text string | url string | crawl_date timestamp[ms] | label int64 | id string |
|---|---|---|---|---|
By SAM MEDNICK (Associated Press)
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.orlandosentinel.com/2023/07/29/soldiers-declare-niger-general-as-head-of-state-after-he-led-a-coup-and-detained-the-president/ | 2023-07-29T13:21:31 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/07/29/soldiers-declare-niger-general-as-head-of-state-after-he-led-a-coup-and-detained-the-president/ |
This week's show was recorded at the Studebaker Theater in Chicago, with guest host Karen Chee, official judge and scorekeeper Bill Kurtis, Not My Job guest Randall Park and panelists Tom Bodett, Zainab Johnson and Josh Gondelman. Click the audio link above to hear the whole show.
Who's Bill This Time
ET Phone Washington; Twitter Exec X's Out Twitter; A Fun New Excuse
Panel Questions
You Can Leave Your Hat On, But Take These Off
Bluff The Listener
Our panelists read three stories about someone taking a bold stand, only one of which is true.
Not My Job: We ask Randall Park, the person, about Randall Park, the mall
For some, being a triple-threat actor/writer/comedian is enough, but not for Randall Park, who decided to add "director" to the list with his debut Shortcomings. He may be the most famous person named Randall Park, but can he answer our questions about the most famous abandoned mall named Randall Park?
Panel Questions
What is Phubbing; A Jobs Trend for People Who Hate Jobs; The Enterprise Ensuite
Limericks
Bill Kurtis reads three news-related limericks: A Rocky Road for Cookies; A Robot Feels the Heat; Candy that Pairs Well With Hot Dogs
Lightning Fill In The Blank
All the news we couldn't fit anywhere else
Predictions
Our panelists predict what will be the big revelation at the next UFO hearing.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wunc.org/2023-07-29/wait-wait-for-july-29-2023-with-not-my-job-guest-randall-park | 2023-07-29T13:21:34 | 1 | https://www.wunc.org/2023-07-29/wait-wait-for-july-29-2023-with-not-my-job-guest-randall-park |
Question. I have plenty of pods from a magnolia tree that are full of the red seeds. How are they planted to grow new trees?
Answer. Grow a magnolia forest by first removing the red covering from the surface of the seeds. Some gardeners soak the seeds in water for a day or two to make removing the outer covering easier. Plant two to three of the seeds in small containers filled with potting soil. Cover the seeds once their thickness with soil and then moisten the seeded container. Place the seeded containers in the refrigerator for 120 days. Keep them slightly moist. At the end of the cold treatment, set the containers in a sunny warm spot to begin growth. Keep the soil in the seeded containers always moist to the touch. Weeks to months may be needed for the seeds to germinate.
Q. I had some landscaping done around a crape myrtle this spring, and ever since, shoots have been growing from the soil. What can I do to stop the growth?
A. Crape myrtles can reproduce from root cuttings. The spring landscaping most likely severed the roots, essentially forming lots of cuttings that have started new shoot growth. Even injured roots may sprout new shoots. The best control is to prune the new shoots from the plantings as they develop. Also, maintain a mulch layer to discourage below-ground growth. Avoid using herbicides that would damage the crape myrtle if applied to new shoots still connected to the parent plant.
Q. A gardening friend wants to plant a beautyberry. Is this plant too aggressive for a medium-sized yard?
A. Tell your friend this is a good selection for any landscape growing in sunny to shady locations. Plants can be a bit untidy, but you can help keep them more compact. Beautyberry shrubs grow to about 5 feet high and wide, but you can keep them in bounds with late winter pruning and some periodic grooming. Plantings are known for drought tolerance, light lavender late-spring blooms and magenta-colored fruit clusters for fall. Butterflies visit the spring blooms and there are few pests.
Q. Our azaleas are filled with vines that are hard to remove. How do I remove them from the plants without causing harm to the azaleas?
A. Weedy vines are the scourge of many woody plantings, covering them with unwanted foliage that causes their decline. Regretfully there is no easy control. The sooner you deal with the vines, the better to prevent them from expanding and filling the planting. One not-so-easy but effective control is to dig or pull the vines out by the roots. Some break off and restart again from the in-ground portion making this a continual job. A more effective but time-consuming control is to cut the vine off at the ground line and wait for new growth. When new shoots are noted, treat them with a brush killer found at local garden centers. Follow the label carefully so as not to affect the desired shrubs. Some brush control products also have instructions for treating cut ends of vines to cause their decline.
The Plant Doctor: When is the right time to pick pineapples?
Q. After I plant geraniums they just shrivel up and die. I want to get a better start next fall; what is needed to have attractive and long-lived plants?
A. First, wait until the cooler weather to plant geraniums. Around October is the earliest to be adding them to containers or in-ground beds. Ensure you have a pest-free and well-drained potting mix or planting site. Plant with the top of the root ball even with or slightly above the ground line. You can mound soil up to the top of the root ball if needed. Water when the surface of the soil begins to dry to the touch and then thoroughly moisten the ground. Poor drainage and over-watering are two of the most common reasons geraniums die shortly after planting.
Q. I have a magnolia tree that has grown more than 20 feet tall and never flowered. Is there any way to help it produce the blooms?
A. Magnolias may head the list of trees that take a long time to mature and flower. Often it’s trees grown from seed that appear to need extra time. Some varieties produced from cuttings, including Little Gem and Saint Mary, begin opening blooms as small trees. There appears to be little you can do to speed the flowering process. Give the tree adequate moisture and feed lightly when young. After a year or two, the tree should be able to exist with seasonal rains and nutrients obtained from nearby lawn and shrub feedings. Keeping the trees on this leaner diet often encourages early maturity and flowering.
Q. Mulch beneath our roses and gardenias has developed clusters of what appear to be small cup-like shells. What is growing in the mulch, and should it be removed?
A. Gardens are full of curiosities and in this case, your mulch layer is hosting a bird’s nest fungus. This saprophyte obtains moisture and nutrients from the decaying wood, twigs, and other bits of organic matter. The clusters of cup-like structures contain what appear to be eggs but are actually spore capsules. They eventually pop open to release the spores that restart fungal colonies. The bird’s nest fungus is harmless and can usually be ignored. Should it become so thick that water movement into the ground is affected, it can be loosened with a rake to disturb the fungal growth.
Tom MacCubbin is an urban horticulturist emeritus with the University of Florida Cooperative Extension Service. Write him: Orlando Sentinel, P.O. Box 2833, Orlando, FL. 32802. Email: TomMac1996@aol.com. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/07/29/the-plant-doctor-how-to-grow-a-magnolia-forest/ | 2023-07-29T13:21:37 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/07/29/the-plant-doctor-how-to-grow-a-magnolia-forest/ |
US price and wage increases slow further in the latest signs of cooling inflation
WASHINGTON (AP) — Signs that inflation pressures in the United States are steadily easing emerged Friday in reports that consumer prices rose in June at their slowest pace in more than two years and that wage growth cooled last quarter. Together, the figures provided the latest signs that the Federal Reserve's drive to tame inflation may succeed without triggering a recession, an outcome known as a "soft landing." A price gauge closely monitored by the Fed rose just 3% in June from a year earlier. That was down from a 3.8% annual increase in May, though still above the Fed's 2% inflation target.
Adidas to release second batch of Yeezy sneakers after breakup with Ye
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Adidas is releasing a second batch of high-end Yeezy sneakers after cutting ties with rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. The German sportswear brand is trying to unload the unsold shoes while donating to groups fighting antisemitism. The online sale, to start Wednesday through Adidas smartphone apps and its website, follows an earlier set of sales in May. Adidas cut ties with Ye in October after he made antisemitic and other offensive remarks. That left Adidas holding $1.3 billion worth of unsold Yeezys and searching for a responsible way to dispose of them. Part of the profits from the sales will be donated to groups fighting antisemitism.
Stock market today: Wall Street returns to rallying following reports on profits and inflation
NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street got back to climbing following more encouraging profit reports and the latest signal that inflation is loosening its chokehold on the economy. The S&P 500 rose 1% Friday to close out its ninth winning week in the last 11. The Dow added 176 points, or 0.5%, and the Nasdaq climbed 1.9% as Big Tech stocks led the market. Stocks have been rallying on hopes high inflation is cooling enough to get the Federal Reserve to stop hiking interest rates. A report Friday said the Fed's preferred measure of inflation slowed last month by a touch more than expected.
With one eye on China, Japan backs Sri Lanka as a partner in the Indo-Pacific
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi says that Sri Lanka's strategic location in the Indian Ocean makes it a key partner in realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific. The minister is in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, where he met with President Ranil Wickremesinghe and his counterpart Ali Sabry. The Japanese-led initiative aims at building security and economic cooperation but is also geared toward curbing an increasingly assertive China. It includes Japan's assistance to emerging economies, support for maritime security, the provision of coast guard patrol boats and equipment, and other infrastructure cooperation. Last year, Sri Lanka defaulted on its public debt of about $51 billion - much of it owed to China.
Germany used to be the world's export powerhouse. Now, it's not growing. What happened?
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The German economy is still failing to grow. The country that should be the industrial powerhouse for all of Europe is struggling with high energy prices, rising borrowing costs and a lagging rebound from key trading partner China. Official figures released Friday show economic output stagnated in the April-to-June quarter. That follows a declines in the first three months of the year and last three months of 2022 as the energy shock from Russia's war in Ukraine echoed through Europe's largest economy. It comes after the International Monetary Fund forecast that Germany would be the only developed economy to shrink this year.
Members of Congress break for August with no clear path to avoiding a shutdown this fall
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers broke for their August recess this week with many worried about whether they can avoid a partial government shutdown upon their return. Congress will have until Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year, to pass the spending bills needed to fund government agencies next year or a stopgap measure that keeps agencies running temporarily. It won't be easy. Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware is worried about the road ahead, saying "we're going to scare the hell out of the American people before we get this done." House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he's confident "we can get this all done" by the end of September.
US proposes 18% fuel economy increase for new vehicle fleet from 2027 through 2032
DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government wants to raise the fuel economy of new vehicles 18% by the 2032 model year so the fleet would average about 43.5 miles per gallon in real-world driving. The proposed numbers were released Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which eventually will adopt final mileage requirements. Currently the fleet of new vehicles must average 36.75 mpg by 2026 under corporate average fuel economy standards adopted by the administration of President Joe Biden, who reversed a rollback made by former president Donald Trump. The highway safety agency says it will try to line up its regulations so they match the Environmental Protection Agency's reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
Europe's banks could survive a drastic economic downturn, stress test shows
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Central Bank says the banking sector could withstand a severe economic downturn without depleting their financial buffers against losses. A survey of 98 large and medium-sized banks showed Friday that even in the most adverse scenario, banks would still have enough capital to cover losses and then some. Banks are crucial to the European economy because companies get most of their financing from them, instead of from financial markets — the opposite of the situation in the United States. Scrutiny of bank finances has grown after the failure of three U.S. banks amid rising interest rates that led to losses on investments and mass withdrawal of deposits.
Biden jokes that Republicans may impeach him because inflation is starting to cool down
AUBURN, Maine (AP) — President Joe Biden used his trip to a textile plant in Maine on Friday to boast about cooling inflation and to make a crack at Republicans who have floated an impeachment inquiry into him. He told the crowd at Auburn Manufacturing Inc. that "maybe they'll decide to impeach me because it's coming down," referring to the rate of inflation. Earlier this week, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy made his most direct remarks yet that GOP lawmakers could launch an impeachment inquiry into Biden over unproven claims of financial misconduct. Friday was the latest event promoting the president's economic agenda, which the White House calls "Bidenomics."
A 'rolling recession' or a 'richcession' might spare the US economy from a full-scale downturn
WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite more than a year of widespread warnings that a recession was near, America's economy is, if anything, accelerating. The government estimated Thursday that the economy expanded at a solid 2.4% annual rate in the April-June quarter, an unexpected pickup from the 2% pace in the first quarter. The latest snapshot of the economy coincides with rising sentiment that it may achieve an elusive "soft landing." Analysts point to two trends that might help stave off an economic contraction. Some say the economy is experiencing a "rolling recession," a circumstance in which only some industries shrink while the overall economy manages to stay above water. Others think the nation might have experienced what they call a "richcession."
Newsletters
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request. | https://www.djournal.com/mbj/business-briefs-saturday-july-29-2023/article_55fc19b2-2e0a-11ee-88f1-8bfa34595db1.html | 2023-07-29T13:21:38 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/mbj/business-briefs-saturday-july-29-2023/article_55fc19b2-2e0a-11ee-88f1-8bfa34595db1.html |
Hidden among mature trees that surround the 5.1-acre property, an A-frame log home encompasses a Colorado mountain retreat.
Listed for $569,900 by Coldwell Banker Heritage, the two-story home at 3921 Mulberry Road has about 2,458 square feet of living space, including a flexible finished basement. The property includes a stocked pond with boat dock, fenced backyard and wooded walking trails. From the roadway, a canopy of trees opens into a concrete circular driveway that leads up to the detached two-car garage and a 32-by-56-foot barn that has a tall overhead door for a recreational vehicle and has electric and a concrete floor. The garage is connected to the main residence by a covered breezeway porch. The pond is nestled among the trees and has an irrigation fountain, beach boat launch, boat deck, fire pit and shaded sitting area.
The pond can be enjoyed from the triple front wooden decks that wrap around the stone chimney. The exterior preservation was done in 2021 and a new roof was installed in 2017. Interior updates include the furnace in 2020 and cork flooring in the basement and one of the bedrooms in 2022.
The formal entry is from the side under the covered breezeway porch. The porch has a concrete floor, overhead lighting, ceiling paddle fan and access to the backyard and garage. The leaded-glass door with matching sidelights opens directly into the great room with a cathedral ceiling. A two-story stone fireplace is flanked by sliding patio doors and triangular windows that provide views of the pond. Both the exterior and interior walls are made of logs, and a long banister and railing wraps around the wood-plank steps to the loft study.
Carpeting fills the great room and continues down a short hallway to the two first-floor bedrooms and bathroom area. A checkered vinyl floor designates the kitchen area as an angular island has an extended beveled counter for bar seating. Within the kitchen side, the island has the built-in range. A garden box window is above the sink, and cabinetry that matches the log wood tones include an appliance garage and a pantry with roll-out shelves. There are double-wall ovens and open shelves.
Down the short hallway is the entrance to the laundry room, which has hanging cabinetry, a wash sink, a closet and a folding counter. Two bedrooms are at the end of the hallway.
Upstairs, the loft has room for a study and sitting area. The primary bedroom is at the back of the house and has a cathedral ceiling, two walk-in closets and patio doors that open out to a balcony deck that overlooks the backyard. The full bathroom has two separate bureau vanities with evergreen sinks and brass fixtures. An elevated whirlpool tub is below a bay window and is flanked by glass-block accents. A corner walk-in shower has a ceramic-tile surround in a quilt design and includes a rain shower and glass doors.
An open stairwell from the great room leads down to the finished basement. Various shades of shiplap and bead board complement the log support beams that divide the basement into a family room and recreation area. Cork flooring fills the open floor plan and above-grade window wells allow for some natural light. A stone nook with raised stone hearth surrounds a free-standing stove fireplace. A log mantel completes the look.
The other half of the basement has recessed lighting and is set up as an exercise space and hobby area. There is a full bathroom, which has a step-in corner shower and a bureau vanity with solid-surface sink and vanity.
BUTLER TWP.
Price: $569,900
No Open House
Directions: South Dixie Drive to west on Mulberry Road at the curve or Peters Pike to Mulberry Road, just past the curve
Highlights: About 2,458 sq. ft., 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths, 2 fireplaces, cathedral ceilings, loft study, kitchen island, finished basement, cork flooring, first-floor laundry room, balcony deck, porch decks, roof 2017, furnace 2020, tank-less water heater, city water and sewer, hot tub, stocked pond with aeration system and dock, covered breezeway porch, 2-car detached garage, 32-by-56-foot outbuilding with concrete floor and electric, fenced yard, concrete circular driveway, walking paths, woods, 5.1 acres
For more information:
Indy Sumner
Coldwell Banker Heritage
937-477-1696
Website: www.IndySumner.com
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/homes/log-home-emanates-mountain-retreat-vibe/6TCIO4X6XRDT5GRCKYI3WFEY34/ | 2023-07-29T13:21:39 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/homes/log-home-emanates-mountain-retreat-vibe/6TCIO4X6XRDT5GRCKYI3WFEY34/ |
Congress leaves for recess despite a big to-do list. New charges filed against former President Donald Trump. Promising new economic numbers.
Copyright 2023 NPR
Congress leaves for recess despite a big to-do list. New charges filed against former President Donald Trump. Promising new economic numbers.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wunc.org/2023-07-29/week-in-politics-congress-on-recess-new-charges-against-trump-economy-looks-up | 2023-07-29T13:21:40 | 0 | https://www.wunc.org/2023-07-29/week-in-politics-congress-on-recess-new-charges-against-trump-economy-looks-up |
Universal Orlando has released more details about a new feature of Halloween Horror Nights called the Taste of Terror. The add-on attraction will allow ticketholders to sample select food and beverage items associated with the event even in the weeks before it’s Sept. 1 start.
According to the official website, the two-hour Taste of Terror will be held in the theme park’s Soundstage No. 33, which is just beyond the far end of Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit and near the New York Public Library set. It will include tasting-size portions, but will be “all you care to enjoy.” Non-alcoholic beverages will be included, and alcoholic drinks will be included via a hosted bar for folks age 21 and up.
Neither the website nor Friday’s Halloween Horror Nights news release specified the food and beverages that will be served, although the release made mention of Horror Nights foods such as el pastor torta, sour apple pie funnel fires and something called “Bloody Campground Poutine.”
The cost of a Taste of Terror ticket is $159.99 per person, and separate theme park admission is required.
Universal: All Halloween Horror Nights houses, scare zones announced
The ticket also includes a souvenir Halloween Horror Nights light-up cup and an HHN Coca-Cola Freestyle cup that requires a fee to activate. Participants will also a receive one digital download of a photo taken at Taste of Terror.
The event dates are Aug. 10, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25 and 26, and the hours are 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. each night.
Halloween Horror Nights itself runs 48 select nights between Sept. 1 and Nov. 4. Tickets for the after-hours event are now on sale.
For more information, go to halloweenhorrornights.com/orlando.
Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. My Threads account is @dbevil. You can subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/07/29/universal-halloween-horror-nights-taste-of-terror-event-ticket-prices/ | 2023-07-29T13:21:43 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2023/07/29/universal-halloween-horror-nights-taste-of-terror-event-ticket-prices/ |
Fresh charges tie Trump even more closely to coverup effort. That could deepen his legal woes
WASHINGTON (AP) — New allegations in the classified documents case against former President Donald Trump deepen his legal jeopardy as he braces for possible additional indictments related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The latest criminal charges unsealed Thursday allege a more central role for the former president than previously known in a cover-up that prosecutors say was meant to prevent them from recovering top-secret documents he took with him after he left the White House. Experts say the new allegations strengthen special counsel Jack Smith's already powerful case against Trump while undercutting potential defenses floated by the former president. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
Members of Congress break for August with no clear path to avoiding a shutdown this fall
WASHINGTON (AP) — Lawmakers broke for their August recess this week with many worried about whether they can avoid a partial government shutdown upon their return. Congress will have until Oct. 1, the start of the new fiscal year, to pass the spending bills needed to fund government agencies next year or a stopgap measure that keeps agencies running temporarily. It won't be easy. Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware is worried about the road ahead, saying "we're going to scare the hell out of the American people before we get this done." House Speaker Kevin McCarthy says he's confident "we can get this all done" by the end of September.
Water is refreshing in the heat, right? In parts of Florida this past week, not so much
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. (AP) — When the ocean gets really hot, it's less refreshing. Earlier this week, sea surface temperatures rose above 100 degrees Fahrenheit at a spot off Florida's southern tip. In the prolonged heat wave smothering the Southwest, pools are so hot that they don't offer enough relief. One woman threw blocks of ice into her pool to lower the temperature. This is happening when large swaths of the United STates are suffering through a heat wave. Scientists recently declared that July was the hottest month ever recorded for the globe. Luckily in Florida, a storm finally helped sea surface temperatures fall where they were extremely high.
'God willing, we will meet again in Libya.' A migrant family's tale shows chaos at Tunisian border
A Cameroonian man who survived the desert crossing between Tunisia and Libya says his wife and daughter died and are the migrants that appear in a graphic photo widely shared on social media. Mbengue Nyimbilo Crepin says Tunisian authorities dumped him, wife Matyla Dosso, 6-year-old Marie and others at the border in the heat, without water. Nyimbilo collapsed and told his family to continue on. He eventually got to Libya but later saw the photo and identified his wife and daughter. Tunisian officials are conducting mass expulsions of Black migrants. Despite evidence of abuse, the EU has offered millions of euros to stabilize Tunisia and stop migrants trying to reach Europe. That didn't stop Nyimbilo from trying. He now struggles to understand his loss.
A drought alert for receding Lake Titicaca has Indigenous communities worried for their future
HUARINA, Bolivia (AP) — Authorities in Bolivia have declared a drought alert for Lake Titicaca after water levels of the world's highest navigable lake receded to a critically low threshold. But the hydrology unit of Bolivia's navy warned this is likely just the beginning. The National Service of Naval Hydrography says there's a high probability water levels could reach historically low levels by December. The situation already is visible in places where the lake already was shallow and evident in declining fish catches and disappearing docks. Indigenous Aymara communities rely on the lake for their livelihoods and fear the dry spell could permanently impact the region's flora and fauna.
To wrap, or not to wrap? Hungarian bookstores face fines over closed packaging for LGBTQ+ books
BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Booksellers in Hungary must decide whether to comply with a law requiring books that depict homosexuality to be placed in closed packaging on their shelves. Some bookstores have already received hefty fines from the right-wing government for failing to do so, while others have opted to abide by the legislation, despite their opposition to it. The 2021 law bans the "depiction or promotion" of homosexuality in content available to minors under 18, including in television, films, advertisements and literature. Rights groups say the law infringes on the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, but the government insists it's necessary to protect children. Some authors, booksellers and activists have resisted the provisions, arguing that they are discriminatory.
The extreme heat wave that blasted the Southwest is abating with late arriving monsoon rains
PHOENIX (AP) — A historic heat wave that turned the Southwest into a blast furnace throughout July is beginning to abate with late-arriving monsoon rains. Forecasters expect that by Monday, people in metro Phoenix will begin seeing high temperatures under 110 degrees for the first time in a month. The high temperature in the desert city as of Friday has been at or above that mark for 29 consecutive days. Already this week the overnight low at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport fell under 90 for the first time in 16 days, allowing people some respite from the stifling heat.
Election disinformation campaigns targeted voters of color in 2020. Experts expect 2024 to be worse
CHICAGO (AP) — Community organizations are gearing up for what they expect will be a worsening onslaught of disinformation targeting voters of color as the 2024 election approaches. They say the tailored campaigns challenge assumptions of what kinds of voters are susceptible to election conspiracies and distrust in voting systems. For example, immigrants from authoritarian regimes in countries like Venezuela or who have lived through the Chinese Cultural Revolution may be vulnerable to misinformation that claims politicians want to turn the U.S. into a Socialist state. Disinformation efforts often hinge on topics most important to each community, taking advantage of very real fears and past trauma.
The UFO congressional hearing was 'insulting' to US employees, a top Pentagon official says
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top Pentagon official has attacked this week's widely watched congressional hearing on UFOs. In a letter posted online, Dr. Sean Kirkpatrick criticizes much of the testimony from a retired Air Force intelligence officer that energized believers in extraterrestrial life and produced headlines around the world. He says the claims made in the hearing were "insulting" to employees who are investigating several hundred reports of sightings his office has received. Retired Air Force Maj. David Grusch testified Wednesday that the U.S. has concealed what he called a "multi-decade" program to collect and reverse-engineer UFOs.
'X' logo installed atop Twitter building, spurring San Francisco to investigate permit violation
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco has opened a complaint and launched an investigation of a giant "X" sign that cropped up Friday on top of the downtown headquarters of the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. Billionaire Elon Musk, who bought the platform, announced the name change this week. He tried to remove the iconic Twitter sign and blue bird on Monday, but workers were stopped for safety reasons. San Francisco's building inspection department also said Musk would need permits to change the sign. On Friday, a spokesman for the department said Musk still needs permits to make sure anything erected on top of the building is sound and safely installed.
Newsletters
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request. | https://www.djournal.com/mbj/headlines-saturday-july-29-2023/article_eb2a593c-2e09-11ee-a8d0-c740d4148525.html | 2023-07-29T13:21:45 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/mbj/headlines-saturday-july-29-2023/article_eb2a593c-2e09-11ee-a8d0-c740d4148525.html |
This new construction all-brick ranch was completed in 2023. It has an open floor plan, three bedrooms and is in the Tecumseh local School District.
A concrete driveway leads to the two-car attached garage with openers. A concrete walkway connects the driveway to the covered front porch with four pillars.
The front door has a sidelight and a half window at the top. Inside is an entry with luxury vinyl tile that extends into the living area. The entry is vaulted, has a coat closet and chandelier.
The open living/kitchen area has a dining room with a chandelier, vaulted ceiling, great room with ceiling fan and recessed lighting and brick gas fireplace that extends to the ceiling. The fireplace is flanked by built-in cabinets and recessed lighting.
The kitchen is open to the great room and has pendant lights over an island. There are quartz counters, a sink in the island and a breakfast bar, tile backsplash, double-door pantry and stainless appliances — including double-wall ovens, microwave, electric cook top, dishwasher and French door refrigerator. The kitchen also has recessed lighting. There is a sliding glass door leading from the kitchen to the back patio.
A hallway off the great room leads to the bedrooms, half bath and laundry room. The same luxury vinyl flooring extends into all of these rooms.
There is a full bath with an oversized vanity with quartz counter, a tub-shower combination with tile surround, and luxury vinyl tile flooring.
The master bedroom suite has neutral carpet, a walk-in closet with custom carpet system and ceiling fan. There is an ensuite bath with tile flooring, walk-in shower with tile wall and double vanity with quartz counters and double mirrors.
Off the same hall are the two additional bedrooms, both with neutral carpet, double closets and ceiling fans.
The rear of the home overlooks an open field and has a covered patio off the kitchen. The patio has a ceiling fan and multiple pillars, and a concrete walk connects it to the driveway.
Facts:
11321 Carriage Hill Drive, New Carlisle, OH 45344
Three bedrooms, two- and one-half bathrooms
2,174 square feet
.69-acre lot
Open House: July 30, 2 to 4 p.m.
Price: $499,000
Directions: Take State Route 235 turn west on to Stafford Road. Turn right on to Country Squire Drive then left on to Carriage Hill Drive.
Highlights: Brand new build, open floor plan, floor-to-ceiling brick gas fireplace in great room with built-ins, luxury vinyl flooring and neutral carpeting throughout, master suite with ensuite bath and walk-in closet with custom shelving, stainless appliances in the kitchen and quartz counters, covered front porch and rear patio, close to Sugar Isle Golf Course.
For more details
Diana Taylor
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Professional Realty
937-631-0362
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/homes/open-floor-plan-enhances-new-ranch-home/RUZFLATD3BDGXPIYMHMIZOMYIM/ | 2023-07-29T13:21:46 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/homes/open-floor-plan-enhances-new-ranch-home/RUZFLATD3BDGXPIYMHMIZOMYIM/ |
A group of crafters has come together to finish items for those who can no longer work on them, or for those who have recently died. (This story first aired on All Things Considered on June 20, 2023.)
Copyright 2023 NPR
A group of crafters has come together to finish items for those who can no longer work on them, or for those who have recently died. (This story first aired on All Things Considered on June 20, 2023.)
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wunc.org/2023-07-29/when-illness-or-death-leave-craft-projects-unfinished-these-strangers-step-in-to-help | 2023-07-29T13:21:47 | 0 | https://www.wunc.org/2023-07-29/when-illness-or-death-leave-craft-projects-unfinished-these-strangers-step-in-to-help |
Thunderstorms that moved through the Miami Valley early Saturday morning have left nearly 3,000 AES Ohio customers without power.
As of 7:55 a.m. Saturday, the AES Ohio outage map lists 2,853 outages, with 559 in Logan County, 395 in Montgomery County, 358 in Shelby County and 332 in Greene County.
The National Weather Service has confirmed damage to some homes in Mercer County from the storms.
The Storm Team 2 forecast for the rest of Saturday is calling for a breezy and humid day once the sun reappears after the clouds break up. Depending on the stability of the atmosphere, an isolated storm or shower isn’t out of the question this afternoon and evening. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/aes-ohio-power-outages/ | 2023-07-29T13:21:50 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/aes-ohio-power-outages/ |
Located in the secluded Shaggy Bark Grove subdivision of Elizabeth Twp., this contemporary home has vaulted ceilings and a first-floor circular floor plan that has outdoor entertaining space options.
Listed for $329,900 by Coldwell Banker Heritage, the vinyl-sided, two-story home at 811 Hickory Hollow has about 2,072 square feet of living space. The 0.79-acre corner lot has a corral fence, storage shed, side stone patio and large paver-brick patio with fire pit. The backyard is partially fenced and is semi-private with mature trees. A long concrete driveway leads up to the oversized two-car garage and side porch that covers the formal entry.
A leaded-glass front door opens from the porch into a two-story foyer with an open wooden staircase and accent crown molding. The staircase has a carpet runner and has painted spindled accents. Wood-laminate flooring fills the foyer and continues into the front living room where the vaulted ceiling peaks have triangular windows filling the room with natural light. Tucked off the living room is a formal dining room with an updated light fixture that is centered against a ceiling medallion.
Flooring transitions into ceramic-tile through the threshold of the dining room and kitchen. White cabinetry fills the kitchen and surrounds appliances, including the range, dishwasher, microwave and refrigerator. Granite counters provide plenty of preparation space, and a deep sink is below a window. Pantry cabinets surround the refrigerator and corner cabinets have glass-panel doors. The kitchen has eyeball ceiling lights and undercabinet lighting as well as subway-tile backsplash. The kitchen extends into a breakfast room with a rear- facing window and French doors that open out to a stone side patio.
A spacious family room has a wood-burning fireplace tucked near a corner. The fireplace has a raised brick hearth and dentil wood mantel. Next to the fireplace, French doors with light-sides allow access to an enclosed rear porch. The porch has a vaulted ceiling, windows with screens and a paver-brick floor. Two separate doors open off the enclosed porch to two separate patios. The larger patio is framed by a raised garden with mature shade trees and has a fire pit within the center. The other patio is outside the fenced part of the yard near a garden bed and garden shed.
Back inside, a hallway accessible from the family room completes the circular floor plan and provides access to a half bathroom with pedestal sink, a utility room with laundry hook-ups and hanging cabinetry and the interior entrance to the two-car garage.
Three bedrooms and two full bathrooms are located upstairs. The painted spindles wrap up the staircase and along the balcony hallway. Directly off the staircase, the guest bath has a tub/shower and a single-sink vanity.
The primary bedroom stretches across the back of the upstairs and has four separate closets. Three closets are deep, step-in closet with double bi-fold doors. The fourth is a linen closet. There is an updated light fixture with ceiling fan centered within a ceiling medallion. The private bathroom has a tub/shower with ceramic-tile surround and an oversized vanity with solid-surface sink and counter.
ELIZABETH TWP.
Price: $329,900
No Open House
Directions: East on state Route 41, between state Route 202 and state Route 201, to right on Hickory Hollow
Highlights: About 2,072 sq. ft., 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, 1 half bath, volume ceilings, wood-laminate flooring, wood-burning fireplace, granite counters, appliances, vinyl windows, enclosed porch, paver-brick patio, fire pit, fenced yard, storage shed, 2-car garage, 0.79-acre corner lot, updated HVAC, well and septic system, Miami East school district
For more information:
Lisa Nishwitz
Coldwell Banker Heritage
937-266-3440
Website: https://www.lisanishwitz.com
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/homes/outdoor-entertaining-spaces-part-of-homes-appeal/7MZANMMIPBGEVMNCMUUBMFRFWY/ | 2023-07-29T13:21:52 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/homes/outdoor-entertaining-spaces-part-of-homes-appeal/7MZANMMIPBGEVMNCMUUBMFRFWY/ |
Was your home or property damaged by the thunderstorms that rolled through early Saturday morning? We’d like to see.
Email your photos to Newstips-WDTN@nexstar.tv and they may end up on air on WDTN or online at wdtn.com. (We’ll send you a release form after receiving your photos that will need completion.)
You can also submit your photos via the Report It function of the WDTN Weather app. Tap on the “hamburger” in the upper-right corner of the app and then on Report It under the options that appear. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/local-news/send-us-your-storm-damage-photos/ | 2023-07-29T13:21:56 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/local-news/send-us-your-storm-damage-photos/ |
A redesigned floor plan added a glamorous threshold into the updated kitchen and detailed framing surrounding entrances into formal areas from the two-story foyer. Enhancing the original craftsmanship allows for a fresh modern look while still keeping the charming details.
Listed for $829,900 by Irongate Inc. Realtors, the two-story brick home at 788 Plantation Lane has about 4,248 square feet of living space. Brick garden beds accent the circular driveway that leads up to the formal front entry, while an extended driveway with an extra parking pad allows access to the side-entry, two-car garage.
Located within a cul-de-sac in the Blossom Heath Estates of Kettering, the property is accented with wrought-iron railings and gates to the walkways of the tree-lined backyard garden oasis where there is an in-ground, salt-water swimming pool and sun deck. Outside the pool area is a paver-brick patio, surrounded by garden beds, which has access to a screen-enclosed patio with a cathedral ceiling and outside awnings.
Inside, the redesigned floor plan allowed for a private first-floor primary suite and spacious family room. Formal areas complete the circular floor plan from foyer to kitchen. The double-door formal entry opens into the two-story foyer with refinished hardwood flooring. The open staircase has an ornate design with wood steps and banister railing. A window seat is flanked by two guest closets and a chandelier hangs at the center of a ceiling medallion. Fluted and dentil molding frame the threshold into the formal living room.
A fireplace with marble surround and fluted mantel is the centerpiece to the living room and is flanked by two windows. Built-in cabinetry with push-open doors blends within the wall décor, hiding shelves and possible media area. Hardwood flooring fills the living room and continues into the adjoining dining room, which has wainscoting and a grand chandelier.
A mud room or butler’s pantry is between the kitchen and dining room and has storage options and access to a half bathroom with pedestal sink.
Crystal chandeliers hang above the long narrow island within the kitchen. The island has a Corian counter that extends to allow bar seating and has a double oven on the other side. A window is above a large single sink, and white cabinetry has quartz counters and matching subway-tile backsplash. There is a cooktop, dishwasher and microwave. A double-door panty provides additional storage. A buffet or coffee station was added within the breakfast room. The cabinets and counter match the kitchen.
Off the breakfast room is the secluded family room with wainscoting and a corner fireplace with fluted wood mantel and white marble surround.
A door to the primary suite was moved from the family room to off the breakfast room. The short hallway leads to the bedroom, which has a coffered ceiling. Double doors open into a dressing area with mosaic tile flooring. The room has a single-sink vanity, three large closets and built-in drawers and cabinets. The bathroom has walk-in shower with glass doors, ceramic-tile seat and subway tile surround. A second single-sink vanity has a quartz counter.
Three bedrooms and two full bathrooms are located on the second floor. One bedroom has a wall of built-in bookcases and cabinets that surround a window and is currently set up as a study. This bedroom has a private bath with tub/shower and single-sink vanity.
Two other bedrooms share a divided Jack-and-Jill bath with an oversized vanity with single sink and ornate mirrored medicine cabinet. The other half has a tub/shower, and the flooring has been updated to ceramic tile.
A door off the kitchen leads down to the lower-level laundry room, storage room, fourth full bathroom and access to the two-car garage. The laundry room has been updated with flooring and has a wall of cabinets, counters and closets. The full bathroom has a walk-in shower and single-sink vanity. The storage room includes the home’s mechanical system and the swimming pool filtration system. There is a glass-block window and ample storage. The garage has a walk-in storage closet.
KETTERING
Price: $829,900
No Open House:
Directions: West Stroop Road to Stonebridge Road to right on Blossom Heath Road to left on Plantation Lane
Highlights: About 4,248 sq. ft., 4 bedrooms, 4 full baths, 1 half bath, 2 fireplaces, hardwood floors, built-ins, first-floor primary bedroom, two-story foyer, updated kitchen, quartz counters, laundry room, 2-car garage, screen-enclosed porch, paver-brick patio, in-ground salt-water swimming pool, fenced yard, circular driveway, cul-de-sac
For more information:
Lois Sutherland
Irongate Inc. Realtors
937-478-5882
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/homes/redesign-adds-fresh-feel-inside-brick-home/IRVZOFMXOZH4DOXVUSLGF326NA/ | 2023-07-29T13:21:58 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/homes/redesign-adds-fresh-feel-inside-brick-home/IRVZOFMXOZH4DOXVUSLGF326NA/ |
ATLANTA (AP) — “Excuse me, are you a city of Atlanta voter? Do you know about ‘Cop City?’”
Clipboards in hand, canvassers Sienna Giraldi and Gabriel Sanchez approached shopper after shopper at a Kroger supermarket lot on a recent evening collecting signatures for a referendum over whether to cancel the city’s lease of a proposed police and firefighter training center that’s become a national rallying cry for environmentalists and anti-police protesters.
Most people kept on walking. Others said they weren’t registered to vote or didn’t live within the city limits, both of which are required. Many seemed to have no idea what “Cop City” was and weren’t interested in finding out. The fact that it began raining certainly didn’t help. By the end of a 90-minute shift, 21 people had signed.
“We definitely need to come back here,” Sanchez said. “I was on a roll before the rain started.”
Over the past month, hundreds of people like them — many volunteers, some paid — have spread out across the city of about 500,000, in hopes of persuading more than 70,000 registered voters to sign on to the petition drive. The deadline had been mid-August, but the effort got a boost Thursday when a federal judge extended it to late September, though significant logistical and legal hurdles remain.
Technically, organizers say, they need just 58,203 signatures by Aug. 14 to qualify for the November ballot — the equivalent of 15% of registered voters as of the last city election — but they set the higher goal knowing some will be disqualified. If that’s not reached until late August or September, the referendum wouldn’t happen until March, when a competitive GOP presidential primary could turn out conservative voters and hurt its chances. The city also could move forward with construction in the meantime, unless a judge intervenes.
As of July 25, the drive had collected more than 30,000 signatures, according to Paul Glaze, a spokesperson for the Vote to Stop Cop City Coalition. And with the paid canvassing effort still ramping up, he expects the pace to pick up significantly.
“We’re confident of hitting our number,” Glaze said. “How much extra padding we’re able to get is still a question. … Our experience is that when you talk about this with people, when they hear the price tag, when you ask them if they would choose this or something else to spend the money on, the vast majority are against it.”
Organizers of the drive say Mayor Andre Dickens and the City Council have failed to listen to a groundswell of opposition to the $90 million, 85-acre (34-hectare) training center, which they fear will lead to greater militarization of the police and exacerbate environmental damage in the South River Forest in a poor, predominantly Black area.
Officials counter that the campus would replace outdated, far-flung facilities and boost police morale, which is beset by hiring and retention struggles, especially in the wake of 2020 protests over racial injustice. Dickens has said that the facility will teach the “most progressive training and curriculum in the country” and that officials have repeatedly revised their plans to address concerns about noise pollution and environmental impact.
In June, after hearing about 14 hours of public testimony that was overwhelmingly against the training center, council members voted 11-4 to approve $67 million toward the project. Outraged but not surprised, organizers of the petition drive announced it the next day.
Outside the Kroger, located in a majority-Black neighborhood a few miles south of a Wendy’s parking lot where officers fatally shot Rayshard Brooks in 2020, Giraldi chatted with Lee Little, a Black construction worker who stopped to talk despite the rain, his hands full of bagged groceries.
Little was working near the proposed training center in March and saw the helicopters and mass of armed officers that descended on the area after about 150 masked activists stormed the site and torched construction equipment. He hadn’t thought about it much since, but he signed the petition after hearing Giraldi’s pitch.
“She was just saying that City Council approved 60-something million dollars without listening to the taxpayers. Does that sound fair to you? That should be for the voters to decide,” Little said afterward.
Another who signed was Makela Atchison, who was wearing a “Black Voters Matter” T-shirt as she left the store with her two children.
“I’m not saying I’m for it or against it,” Atchison said, “but I want to be able to have my input.”
The signature drive is the most ambitious in terms of numbers that has ever been launched in a Georgia city, but it has precedent from last year in Camden County, where voters overwhelmingly rejected a planned launchpad for blasting commercial rockets into space. The Georgia Supreme Court in February unanimously upheld the legality of that referendum, though it remains an open question whether citizens can veto decisions of city governments.
In a recent court filing seeking to quash the Atlanta referendum, attorneys for the city said residents can’t force officials to retroactively revoke the lease agreement, which was made in 2021. They called organizers’ efforts “futile” and “invalid.” The state agreed with the city in a separate filing, though that dispute is on hold for now.
Still, activists see the referendum as the best remaining option to block the project. They’ve gotten support from numerous groups, including the Working Families Party and the New Georgia Project Action Fund, which pledged to get 15,000 signatures over the next few weeks.
Activist Hannah Riley tries to collect a handful of them whenever she is out in public, including on a recent afternoon as she worked remotely from Muchacho, a popular taco restaurant in the ultra-liberal Reynoldstown neighborhood. At the end of her table, she taped a sign that read: “Voter? Sign Stop Cop City Petition Here.”
“This is a bit of a Hail Mary, but it’s a Hail Mary that makes a lot of sense,” Riley said. “They’ve begun to clear-cut the trees. They’re getting close to pouring concrete. … Our options are quite limited right now, so this does feel like the most practical, effective next step.”
At the same time, a small number of activists have continued taking a more violent tack, including torching eight police motorcycles over the Fourth of July weekend, actions that canvass organizers have not condemned.
Curtis Duncan, 40, said the first day he went out canvassing, a man approached and accused him of being one of the vandals.
“I said, ‘Well, sir, respectfully, I wasn’t burning cars, and the majority of people within this movement have not been engaging in any type of violent actions,’” Duncan said. He added that troopers fatally shot an activist in the forest and that authorities have brought dozens of “very flimsy” domestic terrorism charges against “Stop Cop City” protesters this year — actions he considers far worse.
Sanchez, who works for a voting rights nonprofit, said that even if the signature drive falls short, it will have made an important impact.
“I feel like we’ve exhausted all the other options, aside from full-on revolution, which I don’t think we need for this,” he said. “There’s a lot of obstacles in our way. … If we only get to 50,000, I think that still shows a real warning sign for these politicians for the 2025 election.” | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/ap-us-news/ap-atlanta-cop-city-activists-say-theyre-confident-of-getting-70k-signatures-but-big-hurdles-remain/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:02 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/ap-us-news/ap-atlanta-cop-city-activists-say-theyre-confident-of-getting-70k-signatures-but-big-hurdles-remain/ |
Some perennial beds look fantastic right now while others (mine) look horrible! I have not been able to keep up with the weeds – we have had so much rain that weeds are thriving.
Somewhere in the weed bed are beautiful perennials in full bloom. I am ready to get my weed eater out!
In addition, some perennials are struggling with a few problems. Daylilies are showing signs of daylily leaf streak and rust. The foliage is yellow, brown and overall raggedy. The best thing to do in this case is to cut them back to the base of the plant.
I have had this happen in the past and I cut them back now to get new growth and new flowers. I have had them blooming in December (with good weather) after doing this.
Of course, the second flush of blooms isn’t that great, but it’s a lot better than brown straggly leaves.
I use this technique (cutting back to the ground or crown) on many other perennials that look awful currently, as well as to deadhead plants such as catmint, yarrow, and other early summer-blooming plants. I simply use my sharp hedge shears to cut the dead flowers and foliage.
The sunflower head-clipping weevil is doing damage to sunflowers and coneflowers. This weevil lays her eggs on the stem of the flowers, about an inch from the flower. The egg-laying results in a broken stem that hangs on by a sliver.
The resulting larvae feed on the dying flower head. Pesticides don’t usually control this pest, handpicking and eliminating the flower heads helps to reduce populations.
Powdery mildew is showing up on many plants, including vegetables (cucumber, squash) and perennials (bee balm, peony, phlox). Once you see the symptoms of powdery mildew, it’s too late to do anything.
In addition, this disease doesn’t usually kill a plant, but it will make it look bad. Controlling powdery mildew is rather difficult. Sprays must be on the plant before the symptoms show up.
However, there are some new products coming down the pike regarding fungicides that might control powdery mildew on tall phlox. Francesca Peduto-Hand, an associate professor at Ohio State University and holds a doctorate in plant pathology,is doing research on this product and was looking for infected plants.
She is placing her research plants near those that are infected and then testing the fungicides on them, once infected. I love research!
I can’t wait for our Perennial for Pollinator research data to be analyzed this fall. Eleven counties around the state are looking at cultivars of native plants to determine what pollinators are visiting. This is a three-year project.
A final research project located at Snyder Park Gardens & Arboretum (Springfield) and Secrest Arboretum (Wooster) has to do with roses and resistance to rose rosette disease. There are four replications of 20 different cultivars. Watch for details in the future!
Enjoy your garden despite the challenges that we face! I know I am.
Pamela Corle-Bennett is the state master gardener volunteer coordinator and horticulture educator for Ohio State University Extension. Contact her by email at bennett.27@osu.edu.
About the Author | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/lifestyles/lots-happening-in-the-gardens/NG5O6AK7TJDKBOOYRCGJQQPEEQ/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:05 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/lifestyles/lots-happening-in-the-gardens/NG5O6AK7TJDKBOOYRCGJQQPEEQ/ |
Compared with the devil, angels carry more credence in America.
Angels even get more credence than, well, hell. More than astrology, reincarnation, and the belief that physical things can have spiritual energies.
In fact, about 7 in 10 U.S. adults say they believe in angels, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
“People are yearning for something greater than themselves — beyond their own understanding,” said Jack Grogger, a chaplain for the Los Angeles Angels and a longtime Southern California fire captain who has aided many people in their gravest moments.
That search for something bigger, he said, can take on many forms, from following a religion to crafting a self-driven purpose to believing in, of course, angels.
“For a lot of people, angels are a lot safer to worship,” said Grogger, who also pastors a nondenominational church in Orange, California, and is a chaplain for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.
People turn to angels for comfort, he said. They are familiar, regularly showing up in pop culture as well as in the Bible. Comparably, worshipping Jesus is far more involved; when Grogger preaches about angels it is with the context that they are part of God’s kingdom.
American’s belief in angels (69%) is about on par with belief in heaven and the power of prayer, but bested by belief in God or a higher power (79%). Fewer U.S. adults believe in the devil or Satan (56%), astrology (34%), reincarnation (34%), and that physical things can have spiritual energies, such as plants, rivers or crystals (42%).
The widespread acceptance of angels shown in the AP-NORC poll makes sense to Susan Garrett, an angel expert and New Testament professor at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kentucky. It tracks with historical surveys, she said, adding that the U.S. remains a faith-filled country even as more Americans reject organized religion.
But if the devil is in the details, so are people’s understandings of angels.
“They’re very malleable,” Garrett said of angels. “You can have any one of a number of quite different worldviews in terms of your understanding of how the cosmos is arranged, whether there’s spirit beings, whether there’s life after death, whether there’s a God … and still find a place for angels in that worldview.”
Talk of angels, Garrett said, is often also about something else, like the ways God interacts with the world and other hard-to-articulate ideas.
The large number of U.S. adults who say they believe in angels includes 84% of those with a religious affiliation — 94% of evangelical Protestants, 81% of mainline Protestants and 82% of Catholics — and 33% of those without one. And of those angel-believing religiously unaffiliated, that includes 2% of atheists, 25% of agnostics and 50% of those identified as “nothing in particular.”
The broad acceptance is what fascinates San Francisco-based witch and author Devin Hunter: Angels show up independently in different religions and traditions, making them part of the fabric that unites humanity.
“We’re all getting to the same conclusion,” said Hunter, who spent 16 years as a professional medium, and started communicating as a child with what he believed were angels.
Hunter estimates that a belief in angels applies to about half of those practicing modern witchcraft today, and for some who don’t believe, their rejection is often rooted in the religious trauma they experienced growing up.
“Angels become a very big deal” for long-time practitioners who’ve made occultism their primary focus, said Hunter, an angel-loving occultist. “We cannot escape them in any way, shape or form.”
Jennifer Goodwin of Oviedo, Florida, also is among the roughly seven in 10 U.S. adults who say they believe in angels. She isn’t sure if God exists and rejects the afterlife dichotomy of heaven and hell, but the recent deaths of her parents solidified her views on these celestial beings.
Goodwin believes her parents are still keeping an eye on the family — not in any physical way or as a supernatural apparition, but that they manifest in those moments when she feels a general sense of comfort.
“I think that they are around us, but it’s in a way that we can’t understand,” Goodwin said. “I don’t know what else to call it except an angel.”
Angels mean different things to different people, and the idea of loved ones becoming heavenly angels after death is neither an unusual belief nor a universally held one.
In his reading of Scripture as an evangelical Protestant, Grogger said he believes angels are something else entirely — they have never been human and are on another level in heaven’s hierarchy. “We are higher than angels,” he said. “We do not become an angel.”
Angels do interact with humans though, said Grogger, but what “that looks like we’re not 100% sure.” They worship God who created this angelic legion of unknown numbers, he said, adding that evangelicals often attribute the demonic forces in the world to the angels who fell from heaven when the devil rebelled.
The Western ideas about angels can be traced through the Bible — and to the worldviews of its monotheistic authors, Garrett said. Those beliefs have changed and developed for millennia, influenced by cultures, theologians and even the ancient polytheistic beliefs that came before the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, she said.
“There are sort of lines of continuity from the Bible that you can trace all the way up to the New Age movement,” said Susan Garrett, who wrote “No Ordinary Angel: Celestial Spirits and Christian Claims about Jesus.”
The angels in the Bible do God’s bidding, and angelic violence is one part of their job description, said Esther Hamori, author of the upcoming book, “God’s Monsters: Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible.”
“The angels of the Bible are just as likely to assassinate individuals and slaughter entire populations as they are to offer help and protect and deliver,” said Hamori. She doesn’t believe in these angels, but studies them as a Hebrew Bible professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York where she teaches a popular “Monster Heaven” class.
“They’re just God’s obedient soldiers doing the task at hand, and sometimes that task is in human beings’ best interests, and sometimes it’s not,” she said.
The perception that angels act angelic and look like the idyllic, winged figurines atop Christmas trees could be attributed to an early centuries belief that people are assigned one good angel and one bad — or have a good and bad spirit to guide them, Garrett said.
This idea shows up on the shoulders of cartoon characters and is likely what Abraham Lincoln was alluding to in his famous appeal for unity when he referenced “the better angels of our nature” in his first inaugural address, she said.
“It’s also tied in with ideas about guardian angels, which again, very ancient views that got developed over the centuries,” Garrett said.
For Sheila Avery of Chicago, angels are protectors, capable of keeping someone from harm. Avery, who belongs to a nondenominational church, credits them with those moments like when a person’s plans fall through, but ultimately it saves them from being in the thick of an unexpected disaster.
“They turn on the news and a terrible tragedy happened at that particular place,” Avery said, suggesting it was an “angel that was probably watching over them.”
___
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.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/ap-us-news/ap-do-you-believe-in-angels-about-7-in-10-u-s-adults-do-a-new-ap-norc-poll-shows/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:08 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/ap-us-news/ap-do-you-believe-in-angels-about-7-in-10-u-s-adults-do-a-new-ap-norc-poll-shows/ |
ATLANTA (AP) — “Excuse me, are you a city of Atlanta voter? Do you know about ‘Cop City?’”
Clipboards in hand, canvassers Sienna Giraldi and Gabriel Sanchez approached shopper after shopper at a Kroger supermarket lot on a recent evening collecting signatures for a referendum over whether to cancel the city's lease of a proposed police and firefighter training center that's become a national rallying cry for environmentalists and anti-police protesters.
Most people kept on walking. Others said they weren’t registered to vote or didn’t live within the city limits, both of which are required. Many seemed to have no idea what “Cop City” was and weren’t interested in finding out. The fact that it began raining certainly didn’t help. By the end of a 90-minute shift, 21 people had signed.
“We definitely need to come back here,” Sanchez said. “I was on a roll before the rain started.”
Over the past month, hundreds of people like them — many volunteers, some paid — have spread out across the city of about 500,000, in hopes of persuading more than 70,000 registered voters to sign on to the petition drive. The deadline had been mid-August, but the effort got a boost Thursday when a federal judge extended it to late September, though significant logistical and legal hurdles remain.
Technically, organizers say, they need just 58,203 signatures by Aug. 14 to qualify for the November ballot — the equivalent of 15% of registered voters as of the last city election — but they set the higher goal knowing some will be disqualified. If that's not reached until late August or September, the referendum wouldn't happen until March, when a competitive GOP presidential primary could turn out conservative voters and hurt its chances. The city also could move forward with construction in the meantime, unless a judge intervenes.
As of July 25, the drive had collected more than 30,000 signatures, according to Paul Glaze, a spokesperson for the Vote to Stop Cop City Coalition. And with the paid canvassing effort still ramping up, he expects the pace to pick up significantly.
“We’re confident of hitting our number,” Glaze said. “How much extra padding we’re able to get is still a question. ... Our experience is that when you talk about this with people, when they hear the price tag, when you ask them if they would choose this or something else to spend the money on, the vast majority are against it.”
Organizers of the drive say Mayor Andre Dickens and the City Council have failed to listen to a groundswell of opposition to the $90 million, 85-acre (34-hectare) training center, which they fear will lead to greater militarization of the police and exacerbate environmental damage in the South River Forest in a poor, predominantly Black area.
Officials counter that the campus would replace outdated, far-flung facilities and boost police morale, which is beset by hiring and retention struggles, especially in the wake of 2020 protests over racial injustice. Dickens has said that the facility will teach the "most progressive training and curriculum in the country” and that officials have repeatedly revised their plans to address concerns about noise pollution and environmental impact.
In June, after hearing about 14 hours of public testimony that was overwhelmingly against the training center, council members voted 11-4 to approve $67 million toward the project. Outraged but not surprised, organizers of the petition drive announced it the next day.
Outside the Kroger, located in a majority-Black neighborhood a few miles south of a Wendy's parking lot where officers fatally shot Rayshard Brooks in 2020, Giraldi chatted with Lee Little, a Black construction worker who stopped to talk despite the rain, his hands full of bagged groceries.
Little was working near the proposed training center in March and saw the helicopters and mass of armed officers that descended on the area after about 150 masked activists stormed the site and torched construction equipment. He hadn't thought about it much since, but he signed the petition after hearing Giraldi's pitch.
“She was just saying that City Council approved 60-something million dollars without listening to the taxpayers. Does that sound fair to you? That should be for the voters to decide,” Little said afterward.
Another who signed was Makela Atchison, who was wearing a “Black Voters Matter” T-shirt as she left the store with her two children.
“I’m not saying I’m for it or against it,” Atchison said, “but I want to be able to have my input.”
The signature drive is the most ambitious in terms of numbers that has ever been launched in a Georgia city, but it has precedent from last year in Camden County, where voters overwhelmingly rejected a planned launchpad for blasting commercial rockets into space. The Georgia Supreme Court in February unanimously upheld the legality of that referendum, though it remains an open question whether citizens can veto decisions of city governments.
In a recent court filing seeking to quash the Atlanta referendum, attorneys for the city said residents can't force officials to retroactively revoke the lease agreement, which was made in 2021. They called organizers' efforts "futile" and "invalid." The state agreed with the city in a separate filing, though that dispute is on hold for now.
Still, activists see the referendum as the best remaining option to block the project. They've gotten support from numerous groups, including the Working Families Party and the New Georgia Project Action Fund, which pledged to get 15,000 signatures over the next few weeks.
Activist Hannah Riley tries to collect a handful of them whenever she is out in public, including on a recent afternoon as she worked remotely from Muchacho, a popular taco restaurant in the ultra-liberal Reynoldstown neighborhood. At the end of her table, she taped a sign that read: “Voter? Sign Stop Cop City Petition Here.”
“This is a bit of a Hail Mary, but it’s a Hail Mary that makes a lot of sense,” Riley said. “They’ve begun to clear-cut the trees. They’re getting close to pouring concrete. ... Our options are quite limited right now, so this does feel like the most practical, effective next step.”
At the same time, a small number of activists have continued taking a more violent tack, including torching eight police motorcycles over the Fourth of July weekend, actions that canvass organizers have not condemned.
Curtis Duncan, 40, said the first day he went out canvassing, a man approached and accused him of being one of the vandals.
"I said, 'Well, sir, respectfully, I wasn't burning cars, and the majority of people within this movement have not been engaging in any type of violent actions,'" Duncan said. He added that troopers fatally shot an activist in the forest and that authorities have brought dozens of "very flimsy" domestic terrorism charges against "Stop Cop City" protesters this year — actions he considers far worse.
Sanchez, who works for a voting rights nonprofit, said that even if the signature drive falls short, it will have made an important impact.
“I feel like we’ve exhausted all the other options, aside from full-on revolution, which I don't think we need for this," he said. "There’s a lot of obstacles in our way. ... If we only get to 50,000, I think that still shows a real warning sign for these politicians for the 2025 election.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/atlanta-cop-city-activists-say-theyre-confident-of-getting-70k-signatures-but-big-hurdles-remain/KM32NKHTCBFJTCQDFDY5XDBQ7E/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:12 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/atlanta-cop-city-activists-say-theyre-confident-of-getting-70k-signatures-but-big-hurdles-remain/KM32NKHTCBFJTCQDFDY5XDBQ7E/ |
(NEXSTAR) – The current Mega Millions jackpot is now tied for the fourth-largest in the game’s history after yet another drawing produced no grand-prize winners.
Friday’s winning numbers — 5, 10, 28, 52, 63, and Mega Ball 18 — went unmatched, continuing a 29-drawing trend that began after the last jackpot-winner was announced on April 18.
The current jackpot now stands at an estimated $1.05 billion, with a cash option of $527.9 million. That amount officially qualifies as the fourth-largest grand prize in Mega Millions history, tied with a jackpot awarded in Jan. 2021.
The current jackpot has steadily grown since April, after a ticketholder in New York matched all six numbers to win a $20-million prize. (The previous jackpot, awarded days before on April 14, was worth $483 million.) A total of 46 players, meanwhile, have won second-tier prizes worth $1 million or more since the last jackpot was won, the Mega Millions lottery confirmed in a press release.
Friday night’s drawing produced five of those second-tier winners, including one each in Arizona, California and New York, and two in Pennsylvania. One of the winning ticketholders in Pennsylvania had also purchased the Megaplier option (which multiplied Friday’s winnings by five times), making that ticket worth $5 million.
“In the current Mega Millions matrix and Megaplier configuration, which has been in place since October 28, 2017, there has never been a Megaplier of 5x drawn at this extraordinary jackpot level,” reads a portion of the Mega Millions press release. “That means a lot of prizes in other tiers have been multiplied by a factor of five!”
The next Mega Millions drawing is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 1. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/mega-millions-jackpot-exceeds-1-billion-now-4th-largest-in-games-history/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:14 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/mega-millions-jackpot-exceeds-1-billion-now-4th-largest-in-games-history/ |
Compared with the devil, angels carry more credence in America.
Angels even get more credence than, well, hell. More than astrology, reincarnation, and the belief that physical things can have spiritual energies.
In fact, about 7 in 10 U.S. adults say they believe in angels, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
"People are yearning for something greater than themselves — beyond their own understanding," said Jack Grogger, a chaplain for the Los Angeles Angels and a longtime Southern California fire captain who has aided many people in their gravest moments.
That search for something bigger, he said, can take on many forms, from following a religion to crafting a self-driven purpose to believing in, of course, angels.
“For a lot of people, angels are a lot safer to worship,” said Grogger, who also pastors a nondenominational church in Orange, California, and is a chaplain for the NHL's Anaheim Ducks.
People turn to angels for comfort, he said. They are familiar, regularly showing up in pop culture as well as in the Bible. Comparably, worshipping Jesus is far more involved; when Grogger preaches about angels it is with the context that they are part of God's kingdom.
American's belief in angels (69%) is about on par with belief in heaven and the power of prayer, but bested by belief in God or a higher power (79%). Fewer U.S. adults believe in the devil or Satan (56%), astrology (34%), reincarnation (34%), and that physical things can have spiritual energies, such as plants, rivers or crystals (42%).
The widespread acceptance of angels shown in the AP-NORC poll makes sense to Susan Garrett, an angel expert and New Testament professor at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kentucky. It tracks with historical surveys, she said, adding that the U.S. remains a faith-filled country even as more Americans reject organized religion.
But if the devil is in the details, so are people’s understandings of angels.
“They’re very malleable,” Garrett said of angels. “You can have any one of a number of quite different worldviews in terms of your understanding of how the cosmos is arranged, whether there’s spirit beings, whether there’s life after death, whether there’s a God … and still find a place for angels in that worldview.”
Talk of angels, Garrett said, is often also about something else, like the ways God interacts with the world and other hard-to-articulate ideas.
The large number of U.S. adults who say they believe in angels includes 84% of those with a religious affiliation — 94% of evangelical Protestants, 81% of mainline Protestants and 82% of Catholics — and 33% of those without one. And of those angel-believing religiously unaffiliated, that includes 2% of atheists, 25% of agnostics and 50% of those identified as “nothing in particular.”
The broad acceptance is what fascinates San Francisco-based witch and author Devin Hunter: Angels show up independently in different religions and traditions, making them part of the fabric that unites humanity.
“We’re all getting to the same conclusion,” said Hunter, who spent 16 years as a professional medium, and started communicating as a child with what he believed were angels.
Hunter estimates that a belief in angels applies to about half of those practicing modern witchcraft today, and for some who don't believe, their rejection is often rooted in the religious trauma they experienced growing up.
“Angels become a very big deal" for long-time practitioners who've made occultism their primary focus, said Hunter, an angel-loving occultist. “We cannot escape them in any way, shape or form.”
Jennifer Goodwin of Oviedo, Florida, also is among the roughly seven in 10 U.S. adults who say they believe in angels. She isn’t sure if God exists and rejects the afterlife dichotomy of heaven and hell, but the recent deaths of her parents solidified her views on these celestial beings.
Goodwin believes her parents are still keeping an eye on the family — not in any physical way or as a supernatural apparition, but that they manifest in those moments when she feels a general sense of comfort.
“I think that they are around us, but it’s in a way that we can’t understand,” Goodwin said. “I don’t know what else to call it except an angel.”
Angels mean different things to different people, and the idea of loved ones becoming heavenly angels after death is neither an unusual belief nor a universally held one.
In his reading of Scripture as an evangelical Protestant, Grogger said he believes angels are something else entirely — they have never been human and are on another level in heaven's hierarchy. “We are higher than angels,” he said. “We do not become an angel.”
Angels do interact with humans though, said Grogger, but what "that looks like we’re not 100% sure.” They worship God who created this angelic legion of unknown numbers, he said, adding that evangelicals often attribute the demonic forces in the world to the angels who fell from heaven when the devil rebelled.
The Western ideas about angels can be traced through the Bible — and to the worldviews of its monotheistic authors, Garrett said. Those beliefs have changed and developed for millennia, influenced by cultures, theologians and even the ancient polytheistic beliefs that came before the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, she said.
“There are sort of lines of continuity from the Bible that you can trace all the way up to the New Age movement,” said Susan Garrett, who wrote “No Ordinary Angel: Celestial Spirits and Christian Claims about Jesus.”
The angels in the Bible do God's bidding, and angelic violence is one part of their job description, said Esther Hamori, author of the upcoming book, “God's Monsters: Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible.”
“The angels of the Bible are just as likely to assassinate individuals and slaughter entire populations as they are to offer help and protect and deliver,” said Hamori. She doesn't believe in these angels, but studies them as a Hebrew Bible professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York where she teaches a popular “Monster Heaven” class.
“They’re just God’s obedient soldiers doing the task at hand, and sometimes that task is in human beings' best interests, and sometimes it’s not," she said.
The perception that angels act angelic and look like the idyllic, winged figurines atop Christmas trees could be attributed to an early centuries belief that people are assigned one good angel and one bad — or have a good and bad spirit to guide them, Garrett said.
This idea shows up on the shoulders of cartoon characters and is likely what Abraham Lincoln was alluding to in his famous appeal for unity when he referenced “the better angels of our nature” in his first inaugural address, she said.
“It’s also tied in with ideas about guardian angels, which again, very ancient views that got developed over the centuries,” Garrett said.
For Sheila Avery of Chicago, angels are protectors, capable of keeping someone from harm. Avery, who belongs to a nondenominational church, credits them with those moments like when a person’s plans fall through, but ultimately it saves them from being in the thick of an unexpected disaster.
“They turn on the news and a terrible tragedy happened at that particular place,” Avery said, suggesting it was an “angel that was probably watching over them.”
___
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.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Credit: Evan Agostini/Invision/AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/do-you-believe-in-angels-about-7-in-10-us-adults-do-a-new-ap-norc-poll-shows/5U2YCL6P4VBIPGDTYG7B3GJKJ4/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:18 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/do-you-believe-in-angels-about-7-in-10-us-adults-do-a-new-ap-norc-poll-shows/5U2YCL6P4VBIPGDTYG7B3GJKJ4/ |
(NEXSTAR) – With heat records already falling this summer, you may be running your ceiling fan nearly non-stop, but did you know you may not be as cool as you could be?
If you’ve ever taken a close look at the fan, you may have noticed a small switch located on the side of the fan base. The switch, which is found on nearly every fan, can change the direction the fan spins.
Using that switch according to the season will not only keep you more comfortable, but it can also help you save money.
In the summer, make sure that your fan is going in a counterclockwise direction, which forces cool air directly downward and creates a “wind chill effect,” according to Home Depot. In the winter, you can switch it up so the fan rotates clockwise at a low speed, circulating the warm air that gets trapped near the ceiling.
If you have ceiling fans as well as air conditioning, using the fan correctly will allow you to raise the thermostat by roughly 4 degrees Fahrenheit and still feel just as comfortable, according to the Department of Energy. In moderately hot weather, you may even be able to turn off the AC. The DOE reminds people to turn off fans in unoccupied rooms.
According to Energy Star, if you raise your thermostat by just two degrees and use your ceiling fan, you can lower the cost of air conditioning by up to 14%.
If you’re in the market for a ceiling fan, larger fan blades will move more air than smaller ones, but you have to make sure it’s an appropriate size for the space.
The Department of Energy recommends blades be 7 to 9 feet above the floor and 10 to 12 inches away from the ceiling. The blades should be no closer than 8 inches from the ceiling and 18 inches from any walls. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/overlooked-ceiling-fan-switch-could-make-you-cooler-this-summer/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:20 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/overlooked-ceiling-fan-switch-could-make-you-cooler-this-summer/ |
FUKUOKA, Japan (AP) — Katie Ledecky added to her legacy as the greatest female swimmer in history when she won the 800-meter freestyle on Saturday at the World Aquatics Championships, establishing two more notable records with the triumph.
The victory by the 26-year-old Ledecky made her the first swimmer ever to win the same event six times at the world championships and also marked her 16th individual world title, breaking a tie with Michael Phelps for the most individual golds ever at the worlds.
Ledecky, who had the 30 top times ever in the 800 entering the race, led all the way, dominating her competitors and winning in a time of 8 minutes, 8.87 seconds.
The gold in the 800 was Ledecky’s second individual gold of these championships following her win in the 1,500 free on Tuesday. She also took silver in the 400 free here.
Li Bingjie of China claimed the silver in 8:13.31, with Ariarne Titmus of Australia took the bronze in 8:13.59.
Kaylee McKeown of Australia made some history of her own with her gold in the women’s 200 backstroke. McKeown’s victory gave her a sweep of all three backstroke events here, after her earlier wins in the 50 and 100. She became the first swimmer ever to sweep all three backstrokes at the worlds.
McKeown took the lead at the final turn and steamed home in 2:03.85. She joined Leon Marchand of France and Qin Haiyang of China as swimmers who swept all three events in the same discipline at these worlds.
Regan Smith of the United States picked up the silver in 2:04.94, while Peng Xuwei of China got the bronze in 2:06.74.
Sarah Sjoestroem of Sweden continued her dominance with gold in the women’s 50-meter butterfly. The 29-year-old won in 24.77 and has now won the event five consecutive times at the worlds. The win brought Sjoestroem’s total number of individual medals at worlds to 20, equaling Phelps’ mark.
Zhang Yufei of China, who took gold in the 100 fly here, claimed the silver in 25.05, while American Gretchen Walsh got the bronze in 25.46.
Fan favorite Rikako Ikee of Japan finished seventh (25.78), but was greeted warmly by the home crowd. The 23-year-old Ikee won six gold medals at the 2018 Asian Games, but was diagnosed with leukemia in February of 2019. Her comeback continues to resonate with both the Japanese public and her fellow competitors.
Cameron McEvoy of Australia led all the way to capture the gold in the men’s 50-meter free in 21.06. American Jack Alexy collected his second silver of the worlds in 21.57 to go with his silver in the 100 free. Benjamin Proud of Britian, last year’s world champion, took the bronze in 21.58.
Maxime Grousset of France won gold in the men’s 100 fly in 50.14. The 24-year-old took the early lead and held on for the victory. Josh Liendo of Canada earned the silver in 50.34, while American Dare Rose made the podium with the bronze (50.46).
Ruta Meilutyte of Lithuania equaled the world record of 29.30 in her semifinal in the women’s 50 breaststroke.
Australia won gold in the 4x100 mixed freestyle relay in a world-record time of 3:18.83. The U.S. took the silver in 3:20.82, with Britain getting the bronze in 3:21.68.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/katie-ledecky-passes-michael-phelps-for-most-individual-golds-at-world-championships/PQQSH2CDWVBZ5JUSIW5UB5YB4A/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:25 | 0 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/katie-ledecky-passes-michael-phelps-for-most-individual-golds-at-world-championships/PQQSH2CDWVBZ5JUSIW5UB5YB4A/ |
(The Conversation) – Like any millennial pop music fan active on social media, I’ve been following Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour – the surprise songs, the scramble to get tickets, her brief romance with that guy from The 1975 with a history of racist comments.
But as a political scientist, I was intrigued by something else: reaction to the tour by government officials. New Jersey renamed the state’s famed Taylor ham, egg and cheese in her honor – it’s now the “Taylor Swift Ham, Egg, and Cheese” official state sandwich.
Pittsburgh’s mayor briefly renamed the city “Swiftsburgh” when her tour hit town.
And in my neck of the woods, Swift Street in North Kansas City was temporarily rebranded “Swift Street (Taylor’s Version).”
Local or state governments have lauded Swift in some way at virtually every stop on her tour. While these honors make for great photo opportunities for Swifties, the politics of these moves is worth examining. Do politicians have something to gain in appealing to Swift’s fans?
Celebrities can help politicians
Unlike many celebrities, Swift does not involve herself much in politics. One particular tool of politicians looking to boost their numbers is to get celebrity endorsements. But Swift’s use of endorsements has been limited, save for backing two Democrats in her adopted home state of Tennessee: Phil Bredesen in his Senate race and U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper in his 2018 reelection campaign. Swift also endorsed Joe Biden in 2020.
Bredesen’s peak in Google search interest from 2010 to the present coincided with Swift’s endorsement in October 2018. Cooper saw more Google search traffic with Swift’s endorsement than at any point since his vote for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March 2010.
While the specific impact of Swift’s endorsements is difficult to assess, an Emerson College poll of Tennesseans in 2018 found that 11.7% of those surveyed said Swift’s endorsement would make them more likely to support Bredesen – a number unlikely to make a difference in a race Bredesen lost by nearly 11 points despite Swift’s support. Cooper easily won reelection in his heavily Democratic Nashville-based district.
Although Swift’s endorsements likely did not sway these particular races, celebrity endorsements can matter in close races, particularly when the celebrity making the endorsement is viewed favorably – a likely scenario in Swift’s case.
Fawning = attention
A slight majority of Americans consider themselves at least something of a fan of Swift’s music – that includes me – and a June 2023 Echelon Insights poll showed 50% of likely voters view Swift at least somewhat favorably. This is a higher favorability rating than Joe Biden, Donald Trump and both major political parties.
We’re not talking about endorsements here, though – we’re talking about politicians aligning themselves with Swift with no reciprocity. One clear benefit to public officials fawning over Swift? Attention – not unlike that seen for Bredesen and Cooper in 2018.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy’s tweet declaring the “Taylor Swift ham, egg, and cheese” garnered 5,700 likes; his next unrelated tweet had fewer than 100.
A cursory analysis of social media data seems to support the idea that the use of Swift’s name in honorary government actions produces a result similar to that of Swift’s endorsements: it drives engagement. Murphy’s Instagram post lauding Swift garnered the most likes on any post of his in 2023, with the exception of an early June post on the state’s air-quality crisis.
OK, so politicians need publicity, and they can use Taylor Swift’s name to get it. But what about Swifties as a voting bloc?
The idea that Swifties might be a key demographic in future elections is not far-fetched given their location and age. A majority of Swift’s fans live in the suburbs, the swing territory of American politics. Further, most are Gen Zers or Millennials. These groups encompass an increasing share of the electorate with each passing year – up to 31% in 2020. Swift’s favorability among those ages 18 to 29 stands at 72%, and by one poll’s estimate, 21% in that age cohort say they would vote for Swift over Trump and Biden.
Taylor Swift Post Office?
World leaders from numerous countries have taken to social media to ask Swift to bring her tour to their countries. There’s an economic angle to this, of course, as a Swift tour stop can generate huge sums in consumer spending. In the U.S., however, the honorifics bestowed upon Swift have come since her tour dates were confirmed.
There is a question of whether these Swift-adjacent stunts boil down to campaigning thinly disguised as official government action. This is perhaps best demonstrated in Canada, where a member of Parliament filed a parliamentary grievance over the singer’s lack of Canadian tour dates.
Such behavior is perhaps analogous to, on a larger scale, the renaming of post offices in the U.S. Congress. While generally innocuous and locally meaningful, these moves still require government resources and staffers to put their attention toward them as opposed to substantive policy matters.
Taylor Swift is an enormously popular figure, particularly among demographic groups that will be increasingly important in future American elections. In close races, voices such as Swift’s could prove critical – not necessarily because she influences how fans vote, but because her voice provides attention and credibility to candidates. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/the-taylor-swift-official-state-sandwich-politicians-understand-swifties-are-a-key-demographic/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:26 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/the-taylor-swift-official-state-sandwich-politicians-understand-swifties-are-a-key-demographic/ |
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The cosmos is offering up a double feature in August: a pair of supermoons culminating in a rare blue moon.
Catch the first show Tuesday evening as the full moon rises in the southeast, appearing slightly brighter and bigger than normal. That’s because it will be closer than usual, just 222,159 miles (357,530 kilometers) away, thus the supermoon label.
The moon will be even closer the night of Aug. 30 — a scant 222,043 miles (357,344 kilometers) distant. Because it’s the second full moon in the same month, it will be what's called a blue moon.
“Warm summer nights are the ideal time to watch the full moon rise in the eastern sky within minutes of sunset. And it happens twice in August,” said retired NASA astrophysicist Fred Espenak, dubbed Mr. Eclipse for his eclipse-chasing expertise.
The last time two full supermoons graced the sky in the same month was in 2018. It won’t happen again until 2037, according to Italian astronomer Gianluca Masi, founder of the Virtual Telescope Project.
Masi will provide a live webcast of Tuesday evening's supermoon, as it rises over the Coliseum in Rome.
“My plans are to capture the beauty of this ... hopefully bringing the emotion of the show to our viewers,” Masi said in an email.
“The supermoon offers us a great opportunity to look up and discover the sky,” he added.
This year’s first supermoon was in July. The fourth and last will be in September. The two in August will be closer than either of those.
Provided clear skies, binoculars or backyard telescopes can enhance the experience, Espenak said, revealing such features as lunar maria — the dark plains formed by ancient volcanic lava flows — and rays emanating from lunar craters.
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the August full moon is traditionally known as the sturgeon moon. That’s because of the abundance of that fish in the Great Lakes in August, hundreds of years ago.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/two-supermoons-in-august-mean-double-the-stargazing-fun/Z4UJMW3NBNDARDOKJL3GOAM4QE/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:31 | 1 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/two-supermoons-in-august-mean-double-the-stargazing-fun/Z4UJMW3NBNDARDOKJL3GOAM4QE/ |
Severe weather rolled through the Miami Valley early this morning. Numerous trees and power lines were reported down. Today we should see some sunshine after morning clouds break up and showers and storms come to end. The rest of the day will be breezy and humid. Depending on the amount of sunshine, we will have to see if the atmosphere can destabilize again for new storm development this afternoon and evening. If so, showers and storms will likely be isolated.
TODAY: Mix of clouds and sun. Breezy, warm and humid. Isolated PM shower or storm. High 87.
TONIGHT: Isolated evening shower or storm. Partly cloudy. Low 66
SUNDAY: Partly to mostly sunny. High 85.
Sunshine and warm temperatures are in the forecast through Wednesday with highs in the 80s. A low chance of showers and storms Thursday and Friday. | https://www.wdtn.com/weather/daily-forecast/breezy-warm-and-humid-today-will-we-see-more-storms-as-well/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:32 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/weather/daily-forecast/breezy-warm-and-humid-today-will-we-see-more-storms-as-well/ |
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi said Saturday that Sri Lanka is a key partner in a Tokyo-led initiative aimed at building security and economic cooperation around the Indo-Pacific but also at countering an increasingly assertive China.
Sri Lanka, strategically located in the Indian Ocean, is integral to realizing a free and open Indo-Pacific, Hayashi said. He was speaking after a meeting with his Sri Lankan counterpart, Ali Sabry, in the capital, Colombo.
The initiative, announced by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in March includes Japan’s assistance to emerging economies, support for maritime security, a provision of coast guard patrol boats and equipment and other infrastructure cooperation.
Last year Sri Lanka, which owed $51 billion in foreign debt, became the first Asia-Pacific country since the late 1990s to default, sparking an economic crisis.
While Japan is Sri Lanka's largest creditor, about 10% of its debt is held by China, which lent Colombo billions to build sea ports, airports and power plants as part of its Belt and Road Initiative. In March, China agreed to offer Sri Lanka a two-year moratorium on loan repayments.
Hayashi said that he conveyed expectations for further progress in Sri Lanka's debt restructuring process. He welcomed Sri Lanka’s efforts under an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which includes anti-corruption measures and transparency in the policy-making process.
Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister Sabry said that he, along with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe, invited Japan to resume investment projects already in the pipeline and to consider fresh investments in sectors such as power generation, ports and highways, and dedicated investment zones, as well as in the green and digital economy.
Over many decades, Japan became one of Sri Lanka's key donors, carrying out key projects under concessionary terms. However, relations between the two countries came under strain after Wickremesinghe's predecessor Gotabaya Rajapaksa unilaterally scrapped a Japan-funded light railway project following his election in 2019.
Sri Lanka's Cabinet has already approved a proposal to restart the railway project.
Rajapaksa was forced to resign in July 2022 amid angry public protects over the country's worst economic crisis.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Credit: AP | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/with-one-eye-on-china-japan-backs-sri-lanka-as-a-partner-in-the-indo-pacific/BOMTMHOALRB2HB7DXZFIFBXSV4/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:37 | 1 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/with-one-eye-on-china-japan-backs-sri-lanka-as-a-partner-in-the-indo-pacific/BOMTMHOALRB2HB7DXZFIFBXSV4/ |
The 2023 Formula 1 World Championship continues this weekend with round 13, the Belgian Grand Prix, which takes place at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit and will see the Saturday Sprint race return.
The Spa circuit is nestled within the beautiful Ardennes hills and features a long, unrelenting track that serves as a stern test for car and driver. The average speed approaches 145 mph, making it one of the fastest laps of the season, and drivers experience over 5 g in some of the turns, such as Turn 10, known as Pouhon. The cars also run at full throttle for almost 80% of the lap.
Stretching 4.35 miles, Spa has the longest track on the calendar, resulting in the race lasting only 44 laps—the lowest on the calendar. The track is so big that it’s not unusual to have varying weather conditions at different parts. For example, rain at one end and sunshine at the other. The current forecast calls for heavy rain throughout the weekend, which has already resulted in some calls for the race to possibly be canceled.
The first and third sectors at Spa feature long straights and flat-out sections, but the second sector is twisty. This makes it challenging to find the right balance and set-up compromise, particularly with the wing level.
The track surface is on the abrasive side, meaning tires get quite the workout. Pirelli has nominated its mid-range compounds: the C2 as the White hard, C3 as the Yellow medium, and C4 as the Red soft.
The Belgian round will mark 2023’s third running of the Saturday Sprint race, after the Azerbaijan and Austrian Grands Prix. This season, the Sprint race has been made a standalone event rather than the qualifier for the main race, as was previously the case. It still has championship points on the table for both drivers and teams, however.
The round is the last stop before the summer break and will see some teams run upgrades, including Mercedes-Benz AMG whose cars will feature a new design for the side pods.
Going into the weekend, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen leads the 2023 Drivers’ Championship with 281 points. Fellow Red Bull driver Perez is second with 171 points and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso is third with 139 points. In the Constructors’ Championship, Red Bull leads with 452 points, versus the 223 of Mercedes and 184 of Aston Martin in second and third places. Last year’s winner in Belgium was Verstappen, driving for Red Bull.
Related Articles
- Ford Mustang Dark Horse R ready to race in one-make series
- F1 engineering ace Steve Nichols returns with N1A supercar
- Porsche extends Formula E commitment through 2026
- Honda Civic Type R-GT prepares for Super GT series
- 2023 F1 standings: Verstappen grows title lead while McLaren shows resurgence | https://www.wdtn.com/automotive/internet-brands/2023-f1-belgian-grand-prix-preview/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:38 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/automotive/internet-brands/2023-f1-belgian-grand-prix-preview/ |
Gene X Hwang knew his days on Twitter as @x were numbered.
"Elon had been kind of tweeting about X previously," Hwang said. "So I kind of knew, you know, I had an inkling that this was going to happen. I didn't really know when."
Since 2007, Hwang's username on the site was @x — but after Elon Musk renamed the social media platform to X earlier this week, it was only a matter of time before the company commandeered the handle.
The news came shortly after Hwang had competed in a pinball tournament in Canada.
"So when I landed and fired up my phone, I just got all these messages and I was like: 'What is what is going on?' "
Hwang received an email from the company explaining that his account data would be preserved, and he'd get a new handle. It offered Hwang merchandise, a tour of its offices and a meeting with company management as compensation.
Hwang's account is one of the latest casualties in the chaos following Musk's takeover of the social media company. On Monday, Twitter's iconic blue bird logo was replaced with the letter "X."
Our headquarters tonight pic.twitter.com/GO6yY8R7fO
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 24, 2023
The rebrand is the company's next step in creating what Musk has called "the everything app." Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino envision the platform becoming a U.S. parallel to WeChat — a hub for communication, banking and commerce that's become a part of everyday life in China.
X is the future state of unlimited interactivity – centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking – creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities. Powered by AI, X will connect us all in ways we’re just beginning to imagine.
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayacc) July 23, 2023
But experts are skeptical X will be able to become an "everything app."
"I'm not sure he has enough trust from his user base to get people to actually exchange money or attach any type of financial institution to his app," Jennifer Grygiel, a professor at Syracuse University, told NPR.
Hwang is among those who have been looking for Twitter alternatives.
"I've been checking out, you know, other options like Threads and Mastodon and Bluesky," he said. "I'm still on Twitter for now, but ... it's changed a lot. So we'll see how much longer I'm on there."
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/after-rebranding-x-took-x-from-its-original-twitter-owner-and-offered-him-merch | 2023-07-29T13:22:42 | 0 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/2023-07-29/after-rebranding-x-took-x-from-its-original-twitter-owner-and-offered-him-merch |
Anyone looking to take delivery of Lamborghini’s Revuelto supercar better be prepared to wait (or pay hefty markups on the used market) as the car’s production run for the next two years is already allocated, the automaker announced this week.
Despite an upgrade to Lamborghini’s plant in Sant’Agata Bolognese to accommodate more automated processes, production of the Revuelto is still very much a hands-on affair, with plenty of traditional handcrafted skills retained, ensuring production will remain limited. According to Lamborghini, around 500 staff are dedicated to the car’s production.
The Revuelto was revealed in March as the successor to the Aventador. It’s Lamborghini’s first plug-in hybrid and is powered by a sophisticated setup combining a newly developed V-12 and three electric motors for a combined output of 1,000 hp.
The Revuelto isn’t just an Aventador with more power, though. It represents a ground-up redesign that in addition to electrification includes a new carbon-fiber tub, a new 8-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, and that new V-12.
Lamborghini quotes performance numbers of 2.5 seconds in the 0-62 mph run and a top speed of 218 mph.
Lamborghini hasn’t announcing pricing for the Revuelto in the U.S., but in other markets the car is priced from 500,000 euros (approximately $548,700). Deliveries are scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of 2023.
Lamborghini’s Urus will be the automaker’s next plug-in hybrid. The SUV will go the electrified route starting in the first half of 2024. A plug-in hybrid successor to the Huracán will then arrive toward the end of 2024. Further out, Lamborghini plans to launch an electric vehicle in 2028. It was confirmed by the automaker in April as a 2+2 grand tourer.
Related Articles
- Mercedes updates V-Class ahead of dedicated EV successor’s arrival
- First dedicated Porsche EV charging station opens
- VW taps Xpeng for EV platforms
- Munich auto show concept to preview next-gen Mercedes compact
- “Wanted: The Escape Of Carlos Ghosn” debuts Aug. 25—watch the trailer | https://www.wdtn.com/automotive/internet-brands/lamborghini-revuelto-already-sold-out-for-next-2-years/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:44 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/automotive/internet-brands/lamborghini-revuelto-already-sold-out-for-next-2-years/ |
Mercedes-Benz has introduced an update to its mid-size van family to help keep the vehicles fresh until the arrival of successor models based on a dedicated electric vehicle platform later this decade.
The sole mid-size van Mercedes currently sells in the U.S. is the Metris. In other markets, the Metris is known as the Vito and is sold alongside a luxury version called the V-Class. The Vito and V-Class also come in electric form, known as the eVito and EQV respectively.
While the Vito has been updated, there are no plans to bring it to the U.S. as an updated Metris. The current Metris is still available to U.S. buyers but will be phased out later this year.
The updates to the mid-size van family include tweaks to the exterior styling highlighted by an enlarged grille and new light signatures for the headlights. There’s also a new dash design that adopts a single panel integrating both a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and 12.3-inch infotainment screen in the plush V-Class and EQV. In the Vito and eVito commercial models, the dash sticks to analog gauges with a 5.5-inch screen in the center, plus a 10.3-inch infotainment screen. Buyers also have five new colors to choose from, along with various wheel patterns ranging from 17-19 inches in diameter.
Mercedes has also added new digital services and safety features, one of which is an updated Active Brake Assist feature that now functions in intersections. Active Brake Assist is a collision warning system that supports the driver by automatically adding extra braking pressure when necessary, and activating automatic emergency braking if the driver fails to apply the brakes.
No change has been made to the powertrains meaning buyers have a series of diesels to choose from, including 4- and 6-cylinder options, plus an electric powertrain in the eVito and EQV.
While the U.S. will soon lose the Metris, Mercedes in May said it will bring a luxury mid-size van to this market later this decade. It will be based on the new Van.EA platform. The dedicated EV platform will spawn its first model in 2026, though Mercedes hasn’t revealed the model’s identity.
Mercedes said it expects electric vans to account for 50% of its van sales by 2030.
Related Articles
- First dedicated Porsche EV charging station opens
- Lamborghini Revuelto already sold out for next 2 years
- VW taps Xpeng for EV platforms
- Munich auto show concept to preview next-gen Mercedes compact
- 2024 Porsche Panamera spy shots and video | https://www.wdtn.com/automotive/internet-brands/mercedes-updates-v-class-ahead-of-dedicated-ev-successors-arrival/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:51 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/automotive/internet-brands/mercedes-updates-v-class-ahead-of-dedicated-ev-successors-arrival/ |
News Tribune, July 29, 1983
- The number of violent crimes in Duluth decreased through the first six months of 1983 compared with the same period last year. The drop was particularly noticeable in the categories of robbery and rape, down 44% and 32% respectively.
- Operations at the Huron Cement plants in Duluth and Superior returned to normal yesterday after workers settled their 12-day strike. Twenty-five Teamsters walked off their jobs July 16 in a dispute over contract negotiations with National Gypsum Co.'s Cement Division, which operates the plants.
News Tribune, July 29, 1923
- Beginning tomorrow, impersonator Clinton Edward Marquis will appear as a wax figure of Abraham Lincoln in the display window of the F. S. Kelly Furniture Company in downtown Duluth. Marquis will appear in the store window at 3:30 p.m. daily for the next 15 days.
- A site has been selected on Gary Street in Gary, Duluth's steel plant suburb, for construction of a public hall at a cost of approximately $10,000. The building will serve as a meeting place for the many lodges and societies of Gary. | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/bygones-abraham-lincoln-impersonator-stood-in-duluth-shop-windows-100-years-ago | 2023-07-29T13:22:51 | 1 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/news/local/bygones-abraham-lincoln-impersonator-stood-in-duluth-shop-windows-100-years-ago |
Porsche earlier this week revealed more than just a first look at its lounge-like road-trip fast-charging stations, to be laid out along some top routes in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Within details for these design-savvy charging oases there was a bigger technology reveal: Its EVs in the future, it hinted, may charge above 300 kw and perhaps closer to 400 kw.
That message came within how the automaker explained the charging hardware situated at these Porsche Charging Lounges. They’ll be “perfectly tailored to the requirements of Porsche drivers on long journeys,” the company explained. That means a current max charge power of 300 kw from the Alpitronic hardware at those stations, it explained, but it then stated: “By the start of next year, 400 kw per charging point should be possible.”
Since its launch, the Porsche Taycan has been capable of 800-volt DC fast-charging up to 270 kw—made more reproducible for 2022—offering a 5-80% charge in as little as 22.5 minutes.
The 2024 Porsche Macan Electric, which is due to go on sale in the first half of 2024 and built on the PPE platform jointly developed by Porsche and Audi, will inherit the Taycan’s 800-volt charging. But Porsche has suggested that PPE may be capable of a bit more.
While the Macan may stretch closer to 300 kw, it has to be another future vehicle that fast-charges at an even higher rate, taking advantage of those 400-kw connectors.
But the charger announcement may be teasing a product that’s yet to come and farther in the future. Will that be the Boxster-inspired electric sports car, which might include the 718 badge; a production version of the 900-volt Mission X concept the brand recently revealed; or another new EV from the sports-car brand? Or all of the above?
Porsche has said that by 2030 over 80% of the vehicles it delivers globally will be fully electric—although it’s suggested that the last gasoline model it will make will be the 911.
That said, a model that might take advantage of a 400-kw connector might top out higher than the Lucid Air, which reaches a max just over 300 kw, and the GMC Hummer EV with the largest dual-layer pack, which can at times pull the full power from a 350-kw connector.
Such a model tapping the potential of a 400-kw connector might not be coming until 2025 or 2026, but when it does, then Porsche looks prepared with the infrastructure.
The Taycan is already approaching its intended gas-station refueling times—if the infrastructure’s there. With some carefully planned charging stops, one crossed the U.S. last year at real-world highway speeds with just 2.5 hours of charging.
As for those lounges, Porsche aims to place them close to “busy routes with significant traffic flow,” make them open 24/7, barrier-free, and part of the Ionity network, and provide centralized billing and a very comfortable environment. If the images provided, showing woodgrain finishes, bright interiors, workout areas, and rooftop solar cells are any indication, it looks like a very pleasant environment compared to the edge of the Walmart parking lot or strip-mall access road.
Although Porsche has no plans to build these charging oases in the U.S. as of yet, fellow VW Group entity Electrify America offers 350-kw connectors at many of its 809 U.S. fast-charging locations. And the national fast-charging network set to be bankrolled by seven automakers, announced earlier this week, with 350-kw connectors as a baseline, will help support these even-faster-charging EVs.
Related Articles
- Tesla skirts Connecticut direct-sales ban with store in tribal casino
- Nissan touts a million EVs in 12 years—Tesla’s 2023 tally so far
- Whether GM killed the Chevy Bolt EV or not, it’s returning soon
- Tesla Supercharger network gets first true rival from 7 global automakers
- 2018-2023 Nissan Leaf EV recalled for cruise-control acceleration flaw | https://www.wdtn.com/automotive/internet-brands/porsche-hints-a-future-ev-may-utilize-400-kw-fast-charging/ | 2023-07-29T13:22:57 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/automotive/internet-brands/porsche-hints-a-future-ev-may-utilize-400-kw-fast-charging/ |
During his presidency, one of the myriad falsehoods Donald Trump told was that climate change is a “Chinese hoax.” Although his misinformation about COVID-19 may have cost lives over the long term, his lie about global warming was probably worse.
In fact, human-caused global warming as a real phenomenon was first mentioned over 100 years ago; and while the operations of the biosphere are complex, the science behind the greenhouse effect is straightforward and well understood. The evidence of our agency began with the start of the coal-fired Industrial Revolution. Ice-core data, for example, is overwhelming.
I would love to deny that our consumption of fossil fuels is edging us toward catastrophe, but denial is not honestly possible. The climate is warming, the consequences are dire, and our activities are the cause. We are all part of the problem.
But the good news is we are all therefore part of the solution. Not only can we fix this, but the necessary changes can generate new economic opportunities. Step one is rejecting the lies of Trump and other deniers.
Peter Leschak
ADVERTISEMENT
Side Lake
Email submissions to: letters@duluthnews.com
Include a full name, address and daytime phone number. Only names and hometowns will be published. | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/opinion/letters/readers-view-solving-climate-change-can-start-by-rejecting-deniers | 2023-07-29T13:23:02 | 0 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/opinion/letters/readers-view-solving-climate-change-can-start-by-rejecting-deniers |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Two weeks into the the actors strike, Max Greenfield is urging the studios and their CEOs to return to the bargaining table.
“Be the heroes, come to the table, make a deal,” said Greenfield, who co-stars in the CBS sitcom “The Neighborhood.” “My hope is these guys get organized and have a real conversation with both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA so that we can get to a resolution,” he said, referencing the unions for the writers and actors, respectively.
Greenfield spoke at a charity ping pong event at Dodger Stadium on Thursday night, joined by his co-star Cedric the Entertainer.
“We struck because our deal was up and it’s time to adjust to what has changed in the business. To make a minor adjustment feels disproportionate to what has obviously changed in a massive, massive way,” Greenfield said. “Until we feel like we’re getting fair compensation and we feel like we’re protected, this is going to continue to go on.”
Bryan Cranston, who had fiery words for Disney CEO Bob Iger at a New York rally on Tuesday, acknowledged things are “going very, very slowly.”
“Until we’re able to get back to the table, which we are more than willing to do and we’ve told them so, we want to keep talking through this strike,” he said. “We want to end this as soon as possible.”
On July 14, actors joined striking screenwriters who walked out in May. The stoppage has shuttered nearly all film and television production.
The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Writers Guild of America are striking for fair pay and protections involving the use of artificial intelligence, among other issues.
There has reportedly been no negotiating between the unions and the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers since shortly after the actors hit the picket lines.
“I think when people realize that the artists are the people that are making this and nothing is going to get made without the actors and the writers, maybe that will force a little more flexibility in the negotiations,” Oscar-winning actor Casey Affleck said.
Actor and entrepreneur Danny Trejo urged the studios to look beyond Hollywood’s highest-paid actors and consider the financial plight of those working behind the scenes.
“One of the problems is people on top are making a lot of money right now and they don’t want to share,” he said. “We’ve got people that are in SAG that can’t even afford to live in LA. It’s like, wait a minute guys, we got to just be fair.
“Figure if one of your kids was trying to get into the movies and was working as an extra or just made it into SAG, they couldn’t live in LA,” Trejo said, imagining the offspring of a Hollywood CEO. “Oh no wait, yes they could. They could live in Beverly (expletive) Hills with you, punk.”
Trejo filed for Chapter 11 reorganization bankruptcy earlier this year and owes over $2 million in back taxes to the IRS, according to a report by KABC-TV.
“I make good money, but right now I’m buried in taxes, so I have to work that out,” he said. “This strike is killing me. I can’t pay what I’m supposed to be paying for my taxes, so man, imagine the guy that’s making $18 an hour and not working all the time.”
Actor Holly Robinson-Peete, a SAG member since 1977, said it’s important for the actors’ union to communicate the economic issues behind the strike.
“We’re not just a bunch of spoiled people that want more and we’re greedy,” she said. “The majority of our union are people who are not working very often, can’t really make a living at this. It’s going to take an incredible amount of patience and messaging, and we just got to stick to it.” | https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-actor-max-greenfield-urges-studio-ceos-to-be-the-heroes-and-make-a-deal-in-hollywood-strikes/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:09 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-actor-max-greenfield-urges-studio-ceos-to-be-the-heroes-and-make-a-deal-in-hollywood-strikes/ |
DALLAS (AP) — The combat boots and dog tags Alan Alda wore while playing the wisecracking surgeon Hawkeye on the beloved television series “M-A-S-H” sold at auction Friday for $125,000.
Alda held onto the boots and dog tags for more than 40 years after the show ended but decided to sell them through Heritage Auctions in Dallas to raise money for his center dedicated to helping scientists and doctors communicate better.
The buyer’s name wasn’t released.
Alda, 87, said he wore the boots and dog tags for the 11-season run of the show about a Korean War medical unit. His character, Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce, was a talented surgeon who helped ease the stress of working in a war zone with quips and practical jokes. The show’s final episode, which aired in 1983 and was written and directed by Alda, was the most watched TV show in U.S. history.
The boots and dog tags, given to him by the costume department, “made an impression on me every day that we shot the show,” said Alda, who won five Emmys for his work on the sitcom.
Alda said auctioning off the dog tags and boots now made sense. “I saw this as a chance to put them to work again,” he said.
The money raised from the auction will go to the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University in New York, which aims to help scientists and doctors communicate better through the use of improvisational exercises and other strategies.
_____
Associated Press writer Ken Miller in Oklahoma City contributed to this report. | https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-boots-and-dog-tags-alan-alda-wore-on-m-a-s-h-sell-at-auction-for-125000-that-will-go-to-charity/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:11 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-boots-and-dog-tags-alan-alda-wore-on-m-a-s-h-sell-at-auction-for-125000-that-will-go-to-charity/ |
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.ijpr.org/npr-news/2023-07-28/trader-joes-recalls-its-frozen-falafel-for-possibly-having-rocks-in-it | 2023-07-29T13:23:11 | 0 | https://www.ijpr.org/npr-news/2023-07-28/trader-joes-recalls-its-frozen-falafel-for-possibly-having-rocks-in-it |
Top Player Prop Bets for Marlins vs. Tigers on July 29, 2023
The Miami Marlins host the Detroit Tigers at LoanDepot park on Saturday at 4:10 PM ET. Those looking to place a player prop wager can find odds for Luis Arraez, Spencer Torkelson and others in this game.
Bet on this matchup or its props with BetMGM!
Marlins vs. Tigers Game Info
- When: Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 4:10 PM ET
- Where: LoanDepot park in Miami, Florida
- How to Watch on TV: Fox Sports 1
- Live Stream: Watch the MLB on Fubo!
Discover More About This Game
MLB Props Today: Miami Marlins
Johnny Cueto Props
- Strikeouts Prop: Over/Under 4.5 (Over Odds: -145)
Cueto Stats
- The Marlins will send Johnny Cueto to the mound for his third start of the season.
Cueto Recent Games
Check out the latest odds and place your bets on any of Johnny Cueto's player props with BetMGM.
Luis Arraez Props
- Hits Prop: Over/Under 1.5 (Over Odds: +145)
- Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +115)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +1100)
- RBI Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +195)
Arraez Stats
- Arraez has 24 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 30 walks and 51 RBI (144 total hits). He has stolen one base.
- He has a .380/.428/.478 slash line so far this year.
- Arraez has picked up at least one hit in two straight games. In his last five games he is batting .500 with four doubles, a triple, a walk and five RBI.
Arraez Recent Games
Jorge Soler Props
- Hits Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: -233)
- Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: -105)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +360)
- RBI Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +165)
Soler Stats
- Jorge Soler has collected 88 hits with 19 doubles, 24 home runs and 47 walks. He has driven in 54 runs with one stolen base.
- He has a .240/.332/.488 slash line on the year.
Soler Recent Games
Bet on player props for Luis Arraez, Jorge Soler or other Marlins players with BetMGM.
Buy officially licensed gear for your favorite teams and players at Fanatics!
MLB Props Today: Detroit Tigers
Spencer Torkelson Props
- Hits Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: -244)
- Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +115)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +390)
- RBI Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +145)
Torkelson Stats
- Torkelson has 90 hits with 23 doubles, a triple, 15 home runs, 43 walks and 58 RBI. He's also stolen two bases.
- He's slashing .232/.311/.412 so far this year.
Torkelson Recent Games
Javier Báez Props
- Hits Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: -227)
- Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +155)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +750)
- RBI Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +205)
Báez Stats
- Javier Baez has 86 hits with 12 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 16 walks and 47 RBI. He's also stolen nine bases.
- He's slashed .225/.263/.332 so far this year.
Báez Recent Games
Bet on player props for Spencer Torkelson, Javier Báez or other Tigers players with BetMGM.
Not all offers available in all states. Please gamble responsibly. If you or someone you know has developed a gambling problem or addiction, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.valleynewslive.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/marlins-vs-tigers-mlb-player-prop-bets/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:11 | 0 | https://www.valleynewslive.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/marlins-vs-tigers-mlb-player-prop-bets/ |
ELY — Virginia Jensen and Ruurd Schoolderman spend their winters gliding along Hidden Valley Recreation Area’s cross-country ski trails.
But now, Jensen, who lives in the Twin Cities but has a cabin near Ely, and Schoolderman, of Duluth, can spend their summers there on two wheels, riding the park’s recently completed system of mountain bike trails.
Construction on the 9.1-mile system began in 2020 with trails opening as they were completed. The final loop opened last month.
The singletrack trails are generally smooth with gentle climbs and long downhills. It's interspersed with rock gardens and other features, while two loops feature a jump line and skills park.
“I’m a newer mountain biker … (the trails) are nice and flowy and not that hard,” Jensen said on a recent Friday afternoon ride. “I fell once last year, but I’ve been seated the whole time with no stops — for now.”
ADVERTISEMENT
And for Ely, already a destination for outdoor enthusiasts, the trails fill a void. In the past decade, singletrack trails — wide enough for just one hiker or cyclist — have popped up on the Iron Range, Crosby-Ironton, the North Shore and Duluth. But this is the first for the Ely area.
“It’s nice to have it as an opportunity here with everything else that you can do,” said Schoolderman, of Duluth. “A good option to have.”
On any given summer day, vehicles with a canoe or two strapped to the roof can be seen lining downtown Ely streets. Most visitors are headed in or out of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
But more vehicles are sporting bike racks. Or, in the case of a camper van parked in the Hidden Valley trailhead parking recently, both a canoe on the roof and a bike rack on the hitch.
“Ely tourism has largely centered around people heading into the Boundary Waters for fishing and paddling,” Harold Langowski, Ely city clerk, said in a Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation news release announcing the trail system’s grand opening. “The city is now becoming known as a mountain biking destination as well.”
The project cost a total of $480,000, half of which was funded through IRRR’s Regional Trails grant program to the city. Federal grants and private donations paid for the rest.
Brett Ross, board chair of the Ely Nordic Ski and Bike Club, said the trails were the brainchild of retired dentist Scott Anderson.
Ross said six or seven years ago, he’d be running along the ski trails with his dogs when a sudden crashing sound would come from the woods.
ADVERTISEMENT
“And Scott Anderson would come riding out on his mountain bike on basically deer trails going, ‘I think we can put singletrack in here,’” Ross said. “So that’s really where it grew.”
Anderson has long been a bike enthusiast and said he began pitching the idea after hearing that a community with 20 miles of a trail would become a destination for riders. While it’s just shy of half that right now (Anderson and Ross are already eyeing funding and plans to expand the trail system), Anderson is already seeing an impact.
Children bike past Anderson’s house when they ride from town to the trailhead.
“It’s a good sport. They’re outside, no motors … it’s attracted a lot of kids,” Anderson said.
Team Borealis, a mountain bike team made up of riders from sixth to 12th grades, formed in 2021 as a few of the loops were completed.
Head coach Mark Sponholz said Hidden Valley serves as the team's home base, and where they practice most days, save for the occasional ride at Lookout Mountain in Virginia or Redhead Mountain Bike Park in Chisholm.
“The experience would be dramatically diminished if it wasn’t right there,” Sponholz said. “We’d be training a lot on ski trails, and then going to try and race singletrack and not have that sort of day-to-day experience and understanding what that looks like.”
And, the singletrack out there is just fun.
ADVERTISEMENT
“There’s not a lot of trail,” Sponholz said. “But they’re some of the best trails that I’ve ridden anywhere in northern Minnesota." | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/northland-outdoors/ely-gets-first-singletrack-mountain-bike-trails | 2023-07-29T13:23:12 | 1 | https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/sports/northland-outdoors/ely-gets-first-singletrack-mountain-bike-trails |
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A judge in Florida on Friday refused to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Gov. Ron DeSantis appointees against Disney’s efforts to neutralize the governor’s takeover of Disney World’s governing district.
The judge in state court in Orlando denied Disney’s motion in the lawsuit that says the company wrongly stripped appointees of powers over design and construction at Disney World when it made agreements with predecessors, who were supporters.
The case is one of two lawsuits stemming from the takeover, which was retaliation for the company’s public opposition to the so-called Don’t Say Gay legislation championed by DeSantis and Republican lawmakers. In the other lawsuit, in federal court in Tallahassee, Disney says DeSantis violated the company’s free speech rights.
The governor has touted his yearlong feud with Disney in his run for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, often accusing the entertainment giant of being too “woke.” Disney has accused the governor of violating its First Amendment rights.
Attorneys for Disney had argued that any decision in state court would be moot since the Republican-controlled Legislature already has passed a law voiding agreements that the company made with a prior governing board made up of Disney supporters that gave design and construction powers to the company.
The entertainment giant had asked that the state court case be put on hold if it’s not dismissed until the federal lawsuit in Tallahassee was resolved since they covered the same ground and that lawsuit was filed first.
In that case, Disney sued DeSantis and his appointees to the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in an effort to stop the takeover, saying the governor was violating the company’s free speech and “weaponizing the power of government to punish private business.”
DeSantis wasn’t a party in the state court lawsuit.
The fight between DeSantis and Disney began last year after the company, facing significant pressure internally and externally, publicly opposed a state law banning classroom lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades, a policy critics call “Don’t Say Gay.”
As punishment, DeSantis took over the district through legislation passed by Florida lawmakers and appointed a new board of supervisors to oversee municipal services for the sprawling theme parks and hotels. But before the new board came in, the company made agreements with previous oversight board members who were Disney supporters that stripped the new supervisors of their authority over design and construction.
In response, DeSantis and Florida lawmakers passed the legislation that repealed those agreements.
Disney announced in May that it was scrapping plans to build a new campus in central Florida and relocate 2,000 employees from Southern California to work in digital technology, finance and product development. Disney had planned to build the campus about 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the giant Walt Disney World theme park resort.
___
Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at @MikeSchneiderAP | https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-judge-refuses-to-dismiss-lawsuit-against-disneys-efforts-to-neutralize-governing-district-takeover/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:17 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-judge-refuses-to-dismiss-lawsuit-against-disneys-efforts-to-neutralize-governing-district-takeover/ |
SAN FRANCISCO — The city of San Francisco has opened a complaint and launched an investigation into a giant "X" sign that was installed Friday on top of the downtown building formerly known as Twitter headquarters as owner Elon Musk continues his rebrand of the social media platform.
City officials say replacing letters or symbols on buildings, or erecting a sign on top of one, requires a permit for design and safety reasons.
The X appeared after San Francisco police stopped workers on Monday from removing the brand's iconic bird and logo from the side of the building, saying they hadn't taped off the sidewalk to keep pedestrians safe if anything fell.
Any replacement letters or symbols would require a permit to ensure "consistency with the historic nature of the building" and to make sure additions are safely attached to the sign, Patrick Hannan, spokesperson for the Department of Building Inspection said earlier this week.
Erecting a sign on top of a building also requires a permit, Hannan said Friday.
"Planning review and approval is also necessary for the installation of this sign. The city is opening a complaint and initiating an investigation," he said in an email.
Musk unveiled a new "X" logo to replace Twitter's famous blue bird as he remakes the social media platform he bought for $44 billion last year. The X started appearing at the top of the desktop version of Twitter on Monday.
Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla, has long been fascinated with the letter X and had already renamed Twitter's corporate name to X Corp. after he bought it in October. One of his children is called "X." The child's actual name is a collection of letters and symbols.
On Friday afternoon, a worker on a lift machine made adjustments to the sign and then left.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.ijpr.org/npr-news/2023-07-28/x-logo-installed-atop-twitter-building-spurring-san-francisco-to-investigate | 2023-07-29T13:23:17 | 0 | https://www.ijpr.org/npr-news/2023-07-28/x-logo-installed-atop-twitter-building-spurring-san-francisco-to-investigate |
The 75th Emmy Awards are the latest production to be put on pause due to the Hollywood strikes and will not air as planned in September.
A person familiar with the postponement plans but not authorized to speak publicly pending an official announcement confirmed the delay Friday. No information about a new date was immediately available.
The Emmy Awards were scheduled to be broadcast on Fox on Sept. 18. Rules laid out by the actors’ union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, say stars cannot campaign for the Emmys or attend awards shows while on strike.
Writers are also not permitted to work on awards shows until the strike ends.
Whenever the next Emmy Awards are held, HBO will walk in as the leading contender. The network is up for 74 awards for three of its top shows: “ Succession,” “The White Lotus” and “The Last of Us.”
“Ted Lasso” has the most comedy category nominations with 21, including best comedy series and best actor for Jason Sudeikis.
Roughly 65,000 SAG-AFTRA actors and 11,500 Writers Guild of America screenwriters are on strike, calling for better pay, structure with residual payments and protection from the use of artificial intelligence. | https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-the-emmy-awards-are-postponed-due-to-the-hollywood-actors-and-writers-strike-source-says/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:23 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-the-emmy-awards-are-postponed-due-to-the-hollywood-actors-and-writers-strike-source-says/ |
Top stories this week: Puppy adoption woes; jailhouse gal pals; new Providence restaurants
- One injured seal's ordeal on Block Island, and how Mystic Aquarium's first responders came to the rescue.
- Pawtucket is going the extra mile to help the needy with the state's only municipally-owned shelter and 24/7 cooling center. What are their plans for expansion?
- Sports coverage of Patriots training camp, the new Rhode Island FC soccer team, and the unveiling of the spring All-State high school teams.
- 5 fun boat tours to beat the heat, from gondola rides to whale-watching cruises.
Here's a look at some of The Providence Journal's most-read stories for the week of July 23, supported by your subscriptions.
- When marine animals run into trouble on Rhode Island shores, staff and volunteers at Connecticut's Mystic Aquarium spring into action. The Journal follows the saga of one gray seal that was stranded on Block Island with its tail tangled in fishing line.
- Pawtucket is an outlier in Rhode Island when it comes to serving those in need. The state's only municipally-owned shelter and 24/7 cooling center provides much more than a meal and a bed to those who pass through its doors, and they're hoping to expand. In Providence, columnist Mark Patinkin visits the encampment off Charles Street, where those living in tents talk about their struggles, their hopes and the makeshift "family" that sustains them.
- The Patriots opened training camp this week, with QB Mac Jones vowing to make a "fresh start" after a frustrating 2022 campaign. For more on training camp, the latest on the Rhode Island FC soccer team and the unveiling of the spring All-State high school teams and other high school and college sports news, go to providencejournal.com/sports.
- Want to get out on the water to beat the heat? Here are five ideas for boat tours.
- Did you keep up with the week's events? Take our news quiz.
Here are the week's top reads on providencejournal.com:
RI's animal rescues are overwhelmed with dogs. They're hoping to find adopters.
Tammy Gallo, executive director of Heart of RI Animal Rescue League, says that never in her 25 years of doing this job has she seen puppies going weeks without being adopted – until this year. She has 16 puppies at the shelter right now, including golden retriever mixes with floppy ears and oversized paws.
And most years, in June and July she’s seen an increase of people looking to add a pet to their family. But this year, she’s seen an increase in pets being surrendered to the shelter. There are all kinds of reasons – moves, changing work schedules, an inability to afford a pet as the cost of inflation rises.
“This is definitely the worst it’s ever been,” Gallo said.
Pets: RI's animal rescues are overwhelmed with dogs. They're hoping to find adopters.
Disgraced RI socialite strikes up jailhouse friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, tabloid says
East Greenwich socialite Monique Brady, who swindled millions from friends and family, has made a new buddy behind bars: convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell – at least according to the American news site Daily Mail.
The site reported that the two had “struck up a firm friendship” at a federal correctional facility In Tallahassee. Florida.
Maxwell, 61, also a disgraced former socialite, is serving 20 years for her part in helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually exploit and abuse minor girls.
In 2020, U.S. District Chief Judge John J. McConnell sentenced Brady, 48, to eight years behind bars for crimes related to her Ponzi-like real estate investment scheme that bilked 23 victims out of $4.8 million.
Courts: Disgraced RI socialite strikes up jailhouse friendship with Ghislaine Maxwell, tabloid says
Former CVS VP says company made him the fall guy in harassment scandal in new lawsuit
A former senior vice president at CVS Health who helped oversee the pharmacy chain’s pandemic response is suing his ex-employer, accusing the company of illegally reneging on his severance agreement and scapegoating him as a publicity move amid a sexual harassment scandal.
Emmanuel Kolady sued CVS Pharmacy Inc., CVS Health Corp. and other CVS entities in U.S. District Court, alleging that the company breached its severance agreement with him, violated wage laws and arbitrarily and capriciously denied his benefits claims.
According to Kolady, CVS breached the agreement under false pretenses to scapegoat him for sexual harassment allegations against a manager who did not report directly to him – claims he said he had no involvement in and was not aware of until being told by human resources.
Courts: Former CVS VP says company made him the fall guy in harassment scandal in new lawsuit
Matos has 94% of nominating signatures tossed in Jamestown. How did other campaigns compare?
Collecting signatures for candidate nomination papers can be sloppy business, but one campaign worker for Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos, who is running for the Democratic nomination in the 1st Congressional District, made a particular mess leading to a criminal investigation.
While a Providence Journal review of papers filed in Jamestown, where the Matos campaign's errors first came to light, showed that other campaigns had signatures rejected, 94.1% of the Matos signatures were rejected, a rate more than four times higher than the other candidates.
Politics: Matos has 94% of nominating signatures tossed in Jamestown. How did other campaigns compare?
Providence welcomes three new restaurants. These are the dishes you've got to try.
Providence is home to three new restaurants that add to the city's rich dining menu.
Gift Horse, from a James Beard nominated chef, brings a raw bar and seafood specialties to downtown. There, There, in the West End, is a modern diner with comfort food and a comfortable vibe. And Seoul Providence, in Davol Square, is an Asian fusion restaurant by day and a place to dance by night.
Food editor Gail Ciampa tells you which cocktails and dishes you won't want to miss.
Dining: Providence welcomes three new restaurants. These are the dishes you've got to try.
To read the full stories, go to providencejournal.com. Find out how to subscribe here. | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2023/07/29/providence-journal-top-stories-puppy-crisis-providence-restaurants-monique-brady-ghislaine-maxwell/70479074007/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:24 | 0 | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2023/07/29/providence-journal-top-stories-puppy-crisis-providence-restaurants-monique-brady-ghislaine-maxwell/70479074007/ |
NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Police in North Little Rock are actively investigating a deadly shooting Saturday morning.
Around 2 a.m., officers with the North Little Rock Police Department said they responded to gunshots in the 1200 block of Graham Ave.
While on the scene, officers say they located a man who had been shot inside a residence. The victim was transported to a local hospital where he later died.
Police have not released the victim’s identity.
Detectives with the NLRPD are currently investigating the deadly shooting and are asking anyone with information to call the Tip Line at 501-680-8439 or Detective Gibbons at 501-771-7149.
This is an on-going investigating. Check back for updates. | https://www.fox16.com/crime/north-little-rock-police-investigating-early-morning-homicide-on-graham-ave/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:24 | 1 | https://www.fox16.com/crime/north-little-rock-police-investigating-early-morning-homicide-on-graham-ave/ |
DEAR AMY: My friend “Annie” and I are both in our mid-20s and love musicals. We decided to travel to New York in October to see a few shows.
The tickets were fairly pricey, so I was planning on saving money by staying with a friend who lives in the city. I thought my friend could probably make room for Annie, too.
After we agreed on the dates and shows, Annie sent me a screenshot with an order confirmation for her tickets, accompanied by a message saying she’d invited her husband and hoped that was okay.
I was frustrated. It was the first time in our planning she’d mentioned her husband coming. The way she did it really boxed me in.
Her husband and I are friends, but the past few times he joined us for shows he fell asleep and audibly snored.
If she had brought it up earlier, I would have pushed back.
I now have two questions: First, my friend can’t host three extra people in their tiny apartment.
Is it all right if I leave Annie and her husband to find a hotel on their own?
How do I express that even though I like her husband, I don’t always want him included on every trip; and that she needs to ask way earlier in the planning process if she wants to bring him?
– Broadway Blues
DEAR BROADWAY: Younger couples sometimes feel the need to do every single thing together (more seasoned couples offer one another more latitude), and I have a theory that “Annie’s” husband might have wheeled his way in, just as she was perusing the online theater seating chart for her ticket.
But even if Annie felt danced into a corner, she absolutely should have run this change past you before committing.
You fear that your friend’s choice has transformed your fun two-person Broadway weekend into a production of Sartre’s famous three-character play “No Exit” (“Hell is other people…”), but I hope you will take this as a valuable lesson to always communicate and clarify. (Trust me, this lesson is worth the price of a Broadway ticket.)
Tell her now, “I’m frustrated. I thought this was a two-person weekend. I like your husband, but now I feel like a third wheel. I really wish you had discussed this with me beforehand. Also, unfortunately there is no way my friend can squeeze in three extra people, so can you two find a place to stay?”
After telling her this, I hope you will simply will yourself into having a fun time in New York. If you let this frustration defeat you, the weekend really will have been a waste.
***
DEAR AMY: I am flabbergasted by the letter from “Disturbed” telling us about the wedding invitation she received that was asking for donations toward the honeymoon destination, the wedding cake, etc.
I hope most potential newlyweds would understand how off-putting it actually is.
I had a beautiful wedding and requested nothing from my guests, except their treasured attendance!
– Put Off
DEAR PUT OFF: Marrying couples may have misunderstood my off-repeated advice that they need to finance their own weddings.
(I never intended that their guests should pay.)
***
MORE FROM ASK AMY:
Ask Amy: Father/daughter trip leaves mother feeling left out
Ask Amy: Neighbor opens misdirected mail ... not once, but twice
Ask Amy: My son’s wife made it clear he was too close to his mother and that it must stop
Ask Amy: Vietnam vet hopes to reconcile with his sister and her husband, who dodged the draft
Ask Amy: Life with a low-level pot dealer
***
(You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. You can also follow her on Twitter @askingamy or Facebook.)
©2023 Amy Dickinson. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/advice/2023/07/ask-amy-my-friend-invited-her-husband-on-a-girls-trip-and-now-we-have-a-lodging-problem.html | 2023-07-29T13:23:24 | 1 | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/advice/2023/07/ask-amy-my-friend-invited-her-husband-on-a-girls-trip-and-now-we-have-a-lodging-problem.html |
Director Oliver Stone declares he 'made a mistake' when he voted for Biden, says he may start 'World War 3'
Stone warned that Biden is 'dragging us stupidly into a confrontation' with Russia
Filmmaker Oliver Stone lamented on a podcast that he regrets voting for President Joe Biden, noting the president may lead America into World War 3.
Stone spoke on a recent episode of commentator Russell Brand’s talk show "Stay Free" on Rumble. Stone won international fame for his documentaries, one of which was "Ukraine on Fire." This documentary is described on IMDb as one that details the ousting of Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych in a "coup d'état" aided by the United States government in 2014.
Stone spoke about producing the documentary and how it explains the origins of the current war raging in Eastern Europe.
"You have to look at the reasons for this war, and whenever you do, the Americans like to simplify and say it’s a question of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. That’s very simplistic and very black-and-white," he said, recounting how he produced "Ukraine on Fire" which he argued, "explains the origins of this war in the coup d'état of 2014 which was sponsored and supported thoroughly by the United States, it was a very deep plan to penetrate the Russian Federation."
NORTH KOREAN, RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTERS HOLD MEETING IN PYONGYANG AMID CELEBRATIONS
He then slammed the "Neoconservative movement who started the war in Iraq" who yet remain "deep inside our government," citing prominent figures like Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken. He went on to add that "Biden is an old Cold Warrior, and he really hates the old Soviet Union which he confounds again with the Russian Federation, which is not communist."
Stone warned that unless the United States changes its "suicidal" course, it faces a "potential World War 3" and then slammed Biden’s leadership.
"If we don’t stop this, what Biden is doing, this guy is – I voted for him – I made a mistake, I was thinking he was an old man now that he would calm down, that he would be more mellow and so-forth, I didn’t see that at all," he said. "I see a man who maybe is not in charge of his own administration. Who knows?"
Stone warned, "it seems that he’s dragging us stupidly into a confrontation with a power that is not going to give. This is their borders. This is their world. This is NATO going into Ukraine. This is a whole other story."
He also argued that the conflict has the United States being "dragged" into a volatile conflict similar to that which sparked in the Balkans in World War 1.
Stone noted the ethnic complexity of this conflict in that "our allies are rabid anti-Russian people" and have been fighting against ethnic Russians who live in eastern Ukraine, claiming that the media does not recognize that these ethnic Russians have been seeking autonomy, "that’s all they asked for in 2014."
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
He followed by claiming that a negotiation for ethnic Russian autonomy in eastern Ukraine had almost been reached toward the start of the war in 2022, until "America squelched it," suggesting, "they didn’t want the deal, they didn’t want the peace treaty. They don’t want to give autonomy to Donetsk and Lugansk. Now look where we are. It’s gotten worse, and it’s going to get worse." | https://www.foxnews.com/media/director-oliver-stone-declares-made-mistake-voted-biden-says-start-world-war-3 | 2023-07-29T13:23:24 | 0 | https://www.foxnews.com/media/director-oliver-stone-declares-made-mistake-voted-biden-says-start-world-war-3 |
Flor Marte knows someone will die. She knows when and how, because it came to her in a dream. That's her gift – all the women in the Marte family have one.
But Flor refuses to share who the dream is about. Instead, she insists on throwing herself a living wake, a reason for the entire family to come together and celebrate their lives. That's the starting point for Elizabeth Acevedo's debut novel for adults, Family Lore.
Acevedo grew up in Harlem, with summer visits to the Dominican Republic, and aspirations of becoming a rapper – until a literature teacher invited her to join an after-school poetry club.
She attended reluctantly; but what she found in spoken word performance broke her world and the possibilities of language wide open.
"I think for folks who maybe have felt it difficult to occupy their bodies and take up space and demand attention, to have three minutes where that is the requirement is really powerful," she says.
Acevedo went on to become a National Poetry Slam champion and earn degrees in performing arts and creative writing. After college, she taught language arts in Prince George's County, Maryland. Teaching, she says, is its own kind of performance – one where the audience doesn't always want to be there. But her students were struggling in other ways.
"So many of my young people weren't at grade level, but they'd also not encountered literature that they felt reflected them," she says. "Trying to meet some of those students where they were was really a kickoff for my writing."
So Acevedo began writing young adult books. The Poet X, her first novel about a Dominican-American teen finding her voice through poetry, won a National Book Award in 2018.
Pivoting to a new audience
Now, with Family Lore, Acevedo turns her attention to adult readers.
"I think the way this pushes forward her work and the growing body of Dominican-American literature is how deeply she writes into the interiors of her women characters," says author Naima Coster, who read an early draft of the novel.
The story is told through memories, out of order, sometimes a memory within a different memory. Acevedo jumps from the Dominican countryside to Santo Domingo to New York, as sisters Matilde, Flor, Pastora and Camila – along with younger generation Ona and Yadi – reflect on their childhoods and teenage romances and the secrets that bind them all together. Though the Marte women grow older together, their relationships do not get easier.
"What does it mean if these women have really just had a different experience of their mother?" says Acevedo. "And how that different experience of their mother automatically will create a schism, because now it's like, 'You don't remember her the way I remember her, and because of that, I can't trust you."
There are infidelities, miscarriages, childhood love affairs and therapeutic dance classes. Acevedo explains that she needed to tell this story in a non-linear format, in the way memories surface and warp; the way family gossip is passed on from person to person, in a roundabout way.
Returning to the body
That format, she says, was more suited for adult readers; and writing for adults also allowed her to be candid about bodies: how they move, change, excite, disappoint.
"The generation I was raised by felt like their relationship to their body was very othered," Acevedo says. "When I speak to my cousins, when I think about myself, it's been a return to desire, a return to the gut, a return to health in a way that isn't necessarily about size but is about: who am I in this vessel and how do I love it?"
That tension is felt especially by the younger Marte women, whose supernatural gifts radiate from within. Ona has a self-described "alpha vagina," Yadi has a special taste for sour limes.
Naima Coster says it's easy to feel pressure to write about marginalized communities as clean-cut, exemplary characters. But Family Lore relishes in airing out the Marte family's dirty laundry– in showing Afro-Dominican women as full, complicated protagonists.
"It feels major, the way she writes about the ways that these women misunderstand each other, but still love each other," she says.
Acevedo says those themes – family, home, Blackness, power – will be in every book she writes, "because those are the questions that haunt me."
Family Lore reads like the feeling of getting older and no longer having moms and aunts lower their voices when you enter the room – like finally being privy to what makes a family flawed and perfect.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.ijpr.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-29/in-family-lore-award-winning-ya-author-elizabeth-acevedo-turns-to-adult-readers | 2023-07-29T13:23:24 | 0 | https://www.ijpr.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-29/in-family-lore-award-winning-ya-author-elizabeth-acevedo-turns-to-adult-readers |
There are dueling efforts in Florida by activists on both sides of the abortion issue to insert language into the state constitution.
Copyright 2023 NPR
There are dueling efforts in Florida by activists on both sides of the abortion issue to insert language into the state constitution.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/activists-on-both-sides-of-the-abortion-issue-are-trying-to-change-floridas-constitution | 2023-07-29T13:23:24 | 1 | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/activists-on-both-sides-of-the-abortion-issue-are-trying-to-change-floridas-constitution |
NEW YORK (AP) — Rapper Travis Scott has released “Utopia,” his first album in five years and his first major release since 10 people died at his 2021 Astroworld music festival.
The star-studded 19-track “Utopia” features Beyoncé, SZA, Drake, Sampha, Young Thug, Playboi Carti, Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, Future, Bon Iver, James Blake, Kid Cudi, 21 Savage, and many more.
The LP, Scott’s fourth full-length, was originally announced back in 2020 and follows 2018’s “Astroworld.” In November 2019, 10 people died as a result of compression asphyxia during a massive crowd surge during Scott’s Astroworld festival. A grand jury declined to file charges against Scott earlier this year.
Also Friday, Houston police released files that showed that some workers were concerned about the crowd conditions at the show. The 1,300-page report also included a summary of an interview with Scott in which he said he did not hear calls from the crowd to stop the show.
The first track from the album, the popetón -adjacent “K-pop”, was released on July 21 and features the Weeknd and Bad Bunny. The release spans genres — an eclectic mix of autotune ambient ballads (“My Eyes”), ferocious bars (“Looove”), futuristic trap (“Lost Forever,” Telekinesis”), and beyond.
In addition to the album, Scott hosted a one-night-only release of his feature film, “Circus Maximus” at select theaters on Thursday night.
“Utopia” was originally scheduled to be celebrated with a livestreamed concert at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, but was canceled due to “complex production issues,” Live Nation said in a statement. | https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-travis-scott-drops-utopia-his-first-album-since-the-astroworld-festival-tragedy/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:29 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-travis-scott-drops-utopia-his-first-album-since-the-astroworld-festival-tragedy/ |
Want to help kids in foster care? 'Duffle Bag Bash' planned to collect bags for belongings.
The life of a child in the foster care system is beset with adversity, namely being uprooted from family and often shifting from foster home to foster home and school system to school system with little to no notice.
With that in mind, lawyer Lise Iwon in 2016 began to consider “What if we could do something … what if we could ask people for one small contribution to help make these transitions a little easier?”
Together with former Child Advocate Jennifer Griffith and Adoption Rhode Island, they conceived of a way to relieve the children of at least one indignity – no longer would they have to move their belongings from placement to placement in a trash bag.
They collaborated to organize the first annual “Duffle Bag Bash,” an event where guests were asked to donate a brand-new rolling duffle bag or suitcase, or bring a $25 gift certificate as the price of admission.
More:It takes a village to fix recruitment, retention issues at DCYF. Here's why | Opinion
What is the Duffle Bag Bash?
The “Duffle Bag Bash” has been held every year since at the Matunuck Community Association, at 619 Matunuck Beach Road in South Kingstown. It’s an afternoon filled with children’s games, face-painting, therapy pets and guest appearances by firefighting crews, complete with firetrucks for kids to inspect. Burgers, hotdogs, popcorn, snow cones and cool drinks are on the menu, along with other fare.
The event has grown each year, helping countless children and youth in state foster and residential care throughout the year.
This year’s bash will take place Aug. 13 from noon to 3 p.m., with Aug. 14 as the rain date. In addition to food and drinks, it will include "Pick a Pail" grab bags, games and activities for kids and adults, music, and more.
All are welcome with an admission “fee” of one brand new backpack or $25 gift certificate. Guests are asked to pre-register at http://dufflebagbash.eventbrite.com, though walk-ins are welcomed.
Anyone interested in helping but unable to attend may drop off their donation at Adoption Rhode Island, 290 West Exchange St., Suite 100, Providence, or made online at http://weblink.donorperfect.com/dufflebagbash2023. | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2023/07/29/ri-foster-kids-duffle-bag-bash-adoption-rhode-island-dcyf/70485007007/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:30 | 0 | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/local/2023/07/29/ri-foster-kids-duffle-bag-bash-adoption-rhode-island-dcyf/70485007007/ |
SATURDAY: Temperatures will quickly warm from the 70s Saturday morning into the 100s for many Arkansans during the afternoon. There is a heat advisory for most of Arkansas for feels-like temperatures over 105°. Skies will be mostly sunny with a southwest wind of around 5 mph.
SUNDAY: I’m forecasting temperatures to be even hotter Sunday afternoon. I think Little Rock will reach 101° with feels like temperatures near 110°. There is a 20% chance for a shower or storm, but it looks like most of the activity will be in Northern Arkansas.
WORK WEEK: It looks like higher humidity will move into Arkansas early next week. This will lead to lower temperatures but feels like temperatures will be just as high. There is also a small rain chance on Monday and Tuesday, but most will stay dry. Unfortunately, the triple digits will likely return by the middle of next week.
– Meteorologist Alex Libby
Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram | https://www.fox16.com/weather/weather-forecasts/arkansas-storm-team-forecast-100-today/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:30 | 0 | https://www.fox16.com/weather/weather-forecasts/arkansas-storm-team-forecast-100-today/ |
Etsy accused of banning 'De-Trans Awareness' products for violating 'prohibited items policy'
Detransitioner Laura Becker attacked the company on social media
Etsy has been removing shirts and products that promoted "detransitioning," according to artist and detransitioner Laura Becker.
Becker tweeted on Wednesday that Etsy had removed items from her online shop for allegedly violating their "Prohibited Items Policy."
"Etsy has f-cked with me for the last time. After banning my ‘Funky Human Female’ shirts last month, I’ve now received notice that my ‘De-Trans Awareness’ and ‘Believe De-Transitioners—First Do No Harm’ shirts are removed," Becker tweeted. "This is my Final Warning before my store will be permanently banned. It is time to boycott Etsy. They do not support free speech, women, or medical trauma survivors. I’m not taking it. Share and boost. It’s a war now."
Her tweets included screenshots of Etsy’s email to her warning that her account could be permanently suspended following multiple violations of the policy.
"As a reminder, Etsy prohibits any content that promotes, supports, or glorifies hatred or violence towards protected groups. This includes items or listings that that are demeaning or disparaging towards people based upon: race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, disability, or sexual orientation," the email read.
Becker wrote that this followed the company removing other listings back in June.
"One thing that triggered me to take my 1st Twitter break was that my Etsy store has started being targeted by TRAs. I received these harassing messages a day before most of my feminist listings were forcibly deactivated by Etsy for supposedly violating their policy," she tweeted at the time.
Becker posted images of messages from a user named "Clammy Sammy" who attacked her for her status as a detransitioner.
"Detrasitioners [sic] are misguided fools. It’s their fault they ruined their bodies. Trans people have nothing to do with them…be better nazi scum," one message read.
Another read, "Don’t show them evil lest you become it. If you’re detransitioning that’s valid but don’t blame doctors for your foolish choices. You are making the world a more bitter place by producing bigoted merchandise. Find peace."
Becker wrote that she reported these messages and the removal of her items as "Discrimination Based on Gender Identity and Disability." While she received a message back, there was apparently no acknowledgment of her removed listings.
"A generic response with no actual reference to the content of the hate messages. 0 addressing of the listings being removed after being targeted by this person. This is the message I sent following up asking for clarification. Now we wait and see if they’ll actually address the listings being removed and specify why," she tweeted along with an image of her message.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Becker said "As a public de-transitioner, artist, writer, and speaker, I created a ‘De-Trans Awareness’ collection of apparel and home goods to support medical ethics and those harmed by gender medicine. Etsy has removed these products in my ‘Funk God’ store for violating their policy without explanation."
She continued, "I am disheartened that my art and message is being censored, and that Etsy is not supporting their small businesses. Etsy’s caviler [sic] removal has affected my livelihood and is an alarming precedent for free speech."
Becker previously appeared in the documentary "No Way Back: The Reality of Gender-Affirming Care" which featured stories from detransitioners. After intense pressure from a group called the Queer Trans Project, AMC Theaters abruptly canceled screenings of the movie.
"I think it's incredibly dangerous to set this precedent of suppressing free speech, suppressing viewpoints that basically are just unpopular or difficult to deal with," Becker told "Fox & Friends" in June.
On Thursday, Becker announced efforts to set up her own online store for supporters to purchase merchandise.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"I am currently working on setting up a store on my website. It will take some time to get all the products up, but I am starting with the banned feminist and de-trans awareness merch! Stay tuned for when you can get funky stuff without censorship!" Becker tweeted.
By Friday, however, Becker reported that four of her previously prohibited items were up and still available for purchase. Two of her ‘Funky Human Female’ shirts were still unavailable for purchase. Becker said she had yet to receive a specific response from Etsy regarding these issues.
Etsy has not responded to a Fox News Digital request for comment. | https://www.foxnews.com/media/etsy-accused-banning-de-trans-awareness-products-violating-prohibited-items-policy | 2023-07-29T13:23:30 | 1 | https://www.foxnews.com/media/etsy-accused-banning-de-trans-awareness-products-violating-prohibited-items-policy |
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I’ve heard a few people using the phrase “Don’t you want to ...” as a way to disguise nosy, unsolicited opinions. For instance:
“Don’t you want to stop renting that apartment and just buy a house?”
“Since you’ve adopted two children, don’t you want to have a biological one?”
“Don’t you want to take a break from working and just travel for a while?”
None of these are my own situation, but I find this tactic irritating. A person would already be doing (or attempting) these things if they wanted to and were able to.
If pointing out this rudeness in others is rude, what is the appropriate response?
GENTLE READER: “Of course we thought about that ...” and then let the sentence trail off, along with your ever-so-slightly condescending expression.
Miss Manners warns you not to be surprised when your busybody friends follow up with, “Don’t you want to finish that sentence?”
***
MORE FROM MISS MANNERS:
Miss Manners: I nearly regifted an item to the friend who gave it to me ... I’m mortified
Miss Manners: How should I respond to colleagues who act like I’ve exceeded my time in the restroom?
Miss Manners: I overheard an awkward question asked at checkout ... should I have intervened?
Miss Manners: Bride’s parents extend two hospitable invitations to guests
Miss Manners: Isn’t a fiancé someone you will marry in the next year, two at most?
***
(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, dearmissmanners@gmail.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)
***
COPYRIGHT 2023 JUDITH MARTIN
DISTRIBUTED BY ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION
1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106; 816-581-7500 | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/advice/2023/07/miss-manners-how-should-one-respond-when-an-irritating-tactic-is-used-to-disguise-unsolicited-opinions.html | 2023-07-29T13:23:30 | 0 | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/advice/2023/07/miss-manners-how-should-one-respond-when-an-irritating-tactic-is-used-to-disguise-unsolicited-opinions.html |
One of the largest Protestant denominations in the U.S. is losing congregations over disputes over LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage. (This story first aired on Morning Edition on July 25, 2023.)
Copyright 2023 NPR
One of the largest Protestant denominations in the U.S. is losing congregations over disputes over LGBTQ clergy and same-sex marriage. (This story first aired on Morning Edition on July 25, 2023.)
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/congregations-leave-united-methodist-church-over-defiance-of-lgbtq-bans | 2023-07-29T13:23:30 | 1 | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/congregations-leave-united-methodist-church-over-defiance-of-lgbtq-bans |
NEW YORK (AP) — The entertainment publication Variety, under fire this week for an article it published about former CNN chief Jeff Zucker’s interest in his old employer, revised the piece on Friday to reflect some of the complaints about it.
None of its changes affected what was written about Zucker, however. He has called for the story to be retracted.
The article by Tatiana Siegel, which initially ran online Tuesday, depicted Zucker as badmouthing his successor at CNN, Chris Licht, while simultaneously trying to buy the news organization that fired him in early 2021. Licht’s unsuccessful run atop the struggling news network ended with his firing in May.
The dispute also points to the dangers inherent in the use of confidential sources by journalists. There are at least a dozen claims made in the story that Variety did not attribute to a named source that were denied on the record, either in the story or after publication, leaving it up to readers to decide who to believe.
“There used to be a time when Variety held its content and its reporters to a high standard of truth and facts in journalism, but those days are clearly over,” said Risa Heller, a spokeswoman for Zucker. “It is stunning to read a piece that is so patently and aggressively false. On numerous occasions, we made it clear to the reporter and her editors that they were planning to publish countless anecdotes and alleged incidents that never happened. They did so anyway. The piece is a total joke.”
Variety’s co-editor-in-chiefs, Cynthia Littleton and Ramin Setoodeh, said in a statement Friday that they have been carefully following the conversation about the story.
“The story was heavily vetted and deeply sourced,” they said. “Everyone included in the story was asked to comment and given the chance to respond. We stand by our reporting and our award-winning reporter.”
The piece is also critical of two reporters who have covered CNN, Tim Alberta of The Atlantic and Dylan Byers of Puck. Both of those news organizations complained of inaccuracies and, in the changes made on Friday, Variety added their specific denials.
Zucker’s team hasn’t sought to hide ill feelings toward Licht, but strongly denied he has tried to buy CNN.
The story begins with an anecdote about Zucker, “with tears in his eyes,” approaching David Zaslav in Miami Beach in March. Zaslav is CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, current owners of CNN, and Variety said Zucker complained that Licht was unfairly maligning him in the press. Zaslav wanted to know if Zucker was trying to assemble investors to buy CNN.
Byers, writing for Puck, said “multiple sources” said no such run-in at the Faena Hotel ever took place and Zucker’s spokeswoman said that anecdote wasn’t checked with them; Variety says it was.
The story outlines several specific efforts made by Zucker, or on his behalf, to convince investors to join him in buying CNN. The story includes his denials: “Any allegation or insinuation that Jeff has made any effort to purchase CNN is unequivocally false,” Heller said. Zucker is now head of a private equity firm, RedBird IMI.
At one point, Variety also floated the theory that a secret group of investors was using Zucker’s name without his knowledge to approach Warner Bros. Discovery about buying CNN.
In a June 4 article, The New York Times reported that Zucker was not in talks to buy CNN, although “he has told some associates he would be interested in acquiring the network” if it came up for sale one day, the newspaper said.
The Variety article “struck me as utterly implausible and sophomoric,” Byers wrote for Puck this week.
Variety’s piece called Byers “a former Zucker disciple at CNN who, by his own admission, wrote about Licht incessantly and even took a victory lap after his exit.” The piece described Byers as a writer of “Zucker fan fiction” and criticized him for a conflict of interest in not disclosing in any of his articles that Zucker once had discussions about funding Puck, an online subscription news service.
In its revision on Friday, Variety quoted Puck’s co-founder, Jon Kelly, saying the discussions with RedBird were not disclosed by Byers because “Dylan was intentionally unaware of them.”
For The Atlantic, Alberta wrote a widely-read story that seen by many as being instrumental in Licht’s dismissal by Zaslav. Variety was critical of Alberta, and accused the reporter of using material in his story that he had agreed to keep off the record — a serious charge of malfeasance against a journalist.
As with Byers, Variety didn’t change what it had written about Alberta. But it added a paragraph to its story using some of what Alberta had written on social media, including a denial that he had used off-the-record material, and disputing Variety’s claim of how many times he had met with Licht while reporting the story.
The story was reposted on Variety’s home page. The only indication that it had been changed was a note at its end: “This story was updated on July 28 to reflect new statements from Kelly and Alberta.” | https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-variety-revises-article-on-former-cnn-chief-jeff-zucker-that-was-sharply-criticized/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:31 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-variety-revises-article-on-former-cnn-chief-jeff-zucker-that-was-sharply-criticized/ |
Abandoned brown and orange railroad bridge over I-95 coming down
Another piece of Rhode Island's abandoned transportation infrastructure – this one a familiar piece of scenery on millions of daily commutes each year – will be gone by the fall.
The state Department of Transportation this month began tearing down the Pawtuxet Valley Railroad Bridge over Interstate 95 and Wellington Avenue in Cranston.
The old bridge, brown with orange at either end, has been unused since being abandoned by the Providence and Worcester Railroad in 1991.
Whatever hopes there were for reusing it, either as a railroad or a rail-to-trail bike path like, had mostly faded by the time the DOT decided to tear it down.
Removing the bridge is expected to cost $1.2 million, DOT spokesman Charles St. Martin said. The job includes taking out the steel span and the concrete piers holding it up, plus filling in the embankment on the side of the highway.
History of the bridge
The bridge was built in the 1960s to carry the Pontiac Branch section of the Pawtuxet Valley Railroad over the newly built interstate highway cutting through Cranston.
The Pontiac Branch Railroad, incorporated in 1875, ran from Cranston's Pontiac neighborhood to Auburn, where it connected to the tracks that would eventually become Amtrak's Northeast Corridor (then the New York Providence and Boston). By 1880, it linked up with and became part of the Pawtuxet Valley Railroad, which ran along the river through the mills of West Warwick to the village of Hope, according to research from Cranston resident Daria Phoebe Brashear.
More:The end is near for East Providence's India Point Railroad Bridge to nowhere
The Pawtuxet Valley Railroad changed ownership multiple times in the 20th century. Passenger service was phased out as automobiles became popular and the connection between the West Warwick and Cranston sections was severed.
The Providence and Worcester Railroad acquired the Pontiac to Auburn section in 1976 and ran freight on it until 1991. The state bought it in 1993.
St. Martin said the DOT decided to tear down the railroad bridge now as part of an effort to beautify the I-95 corridor between Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport and downtown Providence.
The demolition also comes after the state has removed other old abandoned railroad bridges, like the orphaned piece of bridge over the Seekonk River in East Providence, and considered removing the Crook Point Bascule Bridge in Providence.
Brashear said the idea of using the Pontiac Branch right of way to connect eastern Cranston to the Washington Secondary Bike Path, also a one-time rail line, had at one point been part of the State Bike Plan.
There will be overnight lane closures on I-95 to provide space for demolition, St. Martin said, but no full highway closures. | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/state/2023/07/29/pawtuxet-valley-railroad-bridge-over-i-95-being-torn-down-cranston/70479769007/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:36 | 1 | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/state/2023/07/29/pawtuxet-valley-railroad-bridge-over-i-95-being-torn-down-cranston/70479769007/ |
First pooch Commander Biden in the dog house as trainers call for his muzzling
The German Shepard reportedly keeps biting Secret Service agents
Another dog at the Biden White House appears to be having a rough time.
Dog trainers are calling on the Biden administration to get help for the president’s pup Commander after the German Shepard bit seven people in four months, according to a report.
"I think it's a very chaotic place and there's also clearly a lack of structure," dog trainer Tom Davis told "Jesse Watters Primetime." on Tuesday. "There's not many dogs in America that would live past bite three, bite four, bite five and we're biting government officials. "
Davis, who works by the trademark "No Bad Dog," says Biden’s dog needs "structure, routines, boundaries...disciplinary actions and accountability."
Dog trainer Brian Kilcommons told "The Ingraham Angle" that Commander should have been put in a muzzle as soon as he started biting.
"He's in a difficult situation," Kilcommons explained. "The Secret Service people are not relaxed people and dogs read our body language. When he sees these guys holding themselves and coming up assertively or surprising him, he's reacting to it."
Commander is just the latest Biden dog to have difficulty at the White House. In 2021, Major Biden bit members of the Secret Service eight days in a row in early March, according to emails.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
The Biden administration must determine how they will proceed with Commander, Kilcommons said.
"They need to get some professional help in there and make a decision on whether that dog can adjust to living in the White House and all the distractions and confusion that goes on or he can't be allowed in there," Kilcommons said, "The first thing I’d do is there's a what it's called the Baskerville muzzle. It's the most humane muzzle. They can eat, they can drink and that dog should be muzzled until they get it under control."
For more Culture, Media, Education, Opinion, and channel coverage, visit foxnews.com/media. | https://www.foxnews.com/media/first-pooch-commander-biden-dog-house-trainers-call-muzzling | 2023-07-29T13:23:36 | 1 | https://www.foxnews.com/media/first-pooch-commander-biden-dog-house-trainers-call-muzzling |
Wildwood became the latest Jersey Shore destination to enact a tougher curfew for minors earlier in response to what officials described as “increasing incidents of disorderly conduct” by teenagers.
Officials also proposed a new ordinance that would close the beaches at 9 p.m. and hinted that more new rules may be on the way.
The board of commissioners unanimously passed an emergency ordinance Wednesday that pushes back the curfew for minors under 18 years old in any public place from 1 a.m. to midnight, unless they are accompanied by a parent or guardian or traveling to or from a business or job.
The midnight curfew goes into effect next Wednesday, Aug. 2. The ordinance requires police to give multiple warnings before taking further action and calling the juvenile’s parent or guardian.
Also at the meeting, the board of commissioners held the first reading of a proposed ordinance that would create a beach curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. It would apply to everyone, not just unaccompanied minors.
Officials said there has been an increase in juvenile violence, crime and other disruptive and potentially dangerous activity in the city.
“We have been witnessing unprecedented lawless acts by juveniles in recent years, yet the state laws have taken the control away from the police. This new law puts the authority back into the hands of our police department to ensure the safety, not only of our community, but also of the teens themselves,” Wildwood Mayor Pete Byron said in a statement.
During Fourth of July celebrations, officials say a crowd of approximately 60 teenagers engaged in widespread “rioting and criminal mischief” in an around the Wildwood boardwalk.
Tactics used to successfully manage these crowds in previous years have proven “less effective during the current summer seasons,” the emergency ordinance for the midnight curfew states.
Other Jersey Shore towns have implemented similar rules aimed at teens in recent years.
After a series of rowdy pop-up parties, Toms River’s beach communities added a curfew in 2020 that prevents anyone under 18 from roaming the streets after 10 p.m. without an adult. Toms River officials reinstated the curfew this summer.
In March, Sea Isle City announced its own 10 p.m. curfew for anyone under 18. According to the ordinance, it was created with the intention of “reducing juvenile violence and crime.” The city also has “an interest in strengthening parental responsibility for children,” the ordinance said.
Ocean City announced new rules in June that include closing the beaches at 8 p.m. in response to disruptive “gatherings of drunken teens” threatening the Jersey Shore city’s family-friendly reputation. The new rules also moved up a curfew for juveniles from 1 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“This problem is not unique to Wildwood. Many towns up and down the shoreline are experiencing increasing incidents. It is incumbent upon us to put laws into effect that work to preserve safety and peace of mind for our residents and visitors,” said Wildwood Deputy Mayor Krista Fitzsimons in a press release.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Jackie Roman may be reached at jroman@njadvancemedia.com. | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2023/07/1-of-jersey-shores-biggest-destinations-wants-to-close-beaches-early-because-of-rowdy-teens.html | 2023-07-29T13:23:36 | 0 | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2023/07/1-of-jersey-shores-biggest-destinations-wants-to-close-beaches-early-because-of-rowdy-teens.html |
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.wdtn.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-authorities-charge-alabama-woman-who-acknowledged-fabricating-story-about-kidnapping-toddler/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:37 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-authorities-charge-alabama-woman-who-acknowledged-fabricating-story-about-kidnapping-toddler/ |
Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy. | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/if-you-see-a-hammerhead-worm-remember-salt-dont-slice | 2023-07-29T13:23:37 | 1 | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/if-you-see-a-hammerhead-worm-remember-salt-dont-slice |
Providence's Camp Cronin could be reimagined as a place to bring youth, seniors together | Opinion
Vincent Marzullo served recently as the interim executive director of the DaVinci Community Center in Providence. He served for 31 years as a federal civil rights/social justice director in Rhode Island with the Corporation for National and Community Service. He is a past president of AARP RI and currently serves on the board of the Senior Agenda Coalition of Rhode Island.
It’s been more than a decade since Camp Cronin, owned by the City of Providence and located at Point Judith in Narragansett, functioned as an escape from the hot summer days for its kids and its seniors. In a fast-paced COVID recovery period, the benefits of bridging the generation gap have become more apparent than ever. Intergenerational learning and enrichment camps offer a unique platform that fosters meaningful connections between age groups while promoting the exchange of knowledge, the growth of empathy, and understanding.
Such a camp can provide a plethora of benefits to both young and older participants, creating a transformative experience that leaves a lasting impact on all involved. With the new city administration in place and looking to make Providence a “world class” city, isn’t it time to reimagine its use of Camp Cronin as a unifying and life defining asset?
More:Providence's seaside Camp Cronin got a facelift, but when will it reopen for kids, seniors?
At an intergenerational camp, the wisdom of the older generation can blend harmoniously with the energy and curiosity of the younger generation. Elderly participants bring with them a wealth of life experiences, valuable lessons and wisdom that cannot be found in textbooks or classrooms. Sharing these insights with younger attendees would help to instill a sense of appreciation for history, culture and tradition. Simultaneously, the youthful vigor and innovative ideas of the younger participants would invigorate the older generation, fostering a sense of optimism and hope for the future.
One of the key benefits of an intergenerational camp lies in the mutual learning experience. Older individuals have the opportunity to enhance their technological literacy and stay updated on modern trends, while younger participants gain a deeper understanding of the past and a greater appreciation for their roots. This bi-directional knowledge transfer breaks down age-related stereotypes and creates a space for open-mindedness, promoting a sense of unity and respect.
Moreover, an intergenerational camp can foster empathy and reduce ageism by bringing generations together in a supportive and nonjudgmental environment. Through shared activities and engaging conversations, stereotypes and biases are challenged, and participants develop a more profound understanding of each other's perspectives. The bonds that would be formed at such a camp can extend beyond the program, resulting in lifelong friendships and a broader social support network.
More:Providence's long-vacant seaside camp in Narragansett is getting a $400K renovation
An intergenerational camp could also contribute to emotional and mental well-being for both older and younger participants. For older individuals, being surrounded by the enthusiasm and positivity of the younger generation provides a renewed sense of purpose and happiness. For the younger generation, spending time with older adults helps reduce feelings of isolation and fear of aging, while gaining insights on how to age gracefully.
Finally, an intergenerational learning and enrichment camp can be a powerful platform that fosters connection, understanding and personal growth among participants of different ages and ethnicities. Such a camp would create a ripple effect of positive change, nurturing empathy, breaking down stereotypes, and enhancing the overall well-being of all involved.
By embracing the wisdom of the past and the potential of the future, a reimagined Camp Cronin would pave the way for a more inclusive and compassionate “Divine Providence.” | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/opinion/columns/2023/07/29/providences-camp-croone-of-the-key-benefits-of-an-intergenerational-camp-lies-in-the-mutual-learning/70421119007/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:42 | 1 | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/opinion/columns/2023/07/29/providences-camp-croone-of-the-key-benefits-of-an-intergenerational-camp-lies-in-the-mutual-learning/70421119007/ |
With $1.16 billion allocated for broadband development in Pennsylvania, state officials need help deciding how best to reach the more than 270,000 locations without internet access statewide.
Pennsylvania residents and professionals have until 5 p.m. Aug. 8 to send feedback to the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority on a five-year action plan — “Internet for All” — to expand internet access and make it more reliable and affordable across the commonwealth with federal funding.
The bipartisan broadband authority launched an online survey to help draft the plan, which requires federal approval. State officials hope to gauge who is still without internet access and how best to improve access and affordability statewide.
The PBDA planned a series of community events to hear in-person feedback, with five remaining this summer, including one in the Lehigh Valley.
- Venango County July 31 at 5:30 p.m. Venango County 4-H Fairgrounds
- Dauphin County Aug. 17 at 5:30 p.m. Harrisburg University
- Clarion County Aug. 24 at 6 p.m. Clarion County Learning Center
- Montgomery County Sept. 5 at 5:30 p.m. Montgomery County Community College’s North Hall, Room 202
- Northampton County Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. Northampton Community College, Fowler Family Southside Center, Room 605
Pennsylvania officials hope to submit the plan by Aug. 12. Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said earlier this month that he expects the state will receive funding in 2024, with deployment beginning shortly after and ramping up in the coming years.
“The nearly $1.2 billion in federal funding is a historic win for Pennsylvania and will help provide the resources we need to finally make ‘internet for all’ a reality so Pennsylvanians can live more successful and healthier lives,” PBDA Executive Director Brandon Carson said. “Under the governor’s leadership, the Shapiro administration is ready to do this work to connect every Pennsylvanian to high-speed, affordable internet.”
The funding comes from the federal Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Program, included with the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act signed into law in 2021. In addition to the federal funds, Pennsylvania also received $279 million in funding through the Capital Projects Fund and $6.6 million in federal planning funds last year.
Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor John Micek for questions: info@penncapital-star.com. Follow Pennsylvania Capital-Star on Facebook and Twitter. | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2023/07/bad-internet-service-at-home-lehigh-valley-hearing-set-on-broadband-access-expansion-plan.html | 2023-07-29T13:23:42 | 0 | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2023/07/bad-internet-service-at-home-lehigh-valley-hearing-set-on-broadband-access-expansion-plan.html |
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.kanw.com/npr-news/2023-07-28/trader-joes-recalls-its-frozen-falafel-for-possibly-having-rocks-in-it | 2023-07-29T13:23:44 | 1 | https://www.kanw.com/npr-news/2023-07-28/trader-joes-recalls-its-frozen-falafel-for-possibly-having-rocks-in-it |
Flor Marte knows someone will die. She knows when and how, because it came to her in a dream. That's her gift – all the women in the Marte family have one.
But Flor refuses to share who the dream is about. Instead, she insists on throwing herself a living wake, a reason for the entire family to come together and celebrate their lives. That's the starting point for Elizabeth Acevedo's debut novel for adults, Family Lore.
Acevedo grew up in Harlem, with summer visits to the Dominican Republic, and aspirations of becoming a rapper – until a literature teacher invited her to join an after-school poetry club.
She attended reluctantly; but what she found in spoken word performance broke her world and the possibilities of language wide open.
"I think for folks who maybe have felt it difficult to occupy their bodies and take up space and demand attention, to have three minutes where that is the requirement is really powerful," she says.
Acevedo went on to become a National Poetry Slam champion and earn degrees in performing arts and creative writing. After college, she taught language arts in Prince George's County, Maryland. Teaching, she says, is its own kind of performance – one where the audience doesn't always want to be there. But her students were struggling in other ways.
"So many of my young people weren't at grade level, but they'd also not encountered literature that they felt reflected them," she says. "Trying to meet some of those students where they were was really a kickoff for my writing."
So Acevedo began writing young adult books. The Poet X, her first novel about a Dominican-American teen finding her voice through poetry, won a National Book Award in 2018.
Pivoting to a new audience
Now, with Family Lore, Acevedo turns her attention to adult readers.
"I think the way this pushes forward her work and the growing body of Dominican-American literature is how deeply she writes into the interiors of her women characters," says author Naima Coster, who read an early draft of the novel.
The story is told through memories, out of order, sometimes a memory within a different memory. Acevedo jumps from the Dominican countryside to Santo Domingo to New York, as sisters Matilde, Flor, Pastora and Camila – along with younger generation Ona and Yadi – reflect on their childhoods and teenage romances and the secrets that bind them all together. Though the Marte women grow older together, their relationships do not get easier.
"What does it mean if these women have really just had a different experience of their mother?" says Acevedo. "And how that different experience of their mother automatically will create a schism, because now it's like, 'You don't remember her the way I remember her, and because of that, I can't trust you."
There are infidelities, miscarriages, childhood love affairs and therapeutic dance classes. Acevedo explains that she needed to tell this story in a non-linear format, in the way memories surface and warp; the way family gossip is passed on from person to person, in a roundabout way.
Returning to the body
That format, she says, was more suited for adult readers; and writing for adults also allowed her to be candid about bodies: how they move, change, excite, disappoint.
"The generation I was raised by felt like their relationship to their body was very othered," Acevedo says. "When I speak to my cousins, when I think about myself, it's been a return to desire, a return to the gut, a return to health in a way that isn't necessarily about size but is about: who am I in this vessel and how do I love it?"
That tension is felt especially by the younger Marte women, whose supernatural gifts radiate from within. Ona has a self-described "alpha vagina," Yadi has a special taste for sour limes.
Naima Coster says it's easy to feel pressure to write about marginalized communities as clean-cut, exemplary characters. But Family Lore relishes in airing out the Marte family's dirty laundry– in showing Afro-Dominican women as full, complicated protagonists.
"It feels major, the way she writes about the ways that these women misunderstand each other, but still love each other," she says.
Acevedo says those themes – family, home, Blackness, power – will be in every book she writes, "because those are the questions that haunt me."
Family Lore reads like the feeling of getting older and no longer having moms and aunts lower their voices when you enter the room – like finally being privy to what makes a family flawed and perfect.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/in-family-lore-award-winning-ya-author-elizabeth-acevedo-turns-to-adult-readers | 2023-07-29T13:23:43 | 1 | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/in-family-lore-award-winning-ya-author-elizabeth-acevedo-turns-to-adult-readers |
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Racing will resume at Churchill Downs in September, with no changes being made after a review of surfaces and safety protocols in the wake of 12 horse deaths, including seven in the days leading up to the Kentucky Derby in May.
The Louisville track suspended racing operations on June 7 and moved the rest of its spring meet to Ellis Park in western Kentucky at the recommendation of the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority, the sport’s national overseer.
Training continued at Churchill Downs during the track’s investigation.
Churchill Downs Inc. CEO Bill Carstanjen called the deaths “a series of unfortunate circumstances” and said the review “didn’t find anything fundamentally wrong or different about our track from previous years.”
“That, in a sense, can sometimes be unsatisfying,” he said. “But that’s business, and that’s sports.”
Two of the horse deaths occurred in undercard races on Derby day. Another five died later.
“The takeaway is, the track is very safe,” Carstanjen said Thursday on an earnings call with CDI investors.
“What we needed to do was spend some of this time in the interim, while we ran the rest of the (spring) meet at Ellis to just go soup to nuts through every single thing we do at the racetrack. There was nothing that jumped out as an apparent cause of the injuries, of the breakdowns; and, as we went through and rebuilt our processes from the ground up to check everything that we do to make extra sure, we didn’t find anything material.”
The track’s fall meet begins Sept. 14 and runs through Oct. 1.
___
AP sports: https://apnews.com/hub/sports and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wdtn.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-churchill-downs-to-resume-racing-at-fall-meet-with-no-changes-after-horse-deaths/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:43 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-churchill-downs-to-resume-racing-at-fall-meet-with-no-changes-after-horse-deaths/ |
Meet the 2023 Providence Journal All-State Girls Lacrosse Team
The Providence Journal is proud to announce the 2023 All-States Girls Lacrosse First and Second teams, presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. The Providence Journal has been naming All-State teams for more than 80 years to recognize and celebrate the top student-athletes across Rhode Island. The Journal Sports staff, with some help from the coaches associations, determine the first and second team members. The All-State teams are also posted on the High School Sports Awards page on providence journal.com/sports.
All first-team members were nominees for Player of the Year in that sport, and winners were announced at the High School Sports Awards show held last month at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, featuring former Patriots safety Devin McCourty.
In Girls Lacrosse , the Providence Journal Player of the Year is Kate Shields, from Bay View High School.
The 2023 Providence Journal All-State Girls Lacrosse First Team
Clara Drinkwater
North Kingstown, Senior
Attack
A leader on a team loaded with talent, Drinkwater also provided plenty of offensive pop that helped the Skippers win their second Division II title in three years. Drinkwater showed up in a big way in the big game, scoring four goals in North Kingstown’s 17-10 win over Burrillville in the Division II title game. She’ll play women’s lacrosse next spring at Colorado State University-Pueblo.
Ava Gershon
Moses Brown, Senior
Attack
This spring, the Quakers’ offense was performance art, with each member playing her part in order to get the ball into the net. Gershon didn’t chase the big shots but still found a way to make them happen this spring. The senior was second on the team in goals with 45 and led the state champions in assists with 52 and will hope for similar success next spring when she suits up for Connecticut College.
Mila Navarro
East Greenwich, Senior
Attack
An All-Division honorable mention selection last spring, Navarro’s off-season work took her game to the moon and made her one of the state’s best scorers in 2023. Her play up top gave East Greenwich the finisher it needed to earn the program’s first state championship appearance. Navarro’s career will go to the next level and she’ll play at Butler University next spring.
Helena Dunwoody
East Greenwich, Senior
Midfield
The Avengers were the surprise story of the 2023 season and play from the likes of Dunwoody was a big reason why. Dunwoody gave EG some attitude in the middle of the field, using her devastating speed to get the job on offense or torture an opponent who dared to score. Her play helped guide East Greenwich to the program’s first state title game and she’ll play next spring at New Haven.
Violet Gagliano
Barrington, Senior
Midfield
One of the state’s top field hockey players, Gagliano was a force on the field this spring and helped the Eagles to the state semifinals. Barrington was hit hard by graduation, but Gagliano’s play helped solidify the offense and give the team the attitude it needed. She finished the season with 41 goals and 30 assists and came through in big moments all season long.
Anna Lombardi
Barrington, Junior
Midfield
Lombardi stepped into a starring role for the defending state champs and had her best season to date. The junior’s versatility allowed her to be an offensive weapon (she scored 33 goals and had 30 assists), play tough on the defensive end and to be one of the state’s best on the draw. Lombardi will be one of Rhode Island’s top players next spring and she has verbally committed to play at Virginia Commonwealth.
Sylvia Mayo
Prout, Junior
Midfield
It was a tough season for the Crusaders, but Mayo’s play was hard not to notice on the field this spring. The junior was the focus of every defensive attack, but with her speed and athleticism, she still found a way to put the ball in the back of the net. Mayo will enter her senior season next spring as one of the state’s best and is already verbally committed to play at Old Dominion.
Elly Skeels
Portsmouth, Senior
Midfield
Skeels wrapped up her career as one of the best players Portsmouth has produced. This is her third All-State selection, second as a first teamer, and this season may have been her best. With Portsmouth moved up to Division I, Skeels stepped up her game as a scorer and leader and helped the Patriots reach the state semifinals. She’ll play next spring at American University.
Hannah Jackson
Barrington, Senior
Defense
Offense rules girls lacrosse, but the Eagles’ calling card has been defense and Jackson’s play this year gave the team one of the best in Rhode Island. Jackson, who created 21 turnovers, was the heart of Barrington’s offense and her ability to be on a coach on the field was key all spring. Jackson will continue her career next spring when she plays for St. Lawrence University.
Charley Lagor
Moses Brown, Sophomore
Defense
There was no sophomore slump for the Quakers’ star defender, who makes her second straight appearance as a First Team All-State selection. Lagor took her game to new heights this spring as part of Moses Brown’s dominant defense that only got better as the season rolled on. With two seniors graduating, Lagor will step into a leadership role next season as MB tries to win another title.
Virginia Stone
Moses Brown, Senior
Defense
With some new blood infused into the lineup, Stone spent time as a defensive midfielder and in the back and excelled at both. Her unselfish approach made the Quakers’ rock-solid in the back and gave opponents nightmares all season. Stone was instrumental in the state title game, during which Moses Brown allowed just three goals in a win over East Greenwich. She’ll play at Rollins College next spring.
Kate Shields
Bay View, Junior
Goalie
In a sport where offense dominates and wins games, Shields play helped the Bengals win a championship. She was the state’s premier shot-stopper in net and her athleticism allowed her to jump start Bay View’s offense coming out of the net. Shields was at her best in the biggest game, coming up with huge saves late in the Bengals’ quadruple-overtime win against East Providence in the Division III final.
2023 Providence Journal All-State Girls Lacrosse Second Team
A — Julianna Casey, Lincoln School, Sophomore
A — Lilly Madeira, Moses Brown, Sophomore
A — Laurel McIntosh, Chariho, Senior
MF — Sydney Boss, Lincoln School, Senior
MF — Maddi Goodwin, La Salle, Sophomore
MF — Samantha Murphy, Burrillville, Senior
MF — Kaitlin Roche, Portsmouth, Senior
MF — Hannah West, Moses Brown, Junior
D — Ashley Brousseau, Moses Brown, Senior
D — Brianna Coleangelo, Moses Brown, Senior
D — Isabel Gelzhiser, East Greenwich, Senior
G — Fiona Baxter, East Greenwich, Senior | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/sports/high-school/2023/07/29/girls-lacrosse-all-state-first-and-second-teams-providence-journal-2023-high-school-athlete/70458663007/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:48 | 1 | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/sports/high-school/2023/07/29/girls-lacrosse-all-state-first-and-second-teams-providence-journal-2023-high-school-athlete/70458663007/ |
Lottery players across America can keep dreaming big dreams. The Mega Millions lottery drawing Friday night ended with no big jackpot winners, so now more than $1 billion — yes, with a B — will be up for grabs in the next drawing, set for Tuesday night, Aug. 1.
The cash option for Tuesday’s Mega Millions drawing is estimated at $527.9 million, according to lottery officials. The full annuity value is tagged at $1.05 billion, which would tie as the seventh biggest lottery jackpot ever recorded in the United States.
Lottery officials said there were several lucky lottery players Friday night who won $1 million each for matching the five main numbers but not the Mega ball number. Those tickets were sold in Arizona, California, New York and Pennsylvania.
In addition, one Mega ticket sold in Pennsylvania won a whopping $5 million, because it matched the five main numbers and the player plucked down extra money for the Megaplier option. The Megaplier number turned out to be 5, so that lottery player won five times the regular prize of $1 million.
The winning numbers in Friday’s Mega Millions drawing were: 5, 10, 28, 52 and 63. The Mega Ball drawn was 18.
No word yet on whether any tickets sold in New Jersey won any secondary prizes for matching four numbers. In all, 92 tickets sold across the nation matched four of the five main numbers, plus the Mega number, so those tickets are each worth $10,000.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.
Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com. | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2023/07/mega-millions-jackpot-soars-to-105-billion-with-no-top-winners-in-fridays-drawing.html | 2023-07-29T13:23:48 | 0 | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2023/07/mega-millions-jackpot-soars-to-105-billion-with-no-top-winners-in-fridays-drawing.html |
Amber Alert issued for 2 missing girls in North Carolina
RALEIGH, N.C. (Gray News) - An Amber Alert was issued for two endangered girls missing in North Carolina.
The Durham Police Department is searching for 7-year-old Makayla Grace Gnije Hatch and 8-year-old Kaylee Amira Grace Hatch. The two girls were last seen July 28 in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Makayla is described to be 4 feet and 3 inches tall and weighs about 41 pounds. She has black braided hair with clear beads and brown eyes. Makayla was last seen wearing a pink and coral lace dress, white ruffle socks and black shoes.
Kaylee is described to be 4 feet and 8 inches tall and weighs about 105 pounds. She has black braided hair with clear beads and brown eyes. Kaylee was last seen wearing a lavender, pink and white floral dress with a silver belt and white sandals.
The girls may be traveling with 34-year-old Garrett Hatch. He is described to be 5 feet and 3 inches and weighs about 230 pounds. He has black hair styled in long dreads and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a pink, black and white block shirt with white pants and black shoes.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts is asked to call 911 or the Durham Police Department 919-560-4440.
Copyright 2023 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.weau.com/2023/07/29/amber-alert-issued-2-missing-girls-north-carolina/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:48 | 0 | https://www.weau.com/2023/07/29/amber-alert-issued-2-missing-girls-north-carolina/ |
SAN FRANCISCO — The city of San Francisco has opened a complaint and launched an investigation into a giant "X" sign that was installed Friday on top of the downtown building formerly known as Twitter headquarters as owner Elon Musk continues his rebrand of the social media platform.
City officials say replacing letters or symbols on buildings, or erecting a sign on top of one, requires a permit for design and safety reasons.
The X appeared after San Francisco police stopped workers on Monday from removing the brand's iconic bird and logo from the side of the building, saying they hadn't taped off the sidewalk to keep pedestrians safe if anything fell.
Any replacement letters or symbols would require a permit to ensure "consistency with the historic nature of the building" and to make sure additions are safely attached to the sign, Patrick Hannan, spokesperson for the Department of Building Inspection said earlier this week.
Erecting a sign on top of a building also requires a permit, Hannan said Friday.
"Planning review and approval is also necessary for the installation of this sign. The city is opening a complaint and initiating an investigation," he said in an email.
Musk unveiled a new "X" logo to replace Twitter's famous blue bird as he remakes the social media platform he bought for $44 billion last year. The X started appearing at the top of the desktop version of Twitter on Monday.
Musk, who is also CEO of Tesla, has long been fascinated with the letter X and had already renamed Twitter's corporate name to X Corp. after he bought it in October. One of his children is called "X." The child's actual name is a collection of letters and symbols.
On Friday afternoon, a worker on a lift machine made adjustments to the sign and then left.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kanw.com/npr-news/2023-07-28/x-logo-installed-atop-twitter-building-spurring-san-francisco-to-investigate | 2023-07-29T13:23:50 | 1 | https://www.kanw.com/npr-news/2023-07-28/x-logo-installed-atop-twitter-building-spurring-san-francisco-to-investigate |
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.wdtn.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-count-of-ballots-from-spaniards-abroad-gives-edge-to-right-wing-block-and-deepens-the-stalemate/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:50 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-count-of-ballots-from-spaniards-abroad-gives-edge-to-right-wing-block-and-deepens-the-stalemate/ |
Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy. | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/lydia-kiesling-on-her-new-novel-mobility | 2023-07-29T13:23:50 | 0 | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/lydia-kiesling-on-her-new-novel-mobility |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Signs that inflation pressures in the United States are steadily easing emerged Friday in reports that consumer prices rose in June at their slowest pace in more than two years and that wage growth cooled last quarter.
Together, the figures provided the latest signs that the Federal Reserve’s drive to tame inflation may succeed without triggering a recession, an outcome known as a “soft landing.”
A price gauge closely monitored by the Fed rose just 3% in June from a year earlier. That was down from a 3.8% annual increase in May, though still above the Fed’s 2% inflation target. On a monthly basis, prices rose 0.2% from May to June, up slightly from 0.1% the previous month.
Last month’s sharp slowdown in year-over-year inflation largely reflected falling gas prices, as well as milder increases in grocery costs. With supply chains having largely healed from post-pandemic disruptions, the costs of new and used cars, furniture and appliances also fell in June.
The cost of some services, though, continued to surge. Average prices of movie tickets rose 0.5% from May to June, and are up 6.2% from a year earlier. Veterinary services, up 0.5% last month, are 10.5% higher than a year ago. And restaurant meal prices increased 0.4% in June; they’re up 7.1% from 12 months earlier.
A measure of “core” prices, which excludes volatile food and energy costs, did remain elevated even though it also eased last month. Economists track core prices because they are considered a better signal of where inflation is headed. Those still-high underlying inflation pressures are a key reason why the Fed raised its short-term interest rate Wednesday to a 22-year high.
Core prices were still 4.1% higher than they were a year ago, well above the Fed’s target, though down from 4.6% in May. From May to June, core inflation was just 0.2%, down from 0.3% the previous month, an encouraging sign.
A separate report Friday from the Labor Department showed that a gauge of wages and salaries grew more slowly in the April-June quarter, suggesting that employers were feeling less pressure to boost pay as the job market cools.
Employee pay, excluding government workers, rose 1%, down from 1.2% in the first three months of 2023. Compared with a year earlier, wages and salaries grew 4.6%, down from 5.1% in the first quarter.
The Fed is closely watching the pay gauge, known as the employment cost index. Smaller wage increases should slow inflation over time, because companies are less likely to need to raise prices to cover their higher labor costs.
Taken together, Friday’s data “will provide further support to the view that the economy is in the midst of a soft landing,” said Kathy Bostjancic, chief economist at Nationwide. The softer wage data, she suggested, “will be welcomed by Fed officials.”
Americans’ average paychecks are still growing briskly, boosting their ability to spend and underscoring the economy’s resiliency. The inflation report that the Commerce Department issued Friday showed that consumer spending jumped in June, despite two years of high inflation and 11 Fed rate hikes over 17 months. From May to June, consumer spending rose 0.5%, up from 0.2% the previous month.
“Better push out those recession forecasts by another quarter,” Stephen Stanley, chief U.S. economist at investment bank Santander, wrote in a research note.
The inflation gauge that was issued Friday, called the personal consumption expenditures price index, is separate from the better-known consumer price index. Earlier this month, the government reported that the CPI rose 3% in June from 12 months earlier.
The Fed prefers the PCE index because it accounts for changes in how people shop when inflation jumps — when, for example, consumers shift away from pricey national brands in favor of cheaper store brands. And housing costs, which are among the biggest inflation drivers but many economists think aren’t well-measured, carry about half the weight in the PCE than the CPI.
With inflation now steadily cooling, consumers are becoming more optimistic about the economy, a trend that could lead them to keep spending and driving growth.
On Friday, the University of Michigan reported that its consumer sentiment index rose in June to its highest level since October 2021, though it has still recovered only about half of the drop caused by the pandemic. And earlier this week, the Conference Board, a business research group, said its consumer confidence index rose this month to its highest point in two years.
The U.S. economy is in a hopeful but precarious place: A solid job market is bolstering hiring, lifting wages and keeping unemployment near a half-century low. Yet inflation is weakening rather than rising, as it typically does when unemployment is low. That suggests that the Fed may be able to achieve a soft landing.
The Fed’s policymakers, though, are concerned that the steadily growing economy could help perpetuate inflation. This can occur as persistent consumer demand enables more companies to raise prices, thereby keeping inflation above the Fed’s target and potentially causing the central bank to raise rates even higher.
The latest evidence of the economy’s resilience came Thursday, when the government reported that it grew at a 2.4% annual rate in the April-June quarter — faster than analysts had forecast and an acceleration from a 2% growth rate in the first three months of the year.
At a news conference Wednesday, Chair Jerome Powell suggested that the Fed’s benchmark short-term rate, now at about 5.3%, was high enough to restrain the overall economy and likely tame inflation over time. But Powell added that the Fed would need to see more evidence that inflation has been sustainably subdued before it would consider ending its rate hikes.
Powell declined to offer any signal of the central bank’s likely next moves. In June, Fed officials had forecast two more rate hikes this year, including Wednesday’s.
“I would say it is certainly possible that we would raise (rates) again at the September meeting, if the data warranted,” Powell said Wednesday, “and I would also say it’s possible that we would choose to hold steady at that meeting.” | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-an-inflation-gauge-that-is-closely-tracked-by-the-fed-falls-to-its-lowest-level-in-more-than-2-years/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:51 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-an-inflation-gauge-that-is-closely-tracked-by-the-fed-falls-to-its-lowest-level-in-more-than-2-years/ |
Here are The Journal's 2023 All-State Boys Lacrosse Teams
The Providence Journal is proud to announce the 2023 All-States Boys Lacrosse First and Second teams, presented by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island. The Providence Journal has been naming All-State teams for more than 80 years to recognize and celebrate the top student-athletes across Rhode Island. The Journal Sports staff, with some help from the coaches associations, determine the first and second team members. The All-State teams are also posted on the High School Sports Awards page on providence journal.com/sports.
All first-team members were nominees for Player of the Year in that sport, and winners were announced at the High School Sports Awards show held last month at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium in Providence, featuring ex-Patriots safety Devin McCourty.
In Boys Lacrosse, the Providence Journal Player of the Year is Colby Frigon from La Salle
The 2023 Providence Journal All-State Boys Lacrosse First Team
Peter Buonanno
Moses Brown, Senior
Attack
Seeing Buonanno on the team shouldn’t be a shock. It’s his third appearance as a first-teamer and he earned this honor the same way he did the previous two — by being an elite finisher the Quakers could count on all season. Buonanno will continue to grow his game in a postgrad year next spring before heading off to play for Princeton.
Matt Hayes
La Salle, Junior
Attack
After the Rams graduated just about every offensive weapon they had, Hayes had no problem stepping into the role of the team’s go-to scorer. Hayes was part of the machine that was La Salle’s offense and, in the biggest game, he came up big, getting two first-half goals that jump-started the Rams in their eventual 8-4 win over Moses Brown.
Jake Murray
Moses Brown, Senior
Attack
Murray was an integral part of the Quakers’ offense, whether he was spending time in the midfield or up front on the attack. Moses Brown put up numbers against just about every opponent this past spring and Murray played a big role in that, including a goal in the state title game comeback effort that was eventually thwarted by La Salle.
Colby Frigon
La Salle, Senior
Midfield
A three-time All-State selection, Frigon has been making big plays since he first stepped on the field for the Rams. His final season was his best, as he tied for the state lead in scoring with 97 points and was instrumental in La Salle’s dominant state championship season. He was named a U.S. Lacrosse All-American and will continue his playing career next year at UMass Lowell.
Owen O’Farrell
Moses Brown, Senior
Midfield
A second-team selection last spring, O’Farrell more than earned his first-team spot this year by being one of Rhode Island’s most complete players. O’Farrell helped the Quakers go and his play in the state championship game had Moses Brown in a game in which many thought it didn’t have a chance. O’Farrell will do a postgrad year before continuing his playing career at Syracuse.
Ronan Peterson
La Salle, Junior
Midfield
The state’s next big star shined this year in the form of Peterson, who stepped into his own to make his first appearance as a first-team All-Stater. Peterson was an aggressive scoring weapon but his ability to distribute also made him dangerous. He’s verbally committed to play at Loyola University and will enter next season as one of the state’s best.
Dante D’Amico
La Salle, Junior
FOGO
The biggest question the Rams had entering the season was how they were going to replace Player of the Year Anthony DiCenso, but D’Amico answered that question quickly. There wasn’t a better player in the state in the faceoff circle and D’Amico’s play was a big reason why the Rams had so much success on the offensive end.
John Rodehorst
La Salle, Sophomore
Long Stick Midfielder
It’s not the most glamorous position on the field, but it wasn’t hard to notice Rodehorst when he was out there. Only a sophomore, it was hard to tell that by his physical style of play. Rodehorst was a magician at disrupting offenses and wasn’t afraid to get involved on the Rams’ side of the field, either. Look for bigger things to come from Rodehorst over the next two years.
Hayden Almeida
La Salle, Senior
Defense
Almeida was terrific in his junior season but took his game to a new level this spring. His strength and quickness made him a nightmare for opposing attackmen and his leadership helped keep La Salle’s defense on point throughout its championship season. Almeida was named Division I Defensive Player of the Year, a U.S. Lacrosse All-American and will play at Le Moyne University next spring.
Luca Fattore
La Salle, Junior
Defense
With All-State teammate Hayden Almeida, Fattore looks more than ready to step in as the rock the Rams need in the back. He hardly looked like a first-year starter this past season and, paired with Almeida, it was no shock to see La Salle’s defensive unit perform as the best in the state again. Expect Fattore to step into a larger leadership role next spring as the Rams chase another title.
Liam O’Malley
Moses Brown, Senior
Defense
The Quakers’ dominant defense has been a key part of its success over the last decade and O’Malley helped carry that tradition along. The senior stepped up in a big way this past spring and was the rock Moses Brown needed. He was the centerpiece of its state championship game strategy under which it held La Salle to a season-low eight goals.
Max Ayotte
La Salle, Senior
Goalie
Ayotte’s season was in doubt after a horrific leg injury during the football season, but the senior healed and rehabbed to get himself back into All-State form. Ayotte played the position aggressively and quickly eliminated any hopes that opposing offenses had of getting on the scoreboard. Ayotte will do a postgrad year before deciding on his athletic future.
Second Team
A — Colin Hope, Barrington, Sophomore
A — Ethan Pezzullo, Pilgrim, Senior
A — Chase Wightman, Moses Brown, Junior
MF — Brady Fisher, La Salle, Senior
MF — Jake Ignall, Barrington, Junior
MF — Keaton O’Shea, Middletown, Senior
FOGO — Nick Senecal, Hendricken, Junior
LSM — Liam Gray, Moses Brown, Sophomore
D — Puck Arnone, Barrington, Senior
D — Tyler Caterson, East Greenwich, Junior
D — Jake Horsman, North Kingstown, Junior
G — Ryan Valentine, Barrington, Senior | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/sports/high-school/sports-awards/2023/07/29/all-state-boys-lacrosse-first-and-second-team-2023-providence-journal-high-school-athlete-ri/70377439007/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:54 | 0 | https://www.providencejournal.com/story/sports/high-school/sports-awards/2023/07/29/all-state-boys-lacrosse-first-and-second-team-2023-providence-journal-high-school-athlete-ri/70377439007/ |
One hot morning at 6:45, houseflies were already landing on my bare legs as I sat on the porch drinking coffee. I didn’t need to look at the weather to know what the day would be like. No doubt right now stores are doing a brisk business in fly swatters.
Adult houseflies can live several weeks. Females, which live longer than the males, lay 75-100 eggs that hatch in less than a day and become maggots that pupate in dark places three to five days later. Then three to six days after that they become adults and the whole cycle continues.
In-between trying to swat flies, I watched several American goldfinches at the nyjer feeder. Goldfinches nest later in the season than any other birds in eastern North America. In early July they build their nests in shrubs, trees, or plants using, among other plant fibers, thistle or cattail down. | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2023/07/these-familiar-plants-now-showing-on-roadsides-actually-hail-from-asia-lehigh-valley-nature-watch.html | 2023-07-29T13:23:54 | 1 | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2023/07/these-familiar-plants-now-showing-on-roadsides-actually-hail-from-asia-lehigh-valley-nature-watch.html |
BEIJING, July 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Hundreds of English education experts and scholars from all over the world assembled in Macao on Friday for a three-day event to explore new opportunities for global cooperation in English education brought by China's development.
The 2023 Global English Education China Assembly, an online-and-offline event that opened at the City University of Macau (CityU), attracted over 1,600 experts, front-line educators and scholars from more than 20 countries and regions. Participants were mainly from China, the United States, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Italy, Thailand, Russia, Singapore, Nepal, Mongolia, Indonesia and Pakistan.
They shared their insights to facilitate cross-cultural dialogue and discussed the most recent trends in English language teaching.
The event's theme is "New opportunities for the world with new advances in China's development: Opening up new prospects in English education cooperation worldwide", and features nine keynote speeches and 23 parallel sessions.
This year's assembly is hosted by China Daily and Shanghai International Studies University, and co-hosted by the Macao SAR Government Education and Youth Development Bureau, and organized by CityU and China Daily's 21st Century English Education Media.
For the first time, the assembly, which started in 2018, was held in Macao — one of the engine cities of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. This location echoes the Outline Development Plan for the GBA released in 2019, which set out to, among other goals, build the region as a model area for high-quality education and promote opening up education to the world.
At the event's opening ceremony, Qu Yingpu, publisher and editor-in-chief of China Daily, highlighted that 2023 marks the 10th year since President Xi Jinping put forward both the idea of "building a community with a shared future for mankind" and the Belt and Road Initiative.
It is, therefore, appropriate that for the first time, the conference this year has moved out of the Chinese mainland to Macao where East meets West and multiple cultures blend, Qu said.
He said he believes the event will catalyze many innovative outcomes. Qu further said that English education could be a bridge to promote high-quality development of the BRI and people-to-people cultural exchanges could provide momentum for "building a community with a shared future for mankind".
He urged the audience to cultivate talent in order to bolster the promotion of the three global initiatives brought forward by Xi — the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative.
Qu also said China attaches great importance to education and cultural exchange. Xi, in his several correspondences with foreign students studying in China, has encouraged the latter to see with their own eyes the development of China and tell the world about what they have seen, to boost people-to-people bonding and friendship between their countries and China.
Zha Mingjian, vice-president of Shanghai International Studies University, said development in recent times has brought many opportunities as well as challenges. In this context, the English education sector in China has the responsibility to serve as a vital bridge for English education globally.
Opening education more extensively to the outside world will significantly strengthen China's efforts to modernize education in the new era, Zha said.
Svetlana V. Sannikova, coordination council chairperson of the National Association of Teachers of English in Russia, said the Macao event offers a high-end international academic platform where teachers can learn many practical ideas and methods to improve their English teaching skills.
On Friday, the event's organizer and CityU jointly established the Belt and Road English Education Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Exchange Base, which will use English education as a means to promote cultural exchanges and people-to-people bonding in countries and regions participating in the BRI.
The GBA Exchange Base will also strive to promote high-quality development in the BRI landscape.
Liu Jun, rector of CityU and president of the International Research Foundation for English Language Education, and Zeng Qingkai, editor-in-chief of 21st Century English Education Media, were the signatories of the document for the establishment of the base.
Among the several dignitaries who graced Friday's opening ceremony were Ao Ieong U, secretary for social affairs and culture of the Macao SAR government, participating in the event on behalf of Macao SAR Chief Executive Ho Iat-seng; Yan Zhichan, deputy director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Macao SAR; Liu Xianfa, commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China in the Macao SAR; Kong Chimeng, director of the Macao SAR government Education and Youth Development Bureau; and Chan Meng-kam, chairman of the council of CityU.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE China Daily | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2023/07/29/experts-foresee-china-role-english-learning/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:55 | 1 | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2023/07/29/experts-foresee-china-role-english-learning/ |
Flor Marte knows someone will die. She knows when and how, because it came to her in a dream. That's her gift – all the women in the Marte family have one.
But Flor refuses to share who the dream is about. Instead, she insists on throwing herself a living wake, a reason for the entire family to come together and celebrate their lives. That's the starting point for Elizabeth Acevedo's debut novel for adults, Family Lore.
Acevedo grew up in Harlem, with summer visits to the Dominican Republic, and aspirations of becoming a rapper – until a literature teacher invited her to join an after-school poetry club.
She attended reluctantly; but what she found in spoken word performance broke her world and the possibilities of language wide open.
"I think for folks who maybe have felt it difficult to occupy their bodies and take up space and demand attention, to have three minutes where that is the requirement is really powerful," she says.
Acevedo went on to become a National Poetry Slam champion and earn degrees in performing arts and creative writing. After college, she taught language arts in Prince George's County, Maryland. Teaching, she says, is its own kind of performance – one where the audience doesn't always want to be there. But her students were struggling in other ways.
"So many of my young people weren't at grade level, but they'd also not encountered literature that they felt reflected them," she says. "Trying to meet some of those students where they were was really a kickoff for my writing."
So Acevedo began writing young adult books. The Poet X, her first novel about a Dominican-American teen finding her voice through poetry, won a National Book Award in 2018.
Pivoting to a new audience
Now, with Family Lore, Acevedo turns her attention to adult readers.
"I think the way this pushes forward her work and the growing body of Dominican-American literature is how deeply she writes into the interiors of her women characters," says author Naima Coster, who read an early draft of the novel.
The story is told through memories, out of order, sometimes a memory within a different memory. Acevedo jumps from the Dominican countryside to Santo Domingo to New York, as sisters Matilde, Flor, Pastora and Camila – along with younger generation Ona and Yadi – reflect on their childhoods and teenage romances and the secrets that bind them all together. Though the Marte women grow older together, their relationships do not get easier.
"What does it mean if these women have really just had a different experience of their mother?" says Acevedo. "And how that different experience of their mother automatically will create a schism, because now it's like, 'You don't remember her the way I remember her, and because of that, I can't trust you."
There are infidelities, miscarriages, childhood love affairs and therapeutic dance classes. Acevedo explains that she needed to tell this story in a non-linear format, in the way memories surface and warp; the way family gossip is passed on from person to person, in a roundabout way.
Returning to the body
That format, she says, was more suited for adult readers; and writing for adults also allowed her to be candid about bodies: how they move, change, excite, disappoint.
"The generation I was raised by felt like their relationship to their body was very othered," Acevedo says. "When I speak to my cousins, when I think about myself, it's been a return to desire, a return to the gut, a return to health in a way that isn't necessarily about size but is about: who am I in this vessel and how do I love it?"
That tension is felt especially by the younger Marte women, whose supernatural gifts radiate from within. Ona has a self-described "alpha vagina," Yadi has a special taste for sour limes.
Naima Coster says it's easy to feel pressure to write about marginalized communities as clean-cut, exemplary characters. But Family Lore relishes in airing out the Marte family's dirty laundry– in showing Afro-Dominican women as full, complicated protagonists.
"It feels major, the way she writes about the ways that these women misunderstand each other, but still love each other," she says.
Acevedo says those themes – family, home, Blackness, power – will be in every book she writes, "because those are the questions that haunt me."
Family Lore reads like the feeling of getting older and no longer having moms and aunts lower their voices when you enter the room – like finally being privy to what makes a family flawed and perfect.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kanw.com/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-29/in-family-lore-award-winning-ya-author-elizabeth-acevedo-turns-to-adult-readers | 2023-07-29T13:23:56 | 1 | https://www.kanw.com/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-29/in-family-lore-award-winning-ya-author-elizabeth-acevedo-turns-to-adult-readers |
Tesla is ramping up efforts to open showrooms on tribal lands where it can sell directly to consumers, circumventing laws in states that bar vehicle manufacturers from also being retailers in favor of the dealership model.
Mohegan Sun, a casino and entertainment complex in Connecticut owned by the federally recognized Mohegan Tribe, announced this week that the California-based electric automaker will open a showroom with a sales and delivery center this fall on its sovereign property where the state’s law doesn’t apply.
The news comes after another new Tesla showroom was announced in June, set to open in 2025 on lands of the Oneida Indian Nation in upstate New York.
“I think it was a move that made complete sense,” said Lori Brown, executive director of the Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, which has lobbied for years to change Connecticut’s law.
“It is just surprising that it took this long, because Tesla had really tried, along with Lucid and Rivian,” she said, referring to two other electric carmakers. “Anything that puts more electric vehicles on the road is a good thing for the public.”
Brown noted that lawmakers with car dealerships that are active in their districts, no matter their political affiliation, have traditionally opposed bills allowing direct-to-consumer sales.
The Connecticut Automotive Retail Association, which has opposed such bills for years, says there needs to be a balance between respecting tribal sovereignty and “maintaining a level playing field” for all car dealerships in the state.
“We respect the Mohegan Tribe’s sovereignty and the unique circumstance in which they operate their businesses on Tribal land but we strongly believe that this does not change the discussion about Tesla and other EV manufacturers with direct-to-consumer sales, and we continue to oppose that model,” Hayden Reynolds, the association’s chairperson, said in a statement. “Connecticut’s dealer franchise laws benefit consumers and provide a competitive marketplace.”
Over the years in numerous states, Tesla has sought and been denied dealership licenses, pushed for law changes and challenged decisions in courts. The company scored a victory earlier this year when Delaware’s Supreme Court overturned a ruling upholding a decision by state officials to prohibit Tesla from selling its cars to directly customers.
At least 16 states have effectively changed their laws to allow Tesla and other direct-to-consumer manufacturers to sell there, said Jeff Aiosa, executive director of the Connecticut dealers association. He doesn’t foresee Connecticut changing its law, noting that 32 “original equipment manufacturers,” a list that includes major car companies like Toyota and Ford, currently abide by it.
“It’s not fair to have an unlevel playing field when all the other manufacturers abide by the state franchise laws and Tesla wants this exception to go around the law,” he said. “I would suggest their pivoting to the sovereign nation is representative of them not wanting to abide by the law.”
Tesla opened its first store as well as a repair shop on Native American land in 2021 in New Mexico. The facility, built in Nambé Pueblo, north of Santa Fe, marked the first time the company partnered with a tribe to get around state laws, though the idea had been in the works for years.
Brian Dear, president of the Tesla Owners Club of New Mexico, predicted at the time that states that are home to tribal nations and also have laws banning direct car sales by manufacturers would likely follow New Mexico’s lead.
“I don’t believe at all that this will be the last,” he said.
Tesla’s facility at Mohegan Sun, dubbed the Tesla Sales & Delivery Center, will be located at a shopping and dining pavilion within the sprawling casino complex. Customers will be able to test drive models around the resort. and gamblers will be able to use their loyalty rewards toward Tesla purchases.
Tesla also plans to exhibit its solar and storage products at the location. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-automaker-tesla-is-opening-more-showrooms-on-tribal-lands-to-avoid-state-laws-barring-direct-sales/ | 2023-07-29T13:23:57 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-automaker-tesla-is-opening-more-showrooms-on-tribal-lands-to-avoid-state-laws-barring-direct-sales/ |
This may be the most scorching month in the most scalding summer of what may become the hottest year in recorded history.
From Arizona, where it's been above 110 degrees Fahrenheit every day for a month, to Sardinia which hit 118 F this week, to Xinjiang, China, where the temperature soared to 126 F.
It felt a little mournful, then, to turn on summer playlists and hear lyrics like, "Summer breeze makes me feel fine." And, "Summer's here and the time is right / For dancing in the street."
This summer — these past few summers, really — has meant weeks of swelter, smoke, wildfires, and peril, across much of the hemisphere.
It was 107 degrees Fahrenheit in Rome last week. The Italian health ministry put 23 cities under a red alert, and cautioned people not to walk outside, and to avoid wine and coffee.
Too hot in Italy to stroll, enjoy a glass of soave, or sip an espresso. Next they'll say stop boiling pasta.
170 million people in America were under heat alerts this week. The National Weather Service warns, "Take the heat seriously and avoid time outdoors."
Isn't being outdoors the beauty of summer?
For most of my life, summer has been a time to shuck off all the layers of winter cold and gloom, to feel warmth and sunlight. School is out. Vacations are planned. We can go coatless, feel carefree, dawdle, travel, and play.
But this summer in America many outdoor shows, concerts, and festivals have been canceled, and sporting events postponed because of unsafe heat, and wildfire smoke in the skies. How many families have avoided picnics, camping trips, or games of catch in the yard, because it's just too darn hot?
The temperature of the water in Manatee Bay at Everglades National Park in Florida has been 101.1 F. The heat of ocean water — water — may be too dangerous for fish to survive.
This excruciating heat, driven by human activity, can be dangerous for every living creature, as well as the plants that bear the fruits and vegetables we need to survive. For humans, the heat is especially hazardous for seniors, children, and people who are unsheltered.
Will red alerts, heat emergencies, wildfires and temperatures in the triple digits become the new signs of summer? And will that make summer, as my friends and I used to dream about through frigid and forbidding Chicago winters, now seem a season to fear?
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/opinion-its-too-hot-in-here | 2023-07-29T13:23:57 | 1 | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/opinion-its-too-hot-in-here |
Travel to Europe is about to get a little more complex.
U.S. passport holders will need to apply for a travel authorization through the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) to visit 30 European countries starting in 2024.
While U.S. passport holders currently enjoy visa-free access to these countries, come next year, they will have to take this extra step before packing their bags.
Here is what you need to know about the ETIAS.
What is the ETIAS? How does it work?
ETIAS is an electronic travel authorization connected to a traveler’s passport. Travelers from over 60 visa-exempt countries, including the U.S., can enter 30 European countries for up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
However, just because you successfully obtained an ETIAS does not mean you will automatically gain access to your desired country. A border guard at your point of entry will determine if you have all the entry requirements.
What is the application process like?
Most ETIAS applications take a few minutes to process. But sometimes, it can take up to 14 days, if you need to submit more information or documents.
If there is an interview needed, the process can take up to 30 days.
This is why travel experts advise that you apply for your ETIAS travel authorization many weeks before your European trip.
How do you apply for an ETIAS travel authorization?
You can fill out the application form on the ETIAS website or app to request the travel authorization.
Keep in mind that you cannot apply for an authorization just yet. The European Union has not opened the application process and will not do so until well into next year.
How much does it cost to apply for an ETIAS travel authorization?
An ETIAS travel authorization is $7.79 translated into American dollars. However, some travelers can get an exemption from paying this fee.
Check the application requirements on the website for more information.
What documents and information do you need to apply?
You need a valid travel document where a visa can be placed, according to the ETIAS website.
The travel document, such as a passport, should not expire within three months and not be older than 10 years.
You will need to provide personal information, including your name, surname, date and place of birth. You will also need to show the details of your travel document, your level of education and current occupation and intended travel and stay in the countries where ETIAS is required.
You will also be required to show details of any criminal convictions, past travels to war or conflict zones and if you were recently the subject of a decision requiring you to leave the territory of a country.
More details about the necessary requirements for an ETIAS application are listed here.
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Katherine Rodriguez can be reached at krodriguez@njadvancemedia.com. Have a tip? Tell us at nj.com/tips. | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2023/07/what-is-the-new-etias-travel-authorization-to-visit-europe-in-2024.html | 2023-07-29T13:24:00 | 1 | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2023/07/what-is-the-new-etias-travel-authorization-to-visit-europe-in-2024.html |
ODESSA, Ukraine, July 29, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ukrainian entrepreneur, Vadim Novynskyi has announced a donation of up to $1 million to help restore the Transfiguration Church in Odessa, Ukraine that was seriously damaged during rocket attacks on Sunday, July 23. The destruction of one of the most beautiful Ukrainian churches, which was erected by the founders of Odessa at the end of the 18th century is a true tragedy. This cathedral was the center of the spiritual life of Odessa.
This is not the first time the church has been destroyed. In 1936, the Bolsheviks destroyed the cathedral and it was restored in the early 2000's after tens of thousands of ordinary people participated in the restoration with their donations.
"I sincerely mourn with the inhabitants of Odessa and I want to assure them and all the people of Ukraine that this cathedral will be rebuilt and the people of Odessa will once again be able to worship and seek community in this hallowed place," said Vadim Novynskyi. "In the days of war and persecution of the Church, it is very important to be able to protect and revive the shrines of Orthodoxy, demonstrating faith, unity and mutual support. After all, the true Orthodox Church is based on these principles."
View original content:
SOURCE Vadym Novynskyi | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2023/07/29/restoration-transfiguration-chuch-odessa-ukraine-by-ukrainian-entrepreneur-vadym-novynskyi/ | 2023-07-29T13:24:02 | 0 | https://www.weau.com/prnewswire/2023/07/29/restoration-transfiguration-chuch-odessa-ukraine-by-ukrainian-entrepreneur-vadym-novynskyi/ |
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Europe’s banking sector could withstand a severe economic downturn without depleting their financial buffers against losses, the European Central Bank said Friday.
A survey of 98 large and medium-sized banks done by the ECB’s supervisory arm in conjunction with the European Banking Authority showed that even in the most adverse scenario — a fall of almost 10% in economic outpoint over three years — banks would still have enough capital to cover losses and then some.
The stress test was not a pass-fail exercise for banks in the 20 countries that use the euro currency. Rather, results for individual banks will be used by banking regulators in determining how much capital they need to hold in reserve.
Banks are crucial to the European economy because companies get most of their financing from them, instead of from financial markets — the opposite of the situation in the U.S.
The ECB took over supervision of the biggest banks after the eurozone debt crisis more than a decade ago, when bank losses led to heavy bailout costs for governments. National supervisors were perceived to have been less than vigilant on developing risks.
Scrutiny of bank finances has grown after the failure of three U.S. banks amid rising interest rates that led to losses on investments and mass withdrawal of deposits. The financial turmoil then hit Credit Suisse, a globally significant bank that had long-running problems, leading the Swiss government to engineer an emergency takeover by rival UBS to prevent further banking chaos.
Switzerland is not part of the European Union, where some of the safeguards instituted after the 2008-2009 global financial crisis were more widely applied. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-europes-banks-could-survive-a-drastic-economic-downturn-stress-test-shows/ | 2023-07-29T13:24:03 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-europes-banks-could-survive-a-drastic-economic-downturn-stress-test-shows/ |
Scott Simon is one of America's most admired writers and broadcasters. He is the host of Weekend Edition Saturday and is one of the hosts of NPR's morning news podcast Up First. He has reported from all fifty states, five continents, and ten wars, from El Salvador to Sarajevo to Afghanistan and Iraq. His books have chronicled character and characters, in war and peace, sports and art, tragedy and comedy. | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/saturday-sports-the-week-ahead-in-the-womens-world-cup-orioles-defeat-yankees | 2023-07-29T13:24:03 | 1 | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/saturday-sports-the-week-ahead-in-the-womens-world-cup-orioles-defeat-yankees |
It’s midsummer and, of course, climate alarmists are converting summer heat into global warming hysteria. All the news media are pushing the “hottest day ever” story. And it’s fake. No meteorological agency made any such measurement.
It came from a computer game, a model called a “Climate Reanalyzer” that sits on the desk of some academic at the University of Maine – and an obsolete one at that. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) could not corroborate the claim with actual data. Yet it instantly got extrapolated by alarmists in the media, Congress and elsewhere to “the hottest day in 120,000 years!”
Someone spotted the Climate Reanalyzer’s high (erroneous) temperature and flashed it out on social media. The major news outlets picked up the story and ran with it unchecked. (How is that a “a lie travels around the world before the truth gets its shoes on?”) A very simple check by anyone could have caught the blunder. Is every journalist at every media outlet that lazy?
Over the following weeks, I scoured the media for at least a modest apology or retraction. Crickets. So the fake story is permanently emblazoned into people’s brains. The propaganda was 100% effective. And they call this “science”?
The siege of “record heat wave” stories and assertions is overwhelming. Worse, the alarmists consistently hide the historical period of the 1930s that inspired John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” when heat waves dwarfed what we’ve been seeing this summer.
James M. Policelli
Plainfield Township | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/opinion/2023/07/hottest-day-ever-stories-little-more-than-propaganda-from-climate-alarmists-letter.html | 2023-07-29T13:24:06 | 0 | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/opinion/2023/07/hottest-day-ever-stories-little-more-than-propaganda-from-climate-alarmists-letter.html |
Brewers vs. Braves: Betting Trends, Odds, Records Against the Run Line, Home/Road Splits
The Atlanta Braves and Ronald Acuna Jr. will hit the field against the Milwaukee Brewers and Andruw Monasterio on Saturday at 7:20 PM ET, in the second game of a three-game series at Truist Park.
The Brewers are +180 moneyline underdogs in this matchup with the Braves (-225). The matchup's over/under is set at 10 runs.
Rep your team with officially licensed Brewers gear! Head to Fanatics to find jerseys, shirts, and much more.
Brewers vs. Braves Odds & Info
- Date: Saturday, July 29, 2023
- Time: 7:20 PM ET
- TV: BSSE
- Location: Atlanta, Georgia
- Venue: Truist Park
- Live Stream: Watch on Fubo!
Bet with King of Sportsbooks and use bonus code "GNPLAY" for special offers! Check out the latest odds and place your bets with BetMGM Sportsbook. Use bonus code "GNPLAY" for special offers!
Brewers Recent Betting Performance
- In six games as the underdog over the last 10 matchups, the Brewers have a record of 2-4.
- In their previous 10 games with a total, the Brewers and their opponents have combined to exceed the over/under on two occasions.
- Oddsmakers have yet to post a spread in any of the Brewers' past 10 games.
Read More About This Game
Brewers Betting Records & Stats
- The Brewers have been chosen as underdogs in 50 games this year and have walked away with the win 25 times (50%) in those games.
- Milwaukee has played as an underdog of +180 or more once this season and lost that game.
- The moneyline set for this matchup implies the Brewers have a 35.7% chance of walking away with the win.
- So far this season, Milwaukee and its opponents have hit the over in 42 of its 104 games with a total.
- The Brewers are 4-6-0 against the spread in their 10 games that had a posted line this season.
Check out the latest odds and place your bets on and the with BetMGM Sportsbook. Use bonus code "GNPLAY" for special offers!
Brewers Splits
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.weau.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/brewers-vs-braves-mlb-betting-trends-stats/ | 2023-07-29T13:24:08 | 1 | https://www.weau.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/brewers-vs-braves-mlb-betting-trends-stats/ |
TOKYO (AP) — An official in charge of the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant says the upcoming release of treated radioactive water into the sea more than 12 years after the reactors’ meltdown marks “a milestone,” but is still only an initial step in a daunting decades-long decommissioning process.
Junichi Matsumoto, the corporate officer in charge of treated water management for Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, which operates the Fukushima Daiichi plant, also pledged to conduct careful sampling and analysis of the water to make sure its release is safely carried out in accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency standards.
The water is being treated with what’s called an Advanced Liquid Processing System, which can reduce the amounts of more than 60 selected radionuclides to government-set releasable levels, except for tritium, which the government and TEPCO say is safe for humans if consumed in small amounts.
“The release of the ALPS-treated water into the sea is a major milestone for us, as well as for the decommissioning of the plant,” Matsumoto said in an interview with The Associated Press at TEPCO headquarters in Tokyo.
“In order to steadily advance decommissioning, the ever-growing amounts of water was a pressing issue that we could not put off, and we had a sense of crisis,” said Matsumoto, a nuclear engineering expert. “We still have to tackle far more challenging and higher-risk operations such as removal of melted debris and spent fuel” from the damaged reactors, he said.
Another task for TEPCO is combatting the damage to the reputation of Fukushima fisheries caused by the water release, he said.
A massive March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami destroyed the Fukushima Daiichi plant’s cooling systems, causing three reactors to melt and contaminating their cooling water, which has since leaked continuously. The water is collected, filtered and stored in around 1,000 tanks, which will reach their capacity in early 2024.
Large amounts of fatally radioactive melted nuclear fuel remain inside the reactors. Robotic probes have provided some information about its status, but it remains largely unknown.
The government and TEPCO say the water must be removed to make room for the plant’s decommissioning, and to prevent accidental leaks from the tanks because much of the water is still contaminated and needs retreatment.
The release plan has faced strong opposition from Japanese fishing organizations, which worry about further damage to the reputation of their seafood as they struggle to recover from the accident. Groups in South Korea and China have also raised concerns, turning it into a political and diplomatic issue.
Matsumoto said the key to gaining understanding is to patiently explain the situation by providing scientific evidence.
“It is difficult, but we hope to make it as easy to understand as possible,” he said. “If we describe (the water release) in one word, it’s safe.”
“As the operator responsible for the accident, we must admit TEPCO is a company that is not fully trusted. We must keep up the effort and sincerely respond to any concern,” Matsumoto said. “It is our responsibility to demonstrate we can carry out the water release as planned, and that’s how we can regain public trust.”
The government said the release is set to start this summer but hasn’t set the date amid protests. TEPCO has obtained safety permits for all of the equipment needed for the release and is currently carrying out training so the water release team can begin work at any time, Matsumoto said.
“It’s not like just turning a faucet to run tap water,” he said.
Scientists generally agree that the environmental impact of the treated wastewater would be negligible, but some call for more attention to dozens of low-dose radionuclides that remain in it, saying data on their long-term effects on the environment and marine life are insufficient and the water requires close scrutiny.
The treated water will be diluted with massive amounts of seawater and will be released gradually over many years.
Matsumoto acknowledged that treated water that came in contact with the damaged nuclear fuel contains radionuclides such as uranium and plutonium that are not in water that is routinely released from healthy nuclear plants around the world.
He said the total concentration of radionuclides in the water meets government standards after treatment, and after dilution the wastewater will be fully safe and have a minimal environmental impact, according to the IAEA, which has provided assistance in evaluating the release plan.
Matsumoto said he has struggled to manage the massive amounts of contaminated water to keep it from escaping into the environment and safely stored at the plant since the accident.
There were instances in which plant workers had no other choice but to dump some into the sea or temporarily put it inside a basement or in temporary water tanks, Matsumoto recalled.
Now, after taking measures to minimize the seeping of rainwater and groundwater into the reactor buildings and establishing a stable water management system, the amount of contaminated water has come down to less than one-fifth of what it used to be, he said. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-fukushima-plant-official-says-the-coming-release-of-treated-water-a-milestone-for-decommissioning/ | 2023-07-29T13:24:09 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-fukushima-plant-official-says-the-coming-release-of-treated-water-a-milestone-for-decommissioning/ |
NPR's Scott Simon talks with Henry Bushnell of Yahoo Sports about the American connection to the Philippines women's soccer team competing in the World Cup.
Copyright 2023 NPR
NPR's Scott Simon talks with Henry Bushnell of Yahoo Sports about the American connection to the Philippines women's soccer team competing in the World Cup.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/the-upset-scoring-philippines-womens-soccer-team-has-strong-roots-in-the-u-s | 2023-07-29T13:24:10 | 1 | https://www.wlrn.org/2023-07-29/the-upset-scoring-philippines-womens-soccer-team-has-strong-roots-in-the-u-s |
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A merger that would have created one of the largest health service companies in the Upper Midwest has been scrapped.
Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services and Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based Sanford Health announced Thursday that they would not proceed with the merger they had been discussing since late last year. It would have created a system with more than 50 hospitals and about 78,000 employees.
This is the second time in a decade that the two companies considered a merger but failed to complete it, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
The latest attempt drew fierce opposition at the University of Minnesota, which has a partnership with Fairview. The university sold its teaching hospital to Fairview in 1997 and opposed the idea of an out-of-state entity owning the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis. The merged system would have been based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s largest city.
Statements from the two companies’ CEOs stated that without support from stakeholders, it was determined that the merger couldn’t move forward.
The companies first considered merging in 2013 but met with strong political opposition.
Minnesota lawmakers this spring gave the state attorney general additional power to scrutinize health care mergers, including the Sanford-Fairview proposal.
The affiliation between Fairview and the University of Minnesota includes financial support from Fairview for the school’s academic medicine mission. This agreement continues through 2026, but both parties have an option to signal by the end of this year if they want to end the partnership. Fairview has said the current agreements are not financially sustainable. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-merger-talks-end-between-large-health-care-systems-in-minnesota-south-dakota/ | 2023-07-29T13:24:11 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-merger-talks-end-between-large-health-care-systems-in-minnesota-south-dakota/ |
PHILADELPHIA – Moments after center Jason Kelce’s snap, Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter shot through a gap and chased quarterback Jalen Hurts during Friday’s training camp practice at the NovaCare Complex. After Hurts released the ball and the play was over, Carter returned to the defensive huddle, high-fiving his teammates who applauded the pressure.
Carter has stood out early in training camp, providing early returns on the deal to trade up and select him ninth overall in the first round of the draft.
Want to bet on the NFL?
See the best NJ Sports Betting sites
“I want to be the Defensive Rookie of the Year,” Carter said after practice. “I have a lot of goals, and they change every day, but the main goal is Defensive Rookie of the Year.”
Carter is expected to compete against Houston Texans edge rusher Will Anderson, Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon, and Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Tyree Wilson for the award. No Eagles rookie has won the AP award. The last time an Eagles player came close to winning was in 2000, when defensive tackle Corey Simon finishied third to Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher.
In fact, the only league-wide award obtained by rookies in Eagles history came when tight end Keith Jackson won the Sporting News Rookie of the Year honor in 1988, and tight end and kicker Bobby Walston won the NFL Rookie of the Year award in 1951. Defensive end Reggie White (1985), linebacker Jerry Robinson (1979), and defensive tackle Ernie Calloway (1969) were close, but finished second.
There were questions about Carter’s conditioning heading into the draft, but he has taken steps to address it, working in the offseason with Hunter Wood, a training coach who prepared him before camp. Carter is also participating in extra drills after practice and employing cryotherapy to help his body recover.
Defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and defensive end Brandon Graham are schooling him, along with defensive line coach Tracey Rocker, who will keep tabs on him during camp.
“He’s an awesome coach,” Carter said. “He hit me up during the summer just letting me know, checking up on me, what I’m doing, and he’s played a big role in what I have been doing right now.”
Defensive coordinator Sean Desai said Rocker has put Carter on the right track to start strong.
“He’s learned to be a pro,” Desai said. “He’s doing a great job and taking ownership of his role. He knows what it is when it comes to the preparation for the mind and the body, off the field in the weight room and in the training room. He’s embracing it and doing a great job.
“Coach Rocker is doing a tremendous job with him. We are built to take on all of our rookies and help develop them with guys like (director of player development) Connor Barwin, and Jalen is on par with all of them.”
BUY EAGLES TICKETS: STUBHUB, VIVID SEATS, TICKETMASTER
Carter has impressed left tackle Jordan Mailata, who tangled with him for a few plays in the first two practices.
“Jalen Carter is very fast,” Mailata said. “The intensity and speed right now are really fast. I’ve had a couple of plays with Jalen trying to cut him off on the backside, and he has been really fast.”
In 2014, Aaron Donald was the last defensive tackle to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award when he had nine sacks, 48 tackles, and 18 tackles for loss. Sheldon Richardson won in 2013 with 3.5 sacks, 78 tackles, and 12 tackles for loss. Carter may not put up Donald’s numbers, but he could accumulate impressive stats if he can stay healthy.
And if Carter plays with the first team, offensive line protections must account for edge rushers Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat, who could demand double teams, leaving others, like Carter, one-on-one with. Add defensive tackle Jordan Davis into the mix — if the Eagles use a five-man line — and Carter could see more matchups against guards, giving him a chance to collapse the pocket. The same opportunities would be on the second rush line, with Graham, Milton Williams, and Derek Barnett getting after the quarterback.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the journalism you can trust. Please consider supporting us with a subscription.
Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com. | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/philadelphia-eagles/2023/07/what-are-the-chances-eagles-jalen-carter-does-something-never-done-in-team-history.html | 2023-07-29T13:24:12 | 0 | https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/philadelphia-eagles/2023/07/what-are-the-chances-eagles-jalen-carter-does-something-never-done-in-team-history.html |
Top Player Prop Bets for Marlins vs. Tigers on July 29, 2023
The Miami Marlins host the Detroit Tigers at LoanDepot park on Saturday at 4:10 PM ET. Those looking to place a player prop wager can find odds for Luis Arraez, Spencer Torkelson and others in this game.
Bet on this matchup or its props with BetMGM!
Marlins vs. Tigers Game Info
- When: Saturday, July 29, 2023 at 4:10 PM ET
- Where: LoanDepot park in Miami, Florida
- How to Watch on TV: Fox Sports 1
- Live Stream: Watch the MLB on Fubo!
Discover More About This Game
MLB Props Today: Miami Marlins
Johnny Cueto Props
- Strikeouts Prop: Over/Under 4.5 (Over Odds: -145)
Cueto Stats
- The Marlins will send Johnny Cueto to the mound for his third start of the season.
Cueto Recent Games
Check out the latest odds and place your bets on any of Johnny Cueto's player props with BetMGM.
Luis Arraez Props
- Hits Prop: Over/Under 1.5 (Over Odds: +145)
- Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +115)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +1100)
- RBI Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +195)
Arraez Stats
- Arraez has 24 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 30 walks and 51 RBI (144 total hits). He has stolen one base.
- He has a .380/.428/.478 slash line so far this year.
- Arraez has picked up at least one hit in two straight games. In his last five games he is batting .500 with four doubles, a triple, a walk and five RBI.
Arraez Recent Games
Jorge Soler Props
- Hits Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: -233)
- Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: -105)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +360)
- RBI Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +165)
Soler Stats
- Jorge Soler has collected 88 hits with 19 doubles, 24 home runs and 47 walks. He has driven in 54 runs with one stolen base.
- He has a .240/.332/.488 slash line on the year.
Soler Recent Games
Bet on player props for Luis Arraez, Jorge Soler or other Marlins players with BetMGM.
Buy officially licensed gear for your favorite teams and players at Fanatics!
MLB Props Today: Detroit Tigers
Spencer Torkelson Props
- Hits Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: -244)
- Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +115)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +390)
- RBI Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +145)
Torkelson Stats
- Torkelson has 90 hits with 23 doubles, a triple, 15 home runs, 43 walks and 58 RBI. He's also stolen two bases.
- He's slashing .232/.311/.412 so far this year.
Torkelson Recent Games
Javier Báez Props
- Hits Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: -227)
- Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +155)
- Home Runs Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +750)
- RBI Prop: Over/Under 0.5 (Over Odds: +205)
Báez Stats
- Javier Baez has 86 hits with 12 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 16 walks and 47 RBI. He's also stolen nine bases.
- He's slashed .225/.263/.332 so far this year.
Báez Recent Games
Bet on player props for Spencer Torkelson, Javier Báez or other Tigers players with BetMGM.
Not all offers available in all states. Please gamble responsibly. If you or someone you know has developed a gambling problem or addiction, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.weau.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/marlins-vs-tigers-mlb-player-prop-bets/ | 2023-07-29T13:24:15 | 0 | https://www.weau.com/sports/betting/2023/07/29/marlins-vs-tigers-mlb-player-prop-bets/ |
The Lincoln Dinner in Iowa hosts the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 - as hopefuls try to stand out against front-runner Donald Trump.
Copyright 2023 NPR
The Lincoln Dinner in Iowa hosts the candidates for the Republican presidential nomination in 2024 - as hopefuls try to stand out against front-runner Donald Trump.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wlrn.org/national-politics/national-politics/2023-07-29/new-charges-against-trump-didnt-keep-him-off-the-campaign-trail-in-iowa | 2023-07-29T13:24:16 | 0 | https://www.wlrn.org/national-politics/national-politics/2023-07-29/new-charges-against-trump-didnt-keep-him-off-the-campaign-trail-in-iowa |
NEW YORK (AP) — Procter & Gamble reported better-than-expected fourth-quarter profits and revenue, showing that the appetite for established brands like Crest toothpaste, Tide detergent and Charmin toilet paper is still strong even as the consumer products company pushes up prices.
P&G increased prices by about 7% across various brands from the same period last year, less than the 10% increase in third quarter. Global volume fell 1% in the quarter, however, still an improvement over a 3% drop in volume during the third quarter, and a 6% drop in the second quarter.
During a call with analysts Friday, Chairman and CEO Jon Moeller said higher prices are tied to company innovations and aren’t going away.
Examples include Cruiser 360 diapers, made for babies that move around a lot. Sales have increased 33% over the past 12 months, according to Andre Schulten, the company’s chief financial officer. And a detox body wash sold in China called Safeguard goes for twice the market average price. Sales have almost doubled in the past year.
“When you have a strong innovation program, it compels consumers to try even better performing products,” Moeller said.
During the fourth quarter prices for fabric care, as well as home and health care, went up 6% and grooming products rose 9%. Beauty items rose 8%.
Pricing has been a boost to sales growth in nearly all of P&G’s past 51 quarters, Moeller said.
The easing of volume declines may be encouraging news for P&G and other producers after recent evidence of a pushback by shoppers to seemingly relentless price hikes coming from a broad spectrum of retailers and companies the make products for them.
Conagra Brands, which makes Slim Jim beef jerky, Duncan Hines cake mix and more, said this month that smaller price increases have not translated to higher sales volume. The company raised prices 15% in the quarter before that and it didn’t dent demand.
Also this month, PepsiCo said higher prices lifted the company’s revenue in the second quarter but snack food volumes fell 3% in the April-June period, while beverage volumes dropped 1%. The company said that price increases could start to moderate in the second half of this year.
Overall inflation continues to slow and on Friday, the U.S. reported that the consumer price index, which is followed closely because it accounts for changes in how people shop when inflation jumps, rose in June at the slowest pace in more than two years.
Procter & Gamble Co., based in Cincinnati, reported net income of $3.39 billion, or $1.37 per share, in the quarter ended June 30. That compares with $3.06 billion, or $1.21 per share, in the year-ago quarter.
Sales rose 5% to $20.6 billion from $19.51 billion in the quarter.
Analysts were expecting $1.32 per share on sales of $20.01 billion, according to FactSet.
P&G expects fiscal 2024 sales growth in the range of 3% to 4% versus the prior year. The company expects organic sales growth, which excludes deals and currency moves, to be in the range of 4% to 5%.
P&G expects net earnings per share growth in the range of 6% to 9% for the current year. This outlook equates to a range of $6.25 to $6.43 per share, with a mid-point estimate of $6.34, or an increase of 7.5%. Analysts were expecting $6.37 per share.
Shares rose more than 3% Friday.
_____
Follow Anne D’Innocenzio: http://twitter.com/ADInnocenzio | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-pgs-better-than-expected-4q-results-show-consumers-appetite-for-iconic-brands-despite-price-hikes/ | 2023-07-29T13:24:17 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-pgs-better-than-expected-4q-results-show-consumers-appetite-for-iconic-brands-despite-price-hikes/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — The fate of U.S. trucking company Yellow Corp. isn’t looking good.
After years of financial struggles, Yellow is reportedly preparing for bankruptcy and seeing customers leave in large numbers — heightening risk for future liquidation. While no official decision has been announced by the company, the prospect of bankruptcy has renewed attention around Yellow’s ongoing negotiations with unionized workers, a $700 million pandemic-era loan from the government and other bills the trucker has racked up over time.
Yellow, formerly known as YRC Worldwide Inc., is one of the nation’s largest less-than-truckload carriers. The Nashville, Tennessee-based company has some 30,000 employees across the country.
Here’s what you need to know.
Not yet. But industry experts suspect that a bankruptcy filing could come any day now.
People familiar with the matter told The Wall Street Journal that the company could seek bankruptcy protection as soon as this week — with some noting that a significant amount of customers have already started to leave the carrier.
Meanwhile, according to FreightWaves, employees were told to expect the filing Monday. Yellow laid off an unknown number of employees Friday, the outlet later reported, citing a memo that stated the company was “shutting down its regular operations.”
According to Satish Jindel, president of transportation and logistics firm SJ Consulting, Yellow handled an average of 49,000 shipments per day in 2022. As of this week, he estimates that number is down to between 10,000 and 15,000 daily shipments.
With customers leaving — as well reports of Yellow stopping freight pickups earlier this week — bankruptcy would “be the end of Yellow,” Jindel told The Associated Press, noting increased risk for liquidation.
“The likelihood of them surviving and remaining solvent diminishes really by the day,” added Bruce Chan, a research director at investment banking firm Stifel.
Yellow media contacts did not immediately respond to the Associated Press’ requests for comment on Friday. In a Wednesday statement to The Journal, the company said it was continuing “to prepare for a range of contingencies.” On Thursday, Yellow said it was in talks with multiple parties about selling its third-party logistics organization.
Even if Yellow was able to sell its logistics firm, it would “not generate a sufficient amount of cash to keep them operational on any sort of permanent basis,” Chan said. “Without a major equity injection, it would be very difficult for them to survive.”
As of late March, Yellow had an outstanding debt of about $1.5 billion. Of that, $729.2 million was owed to the federal government.
In 2020, under the Trump administration, the Treasury Department granted the company a $700 million pandemic-era loan on national security grounds. Last month, a congressional probe concluded that the Treasury and Defense Departments “made missteps” in this decision — and noted that Yellow’s “precarious financial position at the time of the loan, and continued struggles, expose taxpayers to a significant risk of loss.”
The government loan is due in September 2024. As of March, Yellow had made $54.8 million in interest payments and repaid just $230 million of the principal owed, according to government documents.
Yellow’s current finances and prospect of bankruptcy “is probably two decades in the making,” Chan said, pointing to poor management and strategic decisions dating back to the early 2000s. “At this point, after each party has bailed them out so many times, there is a limited appetite to do that anymore.”
In May, Yellow reported a loss of $54.6 million, a decline of $1.06 per share, for its first quarter of 2023. Operating revenue was about $1.16 billion in the period.
A Wednesday investors note from financial service firm Stephens estimated that Yellow could be burning between $9 million and $10 million each day. Using a liquidity disclosure from earlier this month, Yellow had roughly $100 million in cash at the end of June, the note added — estimating that the company has been burning through increasing amounts of money through July.
“It is reasonable to believe that the Company could breach its $35 mil. liquidity requirement at any moment,” Stephens analyst Jack Atkins and associate Grant Smith wrote.
The reports of bankruptcy preparations arrive just days after a strike from the Teamsters, which represents Yellow’s 22,000 unionized workers, was averted.
A series of heated exchanges have built up between the Teamsters and Yellow, who sued the union in June after alleging it was “unjustifiably blocking” restructuring plans needed for the company’s survival. The Teamsters called the litigation “baseless” — with general president Sean O’Brien pointing to Yellow’s “decades of gross mismanagement,” which included exhausting the $700 million federal loan.
On Sunday, a pension fund agreed to extend health benefits for workers at two Yellow Corp. operating companies, averting a strike — and giving Yellow “30 days to pay its bills,” notably $50 million that Yellow failed to pay the Central States Health and Welfare Fund on July 15, the union said. While the strike didn’t occur, talks of a walkout may have caused some Yellow customers to pull back, Chan said.
Talks between Yellow and the Teamsters, which also represents UPS’s unionized workers, are ongoing. The current contract expires in March 2024.
“The financial struggles of Yellow are not related to the union and the contracts,” Jindel said, pointing to management’s responsibility around its services and prices. He added the union wages from Yellow are “lower than any competitor.”
If Yellow files for bankruptcy and customers continue to take their shipments to other carriers, like FedEx or ABF Freight, prices will go up.
Yellow’s prices have historically been the cheapest compared to other carriers, Jindel said. “That’s why they obviously were not making money,” he added. “And while there is capacity with the other LTL carriers to handle the diversions from Yellow, it will come at a high price for (current shippers and customers) of Yellow.”
Chan adds that we’re in an interesting time for the LTL marketplace — noting that, if Yellow declares bankruptcy and liquidates, “the freight would find a home” with other carriers, which may not have been true in recent years.
“It may take time, but there’s room for it to be absorbed,” he said. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-trucking-company-yellow-corp-is-reportedly-preparing-for-bankruptcy-heres-what-you-need-to-know/ | 2023-07-29T13:24:23 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-trucking-company-yellow-corp-is-reportedly-preparing-for-bankruptcy-heres-what-you-need-to-know/ |
Congress leaves for recess despite a big to-do list. New charges filed against former President Donald Trump. Promising new economic numbers.
Copyright 2023 NPR
Congress leaves for recess despite a big to-do list. New charges filed against former President Donald Trump. Promising new economic numbers.
Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wlrn.org/national-politics/national-politics/2023-07-29/week-in-politics-congress-on-recess-new-charges-against-trump-economy-looks-up | 2023-07-29T13:24:23 | 1 | https://www.wlrn.org/national-politics/national-politics/2023-07-29/week-in-politics-congress-on-recess-new-charges-against-trump-economy-looks-up |
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Two taxi drivers have been arrested in the Mexican city of Cancun for assaulting a van carrying foreign tourists, prosecutors said Friday.
The events in the Caribbean coast resort on Thursday were the latest in a months-long string of assaults on vehicles that medallion-cab drivers suspect of being operated by ride-hailing apps such as Uber.
Prosecutors in the Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo said such behavior will not be tolerated.
“Strong action will be taken to ensure that the state is a safe destination for local inhabitants and visitors,” the state prosecutor’s office said in a statement.
Local residents posted video on social media showing at least two uniformed cab drivers bashing a Chevy Suburban with poles and other objects.
The van driver attempts to escape with the vehicle’s tailgate open, according to the footage, and the tourists’ luggage spills into the street. Three women can later be seen retrieving their luggage from the street.
“What are you doing?” cries one woman in English as belligerent cabbies mill around the scene, carrying what looked like improvised cudgels. “That is not okay.”
A local business owner who filmed the incident invited the women to take refuge in her store. The video shows the taxi drivers chasing the driver of the Suburban down the street until he reached a police officer.
The state prosecutors’ office said two taxi drivers were charged with robbery, and causing damage and injuries.
Local media reported the Suburban was not run through a ride-hailing app but by a local, non-medallion limousine service. Past incidents of taxi drivers attacking private vehicles in Cancun were based on the mistaken assumption they were Uber cars.
Cancun residents organized a boycott of medallion taxis in January following a week of blockades and violent incidents by drivers protesting the ride-hailing app Uber.
Road blockades, stone throwing and cabbies physically getting in the way had prevented tourists from boarding Uber vehicles. The U.S. issued a travel advisory warning that “past disputes between these services and local taxi unions have occasionally turned violent, resulting in injuries to U.S. citizens in some instances.”
Ride-hailing app s were blocked in Cancun until January, when a court granted an injunction allowing Uber to operate. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-two-taxi-drivers-arrested-in-mexican-resort-of-cancun-for-assaulting-van-carrying-foreign-tourists/ | 2023-07-29T13:24:29 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-two-taxi-drivers-arrested-in-mexican-resort-of-cancun-for-assaulting-van-carrying-foreign-tourists/ |
Gene X Hwang knew his days on Twitter as @x were numbered.
"Elon had been kind of tweeting about X previously," Hwang said. "So I kind of knew, you know, I had an inkling that this was going to happen. I didn't really know when."
Since 2007, Hwang's username on the site was @x — but after Elon Musk renamed the social media platform to X earlier this week, it was only a matter of time before the company commandeered the handle.
The news came shortly after Hwang had competed in a pinball tournament in Canada.
"So when I landed and fired up my phone, I just got all these messages and I was like: 'What is what is going on?' "
Hwang received an email from the company explaining that his account data would be preserved, and he'd get a new handle. It offered Hwang merchandise, a tour of its offices and a meeting with company management as compensation.
Hwang's account is one of the latest casualties in the chaos following Musk's takeover of the social media company. On Monday, Twitter's iconic blue bird logo was replaced with the letter "X."
Our headquarters tonight pic.twitter.com/GO6yY8R7fO
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 24, 2023
The rebrand is the company's next step in creating what Musk has called "the everything app." Musk and CEO Linda Yaccarino envision the platform becoming a U.S. parallel to WeChat — a hub for communication, banking and commerce that's become a part of everyday life in China.
X is the future state of unlimited interactivity – centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking – creating a global marketplace for ideas, goods, services, and opportunities. Powered by AI, X will connect us all in ways we’re just beginning to imagine.
— Linda Yaccarino (@lindayacc) July 23, 2023
But experts are skeptical X will be able to become an "everything app."
"I'm not sure he has enough trust from his user base to get people to actually exchange money or attach any type of financial institution to his app," Jennifer Grygiel, a professor at Syracuse University, told NPR.
Hwang is among those who have been looking for Twitter alternatives.
"I've been checking out, you know, other options like Threads and Mastodon and Bluesky," he said. "I'm still on Twitter for now, but ... it's changed a lot. So we'll see how much longer I'm on there."
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wlrn.org/npr-breaking-news/2023-07-29/after-rebranding-x-took-x-from-its-original-twitter-owner-and-offered-him-merch | 2023-07-29T13:24:29 | 0 | https://www.wlrn.org/npr-breaking-news/2023-07-29/after-rebranding-x-took-x-from-its-original-twitter-owner-and-offered-him-merch |
DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government wants to raise the fuel economy of new vehicles 18% by the 2032 model year so the fleet would average about 43.5 miles per gallon in real world driving.
The proposed numbers were released Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which eventually will adopt final mileage requirements.
Currently the fleet of new vehicles must average 36.75 mpg by 2026 under corporate average fuel economy standards adopted by the administration of President Joe Biden, who reversed a rollback made by former President Donald Trump.
The highway safety agency says it will try to line up its regulations so they match the Environmental Protection Agency’s reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But if there are discrepancies, automakers likely will have to follow the most stringent regulation.
In the byzantine world of government regulation, both agencies essentially are responsible for setting fuel economy requirements since the fastest way to reduce greenhouse emissions is to burn less gasoline.
“I want to make clear that EPA and NHTSA will coordinate to optimize the effectiveness of both agency standards while minimizing compliance costs,” NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson said.
A large auto industry trade group which includes General Motors, Toyota, Ford, Stellantis and others said requirements from the agencies should be lined up. “If an automaker complies with EPA’s yet-to-be-finalized greenhouse gas emissions rules, they shouldn’t be at risk of violating CAFE rules (from NHTSA) and subject to civil penalties,” John Bozzella, CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said in a statement.
However the alliance has said the EPA’s proposed cut in carbon emissions will require a huge increase in electric vehicle sales that’s not attainable by 2032. The EPA says the industry can reach the greenhouse gas emissions goals if 67% of new vehicles sold in 2032 are electric. Currently, EVs make up about 7% of new vehicle sales.
NHTSA said its proposal includes a 2% annual improvement in fuel mileage for passenger cars, and a 4% increase for light trucks. It’s proposing a 10% improvement per year for commercial pickup trucks and work vans. Automakers can meet the requirements with a mix of electric vehicles, gas-electric hybrids and efficiency improvements in gas and diesel vehicles.
The agency says the new regulations will save more than $50 billion on fuel over the vehicles’ lifetimes and save more than 88 billion gallons of gasoline through 2050 if NHTSA’s preferred alternative is adopted. The standards would cut new-vehicle fuel consumption nearly in half by the 2035 model year, and benefits will exceed costs by $18 billion, the agency said.
NHTSA will take comments from the public for 60 days before drafting a final regulation. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-us-proposes-18-fuel-economy-increase-for-new-vehicle-fleet-from-2027-through-2032/ | 2023-07-29T13:24:31 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-us-proposes-18-fuel-economy-increase-for-new-vehicle-fleet-from-2027-through-2032/ |
We are under yet another heat advisory for today from noon until 7pm. That is because actual temperatures will be near 100 degrees, and heat index values will range from 105 to 109. But for right now, temperatures are around the mid to upper 70s out the door on this Saturday morning.
There is a small chance for isolated showers this afternoon, especially in the southern part of our viewing area. Besides that, most of us will be seeing dry conditions and mostly sunny skies today. We will continue to see calm conditions overnight and early on Sunday.
Tomorrow is shaping up to be another hot one with afternoon highs reaching into the upper 90s once again and heat index values in the 100s. Because of this, more heat advisories are expected to be issued before a cold front moves in Sunday evening bringing some relief. This will put us under a marginal risk for severe weather, but after this passes, temperatures will briefly be back into the mid 90s. We will warm back up throughout the next work week. | https://www.wtva.com/news/top-stories/this-weekend-is-starting-off-with-lots-of-sunshine-and-a-heat-advisory/article_d2f177e0-2df2-11ee-b6e0-2777b4210342.html | 2023-07-29T13:24:34 | 1 | https://www.wtva.com/news/top-stories/this-weekend-is-starting-off-with-lots-of-sunshine-and-a-heat-advisory/article_d2f177e0-2df2-11ee-b6e0-2777b4210342.html |
NPR Breaking News Indigenous communities in Taiwan celebrate summer with the harvest festival By Emily Feng Published July 29, 2023 at 8:05 AM EDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email A visit to a harvest festival in Taiwan, a celebration of summer by the island's indigenous communities. Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wlrn.org/npr-breaking-news/2023-07-29/indigenous-communities-in-taiwan-celebrate-summer-with-the-harvest-festival | 2023-07-29T13:24:35 | 1 | https://www.wlrn.org/npr-breaking-news/2023-07-29/indigenous-communities-in-taiwan-celebrate-summer-with-the-harvest-festival |
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats are demanding the release of a transcript from a new FBI witness that they say contradicts Republicans’ claims in the expanding congressional inquiry into President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on House Oversight Committee, sent a letter Friday to Rep. James Comer, the Republican chair of the committee, asking him to produce the transcribed interview this month with an FBI agent who worked on the investigation into the younger Biden’s taxes and foreign business dealings. The witness was interviewed on July 17.
“This failure to release a transcript is the latest in your troubling pattern of concealing key evidence in order to advance a false and distorted narrative about your ‘investigation of Joe Biden’ that has not only failed to develop any evidence of wrongdoing by President Biden but has, in fact, uncovered substantial evidence to the contrary,” Raskin wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press.
The Maryland lawmaker claimed the closed-door interview with the unidentified agent conducted by committee staff “directly undermined” testimony released by Republicans last month from two IRS whistleblowers who allege that the Justice Department interfered with their yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden.
Republicans said the transcript will be released but is not yet ready. “The transcript is going through the normal review process where the witness reviews it and makes any corrections needed,” the GOP majority tweeted Thursday night. “Once that process has been completed, we will release it.”
House rules allow only the majority party to release transcribed interviews from a committee investigation, meaning minority Democrats have no direct power over the matter.
Raskin says in the letter that it is unusual for the release of a transcript to take this long. However, it is not unusual for committee staff to handle whistleblowers cautiously and keep sensitive information tightly held.
The letter from Raskin comes days after Hunter Biden’s plea deal in a criminal case unraveled during a court hearing. A federal judge in the case raised concerns about the terms of the agreement. Republicans like Comer claimed vindication, having slammed the agreement as a “sweetheart deal.”
“The judge did the obvious thing, they put a pause on the plea deal, so I think that was progress,” Comer said Wednesday. “I think it adds credibility to what we’re doing.”
The president’s youngest son was charged last month with two misdemeanor crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes on over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018. He had been expected to plead guilty Wednesday after he made an agreement with prosecutors, who wanted two years of probation.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that Hunter Biden remains under active investigation, but would not reveal details. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-democrats-claim-the-gop-is-withholding-evidence-contradicting-claims-in-hunter-biden-probe/ | 2023-07-29T13:24:37 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-democrats-claim-the-gop-is-withholding-evidence-contradicting-claims-in-hunter-biden-probe/ |
NPR Breaking News A program in Oklahoma uses art to re-integrate women recently released from prison By Elizabeth Caldwell Published July 29, 2023 at 8:00 AM EDT Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Women who are soon to be released from prison in Oklahoma get help with the transition by focusing on the arts. Copyright 2023 NPR | https://www.wlrn.org/npr-breaking-news/npr-breaking-news/2023-07-29/a-program-in-oklahoma-uses-art-to-re-integrate-women-recently-released-from-prison | 2023-07-29T13:24:42 | 1 | https://www.wlrn.org/npr-breaking-news/npr-breaking-news/2023-07-29/a-program-in-oklahoma-uses-art-to-re-integrate-women-recently-released-from-prison |
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump asked a federal appeals court Friday to reverse a federal judge’s decision to keep his hush-money criminal case in a New York state court that the former president claims is “very unfair” to him.
Trump’s lawyers filed a notice of appeal with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan after U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein last week rejected his bid to move the case to federal court, where his lawyers were primed to argue he was immune from prosecution.
U.S. law allows criminal prosecutions to be moved from state to federal court if they involve actions taken by federal government officials as part of their official duties, but Hellerstein ruled that the hush-money case involved a personal matter, not presidential duties.
Trump’s appeal notice came at the end of another busy week of legal action for the twice-indicted Republican as he seeks a return to the White House in next year’s election. On Thursday, he was indicted on new criminal charges in a separate case in federal court in Florida involving allegations that he illegally hoarded classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office, which is prosecuting the hush-money case and fought to keep it in state court, declined to comment on Trump’s appeal.
Trump pleaded not guilty April 4 in state court to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records to hide reimbursements made to his longtime personal lawyer Michael Cohen for his role in paying $130,000 to the porn actor Stormy Daniels, who claims she had an extramarital sexual encounter with Trump years earlier.
Cohen also arranged for the National Enquirer to pay Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 for the rights to her story about an alleged affair, which the supermarket tabloid then squelched in a dubious journalism practice known as “catch-and-kill.”
Trump denied having sexual encounters with either woman. His lawyers argue the payments to Cohen were legitimate legal expenses and not part of any cover-up.
He is scheduled to stand trial in state court on March 25, 2024. In the meantime, his lawyers have asked the state court judge presiding over the case, Juan Manuel Merchan, to step aside, arguing that he’s biased in part because his daughter does political consulting work for some of Trump’s Democratic rivals. Trump has referred to Merchan as “a Trump-hating judge” with a family full of “Trump haters.” The judge has yet to rule on the request.
In seeking to try the hush-money case tried in federal court, Trump’s lawyers have argued that some of his alleged conduct amounted to official presidential duties because it occurred in 2017 while he was president, including checks he purportedly wrote while sitting in the Oval Office.
Moving the case from state court to federal court would have significant legal and practical consequences for Trump. In federal court, for example, his lawyers could then try to get the charges dismissed on the grounds that federal officials have immunity from prosecution over actions taken as part of their official job duties.
A shift to federal court would also mean a more politically diverse jury pool — drawing not only from heavily Democratic Manhattan, where Trump is wildly unpopular, but also from suburban counties north of the city where he has more political support. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-donald-trump-appeals-judges-decision-to-keep-hush-money-case-in-new-york-state-court/ | 2023-07-29T13:24:43 | 1 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-donald-trump-appeals-judges-decision-to-keep-hush-money-case-in-new-york-state-court/ |