accidental leaks from the tanks because much of the water is still contaminated and needs retreatment.
The release plan has faced strong opposition from Japanese fishing organizations, which worry about further damage to the reputation of their seafood as they struggle to recover from the accident. Groups in South Korea and China have also raised concerns, turning it into a political and diplomatic issue.
Matsumoto said the key to gaining understanding is to patiently explain the situation by providing scientific evidence.
“It is difficult, but we hope to make it as easy to understand as possible,” he said. “If we describe (the water release) in one word, it’s safe.”
“As the operator responsible for the accident, we must admit TEPCO is a company that is not fully trusted. We must keep up the effort and sincerely respond to any concern,” Matsumoto said. “It is our responsibility to demonstrate we can carry out the water release as planned, and that’s how we can regain public trust.”
The government said the release is set to start this summer but hasn’t set the date amid protests. TEPCO has obtained safety permits for all of the equipment needed for the release and is currently carrying out training so the water release team can begin work at any time, Matsumoto said.
“It’s not like just turning a faucet to run tap water,” he said.
Scientists generally agree that the environmental impact of the treated wastewater would be negligible, but some call for more attention to dozens of low-dose radionuclides that remain in it, saying data on their long-term effects on the environment and marine life are insufficient and the water requires close scrutiny.
The treated water will be diluted with massive amounts of seawater and will be released gradually over many years.
Matsumoto acknowledged that treated water that came in contact with the damaged nuclear fuel contains radionuclides such as uranium and plutonium that are not in water that is routinely released from healthy nuclear plants around the world.
He said the total concentration of radionuclides in the water meets government standards after treatment, and after dilution the wastewater will be fully safe and have a minimal environmental impact, according to the IAEA, which has provided assistance in evaluating the release plan.
Matsumoto said he has struggled to manage the massive amounts of contaminated water to keep it from escaping into the environment and safely stored at the plant since the accident.
There were instances in which plant workers had no other choice but to dump some into the sea or temporarily put it inside a basement or in temporary water tanks, Matsumoto recalled.
Now, after taking measures to minimize the seeping of rainwater and groundwater into the reactor buildings and establishing a stable water management system, the amount of contaminated water has come down to less than one-fifth of what it used to be, he said. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-fukushima-plant-official-says-the-coming-release-of-treated-water-a-milestone-for-decommissioning/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:47 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-fukushima-plant-official-says-the-coming-release-of-treated-water-a-milestone-for-decommissioning/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — So far, 63 Indiana counties have signed up to receive their share of $225M in public health funds through the Health First Indiana Initiative. That’s according to the chairman of the Senate Health Committee.
“Our statistics are appalling,” State Sen. Ed Charbonneau said.
Sen. Charbonneau said Indiana ranks 45th nationwide in public health funding, and that every single county health department in the state is funded below the national average.
”Every other state in the country the trend is up, Indiana’s trending down with life expectancy,” Sen. Charbonneau said.
According to Sen. Charbonneau, Indiana ranks 42nd nationwide in infant mortality, 45th in percentage of smokers, and 46th in obesity.
He went on to say depending on where you live, your county health department could receive as much as $83 in funding per person, or as little as $1.25 per person.
That’s why he said the $225M provided in SB 4 is a “paradigm shift” for the state.
”Statistics show that money invested in prevention—the ROI is pretty large,” Sen. Charbonneau said.
The amount of money each county can receive will depend on the total number of counties that opt in. Counties that haven’t decided how they want to move forward have a month left to do so.
”Health is local, and it’s better delivered locally,” Madison Mayor Bob Courtney said.
Mayor Courtney is the only mayor on the Governor’s Public Health Commission. He said the money each county receives can be used for a variety of public health projects.
”We’re going to get more staffing, there’s a broad schedule of basic core services that would be delivered at the local level, and a lot of that is about preventative care and education,” Mayor Courtney said.
Although the commission did recommend more funds than what ended up in the budget last session, Sen. Charbonneau said this is the first step in what will be a long-term process.
”I would anticipate there’ll be more money to continue the program later on,” Sen. Charbonneau said.
If you’d like to see if your county is currently part of the initiative, click here, or visit http://www.healthfirstindiana.com. | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/two-thirds-of-indiana-counties-have-opted-in-to-225m-of-state-public-health-funding-so-far/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:51 | 1 | https://fox59.com/indiana-news/two-thirds-of-indiana-counties-have-opted-in-to-225m-of-state-public-health-funding-so-far/ |
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The German economy is still failing to grow, figures showed Friday, as the country that should be the industrial powerhouse for all of Europe struggles with high energy prices, rising borrowing costs and a lagging rebound from key trading partner China.
Economic output in Germany stagnated in the April-to-June quarter, the Federal Statistics Office said. That follows a decline of 0.1% in the first three months of the year and a drop of 0.4% in the last three months of 2022 as the energy shock from Russia’s war in Ukraine echoed through Europe’s largest economy.
It comes after the International Monetary Fund forecast this week that Germany would be the globe’s only major economy to shrink this year, even with weak economic growth around the world amid rising interest rates and the threat of growing inflation.
In Germany, the economy has been buffeted by several challenges. Above all, its long-term dependence on Russian natural gas to fuel industry backfired when the invasion of Ukraine led to the loss of most of Moscow’s supply and to higher costs for energy-intensive industries such as metals, glass, cars and fertilizer.
Higher interest rates from the European Central Bank have weighed on construction projects that depend on borrowing. Meanwhile, the rebound in China, Germany’s largest trade partner, after the end of drastic COVID-19 restrictions has been less than many had hoped for.
The second-quarter economic performance was “far from satisfactory,” said Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck.
He urged action on his proposal to cap energy prices for industry with government help, which has run into skepticism in parts of the governing coalition, and more investment in future-oriented technology such as renewable energy.
“What Germany needs is a targeted impulse for investment and breathing room for our energy-intensive industry,” he said.
Longer-term factors such as an aging population, lagging use of digital technology in business and government, excessive red tape that holds back business launches and public construction projects, and a shortage of skilled labor also have weighed on the economy.
Yet the slowdown does not resemble a classic recession because jobs are abundant, with companies competing for workers and complaining of skills shortages. The unemployment rate was only 2.9% in May, well below the eurozone’s 6.5% — one of the lowest rates on record.
Carsten Brzeski, chief eurozone economist at ING, has described Germany’s situation as a “slowcession,” with the economy “stuck in the twilight zone between stagnation and recession.”
He said Friday that recent data “do not bode well for economic activity in the coming months.”
“In fact, weak purchasing power, thinned-out industrial order books, as well as the impact of the most aggressive monetary policy tightening in decades, and the expected slowdown of the U.S. economy, all argue in favor of weak economic activity,” Brzeski said in a note.
Germany’s woes are calling forth comparisons with the late 1990s, when high labor costs held back the country’s competitiveness. A series of labor market reforms under former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in 2003-2004 helped restore economic growth and Germany’s position as an export powerhouse selling industrial machinery and vehicles to the rest of the world.
Germany’s current account surplus of $290 billion, the broadest measure of foreign trade, was the highest in the world in 2019, according to the Bruegel think tank in Brussels. It remained above 7% of GDP for six straight years but fell to 4.2% last year. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-germany-used-to-be-the-worlds-export-powerhouse-now-its-not-growing-what-happened/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:54 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-germany-used-to-be-the-worlds-export-powerhouse-now-its-not-growing-what-happened/ |
INDIANAPOLIS — Students across central Indiana will be heading back to the classroom soon but transitioning from summer vacation to the school year can be tough both for parents and students alike.
“I just want her to succeed and be excellent in school,” said Richard Mackey.
Richard Mackey is one of many Hoosier parents getting the final preparations ready for a new school year for his kids.
But starting a new school year can be tough for many families like the Mackeys especially with the new record-breaking prices for school supplies.
“Inflation has been really terrible on us,” he said. “We are still surviving and trying to make the best of it but it’s been hard.”
According to the National Retail Federation, families will be spending a new record of nearly $900 on school supplies this year. That’s up $200 from just five years ago.
On top of the rising costs, another common concern among parents is the dynamic among students back inside the classroom walls.
“[My concern is] bullying,” said Greg Walden, another parent. “For the kids to say something, it’s just brushed off.”
“My problem is finding the good friends,” Mackey said. “There are different people out there putting stuff in your ears like it’s middle school now. Keep good friends around you.”
And that’s why parents say they want to be involved more this school year to help prevent problems in the classroom from getting out of hand.
“I am trying to be more involved and get her to go on the right track.” Mackey said.
But even with these shared concerns, Hoosier families say they are hopeful for another successful start to the academic year.
“I don’t stress about it, just [focused on] my kids advancing in their academics, honor rolls, etc.,” said Breshonte Lee, another parent.
Students enrolled in Indianapolis Public Schools will start classes on Monday, July 31. | https://fox59.com/news/indiana-families-preparing-for-a-new-school-year/ | 2023-07-28T23:20:57 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/indiana-families-preparing-for-a-new-school-year/ |
NEW DELHI (AP) — India and Japan explored collaborating in critical technologies, including semiconductors and resilient supply chains, as part of plans to reach a target of $35.9 billion Japanese investment in the country by 2027, officials said on Friday.
Foreign Ministers of India and Japan, S. Jaishankar and Yoshimasa Hayashi, met in New Delhi on Thursday and also discussed ways to deepen defense equipment and technology cooperation. Hayashi is on a two-day visit to the Indian capital.
Russia’s war in Ukraine has disrupted the global supply of parts and raw materials needed to complete a variety of products – from cars to computer chips.
Hayashi and Jaishankar also emphasized the crucial role of a strong partnership between India and Japan in ensuring an open and prosperous Indo-Pacific region that is inclusive and rules-based, a statement by India’s External Affairs Ministry said.
They discussed cooperation under multilateral and plurilateral frameworks, including the Quad grouping that also includes the United States and Australia, the statement said. The grouping aims at countering the growing challenge posed by an aggressive China in the region.
Japan considers India an indispensable partner in achieving a free and open Indo-Pacific, Hayashi said at a meeting with business leaders from the two countries.
He said he has been encouraging Japanese companies to invest in 15 key sectors identified by India as eligible for subsidies. These include telecommunications equipment, automobiles, and applied chemical batteries.
“All of this has led to the remarkable growth in Japanese investment into crucial technologies such as medical equipment, electronics, and household electric appliances,” Hayashi said.
Jaishankar and Hayashi expressed satisfaction at the strengthening of defense and security cooperation between the two countries, including regular exercises and talks between all three services, the statement said.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ambitions to build a chipmaking industry suffered a potential setback earlier this month as electronics giant Foxconn backed out of a $19.5 billion semiconductor joint venture with Indian mining conglomerate Vedanta Ltd.
In February last year, the two companies announced their joint venture to manufacture chips and display panels in India.
India has made building a chipmaking sector a national priority as part of a self-reliance policy to secure stable supplies. It is offering financial incentives of up to 50% of project costs under a $10 billion plan for semiconductor and display manufacturing projects.
India and Japan share strong economic ties. Trade between the two was worth $20.57 billion in fiscal year 2021-2022. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-india-and-japan-look-to-collaborate-in-building-semiconductors-and-resilient-supply-chains/ | 2023-07-28T23:21:01 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-india-and-japan-look-to-collaborate-in-building-semiconductors-and-resilient-supply-chains/ |
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JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — A mother shot in the street while crouching to protect her child. A toddler trapped in a building that's been shelled, separated from her mother. A whole family hiding under a bed, with children crying from the sound of constant gunfire and shelling.
These are just some of the stories civilians living under siege the past five days in Sudan's capital Khartoum have told NPR, when reached by phone.
They describe a dire situation in the city, with no electricity, water or medicine, as they cower amid the brutal urban warfare going on in their residential neighborhoods.
The violence broke out on Saturday between the Sudanese armed forces and a paramilitary group, the Rapid Support Forces. The two are vying for power, despite promises that a civilian government would be installed after an October 2021 coup d'etat by the Sudanese military.
"On Saturday morning, April 15, we woke up to the sounds of gunfire, from that morning on we live in fear," says Hipa Salih, a Sudanese journalist. "I think we can die at any time. Nobody can feel safe in Khartoum now."
Her voice raw from breathing in smoke from gunfire and bombings, she says: "The children are crying because they're very, very scared and the house is shaking... all our family stay under the bed, the war planes over us."
Civilians have been shot in the streets
It's impossible for civilians to reach family members from whom they are separated, Salih says, so people are effectively prisoners in their own homes. One woman she knew had tried to move from one location to a safer place with her children — and was shot dead by the RSF.
"They killed her in the middle of the road — she was trying to cover her children and then they shoot her," she says.
Kholood Khair, a researcher and academic who's also hunkered down in Khartoum, says the extreme violence has shocked residents.
"On Saturday morning, everyone was kind of caught unawares," Khair says. "It's the kind of warfare one might expect in a battlefield, but instead it's taking place right in the heart of town. And the problem is for a lot of people that no one is really sure how long this is going to take — and that uncertainty is driving people's anxieties and fears."
Families are separated with no certainty of reuniting with their loved ones, she says. "A friend of mine was separated from her three-year-old daughter on Saturday and hasn't been able to get to her since. And because the streets are unsafe, she's not sure whether she's able to get to her. In addition, she found out just today that their apartment block, where her daughter is, has been hit. So these are the kinds of desperate stories, multiplied by tens of thousands, that exist all over Khartoum."
Duaa Tariq, an art curator, tells NPR she is trapped inside a house with her sister, who is five months pregnant, and two-year-old nephew. They are beginning to run out of food.
"Right now the fight has come to my neighborhood," she says. "Three people were killed two minutes away from my house from anti-aircraft, and yeah, we're very frightened and scared and we're also in a very bad situation in terms of supplies."
Democratic dreams have been repeatedly hijacked by the military
Tariq, 30, is a member of one of Sudan's grassroots pro-democracy resistance committees. She was involved in a peaceful people power revolution in 2019 that brought down President Omar al-Bashir, the North African country's longtime dictator and an indicted war criminal. Since then she's continued her activism, hoping to see a democratic Sudan.
الشعب ما درقة .. هنرجع نملا الشوارع هتاف #لاللحرب
— duaa tariq (@duatarq) April 18, 2023
الحل مدني و ثورتنا سلمية ✊🏿 #الفن_يرعبهم pic.twitter.com/IGc2NNfsSY
But that dream has been repeatedly hijacked by military forces. First there was the 2021 coup, and now there's the fighting between the Sudanese army and the RSF. The two are erstwhile allies — the RSF is a Bashir-created group that grew out of the notorious Janjaweed militia responsible for abuses in Darfur.
Asked if she feels hopeless that democracy will ever come to Sudan now, Tariq is defiant.
"Our neighborhood committees, last night we went out and we did graffiti in the street, just to remind people that our voices are here. We're trying to be heard, because you know the bullets are always louder than people's voices, but we're trying to make it through."
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.ctpublic.org/2023-04-19/residents-in-khartoum-live-in-fear-and-desperation-as-fighting-rages-on | 2023-07-28T23:21:08 | 1 | https://www.ctpublic.org/2023-04-19/residents-in-khartoum-live-in-fear-and-desperation-as-fighting-rages-on |
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A merger that would have created one of the largest health service companies in the Upper Midwest has been scrapped.
Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services and Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based Sanford Health announced Thursday that they would not proceed with the merger they had been discussing since late last year. It would have created a system with more than 50 hospitals and about 78,000 employees.
This is the second time in a decade that the two companies considered a merger but failed to complete it, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
The latest attempt drew fierce opposition at the University of Minnesota, which has a partnership with Fairview. The university sold its teaching hospital to Fairview in 1997 and opposed the idea of an out-of-state entity owning the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis. The merged system would have been based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s largest city.
Statements from the two companies’ CEOs stated that without support from stakeholders, it was determined that the merger couldn’t move forward.
The companies first considered merging in 2013 but met with strong political opposition.
Minnesota lawmakers this spring gave the state attorney general additional power to scrutinize health care mergers, including the Sanford-Fairview proposal.
The affiliation between Fairview and the University of Minnesota includes financial support from Fairview for the school’s academic medicine mission. This agreement continues through 2026, but both parties have an option to signal by the end of this year if they want to end the partnership. Fairview has said the current agreements are not financially sustainable. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-merger-talks-end-between-large-health-care-systems-in-minnesota-south-dakota/ | 2023-07-28T23:21:09 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-merger-talks-end-between-large-health-care-systems-in-minnesota-south-dakota/ |
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Rep. Jamie Raskin, a prominent lawmaker representing D.C. suburbs in Maryland, announced that his cancer is in remission after he completed chemotherapy. The Democrat said in December that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma.
In a letter Thursday addressed "Dear America" on his website, the 60-year-old fourth-term congressman said that after receiving "a preliminary diagnosis of being 'in remission' from diffuse large B-cell lymphoma with a 90% prognosis of no relapse, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and love."
Raskin shared a video on social media of him ringing a bell to celebrate.
Tuesday I thanked nurses, doctors & pharmacists at @MedStarGUH who serve with splendid kindness—and saved my life over 5 months. I finished 6 rounds of 5-day chemo sessions—which they organized so I didn’t have to miss votes or hearings—and I rang the bell! A new chapter begins. pic.twitter.com/lAtpGyBG5b
— Jamie Raskin (@jamie_raskin) April 27, 2023
He said "many thousands" of people had reached out to him in the past five months "with expressions of prayer, best wishes, concern, solidarity, sympathy and moral encouragement."
He said he had received gifts, including bandanas, baseball caps, homemade scarves, vegan matzoh ball soup, poems and letters. E Street Band guitarist Steven Van Zandt, known for wearing bandanas himself, was among those who sent Raskin one.
Raskin said that he still was exhausted as he recovered from the final round of chemotherapy, but that he would issue a proper thank you soon.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.ctpublic.org/2023-04-28/rep-jamie-raskin-says-his-cancer-is-in-remission | 2023-07-28T23:21:14 | 1 | https://www.ctpublic.org/2023-04-28/rep-jamie-raskin-says-his-cancer-is-in-remission |
NEW YORK (AP) — Procter & Gamble reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter profits and revenue, showing that the appetite for established brands like Crest toothpaste, Tide detergent and Charmin toilet paper is still strong even as the consumer products company pushes up prices.
P&G increased prices by about 7% across various brands from the same period last year, less than the 10% increase in third quarter. Global volume fell 1% in the quarter, however, still an improvement over a 3% drop in volume during the third quarter, and a 6% drop in the second quarter.
During a call with analysts Friday, Chairman and CEO Jon Moeller said higher prices are tied to company innovations and aren’t going away.
Examples include Cruiser 360 diapers, made for babies that move around a lot. Sales have increased 33% over the past 12 months, according to Andre Schulten, the company’s chief financial officer. And a detox body wash sold in China called Safeguard goes for twice the market average price. Sales have almost doubled in the past year.
“When you have a strong innovation program, it compels consumers to try even better performing products,” Moeller said.
During the fourth quarter prices for fabric care, as well as home and health care, went up 6% and grooming products rose 9%. Beauty items rose 8%.
Pricing has been a boost to sales growth in nearly all of P&G’s past 51 quarters, Moeller said.
The easing of volume declines may be encouraging news for P&G and other producers after recent evidence of a pushback by shoppers to seemingly relentless price hikes coming from a broad spectrum of retailers and companies the make products for them.
Conagra Brands, which makes Slim Jim beef jerky, Duncan Hines cake mix and more, said this month that smaller price increases have not translated to higher sales volume. The company raised prices 15% in the quarter before that and it didn’t dent demand.
Also this month, PepsiCo said higher prices lifted the company’s revenue in the second quarter but snack food volumes fell 3% in the April-June period, while beverage volumes dropped 1%. The company said that price increases could start to moderate in the second half of this year.
Overall inflation continues to slow and on Friday, the U.S. reported that the consumer price index, which is followed closely because it accounts for changes in how people shop when inflation jumps, rose in June at the slowest pace in more than two years.
Procter & Gamble Co., based in Cincinnati, reported net income of $3.39 billion, or $1.37 per share, in the quarter ended June 30. That compares with $3.06 billion, or $1.21 per share, in the year-ago quarter.
Sales rose 5% to $20.6 billion from $19.51 billion in the quarter.
Analysts were expecting $1.32 per share on sales of $20.01 billion, according to FactSet.
P&G expects fiscal 2024 sales growth in the range of 3% to 4% versus the prior year. The company expects organic sales growth, which excludes deals and currency moves, to be in the range of 4% to 5%.
P&G expects net earnings per share growth in the range of 6% to 9% for the current year. This outlook equates to a range of $6.25 to $6.43 per share, with a mid-point estimate of $6.34, or an increase of 7.5%. Analysts were expecting $6.37 per share.
Shares rose more than 3% Friday.
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WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s lawmakers voted Friday to approve an amended but divisive law on Russian influences believed to be targeting the opposition and criticized by the U.S. and the European Union.
The law was proposed in May by Poland’s ruling right-wing Law and Justice party and critics see it as primarily targeting opposition leader and former Prime Minister Donald Tusk, before a parliamentary election scheduled for this fall. Following criticism, President Andrzej Duda proposed urgent amendments to tone it down.
The lower house, or Sejm, voted 235-214 with four abstentions to reject the Senate’s veto to the draft law amended by Duda. It only now requires Duda’s signature to take effect.
The amended bill calls for a commission to check whether between 2007 and 2022 politicians have taken decisions under Russia’s influence that could threaten Poland’s security. Duda has said it is needed for transparency’s sake and to prevent Russia from influencing Poland’s stability in the future.
Poland is supporting neighboring Ukraine to fight against Russia’s full-scale invasion and is supplying weapons, humanitarian aid and political backing for Kyiv. That has drawn harsh comments from Moscow.
The previous, more restrictive law is currently in effect, but the commission members haven’t been chosen yet.
When it takes effect, the law will create a powerful committee by experts but not lawmakers to investigate Russian influence in Poland and name politicians who allegedly allowed them, thus barring them in practice from holding public positions. However, critics say it is primarily targeting Tusk, who also served as a top EU official.
Law and Justice accuses Tusk of having been too friendly toward Russia and President Vladimir Putin as prime minister between 2007 and 2014, and making gas deals favorable to Moscow before he went to Brussels to be the president of the European Council between 2014 and 2019.
Law and Justice party leader Jarosław Kaczyński and Tusk are longtime political rivals.
Critics say the law violates the Polish Constitution and could keep government opponents from holding public office by having a negative effect on their eligibility, especially in a parliamentary election later this year. Amendments by Duda, who holds a law doctorate, allowed for the commission verdict to be appealed to court.
The U.S. State Department and EU authorities have strongly criticized the law in its first version and expressed concerns about Poland’s democracy. The 27-member EU, which Poland joined in 2004, also threatened to take measures, if it became fully clear that such a law would undermine democratic standards.
When Duda proposed the amendments in June, he also bowed partially to critics and sent the bill to the Constitutional Tribunal for a review for conformity with the supreme law. That verdict is still pending. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-polands-lawmakers-approve-a-divisive-law-on-russian-influence/ | 2023-07-28T23:21:25 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-polands-lawmakers-approve-a-divisive-law-on-russian-influence/ |
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin courted leaders from Africa at a summit on Friday, hailing the continent’s growing role in global affairs and offering to expand political and business ties.
Addressing the Russia-Africa summit for a second day, Putin said Moscow would closely analyze a peace proposal for Ukraine that African leaders have sought to pursue.
“This is an acute issue, and we aren’t evading its consideration,” the Russian leader said, emphasizing that his government was treating the African initiative with respect and “looking at it attentively.”
He encouraged the African leaders to talk to Ukraine, which has refused to engage in talks until Russian troops pull back. “I believe it’s necessary to also talk to the other side, although we are grateful to our African friends for their attention to the issue,” Putin said at the St. Petersburg summit.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said African leaders were looking forward to engaging further with Putin later Friday on their peace proposal.
“It is our hope that constructive engagement and negotiation can bring about an end to the ongoing conflict,” Ramaphosa, who leads sub-Saharan Africa’s most developed country, said, adding in South Africa, “our own history has taught us that this is indeed possible.”
Without specifically mentioning the fighting in Ukraine, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni denounced those who foment ideologically-driven military conflicts as “time and opportunity wasters,” adding that “human history will move on, whether they like it or not.”
“The only justified wars are the just wars, like the anti-colonial wars,” Museveni said. “Wars of hegemony will fail and waste time and opportunity. Dialogue is the correct way.”
In the public portion of a late night meeting Friday about the peace proposal, Putin repeated to the African leaders his explanations for the conflict’s origins and Russia’s actions in it, without giving any specific reaction to their suggestions. The African leaders said they expected to hear Putin’s detailed reactions in a subsequent closed part of the meeting.
In his speech, Putin reaffirmed his pledge that Russia will maintain steady supplies of grain and other agricultural products to the continent after its withdrawal from a deal allowing grain shipments from Ukraine. Moscow’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative has fueled concerns of a global food crisis.
“Russia will always be a responsible international supplier of agricultural products and will continue to support the countries and region in need by offering free grain and other supplies,” the Russian leader said.
He declared at the summit’s opening Thursday that Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea and Central African Republic each will receive 25,000 to 50,000 tons of Russian grain in the next three to four months.
In comparison, the U.N. World Food Program shipped 725,000 tons of grain to several countries, including Somalia, under the Black Sea deal.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres responded to Putin’s pledge of no-cost grain shipments by noting that such donations of grain can’t compensate for the impact of Moscow cutting off grain exports from Ukraine, which along with Russia is a top supplier to the world market.
Guterres said the U.N. was in contact with Turkey, Ukraine, Russia and other countries to try to reestablish the year-old agreement, under which Ukraine exported more than 32 million tons of grain. The resumption of shipments from Ukraine’s Black Sea ports allowed global food prices to drop significantly from the levels they reached after Putin sent troops into the neighboring country.
The deal brokered a year ago by the U.N. and Turkey reopened Ukrainian Black Sea ports blocked by fighting and provided assurances that ships entering them wouldn’t be attacked. Russia declined to renew the agreement last week, complaining that its own exports were being held up.
Putin used the summit to repeat his accusations against the West of obstructing the export of Russian grain and fertilizers, including proposed no-cost supplies of fertilizers to Africa.
The Russia-Africa summit marks a renewed Kremlin effort to bolster ties with a continent of 1.3 billion people that is increasingly assertive on the global stage. Africa’s 54 nations make up the largest voting bloc at the United Nations and have been more divided than any other region on General Assembly resolutions criticizing Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
Only 17 heads of state were at the summit, compared to 43 at the first Russia-Africa summit in 2019, a sharp drop in attendance that the Kremlin has attributed to what it described as “outrageous” Western pressure to discourage African countries from showing up.
Putin hailed Africa’s role in the emerging “multipolar world order,” noting that “the era of hegemony of one or several countries is receding into the past, albeit not without resistance on the part of those who got used to their own uniqueness and monopoly in global affairs.”
“Russia and Africa are united by an innate desire to defend true sovereignty and the right to their own distinctive path of development in the political, economic, social, cultural and other spheres,” he said.
He said Russia plans to expand trade and economic ties with Africa and continue efforts to relieve their debt burden by writing off another $90 million of their debts.
Putin noted that Moscow also stands ready to bolster defense ties with African countries by helping train their military and expanding supplies of military equipment, some of them on a no-cost basis.
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This story corrects the amount that Ukraine exported under the Black Sea deal to 32 million tons.
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Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and Cara Anna in Nairobi, Kenya contributed to this report. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-putin-woos-african-leaders-at-a-summit-in-russia-with-promises-of-expanding-trade-and-other-ties/ | 2023-07-28T23:21:34 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-putin-woos-african-leaders-at-a-summit-in-russia-with-promises-of-expanding-trade-and-other-ties/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street’s rally got back on track Friday following more encouraging profit reports and the latest signal that inflation is loosening its chokehold on the economy.
The S&P 500 rose 1% to its highest close in more than 15 months. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 176 points, or 0.5% after breaking a 13-day winning streak the day before. The Nasdaq composite jumped 1.9% as Big Tech stocks led the market.
Stocks have been rising recently on hopes high inflation is cooling enough to get the Federal Reserve to stop hiking interest rates. That in turn could allow the economy to continue growing and avoid a long-predicted recession. The S&P 500 closed out its third straight winning week and its ninth in the last 11.
A report on Friday bolstered those hopes, saying the inflation measure the Fed prefers to use slowed last month by a touch more than expected. Perhaps just as importantly, data also showed that total compensation for workers rose less than expected during the spring. While that’s discouraging for workers looking for bigger raises, investors see it adding less upward pressure on inflation.
The hope among traders is that the slowdown in inflation means the Federal Reserve’s hike to interest rates on Wednesday will be the final one of this cycle. The federal funds rate has leaped to a level between 5.25% and 5.50%, up from virtually zero early last year. High interest rates work to lower inflation by slowing the entire economy and hurting prices for stocks and other investments.
Critics, though, say the stock market’s rally may have gone too far, too fast. The full effects of the Fed’s rate hikes have yet to make their way fully through the system. Other parts of the economy could still crack under the pressure, like the three U.S. bank failures this spring that shook confidence. Plus, inflation remains above the Fed’s target level, and the central bank could have to keep the brakes on the economy a while to get it down to target.
“Don’t underestimate central bank commitment to 2% inflation,” Bank of America economists wrote in a BofA Global Research report.
Still, hopes for a halt to rate hikes helped technology stocks and others seen as big beneficiaries from easier rates to rally and lead the market Friday.
Microsoft, Apple and Amazon each rose at least 1.4% and were the three strongest forces pushing upward on the S&P 500.
Companies also continued to deliver stronger profits for the spring than analysts expected. Roughly halfway through the earnings season, more companies than usual are topping profit forecasts, according to FactSet.
Intel rose 6.6% after reporting a profit for the latest quarter, when analysts were expecting a loss.
Food giant Mondelez International climbed 3.7% after reporting stronger results for the spring than expected. The company behind Oreo and Ritz also raised its forecasts for financial results for the full year.
On the losing end was Exxon Mobil. It fell 1.2% and was the heaviest single weight on the S&P 500. It reported weaker profit for the spring than expected, though its revenue topped forecasts.
All told, the S&P 500 rose 44.82 points to 4,582.23. The Dow added 176.57 to 35,459.29, and the Nasdaq jumped 265.55 to 14,316.66.
In stock markets abroad, Japan’s Nikkei 225 slipped 0.4% after the Bank of Japan made moves that could allow longer-term interest rates to rise. Stocks rose in China and were modestly higher across Europe.
In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 3.95% from 4.00% late Thursday. It helps set rates for mortgages and other important loans.
The two-year Treasury, which moves more on expectations for what the Federal Reserve will do, fell to 4.87% from 4.92%.
Yields dipped after a survey said sentiment among U.S. consumers wasn’t quite as high in July as thought, though it was still the strongest reading since October 2021.
The report from the University of Michigan also said expectations for inflation inched up in July but remain well below where they were last year. The Fed wants to keep such expectations anchored because it fears a vicious cycle where expectations for high inflation only worsen it.
___
AP Business Writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-stock-market-today-asian-shares-mixed-tokyo-falls-as-bank-of-japan-adjusts-bond-purchase-policy/ | 2023-07-28T23:21:42 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-stock-market-today-asian-shares-mixed-tokyo-falls-as-bank-of-japan-adjusts-bond-purchase-policy/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — The fate of U.S. trucking company Yellow Corp. isn’t looking good.
After years of financial struggles, Yellow is reportedly preparing for bankruptcy and seeing customers leave in large numbers — heightening risk for future liquidation. While no official decision has been announced by the company, the prospect of bankruptcy has renewed attention around Yellow’s ongoing negotiations with unionized workers, a $700 million pandemic-era loan from the government and other bills the trucker has racked up over time.
Yellow, formerly known as YRC Worldwide Inc., is one of the nation’s largest less-than-truckload carriers. The Nashville, Tennessee-based company has some 30,000 employees across the country.
Here’s what you need to know.
Not yet. But industry experts suspect that a bankruptcy filing could come any day now.
People familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal that the company could seek bankruptcy protection as soon as this week — with some noting that a significant amount of customers have already started to leave the carrier.
Meanwhile, according to FreightWaves, employees were told to expect the filing Monday. Yellow laid off an unknown number of employees Friday, the outlet later reported, citing a memo that stated the company was “shutting down its regular operations.”
According to Satish Jindel, president of transportation and logistics firm SJ Consulting, Yellow handled an average of 49,000 shipments per day in 2022. As of this week, he estimates that number is down to between 10,000 and 15,000 daily shipments.
With customers leaving — as well reports of Yellow stopping freight pickups earlier this week — bankruptcy would “be the end of Yellow,” Jindel told The Associated Press, noting increased risk for liquidation.
“The likelihood of them surviving and remaining solvent diminishes really by the day,” added Bruce Chan, a research director at investment banking firm Stifel.
Yellow media contacts did not immediately respond to the Associated Press’ requests for comment on Friday. In a Wednesday statement to The Journal, the company said it was continuing “to prepare for a range of contingencies.” On Thursday, Yellow said it was in talks with multiple parties about selling its third-party logistics organization.
Even if Yellow was able to sell its logistics firm, it would “not generate a sufficient amount of cash to keep them operational on any sort of permanent basis,” Chan said. “Without a major equity injection, it would be very difficult for them to survive.”
As of late March, Yellow had an outstanding debt of about $1.5 billion. Of that, $729.2 million was owed to the federal government.
In 2020, under the Trump administration, the Treasury Department granted the company a $700 million pandemic-era loan on national security grounds. Last month, a congressional probe concluded that the Treasury and Defense Departments “made missteps” in this decision — and noted that Yellow’s “precarious financial position at the time of the loan, and continued struggles, expose taxpayers to a significant risk of loss.”
The government loan is due in September 2024. As of March, Yellow had made $54.8 million in interest payments and repaid just $230 million of the principal owed, according to government documents.
Yellow’s current finances and prospect of bankruptcy “is probably two decades in the making,” Chan said, pointing to poor management and strategic decisions dating back to the early 2000s. “At this point, after each party has bailed them out so many times, there is a limited appetite to do that anymore.”
In May, Yellow reported a loss of $54.6 million, a decline of $1.06 per share, for its first quarter of 2023. Operating revenue was about $1.16 billion in the period.
A Wednesday investors note from financial service firm Stephens estimated that Yellow could be burning between $9 million and $10 million each day. Using a liquidity disclosure from earlier this month, Yellow had roughly $100 million in cash at the end of June, the note added — estimating that the company has been burning through increasing amounts of money through July.
“It is reasonable to believe that the Company could breach its $35 mil. liquidity requirement at any moment,” Stephens analyst Jack Atkins and associate Grant Smith wrote.
The reports of bankruptcy preparations arrive just days after a strike from the Teamsters, which represents Yellow’s 22,000 unionized workers, was averted.
A series of heated exchanges have built up between the Teamsters and Yellow, who sued the union in June after alleging it was “unjustifiably blocking” restructuring plans needed for the company’s survival. The Teamsters called the litigation “baseless” — with general president Sean O’Brien pointing to Yellow’s “decades of gross mismanagement,” which included exhausting the $700 million federal loan.
On Sunday, a pension fund agreed to extend health benefits for workers at two Yellow Corp. operating companies, averting a strike — and giving Yellow “30 days to pay its bills,” notably $50 million that Yellow failed to pay the Central States Health and Welfare Fund on July 15, the union said. While the strike didn’t occur, talks of a walkout may have caused some Yellow customers to pull back, Chan said.
Talks between Yellow and the Teamsters, which also represents UPS’s unionized workers, are ongoing. The current contract expires in March 2024.
“The financial struggles of Yellow are not related to the union and the contracts,” Jindel said, pointing to management’s responsibility around its services and prices. He added the union wages from Yellow are “lower than any competitor.”
If Yellow files for bankruptcy and customers continue to take their shipments to other carriers, like FedEx or ABF Freight, prices will go up.
Yellow’s prices have historically been the cheapest compared to other carriers, Jindel said. “That’s why they obviously were not making money,” he added. “And while there is capacity with the other LTL carriers to handle the diversions from Yellow, it will come at a high price for (current shippers and customers) of Yellow.”
Chan adds that we’re in an interesting time for the LTL marketplace — noting that, if Yellow declares bankruptcy and liquidates, “the freight would find a home” with other carriers, which may not have been true in recent years.
“It may take time, but there’s room for it to be absorbed,” he said. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-trucking-company-yellow-corp-is-reportedly-preparing-for-bankruptcy-heres-what-you-need-to-know/ | 2023-07-28T23:21:48 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-trucking-company-yellow-corp-is-reportedly-preparing-for-bankruptcy-heres-what-you-need-to-know/ |
Chris Stapleton surprises girl with a rare backstage meet and greet
(Circle) - Chris Stapleton made a little girl’s dream come true over the weekend.
Stapleton’s 2023 All-American Road Show has kept him on the go, performing night after night, but amongst all the shows, one truly stood out.
At his July 14 concert at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a heartwarming moment unfolded when a young fan named Lily held up a sign that read, “Will you take a picture with me?”
The simple question seemed to really catch Stapleton’s attention because the girl and her family were escorted backstage after the concert, where they patiently waited for Stapleton and his wife, Morgane, to join them.
In the TikTok video, Morgane asks the young fan if she created the sign. She nods and replies, “Yes,” proudly holding out a guitar pick she had received during the concert before the meet-and-greet.
“Well. We saw your sign, and we said, We’ve gotta do that,” Morgane added.
The fan’s successful meet and greet with Stapleton came as a surprise to many, given his reputation as a private person. He is well-known for his low-key status, rarely participating in interviews, let alone participating in meet and greets.
Stapleton also surprised some fans recently by announcing to the world that he will be releasing his 5th studio album, titled “Higher.”
The upcoming album will mark his first studio release since 2020 when he dropped his fourth studio album, “Starting Over,” which won him a Grammy for Best Country Album.
Originally appeared on Circle All Access. https://www.circleallaccess.com/
Copyright 2023 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/28/chris-stapleton-surprises-girl-with-rare-backstage-meet-greet/ | 2023-07-28T23:21:51 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/28/chris-stapleton-surprises-girl-with-rare-backstage-meet-greet/ |
Damian Lillard wants to be traded to the Miami Heat. It’s about as big a secret as Pete Davidson’s dating life.
The NBA is not amused, however. Especially with the reports that Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, spoke to teams and told them his client only wants to play in Miami. The NBA investigated those claims and then sent a memo to Lillard, Goodwin, the player’s union, and all 30 teams, a story broken by Shams Charania of The Athletic. The memo says Lillard could be punished if he or his agent ever again say it’s Miami or bust, or if another team trades for Lillard and he does not give his best effort. Here’s what the whole thing says, via Chris Haynes of TNT/Bleacher Report.
Full NBA memo sent to all 30 teams regarding rhetoric on trade request made by Damian Lillard and his agent Aaron Goodwin.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 28, 2023
“Recent media reports stated that Damian Lillard’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, called multiple NBA teams to warn them against trading for Lillard because…
Here are a few thoughts here:
• The NBA is jumping in now? Right on top of things.
• Goodwin absolutely told teams Lillard only wanted to go to Miami — he admitted it on record.
News: Regarding report about message to non Heat teams, Lillard's agent, Aaron Goodwin, tells me: "I do what I should for my client. Some teams I did call. Other teams have called me. It's a respectful relationship with most teams. Truthfully, he wants to play in Miami. Period."
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) July 6, 2023
• This will not keep future players from using their leverage to force a trade to their preferred destinations. There are many ways to make that demand know that are not as public as how Goodwin and Lillard handled things. In the future, agents will use back channels, but teams will know where players want to go.
• I’m not sold, as some have speculated, this sets up the NBA to deny the trade if the sides figure out a deal. There would have to be more and a real smoking gun of evidence to get there.
• It is worth noting the NBA sent the memo to the NBPA and said it would apply to any future players saying they only wanted to be traded to one specific team. It feels like a shot across the bow of James Harden, who wants to be traded to the Clippers, but has been more subtle about it.
• While the memo states Lillard agreed he would play for whatever team trades for him — giving Portland some cover to explore options other than Miami — none of that changes the underlying market that has dragged this process out:
There is not a long line of teams making good offers for Lillard.
Miami and its lowball offer is the best thing on the table right now. Trail Blazers fans can jump up and down and say, “half the league could make a better offer than Miami,” but that only matters if those teams put said offers forward. They have not. It’s not because of what Goodwin said, it’s because Lillard is 33 years old with four years and $216 million left on his contract. He doesn’t naturally fit with the roster or timeline of some teams with plenty of trade assets (for example Brooklyn, Utah or San Antonio). Lillard is the ultimate win-now player because while he is coming off an All-NBA season where he averaged 32.2 points per game, by the back end of the deal Llillard will be overpaid. Miami can live with that to chase a ring, most teams are not good with that plan.
Other teams are only tossing out lowball trade packages with Portland because they’d love to get Lillard in a steal but don’t want to pay full freight. So we are at a stalemate, one that likely lasts up to or even into the start of training camp (when a third team gets seriously involved).
Now that the NBA has weighed in, things will go smoothly. | https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/nba-sent-memo-saying-lillard-agent-could-be-punished-for-future-miami-only-trade-demands | 2023-07-28T23:21:54 | 1 | https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/nba-sent-memo-saying-lillard-agent-could-be-punished-for-future-miami-only-trade-demands |
A private hang with Woody Harrelson, ‘Broad City’ dress available in auction to support film crew during strike
Posted/updated on: July 28, 2023 at 4:10 pmEver wanted to hang out with Woody Harrelson? Well, here’s your chance.
The Union Solidarity Coalition is hosting an auction to support film crew members who are at risk of losing their health care benefits due to the ongoing Writer’s Guild of America strike.
The announcement came on Friday, July 28, almost three months into the WGA strike that began on May 2.
Available auction items range from props and collectables — such as a Spaceballs poster signed by Mel Brooks and Abbi Jacobson’s blue bodycon dress from Broad City — to experiences with famous actors, like a curated New York dining experience with Succession’s very own cousin Greg, Nicholas Braun, and, yes, that aforementioned private hang with Harrelson in Los Angeles.
Also available are Spider-Man: Across the Spiderverse posters signed by producers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, as well as a variety of handmade crafts by Seth Rogen, Lena Dunham and Justine Bateman.
Bidding ends on August 5. TUSC says more items and experiences will be auctioned off later that month.
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. | https://ktbb.com/post/?p=1247450 | 2023-07-28T23:21:54 | 1 | https://ktbb.com/post/?p=1247450 |
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (WJHL) — Thursday marked 70 years since the Korean Armistice was signed, effectively bringing an end to the Korean War.
We took you to a ceremony honoring the event and in this week’s Veterans Voices, we continue to share the stories of those who served in what’s often referred to as the “forgotten war.”
“To us it’s not forgotten…we remember it,” Arlen Hensley said.
Hensley was a radioman in the war. Like several other fellow veterans News Channel 11 spoke to Thursday, he received a Purple Heart.
“Three of my lieutenants got killed and one severely wounded. I got wounded on the 27th of March, 1953. We were going up to help E-Z Company, we were going up the Reno Block to keep the Chinese from coming down to their headquarters and aid station,” Hensley explained. “When I first got there off the trucks, they were shooting mortars in. I laid my pack down and my radio with it. A mortar hit right on top of me. I was in a bunker, it saved my life I guess.”
The Korean War between North and South Korea began on June 25, 1950.
“We went over for a country we did not know or people we did not know,” said Fred Himelwright, who was in the artillery unit. “And we fought to maintain freedom.”
Many of the men who served were young and many were teenagers.
“When I arrived in the artillery unit, was the same day that there was a tremendous shelling and three men in the unit next to me were killed,” Himelwright shared. “They were shooting at us and I wanted to go up to a gun and shoot back. And I had not yet been assigned to anything. So I lived through that. And that was one of the worst experiences.”
The three-year conflict is often referred to as the “forgotten war” as it happened after World War II and before the Vietnam War. But, those who served are still impacted today.
“I never did understand why. I know that there was never a declaration of war signed by the president like there was in World War II and with Vietnam,” said Paul Serchia, who was an infantryman.
The signing of the Armistice on July 27, 1953, effectively ended the war, but fighting continued until the last minute.
“I was 22 years old when the war ended,” said Robert Shelton, who served in the Army Signal Corps as a high-speed radio operator. “I was at the front line and they were firing right at the last minute and I thought that was silly, to get wounded or get killed within the last few hours of the war.”
Seventy years later, local Korean War Veterans gathered to honor their fellow soldiers lost in the conflict. They talked about their time and accomplishments there but shared some concerns for the future of democracy in South Korea.
“North Korea’s still pouncing almost every time they get a chance to, you know, reminding us what they can do,” said John Bussard, Sr. who was in the Demilitarized Zone. “And they didn’t have missiles at one time, but now they’ve got the missiles and they fired the missiles pretty often just to remind us that they could be in charge and very quickly.”
Thursday’s ceremony in Johnson City was held by the Kings Mountain Post 24 of the American Legion at the Washington County/Johnson City Veterans Memorial Park.
During the ceremony, the names of local soldiers who died in the war were read aloud and they rang a bell for each one.
The ceremony also included the playing of Taps, a presentation of the missing man table, and the laying of a wreath.
A Korean War veteran and Korean pastor also spoke.
Is there a veteran whose story you think needs to be told? Or is there a veterans issue or organization you think we should know about?
Submit a nomination or an idea here. | https://www.wjhl.com/archives/veterans-voices/local-korean-war-veterans-remember-70-years-since-the-end-of-the-war/ | 2023-07-28T23:21:55 | 1 | https://www.wjhl.com/archives/veterans-voices/local-korean-war-veterans-remember-70-years-since-the-end-of-the-war/ |
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two taxi drivers have been arrested in the Mexican city of Cancun for assaulting a van carrying foreign tourists, prosecutors said Friday.
The events in the Caribbean coast resort on Thursday were the latest in a months-long string of assaults on vehicles that medallion-cab drivers suspect of being operated by ride-hailing apps such as Uber.
Prosecutors in the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo said such behavior will not be tolerated.
“Strong action will be taken to ensure that the state is a safe destination for local inhabitants and visitors,” the state prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Local residents posted video on social media showing at least two uniformed cab drivers bashing a Chevy Suburban with poles and other objects.
The van driver attempts to escape with the vehicle’s tailgate open, according to the footage, and the tourists’ luggage spills into the street. Three women can later be seen retrieving their luggage from the street.
“What are you doing?” cries one woman in English as belligerent cabbies mill around the scene, carrying what looked like improvised cudgels. “That is not okay.”
A local business owner who filmed the incident invited the women to take refuge in her store. The video shows the taxi drivers chasing the driver of the Suburban down the street until he reached a police officer.
The state prosecutors’ office said two taxi drivers were charged with robbery, and causing damage and injuries.
Local media reported the Suburban was not run through a ride-hailing app but by a local, non-medallion limousine service. Past incidents of taxi drivers attacking private vehicles in Cancun were based on the mistaken assumption they were Uber cars.
Cancun residents organized a boycott of medallion taxis in January following a week of blockades and violent incidents by drivers protesting the ride-hailing app Uber.
Road blockades, stone throwing and cabbies physically getting in the way had prevented tourists from boarding Uber vehicles. The U.S. issued a travel advisory warning that “past disputes between these services and local taxi unions have occasionally turned violent, resulting in injuries to U.S. citizens in some instances.”
Ride-hailing app s were blocked in Cancun until January, when a court granted an injunction allowing Uber to operate. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-two-taxi-drivers-arrested-in-mexican-resort-of-cancun-for-assaulting-van-carrying-foreign-tourists/ | 2023-07-28T23:21:54 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-two-taxi-drivers-arrested-in-mexican-resort-of-cancun-for-assaulting-van-carrying-foreign-tourists/ |
Donald Trump appeals judge’s decision to keep hush-money case in New York state court
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump asked a federal appeals court Friday to reverse a federal judge’s decision to keep his hush-money criminal case in a New York state court that the former president claims is “very unfair” to him.
Trump’s lawyers filed a notice of appeal with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan after U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein last week rejected his bid to move the case to federal court, where his lawyers were primed to argue he was immune from prosecution.
U.S. law allows criminal prosecutions to be moved from state to federal court if they involve actions taken by federal government officials as part of their official duties, but Hellerstein ruled that the hush-money case involved a personal matter, not presidential duties.
Trump’s appeal notice came at the end of another busy week of legal action for the twice-indicted Republican as he seeks a return to the White House in next year’s election. On Thursday, he was indicted on new criminal charges in a separate case in federal court in Florida involving allegations that he illegally hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the hush-money case and fought to keep it in state court, declined to comment on Trump’s appeal.
Trump pleaded not guilty April 4 in state court to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide reimbursements made to his longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen for his role in paying $130,000 to the porn actor Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.
Cohen also arranged for the National Enquirer to pay Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 for the rights to her story about an alleged affair, which the supermarket tabloid then squelched in a dubious journalism practice known as “catch-and-kill.”
Trump denied having sexual encounters with either woman. His lawyers argue the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses and not part of any cover-up.
He is scheduled to stand trial in state court on March 25, 2024. In the meantime, his lawyers have asked the state court judge presiding over the case, Juan Manuel Merchan, to step aside, arguing that he’s biased in part because his daughter does political consulting work for some of Trump’s Democratic rivals. Trump has referred to Merchan as “a Trump-hating judge” with a family full of “Trump haters.” The judge has yet to rule on the request.
In seeking to try the hush-money case tried in federal court, Trump’s lawyers have argued that some of his alleged conduct amounted to official presidential duties because it occurred in 2017 while he was president, including checks he purportedly wrote while sitting in the Oval Office.
Moving the case from state court to federal court would have significant legal and practical consequences for Trump. In federal court, for example, his lawyers could then try to get the charges dismissed on the grounds that federal officials have immunity from prosecution over actions taken as part of their official job duties.
A shift to federal court would also mean a more politically diverse jury pool — drawing not only from heavily Democratic Manhattan, where Trump is wildly unpopular, but also from suburban counties north of the city where he has more political support.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/28/donald-trump-appeals-judges-decision-keep-hush-money-case-new-york-state-court/ | 2023-07-28T23:21:57 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/28/donald-trump-appeals-judges-decision-keep-hush-money-case-new-york-state-court/ |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Gov. Bill Lee on Friday wouldn’t say whether his proposal to keep firearms away from dangerous people has enough support inside Tennessee’s Republican-dominant Statehouse to survive the upcoming special legislative session.
In roughly three weeks, lawmakers are expected to be called back to Nashville to address possible changes to the state’s gun laws, an effort that gained momentum after a shooter opened fire at a Nashville elementary school earlier this year and killed six people, including three 9-year-old children.
Yet even as traumatized families closely connected to the shooting have pleaded and lobbied for more restrictions on who can access guns, GOP lawmakers have appeared hesitant to adopt any pro-gun control proposals.
Back in May, Lee announced that he would call a special session after the Republican lawmakers initially refused to consider his proposal designed to keep guns away from people who could harm themselves or others.
Since then, the Republican governor said Friday that he’s met with “hundreds of people” to go over not only his proposal but also others on mental health, violent crime and juvenile justice that will also be considered during the special session. His office has also received thousands of public comments largely in support of passing some sort of gun control legislation.
“I’m really encouraged by the efforts of General Assembly members that are bringing ideas forward to make sure that this is a very productive session that leaves Tennessee safer,” Lee said.
However, Lee wouldn’t say whether he had the votes to get his own proposal past the Republican supermajority and wouldn’t answer who would be sponsoring his legislation.
“You know, whenever you bring a piece of legislation, you certainly hope that it does (pass),” Lee said. “But that’s up to the General Assembly.”
Lee has mounted a campaign for “temporary mental health orders of protection” and has maintained that it is not a so-called red flag law, which he has described as a “toxic political label.”
To date, 19 states have red flag laws on the books — with many lawmakers enacting them after tragedies. Notably, Florida did so after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that killed 17 students. Law enforcement officials had received numerous complaints about the 19-year-old gunman’s threatening statements.
In allowing courts to issue what are known as extreme risk protection orders, the laws are intended to temporarily remove guns — usually for up to a year — from people showing signs of potentially violent behavior. In many cases, family members or law enforcement must petition a court for an order.
An AP-NORC poll in last year found 78% of U.S. adults strongly or somewhat favor red flag laws, but the backlash against them has been intense in some states, particularly in rural areas.
Under Lee’s proposal, law enforcement would first determine if a person is a threat, then a hearing with the person in question would be held, generally within three to five days. A judge would rule whether they should indeed have their weapons taken away temporarily. If so, the person would have to surrender their guns and ammunition to a third party within two days and any handgun carry license would be suspended within three business days. The actions would last up to 180 days at a time. | https://www.wjhl.com/news/regional/tennessee/gov-lee-declines-to-say-if-he-has-enough-votes-for-gun-proposal/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:01 | 0 | https://www.wjhl.com/news/regional/tennessee/gov-lee-declines-to-say-if-he-has-enough-votes-for-gun-proposal/ |
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- Next week, a New Jersey-based nonprofit will pack 50,000 meals for neighbors in need.
This is the work of the Street Love Foundation, which is bringing its volunteers to Harrah's Resort in Atlantic City for this massive effort.
Over the course of a few hours next Wednesday morning, volunteers will make, pack, and distribute 10,000 pounds of food to give to local food banks and charitable institutions like Project HOME and AC Rescue Mission.
"We will have these meals, and if there are charitable agencies who need them or families in distress, we can help," says Jill Plotnick, the vice president of Street Love Foundation.
"State troopers are also going to be bringing food back to their various constituencies in case someone has an emergency, so they have food on hand," Plotnick added.
The Street Love Foundation started on one street in Ventnor during the pandemic.
Neighbors got together and started packing and delivering food to those in need.
In the past three years, they've expanded, with volunteers and corporate partners.
"We help the food insecure, people who are clothing insecure, or people who need help getting back on their feet, and they need that little extra something," says Liz Schneider, the founder and president of Street Love Foundation. "We've evolved into giving people the extra things that put a little smile on their faces."
Their next big effort is a massive backpack giveaway.
If you want to join them at Harrah's next Wednesday at 9:30 a.m., or if you want to help in the future, click here. | https://6abc.com/street-love-foundation-nonprofit-food-insecurity-ventnor-new-jersey/13564674/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:01 | 1 | https://6abc.com/street-love-foundation-nonprofit-food-insecurity-ventnor-new-jersey/13564674/ |
‘Suits’ sets streaming record for acquired series
Posted/updated on: July 28, 2023 at 4:40 pmSuits may have only recently become available to watch on Netflix, but it’s already made quite an impression.
The former USA Network series, which starred Meghan Markle for eight seasons, then ran for a ninth and final season after her character was written out, set a viewing time record for an acquired series in the week of June 26-July 2.
According to Nielsen, Suits had 3.14 billion minutes of watch time. This easily passes the former record of 2.49 billion minutes that was held by Manifest, back before the show became a Netflix original and still belonged to NBC.
Suits finished airing almost four years ago in September 2019. It became available on Netflix on June 23. The series is also available to watch on Peacock, and streams from that service contribute to its total viewing time record.
This huge number of streams for Suits beats out newer titles, like the debut of season 3 of The Witcher on Netflix, which came in second with 1.31 billion minutes of viewing, and The Bear on Hulu, which came in third with 1.01 billion minutes of viewing.
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved. | https://ktbb.com/post/?p=1247455 | 2023-07-28T23:22:01 | 1 | https://ktbb.com/post/?p=1247455 |
DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government wants to raise the fuel economy of new vehicles 18% by the 2032 model year so the fleet would average about 43.5 miles per gallon in real world driving.
The proposed numbers were released Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which eventually will adopt final mileage requirements.
Currently the fleet of new vehicles must average 36.75 mpg by 2026 under corporate average fuel economy standards adopted by the administration of President Joe Biden, who reversed a rollback made by former President Donald Trump.
The highway safety agency says it will try to line up its regulations so they match the Environmental Protection Agency’s reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But if there are discrepancies, automakers likely will have to follow the most stringent regulation.
In the byzantine world of government regulation, both agencies essentially are responsible for setting fuel economy requirements since the fastest way to reduce greenhouse emissions is to burn less gasoline.
“I want to make clear that EPA and NHTSA will coordinate to optimize the effectiveness of both agency standards while minimizing compliance costs,” NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson said.
A large auto industry trade group which includes General Motors, Toyota, Ford, Stellantis and others said requirements from the agencies should be lined up. “If an automaker complies with EPA’s yet-to-be-finalized greenhouse gas emissions rules, they shouldn’t be at risk of violating CAFE rules (from NHTSA) and subject to civil penalties,” John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said in a statement.
However the alliance has said the EPA’s proposed cut in carbon emissions will require a huge increase in electric vehicle sales that’s not attainable by 2032. The EPA says the industry can reach the greenhouse gas emissions goals if 67% of new vehicles sold in 2032 are electric. Currently, EVs make up about 7% of new vehicle sales.
NHTSA said its proposal includes a 2% annual improvement in fuel mileage for passenger cars, and a 4% increase for light trucks. It’s proposing a 10% improvement per year for commercial pickup trucks and work vans. Automakers can meet the requirements with a mix of electric vehicles, gas-electric hybrids and efficiency improvements in gas and diesel vehicles.
The agency says the new regulations will save more than $50 billion on fuel over the vehicles’ lifetimes and save more than 88 billion gallons of gasoline through 2050 if NHTSA’s preferred alternative is adopted. The standards would cut new-vehicle fuel consumption nearly in half by the 2035 model year, and benefits will exceed costs by $18 billion, the agency said.
NHTSA will take comments from the public for 60 days before drafting a final regulation. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-us-proposes-18-fuel-economy-increase-for-new-vehicle-fleet-from-2027-through-2032/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:01 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-us-proposes-18-fuel-economy-increase-for-new-vehicle-fleet-from-2027-through-2032/ |
Fatal hit-and-run in Louisiana kills two Bay St. Louis men
TANGIPAHOA PARISH, La. (WLOX) - Troopers from Louisiana State Police Troop L are asking for assistance after a fatal hit-and-run claimed the lives of two men from Bay St. Louis early Friday morning.
Officials say the crash took place just before 4 a.m. A Ford F-250 occupied by Chandler Garcia, 21, and John Russo Jr., 23, and one other person was traveling eastbound on I12 near Highway 445 when they were hit from behind by an unknown vehicle, causing them to run off the road and overturn.
The unknown vehicle fled the scene.
Both Garcia and Russo Jr. were unrestrained; they were pronounced dead at the scene. The third occupant sustained moderate injuries and was taken to a local hospital to be treated. The crash still remains under investigation.
Troopers ask that anyone with information regarding the crash contact Louisiana State Police Troop L at 985-893-6250 or their local law enforcement agency.
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Copyright 2023 WLOX. All rights reserved. | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/28/fatal-hit-and-run-louisiana-kills-two-bay-st-louis-men/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:04 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/28/fatal-hit-and-run-louisiana-kills-two-bay-st-louis-men/ |
The Ravens released veteran cornerback Trayvon Mullen on Friday for failure to disclose a non-football injury.
The team had placed Mullen on the non-football injury list, according to the NFL’s transaction wire. The designation is used for injuries that occurred outside of football activities or away from the team facility.
Mullen, Lamar Jackson’s cousin, originally was claimed off waivers by the Ravens from the Cowboys in January. The Ravens signed Mullen to a one-year, $1.2 million free agent deal in March.
Mullen, 25, did not appear in any games for the Ravens in 2022. He has 134 tackles, four interceptions and 28 passes defensed in 37 career games.
His departure thins the depth at the position even more for the Ravens.
But rookie cornerback Jordan Swann returned to practice Friday after leaving early Wednesday and sitting out Thursday. | https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/ravens-cut-trayvon-mullen-for-failure-to-disclose-non-football-injury | 2023-07-28T23:22:04 | 1 | https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/ravens-cut-trayvon-mullen-for-failure-to-disclose-non-football-injury |
First Alert Forecast:
First Alert Days Sunday & Monday
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - First Alert Weather Days are in effect for Sunday and Monday. High temperatures will dance around 100 degrees both days and humidity will be on the gradual upswing. The upcoming heat and humidity combination may still not reach the previous levels reached during a heat wave last month, but it will be close. Typically, when temperatures surpass 100 degrees in Mississippi, they do so with drier air in place from high pressure, so it doesn’t always feel as bad. Ironically, the most intense part of the upcoming weather may not happen until temperatures begin to drop later next week and humidity levels drastically increase at that time. We’ll monitor for that. The temperatures and humidity will start their slow increase through the upcoming weekend. Overnight and morning low temperatures will be in the middle 70s with daytime highs in the upper 90s and lower 100s. It will feel more like 110 degrees this weekend and next week with every day’s high temperature near 100 degrees at least for the next week. The average high this time of year is 93 and the average low is 72. Sunrise is 6:13am and the sunset is 8:00pm. While the tropics are active, there is nothing posing a serious threat to our region through this weekend.
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Copyright 2023 WLBT. All rights reserved. | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/28/first-alert-forecast/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:10 | 1 | https://www.wlbt.com/2023/07/28/first-alert-forecast/ |
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesotans can legally possess and grow their own marijuana for recreational purposes starting Tuesday, Aug. 1, subject to limits meant to keep a lid on things while the state sets up a full-blown legal cannabis industry.
The Democratic-controlled Minnesota Legislature approved a massive legalization bill and Democrat Gov. Tim Walz signed it in May.
At least one Minnesota tribe plans to take advantage of its sovereignty and allow sales right away. But the state projects most legal retail sales won’t begin until early 2025, while it creates as licensing and regulatory system for the new industry.
Legalization followed a debate between critics who fear for the impacts on public safety and young people, and supporters who argue that prohibition of the drug had failed. Backers of the law framed legalization noted that people of color were more likely than whites to be arrested for minor offenses, and to suffer lasting consequences in employment and housing.
Minnesota is the 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana, more than a decade after Colorado and Washington did so.
It comes as New York struggles to end the illicit trade while failing to quickly license legal shops with a focus on “social equity” and New Mexico punishes retailers for illegally selling weed sourced from California — amid wider gluts and plummeting prices for pot farmers.
Farmers, like members of the public, can’t legally move cannabis across state lines amid the ongoing federal ban.
Here’s a look at what will and won’t change in Minnesota as of Aug. 1:
WHAT’S LEGAL
Adults 21 and older can possess and travel in the state with 2 ounces of cannabis flower, 8 grams of concentrate and 800 milligrams worth of THC-containing edible products such as gummies and seltzers. They can have up to 2 pounds of cannabis flower at home.
Low-potency edibles made with THC from industrial hemp were legalized last year. They’ve been subject to a 10% marijuana tax since July 1.
That tax will apply to other marijuana products as they become licensed for sales, but not on sovereign tribal lands.
It remains illegal under federal law to bring marijuana in from out of state.
RETAIL WEED
The Red Lake Nation plans to sell recreational marijuana at its existing medical cannabis dispensary starting Aug. 1. But that’s on its remote reservation in northwestern Minnesota. It’s not clear yet if other tribes will follow.
While states like New Mexico managed to legalize and regulate marijuana within a year of legalization, Minnesota will take a bit longer.
Like New York, the Minnesota law gives priority to social equity considerations for awarding licenses. That can mean applicants from low-income areas that have felt disproportionate effects from marijuana being illegal, people whose convictions have been expunged, and military veterans who lost their honorable status due to a marijuana-related offense, to name a few.
That includes a long list of license categories for cannabis-related businesses, with application fees ranging from $250 for delivery services to $10,000 for growers and product manufacturers.
Local governments can’t ban cannabis sales, but they can limit the number of retailers to one per 12,500 residents.
MINNESOTA GROWN
Adults can grow up to eight plants at home, with no more than four flowering at a time. The plants must be grown in an enclosed, locked space that’s not open to public view, whether that’s indoors or in a garden.
Retailers can start selling marijuana seeds if they comply with labeling and other requirements set by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.
WHERE AND WHERE NOT TO TOKE
Cannabis can be legally consumed on private property, including private homes. Eventually it will be allowed at special events where organizers have permits.
But it’s still illegal to smoke or vape cannabis anywhere that tobacco smoking is prohibited, including most businesses, apartment buildings and college campuses. Nothing in the state law prohibits smoking it on a public sidewalk, but local ordinances might.
Cannabis use remains illegal in all forms while driving, in public schools, on school buses, in state prisons, and on federal property. It can’t be smoked or vaped where a minor could inhale it.
GUNS AND GANJA
Federal law still bars cannabis consumers from owning firearms or ammunition.
That’s despite Second Amendment-friendly provisions in the Minnesota law. The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has said that regardless of Minnesota’s new law, a “current user” of marijuana is defined as an “unlawful user” for federal purposes. That means people following state law are still prohibited from having guns and ganja.
Gun purchasers must fill out an ATF form saying whether or not they use marijuana. Lying on the form is a felony under federal law.
CLEANING SLATES
Minor marijuana convictions, like possession of small amounts, will began to be automatically expunged starting in August. More than 60,000 Minnesotans could benefit, but the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says the process could take up to a year to clear everyone’s record.
A special Cannabis Expungement Board will be formed to review felony convictions to determine eligibility case by case.
REGULATING IT
The Office of Cannabis Management will oversee the cannabis industry in Minnesota. It’s starting to list job positions, with applications for the office’s first executive director open through July 31.
The office will also take over the running of Minnesota’s medical marijuana program, which won’t be taxed.
Tribal governments will set their own rules. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-what-to-know-as-recreational-marijuana-becomes-legal-in-minnesota-on-aug-1/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:08 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-what-to-know-as-recreational-marijuana-becomes-legal-in-minnesota-on-aug-1/ |
Healthy snacking company That's it. aims to simplify back-to-school nutrition with curated shopping lists
LOS ANGELES, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The new school year is approaching, and with it, parents are preparing for the accompanying stress of the back-to-school season. Amongst the biggest stressors for parents of school-aged children? Managing after school activities (24%), followed by finding healthy snack options (23%) and packing lunches / food prep (20%)1.
With 43% of parents' top stressors coming in as nutrition-related, That's it. has partnered with childhood nutrition expert Rachel Rothman, MS, RD, CLEC to take the guesswork out of shopping for healthy back-to-school snacks by creating two curated snack shopping lists for Target and Walmart. (Seventy percent of parents indicated that they will do the majority of their back-to-school shopping at one of these two retail giants2.)
"The best part about these snacks is the variety of ingredients and nutrients," said Rothman. "They all contain key nutrients, and are made from whole foods, without the use of flavors or additives. These snacks are all shelf-stable and can be eaten as a quick, nutritious snack, or as part of a more diverse meal to keep your kids fed as the weather cools off and fall schedules heat back up."
Keep reading for Rothman's hand-selected healthy picks:
Target:
- That's it. Mango & Blueberry Mini Fruit Bars
- Whisps Cheese Crisps
- Chomps Snack Sticks
- Simple Mills Crackers
- Seapoint Farms Dry Roasted Edamame
Walmart:
- That's it. Apple + Strawberry Mini Fruit Bars
- Terra Sweet Potato Chips
- Kars Nuts Second Nature Wholesome Medley Trail Mix
- BOOMCHICKAPOP Sea Salt Popcorn
- Wild Planet Wild Albacore Tuna pouches
That's it. Mini Fruit Bars are made from two ingredients: Fruit + fruit. These shelf-stable Mini Fruit Bars contain no juices, purees, concentrates or added sugars, and are all-natural, gluten-free, non-GMO, and free from all top food allergens – making them the perfect back-to-school snack for the whole family.
About That's it.
That's it. makes delicious, convenient, plant-based super snacks from only the purest ingredients, and completely free from the top 12 allergens. Since 2012, it has been innovating the natural foods category in the United States with its portfolio of simple and nutritious snacks made from real, whole foods. All That's it. products transparently contain six real ingredients or less, and absolutely no natural or artificial flavors, sugar alcohols, or artificial colors. Its flagship Fruit Bars, now the #1 fruit bar in America, contain only two ingredients: fruit + fruit. You can find That's it. nationwide at your local Starbucks, at major retailers such as: Target, Whole Foods, Costco, Sam's Club, 7-Eleven, Walmart, VONS, CVS and Kroger, and online at Amazon and www.thatsitfruit.com. Learn more on Instagram and TikTok.
Media Contact:
Chief Marketing Officer
That's it.
1 About Suzy Survey:
The "Parents' Plates" study surveyed 1,000 parents of school-aged children in the U.S. in July 2023. Survey was conducted via real-time consumer insights platform Suzy.
2 About Suzy Survey:
The "Back-to-School" study surveyed 2,706 parents of school-aged children in the U.S. in June 2023. Survey was conducted via real-time consumer insights platform Suzy.
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SOURCE That’s it Nutrition | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/dietitians-top-walmart-target-picks-back-to-school-snacking/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:16 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/dietitians-top-walmart-target-picks-back-to-school-snacking/ |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — While Nashville International Airport hums to the tune of live music in a terminal filled with tourists and locals alike, this trendy gateway to Tennessee has quietly confronted an identity crisis.
Under a new state law, there is no clear agreement now about who’s in charge of airport operations. The confusion comes at a time when the airport is booming, its annual passengers having more than doubled over the past decade to 21.8 million by the 2023 fiscal year.
The nonprofit Metro Nashville Airport Authority and state officials argue that a new group of state appointees has lawfully taken over the authority’s board. But federal officials and the city contend the old board picked by Nashville’s mayor still has power.
Both boards met at the same time last week across town from each other.
The dispute heads to a hearing Friday in a state court in Nashville.
Earlier this year, Republican lawmakers approved plans for the state to make enough appointments to control the airport’s board starting in July. The change was among several passed by legislators seeking to curtail the power of the heavily Democratic city, whose metro council sunk a bid to bring the 2024 Republican National Convention to Nashville.
The city has filed suit against the state over the changes to the airport authority, which manages, operates, finances and maintains the international airport and a smaller one in Nashville. In the meantime, the authority installed the new board members on July 1, saying it can’t defy state law without a court order.
Citing the Tennessee Constitution, the city’s lawsuit argues the state violated home rule protections by singling out Nashville without requiring either a local referendum or a two-thirds vote of the metro council for the change.
The state responded that Nashville can’t make its claims because the airport authority is independent of the local government.
City leaders, however, reached out and received input from the Federal Aviation Administration, which can veto certain changes to the airport’s governance. The federal agency said it would keep recognizing the pre-July 1 board until a court decides the lawsuit.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper, a Democrat, has cried foul on the Republican change.
“Nashville’s airport has grown very successfully over the years by the direction of this board, and that’s unquestionable,” Cooper said during a recent meeting of the board he selected. “Any state action is purely about politics.”
Tennessee’s situation isn’t unprecedented. Due to FAA and court action, North Carolina’s 2013 law to shift control of Charlotte Douglas International Airport from the city to a separate regional board never came to fruition. Mississippi’s 2016 law to reconfigure Jackson’s airport remains blocked by an ongoing legal challenge. Georgia lawmakers flirted with flipping the Atlanta airport’s governance in 2019 but opposition sank the proposal.
Nashville officials say the state is upending an airport board without complaints about its performance, even during a time of extensive expansion.
In the 2023 budget year, the airport unveiled a new lobby, added more restaurants and live music, opened an additional parking garage and made progress toward an onsite hotel. The airport hosts country, jazz and bluegrass concerts in its terminals and exhibits the work of local artists.
The facility has endured growing pains, too, marked by passenger pickup lines sometimes stretching well past a nearby interstate exit.
Lawmakers passed the change despite predictions in April by former FAA official Kirk Shaffer that it would create competing boards in “a messy and costly stalemate that damages all involved,” possibly jeopardizing federal grant money.
So far, the fight is largely unfolding in court filings. The city says lost grant money could halt projects to accommodate more flights, spurring cancellations and delays. The state and the airport authority argue the grants aren’t in jeopardy. The authority said Nashville officials are making “sky-is-falling” exaggerations.
Republican lawmakers contend the state deserves more say over the growing airport because of its regional impact. House Speaker Cameron Sexton said lawmakers created “the legally sanctioned board.”
As an intervenor in the lawsuit, the airport authority has remained neutral on whether the new law is unconstitutional. Updates to the FAA have never resulted in the federal agency directing the authority to stop following the state law, while even worse disruptions would result from an order to temporarily return to the preexisting board, the authority wrote.
The state-majority board met at the airport on Wednesday, conducting standard-fare business on contracts and reports. At the same time, the members of the mayoral-picked board gathered in city hall, reiterating that the FAA still acknowledges them while criticizing the state law and approving an outside attorney hire.
In a letter to the Nashville community at large, the authority’s CEO has acknowledged the “frustration and confusion” caused by the dispute. But he said the authority is responsible for staying legally compliant.
“As an airport authority, we do not take political positions,” airport authority President and CEO Doug Kruelen wrote in the July 6 letter. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-whos-in-charge-of-nashvilles-airport-us-and-tennessee-officials-disagree-under-a-new-state-law/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:16 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/business-beat/ap-business/ap-whos-in-charge-of-nashvilles-airport-us-and-tennessee-officials-disagree-under-a-new-state-law/ |
Provides military services, DOD agencies with access to zero-trust technology
FORT MEADE, Md., July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the Defense Information Systems Agency awarded a follow-on production other transaction authority (OTA) agreement for Thunderdome, DISA's zero trust network access and application security architecture.
Thunderdome will harden the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) networks and help warfighters defend against adversarial activity by employing network and resource access tools along with segmentation technologies. DISA's Thunderdome capabilities work in concert with identity and endpoint cybersecurity capabilities, and align to the president's Executive Order on Improving the Nation's Cybersecurity and the DoD's Zero Trust Strategy.
"Awarding this Thunderdome production agreement is an important step on our zero-trust journey and furthers DISA's mission to provide warfighters with a more secure operating environment," said Air Force Lt. Gen. Robert J. Skinner, DISA director and Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Network Commander. "While DISA leverages these capabilities on our cyber terrain, this full-scale production agreement can be used to assist the military services and other DoD components in implementing key zero-trust activities."
This follow-on agreement to Booz Allen Hamilton is to broadly implement and operate Thunderdome's zero trust network access and application security architecture and comes after successful completion of an 18-month prototype. The period of performance for this follow-on OTA is for a one-year base period, with four one-year option periods for a total agreement lifecycle of five years (August 2023 through August 2028).
"The experience gained in partnership with industry as we implemented the prototype solution over the last 18 months has been invaluable, and we believe this award positions the department to meet critical zero trust adoption timelines in support of our warfighters" said Christopher Barnhurst, DISA deputy director. "We look forward to accelerating implementation activities and partnering across the department to expand access to the zero-trust capabilities Thunderdome provides."
For more information and pricing details, please contact DISA's Mission Partner Engagement Office.
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SOURCE Defense Information Systems Agency | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/disa-awards-thunderdome-production-agreement/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:23 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/disa-awards-thunderdome-production-agreement/ |
Berlin's conservative mayor ran on a pledge to stand up for car drivers against encroachment from bicyclists. But bike-riders have pushed back, forcing the government to backpedal.
Copyright 2023 NPR
Berlin's conservative mayor ran on a pledge to stand up for car drivers against encroachment from bicyclists. But bike-riders have pushed back, forcing the government to backpedal.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/cyclists-and-car-drivers-in-berlin-fight-over-road-space | 2023-07-28T23:22:24 | 0 | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/cyclists-and-car-drivers-in-berlin-fight-over-road-space |
A British court ruled Friday against London suburbs that tried to block a pollution tax on older cars as green policies become a hot political issue in the U.K. amid increasingly dramatic impacts of global climate change.
The High Court ruled that Mayor Sadiq Khan had the authority to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone, or ULEZ, which charges drivers of older gas and diesel vehicles 12.50 pounds ($16) a day they operate, to the city’s outskirts next month.
Five conservative councils challenged Khan’s right to impose the measure. They criticized the expansion to an area where there are fewer public transport options and people are more reliant on cars, and because of a disproportionate impact on lower-income drivers who can’t afford newer, cleaner cars.
Khan said the ruling would allow the expanded zone to take effect Aug. 29 and help reduce air pollution. He said he would also expand a program that provides financial assistance to some families and small businesses to scrap older cars.
“The ULEZ has already reduced toxic nitrogen dioxide air pollution by nearly half in central London and a fifth in inner London,” said Khan, a member of the Labour Party. “The coming expansion will see 5 million more Londoners being able to breathe cleaner air.”
The five councils that challenged the zone issued a joint statement saying they were “hugely disappointed”. While they accepted that Khan may have the legal right to implement the measure, they questioned whether it was morally right.
“It is evident that the mayor of London and (Transport for London) do not realize the damage the extension will have to the lives of residents and businesses in outer London as well as those outside of its borders,” the group said.
The city’s transportation agency said most gas vehicles under 16 years old and diesel vehicles less than 6 years old comply with the standard.
In April, a study from London City Hall found levels of nitrogen dioxide exceeded the legal limit in 14 of the city’s 32 boroughs. Khan argued he had a statutory responsibility to take measures to improve air quality.
Nine out of 10 cars on the road in outer London on an average day comply with standards, Transport for London said. The Royal Automobile Club said nearly 700,000 licensed cars in London are unlikely to comply.
Fury over the the ULEZ expansion was credited last week with helping Tories hold one of three seats in Parliament in a special election. Conservatives had been expected to lose all three but they retained their seat in Uxbridge and South Ruislip.
Interestingly, the emissions charge was first imposed in 2015 by then-Mayor Boris Johnson, the Conservative who went on to become prime minister before resigning last year amid several scandals and quitting Parliament last month. It was his House of Commons seat Tories retained in the by-election.
The issue has now caused a crisis for the Labour Party, which is seen as likely to return to power next year after being ousted by Conservatives in 2010.
Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said there was no doubt ULEZ cost them the Uxbridge election and said Khan should “reflect” on the policy.
Former Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair was widely quoted this week in a New Statesman magazine interview in which he cautioned: “Don’t ask us to do a huge amount when frankly whatever we do in Britain is not really going to impact climate change.” The interview was conducted before the special elections.
The dust-up over how to control emissions comes as July is on target to be the hottest month in recorded human history and the effects of a warming planet can be seen in catastrophic wildfires, flooding and alarming ocean temperatures. United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres this week declared: “The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived.”
While the by-election has caused consternation for Labour over how best to stick to a green agenda, it is also sparking a rethink for Conservatives who have been accused recently of backing away from pledges to combat climate change.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak signaled this week he was open to revisiting net-zero policies, saying he’d take a pragmatic approach that didn’t add more hassles or costs to people’s lives. He caused confusion by not recommitting to a ban on gas and diesel cars by 2030, though cabinet minister Michael Gove later insisted that deadline was firm. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-a-pollution-tax-on-older-cars-can-be-extended-to-londons-suburbs-after-a-british-court-ruling/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:24 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-a-pollution-tax-on-older-cars-can-be-extended-to-londons-suburbs-after-a-british-court-ruling/ |
After a month of record-breaking heat, are we past calling it a heat "wave?" NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Duke heat expert Ashley Ward.
Copyright 2023 NPR
After a month of record-breaking heat, are we past calling it a heat "wave?" NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Duke heat expert Ashley Ward.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/dont-call-it-a-heat-wave-expert-weighs-in-after-a-month-of-record-breaking-heat | 2023-07-28T23:22:31 | 0 | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/dont-call-it-a-heat-wave-expert-weighs-in-after-a-month-of-record-breaking-heat |
NEW YORK, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Official Committee of Talc Claimants (the "Committee"), which has been tirelessly pursuing justice for its constituency of talc victims' injury by Johnson & Johnson's ("J&J's") talc products, is pleased with the court's decision to dismiss the second bankruptcy attempt. We believe the decision of the Honorable Chief Judge Kaplan was thoughtful, well-reasoned, and well-supported by the facts and law. This outcome now frees tens of thousands of victims to seek their justice through the tort system either before juries of their peers or by settlement on terms acceptable to them. The Committee has consistently contended the tort system is the rightful place for these claims to be resolved. Today's ruling validates the Committee's belief that J&J manipulated the bankruptcy system by using the "Texas Two-Step" legal maneuver and wrongfully sought to manufacture financial distress in its "Legacy Talc Liabilities" (LTL) Management subsidiary, solely to carry out a bad faith bankruptcy case. The company will now face the full weight of its conduct in the appropriate judicial forums.
"This ruling sends a clear message: multibillion-dollar, wholly solvent companies like J&J should not be allowed to use and in fact abuse bankruptcy laws to avoid accountability," said Brown Rudnick's David Molton, one of the co-counsels representing the Committee. "We are reassured by the Bankruptcy Court's reaffirmation that it will not allow solvent corporations to abuse the system and impose coercive, low-value and cram-down solutions on nonconsenting claimants. Justice should and now will triumph over corporate greed and legal chicanery."
"The claimants have waited long enough. Untold numbers of cancer victims have died while Johnson & Johnson attempted to manipulate the bankruptcy system to limit its liabilities," added Molton. "Now victims and their families can seek justice through the tort system – by presenting their case before a jury of their peers in courts of their own choosing."
The TCC filed its motion to dismiss on April 24, 2023, alongside several other movants, including the Office of the United States Trustee, numerous State Attorneys General, and other plaintiff groups, who shared a vision for this outcome. Chief Judge Kaplan's Opinion can be viewed on the case docket, available at: https://document.epiq11.com/document/getdocumentbycode?docId=4202926&projectCode=LCN&source=DM
About The Official Committee of Talc Claimants
The Official Committee of Talc Claimants (TCC), appointed by the Office of the United States Trustee (UST), an arm of the US Department of Justice, represents and acts as a fiduciary for all mesothelioma and ovarian cancer victims, as well as all subrogation claimants who have claims based on or derivative to the victims' talcum powder claims. For more information about the TCC, please view our website at https://www.ltltalccommittee.org/
The TCC is advised by counsel, an investment banker, a financial advisor, and claims estimation experts well-versed in mass tort, asbestos, talc, bankruptcy, and victim advocacy. These entities include Genova Burns L.L.C., Brown Rudnick L.L.P., Otterbourg PC, Massey & Gail L.L.P., Miller Thomson L.L.P., MoloLamken L.L.P., Compass Lexecon, FTI Consulting, and Houlihan Lokey.
Media Contact
questions@ltltalccommittee.org
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SOURCE Official Committee of Talc Claimants | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/official-committee-talc-claimants-applauds-decision-dismiss-ltl-management-second-bankruptcy-attempt/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:31 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/official-committee-talc-claimants-applauds-decision-dismiss-ltl-management-second-bankruptcy-attempt/ |
BEIRUT (AP) — An impasse at the United Nations over a border crossing with Syria’s last rebel-held enclave is putting 4.1 million Syrian there in danger, the president of the International Rescue Committee warned this week.
David Miliband’s comments came more than two weeks after the U.N. Security Council failed to renew the mandate for the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Syria and Turkey, which secures aid for Syrians in the enclave.
The vast majority of people in northwestern Syria live in poverty and rely on aid to survive — a crisis that was further worsened by a devastating magnitude 7.8 earthquake that hit southern Turkey and northern Syria in February. The earthquake killed more than 50,000 people, including over 6,000 in Syria, according to the United Nations. The quake also displaced hundreds of thousands of others.
“The people of northwest Syria can ill afford a new wave of suffering, having lived through the trauma of the earthquake,” Miliband told The Associated Press in an interview on Tuesday.
He urged the Security Council to “do its job” and resume the humanitarian border crossing.
The council earlier in July failed to adopt one of two rival resolutions on the crossing. Russia, a top ally of the Syrian government in Damascus, vetoed a Swiss-Brazilian compromise resolution backed by Western countries that renewed authorization for the crossing of aid through Bab al-Hawa for six months. Moscow’s draft resolution with additional requirements — including increasing aid delivery to the opposition enclave through Damascus — only received China’s backing.
The paralysis also comes as donor fatigue has led to aid cuts in aid to both northwestern Syria and neighboring countries hosting millions of Syrian refugees who fled the ongoing conflict, now in its 13th year.
Syrian President Bashar Assad opened two additional crossing points from Turkey at Bab al-Salameh and al-Rai to increase the aid flow to the quake victims. The U.N. says that some 85% of its aid to northwestern Syria goes through Bab al-Hawa, a more efficient route.
For the moment, Miliband said the International Rescue Committee is trying to cope by using other crossings and finding other ways of getting aid into the enclave.
“Our point of view is that interference with the humanitarian crossing point poses severe danger to the efficiency and the effectiveness of humanitarian aid,” he explained.
Additionally, the United States said Monday that it has joined major donors in demanding the U.N. be able to deliver aid through Bab al-Hawa independently and to everyone in need — a rejection of conditions set by Syria and backed by its ally Russia that Damascus control all aid and banning U.N. communications with rebels in the region.
The Security Council initially authorized aid deliveries in 2014 from Turkey, Iraq and Jordan through four border crossing points into rebel-held areas in Syria.
However, Russia, backed by China, over the years successfully applied pressure to reduce the authorized crossings to just Bab al-Hawa, and the mandates from a year to six months.
Moscow alleges that militant groups in the northwestern province of Idlib are taking the aid and preventing it from reaching families in need. Russia and China have been calling for all aid to be routed through Damascus instead.
But Syrians in the northwestern enclave, as well as Western countries critical of Assad, say they are skeptical of the push.
“There’s a lot of danger for people in need in northwest Syria,” Miliband said. “And it’s very important that they’re not forgotten.” | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-aid-group-official-warns-that-impasse-at-the-un-on-border-crossing-puts-4-1-million-syrians-at-risk/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:31 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-aid-group-official-warns-that-impasse-at-the-un-on-border-crossing-puts-4-1-million-syrians-at-risk/ |
Hulu's 'This Fool' gives a working class perspective of life in Los Angeles By Gabriel J. Sánchez, Sarah Handel Published July 28, 2023 at 5:48 PM EDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Listen • 4:16 Comedian and actor Frankie Quiñones talks about the second season of the show This Fool, now streaming on Hulu. Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/hulus-this-fool-gives-a-working-class-perspective-of-life-in-los-angeles | 2023-07-28T23:22:37 | 0 | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/hulus-this-fool-gives-a-working-class-perspective-of-life-in-los-angeles |
EAST HARTFORD, Conn., July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Pratt & Whitney, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, continues to receive positive support for various F135-related program items on the path toward finalizing the 2024 appropriations bill. On July 27, the Senate Appropriations Committee, led by Chairman Jon Tester (D-MT) and Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME), passed a bipartisan bill that included:
- $497 million for the development of the F135 engine core upgrade (ECU), the DoD's chosen F-35 engine modernization effort.
- $264 million above the President's budget request for F135 engine spares and repair parts.
- A prohibition against integrating any alternate engine on any F-35 variant.
- $280 million for the development of future engine technology that could be used on 6th generation tactical aircraft.
"I want to personally thank Senators Tester and Collins for their leadership on this effort, because it's essential to ensuring our limited DoD funds go to the most urgent, high-priority needs," said Jeff Shockey, senior vice president of RTX Global Government Relations. "I also want to express my gratitude to the Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray (D-WA), Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and the entire Connecticut and Maine delegations for their support and advocacy."
The F135 supports nearly 55,000 jobs across 41 states and more than 260 domestic suppliers. In March 2023, the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy chose to upgrade the F135 versus replace it with an entirely new engine. The decision was announced as part of the administration's 2024 budget proposal.
"The Senate Appropriations Committee's full funding of the Engine Core Upgrade program, its addition of $280 million for future-generation propulsion technologies, and language prohibiting integration of an alternate engine on any F-35 variant are critically important," said Jill Albertelli, president of Military Engines at Pratt & Whitney. "Our collective focus should be on maximizing the performance of all three variants of the F-35, while prioritizing the advancement of sixth-generation solutions that serve our highest, most urgent national defense priorities."
About Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. To learn more visit prattwhitney.com. To receive press releases and other news directly, please sign up here.
About RTX
RTX is the world's largest aerospace and defense company. With more than 180,000 global employees, we push the limits of technology and science to redefine how we connect and protect our world. Through industry-leading businesses – Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon – we are advancing aviation, engineering integrated defense systems for operational success, and developing next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing to help global customers address their most critical challenges. The company, with 2022 sales of $67 billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
Pratt & Whitney
+1 (860) 565-9600
media@prattwhitney.com
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SOURCE RTX | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/pratt-amp-whitneys-f135-engine-receives-full-funding-support-senate-appropriations-committee/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:37 | 1 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/pratt-amp-whitneys-f135-engine-receives-full-funding-support-senate-appropriations-committee/ |
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Armenia’s authorities on Friday called on the country’s international allies to put pressure on Azerbaijan after accusing it of carrying out a three-day blockade of humanitarian aid to Nagorno-Karabakh.
The accusations mark another flashpoint in the tense relationship between Armenia and Azerbaijan which have fought over the breakaway region for decades.
The Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister, Vahan Kostanyan, accused Azerbaijan of blocking the so-called Lachin Corridor and demanded international allies step in to allow 19 trucks with 400 tons of humanitarian aid to pass. According to Armenian authorities, the trucks have been stuck there since the evening of July 26.
“The additional pressure of our international partners on Baku is very important. We have heard statements from our various colleagues, but we don’t think this is enough,” he said.
Kostanyan previously also accused Azerbaijan of ignoring a ruling by the International Court of Justice ordering Azerbaijan authorities to ensure unimpeded movement in the Lachin Corridor, the only road from Armenia into Nagorno-Karabakh.
The ongoing dispute over the road has impeded food supplies to the region and aggravated tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have fought two wars since the end of Soviet rule.
Nagorno-Karabakh had substantial autonomy under the Soviet Union and came under control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by the Armenian military in 1994 at the end of years of separatist fighting. Armenian forces also took sizable territory surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh itself.
In 2020, Azerbaijan regained most of that surrounding territory and pieces of Nagorno-Karabakh itself in a war which killed about 6,800 soldiers. Under a Russia-brokered armistice, transit along the Lachin Corridor was to continue under the guarantee of Russian peacekeepers.
According to Armenian media, trucks and foreign diplomats are currently in the village of Kornidzor on Armenia’s border with Nagorno-Karabakh, which is at one end of the Lachin Corridor.
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said that it viewed Armenia’s attempt to send a convoy to Nagorno-Karabakh “under the guise of ‘humanitarian aid’” as a violation of Azerbaijan’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty.” Azerbaijan also accuses Armenia of smuggling weapons into Nagorno-Karabakh.
The latest flare-up comes weeks following talks in Brussels and Washington aimed at calming tensions between the two countries after Azerbaijan opened a checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor in April. At that point, the road had already been blocked for four months by demonstrators who were protesting what they claimed to be illegal mining and other ecological abuses by Armenians in the area. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-armenia-calls-on-allies-to-help-get-aid-to-nagorno-karabakh-during-tensions-with-azerbaijan/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:39 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-armenia-calls-on-allies-to-help-get-aid-to-nagorno-karabakh-during-tensions-with-azerbaijan/ |
This month, members of the mid-Columbia River tribes set off from Oregon on an annual intertribal canoe journey to Seattle. It's especially poignant this year after a three-year hiatus due to COVID.
Copyright 2023 NPR
This month, members of the mid-Columbia River tribes set off from Oregon on an annual intertribal canoe journey to Seattle. It's especially poignant this year after a three-year hiatus due to COVID.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/intertribal-canoe-trip-from-oregon-to-seattle-will-set-out-for-first-time-since-covid | 2023-07-28T23:22:43 | 0 | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/intertribal-canoe-trip-from-oregon-to-seattle-will-set-out-for-first-time-since-covid |
LJUBLJANA, SLOVENIA, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In an unprecedented collaborative endeavor, Slovenia's Ministry of Environment, Climate and Energy, in partnership with Global Footprint Network, announces a critical date for the planet: this year's Earth Overshoot Day lands on August 2nd.
The date, calculated by Global Footprint Network each year using National Footprint and Biocapacity Accounts, marks when humanity's demand for biological resources exceeds the Earth's capacity to regenerate them within that year. To spotlight this issue, the Ministry and Global Footprint Network are organizing a high-level event on August 1st, held in Ljubljana and online, to discuss the implications of overshoot. The high-level event enjoys support from key figures including President of the Republic of Slovenia Nataša Pirc Musar, UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28 and IUCN President Razan Al Mubarak, and Co-Chair of the International Resource Panel at UNEP Dr. Janez Potočnik.
"Slovenia, as the first EU country, joins the ranks of countries such as Ecuador, Japan, the Philippines, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates, leveraging Ecological Footprint data and officially endorsing the metric as a useful tool to steer environmental policy," affirms Bojan Kumer, Slovenia's Minister of the Environment, Climate and Energy. He further elucidates that efforts to reduce Slovenia's Ecological Footprint by 20% by 2030 will spur greater opportunities for the country amid a future marked by climate change and resource constraints.
Razan Al Mubarak notes the Ecological Footprint's utility, "With this metric in hand, any country, region, city, or company can assess its current standing and determine how it can contribute to postponing this date (Earth Overshoot Day)." It provides valuable insights for forward-thinking strategies that address resource security and enable the transition towards a sustainable economy.
Earth Overshoot Day coincides with the European Parliament's recent vote on the Nature Restoration Law. The persistence of overshoot has led to land and soil degradation, fish stock depletion, deforestation, biodiversity loss, and greenhouse gas accumulation. These symptoms are becoming more prominent every day across the planet, with unusual heat waves, wildfires, droughts, and floods, exacerbating the competition for food and energy.
"The biggest risk, apart from ecological overshoot itself, lies in complacency towards this crisis. Entities that act now are not just safeguarding the environment but future-proofing their economy and the wellbeing of their residents," underlines Steven Tebbe, CEO of Global Footprint Network.
Contacts
Watch event https://video.sta.si/
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SOURCE Republic of Slovenia Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/slovenias-ministry-environment-climate-energy-global-footprint-network-host-high-level-event-mark-earth-overshoot-day-2023/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:44 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/slovenias-ministry-environment-climate-energy-global-footprint-network-host-high-level-event-mark-earth-overshoot-day-2023/ |
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — The rival leaders of ethnically divided Cyprus on Friday jointly appealed for information that could lead to the buried remains of people who vanished amid violence and war decades ago, a task with increasing urgency as eyewitnesses die.
Cyprus’ Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Ersin Tatar, the leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots, made the appeal in a symbolic move aiming to show that the purely humanitarian issue should stay above the complex and often bitter politics of the nearly half-century ethnic split.
It also sought to inject some fresh urgency into efforts to resume deadlocked peace talks. A deal has eluded Cypriot leaders since a 1974 coup aiming at union with Greece triggered a Turkish invasion that entrenched that division.
Both Christodoulides and Tatar toured the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) that has, since 2006, been tasked with locating, unearthing and identifying the remains of individuals who vanished during clashes in the early 1960s and the 1974 invasion.
“This is a humanitarian issue, therefore this is something which is outside politics,” Tatar told reporters. “What ever we can do to improve, as I saw the discovery of missing persons is something that we owe to the families.”
Christodoulides echoed a shared commitment to collect more information, but added that progress on this issue would also send a “clear political message” about building trust between the two sides that haven’t engaged in direct talks in six years.
Information is now at a premium, said Paul-Henri Arni, the U.N. appointed member of the tripartite committee that also includes a Greek and Turkish Cypriot representative.
Arni told The Associated Press that the CMP has found, identified and returned to relatives the remains of 51.5% of all missing persons.
But having the leaders nudge anyone with information to step forward is essential to resolving the most difficult remaining cases, in which individuals were killed at one spot and buried elsewhere without witnesses.
According to CMP figures, of 1,510 Greek Cypriots and 492 Turkish Cypriots who are missing, 769 and 200 respectively have not been found.
“The issue is access to new information at the moment where witnesses are passing away,” Arni said. “And so we’ve discussed with the leaders ways they could help us through the own networks, also with specific former combatants.”
Work is slow as the chances of finding remains at excavated sites currently stands at 10% — far below the 50% when the CMP began work in earnest in 2006.
Arni said another key source of information are archived witness accounts which have been digitized for easer access, as well as sifting through 900,000 pages of U.N., U.K. and International Committee of the Red Cross archives which produced 3,740 documents of actionable data.
Christodoulides told reporters following the visit to the CMP premises that access to Turkey military archives is still restricted.
Some 80% of the CMP’s 3.2 million euro ($3.5 million) annual budget is funded by the EU and Arni said additional funding would enable the committee to augment is current number of seven excavation teams to speed up work on 65 new sites.
Christodoulides said it would be a “shame” for more information becoming available but without additional teams to act on them, adding that he would formally ask the EU for more funding. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-divided-cyprus-rival-leaders-appeal-for-information-on-the-missing-as-eyewitnesses-die/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:47 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-divided-cyprus-rival-leaders-appeal-for-information-on-the-missing-as-eyewitnesses-die/ |
Marine scientists say record ocean temperatures have sparked widespread coral bleaching in the Florida Keys. The extreme heat and bleaching have been deadly — killing all coral on one popular reef.
Copyright 2023 NPR
Marine scientists say record ocean temperatures have sparked widespread coral bleaching in the Florida Keys. The extreme heat and bleaching have been deadly — killing all coral on one popular reef.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/scientists-fight-to-help-protect-the-florida-coral-thats-dying-from-heat | 2023-07-28T23:22:49 | 1 | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/scientists-fight-to-help-protect-the-florida-coral-thats-dying-from-heat |
SAN ANGELO, Texas — Ever tried an Israeli melon? What about watermelon fresh from the ground?
On July 29 at the Concho Valley Farmer's Market Melon Fest, you can purchase these produce items and more.
"My grandpa first started growing melons about 50 years ago," farmer's market vice president and Schwartz Boys Produce & Meats employee Trevor Schwartz said. "We've been growing melons ever since but my brothers and I started, we took over the reins probably 15 years ago."
Schwartz and his brothers, Tate and Trent, first began selling melons to make extra summer money in the West Texas sun "and now we're a full-fledged operation," he said.
They typically operate in San Angelo off U.S. Highway 87 but they also travel to to Snyder, Midland and other towns in the region.
On Saturdays, the brothers can be found at the Concho Valley Farmer's Market, 609 S. Oakes St, selling fresh seedless and seeded watermelon, Israeli melon (described by Schwartz as "white-fleshed") and classic orange cantaloupe melons.
This will be no different during the Melon Fest where various vendors, door prizes and live entertainment will all be in attendance.
"And the money stays right here in this town," Schwartz said. He and his brother employ approximately 10 high school and/or college students for summer jobs while the melons are in season.
He emphasizes the importance of refrigerating the produce or eating the fruits within one-two days after purchase to make sure they remain fresh.
Most importantly, the Schwartz Boys are supporting not only their family business but the West Texas community.
"It's a great thing, we appreciate everybody that comes," Schwartz said. "When you buy from us, your money stays here in San Angelo, it doesn't go elsewhere to large corporations."
This event has been happening for the past 30-or-so years without missing a date and they don't plan on stopping any time soon. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/san-angelo/find-fresh-fruits-at-the-concho-valley-farmers-market-melon-fest/504-b7984e47-a2c4-4f73-9dc4-47d14f20409b | 2023-07-28T23:22:51 | 1 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/san-angelo/find-fresh-fruits-at-the-concho-valley-farmers-market-melon-fest/504-b7984e47-a2c4-4f73-9dc4-47d14f20409b |
Tampa General is recognized nationally in the top 100 of the Best Employers for Women list and ranks #1 among Best Employers for Women in Florida in the Healthcare and Social category.
TAMPA, Fla., July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Tampa General Hospital has been named one of America's Best Employers for Women by Forbes for 2023, ranking in the top 100 of organizations nationally and as the Best Employer for Women in Florida in the Healthcare and Social category. The academic health system is also ranked #3 overall in the state. Tampa General has been included on Forbes America's Best Employers for Women list every year since 2020.
"The health and well-being of our team at Tampa General is our top priority and critical to our success as an organization as well as our ability to provide the highest level of care to our community and beyond. We continue to nurture a human-centered culture that both empowers everyone to be their whole, authentic selves at work and ensures every individual feels seen, heard and valued," said John Couris, president and CEO of Tampa General Hospital. "As an academic health system, we are committed to prioritizing not only the personal and professional development of all team members through education opportunities, but we also work to ensure that they have all the support they need."
Forbes partnered with the market research company Statista to identify organizations committed to the advancement of women in and out of the workplace. More than 60,000 American employees were surveyed, including 40,000 women working for companies employing at least 1,000 people within the United States. Survey responses were evaluated against various criteria, including atmosphere and development, image, working conditions, workplace, diversity, family support, flexibility, representation and pay equity.
Tampa General routinely gauges the needs of team members through annual evaluations conducted by a third-party professional survey company.
"When we talk about providing world-class care at Tampa General, that includes taking care of our team members as well as our community," said Qualenta Kivett, executive vice president and chief people and talent officer at Tampa General Hospital. "To make this a reality, our academic health system embodies a culture of belonging and fairness. Our steadfast commitment to our team members' growth and well-being is essential to recruiting and retaining high-quality and diverse talent, which results in better experiences and outcomes for the patients we serve."
Aligning with Tampa General's culture focused on helping all team members thrive personally and professionally, the academic health system has developed and continues to introduce new programs and initiatives that provide support to women team members such as:
- Flexibility: Tampa General offers a competitive time-off policy as well as remote working options and flexibility for part-time positions. Over the past two years, the academic health system's team members have increasingly expressed a desire for part-time work schedules and those have been accommodated through offering seasonal contracts and part-time opportunities, where possible.
- Growth and Development: In addition to competitive tuition reimbursement, skills reimbursement and scholarships, Tampa General also offers free access to career, leadership and personal development through courses in Organizational Development, such as Crucial Conversations. Through clinical and non-clinical ladders, the academic health system also offers structured systems to advance career development while the team member remains in a current position.
- Health, Wellness and Benefits: Along with competitive medical benefits, team members receive access to wellness activities and fitness tracking through a free app, an on-site gym and online classes through the TGH Fitness Center. The academic health system also provides free access to virtual behavioral health support that provides access to a trained mental health counselor within 72 hours. It is also available to dependents with TGH insurance. Additionally, there is a team member lounge in the hospital that includes massage chairs to allow team members to decompress.
- Family Support: An on-site daycare center provides families with an education and development curriculum for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Understanding that family support looks different for every team member, through the TGH Foundation, the academic health system offers an annual school supply giveaway, which includes computers and an emergency fund to support team members in crisis. Other support includes gas cards to team members when gas prices skyrocketed, as well as grants to help team members rebuild their homes after sustaining hurricane damage. Tampa General offers a generous maternity leave package. All team members who give birth are guaranteed 12 weeks of job-protected leave post-delivery, regardless of whether they qualify for Family Medical Leave (FMLA) or have exhausted their FMLA entitlement for the year. In addition, Tampa General provides several options to team members needing financial assistance, including ATO leave sharing and short-term disability. TGH also provides a supportive environment to enable breastfeeding team members to express milk during work hours. Private lactation rooms or designated nursing space is available throughout the hospital and every TGH location.
- People Development Institute: Tampa General has invested heavily in the continued education and professional development of all team members with programs such as its People Development Institute (PDI), which offers classes through a partnership with the University of South Florida (USF) Muma College of Business at no charge. Among the program's most impactful success stories are those of women who have leveraged PDI offerings to broaden their career horizons. One example is Stephanie Jackson, who started as a parking attendant at Tampa General and pursued advanced degrees and PDI courses to become a director for the academic health system.
- AKTiVe Leadership Initiative: Through the PDI program, the AKTiVe Leadership Initiative involves all TGH leaders in their leadership development. The AKTiVe Leadership Model embodies four qualities of leaders: Authenticity, Kindness, Transparency and Vulnerability. When enacted through the behaviors of leaders, these qualities create a positive environment for leaders, team members and patients.
- LEAD TGH: LEAD (Leadership, Enrichment and Development) TGH provides a platform for emerging leaders to share ideas, overcome challenges and foster personal and professional development. The free program spans 12 months and creates career pathways while identifying future leaders.
- Modern Advances in Leadership: Facilitated through the University of Tampa's Sykes College of Business, the series provides transformative and interactive learning experiences to advance the skills of current and future leaders.
Inclusion on the Forbes America's Best Employers for Women list is the latest among several high-profile recognitions for Tampa General for its supportive work environment:
- Forbes' Best Employers for New Graduates (Top 20) – May 2023
- Becker's Hospital Review's 150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare – April 2023
- Glassdoor's Employee's Choice Award – January 2023
- Newsweek's America's Greatest Workplaces for Diversity – January 2023
- Forbes' America's Best Employers by State (Top 10 Employer in Florida) – August 2022
ABOUT FORBES
Forbes champions success by celebrating those who have made it, and those who aspire to make it. Forbes convenes and curates the most influential leaders and entrepreneurs who are driving change, transforming business and making a significant impact on the world. The Forbes brand today reaches more than 140 million people worldwide through its trusted journalism, signature LIVE and Forbes Virtual events, custom marketing programs and 32 licensed local editions in 71 countries. Forbes Media's brand extensions include real estate, education and financial services license agreements. For more information, visit the Forbes News Hub or Forbes Connect.
ABOUT TAMPA GENERAL HOSPITAL
Tampa General Hospital, a 1,040-bed, not-for-profit, academic health system, is one of the largest hospitals in America and delivers world-class care as the region's only center for Level l trauma and comprehensive burn care. Tampa General Hospital is the highest-ranked hospital in the market in U.S. News & World Report's 2022-23 Best Hospitals, and is tied as the third highest-ranked hospital in Florida, with seven specialties ranking among the best programs in the United States. Tampa General Hospital has been designated as a model of excellence by the 2022 Fortune/Merative 100 Top Hospitals list. The academic health system's commitment to growing and developing its team members is recognized by two prestigious Forbes magazine rankings – in the top 100 nationally in the 2023 America's Best Employers for Women and sixth out of 100 Florida companies in the 2022 America's Best Employers by State. Tampa General is the safety net hospital in the region, caring for everyone regardless of their ability to pay, and in fiscal year 2021, provided a net community benefit worth more than $224.5 million in the form of health care for underinsured patients, community education, and financial support to community health organizations in Tampa Bay. It is one of the nation's busiest adult solid organ transplant centers and is the primary teaching hospital for the USF Health Morsani College of Medicine. With six medical helicopters, Tampa General Hospital transports critically injured or ill patients from 23 surrounding counties to receive the advanced care they need. Tampa General houses a nationally accredited comprehensive stroke center, and its 32-bed Neuroscience, Intensive Care Unit is the largest on the West Coast of Florida. It also is home to the Jennifer Leigh Muma 82-bed neonatal intensive care unit, and a nationally accredited rehabilitation center. Tampa General Hospital's footprint includes 17 Tampa General Medical Group Primary Care offices, TGH Family Care Center Kennedy, TGH Brandon Healthplex, TGH Virtual Health, and 21 TGH Imaging powered by Tower outpatient radiology centers throughout Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Palm Beach counties. Tampa Bay area residents also receive world-class care from the TGH Urgent Care powered by Fast Track network of clinics. To see a medical care professional live anytime, anywhere on a smartphone, tablet or computer, visit Virtual Health | Tampa General Hospital (tgh.org). As one of the largest hospitals in the country, Tampa General Hospital is the first in Florida to partner with GE Healthcare and open a clinical command center that provides real-time situational awareness to improve and better coordinate patient care at a lower cost. For more information, go to www.tgh.org.
Media Contact: Beth Hardy, APR
Senior Communications Specialist
(727) 510-6363 (cell)
ehardy@tgh.org
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SOURCE Tampa General Hospital | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/tampa-general-hospital-named-one-americas-best-employers-women-2023-by-forbes/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:51 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/tampa-general-hospital-named-one-americas-best-employers-women-2023-by-forbes/ |
NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Gene X. Hwang about X (formerly Twitter) taking over his handle @x without informing nor compensating him.
Copyright 2023 NPR
NPR's Juana Summers speaks with Gene X. Hwang about X (formerly Twitter) taking over his handle @x without informing nor compensating him.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/the-man-who-once-tweeted-as-x-wasnt-informed-when-the-company-took-over-his-handle | 2023-07-28T23:22:55 | 0 | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/the-man-who-once-tweeted-as-x-wasnt-informed-when-the-company-took-over-his-handle |
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Pope Francis urged governments to do more to fight climate change and protect “our common home” as improving weather conditions Friday helped firefighters contain wildfires in Greece, Italy and other countries in southern Europe.
Francis, who has been outspoken on environmental issues, sent a telegram of condolences to Greece, where wildfires killed five people over the past week, including the pilots of a water-dropping aircraft.
The pope noted that successive heat waves have exacerbated the dangers of the summer fire season. He offered his prayers for firefighters and emergency personnel in particular.
“(I hope) that the risks to our common home, exacerbated by the present climate crisis, will spur all people to renew their efforts to care for the gift of creation, for the sake of future generations,” Francis said.
Fueled by the heat waves and strong gusts of wind, wildfires in Europe’s Mediterranean region have kept travelers and residents on alert. In Greece, fires scorched hundreds of square kilometers of land outside Athens, on the island of Rhodes and elsewhere this month.
As the situation improved considerably on Friday, Greece’s minister for the police unexpectedly stepped down, citing “personal grounds.” Greek media said Notis Mitarachi’s resignation was requested after it emerged he had been on a family holiday during the wildfire crisis.
The main opposition Syriza party issued a statement accusing the center-right government of using “personal grounds” as a euphemism for “(Mitarachi’s) holidays while the country was burning from end to end.”
In central Greece, authorities maintained an exclusion zone around one of the country’s largest air force bases after a wildfire triggered powerful explosions at a nearby ammunition depot Thursday. Fighter jets stationed at the 111th Combat Wing base were moved to other facilities.
The depot blasts near the central city of Volos shattered windows in nearby towns and prompted the evacuation of more than 2,000 people. Local news broadcasts showed a ground-shaking fireball erupting.
Residents were rushed onto private boats mobilized by the coast guard and taken to a conference center in Volos, some 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) from the weapons storage site. A civilian traffic ban and evacuation order remained in effect Friday within a 3-kilometer (2-mile) radius of the depot.
The explosions did not affect flights at Volos international airport, officials told The Associated Press.
A drop in temperatures and calmer winds helped firefighters get a handle on the blazes in Greece and all major fires were contained by midday Friday, Greek Fire Service officials said.
Conditions also improved elsewhere in Europe’s Mediterranean regions thanks to cooler temperatures, allowing firefighters to contain wildfires along the Croatian coast and in Sicily.
Firefighting teams in Turkey also brought a wildfire burning close to the southern Mediterranean resort of Kemer under control, four days after it erupted, Ibrahim Yumakli, the country’s forestry minister, said.
The governments of the countries hit by heat waves and fires have steered public debate away from the potential impact on tourism. Rhodes, where a fire last weekend required about 19,000 people to be evacuated from several locations on the island, was promised state support Friday for its international advertising campaign.
In Germany, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach sought Friday to address Italian irritation over a mid-July social media post in which he described the heat wave he encountered on a visit to Italy as “spectacular” and added that “if it goes on like this, these vacation destinations will have no future in the long term.”
Lauterbach told reporters in Berlin that he wasn’t warning against vacations in southern Europe and plans to visit Italy again himself.
“Of course, it is more difficult now for the southern countries to organize heat protection in such a way that it is also accessible for every tourist, but I think those countries will know exactly what they have to do,” he said.
Vassilis Kikilias, the Greek minister for climate change and civil protection, said fires had burned 400 square kilometers (155 square miles) of land in the country in July alone, while the recent average is 500 square kilometers (nearly 200 square miles) in a year.
“Is the situation any better in other countries bordering the Mediterranean? It’s a fair question … but the answer is no,” Kikilias said.
“The climate crisis that brought us this unprecedented heat wave is here. It’s not a theory. It is our actual experience,” he said. “This is not something that will just occur this year. It will last and we have to face the consequences of what that means.”
___
Winfield reported from Rome. Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia, Geir Moulson in Berlin, and Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey contributed.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of climate issues at https://apnews.com/climate-and-environment | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-exclusion-zone-set-up-around-greek-military-base-after-wildfires-trigger-powerful-explosions/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:54 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-exclusion-zone-set-up-around-greek-military-base-after-wildfires-trigger-powerful-explosions/ |
AUSTIN, Texas — Did you know it's National Moth Week? The Texas State Parks division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has been having some fun, showing off all the moths you can spot in the Lone Star State.
Moths are an indicator species, which means their numbers help determine the health of an ecosystem – and they've been around for more than 190 million years! According to Texas State Parks, that's longer than butterflies, making them "butterflies' cooler older (goth?!) siblings."
But butterflies aren't the only ones who bring beauty to the table. Texas State Parks pointed out that not all moths are dark and dusty.
Moths are also survivors. To avoid being eaten, they've evolved to look like less tasty things, like wasps, tarantulas, praying mantises and even bird droppings.
"Next time ur not feeling yourself, just think of it like an evolutionary adaptation to avoid being eaten," Texas State Parks joked on Twitter. "Ur doing amazing sweetie."
According to the website for National Moth Week, the celebration was started in 2012 by members of the Friends of the East Brunswick Environmental Commission, a nonprofit in New Jersey dedicated to environmental education and conservation. The idea "grew out of the popular local moth nights organized by Dave Moskowitz and Liti Haramaty that attracted experienced and novice moth-ers of all ages."
National Moth Week now takes place annually during the last full week and two weekends of July, starting on the next to last Saturday and ending on the last Sunday of the month. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-parks-and-wildlife-national-moth-week/269-7ea508b4-e715-45b7-86e5-d5fb353ce0f9 | 2023-07-28T23:22:57 | 0 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/local/texas/texas-parks-and-wildlife-national-moth-week/269-7ea508b4-e715-45b7-86e5-d5fb353ce0f9 |
More Than 1,175 Higher Education Workers Gain Teamster Representation
OAKLAND, Calif., July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Workers at the University of California (UC) have joined Teamsters Local 2010. The 1,175 newest members of Local 2010 in Oakland will now bargain for higher pay, reduced benefit costs, overtime pay, job security, and respect in the workplace.
"It's great to be represented again! I feel secure knowing someone is fighting for us to receive better pay and protect our rights," said Azalia Maldonado, a facilities management specialist at UC Berkeley.
"I'm so happy to be a Teamster again!" said Michelle Belden, a research administrator at UC Davis who was Teamster Shop Steward in her previous job of Blank Assistant 4 in the CX Unit. "There is power in our solidarity."
"I am excited to be a part of a strong union that advocates for members' rights and interests," said Patricia Passalacqua, an ambulatory care administration coordinator at UC San Diego. "All of the Teamsters' hard work and tenacity is evident. Knowing we have the support of Teamsters from all industries to help us protect our rights has lifted a weight off our shoulders. I look forward to connecting with other members in the future."
Workers in the titles of Ambulatory Care Administration Coordinator, Facilities Management Specialist, Health Professional Education Specialist, and Research Administrator had been misclassified by the UC in an effort to deny union-negotiated wages and benefits, including the right to strike. The Public Employment Relations Board issued unit modification orders on June 22, 2023.
The newly organized workers will join more than 16,000 administrative, paraprofessional, and skilled trades workers who provide critical public services at every University of California and California State University campus, medical center, and laboratory throughout the state, as well as 1.2 million Teamster members in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, with Public Services being one of the largest Teamster divisions.
"Teamsters Local 2010 welcomes our new sisters and brothers," said Jason Rabinowitz, Secretary-Treasurer of Teamsters Local 2010. "We are especially pleased that they will immediately see the benefits of being Teamsters — guaranteed raises that are higher than those for non-union workers, this year and every year of our contract — plus all the rights at work and benefits of Teamster representation."
The group will soon assemble a bargaining team to begin the bargaining process for salary ranges, step placement, on-call and shift differential pay, as well as other bonus eligibility and pay.
Teamsters Local 2010 is a union of 15,000 hardworking employees in California higher education. We are affiliated with the 1.2 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters, representing members throughout the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. We stand together to win better wages, benefits, and working conditions. We strive to protect workers' rights through direct action and determined labor representation.
Contact
Aimee Baror, (213) 220-0538
abaror@teamsters2010.org
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SOURCE Teamsters Local 2010 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/university-california-workers-join-teamsters-local-2010/ | 2023-07-28T23:22:58 | 1 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/university-california-workers-join-teamsters-local-2010/ |
With more than 200 careers under her pink belt, Barbie has always been a hard worker. What can the types of professions Barbie's done tell us about women in the U.S. labor force? A lot, actually.
Copyright 2023 NPR
With more than 200 careers under her pink belt, Barbie has always been a hard worker. What can the types of professions Barbie's done tell us about women in the U.S. labor force? A lot, actually.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/what-barbies-professional-history-says-about-women-in-the-labor-force | 2023-07-28T23:23:01 | 0 | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/what-barbies-professional-history-says-about-women-in-the-labor-force |
BENGALURU, India (AP) — The final meeting of climate and environment ministers from the world’s largest economies ended without an agreement or joint statement Friday despite pleas from leading figures for nations to show a united front on climate change as weather records shatter across the globe.
In a gathering in Chennai in India, ministers from the Group of 20 countries — who emit around 80% of the world’s planet-warming gases — failed to agree on four of 68 points of discussion.
A document published by the group shows countries did not agree on aiming to peak emissions by 2025, moving to clean energy and a tax on carbon as a way to reduce emissions.
“We couldn’t get a consensus but we agreed on a lot,” said Canada’s climate minister Steven Guilbeault at a virtual press conference after the meeting.
The ministers’ decisions will now be passed on to country leaders ahead of a summit in New Delhi in September this year. It will be the group’s last chance to issue a joint statement on climate this year.
On Thursday, the president of the upcoming United Nations climate talks Sultan al-Jaber and the U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell attended the Chennai meeting to urge countries to issue an ambitious statement that will make sure the world is on track to keep global warming within the agreed temperature limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
The world has currently warmed around 1.2 degrees Celsius (2.2 Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times and effects are already being felt all over the world, with hosts India especially vulnerable. Earlier this year, more than 100 people died during a heat wave in the center of the country and last week at least 27 people died in western India due to landslides triggered by heavy rains.
Since India took over the G-20 presidency last December, none of the meetings that deal with various policy areas like foreign affairs, finance, energy and climate change have come out with a joint communique but their announcements may form part of a final document released at the leaders’ summit in September.
Earlier this month, a meeting of finance chiefs and central bank governors of the G-20 leading economies ended in Gandhinagar in the western state of Gujarat without a consensus because of differences between countries over the war in Ukraine.
Similarly, a meeting of energy ministers in Goa last week ended unsuccessfully with the final summary failing to mention a phase down of fossil fuels and ministers did not agree to raise ambition to treble renewable energy targets.
The meeting in Chennai was the last of four meetings of G-20 climate ministers. They had earlier met in Bengaluru, Gandhinagar in Gujarat and Mumbai.
___
Follow Sibi Arasu on Twitter at @sibi123
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-g20-ministers-reach-agreement-on-most-but-not-all-climate-issues/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:02 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-g20-ministers-reach-agreement-on-most-but-not-all-climate-issues/ |
HOOVER, Ala. — Authorities in Alabama said Friday they filed criminal charges against a woman who confessed to fabricating a story that she was kidnapped after stopping to check on a toddler she saw walking on the side of an interstate highway.
Carlee Russell was charged with false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident, both misdemeanors that carry up to a year in jail, Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said. Russell turned herself in to jail Friday and was released on bond, he said.
“Her decisions that night created panic and alarm for citizens of our city and even across the nation as concern grew that a kidnapper was on the loose using a small child as bait,” he said. “Numerous law enforcement agencies, both local and federal, began working tirelessly not only to bring Carlee home to her family but locate a kidnapper that we know now never existed. Many private citizens volunteered their time and energy in looking for a potential kidnapping victim that we know now was never in any danger.”
Derzis said he was frustrated that Russell was only being charged with two misdemeanors despite the panic and disruption she caused, but he said the law did not allow for enhanced charges.
Russell, 25, disappeared after calling 911 on July 13 to report a toddler wandering beside a stretch of interstate. She returned home two days later and told police she had been abducted and forced into a vehicle.
Her disappearance became a national news story. Images of the missing woman were shared broadly on social media.
“We don’t see this as a victimless crime," Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said at a Friday news conference. “There are significant hours spent, resources expended as a result of this investigation.”
Marshall's office was asked to handle the prosecution because of the attention the case received, Derzis said. Marshall said he intends to “fully prosecute” Russell and said his office will take into account the police investigation to see whether additional charges are warranted.
Russell, through her attorney, Emory Anthony, acknowledged earlier that she made the story up.
In a statement read by police on Monday, Anthony said Russell was not kidnapped, did not see a baby on the side of the road, did not leave the city and acted alone. He said Russell apologized and he asked for prayers and forgiveness as she “addresses her issues and attempts to move forward, understanding that she made a mistake in this matter.”
A message left Friday at Anthony’s office was not immediately returned.
Russell told detectives she was taken by a man who came out of the trees when she stopped to check on the child, put in a car and an 18-wheel truck, was blindfolded and was held at a home where a woman fed her cheese crackers, authorities said at a news conference last week. At some point, Russell said she was put in a vehicle again but managed to escape and run through the woods to her neighborhood.
“This story opened wounds for families whose loved ones really were victims of kidnappings,” Derzis said.
He said police have not determined where Russell went during the 49 hours she was missing. They plan to talk to the attorney general's office about recovering some of the money spent on the investigation. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/nation-world/carlee-russell-charges-kidnapping-hoover-police/507-57a5c2ab-a857-45a3-9c87-5cd0a8138655 | 2023-07-28T23:23:03 | 0 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/nation-world/carlee-russell-charges-kidnapping-hoover-police/507-57a5c2ab-a857-45a3-9c87-5cd0a8138655 |
Junior's Rolls Out a Dessert Fit for The King: Peanut Butter Chocolate Banana is Winner of National Cheesecake Day Flavor Contest
BROOKLYN, N.Y., July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Elvis Presley is the original rock 'n' roll legend, and Junior's is the original cheesecake legend. So, it is more than appropriate that peanut butter chocolate and banana – inspired by Elvis' favorite sandwich -- is now the newest limited edition Junior's cheesecake flavor, the result of a national flavor contest held in the lead-up to National Cheesecake Day, this coming Sunday, July 30.
Out of more than 5,000 entries across the country, Thomas Zahorec, from Greenville, South Carolina, channeled his inner King when submitting the winning flavor.
"Elvis had his numerous number one hits, and we have ours," said Alan Rosen, owner of Junior's. "So, I can't think of a better way to celebrate National Cheesecake Day than by creating this new flavor to honor the King, himself. Because just as you 'can't help falling in love' with Elvis, I know you won't be able to resist this peanut butter chocolate banana cheesecake. My deepest congratulations goes to Mr. Zahorec for inspiring our 25th flavor."
Rosen said that in addition to a $2500 cash prize, Zahorec will win a cheesecake a month for a year, including one of the new flavor, of course. And Junior's lovers around the country are also winners because the peanut butter chocolate banana cheesecake will be available for a limited time in Junior's restaurants and by mail order. This limited edition flavor will be available in various sizes through Labor Day.
About Junior's
Since the 1950s, Junior's Restaurant and Bakery in Brooklyn, New York has been famous for great food, great fun, great service, and, of course, the World's Most Famous Cheesecake. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily, Junior's Restaurant and Bakery's menu features New York and Brooklyn comfort food dishes ranging from classic New York deli sandwiches piled high, famous 10 oz. steak burgers, salads, jumbo half pound hot dogs, fresh seafood and a full-service bar. For more information, visit juniorscheesecake.com.
Instagram: @JuniorsCheesecake, Facebook: @JuniorsCheesecake
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SOURCE Junior's | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/viva-las-cheesecake/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:05 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/viva-las-cheesecake/ |
Former President Donald Trump faces three new charges in the case accusing him of hoarding classified documents as a grand jury continues to investigate his role in trying to overturn 2020's election.
Copyright 2023 NPR
Former President Donald Trump faces three new charges in the case accusing him of hoarding classified documents as a grand jury continues to investigate his role in trying to overturn 2020's election.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/where-trumps-legal-issues-stand-as-he-sees-more-charges-in-classified-documents-case | 2023-07-28T23:23:07 | 1 | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/where-trumps-legal-issues-stand-as-he-sees-more-charges-in-classified-documents-case |
BERLIN (AP) — A leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany on Friday urged members of the country’s main opposition conservative bloc to break down a “firewall” meant to isolate his party, which is at record levels in polls.
The 10-year-old Alternative for Germany, or AfD, gathered in the eastern city of Magdeburg for a convention stretching over the next two weekends at which it plans to choose candidates and set its policy platform for next June’s European Parliament election.
Recent polls put support for AfD at 19-22%, behind only the main conservative opposition bloc. Earlier this week, the latter’s main leader, Friedrich Merz, insisted that there would be no cooperation even at the local level between his Christian Democratic Union and AfD, after his apparent suggestion that they might work together prompted criticism from fellow conservatives.
AfD co-leader Tino Chrupalla told delegates that “polls aren’t results” and they should view recent surveys with “humility.” But he pointed to his party’s prospects of winning three state elections in eastern regions next year, and said that “we could take on government responsibility.”
The first AfD candidates recently won elections in eastern Germany to lead a county administration and become the full-time mayor of a municipality.
Chrupalla mocked Merz, who recently described his conservative bloc as an “alternative for Germany with substance.” He said that “we are the original,” and argued that Merz has recognized “it was wrong to put up a firewall against our party.”
“I call on all patriots in the CDU: tear down this … wall,” he said.
Chrupalla spent large parts of his speech assailing the environmentalist Green party, part of the center-left coalition of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, and also underlined his party’s opposition to weapons deliveries to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. He asserted that today’s European Union is “responsible for a disastrous migration policy, with sanctions policies that are harmful to the economy.”
The AfD convention will, probably several days in, address the party’s position on the EU and whether Germany should leave. The party’s other co-leader, Alice Weidel, told ZDF television Friday that it favors a dismantling of EU areas of responsibility, but didn’t specify whether the bloc should be dissolved. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-german-far-right-leader-urges-conservatives-to-break-down-firewall-against-his-party/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:08 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-german-far-right-leader-urges-conservatives-to-break-down-firewall-against-his-party/ |
WASHINGTON — A popular fast food chain is trying a new approach to serving food, with two new restaurant design concepts being developed near Atlanta and New York City.
Chick-fil-A announced Thursday it's planning two new locations to test an elevated drive-thru and digital walk-up concept. The restaurant with the elevated drive-thru will be built in the Atlanta metro area, with the walk-up concept built in New York City.
Both locations are scheduled to open in 2024 and are part of an attempt to improve the drive-thru and mobile ordering experiences, Chick-fil-A said in a statement.
“Understanding this desire for convenience, the locations for these tests were intentionally selected with the customers in mind, giving them more control over their desired experience and cutting down wait-time, while continuing to provide genuine hospitality and care to every guest," said Khalilah Cooper, the company's executive director of restaurant design, in the announcement.
The drive-thru concept will have the kitchen seated directly above the drive-thru, allowing cars to pass under the building, stopping to collect their food as it is sent down to them. Employees will still deliver the food to the cars, executives promised in a video showing off the restaurant concepts.
According to the company, their initial concept for the elevated restaurant has four drive-thru lanes.
The other test Chick-fil-A is running involves mobile orders. That concept restaurant won't have cash registers or other ways to buy food in the restaurant itself. Instead, it will be a pickup hub for customers to order through the mobile app. When they reach the store, their food should be ready to go.
“Digital orders make up more than half of total sales in some markets – and growing – so we know our customers have an appetite for convenience,” said Cooper.
Chick-fil-A isn't the first fast food company to test out novel ways to deliver meals.
Taco Bell earlier this year launched a two-story restaurant in Minneapolis that has a similar concept to the restaurant Chick-fil-A is bringing to Atlanta.
The Taco Bell restaurant is also elevated above four drive-thru lanes. But the Mexican food chain's lines are all for different purposes.
There are lines for customers who preorder their Crunchwrap Supremes and Quesaritos ahead of time on the Taco Bell app, a spot for delivery drivers to pull up and quickly grab orders made with third-party partners, and then a single traditional drive-thru lane.
Unlike the Chick-fil-A restaurant, nobody hands over the food at the Taco Bell Instead, orders are lowered down to your car.
"The guest comes in, they pull up to the arrival monitor and they scan their phone. It checks in for orders prepared and assigns it to a lane. Once the order is assigned to the lane, we just verify the customer's name, we lift up the top of the lift, put the food in, push the two buttons and it's on its way," explained Jarret Persons, regional manager for Border Foods, which owns 170 Taco Bell locations, including the unique Minneapolis one. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/nation-world/chick-fil-a-new-restaurant-concepts/507-916c263e-76b8-4db5-a110-02b37fc86f5a | 2023-07-28T23:23:09 | 0 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/nation-world/chick-fil-a-new-restaurant-concepts/507-916c263e-76b8-4db5-a110-02b37fc86f5a |
Arthur Rinderknech vs. Jurij Rodionov: Prediction and Match Betting Odds | ATP Challenger Zug, Switzerland Men Singles 2023
Arthur Rinderknech will meet Jurij Rodionov in the ATP Challenger Zug, Switzerland Men Singles 2023 semifinals on Saturday, July 29.
Compared to the underdog Rodionov (+110), Rinderknech is the favorite (-155) to advance to the final.
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Arthur Rinderknech vs. Jurij Rodionov Match Information
- Tournament: The ATP Challenger Zug, Switzerland Men Singles 2023
- Round: Semifinals
- Date: Saturday, July 29
- Venue: Tennisclub Zug
- Location: Zug, Switzerland
- Court Surface: Clay
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Arthur Rinderknech vs. Jurij Rodionov Prediction and Odds
Based on the moneyline in this match, Arthur Rinderknech has a 60.8% chance to win.
Bet on tennis with BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks!
Arthur Rinderknech vs. Jurij Rodionov Trends and Insights
- In the quarterfinals on Friday, Rinderknech took down Adrian Andreev 6-2, 6-2.
- Rodionov will look to stay on track after a 6-3, 7-5 victory over No. 158-ranked Zizou Bergs in the quarterfinals on Friday.
- Rinderknech has played 25.1 games per match (23.6 in best-of-three matches) in his 46 matches over the past 12 months (across all court surfaces).
- Rinderknech has played seven matches on clay over the past year, and 26.6 games per match (22.0 in best-of-three matches).
- Rodionov has played 24 matches in the past year across all court surfaces, averaging 23.0 games per match (22.9 in best-of-three matches) and winning 48.8% of those games.
- Rodionov has averaged 23.8 games per match (23.6 in best-of-three matches) and 9.5 games per set in 16 matches on clay courts in the past 12 months.
- In two head-to-head meetings, Rinderknech and Rodionov have split 1-1. Rodionov came out on top in their most recent clash on February 11, 2023, winning 7-6, 6-1.
- In terms of sets, Rodionov has taken three versus Rinderknech (60.0%), while Rinderknech has captured two.
- Rodionov has bettered Rinderknech in 24 of 44 total games between them, good for a 54.5% winning percentage.
- In their two matches against each other, Rinderknech and Rodionov are averaging 22.0 games and 2.5 sets.
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wlbt.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/arthur-rinderknech-vs-jurij-rodionov-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-atp-challenger-zug-switzerland-men-singles-2023/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:11 | 1 | https://www.wlbt.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/arthur-rinderknech-vs-jurij-rodionov-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-atp-challenger-zug-switzerland-men-singles-2023/ |
Attacks against postal carriers are up, and so are mail thefts. The U.S. Postal Service has a new safety plan, but is it strong enough? This is occurring as the USPS tries to recruit more workers.
Copyright 2023 NPR
Attacks against postal carriers are up, and so are mail thefts. The U.S. Postal Service has a new safety plan, but is it strong enough? This is occurring as the USPS tries to recruit more workers.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/with-a-rise-in-robberies-of-postal-carriers-its-a-dangerous-time-to-work-in-mail | 2023-07-28T23:23:13 | 0 | https://www.wboi.org/2023-07-28/with-a-rise-in-robberies-of-postal-carriers-its-a-dangerous-time-to-work-in-mail |
WASHINGTON — It's a policy that's not even on the books anymore.
Seven months after the military's COVID-19 vaccine mandate was repealed, debate continues over the impact it had... and still has.
On Capitol Hill, House Republicans argued that military recruitment and retention have been negatively affected by the now-revoked order.
According to Defense Department data, more than 2 million service members are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
The 2023 National Defense Authorization Act revoked the department's vaccine requirement.
National media outlets have reported that over 8,300 military service members have been discharged due to non-compliance. According to testimony Thursday before the Republican-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic, another 19,000 troops remain unvaccinated.
"Not only did these mandates damage Americans' trust in public health and in vaccines and caused people to lose their jobs, they also negatively affected our military," said Rep. Brad Wenstrup (R-Ohio).
Attorney Danielle Runyan's law firm, First Liberty Institute, represents 26 Navy SEALs and 4,000 service member plaintiffs in a class action suit against the government over the revoked policy.
"The Chief of Naval Operations issued a policy that threatened religious objectors with the loss of their careers, potentially crippling debt and involuntary separation," she said.
But Democrats on the panel defended the mandates.
"These policies, including vaccine requirements for high-risk health care workers, federal workers, and our service members, allowed us to safely reunite loved ones, re-open schools, businesses and workplaces, enhance military readiness and reach the end of the public health emergency, despite every effort by QAnon and Republicans did to generate fear and undermine confidence in the vaccine," said Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-California).
Meanwhile, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) had a proposal to reinstate thousands of service members discharged for refusing the vaccine, but it was defeated in the Senate Wednesday on a 46 to 53 vote.
Defense Department data shows that 96 military members have died from COVID-19.
When you add in DOD civilian employees, dependents and contractors, the number jumps to 690. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/national/military-news/measuring-the-costs-of-us-military-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/291-155b0216-c6cc-4e5c-8d8c-6b42afb07ac0 | 2023-07-28T23:23:15 | 1 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/national/military-news/measuring-the-costs-of-us-military-covid-19-vaccine-mandate/291-155b0216-c6cc-4e5c-8d8c-6b42afb07ac0 |
HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong judge on Friday denied a government request to ban a popular protest song in a landmark decision after Google had resisted official pressure to alter internet search results for the city’s anthem.
The development was a setback for Hong Kong leaders who are trying to crush a pro-democracy movement. They have been embarrassed when “Glory to Hong Kong” — written during mass protests against the government in 2019 — was mistakenly played at international sporting events instead of China’s national anthem, “March of the Volunteers.”
Critics have warned that granting the request to prohibit broadcast or distribution of the song would add to a decline in civil liberties since Beijing launched a crackdown following the 2019 protests. They said that might disrupt internet companies and hurt the city’s appeal as a business center.
But some analysts cautioned the court’s decision on Friday does not mean that foreign tech giants can from now on let down their guard in Hong Kong, and said that political challenges surrounding their operations in the financial hub still linger.
Judge Anthony Chan said he considered whether a ban of the song would act as a wider deterrence than the city’s criminal law already in place. That includes a National Security Law imposed by Beijing in 2020 under which many of the city’s leading activists have been arrested.
“I cannot be satisfied that it is just and convenient to grant the injunction,” he wrote in a ruling.
The government went to the court after Google resisted pressure to display China’s national anthem as the top result in searches for the city’s anthem instead of “Glory to Hong Kong.”
Google had asked that a ruling prove the song violated the law before it could be removed, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong told a local broadcaster earlier. Google did not reply to a request for comment on its earlier exchanges with officials.
The city’s leader, Chief Executive John Lee, told reporters he had asked government lawyers to study the judgment and decide how to respond.
Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule in 1997 and was promised that it could keep its Western-style civil liberties intact for 50 years after the handover. But the security law and other changes since the 2019 protests have shrunk the openness and freedoms that were once hallmarks of the city.
The city’s secretary for justice sought the injunction last month after the song was mistakenly played as the city’s anthem at international events. And a mix-up in an ice hockey competition in February resulted in the city’s top sports body reprimanding the Hong Kong Ice Hockey Association, which appealed for forgiveness for what it called an “independent and unfortunate” event.
In seeking the court order, the government wanted to target anyone who uses the song to advocate for the separation of Hong Kong from China. It also sought to ban actions that use the song to incite others to commit secession and to insult the national anthem, including online.
However, Friday’s ruling will not mean the end of the controversy for tech giants, said George Chen, former head of public policy for Greater China at Meta.
He said it was a new beginning for the platforms and the government to work together on content-related issues, given there was “zero chance” that the government would just leave all versions of the protest song online.
“Now the ball is back to the government but it doesn’t mean platforms can relax,” said Chen, who now works as a managing director for business advisory firm The Asia Group.
He said the city is now a “highly political place” and many lawmakers were surprised by the ruling, predicting that the political pressure on content removal on tech platforms will remain.
“It may feel more like Season 1 of a long series,” he said.
Eric Lai, visiting researcher of King’s College London’s School of Law, said that the government was trying to abuse the legal system by using an injunction to tackle a political matter when it sought the court order. The ruling reflects that the court still wants to defend the integrity of the city’s legal system, Lai said.
“Had this injunction been granted by the court, it would further create a more restrictive environment for both the internet and the public,” he said.
Lai cautioned that it’s a worrying trend to see that the secretary for justice “is so eager to politicize the court and the legal proceedings” to suppress the opposition camp and dissenting opinions, adding that he would monitor how the government would respond to the decision.
The government earlier said the lyrics contain a slogan that could constitute a call for secession. The song was already banned at schools. It said that it respected freedoms protected by the city’s constitution, “but freedom of speech is not absolute.”
The 2019 protests were sparked by a proposed extradition law that would have allowed Hong Kong criminal suspects to be sent to the mainland for trial. The government withdrew the bill, but the protesters widened their demands to include direct elections for the city’s leaders and police accountability. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-hong-kong-court-rejects-government-requested-ban-on-protest-song-glory-to-hong-kong/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:15 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-hong-kong-court-rejects-government-requested-ban-on-protest-song-glory-to-hong-kong/ |
Diane Parry vs. Clara Burel: Prediction and Match Betting Odds | Ladies Open Lausanne
Diane Parry will meet Clara Burel in the Ladies Open Lausanne semifinals on Saturday, July 29.
In this Semifinal matchup, Burel is favored (-125) against Parry (+100) .
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Diane Parry vs. Clara Burel Match Information
- Tournament: The Ladies Open Lausanne
- Round: Semifinals
- Date: Saturday, July 29
- Venue: Tennis Club du Stade-Lausanne
- Location: Lausanne, Switzerland
- Court Surface: Clay
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Diane Parry vs. Clara Burel Prediction and Odds
Based on the moneyline in this match, Clara Burel has a 55.6% chance to win.
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Diane Parry vs. Clara Burel Trends and Insights
- Parry is coming off a 6-3, 6-2 win over No. 70-ranked Alize Cornet in Friday's quarterfinals.
- In her most recent scheduled match, Burel was handed a walkover win over Ana Bogdan at the Ladies Open Lausanne.
- Parry has played 28 matches over the past year (across all court surfaces), and 21.9 games per match.
- On clay, Parry has played five matches over the past 12 months, totaling 22.8 games per match while winning 49.1% of games.
- Burel is averaging 23.2 games per match in her 28 matches played in the past year across all court types, winning 50.9% of those games.
- Burel has averaged 22.7 games per match and 10.0 games per set in 11 matches on clay courts in the past year.
- Parry and Burel have matched up once dating back to 2015, in the Mutua Madrid Open qualifying round. Burel was victorious in that matchup 6-4, 6-7, 6-4.
- Burel and Parry have faced off in three sets against each other, with Burel taking two of them.
- Burel and Parry have matched up in 33 total games, with Burel taking 18 and Parry claiming 15.
- Burel and Parry have squared off one time, and they have averaged 33.0 games and 3.0 sets per match.
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wlbt.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/diane-parry-vs-clara-burel-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-ladies-open-lausanne/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:18 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/diane-parry-vs-clara-burel-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-ladies-open-lausanne/ |
Being away from your family isn’t easy, even if you’re an NFL star.
The Patriots found a fun solution and stuck to the tradition of players showing off their office — well, field — to their children Friday. Even Grandpa coach Bill Belichick joined in. All in a day’s work. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/all-in-the-family-3/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:21 | 0 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/all-in-the-family-3/ |
When you get a stomachache, you may reach for a glass of ginger ale to help feel better. It is a common home remedy for nausea or other gastrointestinal issues. However, some people online are wondering if their mom’s go-to cure actually works.
THE QUESTION
Does ginger ale help with stomachaches?
THE SOURCES
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- A study published in Nutrients in 2020
- Emma Slattery, RDN, in a post on Johns Hopkins Medicine
- A blog post by Matthew Goldman, M.D., on Cleveland Clinic
- Seagram’s
- Schweppes
- Canada Dry
THE ANSWER
While ginger root can help stomachaches, many popular brands of ginger ale do not contain any real ginger. The sugar and high carbonation may also worsen digestive problems.
WHAT WE FOUND
Ginger ale could help relieve stomachaches for some people, but only if it contains real ginger. A scientific review of more than 100 studies on the effects of ginger show moderate effectiveness in relieving nausea.
Emma Slattery, a registered dietician at Johns Hopkins Medicine, explains in a blog post that “eating ginger encourages efficient digestion, so food doesn’t linger as long in the gut.” This can help you cut down on bloating and constipation as ginger improves “the rate at which food exits the stomach and continues along the digestive process.”
But while “ginger” may be in the name of the fizzy drinks you find in stores, many brands of ginger ale do not actually contain any real ginger.
VERIFY looked at the ingredients list of Seagram’s ginger ale and found that the soda contains “ginger extract with other natural flavors.” Schweppes, Canada Dry and Great Value ginger ale do not include ginger in their ingredient list and instead only say “natural flavors.” According to the FDA, “natural flavors” can refer to a wide variety of ingredients whose “significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.”
Ginger ale often contains large amounts of sugar, which may create further issues for your stomachache. In a blog post for the Cleveland Clinic, Matthew Goldman, M.D., says, “If a person has bloating, gas or indigestion, the carbonation and sugar may make it worse. Even diet ginger ale can be harmful because our bodies may not digest artificial sugars as well.”
Another aspect of ginger ale believed to assist with stomachaches is carbonation. But that might not be helpful for everyone.
Baptist Health explains, “Some people find that the bubbles in carbonated drinks help soothe an upset stomach, in part, by making it easier for them to burp and release stomach pressure. For others, gas and acidity can make matters worse.” Baptist Health recommends that you drink heavily carbonated drinks with caution if you are not sure how they affect you.
So how can you best take advantage of ginger’s soothing effects when you’re feeling sick? Cleveland Clinic recommends getting ginger root from the grocery store and mixing it with decaf tea or warm water.
Some ginger sodas do have real ginger in the ingredient list. Reed’s sells a ginger ale with 2 grams of ginger in a 12 oz bottle and ginger beer that contains 17 grams of ginger per bottle. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/verify/ginger-ale-no-help-stomachache-because-no-ginger/536-b21c22d9-743a-4f5a-a9d6-a570ef090627 | 2023-07-28T23:23:21 | 1 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/news/verify/ginger-ale-no-help-stomachache-because-no-ginger/536-b21c22d9-743a-4f5a-a9d6-a570ef090627 |
HONG KONG (AP) — The Chinese government on Friday demanded the United States invite Hong Kong’s leader to an economic conference following a news report that Chief Executive John Lee would be barred due to his role in crushing the city’s pro-democracy movement.
The conflict threatens to complicate Washington’s efforts to revive relations that are at their lowest level in decades due to disputes about security, technology, human rights and other irritants.
The Washington Post, citing unidentified U.S. officials, said Lee would be barred from the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in San Francisco in November due to sanctions imposed on him in 2020. Lee oversaw the crackdown as Hong Kong’s top police official before he was named chief executive last year.
The United States and other governments have accused Beijing of violating promises of autonomy and Western-style civil liberties after the former British colony returned to China in 1997.
The foreign ministry demanded Washington lift the “illegal and unreasonable” sanctions on Lee, which it called “bullying that seriously violates the basic norms of international relations.” It accused Washington of “undermining the solidarity and cooperation” of the regional forum.
“We demand that the U.S. side immediately correct its wrong move, lift the sanctions against the chief executive and other officials of the SAR, fulfil the due responsibility as APEC host, invite Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu to the meeting,” said a ministry spokesperson, Mao Ning.
Lee’s office in Hong Kong said the United States is “obliged to fulfil its basic responsibilities as a host” and should follow the usual APEC practice by inviting him.
“APEC meetings do not belong to any country or economy,” the office said in a statement.
Lee later said in a press briefing that the city would attend the meeting according to APEC rules and guidelines, saying he hoped that the host of the meeting could handle it in accordance with such norms.
The Washington Post cited U.S. officials as saying Hong Kong could send another representative to APEC.
Washington has launched a flurry of diplomatic missions to restore dialogue suspended by Beijing, mainly over U.S. support for the self-governing island democracy of Taiwan, which the mainland’s ruling Communist Party claims as part of its territory.
Officials including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and climate envoy John Kerry have traveled to China for meetings.
Chinese officials have demanded concessions, including changes in U.S. dealings with Taiwan, but have given given no indication Beijing might change trade, strategic or other policies that irk Washington and China’s Asian neighbors and other trading partners.
In a July 20 meeting with Henry Kissinger, a former U.S. secretary of state who has been used by Beijing to convey messages to Washington, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said both sides need to make decisions that could result in stable ties and joint success and prosperity.
___
Associated Press video producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-hong-kongs-leader-may-be-barred-from-a-key-economic-summit-the-city-says-that-breaks-conventions/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:23 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-hong-kongs-leader-may-be-barred-from-a-key-economic-summit-the-city-says-that-breaks-conventions/ |
Laslo Djere vs. Zhizhen Zhang: Prediction and Match Betting Odds | Hamburg European Open
Laslo Djere will take on Zhizhen Zhang in the Hamburg European Open semifinals on Saturday, July 29.
Djere is getting -175 odds to earn a spot in the final over Zhang (+135).
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Laslo Djere vs. Zhizhen Zhang Match Information
- Tournament: The Hamburg European Open
- Round: Semifinals
- Date: Saturday, July 29
- Venue: MatchMaker Sports Gmbh
- Location: Hamburg, Germany
- Court Surface: Clay
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Laslo Djere vs. Zhizhen Zhang Prediction and Odds
Based on the moneyline in this match, Laslo Djere has a 63.6% chance to win.
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Laslo Djere vs. Zhizhen Zhang Trends and Insights
- In the quarterfinals on Friday, Djere advanced past No. 18-ranked Lorenzo Musetti, 7-5, 6-3.
- Zhang will look to stay on track after a 6-4, 6-4 win over No. 61-ranked Daniel Altmaier in the quarterfinals on Friday.
- Through 57 matches over the past 12 months (across all court types), Djere has played 25.4 games per match (23.6 in best-of-three matches) and won 50.1% of them.
- Djere has played 21 matches on clay over the past 12 months, and 22.3 games per match (21.7 in best-of-three matches).
- In the past 12 months, Zhang has played 46 total matches (across all court surfaces), winning 50.0% of the games. He averages 25.7 games per match (23.7 in best-of-three matches) and 10.1 games per set.
- In 14 matches on clay courts in the past year, Zhang has averaged 26.7 games per match (26.6 in best-of-three matches) and 10.7 games per set, winning 50.0% of the games.
- Dating back to 2015, Djere and Zhang have not competed against each other.
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wlbt.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/laslo-djere-vs-zhizhen-zhang-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg-european-open/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:25 | 1 | https://www.wlbt.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/laslo-djere-vs-zhizhen-zhang-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg-european-open/ |
By SUDHIN THANAWALA (Associated Press)
ATLANTA (AP) — Authorities in Alabama said Friday they filed criminal charges against a woman who confessed to fabricating a story that she was kidnapped after stopping to check on a toddler she saw walking on the side of the interstate.
Carlee Russell was charged with false reporting to law enforcement and falsely reporting an incident, both misdemeanors that carry up to a year in jail, Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said. Russell turned herself into jail Friday and was released on bond, he said.
“Her decisions that night created panic and alarm for citizens of our city and even across the nation as concern grew that a kidnapper was on the lose using a small child as bait,” he said. “Numerous law enforcement agencies, both local and federal, began working tireless not only to bring Carlee home to her family but locate a kidnapper that we now know never existed. Many private citizens volunteered their time and energy in looking for a potential kidnapping victim that we know now was never in any danger.”
Derzis said he was frustrated that Russell was only being charged with two misdemeanors despite the panic and disruption she caused, but he said the law did not allow for enhanced charges.
Russell, 25, disappeared after calling 911 on July 13 to report a toddler wandering beside a stretch of interstate. She returned home two days later and told police she had been abducted and forced into a vehicle.
Her disappearance became a national news story. Images of the missing woman were shared broadly on social media.
“We don’t see this as a victimless crime,” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall said at Friday’s news conference. “There are significant hours spent, resources expended as a result of this investigation.”
Marshall’s office was asked to handle the prosecution because of the attention the case has received, Derzis said. Marshall said he intends to “fully prosecute” Russell and said his office will monitor the police investigation to see whether additional charges are warranted.
Russell, through her attorney, Emory Anthony, acknowledged earlier that she made the story up. In a statement read by police on Monday, Anthony said Russell was not kidnapped, did not see a baby on the side of the road, did not leave the city and acted alone. He said Russell apologized and he asked for prayers and forgiveness as she “addresses her issues and attempts to move forward, understanding that she made a mistake in this matter.”
A message left Friday at Anthony’s office was not immediately returned.
Russell told detectives she was taken by a man who came out of the trees when she stopped to check on the child, put her in a car and an 18-wheel truck, blindfolded her and held her at a home where a woman fed her cheese crackers, authorities said at a news conference last week. At some point, Russell said she was put in a vehicle again but managed to escape and run through the woods to her neighborhood.
“This story opened wounds for families whose loved ones really were victims of kidnappings,” Derzis said.
He said police have not determined where Russell went during the 49 hours she was missing. They plan to talk to the attorney general’s office about recovering some of the money spent on the investigation. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/authorities-charge-alabama-woman-who-acknowledged-fabricating-story-about-kidnapping-toddler/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:27 | 1 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/authorities-charge-alabama-woman-who-acknowledged-fabricating-story-about-kidnapping-toddler/ |
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs fans have more Silver and Black murals to add to their bingo cards this summer and this new one features rookie Victor Wembanyama enjoying tacos.
A new Wembanyama mural, created by Clavo Murals, is set for fans to flock to at Tacos Al Carbon located near North Star Mall and San Pedro.
It features Wembanyama enjoying a taco complete with the team's fiesta colors splashed around him.
Check out the new mural (edited due to language) courtesy of Spurs fan Frankieee_SVT on Twitter.
On NBA draft night, Wembanyama said he was looking forward to San Antonio's famous breakfast tacos and when he made his first steps in the city, he was handed some tacos to enjoy.
"Wemby fever" is certainly taking over San Antonio.
There is another mural of him on the city's South Side at Rudy's Seafood, Mudslingers Drive Thru Coffee has a drink inspired by Wembanyama called "The Alien", and there is even a hot dog fit for the 7-3 19-year-old.
Fans are anxiously waiting for the new season to start and tickets are selling fast.
You can visit the new mural at 6653 San Pedro Ave, 78216.
Do you have any personal photos of the many Spurs murals in San Antonio? Let us know on Twitter at @KENS5, and at @JeffGSpursKENS5.
Learn more about KENS 5:
Since going on the air in 1950, KENS 5 has strived to be the best, most trusted news and entertainment source for generations of San Antonians.
KENS 5 has brought numerous firsts to South Texas television, including being the first local station with a helicopter, the first with its own Doppler radar and the first to air a local morning news program.
Over the years, KENS 5 has worked to transform local news. Our cameras have been the lens bringing history into local viewers' homes. We're proud of our legacy as we serve San Antonians today.
Today, KENS 5 continues to set the standard in local broadcasting and is recognized by its peers for excellence and innovation. The KENS 5 News team focuses on stories that really matter to our community.
You can find KENS 5 in more places than ever before, including KENS5.com, the KENS 5 app, the KENS 5 YouTube channel, KENS 5's Roku and Fire TV apps, and across social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more!
Want to get in touch with someone at KENS 5? You can send a message using our Contacts page or email one of our team members. | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/sports/nba/new-victor-wembanyama-mural-enjoying-tacos-san-antonio-nba-spurs/273-2e1798e6-3972-469c-aeda-ab602cbe2eb7 | 2023-07-28T23:23:28 | 1 | https://www.myfoxzone.com/article/sports/nba/new-victor-wembanyama-mural-enjoying-tacos-san-antonio-nba-spurs/273-2e1798e6-3972-469c-aeda-ab602cbe2eb7 |
MIAMI (AP) — A federal judge in Miami on Friday blasted prosecutors for an apparent attempt to disavow a court order and take control of a oceanside condo belonging to a former Republican Congressman ahead of a high-profile trial connected to a $50 million consulting contract with Venezuela’s socialist government.
When David Rivera and an associate were charged last November with money laundering and acting as unregistered foreign agents for President Nicolás Maduro’s government, prosecutors obtained a judge’s order freezing around $24 million from banking and brokerage accounts as well as Florida properties that they said were the product of ill-gotten gains.
Prosecutors also blocked eight more properties belonging to Rivera and his associate in Florida and Georgia that, while unrelated to criminal activity, would likely be seized if the two are found guilty.
This month, in a harshly worded ruling, Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres said that the government had no right to take the “innocent” Florida assets without a conviction. Rather than lift the restraining order, the government then asked the court to reconsider and said that it had since determined that three of the properties — including a condo that Rivera and his wife purchased in 2019 for $301,000 in New Smyrna Beach, Florida — could also be traced to the defendants’ alleged lobbying on behalf of Maduro’s government.
Judge Darrin Gayles on Friday expressed frustration with the government’s change in strategy.
“This reeks of gamesmanship,” said Gayles, who reversed his own sealed order of a week ago granting prosecutors’ request that the real estate properties once again be frozen. “It seems like the government simply filed this because it lost.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nalina Sombuntham said prosecutors first learned from investigators that the property could be directly “tainted” by Rivera’s consulting work with Venezuela in May or June but didn’t alert the court until July 14 — a week after Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres issued his 23-page order freeing up the properties.
Gayles, who is overseeing the criminal case, was unimpressed. “It seems like you’re wasting the court’s time,” he said.
Rivera has been marred by scandals stretching back to his days in Congress from 2011 to 2013. He was arrested late last year on an eight-count criminal indictment alleging that at the start of the Trump administration he was part of a conspiracy to lobby on behalf of Venezuela to lower tensions with the U.S., resolve a legal dispute with a U.S. oil company and end U.S. sanctions against the South American nation — all without registering as a foreign agent.
As part of that effort, he arranged meetings in Washington, New York and Dallas for allies of Maduro with U.S. lawmakers and a top aide to former President Donald Trump, according to the indictment. To hide the sensitive nature of his work, prosecutors allege Rivera referred to Maduro in chat messages as the “bus driver,” a congressman as “Sombrero” and millions of dollars as “melons.”
Court records show Rivera’s consulting work was closely coordinated with Raúl Gorrín, a Venezuelan insider and media tycoon who has himself been sanctioned and indicted in the U.S. on money laundering charges. Part of the more than $20 million that Rivera was alleged to have received from Venezuela was used to pay maintenance on one of Gorrin’s yachts, according to prosecutors.
Rivera maintains that Gorrín was his attorney in Venezuela and that all of his work was conducted on behalf of PDV USA — a Delaware-based affiliate of Venezuelan-owned Citgo — and didn’t require he register as a foreign agent.
The dispute over Rivera’s assets has slowed the government’s prosecution of the high-profile case. Eight months after being charged, Rivera has yet to be formally arraigned — normally a routine procedural step — because he said he needs access to the disputed assets to pay his attorneys.
Rivera’s attorneys in filings have accused prosecutors of waging a “scorched earth attack” against the south Florida GOP stalwart who once shared an apartment in Tallahassee with now Sen. Marco Rubio when both were state lawmakers.
“They lost, they got caught and they came to this court and it is wrong,” David Oscar Markus, an attorney for Rivera’s co-defendant Esther Nuhfer said.
Rivera was triumphant following Friday’s hearing, accusing the prosecutors of “misconduct.” Judge Gayles was more restrained, making no such finding of wrongdoing even as he questioned prosecutors’ actions.
“Today’s decision shows that there are still honorable judges in America who will not tolerate misconduct from dishonest government prosecutors,” Rivera wrote The Associated Press in a text message. “Another victory for truth and justice.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Southern District of Florida didn’t immediately comment.
—
Follow Goodman on Twitter: @APJoshGoodman | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-judge-blasts-prosecutors-handling-of-venezuela-case-against-ex-miami-congressman/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:30 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-judge-blasts-prosecutors-handling-of-venezuela-case-against-ex-miami-congressman/ |
Noma Noha Akugue vs. Arantxa Rus: Prediction and Match Betting Odds | Hamburg
In the final of the Hamburg on Saturday, Noma Noha Akugue (ranked No. 207) takes on Arantxa Rus (No. 60).
Rus is the favorite (-300) to win the title against Noha Akugue (+240).
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Noma Noha Akugue vs. Arantxa Rus Match Information
- Tournament: The Hamburg
- Round: Finals
- Date: Saturday, July 29
- Venue: MatchMaker Sports Gmbh
- Location: Hamburg, Germany
- Court Surface: Clay
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Noma Noha Akugue vs. Arantxa Rus Prediction and Odds
Based on the moneyline in this match, Arantxa Rus has a 75.0% chance to win.
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Noma Noha Akugue vs. Arantxa Rus Trends and Insights
- By taking down No. 101-ranked Diana Shnaider 6-3, 6-3 on Friday, Noha Akugue reached the finals.
- In the semifinals on Friday, Rus clinched a victory against No. 225-ranked Daria Saville, winning 2-6, 6-3, 6-1.
- Noha Akugue has played 12 matches over the past 12 months (across all court types), and 22.5 games per match.
- On clay, Noha Akugue has played seven matches over the past 12 months, totaling 25.3 games per match while winning 50.8% of games.
- Rus has played 21 matches in the past 12 months across all court types, averaging 21.6 games per match and winning 53.2% of those games.
- Rus has averaged 20.6 games per match and 9.5 games per set through 12 matches on clay courts in the past 12 months.
- Dating back to 2015, Noha Akugue and Rus have not competed against each other.
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© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wlbt.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/noma-noha-akugue-vs-arantxa-rus-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:31 | 0 | https://www.wlbt.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/noma-noha-akugue-vs-arantxa-rus-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg/ |
SAN MATEO, Calif. (AP) — A man allegedly stabbed a woman to death in the San Francisco Bay Area on Wednesday and then posted a video of the slaying to Facebook, authorities said.
The gruesome footage helped police track down the suspect, who was later identified as 39-year old Mark Mechikoff. He was arrested about 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) south of where the victim was found dead in a San Mateo apartment complex.
“While the motive for stabbing the victim is still under investigation, we do know Mechikoff mercilessly filmed the last moments of the victim’s life and posted the video to Facebook, then fled the area,” San Mateo police said in a statement.
Prosecutors identified the victim as Claribel Estrella. The San Mateo County District Attorney’s Office plans to file a case against Mechikoff Friday and charge him with a single count of murder with an enhancement for use of a knife.
His arraignment is scheduled for Friday afternoon, where an attorney will be appointed to represent him, DA Stephen Wagstaffe said in an email.
The stabbing was first reported to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada when a caller said she saw the video on Facebook. The sheriff’s office “pinged” the phone number associated with the Facebook page and traced it to a large San Mateo apartment complex.
Officers there went door-to-door and found Estrella nearly three hours later inside a unit, authorities said. Police say Mechikoff knew her but have not described how.
Mechikoff was arrested two hours later on suspicion of homicide in the city of San Jose. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/bay-area-man-fatally-stabbed-woman-and-posted-video-of-it-on-facebook-police-say/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:33 | 1 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/bay-area-man-fatally-stabbed-woman-and-posted-video-of-it-on-facebook-police-say/ |
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s navy located the boat of a missing American sailor off the country’s southern coast, but the Maryland man who had been piloting it solo wasn’t found, authorities said Friday.
Donald Lawson’s capsized trimaran was found Thursday night by a patrol boat involved in the search 356 nautical miles (about 410 miles or 660 kilometers) southwest of the resort city of Acapulco, according to the navy’s press office.
The navy said that it would continue its search for Lawson, 41, an experienced sailor.
A plane had reported spotting a boat similar to the description of Lawson’s on July 23 about 320 nautical miles (370 miles or 595 kilometers) south of Acapulco. The navy sent boats to the area, but it wasn’t until Thursday night that they found it.
Port authorities in Acapulco said that Lawson had arrived on Jan. 26 for repairs to a motor and hull of the boat. After the repairs were completed, Lawson left Acapulco on July 5, headed for the Panama Canal, where he planned to cross to the Caribbean Sea and continue north to Baltimore, Maryland.
His wife, Jacqueline Lawson, told local media outlets that on July 9, he had sent her a message saying he was having mechanical problems and the motor was losing power. Three days later, he told her a storm had knocked out his wind generator and he would try to return to Acapulco. The last satellite positioning message received for the Defiant was July 13.
Lawson, who is Black, grew up in Baltimore and from his first sailing opportunity at age 9, set his sights on making it his career.
“From that day forward, that was my goal – become a professional sailor,” Lawson said in a profile published by U.S. Sailing last year.
He started out cleaning boats, folding sails and stowing gear in Annapolis. Later, he and his wife founded the Dark Seas Project, an effort to increase diversity in the sport of sailing. He is the chairman of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee for U.S. Sailing.
Lawson was working toward challenging records for circumnavigating the globe solo. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-mexicos-navy-finds-boat-but-not-missing-us-sailor/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:36 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-mexicos-navy-finds-boat-but-not-missing-us-sailor/ |
Chris Stapleton surprises girl with a rare backstage meet and greet
(Circle) - Chris Stapleton made a little girl’s dream come true over the weekend.
Stapleton’s 2023 All-American Road Show has kept him on the go, performing night after night, but amongst all the shows, one truly stood out.
At his July 14 concert at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, Virginia, a heartwarming moment unfolded when a young fan named Lily held up a sign that read, “Will you take a picture with me?”
The simple question seemed to really catch Stapleton’s attention because the girl and her family were escorted backstage after the concert, where they patiently waited for Stapleton and his wife, Morgane, to join them.
In the TikTok video, Morgane asks the young fan if she created the sign. She nods and replies, “Yes,” proudly holding out a guitar pick she had received during the concert before the meet-and-greet.
“Well. We saw your sign, and we said, We’ve gotta do that,” Morgane added.
The fan’s successful meet and greet with Stapleton came as a surprise to many, given his reputation as a private person. He is well-known for his low-key status, rarely participating in interviews, let alone participating in meet and greets.
Stapleton also surprised some fans recently by announcing to the world that he will be releasing his 5th studio album, titled “Higher.”
The upcoming album will mark his first studio release since 2020 when he dropped his fourth studio album, “Starting Over,” which won him a Grammy for Best Country Album.
Originally appeared on Circle All Access. https://www.circleallaccess.com/
Copyright 2023 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/28/chris-stapleton-surprises-girl-with-rare-backstage-meet-greet/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:39 | 1 | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/28/chris-stapleton-surprises-girl-with-rare-backstage-meet-greet/ |
Taylor Swift urged to postpone Los Angeles-area shows Video Deputies: Teen at Triangle Lake drowns after canoe … Lane County deputies ID woman killed in hit-and-run, … Biden offers first statement on Hunter’s 4-year-old …
Deputies: Teen at Triangle Lake drowns after canoe … Lane County deputies ID woman killed in hit-and-run, … Biden offers first statement on Hunter’s 4-year-old …
Lane County deputies ID woman killed in hit-and-run, … Biden offers first statement on Hunter’s 4-year-old … | https://www.koin.com/stjude/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:39 | 1 | https://www.koin.com/stjude/ |
Tesla is ramping up efforts to open showrooms on tribal lands where it can sell directly to consumers, circumventing laws in states that bar vehicle manufacturers from also being retailers in favor of the dealership model.
Mohegan Sun, a casino and entertainment complex in Connecticut owned by the federally recognized Mohegan Tribe, announced this week that the California-based electric automaker will open a showroom with a sales and delivery center this fall on its sovereign property where the state’s law doesn’t apply.
The news comes after another new Tesla showroom was announced in June, set to open in 2025 on lands of the Oneida Indian Nation in upstate New York.
“I think it was a move that made complete sense,” said Lori Brown, executive director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, which has lobbied for years to change Connecticut’s law.
“It is just surprising that it took this long, because Tesla had really tried, along with Lucid and Rivian,” she said, referring to two other electric carmakers. “Anything that puts more electric vehicles on the road is a good thing for the public.”
Brown noted that lawmakers with car dealerships that are active in their districts, no matter their political affiliation, have traditionally opposed bills allowing direct-to-consumer sales.
The Connecticut Automotive Retail Association, which has opposed such bills for years, says there needs to be a balance between respecting tribal sovereignty and “maintaining a level playing field” for all car dealerships in the state.
“We respect the Mohegan Tribe’s sovereignty and the unique circumstance in which they operate their businesses on Tribal land but we strongly believe that this does not change the discussion about Tesla and other EV manufacturers with direct-to-consumer sales, and we continue to oppose that model,” Hayden Reynolds, the association’s chairperson, said in a statement. “Connecticut’s dealer franchise laws benefit consumers and provide a competitive marketplace.”
Over the years in numerous states, Tesla has sought and been denied dealership licenses, pushed for law changes and challenged decisions in courts. The company scored a victory earlier this year when Delaware’s Supreme Court overturned a ruling upholding a decision by state officials to prohibit Tesla from selling its cars to directly customers.
Tesla opened its first store as well as a repair shop on Native American land in 2021 in New Mexico. The facility, built in Nambé Pueblo, north of Santa Fe, marked the first time the company partnered with a tribe to get around state laws, though the idea had been in the works for years.
Brian Dear, president of the Tesla Owners Club of New Mexico, predicted at the time that states that are home to tribal nations and also have laws banning direct car sales by manufacturers would likely follow New Mexico’s lead.
“I don’t believe at all that this will be the last,” he said.
Tesla’s facility at Mohegan Sun, dubbed the Tesla Sales & Delivery Center, will be located at a shopping and dining pavilion within the sprawling casino complex. Customers will be able to test drive models around the resort. and gamblers will be able to use their loyalty rewards toward Tesla purchases.
Tesla also plans to exhibit its solar and storage products at the location. | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/automaker-tesla-is-opening-more-showrooms-on-tribal-lands-to-avoid-state-laws-barring-direct-sales/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world | 2023-07-28T23:23:39 | 0 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/automaker-tesla-is-opening-more-showrooms-on-tribal-lands-to-avoid-state-laws-barring-direct-sales/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
Veteran Lance Lynn helped the Chicago White Sox to the playoffs in 2021
He’ll look to aid the Los Angeles Dodgers after the Sox reportedly traded the right-hander Friday.
Joining him in Los Angeles will be reliever Joe Kelly, who previously won World Series titles with the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale was the first to report the trade news.
Lynn has one of the highest ERAs in baseball among qualified pitchers this season at 6.47. But he’s also among the major league leaders in strikeouts (144) and innings (119 2/3).
Sox manager Pedro Grifol spoke about Lynn’s importance before Wednesday’s game.
“His steadiness. How he understands the role that he’s got in being the veteran guy in a rotation,” Grifol said. “He understands the leadership part of it that he’s had to take on with younger starters. It means a lot to any ballclub.
“Him taking the ball every five days and never complaining about anything and giving you 100 pitches plus? It means the world to any team and to any manager knowing that this guy’s going to go out there — whether he gives up three in the first or none in the first or five in the first — he’s going to be pitching in the seventh inning. There’s a lot of value to Lance Lynn.”
The Sox acquired Lynn in a trade in December 2020. He played a major role in the Sox winning their first division title since 2008, going 11-6 in 2021 with a 2.69 ERA. He fell five innings short of leading the American League in ERA.
Lynn made the AL All-Star team and placed third in the AL Cy Young Award voting.
He was limited to 21 starts in 2022, missing the first two-plus months of the season because of a knee injury suffered in spring training.
Lynn started slowly last season, going 1-3 with a 7.50 ERA in his seven starts before the All-Star break and turned it on in the second half, going 7-4 with a 2.52 ERA in his 14 starts after the break. This year, he’s been hurt by home runs (28).
Kelly, who went on the IL July 5 with right elbow inflammation, has a 4.97 ERA, one save, 11 holds and 41 strikeouts in 31 appearances this season.
His best stretch started at the end of April when he compiled a 10-game scoreless streak from April 30-May 23.
Kelly signed a two-year deal with the Sox before the 2022 season, and went 2-7 with a 5.54 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 72 appearances.
His stint with the team was delayed when he began 2022 on the IL with a right biceps nerve injury. He made 43 appearances last season.
He’s had two trips to the IL this season — a right groin strain April 9-24 and the elbow inflammation. He was reinstated from the IL on July 22.
Lynn and Kelly both will provide the Dodgers with plenty of big-game postseason experience: Lynn has pitched in 27 postseason games and Kelly has appeared in 40.
() | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/chicago-white-sox-reportedly-trade-starter-lance-lynn-and-reliever-joe-kelly-to-los-angeles-dodgers-ahead-of-tuesdays-deadline/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:39 | 1 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/chicago-white-sox-reportedly-trade-starter-lance-lynn-and-reliever-joe-kelly-to-los-angeles-dodgers-ahead-of-tuesdays-deadline/ |
Donald Trump appeals judge’s decision to keep hush-money case in New York state court
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump asked a federal appeals court Friday to reverse a federal judge’s decision to keep his hush-money criminal case in a New York state court that the former president claims is “very unfair” to him.
Trump’s lawyers filed a notice of appeal with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan after U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein last week rejected his bid to move the case to federal court, where his lawyers were primed to argue he was immune from prosecution.
U.S. law allows criminal prosecutions to be moved from state to federal court if they involve actions taken by federal government officials as part of their official duties, but Hellerstein ruled that the hush-money case involved a personal matter, not presidential duties.
Trump’s appeal notice came at the end of another busy week of legal action for the twice-indicted Republican as he seeks a return to the White House in next year’s election. On Thursday, he was indicted on new criminal charges in a separate case in federal court in Florida involving allegations that he illegally hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the hush-money case and fought to keep it in state court, declined to comment on Trump’s appeal.
Trump pleaded not guilty April 4 in state court to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide reimbursements made to his longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen for his role in paying $130,000 to the porn actor Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.
Cohen also arranged for the National Enquirer to pay Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 for the rights to her story about an alleged affair, which the supermarket tabloid then squelched in a dubious journalism practice known as “catch-and-kill.”
Trump denied having sexual encounters with either woman. His lawyers argue the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses and not part of any cover-up.
He is scheduled to stand trial in state court on March 25, 2024. In the meantime, his lawyers have asked the state court judge presiding over the case, Juan Manuel Merchan, to step aside, arguing that he’s biased in part because his daughter does political consulting work for some of Trump’s Democratic rivals. Trump has referred to Merchan as “a Trump-hating judge” with a family full of “Trump haters.” The judge has yet to rule on the request.
In seeking to try the hush-money case tried in federal court, Trump’s lawyers have argued that some of his alleged conduct amounted to official presidential duties because it occurred in 2017 while he was president, including checks he purportedly wrote while sitting in the Oval Office.
Moving the case from state court to federal court would have significant legal and practical consequences for Trump. In federal court, for example, his lawyers could then try to get the charges dismissed on the grounds that federal officials have immunity from prosecution over actions taken as part of their official job duties.
A shift to federal court would also mean a more politically diverse jury pool — drawing not only from heavily Democratic Manhattan, where Trump is wildly unpopular, but also from suburban counties north of the city where he has more political support.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/28/donald-trump-appeals-judges-decision-keep-hush-money-case-new-york-state-court/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:45 | 1 | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/28/donald-trump-appeals-judges-decision-keep-hush-money-case-new-york-state-court/ |
DENVER (AP) — A Colorado police officer who put a handcuffed woman in a parked police vehicle that was hit by a freight train was found guilty of reckless endangerment and assault but was acquitted of a third charge of criminal attempt to commit manslaughter during a trial Friday.
Jordan Steinke was the first of two officers to go to trial over the Sept. 16, 2022, crash that left Yareni Rios-Gonzalez seriously injured.
Steinke testified that she did not know that the patrol car of another officer she was helping was parked on the tracks even though they can be seen on her body camera footage along with two railroad crossing signs. Steinke said she was focused on the threat that could come from Rios-Gonzalez and her pickup truck, not the ground.
Steinke said she put Rios-Gonzalez in the other officer’s vehicle because it was the nearest spot to temporarily hold her. She said she didn’t know the train was coming until just before it hit.
There was no jury in Steinke’s trial, which started Monday. Instead, Judge Timothy Kerns listened to the evidence and issued the verdict. Mallory Revel, Steinke’s attorney, didn’t immediately respond to requests by phone and email for comment.
Steinke, who was working for the Fort Lupton Police Department at the time of the crash, was charged with criminal attempt to commit manslaughter, a felony; and reckless endangerment and third-degree assault, both misdemeanors.
The other officer, Pablo Vazquez, who worked for the police department in nearby Platteville, is being prosecuted for misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and traffic offenses. He hasn’t entered a plea yet. His lawyer, Reid Elkus, didn’t immediately respond to a request by phone for comment.
Vazquez pulled over Rios-Gonzalez on a rural road that intersects U.S. Highway 85 after she was accused of pointing a gun at another driver. Trains pass on tracks that parallel the highway about a dozen times a day, prosecutors said, and the sound of their horns is common in the area north of Denver.
Rios-Gonzalez, who suffered a traumatic brain injury, is suing over her treatment. She later pleaded no contest to misdemeanor menacing, said one of her lawyers, Chris Ponce, who was in court to watch the trial. Rios-Gonzalez did not testify or attend herself.
Steinke said she placed Rios-Gonzalez in the other police car temporarily because it was the nearest place to keep her secure, a move that is standard practice for high-risk traffic stops, said defense expert witness Steve Ijames. He also testified that in dangerous situations officers can become hyperfocused on particular threats and overlook things that turn out to be important in hindsight.
Steinke, who drove at around 100 mph (161 kph) at times on her way to backup Vazquez, testified that she was surprised to see him sitting in his vehicle when she arrived, rather than pointing a gun at Rios-Gonzalez’s truck. She said she quickly parked her patrol vehicle behind his and got out because it was the quickest way “to get a gun in the fight.”
Steinke also said she did not notice the tracks or the ground when she squatted down to arrest a kneeling Rios-Gonzalez along the tracks after the suspect was ordered out of her pickup truck.
When pressed by Deputy District Attorney Christopher Jewkes, Steinke replied, “I am sure I saw the tracks sir, but I did not perceive them.” She said she was focused on the suspect and the potential threat she posed and was “fairly certain” that the traffic stop would end in gunfire.
“I never in a million years thought a train was going to come plowing through my scene,” Steinke said.
The Weld County District Attorney’s office didn’t immediately respond to a request by phone for comment.
___
This story has been updated to correct that the officer was acquitted of the charge of criminal attempt to commit manslaughter, not manslaughter. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/colorado-officer-who-put-suspect-in-car-hit-by-train-found-guilty-of-reckless-endangerment/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:45 | 1 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/colorado-officer-who-put-suspect-in-car-hit-by-train-found-guilty-of-reckless-endangerment/ |
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Millions of Shiite Muslims in Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and around the world on Friday commemorated Ashoura, a remembrance of the 7th-century martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson, Hussein, that gave birth to their faith.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban cut mobile phone services in key cities holding commemorations for fear of militants targeting Shiites, whom Sunni extremists consider heretics. Security forces in neighboring Pakistan as well stood on high alert as the commemorations there have seen attacks in the past.
Not all Shiites, however, were to mark the day Friday. Iraq, Lebanon and Syria planned their remembrances for Saturday, which will see a major suburb of Beirut shut down and the faithful descend on the Iraqi city of Karbala, where Hussein is entombed in a gold-domed shrine.
Shiites represent over 10% of the world’s 1.8 billion Muslims and view Hussein as the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad. Hussein’s death in battle at the hands of Sunnis at Karbala, south of Baghdad, ingrained a deep rift in Islam and continues to this day to play a key role in shaping Shiite identity.
Over 1,340 years after Hussein’s martyrdom, Baghdad, Tehran, Islamabad and other major capitals in the Middle East were adorned with symbols of Shiite piety and repentance: red flags for Hussein’s blood, symbolic black funeral tents and black dress for mourning, processions of men and boys expressing fervor in the ritual of chest-beating and self-flagellation with chains.
In Iran, where the theocratic government views itself as the protector of Shiites worldwide, the story of Hussein’s martyrdom takes on political connotations amid its tensions with the West over its advancing nuclear program.
Iranian state television aired images of commemorations across the Islamic Republic, tying the event to criticizing the West, Israel and the U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani in 2020. Anchor Wesam Bahrani on Iran’s state-run English-language broadcaster Press TV referred to America as the “biggest opponent of Islam” and criticized Muslim countries allied with the U.S.
Men wore black, rhythmically beating their chests in mourning or using flails to strike their backs. Some wore red headbands, as black and red banners bore Hussein’s name. Some sprayed water over the mourners in the intense heat.
“Every year everyone joins hands in solidarity,” said 23-year-old Mohammad Hajatmand, who took part in a processional in Tehran. Hussein “was martyred very brutally and when anyone hears the story of Ashoura, regardless of their religion, their hearts will be broken and they will sympathize with him.”
The commemoration in Iran also comes as Tehran prepares for the one-year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini. Her death launched protests nationwide in Iran that reportedly saw more than 500 protesters killed and some 20,000 others detained. Authorities have begun stepping up their enforcement of mandatory hijab, or headscarf, laws for women in recent weeks.
In the suburb of Sayida Zeinab near Syria’s capital, Damascus, security forces guarded checkpoints after a bomb hidden in a motorcycle exploded Thursday, killing at least six people and wounding dozens more. On Tuesday, another bomb in a motorcycle wounded two people. The suburb is home to a shrine to Zeinab, the daughter of the first Shiite imam, Ali, and granddaughter of the Prophet Muhammad.
Local resident Mustafa Semaan, 41, said the area had seen a resurgence of religious tourism after security stabilized amid Syria’s ongoing war and the worst of the coronavirus pandemic.
“I don’t believe the religious observances will be affected (by the recent bombings), but the economic situation as a result of visitors coming from outside Syria may be affected,” Semaan said. “If this continues, if there were a third attack, there might be a very negative impact.”
Iraq will see the main observance of the Ashoura on Saturday in Karbala, where hundreds of thousands are expected and many will rush toward the shrine to symbolize their desire to answer Hussein’s last cries for help in battle. Convoys of the faithful already had begun to arrive there.
Those marking the commemoration in Kabul, Afghanistan, beat their backs bloody with chains and knives in ritual bloodletting known as “tatbir,” meant to recreate the blood flowing from the slain Hussein. The practice has become debated among Shiite clerics in recent decades.
“We have only one problem that (the Taliban) are preventing us to raise our flags and enter (the city) with the flags,” said Karbalayee Rashid, an organizer of the Kabul commemoration. “Thank God the security has been taken care. It is OK, but there are more limits in this country this year than last year.”
In Pakistan, authorities stepped up security as an Interior Ministry alert warned that “terrorists” could target Ashoura processions in major cities. Security was tight in the capital, Islamabad, where police were deployed at a key Shiite place of worship.
The main Ashoura processions also got underway in the eastern city of Lahore in the Punjab province, where thousands of police officers have been deployed. Processions in Karachi and elsewhere were also starting. There was no immediate report of any violence.
“The Imam’s lesson is … hold on to patience,” said Anam Batool, a mourner who took part in a commemoration in Islamabad. “After that, resist falsehood, stand with the truth. Where you must raise your voice against oppression, raise your voice there.”
___
Associated Press writers Abby Sewell in Baghdad; Anmar Khalil in Karbala, Iraq; Munir Ahmed in Islamabad; and Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-millions-of-shiite-muslims-across-the-world-commemorate-the-mourning-day-of-ashoura/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:44 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-millions-of-shiite-muslims-across-the-world-commemorate-the-mourning-day-of-ashoura/ |
From ending the use of the MCAS to legalizing psychedelic mental health treatments, special interest groups are positioning themselves to offer ballot questions on proposed laws ahead of the 2024 election and an initial August deadline.
Groups have lined up behind some of the most debated topics on Beacon Hill over the past few sessions, including the rights and status of workers, government accountability and transparency, debt-free higher education, and increasing the minimum wage.
One firm is eyeing a potential run at election reforms.
Partners in Democracy, which is headed up by former Democratic gubernatorial candidate Danielle Allen and pitches itself as a “democracy renovation movement,” is weighing questions around same-day voter registration, simplifying the process for getting on the ballot, and updating the state’s primary process.
The group has met with voters and policymakers “for months” to identify ways to improve the state’s current elections process, said John Griffin, the organization’s managing partner for strategy.
Griffin said the group is also looking at campaign finance reforms to limit the influence of foreign money in elections and addressing the “low level of competitiveness” in local contests.
Partners in Democracy said it is debating a proposal that would put in place a “Top Five” elections system, which would use a single nonpartisan preliminary election where candidates from all parties, including independents, run on one ballot. The top five candidates would move on to the general election.
“We’re planning to file proposals addressing each of these issues, and will be exploring the best timing and pathway forward to passing them once they’ve been evaluated by the attorney general,” Griffin said.
The group’s ballot question committee has already spent $25,000 with the Boston-based law firm Verrill for “drafting of potential language for ballot measure [and] general advice,” according to the state’s campaign finance office.
Northwind Strategies, a Boston-based political consulting firm, has also stepped into the ballot question realm though it is unclear who their client is. The firm filed paperwork for the “Committee for Transparent Democracy” and lists its founding partner, Doug Rubin, as chair.
Rubin, who worked as chief of staff for former Gov. Deval Patrick and on a lengthy list of campaigns including that of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, declined to comment on the status of a ballot question.
Paperwork filed with the state said the committee is looking to “support policies and issues that make government more transparent and accountable.” Rubin has recently done work for Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who is battling with the Legislature over transparency and accountability on Beacon Hill.
Advocates must submit the text of their ballot questions to Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office by 5 p.m. Wednesday for review. If Campbell greenlights them, supporters need to collect nearly 75,000 signatures from certified Massachusetts voters by mid-November.
Fourteen proposed laws and one constitutional amendment had been filed with the attorney general’s office as of early Friday. Seven were shot down by the office in September, five were certified, and a handful were awaiting action. More were expected to be filed on Friday.
Raise Up Massachusetts is also among the ballot question committees that have filed paperwork with the state’s campaign finance office. The coalition has filed as a ballot question committee every year since it came together in 2013.
And this year, it’s looking to tackle an increase to the state’s minimum wage, which bumped up to $15 an hour at the start of the year as part of a deal hammered out between former Gov. Charlie Baker, former House Speaker Robert DeLeo, and Senate President Karen Spilka in 2018.
Raise Up spokesman Andrew Farnitano said the coalition’s latest iteration of the ballot question committee was “formed for the purpose of building shared prosperity in the commonwealth through higher minimum wages and fair and adequate taxation.”
“Raise Up Massachusetts is working to increase the minimum wage because the low-wage workers who make our economy work need higher wages to keep up with record-breaking inflation, deal with the high cost of living in Massachusetts, and rise out of poverty,” Farnitano told the Herald.
The Massachusetts for Mental Health Options committee said it is looking to promote a policy that would give adults in Massachusetts access to “regulated psychedelic therapy and remove criminal penalties for personal possession of these medicines.”
“Importantly, this is not for retail sales and not for take home,” said Ben Unger, who works for New Approach, a group that successfully pushed through questions on psychedelic treatments in Colorado and Oregon.
The Massachusetts Teachers Association filed a ballot question awaiting a decision from Campbell that would end the use of the MCAS. Another union, 32BJ SEIU, is also eyeing a potential question.
“As 2024 is expected to be a busy year for ballot initiatives in Massachusetts, 32BJ has filed paperwork to form a committee so we can have the ability to defend worker’s rights in this arena if necessary,” said Roxana Rivera, head of 32BJ SEIU in Massachusetts.
Other questions filed with the attorney general’s office covered the suspension of the state’s gas tax — a topic that generated significant debate last summer — and zero-emission vehicles, zero-emission home heating systems, and home solar powered electricy. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/election-reform-to-minimum-wage-groups-position-ballot-questions-ahead-of-2024/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:51 | 1 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/election-reform-to-minimum-wage-groups-position-ballot-questions-ahead-of-2024/ |
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was joined by senior Russian and Chinese delegates as he displayed his most powerful nuclear-capable missiles in a military parade marking a major war anniversary with a show of defiance against the United States and deepening ties with Moscow as tensions on the peninsula are at their highest point in years.
Kim attended Thursday night’s parade with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chinese ruling party official Li Hongzhong from a balcony looking over a brightly illuminated Kim Il Sung Square, named after Kim’s grandfather, the founder of North Korea.
Edited footage from North Korean state TV on Friday showed streets and stands packed with tens of thousands of mobilized spectators, who roared in approval as waves of goose-stepping soldiers, tanks and huge, intercontinental ballistic missiles wheeled out on launcher trucks filled up the main road. People were brought from around the country to the capital, Pyongyang, to fill the crowd, according to state media.
The parade began with warm-up events that featured ceremonial flights of newly developed surveillance and attack drones, which were first unveiled by state media this week as they reported on an arms exhibition attended by Kim and Shoigu.
The main event began with Kim arriving at the square in a limousine escorted by a formation of motorcycles. Kim saluted honor guards and military officials and walked down a red carpet to enter a building where Shoigu and Li greeted him at the balcony, as troops below chanted “protect Kim Jong Un with our lives!”
Organizers broadcast messages in Russian, Chinese and Korean while introducing Kim’s guests to the crowd, drawing cheers and applause.
As the parade proceeded, Kim was constantly talking and exchanging smiles with Shoigu and Li, who respectively stood to his right and left at the balcony’s center. Kim and Shoigu repeatedly raised their hands to salute the parading troops. The broadcast did not show Kim making a speech.
Kim’s biggest weapons were saved for the end, when his troops rolled out new ICBMs that were flight-tested in recent months and demonstrated ranges that could reach deep into the U.S. mainland, the Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18. Some analysts say the missiles are based on Russian designs or know-how.
North Korean Defense Minister Kang Sun Nam spoke, describing the parade as a historic celebration of the country’s “great victory” against “U.S. imperialist aggression forces and groups of its satellite states.”
He condemned the United States for its expanding military exercises with South Korea, which the North portrays as invasion rehearsals, and also holding new rounds of nuclear contingency planning meetings with Seoul. The allies describe their drills as defensive, and say the upgrades in training and planning are necessary to cope with the North’s evolving nuclear threat.
“We solemnly declare that if they attempt military confrontation as now, the exercise of our state’s armed forces will go beyond the scope of the right to defense for the United States of America and (South Korea),” Kang said, repeating previous North Korean threats of nuclear conflict.
“The U.S. imperialists have no room of choice of survival in case they use nuclear weapons against the DPRK,” he said, using the initials of his country’s formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Clouds over Pyongyang in recent days made it difficult for satellites to monitor preparations for the parade, which took place at night.
Satellite images showed what appeared to be a massing of people at the square at 1316 GMT (10:16 p.m. local) Thursday, said Dave Schmerler, a senior research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, which is part of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey.
North Korea’s invitation of Russian and Chinese delegates was a rare diplomatic opening since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts say Kim is trying to break out of diplomatic isolation and boost the visibility of his partnership with authoritarian allies to counter pressure from the United States.
The parade followed meetings between Kim and Shoigu this week that demonstrated North Korea’s support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and added to suspicions the North was willing to supply arms to Russia, whose war efforts have been compromised by defense procurement and inventory problems.
North Korean state media also highlighted a message sent by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who thanked Kim for “firmly supporting” his war efforts in Ukraine. Putin said that interests between Moscow and Pyongyang were aligning as they counter the “collective West in its policy to stand in the way of establishing a genuinely multipolar and just world order,” according to the Kremlin’s version of the letter.
Kim also held a luncheon and dinner banquet for Shoigu and his delegation following a second day of talks about expanding the countries’ “strategic and tactical collaboration and cooperation” in defense and security, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.
“Given Russia’s need for ammunition for its illegal war in Ukraine and Kim Jong Un’s willingness to personally give the Russian defense minister a tour of North Korea’s arms exhibition, U.N. member states should increase vigilance for observing and penalizing sanctions violations,” said Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha University in Seoul.
He added: “China’s representation at North Korea’s parading of nuclear-capable missiles raises serious questions about Beijing enabling Pyongyang’s threats to global security.”
The parade capped off the North Korean festivities for the 70th anniversary of the armistice that stopped fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War. North Korea, which triggered the war with a surprise attack on the South in June 1950, was supported by Chinese troops and the then-Soviet air force. South Korea, the United States and troops from other nations under the aegis of the U.N. fought to push back the invasion.
The July 1953 truce was never replaced with a peace treaty, leaving the Korean Peninsula in a technical state of war, but the North still sees it as a victory in the “Grand Fatherland Liberation War.”
The anniversary events were more somber in South Korea, where President Yoon Suk Yeol visited a war cemetery in Busan to honor foreign troops who died while fighting for the South.
In the face of growing North Korean threats, Yoon has pushed to expand South Korea’s military exercises with Washington and is seeking stronger U.S. reassurances that it would use its nuclear capabilities to defend the South in the event of a nuclear attack.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also marked the anniversary with a statement expressing concern over what he described as a growing “nuclear risk” on the Korean Peninsula.
“I urge the parties to resume regular diplomatic contacts and nurture an environment conducive to dialogue,” he said.
___
Associated Press writers Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Edith Lederer in New York contributed to the report. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-north-korean-leader-kim-shares-center-stage-with-russian-chinese-delegates-at-military-parade/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:51 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-north-korean-leader-kim-shares-center-stage-with-russian-chinese-delegates-at-military-parade/ |
Countdown To Kickoff: Santa Fe Raiders
Raiders finished the 2022 season with an 1-9 record.
ALACHUA Fla. (WCJB) - Anyone who plays at Santa Fe understands the road back to success begins with an improved attitude and hard work.
The Raiders have only won four games in the last three seasons. Last year, they gave nearly 32 points per game. Ordinary men would flee from such a circumstance, but second-year head coach and Santa Fe alumni Joe Szymanski embraces it.
Szymanski said, “We have a lot to do in aspects of changing the culture and attitude to the program. We have come a long way last year in doing that, we are actually trying to build the program the right way from the ground up.”
Szymanski took over the program at the beginning of last season and continues this year of rebuilding with the challenge of a young team. The Raiders have only five returning seniors and nine sophomores starting on the offense.
Seniors like tight end/linebacker John Rich and wideout Michael Cottrell plan to help the underclassman stay focused.
Rich said, “Like coach said we are a young team, I don’t expect to go to states, like I would love to go to states but like as a young team it’s more of like a build this year, than a finish on top, I am here to push the kids the younger kids through so the program comes through the next couple years and really just hope I can make the best of it.”
Cottrell said, “We have to do it together; we can’t play as individuals we have to play as a team. When we play as a team that’s when we play our best football.”
Santa Fe is using last year as a stepping stone. They plan to learn from their mistakes and put their best foot forward for this upcoming season.
Szymanski said, “We got to stay focused and take one game at a time. We learned that what our kids are capable of and what they aren’t capable of and the situations we need to try to get ourselves into and keep out at the same time. I wanted to get the program back to where it used to be, back in the 90s, where we won a couple state championships and I know we can do it with the talent we have there.”
The Raiders will try to get their season off on the right foot when Newberry comes to Alachua on August 25th.
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Copyright 2023 WCJB. All rights reserved. | https://www.wcjb.com/2023/07/28/countdown-kickoff-santa-fe-raiders/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:54 | 0 | https://www.wcjb.com/2023/07/28/countdown-kickoff-santa-fe-raiders/ |
Lots of gang members get charged with carrying machine guns, but the conversion kits have to come from someone — and the feds and Chelsea Police teamed up to arrest just such a “switches” dealer.
Michael Williams, 49, of Chelsea, was arrested Thursday and charged with one count of transferring or possessing a machine gun. He appeared before Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell in federal court in Boston Friday afternoon for an initial appearance and is scheduled to return on Monday.
The charge refers not to possession of an actual machine gun itself, but for Williams allegedly selling a conversion kit, or a “Glock switch,” which would convert a semi-automatic gun into fully automatic firing capability, to undercover FBI agents working with a neighborhood informant in January, according to an affidavit backing up the criminal complaint.
The feds say that Williams met up with the two agents and the “Confidential Human Source,” or CHS, in a vehicle outside his home in Chelsea on Jan. 12.
During a “brief conversation,” Williams allegedly told one of the agent that he had for “clips” loaded there and that he “has more ‘switches’ coming later today and will get you the rest tomorrow,” and that he was so experienced with the devices that he could install one in “two seconds.”
Just as he said, the affidavit alleges, Williams handed over “a plastic bag containing one machinegun conversion device, four firearm magazines, and numerous rounds of ammunition.”
And, to get the other devices he promised, the group returned to his house the next day, during which Williams allegedly sold an agent “two machine conversion devices and firearm accessories for an AR-15 rifle and a Glock pistol,” and offered to install the wares himself.
Williams is a felon with an extensive criminal history including arrests or convictions for breaking and entering with intent to commit a felony, possession of a large capacity firearm, possession of a defaced firearm, possession of ammunition, leaving the scene of personal injury and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, according to a summary compiled in the affidavit.
The charge carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000, according to the U.S. Attorney’ office. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/feds-arrest-charge-chelsea-felon-they-say-deals-machine-guns/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:57 | 0 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/28/feds-arrest-charge-chelsea-felon-they-say-deals-machine-guns/ |
Elon Musk is known for his unusual and disruptive business practices.
The latest apparent example was reported Thursday in an article by news agency Reuters: For years, Tesla reportedly has exaggerated the maximum range of the electric cars it sells. When customers’ range complaints overwhelmed the company’s service team, according to Reuters, Tesla created a special team to cancel those appointments and tell drivers that nothing was wrong with their cars’ battery data.
The news report, which cites customers and unnamed former employees, said that the company created a “Diversion Team” in Las Vegas specifically to cancel as many range-related appointments as possible.
The team was reportedly created to address a growing problem at Tesla: Its service center growth has not kept pace with the growth in sales for Tesla cars. “Service centers were inundated with appointments from owners who had expected better performance based on the company’s advertised estimates,” the Reuters article said. Messages sent to customers with range-related appointments said “remote diagnostics” indicated no battery problems and thus the appointment was canceled.
According to Reuters, Tesla rigged its algorithms for its range meter to give drivers a “rosy” idea of how far the car could travel on a full charge; when the battery was half-depleted, the software would show a more realistic range projection, to avoid a driver being stranded with no juice left in the battery.
Customer Alexandre Ponsin told the news agency that he bought a used 2021 Tesla Model 3 with an advertised range of 353 miles, but he found that when it was cold out he got as little as half that range. (Cold weather can reduce range on any car battery.)
Given the chance to refute or explain the range issue to Reuters, both Tesla and Musk failed to respond to repeated requests for comment.
Whether Tesla’s range claims violate any marketing laws is unclear. The company is under investigation by the California Department of Motor Vehicles for calling its driver assist software Full Self-Driving, when the car is incapable of driving itself without human assistance.
On Wednesday, CNBC reported that the California attorney general is investigating claims the company has made about its Autopilot software. | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/how-a-secret-tesla-team-reportedly-thwarted-battery-range-complaints/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world | 2023-07-28T23:23:58 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/how-a-secret-tesla-team-reportedly-thwarted-battery-range-complaints/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |
DOTD is preparing to barricade homeless camp on Siegen Lane
BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Soon, the walled off area underneath the I-10 overpass on Siegen Lane will have a much-needed makeover. That area is poised for panhandlers and drug addicts who use concrete walls along the overpass to hide their illegal actions.
“We’re going to grade it off and so that way we’ll be able to minimize or mitigate the pedestrian traffic and the litter than gets underneath there,” said Rodney Mallet with DOTD.
Mallet says crews are already working to build the new barricade.
“You know, they had a fire underneath there a couple years ago. So, this is a low-cost measure that will be a safety measure for pedestrians and for litter,” Mallet explained.
The spot has been home, for lack of a better word, to homeless folks from all over. But when they come, they leave behind an eyesore. Rotten food, soiled clothes, piles of used syringes are all at your feet behind the two walls. Jennifer Richardson with Keep Tiger Town beautiful has been working to keep this area clean for years and says anything will help.
“I have buckets and buckets and buckets of drug needles that have come from under there and it’s just really sad. Anything that anybody wants to do there I’m all for it because doing nothing is like saying we don’t care about our city,” said Richardson.
She says some of the coverage from other news outlets on the homeless problem has been inaccurate and says if elected officials actually visited these locations, they would really see how bad the problem has become.
“Everybody has an opinion about this but until you’ve actually been there, put your boots on and gone under there and check it out, check out what’s going on under there...I don’t think you should really be talking about your opinion on it until you’ve come out there,” Richardson continued.
She also says instead of giving these folks money that they can potentially use for more drugs, give them food and maybe even ask them if they’re willing to accept some help.
“I did get one guy off the street. I was going into the hell hole, and he was coming out of it, I asked him if he was ready to get help and he told me yes, he did. I brought him breakfast and I got him help. He just got out of detox and out of rehab and he’s getting ready to go into sober living,” Richardson shared.
Jennifer says if you want to help her and her group, she posts daily meet up spots and times on her Facebook page. DOTD says the plan for now is to install the barricade by the end of next month.
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Copyright 2023 WAFB. All rights reserved. | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/28/dotd-is-preparing-barricade-homeless-camp-siegen-lane/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:58 | 1 | https://www.wafb.com/2023/07/28/dotd-is-preparing-barricade-homeless-camp-siegen-lane/ |
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian forces on Friday struck the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro and pounded a key village in the southeast that Ukraine claimed to have recaptured in its grinding counteroffensive, while Moscow accused Kyiv of firing two missiles at southern Russia and wounding 20 people.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, marked Ukraine’s Statehood Day by reaffirming the country’s sovereignty — a rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who used his claim that Ukraine didn’t exist as a nation to justify his invasion.
“Now, like more than a thousand years ago, our civilizational choice is unity with the world,” Zelenskyy said in a speech on a square outside St. Michael’s Monastery in Kyiv. “To be a power in world history. To have the right to its national history -– of its people, its land, its state. And of our children -– all future generations of the Ukrainian people. We will definitely win!”
He also honored servicemen and handed out first passports to young citizens as part of ceremonies. The holiday coincides with commemorations of the adoption of Christianity on lands that later became Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down a Ukrainian missile in the city of Taganrog, about 40 kilometers (about 24 miles) east of the border with Ukraine, and local officials reported 20 people were injured, identifying the epicenter as an art museum.
Debris fell on the city, the ministry added, alleging the missile was part of a “terror attack” by Ukraine.
Oleksiy Danilov, Ukraine’s secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, blamed Russian air defense systems for the explosion.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it downed a second Ukrainian missile near the city of Azov, which like Taganrog is in the Rostov region, and debris fell in an unpopulated location.
Earlier in the day, a Ukrainian drone was shot down outside Moscow, the Defense Ministry said, in the third drone strike or attempt on the capital region this month. The ministry reported no injuries or damage in the latest incident, and it didn’t give an exact location where the drone fell.
Since the war began, Russia has blamed Ukraine for drone, bomb and missile attacks on its territory far from the battlefield’s front line. Ukrainian officials rarely confirm being behind the attacks, which have included drone strikes on the Kremlin that unsettled Russians.
The strikes have hit Russian ammunition and fuel depots, as well as bridges the Russian military uses to supply its forces, and military recruitment stations. The attacks have also included killings of Russian-appointed officials on occupied Ukrainian territory.
Three months ago, a Russian warplane accidentally dropped a bomb on Belgorod, injuring two people, in an incident where Ukraine was initially suspected.
In Dnipro, an apparent Russian missile attack wounded nine people in the area of a newly constructed and as yet unoccupied 12-story apartment building, as well as an unoccupied adjacent Security Service of Ukraine building. “Russian missile terror again,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
Video showed the apartment building’s upper floors in ruins, with gray smoke billowing from them, and flames raging in the night at ground level, where shattered concrete and glass littered a courtyard.
Russia has often struck apartment buildings during the conflict, while denying it intentionally targets civilians.
Meanwhile, the commander of Ukraine’s armed forces, Col.-Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi, said his troops were pushing forward in parts of eastern Ukraine occupied by Russia and meeting stiff resistance as the war drags into its 18th month.
“The enemy fiercely clings to every centimeter, conducting intense artillery and mortar fire,” he said in a statement.
Recent fighting has taken place at multiple places along the more than 1,000-kilometer (more than 600-mile) front, where Ukraine deployed its recently acquired Western weapons to push out the Kremlin’s forces. However, it is attacking without vital air support and faces a deeply entrenched foe.
A Western official said Thursday that Ukraine had launched a major push in the southeast. Putin acknowledged that fighting has intensified there, but insisted Kyiv’s push has failed.
Zelenskyy posted a video Thursday night in which Ukrainian soldiers said they had taken Staromaiorske in the Donetsk region. Russian military bloggers said artillery fire at the Ukrainian troops had effectively razed the village and reported more barrages Friday.
Capturing the village, which in 2014 had a population of 682, would give Ukraine a platform to push deeper into Russian-held territory, the bloggers noted.
The area has been a focus of Ukraine’s counteroffensive since June, and its troops have previously captured several other villages there as they slowly work their way across extensive Russian minefields.
It was not possible to verify either side’s claims about what is happening in the war zone.
Syrskyi said fighting that targets the enemy’s artillery as well as its command and control structure is a priority as his troops probe Russian lines for weaknesses.
“In these conditions, it is crucial to make timely management decisions in response to the situation at hand and take measures for maneuvering forces and resources, shifting units and troops to areas where success is evident, or withdrawing them from the enemy’s fire,” he said.
Russia is trying to hold on to the territory it controls in the four provinces it illegally annexed in September — Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kherson and Luhansk.
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Heintz reported from Tallinn, Estonia. Andrew Katell in New York contributed.
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An earlier version corrected that Oleksiy Danilov is Ukraine’s secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, not defense minister.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-russia-says-a-ukrainian-drone-was-shot-down-outside-moscow/ | 2023-07-28T23:23:59 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/international/ap-international/ap-russia-says-a-ukrainian-drone-was-shot-down-outside-moscow/ |
Federal investigators renewed their recommendation that major freight railroads equip every locomotive with the kind of autonomous sensors that could have caught the track flaws that caused a fatal 2021 Amtrak derailment in northern Montana.
But installing the sensors on the tens of thousands of locomotives in the fleet could be cost prohibitive, and it’s not entirely clear if one would have caught the combination of rail flaws that the National Transportation Safety Board said caused the crash near Joplin, Montana, that killed three people and injured 49 others. And rail unions caution that no technology should be a substitute for human inspectors.
The NTSB report laid blame in part on BNSF railroad, which owns the tracks, and “a shortcoming in its safety culture.” But it noted that even if track inspections had been more frequent, the severity of the problems may not have been noticed the day of the crash without devices and technology designed to enhance the inspections.
“It is unlikely that the track deviations would have been detected through the current track inspection process,” the board concluded in the report released Thursday. But “autonomous monitoring systems … have the ability to monitor track conditions and provide real-time condition monitoring that could be used for early identification and mitigation of unsafe track conditions.”
BNSF defends its safety record and said it already employs a number of the sensors that the NTSB is recommending. Spokeswoman Lena Kent said BNSF inspections meet all federal requirements, and the Fort Worth, Texas-based railroad is committed to timely maintenance, repair and replacement whenever issues or potential issues are detected.
But track problems have long been a safety concern for the NTSB, which can recommend but not mandate changes. In a 2021 report on the Joplin derailment, it attributed 592 U.S. derailments over a decade-long timespan to “track geometry,” which includes the distance between the rails and their horizontal and vertical alignment. Those issues were the second-leading cause of derailment in 2021.
Railroad safety expert Dave Clarke, the former director of University of Tennesse’s Center for Transportation Research, said it is important to remember that the NTSB doesn’t do any kind of cost-benefit analysis on its recommendations.
“If they think something is a good idea for safety they put it out there. In the real world there may be no way to economically or practically do everything NTSB recommends,” Clarke said.
Clarke said it’s also not clear that these sensors would have definitely caught the problems that caused the Montana derailment because none of the individual factors was severe enough to be considered a defect under Federal Railroad Administration rules. The NTSB said it was the combination of all those factors that caused the derailment.
The major freight railroads have more than 23,000 locomotives in their fleets, including thousands that have been put into storage in recent years as the railroads have overhauled their operations to rely more on longer trains that don’t need as many locomotives.
It would require a major investment to add detectors to every locomotive, although the Association of American Railroads trade group couldn’t immediately provide an estimate of how much each sensor costs. BNSF and the five other major U.S. freight railroads already spend roughly $23 billion every year on improving and maintaining their networks and investing in new equipment.
But attorney Jeff Goodman, who represented family members of the three passengers who died in the derailment, said he believes his clients would have lived if trains that had passed through the area before the Amtrak train had been equipped with these sensors.
Tracks will always bend or get out of sync because they’re exposed to the elements, but monitoring allows trains to know when to slow down and prevent accidents, he said.
“If the recommendations that the NTSB issued today were implemented prior to this tragedy, Zach Scheider and Don and Marjorie Varnadoe would all be alive today,” he said, naming the deceased family members of his clients.
Railroads have long resisted new regulations, Although there aren’t any rules requiring these automated inspection sensors or the thousands of trackside detectors they employ, railroads have spent millions developing the technology and installed them voluntarily to improve safety. But regulators are considering drafting rules for them in the wake of recent derailments.
An AAR trade group spokeswoman said that the type of sensors the NTSB singled out measure the force a locomotive exerts on the track and hasn’t proven as useful as other kinds of sensors railroads have developed.
“This technology has been difficult to maintain in real-world operations and lacks a strong correlation to track geometry defects,” Jessica Kahanek said.
Railroads are experimenting with a variety of technologies to find the best way to spot problems.
Another kind of autonomous sensor that can be installed on locomotives as well as the trucks inspectors use to ride along the rails can spot problems like misaligned track and wear on the rails by testing the track continuously.
Vehicle track interaction systems, like the ones the NTSB singled out, must be mounted on locomotives because they measure the force a train puts on the tracks.
Both kinds of sensors can help identify areas of concern for a human inspector to follow up on after computers analyze the data they generate. But the VTI sensors tend to be so sensitive that they flag areas where there aren’t true defects.
In the past, BNSF and other railroads have even petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration to get a waiver releasing them from some inspection requirements because they believe the track geometry sensors provide enough information that the frequency of human inspections can be safely reduced.
Federal officials approved a waiver allowing BNSF to reduce inspections on a couple of areas of its more than 30,000-mile (48,000-kilometer) network after the railroad successfully tested the devices for several years, but later declined to let the railroad expand that practice, including its tracks that cross Montana. BNSF took the FRA to court over that decision and the dispute is still pending.
Rail unions have opposed the waivers. They argue that while the new technology is helpful, it shouldn’t replace human inspections. Even with an interest in preserving jobs, they say safety is their primary concern.
Already, the unions say the widespread job cuts the major railroads have made — eliminating nearly one-third of all rail jobs over the past six years — have made it difficult for employees to keep up with inspection demands and meet all FRA requirements. The NTSB pointed out that the inspector responsible for the territory where the Montana derailment happened had worked an average of 13 hours a day in the four weeks prior to the crash.
Former NTSB director Bob Chipkevich, who spent years investigating rail crashes, said it often takes multiple derailments to force railroads to implement new safety technology.
One of the biggest recent advances in rail safety came after a commuter train collided head-on with a freight train near Los Angeles in 2008, killing 25 people and injuring more than 100. Congress mandated a $15 billion automatic braking system that stops trains when they’re in danger of colliding, derailing and other situations — but it took 12 years to complete.
“When there are safety issues that have been raised after multiple accidents that occurred again and again, the question is to the industry,” Chipkevich said. “Why haven’t you done it after all these years?”
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Funk reported from Omaha, Nebraska, and Metz reported from Salt Lake City.
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Follow Josh Funk on Twitter at www.twitter.com/funkwrite | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/montana-train-derailment-report-renews-calls-for-automated-systems-to-detect-track-problems/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world | 2023-07-28T23:23:59 | 1 | https://www.seattletimes.com/business/montana-train-derailment-report-renews-calls-for-automated-systems-to-detect-track-problems/?utm_source=RSS&utm_medium=Referral&utm_campaign=RSS_nation-world |