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The Mill Casino hosted their first ever Margarita Festival featuring a variety of flavored and classic Margaritas, taco food trucks and live music. The three-day outdoor event celebrated Latin culture from July 14 through 16. The event included live music from Grupo Masato and Latin dance music by DJ Darryl. Festival-goers got to vote for their favorite taco. Taco trucks from around the state also competed for the judge’s choice best plate and best booth décor.
The Mill Casino has more events coming up this summer including their 5th Annual Food Truck Off on Friday, Aug. 4 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Up to 20 food trucks from around the state will compete for the title of People’s Choice Best Food Truck and Judge’s Choice Best Taco, Sandwich, BBQ, Global Cuisine and Kitchen Sink. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/mill-casino-summer-events-in-full-swing/article_4b13a898-2ca3-11ee-93be-a79d7fa79d91.html | 2023-07-31T02:04:01 | 1 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/mill-casino-summer-events-in-full-swing/article_4b13a898-2ca3-11ee-93be-a79d7fa79d91.html |
The police blotter is a public record of incidents as reported by law-enforcement agencies. All individuals arrested or charged with a crime are innocent until proven guilty. The information printed is preliminary and subject to change.
Thursday 07/13:
North Bend
• 7:23 am, theft, 3100 block of Pine Street.
• 8:19 am, criminal mischief, 500 block of State Street.
• 11:29 am, prowler, 2600 block of Montana Street.
• 2:02 pm, dispute, 1800 block of Waite Street.
• 5:47 pm, 51 year old male and 31 year old female transported to Coos County jail on warrants, 2000 block of Sherman Avenue.
• 6:17 pm, counterfeit money, 2200 block of Newmark Street.
• 9:34 pm, missing person, 2500 block of 14th Street.
• 11:00 pm, intoxicated subject, 2000 block of Sherman Avenue.
Coos Bay
• 8:47 am, theft, 500 block of Central Avenue.
• 9:17 am, 30 year old male cited on warrant, Empire Lakes/John Topits Park.
• 9:40 am, 38 year old male arrested on warrant, 200 block of N Baxter Street.
• 9:17 am, 43 year old female transported to Coos County jail on criminal trespass II, Empire Lakes/John Topits Park.
• 10:55 am, dispute, 500 block of Schetter Avenue.
• 2:22 pm, 53 year old male transported to Coos County jail on warrant, S Empire and Fulton.
• 2:25 pm, theft, 3200 block of Ocean Boulevard.
• 3:01 pm, dispute, 1400 block of Newmark Avenue.
• 3:56 pm, 45 year old male transported to Coos County jail on warrants, burglary I and theft I, 100 block of N Cammann Street.
• 5:58 pm, weapons offense, 100 block of N Wasson Street.
• 7:05 pm, dispute, 1300 block of Newmark Avenue.
• 10:29 pm, harassment, 1100 block of California Avenue.
• 10:36 pm, loud noise, 300 block of S 6th Street.
• 11:27 pm, dispute, 1100 block of Elrod.
• 11:50 pm, dead animal, Wasson and Newmark.
Coquille
• 12:50 am, 42 year old male transported to Coos County jail on warrant, 70 block of W Highway 42.
• 11:19 am, animal abuse, 700 block of E 10th Street.
• 12:36 pm, disorderly conduct, 800 block of E 11th Street.
• 12:51 pm, 38 year old male transported to Coos County jail on disorderly conduct II, unlawful entry into motor vehicle and attempted unlawful entry into motor vehicle, N Alder Street.
Friday 07/14:
North Bend
• 7:36 am, 30 year old male transported to Coos County jail on warrants, Virginia and McPherson.
• 9:55 am, 50 year old female transported to Coos County jail on warrant, Newmark and Lower Edgewood.
• 5:02 pm, threats, 700 block of Virginia Avenue.
• 5:21 pm, fight, McPherson and Virginia Avenue.
Coos Bay
• 12:10 am, dispute, 700 block of 9th Avenue.
• 12:14 am, threats, 500 block of N Main.
• 12:26 am, loud noise, 400 block of Hall Avenue.
• 5:18 am, 33 year old female cited on DUII, 17th and Filbert.
• 7:57 am, theft of services, 1300 block of Teakwood Avenue.
• 10:17 am, disorderly conduct, 500 block of Johnson Avenue.
• 11:23 am, fraud, 80 block of Hall Avenue.
• 12:35 pm, dead animal, Ocean Boulevard and Water Board.
• 12:52 pm, located runaway, 500 block of D Street.
• 1:52 pm, harassment, 1400 block of Ventana Court.
• 3:18 pm, 43 year old male lodged at Coos County jail on warrant, 1000 block of S 1st Street.
• 4:16 pm, injured animal, 500 block of Central Avenue.
• 5:58 pm, neighbor dispute, 100 block of Ocean Boulevard.
• 7:55 pm, 40 year old female cited for driving while suspended, N Wasson Street.
• 8:09 pm, 37 year old female and 38 year old male cited result of driving while suspended, Ocean Boulevard and Dunn Street.
• 8:34 pm, 27 year old male transported to Coos County jail on DUII and domestic assault IV, 2700 block of Kinney Road.
• 8:44 pm, fight, 200 block of S 8th Street.
• 9:47 pm, dispute, 300 block of S Wall Street.
• 10:04 pm, disorderly conduct, 200 block of S Broadway Street.
• 10:17 pm, fraud, 1500 block of Newmark Avenue.
• 10:57 pm, male subject transported to Coos County jail on warrant, 1200 block of Newmark Avenue.
Coquille
• 11:52 am, 39 year old male transported to Coos County jail on criminal trespass II and disorderly conduct II, 700 block of E 5th Street.
• 12:34 pm, intoxicated subject, 100 block of N Birch Street.
• 12:46 pm, theft, 200 block of W Highway 42.
• 1:22 pm, disorderly conduct, 100 block of N Birch Street.
• 1:37 pm, disorderly conduct, 100 block of E 1st Street.
• 3:02 pm, dispute, 800 block of E 11th Street.
• 3:03 pm, 24 year old male transported to Coos County jail on probation violation, 200 block of W Highway 42.
• 4:26 pm, 47 year old male cited for theft III, 20 block of W 1st Street.
• 7:59 pm, 47 year old male transported to Coos County jail on criminal trespass I, conspiracy and probation violation, 2nd and Folsom.
• 7:59 pm, stalking, 400 block of N Central Avenue.
Saturday 07/15:
North Bend
• 10:36 am, 31 year old male transported to Coos County jail on warrants, 2000 block of Broadway Avenue.
• 10:36 am, 31 year old male transported to Coos County jail on warrants, 800 block of California Avenue.
• 1:25 pm, unlawful entry into motor vehicle, 2000 block of Marion Avenue.
• 1:29 pm, burglary, 2200 block of 13th Street.
• 3:55 pm, fraud, 3200 block of Tremont Avenue.
• 4:48 pm, unlawful entry into motor vehicle, 2200 block of Sherman Avenue.
• 5:15 pm, disorderly conduct, Wall Street and Myrtle.
• 6:35 pm, fraud, 1900 block of Sherman Avenue.
• 8:34 pm, unauthorized use of motor vehicle, Engles Furniture.
• 11:44 pm, loud noise, Newmark.
Coos Bay
• 1:31 am, dispute, 900 block of N 9th Street.
• 2:04 am, loud noise, 400 block of Hall Avenue.
• 7:25 am, disorderly conduct, 1200 block of Newmark Avenue.
• 7:35 am, criminal mischief, 1000 block of Newmark Avenue.
• 7:41 am, 29 year old male cited for driving while suspended, S Empire and Fulton.
• 8:15 am, male subject transported to Coos County jail on warrant, S Empire and Pacific.
• 12:27 pm, theft, 2000 block of Newmark Avenue.
• 12:42 pm, threats, 63300 block of Boat Basin Road.
• 3:38 pm, arson, 900 block of Arago Avenue.
• 4:06 pm, located wanted subject, 500 block of S Empire Boulevard.
• 4:30 pm, 53 year old male cited for driving while suspended, Devereux Center.
• 5:00 pm, assault, 100 block of Hall Avenue.
• 6:02 pm, injured animal, 600 block of W Central Avenue.
• 7:33 pm, 30 year old male cited for driving while suspended, Newmark Avenue and Cammann Street.
• 9:40 pm, disorderly conduct, Newmark and Schoneman.
Coquille
• 2:02 pm, hit and run accident, 100 block of E 1st Street.
• 7:24 pm, theft of services, 96900 block of Highway 42S.
• 10:55 pm, harassment, N Central Boulevard.
• 11:03 pm, 38 year old male transported to Coos County jail on DUII and violation of restraining order, 1200 block of N Knott Street.
Sunday 07/16:
North Bend
• 3:13 am, barking dog, 3600 block of Fir Street.
• 10:50 am, 44 year old male transported to Coos County jail on felony elude and reckless driving, 2500 block of Koos Bay Boulevard.
• 11:10 am, drinking on unlicensed premises, 1100 block of Airport Way.
• 11:27 am, theft, 3200 block of Tremont Avenue.
• 4:27 pm, 34 year old male cited for driving while suspended, 2200 block of Newmark Street.
• 6:13 pm, juvenile problem, 2300 block of Pacific Street.
• 9:41 pm, assault, 1700 block of Waite Street.
• 11:55 pm, disorderly conduct, 800 block of California Avenue.
Coos Bay
• 1:48 am, disorderly conduct, 100 block of Ocean Boulevard.
• 2:38 am, 42 year old male cited for driving while suspended, 93500 block of Coal Bank Lane.
• 9:50 am, 58 year old male transported to Coos County jail on driving while suspended misdemeanor, Newmark and Norman.
• 10:47 am, 34 year old male cited for driving while suspended, Highland and Ocean.
• 10:50 am, burglary, 2500 block of Koos Bay Boulevard.
• 1:44 pm, theft, 2000 block of Newmark Avenue.
• 2:05 pm, 38 year old male transported to Coos County jail on attempted murder x2, menacing x3, unlawful use of a weapon x3 and assault II, 300 block of Anderson Avenue.
• 2:05 pm, 43 year old male cited on warrants, 300 block of Anderson Avenue.
• 5:36 pm, juvenile problem, 1000 block of Ferguson Avenue.
• 6:28 pm, endanger welfare/minor, 200 block of S Broadway Street.
• 6:54 pm, burglary, 600 block of H Street.
• 10:32 pm, located wanted subject, Chester and Commercial.
• 10:59 pm, 35 year old male cited for driving while suspended, 3100 block of Ocean Boulevard.
• 11:12 pm, dispute, 1000 block of Noble Avenue.
• 11:34 pm, 43 year old male transported to Coos County jail on warrant, 1000 block of Newmark Avenue.
• 11:38 pm, 26 year old male transported to Coos County jail on criminal trespass II, 1200 block of Newmark Avenue.
Coquille
• 9:22 pm, shots fired, 1100 block of Grape.
Reedsport
• 11:19 am, animal problem, 7-Eleven.
• 11:44 am, animal problem, 100 block of Providence Drive.
• 1:40 pm, animal problem, Barrone Park.
• 4:51 pm, disorderly conduct, COHO RV Park and Maina.
• 6:11 pm, animal problem, 1900 block of Dogwood Avenue.
• 10:01 pm, criminal mischief, RVFD Station 1.
• 10:20 pm, noise complaint, Holly Knolls Mobile Home Park. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/police-blotter/article_4af11b24-2e2a-11ee-8304-77fce6abc97d.html | 2023-07-31T02:04:02 | 0 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/police-blotter/article_4af11b24-2e2a-11ee-8304-77fce6abc97d.html |
An 8-year-old was left with minor injuries after being attacked by a cougar in Washington’s Olympic National Park on Saturday evening, park officials said.
The child was camping with their mother at Lake Angeles, in the Heart O’ the Hills area south of Port Angeles when the cougar attacked, according to a news release from the National Park Service.
The feline predator “casually abandoned its attack after being yelled and screamed at by the child’s mother,” the park service said.
Park personnel were notified about the attack at 6:30 p.m. and quickly responded, the release said.
The child experienced “minor injuries” and was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. Park staff escorted the family back to the trailhead, says the release.
Staff evacuated all campers in the Lake Angeles area and closed the Lake Angeles and Heather Park areas until further notice.
“Due to the extreme nature of this incident, we are closing the Lake Angeles area and several trails in the vicinity,” said Olympic National Park wildlife biologist Tom Kay in the news release. “Out of an abundance of caution, the Lake Angeles Trail, Heather Park Trail, Switchback Trail, and the entire Klahhane Ridge Trail are closed until further notice.”
On Saturday at 5:00 a.m., park law enforcement and “wildlife personnel specializing in cougar tracking” were sent to the animal’s last known location, the release added. If they locate the cougar, they will euthanize it and perform a necropsy, according to the release.
“This may provide clues as to why the animal attacked since cougars are rarely seen and attacks on humans are extraordinarily rare,” the park service said.
Washington is home to around 1,900 to 2,100 adult cougars, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.The department notes that the animals – also called panthers, pumas, and mountain lions – are elusive and rarely interact with humans.
“A person is one thousand times more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a cougar,” according to the department. “But as Washington’s human population grows, and more and more people are recreating outdoors, the chance of observing or encountering cougars may increase.”
All of Olympic National Park is considered “cougar territory,” the park service said. The agency urged visitors to avoid hiking or jogging alone, stay alert to their surroundings, and make lots of noise if they do encounter a cougar.
The Lake Angeles campground is about 100 miles west of Seattle. | https://www.wtvr.com/news/national-news/child-survives-extraordinarily-rare-cougar-attack-lake-angeles-washington-july-30-2023 | 2023-07-31T02:04:06 | 0 | https://www.wtvr.com/news/national-news/child-survives-extraordinarily-rare-cougar-attack-lake-angeles-washington-july-30-2023 |
Three positions on the Sawdust Theatre Board of Directors are up for renewal or vacancy this year.
Two three-year positions and one two-year post are available, said Michael Thurman, theatre treasurer. The board meets monthly on the second Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the theatre, 129 N. Adams St. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/request-for-nominations-for-sawdust-theatre-board-members/article_7cb8dd7c-2e2a-11ee-82c8-8361aa32cf65.html | 2023-07-31T02:04:08 | 1 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/request-for-nominations-for-sawdust-theatre-board-members/article_7cb8dd7c-2e2a-11ee-82c8-8361aa32cf65.html |
These stories were found in the Marshfield Sun Printing Museum newspaper repository stored in Marshfield High School.
1923
Pirates outline permanent body
Coos Bay booster organization holds luncheon
To hasten union of Marshfield and North Bend — Grants Pass Cavemen come in August
At a luncheon at the Chandler at noon today, tentative plans for making a permanent organization of the Coos Bay Pirates were perfected.
It was announced that it would be a booster organization under the joint auspices of the Marshfield and North end chambers of commerce to advertise and work for the development of the Coos Bay district.
M.S. Taylor, captain of the first caravan trip a few weeks ago to Ashland, presided at the luncheon. He told in brief of the plans for it and said by inference that one of the things it might accomplish would be to hasten the union of North Bend and Marshfield. Furthermore, he declared that it might cement the union of southern Oregon — Klamath Falls, Ashland, Medford, Grants Pass, Roseburg and Coos Bay — into a power that could put across political matters of importance to the welfare of the district.
He said that it would work for industrial, social and political advancement.
The Grants Pass Cavemen have been invited to come to Coos Bay the latter part of August to install the permanent officers of the organization. They have promised to bring a crowd with them.
-----------------------------
Youthful robber given a long term
ROSEBURG — Clive Weekly, youthful Glendale bank robber, was sentenced to 15 years in the state penitentiary by Judge Hamilton. When arraigned, the young bandit promptly entered a plea of guilty to the indictment save the part which stated that he discharged a gun with intent to kill. Weekly said that he did not intend to kill anyone.
Since incarceration in the county jail here Weekly, who is just 21 years old, has discarded the rough garb of the mountains and appeared in court this afternoon neatly dressed in a blue serge suit. He looked more like a high school student than a bold bank robber.
1973
Marijuana use in high school ‘common as tobacco’
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. (UPI) — High school students now smoke about as much marijuana as they do tobacco, according to a survey used annually as a gauge of student drug use in the United States.
The sixth annual San Mateo County surveillance of student drug use, released earlier this week, said from grades 10 to 12 “marijuana is more commonly reported at every usage level than tobacco.”
The survey was compiled from 30,000 returned forms that asked each student anonymously for the level of use for alcohol, amphetamines, barbiturates, heroin, LSD, marijuana and tobacco.
Tobacco use among females was just slightly higher than males in all but the seventh grade level, the lowest surveyed. In the senior level, 32 per cent of females said the smoked cigarettes heavily, compared to 30 per cent of males.
In marijuana use, over half the males from ninth grade upward said they tried it, and 32 per cent of the seniors said they smoked marijuana heavily. Female use was lower, with 20.4 per cent reporting heavy use.
The report said tobacco use has begun climbing again after dropping off in recent years. Alcohol use continued an upward trend with male and female drinkers about even.
-----------------------------
Damaged Russian ship bound for Port of CB
Soviet fishing vessels collide off state coast
A damaged Russian fishing vessel was to be brought into the Port of Coos Bay today, escorted by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Venturous, for emergency repairs following a collision with another Russian vessel off the Oregon Coast from Florence late Friday. The Russian ship, Nadhodka, was said under tow by a Soviet tug that was traveling with the fishing fleet at the time of the accident.
According to Coast Guard authorities at the Coos Bay Group headquarters in Charleston, the exact extent of damage to the 300-foot trawler will be determined after the ship is brought into port. The vessel was to be tied up at Central Dock.
Jones Oregon Stevedoring Co., North Bend, told The World it had received a report that the entire bow of the ship was damaged and the vessel was believed to be without power.
2003
Youngsters read to keep swim lessons afloat
Students in Coos Bay can sharpen a life skill and help save a beloved school program this summer all in one move.
The Coos Bay School Board eliminated the $50,000 swimming program this spring that provided students in grades K-6 with lessons for the past six years.
For the past several months, swimming-lesson advocates, parents, teachers and administrators have been working to get the program re-instated if the funding for it can be found.
This summer elementary students can participate in “Make a Splash” read-athon to try to help raise funding for the swimming program. Information about the program was sent home with students’ final report cards.
Students collect signatures from people pledging a certain amount of money per book they read or a flat donations.
Madison Elementary School Principal Arlene Roblan said the long-standing program is beneficial to students — and not just for the safety lessons it provides.
“The swimming lessons help build community in the classrooms and the children get to see their teacher and classmates in another way,” Roblan said.
The reading component also helps students work on their skills during the summer.
“Several students don’t read enough to build their skills. We want them to enjoy reading and think of it as recreational and more than just school work,” Roblan said. “It’s also a way for kids to feel like they are part of the effort to save the program.
----------------------------
Pipeline project begins
Governor marks the start of construction
Saying it was a day for celebration, Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski, Coos County Commissioner Nikki Witty, Sen. Ken Messerle, R-Coos Bay, and NW Natural President and CEO Mark Dodson stood side by side Thursday and dug shovelfuls of earth to officially mark the beginning of construction of a natural gas pipeline to Coos County.
The groundbreaking was symbolic of the partnership the state, NW Natural and the county have forged to bring natural gas to the largest county in the nation that doesn’t have the utility.
Surrounded by more than 200 people, the governor, who left a gridlocked Legislature to come to the ground-breaking, said the celebration was not just for those who worked to bring the pipeline to Coos Bay, but for the citizens who backed the proposal by voting on an up-to-$27 million bond to pay for the 60-mile mainline from Roseburg.
“We like to say, ‘Didn’t the state do something great?’ but the truth is, you’re the ones who did something great,” Kulongoski said.
-----------------------------
Pre Track Club has three regional champs
Three members of the Pre Track Club claimed regional Junior Olympic championships last weekend at Western Oregon University.
Eight members of the club participated in the event, and seven qualified for the National Junior Olympic meet in Florida, though none plan to make the trip.
Scott Sanders of Brookings took aim at the regional meet record in the 2,000-meter steeplechase for intermediate boys (15-16 years old) but just missed. His time of 6 minutes, 17.1 seconds, was good enough to win the event.
The other two regional champs came in the jumps.
Alison Worthen of Coos Bay won the midget girls (11-12) in the high jump in a jump-off after clearing 5 feet. She also finished fifth in the 400 meters with a time of 61.8 seconds.
Bryan Looney of Coos Bay won the youth boys (13-14) pole vault with a height of 10-6, a personal best. | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/this-week-in-coos-county-history-copy/article_b12083d0-2e2a-11ee-9acd-b30734964027.html | 2023-07-31T02:04:14 | 0 | https://theworldlink.com/news/local/this-week-in-coos-county-history-copy/article_b12083d0-2e2a-11ee-9acd-b30734964027.html |
Angels acquire Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron in trade with Rockies
The Angels have brought back Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron in a trade with the Colorado Rockies, the team announced Sunday night.
Grichuk, an outfielder, was drafted by the Angels in 2009, but made his major league debut with the St. Louis Cardinals. Cron, primarily a first baseman, previously played for the Angels from 2014-2017.
The Rockies also sent cash consideration in the exchange. The Angels sent minor league left-hand pitcher Mason Albright and right-hander Jake Madden to Colorado in the deal.
This is a developing story. The Times will have more on the Angels’ trade with Colorado soon.
The Angels lost ground in their series with the Blue Jays, but Hunter Renfroe’s big blast in the 10th inning Sunday let them salvage one game.
Go beyond the scoreboard
Get the latest on L.A.'s teams in the daily Sports Report newsletter.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. | https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2023-07-30/angels-acquire-randal-grichuk-c-j-cron-trade-rockies | 2023-07-31T02:04:52 | 1 | https://www.latimes.com/sports/angels/story/2023-07-30/angels-acquire-randal-grichuk-c-j-cron-trade-rockies |
ASHEVILLE, N.C. -- Sarah Burnette has lived at her North Asheville residence for over 24 years.
In that time, she said she's had no negative run-ins with wildlife.
That changed last week, as an encounter with a bear left her dog injured and herself terrified.
"It was the most terrified I've ever been in my life," Burnette said. "People heard me screaming two or three blocks away."
Burnette was taking her terrier mix, Benji, outside one more time before bed. Suddenly, Benji started barking.
"The bear gave a growl, then he attacked Benji," Burnette said.
The attack left the 13-year-old pup with severe wounds which cost Burnette thousands of dollars after surgery.
"The vet told me the claw went in here and went underneath him and came out down here," Burnette said, showing where Benji was injured.
After pouncing on Benji, the bear made its way toward Burnette.
"(The bear) was standing right here," Burnette said. "And I was sitting with my back up against the wall right here. I didn't have anything but my shoes. So, I took one and threw it at him. I didn't hit him, but I threw it at him. He then took off into the woods."
Burnette was unharmed, but still frightened. A run-in like this is becoming more and more likely as the bear population grows.
"There's going to have to be some sort of management strategy that the wildlife research commission helps us in Western North Carolina," Western North Carolina Nature Center's Chris Gentile said. "We're seeing more and more bear activity in Western North Carolina. The bear population has grown over the past 10 years. Bears have just become a little bolder."
Burnette admittedly let her guard down. She said she hopes other pet owners don't become complacent like she did.
"Even if they've had good relationships with the bears in the past, it may not always be that way," she said. "So, everyone should take extra precautions."
The-CNN-Wire
& 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.
Featured video is ABC11 24/7 Livestream | https://abc11.com/asheville-north-caroina-bear-attack-dog/13554311/ | 2023-07-31T02:04:52 | 0 | https://abc11.com/asheville-north-caroina-bear-attack-dog/13554311/ |
BEIJING, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- President Xi Jinping visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan on July 25, which winds its way through rugged mountains and ancient trees. There, Xi learned about efforts surrounding ecological conservation.
This visit marks Xi's attention to China's ecological development, which has achieved remarkable progress over the past 10 years, said experts.
Witnessing the government's recent remarks on ecology, they believed that the country's road of building a Beautiful China has demonstrated the nation's wisdom in balancing the needs of economic development and improving the environment.
Before heading to Sichuan, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech at a national conference on ecological and environmental protection held from July 17 to 18.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone a historic, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
Noting that China's economy and society have entered a stage of high-quality development marked by accelerated progress in promoting green and low-carbon growth, Xi called for higher standards, a broader perspective and stronger efforts in planning and advancing ecological and environmental protection on the new journey, as well as writing a new chapter of ecological conservation in the new era.
Xi stressed the need to properly handle the relationships between high-quality development and high-level protection, between tackling major challenges and coordinating governance, between natural recovery and human-assisted restoration, between external constraints and internal driving forces, as well as between "dual carbon" commitments and self-determined actions.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone historical, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
This conference again showed us how importance the central government attaches to ecological protection, an official from environment protection bureau in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Friday. He said during the past 10 years, ecological protection has become an increasingly important indictor in evaluating government's performance in his city, which was famous for coal production.
"Although planting trees costs more in Inner Mongolia than in other parts of China due to lack of water and dry weather, we learned in the past 10 years that making our city greener brings more benefits than leaving the mountains bare. The city becomes more beautiful, residents are happy, and more tourists visit; also we saw less sandstorms," the official said.
During a press conference on Thursday, Huang Runqiu, China's minister of ecology and environment, highlighted China's achievement on ecological protection over recent years.
From 2013 to 2022, China's average PM2.5 concentration decreased by 57 percent and the number of heavily polluted days decreased by 93 percent, while the nation's GDP doubled during the same period, Huang said. This made China the country with the fastest improvement in air quality worldwide. Specifically, in Beijing, the average PM2.5 concentration decreased from 89.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to 30 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022, and the number of heavily polluted days decreased from 58 to only 3, said Huang. The United Nations Environment Agency praised this achievement as the "Beijing Miracle."
Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times that "China has engaged in a sustained top-down efforts for many years to enhance ecological protection. The central and local governments march together toward the same goal, with continuous environmental policies. Moreover, the country has demonstrated its wisdom in how to balance ecological development and maintain fast economic growth at the same time."
Perfect balance
We should protect nature and preserve the environment like we protect our eyes, and endeavor to foster a new relationship where man and nature can both prosper and live in harmony, President Xi once said.
Xi has given important instructions on the rational utilization and friendly protection of the ecological environment during his numerous visits to the frontlines of ecological protection, such as to the Maanshan forest farm in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Qilian Mountains, the Shandan Horse Ranch in Gansu, an ecological wetland of the Dianchi Lake in Kunming, and many other places.
In June 2022, Xi visited Yibin, Sichuan Province, where the Jinsha and Minjiang rivers converge into the Yangtze River. He noted that sound ecological conservation along the Yangtze River basin is the precondition for advancing high-quality development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The Yellow River and the Yangtze River are the mother rivers of the Chinese nation. The protection of the mother rivers is a crucial project concerning the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation, Xi said at the time.
From June 5 to 6 this year, accompanied by officials from Inner Mongolia, Xi was on a fact-finding mission at a nature reserve, a modern agricultural demonstration park, a forest farm and a water resources department in the city of Bayannur.
On June 6, Xi presided over a symposium in Bayannur on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting the construction of crucial ecological projects, including the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program.
Xi, who was then the Party Chief of Zhejiang, put forward the famous "two mountains" concept - clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets comparable to the gold and silver of legend - in August 2005 during his visit to Anji county.
Nowadays, residents in the county has sought out ways to make a living that they enjoy, with many becoming businessmen, running their own hostels, shops and tourism companies, thanks to the improved natural environment.
Pan Chunlin, a former miner, who now runs a hostel after local mines were shut down, explained the transformation to the Global Times "My annual income is now hundreds of times higher than before. Today, I can earn in a day what I used to make in one year".
Following the development approach referred to as the "two mountains" concept, in the past decade, Anji has modeled itself into a place known for its beautiful ecology and prosperous green industries, which have completely changed the villagers' lives, Jin Peihua, head of the "Two Mountains" Concept Research Institute affiliated with Huzhou University, said.
Global bellwether
Apart from domestic efforts, China is also making efforts in unifying a global effort on ecological preservation.
The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP15, was convened in Kunming, Yunnan Province in 2021.
As the first global conference convened by the United Nations on the topic of ecological civilization, a philosophy proposed by China, it offered a platform for countries to find common ground on "Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth."
During an official trip to Zimbabwe in 2015, Xi visited a local wildlife sanctuary, where he fed an orphaned elephant. He reiterated China's commitment to wildlife protection and pledged to help Zimbabwe do so by donating equipment and exchanging experience with China.
Recalling Xi's explanation of China's initiatives to breed giant pandas and expand protected areas, Roxy Danckwerts, the founder of the sanctuary, said, "I thought that was very significant that he is making such big strides in his own country."
Bradley Blankenship, a Prague-based American journalist, columnist and political commentator, recently spent a week in Beijing. Speaking with the Global Times, he said that "I must admit that based on the antiquated view of China that many Americans have and discuss publicly, I expected the city to be smoggy and congested. To the contrary, it has beautiful blue skies.
"China has been successful in beautifying Beijing, as well as other cities and towns, by transitioning from coal power to gas, establishing emission standards for coal-fired stations, implementing tougher standards for other industries such as steel and cement and seeking high-quality development with a high-quality ecological environment. These achievements have been so successful that Beijing now stands as an example for mega-cities around the globe, particularly those in the Global South," Blankenship said.
During a visit to Guizhou in June, Manasa R. Tagicakibau, Fiji's Ambassador to China, said China is "so advanced" when it comes to ecological civilization. "You look at the development that's been achieved by Guizhou authorities together with the local people, ethnic minorities and the population at large, in terms of developing the area to make this mountainous area a very safe and harmonious and happy place to live in. I'm impressed."
The ambassador said Guizhou shares a lot of similarities to some of the mountainous regions in Fiji, but there is a lot to be done in Fiji in terms of accessibility and this is an area that Fiji can learn from China.
However, some Western countries, so-called pioneering initiatives on environment protection, take a laissez-afire attitude in face of environment disasters. Recently, Chinese scientists used scientific methods to assess it and concluded that, as of Wednesday, the carbon dioxide emissions from Canadian wildfires have reached approximately 1 billion tons, which has already developed into a global environmental event.
It is worth mentioning that the forest area in China is approximately 2.31 million square kilometers, which is roughly two-thirds of that in Canada. However, the average annual emission of carbon dioxide caused by forest fires in China from 2000-21 was approximately 15 million tons, only 0.2 percent of the global forest fire emissions, demonstrating China's responsible role as a major country, experts noted.
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SOURCE Global Times | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ | 2023-07-31T02:04:52 | 1 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ |
LAS VEGAS -- Audience members at concerts in recent months have continued a pattern of throwing objects at artists who are on stage performing, and rapper Cardi B has had enough.
On Saturday, the rapper was on stage at Drai's Beach Club in Las Vegas when an audience member appeared to throw a drink at her, as seen in video footage posted to social media.
In the clip, Cardi B is seen getting splashed with liquid from the cup while performing her 2018 hit "Bodak Yellow." Clearly upset, she reacted immediately by throwing her microphone into the crowd as security guards rushed to the stage.
More security guards are then seen flocking to the person in the crowd as she watched from the stage before continuing on with her set.
In another video posted to TikTok on Saturday, Cardi B is seen throwing her microphone at a DJ who appeared to cut off her song early during a performance at Drai's Nightclub on Friday.
CNN has reached out to a representative for Cardi B for comment.
The incident in Las Vegas on Saturday is just the latest in a slew of similar scenes at concerts where artists - including Drake, Kelsea Ballerini, Harry Styles and Bebe Rexha - have become the target of objects thrown at them while on stage, with some artists suffering injuries as a result.
Harry Styles hit on stage in face
Only recently have performers, including R&B singer Monica and country star Miranda Lambert, gotten involved when they see behavior they do not approve of.
Last week, Monica jumped off the stage after witnessing someone allegedly assault a female audience member in the crowd at her Detroit show.
She was praised for her interference when footage of the altercation went viral on social media, and she later told CNN's Abby Phillip she feels concerts have become "a dangerous space and place."
"I just really want that to change," she added. | https://abc11.com/cardi-b-throws-mic-las-vegas-fan-drink-on-stage/13574980/ | 2023-07-31T02:04:58 | 1 | https://abc11.com/cardi-b-throws-mic-las-vegas-fan-drink-on-stage/13574980/ |
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Teamsters Union was served legal notice today that Yellow Corp. is ceasing operations and filing for bankruptcy.
"Today's news is unfortunate but not surprising. Yellow has historically proven that it could not manage itself despite billions of dollars in worker concessions and hundreds of millions in bailout funding from the federal government. This is a sad day for workers and the American freight industry," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien.
The Teamsters are committed to ensuring members are protected and notified with all the latest information. The International is putting infrastructure in place to help affected members get the assistance they need to find good union jobs throughout freight and other industries.
The situation is developing. Additional details are forthcoming.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
Contact:
Daniel Moskowitz, (770) 262-4971
dmoskowitz@teamster.org
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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/teamsters-notified-that-yellow-corp-operating-companies-have-closed/ | 2023-07-31T02:04:59 | 0 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/teamsters-notified-that-yellow-corp-operating-companies-have-closed/ |
SUZHOU, China, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Transcenta Holding Limited ("Transcenta") (HKEX: 06628), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully-integrated capabilities in discovery, research, development and manufacturing of antibody-based therapeutics, announces that it has received approval from China Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) to initiate Phase II clinical trial of TST002(Blosozumab). This study aims to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of TST002(Blosozumab) after single and multiple intravenous administrations in patients with reduced bone mineral density.
Osteoporosis is a significant health concern for the middle-aged and elderly population in China. It is estimated that by 2050, the number of osteoporosis patients will reach 120 million. Compared with RANKL mAbs, sclerostin mAbs successfully achieve the dual goal of preventing bone loss and rebuilding the bone. Evenity (Romosozumab) of Amgen is the only anti-sclerostin antibody drug that has been approved by the FDA in the United States. Up to the present, there was no anti-sclerostin antibody drug approved in China.
In May 2023, Transcenta presented Phase I unblinded data, which showed that the overall safety and tolerability of TST002 (Blosozumab) in all dose cohorts is favorable. On the efficacy side, all dose cohorts from 200-1,200 mg have shown a clinically meaningful increase in lumbar spine BMD on Day 85 (D85) after a single dose of TST002 (Blosozumab) and comparable to those of Blosozumab single dose study at the similar dose levels. The average increase of lumbar spine BMD at Day 85 (D85) from baseline ranged from 3.52% to 6.20% across dose cohorts, all exceeding the least significant difference (2.77%). The increase of lumbar spine BMD in the placebo group was only 0.30% even with optimal calcium and vitamin D supplemental treatment. In addition, encouraging BMD increase in total hip from 1.30% to 2.24% across dose cohorts were observed after single dose of TST002 (Blosozumab). In comparison, the mean percent change in lumbar spine BMD from baseline to month 12 was 5.4% after one year of Denosumab treatment.1
"We are excited to have received the clearance to move forward from CDE. Our Phase II will assess several regimens of TST002 (Blosozumab) with reduced dosing frequency, bringing us closer to our Phase III. We look forward to fully exploring the differentiated profile of TST002 to address the unmet medical need of the large patient population who suffers from osteoporosis," said Dr. Caroline Germa, Transcenta's Executive Vice President, Global Medicine Development and Chief Medical Officer.
Reference:
1 https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/105/3/e255/5607536
About TST002 (Blosozumab)
TST002 (Blosozumab) is a humanized anti-sclerostin monoclonal antibody as a drug candidate for osteoporosis and other bone loss diseases. It has a dual effect possessing both anabolic and anti-resorptive effects, which stimulates bone formation and inhibits bone absorption, resulting in fast increase in bone mineral density and bone strength. Blocking sclerostin activity in human treated with anti-sclerostin antibody or with naturally occurring genetic deletion has been shown to be an effective approach in increasing bone mineral density (BMD) and reducing bone fracture. Currently there is no approved anti-sclerostin antibody therapy in China yet although Romosozumab from Amgen has been approved in the United States, Europe and Japan.
About Transcenta Holding Limited
Transcenta (HKEX: 06628) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully integrated capabilities in antibody-based biotherapeutics discovery, research, development and manufacturing.
Transcenta has established global footprint, with Headquarters and Discovery, Clinical and Translational Research Center in Suzhou, Process and Product Development Center and Manufacturing Facility in Hangzhou, and Clinical Development Centers in Princeton, US and in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou of China, and External Partnering Center in Boston and Los Angeles, US. Transcenta has also initiated the construction of the Group Headquarters and the second high-end biopharmaceutical facility with ICB as its core technology in Suzhou Industrial Park. Transcenta is developing 13 therapeutic antibody molecules for oncology and selected non-oncology indications including bone and kidney disorders.
For more information, please visit www.transcenta.com and https://www.linkedin.com/company/transcenta.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Transcenta, are intended to identify certain of such forward-looking statements. Transcenta does not intend to update these forward-looking statements regularly.
These forward-looking statements are based on the existing beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, projections and understandings of the management of Transcenta with respect to future events at the time these statements are made. These statements are not a guarantee of future developments and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Transcenta's control and are difficult to predict. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of future changes or developments in our business, Transcenta's competitive environment and political, economic, legal and social conditions.
Transcenta, the Directors and the employees of Transcenta assume (a) no obligation to correct or update the forward-looking statements contained in this site; and (b) no liability in the event that any of the forward-looking statements does not materialize or turn out to be incorrect.
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SOURCE Transcenta Holding Limited | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/transcenta-anti-sclerostin-monoclonal-antibody-tst002-blosozumab-received-approval-china-cde-initiate-phase-ii-clinical-trial-patients-with-reduced-bone-mineral-density/ | 2023-07-31T02:05:05 | 0 | https://www.kfyrtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/transcenta-anti-sclerostin-monoclonal-antibody-tst002-blosozumab-received-approval-china-cde-initiate-phase-ii-clinical-trial-patients-with-reduced-bone-mineral-density/ |
The St. Louis Cardinals are unloading valuable arms ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline.
The Cardinals traded former Yankees starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery to the Texas Rangers, according to reports. St. Louis will also send right-hander Chris Stratton to Texas. In return, the Cardinals will reportedly receive two top 30 prospects — right-hander Tekoah Roby and infielder Thomas Saggese — and left-hander John King.
The moves come a day after the Rangers acquired ace Max Scherzer from the Mets in exchange for minor-league middle infielder Luisangel Acuna, who is the 21-year-old brother of Braves superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. and one of the Rangers’ top prospects.
The Cardinals also sent reliever Jordan Hicks to the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, according to reports. In return, the Blue Jays traded minor league right-handers Sem Robberse and Adam Kloffenstein. Hicks landing in Toronto strengthens a bullpen that recently lost closer Jordan Romano. Romano landed on the 15-day injured list with lower-back inflammation on Saturday.
Hicks joins Toronto with a 3.67 ERA in 40 appearances this season.
This is the second straight season Montgomery has been traded at the deadline. Last season, the Yankees sent the starter to St. Louis in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bader. Montgomery owns a 6-9 record with a 3.42 ERA in 21 starts with the Cardinals this season.
() | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/cardinals-trade-ex-yankees-pitcher-jordan-montgomery-to-rangers-jordan-hicks-sent-to-blue-jays-reports/ | 2023-07-31T02:05:17 | 0 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/cardinals-trade-ex-yankees-pitcher-jordan-montgomery-to-rangers-jordan-hicks-sent-to-blue-jays-reports/ |
A compromise on the state’s fiscal 2024 budget left behind the legalization of online lottery but went ahead with a plan to offer in-state tuition for eligible undocumented students, the House’s chief budget writer told the Herald Sunday night.
House Ways and Means Chair Rep. Aaron Michlewitz said Democratic negotiators filed a $56.2 billion budget accord Sunday that also mandates universal public school meals and sets aside $581 million for a future tax relief proposal that is still locked up in closed-door deliberations.
Michlewitz said the budget sets aside revenue from a new income surtax known as the “Fair Share Amendment” or “Millionaires Tax” by allocating $523 million for education and $477 million for transportation. That is a change from original proposals from the House and Senate, where funding was divided equally by sector even as the fine details differed.
The North End Democrat said the MBTA is in line to receive $205 million of those dollars, with $70 million for station repairs, $50 million for bridge repairs, $30 million for track and power repairs, and $20 million for safety and workforce needs.
A proposal to add two more seats to the MBTA board of directors survived private negotiations, Michlewitz said. The mayor of Boston will have the power to appoint one of those new members and the other will go to the surrounding municipalities served by the MBTA, he said.
But a House-backed proposal to expand the state’s gambling offerings by allowing online lottery sales was ditched. House leaders and lottery officials argued the expansion into the digital realm was necessary because of the rise of sports betting but others cautioned that offering more betting options would create additional risks.
“I think that’s something that we’re gonna have to continue to talk about,” Michlewitz told the Herald.
Senate President Karen Spilka said the budget accord “represents a major step forward for our commonwealth, particularly in making higher education more affordable and more accessible to everyone.”
“Tuition equity, free community college for nursing students and students 25 and older, and laying the groundwork for free universal community college starting next fall —all part of the Senate’s Student Opportunity Plan —are crucial to securing our long-term competitiveness, providing residents with concrete ways to create the futures they dream of, and continuing our state’s commitment to education at every level,” Spilka said in a statement.
A Senate-supported plan to offer in-state tuition to undocumented students who have attended school in Massachusetts for at least three years was included in the budget deal, Michlewitz said.
“Once they hit the three-year mark, they will be eligible for in-state tuition rates and for state-funded financial assistance,” Michlewitz said.
House and Senate lawmakers plan to take up the fiscal 2024 budget deal on Monday during formal sessions scheduled to start at 11 a.m. and 12 p.m., respectively. That is about four weeks after their July 1 deadline to come up with a spending plan.
Lawmakers are now likely to enter August — when they typically take a recess — with the budget out of their hands.
Gov. Maura Healey will have 10 days to review the agreement once it reaches her desk. And she gave more time to lawmakers last week to get her a budget when she filed a second interim spending plan. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/massachusetts-budget-deal-nixes-online-lottery-greenlights-in-state-tuition-for-undocumented-students/ | 2023-07-31T02:05:23 | 0 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/massachusetts-budget-deal-nixes-online-lottery-greenlights-in-state-tuition-for-undocumented-students/ |
A Delta flight from Boston to Newark returned to Logan International Airport Sunday afternoon after police received a report that a passenger had made threats about the flight, according to Massachusetts State Police.
The unidentified male passenger ended up being escorted by troopers off of Delta Airlines Flight 5770 at Logan International Airport.
The passenger’s two carry-on bags were searched by members of the Mass State Police Bomb Squad and explosive ordinance detection dogs. They did not find any weapons, and the passenger did not have any checked luggage.
After the passenger was escorted off and his bags were cleared, the airplane departed again for Newark.
“Delta Airlines Flight 5770, Boston to Newark, returned to Logan Airport this afternoon after an anonymous third part caller reported to a New Jersey police agency that a passenger aboard the plane had allegedly made threats related to the safety of the flight,” a State Police spokesperson said in a statement.
The passenger has not been charged. The investigation is ongoing. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/new-jersey-bound-delta-flight-returns-to-boston-after-passenger-threat-reported-massachusetts-state-police/ | 2023-07-31T02:05:29 | 0 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/new-jersey-bound-delta-flight-returns-to-boston-after-passenger-threat-reported-massachusetts-state-police/ |
FOXBORO – Leave it to a good cause to produce a poetic victory.
With another showing of growth and evolution since the original Wally Seaver HS Invitational boasted 16 basketball teams in the spirit of fundraising to fight ALS, the 12th annual edition wrapped up Sunday night having hosted over 120 teams from six different states between two facilities. But as the level of competition raised to an all-time high with more juggernaut programs joining in, it was a program that’s just one of four to play in all 12 invitationals that would win the title in this year’s top bracket.
Behind 17 points from Boston Herald All-Scholastic Sean O’Leary, the Franklin boys surged past newcomer North Andover to win its first Blue Division title, 62-55, at Mass Premier Courts.
Considering Seaver coached the Panthers for a decade in the 1990s before moving on to other opportunities, and eventually passing from ALS, it was only fitting the Franklin junior varsity team won the Gold Division.
“It’s really cool,” O’Leary said. “Playing for a good cause, especially since he coached at Franklin, it’s definitely great to win it. Our younger team won it, too. We’ve just got a great program, top to bottom. All our guys put in the work day in and day out.”
Invitational director Paul Seaver – one of Wally’s sons – is optimistic that this year’s turnout, when paired with his fundraiser walk to Fenway from months prior, raised over $15,000 for the ALS Association in what could mark the tournament’s largest donation. But aside from the obvious financial goals of raising as much money as possible to help fight the debilitating disease, what pleases Seaver is how passionately the community wants to be a part of the invitational.
Not just because of what it represents, but also the opportunity to get non-AAU summer reps against fellow established programs.
The premier division’s final in 2021 saw perennial contender Mansfield take on a powerhouse from Rhode Island. Newton North, another constant state tournament threat, won it last year in the Tigers’ first year participating. Franklin had to beat Newton North in the semifinals on Sunday, only to face North Andover – a Div. 1 Final Four team last winter – in the final.
Factor in the strong teams relative to their school’s size in the lower divisions of the invitational, and this year’s edition was a hotbed of elite competition.
“We’re getting some high-caliber teams … there’s a lot of good appeal, good basketball and just tons of talent,” Paul Seaver said. “There’s really nothing like it. … That’s a testament to the players, the coaches, the referees, the scorekeepers. Just everybody involved who makes this event super special every single summer.
“You see guys working hard and having fun, that’s what my dad would’ve wanted.“
That development over the last couple years didn’t go unnoticed for North Andover All-Scholastic Zach Wolinski, who took the opportunity to light up the scoreboard from deep in his team’s debut.
“Right when we heard about it, we were invited, we said, ‘Absolutely, we’ve got to take advantage of this,’ ” he said. “We took it like the state tournament, we took it like it was the most important thing. Very competitive basketball … with the team you’re going to be playing with (next season). It was a lot of fun.”
“We definitely got balanced, there’s a lot of great teams here in this tournament,” O’Leary added. “It’s really cool to see all these talents come to this one gym, see all the rest of the players.”
Chicopee Comp beat Merrimack (N.H.) for the Green Division title on the next court over. Old Rochester defeated Pembroke in the Black Division, Norton won the Navy Division over Stoneham, and Monty Tech topped David Prouty for the Maroon Division crown. Fontbonne won the girls’ Pink Division. | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/wally-seaver-hs-invitational-franklin-boys-top-north-andover-for-title/ | 2023-07-31T02:05:35 | 1 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/wally-seaver-hs-invitational-franklin-boys-top-north-andover-for-title/ |
STOUGHTON – When Wally Seaver passed away about 11 years ago, he had already left the Massachusetts basketball world a better place. During his courageous bout with ALS, his son Paul and the rest of his family decided to dedicate a hoops tournament in his honor, and the legend himself was able to witness the loving fruits of their labor first come to fruition during its initial running.
One would have to think he is looking down proudly on just how vast the foundation has grown. The 12th annual Wally Seaver HS Invitational came to its conclusion Sunday, and a case could be made it was one of the greatest installments. During a two-day competition split between two facilities, upwards of 130 schools from around the Northeast region took part, all looking to play the sport they truly love for a greater cause.
“This is near and dear to Paul (Seaver),” said fellow Wally Seaver Invitational founder Greg Lewis. “As his wife would tell you, Paul’s job now is to work with the ALS Association. This is his life. So to see the passion he has to find a cure for this disease, and (the love) for his dad, (it’s incredible).”
It’s hard to believe that the tournament itself began as a small field with about 10 local schools participating. When Paul Seaver reached out to Lewis about creating the showcase, the two coaches and Hoop Crew LLC members began brainstorming.
Now you’d have a hard time finding any coach in the New England area that hasn’t heard of the tournament. During Sunday’s events at the Dana Barros Basketball Club, Jeremy Wilner watched his highly-touted boys hoops team from Lincoln, R.I., hold on down the stretch, ultimately knocking off a very strong Waltham team to win the Red Division with a 62-52 victory.
“Paul Seaver actually got a job in Rhode Island recently,” Wilner said. “I became friends with him instantly. We wanted to do it. It was an awesome weekend. We told him we wanted to play Division 1 teams, and we played five this weekend.”
Meanwhile, Bedford, N.H., made headlines in the Orange Division, cruising to the other boys title with an impressive 73-47 win over Fitchburg.
Fontbonne became the lone Massachusetts representative to win a girls title this year during a thrilling 46-41 nail-biter over Pentucket in the Pink Division.
“It was awesome,” said rising Fontbonne senior Tressa Murphy. “They’re definitely a really good team with a lot of great players. To beat a team like that was really special, especially starting our senior year.”
Led by a heroic performance by junior Kate Sloper, Londonderry won two stunning bouts en route to capturing the other girls title in the Purple Division with a 50-47 win over fellow New Hampshire standout Portsmouth. This included a game-winning overtime shot to open the day in the day in the semifinals (a 50-47 win over Bedford, N.H.).
The foundation is hopeful that $15,000-20,000 will be raised by this year’s events.
“We hope (to see it grow further),” said Wally Seaver HS Invitational critical volunteer Whitney Howe Seaver. “We hope so. Word of mouth travels just as far every year. There are some teams that come one year but can’t field a team the next year. But they always it a make a point to try and come back.” | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/wally-seaver-hs-invitational-waltham-falls-to-rhode-island-team-in-final/ | 2023-07-31T02:05:41 | 0 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/wally-seaver-hs-invitational-waltham-falls-to-rhode-island-team-in-final/ |
Quarterback Shedeur Sanders has exceptional talent and he has fast and intriguing weapons all around him.
The key for Sanders and the Colorado offense, however, is the strength of the offensive line and how that group comes together.
Ten of CU’s 14 scholarship linemen were starters in college last year, but only two of them have experience at the Power Five level. And few of them have ever played together.
In April, offensive line coach Bill O’Boyle said, “We’re a work in progress,” and that comment would still apply as the Buffs gear up for the season.
Leading up to preseason camp, BuffZone.com has previewed each position group for CU and in this final installment, we look at the offensive line.
Like every other area of the team, the Buffs’ roster of offensive linemen has gone through an overhaul. Only 10 scholarship players on the entire 2022 team remain, but two of them were starters on the offensive line: left tackle Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan and center Van Wells.
O’Boyle said in the spring he was impressed with the work ethic of the two returners and how they’ve bought into the new system. Christian-Lichtenhan and Wells will both compete for starting jobs, but they have plenty of competition.
The leaders of the group may be a couple of newcomers who know O’Boyle and offensive coordinator Sean Lewis very well. Guard Jack Bailey and tackle Savion Washington both came from Kent State, where they played for O’Boyle and Lewis and know the offensive system better than anyone else in the room.
“That’s a huge advantage,” said Bailey, who arrived at CU in late May. “I can not only use that to my advantage, but I can help out any of those other guys with any play calls, any type of scheme work that they want to go through.”
Bailey said he has loved playing in Lewis’ system, but that it does challenge the linemen.
“It’s very fast-paced,” he said. “You’ve got to be able to run a play without thinking. You’ve got to be quick with your decision making.”
Senior Landon Bebee and junior Tyler Brown will also compete for starting roles after excelling at the FCS level.
At Missouri State, Bebee earned second-team All-Missouri Valley Conference honors each of the last three years. Playing for Jackson State last year, Brown earned Associated Press third team FCS All-American honors.
Liberty transfer Reggie Young and four junior college transfers – Kareem Harden, Isaiah Jatta, Jeremiah McCrimmon and Jack Wilty – will also compete for starting roles.
Five of those 11 players didn’t get to Boulder until this summer, but Lewis was pleased with the progress that the others made during the spring.
“They’re having a better understanding of what we’re doing and how coach OB wants it done,” Lewis said. “And now they get to play with bigger eyes so that they can see everything that’s happening, so they can play with greater anticipation.”
In preseason camp, the Buffs will look to speed up that process with the newcomers and the returners. And at some point, O’Boyle and Lewis will need to settle on a starting group.
Once they get to that point, O’Boyle is excited to see the Buffs’ new-look line thrive.
“When this thing’s rolling, it’s a thing of beauty, man,” O’Boyle said. “For an offensive lineman, it’s a blast because they’re pulling, they’re running, they’re working techniques, they’re out in space. It’s a fun offense for an offensive lineman.”
Position: Offensive line
Returners: Gerad Christian-Lichtenhan, Jr.; Van Wells, So.; Carter Edwards, R-Fr.
Transfers: Landon Bebee, Sr. (Missouri State); Reggie Young, Sr. (Liberty); Jack Bailey, Jr. (Kent State); Tyler Brown, Jr. (Jackson State); Isaiah Jatta, Jr. (Snow College); Kareem Harden, Jr. (Butler C.C.); Jeremiah McCrimmon, So. (Coahoma C.C.); Savion Washington, So. (Kent State); Jack Wilty (Iowa Central C.C.); David Conner, R-Fr. (Florida).
True freshmen: Hank Zalinskas
Key losses: Tommy Brown (graduated); Frank Fillip (graduated); Austin Johnson (transferred to Purdue); Casey Roddick (transferred to Florida State); Jake Wiley (transferred to UCLA). | https://www.dailycamera.com/2023/07/30/cu-buffs-position-preview-offensive-line-a-work-in-progress/ | 2023-07-31T02:05:44 | 1 | https://www.dailycamera.com/2023/07/30/cu-buffs-position-preview-offensive-line-a-work-in-progress/ |
BALTIMORE — Usually, it’s opponents that are careful with Aaron Judge.
But with the slugger back from a torn toe ligament that’s not 100% healed, he and the Yankees know they need to proceed with caution. That’s why, as of Saturday night, Aaron Boone favored resting Judge for Sunday’s rubber match against the division-leading Orioles.
The manager stayed with his original decision as Judge was left out of the lineup Sunday. Jake Bauers got the start in place of Judge in right field.
“I don’t know yet,” Boone initially said when asked if Judge would play Sunday. “Right now, I’m leaning towards no, but we’ll see.”
The manager stayed with his inclination, as Judge was left out of the lineup Sunday. Jake Bauers got the start in place of Judge in right field.
“Not that difficult a decision,” Boone said Sunday after also giving DJ LeMahieu the night off. “Difficult to not have [Judge] in there. You don’t like that part of it. But the decision, I feel like you kind of had to do it.”
The Yankees activated Judge on Friday and had him DH. He walked three times in a losing effort before playing right field, recording three hits and crushing a 442-foot home run in Saturday’s 8-3 win. With the Yankees in last place and 3.5 games out of the final Wild Card spot, their lineup looked reenergized with Judge in it, thus prompting follow-ups to Boone’s already-stated, probable plan to give the captain a day off this weekend.
That plan has been met with criticism on social media each time it’s come up given where the Yankees are in the standings prior to Tuesday’s trade deadline. But the team wants to make sure that Judge builds up properly after the Yanks chose not to send him on a rehab assignment. Instead, Judge participated in three simulated games at Yankee Stadium and at the club’s complex in Tampa.
With the Yankees in the midst of an uninterrupted 13-game stretch, there are no natural off days to work with.
“I want him in every game,” Boone said. “We have 13 in a row. I kind of look at it as, hopefully, he’s in a position to start nine or 10 of them. And as much as I want to run him every day, forget the toe. He hasn’t come close to even playing games for almost two months. So as much as I want him in there, we got to be smart here a little bit, especially in this run.”
Judge, meanwhile, has said that he’d like to play in each of the Orioles games, as he feels he needs to make up for “a lot of missed time.” Told of Boone’s plan for the 13-game stretch, he struck a balance between wanting to compete and getting why the team wants to avoid overdoing it.
“I understand it,” he said with a smile. “I’m not happy about it, but that’s a discussion we’ll have on our own. We’ll see the schedule we come up with and kind of go from there.”
Boone said that Judge could be available in some way off the bench on Sunday.
() | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/with-days-off-planned-yankees-practicing-caution-with-aaron-judge/ | 2023-07-31T02:05:47 | 1 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/07/30/with-days-off-planned-yankees-practicing-caution-with-aaron-judge/ |
Nepali Jatra was a journey out of Longmont and 7,000 miles to Nepal. Through art, music, dance, food and community, attendees experienced Nepal for themselves.
Held at the Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Road, Sunday’s event had more than 500 attendees to celebrate Nepalese culture and heritage.
Sunanda Dangol, planner of Nepali Jatra, said that there’s a large Nepali community in Boulder County. She started having the event for the younger kids. She said that as a first- or second-generation Nepali immigrant, it can sometimes be hard to connect with the culture or feel part of the community.
“The youngsters here did not have festival experiences like I had when I was growing up, so I wanted to give them a sense of connection with their roots,” Dangol said.
Dangol grew up learning about Nepali culture and visited Nepal and experienced the culture. She wants to make sure kids feel connected to who they are.
She noted that the second-year event has quickly outgrown its venue. Even last year, the Longmont Museum location was already proving itself too small for the amount of people who wanted to attend. She said that the demand has been high, as registration closed two weeks early due to occupancy limits.
Stewart Auditorium was full throughout the event. The performances consisted of live music, dances from the Nepalese Student Association of CU Boulder and many other traditional dances.
The event also wants to foster friendships and community. Sunil Pathak was the event’s main sponsor. He said that one of the main purposes of Nepali Jatra is to provide familiar faces to the local Nepali community. Recent immigrants may not have the same resources a first- or second-generation immigrant has, and the event helps welcome people to the community.
“We want to help those who need it,” Pathak said.
Nepal has more than 100 different ethnic groups, but Pathak said that through food, music, art, dance and food everyone can come together. He hopes to welcome “Nepalese newcomers” and remind them they have a cultural community within Boulder County and beyond.
Michael Santulli, owner of Krisp Realty, the event’s main presenter, said that having multicultural events is important. He also noted that Nepal is made up of many different ethnicities, tribes and groups. He said that through more exposure to different cultures, the more people are accepting of others.
“I’m not that different from a man in Nepal. We both want the same thing, to send our kids to school safe, clean water and a home,” Santulli said.
Santulli, who is Dangol’s husband, married into Nepalese culture. He hopes other people can grow to love the cultural differences like he has.
Santulli said that many of the performers were flown in from Nepal for the event. People come to the event for the community, art and “once in a lifetime” performances. He said that he hopes the event will continue to grow, including moving into larger venues with grander performances. | https://www.dailycamera.com/2023/07/30/large-crowds-turn-out-for-nepali-jatra-to-celebrate-culture-heritage/ | 2023-07-31T02:05:48 | 0 | https://www.dailycamera.com/2023/07/30/large-crowds-turn-out-for-nepali-jatra-to-celebrate-culture-heritage/ |
PHOENIX — A nurse practitioner from the Valley is sharing her story, hoping to raise awareness, after she became the patient rather that the healthcare provider at the age of 32.
Mia Chorney has made it her mission to bring awareness about how deadly heart disease is in women across the United States. She wants everyone to understand why maintaining a healthy lifestyle is so important.
Chorney in passionate about what she does.
“I’m the advanced practice program manager for the Women’s Heart Center at HonorHealth and a cardiology NP,” she said.
But at the age of 32, when Chorney was managing an emergency room, she walked out of the hospital following the end of her shift and suffered a cardiac event.
“I was standing in the hallway talking to the staff, and I absolutely went blank,” said Chorney. “I fell straight backwards, cracked my head open and they called code.”
Chorney went right back into the emergency room but as a patient.
“I still don’t recall any of it to this day,” she said.
Later she learned what had happened, it was a heart arrhythmia.
“When your heart beats really, really fast… it’s not pushing that blood out, that gives you circulation to your head and the rest of your body,” said Chorney.
Thankfully, with the right care and medical treatment, she was able to fully recover and go back to work.
But by the time she turned 50, she was burned out and decided to transform her life.
“Eating right, understanding that balance of cardio, resistance,” she said.
Mia is now a certified elite trainer. She has competed in natural bodybuilding competitions and currently gets her kicks by trail running with her husband.
“I wear a smartwatch, always, faithfully,” she said. “And I track my rhythm.”
Chorney's goal is to motivate women to learn about heart health and how to take better care of themselves.
"Just trying to show that we can do something for ourselves,” said Chorney.
Still to this day, she doesn’t know what caused the heart arrhythmia or if it was genetic, but she should find out soon. Next week she is going for a full cardiac genetic testing, so hopefully, she will get some answers.
Her advice for other women is to keep your body moving. She urged women to get at least 150 minutes of movement a week.
Now at the age of 56, Mia is full of energy and living with purpose.
“Every day, finding intention and being purposeful and making sure we can someway give back,” she said.
Chorney has been invited to spend a week at Mayo Rochester to work alongside their team and share her personal experience and about the work she’s currently doing with genetic testing.
Up to Speed
Catch up on the latest news and stories on the 12News YouTube channel. Subscribe today. | https://www.12news.com/article/news/health/nurse-practitioner-raising-awareness-after-cardiac-event/75-92e956dd-0cd3-4b37-a9f6-5bc56f2c857a | 2023-07-31T02:06:13 | 1 | https://www.12news.com/article/news/health/nurse-practitioner-raising-awareness-after-cardiac-event/75-92e956dd-0cd3-4b37-a9f6-5bc56f2c857a |
FUKUOKA, Japan — The American swim team has had a so-so meet at the world championships in Japan. Meanwhile, Australia and China have been pouring it on.
The American gold-medal count at the worlds is the lowest in at least two decades, although the overall medal count of gold, silver and bronze, is similar to most years.
After winning only four gold medals during the first seven days, they picked up three on Sunday — the eighth and final day — for a total of seven golds and 38 overall. The gold total is still their lowest in a worlds going back as least 20 years. They won only eight in the 2015 worlds.
Australia finished with 13 gold and 20 overall, and China had five gold and 16 overall.
“Obviously, we’d like to win more gold medals and I think we will,” American coach Bob Bowman said going into Sunday's final day.
The slight predicament for Bowman is that two of the swimmers he coaches at Arizona State University, Leon Marchand of France and Hungary's Hubert Kos, have won four gold medals. Marchand has three, and he's sure to be a star at next year's Paris Olympics, and Kos has one.
That's the same gold-medal total for the entire American team through seven of eight days — four gold. The average for the Americans over the last nine championships has been about 15 golds.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, two of the first three questions Bowman fielded were about Marchand and Kos, from French and Hungarian news outlets.
“If you look at swimming, every coach on the U.S. team is coaching a foreign swimmer, an international swimmer. There's always that dynamic," said Bowman, who has legendary status for helping Michael Phelps win 23 Olympic gold medals."
Bowman was cautious about taking credit for Kos, who came to Arizona State late last year. He went from being a good individual medley swimmer to a world champion a few days ago in the 200-meter backstroke.
“I think it’s just the Bob Bowman effect,” said Kos, son of an American father and Hungarian mother. ”That’s as simple as it is."
He said Bowman had a “magic” touch.
Bowman played down his role.
“He (Kos) had an excellent coach at home for 10 years before me,” Bowman said. "He deserved the credit for this. I just helped a little bit at the end.”
Bowman compared Marchand to Phelps. But can he produce and endure the pressure, particularly with the Olympics in his home country?
“It remains to be seen what he can do next year. It’s going to be a lot of expectations,” Bowman said. "But I feel like he’s done a very good rehearsal this year and last year. They’ve been good preparations for what will happen next year and we’ll try to carry that over to Paris.”
Swimming is an individual sport, separate from team sports like soccer. It would be unthinkable for the coach of Real Madrid to be also coaching Barcelona players on the side. But it's normal in swimming, and Bowman said he was “ethically” comfortable with it.
“I mean, the bottom line is I get paid to coach these guys at ASU,” he said. “I’m representing my country for the love of my country and happy to do that. I don’t think there’s an ethical question. It’s not a zero-sum. I’m not taking away from the U.S. guys.”
He said he was interested in coaching the Americans at next year's Olympics, but suggested any decision was still pending.
“I don’t think we know yet,” he said. "I have to go through this week, get home, think about what the scenarios look (like) and then we’ll decide. I always want to do. But we’ll see how it goes.”
Sports
Watch more of the latest sports videos on the 12News YouTube channel. Don’t forget to subscribe! | https://www.12news.com/article/sports/bob-bowman-keeps-turning-out-winning-swimmers-and-not-just-americans/75-794b24f6-6287-4033-b245-9cdac11a102f | 2023-07-31T02:06:19 | 0 | https://www.12news.com/article/sports/bob-bowman-keeps-turning-out-winning-swimmers-and-not-just-americans/75-794b24f6-6287-4033-b245-9cdac11a102f |
Lee Hodges won his first PGA Tour event in dominating fashion, claiming the 3M Open by seven shots on Sunday. Hodges earned $1.404 million for his triumph.
J.T. Poston was among a trio of players who tied for second. Poston was in solo second place before a triple bogey on his final hole dropped him into the pack. That proved to be a $260,000 difference as Poston would have earned $850,000 had he finished alone in second.
Here are the full purse and FedExCup breakdowns for those who made the cut at TPC Twin Cities. | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/3m-open-payout-lee-hodges-big-pay-day-jt-postons-costly-triple-bogey | 2023-07-31T02:06:48 | 1 | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/3m-open-payout-lee-hodges-big-pay-day-jt-postons-costly-triple-bogey |
HELSINKI – Denmark’s foreign minister said Sunday the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Quran or other religious holy books in front of foreign embassies in the Nordic country.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in an interview with the Danish public broadcaster DR that the burning of holy scriptures “only serves the purpose of creating division in a world that actually needs unity.”
“That is why we have decided in the government that we will look at how, in very special situations, we can put an end to mockery of other countries, which is in direct conflict with Danish interests and the safety of the Danes,” he said.
A recent string of public Quran desecrations by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Denmark and neighboring Sweden have sparked angry demonstrations in Muslim countries.
Løkke Rasmussen said the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is determined to find “a legal tool” to prohibit such acts without compromising freedom of expression, but he acknowledged that would not be easy.
“There must be room for religious criticism, and we have no thoughts of reintroducing a blasphemy clause,” he told DR. “But when you stand up in front of a foreign embassy and burn a Quran or burn the Torah scroll in front of the Israeli embassy, it serves no other purpose than to mock.”
His comments followed a statement issued late Sunday by the Danish government saying freedom of expression is one of the most important values in Danish society.
But, it added, the descreation of the Muslim holy book in Denmark has resulted in the nation being viewed in many places around the world "as a country that facilitates insult and denigration of the cultures, religions, and traditions of other countries.”
The government repeated its condemnation of such descecrations, say they are “deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by few individuals” and "do not represent the values the Danish society is built on.”
In Sweden, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Sunday on Instagram that his government is analyzing the legal situation regarding desecration of the Quran and other holy books, given the animosity such acts are stirring up against Sweden.
“We are in the most serious security policy situation since the Second World War,” Kristersson said.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called an emergency remote meeting Monday to discuss the Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark. | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/world/2023/07/30/denmark-seeks-to-legally-prevent-burnings-of-quran-or-other-religious-scriptures/ | 2023-07-31T02:06:48 | 0 | https://www.clickorlando.com/news/world/2023/07/30/denmark-seeks-to-legally-prevent-burnings-of-quran-or-other-religious-scriptures/ |
With one hole to play on Sunday evening in Blaine, Minnesota, J.T. Poston trailed 3M Open leader Lee Hodges, his playing competitor, by three shots. He needed something heroic on TPC Twin Cities’ par-5 18th hole.
The Postman couldn’t deliver this time.
Poston's drive came within inches of finding the lake, which the finishing hole wraps around, and with Hodges laying up to wedge distance, Poston opted to play from a decent lie in the rough just inside the penalty area. From 213 yards out, and even less to clear the water, Poston still had a chance at eagle. But his second shot came up short, hitting some rocks and ricocheting backward into the lake.
Hodges would stick his third shot from 115 yards to inches for a tap-in birdie to finish at 24 under while Poston went on to card a triple bogey, dropping from solo second at 20 under to a three-way tie for second at 17 under.
It was a costly triple, as CBS Sports’ Kyle Porter pointed out on Twitter afterward.
“J.T. Poston needed to make a 7 at the last to wrap up solo second and win $850K. He made an 8 to fall into T-2 and win $590K. A $260K hole,” Porter tweeted.
Full-field scores from 3M Open
Poston not only saw the tweet, but he responded.
“Not out here to finish 2nd,” Poston wrote. “Trying to win. Would make that decision 10 times out of 10 under circumstances.” | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/jt-poston-after-costly-triple-would-go-it-10-out-10-times | 2023-07-31T02:06:54 | 0 | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/jt-poston-after-costly-triple-would-go-it-10-out-10-times |
BLAINE, Minn. — Lee Hodges shot a 67 in the final round on Sunday for a wire-to-wire title at the 3M Open and his first PGA Tour victory, setting the tournament record with a 260 and a seven-stroke win.
Hodges, who started the day with a five-stroke lead on J.T. Poston, was up by three entering the par-5 last hole in his 65th career start. After Poston's go-for-broke approach yielded a triple bogey, Hodges tapped in a short putt for his third birdie (to go along with two eagles) of the round. The 28-year-old Alabama native hugged and hoisted his wife, Savannah, in celebration.
Poston shot a 69 to drop into a three-way tie for second place with Martin Laird and Kevin Streelman. Dylan Wu shot a 64 to match Keith Mitchell for fifth at 16 under.
Tony Finau, the defending champion and highest-ranked player at 10th in the FedExCup standings participating in this field, shot a 70 to land in a three-way tie for seventh.
Full-field scores from 3M Open
Hodges shot a 63 on Thursday, a 64 on Friday and a 66 on Saturday to take a commanding lead into the final round at the TPC Twin Cities.
With one previous top-three finish in 2022 at The American Express in La Quinta, California, Hodges said on Saturday he couldn't recall a five-shot lead in his entire career, amateur competition included, and felt as if he was "playing with house money" with his place on the Tour next season secured.
Entering the week in 74th place in the FedExCup standings, Hodges soared to 33rd with the $1.4 million prize for the win. He became the 23rd third-round leader or co-leader to win on Tour this season, following Brian Harman last week at The Open.
Poston entered the week in 60th place in the FedExCup standings and shot up to 38th.
Hodges set the 54-hole tournament record at 193, two strokes better than the score Scott Piercy took into the final round last year. Piercy proceeded to shoot a 76, including a triple bogey on No. 14, and squander a five-stroke lead with 11 holes to go. Finau shot a 67 and won the trophy by three strokes.
Hodges avoided that fate. His lead was cut from six to four when he three-putted the 15th hole and Poston, his final-round playing competitor, smacked his second shot from the fairway to the green about 7 feet from the cup for his fourth birdie of the afternoon. But Hodges bounced right back to match Poston's birdie on 16.
At the 18th, trailing by three, Poston's second shot from the rough, near the water's edge, glanced off the rocks on the retaining wall and ricocheted backward off the floating tournament logo. After a penalty stroke and a layup, his fifth shot rolled down the slope on the front of the green, and he overshot his first putt.
Beau Hossler gave his postseason bid a bump with a blistering 62 in the final round to tie the course record and finish at 13 under for the tournament, tied for 13th place.
The 28-year-old Hossler entered the week in 62nd place on the FedExCup standings. The top 70 players qualify for the three-stage playoff event that begins Aug. 10 with the FedEx St. Jude Championship. There's one more stop on the Tour next weekend at the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro, North Carolina, to move up — or slide down.
Hossler made eight straight birdies from holes 9 through 16, one short of the PGA Tour record. That included a 45-foot putt he holed on his second shot on No. 13 that had "no business" going in.
"Been waiting for it all week. I just got some looks and made some putts, finally got it to go in the hole," Hossler said, about five hours before Hodges finished. | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/lee-hodges-goes-wire-wire-notch-first-pga-tour-win-seven-shots-3m-open | 2023-07-31T02:07:00 | 1 | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/lee-hodges-goes-wire-wire-notch-first-pga-tour-win-seven-shots-3m-open |
Lee Hodges earned his first PGA Tour win by seven strokes at the 3M classic. Here are the clubs he used to do it:
Full-field scores from 3M Open
DRIVER: Titleist TSR2 (8 degrees)
FAIRWAY WOOD: Titleist TSR3 (15 degrees)
HYBRID: Titleist TSR3 (21 degrees)
IRONS: Titleist T100 (4-6), 620 CB (7-9)
WEDGES: Titleist Vokey Design SM9 (46, 52, 56, 60 degrees)
PUTTER: Scotty Cameron GOLO 6 Tour prototype
BALL: Titleist Pro V1 | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/winners-bag-lee-hodges-2023-3m-open | 2023-07-31T02:07:06 | 1 | https://www.golfchannel.com/news/winners-bag-lee-hodges-2023-3m-open |
MUNCIE, Ind. (WXIN) — A street party in Muncie, Indiana, turned into the scene of a deadly shooting early Sunday morning.
One man died and nearly two dozen others were injured. Of those wounded, 19 were treated at Ball Memorial Hospital’s emergency room, and four were taken to other hospitals. Thirteen victims remained hospitalized in stable condition Sunday afternoon.
After the mass shooting, police announced that there was no further danger to the general public.
”Stranger comes up and decides to take it personal on somebody he knows in the crowd,” said one anonymous man who claimed his nephew was the block party’s disc jockey. “And you can’t fight against an AR. He let loose in the crowd. Everywhere in the crowd.”
The Delaware County coroner identified the deceased victim as 30-year-old Joseph Bonner. There’s no indication if Bonner played an active role in the shooting, whether any other victims are suspected of firing guns, or if any firearms were recovered.
A witness at IU/Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie described a scene of emergency department chaos with more than 100 people descending on the facility — many of whom were victims that were taken to the hospital by private vehicles.
Officers from several agencies — including a Muncie-based FBI agent — secured the crime scene and collected evidence while doctors and nurses treated the wounded from the mass casualty event.
By midday, detectives were still walking the debris-strewn street and parking lot with brown bags filled with collected evidence. A tow truck was also seen hauling away a bullet-riddled red Buick that appeared to have crashed during an attempt to leave the scene.
The Muncie Homecoming Festival committee said the street party where the shooting happened was not part of the official MHF celebration going on this week.
Muncie Parks Superintendent Carl Malone told Nexstar’s WXIN he chaired a neighborhood crime watch meeting last Thursday, and residents expressed fear that this weekend could turn volatile.
”We was a little concerned about violence that we thought might happen,” said Malone, who described Muncie Homecoming as a city-wide welcome home celebration held once every four years for former residents and family members to reconnect with their hometown. ”You had a lot of people congregating in one area, just hanging out and wanting to be part of the neighborhood activities. And then, at that point at time, it got into late night, and when you get into late nights, you usually have some sort of curfew violations, alcohol, guns and drugs seem to be a problem.”
Malone said Muncie has not had a community-wide gun violence initiative since 2015.
”We’ve always had concerns about this area and teenagers involved with handguns,” said Malone, whose niece attended the party. ”She just got out of surgery. She’s doing well. She’s whole. And then my godson was being treated out at Ball Hospital.”
Malone said he will meet with the city’s police leadership Monday morning to review the shooting and plans for keeping Muncie streets safe the rest of the summer.
”The mayor knows my push for gun violence, the lack of gun violence education, the lack of gun violence awareness, the lack of how to report gun violence in and out of our homes,” Malone said. “There’s a way to report crime, there’s a way to report guns, and we just have to report guns in and out of our backpacks and homes.”
Muncie is about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis. The city is home to about 65,000 people. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/1-dead-23-wounded-after-street-party-shooting-in-indiana/ | 2023-07-31T02:07:10 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/1-dead-23-wounded-after-street-party-shooting-in-indiana/ |
At 24, Alberto Rodriguez has grandparents younger than Joe Biden. But he’s more interested in the 80-year-old president’s accomplishments than his age.
“People as young as me, we’re all focusing on our day-to-day lives and he has done things to help us through that,” Rodriguez, a cook at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, said of Biden’s support among young voters. Rodriguez pointed specifically to federal COVID-19 relief payments and government spending increases on infrastructure and other social programs.
Voters like him were a key piece of Biden’s winning 2020 coalition, which included majorities of young people as well as college graduates, women, urban and suburban voters and Black Americans. Maintaining their support will be critical in closely contested states such as Nevada, where even small declines could prove consequential to Biden’s reelection bid.
His 2024 campaign plans to emphasize messages that could especially resonate with young people in the coming weeks as the anniversary of the sweeping Inflation Reduction Act approaches in mid-August. That legislation includes provisions that the White House will embrace to argue that Biden has done more than any other president to combat climate change.
Such efforts, however, could collide with Biden’s personal reality — like when he recalled that, while attending a St. Patrick’s Day parade at age 14, he appeared in a photo with President Harry S. Truman.
“Purely by accident — I assume it was an accident — the photographer from the newspaper got a picture of me making eye contact with Harry Truman,” Biden said to chuckles last week at the Truman Civil Rights Symposium in Washington.
In 2020, 61% of voters under age 30 — and 55% of those between 30 and 44 — supported Biden, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of the electorate.
It’s an age group with which Republicans hope to make inroads. Former President Donald Trump, who is the early front-runner in the GOP presidential primary and is only 3 1/2 years younger than Biden, said Friday, “We are hitting the young person’s market like nobody’s ever seen before.”
Kevin Munoz, a spokesman for Biden’s campaign, referred to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement in arguing that “young people are acutely impacted by the issues front and center in this election, driven by the extreme MAGA agenda.” He said that included inaction on climate change, gun violence and student debt.
“We will meet younger Americans where they are and turn their energy into action,” Munoz said in a statement.
That might not defuse questions about age, though, when it comes to Biden or Trump.
“There’s a frustration and exhaustion that they feel with the rematch,” Terrance Woodbury, co-founder & CEO of the Democratic polling firm HIT Strategies, said of young voters.
“That’s more of a problem than either of those two candidates individually, is that a system can just keep reproducing,” Woodbury added. “And I think a lot of people just find that untenable.”
An April poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that just 25% of Democrats under 45 said they would definitely support Biden in a general election, compared with 56% of older Democrats. A majority of Democrats across age groups said they would probably support him as the party’s nominee, however.
Biden’s campaign is relying heavily on the Democratic National Committee, which during last year’s midterms, hired campus organizers in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and other battleground states and offered weekly youth coordinating meetings to encourage in-class contacts and “dormstorms.” The DNC sees young people as some of the most critical voters it will need to reach in 2024 and promises “significant investments” to mobilize them. Plans are underway to expand on its work last cycle, including trainings it held on how best to turn out voters.
The Republican National Committee is trying to use Biden’s age against him, posting online videos of Biden seeming frail or making verbal gaffes, such as when he declared in June “God save the queen,” nearly nine months after the death of England’s Queen Elizabeth II.
Rodriguez shrugged off online attacks, “People can make all the hit pieces and memes and TikToks all they want.”
A starker contrast might be between the president and rising Democrats such as 46-year-old California Rep. Ro Khanna and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 41, one of Biden’s primary rivals in 2020. Neither seriously entertained running for the White House in 2024 and have backed Biden’s reelection.
“The only thing that really matters is your ability to do the job,” Buttigieg, who was 37 when he launched his 2020 presidential bid, said recently on CNN. Khanna told Fox News Channel that age will “obviously” be a 2024 factor, but suggested that Biden’s staff “overprotects” him and “the more he’s out there, the better.”
Other top young Democrats have lined up to back Biden. Florida Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost, who was elected to Congress last year at 26, is on the Biden campaign’s advisory board, as is Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, 44. New York Rep. Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, 33, recently endorsed Biden.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a progressive who says strong turnout among young voters helped him win a runoff election this spring, said Biden’s policies transcend his age. Johnson noted that the president’s work “around climate justice speaks not just to this generation, but generations to come.”
“The excitement that I believe that we’re going to have is going to speak to the incredible work and organizing that we are committed to doing as a party,” said Johnson, 47. “And we’re looking forward to working with the president over the course of his next four years.”
Still, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, acknowledged that even the president’s supporters understand how demanding the White House can be.
“People worry about Joe Biden. They worry like you would worry about a beloved father or grandfather,” said Weingarten, 65. “What you normally hear from Democrats is this sense of, ‘OK, I just want him to be OK.’ And you’re hearing just the consternation of, ’This is a hard job.’”
Biden said he “took a hard look” at his age while deciding to seek a second term. But he’s also tried to suggest his age and experience are assets rather than liabilities by joking repeatedly about them. That’s a departure from 2020, when Biden called himself a “transition candidate” and pledged to be a “bridge” to younger Democrats.
Santiago Mayer, the founder of Voters of Tomorrow, which has 20-plus chapters nationwide and works to increase political engagement among young voters, argues that Biden is not defying his past promise by running for reelection, but keeping it.
“He just needs more time,” said Mayer, who graduated from California State University at Long Beach in May. “I think the second term is a very important part of that pledge. He’s building a progressive future for young people and he can’t actually pass the baton until that’s done.”
One key policy piece of Biden’s efforts to appeal to young voters, providing student debt relief, was recently struck down by the Supreme Court. The White House has launched a new effort, but it will take longer.
“Of course it’s going to dampen some of that because people are disappointed,” Weingarten said of the ruling’s effect on enthusiasm for Biden. But she said the decision could also motivate young Biden supporters anxious show their support for the president’s alternative plan.
“It is also about the fight,” Weingarten said “not just about the results.” | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/joe-biden-the-oldest-sitting-president-needs-young-voters-will-his-age-matter/ | 2023-07-31T02:07:16 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/joe-biden-the-oldest-sitting-president-needs-young-voters-will-his-age-matter/ |
(NewsNation) — While questions remain about a mystery company buying 52,000 acres of land near an Air Force base, a congressman says farmers in the area are being targeted in a lawsuit.
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., has been speaking out over the past five years about the $800 million in land acquisitions by Flannery Associates near Travis Air Force Base in Northern California.
In an interview with NewsNation, Garamendi said he’s been in contact with the families of farmers who handed over their land to Flannery. He said they didn’t want to sell in the first place.
Since no California laws require them to sell, the land was bargained for by both parties at a much higher price. But now, Flannery is suing those families for $510 million, accusing them of conspiring together to inflate the value of the land.
“It’s a suit designed to force the farmers to lawyer up, spend tens of thousands of dollars on lawyering and maybe at the end of the day, bankrupt themselves,” Garamendi said. “In fact, that has happened to at least one family that I know of and I’ve heard rumors that another family simply said we can’t afford the lawyers.”
NewsNation reviewed a copy of the lawsuit. Attorneys for Flannery said they believe “this is a simple case about a group of wealthy landowners who saw an opportunity to conspire, collude, price fix and illegally overcharge Flannery.”
But Garamendi said there was no viable economic reason to justify spending several times more than what the land is worth in the first place.
The suit comes as companies with ties to China have been ramping up efforts to buy American farmland in recent years.
Public records show “Flannery Associates” has invested more than $800 million on more than 50,000 acres of land surrounding the Travis Air Force Base since 2018.
Legal representation for Flannery said the group is controlled by U.S. citizens, with 97% of its capital coming from U.S.-based investors. But after eight months of investigation, federal officials can’t confirm or deny this to be true and have not been able to determine exactly who is backing the company.
The Air Force’s Foreign Investment Risk Review office is currently investigating Flannery Associates. Garamendi said there are valid concerns that Flannery’s land acquisitions could be tied to foreign enemies.
“The fact they chose to buy all three sides of the Travis Air Force Base even raises immediate questions about national security,” Garamendi said. “So, is this Chinese money? We don’t know, but we do know that the Chinese money was being used in North Dakota and we have a very deep suspicion, given the amount of money, given the lack of attention to values, that they simply want to acquire all of this land.”
NewsNation investigated the now thwarted deal with a Chinese-owned company in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Last year, 300 acres of farmland were purchased near the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota by Chinese-owned Fufeng – a deal that raised red flags about potential spying.
After pushback from the community, the city council ultimately voted to end the project, citing national security risks.
Garamendi said local residents near Travis Air Force Base are riled up, just like the residents in Grand Forks, due to how critical the area is for the U.S. military.
“Travis Air Force Base is absolutely essential. It is the gateway to the Pacific,” Garamendi said, later adding, “A good deal of the munitions that are going to Ukraine also passed through Travis Air Force Base.”
China has been buying up American farmland for years. Nearly 384,000 acres of agricultural land in the U.S. is controlled by China, and the rate at which they are purchasing land is growing, the USDA reports.
Chinese ownership of American farmland has increased 55% in the past five years, with almost 75% of it located in the South and about 16% on the West Coast. | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ | 2023-07-31T02:07:22 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/u-s-world/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ |
UPDATE: Virginia State Police has canceled the Critically Missing Adult Alert for Jane Riddick Evans at 7:38 p.m. on Sunday, July 30, as she has been found safe.
NORFOLK, Va. (WRIC) — Virginia State Police (VSP) is asking for the public’s help to find a missing 73-year-old Norfolk woman.
According to VSP, Jane Riddick Evans was last seen on Saturday, July 29 at around 9:58 a.m. at 830 Kempsville Road in Norfolk, said VSP. She may be wearing red and orange pants and a brown shirt with white sandals.
Evans was carrying a blue blanket and was last known to be walking in an unknown direction, said VSP. | https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/critically-missing-adult-alert-for-73-year-old-woman-in-norfolk/ | 2023-07-31T02:07:28 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/virginia-news/critically-missing-adult-alert-for-73-year-old-woman-in-norfolk/ |
(NewsNation) — While questions remain about a mystery company buying 52,000 acres of land near an Air Force base, a congressman says farmers in the area are being targeted in a lawsuit.
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., has been speaking out over the past five years about the $800 million in land acquisitions by Flannery Associates near Travis Air Force Base in Northern California.
In an interview with NewsNation, Garamendi said he’s been in contact with the families of farmers who handed over their land to Flannery. He said they didn’t want to sell in the first place.
Since no California laws require them to sell, the land was bargained for by both parties at a much higher price. But now, Flannery is suing those families for $510 million, accusing them of conspiring together to inflate the value of the land.
“It’s a suit designed to force the farmers to lawyer up, spend tens of thousands of dollars on lawyering and maybe at the end of the day, bankrupt themselves,” Garamendi said. “In fact, that has happened to at least one family that I know of and I’ve heard rumors that another family simply said we can’t afford the lawyers.”
NewsNation reviewed a copy of the lawsuit. Attorneys for Flannery said they believe “this is a simple case about a group of wealthy landowners who saw an opportunity to conspire, collude, price fix and illegally overcharge Flannery.”
But Garamendi said there was no viable economic reason to justify spending several times more than what the land is worth in the first place.
The suit comes as companies with ties to China have been ramping up efforts to buy American farmland in recent years.
Public records show “Flannery Associates” has invested more than $800 million on more than 50,000 acres of land surrounding the Travis Air Force Base since 2018.
Legal representation for Flannery said the group is controlled by U.S. citizens, with 97% of its capital coming from U.S.-based investors. But after eight months of investigation, federal officials can’t confirm or deny this to be true and have not been able to determine exactly who is backing the company.
The Air Force’s Foreign Investment Risk Review office is currently investigating Flannery Associates. Garamendi said there are valid concerns that Flannery’s land acquisitions could be tied to foreign enemies.
“The fact they chose to buy all three sides of the Travis Air Force Base even raises immediate questions about national security,” Garamendi said. “So, is this Chinese money? We don’t know, but we do know that the Chinese money was being used in North Dakota and we have a very deep suspicion, given the amount of money, given the lack of attention to values, that they simply want to acquire all of this land.”
NewsNation investigated the now thwarted deal with a Chinese-owned company in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Last year, 300 acres of farmland were purchased near the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota by Chinese-owned Fufeng – a deal that raised red flags about potential spying.
After pushback from the community, the city council ultimately voted to end the project, citing national security risks.
Garamendi said local residents near Travis Air Force Base are riled up, just like the residents in Grand Forks, due to how critical the area is for the U.S. military.
“Travis Air Force Base is absolutely essential. It is the gateway to the Pacific,” Garamendi said, later adding, “A good deal of the munitions that are going to Ukraine also passed through Travis Air Force Base.”
China has been buying up American farmland for years. Nearly 384,000 acres of agricultural land in the U.S. is controlled by China, and the rate at which they are purchasing land is growing, the USDA reports.
Chinese ownership of American farmland has increased 55% in the past five years, with almost 75% of it located in the South and about 16% on the West Coast. | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ | 2023-07-31T02:08:01 | 0 | https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ |
OMAHA — The pure guitar pop perfection of The Beths and, about two hours later, the distinctive indie folk meets skronky guitar rock of Big Thief were the Saturday highlights of the Maha Festival, which drew more than 6,000 people to Stinson Park in Aksarben Village on what turned out to be a lovely day for a music fest.
Friday, Maha got hit with sweltering 100-degree-plus “feels like” temperatures and a rainstorm that caused the grounds to be temporarily cleared that, by reports I heard, created a sauna like experience. Full disclosure, after a look at the temperature Friday and then the forecast of storms, I chickened out and didn’t make the trip to Omaha.
Saturday, however, the conditions were just fine for a daylong bill that began at about 2:30 p.m. and wrapped up with Big Thief’s mainstage performance more than eight hours later.
But that’s getting ahead of the story. The Beths, the band I most wanted to see at Maha, took the second, smaller stage at 7 p.m. and delivered a set that, by itself, would be one of the top shows I’ve seen this year and, by far, the best power pop performance, outside of that by Nick Lowe at Steelhouse Omaha, that I’ve seen in months.
Led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Elizabeth Stokes, the quartet of New Zealanders drew on all of their albums, kicking off with the hooky, melodic title cut of 2018’s “Future Me Hates Me,” touching on “Jump Rope Gazers,” the title of their 2020 album, and pulling three songs, including the quiet “Silence is Golden” and set-ending title cut, from last year’s superb “Expert in a Dying Field” — one of my top 10 records of 2022.
The result was 50-minutes of beautifully crafted and arranged pop songs, complete with three-part backing harmonies from the guys in the band, punctuated with the guitar work of Jonathan Pearce that brought to mind The Cars’ Elliot Easton — that’s a very high compliment, by the way.
The Beths got a rare for Maha side stage encore — evidence of how they connected with the crowd that stood on the slanted hillside in front of the stage. I could have used another half-hour or so — aka, a full set. But what we got was great.
Big Thief, as they are wont to do, opened their show with three unreleased numbers in their first four songs, done in an acoustic setup with singer/guitarist Adrianne Lenker on acoustic guitar and bassist-in-a-blue-dress Max Oleartchik on upright.
But after the witty, catchy country-rockish “Born For Loving You,” the acoustic instruments were swapped out for electric, showing off the striking Big Thief combination of indie-folk-rooted songs filled with guitar histrionics from Buck Meek, and especially Lenker.
Coming off like Jack White, Lenker pulled her wild guitar — finger tapping, cool, high register figures and skronky screaming — out of the song structure (her style is country/folk in contrast to White’s blues/rock) as Meek provided coverage and some serious guitar work of his own.
That and Lenker’s heartfelt, intense vocals, made Big Thief riveting and their looseness, the goofiness of “Spud Identity” and “we’re all together in this,” vibe made things welcoming and, in a way, uplifting.
Big Thief, who have carved out a distinctive indie rock niche and seem poised on the verge of wider popularity, probably was the best possible selection to close out the final night of Maha at Stinson Park, where it has taken place for 12 years.
The park, located in Aksarben Village at 67th and Center streets, proved, over more than a decade, to be the perfect site for the boutique festival, big enough to comfortably hold the 6,000 to 9,000 on the night’s attendance peaks, but compact enough to set up the main stage near the park’s permanent stage, eliminating long walks between sets required at larger festivals.
And Stinson Park was where Maha grew into a Nebraska’s best festival that, vitally, brings in artists that featured at Lollapalooza, Pitchfork and other bigger events.
Maha is moving back downtown to the new Heartland of America Park at The RiverFront next year. Here’s hoping that it will be as good a location as Stinson Park.
Photos: Second day of Maha 2023
Reach the writer at 402-473-7244 or kwolgamott@journalstar.com. On Twitter @KentWolgamott | https://journalstar.com/life-entertainment/local/review-guitar-pop-perfection-of-the-beths-and-folk-meets-wild-guitar-of-big-thief/article_e3b235c0-2f0e-11ee-9b0a-6b1a8215632c.html | 2023-07-31T02:08:01 | 0 | https://journalstar.com/life-entertainment/local/review-guitar-pop-perfection-of-the-beths-and-folk-meets-wild-guitar-of-big-thief/article_e3b235c0-2f0e-11ee-9b0a-6b1a8215632c.html |
At 24, Alberto Rodriguez has grandparents younger than Joe Biden. But he’s more interested in the 80-year-old president’s accomplishments than his age.
“People as young as me, we’re all focusing on our day-to-day lives and he has done things to help us through that,” Rodriguez, a cook at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, said of Biden’s support among young voters. Rodriguez pointed specifically to federal COVID-19 relief payments and government spending increases on infrastructure and other social programs.
Voters like him were a key piece of Biden’s winning 2020 coalition, which included majorities of young people as well as college graduates, women, urban and suburban voters and Black Americans. Maintaining their support will be critical in closely contested states such as Nevada, where even small declines could prove consequential to Biden’s reelection bid.
His 2024 campaign plans to emphasize messages that could especially resonate with young people in the coming weeks as the anniversary of the sweeping Inflation Reduction Act approaches in mid-August. That legislation includes provisions that the White House will embrace to argue that Biden has done more than any other president to combat climate change.
Such efforts, however, could collide with Biden’s personal reality — like when he recalled that, while attending a St. Patrick’s Day parade at age 14, he appeared in a photo with President Harry S. Truman.
“Purely by accident — I assume it was an accident — the photographer from the newspaper got a picture of me making eye contact with Harry Truman,” Biden said to chuckles last week at the Truman Civil Rights Symposium in Washington.
In 2020, 61% of voters under age 30 — and 55% of those between 30 and 44 — supported Biden, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of the electorate.
It’s an age group with which Republicans hope to make inroads. Former President Donald Trump, who is the early front-runner in the GOP presidential primary and is only 3 1/2 years younger than Biden, said Friday, “We are hitting the young person’s market like nobody’s ever seen before.”
Kevin Munoz, a spokesman for Biden’s campaign, referred to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement in arguing that “young people are acutely impacted by the issues front and center in this election, driven by the extreme MAGA agenda.” He said that included inaction on climate change, gun violence and student debt.
“We will meet younger Americans where they are and turn their energy into action,” Munoz said in a statement.
That might not defuse questions about age, though, when it comes to Biden or Trump.
“There’s a frustration and exhaustion that they feel with the rematch,” Terrance Woodbury, co-founder & CEO of the Democratic polling firm HIT Strategies, said of young voters.
“That’s more of a problem than either of those two candidates individually, is that a system can just keep reproducing,” Woodbury added. “And I think a lot of people just find that untenable.”
An April poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that just 25% of Democrats under 45 said they would definitely support Biden in a general election, compared with 56% of older Democrats. A majority of Democrats across age groups said they would probably support him as the party’s nominee, however.
Biden’s campaign is relying heavily on the Democratic National Committee, which during last year’s midterms, hired campus organizers in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and other battleground states and offered weekly youth coordinating meetings to encourage in-class contacts and “dormstorms.” The DNC sees young people as some of the most critical voters it will need to reach in 2024 and promises “significant investments” to mobilize them. Plans are underway to expand on its work last cycle, including trainings it held on how best to turn out voters.
The Republican National Committee is trying to use Biden’s age against him, posting online videos of Biden seeming frail or making verbal gaffes, such as when he declared in June “God save the queen,” nearly nine months after the death of England’s Queen Elizabeth II.
Rodriguez shrugged off online attacks, “People can make all the hit pieces and memes and TikToks all they want.”
A starker contrast might be between the president and rising Democrats such as 46-year-old California Rep. Ro Khanna and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 41, one of Biden’s primary rivals in 2020. Neither seriously entertained running for the White House in 2024 and have backed Biden’s reelection.
“The only thing that really matters is your ability to do the job,” Buttigieg, who was 37 when he launched his 2020 presidential bid, said recently on CNN. Khanna told Fox News Channel that age will “obviously” be a 2024 factor, but suggested that Biden’s staff “overprotects” him and “the more he’s out there, the better.”
Other top young Democrats have lined up to back Biden. Florida Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost, who was elected to Congress last year at 26, is on the Biden campaign’s advisory board, as is Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, 44. New York Rep. Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, 33, recently endorsed Biden.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a progressive who says strong turnout among young voters helped him win a runoff election this spring, said Biden’s policies transcend his age. Johnson noted that the president’s work “around climate justice speaks not just to this generation, but generations to come.”
“The excitement that I believe that we’re going to have is going to speak to the incredible work and organizing that we are committed to doing as a party,” said Johnson, 47. “And we’re looking forward to working with the president over the course of his next four years.”
Still, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, acknowledged that even the president’s supporters understand how demanding the White House can be.
“People worry about Joe Biden. They worry like you would worry about a beloved father or grandfather,” said Weingarten, 65. “What you normally hear from Democrats is this sense of, ‘OK, I just want him to be OK.’ And you’re hearing just the consternation of, ’This is a hard job.’”
Biden said he “took a hard look” at his age while deciding to seek a second term. But he’s also tried to suggest his age and experience are assets rather than liabilities by joking repeatedly about them. That’s a departure from 2020, when Biden called himself a “transition candidate” and pledged to be a “bridge” to younger Democrats.
Santiago Mayer, the founder of Voters of Tomorrow, which has 20-plus chapters nationwide and works to increase political engagement among young voters, argues that Biden is not defying his past promise by running for reelection, but keeping it.
“He just needs more time,” said Mayer, who graduated from California State University at Long Beach in May. “I think the second term is a very important part of that pledge. He’s building a progressive future for young people and he can’t actually pass the baton until that’s done.”
One key policy piece of Biden’s efforts to appeal to young voters, providing student debt relief, was recently struck down by the Supreme Court. The White House has launched a new effort, but it will take longer.
“Of course it’s going to dampen some of that because people are disappointed,” Weingarten said of the ruling’s effect on enthusiasm for Biden. But she said the decision could also motivate young Biden supporters anxious show their support for the president’s alternative plan.
“It is also about the fight,” Weingarten said “not just about the results.” | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/joe-biden-the-oldest-sitting-president-needs-young-voters-will-his-age-matter/ | 2023-07-31T02:08:01 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/joe-biden-the-oldest-sitting-president-needs-young-voters-will-his-age-matter/ |
(NewsNation) — While questions remain about a mystery company buying 52,000 acres of land near an Air Force base, a congressman says farmers in the area are being targeted in a lawsuit.
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., has been speaking out over the past five years about the $800 million in land acquisitions by Flannery Associates near Travis Air Force Base in Northern California.
In an interview with NewsNation, Garamendi said he’s been in contact with the families of farmers who handed over their land to Flannery. He said they didn’t want to sell in the first place.
Since no California laws require them to sell, the land was bargained for by both parties at a much higher price. But now, Flannery is suing those families for $510 million, accusing them of conspiring together to inflate the value of the land.
“It’s a suit designed to force the farmers to lawyer up, spend tens of thousands of dollars on lawyering and maybe at the end of the day, bankrupt themselves,” Garamendi said. “In fact, that has happened to at least one family that I know of and I’ve heard rumors that another family simply said we can’t afford the lawyers.”
NewsNation reviewed a copy of the lawsuit. Attorneys for Flannery said they believe “this is a simple case about a group of wealthy landowners who saw an opportunity to conspire, collude, price fix and illegally overcharge Flannery.”
But Garamendi said there was no viable economic reason to justify spending several times more than what the land is worth in the first place.
The suit comes as companies with ties to China have been ramping up efforts to buy American farmland in recent years.
Public records show “Flannery Associates” has invested more than $800 million on more than 50,000 acres of land surrounding the Travis Air Force Base since 2018.
Legal representation for Flannery said the group is controlled by U.S. citizens, with 97% of its capital coming from U.S.-based investors. But after eight months of investigation, federal officials can’t confirm or deny this to be true and have not been able to determine exactly who is backing the company.
The Air Force’s Foreign Investment Risk Review office is currently investigating Flannery Associates. Garamendi said there are valid concerns that Flannery’s land acquisitions could be tied to foreign enemies.
“The fact they chose to buy all three sides of the Travis Air Force Base even raises immediate questions about national security,” Garamendi said. “So, is this Chinese money? We don’t know, but we do know that the Chinese money was being used in North Dakota and we have a very deep suspicion, given the amount of money, given the lack of attention to values, that they simply want to acquire all of this land.”
NewsNation investigated the now thwarted deal with a Chinese-owned company in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Last year, 300 acres of farmland were purchased near the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota by Chinese-owned Fufeng – a deal that raised red flags about potential spying.
After pushback from the community, the city council ultimately voted to end the project, citing national security risks.
Garamendi said local residents near Travis Air Force Base are riled up, just like the residents in Grand Forks, due to how critical the area is for the U.S. military.
“Travis Air Force Base is absolutely essential. It is the gateway to the Pacific,” Garamendi said, later adding, “A good deal of the munitions that are going to Ukraine also passed through Travis Air Force Base.”
China has been buying up American farmland for years. Nearly 384,000 acres of agricultural land in the U.S. is controlled by China, and the rate at which they are purchasing land is growing, the USDA reports.
Chinese ownership of American farmland has increased 55% in the past five years, with almost 75% of it located in the South and about 16% on the West Coast. | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ | 2023-07-31T02:08:07 | 1 | https://fox59.com/news/national-world/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ |
WESTFIELD – As it turns out, an ankle isn’t the only physical issue that’s keeping Jonathan Taylor off the practice field.
A back injury contributed to the Indianapolis Colts’ disgruntled running back being placed on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) at the start of training camp last Tuesday, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
The type and severity of the back injury isn’t known.
However, the manner with which Taylor sustained the injury could lead to a change in his status. The Colts are considering placing him on the non-football injury list (NFI) since it occurred while Taylor was working out away from the team prior to camp, the source revealed.
That would represent a more strident stance by the team.
A player on PUP is paid once the regular season begins. That’s not the case with an individual on NFI. Since the injury was sustained away while working out on his own, the team wouldn’t be required to pay a player if and until he was medically cleared and added to the active roster.
After the Colts ended their offseason work in mid-June, they preferred Taylor remain in Indy while completing his rehab from surgery in January on his right ankle. His rehab forced him to miss all of the on-field work.
But Taylor opted to prepare for training camp by working out with his associates in Arizona.
The bottom line: the Colts clearly were aware of the ankle situation, but Taylor never mentioned a back injury until he reported to Grand Park Sports Complex for his pre-camp physical.
Until that time, the team fully expected Taylor to be full-go for camp.
The back injury is the latest complication in what’s been a tumultuous summer for the team’s featured back.
Taylor’s in the final year of his rookie contract that will pay him $4.3 million this season, but is seeking an extension. The team informed Taylor and his agent, Malki Kawa, it would not be extending an offer until the end of the upcoming season, and Taylor subsequently requested a trade.
Jim Irsay and Taylor met for nearly an hour Saturday evening in the owner’s luxury bus that was parked adjacent to the practice fields, and one of the overriding messages to Taylor was no trade would be made.
In a response to FOX59/CBS4 Saturday night, Irsay said, “We will not trade Jonathan Taylor. That is a certainty. Not now or not in October.
“That is the bottom line.’’
Taylor, 24, arguably is the team’s best player and top playmaker on offense.
The 2020 second-round pick rushed for 1,169 yards as a rookie, then unleashed the best season by a Colts’ running back in team history in ’21 with a league-leading and franchise-record 1,811 yards.
Taylor’s production slipped last season – 861 yards – by a high sprain to his right ankle that limited him to 11 games and a dysfunctional offense. | https://fox59.com/sports/indianapolis-colts-considering-placing-running-back-jonathan-taylor-on-non-football-injury-list-with-back-issue/ | 2023-07-31T02:08:13 | 1 | https://fox59.com/sports/indianapolis-colts-considering-placing-running-back-jonathan-taylor-on-non-football-injury-list-with-back-issue/ |
A local organization held its second drive to provide instruments to young musicians.
“Violins of Hope” hosted the drive and they asked people to donate their unused instruments.
The drive was held at the Calvary Episcopal Church on Sunday. The first drive was held on July 22.
So far, the organization has collected 98 instruments.
The instruments will be restored and given to local youth during a special concert with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Junior Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh at Heinz Hall on Nov. 19.
The organization is planning to hold a third drive on Sept. 9 from 9 a.m. to noon in Ross Township.
Anyone interested in donating an instrument should contact info@violinsofhopepittsburgh.org for more information.
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©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/local-organization-collecting-instruments-restore-give-young-musicians/C2MIOVD2JJCY3E2H2IWTQXTJNA/ | 2023-07-31T02:08:54 | 0 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/local/local-organization-collecting-instruments-restore-give-young-musicians/C2MIOVD2JJCY3E2H2IWTQXTJNA/ |
HANNASTOWN, Pa. — The Westmoreland Historical Society hosted a Civil War encampment and battle reenactments at “Historic Hanna’s Town” this weekend.
Over 200 reenactors participated in the event.
Visitors could brush up on or expand their history knowledge with the different displays and presentations placed throughout the area. Some were about Civil War medicine and surgery and others focused on artillery.
One of the most popular characters was an Abraham Lincoln impersonator.
Lisa Hays, the executive director of the Westmoreland Historical Society, said the location for the event was historical in itself.
“Hanna’s town was the capital of the first county that was formed entirely west of the Allegheny mountains,” Hays said.
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The Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a deal to acquire Colorado Rockies outfielder Randal Grichuck and first baseman C.J. Cron, according to multiple reports.
The deal furthers the team's commitment to building around and attempting to retain Shohei Ohtani after the team declined to deal the two-way superstar before the upcoming trade deadline. | https://www.wpxi.com/news/national/angels-continue/H3PFRKEUC4LJTIS4NBC4EH6OAQ/ | 2023-07-31T02:09:06 | 1 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/national/angels-continue/H3PFRKEUC4LJTIS4NBC4EH6OAQ/ |
MUNCIE, Ind. — One person was killed and at least 17 others were injured early Sunday after a gunman opened fire at a party in central Indiana, authorities said.
The shooting occurred during a street party in the eastern section of Muncie at about 1:14 a.m. EDT, the Star-Press reported.
According to a news release from the Muncie Police Department, the shooting happened in the area of South Hackley and Willard Street, WRTV reported.
Delaware County Coroner Gavin Greene identified the man fatally shot as Joseph E. Bonner III, 30, of Muncie, the Star-Press reported.
“Due to the number of victims and nature of the incident, multiple agencies were contacted to assist,” Deputy Police Chief Melissa Criswell told the newspaper in a statement.
Police officers from the nearby town of Eaton provided assistance, along with the the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, the Indiana State Police and officers from Ball State University, the Star-Press reported.
A spokesperson for Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie said that 18 people between the ages of 14 and 25 were treated at the facility, WXIN-TV reported.
Four victims were airlifted to other hospitals, according to WRTV.
“All scenes are contained and there is no immediate threat to public safety,” Criswell said in the news release to the Star-Press.
It is unclear what led to the shooting.
The Muncie Homecoming Festival Committee, which was hosting events on Saturday, said that the block party was not part of their weekend activities, WTHR-TV reported.
“This tragedy will not stop the hard work and dedication of those who endeavor to make Muncie a peaceful and loving community,” the committee said in a statement. “Acts of violence will not be tolerated here and we are united and moving forward in a positive manner even in grief.”
The Muncie Police Department has not released any other information or whether any arrests have been made, WRTV reported.
“We are heartbroken to learn of this terrible incident, and our deepest condolences go to the families of the young man who was killed and everyone who was injured,” the police department said in a statement.
In a statement Sunday night, Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman said it was “too early in the investigation for me to say much,” the Star-Press reported.
“There are far too many guns on the street and I certainly question the wisdom of someone having a huge outdoor party with several hundred people, including juveniles, carrying on into the early morning hours,” Hoffman said. “Let’s take a dose of reality. This is not the Vegas Strip or Times Square. This is a residential neighborhood.” | https://www.wpxi.com/news/trending/muncie-shooting-1-dead-17-injured-after-gunman-opens-fire-party/VGZLRFWEWNGLXLB5QVG5MGNZDM/ | 2023-07-31T02:09:12 | 1 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/trending/muncie-shooting-1-dead-17-injured-after-gunman-opens-fire-party/VGZLRFWEWNGLXLB5QVG5MGNZDM/ |
BOSTON — A 16th-century document signed by Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes has been returned to Mexico’s national archives by the U.S. government, officials said.
According to a news release from the FBI, the document, written and signed in 1527, was returned to the Mexican government on July 19.
The manuscript is a payment order signed by Cortés on April 27, 1527, authorizing the purchase of rose sugar for the pharmacy in exchange for 12 gold pesos, WFXT-TV reported. It is believed to be one of several documents unlawfully removed from a collection of documents sometime before 1993. The documents chronicled a Spanish expedition to Central America in 1527 that is currently housed in Mexico’s national archives, according to the television station.
The United States has returned a manuscript signed by Conquistador Hernando Cortés in 1527 to Mexico, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. https://t.co/SBWP0KDGzc
— Boston 25 News (@boston25) July 25, 2023
In the order, Cortes instructed his butler, Nicolás de Palacios Rubios, to purchase the sugar, The New York Times reported. One side of the document shows the request, while the back side records the payment, according to the newspaper.
The receipt was handwritten in Spanish, penned in iron gall ink on rag paper, the Times reported. It measures about 8.5 inches by 6 inches.
Cortes is credited with commanding a large-scale expedition from Spain to Mexico between 1519 and 1521 that led to the downfall of the Aztec empire.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, along with representatives for the FBI, participated in a formal repatriation ceremony at Mexico’s national archives.
“After missing for decades, thanks to incredible international collaboration and persistence the Cortés manuscript is finally where it belongs back in Mexico, where it will remain a treasured part of Mexico’s history and heritage,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy said in a statement. “I want to commend the asset recovery prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office whose hard work and dedication led to the return of this priceless and historically important artifact. We were honored to have assisted in this effort.”
According to an FBI investigation, the manuscript was purchased at an auction in the 1990s by the founder of the Museum of World Treasures in Wichita, Kansas, the Times reported. His family consigned the document to Goldberg Coins and Collectibles in Los Angeles, and in 2019, a Florida resident bought it auction. That person then contracted with Massachusetts-based RR Auction in Massachusetts and the document was put on the auction block in June, according to the newspaper.
In November 2022, Levy said the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture action against the manuscript to ensure its lawful return, WFXT reported. Mexican authorities contacted the U.S. government that the manuscript appeared to be stolen, and RR Auction removed the item from its sale.
It is a violation of federal law to transport or receive stolen goods valued at more than $5,000 that have traveled in foreign or interstate commerce, according to the television station.
“We are incredibly honored to be able to assist in the return of this national treasure to the people of Mexico,” Christopher DiMenna, acting special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, said in a statement. “This manuscript, which is nearly five centuries old, preserves an important part of Mexico’s history and reflects the FBI’s ongoing commitment to protect cultural heritage, not only in the United States but around the world. The recovery of this priceless artifact is a direct result of our close and ongoing collaboration with the government of Mexico, and we are very thankful for their partnership.” | https://www.wpxi.com/news/trending/us-returns-manuscript-signed-by-hernando-corts-1527-mexicos-national-archives/2WUENGKMJJG2VMGRLW6TLNYHF4/ | 2023-07-31T02:09:18 | 0 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/trending/us-returns-manuscript-signed-by-hernando-corts-1527-mexicos-national-archives/2WUENGKMJJG2VMGRLW6TLNYHF4/ |
HELSINKI — (AP) — Denmark’s foreign minister said Sunday the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Quran or other religious holy books in front of foreign embassies in the Nordic country.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in an interview with the Danish public broadcaster DR that the burning of holy scriptures “only serves the purpose of creating division in a world that actually needs unity.”
“That is why we have decided in the government that we will look at how, in very special situations, we can put an end to mockery of other countries, which is in direct conflict with Danish interests and the safety of the Danes,” he said.
A recent string of public Quran desecrations by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Denmark and neighboring Sweden have sparked angry demonstrations in Muslim countries.
Løkke Rasmussen said the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is determined to find “a legal tool” to prohibit such acts without compromising freedom of expression, but he acknowledged that would not be easy.
“There must be room for religious criticism, and we have no thoughts of reintroducing a blasphemy clause,” he told DR. “But when you stand up in front of a foreign embassy and burn a Quran or burn the Torah scroll in front of the Israeli embassy, it serves no other purpose than to mock.”
His comments followed a statement issued late Sunday by the Danish government saying freedom of expression is one of the most important values in Danish society.
But, it added, the descreation of the Muslim holy book in Denmark has resulted in the nation being viewed in many places around the world "as a country that facilitates insult and denigration of the cultures, religions, and traditions of other countries.”
The government repeated its condemnation of such descecrations, say they are “deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by few individuals” and "do not represent the values the Danish society is built on.”
In Sweden, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Sunday on Instagram that his government is analyzing the legal situation regarding desecration of the Quran and other holy books, given the animosity such acts are stirring up against Sweden.
“We are in the most serious security policy situation since the Second World War,” Kristersson said.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called an emergency remote meeting Monday to discuss the Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.wpxi.com/news/world/denmark-seeks/MCUHY2EUC2GP25FZZKLTG6RHR4/ | 2023-07-31T02:09:24 | 1 | https://www.wpxi.com/news/world/denmark-seeks/MCUHY2EUC2GP25FZZKLTG6RHR4/ |
HELSINKI (AP) — Denmark’s foreign minister said Sunday the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Quran or other religious holy books in front of foreign embassies in the Nordic country.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in an interview with the Danish public broadcaster DR that the burning of holy scriptures “only serves the purpose of creating division in a world that actually needs unity.”
“That is why we have decided in the government that we will look at how, in very special situations, we can put an end to mockery of other countries, which is in direct conflict with Danish interests and the safety of the Danes,” he said.
A recent string of public Quran desecrations by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Denmark and neighboring Sweden have sparked angry demonstrations in Muslim countries.
Løkke Rasmussen said the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is determined to find “a legal tool” to prohibit such acts without compromising freedom of expression, but he acknowledged that would not be easy.
“There must be room for religious criticism, and we have no thoughts of reintroducing a blasphemy clause,” he told DR. “But when you stand up in front of a foreign embassy and burn a Quran or burn the Torah scroll in front of the Israeli embassy, it serves no other purpose than to mock.”
His comments followed a statement issued late Sunday by the Danish government saying freedom of expression is one of the most important values in Danish society.
But, it added, the descreation of the Muslim holy book in Denmark has resulted in the nation being viewed in many places around the world "as a country that facilitates insult and denigration of the cultures, religions, and traditions of other countries.”
The government repeated its condemnation of such descecrations, say they are “deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by few individuals” and "do not represent the values the Danish society is built on.”
In Sweden, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Sunday on Instagram that his government is analyzing the legal situation regarding desecration of the Quran and other holy books, given the animosity such acts are stirring up against Sweden.
“We are in the most serious security policy situation since the Second World War,” Kristersson said.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called an emergency remote meeting Monday to discuss the Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/denmark-seeks-to-legally-prevent-burnings-of-quran-or-other-religious-scriptures/EO6SIJRZHRA63LCRQKBSMCRNG4/ | 2023-07-31T02:10:00 | 1 | https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/nation-world/denmark-seeks-to-legally-prevent-burnings-of-quran-or-other-religious-scriptures/EO6SIJRZHRA63LCRQKBSMCRNG4/ |
Faculty members from across the country dismayed over investigation of Texas A&M professor
BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - July 25, 2023 The Academic Freedom Alliance has sent Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp a letter, expressing concern over the suspension and investigation into a professor for comments she made as a guest lecturer in a college class.
The letter is from the The Academic Freedom Alliance, a coalition of faculty members from across the country and across the ideological spectrum who say they are committed to upholding the principles of academic freedom and professorial free speech.
The letter refers to Joy Alonzo, a Texas A&M University professor who had given a lecture on the opioid crisis at the University of Texas Medical Branch. During that lecture, a student had accused her of disparaging Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick during the talk.
Shortly after, she was suspended and investigated by A&M.
The Academic Freedom Alliance writes to Sharp, saying his office was reportedly intimately involved in these activities.
“The investigation and suspension lasted two weeks, and even though she was cleared of any wrongdoing, university leaders at both the University of Texas and Texas A&M wound up sending out emails that were clearly designed to discourage constitutionally protected speech by members of their faculties in order to avoid offending students or state politicians.”
The letter goes on to say the Alliance is relieved that the investigation was eventually dropped, but that they feel it never should have been launched in the first place, saying “this affair shows a disturbing lack of concern with academic freedom principles in the Texas A&M System. "
“I write on behalf of the Academic Freedom Alliance to express our firm view that the university’s actions represent an egregious violation of the principles of academic freedom and
the university’s responsibilities under the First Amendment.”
They also stated that Texas A&M University is subjected to the limits of the first amendment of the constitution as well as its own contractual commitments.
The Academic Freedom Alliance called on Texas A&M to publicly affirm in the future it will adhere to “principles of academic freedom and free speech” and to reassure faculty that they will not be threatened with termination if they say critical things about state policy.
Copyright 2023 KBTX. All rights reserved. | https://www.kbtx.com/2023/07/31/faculty-members-across-country-dismayed-over-investigation-texas-am-professor/ | 2023-07-31T02:10:05 | 1 | https://www.kbtx.com/2023/07/31/faculty-members-across-country-dismayed-over-investigation-texas-am-professor/ |
A woman died at a hospital several hours after police found her unresponsive outside a building on Rutgers University’s Newark campus on Saturday, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office said Sunday.
The woman, Jaleila Wilson, 42, of Newark, died at about 4:30 p.m. after suffering cardiac arrest at University Hospital in the city.
Rutgers Newark police officers found Wilson at about 12:40 p.m. after responding to a call reporting an unresponsive woman in the 100 block of Bleeker Street on the campus, the prosecutor’s office said. Officers arranged for her to be taken to the hospital.
The prosecutor’s office has not said if Wilson suffered any other injury. The office did not say where exactly, or near which building, officers found Wilson on the block.
Several buildings and college halls are on the 100 block of Bleeker Street, including the Dana Library.
The prosecutor’s office said no arrests had been made in connection with Wilson’s death. Their Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force is investigating and can be reached via the tipline, 1-877-TIPS-4EC or 1-877-847-7432.
Thank you for relying on us to provide the local news you can trust. Please consider supporting NJ.com with a voluntary subscription.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com | https://www.nj.com/essex/2023/07/authorities-investigating-death-of-woman-found-on-rutgers-u-campus.html | 2023-07-31T02:11:09 | 0 | https://www.nj.com/essex/2023/07/authorities-investigating-death-of-woman-found-on-rutgers-u-campus.html |
BEIJING, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- President Xi Jinping visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan on July 25, which winds its way through rugged mountains and ancient trees. There, Xi learned about efforts surrounding ecological conservation.
This visit marks Xi's attention to China's ecological development, which has achieved remarkable progress over the past 10 years, said experts.
Witnessing the government's recent remarks on ecology, they believed that the country's road of building a Beautiful China has demonstrated the nation's wisdom in balancing the needs of economic development and improving the environment.
Before heading to Sichuan, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech at a national conference on ecological and environmental protection held from July 17 to 18.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone a historic, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
Noting that China's economy and society have entered a stage of high-quality development marked by accelerated progress in promoting green and low-carbon growth, Xi called for higher standards, a broader perspective and stronger efforts in planning and advancing ecological and environmental protection on the new journey, as well as writing a new chapter of ecological conservation in the new era.
Xi stressed the need to properly handle the relationships between high-quality development and high-level protection, between tackling major challenges and coordinating governance, between natural recovery and human-assisted restoration, between external constraints and internal driving forces, as well as between "dual carbon" commitments and self-determined actions.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone historical, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
This conference again showed us how importance the central government attaches to ecological protection, an official from environment protection bureau in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Friday. He said during the past 10 years, ecological protection has become an increasingly important indictor in evaluating government's performance in his city, which was famous for coal production.
"Although planting trees costs more in Inner Mongolia than in other parts of China due to lack of water and dry weather, we learned in the past 10 years that making our city greener brings more benefits than leaving the mountains bare. The city becomes more beautiful, residents are happy, and more tourists visit; also we saw less sandstorms," the official said.
During a press conference on Thursday, Huang Runqiu, China's minister of ecology and environment, highlighted China's achievement on ecological protection over recent years.
From 2013 to 2022, China's average PM2.5 concentration decreased by 57 percent and the number of heavily polluted days decreased by 93 percent, while the nation's GDP doubled during the same period, Huang said. This made China the country with the fastest improvement in air quality worldwide. Specifically, in Beijing, the average PM2.5 concentration decreased from 89.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to 30 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022, and the number of heavily polluted days decreased from 58 to only 3, said Huang. The United Nations Environment Agency praised this achievement as the "Beijing Miracle."
Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times that "China has engaged in a sustained top-down efforts for many years to enhance ecological protection. The central and local governments march together toward the same goal, with continuous environmental policies. Moreover, the country has demonstrated its wisdom in how to balance ecological development and maintain fast economic growth at the same time."
Perfect balance
We should protect nature and preserve the environment like we protect our eyes, and endeavor to foster a new relationship where man and nature can both prosper and live in harmony, President Xi once said.
Xi has given important instructions on the rational utilization and friendly protection of the ecological environment during his numerous visits to the frontlines of ecological protection, such as to the Maanshan forest farm in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Qilian Mountains, the Shandan Horse Ranch in Gansu, an ecological wetland of the Dianchi Lake in Kunming, and many other places.
In June 2022, Xi visited Yibin, Sichuan Province, where the Jinsha and Minjiang rivers converge into the Yangtze River. He noted that sound ecological conservation along the Yangtze River basin is the precondition for advancing high-quality development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The Yellow River and the Yangtze River are the mother rivers of the Chinese nation. The protection of the mother rivers is a crucial project concerning the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation, Xi said at the time.
From June 5 to 6 this year, accompanied by officials from Inner Mongolia, Xi was on a fact-finding mission at a nature reserve, a modern agricultural demonstration park, a forest farm and a water resources department in the city of Bayannur.
On June 6, Xi presided over a symposium in Bayannur on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting the construction of crucial ecological projects, including the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program.
Xi, who was then the Party Chief of Zhejiang, put forward the famous "two mountains" concept - clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets comparable to the gold and silver of legend - in August 2005 during his visit to Anji county.
Nowadays, residents in the county has sought out ways to make a living that they enjoy, with many becoming businessmen, running their own hostels, shops and tourism companies, thanks to the improved natural environment.
Pan Chunlin, a former miner, who now runs a hostel after local mines were shut down, explained the transformation to the Global Times "My annual income is now hundreds of times higher than before. Today, I can earn in a day what I used to make in one year".
Following the development approach referred to as the "two mountains" concept, in the past decade, Anji has modeled itself into a place known for its beautiful ecology and prosperous green industries, which have completely changed the villagers' lives, Jin Peihua, head of the "Two Mountains" Concept Research Institute affiliated with Huzhou University, said.
Global bellwether
Apart from domestic efforts, China is also making efforts in unifying a global effort on ecological preservation.
The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP15, was convened in Kunming, Yunnan Province in 2021.
As the first global conference convened by the United Nations on the topic of ecological civilization, a philosophy proposed by China, it offered a platform for countries to find common ground on "Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth."
During an official trip to Zimbabwe in 2015, Xi visited a local wildlife sanctuary, where he fed an orphaned elephant. He reiterated China's commitment to wildlife protection and pledged to help Zimbabwe do so by donating equipment and exchanging experience with China.
Recalling Xi's explanation of China's initiatives to breed giant pandas and expand protected areas, Roxy Danckwerts, the founder of the sanctuary, said, "I thought that was very significant that he is making such big strides in his own country."
Bradley Blankenship, a Prague-based American journalist, columnist and political commentator, recently spent a week in Beijing. Speaking with the Global Times, he said that "I must admit that based on the antiquated view of China that many Americans have and discuss publicly, I expected the city to be smoggy and congested. To the contrary, it has beautiful blue skies.
"China has been successful in beautifying Beijing, as well as other cities and towns, by transitioning from coal power to gas, establishing emission standards for coal-fired stations, implementing tougher standards for other industries such as steel and cement and seeking high-quality development with a high-quality ecological environment. These achievements have been so successful that Beijing now stands as an example for mega-cities around the globe, particularly those in the Global South," Blankenship said.
During a visit to Guizhou in June, Manasa R. Tagicakibau, Fiji's Ambassador to China, said China is "so advanced" when it comes to ecological civilization. "You look at the development that's been achieved by Guizhou authorities together with the local people, ethnic minorities and the population at large, in terms of developing the area to make this mountainous area a very safe and harmonious and happy place to live in. I'm impressed."
The ambassador said Guizhou shares a lot of similarities to some of the mountainous regions in Fiji, but there is a lot to be done in Fiji in terms of accessibility and this is an area that Fiji can learn from China.
However, some Western countries, so-called pioneering initiatives on environment protection, take a laissez-afire attitude in face of environment disasters. Recently, Chinese scientists used scientific methods to assess it and concluded that, as of Wednesday, the carbon dioxide emissions from Canadian wildfires have reached approximately 1 billion tons, which has already developed into a global environmental event.
It is worth mentioning that the forest area in China is approximately 2.31 million square kilometers, which is roughly two-thirds of that in Canada. However, the average annual emission of carbon dioxide caused by forest fires in China from 2000-21 was approximately 15 million tons, only 0.2 percent of the global forest fire emissions, demonstrating China's responsible role as a major country, experts noted.
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SOURCE Global Times | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ | 2023-07-31T02:11:54 | 0 | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ |
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Teamsters Union was served legal notice today that Yellow Corp. is ceasing operations and filing for bankruptcy.
"Today's news is unfortunate but not surprising. Yellow has historically proven that it could not manage itself despite billions of dollars in worker concessions and hundreds of millions in bailout funding from the federal government. This is a sad day for workers and the American freight industry," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien.
The Teamsters are committed to ensuring members are protected and notified with all the latest information. The International is putting infrastructure in place to help affected members get the assistance they need to find good union jobs throughout freight and other industries.
The situation is developing. Additional details are forthcoming.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
Contact:
Daniel Moskowitz, (770) 262-4971
dmoskowitz@teamster.org
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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/teamsters-notified-that-yellow-corp-operating-companies-have-closed/ | 2023-07-31T02:12:00 | 1 | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/teamsters-notified-that-yellow-corp-operating-companies-have-closed/ |
SUZHOU, China, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Transcenta Holding Limited ("Transcenta") (HKEX: 06628), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully-integrated capabilities in discovery, research, development and manufacturing of antibody-based therapeutics, announces that it has received approval from China Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) to initiate Phase II clinical trial of TST002(Blosozumab). This study aims to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of TST002(Blosozumab) after single and multiple intravenous administrations in patients with reduced bone mineral density.
Osteoporosis is a significant health concern for the middle-aged and elderly population in China. It is estimated that by 2050, the number of osteoporosis patients will reach 120 million. Compared with RANKL mAbs, sclerostin mAbs successfully achieve the dual goal of preventing bone loss and rebuilding the bone. Evenity (Romosozumab) of Amgen is the only anti-sclerostin antibody drug that has been approved by the FDA in the United States. Up to the present, there was no anti-sclerostin antibody drug approved in China.
In May 2023, Transcenta presented Phase I unblinded data, which showed that the overall safety and tolerability of TST002 (Blosozumab) in all dose cohorts is favorable. On the efficacy side, all dose cohorts from 200-1,200 mg have shown a clinically meaningful increase in lumbar spine BMD on Day 85 (D85) after a single dose of TST002 (Blosozumab) and comparable to those of Blosozumab single dose study at the similar dose levels. The average increase of lumbar spine BMD at Day 85 (D85) from baseline ranged from 3.52% to 6.20% across dose cohorts, all exceeding the least significant difference (2.77%). The increase of lumbar spine BMD in the placebo group was only 0.30% even with optimal calcium and vitamin D supplemental treatment. In addition, encouraging BMD increase in total hip from 1.30% to 2.24% across dose cohorts were observed after single dose of TST002 (Blosozumab). In comparison, the mean percent change in lumbar spine BMD from baseline to month 12 was 5.4% after one year of Denosumab treatment.1
"We are excited to have received the clearance to move forward from CDE. Our Phase II will assess several regimens of TST002 (Blosozumab) with reduced dosing frequency, bringing us closer to our Phase III. We look forward to fully exploring the differentiated profile of TST002 to address the unmet medical need of the large patient population who suffers from osteoporosis," said Dr. Caroline Germa, Transcenta's Executive Vice President, Global Medicine Development and Chief Medical Officer.
Reference:
1 https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/105/3/e255/5607536
About TST002 (Blosozumab)
TST002 (Blosozumab) is a humanized anti-sclerostin monoclonal antibody as a drug candidate for osteoporosis and other bone loss diseases. It has a dual effect possessing both anabolic and anti-resorptive effects, which stimulates bone formation and inhibits bone absorption, resulting in fast increase in bone mineral density and bone strength. Blocking sclerostin activity in human treated with anti-sclerostin antibody or with naturally occurring genetic deletion has been shown to be an effective approach in increasing bone mineral density (BMD) and reducing bone fracture. Currently there is no approved anti-sclerostin antibody therapy in China yet although Romosozumab from Amgen has been approved in the United States, Europe and Japan.
About Transcenta Holding Limited
Transcenta (HKEX: 06628) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully integrated capabilities in antibody-based biotherapeutics discovery, research, development and manufacturing.
Transcenta has established global footprint, with Headquarters and Discovery, Clinical and Translational Research Center in Suzhou, Process and Product Development Center and Manufacturing Facility in Hangzhou, and Clinical Development Centers in Princeton, US and in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou of China, and External Partnering Center in Boston and Los Angeles, US. Transcenta has also initiated the construction of the Group Headquarters and the second high-end biopharmaceutical facility with ICB as its core technology in Suzhou Industrial Park. Transcenta is developing 13 therapeutic antibody molecules for oncology and selected non-oncology indications including bone and kidney disorders.
For more information, please visit www.transcenta.com and https://www.linkedin.com/company/transcenta.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Transcenta, are intended to identify certain of such forward-looking statements. Transcenta does not intend to update these forward-looking statements regularly.
These forward-looking statements are based on the existing beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, projections and understandings of the management of Transcenta with respect to future events at the time these statements are made. These statements are not a guarantee of future developments and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Transcenta's control and are difficult to predict. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of future changes or developments in our business, Transcenta's competitive environment and political, economic, legal and social conditions.
Transcenta, the Directors and the employees of Transcenta assume (a) no obligation to correct or update the forward-looking statements contained in this site; and (b) no liability in the event that any of the forward-looking statements does not materialize or turn out to be incorrect.
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SOURCE Transcenta Holding Limited | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/transcenta-anti-sclerostin-monoclonal-antibody-tst002-blosozumab-received-approval-china-cde-initiate-phase-ii-clinical-trial-patients-with-reduced-bone-mineral-density/ | 2023-07-31T02:12:07 | 1 | https://www.wkyt.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/transcenta-anti-sclerostin-monoclonal-antibody-tst002-blosozumab-received-approval-china-cde-initiate-phase-ii-clinical-trial-patients-with-reduced-bone-mineral-density/ |
At 24, Alberto Rodriguez has grandparents younger than Joe Biden. But he’s more interested in the 80-year-old president’s accomplishments than his age.
“People as young as me, we’re all focusing on our day-to-day lives and he has done things to help us through that,” Rodriguez, a cook at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, said of Biden’s support among young voters. Rodriguez pointed specifically to federal COVID-19 relief payments and government spending increases on infrastructure and other social programs.
Voters like him were a key piece of Biden’s winning 2020 coalition, which included majorities of young people as well as college graduates, women, urban and suburban voters and Black Americans. Maintaining their support will be critical in closely contested states such as Nevada, where even small declines could prove consequential to Biden’s reelection bid.
His 2024 campaign plans to emphasize messages that could especially resonate with young people in the coming weeks as the anniversary of the sweeping Inflation Reduction Act approaches in mid-August. That legislation includes provisions that the White House will embrace to argue that Biden has done more than any other president to combat climate change.
Such efforts, however, could collide with Biden’s personal reality — like when he recalled that, while attending a St. Patrick’s Day parade at age 14, he appeared in a photo with President Harry S. Truman.
“Purely by accident — I assume it was an accident — the photographer from the newspaper got a picture of me making eye contact with Harry Truman,” Biden said to chuckles last week at the Truman Civil Rights Symposium in Washington.
In 2020, 61% of voters under age 30 — and 55% of those between 30 and 44 — supported Biden, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of the electorate.
It’s an age group with which Republicans hope to make inroads. Former President Donald Trump, who is the early front-runner in the GOP presidential primary and is only 3 1/2 years younger than Biden, said Friday, “We are hitting the young person’s market like nobody’s ever seen before.”
Kevin Munoz, a spokesman for Biden’s campaign, referred to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement in arguing that “young people are acutely impacted by the issues front and center in this election, driven by the extreme MAGA agenda.” He said that included inaction on climate change, gun violence and student debt.
“We will meet younger Americans where they are and turn their energy into action,” Munoz said in a statement.
That might not defuse questions about age, though, when it comes to Biden or Trump.
“There’s a frustration and exhaustion that they feel with the rematch,” Terrance Woodbury, co-founder & CEO of the Democratic polling firm HIT Strategies, said of young voters.
“That’s more of a problem than either of those two candidates individually, is that a system can just keep reproducing,” Woodbury added. “And I think a lot of people just find that untenable.”
An April poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that just 25% of Democrats under 45 said they would definitely support Biden in a general election, compared with 56% of older Democrats. A majority of Democrats across age groups said they would probably support him as the party’s nominee, however.
Biden’s campaign is relying heavily on the Democratic National Committee, which during last year’s midterms, hired campus organizers in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and other battleground states and offered weekly youth coordinating meetings to encourage in-class contacts and “dormstorms.” The DNC sees young people as some of the most critical voters it will need to reach in 2024 and promises “significant investments” to mobilize them. Plans are underway to expand on its work last cycle, including trainings it held on how best to turn out voters.
The Republican National Committee is trying to use Biden’s age against him, posting online videos of Biden seeming frail or making verbal gaffes, such as when he declared in June “God save the queen,” nearly nine months after the death of England’s Queen Elizabeth II.
Rodriguez shrugged off online attacks, “People can make all the hit pieces and memes and TikToks all they want.”
A starker contrast might be between the president and rising Democrats such as 46-year-old California Rep. Ro Khanna and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 41, one of Biden’s primary rivals in 2020. Neither seriously entertained running for the White House in 2024 and have backed Biden’s reelection.
“The only thing that really matters is your ability to do the job,” Buttigieg, who was 37 when he launched his 2020 presidential bid, said recently on CNN. Khanna told Fox News Channel that age will “obviously” be a 2024 factor, but suggested that Biden’s staff “overprotects” him and “the more he’s out there, the better.”
Other top young Democrats have lined up to back Biden. Florida Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost, who was elected to Congress last year at 26, is on the Biden campaign’s advisory board, as is Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, 44. New York Rep. Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, 33, recently endorsed Biden.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a progressive who says strong turnout among young voters helped him win a runoff election this spring, said Biden’s policies transcend his age. Johnson noted that the president’s work “around climate justice speaks not just to this generation, but generations to come.”
“The excitement that I believe that we’re going to have is going to speak to the incredible work and organizing that we are committed to doing as a party,” said Johnson, 47. “And we’re looking forward to working with the president over the course of his next four years.”
Still, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, acknowledged that even the president’s supporters understand how demanding the White House can be.
“People worry about Joe Biden. They worry like you would worry about a beloved father or grandfather,” said Weingarten, 65. “What you normally hear from Democrats is this sense of, ‘OK, I just want him to be OK.’ And you’re hearing just the consternation of, ’This is a hard job.’”
Biden said he “took a hard look” at his age while deciding to seek a second term. But he’s also tried to suggest his age and experience are assets rather than liabilities by joking repeatedly about them. That’s a departure from 2020, when Biden called himself a “transition candidate” and pledged to be a “bridge” to younger Democrats.
Santiago Mayer, the founder of Voters of Tomorrow, which has 20-plus chapters nationwide and works to increase political engagement among young voters, argues that Biden is not defying his past promise by running for reelection, but keeping it.
“He just needs more time,” said Mayer, who graduated from California State University at Long Beach in May. “I think the second term is a very important part of that pledge. He’s building a progressive future for young people and he can’t actually pass the baton until that’s done.”
One key policy piece of Biden’s efforts to appeal to young voters, providing student debt relief, was recently struck down by the Supreme Court. The White House has launched a new effort, but it will take longer.
“Of course it’s going to dampen some of that because people are disappointed,” Weingarten said of the ruling’s effect on enthusiasm for Biden. But she said the decision could also motivate young Biden supporters anxious show their support for the president’s alternative plan.
“It is also about the fight,” Weingarten said “not just about the results.” | https://www.wivb.com/news/national/joe-biden-the-oldest-sitting-president-needs-young-voters-will-his-age-matter/ | 2023-07-31T02:12:38 | 0 | https://www.wivb.com/news/national/joe-biden-the-oldest-sitting-president-needs-young-voters-will-his-age-matter/ |
BEIJING, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- President Xi Jinping visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan on July 25, which winds its way through rugged mountains and ancient trees. There, Xi learned about efforts surrounding ecological conservation.
This visit marks Xi's attention to China's ecological development, which has achieved remarkable progress over the past 10 years, said experts.
Witnessing the government's recent remarks on ecology, they believed that the country's road of building a Beautiful China has demonstrated the nation's wisdom in balancing the needs of economic development and improving the environment.
Before heading to Sichuan, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech at a national conference on ecological and environmental protection held from July 17 to 18.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone a historic, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
Noting that China's economy and society have entered a stage of high-quality development marked by accelerated progress in promoting green and low-carbon growth, Xi called for higher standards, a broader perspective and stronger efforts in planning and advancing ecological and environmental protection on the new journey, as well as writing a new chapter of ecological conservation in the new era.
Xi stressed the need to properly handle the relationships between high-quality development and high-level protection, between tackling major challenges and coordinating governance, between natural recovery and human-assisted restoration, between external constraints and internal driving forces, as well as between "dual carbon" commitments and self-determined actions.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone historical, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
This conference again showed us how importance the central government attaches to ecological protection, an official from environment protection bureau in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Friday. He said during the past 10 years, ecological protection has become an increasingly important indictor in evaluating government's performance in his city, which was famous for coal production.
"Although planting trees costs more in Inner Mongolia than in other parts of China due to lack of water and dry weather, we learned in the past 10 years that making our city greener brings more benefits than leaving the mountains bare. The city becomes more beautiful, residents are happy, and more tourists visit; also we saw less sandstorms," the official said.
During a press conference on Thursday, Huang Runqiu, China's minister of ecology and environment, highlighted China's achievement on ecological protection over recent years.
From 2013 to 2022, China's average PM2.5 concentration decreased by 57 percent and the number of heavily polluted days decreased by 93 percent, while the nation's GDP doubled during the same period, Huang said. This made China the country with the fastest improvement in air quality worldwide. Specifically, in Beijing, the average PM2.5 concentration decreased from 89.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to 30 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022, and the number of heavily polluted days decreased from 58 to only 3, said Huang. The United Nations Environment Agency praised this achievement as the "Beijing Miracle."
Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times that "China has engaged in a sustained top-down efforts for many years to enhance ecological protection. The central and local governments march together toward the same goal, with continuous environmental policies. Moreover, the country has demonstrated its wisdom in how to balance ecological development and maintain fast economic growth at the same time."
Perfect balance
We should protect nature and preserve the environment like we protect our eyes, and endeavor to foster a new relationship where man and nature can both prosper and live in harmony, President Xi once said.
Xi has given important instructions on the rational utilization and friendly protection of the ecological environment during his numerous visits to the frontlines of ecological protection, such as to the Maanshan forest farm in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Qilian Mountains, the Shandan Horse Ranch in Gansu, an ecological wetland of the Dianchi Lake in Kunming, and many other places.
In June 2022, Xi visited Yibin, Sichuan Province, where the Jinsha and Minjiang rivers converge into the Yangtze River. He noted that sound ecological conservation along the Yangtze River basin is the precondition for advancing high-quality development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The Yellow River and the Yangtze River are the mother rivers of the Chinese nation. The protection of the mother rivers is a crucial project concerning the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation, Xi said at the time.
From June 5 to 6 this year, accompanied by officials from Inner Mongolia, Xi was on a fact-finding mission at a nature reserve, a modern agricultural demonstration park, a forest farm and a water resources department in the city of Bayannur.
On June 6, Xi presided over a symposium in Bayannur on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting the construction of crucial ecological projects, including the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program.
Xi, who was then the Party Chief of Zhejiang, put forward the famous "two mountains" concept - clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets comparable to the gold and silver of legend - in August 2005 during his visit to Anji county.
Nowadays, residents in the county has sought out ways to make a living that they enjoy, with many becoming businessmen, running their own hostels, shops and tourism companies, thanks to the improved natural environment.
Pan Chunlin, a former miner, who now runs a hostel after local mines were shut down, explained the transformation to the Global Times "My annual income is now hundreds of times higher than before. Today, I can earn in a day what I used to make in one year".
Following the development approach referred to as the "two mountains" concept, in the past decade, Anji has modeled itself into a place known for its beautiful ecology and prosperous green industries, which have completely changed the villagers' lives, Jin Peihua, head of the "Two Mountains" Concept Research Institute affiliated with Huzhou University, said.
Global bellwether
Apart from domestic efforts, China is also making efforts in unifying a global effort on ecological preservation.
The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP15, was convened in Kunming, Yunnan Province in 2021.
As the first global conference convened by the United Nations on the topic of ecological civilization, a philosophy proposed by China, it offered a platform for countries to find common ground on "Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth."
During an official trip to Zimbabwe in 2015, Xi visited a local wildlife sanctuary, where he fed an orphaned elephant. He reiterated China's commitment to wildlife protection and pledged to help Zimbabwe do so by donating equipment and exchanging experience with China.
Recalling Xi's explanation of China's initiatives to breed giant pandas and expand protected areas, Roxy Danckwerts, the founder of the sanctuary, said, "I thought that was very significant that he is making such big strides in his own country."
Bradley Blankenship, a Prague-based American journalist, columnist and political commentator, recently spent a week in Beijing. Speaking with the Global Times, he said that "I must admit that based on the antiquated view of China that many Americans have and discuss publicly, I expected the city to be smoggy and congested. To the contrary, it has beautiful blue skies.
"China has been successful in beautifying Beijing, as well as other cities and towns, by transitioning from coal power to gas, establishing emission standards for coal-fired stations, implementing tougher standards for other industries such as steel and cement and seeking high-quality development with a high-quality ecological environment. These achievements have been so successful that Beijing now stands as an example for mega-cities around the globe, particularly those in the Global South," Blankenship said.
During a visit to Guizhou in June, Manasa R. Tagicakibau, Fiji's Ambassador to China, said China is "so advanced" when it comes to ecological civilization. "You look at the development that's been achieved by Guizhou authorities together with the local people, ethnic minorities and the population at large, in terms of developing the area to make this mountainous area a very safe and harmonious and happy place to live in. I'm impressed."
The ambassador said Guizhou shares a lot of similarities to some of the mountainous regions in Fiji, but there is a lot to be done in Fiji in terms of accessibility and this is an area that Fiji can learn from China.
However, some Western countries, so-called pioneering initiatives on environment protection, take a laissez-afire attitude in face of environment disasters. Recently, Chinese scientists used scientific methods to assess it and concluded that, as of Wednesday, the carbon dioxide emissions from Canadian wildfires have reached approximately 1 billion tons, which has already developed into a global environmental event.
It is worth mentioning that the forest area in China is approximately 2.31 million square kilometers, which is roughly two-thirds of that in Canada. However, the average annual emission of carbon dioxide caused by forest fires in China from 2000-21 was approximately 15 million tons, only 0.2 percent of the global forest fire emissions, demonstrating China's responsible role as a major country, experts noted.
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SOURCE Global Times | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ | 2023-07-31T02:12:38 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ |
(NewsNation) — While questions remain about a mystery company buying 52,000 acres of land near an Air Force base, a congressman says farmers in the area are being targeted in a lawsuit.
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., has been speaking out over the past five years about the $800 million in land acquisitions by Flannery Associates near Travis Air Force Base in Northern California.
In an interview with NewsNation, Garamendi said he’s been in contact with the families of farmers who handed over their land to Flannery. He said they didn’t want to sell in the first place.
Since no California laws require them to sell, the land was bargained for by both parties at a much higher price. But now, Flannery is suing those families for $510 million, accusing them of conspiring together to inflate the value of the land.
“It’s a suit designed to force the farmers to lawyer up, spend tens of thousands of dollars on lawyering and maybe at the end of the day, bankrupt themselves,” Garamendi said. “In fact, that has happened to at least one family that I know of and I’ve heard rumors that another family simply said we can’t afford the lawyers.”
NewsNation reviewed a copy of the lawsuit. Attorneys for Flannery said they believe “this is a simple case about a group of wealthy landowners who saw an opportunity to conspire, collude, price fix and illegally overcharge Flannery.”
But Garamendi said there was no viable economic reason to justify spending several times more than what the land is worth in the first place.
The suit comes as companies with ties to China have been ramping up efforts to buy American farmland in recent years.
Public records show “Flannery Associates” has invested more than $800 million on more than 50,000 acres of land surrounding the Travis Air Force Base since 2018.
Legal representation for Flannery said the group is controlled by U.S. citizens, with 97% of its capital coming from U.S.-based investors. But after eight months of investigation, federal officials can’t confirm or deny this to be true and have not been able to determine exactly who is backing the company.
The Air Force’s Foreign Investment Risk Review office is currently investigating Flannery Associates. Garamendi said there are valid concerns that Flannery’s land acquisitions could be tied to foreign enemies.
“The fact they chose to buy all three sides of the Travis Air Force Base even raises immediate questions about national security,” Garamendi said. “So, is this Chinese money? We don’t know, but we do know that the Chinese money was being used in North Dakota and we have a very deep suspicion, given the amount of money, given the lack of attention to values, that they simply want to acquire all of this land.”
NewsNation investigated the now thwarted deal with a Chinese-owned company in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Last year, 300 acres of farmland were purchased near the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota by Chinese-owned Fufeng – a deal that raised red flags about potential spying.
After pushback from the community, the city council ultimately voted to end the project, citing national security risks.
Garamendi said local residents near Travis Air Force Base are riled up, just like the residents in Grand Forks, due to how critical the area is for the U.S. military.
“Travis Air Force Base is absolutely essential. It is the gateway to the Pacific,” Garamendi said, later adding, “A good deal of the munitions that are going to Ukraine also passed through Travis Air Force Base.”
China has been buying up American farmland for years. Nearly 384,000 acres of agricultural land in the U.S. is controlled by China, and the rate at which they are purchasing land is growing, the USDA reports.
Chinese ownership of American farmland has increased 55% in the past five years, with almost 75% of it located in the South and about 16% on the West Coast. | https://www.wivb.com/news/national/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ | 2023-07-31T02:12:44 | 1 | https://www.wivb.com/news/national/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ |
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Teamsters Union was served legal notice today that Yellow Corp. is ceasing operations and filing for bankruptcy.
"Today's news is unfortunate but not surprising. Yellow has historically proven that it could not manage itself despite billions of dollars in worker concessions and hundreds of millions in bailout funding from the federal government. This is a sad day for workers and the American freight industry," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien.
The Teamsters are committed to ensuring members are protected and notified with all the latest information. The International is putting infrastructure in place to help affected members get the assistance they need to find good union jobs throughout freight and other industries.
The situation is developing. Additional details are forthcoming.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
Contact:
Daniel Moskowitz, (770) 262-4971
dmoskowitz@teamster.org
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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/teamsters-notified-that-yellow-corp-operating-companies-have-closed/ | 2023-07-31T02:12:45 | 1 | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/teamsters-notified-that-yellow-corp-operating-companies-have-closed/ |
SUZHOU, China, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Transcenta Holding Limited ("Transcenta") (HKEX: 06628), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully-integrated capabilities in discovery, research, development and manufacturing of antibody-based therapeutics, announces that it has received approval from China Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) to initiate Phase II clinical trial of TST002(Blosozumab). This study aims to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of TST002(Blosozumab) after single and multiple intravenous administrations in patients with reduced bone mineral density.
Osteoporosis is a significant health concern for the middle-aged and elderly population in China. It is estimated that by 2050, the number of osteoporosis patients will reach 120 million. Compared with RANKL mAbs, sclerostin mAbs successfully achieve the dual goal of preventing bone loss and rebuilding the bone. Evenity (Romosozumab) of Amgen is the only anti-sclerostin antibody drug that has been approved by the FDA in the United States. Up to the present, there was no anti-sclerostin antibody drug approved in China.
In May 2023, Transcenta presented Phase I unblinded data, which showed that the overall safety and tolerability of TST002 (Blosozumab) in all dose cohorts is favorable. On the efficacy side, all dose cohorts from 200-1,200 mg have shown a clinically meaningful increase in lumbar spine BMD on Day 85 (D85) after a single dose of TST002 (Blosozumab) and comparable to those of Blosozumab single dose study at the similar dose levels. The average increase of lumbar spine BMD at Day 85 (D85) from baseline ranged from 3.52% to 6.20% across dose cohorts, all exceeding the least significant difference (2.77%). The increase of lumbar spine BMD in the placebo group was only 0.30% even with optimal calcium and vitamin D supplemental treatment. In addition, encouraging BMD increase in total hip from 1.30% to 2.24% across dose cohorts were observed after single dose of TST002 (Blosozumab). In comparison, the mean percent change in lumbar spine BMD from baseline to month 12 was 5.4% after one year of Denosumab treatment.1
"We are excited to have received the clearance to move forward from CDE. Our Phase II will assess several regimens of TST002 (Blosozumab) with reduced dosing frequency, bringing us closer to our Phase III. We look forward to fully exploring the differentiated profile of TST002 to address the unmet medical need of the large patient population who suffers from osteoporosis," said Dr. Caroline Germa, Transcenta's Executive Vice President, Global Medicine Development and Chief Medical Officer.
Reference:
1 https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/105/3/e255/5607536
About TST002 (Blosozumab)
TST002 (Blosozumab) is a humanized anti-sclerostin monoclonal antibody as a drug candidate for osteoporosis and other bone loss diseases. It has a dual effect possessing both anabolic and anti-resorptive effects, which stimulates bone formation and inhibits bone absorption, resulting in fast increase in bone mineral density and bone strength. Blocking sclerostin activity in human treated with anti-sclerostin antibody or with naturally occurring genetic deletion has been shown to be an effective approach in increasing bone mineral density (BMD) and reducing bone fracture. Currently there is no approved anti-sclerostin antibody therapy in China yet although Romosozumab from Amgen has been approved in the United States, Europe and Japan.
About Transcenta Holding Limited
Transcenta (HKEX: 06628) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully integrated capabilities in antibody-based biotherapeutics discovery, research, development and manufacturing.
Transcenta has established global footprint, with Headquarters and Discovery, Clinical and Translational Research Center in Suzhou, Process and Product Development Center and Manufacturing Facility in Hangzhou, and Clinical Development Centers in Princeton, US and in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou of China, and External Partnering Center in Boston and Los Angeles, US. Transcenta has also initiated the construction of the Group Headquarters and the second high-end biopharmaceutical facility with ICB as its core technology in Suzhou Industrial Park. Transcenta is developing 13 therapeutic antibody molecules for oncology and selected non-oncology indications including bone and kidney disorders.
For more information, please visit www.transcenta.com and https://www.linkedin.com/company/transcenta.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Transcenta, are intended to identify certain of such forward-looking statements. Transcenta does not intend to update these forward-looking statements regularly.
These forward-looking statements are based on the existing beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, projections and understandings of the management of Transcenta with respect to future events at the time these statements are made. These statements are not a guarantee of future developments and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Transcenta's control and are difficult to predict. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of future changes or developments in our business, Transcenta's competitive environment and political, economic, legal and social conditions.
Transcenta, the Directors and the employees of Transcenta assume (a) no obligation to correct or update the forward-looking statements contained in this site; and (b) no liability in the event that any of the forward-looking statements does not materialize or turn out to be incorrect.
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SOURCE Transcenta Holding Limited | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/transcenta-anti-sclerostin-monoclonal-antibody-tst002-blosozumab-received-approval-china-cde-initiate-phase-ii-clinical-trial-patients-with-reduced-bone-mineral-density/ | 2023-07-31T02:12:51 | 1 | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/transcenta-anti-sclerostin-monoclonal-antibody-tst002-blosozumab-received-approval-china-cde-initiate-phase-ii-clinical-trial-patients-with-reduced-bone-mineral-density/ |
BEIJING, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- President Xi Jinping visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan on July 25, which winds its way through rugged mountains and ancient trees. There, Xi learned about efforts surrounding ecological conservation.
This visit marks Xi's attention to China's ecological development, which has achieved remarkable progress over the past 10 years, said experts.
Witnessing the government's recent remarks on ecology, they believed that the country's road of building a Beautiful China has demonstrated the nation's wisdom in balancing the needs of economic development and improving the environment.
Before heading to Sichuan, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech at a national conference on ecological and environmental protection held from July 17 to 18.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone a historic, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
Noting that China's economy and society have entered a stage of high-quality development marked by accelerated progress in promoting green and low-carbon growth, Xi called for higher standards, a broader perspective and stronger efforts in planning and advancing ecological and environmental protection on the new journey, as well as writing a new chapter of ecological conservation in the new era.
Xi stressed the need to properly handle the relationships between high-quality development and high-level protection, between tackling major challenges and coordinating governance, between natural recovery and human-assisted restoration, between external constraints and internal driving forces, as well as between "dual carbon" commitments and self-determined actions.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone historical, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
This conference again showed us how importance the central government attaches to ecological protection, an official from environment protection bureau in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Friday. He said during the past 10 years, ecological protection has become an increasingly important indictor in evaluating government's performance in his city, which was famous for coal production.
"Although planting trees costs more in Inner Mongolia than in other parts of China due to lack of water and dry weather, we learned in the past 10 years that making our city greener brings more benefits than leaving the mountains bare. The city becomes more beautiful, residents are happy, and more tourists visit; also we saw less sandstorms," the official said.
During a press conference on Thursday, Huang Runqiu, China's minister of ecology and environment, highlighted China's achievement on ecological protection over recent years.
From 2013 to 2022, China's average PM2.5 concentration decreased by 57 percent and the number of heavily polluted days decreased by 93 percent, while the nation's GDP doubled during the same period, Huang said. This made China the country with the fastest improvement in air quality worldwide. Specifically, in Beijing, the average PM2.5 concentration decreased from 89.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to 30 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022, and the number of heavily polluted days decreased from 58 to only 3, said Huang. The United Nations Environment Agency praised this achievement as the "Beijing Miracle."
Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times that "China has engaged in a sustained top-down efforts for many years to enhance ecological protection. The central and local governments march together toward the same goal, with continuous environmental policies. Moreover, the country has demonstrated its wisdom in how to balance ecological development and maintain fast economic growth at the same time."
Perfect balance
We should protect nature and preserve the environment like we protect our eyes, and endeavor to foster a new relationship where man and nature can both prosper and live in harmony, President Xi once said.
Xi has given important instructions on the rational utilization and friendly protection of the ecological environment during his numerous visits to the frontlines of ecological protection, such as to the Maanshan forest farm in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Qilian Mountains, the Shandan Horse Ranch in Gansu, an ecological wetland of the Dianchi Lake in Kunming, and many other places.
In June 2022, Xi visited Yibin, Sichuan Province, where the Jinsha and Minjiang rivers converge into the Yangtze River. He noted that sound ecological conservation along the Yangtze River basin is the precondition for advancing high-quality development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The Yellow River and the Yangtze River are the mother rivers of the Chinese nation. The protection of the mother rivers is a crucial project concerning the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation, Xi said at the time.
From June 5 to 6 this year, accompanied by officials from Inner Mongolia, Xi was on a fact-finding mission at a nature reserve, a modern agricultural demonstration park, a forest farm and a water resources department in the city of Bayannur.
On June 6, Xi presided over a symposium in Bayannur on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting the construction of crucial ecological projects, including the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program.
Xi, who was then the Party Chief of Zhejiang, put forward the famous "two mountains" concept - clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets comparable to the gold and silver of legend - in August 2005 during his visit to Anji county.
Nowadays, residents in the county has sought out ways to make a living that they enjoy, with many becoming businessmen, running their own hostels, shops and tourism companies, thanks to the improved natural environment.
Pan Chunlin, a former miner, who now runs a hostel after local mines were shut down, explained the transformation to the Global Times "My annual income is now hundreds of times higher than before. Today, I can earn in a day what I used to make in one year".
Following the development approach referred to as the "two mountains" concept, in the past decade, Anji has modeled itself into a place known for its beautiful ecology and prosperous green industries, which have completely changed the villagers' lives, Jin Peihua, head of the "Two Mountains" Concept Research Institute affiliated with Huzhou University, said.
Global bellwether
Apart from domestic efforts, China is also making efforts in unifying a global effort on ecological preservation.
The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP15, was convened in Kunming, Yunnan Province in 2021.
As the first global conference convened by the United Nations on the topic of ecological civilization, a philosophy proposed by China, it offered a platform for countries to find common ground on "Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth."
During an official trip to Zimbabwe in 2015, Xi visited a local wildlife sanctuary, where he fed an orphaned elephant. He reiterated China's commitment to wildlife protection and pledged to help Zimbabwe do so by donating equipment and exchanging experience with China.
Recalling Xi's explanation of China's initiatives to breed giant pandas and expand protected areas, Roxy Danckwerts, the founder of the sanctuary, said, "I thought that was very significant that he is making such big strides in his own country."
Bradley Blankenship, a Prague-based American journalist, columnist and political commentator, recently spent a week in Beijing. Speaking with the Global Times, he said that "I must admit that based on the antiquated view of China that many Americans have and discuss publicly, I expected the city to be smoggy and congested. To the contrary, it has beautiful blue skies.
"China has been successful in beautifying Beijing, as well as other cities and towns, by transitioning from coal power to gas, establishing emission standards for coal-fired stations, implementing tougher standards for other industries such as steel and cement and seeking high-quality development with a high-quality ecological environment. These achievements have been so successful that Beijing now stands as an example for mega-cities around the globe, particularly those in the Global South," Blankenship said.
During a visit to Guizhou in June, Manasa R. Tagicakibau, Fiji's Ambassador to China, said China is "so advanced" when it comes to ecological civilization. "You look at the development that's been achieved by Guizhou authorities together with the local people, ethnic minorities and the population at large, in terms of developing the area to make this mountainous area a very safe and harmonious and happy place to live in. I'm impressed."
The ambassador said Guizhou shares a lot of similarities to some of the mountainous regions in Fiji, but there is a lot to be done in Fiji in terms of accessibility and this is an area that Fiji can learn from China.
However, some Western countries, so-called pioneering initiatives on environment protection, take a laissez-afire attitude in face of environment disasters. Recently, Chinese scientists used scientific methods to assess it and concluded that, as of Wednesday, the carbon dioxide emissions from Canadian wildfires have reached approximately 1 billion tons, which has already developed into a global environmental event.
It is worth mentioning that the forest area in China is approximately 2.31 million square kilometers, which is roughly two-thirds of that in Canada. However, the average annual emission of carbon dioxide caused by forest fires in China from 2000-21 was approximately 15 million tons, only 0.2 percent of the global forest fire emissions, demonstrating China's responsible role as a major country, experts noted.
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SOURCE Global Times | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ | 2023-07-31T02:13:15 | 1 | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ |
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Teamsters Union was served legal notice today that Yellow Corp. is ceasing operations and filing for bankruptcy.
"Today's news is unfortunate but not surprising. Yellow has historically proven that it could not manage itself despite billions of dollars in worker concessions and hundreds of millions in bailout funding from the federal government. This is a sad day for workers and the American freight industry," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien.
The Teamsters are committed to ensuring members are protected and notified with all the latest information. The International is putting infrastructure in place to help affected members get the assistance they need to find good union jobs throughout freight and other industries.
The situation is developing. Additional details are forthcoming.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
Contact:
Daniel Moskowitz, (770) 262-4971
dmoskowitz@teamster.org
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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/teamsters-notified-that-yellow-corp-operating-companies-have-closed/ | 2023-07-31T02:13:22 | 0 | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/teamsters-notified-that-yellow-corp-operating-companies-have-closed/ |
SUZHOU, China, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Transcenta Holding Limited ("Transcenta") (HKEX: 06628), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully-integrated capabilities in discovery, research, development and manufacturing of antibody-based therapeutics, announces that it has received approval from China Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) to initiate Phase II clinical trial of TST002(Blosozumab). This study aims to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of TST002(Blosozumab) after single and multiple intravenous administrations in patients with reduced bone mineral density.
Osteoporosis is a significant health concern for the middle-aged and elderly population in China. It is estimated that by 2050, the number of osteoporosis patients will reach 120 million. Compared with RANKL mAbs, sclerostin mAbs successfully achieve the dual goal of preventing bone loss and rebuilding the bone. Evenity (Romosozumab) of Amgen is the only anti-sclerostin antibody drug that has been approved by the FDA in the United States. Up to the present, there was no anti-sclerostin antibody drug approved in China.
In May 2023, Transcenta presented Phase I unblinded data, which showed that the overall safety and tolerability of TST002 (Blosozumab) in all dose cohorts is favorable. On the efficacy side, all dose cohorts from 200-1,200 mg have shown a clinically meaningful increase in lumbar spine BMD on Day 85 (D85) after a single dose of TST002 (Blosozumab) and comparable to those of Blosozumab single dose study at the similar dose levels. The average increase of lumbar spine BMD at Day 85 (D85) from baseline ranged from 3.52% to 6.20% across dose cohorts, all exceeding the least significant difference (2.77%). The increase of lumbar spine BMD in the placebo group was only 0.30% even with optimal calcium and vitamin D supplemental treatment. In addition, encouraging BMD increase in total hip from 1.30% to 2.24% across dose cohorts were observed after single dose of TST002 (Blosozumab). In comparison, the mean percent change in lumbar spine BMD from baseline to month 12 was 5.4% after one year of Denosumab treatment.1
"We are excited to have received the clearance to move forward from CDE. Our Phase II will assess several regimens of TST002 (Blosozumab) with reduced dosing frequency, bringing us closer to our Phase III. We look forward to fully exploring the differentiated profile of TST002 to address the unmet medical need of the large patient population who suffers from osteoporosis," said Dr. Caroline Germa, Transcenta's Executive Vice President, Global Medicine Development and Chief Medical Officer.
Reference:
1 https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/105/3/e255/5607536
About TST002 (Blosozumab)
TST002 (Blosozumab) is a humanized anti-sclerostin monoclonal antibody as a drug candidate for osteoporosis and other bone loss diseases. It has a dual effect possessing both anabolic and anti-resorptive effects, which stimulates bone formation and inhibits bone absorption, resulting in fast increase in bone mineral density and bone strength. Blocking sclerostin activity in human treated with anti-sclerostin antibody or with naturally occurring genetic deletion has been shown to be an effective approach in increasing bone mineral density (BMD) and reducing bone fracture. Currently there is no approved anti-sclerostin antibody therapy in China yet although Romosozumab from Amgen has been approved in the United States, Europe and Japan.
About Transcenta Holding Limited
Transcenta (HKEX: 06628) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully integrated capabilities in antibody-based biotherapeutics discovery, research, development and manufacturing.
Transcenta has established global footprint, with Headquarters and Discovery, Clinical and Translational Research Center in Suzhou, Process and Product Development Center and Manufacturing Facility in Hangzhou, and Clinical Development Centers in Princeton, US and in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou of China, and External Partnering Center in Boston and Los Angeles, US. Transcenta has also initiated the construction of the Group Headquarters and the second high-end biopharmaceutical facility with ICB as its core technology in Suzhou Industrial Park. Transcenta is developing 13 therapeutic antibody molecules for oncology and selected non-oncology indications including bone and kidney disorders.
For more information, please visit www.transcenta.com and https://www.linkedin.com/company/transcenta.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Transcenta, are intended to identify certain of such forward-looking statements. Transcenta does not intend to update these forward-looking statements regularly.
These forward-looking statements are based on the existing beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, projections and understandings of the management of Transcenta with respect to future events at the time these statements are made. These statements are not a guarantee of future developments and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Transcenta's control and are difficult to predict. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of future changes or developments in our business, Transcenta's competitive environment and political, economic, legal and social conditions.
Transcenta, the Directors and the employees of Transcenta assume (a) no obligation to correct or update the forward-looking statements contained in this site; and (b) no liability in the event that any of the forward-looking statements does not materialize or turn out to be incorrect.
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SOURCE Transcenta Holding Limited | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/transcenta-anti-sclerostin-monoclonal-antibody-tst002-blosozumab-received-approval-china-cde-initiate-phase-ii-clinical-trial-patients-with-reduced-bone-mineral-density/ | 2023-07-31T02:13:28 | 0 | https://www.wagmtv.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/transcenta-anti-sclerostin-monoclonal-antibody-tst002-blosozumab-received-approval-china-cde-initiate-phase-ii-clinical-trial-patients-with-reduced-bone-mineral-density/ |
MUNCIE, Ind. (WXIN) — A street party in Muncie, Indiana, turned into the scene of a deadly shooting early Sunday morning.
One man died and nearly two dozen others were injured. Of those wounded, 19 were treated at Ball Memorial Hospital’s emergency room, and four were taken to other hospitals. Thirteen victims remained hospitalized in stable condition Sunday afternoon.
After the mass shooting, police announced that there was no further danger to the general public.
”Stranger comes up and decides to take it personal on somebody he knows in the crowd,” said one anonymous man who claimed his nephew was the block party’s disc jockey. “And you can’t fight against an AR. He let loose in the crowd. Everywhere in the crowd.”
The Delaware County coroner identified the deceased victim as 30-year-old Joseph Bonner. There’s no indication if Bonner played an active role in the shooting, whether any other victims are suspected of firing guns, or if any firearms were recovered.
A witness at IU/Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie described a scene of emergency department chaos with more than 100 people descending on the facility — many of whom were victims that were taken to the hospital by private vehicles.
Officers from several agencies — including a Muncie-based FBI agent — secured the crime scene and collected evidence while doctors and nurses treated the wounded from the mass casualty event.
By midday, detectives were still walking the debris-strewn street and parking lot with brown bags filled with collected evidence. A tow truck was also seen hauling away a bullet-riddled red Buick that appeared to have crashed during an attempt to leave the scene.
The Muncie Homecoming Festival committee said the street party where the shooting happened was not part of the official MHF celebration going on this week.
Muncie Parks Superintendent Carl Malone told Nexstar’s WXIN he chaired a neighborhood crime watch meeting last Thursday, and residents expressed fear that this weekend could turn volatile.
”We was a little concerned about violence that we thought might happen,” said Malone, who described Muncie Homecoming as a city-wide welcome home celebration held once every four years for former residents and family members to reconnect with their hometown. ”You had a lot of people congregating in one area, just hanging out and wanting to be part of the neighborhood activities. And then, at that point at time, it got into late night, and when you get into late nights, you usually have some sort of curfew violations, alcohol, guns and drugs seem to be a problem.”
Malone said Muncie has not had a community-wide gun violence initiative since 2015.
”We’ve always had concerns about this area and teenagers involved with handguns,” said Malone, whose niece attended the party. ”She just got out of surgery. She’s doing well. She’s whole. And then my godson was being treated out at Ball Hospital.”
Malone said he will meet with the city’s police leadership Monday morning to review the shooting and plans for keeping Muncie streets safe the rest of the summer.
”The mayor knows my push for gun violence, the lack of gun violence education, the lack of gun violence awareness, the lack of how to report gun violence in and out of our homes,” Malone said. “There’s a way to report crime, there’s a way to report guns, and we just have to report guns in and out of our backpacks and homes.”
Muncie is about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis. The city is home to about 65,000 people. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/1-dead-23-wounded-after-street-party-shooting-in-indiana/ | 2023-07-31T02:14:00 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/1-dead-23-wounded-after-street-party-shooting-in-indiana/ |
OCALA, Fla. — An Ocala woman has been indicted with one count of wire fraud related to the Coronavirus Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act US Attorney Roger B. Handberg said.
>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<
According to the indictment, between April 2, 2021, and April 6, 2021, 30-year-old Passion Lajodia Jackson of Ocala devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA).
Jackson applied for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan under the CARES Act Investigators said.
Read: Man injured, suspect at large after shooting in East Orange County, deputies say
It is alleged that Jackson made false representations and provided false documentation to obtain the loan, according to US Attorney said.
The United States is seeking an order of forfeiture for at least $20,132, which represents the unlawful proceeds of the offense charged in the indictment.
Read: Two found dead after shooting in Orange County deputies say
This case is being investigated by the FBI.
It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Norwalk U.S. Attorney investigators said.
Read: Two Florida men were arrested after drug houses raided in Flagler County
In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across the government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866‑720‑5721 or click here:
Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2023 Cox Media Group | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/central-florida-woman-indicted-covid-19-relief-fraud-us-attorney-says/ACTB6XOB5JAIBCMVL3YGCKJZXE/ | 2023-07-31T02:14:00 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/local/central-florida-woman-indicted-covid-19-relief-fraud-us-attorney-says/ACTB6XOB5JAIBCMVL3YGCKJZXE/ |
At 24, Alberto Rodriguez has grandparents younger than Joe Biden. But he’s more interested in the 80-year-old president’s accomplishments than his age.
“People as young as me, we’re all focusing on our day-to-day lives and he has done things to help us through that,” Rodriguez, a cook at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, said of Biden’s support among young voters. Rodriguez pointed specifically to federal COVID-19 relief payments and government spending increases on infrastructure and other social programs.
Voters like him were a key piece of Biden’s winning 2020 coalition, which included majorities of young people as well as college graduates, women, urban and suburban voters and Black Americans. Maintaining their support will be critical in closely contested states such as Nevada, where even small declines could prove consequential to Biden’s reelection bid.
His 2024 campaign plans to emphasize messages that could especially resonate with young people in the coming weeks as the anniversary of the sweeping Inflation Reduction Act approaches in mid-August. That legislation includes provisions that the White House will embrace to argue that Biden has done more than any other president to combat climate change.
Such efforts, however, could collide with Biden’s personal reality — like when he recalled that, while attending a St. Patrick’s Day parade at age 14, he appeared in a photo with President Harry S. Truman.
“Purely by accident — I assume it was an accident — the photographer from the newspaper got a picture of me making eye contact with Harry Truman,” Biden said to chuckles last week at the Truman Civil Rights Symposium in Washington.
In 2020, 61% of voters under age 30 — and 55% of those between 30 and 44 — supported Biden, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of the electorate.
It’s an age group with which Republicans hope to make inroads. Former President Donald Trump, who is the early front-runner in the GOP presidential primary and is only 3 1/2 years younger than Biden, said Friday, “We are hitting the young person’s market like nobody’s ever seen before.”
Kevin Munoz, a spokesman for Biden’s campaign, referred to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement in arguing that “young people are acutely impacted by the issues front and center in this election, driven by the extreme MAGA agenda.” He said that included inaction on climate change, gun violence and student debt.
“We will meet younger Americans where they are and turn their energy into action,” Munoz said in a statement.
That might not defuse questions about age, though, when it comes to Biden or Trump.
“There’s a frustration and exhaustion that they feel with the rematch,” Terrance Woodbury, co-founder & CEO of the Democratic polling firm HIT Strategies, said of young voters.
“That’s more of a problem than either of those two candidates individually, is that a system can just keep reproducing,” Woodbury added. “And I think a lot of people just find that untenable.”
An April poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that just 25% of Democrats under 45 said they would definitely support Biden in a general election, compared with 56% of older Democrats. A majority of Democrats across age groups said they would probably support him as the party’s nominee, however.
Biden’s campaign is relying heavily on the Democratic National Committee, which during last year’s midterms, hired campus organizers in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and other battleground states and offered weekly youth coordinating meetings to encourage in-class contacts and “dormstorms.” The DNC sees young people as some of the most critical voters it will need to reach in 2024 and promises “significant investments” to mobilize them. Plans are underway to expand on its work last cycle, including trainings it held on how best to turn out voters.
The Republican National Committee is trying to use Biden’s age against him, posting online videos of Biden seeming frail or making verbal gaffes, such as when he declared in June “God save the queen,” nearly nine months after the death of England’s Queen Elizabeth II.
Rodriguez shrugged off online attacks, “People can make all the hit pieces and memes and TikToks all they want.”
A starker contrast might be between the president and rising Democrats such as 46-year-old California Rep. Ro Khanna and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 41, one of Biden’s primary rivals in 2020. Neither seriously entertained running for the White House in 2024 and have backed Biden’s reelection.
“The only thing that really matters is your ability to do the job,” Buttigieg, who was 37 when he launched his 2020 presidential bid, said recently on CNN. Khanna told Fox News Channel that age will “obviously” be a 2024 factor, but suggested that Biden’s staff “overprotects” him and “the more he’s out there, the better.”
Other top young Democrats have lined up to back Biden. Florida Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost, who was elected to Congress last year at 26, is on the Biden campaign’s advisory board, as is Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, 44. New York Rep. Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, 33, recently endorsed Biden.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a progressive who says strong turnout among young voters helped him win a runoff election this spring, said Biden’s policies transcend his age. Johnson noted that the president’s work “around climate justice speaks not just to this generation, but generations to come.”
“The excitement that I believe that we’re going to have is going to speak to the incredible work and organizing that we are committed to doing as a party,” said Johnson, 47. “And we’re looking forward to working with the president over the course of his next four years.”
Still, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, acknowledged that even the president’s supporters understand how demanding the White House can be.
“People worry about Joe Biden. They worry like you would worry about a beloved father or grandfather,” said Weingarten, 65. “What you normally hear from Democrats is this sense of, ‘OK, I just want him to be OK.’ And you’re hearing just the consternation of, ’This is a hard job.’”
Biden said he “took a hard look” at his age while deciding to seek a second term. But he’s also tried to suggest his age and experience are assets rather than liabilities by joking repeatedly about them. That’s a departure from 2020, when Biden called himself a “transition candidate” and pledged to be a “bridge” to younger Democrats.
Santiago Mayer, the founder of Voters of Tomorrow, which has 20-plus chapters nationwide and works to increase political engagement among young voters, argues that Biden is not defying his past promise by running for reelection, but keeping it.
“He just needs more time,” said Mayer, who graduated from California State University at Long Beach in May. “I think the second term is a very important part of that pledge. He’s building a progressive future for young people and he can’t actually pass the baton until that’s done.”
One key policy piece of Biden’s efforts to appeal to young voters, providing student debt relief, was recently struck down by the Supreme Court. The White House has launched a new effort, but it will take longer.
“Of course it’s going to dampen some of that because people are disappointed,” Weingarten said of the ruling’s effect on enthusiasm for Biden. But she said the decision could also motivate young Biden supporters anxious show their support for the president’s alternative plan.
“It is also about the fight,” Weingarten said “not just about the results.” | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/joe-biden-the-oldest-sitting-president-needs-young-voters-will-his-age-matter/ | 2023-07-31T02:14:06 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/joe-biden-the-oldest-sitting-president-needs-young-voters-will-his-age-matter/ |
The Los Angeles Angels have agreed to a deal to acquire Colorado Rockies outfielder Randal Grichuck and first baseman C.J. Cron, according to multiple reports.
The deal furthers the team's commitment to building around and attempting to retain Shohei Ohtani after the team declined to deal the two-way superstar before the upcoming trade deadline. | https://www.wftv.com/news/national/angels-continue/H3PFRKEUC4LJTIS4NBC4EH6OAQ/ | 2023-07-31T02:14:07 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/national/angels-continue/H3PFRKEUC4LJTIS4NBC4EH6OAQ/ |
(NewsNation) — While questions remain about a mystery company buying 52,000 acres of land near an Air Force base, a congressman says farmers in the area are being targeted in a lawsuit.
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., has been speaking out over the past five years about the $800 million in land acquisitions by Flannery Associates near Travis Air Force Base in Northern California.
In an interview with NewsNation, Garamendi said he’s been in contact with the families of farmers who handed over their land to Flannery. He said they didn’t want to sell in the first place.
Since no California laws require them to sell, the land was bargained for by both parties at a much higher price. But now, Flannery is suing those families for $510 million, accusing them of conspiring together to inflate the value of the land.
“It’s a suit designed to force the farmers to lawyer up, spend tens of thousands of dollars on lawyering and maybe at the end of the day, bankrupt themselves,” Garamendi said. “In fact, that has happened to at least one family that I know of and I’ve heard rumors that another family simply said we can’t afford the lawyers.”
NewsNation reviewed a copy of the lawsuit. Attorneys for Flannery said they believe “this is a simple case about a group of wealthy landowners who saw an opportunity to conspire, collude, price fix and illegally overcharge Flannery.”
But Garamendi said there was no viable economic reason to justify spending several times more than what the land is worth in the first place.
The suit comes as companies with ties to China have been ramping up efforts to buy American farmland in recent years.
Public records show “Flannery Associates” has invested more than $800 million on more than 50,000 acres of land surrounding the Travis Air Force Base since 2018.
Legal representation for Flannery said the group is controlled by U.S. citizens, with 97% of its capital coming from U.S.-based investors. But after eight months of investigation, federal officials can’t confirm or deny this to be true and have not been able to determine exactly who is backing the company.
The Air Force’s Foreign Investment Risk Review office is currently investigating Flannery Associates. Garamendi said there are valid concerns that Flannery’s land acquisitions could be tied to foreign enemies.
“The fact they chose to buy all three sides of the Travis Air Force Base even raises immediate questions about national security,” Garamendi said. “So, is this Chinese money? We don’t know, but we do know that the Chinese money was being used in North Dakota and we have a very deep suspicion, given the amount of money, given the lack of attention to values, that they simply want to acquire all of this land.”
NewsNation investigated the now thwarted deal with a Chinese-owned company in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Last year, 300 acres of farmland were purchased near the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota by Chinese-owned Fufeng – a deal that raised red flags about potential spying.
After pushback from the community, the city council ultimately voted to end the project, citing national security risks.
Garamendi said local residents near Travis Air Force Base are riled up, just like the residents in Grand Forks, due to how critical the area is for the U.S. military.
“Travis Air Force Base is absolutely essential. It is the gateway to the Pacific,” Garamendi said, later adding, “A good deal of the munitions that are going to Ukraine also passed through Travis Air Force Base.”
China has been buying up American farmland for years. Nearly 384,000 acres of agricultural land in the U.S. is controlled by China, and the rate at which they are purchasing land is growing, the USDA reports.
Chinese ownership of American farmland has increased 55% in the past five years, with almost 75% of it located in the South and about 16% on the West Coast. | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ | 2023-07-31T02:14:12 | 0 | https://www.kxnet.com/news/national-news/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ |
Hailstorms to the Northwest now that are moving Southeast. Severe Weather chances continue into the evening and night hours. Learn more in your #OneMinuteForecast.
Chief Meteorologist Amy Metz did a Facebook LIVE from Montana where we are seeing the severe thunderstorm warning, and you can find that here https://fb.watch/m6HU6dqMQd/ | https://www.kxnet.com/weather/carolyns-sunday-evening-oneminuteforecast-7-30/ | 2023-07-31T02:14:18 | 1 | https://www.kxnet.com/weather/carolyns-sunday-evening-oneminuteforecast-7-30/ |
MUNCIE, Ind. — One person was killed and at least 17 others were injured early Sunday after a gunman opened fire at a party in central Indiana, authorities said.
The shooting occurred during a street party in the eastern section of Muncie at about 1:14 a.m. EDT, the Star-Press reported.
According to a news release from the Muncie Police Department, the shooting happened in the area of South Hackley and Willard Street, WRTV reported.
Delaware County Coroner Gavin Greene identified the man fatally shot as Joseph E. Bonner III, 30, of Muncie, the Star-Press reported.
“Due to the number of victims and nature of the incident, multiple agencies were contacted to assist,” Deputy Police Chief Melissa Criswell told the newspaper in a statement.
Police officers from the nearby town of Eaton provided assistance, along with the the Delaware County Sheriff’s Department, the Indiana State Police and officers from Ball State University, the Star-Press reported.
A spokesperson for Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie said that 18 people between the ages of 14 and 25 were treated at the facility, WXIN-TV reported.
Four victims were airlifted to other hospitals, according to WRTV.
“All scenes are contained and there is no immediate threat to public safety,” Criswell said in the news release to the Star-Press.
It is unclear what led to the shooting.
The Muncie Homecoming Festival Committee, which was hosting events on Saturday, said that the block party was not part of their weekend activities, WTHR-TV reported.
“This tragedy will not stop the hard work and dedication of those who endeavor to make Muncie a peaceful and loving community,” the committee said in a statement. “Acts of violence will not be tolerated here and we are united and moving forward in a positive manner even in grief.”
The Muncie Police Department has not released any other information or whether any arrests have been made, WRTV reported.
“We are heartbroken to learn of this terrible incident, and our deepest condolences go to the families of the young man who was killed and everyone who was injured,” the police department said in a statement.
In a statement Sunday night, Delaware County Prosecutor Eric Hoffman said it was “too early in the investigation for me to say much,” the Star-Press reported.
“There are far too many guns on the street and I certainly question the wisdom of someone having a huge outdoor party with several hundred people, including juveniles, carrying on into the early morning hours,” Hoffman said. “Let’s take a dose of reality. This is not the Vegas Strip or Times Square. This is a residential neighborhood.” | https://www.wftv.com/news/trending/muncie-shooting-1-dead-17-injured-after-gunman-opens-fire-party/VGZLRFWEWNGLXLB5QVG5MGNZDM/ | 2023-07-31T02:14:19 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/trending/muncie-shooting-1-dead-17-injured-after-gunman-opens-fire-party/VGZLRFWEWNGLXLB5QVG5MGNZDM/ |
BOSTON — A 16th-century document signed by Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortes has been returned to Mexico’s national archives by the U.S. government, officials said.
According to a news release from the FBI, the document, written and signed in 1527, was returned to the Mexican government on July 19.
The manuscript is a payment order signed by Cortés on April 27, 1527, authorizing the purchase of rose sugar for the pharmacy in exchange for 12 gold pesos, WFXT-TV reported. It is believed to be one of several documents unlawfully removed from a collection of documents sometime before 1993. The documents chronicled a Spanish expedition to Central America in 1527 that is currently housed in Mexico’s national archives, according to the television station.
The United States has returned a manuscript signed by Conquistador Hernando Cortés in 1527 to Mexico, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. https://t.co/SBWP0KDGzc
— Boston 25 News (@boston25) July 25, 2023
In the order, Cortes instructed his butler, Nicolás de Palacios Rubios, to purchase the sugar, The New York Times reported. One side of the document shows the request, while the back side records the payment, according to the newspaper.
The receipt was handwritten in Spanish, penned in iron gall ink on rag paper, the Times reported. It measures about 8.5 inches by 6 inches.
Cortes is credited with commanding a large-scale expedition from Spain to Mexico between 1519 and 1521 that led to the downfall of the Aztec empire.
On Wednesday, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, along with representatives for the FBI, participated in a formal repatriation ceremony at Mexico’s national archives.
“After missing for decades, thanks to incredible international collaboration and persistence the Cortés manuscript is finally where it belongs back in Mexico, where it will remain a treasured part of Mexico’s history and heritage,” Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy said in a statement. “I want to commend the asset recovery prosecutors in the U.S. attorney’s office whose hard work and dedication led to the return of this priceless and historically important artifact. We were honored to have assisted in this effort.”
According to an FBI investigation, the manuscript was purchased at an auction in the 1990s by the founder of the Museum of World Treasures in Wichita, Kansas, the Times reported. His family consigned the document to Goldberg Coins and Collectibles in Los Angeles, and in 2019, a Florida resident bought it auction. That person then contracted with Massachusetts-based RR Auction in Massachusetts and the document was put on the auction block in June, according to the newspaper.
In November 2022, Levy said the U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a civil forfeiture action against the manuscript to ensure its lawful return, WFXT reported. Mexican authorities contacted the U.S. government that the manuscript appeared to be stolen, and RR Auction removed the item from its sale.
It is a violation of federal law to transport or receive stolen goods valued at more than $5,000 that have traveled in foreign or interstate commerce, according to the television station.
“We are incredibly honored to be able to assist in the return of this national treasure to the people of Mexico,” Christopher DiMenna, acting special agent in charge of the FBI Boston Division, said in a statement. “This manuscript, which is nearly five centuries old, preserves an important part of Mexico’s history and reflects the FBI’s ongoing commitment to protect cultural heritage, not only in the United States but around the world. The recovery of this priceless artifact is a direct result of our close and ongoing collaboration with the government of Mexico, and we are very thankful for their partnership.” | https://www.wftv.com/news/trending/us-returns-manuscript-signed-by-hernando-corts-1527-mexicos-national-archives/2WUENGKMJJG2VMGRLW6TLNYHF4/ | 2023-07-31T02:14:26 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/trending/us-returns-manuscript-signed-by-hernando-corts-1527-mexicos-national-archives/2WUENGKMJJG2VMGRLW6TLNYHF4/ |
BEIJING, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- President Xi Jinping visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan on July 25, which winds its way through rugged mountains and ancient trees. There, Xi learned about efforts surrounding ecological conservation.
This visit marks Xi's attention to China's ecological development, which has achieved remarkable progress over the past 10 years, said experts.
Witnessing the government's recent remarks on ecology, they believed that the country's road of building a Beautiful China has demonstrated the nation's wisdom in balancing the needs of economic development and improving the environment.
Before heading to Sichuan, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech at a national conference on ecological and environmental protection held from July 17 to 18.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone a historic, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
Noting that China's economy and society have entered a stage of high-quality development marked by accelerated progress in promoting green and low-carbon growth, Xi called for higher standards, a broader perspective and stronger efforts in planning and advancing ecological and environmental protection on the new journey, as well as writing a new chapter of ecological conservation in the new era.
Xi stressed the need to properly handle the relationships between high-quality development and high-level protection, between tackling major challenges and coordinating governance, between natural recovery and human-assisted restoration, between external constraints and internal driving forces, as well as between "dual carbon" commitments and self-determined actions.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone historical, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
This conference again showed us how importance the central government attaches to ecological protection, an official from environment protection bureau in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Friday. He said during the past 10 years, ecological protection has become an increasingly important indictor in evaluating government's performance in his city, which was famous for coal production.
"Although planting trees costs more in Inner Mongolia than in other parts of China due to lack of water and dry weather, we learned in the past 10 years that making our city greener brings more benefits than leaving the mountains bare. The city becomes more beautiful, residents are happy, and more tourists visit; also we saw less sandstorms," the official said.
During a press conference on Thursday, Huang Runqiu, China's minister of ecology and environment, highlighted China's achievement on ecological protection over recent years.
From 2013 to 2022, China's average PM2.5 concentration decreased by 57 percent and the number of heavily polluted days decreased by 93 percent, while the nation's GDP doubled during the same period, Huang said. This made China the country with the fastest improvement in air quality worldwide. Specifically, in Beijing, the average PM2.5 concentration decreased from 89.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to 30 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022, and the number of heavily polluted days decreased from 58 to only 3, said Huang. The United Nations Environment Agency praised this achievement as the "Beijing Miracle."
Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times that "China has engaged in a sustained top-down efforts for many years to enhance ecological protection. The central and local governments march together toward the same goal, with continuous environmental policies. Moreover, the country has demonstrated its wisdom in how to balance ecological development and maintain fast economic growth at the same time."
Perfect balance
We should protect nature and preserve the environment like we protect our eyes, and endeavor to foster a new relationship where man and nature can both prosper and live in harmony, President Xi once said.
Xi has given important instructions on the rational utilization and friendly protection of the ecological environment during his numerous visits to the frontlines of ecological protection, such as to the Maanshan forest farm in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Qilian Mountains, the Shandan Horse Ranch in Gansu, an ecological wetland of the Dianchi Lake in Kunming, and many other places.
In June 2022, Xi visited Yibin, Sichuan Province, where the Jinsha and Minjiang rivers converge into the Yangtze River. He noted that sound ecological conservation along the Yangtze River basin is the precondition for advancing high-quality development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The Yellow River and the Yangtze River are the mother rivers of the Chinese nation. The protection of the mother rivers is a crucial project concerning the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation, Xi said at the time.
From June 5 to 6 this year, accompanied by officials from Inner Mongolia, Xi was on a fact-finding mission at a nature reserve, a modern agricultural demonstration park, a forest farm and a water resources department in the city of Bayannur.
On June 6, Xi presided over a symposium in Bayannur on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting the construction of crucial ecological projects, including the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program.
Xi, who was then the Party Chief of Zhejiang, put forward the famous "two mountains" concept - clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets comparable to the gold and silver of legend - in August 2005 during his visit to Anji county.
Nowadays, residents in the county has sought out ways to make a living that they enjoy, with many becoming businessmen, running their own hostels, shops and tourism companies, thanks to the improved natural environment.
Pan Chunlin, a former miner, who now runs a hostel after local mines were shut down, explained the transformation to the Global Times "My annual income is now hundreds of times higher than before. Today, I can earn in a day what I used to make in one year".
Following the development approach referred to as the "two mountains" concept, in the past decade, Anji has modeled itself into a place known for its beautiful ecology and prosperous green industries, which have completely changed the villagers' lives, Jin Peihua, head of the "Two Mountains" Concept Research Institute affiliated with Huzhou University, said.
Global bellwether
Apart from domestic efforts, China is also making efforts in unifying a global effort on ecological preservation.
The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP15, was convened in Kunming, Yunnan Province in 2021.
As the first global conference convened by the United Nations on the topic of ecological civilization, a philosophy proposed by China, it offered a platform for countries to find common ground on "Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth."
During an official trip to Zimbabwe in 2015, Xi visited a local wildlife sanctuary, where he fed an orphaned elephant. He reiterated China's commitment to wildlife protection and pledged to help Zimbabwe do so by donating equipment and exchanging experience with China.
Recalling Xi's explanation of China's initiatives to breed giant pandas and expand protected areas, Roxy Danckwerts, the founder of the sanctuary, said, "I thought that was very significant that he is making such big strides in his own country."
Bradley Blankenship, a Prague-based American journalist, columnist and political commentator, recently spent a week in Beijing. Speaking with the Global Times, he said that "I must admit that based on the antiquated view of China that many Americans have and discuss publicly, I expected the city to be smoggy and congested. To the contrary, it has beautiful blue skies.
"China has been successful in beautifying Beijing, as well as other cities and towns, by transitioning from coal power to gas, establishing emission standards for coal-fired stations, implementing tougher standards for other industries such as steel and cement and seeking high-quality development with a high-quality ecological environment. These achievements have been so successful that Beijing now stands as an example for mega-cities around the globe, particularly those in the Global South," Blankenship said.
During a visit to Guizhou in June, Manasa R. Tagicakibau, Fiji's Ambassador to China, said China is "so advanced" when it comes to ecological civilization. "You look at the development that's been achieved by Guizhou authorities together with the local people, ethnic minorities and the population at large, in terms of developing the area to make this mountainous area a very safe and harmonious and happy place to live in. I'm impressed."
The ambassador said Guizhou shares a lot of similarities to some of the mountainous regions in Fiji, but there is a lot to be done in Fiji in terms of accessibility and this is an area that Fiji can learn from China.
However, some Western countries, so-called pioneering initiatives on environment protection, take a laissez-afire attitude in face of environment disasters. Recently, Chinese scientists used scientific methods to assess it and concluded that, as of Wednesday, the carbon dioxide emissions from Canadian wildfires have reached approximately 1 billion tons, which has already developed into a global environmental event.
It is worth mentioning that the forest area in China is approximately 2.31 million square kilometers, which is roughly two-thirds of that in Canada. However, the average annual emission of carbon dioxide caused by forest fires in China from 2000-21 was approximately 15 million tons, only 0.2 percent of the global forest fire emissions, demonstrating China's responsible role as a major country, experts noted.
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SOURCE Global Times | https://www.kbtx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ | 2023-07-31T02:14:26 | 0 | https://www.kbtx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ |
HELSINKI — (AP) — Denmark’s foreign minister said Sunday the government will seek to make it illegal to desecrate the Quran or other religious holy books in front of foreign embassies in the Nordic country.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said in an interview with the Danish public broadcaster DR that the burning of holy scriptures “only serves the purpose of creating division in a world that actually needs unity.”
“That is why we have decided in the government that we will look at how, in very special situations, we can put an end to mockery of other countries, which is in direct conflict with Danish interests and the safety of the Danes,” he said.
A recent string of public Quran desecrations by a handful of anti-Islam activists in Denmark and neighboring Sweden have sparked angry demonstrations in Muslim countries.
Løkke Rasmussen said the Cabinet of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is determined to find “a legal tool” to prohibit such acts without compromising freedom of expression, but he acknowledged that would not be easy.
“There must be room for religious criticism, and we have no thoughts of reintroducing a blasphemy clause,” he told DR. “But when you stand up in front of a foreign embassy and burn a Quran or burn the Torah scroll in front of the Israeli embassy, it serves no other purpose than to mock.”
His comments followed a statement issued late Sunday by the Danish government saying freedom of expression is one of the most important values in Danish society.
But, it added, the descreation of the Muslim holy book in Denmark has resulted in the nation being viewed in many places around the world "as a country that facilitates insult and denigration of the cultures, religions, and traditions of other countries.”
The government repeated its condemnation of such descecrations, say they are “deeply offensive and reckless acts committed by few individuals” and "do not represent the values the Danish society is built on.”
In Sweden, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Sunday on Instagram that his government is analyzing the legal situation regarding desecration of the Quran and other holy books, given the animosity such acts are stirring up against Sweden.
“We are in the most serious security policy situation since the Second World War,” Kristersson said.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has called an emergency remote meeting Monday to discuss the Quran burnings in Sweden and Denmark.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.wftv.com/news/world/denmark-seeks/MCUHY2EUC2GP25FZZKLTG6RHR4/ | 2023-07-31T02:14:33 | 0 | https://www.wftv.com/news/world/denmark-seeks/MCUHY2EUC2GP25FZZKLTG6RHR4/ |
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Teamsters Union was served legal notice today that Yellow Corp. is ceasing operations and filing for bankruptcy.
"Today's news is unfortunate but not surprising. Yellow has historically proven that it could not manage itself despite billions of dollars in worker concessions and hundreds of millions in bailout funding from the federal government. This is a sad day for workers and the American freight industry," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien.
The Teamsters are committed to ensuring members are protected and notified with all the latest information. The International is putting infrastructure in place to help affected members get the assistance they need to find good union jobs throughout freight and other industries.
The situation is developing. Additional details are forthcoming.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
Contact:
Daniel Moskowitz, (770) 262-4971
dmoskowitz@teamster.org
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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters | https://www.kbtx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/teamsters-notified-that-yellow-corp-operating-companies-have-closed/ | 2023-07-31T02:14:33 | 0 | https://www.kbtx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/teamsters-notified-that-yellow-corp-operating-companies-have-closed/ |
SUZHOU, China, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Transcenta Holding Limited ("Transcenta") (HKEX: 06628), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully-integrated capabilities in discovery, research, development and manufacturing of antibody-based therapeutics, announces that it has received approval from China Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) to initiate Phase II clinical trial of TST002(Blosozumab). This study aims to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of TST002(Blosozumab) after single and multiple intravenous administrations in patients with reduced bone mineral density.
Osteoporosis is a significant health concern for the middle-aged and elderly population in China. It is estimated that by 2050, the number of osteoporosis patients will reach 120 million. Compared with RANKL mAbs, sclerostin mAbs successfully achieve the dual goal of preventing bone loss and rebuilding the bone. Evenity (Romosozumab) of Amgen is the only anti-sclerostin antibody drug that has been approved by the FDA in the United States. Up to the present, there was no anti-sclerostin antibody drug approved in China.
In May 2023, Transcenta presented Phase I unblinded data, which showed that the overall safety and tolerability of TST002 (Blosozumab) in all dose cohorts is favorable. On the efficacy side, all dose cohorts from 200-1,200 mg have shown a clinically meaningful increase in lumbar spine BMD on Day 85 (D85) after a single dose of TST002 (Blosozumab) and comparable to those of Blosozumab single dose study at the similar dose levels. The average increase of lumbar spine BMD at Day 85 (D85) from baseline ranged from 3.52% to 6.20% across dose cohorts, all exceeding the least significant difference (2.77%). The increase of lumbar spine BMD in the placebo group was only 0.30% even with optimal calcium and vitamin D supplemental treatment. In addition, encouraging BMD increase in total hip from 1.30% to 2.24% across dose cohorts were observed after single dose of TST002 (Blosozumab). In comparison, the mean percent change in lumbar spine BMD from baseline to month 12 was 5.4% after one year of Denosumab treatment.1
"We are excited to have received the clearance to move forward from CDE. Our Phase II will assess several regimens of TST002 (Blosozumab) with reduced dosing frequency, bringing us closer to our Phase III. We look forward to fully exploring the differentiated profile of TST002 to address the unmet medical need of the large patient population who suffers from osteoporosis," said Dr. Caroline Germa, Transcenta's Executive Vice President, Global Medicine Development and Chief Medical Officer.
Reference:
1 https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/105/3/e255/5607536
About TST002 (Blosozumab)
TST002 (Blosozumab) is a humanized anti-sclerostin monoclonal antibody as a drug candidate for osteoporosis and other bone loss diseases. It has a dual effect possessing both anabolic and anti-resorptive effects, which stimulates bone formation and inhibits bone absorption, resulting in fast increase in bone mineral density and bone strength. Blocking sclerostin activity in human treated with anti-sclerostin antibody or with naturally occurring genetic deletion has been shown to be an effective approach in increasing bone mineral density (BMD) and reducing bone fracture. Currently there is no approved anti-sclerostin antibody therapy in China yet although Romosozumab from Amgen has been approved in the United States, Europe and Japan.
About Transcenta Holding Limited
Transcenta (HKEX: 06628) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully integrated capabilities in antibody-based biotherapeutics discovery, research, development and manufacturing.
Transcenta has established global footprint, with Headquarters and Discovery, Clinical and Translational Research Center in Suzhou, Process and Product Development Center and Manufacturing Facility in Hangzhou, and Clinical Development Centers in Princeton, US and in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou of China, and External Partnering Center in Boston and Los Angeles, US. Transcenta has also initiated the construction of the Group Headquarters and the second high-end biopharmaceutical facility with ICB as its core technology in Suzhou Industrial Park. Transcenta is developing 13 therapeutic antibody molecules for oncology and selected non-oncology indications including bone and kidney disorders.
For more information, please visit www.transcenta.com and https://www.linkedin.com/company/transcenta.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Transcenta, are intended to identify certain of such forward-looking statements. Transcenta does not intend to update these forward-looking statements regularly.
These forward-looking statements are based on the existing beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, projections and understandings of the management of Transcenta with respect to future events at the time these statements are made. These statements are not a guarantee of future developments and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Transcenta's control and are difficult to predict. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of future changes or developments in our business, Transcenta's competitive environment and political, economic, legal and social conditions.
Transcenta, the Directors and the employees of Transcenta assume (a) no obligation to correct or update the forward-looking statements contained in this site; and (b) no liability in the event that any of the forward-looking statements does not materialize or turn out to be incorrect.
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SOURCE Transcenta Holding Limited | https://www.kbtx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/transcenta-anti-sclerostin-monoclonal-antibody-tst002-blosozumab-received-approval-china-cde-initiate-phase-ii-clinical-trial-patients-with-reduced-bone-mineral-density/ | 2023-07-31T02:14:40 | 1 | https://www.kbtx.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/transcenta-anti-sclerostin-monoclonal-antibody-tst002-blosozumab-received-approval-china-cde-initiate-phase-ii-clinical-trial-patients-with-reduced-bone-mineral-density/ |
(NewsNation) — While questions remain about a mystery company buying 52,000 acres of land near an Air Force base, a congressman says farmers in the area are being targeted in a lawsuit.
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., has been speaking out over the past five years about the $800 million in land acquisitions by Flannery Associates near Travis Air Force Base in Northern California.
In an interview with NewsNation, Garamendi said he’s been in contact with the families of farmers who handed over their land to Flannery. He said they didn’t want to sell in the first place.
Since no California laws require them to sell, the land was bargained for by both parties at a much higher price. But now, Flannery is suing those families for $510 million, accusing them of conspiring together to inflate the value of the land.
“It’s a suit designed to force the farmers to lawyer up, spend tens of thousands of dollars on lawyering and maybe at the end of the day, bankrupt themselves,” Garamendi said. “In fact, that has happened to at least one family that I know of and I’ve heard rumors that another family simply said we can’t afford the lawyers.”
NewsNation reviewed a copy of the lawsuit. Attorneys for Flannery said they believe “this is a simple case about a group of wealthy landowners who saw an opportunity to conspire, collude, price fix and illegally overcharge Flannery.”
But Garamendi said there was no viable economic reason to justify spending several times more than what the land is worth in the first place.
The suit comes as companies with ties to China have been ramping up efforts to buy American farmland in recent years.
Public records show “Flannery Associates” has invested more than $800 million on more than 50,000 acres of land surrounding the Travis Air Force Base since 2018.
Legal representation for Flannery said the group is controlled by U.S. citizens, with 97% of its capital coming from U.S.-based investors. But after eight months of investigation, federal officials can’t confirm or deny this to be true and have not been able to determine exactly who is backing the company.
The Air Force’s Foreign Investment Risk Review office is currently investigating Flannery Associates. Garamendi said there are valid concerns that Flannery’s land acquisitions could be tied to foreign enemies.
“The fact they chose to buy all three sides of the Travis Air Force Base even raises immediate questions about national security,” Garamendi said. “So, is this Chinese money? We don’t know, but we do know that the Chinese money was being used in North Dakota and we have a very deep suspicion, given the amount of money, given the lack of attention to values, that they simply want to acquire all of this land.”
NewsNation investigated the now thwarted deal with a Chinese-owned company in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Last year, 300 acres of farmland were purchased near the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota by Chinese-owned Fufeng – a deal that raised red flags about potential spying.
After pushback from the community, the city council ultimately voted to end the project, citing national security risks.
Garamendi said local residents near Travis Air Force Base are riled up, just like the residents in Grand Forks, due to how critical the area is for the U.S. military.
“Travis Air Force Base is absolutely essential. It is the gateway to the Pacific,” Garamendi said, later adding, “A good deal of the munitions that are going to Ukraine also passed through Travis Air Force Base.”
China has been buying up American farmland for years. Nearly 384,000 acres of agricultural land in the U.S. is controlled by China, and the rate at which they are purchasing land is growing, the USDA reports.
Chinese ownership of American farmland has increased 55% in the past five years, with almost 75% of it located in the South and about 16% on the West Coast. | https://www.pahomepage.com/uncategorized/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ | 2023-07-31T02:15:30 | 0 | https://www.pahomepage.com/uncategorized/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ |
'They're always gonna be there for me': IU alum, Fever rookie Grace Berger cherishes support
INDIANAPOLIS — Grace Berger cherishes staying close to home.
The Indiana University alum, who was drafted No. 7 to the Fever in April, is just one hour from her college home and two hours from her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
“To just have these relationships still, you know, whether it's a good day or a bad day, they still have that feedback and are right there,” Berger said. “They're always gonna be there for me, always going to be my biggest fans. You know, it definitely makes things a little easier for me.”
Berger played at IU for five years, leaving as a three-time All-Big Ten first-teamer and the all-time winningest player with 118 victories in a Hoosiers jersey.
From the game:Fever move to tie for last place in WNBA with loss to Storm
While she made 118 starts in 148 games in her time as a Hoosier, she knew she had to start over with the Fever.
“This is a different league, and Grace knows that,” IU women’s basketball head coach Teri Moren said Sunday. “Grace knows that her time will come, and what her job is to keep her head down and continue to work. And she did that in Bloomington early on in her career. She's early in her career here with the Fever and that's what she'll continue to do.”
Moren, along with the IU women’s basketball team, attended Indiana’s game against Seattle on Sunday for IU night. The Hoosiers were sporting IU-colored Fever hats — free to fans on Sunday — and jumped out of their seats when Berger first checked in at the 5-minute mark of the first quarter.
“I'm really excited that she's coming, along with my teammates,” Berger said of Moren. “Coach Moren means the world to me, we have a relationship that goes far beyond just basketball. So to have her close and have her be able to come up to games, it means a lot to me.”
Berger played 13 minutes with zero points and three turnovers — down from her recent numbers.
Overall, though, Berger has gained some crucial minutes in a Fever uniform since the season-opener against Connecticut on May 19, when she was the only player to not get in the game — something fans made sure to notice, calling out to head coach Christie Sides from the stands and over social media.
More:Doyel: That new feeling for Fever fans is hope. But they're left wanting more in opener.
More:'We want Grace!' Fans notice Grace Berger's absence from Indiana Fever season-opener
“I have a lot of IU fans that have contacted me on social media,” Sides said. “Got a lot of new fans on social media, and Indiana is a great basketball state. It’s different. People love, they’re passionate about this game, they’re passionate about their players. I respect that, I love that so much.”
After taking some time to adjust to the league, Berger is now playing consistently, averaging 10.9 minutes and 3.5 points over 20 games. Her former IU teammates, who are going through workouts in Bloomington, are out supporting her whenever they can. She won’t be able to go to many IU games this winter, though, as she plans to play overseas.
But when she’s six hours ahead in Spain this winter, she’s ready to adjust her sleep schedule to support the Hoosiers.
“My teammates are great supporters of me,” Berger said. “I'm definitely going to be up at 3 a.m. watching all their games and supporting from afar.” | https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/basketball/wnba/fever/2023/07/30/iu-womens-basketball-alum-grace-berger-plays-for-indiana-fever/70495594007/ | 2023-07-31T02:15:30 | 1 | https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/basketball/wnba/fever/2023/07/30/iu-womens-basketball-alum-grace-berger-plays-for-indiana-fever/70495594007/ |
HOUSTON — Scientists have woken up a 46,000-year-old roundworm.
They said the roundworm, which was of a previously unknown species, spent those tens of thousands of years deep in the Siberian permafrost. According to the Washington Post, once it was revived, researchers said it started having babies!
The findings of this roundworm were detailed Thursday in PLOS Genetics.
“It’s kind of super fascinating finally to suddenly see life, living animals crawling out of a piece of soil that been deep frozen for 46,000 years,” Dr. Philipp Schiffer from the University of Cologne told CBS News.
The Washington Post said the roundworms, also called nematodes, were brought back to life by warming the soil they were in.
The species is now known as Panagrolaimus kolymaensis. They're able to suspend metabolism, which is known as cryptobiosis.
Right now, scientists are focused on how the species adapted through that time. Schiffer said it could teach us about conservation biology and how, at a molecular level, species can adapt through changing climates.
You can read a whole lot more about these nematodes in the Washington Post. | https://www.king5.com/article/life/animals/roundworm-siberian-permafrost-wake-up/285-9496acf0-8843-40cc-afe4-ba01b4536f32 | 2023-07-31T02:16:02 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/life/animals/roundworm-siberian-permafrost-wake-up/285-9496acf0-8843-40cc-afe4-ba01b4536f32 |
NEW YORK — Six straight days of 12-hour driving. Single digit paychecks. The complaints come from workers in vastly different industries: UPS delivery drivers and Hollywood actors and writers.
But they point to an underlying factor driving a surge of labor unrest: The cost to workers whose jobs have changed drastically as companies scramble to meet customer expectations for speed and convenience in industries transformed by technology.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated those changes, pushing retailers to shift online and intensifying the streaming competition among entertainment companies. Now, from the picket lines, workers are trying to give consumers a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to produce a show that can be binged any time or get dog food delivered to their doorstep with a phone swipe.
Overworked and underpaid employees is an enduring complaint across industries — from delivery drivers to Starbucks baristas and airline pilots — where surges in consumer demand have collided with persistent labor shortages. Workers are pushing back against forced overtime, punishing schedules or company reliance on lower-paid, part-time or contract forces.
At issue for Hollywood screenwriters and actors staging their first simultaneous strikes in 40 years is the way streaming has upended entertainment economics, slashing pay and forcing showrunners to produce content faster with smaller teams.
“This seems to happen to many places when the tech companies come in. Who are we crushing? It doesn’t matter,” said Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, a screenwriter and showrunner on the negotiating team for the Writers Guild of America, whose members have been on strike since May. Earlier this month, the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists joined the writers’ union on the picket line.
Actors and writers have long relied on residuals, or long-term payments, for reruns and other airings of films and televisions shows. But reruns aren’t a thing on streaming services, where series and films simply land and stay with no easy way, such as box office returns or ratings, to determine their popularity.
Consequently, whatever residuals streaming companies do pay often amount to a pittance, and screenwriters have been sharing tales of receiving single digit checks.
Adam Shapiro, an actor known for the Netflix hit “Never Have I Ever," said many actors were initially content to accept lower pay for the plethora of roles that streaming suddenly offered. But the need for a more sustainable compensation model gained urgency when it became clear streaming is not a sideshow, but rather the future of the business, he said.
"Over the past 10 years, we realized: ‘Oh, that’s now how Hollywood works. Everything is streaming,’” Shapiro said during a recent union event.
Shapiro, who has been acting for 25 years, said he agreed to a contract offering 20% of his normal rate for “Never Have I Ever” because it seemed like "a great opportunity, and it’s going to be all over the world. And it was. It really was. Unfortunately, we’re all starting to realize that if we keep doing this we’re not going to be able to pay our bills.”
Then there's the rising use of “mini rooms,” in which a handful of writers are hired to work only during pre-production, sometimes for a series that may take a year to be greenlit, or never get picked up at all.
Sanchez-Witzel, co-creator of the recently released Netflix series “Survival of the Thickest,” said television shows traditionally hire robust writing teams for the duration of production. But Netflix refused to allow her to keep her team of five writers past pre-production, forcing round-the-clock work on rewrites with just one other writer.
“It's not sustainable and I'll never do that again,” she said.
Sanchez-Witzel said she was struck by the similarities between her experience and those of UPS drivers, some of whom joined the WGA for protests as they threatened their own potentially crippling strike. UPS and the Teamsters last week reached a tentative contract staving off the strike.
Jeffrey Palmerino, a full-time UPS driver near Albany, New York, said forced overtime emerged as a top issue during the pandemic as drivers coped with a crush of orders on par with the holiday season. Drivers never knew what time they would get home or if they could count on two days off each week, while 14-hour days in trucks without air conditioning became the norm.
“It was basically like Christmas on steroids for two straight years. A lot of us were forced to work six days a week, and that is not any way to live your life,” said Palmerino, a Teamsters shop steward.
Along with pay raises and air conditioning, the Teamsters won concessions that Palmerino hopes will ease overwork. UPS agreed to end forced overtime on days off and eliminate a lower-paid category of drivers who work shifts that include weekends, converting them to full-time drivers. Union members have yet to ratify the deal.
The Teamsters and labor activists hailed the tentative deal as a game-changer that would pressure other companies facing labor unrest to raise their standards. But similar outcomes are far from certain in industries lacking the sheer economic indispensability of UPS or the clout of its 340,000-member union.
Efforts to organize at Starbucks and Amazon stalled as both companies aggressively fought against unionization.
Still, labor protests will likely gain momentum following the UPS contract, said Patricia Campos-Medina, executive director of the Worker Institute at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, which released a report this year that found the number of labor strikes rose 52% in 2022.
“The whole idea that consumer convenience is above everything broke down during the pandemic. We started to think, ‘I’m at home ordering, but there is actually a worker who has to go the grocery store, who has to cook this for me so that I can be comfortable,’” Campos-Medina said. | https://www.king5.com/article/money/business/customers-want-instant-gratification-workers-say-its-pushing-them-to-the-brink-sag-ups/507-102fe2a7-ad77-4f73-b19f-9a3d78169bd3 | 2023-07-31T02:16:08 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/money/business/customers-want-instant-gratification-workers-say-its-pushing-them-to-the-brink-sag-ups/507-102fe2a7-ad77-4f73-b19f-9a3d78169bd3 |
SEATTLE — Seattle, known as the "Emerald City" for its luscious greenery, now has a new ordinance in effect, that will help protect trees.
"Trees planted today, can and will create the canopy for my children," said Seattle City Councilmember Dan Strauss said back on May 23 when the ordinance was passed.
The ordinance expands protections to 175,000 trees across the city, compared to the previous code which only protected about 17,700. But some acknowledge it’s not perfect.
"We need to use our creativity to ensure we can have denser, better, affordable housing, while also living in conjunction with ecosystems we can rely on," said a man who goes by the name of Droplet. He and other activists have been living in a cedar tree found in Seattle’s Wedgwood neighborhood for two weeks. It was supposed to be chopped down to make way for housing construction.
"There's certainly a quality over quantity concern here, which is a stand of new trees... sequesters much less carbon, provides certainly less ecosystem services and also doesn't have the memory of this tree," Droplet said.
As part of the ordinance, removed trees must be replaced or a fee must be paid to plant additional trees elsewhere. In a statement, Councilmember Strauss wrote, "My aim was to pass a balanced bill that protects trees in our neighborhoods and during development while making space for the housing {in} our city." | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/seattle-tree-protection-ordinance/281-06b828ab-126c-48ba-9a08-ac0419e50ba6 | 2023-07-31T02:16:15 | 1 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/seattle-tree-protection-ordinance/281-06b828ab-126c-48ba-9a08-ac0419e50ba6 |
BURBANK, Calif. — With the summer heat wave in full swing in Southern California, a backyard pool is a tempting place to take a dip.
Even for a bear.
Police in the city of Burbank responded to a report of a bear sighting in a residential neighborhood and found the animal sitting in a Jacuzzi behind one of the homes.
After a short dip, the bear climbed over a wall and headed to a tree behind the home, police said in a statement Friday.
Police released a video of the animal in the neighborhood, which is about 10 miles north of Los Angeles and near the Verdugo Mountains.
The Burbank police have issued warnings for residents to avoid bears and to keep all garbage and food locked up to discourage bears from coming to their residences. | https://www.king5.com/article/news/nation-world/bear-spotted-in-california-jacuzzi/507-5f9278de-6918-4d7a-ac90-bff00c664569 | 2023-07-31T02:16:21 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/nation-world/bear-spotted-in-california-jacuzzi/507-5f9278de-6918-4d7a-ac90-bff00c664569 |
MUNCIE, Ind. (WXIN) — A street party in Muncie, Indiana, turned into the scene of a deadly shooting early Sunday morning.
One man died and nearly two dozen others were injured. Of those wounded, 19 were treated at Ball Memorial Hospital’s emergency room, and four were taken to other hospitals. Thirteen victims remained hospitalized in stable condition Sunday afternoon.
After the mass shooting, police announced that there was no further danger to the general public.
”Stranger comes up and decides to take it personal on somebody he knows in the crowd,” said one anonymous man who claimed his nephew was the block party’s disc jockey. “And you can’t fight against an AR. He let loose in the crowd. Everywhere in the crowd.”
The Delaware County coroner identified the deceased victim as 30-year-old Joseph Bonner. There’s no indication if Bonner played an active role in the shooting, whether any other victims are suspected of firing guns, or if any firearms were recovered.
A witness at IU/Ball Memorial Hospital in Muncie described a scene of emergency department chaos with more than 100 people descending on the facility — many of whom were victims that were taken to the hospital by private vehicles.
Officers from several agencies — including a Muncie-based FBI agent — secured the crime scene and collected evidence while doctors and nurses treated the wounded from the mass casualty event.
By midday, detectives were still walking the debris-strewn street and parking lot with brown bags filled with collected evidence. A tow truck was also seen hauling away a bullet-riddled red Buick that appeared to have crashed during an attempt to leave the scene.
The Muncie Homecoming Festival committee said the street party where the shooting happened was not part of the official MHF celebration going on this week.
Muncie Parks Superintendent Carl Malone told Nexstar’s WXIN he chaired a neighborhood crime watch meeting last Thursday, and residents expressed fear that this weekend could turn volatile.
”We was a little concerned about violence that we thought might happen,” said Malone, who described Muncie Homecoming as a city-wide welcome home celebration held once every four years for former residents and family members to reconnect with their hometown. ”You had a lot of people congregating in one area, just hanging out and wanting to be part of the neighborhood activities. And then, at that point at time, it got into late night, and when you get into late nights, you usually have some sort of curfew violations, alcohol, guns and drugs seem to be a problem.”
Malone said Muncie has not had a community-wide gun violence initiative since 2015.
”We’ve always had concerns about this area and teenagers involved with handguns,” said Malone, whose niece attended the party. ”She just got out of surgery. She’s doing well. She’s whole. And then my godson was being treated out at Ball Hospital.”
Malone said he will meet with the city’s police leadership Monday morning to review the shooting and plans for keeping Muncie streets safe the rest of the summer.
”The mayor knows my push for gun violence, the lack of gun violence education, the lack of gun violence awareness, the lack of how to report gun violence in and out of our homes,” Malone said. “There’s a way to report crime, there’s a way to report guns, and we just have to report guns in and out of our backpacks and homes.”
Muncie is about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis. The city is home to about 65,000 people. | https://www.myarklamiss.com/news/national-news/1-dead-23-wounded-after-street-party-shooting-in-indiana/ | 2023-07-31T02:16:23 | 0 | https://www.myarklamiss.com/news/national-news/1-dead-23-wounded-after-street-party-shooting-in-indiana/ |
One person dead in Salisbury after being hit by a moving Amtrak train
The accident happened shortly after 8:30 p.m., near the 200 block of Depot St., just north of the Salisbury Amtrak station.
Published: Jul. 30, 2023 at 9:39 PM EDT|Updated: 35 minutes ago
SALISBURY, N.C. (WBTV) - Police in Salisbury have confirmed that a person is now dead after being hit by a moving Amtrak train.
The accident happened shortly after 8:30 p.m., near the 200 block of Depot St., just north of the Salisbury Amtrak station.
As authorities are still on the scene the incident is still under investigation. Police have not identified the person at this time.
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Copyright 2023 WBTV. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbtv.com/2023/07/31/one-person-dead-salisbury-after-being-hit-by-moving-amtrak-train/ | 2023-07-31T02:16:23 | 0 | https://www.wbtv.com/2023/07/31/one-person-dead-salisbury-after-being-hit-by-moving-amtrak-train/ |
A woman from New Hampshire who works for a nonprofit organization in Haiti and her young daughter have been reported as kidnapped as the U.S. State Department issued a “do not travel advisory” in the country and ordered nonemergency personnel to leave there amid growing security concerns.
Alix Dorsainvil, a nurse for El Roi Haiti, and her daughter were kidnapped on Thursday, the organization said in a statement Saturday. El Roi, which runs a school and ministry in Port au Prince, said the two were taken from campus. Dorsainvil is the wife of the program's director, Sandro Dorsainvil.
“Alix is a deeply compassionate and loving person who considers Haiti her home and the Haitian people her friends and family,” El Roi president and co-founder Jason Brown said in the statement. “Alix has worked tirelessly as our school and community nurse to bring relief to those who are suffering as she loves and serves the people of Haiti in the name of Jesus.”
A State Department spokesperson said in a statement Saturday is it “aware of reports of the kidnapping of two U.S. citizens in Haiti," adding, “We are in regular contact with Haitian authorities and will continue to work with them and our U.S. government interagency partners.”
In its advisory Thursday, the department said that “kidnapping is widespread, and victims regularly include U.S. citizens.”
It said kidnappings often involve ransom negotiations and U.S. citizen victims have been physically harmed.
Earlier this month, the National Human Rights Defense Network issued a report warning about an upsurge in killings and kidnappings and the U.N. Security Council met to discuss Haiti's worsening situation.
WMUR-TV reported that Dorsainvil is from Middleton, New Hampshire, and went to Regis College in Weston, Massachusetts, which has a program to support nursing education in Haiti.
“It doesn’t surprise me that Alex chose to get involved in this type of service work,” Regis College president Toni Hays told the station. “She was amazing. She was passionate, she was compassionate.” | https://www.king5.com/article/news/nation-world/us-mother-daughter-reported-kidnapped-in-haiti/507-dffeb51f-530c-4af0-9846-d782c40b2a43 | 2023-07-31T02:16:27 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/news/nation-world/us-mother-daughter-reported-kidnapped-in-haiti/507-dffeb51f-530c-4af0-9846-d782c40b2a43 |
At 24, Alberto Rodriguez has grandparents younger than Joe Biden. But he’s more interested in the 80-year-old president’s accomplishments than his age.
“People as young as me, we’re all focusing on our day-to-day lives and he has done things to help us through that,” Rodriguez, a cook at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, said of Biden’s support among young voters. Rodriguez pointed specifically to federal COVID-19 relief payments and government spending increases on infrastructure and other social programs.
Voters like him were a key piece of Biden’s winning 2020 coalition, which included majorities of young people as well as college graduates, women, urban and suburban voters and Black Americans. Maintaining their support will be critical in closely contested states such as Nevada, where even small declines could prove consequential to Biden’s reelection bid.
His 2024 campaign plans to emphasize messages that could especially resonate with young people in the coming weeks as the anniversary of the sweeping Inflation Reduction Act approaches in mid-August. That legislation includes provisions that the White House will embrace to argue that Biden has done more than any other president to combat climate change.
Such efforts, however, could collide with Biden’s personal reality — like when he recalled that, while attending a St. Patrick’s Day parade at age 14, he appeared in a photo with President Harry S. Truman.
“Purely by accident — I assume it was an accident — the photographer from the newspaper got a picture of me making eye contact with Harry Truman,” Biden said to chuckles last week at the Truman Civil Rights Symposium in Washington.
In 2020, 61% of voters under age 30 — and 55% of those between 30 and 44 — supported Biden, according to AP VoteCast, a nationwide survey of the electorate.
It’s an age group with which Republicans hope to make inroads. Former President Donald Trump, who is the early front-runner in the GOP presidential primary and is only 3 1/2 years younger than Biden, said Friday, “We are hitting the young person’s market like nobody’s ever seen before.”
Kevin Munoz, a spokesman for Biden’s campaign, referred to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement in arguing that “young people are acutely impacted by the issues front and center in this election, driven by the extreme MAGA agenda.” He said that included inaction on climate change, gun violence and student debt.
“We will meet younger Americans where they are and turn their energy into action,” Munoz said in a statement.
That might not defuse questions about age, though, when it comes to Biden or Trump.
“There’s a frustration and exhaustion that they feel with the rematch,” Terrance Woodbury, co-founder & CEO of the Democratic polling firm HIT Strategies, said of young voters.
“That’s more of a problem than either of those two candidates individually, is that a system can just keep reproducing,” Woodbury added. “And I think a lot of people just find that untenable.”
An April poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that just 25% of Democrats under 45 said they would definitely support Biden in a general election, compared with 56% of older Democrats. A majority of Democrats across age groups said they would probably support him as the party’s nominee, however.
Biden’s campaign is relying heavily on the Democratic National Committee, which during last year’s midterms, hired campus organizers in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona and other battleground states and offered weekly youth coordinating meetings to encourage in-class contacts and “dormstorms.” The DNC sees young people as some of the most critical voters it will need to reach in 2024 and promises “significant investments” to mobilize them. Plans are underway to expand on its work last cycle, including trainings it held on how best to turn out voters.
The Republican National Committee is trying to use Biden’s age against him, posting online videos of Biden seeming frail or making verbal gaffes, such as when he declared in June “God save the queen,” nearly nine months after the death of England’s Queen Elizabeth II.
Rodriguez shrugged off online attacks, “People can make all the hit pieces and memes and TikToks all they want.”
A starker contrast might be between the president and rising Democrats such as 46-year-old California Rep. Ro Khanna and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, 41, one of Biden’s primary rivals in 2020. Neither seriously entertained running for the White House in 2024 and have backed Biden’s reelection.
“The only thing that really matters is your ability to do the job,” Buttigieg, who was 37 when he launched his 2020 presidential bid, said recently on CNN. Khanna told Fox News Channel that age will “obviously” be a 2024 factor, but suggested that Biden’s staff “overprotects” him and “the more he’s out there, the better.”
Other top young Democrats have lined up to back Biden. Florida Democratic Rep. Maxwell Frost, who was elected to Congress last year at 26, is on the Biden campaign’s advisory board, as is Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, 44. New York Rep. Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, 33, recently endorsed Biden.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, a progressive who says strong turnout among young voters helped him win a runoff election this spring, said Biden’s policies transcend his age. Johnson noted that the president’s work “around climate justice speaks not just to this generation, but generations to come.”
“The excitement that I believe that we’re going to have is going to speak to the incredible work and organizing that we are committed to doing as a party,” said Johnson, 47. “And we’re looking forward to working with the president over the course of his next four years.”
Still, Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, acknowledged that even the president’s supporters understand how demanding the White House can be.
“People worry about Joe Biden. They worry like you would worry about a beloved father or grandfather,” said Weingarten, 65. “What you normally hear from Democrats is this sense of, ‘OK, I just want him to be OK.’ And you’re hearing just the consternation of, ’This is a hard job.’”
Biden said he “took a hard look” at his age while deciding to seek a second term. But he’s also tried to suggest his age and experience are assets rather than liabilities by joking repeatedly about them. That’s a departure from 2020, when Biden called himself a “transition candidate” and pledged to be a “bridge” to younger Democrats.
Santiago Mayer, the founder of Voters of Tomorrow, which has 20-plus chapters nationwide and works to increase political engagement among young voters, argues that Biden is not defying his past promise by running for reelection, but keeping it.
“He just needs more time,” said Mayer, who graduated from California State University at Long Beach in May. “I think the second term is a very important part of that pledge. He’s building a progressive future for young people and he can’t actually pass the baton until that’s done.”
One key policy piece of Biden’s efforts to appeal to young voters, providing student debt relief, was recently struck down by the Supreme Court. The White House has launched a new effort, but it will take longer.
“Of course it’s going to dampen some of that because people are disappointed,” Weingarten said of the ruling’s effect on enthusiasm for Biden. But she said the decision could also motivate young Biden supporters anxious show their support for the president’s alternative plan.
“It is also about the fight,” Weingarten said “not just about the results.” | https://www.myarklamiss.com/news/national-news/joe-biden-the-oldest-sitting-president-needs-young-voters-will-his-age-matter/ | 2023-07-31T02:16:29 | 1 | https://www.myarklamiss.com/news/national-news/joe-biden-the-oldest-sitting-president-needs-young-voters-will-his-age-matter/ |
PHOENIX — PHOENIX (AP) — It's been exactly one year since Seattle made a big trade-deadline move, adding ace right-hander Luis Castillo in a deal with the Cincinnati Reds.
Safe to say it's a decision that's worked out quite well for the Mariners.
Castillo threw six sharp innings, J.P. Crawford connected for a solo homer and the Mariners beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-0 on Sunday.
“What a trade. He has changed the whole demeanor around our pitching staff,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “He's the rock, he's who we lean on and he showed up today.”
The Mariners took two of three games in the weekend series, improving to 54-51 for the season as the team's front office tries to decide whether to be buyers, sellers, or do nothing as Tuesday's trade deadline approaches. Seattle looked like a possible seller at the end of June, but has used a 16-9 mark in July to climb back into the playoff race.
The Diamondbacks are close to wrapping up a miserable month, with a 7-16 record in July. They were one of the surprise teams in the big leagues through the first half of the season, but at 56-50, it's unclear whether Arizona is ready to make any big moves to bolster its postseason chances.
D-backs manager Torey Lovullo credited Seattle's pitching staff with a good performance, but wasn't happy with his team's approach at the plate.
“We should never have an offensive day like that,” Lovullo said. “Because we're a bunch of really good hitters. We've got to get this thing moving in the right direction offensively. We've got to get this moving in the right direction, period.”
Castillo (7-7) gave up just two hits, striking out seven and walking one while throwing 102 pitches. The right-hander has a 2.88 ERA this season, continuing his great performance since coming to the Pacific Northwest. He helped lead the Mariners to the playoffs last season after the trade and made his third All-Star team in July.
The Mariners finished with a 4-2 record on their road trip and have won three straight series.
“I felt that energy, a lot of good vibes,” Castillo said through a translator. “I felt them anxious to win and that's why we've had the results we've had during this road trip.”
The Mariners jumped ahead 2-0 in the first inning after Mike Ford drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs that forced home Crawford. Ty France followed with an RBI single. Arizona starter Merrill Kelly finally coaxed the third out on his 41st pitch when Cade Marlowe grounded out.
“We were laying off good pitches and grinding it out,” Crawford said.
Crawford homered in the second — his ninth long ball of the season — to make it 3-0. The shortstop added a double in the ninth and scored for the third time on Eugenio Suárez's single.
Kelly (9-5) managed to shake off his 41-pitch first inning to deliver a decent outing. The right-hander gave up three runs and seven hits over five innings, striking out six while walking two.
The Diamondbacks finished with just three hits, one each for Ketel Marte, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Emmanuel Rivera.
DOUBLE DOUBLE PLAY
Arizona's Dominic Canzone lined out to the right side twice — once in the second inning and again in the fourth — and both times Christian Walker was doubled off first base for another out.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Diamondbacks: Placed LHP Tommy Henry (left elbow inflammation) on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to Saturday. Activated RHP Cole Sulser (strained right shoulder) from the 60-day injured list.
UP NEXT
Mariners: Return home to face the Red Sox in a three-game series starting Monday. Seattle will start RHP George Kirby (9-8, 3.49 ERA) in the first game. Boston hadn't announced a starter.
Diamondbacks: Travel to face the Giants in a four-game series starting Monday. Arizona will start RHP Ryne Nelson (6-5, 4.97 ERA) in the first game. San Francisco hadn't announced a starter. | https://www.king5.com/article/sports/mlb/mariners/castillo-and-crawford-lead-the-mariners-to-a-4-0-victory-over-the-diamondbacks/281-e8708ea0-883a-4e0e-bd78-bfe3725247d5 | 2023-07-31T02:16:33 | 0 | https://www.king5.com/article/sports/mlb/mariners/castillo-and-crawford-lead-the-mariners-to-a-4-0-victory-over-the-diamondbacks/281-e8708ea0-883a-4e0e-bd78-bfe3725247d5 |
(NewsNation) — While questions remain about a mystery company buying 52,000 acres of land near an Air Force base, a congressman says farmers in the area are being targeted in a lawsuit.
Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., has been speaking out over the past five years about the $800 million in land acquisitions by Flannery Associates near Travis Air Force Base in Northern California.
In an interview with NewsNation, Garamendi said he’s been in contact with the families of farmers who handed over their land to Flannery. He said they didn’t want to sell in the first place.
Since no California laws require them to sell, the land was bargained for by both parties at a much higher price. But now, Flannery is suing those families for $510 million, accusing them of conspiring together to inflate the value of the land.
“It’s a suit designed to force the farmers to lawyer up, spend tens of thousands of dollars on lawyering and maybe at the end of the day, bankrupt themselves,” Garamendi said. “In fact, that has happened to at least one family that I know of and I’ve heard rumors that another family simply said we can’t afford the lawyers.”
NewsNation reviewed a copy of the lawsuit. Attorneys for Flannery said they believe “this is a simple case about a group of wealthy landowners who saw an opportunity to conspire, collude, price fix and illegally overcharge Flannery.”
But Garamendi said there was no viable economic reason to justify spending several times more than what the land is worth in the first place.
The suit comes as companies with ties to China have been ramping up efforts to buy American farmland in recent years.
Public records show “Flannery Associates” has invested more than $800 million on more than 50,000 acres of land surrounding the Travis Air Force Base since 2018.
Legal representation for Flannery said the group is controlled by U.S. citizens, with 97% of its capital coming from U.S.-based investors. But after eight months of investigation, federal officials can’t confirm or deny this to be true and have not been able to determine exactly who is backing the company.
The Air Force’s Foreign Investment Risk Review office is currently investigating Flannery Associates. Garamendi said there are valid concerns that Flannery’s land acquisitions could be tied to foreign enemies.
“The fact they chose to buy all three sides of the Travis Air Force Base even raises immediate questions about national security,” Garamendi said. “So, is this Chinese money? We don’t know, but we do know that the Chinese money was being used in North Dakota and we have a very deep suspicion, given the amount of money, given the lack of attention to values, that they simply want to acquire all of this land.”
NewsNation investigated the now thwarted deal with a Chinese-owned company in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Last year, 300 acres of farmland were purchased near the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota by Chinese-owned Fufeng – a deal that raised red flags about potential spying.
After pushback from the community, the city council ultimately voted to end the project, citing national security risks.
Garamendi said local residents near Travis Air Force Base are riled up, just like the residents in Grand Forks, due to how critical the area is for the U.S. military.
“Travis Air Force Base is absolutely essential. It is the gateway to the Pacific,” Garamendi said, later adding, “A good deal of the munitions that are going to Ukraine also passed through Travis Air Force Base.”
China has been buying up American farmland for years. Nearly 384,000 acres of agricultural land in the U.S. is controlled by China, and the rate at which they are purchasing land is growing, the USDA reports.
Chinese ownership of American farmland has increased 55% in the past five years, with almost 75% of it located in the South and about 16% on the West Coast. | https://www.myarklamiss.com/news/national-news/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ | 2023-07-31T02:16:35 | 1 | https://www.myarklamiss.com/news/national-news/mystery-group-buying-land-near-air-force-base-is-suing-farmers-congressman-says/ |
MANHATTAN (PIX11) — Asylum seekers lined all four blocks around the Roosevelt Hotel Sunday, waiting to be processed.
The hotel serves as New York City’s intake center for all people seeking asylum in New York City. Their only relief was inside some city buses and vans parked outside the hotel entrance.
“We feel bad because we are in the street,” said Abdel, an asylum seeker from Senegal. “We sit in the street. We don’t like to sit in the street.”
Multiple asylum seekers told us they came to America looking for jobs and want to work with dignity to fulfill their dreams.
Activist Power Malu, who fights for asylum seeker rights, said flyers are being distributed at the Southern U.S. border, asking asylum seekers to consider settling in other cities because shelter or services are not guaranteed.
“People need to be treated with dignity,” said Malu. “People need to be treated with respect and with kindness. And what we’re noticing now is that people don’t really seem to care because no one is being held accountable.”
City leaders continue pushing for additional resources from Washington. Mayor Eric Adams visited Washington last week. On Sunday, he briefly commented on the issue during the Dominican Day Parade.
“We’ve been saying for the longest that we’re out of space,” said Adams. “This is a national response. We need national help. We’re out of space.” | https://pix11.com/news/local-news/manhattan/asylum-seekers-line-sidewalks-outside-of-roosevelt-hotel-in-manhattan/ | 2023-07-31T02:16:36 | 1 | https://pix11.com/news/local-news/manhattan/asylum-seekers-line-sidewalks-outside-of-roosevelt-hotel-in-manhattan/ |
LAS VEGAS -- Audience members at concerts in recent months have continued a pattern of throwing objects at artists who are on stage performing, and rapper Cardi B has had enough.
On Saturday, the rapper was on stage at Drai's Beach Club in Las Vegas when an audience member appeared to throw a drink at her, as seen in video footage posted to social media.
In the clip, Cardi B is seen getting splashed with liquid from the cup while performing her 2018 hit "Bodak Yellow." Clearly upset, she reacted immediately by throwing her microphone into the crowd as security guards rushed to the stage.
More security guards are then seen flocking to the person in the crowd as she watched from the stage before continuing on with her set.
In another video posted to TikTok on Saturday, Cardi B is seen throwing her microphone at a DJ who appeared to cut off her song early during a performance at Drai's Nightclub on Friday.
CNN has reached out to a representative for Cardi B for comment.
The incident in Las Vegas on Saturday is just the latest in a slew of similar scenes at concerts where artists - including Drake, Kelsea Ballerini, Harry Styles and Bebe Rexha - have become the target of objects thrown at them while on stage, with some artists suffering injuries as a result.
Harry Styles hit on stage in face
Only recently have performers, including R&B singer Monica and country star Miranda Lambert, gotten involved when they see behavior they do not approve of.
Last week, Monica jumped off the stage after witnessing someone allegedly assault a female audience member in the crowd at her Detroit show.
She was praised for her interference when footage of the altercation went viral on social media, and she later told CNN's Abby Phillip she feels concerts have become "a dangerous space and place."
"I just really want that to change," she added. | https://abc30.com/cardi-b-throws-mic-las-vegas-fan-drink-on-stage/13574980/ | 2023-07-31T02:16:37 | 0 | https://abc30.com/cardi-b-throws-mic-las-vegas-fan-drink-on-stage/13574980/ |
Updated July 30, 2023 at 10:09 PM ET
It's the end of the road for one of the nation's largest freight carriers.
Yellow, a trucking company that just three years ago took a $700 million federal pandemic loan, is shutting down, according to the Teamsters union, which represents the company's 22,000 unionized workers.
The company is expected to file for bankruptcy as soon as Monday, according to industry experts, following a recent exodus of customers amid union strife and on top of years of financial troubles.
With 30,000 jobs at stake, it's poised to be the largest trucking bankruptcy in the history of the U.S., experts said. The company, formerly known as YRC Worldwide, is the third largest less-than-truckload carrier by revenue, behind FedEx and Old Dominion. LTL companies move pallet-sized shipments — smaller than a container, but bigger than a parcel.
Yellow has not publicly announced any plans for bankruptcy or a potential shutdown.
Here's what we know.
Employees were told to prepare for a company shutdown
The Teamsters union, which had been locked in contentious contract negotiations for a new contract with Yellow, said it received a legal notice that Yellow is ceasing operations and filing for bankruptcy, according to a news release posted Sunday night.
"Today's news is unfortunate but not surprising," said Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien. "This is a sad day for workers and the American freight industry."
The union's announcement comes hours after The Wall Street Journal reported that Yellow shut down on Sunday afternoon, citing internal notices sent to customers and employees.
Yellow says it will issue a public statement on Monday about "the state of the company and the operation," according to the industry outlet FreightWaves, which also obtained internal documents.
Yellow has not responded to NPR's requests for comment.
Yellow laid off an unknown number of its employees on Friday, reported FreightWaves, citing a memo sent to staff informing them that the company is "shutting down its regular operations" and "laying off employees at all of its locations."
The same day, Teamsters had advised Yellow employees to "prepare for the worst."
"Yellow appears to be headed to a complete shutdown within the next few days," said Teamsters National Freight Director John Murphy in a Friday memo shared with NPR.
A strike threat delivered the final blow to cash-poor Yellow
The shutdown comes just days after a Teamsters strike at the company was averted. A week ago, a pension fund agreed to extend health benefits for workers at two Yellow operating companies after the carrier missed its $50 million benefits payment to the fund on July 15, the union said.
While the extension held off a July 24 strike, the threat of a walkout that could disrupt operations prompted a wave of Yellow customers to bolt.
"The Teamsters actions induced a high level of variability and uncertainty in the market for Yellow's customers. The market abhors variability and uncertainty," wrote Mike Regan, co-founder of TranzAct Technologies, which manages transportation services for retailers. "Consequently, Yellow lost substantial and much needed volume."
After the strike threat, Yellow's freight volumes fell 80% within the span of a week, according to Jack Atkins, a managing director at the financial services firm Stephens who researches the transportation sector.
At the same time, he said, Yellow's cries that it was running out of cash during union negotiation attempts scared off customers. After fleeing to rival carriers like FedEx and ABF Freight, customers didn't return.
"Both sides bear fault," Atkins said. "Once that freight left, there was nothing left to really restructure," he added. "It was really too late to save the company."
The company has been at risk of bankruptcy for years
Animus between Yellow and Teamsters has grown in recent months, with each party blaming one another for the company's problems.
After the trucking carrier tried to restructure its operations this spring as a cost-saving measure that would allow it to refinance its debt. In June, Yellow sued the union for blocking the restructuring plan it said was "essential to the company's survival." The Teamsters in turn called the lawsuit "baseless," instead blaming Yellow for "decades of gross mismanagement," that included its alleged exhaustion of the $700 million bailout loan.
The company reported a net income of $21.8 million last year. Yellow has $1.3 billion in loan debt due in fall 2024, $729 million of which is owed to the federal government, according to the company's latest quarterly report.
Yellow received a $700 million loan from the government in 2020 as part of a COVID-19 rescue package. In return, the Treasury Department took a 30% stake in the company's shares, which have since plummeted to less than a dollar apiece as of Friday.
In June, a congressional probe found that the Treasury Department's disbursement of the loan was a mistake; the freight company — whose customers included the Department of Defense — did not actually meet the standards to qualify for the business loan because its survival was not "critical to maintaining national security."
"Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Yellow was a financially struggling company that had a long-term non-investment grade (i.e., junk) rating and previous close calls with bankruptcy over the years. The pandemic did not cause Yellow's longstanding problems, nor is the Treasury's loan to the company likely to solve those problems," the Congressional Oversight Commission report read.
A world without Yellow
An end to the Nashville-based company would mean the loss of 30,000 jobs.
In its Sunday statement, the Teamsters union said it's working to help "affected members get the assistance they need to find good union jobs throughout freight and other industries."
Atkins doesn't expect the federal government to come to the rescue this time. While there may be some slight disruptions, the analyst anticipates other freight carriers will have some capacity to absorb Yellow's business because of a recent dent in freight volumes.
"This is not going to create a supply-chain crisis," he said.
Retailers and manufacturers are likely to see higher shipping rates if the company folds, he said. Yellow is known for its low shipping rates compared to its rivals.
Atkins visited the Yellow terminal in Little Rock, Ark., on Sunday to find all gates chained up, a sign of ceased operations.
"They've been in wind-down mode, clearing the network out of all the remaining freight," he said. "This is the end."
NPR's Camila Domonoske contributed to this story.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-30/the-yellow-trucking-company-meltdown-explained | 2023-07-31T02:16:37 | 1 | https://www.kunm.org/npr-news/npr-news/2023-07-30/the-yellow-trucking-company-meltdown-explained |
A week later, the “Barbenheimer” boom has not abated.
Seven days after Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” conspired to set box office records, the two films held unusually strongly in theaters. “Barbie” took in a massive $93 million in its second weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. “Oppenheimer” stayed in second with a robust $46.2 million. Sales for the two movies dipped 43% and 44%, respectably — well shy of the usual week-two drops.
“Barbenheimer” has proven to be not a one-weekend phenomenon but an ongoing box-office bonanza. The two movies combined have already surpassed $1 billion in worldwide ticket sales. Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for data firm Comscore, call it “a touchstone moment for movies, moviegoers and movie theaters.”
“Having two movies from rival studios linked in this way and both boosting each other's fortunes — both box-office wise and it terms of their profile — I don't know if there's a comp for this in the annals of box-office history," said Dergarabedian. “There's really no comparison for this.”
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Following its year-best $162 million opening, the pink-infused pop sensation of “Barbie” saw remarkably sustained business through the week and into the weekend. The film outpaced Nolan's “The Dark Knight" to have the best first 11 days in theaters of any Warner Bros. release ever.
“Barbie” has rapidly accumulated $351.4 million in U.S. and Canadian theaters, a rate that will soon make it the biggest box-office hit of the summer. Every day it’s played, “Barbie" has made at least $20 million.
And the “Barbie” effect isn't just in North America. The film made $122.2 million internationally over the weekend. Its global tally has reached $775 million. It's the kind of business that astounds even veteran studio executives.
“That's a crazy number,” said Jeff Goldstein, distribution chief for Warner Bros. “There's just a built-in audience that wants to be part of the zeitgeist of the moment. Wherever you go, people are wearing pink. Pink is taking over the world."
Amid the frenzy, “Barbie” is already attracting a lot of repeat moviegoers. Goldstein estimates that 12% of sales are people going back with friends or family to see it again.
For a movie industry that has been trying to regain its pre-pandemic footing — and that now finds itself largely shuttered due to actors and screenwriters strikes — the sensations of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” have showed what's possible when everything lines up just right.
“Post-pandemic, there's no ceiling and there's no floor," Goldstein said. "The movies that miss really miss big time, and the movies that work really work big time."
Universal Pictures' “Oppenheimer,” meanwhile, is performing more like a superhero movie than a three-hour film about scientists talking.
Nolan’s drama starring Cillian Murphy as atomic bomb physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer has accrued $174.1 million domestically thus far. With an additional $72.4 million in international cinemas, “Oppenheimer” has already surpassed $400 million globally.
Showings in IMAX have typically been sold out. “Oppenheimer” has made $80 million worldwide on IMAX. The large-format exhibitor said Sunday that it will extend the film's run through Aug. 13.
The week’s top new release, Walt Disney Co.’s “Haunted Mansion,” an adaptation of the Disney theme park attraction, was easily overshadowed by the “Barbenheimer” blitz. The film, which cost about $150 million, debuted with $24 million domestically and $9 million in overseas sales. “Haunted Mansion,” directed by Justin Simien (“Dear White People,” “Bad Hair”) and starring an ensemble of LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito and Rosario Dawson, struggled to overcome mediocre reviews.
“Talk to Me,” the A24 supernatural horror film, fared better. It debuted with $10 million. The film, directed by Australian filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou and starring Sophie Wilde, was a midnight premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January and received terrific reviews from critics (95% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). It was made for a modest $4.5 million.
While theaters being flush with moviegoers has been a huge boon to the film industry, it’s been tougher sledding for Tom Cruise, the so-called savior of the movies last summer with “Top Gun: Maverick.” “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part I,” which debuted the week before the arrival of “Barbenheimer,” grossed $10.7 million in its third weekend. The film starring Cruise and directed by Christopher McQuarrie, has grossed $139.2 million domestically and $309.3 million overseas.
Instead, the sleeper hit “Sound of Freedom” has been the best performing non-“Barbenheimer” release in theaters. The Angel Studios’ release, which is counting crowdfunding pay-it-forward sales in its box office totals, made $12.4 million in its fourth weekend, bringing its haul thus far to nearly $150 million.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.
1. “Barbie,” $93 million.
2. “Oppenheimer,” $46.2 million.
3. “Haunted Mansion,” $24.2 million.
4. “Sound of Freedom,” $12.4 million.
5. “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One,” $10.7 million.
6. “Talk to Me,” $10 million.
7. “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny,” $4 million.
8. “Elemental,” $3.4 million.
9. “Insidious: The Red Door,” $3.2 million.
10. “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani,” $1.6 million. | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/the-barbie-bonanza-continues-at-the-box-office-oppenheimer-holds-the-no-2-spot/3614675/ | 2023-07-31T02:16:37 | 0 | https://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/the-barbie-bonanza-continues-at-the-box-office-oppenheimer-holds-the-no-2-spot/3614675/ |
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno City College gymnasium was the place to be Sunday afternoon with the Fresno Pro-Am in full swing.
Big names like NBA veteran Rudy Gay, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer, and Avenal's former boxing champ Jose Ramirez all gathered to watch some big-time basketball.
Not only were players dishing it out on the court, but they gave back to the Valley with a back-to-school drive.
The efforts were spearheaded by former San Joaquin Memorial grad and NBA veteran Quincy Pondexter.
"Let's bring the community together," he said. "That's what it's all about -- bringing the city of Fresno together."
Former Bulldog turned Miami Heat big man Orlando Robinson was also in the house.
He's fresh off being named to the All-Summer League first-team, signing a one-year deal with the Miami Heat.
His former teammate and current Bulldog point guard, Isaiah Hill balled out, leading his squad to a Fresno Pro-Am title.
For sports updates, follow Alec Nolan on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. | https://abc30.com/fresno-city-pro-am-basketball-event-sports-game/13575138/ | 2023-07-31T02:16:43 | 1 | https://abc30.com/fresno-city-pro-am-basketball-event-sports-game/13575138/ |
VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Investigators have arrested a man in connection to a deadly stabbing in Visalia that happened two months ago.
The stabbing occurred back on May 30 at Visalia Liquor located between Whitendale and Monte Vista Avenues, near Mooney Boulevard.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found 48-year-old Juan Martinez with stab wounds.
He was taken to a hospital, where he died..
At 9 pm Friday, Visalia PD's Special Enforcement Unit conducted a traffic stop near Murray Avenue and Church Street.
29-year-old Jose De Jesus Espinoza was arrested for warrants related to the homicide.
Espinoza was booked into the Tulare County Pre-Trial Facility for the crime. | https://abc30.com/visalia-stabbing-liquor-store-suspect-arrested-deadly/13574716/ | 2023-07-31T02:16:49 | 0 | https://abc30.com/visalia-stabbing-liquor-store-suspect-arrested-deadly/13574716/ |
PHOENIX — (AP) — Phoenix sizzled through its 31st consecutive day of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) and other parts of the country grappled Sunday with record temperatures after a week that saw significant portions of the U.S. population subject to extreme heat.
The National Weather Service said Phoenix was expected to climb to 112 F (44.4 Celsius) before the day was through.
July has been so steamy thus far that scientists calculate it will be the hottest month ever recorded and likely the warmest human civilization has seen. The World Meteorological Organization and the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service on Thursday proclaimed July beyond record-smashing.
The historic heat began blasting the lower Southwest U.S. in late June, stretching from Texas across New Mexico and Arizona and into California's desert.
On Sunday, a massive wildfire burning out of control in California's Mojave National Preserve spread rapidly amid erratic winds, while firefighters reported progress against another major blaze to the south that prompted evacuations.
The York Fire that erupted Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the preserve sent up a huge plume of smoke visible nearly 100 miles (160 kilometers) away across the state line in Nevada.
Flames 20 feet (6 meters) high in some spots have charred more than 110 square miles (284 square kilometers) of desert scrub, juniper and Joshua tree woodland, according to a Sunday update.
“The dry fuel acts as a ready ignition source, and when paired with those weather conditions it resulted in long-distance fire run and high flames, leading to extreme fire behavior,” authorities said. No structures were threatened, but there was also no containment.
To the southwest, the Bonny Fire was holding steady at about 3.4 square miles (8.8 square kilometers) in rugged hills of Riverside County. More than 1,300 people were ordered to evacuate their homes Saturday near the remote community of Aguanga, California.
Triple-digit heat was expected in parts of the central San Joaquin Valley through Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
And in Burbank, California, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, the summer heat may have been responsible for some unusual behavior in the animal kingdom: Police in the city responded to a report of a bear sighting in a residential neighborhood and found the animal sitting in a Jacuzzi behind one of the homes.
As climate change brings hotter and longer heat waves, record temperatures across the U.S. have killed dozens of people, and the poorest Americans suffer the most. Air conditioning, once a luxury, is now a matter of survival.
Last year, all 86 heat-related deaths indoors were in uncooled environments.
“To explain it fairly simply: Heat kills,” said Kristie Ebi, a University of Washington professor who researches heat and health. “Once the heat wave starts, mortality starts in about 24 hours.”
It’s the poorest and people of color, from Kansas City to Detroit to New York City and beyond, who are far more likely to face grueling heat without air conditioning, according to a Boston University analysis of 115 U.S. metro areas.
Back in Phoenix, slight relief may be on the way as expected seasonal thunderstorms could drop temperatures Monday and Tuesday.
“It should be around 108 degrees, so we break that 110 streak,” meteorologist Tom Frieders said. “Increasing cloud cover will put temperatures in a downward trend.”
The relief could be short-lived, however. Highs are expected to creep back to 110 F (43.3 C) Wednesday with temperatures reaching 115 F (46.1 C) by the end of the week.
Phoenix has also sweated through a record 16 consecutive nights when the lows temperature didn't dip below 90 F (32.2 C), making it hard for people to cool off after sunset.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas continues to flirt with its hottest July ever. The city is closing in on its 2010 record for the average of the high and low each day for July, which stands at 96.2 F (35.5 C).
The extreme heat is also hitting the eastern U.S, as soaring temperatures moved from the Midwest into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, where some places recorded their warmest days so far this year.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. | https://www.wftv.com/news/july-keeps-sizzling/DCBBT4THE3JB5XK4N56ROI7SZ4/ | 2023-07-31T02:18:22 | 1 | https://www.wftv.com/news/july-keeps-sizzling/DCBBT4THE3JB5XK4N56ROI7SZ4/ |
July keeps sizzling as Phoenix hits another 110-degree day and wildfires spread in California
PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix sizzled through its 31st consecutive day of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) and other parts of the country grappled Sunday with record temperatures after a week that saw significant portions of the U.S. population subject to extreme heat.
The National Weather Service said Phoenix was expected to climb to 112 F (44.4 Celsius) before the day was through.
July has been so steamy thus far that scientists calculate it will be the hottest month ever recorded and likely the warmest human civilization has seen. The World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service on Thursday proclaimed July beyond record-smashing.
The historic heat began blasting the lower Southwest U.S. in late June, stretching from Texas across New Mexico and Arizona and into California’s desert.
On Sunday, a massive wildfire burning out of control in California’s Mojave National Preserve spread rapidly amid erratic winds, while firefighters reported progress against another major blaze to the south that prompted evacuations.
The York Fire that erupted Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the preserve sent up a huge plume of smoke visible nearly 100 miles (160 kilometers) away across the state line in Nevada.
Flames 20 feet (6 meters) high in some spots have charred more than 110 square miles (284 square kilometers) of desert scrub, juniper and Joshua tree woodland, according to a Sunday update.
“The dry fuel acts as a ready ignition source, and when paired with those weather conditions it resulted in long-distance fire run and high flames, leading to extreme fire behavior,” authorities said. No structures were threatened, but there was also no containment.
To the southwest, the Bonny Fire was holding steady at about 3.4 square miles (8.8 square kilometers) in rugged hills of Riverside County. More than 1,300 people were ordered to evacuate their homes Saturday near the remote community of Aguanga, California.
Triple-digit heat was expected in parts of the central San Joaquin Valley through Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
And in Burbank, California, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, the summer heat may have been responsible for some unusual behavior in the animal kingdom: Police in the city responded to a report of a bear sighting in a residential neighborhood and found the animal sitting in a Jacuzzi behind one of the homes.
As climate change brings hotter and longer heat waves, record temperatures across the U.S. have killed dozens of people, and the poorest Americans suffer the most. Air conditioning, once a luxury, is now a matter of survival.
Last year, all 86 heat-related deaths indoors were in uncooled environments.
“To explain it fairly simply: Heat kills,” said Kristie Ebi, a University of Washington professor who researches heat and health. “Once the heat wave starts, mortality starts in about 24 hours.”
It’s the poorest and people of color, from Kansas City to Detroit to New York City and beyond, who are far more likely to face grueling heat without air conditioning, according to a Boston University analysis of 115 U.S. metro areas.
Back in Phoenix, slight relief may be on the way as expected seasonal thunderstorms could drop temperatures Monday and Tuesday.
“It should be around 108 degrees, so we break that 110 streak,” meteorologist Tom Frieders said. “Increasing cloud cover will put temperatures in a downward trend.”
The relief could be short-lived, however. Highs are expected to creep back to 110 F (43.3 C) Wednesday with temperatures reaching 115 F (46.1 C) by the end of the week.
Phoenix has also sweated through a record 16 consecutive nights when the lows temperature didn’t dip below 90 F (32.2 C), making it hard for people to cool off after sunset.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas continues to flirt with its hottest July ever. The city is closing in on its 2010 record for the average of the high and low each day for July, which stands at 96.2 F (35.5 C).
The extreme heat is also hitting the eastern U.S, as soaring temperatures moved from the Midwest into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, where some places recorded their warmest days so far this year.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kalb.com/2023/07/31/july-keeps-sizzling-phoenix-hits-another-110-degree-day-wildfires-spread-california/ | 2023-07-31T02:18:22 | 1 | https://www.kalb.com/2023/07/31/july-keeps-sizzling-phoenix-hits-another-110-degree-day-wildfires-spread-california/ |
BEIJING, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- President Xi Jinping visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan on July 25, which winds its way through rugged mountains and ancient trees. There, Xi learned about efforts surrounding ecological conservation.
This visit marks Xi's attention to China's ecological development, which has achieved remarkable progress over the past 10 years, said experts.
Witnessing the government's recent remarks on ecology, they believed that the country's road of building a Beautiful China has demonstrated the nation's wisdom in balancing the needs of economic development and improving the environment.
Before heading to Sichuan, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech at a national conference on ecological and environmental protection held from July 17 to 18.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone a historic, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
Noting that China's economy and society have entered a stage of high-quality development marked by accelerated progress in promoting green and low-carbon growth, Xi called for higher standards, a broader perspective and stronger efforts in planning and advancing ecological and environmental protection on the new journey, as well as writing a new chapter of ecological conservation in the new era.
Xi stressed the need to properly handle the relationships between high-quality development and high-level protection, between tackling major challenges and coordinating governance, between natural recovery and human-assisted restoration, between external constraints and internal driving forces, as well as between "dual carbon" commitments and self-determined actions.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone historical, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
This conference again showed us how importance the central government attaches to ecological protection, an official from environment protection bureau in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Friday. He said during the past 10 years, ecological protection has become an increasingly important indictor in evaluating government's performance in his city, which was famous for coal production.
"Although planting trees costs more in Inner Mongolia than in other parts of China due to lack of water and dry weather, we learned in the past 10 years that making our city greener brings more benefits than leaving the mountains bare. The city becomes more beautiful, residents are happy, and more tourists visit; also we saw less sandstorms," the official said.
During a press conference on Thursday, Huang Runqiu, China's minister of ecology and environment, highlighted China's achievement on ecological protection over recent years.
From 2013 to 2022, China's average PM2.5 concentration decreased by 57 percent and the number of heavily polluted days decreased by 93 percent, while the nation's GDP doubled during the same period, Huang said. This made China the country with the fastest improvement in air quality worldwide. Specifically, in Beijing, the average PM2.5 concentration decreased from 89.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to 30 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022, and the number of heavily polluted days decreased from 58 to only 3, said Huang. The United Nations Environment Agency praised this achievement as the "Beijing Miracle."
Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times that "China has engaged in a sustained top-down efforts for many years to enhance ecological protection. The central and local governments march together toward the same goal, with continuous environmental policies. Moreover, the country has demonstrated its wisdom in how to balance ecological development and maintain fast economic growth at the same time."
Perfect balance
We should protect nature and preserve the environment like we protect our eyes, and endeavor to foster a new relationship where man and nature can both prosper and live in harmony, President Xi once said.
Xi has given important instructions on the rational utilization and friendly protection of the ecological environment during his numerous visits to the frontlines of ecological protection, such as to the Maanshan forest farm in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Qilian Mountains, the Shandan Horse Ranch in Gansu, an ecological wetland of the Dianchi Lake in Kunming, and many other places.
In June 2022, Xi visited Yibin, Sichuan Province, where the Jinsha and Minjiang rivers converge into the Yangtze River. He noted that sound ecological conservation along the Yangtze River basin is the precondition for advancing high-quality development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The Yellow River and the Yangtze River are the mother rivers of the Chinese nation. The protection of the mother rivers is a crucial project concerning the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation, Xi said at the time.
From June 5 to 6 this year, accompanied by officials from Inner Mongolia, Xi was on a fact-finding mission at a nature reserve, a modern agricultural demonstration park, a forest farm and a water resources department in the city of Bayannur.
On June 6, Xi presided over a symposium in Bayannur on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting the construction of crucial ecological projects, including the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program.
Xi, who was then the Party Chief of Zhejiang, put forward the famous "two mountains" concept - clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets comparable to the gold and silver of legend - in August 2005 during his visit to Anji county.
Nowadays, residents in the county has sought out ways to make a living that they enjoy, with many becoming businessmen, running their own hostels, shops and tourism companies, thanks to the improved natural environment.
Pan Chunlin, a former miner, who now runs a hostel after local mines were shut down, explained the transformation to the Global Times "My annual income is now hundreds of times higher than before. Today, I can earn in a day what I used to make in one year".
Following the development approach referred to as the "two mountains" concept, in the past decade, Anji has modeled itself into a place known for its beautiful ecology and prosperous green industries, which have completely changed the villagers' lives, Jin Peihua, head of the "Two Mountains" Concept Research Institute affiliated with Huzhou University, said.
Global bellwether
Apart from domestic efforts, China is also making efforts in unifying a global effort on ecological preservation.
The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP15, was convened in Kunming, Yunnan Province in 2021.
As the first global conference convened by the United Nations on the topic of ecological civilization, a philosophy proposed by China, it offered a platform for countries to find common ground on "Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth."
During an official trip to Zimbabwe in 2015, Xi visited a local wildlife sanctuary, where he fed an orphaned elephant. He reiterated China's commitment to wildlife protection and pledged to help Zimbabwe do so by donating equipment and exchanging experience with China.
Recalling Xi's explanation of China's initiatives to breed giant pandas and expand protected areas, Roxy Danckwerts, the founder of the sanctuary, said, "I thought that was very significant that he is making such big strides in his own country."
Bradley Blankenship, a Prague-based American journalist, columnist and political commentator, recently spent a week in Beijing. Speaking with the Global Times, he said that "I must admit that based on the antiquated view of China that many Americans have and discuss publicly, I expected the city to be smoggy and congested. To the contrary, it has beautiful blue skies.
"China has been successful in beautifying Beijing, as well as other cities and towns, by transitioning from coal power to gas, establishing emission standards for coal-fired stations, implementing tougher standards for other industries such as steel and cement and seeking high-quality development with a high-quality ecological environment. These achievements have been so successful that Beijing now stands as an example for mega-cities around the globe, particularly those in the Global South," Blankenship said.
During a visit to Guizhou in June, Manasa R. Tagicakibau, Fiji's Ambassador to China, said China is "so advanced" when it comes to ecological civilization. "You look at the development that's been achieved by Guizhou authorities together with the local people, ethnic minorities and the population at large, in terms of developing the area to make this mountainous area a very safe and harmonious and happy place to live in. I'm impressed."
The ambassador said Guizhou shares a lot of similarities to some of the mountainous regions in Fiji, but there is a lot to be done in Fiji in terms of accessibility and this is an area that Fiji can learn from China.
However, some Western countries, so-called pioneering initiatives on environment protection, take a laissez-afire attitude in face of environment disasters. Recently, Chinese scientists used scientific methods to assess it and concluded that, as of Wednesday, the carbon dioxide emissions from Canadian wildfires have reached approximately 1 billion tons, which has already developed into a global environmental event.
It is worth mentioning that the forest area in China is approximately 2.31 million square kilometers, which is roughly two-thirds of that in Canada. However, the average annual emission of carbon dioxide caused by forest fires in China from 2000-21 was approximately 15 million tons, only 0.2 percent of the global forest fire emissions, demonstrating China's responsible role as a major country, experts noted.
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SOURCE Global Times | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ | 2023-07-31T02:18:28 | 1 | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ |
WASHINGTON, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Teamsters Union was served legal notice today that Yellow Corp. is ceasing operations and filing for bankruptcy.
"Today's news is unfortunate but not surprising. Yellow has historically proven that it could not manage itself despite billions of dollars in worker concessions and hundreds of millions in bailout funding from the federal government. This is a sad day for workers and the American freight industry," said Teamsters General President Sean M. O'Brien.
The Teamsters are committed to ensuring members are protected and notified with all the latest information. The International is putting infrastructure in place to help affected members get the assistance they need to find good union jobs throughout freight and other industries.
The situation is developing. Additional details are forthcoming.
Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.2 million hardworking people in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico. Visit Teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and "like" us on Facebook at Facebook.com/teamsters.
Contact:
Daniel Moskowitz, (770) 262-4971
dmoskowitz@teamster.org
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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/teamsters-notified-that-yellow-corp-operating-companies-have-closed/ | 2023-07-31T02:18:34 | 0 | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/teamsters-notified-that-yellow-corp-operating-companies-have-closed/ |
SUZHOU, China, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Transcenta Holding Limited ("Transcenta") (HKEX: 06628), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully-integrated capabilities in discovery, research, development and manufacturing of antibody-based therapeutics, announces that it has received approval from China Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE) to initiate Phase II clinical trial of TST002(Blosozumab). This study aims to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of TST002(Blosozumab) after single and multiple intravenous administrations in patients with reduced bone mineral density.
Osteoporosis is a significant health concern for the middle-aged and elderly population in China. It is estimated that by 2050, the number of osteoporosis patients will reach 120 million. Compared with RANKL mAbs, sclerostin mAbs successfully achieve the dual goal of preventing bone loss and rebuilding the bone. Evenity (Romosozumab) of Amgen is the only anti-sclerostin antibody drug that has been approved by the FDA in the United States. Up to the present, there was no anti-sclerostin antibody drug approved in China.
In May 2023, Transcenta presented Phase I unblinded data, which showed that the overall safety and tolerability of TST002 (Blosozumab) in all dose cohorts is favorable. On the efficacy side, all dose cohorts from 200-1,200 mg have shown a clinically meaningful increase in lumbar spine BMD on Day 85 (D85) after a single dose of TST002 (Blosozumab) and comparable to those of Blosozumab single dose study at the similar dose levels. The average increase of lumbar spine BMD at Day 85 (D85) from baseline ranged from 3.52% to 6.20% across dose cohorts, all exceeding the least significant difference (2.77%). The increase of lumbar spine BMD in the placebo group was only 0.30% even with optimal calcium and vitamin D supplemental treatment. In addition, encouraging BMD increase in total hip from 1.30% to 2.24% across dose cohorts were observed after single dose of TST002 (Blosozumab). In comparison, the mean percent change in lumbar spine BMD from baseline to month 12 was 5.4% after one year of Denosumab treatment.1
"We are excited to have received the clearance to move forward from CDE. Our Phase II will assess several regimens of TST002 (Blosozumab) with reduced dosing frequency, bringing us closer to our Phase III. We look forward to fully exploring the differentiated profile of TST002 to address the unmet medical need of the large patient population who suffers from osteoporosis," said Dr. Caroline Germa, Transcenta's Executive Vice President, Global Medicine Development and Chief Medical Officer.
Reference:
1 https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/105/3/e255/5607536
About TST002 (Blosozumab)
TST002 (Blosozumab) is a humanized anti-sclerostin monoclonal antibody as a drug candidate for osteoporosis and other bone loss diseases. It has a dual effect possessing both anabolic and anti-resorptive effects, which stimulates bone formation and inhibits bone absorption, resulting in fast increase in bone mineral density and bone strength. Blocking sclerostin activity in human treated with anti-sclerostin antibody or with naturally occurring genetic deletion has been shown to be an effective approach in increasing bone mineral density (BMD) and reducing bone fracture. Currently there is no approved anti-sclerostin antibody therapy in China yet although Romosozumab from Amgen has been approved in the United States, Europe and Japan.
About Transcenta Holding Limited
Transcenta (HKEX: 06628) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company with fully integrated capabilities in antibody-based biotherapeutics discovery, research, development and manufacturing.
Transcenta has established global footprint, with Headquarters and Discovery, Clinical and Translational Research Center in Suzhou, Process and Product Development Center and Manufacturing Facility in Hangzhou, and Clinical Development Centers in Princeton, US and in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou of China, and External Partnering Center in Boston and Los Angeles, US. Transcenta has also initiated the construction of the Group Headquarters and the second high-end biopharmaceutical facility with ICB as its core technology in Suzhou Industrial Park. Transcenta is developing 13 therapeutic antibody molecules for oncology and selected non-oncology indications including bone and kidney disorders.
For more information, please visit www.transcenta.com and https://www.linkedin.com/company/transcenta.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Transcenta, are intended to identify certain of such forward-looking statements. Transcenta does not intend to update these forward-looking statements regularly.
These forward-looking statements are based on the existing beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, projections and understandings of the management of Transcenta with respect to future events at the time these statements are made. These statements are not a guarantee of future developments and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Transcenta's control and are difficult to predict. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of future changes or developments in our business, Transcenta's competitive environment and political, economic, legal and social conditions.
Transcenta, the Directors and the employees of Transcenta assume (a) no obligation to correct or update the forward-looking statements contained in this site; and (b) no liability in the event that any of the forward-looking statements does not materialize or turn out to be incorrect.
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SOURCE Transcenta Holding Limited | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/transcenta-anti-sclerostin-monoclonal-antibody-tst002-blosozumab-received-approval-china-cde-initiate-phase-ii-clinical-trial-patients-with-reduced-bone-mineral-density/ | 2023-07-31T02:18:41 | 0 | https://www.kalb.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/transcenta-anti-sclerostin-monoclonal-antibody-tst002-blosozumab-received-approval-china-cde-initiate-phase-ii-clinical-trial-patients-with-reduced-bone-mineral-density/ |
Updated July 30, 2023 at 10:09 PM ET
It's the end of the road for one of the nation's largest freight carriers.
Yellow, a trucking company that just three years ago took a $700 million federal pandemic loan, is shutting down, according to the Teamsters union, which represents the company's 22,000 unionized workers.
The company is expected to file for bankruptcy as soon as Monday, according to industry experts, following a recent exodus of customers amid union strife and on top of years of financial troubles.
With 30,000 jobs at stake, it's poised to be the largest trucking bankruptcy in the history of the U.S., experts said. The company, formerly known as YRC Worldwide, is the third largest less-than-truckload carrier by revenue, behind FedEx and Old Dominion. LTL companies move pallet-sized shipments — smaller than a container, but bigger than a parcel.
Yellow has not publicly announced any plans for bankruptcy or a potential shutdown.
Here's what we know.
Employees were told to prepare for a company shutdown
The Teamsters union, which had been locked in contentious contract negotiations for a new contract with Yellow, said it received a legal notice that Yellow is ceasing operations and filing for bankruptcy, according to a news release posted Sunday night.
"Today's news is unfortunate but not surprising," said Teamsters General President Sean O'Brien. "This is a sad day for workers and the American freight industry."
The union's announcement comes hours after The Wall Street Journal reported that Yellow shut down on Sunday afternoon, citing internal notices sent to customers and employees.
Yellow says it will issue a public statement on Monday about "the state of the company and the operation," according to the industry outlet FreightWaves, which also obtained internal documents.
Yellow has not responded to NPR's requests for comment.
Yellow laid off an unknown number of its employees on Friday, reported FreightWaves, citing a memo sent to staff informing them that the company is "shutting down its regular operations" and "laying off employees at all of its locations."
The same day, Teamsters had advised Yellow employees to "prepare for the worst."
"Yellow appears to be headed to a complete shutdown within the next few days," said Teamsters National Freight Director John Murphy in a Friday memo shared with NPR.
A strike threat delivered the final blow to cash-poor Yellow
The shutdown comes just days after a Teamsters strike at the company was averted. A week ago, a pension fund agreed to extend health benefits for workers at two Yellow operating companies after the carrier missed its $50 million benefits payment to the fund on July 15, the union said.
While the extension held off a July 24 strike, the threat of a walkout that could disrupt operations prompted a wave of Yellow customers to bolt.
"The Teamsters actions induced a high level of variability and uncertainty in the market for Yellow's customers. The market abhors variability and uncertainty," wrote Mike Regan, co-founder of TranzAct Technologies, which manages transportation services for retailers. "Consequently, Yellow lost substantial and much needed volume."
After the strike threat, Yellow's freight volumes fell 80% within the span of a week, according to Jack Atkins, a managing director at the financial services firm Stephens who researches the transportation sector.
At the same time, he said, Yellow's cries that it was running out of cash during union negotiation attempts scared off customers. After fleeing to rival carriers like FedEx and ABF Freight, customers didn't return.
"Both sides bear fault," Atkins said. "Once that freight left, there was nothing left to really restructure," he added. "It was really too late to save the company."
The company has been at risk of bankruptcy for years
Animus between Yellow and Teamsters has grown in recent months, with each party blaming one another for the company's problems.
After the trucking carrier tried to restructure its operations this spring as a cost-saving measure that would allow it to refinance its debt. In June, Yellow sued the union for blocking the restructuring plan it said was "essential to the company's survival." The Teamsters in turn called the lawsuit "baseless," instead blaming Yellow for "decades of gross mismanagement," that included its alleged exhaustion of the $700 million bailout loan.
The company reported a net income of $21.8 million last year. Yellow has $1.3 billion in loan debt due in fall 2024, $729 million of which is owed to the federal government, according to the company's latest quarterly report.
Yellow received a $700 million loan from the government in 2020 as part of a COVID-19 rescue package. In return, the Treasury Department took a 30% stake in the company's shares, which have since plummeted to less than a dollar apiece as of Friday.
In June, a congressional probe found that the Treasury Department's disbursement of the loan was a mistake; the freight company — whose customers included the Department of Defense — did not actually meet the standards to qualify for the business loan because its survival was not "critical to maintaining national security."
"Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Yellow was a financially struggling company that had a long-term non-investment grade (i.e., junk) rating and previous close calls with bankruptcy over the years. The pandemic did not cause Yellow's longstanding problems, nor is the Treasury's loan to the company likely to solve those problems," the Congressional Oversight Commission report read.
A world without Yellow
An end to the Nashville-based company would mean the loss of 30,000 jobs.
In its Sunday statement, the Teamsters union said it's working to help "affected members get the assistance they need to find good union jobs throughout freight and other industries."
Atkins doesn't expect the federal government to come to the rescue this time. While there may be some slight disruptions, the analyst anticipates other freight carriers will have some capacity to absorb Yellow's business because of a recent dent in freight volumes.
"This is not going to create a supply-chain crisis," he said.
Retailers and manufacturers are likely to see higher shipping rates if the company folds, he said. Yellow is known for its low shipping rates compared to its rivals.
Atkins visited the Yellow terminal in Little Rock, Ark., on Sunday to find all gates chained up, a sign of ceased operations.
"They've been in wind-down mode, clearing the network out of all the remaining freight," he said. "This is the end."
NPR's Camila Domonoske contributed to this story.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.nepm.org/national-world-news/national-world-news/2023-07-30/the-yellow-trucking-company-meltdown-explained | 2023-07-31T02:19:17 | 0 | https://www.nepm.org/national-world-news/national-world-news/2023-07-30/the-yellow-trucking-company-meltdown-explained |
Amid a wave of incidents involving fans at concerts throwing objects at artists, it happened again this weekend.
This time to rapper Cardi B, who returned the favor.
A video from her performance in Las Vegas on Saturday shows someone in the crowd, close to the stage, throwing a drink at Cardi. The rapper then throws her microphone back at the person.
Security got involved, and the rapper reportedly continued with her set.
So far, no charges have been filed against the person who threw the drink at Cardi or against Cardi for throwing her microphone.
Cardi later posted on socialmedia a video where she says, “not the girl who threw the water yelling she’s sorry after.”
This comes after an alarming string of incidents where people keep throwing things on stage, sometimes even hurting performers.
In June, Pop star Bebe Rexha was hit by a cellphone in the face during a show in New York, forcing her to stop the music. The strike left the singer with a black eyeand in need of stitches.
Also in June, country artist Kelsea Ballerini was hit in the face by an object. She too stopped her set before returning with a message to fans.
This month, Harry Styles was also hit in the eye with an object while performing in Vienna, and rapper Drake was hit in the arm by a phone thrown during his concert in Chicago.
SEE MORE: Why do fans keep throwing things at artists during concerts?
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.wptv.com/cardi-b-throws-microphone-at-concertgoer-after-they-throw-drink-at-her | 2023-07-31T02:19:17 | 1 | https://www.wptv.com/cardi-b-throws-microphone-at-concertgoer-after-they-throw-drink-at-her |
Former Auburn Tiger wins first professional golf tournament
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - War Eagle! Former Auburn Tiger standout Trace Crowe picked up his first career professional win Sunday afternoon.
It was a big day for SEC golf, as Crowe wins for the first time on the Korn Ferry Tour (one tour below the PGA Tour), on the same day former Alabama golfer Lee Hodges won for the first time on the PGA Tour.
Crowe put together rounds of 66-64-63-66 over four days, but that still was not enough to win in regulation. After an eagle from Patrick Fishburn on the last hole of the day, Crowe and Fishburn headed into a two-man playoff. After a bogey from Fishburn on the second playoff hole, Crowe made his par putt for his first career win.
“That was a fun battle. Now, we’re right where we need to be to get that Tour card. If I keep playing the way I’m doing, we should be just fine,” said Crowe.
The win is projected to push Crowe from 139 to 36 on the tour’s points list. The top 30 men on the points list at the end of the season receive their PGA Tour cards. Crowe has seven events left this season to make a push for the top 30.
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Copyright 2023 WBRC. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbrc.com/2023/07/31/former-auburn-tiger-wins-first-professional-golf-tournament/ | 2023-07-31T02:19:17 | 1 | https://www.wbrc.com/2023/07/31/former-auburn-tiger-wins-first-professional-golf-tournament/ |
Music streaming is through the roof this year.
With acts from all over the world taking over the charts and doing so in record fashion.
American music acts are on the list of chart-topping hits from Miley Cyrus, whose single "Flowers" reached one billion streams faster than any song in Spotifyhistory in 2023. To SZA's smash hit "Kill Bill," which has also amassed more than a billion streams this year.
Luminate, one of the leaders in global entertainment data and research, says global streams have already topped one trillion this year.
The fastest climb to a trillion streams since the inception of music streaming reached just three months into the year, a full month faster than last year. And with that growth comes an increasing interest in non-English-language music.
Luminate’s report found nearly 40% of music listeners in the U.S. enjoy music in languages other than English.
Spanish and K-pop are leading the surge in global pop music.
"They both have incredibly loyal and passionate fan bases, and that really creates an environment where fans are always on the lookout for new music," said Jaime Marconette.
Marconette is Luminate’s senior director of music insights and industry relations.
When asked if English-speaking artists are losing their global appeal, Marconette said what we're seeing is most likely due to the increase of people speaking other languages other than English in the country.
"I think that's a fair question, but I think that's a really complicated answer because I don't know if they're losing their appeal," said Marconette. "But I think that what we're seeing is probably a bit of a rise of native languages, or languages that are specific to certain regions, or even diasporas as they move to other countries, starting to grow."
SEE MORE: Why are Mexican Corridos gaining popularity on the music charts?
Latin megastar Bad Bunny’s "Un Verano Sin Ti," which dropped in the Spring of 2022, continues to dominate Luminate’s mid-year top album chart in 2023.
When it comes to both physical and digital sales, K-pop is as pop as it gets.
"The number one source of discovery for K-pop fans here in the U.S. is video and then also audio streaming services; you know, these K-pop fans are also 76% more likely to stream music than the average listener," said Marconette.
Spanish, French, Japanese, Korean, Italian, German, and Arabic have all emerged as popular languages for non-anglophonic music.
The cultural melting pot that is the U.S. is also helping the rise of non-English music.
"But one of the things that we're seeing is that changing population demographics is definitely making the import of music from other countries easier," said Marconette.
Content platforms like YouTube and social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram also bring the world’s music to U.S. listeners and make it easier for people to share new songs.
"There are really no borders; there are really no geographical barriers," said Marconette. "We're finding that fans in other countries are very easily able to access all sorts of music; you know, really, the world's music library is essentially available."
While it's safe to say English-speaking music will always be around, American music executives are certainly paying attention to the shift. That means they're scoping out international talent more than ever.
"Understanding population changes, you know, those sorts of things together can really guide the way for, you know, music to cross borders, whether, you know, internationally or coming into the U.S. as well," said Marconette.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.wptv.com/music-streams-for-2023-hit-1-trillion-in-record-time | 2023-07-31T02:19:18 | 0 | https://www.wptv.com/music-streams-for-2023-hit-1-trillion-in-record-time |
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LAS VEGAS -- Audience members at concerts in recent months have continued a pattern of throwing objects at artists who are on stage performing, and rapper Cardi B has had enough.
On Saturday, the rapper was on stage at Drai's Beach Club in Las Vegas when an audience member appeared to throw a drink at her, as seen in video footage posted to social media.
In the clip, Cardi B is seen getting splashed with liquid from the cup while performing her 2018 hit "Bodak Yellow." Clearly upset, she reacted immediately by throwing her microphone into the crowd as security guards rushed to the stage.
More security guards are then seen flocking to the person in the crowd as she watched from the stage before continuing on with her set.
In another video posted to TikTok on Saturday, Cardi B is seen throwing her microphone at a DJ who appeared to cut off her song early during a performance at Drai's Nightclub on Friday.
CNN has reached out to a representative for Cardi B for comment.
The incident in Las Vegas on Saturday is just the latest in a slew of similar scenes at concerts where artists - including Drake, Kelsea Ballerini, Harry Styles and Bebe Rexha - have become the target of objects thrown at them while on stage, with some artists suffering injuries as a result.
Harry Styles hit on stage in face
Only recently have performers, including R&B singer Monica and country star Miranda Lambert, gotten involved when they see behavior they do not approve of.
Last week, Monica jumped off the stage after witnessing someone allegedly assault a female audience member in the crowd at her Detroit show.
She was praised for her interference when footage of the altercation went viral on social media, and she later told CNN's Abby Phillip she feels concerts have become "a dangerous space and place."
"I just really want that to change," she added. | https://abc7ny.com/cardi-b-throws-mic-las-vegas-fan-drink-on-stage/13574980/ | 2023-07-31T02:19:51 | 1 | https://abc7ny.com/cardi-b-throws-mic-las-vegas-fan-drink-on-stage/13574980/ |
July keeps sizzling as Phoenix hits another 110-degree day and wildfires spread in California
PHOENIX (AP) — Phoenix sizzled through its 31st consecutive day of at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43.3 Celsius) and other parts of the country grappled Sunday with record temperatures after a week that saw significant portions of the U.S. population subject to extreme heat.
The National Weather Service said Phoenix was expected to climb to 112 F (44.4 Celsius) before the day was through.
July has been so steamy thus far that scientists calculate it will be the hottest month ever recorded and likely the warmest human civilization has seen. The World Meteorological Organization and the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service on Thursday proclaimed July beyond record-smashing.
The historic heat began blasting the lower Southwest U.S. in late June, stretching from Texas across New Mexico and Arizona and into California’s desert.
On Sunday, a massive wildfire burning out of control in California’s Mojave National Preserve spread rapidly amid erratic winds, while firefighters reported progress against another major blaze to the south that prompted evacuations.
The York Fire that erupted Friday near the remote Caruthers Canyon area of the preserve sent up a huge plume of smoke visible nearly 100 miles (160 kilometers) away across the state line in Nevada.
Flames 20 feet (6 meters) high in some spots have charred more than 110 square miles (284 square kilometers) of desert scrub, juniper and Joshua tree woodland, according to a Sunday update.
“The dry fuel acts as a ready ignition source, and when paired with those weather conditions it resulted in long-distance fire run and high flames, leading to extreme fire behavior,” authorities said. No structures were threatened, but there was also no containment.
To the southwest, the Bonny Fire was holding steady at about 3.4 square miles (8.8 square kilometers) in rugged hills of Riverside County. More than 1,300 people were ordered to evacuate their homes Saturday near the remote community of Aguanga, California.
Triple-digit heat was expected in parts of the central San Joaquin Valley through Monday, according to the National Weather Service.
And in Burbank, California, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) north of Los Angeles, the summer heat may have been responsible for some unusual behavior in the animal kingdom: Police in the city responded to a report of a bear sighting in a residential neighborhood and found the animal sitting in a Jacuzzi behind one of the homes.
As climate change brings hotter and longer heat waves, record temperatures across the U.S. have killed dozens of people, and the poorest Americans suffer the most. Air conditioning, once a luxury, is now a matter of survival.
Last year, all 86 heat-related deaths indoors were in uncooled environments.
“To explain it fairly simply: Heat kills,” said Kristie Ebi, a University of Washington professor who researches heat and health. “Once the heat wave starts, mortality starts in about 24 hours.”
It’s the poorest and people of color, from Kansas City to Detroit to New York City and beyond, who are far more likely to face grueling heat without air conditioning, according to a Boston University analysis of 115 U.S. metro areas.
Back in Phoenix, slight relief may be on the way as expected seasonal thunderstorms could drop temperatures Monday and Tuesday.
“It should be around 108 degrees, so we break that 110 streak,” meteorologist Tom Frieders said. “Increasing cloud cover will put temperatures in a downward trend.”
The relief could be short-lived, however. Highs are expected to creep back to 110 F (43.3 C) Wednesday with temperatures reaching 115 F (46.1 C) by the end of the week.
Phoenix has also sweated through a record 16 consecutive nights when the lows temperature didn’t dip below 90 F (32.2 C), making it hard for people to cool off after sunset.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas continues to flirt with its hottest July ever. The city is closing in on its 2010 record for the average of the high and low each day for July, which stands at 96.2 F (35.5 C).
The extreme heat is also hitting the eastern U.S, as soaring temperatures moved from the Midwest into the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, where some places recorded their warmest days so far this year.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kxii.com/2023/07/31/july-keeps-sizzling-phoenix-hits-another-110-degree-day-wildfires-spread-california/ | 2023-07-31T02:20:58 | 0 | https://www.kxii.com/2023/07/31/july-keeps-sizzling-phoenix-hits-another-110-degree-day-wildfires-spread-california/ |
BEIJING, July 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- President Xi Jinping visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as "Shudao" in Guangyuan on July 25, which winds its way through rugged mountains and ancient trees. There, Xi learned about efforts surrounding ecological conservation.
This visit marks Xi's attention to China's ecological development, which has achieved remarkable progress over the past 10 years, said experts.
Witnessing the government's recent remarks on ecology, they believed that the country's road of building a Beautiful China has demonstrated the nation's wisdom in balancing the needs of economic development and improving the environment.
Before heading to Sichuan, Xi, who is also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered a speech at a national conference on ecological and environmental protection held from July 17 to 18.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone a historic, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
Noting that China's economy and society have entered a stage of high-quality development marked by accelerated progress in promoting green and low-carbon growth, Xi called for higher standards, a broader perspective and stronger efforts in planning and advancing ecological and environmental protection on the new journey, as well as writing a new chapter of ecological conservation in the new era.
Xi stressed the need to properly handle the relationships between high-quality development and high-level protection, between tackling major challenges and coordinating governance, between natural recovery and human-assisted restoration, between external constraints and internal driving forces, as well as between "dual carbon" commitments and self-determined actions.
Xi said that the country's ecological conservation has undergone historical, transformative and comprehensive changes both in theory and practice, with significant strides made in building a Beautiful China.
This conference again showed us how importance the central government attaches to ecological protection, an official from environment protection bureau in Wuhai, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, who requested anonymity, told the Global Times on Friday. He said during the past 10 years, ecological protection has become an increasingly important indictor in evaluating government's performance in his city, which was famous for coal production.
"Although planting trees costs more in Inner Mongolia than in other parts of China due to lack of water and dry weather, we learned in the past 10 years that making our city greener brings more benefits than leaving the mountains bare. The city becomes more beautiful, residents are happy, and more tourists visit; also we saw less sandstorms," the official said.
During a press conference on Thursday, Huang Runqiu, China's minister of ecology and environment, highlighted China's achievement on ecological protection over recent years.
From 2013 to 2022, China's average PM2.5 concentration decreased by 57 percent and the number of heavily polluted days decreased by 93 percent, while the nation's GDP doubled during the same period, Huang said. This made China the country with the fastest improvement in air quality worldwide. Specifically, in Beijing, the average PM2.5 concentration decreased from 89.5 micrograms per cubic meter in 2013 to 30 micrograms per cubic meter in 2022, and the number of heavily polluted days decreased from 58 to only 3, said Huang. The United Nations Environment Agency praised this achievement as the "Beijing Miracle."
Lin Boqiang, director of the China Center for Energy Economics Research at Xiamen University, told the Global Times that "China has engaged in a sustained top-down efforts for many years to enhance ecological protection. The central and local governments march together toward the same goal, with continuous environmental policies. Moreover, the country has demonstrated its wisdom in how to balance ecological development and maintain fast economic growth at the same time."
Perfect balance
We should protect nature and preserve the environment like we protect our eyes, and endeavor to foster a new relationship where man and nature can both prosper and live in harmony, President Xi once said.
Xi has given important instructions on the rational utilization and friendly protection of the ecological environment during his numerous visits to the frontlines of ecological protection, such as to the Maanshan forest farm in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, the Qilian Mountains, the Shandan Horse Ranch in Gansu, an ecological wetland of the Dianchi Lake in Kunming, and many other places.
In June 2022, Xi visited Yibin, Sichuan Province, where the Jinsha and Minjiang rivers converge into the Yangtze River. He noted that sound ecological conservation along the Yangtze River basin is the precondition for advancing high-quality development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
The Yellow River and the Yangtze River are the mother rivers of the Chinese nation. The protection of the mother rivers is a crucial project concerning the great rejuvenation and sustainable development of the Chinese nation, Xi said at the time.
From June 5 to 6 this year, accompanied by officials from Inner Mongolia, Xi was on a fact-finding mission at a nature reserve, a modern agricultural demonstration park, a forest farm and a water resources department in the city of Bayannur.
On June 6, Xi presided over a symposium in Bayannur on strengthening the comprehensive prevention and control of desertification and promoting the construction of crucial ecological projects, including the Three-North Shelterbelt Forest Program.
Xi, who was then the Party Chief of Zhejiang, put forward the famous "two mountains" concept - clear waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets comparable to the gold and silver of legend - in August 2005 during his visit to Anji county.
Nowadays, residents in the county has sought out ways to make a living that they enjoy, with many becoming businessmen, running their own hostels, shops and tourism companies, thanks to the improved natural environment.
Pan Chunlin, a former miner, who now runs a hostel after local mines were shut down, explained the transformation to the Global Times "My annual income is now hundreds of times higher than before. Today, I can earn in a day what I used to make in one year".
Following the development approach referred to as the "two mountains" concept, in the past decade, Anji has modeled itself into a place known for its beautiful ecology and prosperous green industries, which have completely changed the villagers' lives, Jin Peihua, head of the "Two Mountains" Concept Research Institute affiliated with Huzhou University, said.
Global bellwether
Apart from domestic efforts, China is also making efforts in unifying a global effort on ecological preservation.
The 15th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, known as COP15, was convened in Kunming, Yunnan Province in 2021.
As the first global conference convened by the United Nations on the topic of ecological civilization, a philosophy proposed by China, it offered a platform for countries to find common ground on "Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth."
During an official trip to Zimbabwe in 2015, Xi visited a local wildlife sanctuary, where he fed an orphaned elephant. He reiterated China's commitment to wildlife protection and pledged to help Zimbabwe do so by donating equipment and exchanging experience with China.
Recalling Xi's explanation of China's initiatives to breed giant pandas and expand protected areas, Roxy Danckwerts, the founder of the sanctuary, said, "I thought that was very significant that he is making such big strides in his own country."
Bradley Blankenship, a Prague-based American journalist, columnist and political commentator, recently spent a week in Beijing. Speaking with the Global Times, he said that "I must admit that based on the antiquated view of China that many Americans have and discuss publicly, I expected the city to be smoggy and congested. To the contrary, it has beautiful blue skies.
"China has been successful in beautifying Beijing, as well as other cities and towns, by transitioning from coal power to gas, establishing emission standards for coal-fired stations, implementing tougher standards for other industries such as steel and cement and seeking high-quality development with a high-quality ecological environment. These achievements have been so successful that Beijing now stands as an example for mega-cities around the globe, particularly those in the Global South," Blankenship said.
During a visit to Guizhou in June, Manasa R. Tagicakibau, Fiji's Ambassador to China, said China is "so advanced" when it comes to ecological civilization. "You look at the development that's been achieved by Guizhou authorities together with the local people, ethnic minorities and the population at large, in terms of developing the area to make this mountainous area a very safe and harmonious and happy place to live in. I'm impressed."
The ambassador said Guizhou shares a lot of similarities to some of the mountainous regions in Fiji, but there is a lot to be done in Fiji in terms of accessibility and this is an area that Fiji can learn from China.
However, some Western countries, so-called pioneering initiatives on environment protection, take a laissez-afire attitude in face of environment disasters. Recently, Chinese scientists used scientific methods to assess it and concluded that, as of Wednesday, the carbon dioxide emissions from Canadian wildfires have reached approximately 1 billion tons, which has already developed into a global environmental event.
It is worth mentioning that the forest area in China is approximately 2.31 million square kilometers, which is roughly two-thirds of that in Canada. However, the average annual emission of carbon dioxide caused by forest fires in China from 2000-21 was approximately 15 million tons, only 0.2 percent of the global forest fire emissions, demonstrating China's responsible role as a major country, experts noted.
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SOURCE Global Times | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ | 2023-07-31T02:21:05 | 1 | https://www.kxii.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/global-times-xis-footsteps-sichuan-demonstrate-chinas-wisdom-balancing-economic-devt-ecological-protection/ |