text string | url string | crawl_date timestamp[ms] | label int64 | id string |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-armenia-calls-on-allies-to-help-get-aid-to-nagorno-karabakh-during-tensions-with-azerbaijan/ | 2023-07-28T23:34:55 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-armenia-calls-on-allies-to-help-get-aid-to-nagorno-karabakh-during-tensions-with-azerbaijan/ |
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).
Looking to place a bet on this or other tennis matches? Head over to BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks, and sign up today with our link!
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
Watch live tennis and many more sports and shows without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to Fubo!
Laslo Djere vs. Zhizhen Zhang Prediction and Odds
Based on the moneyline in this match, Laslo Djere has a 63.6% chance to win.
Bet on tennis with BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks!
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.
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/laslo-djere-vs-zhizhen-zhang-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg-european-open/ | 2023-07-28T23:34:57 | 0 | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/laslo-djere-vs-zhizhen-zhang-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg-european-open/ |
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — The Wichita Falls Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program will be participating in National Breastfeeding Month with a free event for the community.
The event aimed at helping breastfeeding parents will take place on Friday, August 4, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The World Health Organization endorses breastfeeding as the ideal first food for babies and recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months and continued breastfeeding for two years or beyond.
The Wichita County Public Health District WIC staff are trained to provide breastfeeding assistance and help families meet their breastfeeding goals.
The free event is open to all expecting and breastfeeding parents in the community and will take place at the Wichita Falls Public Library Room 205, located at 600 11th Street.
This celebration will feature several community partners, breastfeeding games, kid-friendly activities, food, drinks and door prizes. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/events/wichita-falls-wic-program-national-breastfeeding-day/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:00 | 1 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/events/wichita-falls-wic-program-national-breastfeeding-day/ |
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.
Looking to place a bet on this or other tennis matches? Head over to BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks, and sign up today with our link!
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
Watch live tennis and many more sports and shows without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to Fubo!
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.
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.kbtx.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/arthur-rinderknech-vs-jurij-rodionov-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-atp-challenger-zug-switzerland-men-singles-2023/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:00 | 0 | https://www.kbtx.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/arthur-rinderknech-vs-jurij-rodionov-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-atp-challenger-zug-switzerland-men-singles-2023/ |
United Airlines adding Braille signs to airplane interiors
United Airlines is adding Braille to its plane interiors to support passengers who are blind or visually impaired.
The Chicago-based company is the first U.S. airline to do this and has already installed Braille signs in a dozen airplanes. Each sign is in individual rows, seat numbers and inside and outside the plane's bathrooms.
Braille is a system of raised dots that can be read with the fingers by people who are blind or who have low vision, according to the American Foundation for the Blind.
RELATED: United Airlines changes family seating policy
United said in a release that they expect to install this new feature into its entire mainline fleet by the end of 2026.
"United is taking additional steps to create an accessible airline passenger experience through braille signage," ACB Interim Executive Director Dan Spoone said in a statement. "We appreciate the airline's continued exploration of additional in-flight navigational aids like large print and tactile indicators, and we encourage all airlines to follow United's lead in making air travel more inclusive for the blind and low vision community."
Citing the Department of Transportation, United noted that about 27 million people with disabilities traveled by air in 2019.
RELATED: United planning to hire 15K workers ahead of expected summer travel surge
The airline is not only upgrading its planes to be more disability friendly but also improving its app to make it easier for screen-reading programs to understand.
According to a release, United is also teaming up with the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the American Council of the Blind (ACB), and other disability advocacy groups to determine other ways to support blind and visually impaired passengers on their planes.
This story was reported from Washington, D.C. | https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/united-braille-signs-airplanes | 2023-07-28T23:35:02 | 1 | https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/united-braille-signs-airplanes |
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.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-divided-cyprus-rival-leaders-appeal-for-information-on-the-missing-as-eyewitnesses-die/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:03 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-divided-cyprus-rival-leaders-appeal-for-information-on-the-missing-as-eyewitnesses-die/ |
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).
Looking to place a bet on this or other tennis matches? Head over to BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks, and sign up today with our link!
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
Watch live tennis and many more sports and shows without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to Fubo!
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.
Bet on tennis with BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks!
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.
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/noma-noha-akugue-vs-arantxa-rus-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:04 | 1 | https://www.dakotanewsnow.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/noma-noha-akugue-vs-arantxa-rus-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg/ |
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) .
Looking to place a bet on this or other tennis matches? Head over to BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks, and sign up today with our link!
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
Watch live tennis and many more sports and shows without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to Fubo!
Diane Parry vs. Clara Burel Prediction and Odds
Based on the moneyline in this match, Clara Burel has a 55.6% chance to win.
Bet on tennis with BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks!
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.
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.kbtx.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/diane-parry-vs-clara-burel-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-ladies-open-lausanne/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:06 | 0 | https://www.kbtx.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/diane-parry-vs-clara-burel-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-ladies-open-lausanne/ |
President Biden will host the leaders of South Korea and Japan at Camp David next month, in a summit aimed at showing solidarity among Indo-Pacific countries in the face of threats from North Korea, the People’s Republic of China and fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Biden will host Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol at Camp David on August 18, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement on Friday.
The summit will focus on expanding cooperation in the region, including to counter threats from North Korea related to its ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons program, the statement read, and to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian Nations and the Pacific islands.
“The summit will advance a shared trilateral vision for addressing global and regional security challenges, promoting a rules-based international order, and bolstering economic prosperity,” Jean-Pierre said.
Biden has placed a priority on deepening ties with Japan and South Korea, in particular, as key defense partners guarding against North Korea’s nuclear threats, China’s ambitions in the region, and as part of a democratic coalition supporting Ukraine.
The Camp David summit follows North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un hosting Chinese and Russian delegations in Pyongyang to mark the 70th anniversary of the armistice with South Korea that froze the Korean War.
Yet Japan and South Korea are not easy partners for each other. The two Pacific countries have worked to ease tensions, with support by the U.S., and to overcome historic grievances stemming from Japan’s occupation of the peninsula in the early 20th century.
In March, Kishida and Yoon held the first bilateral summit between the two nations in over a decade. But experts have cautioned against calling it a breakthrough, warning that Korean public opinion views the Japanese as not going far enough in addressing crimes committed during the occupation.
Still, the Biden administration has put intense efforts in increasing and encouraging cooperation between Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.
Biden hosted Yoon for a State visit in April and the two countries signed the “Washington Declaration,” that brought South Korea under the protection of America’s nuclear-weapons umbrella, aimed at deterring North Korea from ever using a nuclear weapon.
Biden met with Kishida in Washington in January and as members of the Group of 7 nations, have worked closely together to support Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia.
During the G7 leaders summit hosted in Hiroshima in May, the joint communique also included a reference to maintaining “peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” a reference to concerns that China is building up its military to carry out an invasion or enact a blockade around the island.
The U.S. has welcomed Japan’s commitment to increase its defense spending over the next five years for an estimated total $318 billion. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/hill-politics/biden-seeks-to-deepen-ties-with-south-korea-and-japan-with-camp-david-summit/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:06 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/hill-politics/biden-seeks-to-deepen-ties-with-south-korea-and-japan-with-camp-david-summit/ |
WSDOT warns of big I-5 closures in Seattle, plus more construction on other highways
SEATTLE - The Washington State Department of Transportation is warning drivers of yet another big weekend for highway closures.
Here's what to expect on I-5 in Seattle:
- From 11 p.m. Friday, July 28 to 6 a.m. Saturday, July 29, SOUTHBOUND I-5 will be closed between the Stewart St off-ramp (Exit 166) and the Spring St on-ramp. The Mercer St & Yale Ave/Howell St on-ramps, & off-ramps to Union & James St (Exits 165 A&B) will also be closed. The Stewart St off-ramp and Spring & James St & Edgar Martinez Drive/I-90 on-ramps will be open.
- From 11:59 p.m. Saturday, July 29 to 5 a.m. Sunday, July 30 NORTHBOUND I-5 will be closed between I-90 & Olive Way. Northbound traffic will take either the express lanes (no downtown exits) or use I-90 to Rainier/Boren Ave. The I-90 off-ramps to northbound I-5 (Exits 2B & 2C), the Dearborn, Cherry & University Street on-ramps, & the off-ramps to Dearborn, James, Madison, Seneca & Mercer Streets as well as Olive Way (Exits 164A, 165-167) will all also close. The Olive Way & Mercer Street on-ramps will be open.
- The I-5 express lanes will be open overnight southbound Friday and northbound Saturday.
- The SR 99 tunnel will also be open both nights, however, it is a tolled route.
- There is no major construction scheduled for I-405 for those who want to go around it all.
Signed detours will be in place. During the southbound closure, our tunnel maintenance crews will test fire suppression systems under the Seattle Convention Center.
During the northbound closure, I-5 Seneca to SR 520 Mobility Improvements project crews will work on the final stages of creating a third-through lane for the northbound mainline lanes.
WSDOT says daytime travel is fine but nighttime travel will create backups and delays.
Other traffic alerts:
SEAFAIR: The Seafair Torchlight Parade, while now earlier in the day (3 p.m. Saturday) compared to past years, draws tens of thousands of folks into downtown Seattle. Consider mass transit options and travelling during non-peak hours.
KENT/SR 167: After having last week off, lane closures on southbound SR 167 are back in Kent for construction. If you’re travelling from Renton toward Auburn/Puyallup, consider taking I-5 to SR 516 or SR 18 as an alternate route to get around the work. Otherwise, plan on additional travel times due to the backup.
ARLINGTON/SR 530: There will be a full closure of SR 530, west of Arlington, starting Friday night at 9 p.m. The closure will last until Tuesday, Aug. 1 at 4 a.m. The construction zone is extended between Dyke Road and Smokey Point Blvd. There will be closure and detour signs posted. WSDOT said this closure is to install a roundabout. If you’re headed to Arlington from I-5, save yourself time and having to turn around by remembering to use SR 531/172nd St NE (Exit 206) to get to SR 9 and head in that way, or vice versa if heading out of there. | https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/wsdot-warns-of-big-i-5-closures-in-seattle-plus-more-construction-on-other-highways | 2023-07-28T23:35:08 | 0 | https://www.fox13seattle.com/news/wsdot-warns-of-big-i-5-closures-in-seattle-plus-more-construction-on-other-highways |
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.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-exclusion-zone-set-up-around-greek-military-base-after-wildfires-trigger-powerful-explosions/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:10 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-exclusion-zone-set-up-around-greek-military-base-after-wildfires-trigger-powerful-explosions/ |
Former President Trump on Friday appealed a judge’s ruling that mandated his hush money criminal case be tried in state court in New York.
U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein, a President Clinton appointee, ruled last week that the 34-count indictment was not connected to Trump’s role as president, rejecting his request to move the case to federal court in favor of prosecutors’ objections.
Trump attorneys Todd Blanche and Susan Necheles filed a notice of appeal Friday afternoon, the first step in taking the dispute to the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Trump sought to remove the state case to federal court, arguing it must be transferred because it involves important federal questions, including whether he should face charges for alleged crimes that occurred while he was in office. Doing so would increase the potential jury pool, which is currently limited to the heavily-Democratic population of Manhattan.
“This case is unprecedented in our nation’s history,” Trump’s lawyers wrote in the nine-page filing when first seeking to remove the case in May. “Never before has a local elected prosecutor criminally prosecuted a defendant either for conduct that occurred entirely while the defendant was the sitting President of the United States or for conduct that related to federal campaign contribution laws.”
Hellerstein dismissed that argument when ruling on the case in July.
“The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that the matter was a purely a personal item of the President — a cover-up of an embarrassing event. Hush money paid to an adult film star is not related to a President’s official acts. It does not reflect in any way the color of the President’s official duties,” he wrote.
Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records over his alleged role in a hush money scheme ahead of the 2016 presidential election. He pleaded not guilty.
Hush money by itself is legal; Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D) is prosecuting Trump over the manner in which he reimbursed his then-fixer, Michael Cohen, for making the $130,000 hush payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels.
Bragg is connecting the allegedly falsified records to purported violations of campaign finance laws.
When reached out to, Bragg’s office declined to comment.
A trial in the case is currently set for March 2024. Trump’s lawyers have a deadline late next month to file any motions in state court to dismiss the charges ahead of trial.
Earlier Friday, Bragg suggested during a radio interview on WNYC’s “The Brian Lehrer Show,” however, that the trial timeline could be delayed as a result of the other criminal investigations the former president faces.
“If our trial judge is reached out to by another judge, we will obviously consider everything in its totality,” Bragg said.
Special counsel Jack Smith’s office charged Trump with three additional counts in the classified records federal case Thursday, and prosecutors have signaled an indictment could be close in their probe over the transfer of power following the 2020 election.
In Georgia, Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) has signaled any charges against Trump would likely come in early August.
“In matters like this, judges will confer,” Bragg told WNYC.
“And I take a very broad lens on justice,” he continued. “We’ll obviously follow the directives of our court but won’t sit on ceremony in terms of what was charged first or things like that, if and when that’s presented.” | https://www.texomashomepage.com/hill-politics/trump-appeals-decision-keeping-hush-money-case-in-state-court/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:13 | 1 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/hill-politics/trump-appeals-decision-keeping-hush-money-case-in-state-court/ |
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).
Looking to place a bet on this or other tennis matches? Head over to BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks, and sign up today with our link!
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
Watch live tennis and many more sports and shows without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to Fubo!
Laslo Djere vs. Zhizhen Zhang Prediction and Odds
Based on the moneyline in this match, Laslo Djere has a 63.6% chance to win.
Bet on tennis with BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks!
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.
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.kbtx.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/laslo-djere-vs-zhizhen-zhang-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg-european-open/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:13 | 1 | https://www.kbtx.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/laslo-djere-vs-zhizhen-zhang-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg-european-open/ |
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.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-g20-ministers-reach-agreement-on-most-but-not-all-climate-issues/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:17 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-g20-ministers-reach-agreement-on-most-but-not-all-climate-issues/ |
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).
Looking to place a bet on this or other tennis matches? Head over to BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks, and sign up today with our link!
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
Watch live tennis and many more sports and shows without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to Fubo!
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.
Bet on tennis with BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks!
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.
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.kbtx.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/noma-noha-akugue-vs-arantxa-rus-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:19 | 1 | https://www.kbtx.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/noma-noha-akugue-vs-arantxa-rus-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg/ |
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Delilah from the Humane Society of Wichita County is looking for her forever home.
Delilah is a sweet and playful 7 or 8-year-old dog who would love an attentive and energetic family.
Find more information about adopting from the Humane Society here.
Carney Porter: We have Delilah with us. She is this cutie. She is super curious and playful. She’s from the Humane Society of Wichita County. And joining her to tell us all about her is Elizabeth Heineken. Thank y’all so much for being here.
Elizabeth Heineken: Thank you.
Carney Porter: So tell us a little bit about this sweet girl.
Elizabeth Heineken: This sweet baby is Delilah. She is a schnauzer mix. She is somewhere around 7 to 8 years old. So she’s a little bit older, but she has plenty of puppy energy for someone who loves to play. She constantly wants to play. She loves getting attention, and she just adores people.
Carney Porter: Oh, my goodness, I know. She- I was surprised when you even told me she was 7 or 8, not that that’s old, but you know, the puppy energy is just there. It doesn’t- it is undeniable. But she’s so sweet, and she loves to play.
And I mean, I can’t get enough of her. You’re just so cute. Look at you, and you obey. You’re finding that whistle. Now, does she have any dietary restrictions or needs that need to be fulfilled?
Elizabeth Heineken: Nothing that we’ve seen so far. From what we can tell, she’s a pretty healthy dog. We haven’t had anything that brought up concerns with us beyond she did have some bladder stones, and that – we performed surgery on her and those were-. So she is all good to go home.
Carney Porter: Okay. Gotcha. So we don’t have any kind of pro- post-op things we need to, like, worry about?
Elizabeth Heineken: Nope. She is past that period of time. It kind of surprised us that, you know, she was here long enough with us that we no longer have to give out post-op instructions for her.
Carney Porter: Gotcha. Now, is she great with other dogs, have we gotten to see? I know she’s playful. Is she playful with other animals?
Elizabeth Heineken: Yes. She absolutely adores other dogs. And her favorite time of day is when we let them out into the yard together during the day with all the other little dogs. She just has a blast running around with all of them.
Carney Porter: Do you get the zoomies? Say, “I get the zoomies.” She’s so sweet. Now, at least she plays well with others, and I would assume small children as well. She’s just so sweet. She doesn’t have a mean bone in her body, but if you were wanting to adopt her, if others were wanting to adopt her, how can they go about doing so?
Elizabeth Heineken: Yeah, so we’re always more than happy to answer any questions about Delilah or any other dogs, and she is currently ready to go. So it’s just a matter of filling out the paperwork, getting that application approved, and then she is ready to go home.
Carney Porter: Well, y’all make sure you go snatch her up. She’s a keeper, for sure. Thank you so much for being here. We appreciate it. Don’t go anywhere. We’ll be right back. Bye, sweet girl. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/interviews/humane-society-of-wichita-county-meet-delilah/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:19 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/interviews/humane-society-of-wichita-county-meet-delilah/ |
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.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-german-far-right-leader-urges-conservatives-to-break-down-firewall-against-his-party/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:25 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-german-far-right-leader-urges-conservatives-to-break-down-firewall-against-his-party/ |
TEXOMA (KFDX/KJTL) — A major energy provider continued their annual support of a local nonprofit by presenting them with a check worth over $10,000 in a presentation ceremony.
Atmos Energy Wichita Falls and Vernon Service Centers presented the North Texas Area United Way with a donation of $11,389. This total is a result of annual employee giving and an Atmos Energy corporate match, officials with Atmos said.
North Texas Area United Way CEO Carla Marlar and Director of Resource Development Dierrica Smith were in attendance for this presentation.
According to a press release from Atmos Energy, both they and Vernon Service Centers are looking forward to the future partnership, helping non-profits in need in the communities and our surrounding counties.
To learn more about assisting the United Way’s mission in Texoma, visit their website or check their Facebook for daily updates. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/atmos-energy-continues-to-support-local-nonprofit-year-after-year/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:27 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/atmos-energy-continues-to-support-local-nonprofit-year-after-year/ |
Biden openly acknowledges 7th grandchild, the daughter of son Hunter and an Arkansas woman
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday for the first time publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild, a four-year-old girl fathered by his son Hunter with an Arkansas woman, Lunden Roberts, in 2018.
“Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward,” Biden said in a statement. It was his first acknowledgement of the child.
“This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter,” he said. “Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”
Hunter Biden’s paternity was established by DNA testing after Roberts sued for child support, and the two parties recently resolved outstanding child support issues. The president’s son wrote about his encounter with Roberts in his 2021 memoir, saying it came while he was deep in addiction to alcohol and drugs, including crack cocaine.
“I had no recollection of our encounter,” he wrote. “That’s how little connection I had with anyone. I was a mess, but a mess I’ve taken responsibility for.”
The president, who has made a commitment to family central to his public persona, has faced increasing criticism from political rivals and pundits for failing to acknowledge the granddaughter. According to a person familiar with the matter, he was taking the cue from his son while the legal proceedings played out. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.
Biden’s statement was first reported by People Magazine.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbay.com/2023/07/28/biden-openly-acknowledges-7th-grandchild-daughter-son-hunter-an-arkansas-woman/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:28 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/2023/07/28/biden-openly-acknowledges-7th-grandchild-daughter-son-hunter-an-arkansas-woman/ |
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Whether juries in Wichita County will convict a person of murder in cases where the defendant provided Fentanyl to a person who dies may soon be known.
The first Fentanyl-related murder trial in Wichita County is set to begin August 7. Jasinto Jimenez is charged with the murder of Andres Diaz in July 2022. Police said he sold two pills containing Fentanyl to a woman, who gave one to Diaz. Leigha Smith is charged with manslaughter in this case. Jimenez’ attorney has filed a motion to suppress any statements or confessions his client may have made to police.
A hearing on the motion is set for August 4. The attorney said any statements Jimenez made were not voluntary but were coerced or enticed, and he was deprived of his right to counsel. He said his client did not make an intelligent or knowing waiver of his right to counsel. Police said 14 days prior to Diaz’ death they served a search warrant on Jimenez’ home and seized a pill containing Fentanyl.
They said he was read his rights and admitted the pill was his and that he was selling Fentanyl to pay for his own habit. Police also said Smith showed them messages between herself and Jimenez about her wanting to buy Percocet and Marijuana. They said Smith also told them she bought pills from Jimenez the night Diaz died.
This is a developing story. Stick with Texoma’s Homepage for updates as more information becomes available. All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/first-fentanyl-murder-trial-set-for-aug-7/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:33 | 1 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/first-fentanyl-murder-trial-set-for-aug-7/ |
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.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-hong-kong-court-rejects-government-requested-ban-on-protest-song-glory-to-hong-kong/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:32 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-hong-kong-court-rejects-government-requested-ban-on-protest-song-glory-to-hong-kong/ |
Vietnam veterans at AirVenture reflect on their years of service
Oshkosh, Wis. (WBAY) - This week, Dennis David is docking seaplanes with fellow air-venture volunteers. Fifty-five years ago, he was a plane mechanic in Da Nang, Vietnam.
“The emotions and the memories...they’re just like yesterday,” said David. “ Predominantly I look back at the things that don’t upset me and I’m very fortunate to say that’s way more than the things that did upset me.”
Even through the hardship, David says his experience serving changed the course of his life and he’s ultimately grateful for it. Back on the AirVenture grounds in Oshkosh, every year, you can find Gary Bipes and his wife, Carol.
Five decades ago he was capturing the conflict as a combat photographer. Gary’s snapshots show his life in Vietnam among villagers and the dangers on the battlefield.
“I did hospital tours and went to Thailand with the Thai troops going to Vietnam,” Bipes explained.
Gary’s daughter, Julie helped put together a project for people to admire and reflect with her father’s old photos.
“It’s just emotional for me. We’re so proud of the book, it’s unbelievable,” said Bipes, with tears in his eyes.
Both veterans had different experiences during the Vietnam war and say it’s a time in their lives they will never forget. A flight honoring Vietnam veterans takes place Friday night. In the meantime, there’s a number of other events, aircrafts, and attractions to see until Sunday.
If you’re interested in Gary Bipes’s book of photos capturing the Vietnam war, contact him at garybipes@hotmail.com.
Copyright 2023 WBAY. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbay.com/2023/07/28/vietnam-veterans-airventure-reflect-their-years-service/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:34 | 0 | https://www.wbay.com/2023/07/28/vietnam-veterans-airventure-reflect-their-years-service/ |
LAWTON, OK (KFDX/KJTL) — Fort Sill welcomed Colonel Jarrod Stoutenborough after he assumed control of the marine artillery detachment this morning, July 28, 2023.
Stoutenborough is a decorated Marine who previously served as the Warfighting Department Head at the Marine Corps Command and Staff College.
The former commanding officer, Colonel Christopher Roberson, served in command for two years and was able to assist in the modernization of warfare tactics and training.
“My biggest achievement was watching these instructors change the book to focus on the modern operating environment and how the Marines were going to fight and win tomorrow’s war,” Roberson said.
Roberson continued to note that the training focuses on mental warfare and being able to operate in high-pressure situations.
Stoutenborough said he hopes to continue what Roberson started and stay ahead of other militaries with training techniques.
Post-command, Roberson says he will venture to South Carolina, where he will continue instructing and teaching Marines about warfare tactics on Parris Island. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/fort-sill-welcomes-new-colonel-in-change-of-command-ceremony/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:39 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/fort-sill-welcomes-new-colonel-in-change-of-command-ceremony/ |
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.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-hong-kongs-leader-may-be-barred-from-a-key-economic-summit-the-city-says-that-breaks-conventions/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:39 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-hong-kongs-leader-may-be-barred-from-a-key-economic-summit-the-city-says-that-breaks-conventions/ |
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — A child hit by her mother while she backed out of a garage is in stable condition, according to Wichita Falls Police.
WFPD spokesperson, Sgt. Charlie Eipper said a 16-month-old was taken to Cook Children’s Hospital after she was struck by a vehicle reportedly driven by her mother while she backed out of the garage Thursday.
Shortly after 6 p.m., police responded to the 2600 block of Pennsylvania Street for an accident involving a child.
Eipper said the victim was taken to United Regional Hospital before she was transported to Cook. No charges have been filed, according to Eipper, and the child’s condition is listed as stable.
Stick with Texoma’s Homepage for the latest information. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/police-give-update-on-child-struck-by-vehicle/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:45 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/police-give-update-on-child-struck-by-vehicle/ |
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.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-judge-blasts-prosecutors-handling-of-venezuela-case-against-ex-miami-congressman/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:46 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-judge-blasts-prosecutors-handling-of-venezuela-case-against-ex-miami-congressman/ |
SUNNY ISLES BEACH, Fla., July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Icahn Enterprises L.P. (Nasdaq:IEP) announced today that it will discuss its second quarter 2023 results on a webcast on Friday, August 4, 2023 - 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time. To access the webcast, viewers should go to this link (webcast). We encourage viewers to access the webcast 15 minutes ahead of the scheduled start time. A replay of the webcast will also be available for at least twelve months at Icahn events and presentations.
Icahn Enterprises L.P., a master limited partnership, is a diversified holding company engaged in seven primary business segments: Investment, Energy, Automotive, Food Packaging, Real Estate, Home Fashion and Pharma.
Investor Contact:
Ted Papapostolou, Chief Financial Officer
IR@ielp.com
(800) 255-2737
View original content:
SOURCE Icahn Enterprises L.P. | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/icahn-enterprises-lp-announces-q2-2023-earnings-conference-call/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:46 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/icahn-enterprises-lp-announces-q2-2023-earnings-conference-call/ |
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — The Wichita Falls Police Department has released an update on the hit-and-run crash that resulted in the death of 20-year-old James Whitmer of Wichita Falls.
The fatal wreck occurred on Saturday, June 24, on Southwest Parkway near Allendale Road. Around 4:30 a.m., a passerby reported a pedestrian hit by a vehicle.
Police discovered Whitmer deceased on the scene.
On Wednesday, June 28, WFPD Sgt. Charlie Eipper released information that the Crash Investigators were no longer seeking information on the vehicle and driver involved in the wreck.
According to Sgt. Eipper, the Crash Investigations Unit is waiting on autopsy reports from the wreck.
Once the test results are received, the investigators plan to send the case before the Wichita County Grand Jury to decide if the suspect should be charged for the offense of Accident Involving Personal Injury or Death.
At this time, the investigation is ongoing. Sgt. Eipper said the WFPD wants to thank the citizens for their tips and assistance in the investigation.
Stick with Texoma’s Homepage as we learn more. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/wfpd-releases-statement-in-fatal-hit-and-run-of-james-whitmer/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:51 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/local-news/wfpd-releases-statement-in-fatal-hit-and-run-of-james-whitmer/ |
LIMERICK, Ireland, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NAC Aviation 29 Designated Activity Company (the "Company") today announced amendments to (i) its previously announced offer to purchase an amount up to the Tender Cap (as defined below) of its 4.75% Senior Secured Notes due June 30, 2026 (the "Notes") at a purchase price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes for cash (the "Notes Offer") as set forth in the Company's amended Offer to Purchase and dated July 28, 2023 (as amended hereby, the "Amended Offer to Purchase") and (ii) the concurrent purchase by way of assignment from lenders (the "TLB Lenders"), of loans (the "TLB Loans") under its term loan B credit agreement dated as of June 1, 2022 between, among others, the Company as a borrower, the financial institutions named therein as original lenders and Wilmington Trust (London) Limited as agent for the lenders (as amended from time to time, the "Term Loan B Credit Agreement" and, together with the Notes, the "NAC 29 Debt"), on substantially the same economic terms as the Notes Offer (the "TLB Offer" and, together with the Notes Offer, the "Debt Purchase Transactions"). The maximum aggregate amount (at face value) of NAC 29 Debt to be purchased by the Company pursuant to the Debt Purchase Transactions is $80,000,000 (the "Tender Cap").
The Company is hereby amending the Amended Offer to Purchase to (1) amend the Early Tender Premium component of the Total Consideration (both as defined in the Amended Offer to Purchase) from $30.00 to $10.00 per $1,000 principal amount for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase by the Company, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding the settlement date; (2) extend the Early Tender Time and the Withdrawal Deadline (both as defined in the Amended Offer to Purchase) from 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on August 7, 2023 to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on August 10, 2023; and (3) a clarificatory change to the table on the second page of the Amended Offer to Purchase. These amendments apply to both the Notes Offer and the TLB Offer.
The change in the Early Tender Premium has been made to ensure compliance with the requirements as set out in Clause 4.3 of side letter no. 2 to the intercreditor agreement that was entered into by, among others, the Company on 18 July 2023.
No further action is required to be taken by holders who have already validly tendered and not validly withdrawn their NAC 29 Debt in order to receive the Total Consideration, including the amended Early Tender Premium. Except as described herein, other terms of the previously announced Debt Purchase Transactions remain unchanged.
The complete terms and conditions of the Notes Offer are described in the Amended Offer to Purchase, dated July 28, 2023, a copy of which may be obtained from Global Bondholder Services Corporation, the tender agent and information agent (the "Tender and Information Agent") for the Notes Offer, by telephone at +1 (855) 654-2014 (U.S. toll free) and +1 (212) 430-3774 (collect), in writing at 65 Broadway – Suite 404, New York, New York 10006, Attention: Corporate Actions.
The complete terms of the TLB Offer are described in the Amended Auction Notice dated July 28, 2023, a copy of which may be obtained from Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. as purchase agent (the "Purchase Agent") for the TLB Offer by telephone at +1 (855) 287-1922 (toll-free) or +1 (212) 250-7527 (collect), or in writing at One Columbus Circle, New York, New York 10019, Attention: Liability Management Group.
The Company has engaged Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. to act as the dealer manager (the "Dealer Manager") in connection with the Notes Offer and as Purchase Agent in connection with the TLB Offer. Questions regarding the terms of the Debt Purchase Transactions may be directed to the Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. by telephone at +1 (855) 287-1922 (toll-free) and +1 (212) 250-7527 (collect).
Cautionary Statement
None of the Company, the Dealer Manager, the Purchase Agent, the Tender and Information Agent or the trustee for the Notes, or any of their respective affiliates, is making any recommendation as to whether holders and/or lenders should or should not tender any NAC 29 Debt in response to the Debt Purchase Transactions or expressing any opinion as to whether the terms of the Debt Purchase Transactions are fair to any holder or lender. Holders and/or lenders must make their own decision as to whether to tender any of their NAC 29 Debt and, if so, the principal amount of NAC 29 Debt to tender and the bid price at which to tender. Holders of Notes should refer to the Amended Offer to Purchase for a description of the offer terms, conditions, disclaimers and other information applicable to the Notes Offer, and TLB Lenders should refer to the TLB Auction Notice for a description of the offer terms, conditions, disclaimers and other information applicable to the TLB Offer.
This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase or the solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. The Notes Offer is being made solely by means of the Amended Offer to Purchase. The Debt Purchase Transactions are not being made to holders of securities in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. In those jurisdictions where the securities, blue sky or other laws require any Debt Purchase Transactions to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Debt Purchase Transactions will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Company by the Dealer Manager or Purchase Agent (as applicable) or one or more registered brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction.
About Nordic Aviation Capital
NAC is a global leader in regional aircraft leasing and is expanding into larger narrowbody aircraft leveraging its world-class asset management platform. The firm is based in Ireland and currently has offices also in Singapore, Denmark, Toronto and Beijing.
Forward Looking Information Disclaimer
Some of the statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include statements regarding the Company's intent and belief or current expectations and may be identified by the use of words like "anticipate", "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "will," "should," "seek," the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, without limitation, the Company's ability to consummate the Debt Purchase Transactions, as well as matters beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, results or events.
Contacts:
Nordic Aviation Capital:
Media contact: marketing@nac.dk
Global Bondholder Services Corporation:
65 Broadway – Suite 404
New York, NY 10006
United States
Attn: Corporate Actions
Banks and Brokers call: +1 (212) 430-3774
Toll free +1 (855) 654-2014
Email: contact@gbsc-usa.com
View original content:
SOURCE NAC Aviation 29 Designated Activity Company | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/nac-aviation-29-designated-activity-company-announces-amendment-partial-notes-tender-offer-term-loan-b-offer/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:52 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/nac-aviation-29-designated-activity-company-announces-amendment-partial-notes-tender-offer-term-loan-b-offer/ |
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.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-mexicos-navy-finds-boat-but-not-missing-us-sailor/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:52 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-mexicos-navy-finds-boat-but-not-missing-us-sailor/ |
COOPERSTOWN, NY – (WIVT/WBGH) The Glimmerglass Festival in Cooperstown has an Artist-In-Residence this season whose career has had him entertaining audiences in a wide variety of ways.
Anthony Roth Costanzo is a countertenor, which means he sings in a high, falsetto style. He’s the lead in the festival’s production of Handel’s “Rinaldo.” Costanzo is also working with the Young Artists this summer and they will stage a special cabaret show together. Costanzo began doing musical theater on Broadway as a child, has appeared in films and once ran a dance studio. His opera career has taken him to some of the world’s greatest opera houses, including the Met, London and Los Angeles. He says audiences will be captivated by this version of Rinaldo, an 18th century baroque opera.
“It has a kind of magical realism. But, what the director of this production, Louisa Proske, has done is set it in a children’s cancer hospital. So, it’s a really interesting recontextualization of an old piece full of funny magic, but also a lot of pathos and thought-provoking ideas,” said Costanzo.
On Sunday, he’s performing a special concert with award-winning singer songwriter Natalie Merchant at Glimmerglass. You can follow his career at anthonyrothcostanzo.com. For tickets, go to glimmerglass.org. | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/anthony-roth-costanzo-at-glimmerglass/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:55 | 1 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/anthony-roth-costanzo-at-glimmerglass/ |
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — A man who got so inflamed about bed bugs in his motel room he set fire to his mattress now faces possible prison time because authorities said he did not take his anger management class.
Michael Culipher was arrested for arson in 2021 at the Catalina Motel on East Scott. Firefighters said when they arrived, they saw smoke and flames in the room and Culipher was sitting outside with soot on his face and hands.
They said he told them he used lighter fluid to set the mattress on fire because motel management would not do anything about the bed bugs. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison in March 2022, and it was suspended to 5 years probation.
Prosecutors said he has violated numerous conditions of his probation, including failure to complete an anger management course and using marijuana and alcohol several times.
They have filed to revoke Culipher’s probation. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/man-who-set-fire-to-bed-bug-infested-motel-mattress-back-in-jail/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:57 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/man-who-set-fire-to-bed-bug-infested-motel-mattress-back-in-jail/ |
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.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE That’s it Nutrition | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/dietitians-top-walmart-target-picks-back-to-school-snacking/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:58 | 0 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/dietitians-top-walmart-target-picks-back-to-school-snacking/ |
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.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-millions-of-shiite-muslims-across-the-world-commemorate-the-mourning-day-of-ashoura/ | 2023-07-28T23:35:59 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-millions-of-shiite-muslims-across-the-world-commemorate-the-mourning-day-of-ashoura/ |
(WHTM) – The Pennsylvania state budget is now approaching a month late and there’s no end in sight to the stalemate.
There’s a lot of talk at the capital, some say lawmakers won’t be back until late September and the budget won’t be done until early October.
That would be a problem for some schools and social services that need the money.
The Senate’s top Republican told abc27 last week that she expects to bring her chamber back in August to sign the mostly agreed budget.
On Friday, abc27 spoke with Lehigh Valley House Democrat Mike Schlossberg and asked if the Senate does come back in August to pass budget-related code bills would the House come back to finish the job?
Even though they’re currently tied 101-101 with Republicans?
Schlossberg said, “Ultimately, it depends on what’s in the bill and if there’s a negotiated product. I do know the House and Senate that conversations have begun to try and craft a fiscal bill that’ll pass muster that passed the Senate passed the House and got to the governor’s desk and I think if there’s a product that achieves a bipartisan level of support we’ll come back as fast as humanly possible to get this done.”
Senate Republicans just released a statement saying negotiations with Governor Shapiro are moving forward, they understand the urgency and expect to complete the budget in August. The statement did add the quickest way forward is for Governor Shapiro to sign the budget as passed.
You can see the full interview with Representative Mike Schlossberg and abc27 analysts on This Week in Pennsylvania this Sunday, July 30, at 10 a.m. | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/local-news/this-week-in-pennsylvania-house-democrat-mike-schlossberg/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:01 | 0 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/local-news/this-week-in-pennsylvania-house-democrat-mike-schlossberg/ |
(The Hill) – President Biden on Friday made his first public remarks about his 4-year-old grandchild Navy, the daughter of his son Hunter Biden, after silence from the White House over the young girl amid legal disputes between her parents.
Biden said, in a statement exclusively provided to People, that his son and Lunden Roberts, the mother, are working to provide a life for her.
“Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward,” the president said. “This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter. Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”
The New York Times earlier this month published a piece about the child, writing that she’s never met Hunter Biden or her grandfather. After that was published, the White House dealt with questions in the briefing room from reporters asking whether Biden accepted Hunter Biden’s daughter in Arkansas as his granddaughter.
Roberts, who is in Arkansas, filed a paternity suit against Hunter Biden in May 2019, and the younger Biden appeared in court this May. In June, he reached a settlement in his child support case after he was ordered to sit for a deposition under oath to answer questions about his finances.
An anonymous source told People that the president and first lady Jill Biden have been “giving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out” and have been “following Hunter’s lead” throughout the legal proceedings involving the young girl.
Hunter Biden’s personal and legal troubles have been increasingly in the spotlight lately. He appeared in a Delaware court Wednesday, where his plea deal on federal tax and gun charges was put on hold by a judge who questioned the scope of the agreement. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national-news/biden-offers-first-statement-on-hunters-4-year-old-daughter/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:03 | 1 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national-news/biden-offers-first-statement-on-hunters-4-year-old-daughter/ |
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.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Defense Information Systems Agency | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/disa-awards-thunderdome-production-agreement/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:05 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/disa-awards-thunderdome-production-agreement/ |
(The Hill) – President Biden on Friday made his first public remarks about his 4-year-old grandchild Navy, the daughter of his son Hunter Biden, after silence from the White House over the young girl amid legal disputes between her parents.
Biden said, in a statement exclusively provided to People, that his son and Lunden Roberts, the mother, are working to provide a life for her.
“Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward,” the president said. “This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter. Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”
The New York Times earlier this month published a piece about the child, writing that she’s never met Hunter Biden or her grandfather. After that was published, the White House dealt with questions in the briefing room from reporters asking whether Biden accepted Hunter Biden’s daughter in Arkansas as his granddaughter.
Roberts, who is in Arkansas, filed a paternity suit against Hunter Biden in May 2019, and the younger Biden appeared in court this May. In June, he reached a settlement in his child support case after he was ordered to sit for a deposition under oath to answer questions about his finances.
An anonymous source told People that the president and first lady Jill Biden have been “giving Hunter and Lunden the space and time to figure things out” and have been “following Hunter’s lead” throughout the legal proceedings involving the young girl.
Hunter Biden’s personal and legal troubles have been increasingly in the spotlight lately. He appeared in a Delaware court Wednesday, where his plea deal on federal tax and gun charges was put on hold by a judge who questioned the scope of the agreement. | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/national-news/biden-offers-first-statement-on-hunters-4-year-old-daughter/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:07 | 0 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/national-news/biden-offers-first-statement-on-hunters-4-year-old-daughter/ |
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.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-north-korean-leader-kim-shares-center-stage-with-russian-chinese-delegates-at-military-parade/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:06 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-north-korean-leader-kim-shares-center-stage-with-russian-chinese-delegates-at-military-parade/ |
DELMAR, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Many across social media feel confused about Twitter rebranding its iconic bird logo to a simple “X” symbol. At his Albany, New York-area studio on Thursday, the artist behind the original logo talked about its creation and leaving the brand behind.
Phil Pascuzzo is hard at work in his quiet suburban home in Delmar, mainly designing the inviting covers that tempt you to pick up a good book. You’d never guess he’s the designer of the world-famous Twitter bird icon.
“It’s so interesting. Most people have no idea,” laughed Pascuzzo. “It’s kind of like how Milton Glaser created the ‘I love New York’ logo, but when you see the I ‘heart’ NY, it doesn’t feel like anybody did it. It’s just there.”
Pascuzzo has run Pepco Studio, his independent freelance design studio, for the last 20 years, but he said that his first graphic design job out of college was where he met Biz Stone, one of the three Twitter co-founders. “We were both junior designers, so we were lowest on the rank, but he would just after every subway ride have all these wild ideas and we would just talk about them,” Pascuzzo recollected with NEWS10’s Mikhaela Singleton. “I would do these little doodles on Post-it notes, and he just liked my drawings.”
He said that Stone approached him around 2005 looking for a unique bird-themed design. The iStock image by Simon Oxley that was used when Twitter first launched couldn’t be its official logo, as that would violate iStock’s terms of service.
“I started sketching different birds. We knew we were going with blue, which — it’s great for like, feeling optimistic, feels like the future, blue skies,” Pascuzzo explained. “[Stone] had a rough idea, but he really left it to me to get creative with. He’s got a great sense of humor so he had all these ideas for little things he wanted the bird to be doing.”
Pascuzzo said that first bird design took about 30 minutes and a chat between friends, landing him $500 for the work. “I was in an apartment in Arbor Hill at the time and thought, $500 will make rent so yeah let’s do it,” he said. “Twitter wasn’t some huge thing like it is now that everybody is on.”
For years, he continued creating many marketing items that helped Twitter take flight. Shifting the bird’s design to a silhouette, Pascuzzo then sold the design to the studio outright in 2010, when it took shape in the most recent version used from 2012 to 2023. He added that he did reapproach his friend and the company to renegotiate pay for the logo design when Twitter truly took off.
“When I realized the weight of what this icon had become, I went back with an intellectual property lawyer, and it was extremely cordial,” Pascuzzo said. “It didn’t give me anything close to Elon Musk money, but it was a down payment on a house.”
On the topic of Musk and the many changes since his takeover of the social media giant in October, Pascuzzo said the news to clip the bird’s wings for a simple “X” symbol came as a surprise. “I was like, ‘What?’ What is this white — because it’s just a Unicode symbol,” he said. “It’s not even a logo. Nobody even designed it.”
After 20 years in the business, he said that he’s learned not to get too attached to any creation, so he’s not sad to see the bird go. But he worries that Musk’s future for Twitter leaves behind much of what made the platform unique.
“He seems obsessed with the ‘X.’ I mean you look at his child with Grimes — X Æ A-Xii — he loves X. It’s everywhere. So in his world, it may make sense, but I think, in the Twitter world, it doesn’t really make much sense,” Pascuzzo concluded. “I feel he threw away a lot of brand equity. The name, the color, the language — it’s so ubiquitous. It’s part of our lexicon.” | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national-news/original-designer-behind-twitter-bird-icon-talks-the-x-rebrand/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:09 | 1 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national-news/original-designer-behind-twitter-bird-icon-talks-the-x-rebrand/ |
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
View original content:
SOURCE Official Committee of Talc Claimants | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/official-committee-talc-claimants-applauds-decision-dismiss-ltl-management-second-bankruptcy-attempt/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:11 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/official-committee-talc-claimants-applauds-decision-dismiss-ltl-management-second-bankruptcy-attempt/ |
DELMAR, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Many across social media feel confused about Twitter rebranding its iconic bird logo to a simple “X” symbol. At his Albany, New York-area studio on Thursday, the artist behind the original logo talked about its creation and leaving the brand behind.
Phil Pascuzzo is hard at work in his quiet suburban home in Delmar, mainly designing the inviting covers that tempt you to pick up a good book. You’d never guess he’s the designer of the world-famous Twitter bird icon.
“It’s so interesting. Most people have no idea,” laughed Pascuzzo. “It’s kind of like how Milton Glaser created the ‘I love New York’ logo, but when you see the I ‘heart’ NY, it doesn’t feel like anybody did it. It’s just there.”
Pascuzzo has run Pepco Studio, his independent freelance design studio, for the last 20 years, but he said that his first graphic design job out of college was where he met Biz Stone, one of the three Twitter co-founders. “We were both junior designers, so we were lowest on the rank, but he would just after every subway ride have all these wild ideas and we would just talk about them,” Pascuzzo recollected with NEWS10’s Mikhaela Singleton. “I would do these little doodles on Post-it notes, and he just liked my drawings.”
He said that Stone approached him around 2005 looking for a unique bird-themed design. The iStock image by Simon Oxley that was used when Twitter first launched couldn’t be its official logo, as that would violate iStock’s terms of service.
“I started sketching different birds. We knew we were going with blue, which — it’s great for like, feeling optimistic, feels like the future, blue skies,” Pascuzzo explained. “[Stone] had a rough idea, but he really left it to me to get creative with. He’s got a great sense of humor so he had all these ideas for little things he wanted the bird to be doing.”
Pascuzzo said that first bird design took about 30 minutes and a chat between friends, landing him $500 for the work. “I was in an apartment in Arbor Hill at the time and thought, $500 will make rent so yeah let’s do it,” he said. “Twitter wasn’t some huge thing like it is now that everybody is on.”
For years, he continued creating many marketing items that helped Twitter take flight. Shifting the bird’s design to a silhouette, Pascuzzo then sold the design to the studio outright in 2010, when it took shape in the most recent version used from 2012 to 2023. He added that he did reapproach his friend and the company to renegotiate pay for the logo design when Twitter truly took off.
“When I realized the weight of what this icon had become, I went back with an intellectual property lawyer, and it was extremely cordial,” Pascuzzo said. “It didn’t give me anything close to Elon Musk money, but it was a down payment on a house.”
On the topic of Musk and the many changes since his takeover of the social media giant in October, Pascuzzo said the news to clip the bird’s wings for a simple “X” symbol came as a surprise. “I was like, ‘What?’ What is this white — because it’s just a Unicode symbol,” he said. “It’s not even a logo. Nobody even designed it.”
After 20 years in the business, he said that he’s learned not to get too attached to any creation, so he’s not sad to see the bird go. But he worries that Musk’s future for Twitter leaves behind much of what made the platform unique.
“He seems obsessed with the ‘X.’ I mean you look at his child with Grimes — X Æ A-Xii — he loves X. It’s everywhere. So in his world, it may make sense, but I think, in the Twitter world, it doesn’t really make much sense,” Pascuzzo concluded. “I feel he threw away a lot of brand equity. The name, the color, the language — it’s so ubiquitous. It’s part of our lexicon.” | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/national-news/original-designer-behind-twitter-bird-icon-talks-the-x-rebrand/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:13 | 0 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/national-news/original-designer-behind-twitter-bird-icon-talks-the-x-rebrand/ |
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.
___
Heintz reported from Tallinn, Estonia. Andrew Katell in New York contributed.
___
An earlier version corrected that Oleksiy Danilov is Ukraine’s secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, not defense minister.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine: https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-russia-says-a-ukrainian-drone-was-shot-down-outside-moscow/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:14 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-russia-says-a-ukrainian-drone-was-shot-down-outside-moscow/ |
(KTLA) – A labor union representing thousands of hotel housekeepers in Southern California is asking Taylor Swift to postpone her upcoming concerts at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood until they are paid “a living wage.”
UNITE HERE Local 11 published an open letter to the pop star in the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.
“We make beds, clean bathrooms, and take care of every guest need. Your shows make our hotels a lot of money,” the letter reads. “In Los Angeles, hotels are doubling and tripling what they charge because you are coming. They also add junk fees on rooms, just like Ticketmaster does. But we see none of it.”
Hotel workers have been staging labor actions in the Los Angeles area since the start of July as they negotiate for increased pay and benefits. They have also joined striking Hollywood writers and actors on the picket lines.
Experts predict Swift’s 52-night, 20-city tour will become the highest-grossing of all time. It is also having a notable economic impact on each city she visits with the surge of Swifties snatching up hotel rooms at jacked-up rates.
She is slated to perform six straight nights at SoFi Stadium beginning August 3.
Union leaders hope Swift will lend support to their cause.
“She has taken on corporate greed to make sure artists get fairly compensate and that those workers behind the scenes in her own music get the treatment they deserve,” Ada Briceno, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, said at a rally on Thursday outside of the Hyatt Regency at LAX.
There is no indication the pop star is considering postponing her Inglewood shows. KTLA’s request for comment on Thursday was not immediately returned. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national-news/taylor-swift-urged-to-postpone-los-angeles-area-shows/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:15 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national-news/taylor-swift-urged-to-postpone-los-angeles-area-shows/ |
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/
View original content:
SOURCE Republic of Slovenia Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/slovenias-ministry-environment-climate-energy-global-footprint-network-host-high-level-event-mark-earth-overshoot-day-2023/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:18 | 0 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/slovenias-ministry-environment-climate-energy-global-footprint-network-host-high-level-event-mark-earth-overshoot-day-2023/ |
(KTLA) – A labor union representing thousands of hotel housekeepers in Southern California is asking Taylor Swift to postpone her upcoming concerts at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood until they are paid “a living wage.”
UNITE HERE Local 11 published an open letter to the pop star in the Los Angeles Times on Thursday.
“We make beds, clean bathrooms, and take care of every guest need. Your shows make our hotels a lot of money,” the letter reads. “In Los Angeles, hotels are doubling and tripling what they charge because you are coming. They also add junk fees on rooms, just like Ticketmaster does. But we see none of it.”
Hotel workers have been staging labor actions in the Los Angeles area since the start of July as they negotiate for increased pay and benefits. They have also joined striking Hollywood writers and actors on the picket lines.
Experts predict Swift’s 52-night, 20-city tour will become the highest-grossing of all time. It is also having a notable economic impact on each city she visits with the surge of Swifties snatching up hotel rooms at jacked-up rates.
She is slated to perform six straight nights at SoFi Stadium beginning August 3.
Union leaders hope Swift will lend support to their cause.
“She has taken on corporate greed to make sure artists get fairly compensate and that those workers behind the scenes in her own music get the treatment they deserve,” Ada Briceno, co-president of UNITE HERE Local 11, said at a rally on Thursday outside of the Hyatt Regency at LAX.
There is no indication the pop star is considering postponing her Inglewood shows. KTLA’s request for comment on Thursday was not immediately returned. | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/national-news/taylor-swift-urged-to-postpone-los-angeles-area-shows/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:19 | 0 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/national-news/taylor-swift-urged-to-postpone-los-angeles-area-shows/ |
BOULDER, Colorado (KDVR) — In less than a week, the popular doughnut shop Voodoo Doughnut is opening one of its newest U.S. locations and the fourth in Colorado. But this Boulder store will be missing the brand’s signature pink color.
Voodoo is known for its bright pink branding. Their boxes are even stamped with the slogan, “Good things come in pink boxes.” But Boulder’s location will not feature the bright color — instead, the exterior was painted gray.
On Oct. 13, the Voodoo Doughnut Instagram account posted a sneak peek of the Boulder building.
“You guessed it. The building has been painted pink and we’re coming for you, Boulder!” the post reads.
On June 11, Voodoo posted a new rendering of the building and instead of the eye-catching pink, the building appeared to be gray on the exterior with the pink painted on the inside.
“Hey Boulder. We’re still coming,” Voodoo said in its most recent update.
Cate Stanek, communication program manager for Boulder, told Nexstar’s KDVR that the city required the color change because the pink was a violation of the city’s sign code. The company had to repaint the building as required by its building permit.
The city’s sign code includes the use of branding colors in a signage area, said Stanek.
The violation was not a problem for Voodoo and the bakery will open, just in a different color scheme.
During the grand opening on August 1, doughnut fans will get to enjoy a featured “Golden Buffalo” doughnut that was created specifically for the event, according to Voodoo. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national-news/this-voodoo-doughnut-in-colorado-isnt-pink-why/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:21 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national-news/this-voodoo-doughnut-in-colorado-isnt-pink-why/ |
Green Lake Sheriff: Aircraft lost power on way to … Gallery Suspect in deadly GB shooting formally charged Video CA man arrested after bank robbery in downtown GB Video Packers release linebacker after wishing him happy …
Suspect in deadly GB shooting formally charged Video CA man arrested after bank robbery in downtown GB Video Packers release linebacker after wishing him happy …
CA man arrested after bank robbery in downtown GB Video Packers release linebacker after wishing him happy …
Severe T-Storms likely tonight, round 2 possible … Video Extreme heat & humidity today; strong t-storms by … Video Heat and humidity peaks tomorrow, chance of severe … Video Heavy rain/t-storms to pour on opening day of Training … Video
Extreme heat & humidity today; strong t-storms by … Video Heat and humidity peaks tomorrow, chance of severe … Video Heavy rain/t-storms to pour on opening day of Training … Video
Heat and humidity peaks tomorrow, chance of severe … Video Heavy rain/t-storms to pour on opening day of Training … Video
What analytics say about the 2023 Packers playmakers Gallery Brewers make a trade, acquire Carlos Santana Packers announce 2nd week of Training Camp times, … Peralta Ks 13, Taylor homers in Brewers 3-0 win over …
Brewers make a trade, acquire Carlos Santana Packers announce 2nd week of Training Camp times, … Peralta Ks 13, Taylor homers in Brewers 3-0 win over …
Packers announce 2nd week of Training Camp times, … Peralta Ks 13, Taylor homers in Brewers 3-0 win over …
Northeast Wisconsinites beat the July heat Video Hundreds gather for BFK Children’s Parade in Appleton Video Free Swim Day for kids at two Green Bay aquatic centers Kemps donates milk to help GB food pantries Video
Hundreds gather for BFK Children’s Parade in Appleton Video Free Swim Day for kids at two Green Bay aquatic centers Kemps donates milk to help GB food pantries Video
Free Swim Day for kids at two Green Bay aquatic centers Kemps donates milk to help GB food pantries Video
Shanty Days announces dates Video Boot tapping music from Fire on High Video Get squeaky clean with The Honeycomb and Queen Bee … Video Fill up the family with Millie’s Pub and Grub Video
Boot tapping music from Fire on High Video Get squeaky clean with The Honeycomb and Queen Bee … Video Fill up the family with Millie’s Pub and Grub Video
Get squeaky clean with The Honeycomb and Queen Bee … Video Fill up the family with Millie’s Pub and Grub Video
by: AP Posted: Jul 28, 2023 / 09:32 AM CDT Updated: Jul 28, 2023 / 09:32 AM CDT MOSCOW (AP) — Russian military says it shot down a Ukrainian missile over a southern Russian city, accuses Kyiv of a “terror attack.” | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-russian-military-says-it-shot-down-a-ukrainian-missile-over-a-southern-russian-city-accuses-kyiv-of-a-terror-attack/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:21 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-russian-military-says-it-shot-down-a-ukrainian-missile-over-a-southern-russian-city-accuses-kyiv-of-a-terror-attack/ |
(The Hill) – Carlos De Oliveira was indicted on three criminal charges alongside former President Trump and his longtime aide Walt Nauda in a superseding indictment Thursday, part of the classified document investigation at Trump’s Florida club.
De Oliveira, the Mar-a-Lago Club’s property manager, allegedly assisted Trump and Nauta in attempting to delete security footage that showed the men moving boxes of classified documents around the property to hide them from federal authorities.
He was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, destroying evidence and lying to the FBI.
De Oliveira, 56, was hired as the Mar-a-Lago manager in January 2022, previously working there as a valet, according to the indictment.
Federal investigators claim De Oliveira helped Nauta move about 30 boxes of classified documents around Mar-a-Lago, and at one point told the club’s head of IT that “the boss” wants security camera footage deleted.
In October of last year, after federal investigators searched the club and found additional classified documents, De Oliveira allegedly drained one of the club’s pools causing flooding in the server room that contained the security camera footage. This happened not long after Trump told De Oliveira he would get him an attorney, the indictment says.
According to investigators, Nauta attempted to judge De Oliveira’s loyalty before that promise came, with De Oliveira telling him that nothing would get in the way of his relationship with Trump.
Trump now faces a total of 40 charges related to the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, with three of those added this week in the superseding indictment. Nauta faces eight charges.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the classified documents probe, is also investigating Trump for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and his actions related to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot on the Capitol.
Smith met with Trump’s defense on Thursday and sent him a target letter earlier this month, raising speculation that he could be indicted again for that separate investigation soon. | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/national-news/who-is-carlos-de-oliveira-trumps-mar-a-lago-resort-manager/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:25 | 1 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/news/national-news/who-is-carlos-de-oliveira-trumps-mar-a-lago-resort-manager/ |
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
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Junior's | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/viva-las-cheesecake/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:24 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/viva-las-cheesecake/ |
BILLINGS — Troy Andersen has gone from Beaverhead High School prodigy to Montana State All-American to a promising NFL performer with the Atlanta Falcons. His legend in the Treasure State continues to grow.
But his home state continues to be a source of inspiration to Andersen, which the Falcons and Arthur M. Blank Sports and Entertainment have highlighted in the attached video.
In it you'll hear from Andersen, his parents Scott and Nicole, Dillon coaches Rick Nordahl, Terry Thomas and Zach McRae, Montana State head coach Brent Vigen and MSU assistant Bobby Daly, and also get a unique look at Andersen's years growing up on his family's ranch and the desire and drive that have made him a standout athlete and one of the best to ever emerge from the Treasure State.
A second-round NFL draft pick in 2022, Andersen is entering his second season in the NFL with the Falcons. He appeared in all 17 games as a rookie last season, making five starts. He had 69 total tackles (40 solo) with three for loss, three quarterback hits and a forced fumble. | https://www.kxlf.com/news/montana-roots-atlanta-falcons-lb-troy-andersen-reflects-on-treasure-state-pedigree | 2023-07-28T23:36:27 | 1 | https://www.kxlf.com/news/montana-roots-atlanta-falcons-lb-troy-andersen-reflects-on-treasure-state-pedigree |
(The Hill) – Carlos De Oliveira was indicted on three criminal charges alongside former President Trump and his longtime aide Walt Nauda in a superseding indictment Thursday, part of the classified document investigation at Trump’s Florida club.
De Oliveira, the Mar-a-Lago Club’s property manager, allegedly assisted Trump and Nauta in attempting to delete security footage that showed the men moving boxes of classified documents around the property to hide them from federal authorities.
He was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, destroying evidence and lying to the FBI.
De Oliveira, 56, was hired as the Mar-a-Lago manager in January 2022, previously working there as a valet, according to the indictment.
Federal investigators claim De Oliveira helped Nauta move about 30 boxes of classified documents around Mar-a-Lago, and at one point told the club’s head of IT that “the boss” wants security camera footage deleted.
In October of last year, after federal investigators searched the club and found additional classified documents, De Oliveira allegedly drained one of the club’s pools causing flooding in the server room that contained the security camera footage. This happened not long after Trump told De Oliveira he would get him an attorney, the indictment says.
According to investigators, Nauta attempted to judge De Oliveira’s loyalty before that promise came, with De Oliveira telling him that nothing would get in the way of his relationship with Trump.
Trump now faces a total of 40 charges related to the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case, with three of those added this week in the superseding indictment. Nauta faces eight charges.
Special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the classified documents probe, is also investigating Trump for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election and his actions related to the Jan. 6, 2021 riot on the Capitol.
Smith met with Trump’s defense on Thursday and sent him a target letter earlier this month, raising speculation that he could be indicted again for that separate investigation soon. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national-news/who-is-carlos-de-oliveira-trumps-mar-a-lago-resort-manager/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:27 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/national-news/who-is-carlos-de-oliveira-trumps-mar-a-lago-resort-manager/ |
RPSO confirms positive identification of remains of missing geocacher
RAPIDES PARISH, La. (KALB) - The Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office has received the preliminary report from the coroner and positive identification has been made of Robert Owens, Jr., the geocacher who was reported missing on July 17 in the Kisatchie National Forest.
According to the report, the cause of death was undetermined. However, from their investigation, detectives said there are no signs of foul play.
The time of death could not be verified completely but due to the amount of decomposition, detectives believe Owens most likely passed away from heat stroke the first day he went into the National Forest, which was July 9.
For previous coverage, click here.
Click here to report a typo. Please provide the title of the article in your email.
Copyright 2023 KALB. All rights reserved. | https://www.kalb.com/2023/07/28/rpso-confirms-positive-identification-remains-missing-geocacher/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:27 | 0 | https://www.kalb.com/2023/07/28/rpso-confirms-positive-identification-remains-missing-geocacher/ |
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Salvage crews dealing with a cargo ship loaded with cars that has been burning for more than two days off the northern Dutch coast boarded the vessel for the first time Friday as heat, flames and smoke eased, the Netherlands’ coast guard said.
“In the course of the morning, after measurements by the recovery companies, it turned out that the temperature on board the Fremantle Highway had dropped sharply. The fire is still raging but decreasing. The smoke is also decreasing,” the coast guard said in a statement.
Salvage workers boarded the ship and established “a new more robust towing connection,” the agency added. “This makes it easier to move the ship and keep it under control.”
Government officials are now “looking at various scenarios to determine the next steps,” the coast guard said.
One crew member died and others were injured after the blaze started. The entire crew was evacuated from the ship in the early hours of Wednesday, with some leaping into the sea and being picked up by a lifeboat. The cause of the fire hasn’t been established.
The Fremantle Highway was 23 kilometers (14 miles) north of the island of Terschelling on Friday afternoon, close to busy North Sea shipping lanes and an internationally renowned migratory bird habitat.
K Line, the company that chartered the ship, said Friday that it was carrying far more electric vehicles than initially reported by the coast guard.
Company spokesman Pat Adamson said the ship was carrying a total of 3,783 new vehicles, including 498 electric vehicles. The coast guard, citing an early freight list, had said it was carrying 2,857 cars, including 25 electric cars.
Adamson said K Line didn’t know the source of the initial lower number.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board has warned about the possible dangers of electric vehicle battery fires, a hazard that stems from thermal runaway, a chemical reaction that causes uncontrolled battery temperature and pressure increases.
The burning vessel was close to the shallow Wadden Sea, a World Heritage-listed area that is considered one of the world’s most significant habitats for migratory birds. It’s also close to the Netherlands’ border with Germany, whose environment minister, Steffi Lemke, said Thursday that if the ship were to sink, it “could turn into an environmental catastrophe of unknown proportions.”
Earlier this month in Newark, New Jersey, firefighters took nearly a week to extinguish a similar blaze in a car transport ship. Two firefighters were killed and five others were injured battling the flames. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-salvage-crews-board-a-cargo-ship-burning-off-the-netherlands-the-smoke-and-flames-are-easing/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:28 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-salvage-crews-board-a-cargo-ship-burning-off-the-netherlands-the-smoke-and-flames-are-easing/ |
PITTSFORD, N.Y. (WIVB) — The Bills completed their third training camp practice Friday, working up a sweat in temperatures nearing 90 degrees at St. John Fisher University. Here are some observations.
Allen & Diggs
Offensive co-stars Josh Allen and Stefon Diggs say that they have moved past any issues stemming from the end of last season. Their rekindled bromance has shown up on the field during the early part of training camp. They teamed up for the highlight of Friday’s practice [WATCH], when Diggs got behind safety Taylor Rapp during team drills to catch a long touchdown pass. Allen also found Diggs on a number of short and intermediate routes during the session, showing the myriad ways the enigmatic playmaker can be utilized when Diggs and his quarterback are on the same page.
Position battles
It was Baylon Spector’s turn to run with the starters at middle linebacker, after Tyrel Dodson and Terrel Bernard got first-team reps over the first couple days. Spector, drafted in the seventh round out of Clemson in 2022, has been an overlooked candidate in the competition to replace Tremaine Edmunds. He made a nice play breaking up a pass intended for rookie tight end Dalton Kincaid. Rookie Dorian Williams has been working at outside linebacker. The Bills continue to rotate cornerbacks, as last year’s first-round pick Kaiir Elam and Dane Jackson practiced with the first team Friday, while top corner Tre’Davious White and Christian Benford ran with the backups.
Roster moves
The Bills signed cornerback Kyron Brown prior to practice, and placed Cameron Dantzler on the waived/injured list. Brown, a second-team all-conference player at Akron in 2019, was on the Titans practice squad last season after previously spending time with the Cowboys and Jets. He will wear No. 32. The Bills also are reportedly signing wide receiver Andy Isabella, following his Friday workout, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. Isabella ran the 40-yard dash in 4.31 seconds at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine before getting drafted in the second round by the Cardinals.
Special guests
Buffalo Broadcasters Hall of Fame member John Murphy visited camp Friday and appeared in good spirits watching from the sideline. … Former Lt. Governor Bob Duffy palled around with owner Terry Pegula for most of the practice. … The Bills’ newly-installed executive leadership group of John Roth, Kathryn D’Angelo and Josh Dziurlikowski also were on the sideline, spending most of their time with Laura Pegula. … Former Bills linebacker Lorenzo Alexander has bee observing training camp practices, while his son Mason is working with the equipment staff as ball boy. | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/sports/buffalo-kickoff-live/4-observations-josh-allens-connection-with-stefon-diggs-heating-up-baylon-spector-getting-a-look-at-mlb-swift-wr-set-to-sign/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:31 | 1 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/sports/buffalo-kickoff-live/4-observations-josh-allens-connection-with-stefon-diggs-heating-up-baylon-spector-getting-a-look-at-mlb-swift-wr-set-to-sign/ |
Abraham Toro Player Prop Bets: Brewers vs. Braves - July 28
Published: Jul. 28, 2023 at 5:24 PM CDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
The Milwaukee Brewers and Abraham Toro, who went 1-for-3 last time in action, take on Yonny Chirinos and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, Friday at 7:20 PM ET.
In his previous appearance, he went 1-for-3 against the Reds.
Abraham Toro Game Info & Props vs. the Braves
- Game Day: Friday, July 28, 2023
- Game Time: 7:20 PM ET
- Stadium: Truist Park
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo!
- Braves Starter: Yonny Chirinos
- TV Channel: BSSE
- Hits Prop: Over/under 0.5 hits (Over odds: -238)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +450)
- RBI Prop: Over/under 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +150)
- Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 runs (Over odds: +115)
Looking to place a prop bet on Abraham Toro? Check out what's available at BetMGM and use bonus code "GNPLAY" when you sign up with this link!
Explore More About This Game
Abraham Toro At The Plate (2022)
- Toro-Hernandez hit .185 with 13 doubles, a triple, 10 home runs and 22 walks.
- Toro-Hernandez got a hit in 44.2% of his 104 games last year, with multiple hits in 13.5% of them.
- He hit a long ball in 9.6% of his games last year (10 of 104), and 2.8% of his trips to the plate.
- Toro-Hernandez drove in a run in 24.0% of his games last season (25 of 104), with two or more RBIs in eight of those contests (7.7%). He had three or more RBIs in one game.
- He scored in 32 of 104 games last year (30.8%), including scoring more than once in 3.8% of his games (four times).
Ready to play FanDuel Daily Fantasy? Get in the game using our link.
Abraham Toro Home/Away Batting Splits (2022)
Braves Pitching Rankings (2022)
- The Braves pitching staff was second in MLB last season with a collective 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings.
- The Braves' 3.45 team ERA ranked fifth across all MLB pitching staffs.
- Braves pitchers combined to give up 148 home runs (0.9 per game), the fourth-fewest in the big leagues.
- Chirinos gets the start for the Braves, his fifth of the season. He is 4-4 with a 4.02 ERA and 31 strikeouts in 62 2/3 innings pitched.
- His most recent time out came in relief on Sunday, July 16 when the right-hander tossed 4 2/3 innings against the Kansas City Royals, surrendering three earned runs while giving up four hits.
- In 15 games this season, the 29-year-old has put up a 4.02 ERA and 4.5 strikeouts per nine innings, while allowing a batting average of .247 to his opponents.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/07/28/abraham-toro-hernandez-mlb-player-prop-bets/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:31 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/07/28/abraham-toro-hernandez-mlb-player-prop-bets/ |
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — Legacy admissions, in which universities give students related to alumni preference, could be on the chopping block after the U.S. Department of Education agreed to investigate the practice at Harvard University.
The Lawyers for Civil Rights advocacy group filed the complaint that prompted the investigation.
“It’s harmful to applicants of color,” Michael Kippins of the organization said of legacy admissions. “Donor and legacy preference overwhelmingly favor white applicants and many of them are not as qualified as applicants of color.”
Lawyers for Civil Rights’ complaint alleges applicants related to wealthy Harvard donors are seven times more likely to be admitted.
“This complaint targets Harvard specifically; however, the Department of Education has very broad power to ensure … programs and organizations that receive federal funding not discriminate,” Kippins said.
Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said the practice is among many being examined to ensure equal access to higher education.
“Historically, universities have separated the haves and have-nots,” Cardona said. “We have to do better.”
Harvard said that following the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision limiting affirmative action, it is working to ensure all its policies fall in line with the law.
U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., and the Congressional Black Caucus are pushing a bill that would end all legacy admissions.
“Now without affirmative action, these discriminatory actions cannot be tolerated,” Scott said.
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., agreed legacy admissions don’t make sense, calling it a “silly policy.” But he said Congress should be focused on the biggest obstacle for all applicants: the high cost of tuition. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/washington-dc/dept-of-education-looks-into-legacy-admissions/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:33 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/news/washington-dc/dept-of-education-looks-into-legacy-admissions/ |
WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — The man arrested after shots were fired in a chase that ended on a golf course Tuesday morning was charged with aggravated assault of a peace officer, in addition to several more theft charges, sources said.
Jonathan Slagle, 35, is being held on a total of $220,000 bonds on six charges.
In addition, the Department of Public Safety confirmed one of their special agents fired at the fleeing suspect after he almost ran into him with a U-Haul truck.
The DPS also confirmed the name of the woman they were serving a warrant on before the chase began.
36-year-old Savanah Bowles of Ryan, Oklahoma, was arrested for a parole violation on a robbery conviction and is being held without bond.
Authorities say Bowles was not in the truck when Slagle stopped after driving the truck into the Wichita Falls Country Club.
Prior to the chase, in the 2800 block of Barrywood, special agents of the DPS Criminal Investigations Division had Slagle and Bowles under surveillance.
As one of the DPS agents approached the U-Haul in the driveway, they said Slagle drove it at the agent. The agent then pulled his gun, fired one shot and barely avoided being hit.
Bowles was paroled in September 2020 after serving about four years of her 12-year sentence for robbery. She and two men were charged with aggravated robbery at a Wichita Falls hotel in 2016.
This is a developing story. Stick with Texoma’s Homepage for updates as more information becomes available. All individuals charged with a crime are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. | https://www.texomashomepage.com/top-news/slagle-faces-additional-charges-after-u-haul-crash/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:34 | 0 | https://www.texomashomepage.com/top-news/slagle-faces-additional-charges-after-u-haul-crash/ |
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Singapore conducted its first execution of a woman in 19 years on Friday and its second hanging this week for drug trafficking despite calls for the city-state to cease capital punishment for drug-related crimes.
Activists said another execution is planned next week.
Saridewi Djamani, 45, was sentenced to death in 2018 for trafficking about 31 grams (1 ounce) of diamorphine, or pure heroin, the Central Narcotics Bureau said. It said the amount was “sufficient to feed the addiction of about 370 abusers for a week.”
Singapore’s laws mandate the death penalty for anyone convicted of trafficking more than 500 grams (17.6 ounces) of cannabis and 15 grams (0.5 ounces) of heroin.
Djamani’s execution came two days after that of a Singaporean man, Mohammed Aziz Hussain, 56, for trafficking around 50 grams (1.7 ounces) of heroin.
The narcotics bureau said both prisoners were accorded due process, including appeals of their convictions and sentences and petitions for presidential clemency.
Human rights groups, international activists and the United Nations have urged Singapore to halt executions for drug offenses and say there is increasing evidence it is ineffective as a deterrent. Singapore authorities insist capital punishment is important to halting drug demand and supply.
Human rights groups say it has executed 15 people for drug offenses since it resumed hangings in March 2022, an average of one a month.
Anti-death penalty activists said the last woman known to have been hanged in Singapore was 36-year-old hairdresser Yen May Woen, also for drug trafficking, in 2004.
Transformative Justice Collective, a Singapore group which advocates for the abolishment of capital punishment, said a new execution notice has been issued to another prisoner for Aug, 3, the fifth this year alone.
It said the prisoner is an ethnic Malay citizen who worked as a delivery driver before his arrest in 2016. He was convicted in 2019 of trafficking around 50 grams (1.7 ounces) of heroin and his appeal was dismissed last year, it said.
The group said the man had maintained in his trial that he believed he was delivering contraband cigarettes for a friend to whom he owed money, and he didn’t verify the contents of the bag as he trusted his friend.
The High Court judge ruled that their ties weren’t close enough to warrant the kind of trust he claimed to have had for his friend. Although the court found he was merely a courier, the man still had to be given the mandatory death penalty because prosecutors didn’t issue him a certificate of having cooperated with them, it said.
“But how could he have cooperated if, as he told the police and the court, he had not even been aware that he was being used to deliver heroin?” the group said on Facebook.
The group said it “condemns, in the strongest terms, the state’s bloodthirsty streak” and reiterated calls for an immediate moratorium on the use of the death penalty.
Critics say Singapore’s harsh policy punishes low-level traffickers and couriers, who are typically recruited from marginalized groups with vulnerabilities. They say Singapore is also out of step with the trend of more countries moving away from capital punishment. Neighboring Thailand has legalized cannabis while Malaysia ended the mandatory death penalty for serious crimes this year. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-singapore-hangs-first-woman-in-19-years-after-she-was-convicted-of-trafficking-31-grams-of-heroin/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:36 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-singapore-hangs-first-woman-in-19-years-after-she-was-convicted-of-trafficking-31-grams-of-heroin/ |
ONEONTA, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – All across the country each summer, college baseball players will travel to different parts of the nation to play summer ball.
For a handful of ball players from Broome County, their summer league destination is not too far away from home.
The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, one of many all over America where college players can go to play during the summer.
For University of Rhode Island outfielder and Maine-Endwell alumni, Jack Hopko, he is using this time to improve his game.
“Just keeps you sharp,” Hopko said. “You go through a 50-game season in school ball, and you have ups and downs obviously. You just get to stay controlled and work on the things you need to do during the summer.”
While there is no collegiate league team in Binghamton, the closest teams are not too far away.
With one team based in Elmira, and the Outlaws calling Oneonta home, local players such as former Susquehanna Valley Saber and current Binghamton Bearcat, Logan Haskell, can have the experience within driving distance of home.
“It’s been a great experience,” Haskell said. “The guys have been great. It’s nice to play in Oneonta, somewhat close to home so I can go back and forth. Competition is great, just trying to get ready for next year.”
The PGCBL brings in a high level of talent, with players representing schools from the SEC and other Power 5 conferences, it provides players the opportunity to compete against some of the best.
“Getting to play against all different calibers is something that will improve your game, “Hopko said. “No matter what sport you’re playing… Getting to see guys like this, the big conferences is just gonna make you better when the season comes around.”
Playing summer ball can also provide players the opportunity to get their first experience of college ball, which is the case for Brody Raleigh.
Raleigh, who was on the 2016 M-E Little League team, is entering his first year at Western Carolina, taking this opportunity for an early look at college competition.
“Hopefully I go into the fall ready to go now because I’ve gotten all these things that other players that don’t do what I’m doing,” Raleigh said. “I can get those bumps out early and try to get on the right track faster.”
While it may not have been the easiest experience ever for Raleigh, he is looking to take advantage of the at bats he has.
“It’s been tough for sure,” Raleigh said. “I mean there’s been a few bumps in the road, but I’m glad I’m doing this now to get them out. To get on to the next level of my career.”
Whether you’re entering college or trying to improve for another season, summer ball is a great way to improve for baseball players. | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/sports/local-baseball-players-compete-in-collegiate-summer-leagues/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:37 | 1 | https://www.binghamtonhomepage.com/sports/local-baseball-players-compete-in-collegiate-summer-leagues/ |
Tyrone Taylor Player Prop Bets: Brewers vs. Braves - July 28
Published: Jul. 28, 2023 at 5:23 PM CDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
After going 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI in his last game, Tyrone Taylor and the Milwaukee Brewers face the Atlanta Braves (who will start Yonny Chirinos) at 7:20 PM ET on Friday.
He hit a home run while going 1-for-3 in his previous game against the Reds.
Tyrone Taylor Game Info & Props vs. the Braves
- Game Day: Friday, July 28, 2023
- Game Time: 7:20 PM ET
- Stadium: Truist Park
- Live Stream: Watch this game on Fubo!
- Braves Starter: Yonny Chirinos
- TV Channel: BSSE
- Hits Prop: Over/under 0.5 hits (Over odds: -238)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 home runs (Over odds: +475)
- RBI Prop: Over/under 0.5 RBI (Over odds: +160)
- Runs Prop: Over/under 0.5 runs (Over odds: +120)
Looking to place a prop bet on Tyrone Taylor? Check out what's available at BetMGM and use bonus code "GNPLAY" when you sign up with this link!
Explore More About This Game
Tyrone Taylor At The Plate
- Taylor has three doubles, two home runs and two walks while batting .159.
- In 12 of 27 games this season (44.4%), Taylor has reached base safely via hit, and that includes multiple hits twice.
- He has hit a long ball in two of 27 games played this season, and in 2.2% of his plate appearances.
- In five games this year, Taylor has picked up an RBI, with more than one RBI once.
- He has scored in five of 27 games so far this year.
Ready to play FanDuel Daily Fantasy? Get in the game using our link.
Tyrone Taylor Home/Away Batting Splits
Braves Pitching Rankings
- The pitching staff for the Braves has a collective 9.5 K/9, the fifth-best in the league.
- The Braves have a 3.82 team ERA that ranks fifth across all MLB pitching staffs.
- Braves pitchers combine to give up the third-fewest home runs in baseball (108 total, 1.1 per game).
- Chirinos (4-4) gets the starting nod for the Braves in his fifth start of the season. He's put together a 4.02 ERA in 62 2/3 innings pitched, with 31 strikeouts.
- In his last time out -- in relief on Sunday, July 16 -- the righty tossed 4 2/3 innings against the Kansas City Royals, giving up three earned runs while surrendering four hits.
- The 29-year-old has put up an ERA of 4.02, with 4.5 strikeouts per nine innings, in 15 games this season. Opponents are batting .247 against him.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/07/28/tyrone-taylor-mlb-player-prop-bets/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:38 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/07/28/tyrone-taylor-mlb-player-prop-bets/ |
Comedian and actor Frankie Quiñones talks about the second season of the show This Fool, now streaming on Hulu.
Copyright 2023 NPR
Comedian and actor Frankie Quiñones talks about the second season of the show This Fool, now streaming on Hulu.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wunc.org/2023-07-28/hulus-this-fool-gives-a-working-class-perspective-of-life-in-los-angeles | 2023-07-28T23:36:42 | 0 | https://www.wunc.org/2023-07-28/hulus-this-fool-gives-a-working-class-perspective-of-life-in-los-angeles |
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.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE That’s it Nutrition | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/dietitians-top-walmart-target-picks-back-to-school-snacking/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:42 | 1 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/dietitians-top-walmart-target-picks-back-to-school-snacking/ |
BEIJING (AP) — Typhoon Doksuri made landfall in China after bringing deadly landslides to the Philippines.
The storm plowed into the eastern province of Fujian on Friday morning after bringing heavy rains and gale-force winds to parts of Taiwan, especially the Penghu island group, also known as the Pescadores.
In the Philippines, a week of stormy weather across the main island of Luzon caused 39 deaths, including 26 killed in the capsizing of a passenger ship. At least 13 people were reported killed earlier due to Doksuri’s onslaught, mostly due to landslides, flooding and toppled trees, and thousands were displaced, disaster response officials said. More than 20 others remained missing, including four coast guard personnel whose boat overturned while on a rescue mission in hard-hit Cagayan province, disaster response officials said Friday.
The storm caused widespread power outages and agricultural damage in the archipelagic country and prompted the suspension of work, classes and sea travel at the height of the onslaught, officials said, adding they were monitoring another approaching storm.
China has upped its typhoon preparedness through text messaging and notices on social media. In Fujian, more than 400,000 people had been moved to safety, hundreds of ships returned to ports and transportation suspended. Businesses and summer school classes were also ordered suspended and the public was urged to stay indoors. In the city of Quanzhou, the roof of a sports stadium was partially torn off, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.
After hitting the coast, most typhoons tend to lose strength while moving into the mountainous interior of southeastern China, although they sometimes linger over areas, dropping heavy rain.
___
AP reporter Jim Gomez contributed from Manila, Philippines. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-typhoon-doksuri-makes-landfall-in-china-after-bringing-deadly-landslides-to-philippines/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:43 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-typhoon-doksuri-makes-landfall-in-china-after-bringing-deadly-landslides-to-philippines/ |
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.
Looking to place a bet on this or other tennis matches? Head over to BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks, and sign up today with our link!
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
Watch live tennis and many more sports and shows without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to Fubo!
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.
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/arthur-rinderknech-vs-jurij-rodionov-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-atp-challenger-zug-switzerland-men-singles-2023/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:44 | 0 | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/arthur-rinderknech-vs-jurij-rodionov-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-atp-challenger-zug-switzerland-men-singles-2023/ |
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.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Defense Information Systems Agency | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/disa-awards-thunderdome-production-agreement/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:49 | 1 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/disa-awards-thunderdome-production-agreement/ |
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 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.wearegreenbay.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-authorities-charge-alabama-woman-who-acknowledged-fabricating-story-about-kidnapping-toddler/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:50 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-authorities-charge-alabama-woman-who-acknowledged-fabricating-story-about-kidnapping-toddler/ |
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) .
Looking to place a bet on this or other tennis matches? Head over to BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks, and sign up today with our link!
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
Watch live tennis and many more sports and shows without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to Fubo!
Diane Parry vs. Clara Burel Prediction and Odds
Based on the moneyline in this match, Clara Burel has a 55.6% chance to win.
Bet on tennis with BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks!
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.
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/diane-parry-vs-clara-burel-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-ladies-open-lausanne/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:51 | 0 | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/diane-parry-vs-clara-burel-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-ladies-open-lausanne/ |
LIMERICK, Ireland, July 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- NAC Aviation 29 Designated Activity Company (the "Company") today announced amendments to (i) its previously announced offer to purchase an amount up to the Tender Cap (as defined below) of its 4.75% Senior Secured Notes due June 30, 2026 (the "Notes") at a purchase price per $1,000 principal amount of Notes for cash (the "Notes Offer") as set forth in the Company's amended Offer to Purchase and dated July 28, 2023 (as amended hereby, the "Amended Offer to Purchase") and (ii) the concurrent purchase by way of assignment from lenders (the "TLB Lenders"), of loans (the "TLB Loans") under its term loan B credit agreement dated as of June 1, 2022 between, among others, the Company as a borrower, the financial institutions named therein as original lenders and Wilmington Trust (London) Limited as agent for the lenders (as amended from time to time, the "Term Loan B Credit Agreement" and, together with the Notes, the "NAC 29 Debt"), on substantially the same economic terms as the Notes Offer (the "TLB Offer" and, together with the Notes Offer, the "Debt Purchase Transactions"). The maximum aggregate amount (at face value) of NAC 29 Debt to be purchased by the Company pursuant to the Debt Purchase Transactions is $80,000,000 (the "Tender Cap").
The Company is hereby amending the Amended Offer to Purchase to (1) amend the Early Tender Premium component of the Total Consideration (both as defined in the Amended Offer to Purchase) from $30.00 to $10.00 per $1,000 principal amount for each $1,000 principal amount of Notes validly tendered and accepted for purchase by the Company, plus accrued and unpaid interest to, but excluding the settlement date; (2) extend the Early Tender Time and the Withdrawal Deadline (both as defined in the Amended Offer to Purchase) from 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on August 7, 2023 to 5:00 p.m., New York City time, on August 10, 2023; and (3) a clarificatory change to the table on the second page of the Amended Offer to Purchase. These amendments apply to both the Notes Offer and the TLB Offer.
The change in the Early Tender Premium has been made to ensure compliance with the requirements as set out in Clause 4.3 of side letter no. 2 to the intercreditor agreement that was entered into by, among others, the Company on 18 July 2023.
No further action is required to be taken by holders who have already validly tendered and not validly withdrawn their NAC 29 Debt in order to receive the Total Consideration, including the amended Early Tender Premium. Except as described herein, other terms of the previously announced Debt Purchase Transactions remain unchanged.
The complete terms and conditions of the Notes Offer are described in the Amended Offer to Purchase, dated July 28, 2023, a copy of which may be obtained from Global Bondholder Services Corporation, the tender agent and information agent (the "Tender and Information Agent") for the Notes Offer, by telephone at +1 (855) 654-2014 (U.S. toll free) and +1 (212) 430-3774 (collect), in writing at 65 Broadway – Suite 404, New York, New York 10006, Attention: Corporate Actions.
The complete terms of the TLB Offer are described in the Amended Auction Notice dated July 28, 2023, a copy of which may be obtained from Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. as purchase agent (the "Purchase Agent") for the TLB Offer by telephone at +1 (855) 287-1922 (toll-free) or +1 (212) 250-7527 (collect), or in writing at One Columbus Circle, New York, New York 10019, Attention: Liability Management Group.
The Company has engaged Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. to act as the dealer manager (the "Dealer Manager") in connection with the Notes Offer and as Purchase Agent in connection with the TLB Offer. Questions regarding the terms of the Debt Purchase Transactions may be directed to the Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. by telephone at +1 (855) 287-1922 (toll-free) and +1 (212) 250-7527 (collect).
Cautionary Statement
None of the Company, the Dealer Manager, the Purchase Agent, the Tender and Information Agent or the trustee for the Notes, or any of their respective affiliates, is making any recommendation as to whether holders and/or lenders should or should not tender any NAC 29 Debt in response to the Debt Purchase Transactions or expressing any opinion as to whether the terms of the Debt Purchase Transactions are fair to any holder or lender. Holders and/or lenders must make their own decision as to whether to tender any of their NAC 29 Debt and, if so, the principal amount of NAC 29 Debt to tender and the bid price at which to tender. Holders of Notes should refer to the Amended Offer to Purchase for a description of the offer terms, conditions, disclaimers and other information applicable to the Notes Offer, and TLB Lenders should refer to the TLB Auction Notice for a description of the offer terms, conditions, disclaimers and other information applicable to the TLB Offer.
This press release is for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to purchase or the solicitation of an offer to sell any securities. The Notes Offer is being made solely by means of the Amended Offer to Purchase. The Debt Purchase Transactions are not being made to holders of securities in any jurisdiction in which the making or acceptance thereof would not be in compliance with the securities, blue sky or other laws of such jurisdiction. In those jurisdictions where the securities, blue sky or other laws require any Debt Purchase Transactions to be made by a licensed broker or dealer, the Debt Purchase Transactions will be deemed to be made on behalf of the Company by the Dealer Manager or Purchase Agent (as applicable) or one or more registered brokers or dealers licensed under the laws of such jurisdiction.
About Nordic Aviation Capital
NAC is a global leader in regional aircraft leasing and is expanding into larger narrowbody aircraft leveraging its world-class asset management platform. The firm is based in Ireland and currently has offices also in Singapore, Denmark, Toronto and Beijing.
Forward Looking Information Disclaimer
Some of the statements in this press release constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include statements regarding the Company's intent and belief or current expectations and may be identified by the use of words like "anticipate", "believe," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "will," "should," "seek," the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. Investors are cautioned that any such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks and uncertainties, and that actual results may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations include, without limitation, the Company's ability to consummate the Debt Purchase Transactions, as well as matters beyond the Company's control. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, results or events.
Contacts:
Nordic Aviation Capital:
Media contact: marketing@nac.dk
Global Bondholder Services Corporation:
65 Broadway – Suite 404
New York, NY 10006
United States
Attn: Corporate Actions
Banks and Brokers call: +1 (212) 430-3774
Toll free +1 (855) 654-2014
Email: contact@gbsc-usa.com
View original content:
SOURCE NAC Aviation 29 Designated Activity Company | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/nac-aviation-29-designated-activity-company-announces-amendment-partial-notes-tender-offer-term-loan-b-offer/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:56 | 0 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/nac-aviation-29-designated-activity-company-announces-amendment-partial-notes-tender-offer-term-loan-b-offer/ |
Peggy Coppom hasn’t quite seen it all with the Colorado Buffaloes, but she’s seen much more than most, so believe her when she says Thursday was a good day to be a fan.
The 98-year-old has been attending football games since her family moved from the high plains of eastern Colorado to Boulder in 1939 to escape the Dust Bowl, and she’s missed only a couple home games since buying season tickets in 1966.
The excitement in her voice was obvious during a phone call minutes after university regents approved the school’s return to the Big 12 in 2024.
“I’m so happy to get back to the Big 12 — or the Big 15 or whatever it ends up being,” she said, laughing. “It seems like that’s where we belong. We don’t belong with the West Coast people.”
Of course, the Big 12 isn’t the same league it was when the Buffs left for the Pac-12 in 2012. Nebraska and Missouri are gone, and Oklahoma and Texas will be, too. BYU could become a rival, but the Buffs have little in common with Cincinnati, Houston and Central Florida.
“I wish some of those old schools were there, but we’ll make the best of it,” Coppom said.
The conference change, plus the hiring of Deion Sanders, has her eagerly anticipating watching the Buffs from her seats near the 40-yard line on the west side of Folsom Field — “God willing, I always have to add,” she said.
Coppom, carrying a gold pom-pom, was escorted onto the field by Sanders and performed a ceremonial kickoff during the spring game in April. Coppom said Sanders and the return to the Big 12 has created the most buzz about the team since it won a share of the national championship in 1990.
Former CU fullback Jim Kelleher, who was second in the Big Eight with 15 rushing touchdowns in 1976, said he’s in wait-and-see mode about the move.
“I originally wasn’t that excited about it, but at the same time, the Pac-12 had let things get to such a point where you had to do something,” he said. “The Big 12 signed a good media rights agreement. It’s just sad the Pac-12 hasn’t been able to get a TV contract.”
Kelleher said that while Colorado will get exposure across three time zones, which is a positive, he’s sad to see how traditions and geographic rivalries have been sacrificed with realignment in general.
Specific to Colorado, he said, the Buffs seemed to be a good fit in the Pac-12. He said his sentimental attachment to the Big 12 won’t be there without Nebraska and other teams he played against in the old Big Eight.
“Whether it’s the school or the individual athletes — with TV and NIL — it’s all money, money, money,” he said. “I understand their decision. Hey, I’m part of the Colorado team, so I’m for my team and hope it works out.”
Tom Osborne, the College Football Hall of Fame coach at Nebraska and its former athletic director, shepherded the Cornhuskers’ move from the Big 12 to Big Ten in 2011. He said he’s able to view past, present and future realignment from the perspective of both a fan and administrator.
“You’re talking about lost traditions,” Osborne said. “I can share the feelings of the fans in that I miss those drives to Manhattan, Kansas; Lawrence, Kansas; Ames, Iowa, and some of those relationships.”
Nebraska’s move to the Big Ten had as much or more to do with finding stability as it did with finances, Osborne said. In the summer of 2011, Osborne said, Big 12 South teams were negotiating with the Pac-12, Missouri wanted to go to the SEC and Texas A&M also was looking to leave.
“Finances are driving this thing more than anything, and my guess is that the uncertainty about where the Pac-12 stands right now appears to make the Big 12 better for Colorado — even though the Big 12 has not been a paragon of stability.”
___
AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/ap_top25 Sign up for the AP Top 25 newsletter here: https://link.apnews.com/join/6nr/morning-wire-newsletter-footer-internal-ads | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-big-12-not-quite-the-same-but-it-feels-like-home-to-a-98-year-old-colorado-fan/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:56 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-big-12-not-quite-the-same-but-it-feels-like-home-to-a-98-year-old-colorado-fan/ |
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).
Looking to place a bet on this or other tennis matches? Head over to BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks, and sign up today with our link!
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
Watch live tennis and many more sports and shows without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to Fubo!
Laslo Djere vs. Zhizhen Zhang Prediction and Odds
Based on the moneyline in this match, Laslo Djere has a 63.6% chance to win.
Bet on tennis with BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks!
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.
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/laslo-djere-vs-zhizhen-zhang-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg-european-open/ | 2023-07-28T23:36:57 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/laslo-djere-vs-zhizhen-zhang-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg-european-open/ |
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
View original content:
SOURCE Official Committee of Talc Claimants | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/official-committee-talc-claimants-applauds-decision-dismiss-ltl-management-second-bankruptcy-attempt/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:03 | 1 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/official-committee-talc-claimants-applauds-decision-dismiss-ltl-management-second-bankruptcy-attempt/ |
How much did Seattle Swifties ‘Shake It Off’? Enough to cause earthquake-like activity
Seattle Swifites were not playing around when they got down to Taylor Swift’s sick beats last week.
Enthusiastic attendees who saw the “Cruel Summer” artist at Lumen Field on July 22 and 23 reportedly danced, jumped and shook so much that a nearby seismometer equated the activity to a 2.3-magnitude earthquake, the Seattle Times reported.
Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a seismologist and professor at the Western Washington University, said Swift’s 3½-hour gigs at Lumen Field doubled the seismic activity of the thrilling NFL game known as “Beast Quake.” In 2011, Seattle Seahawks fans’ celebration of Marshawn Lynch’s touchdown against the New Orleans Saints clocked activity equivalent to a magnitude 1 or 2 earthquake.
Taylor Swift has embarked on her highly anticipated greatest-hits tour of the United States. See which concert moments have been making headlines.
As a result, Caplan-Auerbach and other local seismologists have started combing through data and Swift’s Lumen Field set lists to figure out whether certain songs contribute to more seismic activity than others.
“How do we compare, say, a really danceable song with maybe a ballad? Do we see a difference in energy?” Caplan-Auerbach told the Seattle Times.
Swift kicked off her Eras tour in March, playing to myriad sold-out crowds. The Grammy Award winner comes to Northern California on Friday for two weekend shows at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. In August, she will perform at SoFi Stadium for six nights.
To date, the U.S. Geological Survey has registered two relatively harmless earthquakes in Southern California for the month of July. But with Swift coming to town, it’s possible that more SoCal seismic activity is on tap.
As L.A.’s hospitality industry welcomes Taylor Swift’s Eras tour and the business it will bring, striking hotel workers called on the pop star to join their cause.
USGS spokesman Paul Laustsen told The Times in an email Friday that seismic sensors are sensitive and can pick up activity from a wide range of sources — natural or human-made. Laustsen also said it’s “highly unlikely that audiences would trigger an earthquake.”
Despite that, he said everyone, including concertgoers, should always be prepared for a natural disaster.
“Earthquakes can happen at anytime, and knowing what to do in any situation you are in, is wise,” Laustsen said.
In other words, always have that ShakeAlert handy while you “Shake It Off.”
It's a date
Get our L.A. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-07-28/taylor-swift-earthquake-seattle-eras-tour | 2023-07-28T23:37:04 | 0 | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-07-28/taylor-swift-earthquake-seattle-eras-tour |
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).
Looking to place a bet on this or other tennis matches? Head over to BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks, and sign up today with our link!
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
Watch live tennis and many more sports and shows without cable on all your devices with a seven-day free trial to Fubo!
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.
Bet on tennis with BetMGM, the King of Sportsbooks!
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.
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/noma-noha-akugue-vs-arantxa-rus-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:04 | 1 | https://www.wbay.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/noma-noha-akugue-vs-arantxa-rus-tennis-prediction-betting-odds-hamburg/ |
TOKYO (AP) — The Japanese government stepped up its alarm over Chinese assertiveness, warning in a report issued Friday that the country faces its worst security threats since World War II as it plans to implement a new strategy that calls for a major military buildup.
The 2023 defense white paper, approved by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s Cabinet, is the first since the government adopted a controversial new National Security Strategy in December, seen as a break from Japan’s postwar policy limiting the use of force to self-defense.
China, Russia and North Korea contribute to “the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II,” according to the 510-page report. It says China’s external stance and military activities have become a “serious concern for Japan and the international community and present an unprecedented and the greatest strategic challenge.”
On Thursday, Russian and Chinese delegates joined North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in North Korea’s capital for a military parade that showed off the country’s latest drones and long-range nuclear-capable missiles.
Russia and China have also stepped up strategic ties, the white paper said, noting five joint bomber flights since 2019, and several joint navigations of Chinese and Russian warships that it said were “clearly intended for demonstration of force against Japan and of grave concern” to both Japan and the region.
The report predicted that China will possess 1,500 nuclear warheads by 2035 and increase its military superiority over Taiwan, in what Japan views as a security threat, especially to its southwestern islands including Okinawa.
While Okinawan Gov. Denny Tamaki has called for U.S. bases there to be reduced and for greater efforts in diplomacy and dialogue with Beijing, the central government has been reinforcing the defenses of the remote southwestern islands, including Ishigaki and Yonaguni, where new bases for missile defense have been installed.
Many residents of Okinawa have bitter memories of the Battle of Okinawa, in which Japan’s wartime military essentially sacrificed the local population in an attempt to delay a U.S. landing on the main Japanese islands. Many Okinawans worry they would be the first to suffer in the event of a Taiwan emergency.
Earlier this week, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno visited Ishigaki and acknowledged the challenges of evacuating residents from remote islands, and pledged to give firm support. Ishigaki Mayor Yoshitaka Nakayama asked for airport and port facilities to be reinforced and for underground shelters to be built as preparation for a possible Taiwan emergency.
China claims self-governing Taiwan as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary.
Chinese President Xi Jinping, who in 2017 set a goal of building a “world-class military” by the mid-21st century, may move the target forward, the report said, noting his call for a rapid advancement of the People’s Liberation Army in his speech at the Communist Party congress in October.
North Korea is rapidly progressing in its nuclear and missile development and poses “a graver, more imminent threat to Japan than ever before,” the report said. North Korea has test-fired around 100 missiles since the start of 2022, including ICBMs, and the report noted it is now believed to have an ability to conduct nuclear attacks on Japan and the continental United States.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the Japanese defense paper interfered in China’s internal affairs and “deliberately played up the so-called Chinese threat and created tensions in the region.” She said Japan’s own military buildup has drawn concern from its Asian neighbors and the international community, and urged Tokyo to “stop finding excuses for its military expansion.”
She said China’s military policy is defensive, and “military cooperation such as joint patrols with relevant countries is in line with international law and practice.”
South Korea, despite the rapid improvement of its ties with Japan this year due to shared concern over China’s threat, slammed Japan’s claim in the defense report to a South Korean-controlled contested island, calling it “unjust.”
The report comes seven months after Kishida’s government adopted new national security and defense strategies that called for doubling the defense budget to 43 trillion yen ($310 billion) by 2027.
Questions have been raised about whether the ambitious expansion of military capability and funding for it is feasible in a country that has a rapidly aging and shrinking population.
A government-commissioned panel recently adopted a package of recommendations for Japan’s military to maintain troop numbers despite population concerns, including scholarships, extension of the retirement age, hiring retirees, improving the workplace environment and tackling harassment.
___
Associated Press writers Joe McDonald in Beijing and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-japan-raises-alarm-over-chinas-military-russia-ties-and-taiwan-tensions-in-new-defense-paper/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:03 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-japan-raises-alarm-over-chinas-military-russia-ties-and-taiwan-tensions-in-new-defense-paper/ |
PHOENIX — The backup Uber driver for a self-driving vehicle that killed a pedestrian in suburban Phoenix in 2018 pleaded guilty Friday to endangerment in the first fatal collision involving a fully autonomous car.
Maricopa County Superior Court Judge David Garbarino, who accepted the plea agreement, sentenced Rafaela Vasquez, 49, to three years of supervised probation for the crash that killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg. Vasquez told police that Herzberg "came out of nowhere" and that she didn't see Herzberg before the March 18, 2018, collision on a darkened Tempe street.
Vasquez had been charged with negligent homicide, a felony. She pleaded guilty to an undesignated felony, meaning it could be reclassified as a misdemeanor if she completes probation.
Authorities say Vasquez was streaming the television show "The Voice" on a phone and looking down in the moments before Uber's Volvo XC-90 SUV struck Herzberg, who was crossing with her bicycle.
Vasquez's attorneys said she was was looking at a messaging program used by Uber employees on a work cellphone that was on her right knee. They said the TV show was playing on her personal cellphone, which was on the passenger seat.
Defense attorney Albert Jaynes Morrison told Garbarino that Uber should share some blame for the collision as he asked the judge to sentence Vasquez to six months of unsupervised probation.
"There were steps that Uber failed to take," he said. By putting Vasquez in the vehicle without a second employee, he said. "It was not a question of if but when it was going to happen."
Prosecutors previously declined to file criminal charges against Uber, as a corporation. The National Transportation Safety Board concluded Vasquez's failure to monitor the road was the main cause of the crash.
"The defendant had one job and one job only," prosecutor Tiffany Brady told the judge. "And that was to keep her eyes in the road."
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said in a statement after the hearing that her office believes the sentence was appropriate "based on the mitigating and aggravating factors."
The contributing factors cited by the NTSB included Uber's inadequate safety procedures and ineffective oversight of its drivers, Herzberg's decision to cross the street outside of a crosswalk and the Arizona Department of Transportation's insufficient oversight of autonomous vehicle testing.
The board also concluded Uber's deactivation of its automatic emergency braking system increased the risks associated with testing automated vehicles on public roads. Instead of the system, Uber relied on the human backup driver to intervene.
It was not the first crash involving an Uber autonomous test vehicle. In March 2017, an Uber SUV flipped onto its side, also in Tempe when it collided with another vehicle. No serious injuries were reported, and the driver of the other car was cited for a violation.
Herzberg's death was the first involving an autonomous test vehicle but not the first in a car with some self-driving features. The driver of a Tesla Model S was killed in 2016 when his car, operating on its Autopilot system, crashed into a semitrailer in Florida.
Nine months after Herzberg's death, in December 2019, two people were killed in California when a Tesla on Autopilot ran a red light, slammed into another car. That driver was charged in 2022 with vehicular manslaughter in what was believed to be the first felony case against a motorist who was using a partially automated driving system.
In Arizona, the Uber system detected Herzberg 5.6 seconds before the crash. But it failed to determine whether she was a bicyclist, pedestrian or unknown object, or that she was headed into the vehicle's path, the board said.
The backup driver was there to take over the vehicle if systems failed.
The death reverberated throughout the auto industry and Silicon Valley and forced other companies to slow what had been a fast march toward autonomous ride-hailing services. Uber pulled its self-driving cars out of Arizona, and then-Gov. Doug Ducey prohibited the company from continuing its tests of self-driving cars.
Vasquez had previously spent more than four years in prison for two felony convictions — making false statements when obtaining unemployment benefits and attempted armed robbery — before starting work as an Uber driver, according to court records.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-28/backup-driver-of-an-autonomous-uber-pleads-guilty-to-endangerment-in-pedestrian-death | 2023-07-28T23:37:06 | 0 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-28/backup-driver-of-an-autonomous-uber-pleads-guilty-to-endangerment-in-pedestrian-death |
Beefing with Wonka? Travis Scott maybe shaded Timothée Chalamet in his new song
There’s no earthly way of knowing which direction the potential heat between a rapper and an onscreen chocolatier is going.
Travis Scott appears to diss Timothée Chalamet, who may or may not be a romantic partner of Scott’s ex Kylie Jenner, in his new track “Meltdown.”
“Chocolate AP and chocolate the Vs, got the Willy Wonka factory / Burn a athlete like it’s calories, find another flame hot as me,” Scott raps in the track.
Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet are an item, according to reports after weeks of speculation. But they’re just ‘seeing where it goes.’
Later this year, Chalamet will star as famed fictional candy magnate Willy Wonka in Paul King’s “Wonka,” a prequel to the Gene Wilder-led classic “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.”
Scott and Jenner, who share two children, reportedly broke up this year after dating on-and-off since 2017. In April, it was reported that Chalamet and Jenner began seeing each other and were “keeping things casual.”
A source told ET Online it was possible that the reality star and the “Call Me by Your Name” actor met through model Kendall Jenner, who sparked romance rumors of her own with music superstar Bad Bunny.
Ten people died during Scott’s festival set in 2021. The rapper told Houston police that he did not recall being given any clear signals to stop the show.
“Meltdown” is featured in Scott’s latest album, “Utopia,” which was released Friday. The LP marks the “Sicko Mode” rapper’s first full-length release since 10 people died at the 2021 Astroworld music festival. The 19-track album includes collaborations with Beyoncé, Bad Bunny, SZA, Drake, The Weeknd, among others.
Newly released police reports out of Houston, meanwhile, indicated Friday that Scott’s road team was alerted of the crowd crush taking place during the disastrous Astroworld event in but declined to inform Scott about what was happening. A total of 10 concertgoers, including children, died of compression asphyxiation in the crush.
Last month, a grand jury in Houston decided the rapper would not face criminal charges related to the event.
Live Nation Middle East, which assured Travis Scott fans that his July 28 ‘Utopia’ show would go on despite controversy, canceled it due to construction issues.
It's a date
Get our L.A. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-07-28/travis-scott-shade-timothee-chalamet-diss-track-willy-wonka-kylie-jenner | 2023-07-28T23:37:07 | 0 | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2023-07-28/travis-scott-shade-timothee-chalamet-diss-track-willy-wonka-kylie-jenner |
It's a date
Get our L.A. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
On one of the first truly hot days of the summer, Cosmo Whyte stood near an open window in his sun-soaked Fashion District studio space, his mellow voice nearly drowned out by the constant racket coming from a neighboring construction site and I-10 traffic congestion.
“As hectic as this area is, there are moments that I absolutely love it. There’s some of these side streets that remind me of Jamaica,” he said, reminiscing about his home country.
Whyte ran his fingers along the strands of a metal beaded curtain hanging against the wall, a work in progress that would ultimately become a focal point in “Hush Now, Don’t Explain,” his solo show that opened at the Anat Ebgi Fountain gallery on July 27.
He moved to Los Angeles last year, having left a teaching position at Florida State University to take on an assistant professor role teaching Beginning and Advanced Drawing to undergraduate and graduate students at UCLA’s School of the Arts and Architecture. He began working on pieces for the exhibit having barely settled into his new home, and with only two weeks before the fall 2022 semester started.
The curtain, entitled “4/4 Timing,” was the final thing Whyte needed to complete before the exhibition’s premiere. It’s one of five that will cascade from a 10-foot-tall metal structure installed in the center of the gallery, through which visitors are encouraged to pass. The beads had already been primed. Next, he had to meticulously coat each strand with several gradated shades of gray spray paint to create an image that would only be clearly visible when viewed at a distance. Once done, the work would join a collection of the interdisciplinary artist’s works, including charcoal drawings and a neon installation.
“I’m thinking of the show as different forms of archival explorations,” Whyte said.
As part of his practice, he routinely scours photographic archives — from Getty’s massive digital holdings to the pages of Jamaican periodicals — in search of enthralling images to reinterpret as the otherworldly drawings and topical sculptures that are his signature. For this show, he’s also presenting elements pulled from his own personal archives.
The show’s title is, in part, an homage to his late father — it’s a refrain from a Nina Simone song, one of the elder Whyte’s favorite singers. The interactive metal structure marks the start of a posthumous collaboration with his father, who worked as an architect in Jamaica before his passing in 2005. Its design layout was inspired by a blueprint drawing pulled from his father’s office files. The beaded curtain entrance is also a nostalgic nod to Whyte’s childhood — the throwback home décor element was a frequent fixture in the homes he visited while growing up.
“A lot of the work points back to domestic spaces and I’m realizing more and more as I progress in my practice, it comes from that experience of growing up with an architect,” the artist said. “He’d always been interested in how space functions at different times of the day. His engagement with the history of landscapes was always fascinating to me too. And he was my first art teacher; he taught me how to draw.”
Whyte regards this show as being in conversation with his previous exhibitions, which have centered on themes of immigration, colonialism and civil disobedience, with Black figures depicted in scenes of protest, pageantry and solemnity. “Hush Now” features works in which he employs “a redaction of information” — subjects’ faces are pixelated, blurred or obscured, at once protecting their privacy and thwarting surveillance.
For the indistinct image painted on the beads of “4/4 Timing,” he referenced a 2015 Getty-sourced photograph of a group of young protesters using their bodies to block a Ferguson, Mo. highway in commemoration of the murder of Michael Brown.
“It’s this beautiful moment where they’re lying in the street and it’s raining,” he explained. “The expressions on their faces are so beautiful, but it’s also such a charged moment. Then, when you walk through the beads, it sort of activates the movement of the rain and the prone bodies start to move.”
He returns to the subject of Black protest because “the conditions are such that we constantly have to take to the streets to demand more.” Without knowing the details of the source image, the viewer could just as easily imagine the scene of injustice and social unrest being captured in the Jim Crow South, during the Brixton riots that swept London in 1981, or even in present-day Paris.
“He’s unearthing histories and he’s able to bring these histories into our current moment,” said Anat Ebgi, whose galleries have exhibited Whyte’s work since 2019, including a previous solo show in November 2020. “He’s looking at the world holistically. I feel like his practice is a way of creating a universal story of migration, immigration, transience, what is home and where is home.”
Brett Steele, dean of UCLA Arts, praised Whyte’s approach to drawing the human figure and commented: “Cosmo brilliantly speaks to a moment where art — particularly painting and drawing — is really focused on identity and how identity is represented, presented and exists in public and contested spaces. Cosmo’s work is fantastic on that front, particularly in the way he brings it in contact with the migrant experience and connects it back to his own life experience.”
Whyte is already devising future works to further his work’s overarching “conversation.” That includes building more structures based on his father’s architectural drawings. He’ll also maintain his focus on migration.
“Especially as we think about so much displacement coming down the pipeline with climate change, migration is an issue that needs to be tackled,” he concluded. “And the more voices added to that issue, the better.”
'Hush Now, Don't Explain'
Where: Anat Ebgi Fountain gallery, 4859 Fountain Avenue, Los Angeles
When: Tuesdays — Saturdays, 10am — 5pm. Closed Sundays and Mondays. Through September 9.
Info: (323) 407 6806, info@anatebgi.com
It's a date
Get our L.A. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-07-28/cosmo-whyte-artist-los-angeles-anat-ebgi-fountain-gallery | 2023-07-28T23:37:10 | 1 | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-07-28/cosmo-whyte-artist-los-angeles-anat-ebgi-fountain-gallery |
Federal highway regulators have proposed new fuel economy standards that would require cars to improve their fuel economy by 2% every year, and light trucks by 4% each year, through 2032.
Environmental groups say the new rules are insufficiently ambitious, given the urgent need to fight climate change. The major automaker trade group says it's reviewing the proposal.
Under the proposed standards from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, fleet-wide fuel economy for new vehicles would be pushed close to 58 miles per gallon by 2032. That's up from the 49 mpg required by 2026 under the current iteration of the rules. (Because of how fuel economy is calculated for these regulations, the actual miles per gallon drivers would see on the road would be significantly lower, even for compliant vehicles.)
Automakers face hefty fees when they fall short of fuel economy requirements, which are known as Corporate Average Fuel Economy, or CAFE, standards.
The proposal will be open for public comment for 60 days.
Rules come after EPA's ambitious push toward EVs
Vehicle fuel economy and emissions in the U.S. are regulated by three different bodies. California, a state with unique influence, sets increasingly stringent requirements that other states can choose to follow. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates vehicle emissions nationwide, including pollution and greenhouse gases. And NHTSA regulates fuel economy, with an original mandate of improving America's energy security by reducing reliance on oil.
At one point the three bodies coordinated to set shared standards, but they have since split back apart. But under the Biden administration, all three are pushing in the same general direction: EVs. Electric vehicles use no gasoline and have no tailpipe emissions, and even counting the emissions from manufacturing them and producing electricity, they are cleaner than similar hybrids, and significantly cleaner than conventional gas- and diesel-powered vehicles.
California is now pushing for 100% electric vehicles by 2035. As for the EPA, earlier this year it proposed standards for vehicle emissions that surprised the auto industry with their ambitious push toward electric vehicles. The EPA's standards, if approved, would result in electric vehicles making up 67% of new vehicle sales by 2032.
Currently, EVs make up just over 7% of sales. BloombergNEF recently projected they're on pace to hit 28% by 2026. That's rapid growth — but not on track to hit the EPA's target. Analysts have also found that even recent, significant announcements in charging infrastructure fall short of what a rapid transition to EVs would require.
Environmentalists and the EV industry largely celebrated the EPA's proposal, while the trade group representing legacy automakers has called the proposal "neither reasonable nor achievable."
As EVs increase, what about fuel economy?
The EPA rules were crafted so they would be essentially impossible to meet without producing zer0-emission vehicles. NHTSA's fuel economy standards, in contrast, have to be designed so they could be met just by making gas and diesel vehicles more efficient.
However, as manufacturers make more EVs, it will help them meet the fuel economy standards, which are calculated across a manufacturers' entire fleet.
Behind the new standards is a big question for the auto industry: how much money needs to be put into improving gas-powered vehicles if the future is mostly electric? Some automakers argue that money spent improving their gas-powered vehicles will just hamper their ability to switch to EVs. Currently, gas-powered vehicles are more profitable than electric ones for legacy automakers, and revenue from internal combustion vehicles is funding EV investments.
Environmental groups, meanwhile, say the industry needs to go electric and simultaneously make much greener gas-powered cars, given that gas-powered cars built today could drive for decades.
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, while still parsing the rules, noted that it appears "at first glance" like NHTSA tried to align its standards with the EPA's standards. On the one hand, the Alliance has objected to those standards as unrealistic. On the other hand, the group does strongly prefer for the various standards to match up as much as possible.
Early feedback from environmental groups, meanwhile, argued NHTSA should push for faster improvements in gas-powered vehicles.
"Given the pace of technological change and urgent need to conserve energy, it's clear that these standards could be even more ambitious than NHTSA's proposal," Dave Cook, senior vehicles analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists' Clean Transportation Program, said in a statement.
Faster improvement for trucks
One element of the proposal has long been a focus for environmentalists: Stricter standards for trucks.
U.S. vehicles have gotten significantly more efficient over time. However, many of those gains were effectively erased as larger vehicles, like SUVs, replaced fuel-sipping sedans on America's roads.
Vehicle standards have helped drive that improved efficiency. But critics have noted that by having looser standards for larger vehicles, those same rules also contributed to the increase in SUVs and trucks.
The proposed new fuel economy standards would require SUVs and pick-ups to improve at a faster clip than smaller vehicles because there is "more room to improve" the fuel economy of larger vehicles, as NHTSA puts it — and because improved economy in those vehicles will have a disproportionate benefit given their popularity and the amount of fuel they consume.
Large, feature-packed, not-very-fuel-efficient trucks are a major money-driver for the Detroit 3. General Motors and Stellantis (formerly known as Fiat Chrysler) have each paid out more than $100 million in fees for CAFE non-compliance over the last six years, according to NHTSA's public data.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-28/biden-administration-proposes-new-fuel-economy-standards-with-higher-bar-for-trucks | 2023-07-28T23:37:10 | 1 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-28/biden-administration-proposes-new-fuel-economy-standards-with-higher-bar-for-trucks |
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/
View original content:
SOURCE Republic of Slovenia Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/slovenias-ministry-environment-climate-energy-global-footprint-network-host-high-level-event-mark-earth-overshoot-day-2023/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:10 | 0 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/slovenias-ministry-environment-climate-energy-global-footprint-network-host-high-level-event-mark-earth-overshoot-day-2023/ |
NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Mutinous soldiers who staged a coup in Niger declared their leader the new head of state on Friday, hours after the general asked for national and international support despite rising concerns that the political crisis could hinder the nation’s fight against jihadists and boost Russia’s influence in West Africa.
Spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane said on state television that the constitution was suspended and Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani was in charge.
Various factions of Niger’s military have reportedly wrangled for control since members of the presidential guard detained President Mohamed Bazoum, who was elected two years ago in Niger’s first peaceful, democratic transfer of power since independence from France.
Niger is seen as the last reliable partner for the West in efforts to battle jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group in Africa’s Sahel region, where Russia and Western countries have vied for influence in the fight against extremism. France has 1,500 soldiers in the country who conduct joint operations with the Nigeriens, and the United States and other European countries have helped train the nation’s troops.
The coup sparked international condemnation and the West African regional group ECOWAS, which includes Niger and has taken the lead in trying to restore democratic rule in the country, scheduled an emergency summit in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, on Sunday.
The U.N. Security Council strongly condemned efforts “to unconstitutionally change the legitimate government.” Its statement, agreed to by all 15 members including the U.S. and Russia, called for “the immediate and unconditional release” of Bazoum and expressed concern over the negative effect of coups in the region, the “increase in terrorist activities and the dire socio—economic situation.”
Extremists in Niger have carried out attacks on civilians and military personnel, but the overall security situation is not as dire as in neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso — both of which have ousted the French military. Mali has turned to the Russian private military group Wagner, and it’s believed that the mercenaries will soon be in Burkina Faso.
Now there are concerns that Niger could follow suit. Before the coup, Wagner, which has sent mercenaries around the world in support of Russia’s interests, already had its sights set on Niger, in part because it’s a large producer of uranium.
“We can no longer continue with the same approaches proposed so far, at the risk of witnessing the gradual and inevitable demise of our country,” Tchiani, who also goes by Omar Tchiani, said in his address. “That is why we decided to intervene and take responsibility.”
“I ask the technical and financial partners who are friends of Niger to understand the specific situation of our country in order to provide it with all the support necessary to enable it to meet the challenges,” he said.
If the United States designates the takeover as a coup, Niger stands to lose millions of dollars of military aid and assistance.
The mutinous soldiers, who call themselves the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Country, accused some prominent dignitaries of collaborating with foreign embassies to “extract” the deposed leaders. They said it could lead to violence and warned against foreign military intervention.
Bazoum has not resigned and he defiantly tweeted from detention on Thursday that democracy would prevail.
It’s not clear who enjoys majority support, but the streets of the capital of Niamey were calm Friday, with a slight celebratory air. Some cars honked in solidarity at security forces as they drove by — but it was not clear if that meant they backed the coup. Elsewhere, people rested after traditional midday prayers and others sold goods at their shops and hoped for calm.
“We should pray to God to help people come together so that peace comes back to the country. We don’t want a lot of protests in the country, because it is not good … I hope this administration does a good job,” said Gerard Sassou, a Niamey shopkeeper.
A day earlier, several hundred people gathered in the city chanting support for Wagner while waving Russian flags. “We’re fed up,” said Omar Issaka, one of the protestors. “We are tired of being targeted by the men in the bush. … We’re going to collaborate with Russia now.”
That’s exactly what many in the West likely fear. Tchiani’s criticism of Bazoum’s approach and of how security partnerships have worked in the past will certainly make the U.S., France, and the EU uneasy, said Andrew Lebovich, a research fellow with the Clingendael Institute.
“So that could mark potentially some shifts moving forward in Niger security partnerships,” he said.
Even as Tchiani sought to project control, the situation appeared to be in flux. A delegation from neighboring Nigeria, which holds the ECOWAS presidency and was hoping to mediate, left shortly after arriving, and the president of Benin, nominated as a mediator by ECOWAS, has not arrived.
Earlier, an analyst who had spoken with participants in the talks said the presidential guard was negotiating with the army about who should be in charge. The analyst spoke on condition they not to be named because of the sensitive situation.
A western military official in Niger who was not authorized to speak to the media also said the military factions were believed to be negotiating, but that the situation remained tense and violence could erupt.
Speaking in Papua New Guinea, French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the coup as “completely illegitimate and profoundly dangerous for the Nigeriens, Niger and the whole region.”
The coup threatens to starkly reshape the international community’s engagement with the Sahel region.
On Thursday, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said the country’s “substantial cooperation with the Government of Niger is contingent on Niger’s continued commitment to democratic standards.”
The United States in early 2021 said it had provided Niger with more than $500 million in military assistance and training programs since 2012, one of the largest such support programs in sub-Saharan Africa. The European Union earlier this year launched a 27 million-euro ($30 million) military training mission in Niger.
The United States has more than 1,000 service personnel in the country.
Some military leaders who appear to be involved in the coup have worked closely with the United States for years. Gen. Moussa Salaou Barmou, the head of Niger’s special forces, has an especially strong relationship with the U.S., the Western military official said.
While Russia has also condemned the coup, it remains unclear what the junta’s position would be on Wagner.
The acting head of the United Nations in Niger said Friday that humanitarian aid deliveries were continuing, even though the military suspended flights carrying aid.
Nicole Kouassi, the acting U.N. resident and humanitarian coordinator, told reporters via video from Niamey that 4.3 million people needed humanitarian aid before this week’s military action and 3.3 million faced “acute food insecurity,” the majority of them women and children.
Jean-Noel Gentile, the U.N. World Food Program director in Niger, said “the humanitarian response continues on the ground.” He said the U.N. is providing cash assistance and food to people in accessible areas and that the agency is continuously assessing the situation to ensure security and access.
This is Niger’s fifth coup and marks the fall of one of the last democratically elected governments in the Sahel.
Its army has always been very powerful and civilian-military relations fraught, though tensions had increased recently, especially with the growing jihadist insurgency, said Karim Manuel, an analyst for the Middle East and Africa with the Economist Intelligence Unit.
___
Associated Press reporters John Leicester in Paris; Chinedu Asadu in Abuja, Nigeria; and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations in New York contributed to this report. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-no-clarity-about-whos-in-charge-in-niger-2-days-after-mutinous-soldiers-ousted-the-president/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:11 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-no-clarity-about-whos-in-charge-in-niger-2-days-after-mutinous-soldiers-ousted-the-president/ |
Trader Joe's has recalled its frozen falafel for potentially having rocks in it, after it recalled two of its cookie products for the same reason recently.
The company's supplier informed them of the concern, and Trader Joe's said in a statement Friday that "all potentially affected product has been removed from sale and destroyed."
Customers who purchased the product should discard it or return it to a Trader Joe's location for a full refund, the company said.
The falafel, which is fully cooked and frozen, has the SKU number 93935 and is sold in Washington, D.C., and 34 states.
Last Friday, Trader Joe's said rocks could also possibly be found in its Almond Windmill Cookies and Dark Chocolate Chunk and Almond Cookies.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-28/trader-joes-recalls-its-frozen-falafel-for-possibly-having-rocks-in-it | 2023-07-28T23:37:14 | 0 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-28/trader-joes-recalls-its-frozen-falafel-for-possibly-having-rocks-in-it |
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
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Tampa General Hospital | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/tampa-general-hospital-named-one-americas-best-employers-women-2023-by-forbes/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:17 | 0 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/tampa-general-hospital-named-one-americas-best-employers-women-2023-by-forbes/ |
ASHWAUBENON, Wis. (WFRV) – A former restaurant space in one of Green Bay’s strongest retail corridors is available for lease, giving owners an opportunity to cash in on a location right next to Lambeau Field.
Formerly known as Moe’s Southwest Grill, the location at 2101 is now on the market for lease. The 2,607-square-foot building is located right next to Buffalo Wild Wings and Coldstone, making it one of the most prominent locations available.
Moe’s Southwest Grill says the location is temporarily closed, but there is no word on why the Tex-Mex-style restaurant has shut down.
Local 5 News has reached out to Moe’s Southwest Grill for a statement but has yet to hear back.
Within walking distance of Lambeau Field and near plenty of hotels, the building is a green light for any retail business looking to relocate.
For more information on the listing, you can click here. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/former-home-of-moes-on-oneida-street-up-for-lease-future-of-restaurant-unknown/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:18 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/local-news/former-home-of-moes-on-oneida-street-up-for-lease-future-of-restaurant-unknown/ |
NPR News Don't call it a heat 'wave': Expert weighs in after a month of record-breaking heat By Megan Lim, Mallory Yu, Mary Louise Kelly Published July 28, 2023 at 3:56 PM MDT Facebook Email Print Listen • 4:34 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.kunm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-28/dont-call-it-a-heat-wave-expert-weighs-in-after-a-month-of-record-breaking-heat | 2023-07-28T23:37:22 | 0 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-28/dont-call-it-a-heat-wave-expert-weighs-in-after-a-month-of-record-breaking-heat |
What to know about SoFi Stadium before going to the Taylor Swift Eras concert
Swifties are getting ready to pack SoFi Stadium for six nights as part of Taylor Swift’s career-spanning Eras tour. Are you ready for it? Here’s everything you need to know about attending the concerts in Inglewood.
What should you do before you arrive at SoFi Stadium?
The cell service at SoFi Stadium is OK, and there’s WiFi, but just in case the connection isn’t working, make sure to have your ticket ready to go on your phone’s digital wallet before you arrive so you can get into the stadium without any issues.
Download the SoFi Stadium app before you go. The app will have level-by-level maps of the stadium that show you where the closest restrooms, concession stands, snacks and drinks are located.
If you’re not able to download the app or don’t want to, the same info will be available on the stadium’s website: www.sofistadium.com
If you plan to park at the stadium, you must have a parking pass. Make sure to pre-buy your parking. To make it easier to enter and exit the stadium, buy parking in the area closest to your designated stadium entrance.
Plenty of parking spots are still available for Swift’s shows, but not in the lots on the stadium grounds. For those, you’ll have to go through a reseller and pay even more.
What’s the bag policy?
SoFi Stadium has a clear bag policy. If you plan to bring a bag, it must be clear plastic, vinyl or PVC and should not be bigger than 12 inches by 6 inches by 12 inches. Alternatively, you can bring a clear one-gallon plastic freezer bag or small clutch that can’t be bigger than 4 inches by 6 inches.
You are not allowed to bring purses, backpacks, briefcases, coolers, fanny packs, oversize totes, computer bags, camera bags, non-approved seat cushions, luggage or any bag that is larger than the permissible size.
If you do bring any bag that isn’t allowed in the stadium, it can be checked in at a designated bag check area. But you will have to pay $20 to check a bag.
What does the stadium look like?
SoFi stadium is huge. If you’d like to see a map of the place, there are some on the stadium’s website. The structure is segmented, which can make it hard to get from one area or level to another. So, when deciding which entrance to approach, use the one recommended on your ticket.
The stadium also has a double-sided video board hanging from the roof, called the Infinity Screen. The elliptical board is 70,000 square feet and was built by Samsung.
Everyone should be able to see the screen no matter where they are sitting, which is good news for people who have a partially obstructed view of the stage.
As L.A.’s hospitality industry welcomes Taylor Swift’s Eras tour and the business it will bring, striking hotel workers called on the pop star to join their cause.
Does SoFi Stadium have air conditioning?
SoFi Stadium does not have air conditioning. But back in 2020, Times football writer Sam Farmer reported that on a hot August day, it felt 10 degrees cooler inside the stadium than outside. That’s because of the breeze and the fancy roof.
What’s up with that roof?
The roof at SoFi Stadium is fixed and allows people inside the stadium to see the sky.
As Sam Lubell, an architecture writer, wrote in The Times:
“In classic SoCal fashion, the stadium, its edges open to the outdoors along the sides, blurs the line between interior and exterior, inviting visitors, and views, inside. It pulls in ocean breezes through its aerodynamic shape, its permeable flanks, the lifting of its seating bowl above the ground-level concourse and massive (60 feet by 60 feet) adjustable openings in its roof that can slide like sunroofs on cars. These openings can ‘tune’ the wind flow, according to HKS, which designed recent stadiums for the Minnesota Vikings, Indianapolis Colts and Dallas Cowboys.
“The roof, which covers and unifies the stadium bowl, plaza and adjacent arena, is clad in ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, or ETFE, a tough, translucent plastic that, thanks to its dotted frit pattern, shades fans from about half of the sun’s heat. (If you’ve roasted at the Coliseum or at Dodger Stadium, you will appreciate that.) The ETFE also will allow concerts, community gatherings, e-sports, the Super Bowl and the Olympics to carry on in the rare case of rain.”
Why are concert tickets so expensive and how can I get a cheaper ticket?
Can you bring any food or drinks to SoFi Stadium?
You are not allowed to bring in any food or drinks except for one factory-sealed water bottle that is 20 ounces or less, or a clear, soft-sided empty reusable water bottle to fill up at the hydration stations. Sing your heart out without drying your throat.
The stadium has many different types of food available. Make sure to bring a credit, debit or gift card. Vendors do not accept cash.
Cuisine options include pan-Asian flavors, Italian food, Mexican food, burgers and deli options. Beer, wine, soda and water are available.
There are vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options too.
Times staff writer Jenn Harris has tried all of the regular-season food at the stadium and recommends staying away from the crispy potato tacos and crispy shrimp taco and instead trying the meatballs and tsunami tots.
If you’d like to enjoy food and drinks outside of the stadium, The Times’ Food staff has a list of the best nearby places to eat and drink.
For more information, check out the stadium’s A-Z guide on their website, as well as their Plan Your Visit section.
It's a date
Get our L.A. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-07-28/faq-sofi-stadium-taylor-swift-eras-concert | 2023-07-28T23:37:23 | 0 | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-07-28/faq-sofi-stadium-taylor-swift-eras-concert |
How to find parking for the Taylor Swift Eras concerts at SoFi Stadium
Taylor Swift tickets are so expensive, they make even a $75 parking spot look reasonable.
OK, maybe not “reasonable.” But once you’ve plunked down hundreds or thousands of dollars for seats, maybe you don’t blanch at the idea of paying more to park than to fill your gas tank.
And let’s face it, you’re not going to be able to stash your car at or near SoFi Stadium during Swift’s six shows without paying a premium for parking. So if you can manage to take the Metro, do that instead.
Otherwise, it’s past time to try to line up parking spots. While plenty of spaces remain available outside the stadium, all of the ones on the sea of pavement surrounding the venue have already been snapped up.
That doesn’t mean you can’t have a spot on the SoFi grounds. It just means you’ll have to pay a premium premium price for it.
Why are concert tickets so expensive and how can I get a cheaper ticket?
How to find parking for the Eras Tour
Like many of the folks who attend big events at Crypto.com Arena or BMO Stadium, you may turn up your nose at the barkers trying to wave you into high-priced special-event parking lots, opting instead to drive around for half an hour or more looking for a spot on a nearby street.
This is probably not a fruitful strategy for SoFi Stadium, where the surrounding streets either forbid parking or restrict it to cars with a permit that you do not possess. Inglewood Mayor James T. Butts Jr. says flatly that there will be no parking on the area’s residential streets.
That means you’ll need a space in a lot. Here’s a rundown of the websites where you can find and reserve parking, with prices as of Friday morning:
Swift’s official Eras Tour site and the SoFi site both link to the parking-spot finder operated by Arrive’s ParkWhiz, which searches the area for available spaces you can reserve. ParkWhiz’s index includes about two dozen lots that are arguably within walking distance of SoFi — that is, within two miles — although some have already sold out. For the Aug. 3 show, prices ranged from $16.50 to $275, with spots at the relatively close-in Hollywood Park Casino Garage going for about $57.
(Ticketmaster also offers parking passes for one of the lots covered by ParkWhiz: the Kia Forum, which is adjacent to SoFi. You’ll pay $78.50 for a spot there through Ticketmaster, which is $5 more than ParkWhiz charges.)
The official site does not resell parking reservations, which explains why it didn’t appear to have any spots for sale in the seven color-coded SoFi parking zones. For those you’ll need to go to a ticket reseller, such as Vivid Seats (starting at $96) or StubHub (starting at $89).
The key phrase in the previous sentence is “starting at.” If you want to spend $2,000 on a parking space, the resellers will accommodate you.
Also, the prices seem lower at first on the reseller sites than they actually are — the fees tacked on at the end of the transaction are hefty.
Summer has brought an uptick in coronavirus transmission, but experts say it is still too early to tell whether this represents a significant health concern.
Bear in mind that parking passes for the SoFi grounds are sold in zones, so you won’t have a specific space reserved. Instead, you’ll be directed to a space by staff, who will not look kindly on your attempts to save the spaces next to you for your friends’ SUVs.
The parking zones will open at noon, and according to SoFi, there’s no way to get back in once you leave. So don’t plan to shuttle carload after carload of friends onto the grounds.
The stadium itself won’t admit visitors until 4:30. The show is scheduled to begin at 6:30, and the lots will close 90 minutes after the show ends.
One more option is the city of Inglewood’s Park & Go service, which offers spaces in two remote lots and a shuttle bus to and from the stadium. The spaces can be reserved for $38.25 each, and round-trip rides on the shuttle are $8.70 per person.
Will I have trouble driving to SoFi?
Inglewood is not planning elaborate street closures and traffic restrictions for the Eras Tour, Butts said in an interview. Instead, he said, it’s treating the events much the same as it does home games for the Rams or Chargers.
In the lead-up to the show, Butts said, there will be traffic control officers at every intersection around the stadium to help manage the flow of cars. There are no pre-show closures or restrictions planned at the moment, he said, but the city will be monitoring the major intersections from its command center and will be able to change the duration of red and green lights as needed.
There will also be message boards posting traffic advisories on the roadways into the stadium.
Bear in mind that the number of vehicles descending on SoFi will probably overwhelm the surrounding streets, so prepare to spend many extra minutes crawling to your destination alongside other cars filled with Swifties. It’ll give you the chance to compare Swift’s extended version of “All Too Well” with the original, shorter version, possibly several times.
Once the show ends, the city will not allow through traffic in the eastbound lanes of Pincay Drive (on the north side of SoFi) — only local residents will be able to drive in that direction. Also, Butts said, there will be detours on Prairie Avenue between Manchester and Century boulevards on the west side of the stadium to clear the way for cars coming out of SoFi. Those will be in place for about 90 minutes post-concert until the parking lots clear, he said.
Before you see Taylor Swift performing at SoFi Stadium for the Los Angeles leg of the Eras tour, here are some things you should know, including the bag and outside food policy, what SoFi Stadium is like and what to eat once you’re there.
Can I take an Uber or a Lyft to the show?
Yes, you can. You could also take a taxi, limo or other ride for hire.
You could even drive to a cheap parking spot a few miles from SoFi and take a ride-hailing service to the stadium. If you do, you’ll be dropped off and picked up on Kareem Court, which is on the north side of the stadium between Pincay and Manchester.
About The Times Utility Journalism Team
This article is from The Times’ Utility Journalism Team. Our mission is to be essential to the lives of Southern Californians by publishing information that solves problems, answers questions and helps with decision making. We serve audiences in and around Los Angeles — including current Times subscribers and diverse communities that haven’t historically had their needs met by our coverage.
How can we be useful to you and your community? Email utility (at) latimes.com or one of our journalists: Matt Ballinger, Jon Healey, Ada Tseng, Jessica Roy and Karen Garcia.
It's a date
Get our L.A. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-07-28/how-to-find-parking-for-the-taylor-swift-eras-concerts-at-sofi-stadium | 2023-07-28T23:37:23 | 1 | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-07-28/how-to-find-parking-for-the-taylor-swift-eras-concerts-at-sofi-stadium |
Comedian and actor Frankie Quiñones talks about the second season of the show This Fool, now streaming on Hulu.
Copyright 2023 NPR
Comedian and actor Frankie Quiñones talks about the second season of the show This Fool, now streaming on Hulu.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-28/hulus-this-fool-gives-a-working-class-perspective-of-life-in-los-angeles | 2023-07-28T23:37:23 | 1 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-28/hulus-this-fool-gives-a-working-class-perspective-of-life-in-los-angeles |
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
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Teamsters Local 2010 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/university-california-workers-join-teamsters-local-2010/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:23 | 0 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/university-california-workers-join-teamsters-local-2010/ |
Jimmie Allen, accused of sexually assaulting two women, announces comedy tour: ‘Is this ... a joke?’
This story contains details of alleged sexual assault.
Jimmie Allen — the embattled country musician who just countersued two women who had previously filed lawsuits alleging the “Best Shot” singer sexually assaulted them and filmed them without their consent — just announced an upcoming comedy tour.
Allen announced a three-day run of invitation-only shows he’s calling the “I Said What I Said” Comedy Tour. The promo on Instagram features Allen shrugging and smiling with the caption “‘I Said What I Said,’ and I’m gonna say it again during my 3-night comedy tour coming this October!”
No specific location, dates or venues have been announced, and Allen offers only an email subscription box on the affiliated website where fans can enter to win tickets.
Replies under the post signaled that some fans were unbothered by the allegations against Allen, while others found Allen’s choice of attempted comeback an odd one. “Now is this post a joke? I’m honestly asking,” one user commented.
“I didn’t have this on my bingo card,” quipped another.
Country musician Jimmie Allen is countersuing two women who accused him of sexual assault in separate lawsuits they filed against him this spring.
But apparently it’s for real: A representative for Allen told Billboard that footage from the three nights would be assembled into a digital special that would be available in the future on the singer’s website.
Allen did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment on Friday.
The “Good Times Roll” singer has denied all the allegations and two weeks ago, he filed countersuits against both women who had sued him this spring. He alleged that one defamed him and intentionally inflicted emotional distress and that the other illegally swiped his cellphone after consenting to being recorded during their sexual encounter.
Jimmie Allen returned to social media a week after he was sued for alleged sexual assault and sex trafficking. ‘We gonna be alright,’ he wrote Wednesday.
In documents filed July 13 in Nashville federal court, Allen, 38, alleged that everything that transpired with both women was consensual and that their allegations caused the once-rising country star to lose “lucrative endorsement deals” and have “several performance contracts canceled,” as well as ultimately being dropped by his record label.
Allen’s countersuit is requesting “reasonable expenses, including attorneys’ fees.” The suit also calls for a jury trial. “Allen’s reputation and relationships within the entertainment industry have been severely damaged,” the countersuit states.
In a statement to The Times earlier this month, the lead attorney for both women, Elizabeth Fegan, said Allen’s filings included what they expected, “claims that all his encounters with Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 were consensual.” The legal team is “eager to show the court abundant evidence to the contrary,” which they said they were confident would prove that Allen is “a serial abuser and should be held accountable for his actions,” according to Fegan’s statement.
Country singer Jimmie Allen has been sued by his ex-manager for alleged sexual assault, sex trafficking and battery. He says their relationship was consensual.
“It is becoming increasingly common for perpetrators to countersue their victims, claiming defamation. This is a concerning trend, one designed to convince victims that if they speak out, they will be the target of spurious litigation,” the statement said.
The first lawsuit against Allen was brought by his former manager for alleged sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment, sex trafficking and emotional distress, according to legal documents obtained by The Times.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous because she still works in the music industry, said that while she was employed by Allen’s management company, Wide Open Music, the country musician raped her, regularly sexually abused her and harassed her for a year and a half.
She also said Allen “raped her in private while choking her” and filmed “multiple sexual encounters in order to blackmail her to stay silent.”
Country musician Jimmie Allen has been sued by another women who alleges that he sexually assaulted her and filmed the encounter in Las Vegas last July.
The second lawsuit was filed less than a month after the first and alleged that the “Warrior” singer sexually assaulted another woman (identified as Jane Doe 2 in legal documents obtained by The Times) at a Las Vegas hotel last summer and secretly recorded the encounter. She is seeking a judgment against Allen, along with an unspecified amount in monetary damages and legal fees.
Fallout came swiftly for the Grammy-nominated country musician after the initial sexual assault allegations went public this spring. He was terminated by his publicist;, United Talent Agency severed ties with him; and he was removed from the CMA Fest lineup in Nashville. He was also dropped as the commencement speaker at Delaware State University’s graduation ceremony. Allen’s label, BBR Music Group, suspended the recording artist in response to the initial allegations and ultimately dropped him after the second woman sued him a month later.
In addition to the business fallout, Allen and wife Alexis Gale announced via social media in April that they were calling it quits after three years of marriage, but also revealed that Gale was pregnant with their third child. In July he told People that his divorce was still pending and said he and his estranged wife were “working to resolve things together as a family.”
Resources for survivors of sexual assault
If you or someone you know is the victim of sexual violence, you can find support using RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline. Call (800) 656-HOPE or visit online.rainn.org to speak with a trained support specialist.
It's a date
Get our L.A. Goes Out newsletter, with the week's best events, to help you explore and experience our city.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-07-28/jimmie-allen-comedy-tour-sexual-assault-allegations | 2023-07-28T23:37:24 | 1 | https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-07-28/jimmie-allen-comedy-tour-sexual-assault-allegations |
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Ballots from Spaniards living abroad were counted Friday, and they gave a new twist to the inconclusive results from the general election.
The conservative Popular Party gained an additional seat from Madrid’s constituency late in the day at the expense of the Socialist Workers’ Party. That change gives the right-wing coalition of the PP and the far-right Vox party 172 seats in the lower house of parliament and drops left-wing forces to 171.
Forming a stable governing coalition will require one of the blocks to have the support of 176 lawmakers in the 350-seat body, and it’s not clear that either side will be able to obtain enough backing from smaller parties.
The country’s main political parties had been waiting for the count in the hope they might win seats from opponents and recompose the final picture. Results coming in from different constituencies during the day showed no changes across Spain — until Madrid added the last-gasp surprise.
The switch likely will make it even tougher to cobble together a government.
Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is considered the only leader with a chance to form a coalition, since the Popular Party led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo is being shunned by other parties for allying with Vox.
But Sánchez does not have it easy. He needs help from secessionist parties in the Basque Country and Catalonia, and it could be politically risky to bid for support from the Catalan party Junts, which is headed by Carles Puigdemont, a leader of 2017’s failed secession bid in Catalonia.
His party has seven seats, but its goal of forcing Spain to allow a secession referendum is Catalonia is highly unpopular, including in Sánchez’s party.
The new parliament is to convene Aug. 17 and it will have three months to vote in a new prime minister. Otherwise, new elections would be called. | https://www.wivb.com/news/ap-count-of-ballots-from-spaniards-abroad-gives-edge-to-right-wing-block-and-deepens-the-stalemate/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:25 | 0 | https://www.wivb.com/news/ap-count-of-ballots-from-spaniards-abroad-gives-edge-to-right-wing-block-and-deepens-the-stalemate/ |
Anderson EMS awarded grant from UT Medical
Anderson County Emergency Medical Services has received an $1,800 grant to assist with purchasing updated curriculum for training purposes.
Anderson County EMS was notified of the grant award in April, and received the check during a presentation at the UT LifeStar, Emergency and Trauma Continuing Education Quarterly Luncheon in May.
"I am very thankful for the University of Tennessee grant, and especially proud of our EMS team and their focus on patient care,” Anderson County Mayor Terry Frank said in a press release. “Director Nathan Sweet, and Deputy Director of Education Bobbi Jo Henderson continuously go above and beyond in the field of training for our Anderson County EMS Department, and our citizens benefit greatly from this commitment."
The $1,800 grant was awarded by the Dr. Robert F. Lash, M.D. Emergency Medicine Fund at the University of Tennessee Medical Center. | https://www.oakridger.com/story/lifestyle/2023/07/28/anderson-ems-awarded-grant-from-ut-medical/70470140007/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:25 | 1 | https://www.oakridger.com/story/lifestyle/2023/07/28/anderson-ems-awarded-grant-from-ut-medical/70470140007/ |
A University of Notre Dame professor has filed a defamation lawsuit against a student-run publication over news coverage of her abortion-rights work. The case is raising questions about press freedom and academic freedom at one of the nation’s preeminent Catholic universities.
Tamara Kay’s suit, filed in May, alleges falsehoods in two articles published by The Irish Rover in the past academic year. The Rover defended its reporting as true in a motion filed earlier this month to dismiss the case, under a law meant to protect people from frivolous lawsuits over matters of public concern.
Kay, a professor of global affairs and sociology, asks for unspecified punitive damages after she “has been harassed, threatened, and experienced damage to her residential property” and “continues to experience mental anguish” because of the two articles.
Published in October and March after public events in which Kay participated, the articles cover her remarks about her support for abortion rights. The lawsuit alleges that the articles contained “false and defamatory” information, arguing that they misinterpreted a sign on her door about helping students access healthcare and denying two quotes about academic freedom and her work at a Catholic institution.
“The note on my door referenced sexual assault, and the inadequate resources and support for student survivors at Notre Dame,” Kay told The Associated Press via email.
She added that she had asked the Rover’s faculty advisors to retract or correct the story, and that Notre Dame officials refused to intervene on her behalf.
“All of this is utterly devastating,” Kay said. She said her public writing and public speech “are all fair game for reporting and critique, as long as that reporting is accurate. It has not been.”
Notre Dame’s Office of Media Relations didn’t answer repeated requests for comment from the AP. Neither did Kay’s attorney in the lawsuit.
In the motion filed under Indiana’s anti-SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) law, the Irish Rover argued that – as an “independent, non-profit, student publication ‘devoted to preserving the Catholic identity of Notre Dame’” – its coverage of a Notre Dame professor’s public statements and actions about abortion qualify under the law’s public interest and free speech criteria.
The motion added that the stories were “at least substantially true” and “did not contain defamatory imputation.” Exhibits include a transcript of the March event and since-deleted tweets by Kay last fall referring Notre Dame colleagues to websites with information on where to find abortion providers and how to procure abortion pills.
That “targeted advocacy” — just as Indiana’s abortion ban first went briefly into effect — motivated Notre Dame student W. Joseph DeReuil, 21, to seek comments from Kay and write a news story, he told the AP.
DeReuil, the Rover’s editor-in-chief during the last academic year, said he is a practicing Catholic and believes the Church’s teaching that life starts at conception and thus abortion is intentional killing.
“I do wish at times that, I guess, Notre Dame would take, as an institution, a stronger stance in favor of the Catholic position on some of these issues,” he said.
He added that he condemned harassment of abortion rights advocates and specifically the threats mentioned in the lawsuit by Kay.
DeReuil said he was confident his reporting was factually correct and hoped the suit would be dismissed, instead of consuming his senior year.
“You’ll face pushback, but you can still be a normal, cheerful, happy student,” he said. “It’s not going to affect you negatively in the long term if you’re standing up for what you believe is true.”
The Rover’s attorney, James Bopp, Jr., said lawsuits like this can create a chilling effect.
“If we fail, it will send the message that if you speak out about the abortion issue, then you risk punishment through the legal system, and particularly if you speak out on the pro-life side,” said Bopp, who has worked on major national cases on behalf of anti-abortion and free speech causes.
While the Church’s position on abortion is unwavering, not all Catholics agree with it. Some oppose it based on their sense of Catholic teachings about individual conscience or social justice, said professor Samira Mehta, an expert on gender and religion at the University of Colorado.
It’s rare to have faculty sue students for libel over an issue broaching “diametrically opposed worldviews,” said Jonathan Gaston-Falk, an attorney with the Student Press Law Center. The organization defends press freedom rights for high school and college journalists and their advisors; it is not involved in this litigation.
“Libel can be boiled down to a false statement of fact that harms somebody’s reputation” – and is published with knowledge of that falsity and malice if the person is a public figure, Gaston-Falk added.
According to Indiana law, courts have six months to rule on an anti-SLAPP motion.
Indiana was the first state to enact sweeping abortion restrictions after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/national/ap-a-notre-dame-professor-sues-a-student-publication-over-its-coverage-of-her-abortion-rights-work/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:24 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/national/ap-a-notre-dame-professor-sues-a-student-publication-over-its-coverage-of-her-abortion-rights-work/ |
Biden openly acknowledges 7th grandchild, the daughter of son Hunter and an Arkansas woman
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday for the first time publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild, a four-year-old girl fathered by his son Hunter with an Arkansas woman, Lunden Roberts, in 2018.
“Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward,” Biden said in a statement. It was his first acknowledgement of the child.
“This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter,” he said. “Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”
Hunter Biden’s paternity was established by DNA testing after Roberts sued for child support, and the two parties recently resolved outstanding child support issues. The president’s son wrote about his encounter with Roberts in his 2021 memoir, saying it came while he was deep in addiction to alcohol and drugs, including crack cocaine.
“I had no recollection of our encounter,” he wrote. “That’s how little connection I had with anyone. I was a mess, but a mess I’ve taken responsibility for.”
The president, who has made a commitment to family central to his public persona, has faced increasing criticism from political rivals and pundits for failing to acknowledge the granddaughter. According to a person familiar with the matter, he was taking the cue from his son while the legal proceedings played out. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.
Biden’s statement was first reported by People Magazine.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.valleynewslive.com/2023/07/28/biden-openly-acknowledges-7th-grandchild-daughter-son-hunter-an-arkansas-woman/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:25 | 1 | https://www.valleynewslive.com/2023/07/28/biden-openly-acknowledges-7th-grandchild-daughter-son-hunter-an-arkansas-woman/ |
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.kunm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-28/intertribal-canoe-trip-from-oregon-to-seattle-will-set-out-for-first-time-since-covid | 2023-07-28T23:37:26 | 0 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-28/intertribal-canoe-trip-from-oregon-to-seattle-will-set-out-for-first-time-since-covid |
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
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Junior's | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/viva-las-cheesecake/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:30 | 1 | https://www.wafb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/28/viva-las-cheesecake/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday for the first time publicly acknowledged his seventh grandchild, a four-year-old girl fathered by his son Hunter with an Arkansas woman, Lunden Roberts, in 2018.
“Our son Hunter and Navy’s mother, Lunden, are working together to foster a relationship that is in the best interests of their daughter, preserving her privacy as much as possible going forward,” Biden said in a statement. It was his first acknowledgement of the child.
“This is not a political issue, it’s a family matter,” he said. “Jill and I only want what is best for all of our grandchildren, including Navy.”
Hunter Biden’s paternity was established by DNA testing after Roberts sued for child support, and the two parties recently resolved outstanding child support issues. The president’s son wrote about his encounter with Roberts in his 2021 memoir, saying it came while he was deep in addiction to alcohol and drugs, including crack cocaine.
“I had no recollection of our encounter,” he wrote. “That’s how little connection I had with anyone. I was a mess, but a mess I’ve taken responsibility for.”
The president, who has made a commitment to family central to his public persona, has faced increasing criticism from political rivals and pundits for failing to acknowledge the granddaughter. According to a person familiar with the matter, he was taking the cue from his son while the legal proceedings played out. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private matters.
Biden’s statement was first reported by People Magazine. | https://www.wivb.com/news/u-s-headlines/ap-biden-openly-acknowledges-7th-grandchild-the-daughter-of-son-hunter-and-an-arkansas-woman/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:31 | 0 | https://www.wivb.com/news/u-s-headlines/ap-biden-openly-acknowledges-7th-grandchild-the-daughter-of-son-hunter-and-an-arkansas-woman/ |
"Cars for Canines" event Aug. 19 at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge
Explore Oak Ridge has annouced that the 4th annual "Cars for Canines" event is scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 19 at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge.
"Cars for Canines" is a family-friendly event aimed at raising funds for the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter and the Anderson County Humane Society, while also providing a day of entertainment for the community.
The event will feature a car show, showcasing a diverse collection of classic cars, hot rods, and motorcycles, according to a news release. Presented by the Summer Knight Cruisers, attendees will have the opportunity to admire these vehicles up close. Additionally, live music performances, door prizes, and pet-friendly activities will be offered.
Demonstrations by Smoky Mountain Dock Dogs will occur throughout the day.
As part of the fundraising efforts, local food vendors, including Crafter’s Brew, Happy Dog Creamery, CJ’s Tacos, Smith’s End Zone BBQ and Hot Dog Hut, will be on-site. All proceeds from these food vendors will be dedicated to supporting the Oak Ridge Animal Shelter and Anderson County Humane Society in their mission to provide care for homeless animals and promote animal welfare in the community.
Veterinarian Matt Jinks will offer reduced-cost microchipping ($20) and rabies vaccinations ($10) for pets.
Classic car enthusiasts are encouraged to participate in the car show for a registration fee of $20 per car. The first 100 cars to register the morning of the show will receive a special goody bag. Vehicles of all makes and models are welcome, and all registered participants will have a chance to win door prizes. The top 25 vehicles, as determined by a panel of judges, will receive awards.
Thanks to presenting sponsor, Little Lake Pet Lodge, and to top sponsors Y-12 Federal Credit Union and Lokar Performance Products, "Cars for Canines" is free and open to the public.
"Attendees with pets are kindly requested to keep their dogs on a leash and cats in carriers to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for all," organizers stated in the release.
For more information about "Cars for Canines," visit https://exploreoakridge.com/cars-for-canines/ | https://www.oakridger.com/story/lifestyle/things-to-do/2023/07/28/cars-for-canines-event-aug-19-at-melton-lake-park-in-oak-ridge/70479061007/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:31 | 1 | https://www.oakridger.com/story/lifestyle/things-to-do/2023/07/28/cars-for-canines-event-aug-19-at-melton-lake-park-in-oak-ridge/70479061007/ |
Officials say retention ponds have hidden dangers and could possibly lead to deadly outcomes
WEST FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) -
After a week of hot temperatures it makes sense that some are finding creative ways to stay cool. However, we’ve seen reports of children playing in retention ponds, specifically in the Eagle Run neighborhood of West Fargo. It’s important to know the best safety measures when living around non-recreational bodies of water.
Something as innocuous as a retention pond can quickly become deadly.
Community Risk Reduction Officer of the West Fargo Fire Department, Travis Olson says, “It becomes an instant swimming pool and that’s what kids see, they see fun, but they don’t see the dangers.”
While it’s understandable that kids are enjoying the summer weather outdoors and might try to find relief from the heat in nearby water, it is extremely unsafe to do so. In recent years, we’ve reported on several stories involving retention pond and river drownings. Like the drowning that also took place in the Eagle Run neighborhood in 2018.
Olson says, retention ponds hold hidden dangers, like thick mud, swift drop offs, and toxins. Retention ponds are the result of run-off from the streets and flooding rivers to capture pollutants and sediments before the water is filtered back out into the river.
“They can easily become overcome by that mud, by the water, and then become drowning victims,” explains Olson.
While it isn’t illegal to swim in retention ponds, it’s not advisable. Instead, Olson recommends families who don’t have access to a pool or lake, to invest in water balloons, squirt guns, or a sprinkler.
If you do notice children in your neighborhood swimming in a retention pond to let authorities know.
Olson says, “If you see that and it happens, imagine the emotional roller-coaster you would be on it’d be very sad. So if you’re just trying to prevent someone from being hurt, or injured, or even dying. I would applaud you for pointing that out.”
Olson advises that if you notice someone drowning to not attempt saving them on your own, but to call 911 right away. He says to leave the rescue to first responders so there is only one victim, not two.
Copyright 2023 KVLY. All rights reserved. | https://www.valleynewslive.com/2023/07/28/officials-say-retention-ponds-have-hidden-dangers-could-possibly-lead-deadly-outcomes/ | 2023-07-28T23:37:32 | 0 | https://www.valleynewslive.com/2023/07/28/officials-say-retention-ponds-have-hidden-dangers-could-possibly-lead-deadly-outcomes/ |
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.kunm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-28/scientists-fight-to-help-protect-the-florida-coral-thats-dying-from-heat | 2023-07-28T23:37:32 | 1 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-28/scientists-fight-to-help-protect-the-florida-coral-thats-dying-from-heat |