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RESTON, Va., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the White House released the National Cyber Workforce & Education Strategy. Peraton applauds this step forward in developing a robust cyber workforce as the company, government partners, and key stakeholders work in concert to protect our nation's most critical assets.
"Over the past six years, Peraton has been a leading force in the education, recruitment, and development of cyber professionals across our nation through university partnerships, like the CybHER program," said Matt McQueen, chief communications and engagement officer, Peraton. "These strategic investments are approaching maturity at time when national security is faced with a zenith of challenges."
Peraton's commitment to advancing the nation's cyber strategy is unwavering – from the company's involvement in the National Cyber Workforce & Education Summit and subsequent strategy development to leveraging its independent research and development portfolio to provide innovative solutions to ever-evolving threats.
"We look forward to working with the federal government, industry partners, academia, and other stakeholders to close the workforce gap and maintain the United States' dominance in cybersecurity," said Scott Cooper, vice president, Strategic Advocacy, Peraton.
About Peraton
Peraton is a national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies that protect our nation and allies from threats across the digital and physical domains. Peraton supports every branch of the US Armed Forces, and we serve as a valued partner to essential government agencies who sustain our way of life. Every day, our employees do the can't be done by solving the most daunting challenges facing our customers. Visit peraton.com to learn how we're safeguarding your peace of mind.
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SOURCE Peraton | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/peraton-supports-national-cyber-workforce-amp-education-strategy/ | 2023-07-31T15:09:20 | 1 | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/peraton-supports-national-cyber-workforce-amp-education-strategy/ |
WASHINGTON, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The Real American Hardwood Coalition (RAHC), the domestic hardwood industry's consumer promotion initiative, recently launched its new Build Your World™ advertising campaign to promote Real American Hardwood® flooring, cabinetry, furniture, and millwork. In partnership with Magnolia Network, the integrated, digital campaign will run through January 29, 2024.
"An advertising campaign on this scale is a first for the American hardwood industry," says Michael Martin, president and CEO of the National Wood Flooring Association (NWFA). "For decades, misinformation has spread and the industry has seen market share slip away to alternative products that offer the wood look, without any of the benefits of real wood. Through the Build Your World campaign, our industry is showing how Real American Hardwood products offer unmatched aesthetics, natural durability, and lasting value—as well as why they are healthier for our homes and environment. And Magnolia Network is the perfect partner to share these stories."
Developed by CANVAS United, the campaign relates the authenticity and attributes of Real American Hardwood products to the uniqueness and lifestyles of consumers. Five different vignettes capture the spirit of individuality in real-life settings, encouraging consumers to envision how they can build their world with hardwood.
"As long-time partners to the RAHC, we're excited to see the Build Your World campaign launch. We're particularly proud of this campaign's capacity to highlight both the emotional and rational benefits of hardwood," said Mark Lainas, president of CANVAS United. "Leveraging entertaining yet poignant storytelling in the creative will feel relatable to consumers across the country, and allows us to showcase not just the beauty of American hardwoods, but the lasting value of the products."
The ad campaign will run on the Magnolia Network channel, as well as on Magnolia and discovery+ digital streaming platforms. Magnolia Network is available through cable and satellite providers; Hulu + Live TV and YouTube TV services; and Magnolia, HGTV, discovery+, and Max streaming apps. The campaign also includes digital and social media components.
To learn more about the Build Your World campaign and Real American Hardwood products, visit realamericanhardwood.com/build-your-world.
Editor's Notes: Photography is available upon request. Real American Hardwood is a registered trademark and Build Your World is a trademark of the Real American Hardwood Coalition.
Media Contact:
Real American Hardwood Coalition
info@RealAmericanHardwood.org
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SOURCE Real American Hardwood Coalition | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/real-american-hardwood-coalition-launches-build-your-world-campaign-partnership-with-magnolia-network/ | 2023-07-31T15:09:27 | 0 | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/real-american-hardwood-coalition-launches-build-your-world-campaign-partnership-with-magnolia-network/ |
Teresa Lancaster, who was featured in The Keepers documentary on Netflix,
is an attorney and sex abuse survivor turned advocate for victims of abuse
BALTIMORE, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea, P.A. today announced that the leading Maryland medical malpractice, personal injury and civil litigation law firm has secured nationally recognized advocate for sexual abuse victims, Teresa Lancaster, as a client of the firm.
Lancaster, a sex abuse victim who was featured in the Netflix documentary, The Keepers, will be represented by the firm and will also serve as a well-respected spokesperson for the thousands of other sex abuse victims across Maryland.
"We are honored to have our firm chosen to represent such a powerful advocate and voice in the fight against sexual abuse in all its forms across Maryland and the entire country," said Jonathan Schochor, Founding Partner and Chairman of Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea, P.A. "Teresa Lancaster has bravely shared her powerful story as a survivor overcoming sexual abuse and has proven to be a compassionate, articulate and impactful spokesperson for all fellow victims fighting for justice. We look forward to working together to share her message and to help bring closure for her and all other sex abuse victims that have had the courage to come forward."
Teresa Lancaster is an attorney and vocal advocate for victims of sexual abuse. She is known for her story being featured in The Keepers, the seven-part documentary on Netflix, which examines decades old sexual abuse cases in Maryland within the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Lancaster was the second sexual assault victim to come forward against the Archdiocese of Baltimore for sexual abuse she suffered from a priest while a student at Archbishop Keough High School in the 1970s.
Later in life, Lancaster received her bachelor's degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County and worked as a social work intern at the Baltimore Public Defender's Office in the Juvenile Division where she advocated for juvenile offenders. She later graduated from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and dedicated herself to representing survivors of child sexual abuse seeking justice. As an advocate, Lancaster also worked for years to help pass the bill in the Maryland General Assembly to eliminate the statute of limitations to file lawsuits against alleged sexual abusers across the state.
On April 11, 2023, the Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023 was passed to eliminate the statute of limitations for adult survivors of sexual abuse to bring forth civil lawsuits against their alleged abusers. The new law will take effect on October 1, 2023.
About Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea, P.A.
Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea, P.A. has been fighting for patients' rights as a leading medical malpractice law firm since 1984. Additionally, the firm is a recognized leader in sexual abuse cases as well as class action and mass tort litigation. Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea, P.A. has offices in Baltimore and Washington, D.C. Its lawyers are licensed to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia, and they have been specially admitted on a case-by-case basis by courts in Florida, Nevada, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, North Carolina, West Virginia and other states. On special motion and with approval of courts elsewhere, the firm's lawyers are available to participate in cases throughout the United States. To learn more, visit: sfspa.com.
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SOURCE Schochor, Staton, Goldberg and Cardea, P.A. | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/schochor-staton-goldberg-cardea-pa-announce-nationally-recognized-advocate-sex-abuse-victims-new-client-spokesperson/ | 2023-07-31T15:09:34 | 0 | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/schochor-staton-goldberg-cardea-pa-announce-nationally-recognized-advocate-sex-abuse-victims-new-client-spokesperson/ |
(CNN) — Compulsive nail-biting, skin-picking, hairpulling, and lip- and cheek-biting are among a range of body-focused repetitive behaviors, or BFRBs, that can become a source of distress, but new research may offer hope for relief.
While many people may have one of these habits in a minor form, for a smaller but still significant number of people the behavior can cause visual skin damage — such as bald patches, scars, sores and lesions — and affect their mental health, said Steffen Moritz, head of clinical neuropsychology in the department of psychiatry and psychotherapy at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany.
“Actually most people show one of these habits over their life span, especially nail-biting, to some degree, but all can become problematic when done excessively,” said Moritz, who is a former nail-biter.
“And a lot of these people also have (coexisting) problems, often as a consequence, because they are ashamed of their behavior,” he said. “They avoid intimacy, especially in trichotillomania (pulling out body hair) or in skin-picking, like not taking clothes off in front of their partner for example.”
While often misperceived as minor, these repetitive behaviors in some extreme cases can become life-threatening. Cases of sepsis, a severe reaction to an infection, have been linked to skin-picking. And hairpulling and eating have led to severe stomach problems with fatal complications.
Cognitive behavioral therapy, guided by a therapist, is regarded as the gold standard treatment for problematic BFRBs, Moritz noted, but a small, proof-of-concept trial, the results of which were published in the medical journal JAMA Dermatology on July 19, suggests a gentle self-help technique may have some benefit if a therapist is not an option right away.
Gentle touch
Often shrouded in shame and secrecy, BFRBs should not be regarded as a form of self-mutilation, self-harm or self-hate, Moritz said. They’re more accurately understood as a way to calm and soothe the nervous system, particularly when under stress, to ease boredom or to vent strong emotions such as anger.
BFRBs can be automatic, when watching television or studying, or more intentional — for example when standing in front of a mirror.
“I’ve been a nail-biter myself so I consider myself an expert by profession but also by experience. (BFRBs) do bring some relief, some pleasure, so there are mixed feelings,” he said.
“So the idea was born to do something that is also repetitive and self-soothing, but it’s not dysfunctional. It’s also inconspicuous.”
The habit replacement technique Moritz and his colleagues devised involves softly stroking your skin in a number of different ways: circling the index and middle finger, tapping the middle and index fingers against the thumb, crossing arms and stroking the forearms, circling fingertips on the palm of your other hand, among others. If you’re especially worried about picking skin, you can circle your clothes instead of touching your body directly.
Moritz and his team made a video to demonstrate the different techniques, and it’s up to individuals to work out which technique works best for them.
Moritz said that other forms of habit replacement therapy tend to focus on a “freezing” movement, such as clenching your fist or sitting on your hands when you get the urge to reach for your hair or skin, but he wanted to introduce a benign self-soothing element.
In the study, Moritz recruited 268 people with BFRBs — include participants exhibiting skin-picking, trichotillomania, nail-biting, and lip- and cheek-biting behaviors — who were between ages 18 and 80. Half the group was given a manual describing the technique devised by Moritz and his team, while the others were told they were on a waitlist for the same program.
After six weeks, 54% of people in the group using the habit replacement techniques reported improvement on a scale devised to measure the severity of body-focused repetitive behavior compared with 20% in the control group. Nail-biters seemed to benefit more from the technique.
However, the trial had significant limitations — it was done over a short time period with no further follow-up, the vast majority of people who took part were White women, and participants were recruited via social media.
“We do not know how sustained the effect is,” Moritz said. “We did not do any proper face-to-face assessment,” he added, explaining that many sufferers don’t want to seek help from a medical practitioner.
‘Blanket with thorns’
Stacy Nakell, a psychotherapist and clinical social worker specializing in treating BFRBs, said one of the strengths of the study was that the researchers had acknowledged the function of BFRBs as being about emotional regulation, and she thought the habit replacement technique could be helpful.
“I like that it brings in the idea of self-soothing because I think (that) some of the cognitive behavioral therapies have started with (the idea) that we need to get rid of (BFRBs), and they haven’t really acknowledged the self-soothing component of it,” said Nakell, who is the author of “Treatment for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors: An Integrative Psychodynamic Approach.”
“You can think of … (BFRBs) as a blanket with thorns,” she added.
However, she said she thinks habit replacement techniques are just part of a bigger BFRB treatment puzzle.
“We have to stop and check in and get a deeper sense of what emotions are in the mix. It’s still important to address those on a deeper level than just finding a soothing replacement,” Nakell said.
“If you don’t treat the roots, then one of two things happens — either people pick up other problematic behaviors or then feel very disappointed when the short-term effect of more symptom-focused treatment goes away.”
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wxow.com/news/health/a-simple-technique-may-help-with-nail-biting-skin-picking-and-other-body-focused-repetitive/article_d8e267f4-dfd2-533c-88be-5c624ef395c8.html | 2023-07-31T15:09:38 | 1 | https://www.wxow.com/news/health/a-simple-technique-may-help-with-nail-biting-skin-picking-and-other-body-focused-repetitive/article_d8e267f4-dfd2-533c-88be-5c624ef395c8.html |
LINCOLN, Neb., July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Sophie Norman joined Assurity Life Insurance Company as its new Senior Director of Assurity Ventures Inc (AVI). Norman will focus on recruiting and developing new non-traditional distribution partners for Assurity through Assurity Ventures, the company's business arm dedicated to building relationships with insurtech and fintech startups to harness new methods of interacting with prospective customers.
"Sophie brings significant insurance experience and is strategic in her approach, with an eye on long-term growth," said Todd Reimers, Assurity's Senior Vice President and Chief Distribution Officer. "We welcome Sophie to Assurity and look forward to accomplishing great things together."
Norman comes to Assurity with a background as an independent broker, agency manager and a benefits strategist. She brings industry expertise as a Director of Operations at a well-respected actuarial firm, has launched technology platforms for her clients and is an experienced public speaker. Norman studied Business and Finance at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she earned her bachelor's degree. She enjoys spending time with her family.
About Assurity: As a mutual organization, Assurity was founded on the simple concept of people coming together to support each other in moments of need. We help people through difficult times by providing affordable insurance protection that's easy to understand and buy. We all share in the future we create, and we believe in using our business as a force for good.
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SOURCE Assurity | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/sophie-norman-joins-assurity-ventures-senior-director/ | 2023-07-31T15:09:40 | 0 | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/sophie-norman-joins-assurity-ventures-senior-director/ |
Leveraging AI, Topline Pro Scales to Help the Millions of Small Home Service Businesses Succeed
NEW YORK, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Topline Pro, a Generative AI platform enabling home services professionals to manage and scale their businesses online, today announced $12M in Series A funding led by Forerunner Ventures (Brian O'Malley) along with support from Bonfire Ventures (Jim Andelman), TMV (Soraya Darabi), BBG Ventures (Susan Lyne).
Topline Pro is democratizing the key building blocks for managing and growing a Home Services business, which is uniquely possible through AI advancements. The platform enables pros, from general contractors to landscapers, to be discovered, trusted and booked — repeatedly. Topline Pro's mission is to ensure more home service business owners succeed by providing all the tools and resources they need, so pros can focus more on their craft versus the operational overhead of running a small business.
Topline Pro's intuitive interface empowers pros to efficiently and seamlessly manage and grow business by helping them:
- Build a thriving online presence through custom generated content, from personalized social media content to a custom website and online ads, while syncing content to and from local listings
- Gain trust and showcasing experience through robust reviews collection, response and showcasing capabilities
- Get paid online, schedule and book business, and develop meaningful customer relationships
Topline leverages generative AI across its suite of offerings so business owners can focus more on their craft and doing work in the field, instead of sinking time and energy into growing and managing the business in the background. To date, the platform has generated over $180M in business across thousands of businesses in nearly all 50 states.
"Topline Pro is akin to a Shopify for Home Services businesses," said Brian O'Malley, Managing Director at Forerunner Ventures. "By building a vertical stack for this ecosystem, Topline has the opportunity to bring this underserved category online and empower greater economic opportunity."
Until the creation of Topline Pro, the home service market was mostly served through marketplaces and intermediaries for connecting homeowners with service providers. The prevailing system and solutions has been inefficient and expensive, where business owners have no other option but to pay significantly for leads without any guarantee of winning the work. Topline Pro believes in tipping the power back towards Home Services small business owners, where they have more control and resources to grow and operate their business directly.
"Home Services businesses are part of the backbone of the American economy and an industry that consumers rely on for the safety and comfort of their home, but the space has been overlooked for far too long due to structural and cultural dynamics, such as market fragmentation and misplaced stigma," said Nick Ornitz, CEO and Co-founder of Topline Pro. "Topline Pro is on a mission to help millions of home service business owners in the more than $500Bn market be more likely to succeed.".
Topline Pro will use the recent funding to further expand Generative AI capabilities across the existing suite of tools, build out additional product offerings, and expand their team across multiple roles in engineering, product, customer success, marketing and sales.
Topline Pro
Topline Pro (toplinepro.com) is a platform that empowers service based small businesses to get discovered, build trust, and get booked, repeatedly. Topline Pro utilizes generative AI to automate the creation of a SEO optimized website and ongoing online engagement along with tools that streamline operations from booking to payment. Topline Pro enables the business owner to own the relationship with their customers and grow their business while focusing on what they do best, exceptional service in the field. Topline Pro has generated over $180M in business across thousands of businesses in nearly all 50 states.
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SOURCE Topline Pro | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/topline-pro-announces-12m-series-funding-reshape-economic-opportunity-home-services/ | 2023-07-31T15:09:47 | 0 | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/topline-pro-announces-12m-series-funding-reshape-economic-opportunity-home-services/ |
Roar's passion for creating virtual, immersive social experiences brings talent and technology to Yuga that greatly complements Yuga's expansive vision for Otherside.
Roar Studios' Founder and CEO, Eric Reid, to join Yuga as the General Manager of Otherside.
MIAMI, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Yuga Labs, web3 leader and home of Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC), CryptoPunks, Meebits, 10KTF, and Otherside today announced it has agreed to acquire Roar Studios, a company at the convergence of gaming, social media, and the metaverse with deep technology and AI roots.
Roar Studios is the developer of ROAR, an immersive media experience where artists and fans connect, collaborate, and compete in real time from anywhere.
Developed by Roar's leading team of audio, game, and AI engineers, ROAR combines innovative proprietary technology with established MMO game and platform systems to produce an entirely new product category: an experiential, semi-autonomous music and entertainment world driven by individual content creators and community consensus.
As Yuga Labs develops Otherside – its ambitious, interoperable metaverse – the Roar team will contribute their innovative technology, specialized expertise, and leadership.
"Roar Studios has redefined what it means to experience media content in the metaverse," said Daniel Alegre, CEO of Yuga Labs. "Yuga's North Star is creating new ways for communities to connect and express themselves, and I am excited to welcome Roar's talented team to our Yuga family. Roar's dedication to creative content creation and social connections will accelerate our execution of our bold vision for Otherside and Yuga's ecosystem more broadly."
Roar Studios' Founder and CEO, Eric Reid, added, "Our team's mission is to empower players to create and be social in a community-driven, open media experience, so our work fundamentally aligns with Yuga's larger web3 metaverse strategy. When Daniel and Mike Seavers opened the door for us to contribute to Yuga's paradigm-shifting approach to content and immersive experiences, we jumped at the opportunity."
Following the acquisition, Reid will join Yuga as the General Manager of Otherside. He will be charged with evolving the vision and leading the development and production of the platform, together with the highly experienced Yuga executive team. Prior to Roar, Reid spent more than two decades building teams and creating and distributing film, television, and music content for audiences worldwide (including film franchises such as UNDERWORLD).
About Yuga Labs
Yuga Labs is a web3 company shaping the future through storytelling, experiences, and community. Guided by the belief that the potential of web3 can be realized when we start with imagination, not limitations, Yuga's initiatives aim to reinvent what real-world utility for NFTs look like and push the space forward as a whole. Since their launch in April 2021 with flagship collection Bored Ape Yacht Club, they've made headlines as one of the first companies to release IP licenses to their NFT holders, acquired and released rights to other top collections (CryptoPunks and Meebits), and made web3 history with record-breaking synchronized player participation in their newest initiative, Otherside. One of the most ambitious interactive metaverse projects to date, Otherside is built with the community, rebelling against traditional walled gardens in gaming spaces. In March 2022, Yuga Labs raised a $450M seed round at a $4B valuation.
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SOURCE Yuga Labs | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/yuga-labs-agrees-acquire-technology-innovator-roar-studios/ | 2023-07-31T15:09:53 | 1 | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/yuga-labs-agrees-acquire-technology-innovator-roar-studios/ |
LOS ANGELES, July 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Zefr's third-party brand suitability verification solution for Instagram Feed is now available. This AI-powered measurement solution provides marketers with even more transparency into their Meta campaigns, measuring GARM brand safety and suitability across both Instagram and Facebook Feed placements.
Additionally, the verification solution will now be available in more global territories, supporting advertisers in English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Chinese and Portuguese speaking countries. Advertisers will have full access to their Instagram Feed measurement via their Atrium dashboard, which provides full transparency across platforms including Meta, TikTok and YouTube.
Meta recently announced new inventory filters for Facebook and Instagram Feeds that are now rolling out to advertisers in these additional global markets. Both the added inventory filters and expanded third-party brand suitability verification developments underscore Zefr and Meta's ongoing commitment to critical innovation within the industry, powered by AI technology that deepens advertiser transparency and brand suitability controls.
"Earlier this year we began rolling out our third party brand suitability verification solution with Zefr for Facebook Feed as a part of the launch of our AI-powered brand suitability controls. We are excited to expand this offering to Instagram Feed, offering businesses another solution to help meet their brand safety and suitability needs. In addition to English and Spanish, our brand suitability verification solution is also being expanded to four additional languages and testing for third party brand suitability verification for Reels will begin in August. We look forward to sharing more expansion offerings for the brand suitability verification solution in the coming months." Samantha Stetson, Vice President, Client Council and Industry Trade Relations.
"We're excited to announce our AI-powered, third-party brand suitability verification for Instagram Feed. This innovation marks another important step forward in the industry, providing brands with transparency into their adjacencies across both Facebook & Instagram Feed. Our continued collaboration with Meta, expanded global coverage, and commitment to transparency mapped to the GARM standards enables more responsible media investment for advertisers worldwide," said Rich Raddon, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Zefr.
For more detail on Zefr's brand suitability verification product for Meta, please visit www.zefr.com/atrium, or reach out to measurement@zefr.com.
CONTACT: Hank Kim, hank@m8media.net
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SOURCE Zefr | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/zefr-meta-expand-ai-powered-brand-suitability-measurement-instagram-feed-additional-languages/ | 2023-07-31T15:10:00 | 0 | https://www.ktre.com/prnewswire/2023/07/31/zefr-meta-expand-ai-powered-brand-suitability-measurement-instagram-feed-additional-languages/ |
The FBI should face new limits on its use of US foreign spy data, a key intelligence board says
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI should stop using a U.S. spy database of foreigners’ emails and other communications for investigating crimes that aren’t related to national security, a group of White House intelligence advisers recommended in a report released Monday.
The President’s Intelligence Advisory Board’s findings come as the White House pushes Congress to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act before its expiration at the end of this year. U.S. intelligence officials say Section 702 enables investigations of Chinese and Russian espionage, potential terrorist plots, and other threats.
But spy agencies also end up capturing the communications of U.S. citizens and businesses, and a series of intelligence mistakes at the FBI has fanned bipartisan criticism of the bureau that has strongly colored the debate over renewing the law.
The advisory board says the FBI made “inappropriate use” at times of Section 702 information. Those include queries for a U.S. senator and state senator’s names without properly limiting the search, looking for someone believed to have been at the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and doing large queries of names of protesters following the 2020 death of George Floyd.
“Unfortunately, complacency, a lack of proper procedures, and the sheer volume of Section 702 activity led to FBI’s inappropriate use of Section 702 authorities, specifically U.S. person queries,” the board said in its report. “U.S. person queries” generally mean searches for U.S. citizens and businesses.
The board recommends the FBI no longer search the data when it is seeking evidence of a crime not related to national security. Currently, the FBI conducts fewer than two dozen such searches a year, a senior administration official told reporters Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.
The White House has not decided whether it will accept the recommendation but is studying the board’s work and report, the official said.
The board’s report largely lines up with the White House’s positions on other changes being debated in Congress. The board opposed requiring the FBI to obtain a warrant before it searches Section 702 data, saying that change would be impractical. It also says the FBI needs to maintain access to foreign spy collection because unlike other intelligence agencies, it has law enforcement authorities inside the U.S. and can warn Americans that they are being targeted by foreign spies or criminals.
Already, both Republicans and Democrats have called for broader changes affecting the FBI, including a handful of lawmakers in both parties who want to require warrants for any search.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., sharply questioned Assistant Attorney General Matt Olsen in June about how it searches Section 702 data and signaled he would push for new protections.
“I don’t think you’ve effectively made the case that there shouldn’t be a warrant requirement, whether or not it is constitutionally required, for a U.S. person search that is crime only,” he said.
Many in the GOP, meanwhile, are furious about the FBI’s investigations of former President Donald Trump and mistakes found by the Justice Department inspector general and other reviewers.
In a statement, the FBI said the report highlighted “how crucial” foreign intelligence was to the bureau’s mission.
“We agree that Section 702 should be reauthorized in a manner that does not diminish its effectiveness, as well as reassures the public of its importance and our ability to adhere rigorously to all relevant rules,” the bureau’s statement said.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2023/07/31/fbi-should-face-new-limits-its-use-us-foreign-spy-data-key-intelligence-board-says/ | 2023-07-31T15:10:04 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/2023/07/31/fbi-should-face-new-limits-its-use-us-foreign-spy-data-key-intelligence-board-says/ |
DES MOINES, Iowa — A local Des Moines business is witnessing the positive power of social media.
Maccabee's Kosher Deli has seen hundreds of new customers after a TikTok about the restaurant went viral earlier this month.
Sarah Booz, a Des Moines-based TikTok creator, shared her experience at the deli with her 16.6 thousand followers.
"If you need some delicious kosher food in your life, go to Maccabee's Deli," Booz said in the TikTok. "It's on Polk and University, like, right behind the Waveland Cafe. Absolutely recommend it."
As of Saturday evening, Booz' video about Maccabee's has received more than 250,000 views and 34,000 likes.
Booz says she ordered a pastrami on rye with deli mustard and onions. But, it's become so popular with customers that rye and challah bread have run out.
"I'm telling you, it's booming," said Rabbi Yossi Jacobson, who owns the deli. "I have to go up and get more meat to feed the community. We never saw this before."
The increased popularity means some customers have had to wait almost 20 minutes to get their food.
Most people there on Friday afternoon were first-time customers, who had traveled to Des Moines. Some were in town for business, some for pleasure, but all made sure to visit the deli.
"It just got really popular. And when she said they were the best, I had to try it," said Dallas Rogers.
Maccabee's is the only kosher deli in Des Moines, and Jacobson says its the largest deli of its kind in Iowa.
"Maccabee's is the story of Hanukkah. So we hope that this place will be a place that unifies the community, and the community will support it," Jacobson said.
While making sandwiches isn't a normal thing for rabbis, Jacobson said he does it to unify the community through conversation and food.
"My name is Joseph Jacobson-- Yoseph," he said. "In the bible, Joseph fed all the people in Egypt. And what came was--there was a big famine. And his name was also Joseph Jacobson. It was Joseph, the son of Jacob, right? So I'm doing the same thing, just a few 1000 years later." | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/life/food/maccabees-kosher-deli-des-moines-iowa-restaurant-sarah-booz-tiktok/524-8bdc3945-c690-4b30-9612-4fb9bcf744c7 | 2023-07-31T15:10:05 | 1 | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/life/food/maccabees-kosher-deli-des-moines-iowa-restaurant-sarah-booz-tiktok/524-8bdc3945-c690-4b30-9612-4fb9bcf744c7 |
Mother of 8 found dead in plastic storage box
CLEVELAND (WOIO/Gray News) - An Ohio woman’s remains were found in a plastic storage box nearly a year after she disappeared, WOIO reports.
The remains of 41-year-old Tyresha Little, a mother of eight, were discovered behind an abandoned home in Cleveland.
A tip to police led them to the backyard of the home on July 20.
Family and friends, including five of Little’s children, gathered outside of the abandoned home to pay tribute to her life.
“My daughter, she was a very, very loving heart. She would give you the shirt off of her back. She did have a drug background, but she had been clean for two years,” her mother said.
Little’s oldest daughter said her mother was her best friend.
“If anything, she loved her kids. There was nothing else that came before her kids,” she said.
Little’s daughter said she was hurt by what she said a Cleveland police detective told her when her mother was first reported missing.
“The very first thing they told me is, ‘She’s probably just off somewhere getting high, on a binge’ and kept asking if it was normal. I kept repeating, ‘No, no,’” she said.
Little’s family is determined to find out what happened to her since her disappearance on Aug. 30, 2022.
A group of at least 30 people released balloons into the sky chanting, “We love you, We’ll see you on the other side. Justice for Tyresha.”
WOIO reached out to the City of Cleveland regarding the family’s concerns suggesting that not every missing person’s case is treated equally. The detective on the case said it was special to him and that he has worked on it for nearly a year. He also said every missing person’s case is important, and he will continue to work tirelessly to get answers for Little’s family, including how and when the Cleveland mother died.
A $2,500 reward is still available through Crime Stoppers for anyone who provides a tip that could help determine how Little died by calling 1-800-25-CRIME. Callers can remain anonymous.
Copyright 2023 WOIO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2023/07/31/mother-8-found-dead-plastic-storage-box/ | 2023-07-31T15:10:06 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/2023/07/31/mother-8-found-dead-plastic-storage-box/ |
MIAMI — An employee of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Carlos De Oliveira, is expected to make his first court appearance Monday on charges accusing him of scheming with the former president to hide security footage from investigators probing Trump's hoarding of classified documents.
De Oliveira, Mar-a-Lago's property manager, was added last week to the indictment with Trump and the former president's valet, Walt Nauta, in the federal case alleging a plot to illegally keep top-secret records at Trump's Palm Beach, Florida, estate and thwart government efforts to retrieve them.
De Oliveira faces charges including conspiracy to obstruct justice and lying to investigators. He's scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge in Miami nearly two months after Trump pleaded not guilty in the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.
De Oliveira's attorney, John Irving, said Monday that his client hadn't yet found a Florida-based attorney — a requirement that had delayed Nauta's arraignment previously — and cautioned that De Oliveira’s arraignment could also be delayed.
The developments in the classified documents case come as Trump braces for possible charges in another federal investigation into his efforts to cling to power after he lost the 2020 election. Trump, the early front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, has received a letter from Smith indicating that he is a target of that investigation, and Trump's lawyers met with Smith's team last week.
An attorney for De Oliveira declined last week to comment on the allegations. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and said the Mar-a-Lago security tapes were voluntarily handed over to investigators. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform last week that he was told the tapes were not “deleted in any way, shape or form.”
Prosecutors have not alleged that security footage was actually deleted or kept from investigators.
Nauta has also pleaded not guilty. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had previously scheduled the trial of Trump and Nauta to begin in May, and it's unclear whether the addition of De Oliveira to the case may impact the case's timeline.
The latest indictment, unsealed on Thursday, alleges that Trump tried to have security footage deleted after investigators visited in June 2022 to collect classified documents Trump took with him after he left the White House.
Trump was already facing dozens of felony counts — including willful retention of notional defense information — stemming from allegations that he mishandled government secrets that as commander-in-chief he was entrusted to protect. Experts have said the new allegations bolster the special counsel's case and deepen the former president's legal jeopardy.
Video from Mar-a-Lago would ultimately become vital to the government’s case because, prosecutors said, it shows Nauta moving boxes in and out of a storage room — an act alleged to have been done at Trump’s direction and in effort to hide records not only only from investigators but Trump’s own lawyers.
Days after the Justice Department sent a subpoena for video footage at Mar-a-Lago to the Trump Organization in June 2022, prosecutors say De Oliveira asked a information technology staffer how long the server retained footage and told the employee “the boss” wanted it deleted. When the employee said he didn’t believe he was able to do that, De Oliveira insisted the “boss” wanted it done, asking, “What are we going to do?”
Shortly after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago and found classified records in the storage room and Trump's office, prosecutors say Nauta called a Trump employee and said words to the effect of, “someone just wants to make sure Carlos is good.” The indictment says the employee responded that De Oliveira was loyal and wouldn't do anything to affect his relationship with Trump. That same day, the indictment alleges, Trump called De Oliveira directly to say that he would get De Oliveira an attorney.
Prosecutors allege that De Oliveira later lied in interviews with investigators, falsely claiming that he hadn't even seen boxes moved into Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House.
____
Richer reported from Boston. | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/nation-world/mar-a-lago-property-manager-first-court-date/507-3042eda3-2bf7-4cd5-9462-132874c695d7 | 2023-07-31T15:10:11 | 0 | https://www.weareiowa.com/article/news/nation-world/mar-a-lago-property-manager-first-court-date/507-3042eda3-2bf7-4cd5-9462-132874c695d7 |
Here are the honorable mentions from the 2023 Student Podcast Challenge. Listen to our middle school grand prize winners here; high school grand prize winner here; and the best mental health podcast prize winner here.
Congrats everyone! Hope to hear from you again in 2024!
Middle School
#LookontheBrightside – North Rock Creek Public School, Shawnee, Okla.
13 Going On COVID-19 – Herricks Middle School, Albertson, N.Y.
A Fortnight In Fortnite – Herricks Middle School, Albertson, N.Y.
A Surprising History Of School Lunches – Marshall Fundamental Secondary School, Pasadena, Calif.
A Taste Of Waste – The Clinton School, New York, N.Y.
Abi & Angelica's Podcast – Irvington Middle School, Irvington, N.Y.
American Revolution What-Ifs – Bayside Middle School, Milwaukee, Wis.
Back In Your Day – Edmunds Middle School, Burlington, Vt.
Bye Bye Chameleon – Princeton Middle School, Princeton, N.J.
Chicago Cubs players who need improvement – Kendall Elementary School, Naperville, Ill.
Chicken Finger – Lynbrook South Middle School, New York, N.Y.
Classical Music: Stereotypes and Solutions – DeWitt Middle School, Ithaca, N.Y.
Cringe Culture is Cringe – The Awty International School, Houston, Texas
Dress Coded – The Learning Community School, Swannanoa, N.C.
Dress Codes – Lincoln School, Providence, R.I.
Expectations – Essex Middle School, Essex Junction, Vt.
Exploring Taiwan with your palate – Pierrepont School, Westport, Conn.
Family Style – Herricks Middle School, Albertson, N.Y.
Flowing Through Time: The Past, Present, And Future Of Water – Peak Academy, Bozeman, Mont.
Final Podcast – The Nueva School, Hillsborough, Calif.
Fires: Set Ablaze – Chautauqua Elementary School, Vashon, Wash.
Food Story: Instant Ramen – San Francisco Day School, San Francisco, Calif.
Funding Colorado Schools – Park Elementary, Durango, Colo.
Gender Equality in Women's Hockey – Irving A. Robbins Middle School, Farmington, Conn.
Girls Gone Mental – Ardmore High School, Ardmore, Ala.
Graffiti And Mural Art – The Learning Community School, Swannanoa, N.C.
GT Fire Final – Georgetown School, Georgetown, Calif.
Hark's Podcast – Princeton Day School, Princeton, N.J.
Hijab Pride, Hijab Hide – Herricks Middle School, Albertson, N.Y.
How Does Social Media Impact Teens? – Ames Middle School, Ames, Iowa
I am American – Pierrepont School, Westport, Conn.
Ice Cream Madness – Lake Tahoe School, Incline Village, Nev.
Journey to Enlightenment – Burnsville School, Burnsville, Miss.
Kids On Covid – The Learning Community School, Swannanoa, N.C.
Kyle's Grandma's Story of the Korean War – John Sinnott Elementary School, Milpitas, Calif.
LGBTQIAndCommunity – The Learning Community School, Swannanoa, N.C.
Living a Full Life – Zeeland Christian School, Zeeland, Mich.
Loser Podcast – Iron Horse Middle School, San Ramon, Calif.
Managing Mental Health Student Podcast – Woodford County Middle School, Versailles, Ky.
Mental Health Podcast – Mannion Middle School, Henderson, Nev.
More Lunchtime! – Victor Intermediate School, Victor, N.Y.
Mother Tongue – Pierrepont School, Westport, Conn.
My Beautiful Stutter – Winston Preparatory School, New York, N.Y.
My Grandpa Vs. The 1956 Revolution – Olympic Hills Elementary, Seattle, Wash.
My Grandfathers' Story – Lynbrook South Middle School, New York, N.Y.
My Story – Burnsville School, Burnsville, Miss.
NEMJDS Turandot NPR Contest – NEMJDS, Birmingham, Ala.
NPR Podcast Competition 2023 – Tessellations School, Cupertino, Calif.
NPR Student Podcast – High Point Academy, Pasadena, Calif.
Pantsed – Larchmont Charter Selma Campus, Los Angeles, Calif.
Passing Time In Between Classes – Mount Olive Middle School, Budd Lake, N.J.
Pickles vs Corn – Acton Academy of Bergen County, Closter, N.J.
Podcastjulietacamarynhailey – Clearwater Fundamental Middle School, Clearwater, Fla.
Popularity – Swift Creek Middle School, Midlothian, Va.
Pteranodon vs. Fighter Jet – Clearwater Fundamental Middle School, Clearwater, Fla.
Read Banned Books – The Learning Community School, Swannanoa, N.C.
Refugee Podcast – University School Of Nashville, Nashville, Tenn.
Reviews Are For Readers – Seattle Country Day School, Seattle, Wash.
School Leisure Time – Mount Olive Middle School, Budd Lake, N.J.
School vs Home – Mickelson Middle School, Brookings, S.D.
Shiba Podcast – Lake Tahoe School, Incline Village, Nev.
Should there be two teachers in a classroom? – Weddington High School, Matthews, N.C.
SMS Podcast: How Do Car Engines Work? – St. Michael's School, Poway, Calif.
Talk with us – Saint Pius V Catholic School, Buena Park, Calif.
Teachers Need a Salary Increase – John F. Kennedy Middle School, Cupertino, Calif.
Teenage Daydream – Burnsville School, Burnsville, Miss.
The Black Plague – Swift Creek Middle School, Midlothian, Va.
The Corner We Come From – Burnsville School, Burnsville, Miss.
The Dark Side Of Gymnastics – The Clinton School, New York, N.Y.
The Grinders of 6th Grade Bip – Charles N Holden Elementary School, Chicago, Ill.
The Impact of Damar Hamlin – Herricks Middle School, Albertson, N.Y.
The Willow Project – Essex Middle School, Essex Junction, Vt.
The Questionnaire – Acton Academy of Bergen County, Closter, N.J.
Think About It! Homework – Swift Creek Middle School, Midlothian, Va.
This is Your Brain on Self-Paced learning – Noe Middle School, Louisville, Ky.
Tragedy Podcast – Enumclaw Middle School, Enumclaw, Wash.
Tree Octopus – Ames Middle School, Ames, Iowa
Turning On Our Mics – Alabama Virtual Academy, Eufaula, Ala.
Under the Rainbow – Marshall Fundamental Secondary School, Pasadena, Calif.
Unearthing Sexism – ATLAS Middle School, New Haven, Conn.
Unfair School Expectations – Gold Trail School, Placerville, Calif.
Viridian – Twelve Corners Middle School, Rochester, N.Y.
What About Plants? – Brookwood Elementary School, Dalton, Ga.
What Does It Mean To Be Healthy – The Learning Community School, Swannanoa, N.C.
We (Heart) Our New New Yorkers – PS 163 Alfred E. Smith School, New York, N.Y.
What IS Justice? – King Phillip Middle School, Hartford, Conn.
What is leadership? – Evergreen School, Shoreline, Wash.
What Makes A Great Friend – Pine Bush Elementary School, Schenectady, N.Y.
Why Culvers is the best – Pecatonica Area School District, Blanchardville, Wis.
Why Middle Schoolers Act The Way They Act – Ross Middle School, Hamilton, Ohio
High School
A Journeyman's Journey – Bard High School Early College, New York, N.Y.
A Missing Piece – Morris County School of Technology, Denville, N.J.
All About Teenage Love – Kauai High School, Lihue, Hawaii
An Interview with June Carryl – Bresee Youth Foundation, Los Angeles, Calif.
Are You Listening? – The Bush School, Seattle, Wash.
Are You Smarter Than A Middle Schooler? – Morgan County High School, West Liberty, Ky.
A Tiny Museum with a Huge Impact – The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Columbus, Miss.
B4 English Podcast - Forgotten History – Morris County School of Technology, Denville, N.J.
Basi Festival ZMF – Sitka School District, Sitka, Alaska
Been Brown, Done That – The Morris County School of Technology, Denville, N.J.
Being Comfortable with the Uncomfortable – Kauai High School, Lihue, Hawaii
Belonging Beyond Borders – York Community High School, Elmhurst, Ill.
Black Hair Why Its None Of Your Business – Robert G Cole High School, San Antonio, Texas
Body Image, Bear Pod – Berkley High School, Berkeley, Mich.
Bound for Glory – Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts Full Day, Hartford. Conn.
Challenges of Sibling Relationships – Newton South High School, Newton Centre, Mass.
Changing Shells – The Dalton Academy, Dalton, Ga.
Charlotte Country Day Motivational Men – Charlotte Country Day School, Charlotte, N.C.
Cleveland Consolidation Revisited – Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Columbus, Miss.
Daring Or Caring – The Portrayals Of Femininity In Young Adult Literature – Jericho High School, Jericho, N.Y.
Dear Future Me – Berkeley Carroll School, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Dear Yahir – Lexington High School, Lexington, Neb.
Devastation of Gentrification – Hoover High School, San Diego, Calif.
Did You Know? Weird Facts About Our Founding Fathers – Effingham College and Career Academy, Rincon, Ga.
Discomfort Food – Mercer Island High School, Mercer Island, Wash.
Discussion on Child Abuse – Fellowship Baptist Academy, Carson City, Mo.
E Malmborg – Weber High School, Ogden, Utah
Empty Cup – Dalton Junior High School, Dalton, Ga.
Endangered Sounds Podcast – Southern High School, Harwood, Md.
English Podcast – Morris County School of Technology, Denville, N.J.
Experience of Education – Pompano Beach High School, Pompano Beach, Fla.
Facade Of Ivy Leagues – West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North, Plainsboro, N.J.
Facing My Truth: How Anti-Asian Rhetoric is Embedded in the American Upbringing – The Nightingale Bamford School, New York, N.Y.
Fantasy Crime – A Parody of True Crime Podcasts – Kamiakin High School, Kennewick, Wash.
Finished Podcast – Homewood High School, Homewood, Ala.
Food and Culture Podcast – The Hewitt School, New York, N.Y.
For Preston – Marblehead High School, Marblehead, Mass.
Generation Differences In Dating – Marblehead High School, Marblehead, Mass.
Hattiesburg's Sewer Woes – The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Columbus, Miss.
HER: The Podcast – Upper Merion High School, King of Prussia, Pa.
High School POV on School Shootings – Desert Garden Montessori, Phoenix, Ariz.
High School Social Hierarchy – Robert G Cole High School, San Antonio, Texas
How to Survive High School – Bishop Dwenger High School, Fort Wayne, Ind.
I Plant – Weber High School, Ogden, Utah
Jackson Heights: Threats of Gentrification Interwoven into a Bustling Neighborhood – Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Japan Festival Boston Podcast – Milton Academy, Milton, Mass.
Just Some Trash Talk? – Buffalo Grove High School, Buffalo Grove, Ill.
Laughing Through The Struggle – Milton Academy, Milton, Mass.
Laurel Legacy – Morris County School of Technology, Denville, N.J.
Leaders and Tough Questions – Mississippi School for Math and Science, Columbus, Miss.
Leo: NPR Podcast Contest 2023 – LEAF Charter School, Alstead, N.H.
Life Inside The Green Band Tents – Wenatchee High School, Wenatchee, Wash.
Lost In Expectations: The Struggles Of Indian Youth – Morris County School of Technology, Denville, N.J.
Luciana Masoni Podcast – The Baldwin School of Puerto Rico, Guaynabo, Puerto Rico
Ly Podcast – AmTech Career Academy, Amarillo, Texas
Male High School Athletes Don't Cry – Central Union High School, El Centro, Calif.
ManyaPodcastOnFaithAndFunbotics – Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Va.
Mass Exodus – Newton South High School, Newton Centre, Mass.
Multiplied by a Million – The Walker School, North Marietta, Ga.
Murder: After Dark – Bishop Dwenger High School, Fort Wayne, Ind.
My America – Tennessee High School, Bristol, Tenn.
My Ao Dai – St. Francis High School, Mountain View, Calif.
Navigating Female Friendships – Montrose School, Medfield, Mass.
Not Gun Control – PrepNet Virtual Academy, Grand Rapids, Mich.
NPR Podcast Project – Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Nuclear Proliferation – NYC iSchool, New York, N.Y.
Obsessive – Rampart High School, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Opening Up is Manning Up – Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Alexandria, Va.
Parental Penalties – New Hampton School, New Hampton, N.H.
Peculiar Past Podcast – Bishop Dwenger High School, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Perception In Color – Newton South High School, Newton Centre, Mass.
Police Brutality – Trumbull Career & Technical Center, Warren, Ohio
Pregnancy at a Young Age – J Sterling Morton East High School, Cicero, Ill.
Reaching Out To An Outreach – Achievement First University Prep High School, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Redefining the Boundaries of the Human Body – The Potomac School, McLean, Va.
Save The Drama For Your Llama – Morris County School of Technology, Denville, N.J.
Secrets In The Sky – Ben Lacher's Story – Alliance High School, Alliance, Ohio
Skunktastic Tale – Marblehead High School, Marblehead, Mass.
Stuck Behind Bars: The Injustice of the Dysfunctional Bail System – Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Sports Podcast Final – Carmel High School, Carmel, Calif.
SUPERwomens Podcast – Homewood High School, Homewood, Ala.
Table Talk – Morris County School of Technology, Denville, N.J.
Tainted Land – Perry High School, Massillon, Ohio
Talk the Talk – The Morris County School of Technology, Denville, N.J.
Teenager's Take On Taxes – Kauai High School, Lihue, Hawaii
Teen Evolution – Capital High School, Helena, Mont.
Testosterone, Estrogen and American Legislation – Carmel High School, Carmel, Calif.
The Battle for Educational Access: The Impact of YouTube Restrictions on High School Learning – Dos Pueblos High School, Goleta, Calif.
The Darker Side of Volunteering – Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego, Calif.
The Drama of Drama – Carmel High School, Carmel, Calif.
The Feminist History of Barbie – Greater Hartford Academy of the Art, Hartford, Conn.
The Guest User – Stanford Online High School, Redwood City, Calif.
The Heralds of Life, Love, and Creation – Shaler Area High School, Pittsburgh, Penn.
The Last of You – J Sterling Morton West High School, Berwyn, Ill.
The Locket – Louisville Collegiate School, Louisville, Ky.
The Magic of Putting Myself First – Pembroke Hill School, Kansas City, Mo.
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Crisis – Rocky Mountain High School, Fort Collins, Colo.
The Negative Effects of Social Media on Teens – Marblehead High School, Marblehead, Mass.
The Perfect Romance Novel – Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque, N.M.
The Problem With The American School System – Morris County School of Technology, Denville, N.J.
The Second Shift – West Covina High School, West Covina, Calif.
The Senior Song Debate: Navigating School Spirit and Social Responsibility – Dos Pueblos High School, Goleta, Calif.
The State Line Mob – The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Columbus, Miss.
The Will of the Unconscious Mind – Sheyenne High School, West Fargo, N.D.
Things that Don't Make Sense – Fontbonne Hall Academy, Brooklyn, N.Y.
TikTok is a Problem – Robert G Cole High School, San Antonio, Texas
Toxic Masculinity! – Bishop Dwenger High School, Fort Wayne, Ind.
Unsung Lyrics – Carmel High School, Carmel, Calif.
VIDEO – 2023-04-25-01-51-49 – Edgemont Jr./Sr. High School, Scarsdale, N.Y.
Violet Migration Podcast – Open World Learning, Saint Paul, Minn.
VK Baller Podcast: Specialist vs. Swiss Army Knife – Morris County School of Technology, Denville, N.J.
Washed Away – Morgan County High School, West Liberty, Ky.
We Need Rap – Oyler Community Learning Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
What Even Is Confidence? – The Bush School, Seattle, Wash.
What is a woman? – Kauai High School, Lihue, Hawaii
What Is Home? – The Bush School, Seattle, Wash.
What Makes a Suburb a Good Place to Live? – The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Columbus, Miss.
What We Are and What We Were – Morris County School of Technology, Denville, N.J.
When We See Ourselves – Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, Aurora, Ill.
Why Are You So Distracted? – Herbert Hoover High School, San Diego, Calif.
Why Is Dance So Important To Me? – The Bush School, Seattle, Wash.
Wintle And Chippa – Weber High School, Ogden, Utah
Woolly Mammoth Meatballs – Northgate High School, Walnut Creek, Calif.
Xavier Podcast – AmTech Career Academy, Amarillo, Texas
Yin Yang – Yerba Buena High School, San Jose, Calif.
Your Mom Added Me On Snapchat – The Morris County School of Technology, Denville, N.J.
Zoe's Podcast – Tennessee High School, Bristol, Tenn.
Thanks again to students, teachers and mentors for being a part of our annual contest! Please share your experience, send us photos and give us feedback at studentpodcasthcallenge@npr.org.
And, if you haven't already, subscribe to our newsletter for the latest updates.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/2023-07-31/announcing-the-2023-student-podcast-challenge-honorable-mentions | 2023-07-31T15:10:15 | 1 | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/2023-07-31/announcing-the-2023-student-podcast-challenge-honorable-mentions |
The magic of McDonald’s? You always know what you’re going to get. No matter which one you walk into — whether in Islip, New York, or Istanbul, Turkey — you can order a Big Mac and fries. And it will taste the same.
But will it cost the same? No.
Recently, a man named Sam Learner was traveling on the Connecticut Turnpike when he discovered just how variable the prices can be. After pulling into a rest stop in Darien, Connecticut, he was astounded by the prices he saw on the McDonald’s menu. A Big Mac combo meal with fries and a soft drink costs $17.59. So he snapped a photo and posted it to Twitter.
This was at a rest stop, but these McDonald’s prices are nuts right??? pic.twitter.com/0qq8Ima3ZA
— Sam Learner (@sam_learner) July 18, 2023
MORE: McDonald’s Indonesia launches wedding packages with McNuggets
Why so expensive? Since about 90% of McDonald’s franchises are independently operated, the owners can set their own prices. If you own a McDonald’s at a rest stop along a highway (where people are hungry and in unfamiliar territory), you can charge more for the same product. And franchise owners in areas with a high per-capita income also tend to charge higher prices.
Learner did some more sleuthing and quickly followed this tweet up with a second one:
Ok, I did a little digging and I think I might have stumbled into the country’s most expensive McDonald’s. Its $8.29 Big Mac is missing from this map, which lists $8.09 in Lee, MA as the country’s most expensive (though from a few months ago to be fair): https://t.co/SjbQh2N1UF pic.twitter.com/q3zvTFHJuv
— Sam Learner (@sam_learner) July 19, 2023
Unsurprisingly, Learner’s tweets sparked a lively Twitter debate about the economics of fast food.
“I downloaded the mcdonald’s app to check – same items are just about half the price less than 2 miles away at a different store,” commented Bad Gibbon @Mostlymonkey. “Wow, that is a hell of a convenience premium!”
Many people commented on the injustice of price gouging, with others urging people not to eat at McDonald’s anymore.
“Rest stops are literally highway robbery,” wrote Bella @imbellawonder.
But the most depressing response came from ednycinc44, who shared what McDonald’s prices were in 1972, when a Big Mac cost $.65 cents:
Those were the days…. Hamburger, Fries, & a Coke plus change back from you pic.twitter.com/yhhshDSMRP
— ednycinc44 (@ednycinc44) July 21, 2023
MORE: This recipe features McDonald’s Big Mac flavors in a salad
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Check out Simplemost for additional stories. | https://www.lex18.com/a-nearly-18-big-mac-meal-is-creating-a-stir-on-social-media | 2023-07-31T15:10:15 | 0 | https://www.lex18.com/a-nearly-18-big-mac-meal-is-creating-a-stir-on-social-media |
KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukraine has passed legislation moving its official Christmas holiday to December 25, further distancing itself from the traditions of the Putin-aligned Russian Orthodox Church, which celebrates the holiday on January 7.
The bill was passed by Ukraine's parliament earlier this month. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed it into law on Friday.
The legislation's sponsors said its passage would help Ukraine "abandon the Russian heritage of imposing the celebration of Christmas on January 7," and help Ukrainians "live their own life with their own traditions (and) holidays."
Ukraine and Russia are both majority Orthodox countries, but since Russia illegally annexed Crimea and began supporting separatists in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region in 2014, a large part of the Orthodox community in Ukraine has moved away from Moscow.
Russia's war in Ukraine further accelerated the divide between the two branches of Orthodox Christianity, especially given that the head of Russia's Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, fully endorsed the invasion and framed it as a culture clash between the wider Russian world and Western liberal values.
The new law will effectively formalize what some churches in Ukraine had already begun practicing. A branch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine allowed its churches to celebrate Christmas on December 25 last year. Ukraine's main Greek Catholic church said in February it was moving to a new calendar to celebrate Christmas on December 25 as well.
The decision appears to be popular. In December, the Ukrainian government launched a poll asking citizens whether the date for Christmas should be moved to December 25. Nearly 59% of the more than 1.5 million people who voted supported such a move.
Alla and Oksana, two teachers from the Zaporizhzhia region who had been forced to flee their homes, said they supported the decision to change the date. They added that they celebrated Christmas on December 25 last year and felt they would "quickly adapt."
"Ukraine should be a civilized European country," Alla said. "This should be the norm for us."
Vitalina and Pavlo, a couple from Lviv visiting Kyiv, supported the decision but said the transition would be harder for the parents.
"Celebrating December 25 is logical. This is how Europe celebrates. We celebrated in December this year and there was nothing difficult about it. We want to be closer to Europe and to the world," Pavlo said.
Tetyana, an Orthodox Christian from Kyiv, said the date was not important for her, but was ready to support the move because of its symbolic value.
"If necessary, we will celebrate on December 25. It is no longer about religion, it is more a sign of statehood. Let it be so. I support the president and my country," she said.
The new law will also change the dates of several Ukrainian holidays that are celebrated on the same day as religious festivities. The Day of Ukrainian Statehood - the country's independence day - will move from July 28 to July 15, while the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, when Ukraine honors its veterans and war dead, will move forward to October 1 from October 14.
Copyright 2023 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved. | https://abc7ny.com/news-ukraine-christmas-russian-orthodox-church/13570226/ | 2023-07-31T15:10:15 | 0 | https://abc7ny.com/news-ukraine-christmas-russian-orthodox-church/13570226/ |
For a while in the indie music scene, the question was, "Who is bar italia?" The London-based band obscured their faces and rarely did interviews. After listening to their latest album, Tracey Denim, I find myself asking, "What is bar italia?"
Listen closely and you'll hear a myriad of influences and styles: There's post-punk, garage rock and even brit pop scattered throughout the album's 15 tracks. Since signing to Matador Records, we now know bar italia Jezmi Tarik Fehmi, Sam Fenton and Nina Cristante. But I'm guessing they hope that doesn't mean as much to you as the feeling you get while listening to their first single, "Nurse!"
The band joins us to play songs from Tracey Denim, recorded in studio at World Cafe in Philadelphia.
Copyright 2023 XPN | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/2023-07-31/tune-in-to-a-mini-concert-with-bar-italia | 2023-07-31T15:10:21 | 1 | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/2023-07-31/tune-in-to-a-mini-concert-with-bar-italia |
The Police Department in Lake Station, Indiana, said that a van's air conditioning unit was to blame for a number of canines succumbing to heat stroke.
The police did not give specific numbers on how many canines died, but NBC Chicago reported that eight dogs died inside the van. There were 18 canines being transported inside the van, the report said.
The incident occurred on July 27. According to the National Weather Service, the high temperature in the Chicago area reached 93 degrees.
Police said the van was in transit from Chicago's O'Hare Airport to a K-9 training facility Michigan City, Indiana, when it got caught in a two-hour traffic jam. While this was occurring, police said the driver was unaware that the air conditioning in the cargo area was not functioning.
"The driver’s attention as to what was going on inside the cargo area was alerted to him by some of the canines barking," the police said. "Once inside the the cargo area, he observed the canines in distress and began to remove the canines who were crated. This prompted 911 calls to the Lake Station Fire Department and EMS along with the Lake Station Police Department."
SEE MORE: Animal rescue owner charged after grisly discovery
Police said that the canines were transported to area veterinarians for treatment.
In June, two police K9s died in separate incidents that also involved air conditioning units malfunctioning. On June 6, K-9 Chase of the Cobb County Police Department in Georgia died from a heat stroke. A week later, Aron died from heat exhaustion after being left in a hot police cruiser.
In 2022, the Officer Down Memorial Page reported that two K-9s died in a similar fashion with departments claiming their cruisers’ heat monitoring systems failed.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.lex18.com/eight-k9s-dead-after-van-s-ac-unit-fails | 2023-07-31T15:10:21 | 0 | https://www.lex18.com/eight-k9s-dead-after-van-s-ac-unit-fails |
FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — Kentucky Commissioner of Education Jason E. Glass announced he will step down from his position September 29 in order to become associate vice president of teaching and learning at Western Michigan University.
Glass was appointed commissioner in 2020 by the Kentucky Board of Education (KBE). His four-year contract was set to expire in September 2024.
“These past three years have been a remarkable journey and I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to return to my home state and serve as commissioner,” Glass said. “I wish to thank the members of the Kentucky Board of Education for their wisdom and leadership, the staff at the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) for their exemplary service and those working in education roles across the state for their continuing efforts to serve and support all of Kentucky’s children. I have a heart full of gratitude.”
In a letter to KBE Chair Lu S. Young, Glass said he is “committed to working diligently to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities and to provide any necessary support to whomever is selected as an interim or new commissioner.”
Young said the KBE will hold a special-called meeting in mid-August to determine next steps and a timeline for moving forward with an interim commissioner once Glass leaves. | https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/kentucky-commissioner-of-education-jason-e-glass-to-step-down-sep-29 | 2023-07-31T15:10:24 | 0 | https://www.lex18.com/news/covering-kentucky/kentucky-commissioner-of-education-jason-e-glass-to-step-down-sep-29 |
As federal student loan borrowers prepare for repayments to begin after a three-and-a-half-year hiatus, the federal government has launched a websitefor borrowers to begin applying for income-driven repayment plans.
Interest on student loan payments begins in September with payments expected to resume in October, but many might find their payments to be lower than prior to the pandemic.
The website was scheduled to launch Aug. 1, but was up a day early. The website automatically imports income information from the Internal Revenue Service. A Scripps News reporter was able to import all of the needed information within five minutes. Those who apply for income-driven repayment plans will need to have their income re-certified yearly.
The Department of Education is encouraging borrowers who might struggle with payments to explore its new income-driven repayment plans.
SEE MORE: Worry sets in as federal student loan payments are set to restart
The White House has touted the new plans as a response to its failed attempt to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt among low and middle-income borrowers.
The newest income-driven repayment plan implemented by the Biden administration means most borrowers will have lower monthly payments than before the pandemic.
Previously, borrowers using income-driven repayment plans on undergraduate loans were expected to pay 10% of their discretionary income. Discretionary income was previously considered any dollar made above 150% of the poverty level.
Now, borrowers with only undergraduate loans will be expected to pay 5% of their discretionary income. The amount considered discretionary income increased to 225% of the federal poverty level.
SEE MORE: Here's who qualifies for Biden's student loan forgiveness programs
Previously, a borrower with undergraduate loans with a family of four with an income of $70,000 living in the continental U.S. would have been expected to pay about $2,500 a year — or $208 a month — in payments. Under the revised plan, that person would pay about $125 a year — or just over $10 per month — in student loan payments.
Under changes made by the Biden administration, those using income-driven repayment plans could have the rest of their balance eliminated after a period of time.
Those who initially borrowed less than $22,000 will have their outstanding balance forgiven after 10 to 20 years in repayment, depending on the amount borrowed. Undergraduates who borrowed more than $22,000 can have their remaining debt erased after 20 years. Those with grad school debt would not be required to make payments after 25 years.
The plan also ensures balances won't increase as a result of unpaid interest.
While Congressional Republicans previously objected to these changes, they relented in the debt ceiling deal.
"Income-driven repayment plans usually lower your federal student loan payments. However, whenever you make lower payments or extend your repayment period, you will likely pay more in interest over time — sometimes significantly more. In addition, under current Internal Revenue Service rules, you may be required to pay income tax on any amount that's forgiven if you still have a remaining balance at the end of your repayment period," the Department of Education said.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.lex18.com/student-loan-borrowers-can-begin-applying-for-lower-payments | 2023-07-31T15:10:25 | 0 | https://www.lex18.com/student-loan-borrowers-can-begin-applying-for-lower-payments |
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas is temporarily blocked from enforcing a law that would have allowed criminal charges against librarians and booksellers for providing "harmful" materials to minors, a federal judge ruled Saturday.
U.S. District Judge Timothy L. Brooks issued a preliminary injunction against the law, which also would have created a new process to challenge library materials and request that they be relocated to areas not accessible by kids. The measure, signed by Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders earlier this year, was set to take effect Aug. 1.
A coalition that included the Central Arkansas Library System in Little Rock had challenged the law, saying fear of prosecution under the measure could prompt libraries and booksellers to no longer carry titles that could be challenged.
The judge also rejected a motion by the defendants, which include prosecuting attorneys for the state, seeking to dismiss the case.
The ACLU of Arkansas, which represents some of the plaintiffs, applauded the court's ruling, saying that the absence of a preliminary injunction would have jeopardized First Amendment rights.
"The question we had to ask was — do Arkansans still legally have access to reading materials? Luckily, the judicial system has once again defended our highly valued liberties," Holly Dickson, the executive director of the ACLU in Arkansas, said in a statement.
The lawsuit comes as lawmakers in an increasing number of conservative states are pushing for measures making it easier to ban or restrict access to books. The number of attempts to ban or restrict books across the U.S. last year was the highest in the 20 years the American Library Association has been tracking such efforts.
Laws restricting access to certain materials or making it easier to challenge them have been enacted in several other states, including Iowa, Indiana and Texas.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin said in an email Saturday that his office would be "reviewing the judge's opinion and will continue to vigorously defend the law."
The executive director of Central Arkansas Library System, Nate Coulter, said the judge's 49-page decision recognized the law as censorship, a violation of the Constitution and wrongly maligning librarians.
"As folks in southwest Arkansas say, this order is stout as horseradish!" he said in an email.
"I'm relieved that for now the dark cloud that was hanging over CALS' librarians has lifted," he added.
Cheryl Davis, general counsel for the Authors Guild, said the organization is "thrilled" about the decision. She said enforcing this law "is likely to limit the free speech rights of older minors, who are capable of reading and processing more complex reading materials than young children can."
The Arkansas lawsuit names the state's 28 local prosecutors as defendants, along with Crawford County in west Arkansas. A separate lawsuit is challenging the Crawford County library's decision to move children's books that included LGBTQ+ themes to a separate portion of the library.
The plaintiffs challenging Arkansas' restrictions also include the Fayetteville and Eureka Springs Carnegie public libraries, the American Booksellers Association and the Association of American Publishers.
Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/news-from-npr/news-from-npr/2023-07-30/an-arkansas-judge-has-blocked-a-law-targeting-librarians-over-harmful-books | 2023-07-31T15:10:27 | 0 | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/news-from-npr/news-from-npr/2023-07-30/an-arkansas-judge-has-blocked-a-law-targeting-librarians-over-harmful-books |
As the hour creeps past three in the afternoon, New Orleans' streets are devoid of tourists and locals alike. The heat index is over 105 degrees.
At the city's ambulance depot, the concrete parking lot seems to magnify the sweltering heat, circulating the air like a convection oven.
New Orleans Emergency Medical Services has been busy this summer, responding to heat-related emergency calls and rushing patients to nearby hospitals.
Capt. Janick Lewis and Lt. Titus Carriere demonstrate how they can load a stretcher into an ambulance using an automated loading system.
Lewis wipes sweat from his brow as the loading arm whirs and hums, raising the stretcher into the ambulance — "unit" in official terminology.
But the mechanical assistance isn't the best thing about the new vehicle. "The nicest thing about being assigned a brand new unit, is it's a brand-new air conditioning system," Lewis says.
The new AC is much more than just a luxury for the hard-working crews. These days they need the extra cooling power to help save lives.
"The number one thing you do take care of somebody is get them out of the heat, get them somewhere cool," Lewis says. "So the number one thing we spend our time worrying about in the summertime is keeping the truck cool."
Like much of the country, New Orleans has been embroiled in an almost relentless heat wave for weeks. As a result, more people are falling ill with heat-related conditions than ever before. Just last week, EMS responded to 29 heat-related calls — more than triple compared to the same period last year.
As the city's emergency medical systems deal with the influx of patients, scientists say these dangerous heat levels — and the increasing stress they put on human bodies and medical systems — may be the new norm.
At the same time, New Orleans EMS has struggled with funding and staffing challenges. It's currently operating with only 60% of its needed staff. The city's chief of EMS has called for increased funding for higher wages to attract more workers.
Lewis says they're making do with the resources they have, and prioritizing one-time expenses like new ambulances to help them meet the challenges they're facing.
"We're going to provide the care everybody needs, regardless of how hot it gets," Lewis says. "We'd love to have all the help in the world, but we're getting the job done with what we have right now."
Health dangers above 100℉
When a human being is exposed to high levels of heat for too long, it starts to raise the core body temperature. Once that exceeds 100 degrees, hyperthermia can develop. That can prompt an escalating cascade of health problems if it isn't quickly addressed.
The first stage is heat exhaustion, Lt. Carriere explains: "That means you're hot, you may have an elevated temp, but you also have what's called diaphoresis, which means your body is sweating, is still trying to compensate and cool yourself off." You'll also likely have other symptoms like weakness, dizziness, and headache.
Carriere says that if you can quickly get out of the heat and into some AC, generally you'll recover from heat exhaustion on your own. But if you don't, your core temperature will continue to rise.
Near 104° the dangers escalate
If internal body temperature approaches 104 degrees, you could succumb to the next stage — heat stroke.
"Once you move to heat stroke, your body stops compensating," Carriere says. "You stop sweating. You're hot. You're dry, and your organs are basically like frying themselves from the inside out."
When you stop sweating, it becomes even harder for your body to cool itself down. During heat stroke, you may also experience other severe symptoms like an altered state of mind, confusion, and a rapid, erratic pulse. You may even lose consciousness.
Heat illness can develop after unrelieved exposure to incessant heat, but high humidity compounds the problem by making it harder for the body to cool itself by sweating.
Working outdoors, dehydration, alcohol or drug use, and sunburn all increase the risk. The very old, children under 4, and those who are obese or have certain medical conditions are particularly vulnerable.
Without medical intervention, heat stroke can be deadly. EMS starts treatment immediately after they arrive on the scene.
"We'll get them on a gurney, get them into the unit, start removing their clothing and put ice packs wherever applicable to try to cool them down," says Carriere.
Saving lives in the ER with ice, fluids, and medical support
Once you're loaded into the ambulance, they'll race you to a nearby hospital, Carriere says. At University Medical Center (UMC), the city's largest hospital, doctors and nurses will continue efforts to quickly lower body temperature, and replace fluids by IV if necessary..
"When the patient ends up at the hospital, we're going to continue that cooling process," Elder says. "We're going to put them in an ice water bath," says Dr. Jeffrey Elder, the Medical Director for Emergency Management at UMC. "We may use some misting fans and some cold fluids to get their body temperature down to a reasonable temperature while we're supporting all the other bodily functions."
Getting your core temperature down as quickly as possible is the highest priority, Elder explains, and is what will ultimately save your life. One way they can speed that along is by burying you in ice. In other parts of the country, doctors actually place patients inside body bags pre-packed with pounds of ice. Body bags are useful in these cases because they're waterproof and are designed to closely fit the human form.
They don't use body bags at UMC's emergency room, but during the summer, staffers do keep bags of ice ready to go at all times.
"On the stretcher, we'll use some of the sheets as kind of a barrier," Elder says. "And while they're on the stretcher, we'll just put the ice on them right then and there."
Hospital staff will continue to work to cool you down until your temperature gets back below 100. That's when you're considered to be in the medical safe zone.
Elder admits that while it always gets hot in New Orleans during the summer, his emergency room has been treating more heat-related illness in 2023 than ever before. A few patients have died from the heat.
Like many other hospital systems, UMC is struggling with staffing challenges since the pandemic. But UMC has prioritized staffing of the emergency department in order to handle things like an influx of patients from heat-related illness, Elder says.
Burden on health infrastructure heats up
Across the country, meteorological events like heat waves and heat domes will become more frequent and intense in the future, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Extreme summer heat is increasing in the United States," says Claudia Brown, a health scientist with the CDC's Climate and Health Program. "And climate projections are indicating that extreme heat events will be more frequent and intense in the coming decades."
Health infrastructure will be challenged to keep up in order to treat patients suffering from extreme heat exposure. In New Orleans, both first responders and doctors say they expect to see more patients with heat-related illness. July is merely the halfway point of a Louisiana summer.
"We haven't even gotten to the hottest part yet, which is typically August to September," says EMS Lt. Titus Carriere. "So I'm expecting it to get pretty bad."
This story comes from NPR's health reporting partnership with the Gulf States Newsroom and KFF Health News.
Copyright 2023 Gulf States Newsroom. To see more, visit . | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/news-from-npr/news-from-npr/2023-07-30/in-broiling-cities-like-new-orleans-the-health-system-faces-off-against-heat-stroke | 2023-07-31T15:10:34 | 0 | https://www.iowapublicradio.org/news-from-npr/news-from-npr/2023-07-30/in-broiling-cities-like-new-orleans-the-health-system-faces-off-against-heat-stroke |
City of Tacoma
CMO / Office of Health and Safety
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS CM23-0143F
Mental Health Awareness Training
Submittal Deadline: 11:00 a.m., Pacific Time, Friday, August 18th, 2023
Submittals must be received by the City’s Procurement and Payables Division prior to 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
For electronic submittals, the City of Tacoma will designate the time of receipt recorded by our email, sendbid@cityoftacoma.org, as the official time of receipt. This clock will be used as the official time of receipt of all parts of electronic bid submittals. Late submittals will be returned unopened and rejected as non-responsive.
Submittal Delivery: Sealed submittals will be received as follows:
By Email:
sendbid@cityoftacoma.org
Maximum file size: 35 MB. Multiple emails may be sent for each submittal Bid Opening: Submittals must be received by the City’s Procurement and Payables Division prior to 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Sealed submittals in response to a RFB will be opened Tuesday’s at 11:15 a.m. by a purchasing representative and read aloud during a public bid opening held at the Tacoma Public Utilities Administrative Building North, 3628 S. 35th Street, Tacoma, WA 98409, conference room M-1, located on the main floor. They will also be held virtually Tuesday’s at 11:15 a.m. Attend via this link or call 1 (253) 215 8782. Submittals in response to an RFP, RFQ or RFI will be recorded as received. As soon as possible, after 1:00 PM, on the day of submittal deadline, preliminary results will be posted to www.TacomaPurchasing.org.
Solicitation Documents: An electronic copy of the complete solicitation documents may be viewed and obtained by accessing the City of Tacoma Purchasing website at www.TacomaPurchasing.org. • Register for the Bid Holders List to receive notices of addenda, questions and answers and related updates.
• Click here to see a list of vendors registered for this solicitation.
Pre-Proposal Meeting: A pre-proposal meeting will not be held.
Project Scope: To obtain a City-wide training contract for mental health awareness training to reduce the stigma of mental health, increase awareness for mental health and substance abuse use disorders, show employees how to identify a linkage to community resources, and have a sense of safety around the topics of mental health and substance abuse. This training may include in-person training at City of Tacoma owned properties, virtual training, and hybrid training to train a diverse workgroup of over 3600 employees.
Estimate: $300,000
Paid Sick Leave: The City of Tacoma requires all employers to provide paid sick leave as set forth in Title 18 of the Tacoma Municipal Code and in accordance with State of Washington law. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA Information: The City of Tacoma, in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), commits to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability, in all of its programs and activities. Specification materials can be made available in an alternate format by emailing the contact listed below in the Additional Information section.
Title VI Information: “The City of Tacoma” in accordance with provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. sections 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, national origin in consideration of award. Additional Information: Requests for information regarding the specifications may be obtained by contacting Sara Bird, Senior Buyer by email to sbird@cityoftacoma.org.
Protest Policy: City of Tacoma protest policy, located at www.tacomapurchasing.org, specifies procedures for protests submitted prior to and after submittal deadline.
Meeting sites are accessible to persons with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities can be arranged with 48 hours advance notice by calling 253-502-8468
IDX-981517
July 31, 2023 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/city-of-tacoma-request-for-proposals-cm23-0143f/2468325/ | 2023-07-31T15:10:39 | 1 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/city-of-tacoma-request-for-proposals-cm23-0143f/2468325/ |
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An escalating dispute over a gas field in the Persian Gulf poses an early challenge to a Chinese-brokered agreement to reconcile regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran.
Saudi Arabia and neighboring Kuwait jointly claim the offshore Al-Durra gas field. Iran says it has rights to the field, which it refers to as Arash. The two sides held talks in Iran in March but were unable to agree on a border demarcation.
A spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, said the country would not tolerate any infringement on its rights, echoing remarks by the country’s oil minister the previous day.
“We have expressed our readiness to engage in dialogue with the Kuwaiti side,” Kanaani told reporters Monday. “But if there is no interest in mutual utilization of this joint field, the Islamic Republic of Iran has naturally put the exploration and utilization of the resources on its agenda.”
Kuwait’s oil minister told Sky News Arabia last week that his country would commence drilling and production without waiting for a deal.
Saudi Arabia has sided with Kuwait, saying the two countries have exclusive ownership of the field, and has called on Iran to return to negotiations.
Saudi Arabia and Iran, which have backed opposite sides in conflicts across the Middle East and accused each other of destabilizing the region, formally restored diplomatic relations in April following a seven-year freeze. They have since reopened embassies and welcomed senior officials on visits.
But they continue to back opposite sides in Yemen’s civil war, which is ongoing despite a 15-month cease-fire. Saudi Arabia is also in negotiations with the United States over potentially normalizing relations with Israel, which Iran’s leaders have said should be wiped off the map.
“Any step in the direction toward normalization of ties with this aggressive regime will only serve to give it more leeway to commit more atrocities against the Palestinian nation,” Kanaani, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, said.
It’s unclear whether the dispute over the gas field, which goes back to the 1960s, will escalate beyond rhetoric. But tensions are already high in the Persian Gulf, where the U.S. is building up military forces in response to what it says is Iran’s unlawful seizure of oil tankers and harassment of commercial vessels.
Saudi Arabia and Kuwait agreed last year to jointly develop the gas field. Kuwait said at the time that they aimed to produce 1 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 84,000 barrels of liquefied gas per day. Iran denounced the agreement as illegal and said it should be included in any such plans. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-dispute-over-persian-gulf-gas-field-poses-early-challenge-to-saudi-iranian-rapprochement/ | 2023-07-31T15:10:39 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-dispute-over-persian-gulf-gas-field-poses-early-challenge-to-saudi-iranian-rapprochement/ |
City of Tacoma
TACOMA PUBLIC UTILITIES / TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS PT23-0091F
ADVANCED DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (ADMS)
Submittal Deadline: 11:00 a.m., Pacific Time, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023
Submittals must be received by the City’s Procurement and Payables Division prior to 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time.
For electronic submittals, the City of Tacoma will designate the time of receipt recorded by our email, sendbid@cityoftacoma.org, as the official time of receipt. This clock will be used as the official time of receipt of all parts of electronic bid submittals. Late submittals will be returned unopened and rejected as non-responsive.
Submittal Delivery: Sealed submittals will be received as follows:
By Email:
sendbid@cityoftacoma.org
Maximum file size: 35 MB. Multiple emails may be sent for each submittal
Bid Opening: Submittals must be received by the City’s Procurement and Payables Division prior to 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time. Sealed submittals in response to a RFB will be opened Tuesday’s at 11:15 a.m. by a purchasing representative and read aloud during a public bid opening held at the Tacoma Public Utilities Administrative Building North, 3628 S. 35th Street, Tacoma, WA 98409, conference room M-1, located on the main floor. They will also be held virtually Tuesday’s at 11:15 a.m. Attend via this link or call 1 (253) 215 8782. Submittals in response to an RFP, RFQ or RFI will be recorded as received. As soon as possible, after 1:00 PM, on the day of submittal deadline, preliminary results will be posted to www.TacomaPurchasing.org.
Solicitation Documents: An electronic copy of the complete solicitation documents may be viewed and obtained by accessing the City of Tacoma Purchasing website at www.TacomaPurchasing.org. • Register for the Bid Holders List to receive notices of addenda, questions and answers and related updates.
• Click here to see a list of vendors registered for this solicitation.
Pre-Proposal Meeting: A pre-proposal meeting will be held at 11:00 am Pacific Time, Thursday, August 10, 2023 via Microsoft Teams meeting.
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Click here to join the meeting Meeting ID: 261 781 350 331
Passcode: CSCZ3X Download Teams | Join on the web
Or call in (audio only)
+1 253-666-4424,,973578502# United States, Tacoma
Phone Conference ID: 973 578 502#
Find a local number | Reset PIN
Project Scope: The scope of this RFP includes the procurement and implementation of a new Outage Management System (OMS) training simulator and an upgrade or replacement of the current OMS. Also included will be the implementation of Distribution Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (DSCADA) functions, and the acquisition and implementation of a Distribution Management System. Features will include advanced applications including fault location analysis (FLA), Distribution System State Estimation (DSSE), Fault Location Isolation and Service Restoration (FLISR), Ambient adjusted line ratings, and Volt VAR optimization (VVO).
Estimate: N/A
Paid Sick Leave: The City of Tacoma requires all employers to provide paid sick leave as set forth in Title 18 of the Tacoma Municipal Code and in accordance with State of Washington law. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA Information: The City of Tacoma, in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), commits to nondiscrimination on the basis of disability, in all of its programs and activities. Specification materials can be made available in an alternate format by emailing the contact listed below in the Additional Information section.
Title VI Information: “The City of Tacoma” in accordance with provisions of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, (78 Stat. 252, 42 U.S.C. sections 2000d to 2000d-4) and the Regulations, hereby notifies all bidders that it will affirmatively ensure that in any contract entered into pursuant to this advertisement, disadvantaged business enterprises will be afforded full and fair opportunity to submit bids in response to this invitation and will not be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, national origin in consideration of award. Additional Information: Requests for information regarding the specifications may be obtained by contacting Tina Eide, Senior Buyer by email to teide@cityoftacoma.org. Protest Policy: City of Tacoma protest policy, located at www.tacomapurchasing.org, specifies procedures for protests submitted prior to and after submittal deadline.
Meeting sites are accessible to persons with disabilities. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities can be arranged with 48 hours advance notice by calling 253-502-8468
IDX-981459
July 31, 2023 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/city-of-tacoma-request-for-proposals-pt23-0091f/2468326/ | 2023-07-31T15:10:46 | 1 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/city-of-tacoma-request-for-proposals-pt23-0091f/2468326/ |
FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Europe’s economy has grown modestly after months of stagnation, but higher interest rates designed to fight inflation are casting a shadow as they make it more expensive for households and businesses to borrow, invest and spend.
The 20 countries that use the euro currency and their 346 million people saw 0.3% growth in the April-to-June period, compared with the first three months of the year, the EU statistics agency Eurostat reported Monday.
That’s an improvement over zero growth in the first quarter and a slight decline in fourth quarter of last year — but not by much. Plus, one-time factors and an outsized bump from Ireland made things look better than they really were.
The eurozone got a boost by 0.5% growth in France and 0.4% in Spain, where lower inflation has helped lift consumer spending power.
Yet the French figure was increased by the delivery of one very large manufactured item — a cruise ship. That statistical quirk flattered French growth but does little to disguise weak demand for goods in the eurozone’s second-largest economy.
Ireland’s growth of 3.3%, largest in the eurozone, also distorted the overall picture. Its growth figures often show large swings due to major international companies housing their headquarters there, including tech giants like Meta, Google and Apple.
Without Ireland, euro-area growth would have been only 0.1%, said Franziska Palmas, senior Europe economist at Capital Economics.
The overall figure “was driven by a few country idiosyncrasies and masks an underlying momentum that is likely much closer to stagnation,” said Marc de Muizon, senior European analyst at Deutsche Bank Research.
Europe’s largest economy, Germany, struggled in the second quarter, recording zero growth after two straight quarters of falling output as it grappled with high energy costs tied to Russia’s war in Ukraine. Italy, the No. 3 economy, shrank by 0.3%.
The eurozone growth figures for the first quarter were revised from a decline of 0.1%, statistically erasing what had been two straight quarters of contraction — one definition of recession.
Inflation in the eurozone, meanwhile, continued its gradual decline, falling to 5.3% in July from 5.5% in June.
Europe is still struggling with the aftershocks of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, including Moscow cutting off most of its natural gas to the continent that sharply raised prices for the fuel and the electricity it generates.
In Germany, Europe’s manufacturing powerhouse, Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Robert Habeck has proposed capping energy prices for industry with government help.
The worst of the price spike is over, but costs are still higher than before the war began. Energy has faded as a main driver of inflation, but price rises are hitting Europeans when they shop for groceries, clothes and more, and the rebound for services companies — such as hotels and restaurants that suffered during the COVID-19 pandemic — has mostly run its course.
Food prices rose 10.8% in July from a year earlier, an improvement from June and previous months but still a pain point for households. Energy, meanwhile, kept dropping, falling 6.1%. Stripping out volatile food and energy prices, core inflation held steady at 5.5% — a key indicator that has not fallen as much as central bankers want.
In a bright spot for Europe, rebounding travel, especially in the Mediterranean countries that heavily rely on tourism, is expected to support growth in the upcoming third quarter as people flock to the beach for their summer holidays in Greece, Spain and Italy, despite recent heat waves and wildfires.
Other than that, prospects for the rest of the year are muted. Another drag on the economy is the rapid series of interest rate increases that the European Central Bank has unleashed to knock down inflation.
The ECB made its ninth straight hike Thursday, bringing its key deposit rate from minus 0.5% to 3.75% in just one year, a record pace since the creation of the euro in 1999. The result has been higher mortgage rates and canceled construction plans due to expensive or unavailable credit.
The central bank’s lending survey shows the lowest level of business loans and credit lines since the statistics started in 2003.
Bank President Christine Lagarde left open whether the bank will keep hiking rates at its next meeting on Sept. 14, saying the decision will depend on incoming inflation data.
Since the rate hikes began, inflation has steadily fallen from a peak of 10.6% in October, but July’s figure of 5.3% is still well above the ECB’s 2% target.
Bank officials say tough action now will spare even more painful restriction of credit later if inflation gets completely out of control. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-europes-economy-shows-modest-growth-after-months-of-stagnation-as-rate-hikes-weigh-on-businesses/ | 2023-07-31T15:10:47 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-europes-economy-shows-modest-growth-after-months-of-stagnation-as-rate-hikes-weigh-on-businesses/ |
By Morf Morford, Tacoma Daily Index
Hot
It was the hottest week ever – at least for a few thousand years. But it won’t be the hottest we will get.
The ocean on the coast of Florida hit almost 100 degrees; not the place to cool off on a hot day.
What was once considered extreme, even catastrophic, has become our normal.
From destructive flooding in New York, Vermont and Chicago, suffocating heat waves in Arizona and Texas, smoky haze from Canadian wildfires blanketing the upper U.S., and the hottest recorded day/week in modern history, these are all just a sign of things to come.
The cost of weather
As of mid-July, the USA had twelve weather-related disasters with damage costing at least a billion dollars – and that’s just fifteen weeks into the year.
Heat kills
Heat kills far more than any other wether-related cause. In Europe, more than 61,000 people died due to the heat during their record-breaking heat wave in 2022.
Record breaking heat has hit Europe and Asia with temperatures reaching 128 (F) or 52 (C) damaging agriculture and closing tourist sights.
Here in the USA, a week or so in July saw 100 million of us under heat advisories.
Malaria in America
About 2,000 cases of malaria are diagnosed in the United States each year. The vast majority of cases in the United States are in travelers and immigrants returning from countries where malaria is relatively common. For the first time in decades, cases of locally acquired malaria were reported – seven in Florida and one in Texas. None of the patients had traveled outside the state before falling ill.
In sports
US Women’s National Team star Megan Rapinoe, a two-time Women’s World Cup winner, announced that she will retire at the end of the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) season.
Ukraine joining NATO? It’s complicated
NATO has 31 members, each one pledging to support any other member in the event of military invasion from any other outside force.
Russia invaded Ukraine precisely because it feared being surrounded by NATO members.
Ukraine’s membership in NATO would mean direct war between NATO nations and Russia.
But it still might happen. Eventually.
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia has a simple solution. She is calling for the U.S. to withdraw from NATO.
Nordic NATO
Sweden is expected to follow Finland in joining NATO. That means that all of Scandinavia will be NATO members. Finland alone has an almost 900 mile border with Russia.
Lamborghini goes electric
Giving in to the “woke mob” or market forces, Lamborghini has sold its remaining production run of fully gas-powered models and will now focus on electrification. Their future lineup will include plug-in hybrid versions of the Aventador and Huracan supercars and a plug-in hybrid Urus SUV. Lamborghini plans to launch its first all-electric vehicle later this decade. The first plug-in hybrid model is expected to be released in late 2023.
In Cinema
The Barbie Movie premiered in late July.
The final Indiana Jones movie featuring Harrison Ford opened to mediocre reviews. The series began in 1981.
Perhaps we’ll see the final Barbie movie about 40 years from now.
Elon ready to stop giving us the bird?
Elon Musk announced plans to change Twitter’s logo from its long standing blue bird to an X. We shall see…
In Memoriam
Tony Bennett died July 21st, two weeks shy of his 97th birthday. Bennett released more than 60 studio albums over the course of his career, and held multiple Guinness World Records. He was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2016.
Every year seems to be an election year
It might not be time for a national election, but you’d never know it from the news and political talk shows.
Among the dozen or so GOP contenders for president, we have three from Florida. As Wikipedia puts it the archetypical “Florida man” is recognized for “performing irrational, maniacal, illogical, delusional, insane, and absurd actions.” At least the coming year or so should be entertaining.
On the other side of the aisle, Democratic Presidential Candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (not from Florida) proposes backing the U.S. dollar with bitcoin and making bitcoin profits exempt from capital gains taxes. Who needs gold when you have a standard as solid as bitcoin?
Sugar, sugar
A committee of 25 international experts declared that aspartame may “possibly” cause cancer in people, according to a report released by the World Health Organization (WHO). Aspartame is in a wide range of everyday products from diet sodas, low-sugar jams and snacks, yogurts, cereals and chewing gum.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration disagrees with this new classification. In a written statement, an FDA official asserted that aspartame being labeled by the WHO “as ‘possibly carcinogenic to humans’ does not mean that aspartame is actually linked to cancer.”
I hope that clarifies the situation.
The return of the “morality police” in Iran
Iranian authorities have announced the return of Iran’s “morality police”. These are the enforcers of public “standards” of dress and appearance. A key premise is that casual dress is a sign of western decadence. Women are legally required to wear scarves fully covering their hair.
Recently a prominent female actor was barred from social media and ordered by a court to seek psychological treatment for “antisocial personality disorder” after appearing at a funeral a few months ago wearing a cap (instead of a scarf) on her head.
The whole premise of “morality” is that one lives by self-chosen rules or guidelines. Deciding, or enforcing what other people should wear (or eat or read) is far from morality. | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/july-hot-in-more-ways-than-one/2468317/ | 2023-07-31T15:10:52 | 1 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/july-hot-in-more-ways-than-one/2468317/ |
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Greece’s prime minister said Monday that his government wants to take full advantage of a developing positive political climate with neighboring Turkey in order to improve bilateral relations despite a string of decades-old disputes.
But Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that doesn’t mean Turkey has “substantially changed” its stance on key differences between the two countries and needs to “decisively abandon its aggressive and unlawful conduct” against Greece’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Turkey and Greece remain at odds over maritime boundaries in the eastern Mediterranean, a dispute that affects irregular migration into the European Union, mineral rights and the projection of military power.
Mitsotakis said that he agreed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11-12 to initiate new “lines of communication” and to maintain “a period of calm.”
High-level talks between the the two countries are expected to take place in the Greek city of Thessaloniki later this year.
However, the Greek prime minister said that Erdogan’s outreach to the EU can’t come at the expense of efforts to heal Cyprus’ nearly half-century ethnic division.
Speaking after talks with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, Mitsotakis said that he told Erdogan that improved European-Turkish ties can’t exclude a Cyprus peace accord and that the issue can’t be “left by the wayside.”
Turkey and the breakaway Turkish Cypriots have insisted on a two-state solution since July 2017 when the most recent round of U.N.-facilitated peace talks collapsed.
That position overturned a long-standing agreement sanctioned by the U.N. Security Council in numerous resolutions that any peace deal would aim for a reunified Cyprus as a federation made up of Greek and Turkish speaking zones.
Cyprus was split in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by supporters of union with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence in the island’s northern third, where more than 35,000 Turkish troops are stationed.
On Friday, Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar repeated that peace talks could resume only if Greek Cypriots recognize the Turkish Cypriots’ “sovereign equality.”
Christodoulides said Monday that any improvement in European-Turkish relations should be based on reciprocal action by Turkey, adding that the EU prioritizes a Cyprus peace deal in line with U.N. resolutions. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-greek-prime-minister-seeks-improved-relations-with-turkey-but-says-ankara-needs-to-drop-aggression/ | 2023-07-31T15:10:54 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-greek-prime-minister-seeks-improved-relations-with-turkey-but-says-ankara-needs-to-drop-aggression/ |
The two sides involved in a labour dispute affecting about 7,400 port workers in British Columbia say they’ve reached a new tentative deal.
The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada and BC Maritime Employers Association issued a joint statement late Sunday saying a deal had been reached with help from the Canada Industrial Relations Board, which was tasked with ending the dispute that had dragged on since the beginning of the month.
A joint statement from the union and the employers association offered no details on the new deal but said both sides “are recommending ratification of the collective agreement to the union’s membership and member employers respectively.”
The breakthrough in the dispute came after union members voted Friday to reject a previous deal, prompting federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan to intervene Saturday and direct the board to determine if a negotiated agreement was still possible.
O’Regan said that otherwise the board was to “impose final binding arbitration.”
The dispute over a new collective agreement saw workers strike from July 1 to 13, stalling billions of dollars worth of cargo from moving in or out of 30 port terminals and other sites, including some of the country’s busiest ports.
The previous tentative deal halted that strike, but since then the fate of any agreement has see-sawed wildly, with union leaders rejecting the deal on July 19 and briefly sending workers back to pickets, before that move was deemed illegal by the industrial relations board.
The union issued a new 72-hour strike notice only to rescind it hours later, then announced it would recommend the deal to members in a full vote. But members rejected it last week.
Before the new agreement was reached, union president Rob Ashton said in a letter Sunday that workers looked “forward to resuming discussions and finding common ground for the betterment of the Canadian supply chain and the livelihoods of its workforce.”
Ashton said that while the deal voted down Friday included “progress … in addressing certain workforce-related matters,” it did not provide protection for port workers as more maintenance work gets contracted out to third-parties.
Neither side offered a glimpse of the new deal.
But the employers association said the previously rejected contract included a compounded wage increase of 19.2 per cent and a signing bonus amounting to about $3,000 per full-time worker. It added the result would have “potentially” boosted union longshore worker’s median annual wage from $136,000 to $162,000, not including pension and benefits.
Pressure had been mounting for federal intervention if a deal failed to eventuate.
Parties including Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, the Business Council of Canada and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business all urged the federal government to legislate an end to the dispute if it continued.
O’Regan had said in his statement Saturday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s July 19 decision to meet with the incident response group — a move typically reserved for moments of national crisis — showed “the Government is prepared for all options and eventualities.”
“The state of uncertainty cannot continue,” O’Regan had said. “While our B.C. ports are operating right now, we need long-term stability for the many workers and businesses that depend on them.”
READ ALSO: Port strike back on after tentative deal rejected
READ ALSO: Work resuming as tentative 4-year deal reached in B.C. port strike | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/new-tentative-deal-is-reached-in-b-c-port-workers-dispute/2468328/ | 2023-07-31T15:10:59 | 0 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/new-tentative-deal-is-reached-in-b-c-port-workers-dispute/2468328/ |
WASHINGTON (AP) — For more than a year, the U.S. economy has defied predictions of a forthcoming recession. It has withstood 10 interest rate hikes in 16 months from an inflation-fighting Federal Reserve. In June, America’s employers added a healthy 209,000 jobs.
Will the economy remain resilient? Can the Fed achieve a notoriously difficult “soft landing” — slowing growth just enough to tame inflation without causing a recession?
The Associated Press spoke recently with Gus Faucher, chief economist at PNC Financial Services Group. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: The job market is cooling but remains strong. Does that suggest a soft landing?
A: What we have seen in the job market so far in 2023 is consistent with a soft landing. Over the past three months, we’ve added 244,000 jobs per month. That’s still too high from the Fed’s perspective but much better than what we had at the end of last year. Although it’s consistent with a soft landing, it’s also consistent with a story where job growth continues to slow, the economy continues to weaken and we get a recession at the end of 2023. We don’t know what the outcome will be. It’s more likely than not that we get a recession.
Q: When would a downturn begin?
A: A few months ago, we were seeing it starting in the second half of 2023. Now we’re seeing late 2023 or early 2024. The labor market is still holding up. Consumers are still in decent shape. But I do think we will continue to feel the impact of the Fed’s monetary tightening. By the end of this year or sometime early next year, those higher rates will be a significant drag on economic activity and lead to recession. But the economy has held up somewhat better than we were expecting.
The economy just can’t continue to add this many jobs per month. We just don’t have the labor force out there.
Q: Where is inflation headed?
A: We will see slowing inflation. If you go back to 2021, 2022, a lot of that inflation was coming on the goods side. Now, the inflation is coming on the services side. Services inflation tends to be stickier, and it tends to be more driven by what’s going on in the labor market. So the tight labor market is contributing to high services inflation. That will contribute to inflation remaining higher than the Fed would like in the near term. By the end of this year, early next year, we will see a significant softening in the labor market that will help bring inflation down to the Fed’s 2% target.
Q: Will the job market continue to favor workers over the longer term?
A: We have seen structural changes. The pandemic pushed forward a lot of retirements. You had people who were close to retirement in 2020 and planning on working a few more years. But when the pandemic came along, they decided to retire. The remaining workers have more bargaining power. Businesses are going to need to rethink a lot of things about pay, about benefits, about workplace flexibility. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-insider-qa-an-economist-who-sees-a-recession-coming-despite-economys-resilience-so-far/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:01 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-insider-qa-an-economist-who-sees-a-recession-coming-despite-economys-resilience-so-far/ |
No. 23-4-01256-1
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON IN PIERCE COUNTY
In re the Estate of:
WENDALL JONES, JR., Deceased.
The Personal Representative named below has been appointed and has qualified as Personal Representative of this estate. Any person having a claim against the decedent must, prior to the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to the personal representative or the personal representative’s attorney at the address stated below a copy of the claim and filing the original of the claim with the Clerk of this Court. The Claim must be presented within the later of: (i) Thirty (30) days after the personal representative is served or is mailed the notice to the creditor as provided under RCW 11.40.020(3); or (ii) four (4) months after the date of first publication of this notice. If the claim is not presented within this time frame, the claim is forever barred, except as otherwise provided in RCW 11.40.051 or 11.40.060. This bar is effective as to claims against both the decedent’s probate and non-probate assets.
DATE OF FILING COPY OF NOTICE TO CREDITORS with Clerk of Court: July 24, 2023
DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION: July 31, 2023
DARNICE E. ALEXANDER
7049 S. M Street
Tacoma, WA 98408
JAMES A. JONES
Turnbull Born & Jones, PLLC, Attorneys for Personal Representative
950 Pacific Avenue, Suite 1050
P.O. Box 2315
Tacoma, WA 98401-2315 (253) 383 7058
IDX-981210
July 31, August 7, 14, 2023 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/no-23-4-01256-1-notice-to-creditors/2468319/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:05 | 0 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/no-23-4-01256-1-notice-to-creditors/2468319/ |
PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s journalists on Monday protested against the government’s decision to suspend a private television station’s operations.
Authorities made the move last week because they said there were irregularities concerning the registration of Klan Kosova’s business license that violated the country’s constitution.
Scores of journalists and members of civil society organizations gathered in downtown Pristina in front of the main government building to protest the suspension of the broadcaster’s operations.
The demonstrators said it was a “politically motivated” action taken by the government of Prime Minister Albin Kurti. It was the first closure of a media outlet since the end of Kosovo’s 1998-1999 war, they said, holding a banner that read “Democracy dies in darkness.”
Last week, Kosovo’s Ministry of Industry and Trade suspended Klan Kosova’s license, after the documentation of its business registration in neighboring North Macedonia showed that its owners had named Kosovo’s municipalities as if belonging to Serbia, “which is a violation of our constitution,” according to a statement released Monday.
The journalist accused the government’s decision as “an open and unprecedented war … against the media,” urging owners of Klan Kosova to continue its legal fight at the court.
Klan Kosova’s editor-in-chief, Gazmend, Syla called the suspension “unfair.”
“We consider this a kind of pressure to stop us doing of what we are doing,” he told The Associated Press, adding they would challenge the government’s decision in court.
Last month, Kosovo’s Agency of Business Registration found the alleged fault and decided to suspend the operations of the television station, a move supported last week by the ministry.
The station has said it had already fixed the problems as requested.
Klan Kosova was launched in 2009 to become the country’s biggest private television station.
The embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States, and the European Union in Kosovo, expressed “their deep concern” about the suspension of Klan Kosova’s business license considering it “a disproportionate decision that will have repercussions on media plurality in Kosovo.”
Kosovo is a former province in Serbia, which doesn’t recognize Pristina’s 2008 declaration of independence. Kosovo’s sovereignty is backed by the U.S. and most EU nations, but not by Russia and China.
Serbia pulled out of Kosovo in 1999 after NATO bombed the country to stop the onslaught against ethnic Albanian separatists. At least 10,000 civilians, most of them ethnic Albanians, were killed in the conflict.
——-
Llazar Semini reported from Tirana, Albania. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-kosovo-journalists-protest-governments-suspension-of-private-television-station/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:07 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-kosovo-journalists-protest-governments-suspension-of-private-television-station/ |
The FBI should face new limits on its use of US foreign spy data, a key intelligence board says
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI should stop using a U.S. spy database of foreigners’ emails and other communications for investigating crimes that aren’t related to national security, a group of White House intelligence advisers recommended in a report released Monday.
The President’s Intelligence Advisory Board’s findings come as the White House pushes Congress to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act before its expiration at the end of this year. U.S. intelligence officials say Section 702 enables investigations of Chinese and Russian espionage, potential terrorist plots, and other threats.
But spy agencies also end up capturing the communications of U.S. citizens and businesses, and a series of intelligence mistakes at the FBI has fanned bipartisan criticism of the bureau that has strongly colored the debate over renewing the law.
The advisory board says the FBI made “inappropriate use” at times of Section 702 information. Those include queries for a U.S. senator and state senator’s names without properly limiting the search, looking for someone believed to have been at the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and doing large queries of names of protesters following the 2020 death of George Floyd.
“Unfortunately, complacency, a lack of proper procedures, and the sheer volume of Section 702 activity led to FBI’s inappropriate use of Section 702 authorities, specifically U.S. person queries,” the board said in its report. “U.S. person queries” generally mean searches for U.S. citizens and businesses.
The board recommends the FBI no longer search the data when it is seeking evidence of a crime not related to national security. Currently, the FBI conducts fewer than two dozen such searches a year, a senior administration official told reporters Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.
The White House has not decided whether it will accept the recommendation but is studying the board’s work and report, the official said.
The board’s report largely lines up with the White House’s positions on other changes being debated in Congress. The board opposed requiring the FBI to obtain a warrant before it searches Section 702 data, saying that change would be impractical. It also says the FBI needs to maintain access to foreign spy collection because unlike other intelligence agencies, it has law enforcement authorities inside the U.S. and can warn Americans that they are being targeted by foreign spies or criminals.
Already, both Republicans and Democrats have called for broader changes affecting the FBI, including a handful of lawmakers in both parties who want to require warrants for any search.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., sharply questioned Assistant Attorney General Matt Olsen in June about how it searches Section 702 data and signaled he would push for new protections.
“I don’t think you’ve effectively made the case that there shouldn’t be a warrant requirement, whether or not it is constitutionally required, for a U.S. person search that is crime only,” he said.
Many in the GOP, meanwhile, are furious about the FBI’s investigations of former President Donald Trump and mistakes found by the Justice Department inspector general and other reviewers.
In a statement, the FBI said the report highlighted “how crucial” foreign intelligence was to the bureau’s mission.
“We agree that Section 702 should be reauthorized in a manner that does not diminish its effectiveness, as well as reassures the public of its importance and our ability to adhere rigorously to all relevant rules,” the bureau’s statement said.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kwch.com/2023/07/31/fbi-should-face-new-limits-its-use-us-foreign-spy-data-key-intelligence-board-says/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:09 | 1 | https://www.kwch.com/2023/07/31/fbi-should-face-new-limits-its-use-us-foreign-spy-data-key-intelligence-board-says/ |
NO. 23-4-01746-6
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON
IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF PIERCE
IN RE THE ESTATE OF:
HENRY W. LEWIS, Deceased. That IRENE M. LEWIS, the Personal Representative named below has been appointed and has qualified as personal representative of this estate. Persons having claims against the deceased must, prior to the time such claims would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, serve their claims on the personal representative or the attorneys of record at the address stated below and file an executed copy of the claim with the Clerk of the Court within four months after the date of the filing of the copy of this Notice with the Clerk of the Court or within four months after the publication of this notice whichever is later or, except under those provisions included in RCW 11.40.011 or 11.40.013, the claim will be forever barred.
DATE OF FILING COPY OF NOTICE TO CREDITORS with Clerk of Court: July 26, 2023 DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION: July 31, 2023
IRENE M. LEWIS
Personal Representative
By: Kurt J. Salmon
Attorney for Estate
PO Box 558 Gig Harbor, WA. 98335
IDX-981455
July 31, August 7, 14, 2023 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/no-23-4-01746-6-notice-to-creditors/2468321/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:11 | 1 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/no-23-4-01746-6-notice-to-creditors/2468321/ |
Mother of 8 found dead in plastic storage box
CLEVELAND (WOIO/Gray News) - An Ohio woman’s remains were found in a plastic storage box nearly a year after she disappeared, WOIO reports.
The remains of 41-year-old Tyresha Little, a mother of eight, were discovered behind an abandoned home in Cleveland.
A tip to police led them to the backyard of the home on July 20.
Family and friends, including five of Little’s children, gathered outside of the abandoned home to pay tribute to her life.
“My daughter, she was a very, very loving heart. She would give you the shirt off of her back. She did have a drug background, but she had been clean for two years,” her mother said.
Little’s oldest daughter said her mother was her best friend.
“If anything, she loved her kids. There was nothing else that came before her kids,” she said.
Little’s daughter said she was hurt by what she said a Cleveland police detective told her when her mother was first reported missing.
“The very first thing they told me is, ‘She’s probably just off somewhere getting high, on a binge’ and kept asking if it was normal. I kept repeating, ‘No, no,’” she said.
Little’s family is determined to find out what happened to her since her disappearance on Aug. 30, 2022.
A group of at least 30 people released balloons into the sky chanting, “We love you, We’ll see you on the other side. Justice for Tyresha.”
WOIO reached out to the City of Cleveland regarding the family’s concerns suggesting that not every missing person’s case is treated equally. The detective on the case said it was special to him and that he has worked on it for nearly a year. He also said every missing person’s case is important, and he will continue to work tirelessly to get answers for Little’s family, including how and when the Cleveland mother died.
A $2,500 reward is still available through Crime Stoppers for anyone who provides a tip that could help determine how Little died by calling 1-800-25-CRIME. Callers can remain anonymous.
Copyright 2023 WOIO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kwch.com/2023/07/31/mother-8-found-dead-plastic-storage-box/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:16 | 1 | https://www.kwch.com/2023/07/31/mother-8-found-dead-plastic-storage-box/ |
DETROIT (AP) — Michigan residents who were catastrophically injured in car wrecks before the summer of 2019 can continue to bill insurance companies for ongoing care, the state Supreme Court said Monday in a decision that provides critical relief for thousands of people.
For decades, people injured in crashes were entitled to lifetime payment for “all reasonable charges” related to care and rehabilitation. But a new state law set a fee schedule and a cap on reimbursements not covered by Medicare. Suddenly, 18,000 people already receiving long-term benefits were at risk of losing them.
But in a 5-2 opinion, the Supreme Court said a “vested contractual right” to ongoing benefits “cannot be stripped away or diminished,” especially when lawmakers failed to declare an intent to do so when they changed the law.
The decision was written by Justice Elizabeth Welch, a Democrat, and joined by other Democratic justices and Chief Justice Elizabeth Clement, a Republican.
The catastrophically injured include hockey star Vladimir Konstantinov, a former member of the Detroit Red Wings, who requires 24/7 care. He suffered severe brain damage in 1997 when a drunken limousine driver crashed the car he was traveling in, following the team’s championship.
In an effort to lower Michigan’s insurance rates, which were among the highest in the U.S., the Republican-controlled Legislature and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer agreed to sweeping changes in 2019. Drivers can save money by choosing certain injury-coverage options.
In a dissent, Justice David Viviano said the court’s majority crafted an opinion based on “vague and disputed concepts” to provide cover for those who simply believe it would be unfair to reduce future benefits for the long-term injured.
“As a result, the efforts of the Legislature and the governor to reduce costs and make insurance more affordable for all the residents of our state will not come to fruition for many decades,” said Viviano, who was joined by fellow Republican Justice Brian Zahra.
“If courts cannot be trusted to faithfully interpret and apply the laws, especially those involving such significant and contested topics, then the democratic process is in peril,” Viviano said.
___
Follow Ed White at http://twitter.com/edwritez | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-michigan-court-affirms-critical-benefits-for-thousands-badly-hurt-in-car-wrecks/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:15 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-michigan-court-affirms-critical-benefits-for-thousands-badly-hurt-in-car-wrecks/ |
No. 23-4-01771-7
NOTICE TO CREDITORS
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON IN AND FOR THE COUNTY OF PIERCE
In re: Estate of MAN KYU PAK, Deceased,
The person named below has been appointed as Administrator of this Estate. Any person having a claim against the Decedent must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving or mailing a copy of the claim to the Administrator, or to her attorney at the address stated below, and by filing the original of the claim with the court. The claim must be presented within: (1) thirty days after the Administrator served or mailed the notice to the creditor, as provided by RCW 11.40.020(3); or (2) four months after the date of first publication of the notice, whichever is later. Any claim not presented within this time is forever barred, except as provided in RCW 11.40.051 and 11.40.060. Such bar is effective as to claims against both probate and nonprobate assets of the Decedent. Date of First Publication: July 31, 2023
Administrator: Lucia S. Pak
Attorney for PR: David J. Britton, WSBA # 31748
Address for Mailing / Service of Claims: Britton Law Office, PLLC, 535 Dock Street, Suite 108, Tacoma, WA 98402.
DATED this ____ day of July, 2023.
/s/ David J. Britton, Attorney for Administrator.
IDX-981506
July 31, August 7, 14, 2023 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/no-23-4-01771-7-notice-to-creditors/2468327/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:18 | 1 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/no-23-4-01771-7-notice-to-creditors/2468327/ |
Wayward dachshund returns home after days on the run
NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. (WJAR) - It is not uncommon for dogs to run away, but that doesn’t make it any easier for their worried owners.
So when the owners of a lost Massachusetts dog asked their community for help, their neighbors stepped up.
What started out as a nightmare for Dorothy and Glenn Haskell has turned into a happy ending.
“It was an absolute dream,” Dorothy Haskell said.
Positioned peacefully in her arms now, this 14-month-old daredevil dachshund named Chelsea is back home safe and sound after being on the run literally for almost four days.
“Knowing your dog is on Route 95, it’s a nightmare,” Dorothy Haskell said.
Last Sunday, Chelsea was playing with her sister Coco in their backyard when she escaped through a small hole in the fence.
They tried to get her, but she took off.
Glenn Haskell had been out for a jog. “Veered off my run and went after her, you know, but she went into the woods and gone,” he said.
From there, they posted on social media.
“(Neighbors were) coming out their doors, they were hiking through the woods. They were leaving their lights on. They were leaving water out,” Dorothy Haskell said.
They were pleading to the public to help find her as day turned to night.
“This is not going to, it’s not going to end well between her and a fox or a raccoon,” Glenn Haskell said.
The next morning, they made flyers, stuffing them in mailboxes all over. Then that night, a call came in.
“A woman is yelling, ‘Your dachshund, I know she’s up on Route 295. There’s a driver pulled over on the side of the road,’” Dorothy Haskell said.
That same driver called state police. They all tried to grab her, following her across an on ramp.
“And across three lanes of Route 95,” Dorothy Haskell said.
Spooked, the dog went back into the woods.
On Tuesday, Dorothy Haskell went back out there desperately with police, realizing there was a river nearby.
“To the officer and I said, ‘I think it’s time to call it.’ And suddenly he yelled, ‘Oh my God, she’s right there in the bushes,’” she said.
Chelsea ran back to the median and onto the highway again. Drivers began to pull over. One woman stopped traffic, but Chelsea kept going.
Having exhausted nearly all resources, the Haskells got help from Missing Dogs of Massachusetts, a volunteer-run group that help owners get their dogs back.
“A trap in our side yard. And she had me put out dirty laundry…” Dorothy Haskell said.
Just after midnight Wednesday, prayers for the pooch were answered.
“Dogs in Massachusetts, the woman called me, and she said, ‘She’s in the trap. Go out and get her.’ Because they had a camera,” Dorothy Haskell said.
The Haskells are so happy to have Chelsea back home and can’t thank the community enough for caring.
“It definitely restored your faith in humanity,” Dorothy Haskell said.
Copyright 2023 WJAR via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kwch.com/2023/07/31/wayward-dachshund-returns-home-after-days-run/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:22 | 1 | https://www.kwch.com/2023/07/31/wayward-dachshund-returns-home-after-days-run/ |
NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting Monday as Wall Street rolls toward the close of another winning month.
The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged in early trading and on track for a fifth straight month of gains, which would be its longest streak in nearly two years. The index is still close to its highest level in nearly 16 months after rallying on hopes cooling inflation will mean the economy can avoid a long-predicted recession.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was also flipping between modest gains and losses and was up 13 points, or less than 0.1%, as of 10 a.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite was 0.1% lower.
To be sure, critics have been saying Wall Street’s seemingly growing consensus for a soft landing for the economy has come too quickly. Several reports this upcoming week could poke holes in the theory that inflation will keep coming down enough for the Federal Reserve to not only stop hiking interest rates but to begin cutting them early next year.
High rates undercut inflation by slowing the overall economy and dragging on prices for stocks and other investments. The Fed has already hiked its main rate to its highest level in more than two decades, a jolting shock after the rate began last year at virtually zero. A growing number of investors seem to be seeing it going no higher.
But big names in the market, such as Rob Arnott at Research Affiliates, are warning not to be “overly hasty in popping the champagne corks.” Arnott sees the possibility of inflation rebounding again later this year, even though it’s cooled considerably recently.
Fed Chair Jerome Powell himself has pointed to Friday’s upcoming report on the overall U.S. job market as a key datapoint. Growth needs to be strong enough to keep a lid on worries about a possible recession. But a reading that’s too hot could also mean upward pressure on inflation, which could push the Fed to get more aggressive about rates.
Two of Wall Street’s most influential stocks are also set to report their earnings for the spring. Amazon and Apple are both scheduled to release their latst quarterly results on Thursday. Because they’re two of the most massive stocks on Wall Street, their stock movements pack much more punch for the S&P 500 and other indexes than other stocks.
Both stocks have soared this year, in part on expectations for strong continued growth, and they’ll need to deliver to justify the big moves. Both Apple and Amazon are up more than 50% so far this year.
Roughly halfway through the earnings reporting season, more companies than usual have topped analysts’ profit expectations than usual, according to FactSet. Companies also seem to be more optimistic about their upcoming results, giving better-than-expected profit forecasts more often than usual, according to strategists at Bank of America.
“While economic uncertainty remains, we believe the profit cycle is inflecting higher,” the strategists wrote in a BofA Global Research report.
ON Semiconductor rose 2.9% for one of the larger gains in the S&P 500 after reporting stronger profit for the latest quarter than expected. The company, known as onsemi, also gave a forecast for profit in the current quarter that topped analysts’ expectations.
In stock markets abroad, indexes were a bit higher higher in Europe after data showed Europe’s economy has grown modestly after months of stagnation.
In Asia, stocks rose in Hong Kong and Shanghai amid hopes Beijing will deliver more stimulus for the sluggish Chinese economy.
In the bond market, U.S. Treasury yields slipped after a report suggested manufacturing in the Chicago region is weakening a bit more than economists expected. Manufacturing has been one of the hardest-hit areas in the economy by high interest rates, which work with a notoriously long lag effect.
The yield on the 10-year Treasury slipped to 3.94% from 3.96% late Friday.
___
AP Business Writers Matt Ott, Elaine Kurtenbach and Joe McDonald contributed. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-stock-market-today-asia-shares-gain-after-wall-st-rally-as-investors-pin-hopes-on-china-stimulus/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:22 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-stock-market-today-asia-shares-gain-after-wall-st-rally-as-investors-pin-hopes-on-china-stimulus/ |
No. 23-4-04913-3 KNT
PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS
RCW11.40.030
DATE OF DEATH: 4/28/2023
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF WASHINGTON IN AND FOR KING COUNTY
In Re the Estate of
Parminder Singh Bajwa, Deceased
The personal representative named below has been appointed as personal representative of this estate. Any person having a claim against the deceased must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to the personal representative or the personal representative’s attorney at the address stated below a copy of the claim and filing the original of the claim with the court. The claim must be presented within the later of: (1) Thirty days after the personal representative served or mailed the notice to the creditor as provided under RCW 11.40.020(3); or (2) four months after the date of first publication of the notice. If the claim is not presented within this time frame, the claim is forever barred, except as otherwise provided in section 11 of this act and RCW 11.40.060. This bar is effective as to claims against both the decedents probate and nonprobate assets.
Date of filing with Clerk of Court: 7/26/2023
Date of First Publication: See Affidavit of Publication
Personal Representative:
Baljeet Kaur Virk
Attorney for the Personal Representative:
Iddins Law Group
Robert C. Iddins #37177
25052 104th Avenue S.E. Suite B
Kent, WA 98030
IDX- 981484
July 31, August 7, 14, 2023 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/no-23-4-04913-3-knt-notice-to-creditors/2468322/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:24 | 1 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/no-23-4-04913-3-knt-notice-to-creditors/2468322/ |
Country star Craig Morgan reenlists in Army Reserve at 59
Craig Morgan is still dedicated to serving his country.
On Saturday, the musician was sworn in again at age 59 to the U.S. Army Reserve on stage at the Grand Ole Opry in front of a sold-out audience.
"I’m excited to once again serve my country and be all I can be in hopes of encouraging others to be a part of something greater than ourselves," Morgan shared in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"I love being an artist but I consider it a true privilege and honor to work with what I believe are the greatest of Americans, my fellow soldiers. God Bless America. Go Army."
COUNTRY MUSIC STAR AND VETERAN CRAIG MORGAN RELEASES FIRST ALBUM SINCE DEATH OF SON
The "That’s What I Love About Sunday" singer previously served 17 years in the Army and Army Reserve with the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions as an E-6 Staff Sergeant and Fire Support Specialist and including Airborne, Air Assault and Rappel Master among his certifications.
With his reenlistment, Morgan will hold the rank of Staff Sergeant and Warrant Officer.
"Every Soldier who enters the Army has the opportunity to become the best version of themselves, and Staff Sgt. Morgan is no exception. I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes and how he impacts other Soldiers around the Army," General Andrew Poppas, who officiated the ceremony, said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
Morgan will also continue touring and releasing music.
The day of the ceremony, Morgan shared a throwback photo of himself in uniform with the caption, "Once a soldier, always a soldier I love our country."
Morgan has also worked with the USO, and has earned the Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Medal and the USO Merit Award.
Last year, Morgan told Fox News Digital that despite growing up in a musical family with his father and uncles, he hadn't considered it more than a hobby.,
"It never seemed like it was something that was a career for them, even though it kind of was, at times, and especially for me, even throughout my military career," he said at the time.
"It wasn't until later in my military career that I thought that I could possibly pursue it as a profession."
Country artist Craig Morgan performs at the Ryman Auditorium on November 11, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
During his time in the service, he won awards for songs that he wrote and performed for his fellow soldiers.
The "Almost Home" singer rose steadily through the ranks and was told by one of his senior officers that he was on the fast track to becoming a major.
"But he also told me, he said, ‘I think that you have a talent and at minimum you ought to pursue it,’" Morgan recalled.
Fox News Digital's Ashley Hume and Larry Fink contributed to this report. | https://www.fox4news.com/news/country-star-craig-morgan-reenlists-army-reserve | 2023-07-31T15:11:28 | 1 | https://www.fox4news.com/news/country-star-craig-morgan-reenlists-army-reserve |
NEW YORK (AP) — Troubled trucking company Yellow Corp. is shutting down and filing for bankruptcy, the Teamsters said Monday.
An official bankruptcy filing is expected any day for Yellow, after years of financial struggles and growing debt. Its expected liquidation would mark a significant shift for the U.S. transportation industry and shippers nationwide.
“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 Associated Press reached out to Yellow for comment on Monday. No bankruptcy filings were found as of the early morning.
The company’s collapse arrives just three years after Yellow, formerly known as YRC Worldwide, Inc., received $700 million in pandemic-era loans from the federal government. But the company was in financial trouble long before that — with industry analysts pointing to poor management and strategic decisions dating back decades.
Former Yellow customers and shippers will face higher prices as they take their business to competitors, including FedEx or ABF Freight, experts say — noting that Yellow historically offered the cheapest price points in the industry.
Yellow is one of the nation’s largest less-than-truckload carriers. The 99-year-old Nashville, Tennessee-based company had 30,000 employees across the country as of earlier this year.
On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal and FreightWaves reported that Yellow was preparing for bankruptcy — with some noting that customers had already started to leave the carrier in large numbers. And the company reportedly stopped freight pickups earlier in the week.
Yellow shut down operations on Sunday, according to The Wall Street Journal, following the layoffs of hundreds of nonunion employees on Friday.
The bankruptcy preparation reports arrived just days after Yellow averted a strike from the Teamsters, which represents Yellow’s 22,000 unionized workers, amid heated contract negotiations. On July 23, a pension fund agreed to extend health benefits for workers at two Yellow Corp. operating companies, avoiding a planned walkout — and giving Yellow “30 days to pay its bills,” notably $50 million that Yellow failed to pay the Central States Health and Welfare Fund on July 15.
Yellow has racked up hefty bills over the years. As of late March, Yellow had an outstanding debt of about $1.5 billion. Of that, $729.2 million was owed to the federal government.
In 2020, under the Trump administration, the Treasury Department granted the company a $700 million pandemic-era loan on national security grounds. Last month, a congressional probe concluded that the Treasury and Defense departments “made missteps” in this decision — and noted that Yellow’s “precarious financial position at the time of the loan, and continued struggles, expose taxpayers to a significant risk of loss.”
The government loan is due in September 2024. As of March, Yellow had made $54.8 million in interest payments and repaid just $230 million of the principal owed, according to government documents.
The current financial chaos at Yellow “is probably two decades in the making,” said Stifel research director Bruce Chan, pointing to poor management and strategic decisions dating back to the early 2000s. “At this point, after each party has bailed them out so many times, there is a limited appetite to do that anymore.”
A Wednesday investors note from financial service firm Stephens estimated that Yellow was burning daily amount of $9 million to $10 million in recent days.
According to Satish Jindel, president of transportation and logistics firm SJ Consulting, Yellow handled an average of 49,000 shipments per day in 2022. On Friday, he estimated that number was down to between 10,000 and 15,000 daily shipments.
Yellow’s prices have historically been the cheapest compared to other carriers, Jindel said. “That’s why they obviously were not making money,” he added. “And while there is capacity with the other LTL carriers to handle the diversions from Yellow, it will come at a high price for (current shippers and customers) of Yellow.”
—-
AP Business Writer Matt Ott contributed to this report. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-teamsters-say-yellow-corp-is-ceasing-operations-filing-for-bankruptcy/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:29 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-teamsters-say-yellow-corp-is-ceasing-operations-filing-for-bankruptcy/ |
Rockies vs. Padres: Betting Trends, Odds, Records Against the Run Line, Home/Road Splits
Jurickson Profar and the Colorado Rockies will hit the field on Monday at Coors Field against Seth Lugo, who gets the start for the San Diego Padres. First pitch is set for 8:40 PM ET.
The Padres are -200 moneyline favorites for this matchup with the Rockies (+165). San Diego is the favorite on the run line (-2.5). The total for the game has been set at 11.5 runs.
Rep your team with officially licensed Rockies gear! Head to Fanatics to find jerseys, shirts, and much more.
Rockies vs. Padres Odds & Info
- Date: Monday, July 31, 2023
- Time: 8:40 PM ET
- TV: SportsNet RM
- Location: Denver, Colorado
- Venue: Coors Field
- Live Stream: Watch on Fubo!
Bet with King of Sportsbooks and use bonus code "GNPLAY" for special offers! Check out the latest odds and place your bets with BetMGM Sportsbook. Use bonus code "GNPLAY" for special offers!
Rockies Recent Betting Performance
- In seven games as the underdog over the last 10 matchups, the Rockies have posted a mark of 3-4.
- In their last 10 matchups with a total posted by sportsbooks, the Rockies and their opponents are 4-6-0 when it comes to hitting the over.
- Oddsmakers have not posted a spread in any of the Rockies' past 10 contests.
Discover More About This Game
Rockies Betting Records & Stats
- The Rockies have been victorious in 37, or 41.1%, of the 90 contests they have been chosen as underdogs in this season.
- Colorado is 11-26 this season when entering a game as the underdog by +165 or more on the moneyline.
- The Rockies have an implied victory probability of 37.7% according to the moneyline set for this matchup.
- So far this season, Colorado and its opponents have hit the over in 44 of its 104 games with a total.
- The Rockies are 12-8-0 against the spread in their 20 games that had a posted line this season.
Check out the latest odds and place your bets on and the with BetMGM Sportsbook. Use bonus code "GNPLAY" for special offers!
Rockies Splits
Not all offers available in all states, please visit BetMGM for the latest promotions for your area. Must be 21+ to gamble, please wager responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, contact 1-800-GAMBLER.
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.kwch.com/sports/betting/2023/07/31/rockies-vs-padres-mlb-betting-trends-stats/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:28 | 0 | https://www.kwch.com/sports/betting/2023/07/31/rockies-vs-padres-mlb-betting-trends-stats/ |
No. 23-4-05305-0 KNT
PROBATE NOTICE TO
CREDITORS
(RCW 11.40.030)
(NTCRD)
IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF WASHINGTON FOR KING COUNTY
In Re The Estate of:
William T Reeder, Deceased.
The person named below has been appointed as Administrator of this Estate. Any person having a claim against the decedent must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to the Administrator or the Administrator’s attorney at the address stated below a copy of the claim and filing the original of the claim with the court in which the probate proceedings were commenced. The claim must be presented within the later of: (1) Thirty days after the Administrator served or mailed the notice to the creditor as provided under RCW 11.40.020(1)(c); or (2) four months after the date of first publication of the notice. If the claim is not presented within this time frame, the claim is forever barred, except as otherwise provided in RCW 11.40.051 and 11.40.060. This bar is effective as to claims against both the decedent’s probate and nonprobate assets.
Date of First Publication: July 31, 2023. S.\Gerald M. Reeder
Administrator
Print Name: Gerald M. Reeder
S.\Eric Landeen
Attorneys for Administrator
Print Name and Bar #: ERIC LANDEEN, #53824
Address for Mailing or Service: Eric Landeen, Attorney
9395 NE Shore, PO Box 163, Indianola, WA 98342
Tel: 360-265-3554
Court of probate proceedings and cause number:
King County Superior Court
No. 23-4-05305-0 KNT
IDX-981504
July 31, August 7, 14, 2023 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/no-23-4-05305-0-knt-notice-to-creditors/2468323/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:30 | 0 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/no-23-4-05305-0-knt-notice-to-creditors/2468323/ |
Dallas family travels to New Zealand to watch Women's World Cup in person
DALLAS - A Dallas family of Team USA super fans is watching all the World Cup action in person. And it’s not their first time seeing the women’s national team perform on the global stage.
The whole Olsen family took an overseas trip to New Zealand to cap off their summer.
MORE: Women's World Cup
Mom Gina comes from a big soccer family, and it’s rubbed off on all four girls who play for local teams.
Elin is a center midfielder for the Highland Park Scots. Delaney is joining that team this year. Marlee is on a Dallas Texans club team. And Sophia plays on the Oak Hill Academy team.
"I like that it’s a team sport. It’s not like tennis. You play for yourself. It’s always a team that you carry," Marlee said.
"It’s a really fun sport and I love putting a lot of time and effort," Elin added.
"I love soccer since you don’t always have to win. It’s just a game," said Delaney.
The family has already seen Game 1.
After the United States plays Tuesday, the family will head to Australia to catch the finals, where the U.S. will hopefully play.
The Olsens went to the Women’s World Cup four years ago in France. The girls called it an amazing experience. Dad jokingly called it their new expensive family tradition. | https://www.fox4news.com/news/dallas-family-travels-to-new-zealand-to-watch-womens-world-cup-in-person | 2023-07-31T15:11:34 | 0 | https://www.fox4news.com/news/dallas-family-travels-to-new-zealand-to-watch-womens-world-cup-in-person |
The Police Department in Lake Station, Indiana, said that a van's air conditioning unit was to blame for a number of canines succumbing to heat stroke.
The police did not give specific numbers on how many canines died, but NBC Chicago reported that eight dogs died inside the van. There were 18 canines being transported inside the van, the report said.
The incident occurred on July 27. According to the National Weather Service, the high temperature in the Chicago area reached 93 degrees.
Police said the van was in transit from Chicago's O'Hare Airport to a K-9 training facility Michigan City, Indiana, when it got caught in a two-hour traffic jam. While this was occurring, police said the driver was unaware that the air conditioning in the cargo area was not functioning.
"The driver’s attention as to what was going on inside the cargo area was alerted to him by some of the canines barking," the police said. "Once inside the the cargo area, he observed the canines in distress and began to remove the canines who were crated. This prompted 911 calls to the Lake Station Fire Department and EMS along with the Lake Station Police Department."
SEE MORE: Animal rescue owner charged after grisly discovery
Police said that the canines were transported to area veterinarians for treatment.
In June, two police K9s died in separate incidents that also involved air conditioning units malfunctioning. On June 6, K-9 Chase of the Cobb County Police Department in Georgia died from a heat stroke. A week later, Aron died from heat exhaustion after being left in a hot police cruiser.
In 2022, the Officer Down Memorial Page reported that two K-9s died in a similar fashion with departments claiming their cruisers’ heat monitoring systems failed.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.kxxv.com/eight-k9s-dead-after-van-s-ac-unit-fails | 2023-07-31T15:11:35 | 0 | https://www.kxxv.com/eight-k9s-dead-after-van-s-ac-unit-fails |
SYDNEY — The Women’s World Cup is taking shape with shocks and highlights as it nears the end of the group stage.
Some players have established themselves as ones to watch, like Colombia star Linda Caicedo, who has made her team one of the tournament surprises. Colombia picked up an upset win over Germany, and Nigeria upset co-host Australia — just two of the games that showed the gap has closed at top level women’s soccer.
But co-host New Zealand was eliminated, and other big teams are in danger of not advancing headed into the final few days of group play.
Here’s a look back at some of the highlights and lowlights so far.
Goal of the tournament
There have been a number of contenders and Bia Zaneratto’s strike against Panama after a sweeping move from Brazil stands out as the most complete goal so far.
Ireland’s Katie McCabe scored directly from a corner kick against Canada, and England’s Lauren James curled in a long range effort against Denmark.
Even so, Caicedo’s solo goal in Colombia’s dramatic 2-1 win against Germany is the pick of the bunch. With a flash of skill, she beat two German players in the box before lashing a shot into the top corner as the Sydney crowd dominated by Colombia fans went wild.
Moment of the tournament
It has to be Manuela Vanegas’ late winner for Colombia against Germany. Alexandra Popp seemed to position two-time champion Germany for a draw with an 89th-minute penalty.
But Vanegas’ header in the 97th minute gave Colombia a World Cup upset.
Comeback
Norway looked down and out after an opening game loss to co-host New Zealand and a goalless draw against Switzerland. With star player Ada Hegerberg injured, the odds were beginning to stack up against the Norwegians going into their final Group A match against the Philippines.
But three goals within 31 minutes set up a 6-0 rout that saw Norway advance to the knockout rounds in second place. The Norway win knocked New Zealand out of the tournament, making the Football Ferns the first host to be eliminated in group play in tournament history.
Emerging stars
Caicedo’s standout performances aren’t a surprise to those who have followed her career. The Real Madrid forward has long-been tipped to be one of the biggest stars in women’s soccer.
She hasn’t disappointed in her first World Cup and has inspired Colombia to back-to-back wins with goals in each game.
England coach Sarina Wiegman unleashed Chelsea forward James from the start in the Lionesses’ second game against Denmark, and she made a quick impression. Collecting the ball outside the area after six minutes, she swept a curling effort past Lene Christensen.
Haiti’s Melchie Dumornay has shown flashes of the talent that earned her a move to French powerhouse Lyon, while 19-year-old Aoba Fujino has become the youngest player to score at a World Cup for Japan’s men’s or women’s teams.
Casey Phair, a 16 year old, became the youngest-ever player to appear in a senior soccer World Cup when she was a second-half substitute for South Korea against Colombia.
Disappointments
While youngsters have capitalized on their chance to shine, some of the established names have yet to make their mark.
There have been differing reasons for that.
Sam Kerr’s calf injury robbed Australia of its star striker for its opening two games, while Hegerberg’s groin injury has cut her playing time for Norway.
Alex Morgan, who was the co-leading scorer at the last World Cup, is still finding her footing in the United States’ new look attack.
Record international scorer Christine Sinclair was benched for Canada’s second game and is still waiting for her first goal of the tournament, while Brazil great Marta has also been used sparingly.
Surprises
New Zealand kicked the tournament off with a 1-0 win against Norway, but couldn’t keep up its momentum and went on to lose by the same score to the Philippines to set up the co-host’s early exit.
Jamaica’s 0-0 draw with fifth-ranked France was described by its coach Lorne Donaldson as the country’s greatest soccer result, for men or women. But the biggest surprise could be yet to come if Jamaica can avoid defeat against Brazil to advance to the round of 16.
Colombia’s dramatic late winner against Germany, meanwhile, was one of the great upsets.
Entertainers
Daily Top Stories
The goals have been flowing for Spain and Japan, teams that both advanced from the group stage with a game to spare. Both teams secured 5-0 wins against Zambia and both have produced technically excellent displays.
Germany was on a high after its 6-0 rout of Morocco, but was humbled by Colombia.
Sweden routed Italy 5-0, while Norway found its scoring touch just in time against the Philippines.
Ones to watch
Some of the favorites have made underwhelming starts. The two-time defending champion United States, England, Germany and France have not been totally convincing in group play and the tournament still looks wide open.
Colombia looks legitimate, and with Kerr back in action, Australia could become a contender.
The Netherlands look like serious contenders, while Spain and Japan have impressed. Brazil has shown flashes, but faces a fight to advance from the group stage.
Nigeria has shown it is dangerous, and Sweden has picked up back-to-back wins. | https://www.capitalgazette.com/sports/ct-world-cup-moments-20230731-e7e7mip6gvettnubycs6upewaq-story.html | 2023-07-31T15:11:35 | 1 | https://www.capitalgazette.com/sports/ct-world-cup-moments-20230731-e7e7mip6gvettnubycs6upewaq-story.html |
NEW YORK (AP) — Trucking company Yellow Corp. has shut down operations and is headed for a bankruptcy filing, according to the Teamsters Union and multiple media reports.
After years of financial struggles, reports of Yellow preparing for bankruptcy emerged last week — as the Nashville, Tennessee-based trucker saw customers leave in large numbers. Yellow shut down operations on Sunday, according to the Wall Street Journal, following the layoffs of hundreds of nonunion employees on Friday.
In an announcement early Monday, the Teamsters said that the union received legal notice confirming Yellow was 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,” Teamsters general president Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “This is a sad day for workers and the American freight industry.”
The Associated Press reached out to Yellow for comment on Monday. No bankruptcy filings had gone live as of the early morning.
The bankruptcy reports have renewed attention around Yellow’s ongoing negotiations with unionized workers, a $700 million pandemic-era loan from the government and other bills the trucker has racked up over time. Yellow, formerly known as YRC Worldwide Inc., is one of the nation’s largest less-than-truckload carriers. The company’s reported closure puts 30,000 jobs at risk.
Here’s what you need to know.
According to Satish Jindel, president of transportation and logistics firm SJ Consulting, Yellow handled an average of 49,000 shipments per day in 2022. Last week, he estimated that number was down to between 10,000 and 15,000 daily shipments.
With customers leaving — as well reports of Yellow stopping freight pickups last week — bankruptcy would “be the end of Yellow,” Jindel told The Associated Press, noting increased risk for liquidation.
“The likelihood of them surviving and remaining solvent diminishes really by the day,” added Bruce Chan, a research director at investment banking firm Stifel.
Yellow declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press on Friday. In a Wednesday statement to The Journal, the company said it was continuing “to prepare for a range of contingencies.” On Thursday, Yellow said it was in talks with multiple parties about selling its third-party logistics organization.
Even if Yellow was able to sell its logistics firm, it would “not generate a sufficient amount of cash to keep them operational on any sort of permanent basis,” Chan said. “Without a major equity injection, it would be very difficult for them to survive.”
As of late March, Yellow had an outstanding debt of about $1.5 billion. Of that, $729.2 million was owed to the federal government.
In 2020, under the Trump administration, the Treasury Department granted the company a $700 million pandemic-era loan on national security grounds. Last month, a congressional probe concluded that the Treasury and Defense Departments “made missteps” in this decision — and noted that Yellow’s “precarious financial position at the time of the loan, and continued struggles, expose taxpayers to a significant risk of loss.”
The government loan is due in September 2024. As of March, Yellow had made $54.8 million in interest payments and repaid just $230 million of the principal owed, according to government documents.
Yellow’s current finances and prospect of bankruptcy “is probably two decades in the making,” Chan said, pointing to poor management and strategic decisions dating back to the early 2000s. “At this point, after each party has bailed them out so many times, there is a limited appetite to do that anymore.”
In May, Yellow reported a loss of $54.6 million, a decline of $1.06 per share, for its first quarter of 2023. Operating revenue was about $1.16 billion in the period.
A Wednesday investors note from financial service firm Stephens estimated that Yellow could be burning between $9 million and $10 million each day. Using a liquidity disclosure from earlier this month, Yellow had roughly $100 million in cash at the end of June, the note added — estimating that the company has been burning through increasing amounts of money through July.
“It is reasonable to believe that the Company could breach its $35 mil. liquidity requirement at any moment,” Stephens analyst Jack Atkins and associate Grant Smith wrote.
Last week’s reports of bankruptcy preparations arrived just days after a strike from the Teamsters, which represents Yellow’s 22,000 unionized workers, was averted.
A series of heated exchanges have built up between the Teamsters and Yellow, who sued the union in June after alleging it was “unjustifiably blocking” restructuring plans needed for the company’s survival. The Teamsters called the litigation “baseless” — with O’Brien pointing to Yellow’s “decades of gross mismanagement,” which included exhausting the $700 million federal loan.
On July 23, a pension fund agreed to extend health benefits for workers at two Yellow Corp. operating companies, averting a strike — and giving Yellow “30 days to pay its bills,” notably $50 million that Yellow failed to pay the Central States Health and Welfare Fund on July 15, the union said. While the strike didn’t occur, talks of a walkout may have caused some Yellow customers to pull back, Chan said.
“The financial struggles of Yellow are not related to the union and the contracts,” Jindel said, pointing to management’s responsibility around its services and prices. He added the union wages from Yellow are “lower than any competitor.”
As Yellow customers take their shipments to other carriers, like FedEx or ABF Freight, prices will go up.
Yellow’s prices have historically been the cheapest compared to other carriers, Jindel said. “That’s why they obviously were not making money,” he added. “And while there is capacity with the other LTL carriers to handle the diversions from Yellow, it will come at a high price for (current shippers and customers) of Yellow.”
Chan adds that we’re in an interesting time for the LTL marketplace — noting that, if Yellow liquidates, “the freight would find a home” with other carriers, which may not have been true in recent years.
“It may take time, but there’s room for it to be absorbed,” he said. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-yellow-is-shutting-down-and-headed-for-bankruptcy-the-teamsters-union-says-heres-what-to-know/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:35 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/business/ap-business/ap-yellow-is-shutting-down-and-headed-for-bankruptcy-the-teamsters-union-says-heres-what-to-know/ |
England vs. China: Live Stream, TV Channel & Game Info - August 1
Published: Jul. 31, 2023 at 8:46 AM CDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
England will play China in Adelaide, Australia, in the last round of group-stage games at the 2023 Women's World Cup, on August 1 at 7:00 AM ET.
This matchup will be available on FOX US,Fox Sports 1.
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How to Watch England vs. China
- Game Day: Tuesday, August 1, 2023
- Game Time: 7:00 AM ET
- TV Channel: FOX US,Fox Sports 1
- Location: Adelaide, Australia
- Venue: Coopers Stadium
Sign up for a Fubo free trial now to watch the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and more live sports!
England Group Stage Schedule
England's Recent Performance
- England picked up a victory in its last match 1-0 over Denmark on July 28. was outshot in the matchup, 11 to seven.
- England was led by Lauren James, who netted her side's goal versus .
- James' Women's World Cup statline through two appearances for England includes one goal.
- Rachel Daly has no goals, but has one assist for England in Women's World Cup action.
- In two Women's World Cup matchups, Georgia Stanway has one goal.
Get your 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup gear at Fanatics!
England's 2023 Women's World Cup Roster
- Mary Earps #1
- Lucy Bronze #2
- Niamh Charles #3
- Keira Walsh #4
- Alex Greenwood #5
- Millie Bright #6
- Lauren James #7
- Georgia Stanway #8
- Rachel Daly #9
- Ella Toone #10
- Lauren Hemp #11
- Jordan Nobbs #12
- Hannah Hampton #13
- Lotte Wubben-Moy #14
- Esme Morgan #15
- Jessica Carter #16
- Laura Coombs #17
- Chloe Kelly #18
- Bethany England #19
- Katie Zelem #20
- Ellie Roebuck #21
- Katie Robinson #22
- Alessia Russo #23
China Group Stage Schedule
China's Recent Performance
- In its most recent action on July 28, China claimed a 1-0 victory over Haiti. China outshot Haiti nine to six.
- Wang Shuang scored the lone goal for China on one shot.
- In two Women's World Cup matches for China, Shuang has one goal (16th in the 2023 Women's World Cup).
China's 2023 Women's World Cup Roster
- Zhu Yu #1
- Mengwen Li #2
- Jiaxing Dou #3
- LinLin Wang #4
- Wu Haiyan #5
- Xin Zhang #6
- Wang Shuang #7
- Yao Wei #8
- Mengyu Shen #9
- Zhang Rui #10
- Wang Shanshan #11
- Xu Huan #12
- Lina Yang #13
- Lou Jiahui #14
- Qiaozhu Chen #15
- Lingwei Yao #16
- Wu Cheng Shu #17
- Jiali Tang #18
- Linyan Zhang #19
- Yuyi Xiao #20
- Gu Yasha #21
- Hongyan Pan #22
- Chen Gao #23
© 2023 Data Skrive. All rights reserved. | https://www.kwch.com/sports/betting/2023/08/01/2023-womens-world-cup-england-china-live-stream-tv/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:35 | 0 | https://www.kwch.com/sports/betting/2023/08/01/2023-womens-world-cup-england-china-live-stream-tv/ |
Public Notice
Amazon.com Services LLC, Vimal Vijaykumar, PO Box 80842, NA Environmental Department – Amazon Seattle, WA 98108-0842, is seeking coverage under the Washington State Department of Ecology’s NPDES General Permit for Stormwater Discharges Associated with Industrial Activities. The industrial site, known as Amazon.com Services LLC – HWA4, is located at 3138 200th Street E in Spanaway. Construction of the facility will be completed on 9/3/2023. Operations and industrial activity are tentatively scheduled to commence on 4/28/2024. Industrial activities include fueling activities for emergency equipment, and other industrial activities such as general warehousing and storage, vehicle washing, maintenance, and fueling which will not occur until 4/28/2024. Stormwater from the site discharges to Outfalls 001 and 002. Any persons desiring to present their views to the Washington State Department of Ecology concerning this application may notify Ecology in writing within 30 days of the last date of publication of this notice. Comments may be submitted to: ecyrewqianoi@ecy.wa.gov, or ATTN: Water Quality Program – Industrial Stormwater Washington State Department of Ecology P.O. Box 47696 Olympia, WA 98504-7696.
IDX-981393
July 31, August 7, 2023 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/public-notice-amazon-com-services-llc/2468324/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:36 | 0 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/public-notice-amazon-com-services-llc/2468324/ |
Drunk Delta Airlines passenger downs 11 drinks, sexually assaults minor and her mom on 9-hour flight: lawsuit
A belligerent drunk on a Delta Air Lines flight was served at least 10 vodka drinks and a glass of wine before groping a 16-year-old girl and her mother, court documents allege.
Delta flight attendants "blatantly ignored" pleas for help from the women as the intoxicated male passenger behaved aggressively toward them and escalated into inappropriate touching over a nearly nine-hour flight that departed from JFK Airport, a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Eastern District of New York claims.
Staff then allegedly permitted the drunken man to exit the plane at its destination in Athens, Greece, without alerting local authorities or U.S. law enforcement about the alleged sexual assault.
The $2 million lawsuit accuses Delta of gross negligence and demands compensation for the victims. It states Delta flight attendants continued to serve the intoxicated man drinks even though he was noticeably drunk.
UNITED AIRLINES PILOT REMOVED FROM SERVICE AFTER SHOWING UP DRUNK TO FLIGHT
"The intoxicated Delta passenger appeared to be getting drunker and drunker as the Delta flight attendants continued serving him alcohol," the complaint states.
The intoxicated man was seated next to the plaintiffs on the flight. As he got more drunk, he attempted to speak with the 16-year-old girl, who tried to ignore him. Angered, the drunk became aggressive toward the girl and began yelling at her.
BUTTIGIEG SAYS DOT INVESTIGATING WHY DELTA AIR LINES PASSENGERS REMAINED ON PLANE IN EXTREME HEAT
He also made "obscene gestures," demanded to know her address and other personal information and grabbed her, putting his hands on her back, which "frightened" her, the lawsuit claims.
The girl's mother told the man her daughter was a minor who was still in high school. He allegedly replied that he did not care. He then allegedly reached over the girl and began pulling on her mother's arm.
Other passengers started to notice as the man was screaming loudly at them. But when the women told flight attendants the man was drunk and making them feel unsafe, they told them to just "be patient" and walked away, according to the complaint.
The unidentified drunk, who "mumbled" that he was from Connecticut, then allegedly began touching the minor again, "mumbling drunkenly and forcefully kicking the seats in front of them causing the rows of seats to shake."
AI-POWERED TRAVEL ASSISTANT TOUTED AS MOST POWERFUL EVER
Suddenly, the family recounts, he put his head down "for about thirty seconds," then shot back up and ran to the restroom, where he reportedly was heard puking.
The mother and daughter said they requested the man be moved to another seat and cut off from drinks, but flight attendants allegedly brushed off their complaints.
When the intoxicated man returned from the bathroom, he allegedly had a glass of red wine.
After repeated pleas from the women, the head flight attendant eventually told the man to "stop talking to them," which provoked an explosion of screaming and profanity directed at the family.
The teen was "terrified" and began to have a panic attack. She put her head down in her mother's lap — and that's when the man allegedly slid his "clammy fingers" underneath her shirt and groped for the clasp on her bra strap. "Trembling, petrified and crying," the teen leaped out of her seat and away from the man, the lawsuit states.
But the man proceeded to place his hand on the mother's leg and allegedly "began moving his hand" up the inside of her thigh. She screamed too and jumped out of her seat.
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The mother again demanded that the flight attendants change their seats. The flight attendants allegedly said there was nothing they could do, but another male passenger volunteered to switch seats with the teen girl and sat between the intoxicated man and her mother for the rest of the flight.
Once the plane landed, the flight attendants offered the woman and her daughter 5,000 free airline miles and an apology.
Delta did not offer specific comment on the pending litigation but told Fox Business the company "has zero tolerance for customers who engage in inappropriate or unlawful behavior."
"Nothing is more important than the safety of our customers and our people," the airline said.
Read more of this story from FOX News. | https://www.fox4news.com/news/drunk-delta-airlines-passenger-downs-11-drinks-sexually-assaults-minor-and-her-mom-on-9-hour-flight-lawsuit | 2023-07-31T15:11:40 | 1 | https://www.fox4news.com/news/drunk-delta-airlines-passenger-downs-11-drinks-sexually-assaults-minor-and-her-mom-on-9-hour-flight-lawsuit |
As federal student loan borrowers prepare for repayments to begin after a three-and-a-half-year hiatus, the federal government has launched a websitefor borrowers to begin applying for income-driven repayment plans.
Interest on student loan payments begins in September with payments expected to resume in October, but many might find their payments to be lower than prior to the pandemic.
The website was scheduled to launch Aug. 1, but was up a day early. The website automatically imports income information from the Internal Revenue Service. A Scripps News reporter was able to import all of the needed information within five minutes. Those who apply for income-driven repayment plans will need to have their income re-certified yearly.
The Department of Education is encouraging borrowers who might struggle with payments to explore its new income-driven repayment plans.
SEE MORE: Worry sets in as federal student loan payments are set to restart
The White House has touted the new plans as a response to its failed attempt to forgive up to $20,000 in student loan debt among low and middle-income borrowers.
The newest income-driven repayment plan implemented by the Biden administration means most borrowers will have lower monthly payments than before the pandemic.
Previously, borrowers using income-driven repayment plans on undergraduate loans were expected to pay 10% of their discretionary income. Discretionary income was previously considered any dollar made above 150% of the poverty level.
Now, borrowers with only undergraduate loans will be expected to pay 5% of their discretionary income. The amount considered discretionary income increased to 225% of the federal poverty level.
SEE MORE: Here's who qualifies for Biden's student loan forgiveness programs
Previously, a borrower with undergraduate loans with a family of four with an income of $70,000 living in the continental U.S. would have been expected to pay about $2,500 a year — or $208 a month — in payments. Under the revised plan, that person would pay about $125 a year — or just over $10 per month — in student loan payments.
Under changes made by the Biden administration, those using income-driven repayment plans could have the rest of their balance eliminated after a period of time.
Those who initially borrowed less than $22,000 will have their outstanding balance forgiven after 10 to 20 years in repayment, depending on the amount borrowed. Undergraduates who borrowed more than $22,000 can have their remaining debt erased after 20 years. Those with grad school debt would not be required to make payments after 25 years.
The plan also ensures balances won't increase as a result of unpaid interest.
While Congressional Republicans previously objected to these changes, they relented in the debt ceiling deal.
"Income-driven repayment plans usually lower your federal student loan payments. However, whenever you make lower payments or extend your repayment period, you will likely pay more in interest over time — sometimes significantly more. In addition, under current Internal Revenue Service rules, you may be required to pay income tax on any amount that's forgiven if you still have a remaining balance at the end of your repayment period," the Department of Education said.
Trending stories at Scrippsnews.com | https://www.kxxv.com/student-loan-borrowers-can-begin-applying-for-lower-payments | 2023-07-31T15:11:41 | 1 | https://www.kxxv.com/student-loan-borrowers-can-begin-applying-for-lower-payments |
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — The United States arrived at the Women’s World Cup as the favorites to win an unprecedented third consecutive title. But after an underwhelming draw against the Netherlands, there’s a real chance the Americans can be eliminated in group play for the first time in tournament history.
The U.S. plays Portugal in the third and final match of Group E play, and if Portugal pulls off an upset Tuesday at Eden Park in Auckland, the Americans could be in big trouble.
The United States needs to either win or draw against Portugal, one of eight teams playing in its first World Cup, to ensure the Americans continue to play in this tournament.
“I think we feel like we have to win everything all the time,” said American star Megan Rapinoe. “That’s the expectation for ourselves. That’s the expectation playing for U.S. national team. It’s just kind of like, ‘Why would you come into the World Cup if you don’t think that you should win it, and if you don’t think that you can win it?’”
The United States sits atop the group after a 3-0 victory over Vietnam in the tournament opener, and a 1-1 draw with the Netherlands last Thursday in Wellington. The Dutch are tied with the U.S. on points, but the Americans have the tie-breaker on goals scored.
Portugal lost to the Dutch in its opener but then beat Vietnam 2-0. So if the Portuguese beat the United States, they’ll move on, and the Americans would then need Vietnam to beat the Dutch in Dunedin — while keeping their advantage on goal differential — to advance.
“One thing is for sure, that we have a job to do and that’s first and foremost to take care of our game, so our main focus right now it our performance, our team, and Portugal,” said U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski. “What happens on the other side is something we can’t control. We have to stay focused on the things we can control.”
Portugal could use a swarming defense to try to prevent the United States from scoring the way Vietnam — unsuccessfully — played the Americans in the opener.
Portugal defender Ana Borges said her team will be prepared.
“This is the stage where we want to be. It’s against these teams that we want to play because we’re going to learn and grow from them,” Borges said. “Not saying anything about the other team, but if we weren’t prepared for this challenge, we wouldn’t be playing football.”
China-England
England is in very good shape headed into its Group D finale against China, needing only a draw Tuesday night in Adelaide, Australia to win the group and advance to the round of 16.
Even a loss would be OK and push England through as group winners so long as Denmark doesn’t beat Haiti. If Denmark won and England lost, the group winner would be decided by FIFA tiebreakers.
England edged out a 1-0 victory over Haiti to open the tournament, then beat Denmark by the same score.
China lost 1-0 to Denmark in the opener but rebounded with a 1-0 win over Haiti and is now trying to keep its streak intact of advancing out of group play in all eight of its World Cup appearances.
It will be a tough task: China can advance to the round of 16 if the Chinese beat England. But if Denmark beats Haiti, coupled with a China win, then FIFA tiebreakers would come into a play. A loss would mean China’s only chance at advancing would be if Haiti beat Denmark.
England and China meet for just the fifth time, but first since a 2-1 China victory in 2015.
England has scored in each of its last 15 matches at the Women’s World Cup for a tally of 25 goals since 2015. A goal against China would make England the first team to score in 16 consecutive matches in the tournament.
China is looking to win consecutive World Cup games for the first time since 1999.
Vietnam-Netherlands
The Netherlands want to win every match in the Women’s World Cup but none more so than Tuesday’s game against Vietnam.
At stake: avoiding Sweden in the knockout round.
The Dutch, the tournament runner-up in 2019, need only a win or a draw in the Group E match played in Dunedin, New Zealand. And even a loss would be OK so long as the United States beats Portugal in a game being played simultaneously.
But the Netherlands has mapped out the tournament and wants no part of Sweden anytime soon.
“The first aim is always to win and get to the last 16 and then after that if we can score goals we will, of course,” said Dutch coach Andries Jonker. “But looking at our colleagues from the U.S. and Portugal, we’ve noticed it’s not all that easy. We’ve never shown any kind of arrogance, but if we get chances to score goals we will. We would prefer to play against the number two in this group and not Sweden.”
The Netherlands are tied with the United States for the top spot in the group after playing to a 1-1 draw against the Americans and a 1-0 win over Portugal.
Vietnam has already been eliminated from its first Women’s World Cup following losses to the United States and Portugal. Vietnam has lost its last five internationals by a combined score of 18-1.
“The Netherlands tries to have as many goals as possible, and I have to say we are at a low level,” said Vietnam coach Mai Duc Chung. “If we compare with Asia, we’re still at a low level. So if we compare with the world, we are still quite behind. It is a success for us already. In the past two matches we have tried our best. Great effort already.”
Haiti-Denmark
First-time Women’s World Cup participant Haiti would like to stick around a bit longer but needs a miracle against in the Group D finale against Denmark to have any shot to advance.
Daily Top Stories
Haiti needs to beat Denmark in the Tuesday match played in Perth, Australia, and hope England beats China. If both those things happen, Haiti’s only chance would still come down to FIFA’s tiebreaker system.
It’s very long odds for Haiti, which has played better in this tournament than its 0-2 record shows. Haiti held both England and China to one goal each in the first two matches.
Haiti is on a six-game losing streak headed into what is probably its final game of this tournament.
Denmark, meanwhile, is trying to advance to the group stage for the first time since 1995. Denmark was a 1-0 winner over China to start the tournament, then lost 1-0 to England and heads into the game tied for second in the group with China with three points each.
A win over Haiti pushes Denmark through to the next round so long as England doesn’t lose to China. That scenario would put tiebreakers into play.
The Danes, in the tournament for the first time since 2007, can also get through with a draw, but again, only if England beats China.
Denmark has won five of its last seven international matches. | https://www.capitalgazette.com/sports/ct-world-cup-us-elimination-20230731-ogcbailskjerfpmtvwcmj6w75a-story.html | 2023-07-31T15:11:41 | 0 | https://www.capitalgazette.com/sports/ct-world-cup-us-elimination-20230731-ogcbailskjerfpmtvwcmj6w75a-story.html |
HONG KONG (AP) — Fans of singer and songwriter Coco Lee, who was known for her powerful voice and live performances, were gathering with flowers to pay their respects to their idol at her funeral in Hong Kong on Monday.
The memorial services was attended by her family and friends, including singers Elva Hsiao and Jenny Tseng, as well as other supporters. Lee died July 5 at age 48.
She was born in Hong Kong and attended school in San Francisco before releasing her first album in 1994 at age 19. She began her career as a Mandopop singer but branched out to release albums in Cantonese and English.
She was the first Chinese singer to break into the American market, and her English song “Do You Want My Love” climbed to #4 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Breakouts chart in December 1999. In 2001, she sang “A Love Before Time” from Ang Lee’s movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” at the Academy Awards, becoming the first Chinese American to perform at the Oscars.
Lee was also the voice of heroine Fa Mulan in the Mandarin version of Disney’s “Mulan,” and sang the Mandarin version of the movie’s theme song “Reflection.”
Lee was married to Bruce Rockowitz, former CEO of Hong Kong supply chain company Li & Fung. She had two stepdaughters.
Her death had shocked fans. Her siblings posted on Facebook that she had depression for years and had attempted suicide at home on July 2. She died a few days later.
On Monday afternoon, more than 100 fans dressed in black were waiting outside the funeral home.
Lin Jing, a fan from Fujian province in the southeast, said she admired Lee’s smile and appearance, adding: “She was really talented. She always tried to improve and she inspired women to feel independent.”
Inside the funeral hall, three pink hearts made of flowers and other floral decorations were displayed below Lee’s photo.
Her close friend, Hsiao, said during the ceremony that Lee was perfect idol to her even when she watched her performances as a student. After they became friends in the entertainment industry, Lee encouraged her when she was lost and treated her as “a little sister.”
“She brightened my life with her happiness and bravery. I will keep preserving her spirit,” she said in a quavering voice.
In a video for her memorial service, actors and singers from Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan recalled their memories with Lee and mourned her death.
Action star Jackie Chan said in the video that everyone was proud of her when she sang at the Oscars.
“To friends like us, Coco was a passionate and kind friend who showed care to us. She was really a good person. That’s why we are so reluctant to accept she has left us,” he said.
Award-winning director Ang Lee recalled his exchanges with the late singer before the Oscars and said it was a pity she died so young. “We miss her very much. Coco, rest in peace,” he said in the video.
In Coco Lee’s recent social media posts, she kept spreading positivity. In March, she posted about having to relearn how to walk after undergoing surgery for an old leg injury.
“Successful surgery. Even though I’m in a lot of pain and I have to re-learn how to walk again, I know I can do it,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “Yes I can and I will!”
___
Associated Press video journalist Alice Fung and news assistant Annie Cheung contributed to this report. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/entertainment/ap-entertainment/ap-fans-pay-tribute-to-coco-lee-hong-kong-singer-who-had-international-success/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:41 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/entertainment/ap-entertainment/ap-fans-pay-tribute-to-coco-lee-hong-kong-singer-who-had-international-success/ |
THE METROPOLITAN PARK DISTRICT OF TACOMA
Request for Qualifications
Master Agreement for Miscellaneous
TOPOGRAPHIC SURVEY AND WETLANDS / STREAM DELINEATION SERVICES
RFQ#J2023-12
The Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma (Metro Parks Tacoma) is soliciting Letters of Interest and Statements of Qualifications for miscellaneous Topographic Survey and Wetland / Stream Delineation services for its capital projects from January 2024 through December 2025.
Statements of Qualification (SOQ) will be received at Metro Parks Tacoma, 4702 S. 19th Street, Tacoma, WA 98405 until 1:00 p.m. PDT Friday, August 18, 2023. Qualifications received after the appointed time set for receipt will be returned unopened.
A formal Request for Qualifications (RFQ) describing the full scope of professional services required and the desired format for response to this advertisement may be viewed with other background information on the proposed projects at https://www.metroparkstacoma.org/about/contract-bidding/requests-for-proposalsqualifications/ . For any issues accessing the information posted on the site or any questions, please contact Kimberley Shelton @ kimberley.shelton@tacomaparks.com
IDX-981496
July 31, August 7, 2023 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/the-metropolitan-park-district-of-tacoma-request-for-qualifications-4/2468320/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:42 | 0 | https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/the-metropolitan-park-district-of-tacoma-request-for-qualifications-4/2468320/ |
Lori Vallow Daybell faces sentencing in deaths of 2 children and her romantic rival
ST. ANTHONY, Idaho - Idaho mother Lori Vallow Daybell faces up to life in prison without parole Monday as she is sentenced in the murders of her two youngest children and a romantic rival in a case that included bizarre claims that her son and daughter were zombies and that she was a goddess sent to usher in the Biblical apocalypse.
Vallow Daybell was found guilty in May of killing her two youngest children, 7-year-old Joshua "JJ" Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, as well as conspiring to kill Tammy Daybell, her fifth husband’s previous wife.
The husband, Chad Daybell, is awaiting trial on the same murder charges. Vallow Daybell also faces two other cases in Arizona — one on a charge of conspiring with her brother to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, and one of conspiring to kill her niece’s ex-husband. Charles Vallow was shot and killed in 2019, but her niece’s ex survived an attempt later that year.
>> Lori Vallow trial: 'Cult mom' to learn fate after conviction for killing her two children
Monday’s sentencing will take place at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony, Idaho. Judge Steven W. Boyce is expected to hear testimony from several representatives of the victims, including Vallow Daybell’s only surviving son, Colby Ryan.
The case began in July 2019, when Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed her estranged husband, Charles Vallow, in a suburban Phoenix home. Cox told police he acted in self-defense. He was never charged in the case and died later that year of what authorities determined were natural causes.
Vallow Daybell was already in a relationship with Chad Daybell, a self-published author who wrote doomsday-focused fiction loosely based on Mormon teachings. She moved to Idaho with her kids and brother to be closer to him.
The children were last seen alive in September 2019. Police discovered they were missing a month later after an extended family member became worried. Their bodies were found buried in Chad Daybell’s yard the following summer.
Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow married in November 2019, about two weeks after Daybell’s previous wife, Tammy, was killed. Tammy Daybell initially was described as having died of natural causes, but an autopsy later showed she had been asphyxiated, authorities said.
Defense attorney Jim Archibald argued during the trial that there was no evidence tying Vallow Daybell to the killings, but plenty showing she was a loving, protective mother whose life took a sharp turn when she met Chad Daybell and fell for his "weird" apocalyptic religious claims. He suggested that Daybell and Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, were responsible for the deaths.
Daybell told her they had been married in several previous lives and she was a "sexual goddess" who was supposed to help him save the world by gathering 144,000 followers so Jesus could return, Archibald said.
Vallow Daybell’s former friend Melanie Gibb testified during the trial that Vallow Daybell believed people in her life had been taken over by evil spirits and turned into "zombies," including JJ and Tylee. | https://www.fox4news.com/news/lori-vallow-daybell-faces-sentencing-in-deaths-of-2-children-and-her-romantic-rival | 2023-07-31T15:11:46 | 1 | https://www.fox4news.com/news/lori-vallow-daybell-faces-sentencing-in-deaths-of-2-children-and-her-romantic-rival |
A cozy area can make a house feel like a home when you sit down for a meal with family or friends. If you’ve been searching for furniture to fit into a little nook of your home, you’ll want to check out this table and benches dining set available from Walmart.
The uhomepro Dining Room Table Set is on sale for $118.99, marked down from the regular retail price of $239.99. You’ll save $121, or 50%, with this online-only offer from Walmart for a limited time.
You do not need any coupons or special codes to secure this deal. Go to Walmart.com, add the dining set to your cart, and the sale price automatically applies before checkout.
Walmart sales change frequently and often without warning. So, if you want to grab this 3-piece dining set at a discounted price, you’ll want to put it in your cart quickly.
MORE: The Best Kitchen Dining Set
This black dining room set has a table and two benches that comfortably seat four people. All the pieces have a strong metal frame construction for strength and durability. Its sleek and simple design gives it a modern and versatile look.
The dining room table is durable and waterproof because its manufactured wood top makes it easy to clean.
Its smaller size works well for breakfast nooks, kitchen areas, and smaller dining rooms in homes or apartments. The set weighs a little over 56 pounds, making it easy to move wherever needed.
And the simple instructions (with included hardware) make putting this dining room set together a quick job for anyone.
If you’re looking for a space-saving dining room set, this deal could be perfect for you. Don’t miss your chance to pick it up.
Buy the uhomepro Dining Room Table Set from Walmart for $118.99 (was $239.99).
This adorable breakfast nook dining set is on sale at Walmart by Marie Rossiter originally appeared on Don't Waste Your Money
This story originally appeared on Don't Waste Your Money. Checkout Don't Waste Your Money for product reviews and other great ideas to save and make money. | https://www.kxxv.com/uhomepro-dining-room-set-sale-july-31-2023 | 2023-07-31T15:11:47 | 1 | https://www.kxxv.com/uhomepro-dining-room-set-sale-july-31-2023 |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — This year Whitney Houston would have turned 60, and a special celebration to raise money for a good cause is being planned for her birthday.
Houston’s estate, Sony and Primary Wave Music will host the 2nd annual Whitney Houston Legacy of Love on Aug. 9, which will benefit the late singer’s foundation aimed at helping young people.
Houston’s close friends BeBe Winans and Kim Burrell will perform at the gala at Atlanta’s St. Regis Hotel, as will Whitney’s brother, Gary, who toured with her for three decades.
“When I turned 50, Whitney gave me two celebrations — one in Ireland and one in London. I always tell everyone now that one of them was for her,” says Pat Houston, Whitney Houston’s sister-in-law and the executor of her estate. Houston died in February 2012 at age 48. “This year is Whitney at 60 — we’re all looking forward to being a part of the power of love in that room.”
Houston found the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children in 1989 with the goal of empowering youth, providing resources to unhoused children, giving out college scholarships, and raising funds for charities like the Children’s Defense Fund and St. Jude Children’s Research.
A charity auction will raise money for the foundation, which is now called the Whitney E. Houston Legacy Foundation.
“We’re going to auction off a beautiful lavender dress Dolly Parton wore when she sang ‘I Will Always Love You’ at Country Music Television’s ‘100 Greatest Love Songs of Country Music’ special in 2004,” says Pat Houston. “This dress is particularly special because it’s lavender, and lavender is Whitney’s favorite color.”
The song, originally written by Parton, was recorded by Houston and became one of her great, everlasting hits. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it diamond early last year, which means the track has sold and streamed 10 million equivalent units in the United States. It became her first diamond single, and made Houston the third woman to ever achieve diamond-status with both a single and an album, following Mariah Carey and Taylor Swift.
Clive Davis will serve as honorary chairman. Recording Academy President Harvey Mason jr. is scheduled to attend. Also expected are Gamma’s Larry Jackson and Whitney Houston’s musical director Rickey Minor.
“I always tell people, Whitney is the star,” Pat Houston said. “Everybody in that room is royalty, but she’s loyalty — and she’s still showing that.” | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/entertainment/ap-entertainment/ap-whitney-houstons-estate-announces-second-annual-legacy-of-love-gala-with-bebe-winans-kim-burrell/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:48 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/entertainment/ap-entertainment/ap-whitney-houstons-estate-announces-second-annual-legacy-of-love-gala-with-bebe-winans-kim-burrell/ |
Subway offers contest winner free sandwiches for life if they legally change their name
Subway is offering one lucky fan an unusual way of snagging free sandwiches for the rest of their life.
The fast food chain announced that a customer who agrees to legally change their first name to Subway will be eligible for free Subway sandwiches for life.
Customers who are interested in the contest are asked to visit SubwayNameChange.com and commit to legally changing their first name. The offer is valid between August 1 and midnight on August 3.
The contest is only open for customers over the age of 18 in all 50 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. Nebraskans need to be 21 years old or older, while Alabama residents need to be at least 19.
SUBWAY SEES YEAR-OVER-YEAR INCREASE OF OVER 12% IN QUARTERLY SAME-STORE SALES AMID SALE EXPLORATION
"Subway will select one lucky winner to earn free sandwiches and assume an iconic new identity," the sandwich chain announced in a press release.
The business is also making it easy for the lucky customer by offering to cover any legal costs that result from the name change.
"Subway will provide the winner with money to reimburse them for legal and processing costs for the name change, making it easy and effortless to become Subway and enjoy a lifetime of delicious subs," the press release added.
Subway recently announced that the chain invested more than $80 million in deli meat slicers that can make fresh cold cuts for customers. New recipes for sandwiches have also been added, including Grand Slam Ham, Garlic Roast Beef, Titan Turkey and the Beast.
Subway North America President Trevor Haynes previously told Fox Business that the new deli meat slicers will get consumers excited about the brand again.
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"I think they saw it with the Subway Series, where they could actually order off the menu and have a great tasting sandwich without thinking about it and trying new builds, et cetera, but this will just click it to another level," Haynes stated. "Everything that we do in regards to the transformation centers around our food and ensuring we deliver a great meal experience for our guests."
Fox Business’s Aislinn Murphy contributed to this report. Read more of this story from FOX Business. | https://www.fox4news.com/news/subway-offers-contest-winner-free-sandwiches-for-life-if-they-legally-change-their-name | 2023-07-31T15:11:52 | 0 | https://www.fox4news.com/news/subway-offers-contest-winner-free-sandwiches-for-life-if-they-legally-change-their-name |
A super PAC that works to help Democrats get elected to the House is calling on them to promote the economy and the party’s successes as Congress goes on recess for the next month.
House Majority PAC said in a memo to congressional Democrats on Monday that the party must emphasize its accomplishments at the national and local level heading into the 2024 election. The memo said the PAC conducted research showing Democrats “dramatically” improve their position when they are proactive in speaking about the economy.
“Go on offense, and build the contrast with the MAGA House Republicans immediately,” it states.
The memo, which was first reported by Politico, references several key legislative accomplishments of the Biden administration, including the bipartisan infrastructure package, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
The chips legislation provided billions of dollars in incentives for manufacturers to build domestic semiconductor plants, while the Inflation Reduction Act made significant investments in climate programs, allowed Medicare to negotiate on some drug prices and raised taxes on large corporations, among other initiatives.
The memo also states that “month after month” has shown President Biden’s “Bidenomics” economic policy is working.
The push to highlight economic issues comes as Biden’s approval rating, especially on the economy, remains underwater. A CNBC All-America Economic Survey earlier this month found that 37 percent of Americans approved of Biden’s handling of the economy, compared to 58 percent who disapproved.
The PAC said Democrats need to point to continued job growth that dropped the unemployment rate to 3.6 percent last month and declining inflation as evidence of the party’s success.
The memo also urges Democrats to target Republicans as “extremist” and threatening economic progress. It said they should note the battle over raising the debt ceiling in the spring and the potential government shutdown in September if Congress does not pass the 12 annual appropriations bills to fund the government.
The PAC also called on Democrats to go on offense over abortion, pointing to the annual defense bill the Republican-controlled House passed that would prohibit the Department of Defense from reimbursing service members who travel to receive an abortion. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/hill-politics/top-house-democratic-pac-urging-members-to-lean-into-economy/ | 2023-07-31T15:11:54 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/hill-politics/top-house-democratic-pac-urging-members-to-lean-into-economy/ |
Want to live on a cruise ship? A 2-year trip around the world from Florida will cost you this much
ORLANDO, Fla. - A new cruise experience could be more affordable than the rent or mortgage you’re paying on land.
There’s a new option to live on a cruise ship while traveling the world.
"We’re excited!!" Barbara Violetta said. Violetta is a retiree from The Villages and she is crazy for cruises. In fact, she has been on more than 70 cruises.
But now she’s gearing up for the voyage of a lifetime. "It’s a dream come true," she said.
She will be boarding a two-year cruise with Victoria Cruise Line. There are 214 ports in 115 countries on seven continents.
The ship is more than 750 feet long and about 100 feet wide. There will be 1,000 passengers on board.
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Passengers on board the Victoria Cruise Line consist of retirees and digital nomads – those who can work from home even if that home floats.
"Anybody who is working from home, who says it has to be a home fixed in the ground? Why can’t it be at sea?" Violetta said.
What is the cost for a trip like this?
"Those who have an inside cabin, will be paying about $2,400 a month per person," said Valerie Linderoth, a Victoria Cruises Brand Ambassador. "It’s actually pretty affordable."
While the price of $2,400 a month may not sound affordable at first, there are other factors to consider.
Rent paid monthly includes cooked meals, television, Wi-Fi, gym, pool, spa and access to doctors, nurses and a dentist on board.
"They do your laundry three times a week!" Violetta said. "Free laundry is done for us. No cleaning. No making your bed. There’s even a turndown service every day."
The $2,400 price tag is for one person in an inside cabin if you sign up for the 37-month option, which offers the biggest discount.
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But if you choose the 24-month option, it will cost you $5,119.
The 12-month option is $5,759 a month.
Whichever option you choose, it’s a long time to be away from home base, which is why Victoria Cruises allows passengers to take a break and pay just 30% of their rent while they’re gone.
"I have to take a break. My daughter is planning a wedding next year," Violetta said.
Some passengers said they plan to renew their stay indefinitely.
"We have quite a few people – about 70% – who are choosing to do the 37+ month and a lot of them are saying, "I’m gonna stay on this ship until the day I die," Linderoth said.
The cruise around the world sets sail December 1 from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. | https://www.fox4news.com/news/want-to-live-on-a-cruise-ship-heres-how-much-itll-cost-you | 2023-07-31T15:11:58 | 1 | https://www.fox4news.com/news/want-to-live-on-a-cruise-ship-heres-how-much-itll-cost-you |
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — The Australian army helicopter that crashed Friday during a multinational exercise hit the water with a “catastrophic impact” and there is no chance its four crew members survived, officials said Monday.
Australia’s fleet of more than 40 of the MRH-90 Taipan helicopters, made by French Airbus, has been grounded since the crash and there are doubts any will fly again.
They will be grounded until crash investigators determine what caused the tragedy. The government announced in January it plans to replace them with 40 U.S. Black Hawks. The Taipans’ retirement date of December 2024 would be 13 years earlier than Australia had initially planned.
Defense Minister Richard Marles said the search and rescue effort changed Monday to a victim recovery operation with no chance that Capt. Danniel Lyon, Lt. Maxwell Nugent, Warrant Officer Joseph Laycock or Cpl. Alexander Naggs had survived.
“There was a catastrophic incident and with every passing hour, it is now clear that any hope of finding (the four crew) alive has been lost,” Marles told reporters.
The helicopter crashed during a nighttime exercise with the United States and other nations near the Whitsunday Islands on the Great Barrier Reef.
Marles had said on Saturday the helicopter “ditched,” which refers to an emergency landing. But on Monday he would not rule our pilot error or disorientation in the dark causing the crash into the water. He urged against speculation about potential causes.
“There was a catastrophic impact on the helicopter when it hit the water,” Marles said.
“We will move through the process of putting the Black Hawks into service as quickly as we can … and we will not be flying MRH90s until we understand what has happened,” Marles added.
The lost Taipan had been taking part in Talisman Sabre, a biennial U.S.-Australian military exercise that is largely based in Queensland state. This year’s exercise involves 13 nations and more than 30,000 military personnel.
The exercise was continuing on Monday with some changes near the recovery operation, Australian Defense Force Chief Gen. Angus Campbell said.
Campbell thanked the United States and Canada for their help in the search and recovery efforts, which he said was “not an easy operation.”
The wreckage lay in the path of strong currents and tidal movements. It was too deep for standard diving operations.
Part of the airframe had been retrieved by Monday but most of the helicopter remained on the seabed, Campbell said.
It was the second emergency involving an Australian Taipan since March. The fleet was grounded after one ditched into the sea off the New South Wales state coast near the naval base at Jervis Bay during a nighttime counterterrorism training exercise. All 10 passengers and crew members were rescued.
Retired Maj. Gen. Fergus McLachlan was involved in integrating the Taipan into the Australian army when they arrived in 2007 and had been responsible for keeping them airworthy. He said the Taipan did not have the proven record of the Lockheed Martin-designed Black Hawks.
“We bought into an unproven system. In real terms, it was a developmental aircraft and it has never really matured,” McLachlan told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
“It was always a battle to maintain it and keep it flying,” McLachlan added. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-4-crew-members-on-australian-army-helicopter-that-crashed-off-coast-didnt-survive-officials-say/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:00 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-4-crew-members-on-australian-army-helicopter-that-crashed-off-coast-didnt-survive-officials-say/ |
Watch: Amusement park ride spins out of control for 10-plus minutes
RYE, N.Y. - Screams were heard and witnesses watched in terror as riders of an amusement park ride in New York were stuck spinning backward for several minutes.
Video recorded by Giovanni Martinez shows the Music Express ride at Rye Playland spin out of control as riders scream and passersby film the ordeal.
In the video, technicians eventually arrive and get the ride to stop, prompting applause from concerned people standing by.
A ride worker tries to calm riders as an amusement park ride spins out of control (Credit: Giovanni Martinez via Storyful)
The amusement park released the following statement to local media:
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"Safety is our number one priority and as such, the Music Express ride is currently closed as we work closely with the manufacturer."
No injuries were reported. | https://www.fox4news.com/news/watch-rye-playland-amusement-park-ride-spins-out-of-control | 2023-07-31T15:12:04 | 0 | https://www.fox4news.com/news/watch-rye-playland-amusement-park-ride-spins-out-of-control |
Co-host Australia advances, knocking Canada out of the Women's World Cup
MELBOURNE, Australia - Haley Raso scored her first career Women’s World Cup goals at just the right time, with a first-half brace in Australia's 4-0 win over Canada in Monday's pivotal group-stage finale.
The Matildas, who also got goals from Mary Fowler and Steph Catley in the second half, clinched the top spot in Group B and a place in the round of 16 at the expense of the Olympic champion.
Australia needed a win to guarantee progression to the next round. The co-hosts secured a resounding win. Canada, needing to avoid defeat to avoid elimination, is out of the tournament after slipping from the lead to third place in the group behind Australia and Nigeria.
After missing two group-stage matches with a calf injury sustained on the eve of the tournament, Australia's star striker Sam Kerr was available and on the bench but did not play in the match. The closest she got to the pitch was carrying drinks for her teammates.
RELATED: Women’s World Cup: Australia, Zambia, Japan win their matches on Day 11 | July 31, 2023
In front of a vocal, pro-Australia crowd of 27,706 in Melbourne, Canada became the first reigning Olympic champion to be eliminated in group play in the subsequent Women’s World Cup.
Australia’s progression ensured this year’s Women’s World Cup would not be the first without a host nation in the knockout stage.
Key moments
Australia jumped out to an early lead in the ninth minute with Raso’s first goal: a shot from the back post off a cross from Catley. Initially ruled offside, the goal held up under VAR review, and Raso fell to her knees to celebrate.
The Matildas responded to a disallowed goal from Australia forward Mary Fowler – ruled offside by VAR in the 34th minute – when Raso poked in a failed clearance after Kyra Cooney-Cross’ corner, doubling Australia’s lead in the 39th.
RELATED: Despite lack of time together, USA expects more cohesive unit vs. Portugal
Off another left-wing cross from Catley, Fowler added Australia’s third goal in the 58th. She returned to the Matildas’ starting lineup after missing their upset 3-2 loss to Nigeria last week with a mild concussion.
After two assists, Catley scored in stoppage time, burying her second penalty kick of the tournament after Canada midfielder Jessie Fleming fouled Katrina Gorry at the edge of the area.
Canada forward Adriana Leon, who scored Canada’s clincher in a 2-1 win over Ireland, came off in the 64th minute with a head injury.
Why it matters
With its win over Canada and Nigeria’s 0-0 draw with Ireland, Australia finished first in Group B with six points. Nigeria finished second with five points.
The Matildas, as hosts, stay alive in a tournament that has seen record-breaking ticket sales, especially in Australia’s host cities and for the Matildas’ matches. Home fans will look to see if Kerr will make her tournament debut in the round of 16.
Co-host New Zealand’s 0-0 draw on Sunday with Switzerland eliminated the Football Ferns from knockout-round contention.
In their own words
"Proud, and privileged. These players, the way they performed tonight … and all the talk about Sam (Kerr). The way they went out and played the game, stayed true to who they are, the pressing game, the attacking game. To beat Canada, the Olympic champions, 4-nil, in a do-or-die game." — Tony Gustavsson, Australia coach.
"The reality is setting in that this is the end of our World Cup road, but all credit to Australia. They were the better team tonight, a magnificent crowd. I’ve got no criticism of my players." Bev Priestman, Canada coach.
WHAT’S NEXT Australia will face the second-place finisher in Group D in the round of 16 next in Sydney. Tuesday’s simultaneous matches between first-place England and China and Denmark against Haiti will determine Australia and Nigeria’s round of 16 opponents. The Australians have seven days to prepare for their next match, giving captain Kerr more time to fully recover.
Canada returns home unable to win medals in back-to-back tournaments. Canada forward Christine Sinclair, 40, the leading international goal-scorer with 190, finishes her World Cup campaign without a goal in Australia.
Cassidy Hettesheimer is a student at the University of Georgia's Carmical Sports Media Institute. | https://www.fox4news.com/sports/co-host-australia-advances-knocking-canada-out | 2023-07-31T15:12:08 | 1 | https://www.fox4news.com/sports/co-host-australia-advances-knocking-canada-out |
VATICAN CITY (AP) — When Pope Francis made the first foreign trip of his papacy, to Rio de Janeiro for World Youth Day in 2013, he urged young people to make a “mess” in their local churches, to shake things up even if it ruffled the feathers of their bishops.
As he embarks this week on another edition of World Youth Day, in Lisbon, Portugal, Francis in many ways has taken his own advice to heart. After 10 years as pope, Francis is accelerating his reform agenda and making revolutionary changes in personnel and policy that are definitely shaking things up.
Unencumbered by the shadow of Pope Benedict XVI, who died seven months ago, and despite recovering from a second intestinal surgery in as many years, the 86-year-old Francis is opening a frenetic second half of the year with his Portugal visit. He seems aware that he has a limited sweet spot of time to solidify the changes he believes are necessary for the 21st century church, and is looking to the next generation of faithful and leaders to execute them.
“The sense I get is that this is the consolidation phase of the pontificate,” said papal biographer Austen Ivereigh. “He’s laying the basis now, laying the ground, for the future.”
And no better place to put it on display than at a World Youth Day. The international rally, which St. John Paul II launched in 1986 to galvanize young Catholics in their faith, is expected to draw up to 1 million people for the first post-pandemic event of its kind. Francis’ perennial social justice concerns about climate change, social inequality and fraternity, as well as Russia’s war in Ukraine, are expected to be major themes.
Beyond Portugal, though, Francis’ multifold strategy for laying the groundwork for the future is coming together and will hit significant marks in the coming months.
His global canvassing of rank-and-file Catholics about their vision for the future comes to fruition this October with a big synod at the Vatican. The meeting is intended to give direction on such hot-button issues as the place of LGBTQ+ Catholics and women in the church, and for the first time will feature women and young people voting on proposals alongside bishops.
“I really think that for Pope Francis, he felt that ‘OK, now it’s mature’ and it would be good really to involve all the members, all the people in the synod as members” with the right to vote, said Sister Nathalie Becquart, who is one of the key synod organizers.
To then implement the vision that emerges from the synod, Francis has been naming a slew of unusually young bishops for key archdioceses — in his native Buenos Aires, Madrid and Brussels, among others. At the same time, he’s elevated several cardinals in their 50s — and in some cases their 40s — including the auxiliary bishop of Lisbon who is organizing World Youth Day.
Putting such young clerics in such important positions ensures a generation’s worth of likeminded leadership in the Vatican and archdioceses around the world. While not all are cookie-cutter proteges of Francis, many are seen as similarly pastorally minded and thus more game to implement his reforms, especially as the older generation of bishops and cardinals dies out.
After Francis is gone, the youngest of these new cardinals will have some three decades’ worth of local leadership and conclave votes to select future popes, suggesting a generational and ideological shift in the church leadership is very much underway.
Francis’ most important young “legacy” appointment was that of the Vatican’s new doctrinal czar, Argentine Cardinal-elect Victor Manuel Fernandez, 61. Francis’ theological ghostwriter ran into Vatican problems in the past over questions about his doctrinal orthodoxy, and his appointment sent shockwaves through the conservative and traditionalist wings of the church.
Fernandez sees his appointment as part of Francis’ longer-term agenda. “He is proposing a more inclusive church, more respectful of different ways of living, even of thinking,” Fernandez said in an interview.
Portuguese Cardinal-elect Americo Aguiar, who is in charge of World Youth Day, is another young churchman who also understands his appointment as part of a generational turning point for the Catholic hierarchy.
At age 49 he will become the second-youngest member of the College of Cardinals when he is installed Sept. 30. He is just six months older than the current youngest cardinal, whom Francis elevated this time last year: Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, head of the church in Mongolia where Francis will travel at the end of August.
“My reading of it is that this has to do with young people, it has to do with youth, it has to do with Portugal, it has to do with World Youth Day, it has to do with all of that,” Aguiar said in an interview. “I think that his objective and his underlining was exactly to send a signal to the young people, to every young person who is preparing the day, whether in Portugal or in the world, to feel identified with this decision.”
Francis said as much in his monthly prayer intentions for August, this time dedicated to the Lisbon event.
“In Lisbon, I would like to see a seed for the world’s future,” Francis said. “A world where love is at the center, where we can sense that we are sisters and brothers.”
His wish in many ways echoed his words at the 2013 World Youth Day in Rio, which now seem prescient in outlining many of the key pastoral messages Francis has emphasized over the past decade. Delivering a spontaneous, off-the-cuff exhortation to a gathering of Argentine pilgrims that was organized at the last minute, Francis urged the young to get out into the streets, spread their faith and “make a mess.”
“I want to see the church get closer to the people,” Francis said then, speaking in his native Spanish. “I want to get rid of clericalism, the mundane, this closing ourselves off within ourselves, in our parishes, schools or structures.”
Realizing the radical nature of his message, Francis apologized to the bishops for what was about to come, even though in the 10 years since, he has only gone further than anyone could have imagined at the time.
“The true reform of the church, you know, is not a revolution bringing something completely from outside,” said Becquart, the French nun, as she reflected on Francis’ agenda. “It’s a path of change that is a way to unfold tradition, but in a very dynamic way.”
___
AP reporters Helena Alvez in Lisbon, Portugal, and Almudena Calatrava in Buenos Aires contributed.
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-as-the-pope-heads-to-portugal-he-is-laying-the-groundwork-for-the-churchs-future-and-his-legacy/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:07 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-as-the-pope-heads-to-portugal-he-is-laying-the-groundwork-for-the-churchs-future-and-his-legacy/ |
Despite lack of time together, USA expects more cohesive unit vs. Portugal
AUCKLAND, New Zealand - The United States women's national team players are fully aware they haven't played anywhere near their best yet at this World Cup.
Players have said it to each other, and Vlatko Andonovski has admitted it himself.
"That's a fair statement," the U.S. head coach said after a 1-1 draw against the Netherlands.
"Part of the reason," he continued, "is because this team has not had time together. The first time we've seen this team [play] together is Game 1. And now we've seen them in Game 2. So in Game 3, we expect to grow from there.
"The baseline is the second half of [the Netherlands match], and as we move forward, we're going to see a better and better U.S. team."
That's quite the promise, and one the USWNT hopes to fulfill in a pivotal group stage showdown against Portugal on Tuesday at Eden Park (coverage begins at 1 a.m. ET with kickoff at 3 a.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app).
The 23 players Andonovski selected for this roster were not the original group he imagined he'd bring when he was first hired in 2019. As he embarked on a four-year cycle that would culminate this summer, he assumed he'd have veteran weapons such as Catarina Macario, Sam Mewis, Becky Sauerbrunn and Mallory Swanson. Maybe even Christen Press and Abby Dahlkemper, too. But injuries (some new, others recurring) kept many star players with major tournament experience out of contention.
Andonovski has had to adapt and tinker with lineups to try to build a cohesive winning group. The challenge is that national teams aren't club teams. The players aren't training together regularly except for a few weeks out of the year.
"You're in and out all the time," midfielder Andi Sullivan said. "So you're constantly adjusting."
That's OK sometimes. The squad that won it all four years ago in France didn't necessarily play more pre-tournament matches together, but they also didn't have quite as many national team newbies. There weren't significant injuries to playmakers in the lead up, either.
This time, though, there are 14 newer faces, some of whom only earned their first senior national team caps last year (Naomi Girma, Trinity Rodman and Alyssa Thompson). Savannah DeMelo made her USWNT debut at the send-off game July 9 and has started the first two matches in the central midfield.
So, how can this team jell quickly when they are still getting used to playing with each other? Especially in a game with nervy implications. The U.S. currently sits atop Group E based on goal differential and advances to the knockout round with a win or draw. A loss would mean the dream of making history and winning three consecutive titles is over. The Americans have never not made it out of the group stage at a World Cup.
"We're very direct when something is not going the way that we want it to go," Sullivan said, explaining how the team gets in sync with each other. "You have to be direct and clear and honest and loud."
There's a history of having direct conversations on this team. It comes with the high standards and expectations set by previous generations.
Before the Netherlands match, Carli Lloyd shared a story on the FOX Sports pregame show about being forthright with Julie Ertz during the 2015 World Cup semifinal match against Germany.
Ertz, then 23 years old and playing in her first World Cup, committed a foul in the box that led to a German penalty kick.
"In that moment, Julie Ertz started crying and getting emotional," Lloyd said. "And I turned to her — I'm not going to use the language that I used on the pitch — but I told her to snap out of it. It was blunt, it was direct, but in that moment you can't dwell on what's happened, and it's important to move on."
German forward Celia Sasic missed that spot kick, and the U.S. ultimately won 2-0 to clinch a spot in the final.
Sullivan said there were pointed conversations in the locker room during halftime against the Dutch because the Americans knew they could play better. It started as player-to-player discussions, including substitutes telling starters at their respective positions what they were seeing from their vantage point on the bench. Then it evolved to coaches giving their perspective.
Younger players, Sullivan said, have gotten used to this kind of feedback and handle these moments with "grace and confidence."
"It was very direct, knowing that we could do better and sorting out what the issues were," Sullivan said. "This is what we didn't do, this is what went well, this is what we need to do better, let's execute."
However, as clear and succinct as this team is willing to be with each other, that doesn't change the fact the USWNT hasn't looked the part of the ruthless, do-anything-to-win team yet.
It showed a glimpse after the break when Rose Lavelle came in and co-captain Lindsey Horan scored an equalizer following a skirmish with Dutch midfielder and Lyon teammate Danielle van de Donk in the 62nd minute. Only then did the USWNT look more dangerous.
But as Andonovski said, that second-half performance is the baseline now.
And with a World Cup elimination game looming, now is the time for the U.S. to get on the same page, no matter how many minutes they've played together.
Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her on Twitter @LakenLitman. | https://www.fox4news.com/sports/usa-expects-cohesive-unit-vs-portugal | 2023-07-31T15:12:14 | 0 | https://www.fox4news.com/sports/usa-expects-cohesive-unit-vs-portugal |
BEIJING (AP) — China imposed restrictions Monday on exports of long-range civilian drones, citing Russia’s war in Ukraine and concern that drones might be converted to military use.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government is friendly with Moscow but says it is neutral in the 18-month-old war. It has been stung by reports that both sides might be using Chinese-made drones for reconnaissance and possibly attacks.
Export controls will take effect Tuesday to prevent use of drones for “non-peaceful purposes,” the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement. It said exports still will be allowed but didn’t say what restrictions would apply.
China is a leading developer and exporter of drones. DJI Technology Co., one of the global industry’s top competitors, announced in April 2022 it was pulling out of Russia and Ukraine to prevent its drones from being used in combat.
“The risk of some high specification and high-performance civilian unmanned aerial vehicles being converted to military use is constantly increasing,” the Ministry of Commerce said.
Restrictions will apply to drones that can fly beyond the natural sight distance of operators or stay aloft more than 30 minutes, have attachments that can throw objects and weigh more than seven kilograms (15½ pounds), according to the ministry.
“Since the crisis in Ukraine, some Chinese civilian drone companies have voluntarily suspended their operations in conflict areas,” the Ministry of Commerce said. It accused the United States and Western media of spreading “false information” about Chinese drone exports.
The government on Friday defended its dealings with Russia as “normal economic and trade cooperation” after a U.S. intelligence report said Beijing possibly provided equipment used in Ukraine that might have military applications.
The report cited Russian customs data that showed Chinese state-owned military contractors supplied drones, navigation equipment, fighter jet parts and other goods.
The Biden administration has warned Beijing of unspecified consequences if it supports the Kremlin’s war effort. Last week’s report didn’t say whether any of the trade cited might trigger U.S. retaliation.
Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin declared before the February 2022 invasion that their governments had a “no-limits” friendship. Beijing has blocked efforts to censure Moscow in the United Nations and has repeated Russian justifications for the attack.
China has “always opposed the use of civilian drones for military purposes,” the Ministry of Commerce said. “The moderate expansion of drone control by China this time is an important measure to demonstrate the responsibility of a responsible major country.”
The Ukrainian government appealed to DJI in March 2022 to stop selling drones it said the Russian ministry was using to target missile attacks. DJI rejected claims it leaked data on Ukraine’s military positions to Russia. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-china-imposes-curbs-on-drone-exports-citing-ukraine-and-concern-about-military-use/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:15 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-china-imposes-curbs-on-drone-exports-citing-ukraine-and-concern-about-military-use/ |
Women’s World Cup: Australia, Zambia, Japan win their matches on Day 11 | July 31, 2023
CHICAGO - The FIFA Women’s World Cup only happens once every four years, and whether you’re a soccer devotee or someone who just tunes in when the Cup comes around, you won’t want to miss the action. Never fear: We’ve got you covered.
Every day through the Final on August 20, FOX Digital will be breaking down the details on all the can’t-miss matches, players to watch and other essential details. What’s next: Some of the tournament’s most exciting teams fight for a ticket to the next round.
Watch the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup only on FOX and FS1.
Women’s World Cup matches on July 31, 2023
Day 11 of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup features four matches.
- Costa Rica (0 wins, 2 losses, 0 draws) vs. Zambia (0-2-0) Final score: Zambia 3 Costa Rica 1
Watch the replay of Costa Rica vs. Zambia here
- Japan (2-0-0) vs. Spain (2-0-0) Final score: Japan 4 Spain 0
Watch the replay of Japan vs. Spain here
- Canada (1-0-1) vs. Australia (1-1-0) Final score: Australia 1 Canada 0
Watch the replay of Australia vs. Canada here
- Nigeria (1-0-1) vs. Republic of Ireland (0-2-0) Final score: Nigeria 0 Republic of Ireland 0
Watch the replay of Nigeria vs. Republic of Ireland here
For details on the results of concluded matches, scroll down to the ‘Soccer spoilers’ section.
Match spotlight: Canada vs. Australia (and Nigeria vs. Republic of Ireland)
Honestly, 75 percent of today’s matches could be called can’t-miss – apologies to Costa Rica and Zambia, but both teams have already been eliminated from advancing to the round of 16. So while we’re absolutely stoked to see the formidable teams from Spain and Japan square off, both countries are already guaranteed a spot in the next round; this match will determine which team wins group C. (If either team wins, they win the group; in the event of a draw, Switzerland will take all the marbles, based on goals. For more info, scroll down to the section titled "How does the elimination round work in the Women’s World Cup?")
And all that means that if you’re looking for suspense at the level of a sports movie in your daily World Cup viewing, you’ll want to keep your eyes trained to the day’s two group B matches – notably the showdown between the reigning Olympic champs from Canada and host country Australia’s mighty Matildas.
Neither Canada nor Australia, ranked 7th and 10th in the world respectively, have managed to rack up two wins in the group stage; the Canadians have an edge over the Aussies, as they’ve got one win and one draw. But while host countries have historically sailed through the first stage of the Women’s World Cup, the Matildas are teetering on the brink of elimination, thanks to an upset in their match against the ascendant Nigerian team (who also held the Canadians to a scoreless draw in their tournament opener).
So the Matildas have to win this one. If the match results in a draw, they’ll only make it through to the round of 16 if the Nigerian team loses or ties with the already-eliminated Irish side. So the big question is this: Will super-duper-star (and Aussie captain) Sam Kerr be healthy enough to play?
As for the Nigerians, they’ve got a shot to win group B… and they’re a lot of fun to watch, even if the Rep. of Ireland team is already out of the hunt. So sure, the big match of the day is between the Canadians and Australians, but you can safely consider both of these matches to be must-see TV.
RELATED: 8 teams that could stop USWNT from three-peating at 2023 World Cup
Players to watch on July 31, 2023
Australia: Sam Kerr, striker (hopefully?)
The captain of Australia’s Matildas is a soccer giant: She’s a LEGO! She made the cover of the FIFA video game series! She’s made celebratory backflips iconic! And per FIFA, she’s one of only three players to have scored more than three goals in a Women's World Cup game, racking up four goals in a match against Jamaica in the 2019 cup. There are few players in the world this exciting – or this much fun to watch. And due to an injury sustained in training at the 11th hour, we’ve yet to see a single Kerr backflip in this Cup. Fingers crossed that today’s the day!
Australia: Ellie Carpenter, right fullback
But even if Kerr doesn’t take the pitch, there are plenty of exciting players on the Matildas – like this Aussie standout. Carpenter is a seasoned veteran at the ripe old age of 23, as she started her pro career at age 15 and, FIFA notes, became "the youngest female footballing Olympian at 16." A reliable contributor to Olympique Lyonnais, Carpenter arrives at this Cup having recently recovered from an ACL injury; FIFA praises the energetic player for being "as adept defensively as she is offensively," and notes that she "was one of few full-backs – and Australians – in each of the last four editions of ‘The 100 Best Female Footballers in the World’ by The Guardian."
Canada: Christine Sinclair, forward
FOX Sports, who says the 40-year-old Canadian captain is "one of the greatest soccer players of all time," has some mind-bending stats that should make her importance clear: She "currently holds the record — in men's and women's soccer — with 190 international goals in more than 300 matches." She’s hoping to become the first player, male or female, to score in six editions of the Cup (Brazilian legend Marta is chasing the same record). Icons have a tendency to be iconic!
Costa Rica: Raquel Rodriguez Cedeno, forward
Portland Thorns star Cedeno, a.k.a. "Rocky," is her country’s all-time leading scorer. FOX Sports says she’s "in the prime of her career and a game-changer in central midfield," while FIFA calls her "the undisputed star of the Tica squad."
Republic of Ireland: Katie McCabe, midfielder/winger/wingback
This versatile player was named captain of the Irish in 2017 at the ripe old age of 21. A standout for the mighty Arsenal football club – this year she was named the Player of the Season for Arsenal, as well as delivering the score named Goal of the Season – she also scored the Irish side’s lone goal in the 2023 Cup (so far).
Nigeria: Asisat Oshoala, forward
The player FIFA calls "Africa’s all-time female GOAT" is not one to sleep on: the versatile Barcelona superstar and Ballon d'Or nominee has championship wins in her past, determination to spare and a mighty skill set. She’d been named CAF African Women’s Footballer of the Year a record five times, and FIFA notes that she’s somehow averaged roughly a goal per game in her four-plus seasons in Barcelona. Coach Randy Waldrum put it this way to FIFA: "When you have Oshoala, you have a chance against any team." Her thrilling goal against Australia in Nigeria’s second match of the tournament certainly backs up Waldrum’s argument.
Zambia: Barbra Banda, forward
The energetic captain of Zambia’s first World Cup-qualifying squad "exploded on to the world stage at the Olympic Games in 2021, scoring hat-tricks in Zambia’s opening two games of the tournament against the Netherlands and China PR," according to FIFA. Coach Bruce Mwape told the organization that Banda is "a fighter, a person who doesn’t like to lose, and one of our most dependable players".
Spain: Alexia Putellas, midfielder
This back-to-back Ballon d'Or winner is one of the best players on the planet, period. FIFA calls her a " skilful playmaker [who is] equipped with a mesmerizing left foot and an unerring ability to decisively affect matches by creating viable scoring opportunities for herself and her team-mates," while FOX Sports says that, like Beyoncé, Britney and Cher, "her one-name status as ‘Alexia’ is well-earned."
Japan: Saki Kumagai, defender
Japan and coach Futoshi Ikeda will be relying on this captain to steer the team toward victory – she’s the only member of the current Nadeshiko squad to play a role in Japan’s 2011 World Cup victory.
Where is the 2023 Women’s World Cup taking place?
The eyes (and cameras) of the world have turned toward host countries Australia and New Zealand.
In what time zone is the Women’s World Cup taking place?
Well, there's more than one time zone involved, as the battles for the Cup will take place in 10 stadiums in two countries. But suffice it to say that you're looking at times that are anywhere from 12 hours (for matches in Perth, Australia) to 16 hours (all New Zealand-based matches) ahead of EST.
That means some matches – like Nigeria vs. Canada, the first match of day two (July 21) – will be played early in the day locally but air on what's technically the evening before in the U.S. (in this case, July 20). Who said there's no such thing as time travel?
RELATED: Who could be the breakout star for this young, talented USWNT squad?
Where can you stream the FIFA Women’s World Cup?
We’re living in the future, baby! All matches will be live-streamed on FOXSports.com and via the FOX Sports app, and full replays will also be available. So if you’re not into watching soccer at 3 a.m., you’re covered!
How can I watch the FIFA Women’s World Cup on live TV?
The FIFA Women’s World Cup will air on FOX and FS1. The complete schedule awaits your perusal at FOXSports.com. In addition to all FIFA Women’s World Cup matches, head to your preferred FOX platform for game highlights, replays, stats, player stories, analysis and more.
How does the elimination round work in the Women’s World Cup?
Good question! As with the men’s World Cup, it’s a wee bit complicated. The 32 qualifying teams have been split into eight groups, each assigned a letter (A-H). In the first round, the groups compete against each other: each "side" (team) will participate in three in-group matches. A win is worth three points, a draw worth one point and a loss is worth (you guessed it) zero points.
At the end of the round, the top two teams (as determined by point total) in each group proceed to the knockout round. That’s 16 teams total.
RELATED: 2023 Women's World Cup betting primer: How to bet on soccer
When does Team USA play next?
After their July 27 draw with the Netherlands, Alex Morgan, Lindsay Horan and company will square off against Portugal on August 1.
Soccer spoilers: today's results
Nigeria vs. Republic of Ireland: Nigeria did just enough to hold Ireland to a scoreless tie at 0-0, a result that sends Nigeria on to the knockout round. Ireland's time in the Women's World Cup comes to a close.
Costa Rica vs. Zambia: Both teams had already been eliminated from contention prior to the match, but Zambia and Costa Rica put on a show nonetheless. Zambia pulled ahead at the very start with the country's first-ever World Cup goal, and extended its lead before the half. The Costa Rican squad came back in the second half with a goal to try and catch up, but they were unable to close the gap, which Zambia extended with a third goal in stoppage time.
Japan vs. Spain: Japan and Spain entered with two wins and thus made this match one to decide the winner of Group C. Surprisingly, one team had no issues, but it was not the betting favorite, as Japan raced out to a three-goal lead right before halftime. That would be all Japan needed and eventually led to a 4-0 win. Hinata Miyazawa scored the first goal for Japan and then collected her second right before the end of the first half. The impressive performance set Japan up to clash with Norway, which is coming off a decisive win of its own, in the Knockout Stage.
Australia vs. Canada: Hayley Raso gave the Australians the first goal of the match! Australia nearly doubled its lead, but Canadien keeper Kailen Sheridan made the save. Australia. — the host of the tournament — is the No. 10 ranked team in the world, according to FIFA, while Canada is ranked No. 7.
Watch this space!
Watch the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup only on FOX and FS1. | https://www.fox4news.com/sports/womens-world-cup-july-31-how-to-watch-stream-australia-canada-spain-japan-nigeria-ireland | 2023-07-31T15:12:20 | 1 | https://www.fox4news.com/sports/womens-world-cup-july-31-how-to-watch-stream-australia-canada-spain-japan-nigeria-ireland |
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — A Cyprus court on Monday sentenced a British man who killed his ailing wife in their retirement home to two years in prison, rejecting a defense request to hand down a suspended sentence after convicting him earlier of manslaughter.
State prosecutor Andreas Hadjikyrou said the three-judge bench imposed the prison term as a “deterrent,” although the judges had earlier ruled that David Hunter’s decision to suffocate his wife Janice in December 2021 was made on the spur of the moment because he could no longer stand seeing her weeping in pain.
Hadjikyrou told The Associated Press the court took into account that Hunter, 76, acted “out of love” to save his wife, who was suffering from a blood ailment when he closed her mouth and nose with his hands as she sat in a recliner in their Paphos home.
It also took into consideration Hunter’s advanced age and that he had no previous criminal record.
Justice Abroad, a group that defends Britons facing legal troubles in foreign countries, said in a statement that Hunter could be released by Aug. 18 after already having spent more than 18 months in custody.
“This has been a tragic case and difficult for all of those involved with it, but today’s decision was the right one and allows David and his family to grieve together,” said Michael Polak from Justice Abroad.
Hunter had faced a charge of premeditated murder, but the court found in its July 21 ruling that the prosecution didn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt that there was premeditation in his actions.
The court had accepted witness testimony that Janice feared her blood ailment would develop into full-blown leukemia and had repeatedly pleaded with her husband to take her life because she didn’t want to share the fate of her sister, who died of the disease.
Hunter attempted to take his own life by consuming a large amount of pills after suffocating his wife, but medical staff saved his life.
The court cited expert testimony that Janice Hunter suffered from myelodysplastic syndrome, a type of blood cancer which “to a large degree” — as much as 45% — could turn into leukemia, although there was no proof that she had indeed developed the disease because no definitive tests were conducted.
But the court said both husband and wife believed that Janice would develop it because of her sister’s fate.
David Hunter’s earlier assurances to Janice that he would help her fulfill her wish to end her life and not suffer anymore didn’t indicate any premeditation, the court said.
Hadjikyrou said defense lawyers had rejected a plea deal in December 2022 for the defendant to plead guilty to manslaughter because they insisted the facts of the case include an agreement Hunter and his wife allegedly made for him to take her life.
The state prosecutor said the court didn’t accept that such an agreement had indeed been made. He said the Cyprus attorney-general has 10 days to decide whether to appeal the sentence. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-cyprus-court-hands-british-man-a-2-year-prison-term-for-killing-his-ailing-wife-to-spare-her-pain/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:22 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-cyprus-court-hands-british-man-a-2-year-prison-term-for-killing-his-ailing-wife-to-spare-her-pain/ |
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.ktvb.com/article/money/business/customers-want-instant-gratification-workers-say-its-pushing-them-to-the-brink-sag-ups/507-102fe2a7-ad77-4f73-b19f-9a3d78169bd3 | 2023-07-31T15:12:29 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/money/business/customers-want-instant-gratification-workers-say-its-pushing-them-to-the-brink-sag-ups/507-102fe2a7-ad77-4f73-b19f-9a3d78169bd3 |
Making hand-pulled noodles in the Uyghur tradition is a labor-intensive process, and finicky to boot. Adilan Aziz had never made them herself before she got married in 2006. That’s when her mom finally started teaching her how to make the dish—and it took years to perfect. The noodles are now a staple at her Plano restaurant, Turan Uyghur Kitchen.
Nestled in a strip mall filled with East Asian businesses, the shop greets visitors with the warm, aromatic smells of cumin, white pepper, cardamom, and ginger. There you can order laghman, which features the soft, chewy noodles topped with chunks of lamb, peppers, and mushrooms in a tomato-y broth. Other signature dishes served family-style include the Korma Chop Noodles—tender beef, green onions, and peppers dry-fried in seasonings—and the Big Plate Chicken—braised chicken, potatoes, and red peppers in a spicy stew flavored with herbs and served on a bed of flat noodles.
The last dish is more of a mix of Uyghur and Chinese cuisines, Aziz says. The two cultures are entwined, which has led to the delicious dishes served at Turan. But the relationship between them also underpins an ongoing human rights crisis.
Uyghurs trace their roots back to Central Asian Turkic cultures, with their ancestral homeland, Turan, encompassing a cluster of countries between the Caspian Sea and China’s northwest border.
In the Xinjiang province of China, the estimated 12 million Uyghurs who live there are an ethnic, religious, and cultural minority. The majority of Uyghurs living in China are Muslim, and that community has faced decades of political and religious oppression through state surveillance and imprisonment, among other repressive tactics. Though the exact number is unknown, tens of thousands of Uyghurs have fled China to escape persecution for several decades.
“This is a good way to spread our culture with food,” Aziz says of her restaurant. (She’s careful about what she says publicly, even while living thousands of miles away.)
At the same time, it might be an opportunity to raise awareness about the human rights crisis facing Uyghurs in China. It often seems like the slow-burn dilemma hasn’t managed to capture the attention of politicians in the U.S. or the general population. But gathering around the dinner table can be a way to learn and engage in bigger conversations.
“Dallas has such a big Muslim community, but there was no Uyghur food here,” Aziz says. For her family, serving these dishes is a way to hold on to its homeland. “We have such a rich food culture, and we’re very proud of that,” she continues.
All the meat the restaurant serves is halal, meaning it’s butchered in accordance with Islamic rules. The flavors are uniquely delicious, but the closest cousin could be Indo-Chinese fusion, which is spicier, heartier, and more delicately layered than the American Chinese food most people might be familiar with.
A friend of mine, who spent part of her childhood in Nanjing, China, told me that the food transported her back to the Uyghur restaurants her family dined at there. “The lamb kabob smells like it’s straight off the street where they’d be grilling the meat in the evening at a restaurant called Aladdin,” she said. As her memories started flooding back in, our waiter excitedly answered her questions about the other Uyghur dishes she remembered, like corn fritters and currylike stews.
Turan opened in late April, just after the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr. Aziz says the family is still getting the hang of the restaurant business, so, for now, Turan is still in its soft-open phase, which means a limited menu with about five main dishes and a handful of appetizers, like samsa, a savory puff pastry filled with ground beef. The only cooks in the kitchen right now are Aziz; her husband, Alimjan; her sister-in-law; and her brother-in-law; and they don’t want to sacrifice quality for speedy service.
That means the hand-pulled noodles can be a bit of a wait, particularly on a busy night. But the process of crafting them is fascinating.
“We start with a ratio of salt, flour, and water,” Aziz says. And because this recipe—like most served at the restaurant—has been passed down orally from grandmas to moms to daughters, there are no measuring cups or spoons involved.
The dough is kneaded until it’s the right texture; then it has to rest before it’s cut into pieces, rolled, and pulled into long, puffy, ropelike lengths. Then the noodles are boiled for just a few minutes, until they are perfectly soft and chewy, and rinsed with cold water. Finally a stew is ladled on top.
“We start [making] the dough in the morning,” Aziz says. “Whenever people order the dish, we start pulling,” she says. “It has to be on time—if you pull it before and freeze it or let it cook, it’s not yummy at all. It has to be made freshly.”
It took about thirty minutes for the laghman to arrive at our table, but we wiped the plate clean in a fraction of the time, slurping noodles and chunks of lamb in reverent silence.
The longer wait time between dishes might help make room for dessert. Turan serves a slightly tart, homemade whipped yogurt with seasonal fruits and nuts. There’s also a delicately sweet honey cake, which has layers of caramel-like filling between thin sheets of sponge cake.
Turan Uyghur Kitchen joins a long and always-growing list of establishments in this part of Dallas that represent cultures across the globe. While larger and more established Uyghur diasporic communities are based in cities like Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, Aziz and her family—who moved from Maryland in 2021—are happy to make a new home here, introducing many customers to their cuisine and culture.
Brushing up on the historical and political situation in Xinjiang isn’t a prerequisite to visiting the restaurant, of course, but walking in with some awareness of what it took for this particular cuisine to exist in Dallas might make the meal a more nuanced experience.
“We don’t expect anything from people, except their dua [prayers],” Aziz says. And, of course, that you enjoy the hand-pulled noodles her family makes. | https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/turan-uyghur-kitchen-plano/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:29 | 0 | https://www.texasmonthly.com/food/turan-uyghur-kitchen-plano/ |
HONG KONG (AP) — A French man is believed to have fallen to his death from a high-rise residential building in Hong Kong last week, police said on Monday, with local media outlets identifying him as daredevil Remi Lucidi.
Police said a 30-year-old man’s body was found on a patio in the city’s upscale Mid-Levels area. He was believed to have engaged in extreme sports, police said, without identifying him.
Officers conducted an initial investigation and said he apparently fell from a rooftop. No suicide note was found at the scene, they said. The cause of his death would have to be verified by an autopsy, they added.
Local media, including the South China Morning Post, said the man was Lucidi, 30. The Post cited an unnamed source saying he was last seen alive knocking on a penthouse window on the 68th floor of a residential tower on Thursday evening. The Associated Press has not been able to verify his identity.
Lucidi, who used the name “Remi Enigma” on social media, last posted a photo of Hong Kong’s night view a week ago on Instagram and tagged the location as Times Square in shopping district Causeway Bay. The photo appeared to be taken from above.
Supporters mourned him on social media.
Lucidi posted to Instagram as he climbed various tall structures around the world and took selfies, including one he captioned, “Above the Sky, 425m” and tagged Dubai as the location. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-french-daredevil-who-climbed-towers-around-world-believed-to-have-fallen-to-his-death-in-hong-kong/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:30 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-french-daredevil-who-climbed-towers-around-world-believed-to-have-fallen-to-his-death-in-hong-kong/ |
LOS ANGELES — When viewed through a wide lens, renters across the U.S. finally appear to be getting some relief, thanks in part to the biggest apartment construction boom in decades.
Median rent rose just 0.5% in June, year over year, after falling in May for the first time since the pandemic hit the U.S. Some economists project U.S. rents will be down modestly this year after soaring nearly 25% over the past four years.
A closer look, however, shows the trend will likely be little comfort for many U.S. renters who’ve had to put an increasing share of their income toward their monthly payment. Renters in cities such as Cincinnati and Indianapolis are still getting hit with increases of 5% or more. Much of the new construction is located in just a few metro areas, and many of the new units are luxury apartments, which rent for well north of $2,000.
Median U.S. rent has risen to $2,029 this June from $1,629 in June 2019, according to rental listings company Rent, which tracks rents in 50 of the largest U.S. metropolitan areas. Demand for apartments exploded during the pandemic as people who could work remotely sought more space or decided to relocate to another part of the country.
The steep rent increases have left tenants like Melissa Lombana, a high school teacher who lives in the South Florida city of Miramar, with progressively less income to spend on other needs.
The rent on her one-bedroom apartment jumped 13% last year to $1,700. It climbed another 6% to $1,800 this month when she renewed her lease.
“Even the $1,700 was a stretch for me,” said Lombana, 43, who supplements her teaching income with a side job doing educational testing. “In a year, I will not be able to afford living here at all.”
Lombana’s rent is now gobbling up nearly half her monthly income. That puts her in a category referred to as “cost-burdened” by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, denoting households that pay 30% or more of their income toward rent. Last year, the average rent-to-income ratio per household rose to 30%. This March, it was 29.6%.
Lombana hasn’t had any luck finding a more affordable apartment. While South Florida is one of the metropolitan areas seeing a rise in apartment construction, the units are mostly high-end and not a viable option.
That scenario is playing out across the nation. Developers are rushing to complete projects that were green-lit during the pandemic-era surge in demand for rentals or left in limbo by delays in supplies of fixtures and building materials. Nearly 1.1 million apartments are currently under construction, according to the commercial real estate tracker CoStar, a pace not seen since the 1970s.
Increasing the supply of apartments tends to moderate rent increases over time and can give tenants more options on where to live. But more than 40% of the new rentals to be completed this year will be concentrated in about 10 high job growth metropolitan areas, including Austin, Nashville, Denver, Atlanta and New York, according to Marcus & Millichap. In many areas, the boost to overall inventory will be barely noticeable.
Even within metros where there’ll be a notable increase in available apartments, such as Nashville, most of it will be in the luxury category, where rents average $2,270, nationally. Some 70% of the new rental inventory will be the luxury class, said Jay Lybik, national director of multifamily analytics at CoStar.
That will leave most tenants unlikely to see a big enough reduction in rent to make a difference, industry experts and economists say.
“I think we’re in a period of rent flattening for 12 or 18 months, but it’s certainly not a big rent decline,” said Hessam Nadji, CEO of commercial real estate firm Marcus & Millichap.
“We’re building a multi-decade record number of units,” Nadji said. “It’s going to cause some softening and some pockets of overbuilding, but it’s not going to fundamentally resolve the housing shortage or the affordability problem for renters across the U.S.”
The surge in rents has made it difficult for workers to keep up with inflation despite solid wage gains the past few years and exacerbated a long-term trend. Between 1999 and 2022, U.S. rents soared 135%, while income grew 77%, according to data from Moody’s Analytics.
Realtor.com is forecasting that rents will drop an average of 0.9% this year. But while down nationally, rents are still rising in many markets around the country, especially those where hiring remains robust.
In the New York metro area, the median rent climbed 4.7% in June from a year earlier to $2,899, according to Realtor.com. In the Midwest, rents surged 5.6% in the Cincinnati metro area to $1,188, and 6.9% to $1,350 in the Indianapolis metro area.
The current spike in apartment construction alone isn’t going to be enough to address how costly renting has become for many Americans.
“For the rest of the 2020s rents will continue to grow because millennials are such a big generation and we’re very much in the hole in terms of building housing for that generation,” said Daryl Fairweather, chief economist at Redfin. “It will take many good years of new construction to build adequate housing for millennials.”
The bigger challenge is building more work force housing, because the cost of land, labor and navigating the government approval process incentivize developers to put up luxury apartments buildings.
Expanding the supply of modestly priced rentals would help alleviate the strain from so many new apartments targeting renters with high incomes, “although additional subsidies will be needed to make housing affordable to households with the lowest incomes,” researchers at Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies wrote in a recent report.
Despite the overall pullback in U.S. rents, Joey Di Girolamo, in Pembroke Pines, Florida, worries that he’ll face more sharp rent increases in coming years.
Last year, the web designer left a two-bedroom, two-bath townhome he rented for $2,200 a month to avoid a $600 a month increase. This year, his rent went up by $200, a nearly 10% jump.
“That blew me away,” said Di Girolamo, 50. “I’m just kind of dreading what it’s going to be like next year, but especially 3 or 4 years from now.” | https://www.ktvb.com/article/money/some-renters-may-get-relief-from-biggest-apartment-construction-boom-in-decades-but-not-all-landlord-tenant/507-2fda036b-0bb9-449c-8000-bc5b9c73122e | 2023-07-31T15:12:35 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/money/some-renters-may-get-relief-from-biggest-apartment-construction-boom-in-decades-but-not-all-landlord-tenant/507-2fda036b-0bb9-449c-8000-bc5b9c73122e |
Working as a pitmaster in Texas has never been a job for the faint of heart, especially during the hot summer months. After waking up as early as 3:30 in the morning, barbecue experts spend their days in poorly ventilated rooms while the outside temperature routinely climbs past 100 degrees. Surrounded by thousand-gallon wood-fired ovens and plenty of stoves that spew water vapor into the air, pitmasters are often accustomed to enduring the kind of intense humidity and withering temperatures that would land the rest of us in the hospital for heat exhaustion.
But this year is different than almost any other before it. With Texas—not to mention much of the Northern Hemisphere—caught in a multimonth heat wave that has shattered records that have stood for decades, barbecue’s high priests find themselves inadvertently testing the outer limits of human performance. Depending on the season, pit rooms, where meat is cooked at high temperatures for hours at a time, used to range between 85 and 110 degrees. Now they’re reaching as high as 130 F—not just for a few unfortunate days, but weeks at a time. Even when temperatures are lower, pit rooms have been plagued by dangerously high dew points as well. There is more sweat, more fatigue, and certainly more suffering, but no less pressure to perform. This summer’s rise in temperature hasn’t led to a decline in customers, many of whom travel long distances for the state’s signature cuisine.
There are few places better suited for observing the impact of extreme temperatures than Louie Mueller Barbecue in Taylor, an iconic destination 35 minutes from North Austin located in an old masonry building with blackened, soot-stained walls and limited ventilation. This very publication has labeled the barbecue there “sacred.” And yet in the summer the restaurant resembles a Hieronymus Bosch painting, with heaven and hell juxtaposed a few feet apart. In the front, diners happily devour some of the finest meat Texas has to offer while portable AC units and exhaust fans ensure the air is tolerable. But a few feet away, near the back of the building, a large brick pit and an offset firebox surrounded by industrial ovens ensure that errant gusts of cool air dissipate in a wall of flame-broiled heat.
When the outside temperature inches past 100 with high humidity, even a few minutes in the kitchen is “freakin’ brutal,” because there’s “no place for the heat to go,” according to Wayne Mueller, the restaurant’s 57-year-old owner who estimates, on a good day, that the pit room is usually 5 to 8 degrees hotter than it is outside. Mueller said this year’s heat, which has pushed the pit room above 120 degrees at times, reminds him of summer 2011, a record-breaking year that coincided with a devastating drought and wildfires and still makes Texans shudder more than a decade later. “It’s like being in a hot-air balloon,” he said. “Not the basket where people are supposed to ride, but inside the balloon itself.”
Ask a group of pitmasters what it’s like to work in hundreds of other environments like Louie Mueller’s during a summer of extreme heat and you’ll get a different analogy from each of them. Some members of pit crews, who have spent time in the military, have compared the most brutal pit rooms to trekking through the Iraqi countryside with a seventy-pound rucksack strapped to their back—minus the gunfire. Others compare kitchen workers to professional athletes because of the strain placed on the body by extreme heat. (If the analogy holds true, then Texas pit workers are the Olympians of the restaurant world.) Still others compare the physical demands created by a typical pit crew’s shift to football two-a-days, when players prepare for the upcoming season by pushing their body to the limit twice a day in August heat. In the pit, the secret to success is embracing a mentality that would sound familiar to any football player practicing under the summer sun. “Keep pushing yourself,” as one pitmaster outside Houston put it. “But don’t die in the process.”
Like their counterparts on the gridiron, it can take restaurant employees at least a month to acclimate to extreme temperatures. Mueller won’t even let new employees begin kitchen work during the middle of the summer. Most people’s bodies just can’t handle it. Before a prospective employee signs on for a summer shift, the pitmaster asks him or her to talk to at least three other staffers about how they’re affected by heat on the job, almost in philosophical terms. “I want them to ask questions like, ‘What does heat mean to you?’ ” Mueller explained, noting its crushing power may be impossible to grasp fully without firsthand exposure. “If you haven’t had this kind of experience in the world of barbecue, you don’t have a reference point until you’re in it and you go, ‘Oh, geez—Hades—I get it now.’ ”
Once they’ve got a shift, members of a pit crew devise ritualistic training routines that are designed to maximize performance. Before clocking in, some prehydrate the same way athletes do, downing electrolyte-infused water, sipping sports drinks, and walking around with forty-ounce Buc-ee’s tumblers filled with something cold. During the hydration period, some pit workers renounce barbecue altogether, opting instead for water-saturated foods such as salad and fruit. Once the shift has begun, there’s little to be done besides tying an ice water–soaked bandana around your neck and continuing to guzzle liquids.
Everyone has their own techniques for dealing with the heat, which, over the course of a long shift, becomes as much a mental battle as a physical one. Some pitmasters change clothes multiple times. Others take occasional refuge in cool meat lockers until their core temperature drops. Jordan Jackson, who works the pit room at Franklin Barbecue in Austin, prefers to do mental aerobics. “It’s gonna suck and you’ve just gotta let your mind accept that fact,” said Jackson. During shifts, he uses soothing music to distract himself from the heat. “At the same time, don’t push yourself too hard out of pride, and take lots of mini breaks—five to eight minutes at a time.”
At other locations, it’s hard to imagine soothing music—or any other techniques, for that matter—successfully distracting from the conditions inside. For the past month or so, Joe Martinez, the owner of Smokin’ Joe’s, a food truck in El Paso, has been sweating his way through forty consecutive days of triple-digit temperatures (an El Paso record) in a air-conditioned twenty-foot trailer that still regularly reaches 130 degrees inside. Martinez spent several decades working in a comfy corporate office before opening his food truck last year. He knew his first summer was going to be an adjustment, but this, he says, is “something different.” “You’re almost twice as tired as you’d be on a normal day because of the heat,” he said, noting that he’s still getting slammed by customers who are adjusting their eating schedule to avoid the hottest parts of the day. “Barbecue is normally a sixteen-hour shift, but these days it feels like you’ve worked a thirty-two-hour shift.”
Martinez and his brother, Martin, with whom he shares pitmaster duties, have placed extra fans in their truck, wear cold packs on their necks, and add Liquid I.V., an electrolyte powder, to their water bottles. Even so, when it’s 110 degrees outside and 130 degrees inside, there’s only so much they can do. “I told my brother that if it gets to 115 degrees outside then it’ll be between 135 and 140 degrees inside the trailer and we’re going to have to shut things down,” Martinez said. “That’s unbearable, and it would be dangerous too.”
Unless they’re being probed by a pesky reporter, pitmasters like Martinez aren’t the type to bemoan the kind of heat that would bring most people to their knees. A willingness to endure extreme heat in cramped spaces, they say, is a testament to the loyalty they feel to their customers. Perhaps even more so, though, it’s reflective of the loyalty to their shared craft, which the most successful pitmasters talk about with a reverence that can almost feel religious in nature. “We’ve been compared to people like high priests and alchemists and I think there’s a sacrificial price to pay for anyone who assumes those roles in the community,” Mueller said. “For us that price is certainly long hours and extreme heat, but the payoff is preserving our culture as Texans and then giving that culture back to people through our food.”
When asked to explain what it is about his passion for barbecue that allows him to endure one of the worst Texas summers on record, Jackson, from Franklin Barbecue, struggled to identify the precise connection. “I don’t think we’re superhuman,” he finally said. “But we are nuts.” | https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-heat-wave-barbecue-pitmasters/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:36 | 0 | https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/texas-heat-wave-barbecue-pitmasters/ |
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s embattled central bank governor stepped down on Monday under a cloud of investigation and blame for his country’s economic crisis as several European countries are probing his alleged financial crimes.
Riad Salameh, 73, ended his 30-year tenure as tearful employees took photos and a band played celebratory music with drums and trumpets as he left the building.
His four vice governors, led by incoming interim governor Wassim Mansouri, quickly pivoted to urge fiscal reforms for the cash-strapped country.
“We are at a crossroads,” Mansouri said at a news conference. “There is no choice, if we continue previous policy … the funds in the Central Bank will eventually dry up.”
Salameh kicked off his tenure as governor in 1993, three years after Lebanon’s 15-year civil war came to an end. It was a time when reconstruction loans and aid was pouring into the country, and Salameh was widely celebrated for his role in Lebanon’s recovery.
Now, he leaves his post a wanted man in Europe, accused by many in Lebanon of being responsible for the country’s financial downfall since late 2019.
It was a steep fall for a leader whose policies were once hailed for keeping the currency stable. Later, many financial experts saw him as setting up a house of cards that crumbled as the country’s supply of dollars dried up on top of decades of rampant and corruption and mismanagement from Lebanon’s ruling parties.
The crisis has pulverized the Lebanese pound and wiped out the savings of many Lebanese, as the banks ran dry of hard currency.
With the country’s banks crippled and public sector in ruins, Lebanon for years has run on a cash-based economy and relied primarily on tourism and remittances from millions in the diaspora.
Mansouri said previous policies that permitted the central bank to spend large sums on money to prop up the Lebanese state is no longer feasible. He cited years of spending billions of dollars to subsidize fuel, medicine, wheat and more to keep the value of the Lebanese pound stable.
He proposed a six-month reform plan that included passing long awaited reforms such as capital controls, a bank restructuring law, and the 2023 state budget.
“The country cannot continue without passing these laws,” Mansouri explained. “We don’t have time, and we paid a heavy price that we cannot pay anymore.”
The reforms Mansouri mentioned are among those the International Monetary Fund set as conditions on Lebanon in April 2022 for a bailout plan, though he did not mention the IMF. None have been passed.
France, Germany, and Luxembourg are investigating Salameh and his associates over myriad financial crimes, including illicit enrichment and the laundering of $330 million. Paris and Berlin issued Interpol notices to the central bank chief in May, though Lebanon does not hand over its citizens to foreign countries.
Salameh has repeatedly denied the allegations and insisted that his wealth comes from his previous job as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch, inherited properties, and investments. He has criticized the probe and said it was part of a media and political campaign to scapegoat him.
In his final interview as governor, Salameh said on Lebanese television that the responsibility for reforms lies with the government.
“Everything I did for the past 30 years was to try to serve Lebanon and the Lebanese,” he said. “Some — the majority —- were grateful, even if they don’t want to say so. And there are other people, well, may God forgive them.”
Salameh’s departure adds another gap in crisis-hit Lebanon’s withering and paralyzed institutions. The tiny Mediterranean country has been without a president for nine months, while its government has been running in a limited caretaker capacity for a year. Lebanon has also been without a top spy chief to head its General Security Directorate since March.
Lebanese officials in recent months were divided over whether Salameh should stay in his post or whether he should step down immediately in the remaining months of his tenure.
Caretaker Economy Minister Amin Salam wanted an immediate stepdown, given that the central bank chief had a “legal question mark.”
“I cannot explain anyone holding on to a person while a nation is failing unless there is something wrong or hidden,” Salam told The Associated Press. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-lebanons-central-bank-governor-ends-30-year-tenure-under-investigation-during-dire-economic-crisis/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:37 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-lebanons-central-bank-governor-ends-30-year-tenure-under-investigation-during-dire-economic-crisis/ |
FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho — Vicki Hoban is sharing the times she misses spending with her niece, Tammy Daybell.
“[We] would all get all the girls and go to have a big girl's lunch and you know, just talk and laugh and tell jokes and take silly pictures… I miss those lunches,” Hoban said.
She told KTVB, they haven't had one of those lunches since they lost Tammy. Hoban is among those expected to give a victim impact statement at the sentencing hearing for Lori Vallow Daybell on Monday. In May, a jury found the Eastern Idaho mom guilty of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the deaths of her two kids, JJ and Tylee and her fifth and current husband’s late wife, Tammy Daybell.
“I'm feeling anxious a little bit,” Hoban said. “It'll be the first time I'm able to address her, so I do have some things I want to say.”
She adds, she’s hoping for the longest sentence possible. That sentence will solely be up to the judge.
“If the death penalty had been still considered, the jury would have had the same jury would have sat and had, like a jury part two, and they would have made the decision right there, and then what her sentence would be, and they would have not had to do this whole pre-sentence investigation. but it this point, the that's up to the judge to determine and he's going to look into all that all that information,” Retired Ada County Deputy Prosecutor Jean Fischer said.
The pre-sentence investigation is an extensive process, and it will include a deep dive into Vallow’s history.
“Everything about her life, her marriages, her family, it will also include most likely a psychological examination if that if one of those was requested, and her attorneys, and she, of course, will have been able to review all that, as well as the prosecutor and the judge,” Fischer said. “In Idaho, all victims have a constitutional right to make a statement at sentencing, where they're allowed to talk about the impact that this case has had on them and what they would like to see happen for purposes of punishment or retribution.”
Then based on that information, the state and defense will argue its case for sentencing.
“She's looking at life in prison for first degree murder and first-degree murder carries a minimum of at least 10 years that she must serve, and there's multiple deaths in this case,” Fischer said. “So, the likelihood that she gets anything less than a fixed life sentence to me seems very unlikely.”
As for Hoban, she's not revealing what she's going to say out of respect for the court. If Vallow chooses to, she may also make a statement before the judge hands down her sentence.
“She will be the last person to make a statement and the state cannot cross examine her,” Fischer said. “If she does say anything at all, the court will certainly pay close attention to what she says how she says it, you know, how she reacts to that.”
KTVB also talked with JJ’s grandparents, Kay and Larry Woodcock, as they saw a growing memorial for the victims in the case ahead of Monday’s sentencing hearing. Larry was seen signing letters with the message ‘paw paw loves you.’ Vallow’s sentencing hearing is scheduled to start at 9 a.m. on Monday.
Watch more Lori Vallow Trial:
Watch more coverage of the Lori Vallow trial on the KTVB YouTube channel: | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/crime/tammy-daybells-aunt-and-jjs-grandparents-react-before-lori-vallows-sentencing-hearing/277-62a6afc0-9b6e-45c9-84ab-e316ac5de8eb | 2023-07-31T15:12:41 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/crime/tammy-daybells-aunt-and-jjs-grandparents-react-before-lori-vallows-sentencing-hearing/277-62a6afc0-9b6e-45c9-84ab-e316ac5de8eb |
BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military-controlled government has extended the state of emergency it imposed when the army seized power from an elected government 2 1/2 years ago, state-run media said Monday, forcing a further delay in elections it promised when it took over.
MRTV television said the National Defense and Security Council met Monday in the capital, Naypyitaw, and extended the state of emergency for another six months starting Tuesday because time is needed to prepare for the elections. The NDSC is nominally a constitutional government body, but in practice is controlled by the military.
The announcement amounted to an admission that the army does not exercise enough control to stage the polls and has failed to subdue widespread opposition to military rule, which includes increasingly challenging armed resistance as well as nonviolent protests and civil disobedience, despite the army having a huge advantage in manpower and weapons.
The state of emergency was declared when troops arrested Aung San Suu Kyi and top officials from her government and members of her National League for Democracy party on Feb. 1, 2021. The takeover reversed years of progress toward democracy after five decades of military rule.
The military said it seized power because of fraud in the last general election held in November 2020, in which Suu Kyi’s party won a landslide victory while the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development party did poorly. Independent election observers said they did not find any major irregularities.
The army takeover was met with widespread peaceful protests that security forces suppressed with lethal force, triggering armed resistance that U.N. experts have described as a civil war.
As of Monday, 3,857 people have been killed by the security forces since the takeover, according to a tally kept by the independent Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.
The army-enacted 2008 constitution allows the military to rule the country under a state of emergency for one year, with two possible six-month extensions if preparations are not yet completed for new polls, meaning that the time limit expired on Jan. 31 this year.
However, the NDSC allowed the military government to extend emergency rule for another six months in February, saying the country remained in an abnormal situation. The announcement on Monday is the fourth extension.
The state of emergency allows the military to assume all government functions, giving the head of the ruling military council, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, legislative, judicial and executive powers.
Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the National Unity Government, an underground group that calls itself the country’s legitimate government and serves as an opposition umbrella group, said the extension of emergency rule was expected because the military government hasn’t been able to annihilate the pro-democracy forces.
“The junta extended the state of emergency because the generals have a lust for power and don’t want to lose it. As for the revolutionary groups, we will continue to try to speed up our current revolutionary activities,” Nay Phone Latt said in a message Monday.
The military government labels the NUG and its armed wing, the People’s Defense Forces, as “terrorists.”
Monday’s report did not specify when the polls might be held, saying only that they would occur after the goals of the state of emergency are accomplished.
According to the constitution, the military must transfer government functions to the president, who heads the NDSC, six months before the polls. That would mean Acting President Myint Swe, a retired general.
The military originally announced that new polls would be held a year after its takeover and later said they would take place in August 2023. But the extension of the emergency in February made that timing impossible.
The MRTV report said Myint Swe told members of the NDSC that the government needs to do more to achieve stability and the rule of law to prepare for the election.
Critics say the polls will be neither free nor fair under the military-controlled government, which has shut independent media and arrested most of the leaders of Suu Kyi’s party.
Her party was dissolved along with 39 other parties by the election commission in March for failing to re-apply under a political party registration law enacted by the military government early this year. The law makes it difficult for opposition groups to mount a serious challenge to army-backed candidates.
Suu Kyi, 78, is serving prison sentences totaling 33 years after being convicted in a series of politically tainted cases brought mostly by the military government. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-myanmars-military-led-government-extends-state-of-emergency-forcing-delay-in-promised-election/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:44 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-myanmars-military-led-government-extends-state-of-emergency-forcing-delay-in-promised-election/ |
BOISE, Idaho — Worship leaders held a concert on the steps of the Idaho State Capitol building Sunday evening, as part of a nationwide tour bringing worship music to every state.
Sean Feucht is the Christian singer who's spearheading the Kingdom to the Capitol tour. He drew roughly 1,000 people to Idaho's capital - and a few dozen counter-protesters.
The Kingdom to the Capitol tour is organized by TPUSA Faith.
"Our mission is to get the church to engage civically, we believe the church should shape culture," Caleb Collier, Cascade regional manager of TPUSA Faith said. "We're out here empowering churches and pastors to address moral issues from the pulpit."
The tour is hitting every state capital over the next two years, Idaho was its 24th stop. It's part of 'Let Us Worship' - a movement that started in July of 2020.
"The church has been a place where people can go in their time in need, and they can seek comfort, and they can seek prayer, and the government shut it down," Collier said. "Sean was out there worshipping Jesus out in the public and the movement caught on, because there were a lot of people that were hungry for truth. And as Christians, we believe the greatest truth is Jesus Christ."
The concert drew a counter-protest organized by Satanic Idaho and Idaho Abortion Rights.
"Really, it's about creating space for marginalized folks and people who are impacted by Christian nationalism," Rowan Astra, co-organizer of Satanic Idaho said. "People who want to speak out against the harm that Christian nationalists do in our legislature against abortion rights, LGBT rights - especially in Idaho. I feel that it's important to counter these folks. We're not going to make it easy for them to be bigots, not in our town."
Both groups had permits to be there. The concert was in front of the statehouse steps, while the counter-protesters were at Cecil Andrus Park.
"Honestly, we live in the freest country in the world, and we all have that ability of freedom of speech," Collier said. "So they have every right to be out here. But when you look at the message of what they believe versus what we believe, there are a group of people that unfortunately are just in the chains of sin and addiction, and they're confused about so many different issues. What we offer over on this side is freedom - true freedom."
Astra said the majority of the counter-protesters are not against religion or Christianity.
"We're against Christian nationalism, something that Sean Feucht has defined himself as," Astra said. "Christian nationalists believe only Christians should be legislators, only Christian doctrine should apply to U.S. citizens, and we simply are for the Constitution - and believe that's unconstitutional. It's not about hating Christianity. It's about fighting for everyone's rights and preventing a theocracy."
The Kingdom to the Capitol tour is making its next stops in South Dakota, Nebraska and Iowa.
"We're actually on the third stop of this leg," Collier said. "So Friday, we were down in Olympia, we had about 6000 Christians in Olympia worshiping God right there. Yesterday, we were in Salem, and we had about 3000 Christians show up to that one. And it's so empowering to be a part of this movement to see so many people."
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Stream Live for FREE on FIRE TV: Search ‘KTVB’ and click ‘Get’ to download. | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/kingdom-to-the-capitol-tour-in-boise/277-e7f0a0dd-5f86-4cf0-8484-1ff8f998d31b | 2023-07-31T15:12:47 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/local/kingdom-to-the-capitol-tour-in-boise/277-e7f0a0dd-5f86-4cf0-8484-1ff8f998d31b |
LOS ANGELES (AP) — This year Whitney Houston would have turned 60, and a special celebration to raise money for a good cause is being planned for her birthday.
Houston’s estate, Sony and Primary Wave Music will host the second annual Whitney Houston Legacy of Love on Aug. 9, which will benefit the late singer’s foundation aimed at helping young people.
Houston’s close friends BeBe Winans and Kim Burrell will perform at the gala at Atlanta’s St. Regis Hotel, as will Whitney’s brother, Gary, who toured with her for three decades.
“When I turned 50, Whitney gave me two celebrations — one in Ireland and one in London. I always tell everyone now that one of them was for her,” says Pat Houston, Whitney Houston’s sister-in-law and the executor of her estate. Houston died in February 2012 at age 48. “This year is Whitney at 60 — we’re all looking forward to being a part of the power of love in that room.”
Founded by the singer in 1989, the Whitney Houston Foundation for Children aims to empower youth, by providing resources to unhoused children, giving out college scholarships, and raising funds for charities like the Children’s Defense Fund and St. Jude Children’s Research.
A charity auction will raise money for the foundation.
“We’re going to auction off a beautiful lavender dress Dolly Parton wore when she sang ‘I Will Always Love You’ at Country Music Television’s ‘100 Greatest Love Songs of Country Music’ special in 2004,” says Pat Houston. “This dress is particularly special because it’s lavender, and lavender is Whitney’s favorite color.”
The song, originally written by Parton, was recorded by Houston and became one of her great, everlasting hits. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it diamond early last year, which means the track has sold and streamed 10 million equivalent units in the United States. It became her first diamond single and made Houston the third woman to ever achieve diamond status with both a single and an album, following Mariah Carey and Taylor Swift.
Clive Davis will serve as honorary chairman. Recording Academy President Harvey Mason jr. is scheduled to attend. Also expected are Gamma’s Larry Jackson and Whitney Houston’s musical director Rickey Minor.
“I always tell people, Whitney is the star,” Pat Houston said. “Everybody in that room is royalty, but she’s loyalty — and she’s still showing that.” | https://www.krqe.com/entertainment-news/whitney-at-60-houston-estate-announces-2nd-annual-gala/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:47 | 1 | https://www.krqe.com/entertainment-news/whitney-at-60-houston-estate-announces-2nd-annual-gala/ |
BEIJING (AP) — A zoo in eastern China is denying suggestions some of its bears might be people in costumes after photos of the animals standing like humans circulated online.
The sun bears from Malaysia are smaller than other bears and look different but are the real thing, the Hangzhou Zoo said Monday on its social media account.
“Some people think I stand like a person,” said the posting, written from the bear’s point of view. “It seems you don’t understand me very well.”
An employee who answered the phone at the zoo declined to talk about the bears but said visits were being arranged for reporters Monday to see them.
Internet users questioned whether the zoo’s bears were real after photos circulated showing one standing upright on slender hind legs.
“Because of the way they stand, some people online question whether they are ‘humans in disguise,’” the newspaper Hangzhou Daily said.
Sun bears are the size of large dogs, standing at most 1.3 meters (50 inches) tall on their hind legs, compared with up to 2.8 meters (9 feet) for grizzlies and other species, according to the zoo.
Other Chinese zoos have been accused of trying to pass off dogs dyed to look like wolves or African cats, and donkeys painted to look like zebras. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-our-bears-are-real-a-chinese-zoo-says-denying-they-are-humans-in-disguise/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:51 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-our-bears-are-real-a-chinese-zoo-says-denying-they-are-humans-in-disguise/ |
(NEXSTAR) – When it comes to retirement, where you live can greatly affect just how golden your post-career years actually are.
A new study from Bankrate ranks all 50 U.S. states when it comes to affordability, overall well-being, healthcare quality/cost, weather and crime. With soaring inflation and a volatile stock market, affordability was given the most statistical weight, with the others decreasing respectively.
Iowa is the best state in which to retire, the study found, thanks to its affordability (3), quality/cost of health care (11) and crime (12).
“Choosing where to retire is deeply personal, but Iowa’s affordable cost of living, inexpensive but high-quality health care and low crime make it a compelling option for retirees looking to stretch their retirement income in this economy,” said Bankrate analyst Alex Gailey. “In our overall ranking, the best and worst states for retirees are split geographically. The Midwest and the South claim the top five states, while the Northeast and West claim the bottom five states, primarily because of the differences in cost of living.”
For some residents nearing retirement in Alaska – ranked 50 out of 50 – New York (49), California (48), Washington (47) and Massachusetts (46), a move toward the middle of the country could pay off, Bankrate’s findings suggest.
While all five of the least favorable states scored poorly when it came to affordability, Alaska also ranked last for weather and 49th for crime.
“For many Americans, a comfortable retirement may feel out of reach,” Gailey said. “After battling elevated inflation over the last two years, relocating to find cheaper housing or a lower cost of living may be a good alternative for retirees who have tighter budgets but want to retire comfortably. If you’re considering a late life move to lower your cost of living in retirement, our rankings provide some food for thought.”
The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) reports that an increasing number of retirees left their home state to find cheaper housing in 2022.
The annual study from Hire A Helper, an online moving-services marketplace, found that 12% of American retirees moved for that reason in 2022, the highest percentage since 2014.
“That kind of cost consciousness is something we haven’t seen at this level since 2014,” Miranda Marquit, chief data analyst at Hire A Helper, told AARP, citing Census data. | https://www.krqe.com/news-resources/ranking/these-are-the-5-worst-states-to-retire-in-study-finds/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:53 | 1 | https://www.krqe.com/news-resources/ranking/these-are-the-5-worst-states-to-retire-in-study-finds/ |
PHOENIX — 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 climbed to a high of 111 F (43.8 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. | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/nation-world/july-extreme-heat/507-efea35e9-b4b8-4b7f-bdd4-a7f63724d923 | 2023-07-31T15:12:53 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/nation-world/july-extreme-heat/507-efea35e9-b4b8-4b7f-bdd4-a7f63724d923 |
NEW YORK (AP) — Trucking company Yellow Corp. has shut down operations and is headed for a bankruptcy filing, according to the Teamsters Union and multiple media reports.
After years of financial struggles, reports of Yellow preparing for bankruptcy emerged last week — as the Nashville, Tennessee-based trucker saw customers leave in large numbers. Yellow shut down operations on Sunday, according to the Wall Street Journal, following the layoffs of hundreds of nonunion employees on Friday.
In an announcement early Monday, the Teamsters said that the union received legal notice confirming Yellow was 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,” Teamsters general president Sean O’Brien said in a statement. “This is a sad day for workers and the American freight industry.”
The Associated Press reached out to Yellow for comment on Monday. No bankruptcy filings had gone live as of the early morning.
The bankruptcy reports have renewed attention around Yellow’s ongoing negotiations with unionized workers, a $700 million pandemic-era loan from the government and other bills the trucker has racked up over time. Yellow, formerly known as YRC Worldwide Inc., is one of the nation’s largest less-than-truckload carriers. The company’s reported closure puts 30,000 jobs at risk.
Here’s what you need to know.
WHAT WOULD BANKRUPTCY MEAN FOR YELLOW?
According to Satish Jindel, president of transportation and logistics firm SJ Consulting, Yellow handled an average of 49,000 shipments per day in 2022. Last week, he estimated that number was down to between 10,000 and 15,000 daily shipments.
With customers leaving — as well reports of Yellow stopping freight pickups last week — bankruptcy would “be the end of Yellow,” Jindel told The Associated Press, noting increased risk for liquidation.
“The likelihood of them surviving and remaining solvent diminishes really by the day,” added Bruce Chan, a research director at investment banking firm Stifel.
Yellow declined to comment when contacted by The Associated Press on Friday. In a Wednesday statement to The Journal, the company said it was continuing “to prepare for a range of contingencies.” On Thursday, Yellow said it was in talks with multiple parties about selling its third-party logistics organization.
Even if Yellow was able to sell its logistics firm, it would “not generate a sufficient amount of cash to keep them operational on any sort of permanent basis,” Chan said. “Without a major equity injection, it would be very difficult for them to survive.”
HOW MUCH DEBT DOES YELLOW HAVE?
As of late March, Yellow had an outstanding debt of about $1.5 billion. Of that, $729.2 million was owed to the federal government.
In 2020, under the Trump administration, the Treasury Department granted the company a $700 million pandemic-era loan on national security grounds. Last month, a congressional probe concluded that the Treasury and Defense Departments “made missteps” in this decision — and noted that Yellow’s “precarious financial position at the time of the loan, and continued struggles, expose taxpayers to a significant risk of loss.”
The government loan is due in September 2024. As of March, Yellow had made $54.8 million in interest payments and repaid just $230 million of the principal owed, according to government documents.
Yellow’s current finances and prospect of bankruptcy “is probably two decades in the making,” Chan said, pointing to poor management and strategic decisions dating back to the early 2000s. “At this point, after each party has bailed them out so many times, there is a limited appetite to do that anymore.”
In May, Yellow reported a loss of $54.6 million, a decline of $1.06 per share, for its first quarter of 2023. Operating revenue was about $1.16 billion in the period.
A Wednesday investors note from financial service firm Stephens estimated that Yellow could be burning between $9 million and $10 million each day. Using a liquidity disclosure from earlier this month, Yellow had roughly $100 million in cash at the end of June, the note added — estimating that the company has been burning through increasing amounts of money through July.
“It is reasonable to believe that the Company could breach its $35 mil. liquidity requirement at any moment,” Stephens analyst Jack Atkins and associate Grant Smith wrote.
DID THE COMPANY JUST AVERT A STRIKE?
Last week’s reports of bankruptcy preparations arrived just days after a strike from the Teamsters, which represents Yellow’s 22,000 unionized workers, was averted.
A series of heated exchanges have built up between the Teamsters and Yellow, who sued the union in June after alleging it was “unjustifiably blocking” restructuring plans needed for the company’s survival. The Teamsters called the litigation “baseless” — with O’Brien pointing to Yellow’s “decades of gross mismanagement,” which included exhausting the $700 million federal loan.
On July 23, a pension fund agreed to extend health benefits for workers at two Yellow Corp. operating companies, averting a strike — and giving Yellow “30 days to pay its bills,” notably $50 million that Yellow failed to pay the Central States Health and Welfare Fund on July 15, the union said. While the strike didn’t occur, talks of a walkout may have caused some Yellow customers to pull back, Chan said.
“The financial struggles of Yellow are not related to the union and the contracts,” Jindel said, pointing to management’s responsibility around its services and prices. He added the union wages from Yellow are “lower than any competitor.”
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YELLOW WENT UNDER?
As Yellow customers take their shipments to other carriers, like FedEx or ABF Freight, prices will go up.
Yellow’s prices have historically been the cheapest compared to other carriers, Jindel said. “That’s why they obviously were not making money,” he added. “And while there is capacity with the other LTL carriers to handle the diversions from Yellow, it will come at a high price for (current shippers and customers) of Yellow.”
Chan adds that we’re in an interesting time for the LTL marketplace — noting that, if Yellow liquidates, “the freight would find a home” with other carriers, which may not have been true in recent years.
“It may take time, but there’s room for it to be absorbed,” he said. | https://www.krqe.com/news/business/yellow-trucking-shutdown-bankruptcy-heres-what-to-know/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:59 | 0 | https://www.krqe.com/news/business/yellow-trucking-shutdown-bankruptcy-heres-what-to-know/ |
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Seventeen-year-old American cyclist Magnus White, who was scheduled to race at the upcoming world championships in Scotland, was killed Saturday when he was struck by a vehicle on a training ride near his home in Boulder, Colorado.
USA Cycling announced his death in a statement Sunday.
White was a rising multidisciplinary star, winning a junior national championship in cyclocross in 2021 and earning a place on the U.S. national team. He competed with the team in Europe ahead of last year's cyclocross world championships, and he was picked to represent the U.S. again at this year's cyclocross worlds in the Netherlands.
White began to dabble in road cycling and mountain biking this season. He was on one of his final training rides before the junior world mountain bike championships in Glasgow, Scotland, when the accident occurred.
He is survived by his parents, Michael and Jill, and his brother, Eero.
“He was a rising star in the off-road cycling scene and his passion for cycling was evident through his racing and camaraderie with his teammates and local community,” USA Cycling said in the statement. “We offer our heartfelt condolences to the White family, his teammates, friends, and the Boulder community during this incredibly difficult time." | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/nation-world/magnus-white-dead-at-17-in-cycling-training-crash/507-5499ca7e-7fd6-4193-8adc-c217e03e01f3 | 2023-07-31T15:12:59 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/nation-world/magnus-white-dead-at-17-in-cycling-training-crash/507-5499ca7e-7fd6-4193-8adc-c217e03e01f3 |
PYEONGTAEK, South Korea (AP) — The dogs bark and stare as Kim Jong-kil approaches the rusty cages housing the large, short-haired animals he sells for their meat. Kim opens a door and pets one dog’s neck and chest.
Kim says he’s proud of the dog meat farm that has supported his family for 27 years, but is upset over growing attempts by politicians and activists to outlaw the business, which he is turning over to his children.
“It’s more than just feeling bad. I absolutely oppose these moves, and we’ll mobilize all our means to resist it,” Kim, 57, said in an interview at his farm in Pyeongtaek city, just south of Seoul.
Dog meat consumption is a centuries-old practice on the Korean Peninsula and has long been viewed as a source of stamina on hot summer days. It’s neither explicitly banned nor legalized in South Korea, but more and more people want it prohibited. There’s increasing public awareness of animal rights and worries about South Korea’s international image.
The anti-dog meat campaign recently received a big boost when the country’s first lady expressed her support for a ban and two lawmakers submitted bills to eliminate the dog meat trade.
“Foreigners think South Korea is a cultural powerhouse. But the more K-culture increases its international standing, the bigger shock foreigners experience over our dog meat consumption,” said Han Jeoungae, an opposition lawmaker who submitted legislation to outlaw the dog meat industry last month.
Prospects for passage of an anti-dog meat law are unclear because of protests by farmers, restaurant owners and others involved in the dog meat industry. Surveys suggest that one in three South Koreans opposes such a ban, though most people don’t eat dog meat anymore.
Dogs are also eaten in China, Vietnam, Indonesia, North Korea and some African countries, including Ghana, Cameroon, Congo and Nigeria.
Earlier this month, Indonesian authorities announced the end of dog and cat slaughter at an animal market on the island of Sulawesi following a yearslong campaign by local activists and world celebrities. The Tomohon Extreme Market will become the first such market in Indonesia to go dog and cat meat-free, according to the anti-animal cruelty group Humane Society International.
South Korea’s dog meat industry receives more international attention because of its reputation as a wealthy, ultra-modern democracy. It is also the only nation with industrial-scale farms. Most farms in South Korea have more than 500 dogs, according to a dog farmers’ association.
During a recent visit, Kim’s farm, one of the country’s largest with 7,000 dogs, appeared relatively clean but there was a strong stench in some areas. All dogs are kept in elevated cages and are fed with food waste and ground chicken. They are rarely released for exercise and typically are sold for meat one year after they are born.
Kim said two of his children, age 29 and 31, are running the farm with him, and that business has been going pretty well. He said the dogs bred for their meat are different from pets, an idea opposed by activists.
It’s difficult now to find dog meat restaurants in Seoul’s bustling downtown, though many still exit in the countryside.
“I only earn one-third of the money I used to make. Young people don’t come here. Only ailing old people come for lunch,” said Yoon Chu-wol, 77, the owner of a dog meat restaurant in Seoul’s Kyungdong traditional market. “I tell my elderly customers to come and eat my food more frequently before it’s banned.”
Farmers also face growing scrutiny from officials and increasingly negative public opinion. They complain that officials visit them repeatedly in response to complaints filed by activists and citizens over alleged animal abuse and other wrongdoing. Kim said more than 90 such petitions were filed against his farm during a recent four-month span.
Son Won Hak, general secretary of the dog farmers’ association, said many farms have collapsed in recent years because of falling dog meat prices and weaker demand. He thinks that’s a result of activist campaigns and unfair media reports focusing on farms with inferior conditions. Some observers, however, say consumption of dog meat was already declining, with younger people staying away from it.
“Quite honestly, I’d like to quit my job (as a farmer) tomorrow. We can’t confidently tell our children that we’re raising dogs,” Son said. “When my friends called me, they said ‘Hey, are you still running a dog meat farm? Isn’t it illegal?’”
The number of farms across South Korea has dropped by half from a few years ago to about 3,000 to 4,000, and about 700,000 to 1 million dogs are slaughtered each year, a decline from several million 10 to 20 years ago, according to the dog farmers’ association. Some activists argue that the farmers’ estimates are an exaggeration meant to show their industry is too big to destroy.
In late 2021, South Korea launched a government-civilian task force to consider outlawing dog meat at the suggestion of then-President Moon Jae-in, a pet lover. The committee, whose members include farmers and animal rights activists, has met more than 20 times but hasn’t reached any agreement, apparently because of disputes over compensation issues.
Agriculture officials refused to disclose the discussions in the closed-door meetings. They said the government wants to end dog meat consumption based on a public consensus.
In April, first lady Kim Keon Hee, the wife of current President Yoon Suk Yeol, said in a meeting with activists that she hopes for an end to dog meat consumption. Famers responded with rallies and formal complaints against Kim for allegedly hurting their livelihoods.
Han, the lawmaker, said she “highly positively appraises” influential figures speaking out against dog meat consumption.
Han said her bill offers support programs for farmers who agree to close their farms. They would be entitled to money to dismantle their facilities, vocational training, employment assistance and other benefits, she said.
Ju Yeongbong, an official of the farmers’ association, said farmers want to continue for about 20 more years until older people, their main customers, die, allowing the industry to naturally disappear. Observers say most farmers are also in their 60s to 70s.
Borami Seo, a director of the South Korea office of the Humane Society International, said she opposes the continued killing of millions of dogs for such a prolonged period. “Letting this silent cruelty to (dogs) be committed in South Korea doesn’t make sense,” Seo said.
“(Dog meat consumption) is too anachronistic, has elements of cruelty to animals and hinders our national growth,” said Cheon JinKyung, head of Korea Animal Rights Advocates in Seoul. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-south-korean-dog-meat-farmers-push-back-against-growing-moves-to-outlaw-their-industry/ | 2023-07-31T15:12:59 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-south-korean-dog-meat-farmers-push-back-against-growing-moves-to-outlaw-their-industry/ |
The FBI should face new limits on its use of US foreign spy data, a key intelligence board says
WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI should stop using a U.S. spy database of foreigners’ emails and other communications for investigating crimes that aren’t related to national security, a group of White House intelligence advisers recommended in a report released Monday.
The President’s Intelligence Advisory Board’s findings come as the White House pushes Congress to renew Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act before its expiration at the end of this year. U.S. intelligence officials say Section 702 enables investigations of Chinese and Russian espionage, potential terrorist plots, and other threats.
But spy agencies also end up capturing the communications of U.S. citizens and businesses, and a series of intelligence mistakes at the FBI has fanned bipartisan criticism of the bureau that has strongly colored the debate over renewing the law.
The advisory board says the FBI made “inappropriate use” at times of Section 702 information. Those include queries for a U.S. senator and state senator’s names without properly limiting the search, looking for someone believed to have been at the Capitol during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and doing large queries of names of protesters following the 2020 death of George Floyd.
“Unfortunately, complacency, a lack of proper procedures, and the sheer volume of Section 702 activity led to FBI’s inappropriate use of Section 702 authorities, specifically U.S. person queries,” the board said in its report. “U.S. person queries” generally mean searches for U.S. citizens and businesses.
The board recommends the FBI no longer search the data when it is seeking evidence of a crime not related to national security. Currently, the FBI conducts fewer than two dozen such searches a year, a senior administration official told reporters Monday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.
The White House has not decided whether it will accept the recommendation but is studying the board’s work and report, the official said.
The board’s report largely lines up with the White House’s positions on other changes being debated in Congress. The board opposed requiring the FBI to obtain a warrant before it searches Section 702 data, saying that change would be impractical. It also says the FBI needs to maintain access to foreign spy collection because unlike other intelligence agencies, it has law enforcement authorities inside the U.S. and can warn Americans that they are being targeted by foreign spies or criminals.
Already, both Republicans and Democrats have called for broader changes affecting the FBI, including a handful of lawmakers in both parties who want to require warrants for any search.
Sen. Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., sharply questioned Assistant Attorney General Matt Olsen in June about how it searches Section 702 data and signaled he would push for new protections.
“I don’t think you’ve effectively made the case that there shouldn’t be a warrant requirement, whether or not it is constitutionally required, for a U.S. person search that is crime only,” he said.
Many in the GOP, meanwhile, are furious about the FBI’s investigations of former President Donald Trump and mistakes found by the Justice Department inspector general and other reviewers.
In a statement, the FBI said the report highlighted “how crucial” foreign intelligence was to the bureau’s mission.
“We agree that Section 702 should be reauthorized in a manner that does not diminish its effectiveness, as well as reassures the public of its importance and our ability to adhere rigorously to all relevant rules,” the bureau’s statement said.
Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/31/fbi-should-face-new-limits-its-use-us-foreign-spy-data-key-intelligence-board-says/ | 2023-07-31T15:13:02 | 0 | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/31/fbi-should-face-new-limits-its-use-us-foreign-spy-data-key-intelligence-board-says/ |
Mother of 8 found dead in plastic storage box
CLEVELAND (WOIO/Gray News) - An Ohio woman’s remains were found in a plastic storage box nearly a year after she disappeared, WOIO reports.
The remains of 41-year-old Tyresha Little, a mother of eight, were discovered behind an abandoned home in Cleveland.
A tip to police led them to the backyard of the home on July 20.
Family and friends, including five of Little’s children, gathered outside of the abandoned home to pay tribute to her life.
“My daughter, she was a very, very loving heart. She would give you the shirt off of her back. She did have a drug background, but she had been clean for two years,” her mother said.
Little’s oldest daughter said her mother was her best friend.
“If anything, she loved her kids. There was nothing else that came before her kids,” she said.
Little’s daughter said she was hurt by what she said a Cleveland police detective told her when her mother was first reported missing.
“The very first thing they told me is, ‘She’s probably just off somewhere getting high, on a binge’ and kept asking if it was normal. I kept repeating, ‘No, no,’” she said.
Little’s family is determined to find out what happened to her since her disappearance on Aug. 30, 2022.
A group of at least 30 people released balloons into the sky chanting, “We love you, We’ll see you on the other side. Justice for Tyresha.”
WOIO reached out to the City of Cleveland regarding the family’s concerns suggesting that not every missing person’s case is treated equally. The detective on the case said it was special to him and that he has worked on it for nearly a year. He also said every missing person’s case is important, and he will continue to work tirelessly to get answers for Little’s family, including how and when the Cleveland mother died.
A $2,500 reward is still available through Crime Stoppers for anyone who provides a tip that could help determine how Little died by calling 1-800-25-CRIME. Callers can remain anonymous.
Copyright 2023 WOIO via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/31/mother-8-found-dead-plastic-storage-box/ | 2023-07-31T15:13:05 | 0 | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/31/mother-8-found-dead-plastic-storage-box/ |
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – New Mexico officials have recently been moving towards stricter rules on vehicle emissions. Albuquerque’s air quality officials are asking a citizens’ oversight board to adopt clean vehicle rules.
“Transportation is one of our largest contributions to greenhouse gas emissions in Albuquerque and we’re using all our tools to reduce those levels,” Albuquerque Environmental Health Director Angel Martinez Jr. said in a press release. “This updated rule will help mitigate the effects of climate change, reduce air pollution, and improve the health of all our residents.”
The proposal is to adopt rules that would require 82% of new passenger cars and trucks sold in New Mexico to have zero tailpipe emissions by 2032. The rules, proposed by the New Mexico Environment Department and supported by Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham, focus on vehicle manufacturers.
For those rules to go into effect across New Mexico, both the state and the Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board need to approve the proposal, according to Maia Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the city’s environmental health department.
The Albuquerque-Bernalillo County Air Quality Control Board is made up of appointed citizens. The city is asking the board to consider the proposal during their upcoming board meeting on August 9. | https://www.krqe.com/news/environment/albuquerque-wants-the-citizens-on-the-air-quality-control-board-to-ramp-up-vehicle-rules/ | 2023-07-31T15:13:05 | 0 | https://www.krqe.com/news/environment/albuquerque-wants-the-citizens-on-the-air-quality-control-board-to-ramp-up-vehicle-rules/ |
Polaris RZR stolen from home in Bell County
Published: Jul. 31, 2023 at 10:29 AM EDT|Updated: 43 minutes ago
BELL COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - Early Friday morning, the Bell County Sheriff’s Department received a call that a Polaris side-by-side was stolen on Highway 190.
Officials with the sheriff’s department said in a post on their Facebook page the owner walked outside of his home around 6:30 a.m. to find that the Polaris RZR 900xp was gone.
They believe the side-by-side was taken between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. that same morning.
If you have any information, call the sheriff’s office at 606-337-3102 or Bell County Dispatch at 606-337-6174.
Copyright 2023 WYMT. All rights reserved. | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/31/polaris-rzr-stolen-home-bell-county/ | 2023-07-31T15:13:05 | 1 | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/31/polaris-rzr-stolen-home-bell-county/ |
MIAMI — An employee of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, Carlos De Oliveira, is expected to make his first court appearance Monday on charges accusing him of scheming with the former president to hide security footage from investigators probing Trump's hoarding of classified documents.
De Oliveira, Mar-a-Lago's property manager, was added last week to the indictment with Trump and the former president's valet, Walt Nauta, in the federal case alleging a plot to illegally keep top-secret records at Trump's Palm Beach, Florida, estate and thwart government efforts to retrieve them.
De Oliveira faces charges including conspiracy to obstruct justice and lying to investigators. He's scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge in Miami nearly two months after Trump pleaded not guilty in the case brought by special counsel Jack Smith.
De Oliveira's attorney, John Irving, said Monday that his client hadn't yet found a Florida-based attorney — a requirement that had delayed Nauta's arraignment previously — and cautioned that De Oliveira’s arraignment could also be delayed.
The developments in the classified documents case come as Trump braces for possible charges in another federal investigation into his efforts to cling to power after he lost the 2020 election. Trump, the early front-runner in the 2024 Republican presidential primary, has received a letter from Smith indicating that he is a target of that investigation, and Trump's lawyers met with Smith's team last week.
An attorney for De Oliveira declined last week to comment on the allegations. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and said the Mar-a-Lago security tapes were voluntarily handed over to investigators. Trump posted on his Truth Social platform last week that he was told the tapes were not “deleted in any way, shape or form.”
Prosecutors have not alleged that security footage was actually deleted or kept from investigators.
Nauta has also pleaded not guilty. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon had previously scheduled the trial of Trump and Nauta to begin in May, and it's unclear whether the addition of De Oliveira to the case may impact the case's timeline.
The latest indictment, unsealed on Thursday, alleges that Trump tried to have security footage deleted after investigators visited in June 2022 to collect classified documents Trump took with him after he left the White House.
Trump was already facing dozens of felony counts — including willful retention of notional defense information — stemming from allegations that he mishandled government secrets that as commander-in-chief he was entrusted to protect. Experts have said the new allegations bolster the special counsel's case and deepen the former president's legal jeopardy.
Video from Mar-a-Lago would ultimately become vital to the government’s case because, prosecutors said, it shows Nauta moving boxes in and out of a storage room — an act alleged to have been done at Trump’s direction and in effort to hide records not only only from investigators but Trump’s own lawyers.
Days after the Justice Department sent a subpoena for video footage at Mar-a-Lago to the Trump Organization in June 2022, prosecutors say De Oliveira asked a information technology staffer how long the server retained footage and told the employee “the boss” wanted it deleted. When the employee said he didn’t believe he was able to do that, De Oliveira insisted the “boss” wanted it done, asking, “What are we going to do?”
Shortly after the FBI searched Mar-a-Lago and found classified records in the storage room and Trump's office, prosecutors say Nauta called a Trump employee and said words to the effect of, “someone just wants to make sure Carlos is good.” The indictment says the employee responded that De Oliveira was loyal and wouldn't do anything to affect his relationship with Trump. That same day, the indictment alleges, Trump called De Oliveira directly to say that he would get De Oliveira an attorney.
Prosecutors allege that De Oliveira later lied in interviews with investigators, falsely claiming that he hadn't even seen boxes moved into Mar-a-Lago after Trump left the White House.
____
Richer reported from Boston. | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/nation-world/mar-a-lago-property-manager-first-court-date/507-3042eda3-2bf7-4cd5-9462-132874c695d7 | 2023-07-31T15:13:06 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/nation-world/mar-a-lago-property-manager-first-court-date/507-3042eda3-2bf7-4cd5-9462-132874c695d7 |
Police: Toddler dies, mom arrested in sexual assault case
BELL COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - A 17-month-old child has died following a sexual assault case in Bell County.
The incident started Friday night when the girl showed up at Middlesboro ARH with severe injuries.
Due to the extent of her injuries, she was flown out to Children’s Hospital in Knoxville.
Police say the medical staff tried to stabilize the baby, but the child did not survive. She died Sunday night.
Following her death, Middlesboro Police started investigating who was responsible for the incident that caused the death of the little girl.
That same night, police interviewed the mother, Erica Lawson, 21, of Mt. Vernon, who was eventually arrested in connection with the case.
She is charged with manslaughter, failure to report child abuse, criminal abuse and wanton endangerment.
Police say they expect to make another arrest in this case soon.
Lawson was taken to the Bell County Detention Center.
Copyright 2023 WYMT. All rights reserved. | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/31/police-toddler-dies-mom-arrested-sexual-assault-case/ | 2023-07-31T15:13:06 | 0 | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/31/police-toddler-dies-mom-arrested-sexual-assault-case/ |
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A state-run oil giant in the United Arab Emirates said Monday it has moved up its target for achieving net zero emissions in its operations to 2045, as the country prepares to host U.N. climate talks later this year.
The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, known as ADNOC, said it is also committed to acheiving zero methane emissions by 2030. Methane is a greenhouse gas that is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in the short term.
Earlier this year, ADNOC earmarked $15 billion for an array of green initiatives, including the development of hydrogen power, carbon capture facilities and the planting of mangroves.
The company had previously committed to net zero — the balancing of greenhouse gas emissions to the point that the amount removed from the atmosphere is equal to the amount emitted — by 2050.
The UAE, an OPEC member that produces over 3 million barrels of crude oil a day, will host the global climate talks known as COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 in Dubai. It has appointed Sultan al-Jaber, the head of ADNOC, to chair the meeting, a move that drew criticism from some environmentalists.
Al-Jaber has emphasized the need to cut emissions, rather than end fossil fuel use itself. It’s prompted fears that he might seek loopholes for untested carbon-capture technologies and so-called offsets that experts say distract from the need to end the release of greenhouse gases.
Governments agreed eight years ago in Paris to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) — ideally no more than 1.5C (2.7F). With average global temperatures already about 1.2C (2.2F) above pre-industrial levels, experts say the window to meet the more ambitious target is closing fast and even the less stringent goal would be missed if emissions aren’t slashed sharply soon.
The UAE, a global hub for business and tourism, has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050 — a target that remains difficult to assess and one that authorities haven’t fully explained how they’ll reach. Analysts believe the Emirates is trying to maximize its profits as the world turns to renewables. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-uae-state-oil-firm-moves-up-net-zero-climate-target-to-2045/ | 2023-07-31T15:13:06 | 0 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-uae-state-oil-firm-moves-up-net-zero-climate-target-to-2045/ |
Wayward dachshund returns home after days on the run
NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. (WJAR) - It is not uncommon for dogs to run away, but that doesn’t make it any easier for their worried owners.
So when the owners of a lost Massachusetts dog asked their community for help, their neighbors stepped up.
What started out as a nightmare for Dorothy and Glenn Haskell has turned into a happy ending.
“It was an absolute dream,” Dorothy Haskell said.
Positioned peacefully in her arms now, this 14-month-old daredevil dachshund named Chelsea is back home safe and sound after being on the run literally for almost four days.
“Knowing your dog is on Route 95, it’s a nightmare,” Dorothy Haskell said.
Last Sunday, Chelsea was playing with her sister Coco in their backyard when she escaped through a small hole in the fence.
They tried to get her, but she took off.
Glenn Haskell had been out for a jog. “Veered off my run and went after her, you know, but she went into the woods and gone,” he said.
From there, they posted on social media.
“(Neighbors were) coming out their doors, they were hiking through the woods. They were leaving their lights on. They were leaving water out,” Dorothy Haskell said.
They were pleading to the public to help find her as day turned to night.
“This is not going to, it’s not going to end well between her and a fox or a raccoon,” Glenn Haskell said.
The next morning, they made flyers, stuffing them in mailboxes all over. Then that night, a call came in.
“A woman is yelling, ‘Your dachshund, I know she’s up on Route 295. There’s a driver pulled over on the side of the road,’” Dorothy Haskell said.
That same driver called state police. They all tried to grab her, following her across an on ramp.
“And across three lanes of Route 95,” Dorothy Haskell said.
Spooked, the dog went back into the woods.
On Tuesday, Dorothy Haskell went back out there desperately with police, realizing there was a river nearby.
“To the officer and I said, ‘I think it’s time to call it.’ And suddenly he yelled, ‘Oh my God, she’s right there in the bushes,’” she said.
Chelsea ran back to the median and onto the highway again. Drivers began to pull over. One woman stopped traffic, but Chelsea kept going.
Having exhausted nearly all resources, the Haskells got help from Missing Dogs of Massachusetts, a volunteer-run group that help owners get their dogs back.
“A trap in our side yard. And she had me put out dirty laundry…” Dorothy Haskell said.
Just after midnight Wednesday, prayers for the pooch were answered.
“Dogs in Massachusetts, the woman called me, and she said, ‘She’s in the trap. Go out and get her.’ Because they had a camera,” Dorothy Haskell said.
The Haskells are so happy to have Chelsea back home and can’t thank the community enough for caring.
“It definitely restored your faith in humanity,” Dorothy Haskell said.
Copyright 2023 WJAR via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/31/wayward-dachshund-returns-home-after-days-run/ | 2023-07-31T15:13:07 | 0 | https://www.wymt.com/2023/07/31/wayward-dachshund-returns-home-after-days-run/ |
ATLANTA (AP) — A new reactor at a nuclear power plant in Georgia has entered commercial operation, becoming the first new American reactor built from scratch in decades.
Georgia Power Co. announced Monday that Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle, southeast of Augusta, has completed testing and is now sending power to the grid reliably.
At its full output of 1,100 megawatts of electricity, Unit 3 can power 500,000 homes and businesses. Utilities in Georgia, Florida and Alabama are receiving the electricity.
Nuclear power now makes up about 25% of the generation of Georgia Power, the largest unit of Atlanta-based Southern Co.
A fourth reactor is also nearing completion at the site, where two earlier reactors have been generating electricity for decades. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Friday said radioactive fuel could be loaded into Unit 4, a step expected to take place before the end of September. Unit 4 is scheduled to enter commercial operation by March.
The third and fourth reactors were originally supposed to cost $14 billion, but are now on track to cost their owners $31 billion. That doesn’t include $3.7 billion that original contractor Westinghouse paid to the owners to walk away from the project. That brings total spending to almost $35 billion.
The third reactor was supposed to start generating power in 2016 when construction began in 2009.
Vogtle is important because government officials and some utilities are again looking to nuclear power to alleviate climate change by generating electricity without burning natural gas, coal and oil.
“This project shows just how new nuclear can and will play a critical role in achieving a clean energy future for the United States,” Southern Co. CEO Chris Womack said in a statement. “Bringing this unit safely into service is a credit to the hard work and dedication of our teams at Southern Company and the thousands of additional workers who have helped build that future at this site.”
In Georgia, almost every electric customer will pay for Vogtle. Georgia Power currently owns 45.7% of the reactors. Smaller shares are owned by Oglethorpe Power Corp., which provides electricity to member-owned cooperatives, the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia and the city of Dalton. Oglethorpe and MEAG plan to sell power to cooperatives and municipal utilities across Georgia, as well in Jacksonville, Florida, and parts of Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.
Georgia Power’s 2.7 million customers are already paying part of the financing cost and elected public service commissioners have approved a monthly rate increase of $3.78 a month for residential customers as soon as the third unit begins generating power. That could hit bills in August, two months after residential customers saw a $16-a-month increase to pay for higher fuel costs.
Commissioners will decide later who pays for the remainder of the costs of Vogtle, including the fourth reactor. | https://www.krqe.com/news/national/ap-first-american-nuclear-reactor-built-from-scratch-in-decades-enters-commercial-operation-in-georgia/ | 2023-07-31T15:13:11 | 0 | https://www.krqe.com/news/national/ap-first-american-nuclear-reactor-built-from-scratch-in-decades-enters-commercial-operation-in-georgia/ |
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has opened applications for a new program, the president's latest attempt at lowering student debt for millions of Americans.
It's known as the SAVE Plan, and although it was announced last year, it has mostly been overshadowed by President Joe Biden’s proposal for mass student loan cancellation. But now, after the Supreme Court struck down Biden’s forgiveness plan, the repayment option is taking center stage.
The plan allows millions of Americans with student debt to enroll in what's known as an "income-driven repayment plan."
The four repayment plans offered as part of the program have some of the most lenient terms ever. Interest won’t pile up as long as borrowers make regular payments. Millions of people will have monthly payments reduced to $0. And in as little as 10 years, any remaining debt will be canceled.
Biden has called the SAVE program “the most affordable repayment plan ever.” The typical borrower who enrolls in the plan will save $1,000 a month, he said.
How to sign up
Anybody with outstanding student debt can sign up to see if they're eligible here.
The application's website says you need a few things on hand to sign up:
- A verified FSA ID (which you get by signing up)
- Your financial information
- Your personal information
- Your spouse’s information, if applicable
Most borrowers should be able to fill out the application in under 10 minutes, the website promises.
A calculator is also available for figuring out what your monthly payments would be under the new plan.
What does the plan do?
Right away, more people will be eligible for $0 payments. The new plan won’t require borrowers to make payments if they earn less than 225% of the federal poverty line — $32,800 a year for a single person. The cutoff for current plans, by contrast, is 150% of the poverty line, or $22,000 a year for a single person.
Another immediate change aims to prevent interest from snowballing.
As long as borrowers make their monthly payments, their overall balance won't increase. Once they cover their adjusted monthly payment — even if it's $0 — any remaining interest will be waived.
Other major changes will take effect in July 2024.
Most notably, payments on undergraduate loans will be capped at 5% of discretionary income, down from 10% now. Those with graduate and undergraduate loans will pay between 5% and 10%, depending on their original loan balance. For millions of Americans, monthly payments could be reduced by half.
Next July will also bring a quicker road to loan forgiveness. Starting then, borrowers with initial balances of $12,000 or less will get the remainder of their loans canceled after 10 years of payments. For each $1,000 borrowed beyond that, the cancellation will come after an additional year of payments.
For example, a borrower with an original balance of $14,000 would get all remaining debt cleared after 12 years. Payments made before 2024 will count toward forgiveness.
HOW DO I APPLY?
The Education Department says it will notify borrowers when the new application process launches this summer. Those enrolled in an existing plan known as REPAYE will automatically be moved into the SAVE plan. Borrowers will also be able to sign up by contacting their loan servicers directly.
It will be available to all borrowers in the Direct Loan Program who are in good standing on their loans.
IS IT LEGAL?
That depends on who you ask, but the question hasn’t been taken up by a federal court.
Instead of creating a new payment plan from scratch, the Biden administration proposed changes to an existing plan. It cemented those changes by going through a negotiated rulemaking process that allows the Education Department to develop federal regulations without Congress.
It’s a process that’s commonly used by administrations from both political parties. But critics question whether the new plan goes further than the law allows.
More than 60 Republicans lawmakers urged Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to withdraw the plan in February, calling it “reckless, fiscally irresponsible, and blatantly illegal.”
Supporters argue that the Obama administration similarly used its authority to create a repayment plan that was more generous than any others at the time.
The Biden administration formally finalized the rule this month. Conservatives believe it’s vulnerable to a legal challenge, and some say it’s just a matter of finding a plaintiff with the legal right — or standing — to sue. | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/nation-world/save-plan-opens-sign-ups/507-c7bedd06-c514-46b0-9c42-b3f722725019 | 2023-07-31T15:13:12 | 0 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/nation-world/save-plan-opens-sign-ups/507-c7bedd06-c514-46b0-9c42-b3f722725019 |
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian ballistic missiles slammed into an apartment complex and a university building in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Monday, killing five people and wounding 64 others as the blasts trapped residents beneath rubble, Ukrainian officials said.
One of the two missiles destroyed a section of the apartment building between the fourth and ninth floors, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. Video showed black smoke billowing from corner units and burned out or damaged cars on a tree-lined street.
The dead included a 10-year-old girl and her mother, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who comes from Kryvyi Rih. More than 350 people were involved in the rescue operation, he said in a Telegram post.
The morning attack also destroyed part of the four-story university building.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian artillery strike on partially occupied Donetsk province killed two people and wounded six others in the regional capital, according to Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-installed leader of the illegally annexed province.
A bus was also hit as Ukrainian forces shelled the city of Donetsk multiple times Monday, Pushilin said.
Neither side’s claims could be independently verified.
A recent Ukrainian counteroffensive, deploying weaponry supplied by Kyiv’s Western allies and aimed at driving Russian forces out of occupied areas, intensified last week. At the same time, Ukraine has sought to take the war deep into Russia, reportedly using drones to hit targets as far away as Moscow.
Ukrainian drone attacks on Russia and Moscow-annexed territory, especially Crimea, have become more frequent. The latest strike, on Sunday, damaged two office buildings a few miles (kilometers) from the Kremlin.
Russia has tightened security in the aftermath of that attack, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday, describing the assault as an “act of desperation.”
“The Kyiv regime is in a very, very difficult situation,” Peskov said, “as the counteroffensive is not working out as planned.”
“It’s obvious that the multibillion-dollar resources that have been transferred by NATO countries to the Kyiv regime are actually being spent inefficiently,” Peskov said.
“This raises big questions in Western capitals and great discomfort among taxpayers in Western countries.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin, analysts say, is wagering that Western support for Kyiv will wane as the war drags on and its cost mounts.
Another Ukrainian drone targeted a district police department early Monday in Russia’s Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, but there were no casualties, the local governor said.
Bombarding populated areas with missiles, artillery and drones has been a hallmark of Moscow’s military strategy during the war, an approach that has continued during the Ukrainian counteroffensive that started in June.
Russian officials insist they only take aim at legitimate military targets, but Ukraine and its supporters say mass civilian deaths during previous attacks provide evidence of war crimes.
“In recent days, the enemy has been stubbornly attacking cities, city centers, shelling civilian objects and housing,” Zelenskyy said. “But this terror will not frighten us or break us.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Monday that his forces have increased the intensity of attacks on Ukrainian military facilities.
It wasn’t immediately clear which military facilities he was referring to, as Russia’s recent missile strikes have hit civilian infrastructure.
In the southern city of Odesa, Russian strikes in recent weeks targeted port infrastructure and grain silos, after Moscow broke off an export agreement for Ukrainian grain. The Ukrainian foreign ministry estimated Monday that about 180,000 metric tons of grain have been destroyed by Russia in the past nine days.
Russian shelling Monday also killed a 70-year-old woman in her home in a Kharkiv province village near Izyum, as well as a civilian in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, local authorities said.
In eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk province, one person was reported killed and seven people were injured after Russia shelled 12 cities and villages, according to Gov. Pavlo Kyrylenko.
Ukrainian officials didn’t acknowledge Sunday’s drone attacks in the Moscow region. In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy said: “Gradually, the war is returning to the territory of Russia — to its symbolic centers and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process.”
China introduced restrictions Monday on the export of long-range civilian drones. Authorities cited the war in Ukraine and concern that drones could be converted for military purposes.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s government is friendly with Moscow, but says it’s neutral in the war. It has been stung by reports that both sides might be using Chinese-made drones for reconnaissance and possibly attacks.
Meanwhile, Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin said Monday his Wagner Group is not currently recruiting fighters.
In an audio message published on a Telegram channel associated with the Wagner chief, Prigozhin said the company had suspended recruitment as there is currently “no shortage of personnel.”
Prigozhin previously agreed with Western estimates that he lost more than 20,000 men in the long battle for the Ukrainian city Bakhmut.
Prigozhin last month led a short-lived mutiny against Moscow, demanding a leadership change in the Russian military. In an attempt to control him, Russian authorities insisted that Wagner fighters can only return to Ukraine if they join Russia’s regular army.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-ukraine-says-russian-missiles-hit-another-apartment-building-and-likely-trapped-people-under-rubble/ | 2023-07-31T15:13:13 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/international/ap-international/ap-ukraine-says-russian-missiles-hit-another-apartment-building-and-likely-trapped-people-under-rubble/ |
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Entrepreneurs in Santa Fe are being given an opportunity that will help them in the early stages of opening their business. David Ahern-Seronde is the owner of Apicklelypse Hot Sauce, he’s taking advantage of The Kitchen Table Santa Fe, it’s a shared kitchen that gives chefs a chance to start their food business.
Andrea Abedi, is one of the founders of The Kitchen Table Santa Fe. She said they opened in May and already had 10 chefs who had signed up to use the kitchens. The chefs have access to the kitchen 24/7 and it comes with everything cooks may need. “We have everything from ovens, stoves, three compartment sinks, dish washers, we have a cold kitchen,” Abedi.
Fernando Ruiz is the chef and owner of Escondio Catering in Santa Fe. He said he understands the challenges of opening a business and he’s glad to see The Kitchen Table Santa Fe is taking some of the stress off of new entrepreneurs. “To try to prep everything in Albuquerque, drive it up to Santa Fe and/or Espanola or Taos because a lot of my work is Northern New Mexico and it was just a hassle,” said Ruiz.
As for Ahern-Seronde he’s already seeing his dream come to life. “I just launched in Albuquerque at Salsa Saint and they’re in Old Town they’re a really nice boutique chile shop,” said Ahern-Seronde.
The Kitchen Table Santa Fe also helps business owners with any paperwork they need in order to start their business. | https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/santa-fe-company-helping-people-start-their-food-business/ | 2023-07-31T15:13:17 | 1 | https://www.krqe.com/news/new-mexico/santa-fe-company-helping-people-start-their-food-business/ |
NIAMEY, Niger — West African nations have given Niger's coup leaders one week to reinstate the country's democratically elected president and have threatened to use force if the demands aren't met.
The announcement came at the end of an emergency meeting of West African countries Sunday in Nigeria, where the regional bloc, known as ECOWAS, convened to respond to last week's military takeover. President Mohamed Bazoum remains under house arrest and has yet to resign.
“In the event the authority’s demands are not met within one week, (the bloc will) take all measures necessary to restore constitutional order in the Republic of Niger. Such measures may include the use of force,” said the statement.
The bloc also imposed strict sanctions, including suspending all commercial and financial transactions between ECOWAS member states and Niger and freezing of assets in regional central banks.
Economic sanctions could have a deep impact on Nigeriens, who live in the third-poorest country in the world, according to the latest U.N. data. The country relies on imports from Nigeria for up to 90% of its power, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency.
The sanctions could be disastrous and Niger needs to find a solution to avoid them, Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou told French media outlet Radio France Internationale on Sunday.
“When people say there’s an embargo, land borders are closed, air borders are closed, it’s extremely difficult for people ... Niger is a country that relies heavily on the international community,” he said.
The 15-nation ECOWAS bloc has unsuccessfully tried to restore democracies in nations where the military took power in recent years. Four nations are run by military governments in West and Central Africa, where there have been nine successful or attempted coups since 2020.
In the 1990s, ECOWAS intervened in Liberia during its civil war. In 2017, it intervened in Gambia to prevent the new president’s predecessor, Yahya Jammeh, from disrupting the handover of power. Around 7,000 troops from Ghana, Nigeria, and Senegal entered, according to the Global Observatory, which provides analysis on peace and security issues.
If the regional bloc uses force, it could trigger violence not only between Niger and ECOWAS forces but also civilians supporting the coup and those against it, Niger analysts say.
“While this remains to be a threat and unlikely action, the consequences on civilians of such an approach if putschists chose confrontation would be catastrophic," said Rida Lyammouri, senior fellow at the Policy Center for the New South, a Morocco-based think tank.
“I believe economic sanctions are the ones to be imposed, but don’t see a military intervention happening because of the violence that could trigger," he said.
The military junta, which seized power on Wednesday when members of the presidential guard surrounded Bazoum's house and detained him, is already cracking down on the government and civil liberties.
On Sunday, junta spokesman Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane said on state television that all government cars need to be returned by midday Monday and banned the use of social media to diffuse messages against state security. He also claimed that Bazoum’s government had authorized the French to carry out strikes to free Bazoum. The Associated Press can't verify his allegations.
In anticipation of the ECOWAS decision Sunday, thousands of pro-junta supporters took to the streets in the capital, Niamey, denouncing its former colonial ruler, France, waving Russian flags and telling the international community to stay away.
Demonstrators in Niger are openly resentful of France, and Russia is seen by some as a powerful alternative. The nature of Moscow's involvement in the rallies, if any, isn’t clear, but some protesters have carried Russian flags, along with signs reading “Down with France” and supporting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“The situation of this country is not good ... It’s time for change, and change has arrived," said Moussa Seydou, a protester. "What we want from the putschists — all they have to do is improve social conditions so that Nigeriens can live better in this country and bring peace,” he said. | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/nation-world/west-african-nations-threaten-force-if-niger-coup-isnt-ended/507-79029f1d-9834-4ad1-bb6f-40acd416f0a5 | 2023-07-31T15:13:18 | 1 | https://www.ktvb.com/article/news/nation-world/west-african-nations-threaten-force-if-niger-coup-isnt-ended/507-79029f1d-9834-4ad1-bb6f-40acd416f0a5 |
Sponsored - Kentucky Blood Center relies on the generosity of donors to supply lifesaving blood to 70-plus hospitals in Kentucky. All blood collected at KBC stays in Kentucky to aid in surgeries and organ transplants, to serve as life support in traumas, to help people like Gary Justice’s parents fight diseases like cancer, and so much more. Approximately 400 donors are needed daily to maintain a healthy blood supply. To schedule your appointment and save local lives, visit one of KBC’s eight donor center locations or find a mobile drive near you. Donations take just 45 minutes and can save up to three lives.
Kentucky Blood Center’s Pikeville location doesn’t open until 8 a.m., but every other Saturday, Gary Justice pulls into the parking lot at 472 S. Mayo Trail at 7:50 a.m. and remains in his truck.
“I spend 10 minutes there thinking about the lessons (my parents) taught me,” Gary said.
He thinks about his mom, who told him at an early age that it doesn’t matter how much money you have or who you are, you’re never above lending a hand. He thinks about his dad, who, if he wasn’t fixing a neighbor’s car or appliance that wasn’t working, he was helping them buy a replacement with some of his own money.
“That’s what they did,” Gary said. “They wanted to help people with nothing in return. Just show up and help somebody.”
Linda and Jimmy Justice are on Gary’s mind when he donates platelets (often triples) every 14 days. After all his parents taught him about being a giver – and all that they had taken away from them – Gary believes it’s the least he can do in their honor.
Linda lost her battle with colon cancer in 1987. A sarcoma took Jimmy’s life in 2014. Both received blood transfusions to help fight the dreaded disease.
“My mom and dad always taught me to help others when I can,” Gary said. “I was raised that way. When I donate, I believe that I’m making them proud, and I feel like I’m helping others.”
More than 220 donations at Kentucky Blood Center alone, Gary’s parents would be proud indeed. That’s 27 gallons of blood products Gary has contributed to local patients in Kentucky.
With the way KBC splits its products – one donation can save up to three lives – the impact Gary has made isn’t lost on him.
“As a former baseball player, numbers always mean something,” said Gary, dean of admissions at the University of Pikeville. “Being in admissions and enrollment, numbers motivate me. I like to be competitive with myself and find ways I can help my community.”
Knowing that 1.9 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year and that more than 25% of the blood supply is used by patients battling cancer – including more than 50% of platelet donations – Gary has his sights set on 250 donations.
“Cancer has touched everybody,” Gary said.
In Gary’s previous role with the university, in 2013, he helped organize a blood drive with former UPike baseball coach Chad Gassman around their annual Fall World Series, which they called the Blood Series. The losing team was supposed to lead the charge for the Bears to donate blood or volunteer time at the drive, but the entire team participated after the series by giving blood or their time.
It was rewarding for Gary to walk alongside future leaders, dispel any misconceptions about blood donation, and expose them to a simple but oh-so powerful way of giving back to their community.
“We can’t always be takers,” Gary said, echoing what his parents taught him so many years ago. “We have to be givers. Sometimes we’re going to have to take, but if there is nothing there when we need something, then we’re really hurting.”
The way Gary sees it, a little bit of his time every other Saturday morning to get “pampered” with snacks, blankets, TV and good conversation with the KBC Pikeville phlebotomy staff is the least he can do to practice what his parents preached to him.
“If I can lay on the bed for a couple of hours, I know I’m giving someone else an opportunity to live to fight another day as they’re going through their therapy,” Gary said. “If I can honor my mom and dad by helping somebody else, I’m happy to do it.” | https://www.wymt.com/sponsored/kentucky-blood-center/eastern-kentucky-donor-was-raised-be-giver/ | 2023-07-31T15:13:22 | 1 | https://www.wymt.com/sponsored/kentucky-blood-center/eastern-kentucky-donor-was-raised-be-giver/ |
ST. ANTHONY, Idaho (AP) — Idaho mother Lori Vallow Daybell faces up to life in prison without parole Monday as she is sentenced in the murders of her two youngest children and a romantic rival in a case that included bizarre claims that her son and daughter were zombies and that she was a goddess sent to usher in the Biblical apocalypse.
Vallow Daybell was found guilty in May of killing her two youngest children, 7-year-old Joshua “JJ” Vallow and 16-year-old Tylee Ryan, as well as conspiring to kill Tammy Daybell, her fifth husband’s previous wife.
The husband, Chad Daybell, is awaiting trial on the same murder charges. Vallow Daybell also faces two other cases in Arizona — one on a charge of conspiring with her brother to kill her fourth husband, Charles Vallow, and one of conspiring to kill her niece’s ex-husband. Charles Vallow was shot and killed in 2019, but her niece’s ex survived an attempt later that year.
Monday’s sentencing will take place at the Fremont County Courthouse in St. Anthony, Idaho. Judge Steven W. Boyce is expected to hear testimony from several representatives of the victims, including Vallow Daybell’s only surviving son, Colby Ryan.
The case began in July 2019, when Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, shot and killed her estranged husband, Charles Vallow, in a suburban Phoenix home. Cox told police he acted in self-defense. He was never charged in the case and died later that year of what authorities determined were natural causes.
Vallow Daybell was already in a relationship with Chad Daybell, a self-published author who wrote doomsday-focused fiction loosely based on Mormon teachings. She moved to Idaho with her kids and brother to be closer to him.
The children were last seen alive in September 2019. Police discovered they were missing a month later after an extended family member became worried. Their bodies were found buried in Chad Daybell’s yard the following summer.
Chad Daybell and Lori Vallow married in November 2019, about two weeks after Daybell’s previous wife, Tammy, was killed. Tammy Daybell initially was described as having died of natural causes, but an autopsy later showed she had been asphyxiated, authorities said.
Defense attorney Jim Archibald argued during the trial that there was no evidence tying Vallow Daybell to the killings, but plenty showing she was a loving, protective mother whose life took a sharp turn when she met Chad Daybell and fell for his “weird” apocalyptic religious claims. He suggested that Daybell and Vallow Daybell’s brother, Alex Cox, were responsible for the deaths.
Daybell told her they had been married in several previous lives and she was a “sexual goddess” who was supposed to help him save the world by gathering 144,000 followers so Jesus could return, Archibald said.
Vallow Daybell’s former friend Melanie Gibb testified during the trial that Vallow Daybell believed people in her life had been taken over by evil spirits and turned into “zombies,” including JJ and Tylee. | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-idaho-mom-lori-vallow-daybell-faces-sentencing-in-deaths-of-2-children-and-her-romantic-rival/ | 2023-07-31T15:13:22 | 1 | https://www.wearegreenbay.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-idaho-mom-lori-vallow-daybell-faces-sentencing-in-deaths-of-2-children-and-her-romantic-rival/ |
Compared with the devil, angels carry more credence in America.
Angels even get more credence than, well, hell. More than astrology, reincarnation, and the belief that physical things can have spiritual energies.
In fact, about 7 in 10 U.S. adults say they believe in angels, according to a new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
“People are yearning for something greater than themselves — beyond their own understanding,” said Jack Grogger, a chaplain for the Los Angeles Angels and a longtime Southern California fire captain who has aided many people in their gravest moments.
That search for something bigger, he said, can take on many forms, from following a religion to crafting a self-driven purpose to believing in, of course, angels.
“For a lot of people, angels are a lot safer to worship,” said Grogger, who also pastors a nondenominational church in Orange, California, and is a chaplain for the NHL’s Anaheim Ducks.
People turn to angels for comfort, he said. They are familiar, regularly showing up in pop culture as well as in the Bible. Comparably, worshipping Jesus is far more involved; when Grogger preaches about angels it is with the context that they are part of God’s kingdom.
American’s belief in angels (69%) is about on par with belief in heaven and the power of prayer, but bested by belief in God or a higher power (79%). Fewer U.S. adults believe in the devil or Satan (56%), astrology (34%), reincarnation (34%), and that physical things can have spiritual energies, such as plants, rivers or crystals (42%).
The widespread acceptance of angels shown in the AP-NORC poll makes sense to Susan Garrett, an angel expert and New Testament professor at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Kentucky. It tracks with historical surveys, she said, adding that the U.S. remains a faith-filled country even as more Americans reject organized religion.
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But if the devil is in the details, so are people’s understandings of angels.
“They’re very malleable,” Garrett said of angels. “You can have any one of a number of quite different worldviews in terms of your understanding of how the cosmos is arranged, whether there’s spirit beings, whether there’s life after death, whether there’s a God … and still find a place for angels in that worldview.”
Talk of angels, Garrett said, is often also about something else, like the ways God interacts with the world and other hard-to-articulate ideas.
The large number of U.S. adults who say they believe in angels includes 84% of those with a religious affiliation — 94% of evangelical Protestants, 81% of mainline Protestants and 82% of Catholics — and 33% of those without one. And of those angel-believing religiously unaffiliated, that includes 2% of atheists, 25% of agnostics and 50% of those identified as “nothing in particular.”
The broad acceptance is what fascinates San Francisco-based witch and author Devin Hunter: Angels show up independently in different religions and traditions, making them part of the fabric that unites humanity.
“We’re all getting to the same conclusion,” said Hunter, who spent 16 years as a professional medium, and started communicating as a child with what he believed were angels.
Hunter estimates that a belief in angels applies to about half of those practicing modern witchcraft today, and for some who don’t believe, their rejection is often rooted in the religious trauma they experienced growing up.
“Angels become a very big deal” for long-time practitioners who’ve made occultism their primary focus, said Hunter, an angel-loving occultist. “We cannot escape them in any way, shape or form.”
Jennifer Goodwin of Oviedo, Florida, also is among the roughly seven in 10 U.S. adults who say they believe in angels. She isn’t sure if God exists and rejects the afterlife dichotomy of heaven and hell, but the recent deaths of her parents solidified her views on these celestial beings.
Goodwin believes her parents are still keeping an eye on the family — not in any physical way or as a supernatural apparition, but that they manifest in those moments when she feels a general sense of comfort.
“I think that they are around us, but it’s in a way that we can’t understand,” Goodwin said. “I don’t know what else to call it except an angel.”
Angels mean different things to different people, and the idea of loved ones becoming heavenly angels after death is neither an unusual belief nor a universally held one.
In his reading of Scripture as an evangelical Protestant, Grogger said he believes angels are something else entirely — they have never been human and are on another level in heaven’s hierarchy. “We are higher than angels,” he said. “We do not become an angel.”
Angels do interact with humans though, said Grogger, but what “that looks like we’re not 100% sure.” They worship God who created this angelic legion of unknown numbers, he said, adding that evangelicals often attribute the demonic forces in the world to the angels who fell from heaven when the devil rebelled.
The Western ideas about angels can be traced through the Bible — and to the worldviews of its monotheistic authors, Garrett said. Those beliefs have changed and developed for millennia, influenced by cultures, theologians and even the ancient polytheistic beliefs that came before the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament, she said.
“There are sort of lines of continuity from the Bible that you can trace all the way up to the New Age movement,” said Susan Garrett, who wrote “No Ordinary Angel: Celestial Spirits and Christian Claims about Jesus.”
The angels in the Bible do God’s bidding, and angelic violence is one part of their job description, said Esther Hamori, author of the upcoming book, “God’s Monsters: Vengeful Spirits, Deadly Angels, Hybrid Creatures, and Divine Hitmen of the Bible.”
“The angels of the Bible are just as likely to assassinate individuals and slaughter entire populations as they are to offer help and protect and deliver,” said Hamori. She doesn’t believe in these angels, but studies them as a Hebrew Bible professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York where she teaches a popular “Monster Heaven” class.
“They’re just God’s obedient soldiers doing the task at hand, and sometimes that task is in human beings’ best interests, and sometimes it’s not,” she said.
The perception that angels act angelic and look like the idyllic, winged figurines atop Christmas trees could be attributed to an early centuries belief that people are assigned one good angel and one bad — or have a good and bad spirit to guide them, Garrett said.
This idea shows up on the shoulders of cartoon characters and is likely what Abraham Lincoln was alluding to in his famous appeal for unity when he referenced “the better angels of our nature” in his first inaugural address, she said.
“It’s also tied in with ideas about guardian angels, which again, very ancient views that got developed over the centuries,” Garrett said.
For Sheila Avery of Chicago, angels are protectors, capable of keeping someone from harm. Avery, who belongs to a nondenominational church, credits them with those moments like when a person’s plans fall through, but ultimately it saves them from being in the thick of an unexpected disaster.
“They turn on the news and a terrible tragedy happened at that particular place,” Avery said, suggesting it was an “angel that was probably watching over them.”
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The poll of 1,680 adults was conducted May 11-15 using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak Panel, which is designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. | https://www.krqe.com/news/weird/ap-do-you-believe-in-angels-about-7-in-10-u-s-adults-do-a-new-ap-norc-poll-shows/ | 2023-07-31T15:13:23 | 1 | https://www.krqe.com/news/weird/ap-do-you-believe-in-angels-about-7-in-10-u-s-adults-do-a-new-ap-norc-poll-shows/ |