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Mattel releases first-ever carbon neutral toys, including a Matchbox Tesla
(Gray News) – Mattel is taking its first step towards its goal to achieve 100% recycled, recyclable or bio-based plastic materials in all its products and packaging by 2030.
In a release, the company says it has released its first set of carbon neutral toys.
These toys include the MEGA BLOKS Green Town, which the company says is the first-ever toy line available at mass retail to be certified CarbonNeutral.
Four new MEGA BLOKS Green Town building sets are being released this month.
Mattel said it’s releasing some carbon neutral toys as part of its Matchbox line as well as part of its Driving Toward a Better Future product roadmap. The first in this line of toys is the Tesla Roadster, the company’s first carbon neutral die-cast vehicle made from 99% recycled materials.
To help make this move, the brand bought carbon offsets from Canada’s Darkwood Forests Conservation Project.
Carbon offsets allow companies to take steps, like protecting a forest, so that carbon emissions are offset.
Some climate experts are criticizing this action saying fossil fuels are still being used in the creation of toys.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. CNN Newsource contributed to this report. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/mattel-releases-first-ever-carbon-neutral-toys-including-matchbox-tesla/ | 2022-04-13T07:44:40 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/mattel-releases-first-ever-carbon-neutral-toys-including-matchbox-tesla/ |
McMaster raises $5M for re-election bid, campaign says
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) - South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster’s campaign said Monday he has reached “a major fundraising milestone.”
The campaign has raised more than $5 million raised so far in the 2022 election cycle, having raised $607,492 in the first quarter. McMaster Campaign Manager Mark Knoop said that leads the gubernatorial field by “a substantial margin.”
“The campaign’s growing war chest and massive grassroots support will drive a successful McMaster-Evette re-election campaign, and it will help conservative Republican leaders up and down the ballot in November,” Knoop said.
He said the campaign’s cash on hand reached $3.2 million at the end of the first quarter of 2022 and that last year, the McMaster-Evette campaign became the first gubernatorial campaign of the 2022 election to surpass $1 million raised in a single quarter.
Late last week, the campaign of former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham, who served the state’s First Congressional District for a single term before being defeated by Republican Nancy Mace in 2020, said he has raised more than $1.7 million. The Cunningham campaign raised $400,000 in the first quarter of 2022.
McMaster, who is running for his second full term as governor; and Cunningham are two of a total of 12 candidates in the race for the Governor’s Mansion, according to the South Carolina Election Commission.
He is being challenged on the Republican side by Mindy Steele and Harrison Musselwhite, chairman of the Greenville Republican Party Legislative Committee.
Besides Cunningham, his other Democratic opponents include State Sen. Mia McLeod, Calvin CJ Mack McMillian, Carlton Boyd, and William H. Williams.
Gary Votour is running for the Labor Party; Bruce Reeves is running as a Libertarian; and Jokie Beckett Jr. and Michael Copland are running as independents.
Statewide primaries are scheduled for June 14 and the general election is set for Nov. 8.
Copyright 2022 WCSC. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/mcmaster-raises-5m-re-election-bid-campaign-says/ | 2022-04-13T07:44:47 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/mcmaster-raises-5m-re-election-bid-campaign-says/ |
Midlands Gives Day returns for ninth annual year
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Midlands Gives Day is back for its ninth annual year on Tuesday, May 3 from 6 a.m. to 11:59 p.m.
The day is presented by Central Carolina Community Foundation.
Midlands Gives Day is an 18 hour online giving challenge with the opportunity to donate to more than 540 local nonprofits.
“Our region’s nonprofit organizations provide support and services throughout our 11-county footprint,” says JoAnn Turnquist, president and CEO of Central Carolina Community Foundation. “Midlands Gives allows people to invest in our local communities by investing in nonprofits.”
Midlands Gives Day will be livestreamed on the Central Carolina Community Foundation’s Facebook page.
Nearly $200,000 in prizes are available and surprise challenges will be announced during the day, giving viewers the opportunity to help their nonprofit win additional dollars.
Since 2014, Midlands Gives has raised nearly $16 million for hundreds of local nonprofits in the Midlands.
Midlands Gives provides a year-round platform for nonprofit organizations to increase awareness, donors and dollars.
Early giving is now open at www.MidlandsGives.org.
Copyright 2022 WIS. All rights reserved.
Notice a spelling or grammar error in this article? Click or tap here to report it. Please include the article’s headline. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/midlands-gives-day-returns-ninth-annual-year/ | 2022-04-13T07:44:54 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/midlands-gives-day-returns-ninth-annual-year/ |
Mimi Reinhard, who typed up Schindler’s list, dies at 107
JERUSALEM (AP) — Mimi Reinhard, a secretary in Oskar Schindler’s office who typed up the list of Jews he saved from extermination by Nazi Germany, has died in Israel at the age of 107.
Reinhard died early Friday and was laid to rest Sunday in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, her son Sasha Weitman confirmed.
She was one of 1,200 Jews saved by German businessman Schindler after he bribed Nazi authorities to let him keep them as workers in his factories. The account was made into the acclaimed 1993 film “Schindler’s List” by director Steven Spielberg.
Reinhard was born Carmen Koppel in Vienna, Austria, in 1915, and moved to Krakow, Poland, before the outbreak of World War II. After Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, she was confined to the Krakow ghetto before being sent to the nearby Plaszow concentration camp in 1942.
Reinhard’s knowledge of shorthand got her work in the camp’s administrative office, where, two years later, she was ordered to type up the handwritten list of Jews that were to be transferred to Schindler’s ammunition factory.
“I didn’t know it was such an important thing, that list,” she told an interviewer with Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, in 2008. “First of all, I got the list of those who were with Schindler already in Krakow, in his factory. I had to put them on the list.” Later she put her own name, and the names of two friends.
At the Brünnlitz labor camp, where Schindler’s ammunition factory was housed, she was put to work in Schindler’s office.
She said that although she worked in Schindler’s office toward the end of the war, she had little personal contact with him.
“He was a very charming man, very outgoing,” she recalled, decades after the war. “He didn’t treat us like scum.”
After the war, she made her way to the United States, where she lived until immigrating to Israel in 2007 at the age of 92.
Weitman, Reinhard’s son, said that after coming to Israel she “became a kind of a celebrity” because of the Schindler’s List film’s popularity, something he said “pumped another 15 years into her life.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/mimi-reinhard-who-typed-up-schindlers-list-dies-107/ | 2022-04-13T07:45:00 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/mimi-reinhard-who-typed-up-schindlers-list-dies-107/ |
California utility to pay $55 million for massive wildfires
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Pacific Gas & Electric, the nation’s largest utility, has agreed to pay more than $55 million to avoid criminal prosecution for two major wildfires sparked by its aging Northern California power lines and submit to five years of oversight in an attempt to prevent more deadly blazes.
The company didn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing in the settlement announced Monday with prosecutors in six counties ravaged by last year’s Dixie Fire and the 2019 Kincade Fire. The utility still faces criminal charges for a 2020 wildfire in Shasta County that killed four people.
The civil settlements are designed to accelerate payments to hundreds of people whose homes were destroyed so they can start rebuilding more quickly than those who suffered devastating losses in 2017 and 2018 blazes ignited by PG&E’s equipment. Those fires prompted the utility to negotiate settlements that included $13.5 billion earmarked for victims — money that still hasn’t been completely distributed.
The deal also thrusts the utility back into five years of independent oversight, similar to the supervision PG&E faced during its criminal probation after it was convicted of misconduct that contributed to a natural gas explosion that killed eight people in 2010.
Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch said that oversight was the biggest accomplishment to come from the settlement.
“We have limited tools and criminal law to deal with corporations and what we were able to do here was to get a five-year agreement that they will be overseen, that there will be an independent monitor, and that they will have to meet certain benchmarks,” she said Monday.
All told, PG&E has been blamed for more than 30 wildfires since 2017 that wiped out more than 23,000 homes and businesses and killed more than 100 people.
PG&E’s federal probation ended in late January, raising worries from the federal judge who tried to force the utility to reduce fire risks by requiring more maintenance and reporting. U.S. District Judge William Alsup warned that PG&E remained a “continuing menace to California” and urged state prosecutors to try to rein in the company that provides power to 16 million people.
In a joint statement covering five of the six counties that settled, prosecutors said PG&E will be “essentially on a five-year probation” to be overseen by Filsinger Energy Partners, which already acts as a safety monitor for California power regulators.
PG&E will have to underwrite the federal monitor’s costs, up to $15 million annually, in addition to the $55 million in other payments and penalties that the utility expects to incur in the settlement.
As part of their settlement, Sonoma County prosecutors agreed to drop 33 criminal charges filed last year that accused PG&E of inadvertently injuring six firefighters and endangering public health with smoke and ash from the Kincade Fire that began in October 2019.
Fire officials said a PG&E transmission line sparked the fire, which destroyed 374 buildings in wine country and caused nearly 200,000 people to flee as it burned through 120 square miles (311 square kilometers), the largest evacuation in county history.
Prosecutors in the other five counties were exploring criminal charges in last year’s Dixie Fire before cutting the deal that they said will result in far larger payouts than had they hauled PG&E into court. Because there were no deaths in the Dixie Fire, prosecutors said the utility would have paid a maximum penalty of about $330,000 if it had been found guilty in a criminal case.
Ravitch said state laws that limit punishment against a corporation to probation and fines helped motivate the settlement. She said if PG&E had been successfully prosecuted in the Sonoma County case it would have paid a fine of just $9.4 million, most of which would have gone to the state.
Instead, the county will now receive more than $20 million earmarked for nonprofits that help people affected by wildfires and for Santa Rosa Junior College so that it can expand fire safety and vegetation management programs. It will also reimburse the DA’s office for the costs of investigating and litigating the case, she said.
Even when PG&E pleaded guilty to 84 felony counts of involuntary manslaughter f or the deaths in the 2018 Camp Fire, the company was fined just $3.5 million.
In a statement, PG&E CEO Patti Poppe said the utility welcomed the chance to be more transparent — and ultimately more accountable — for its operations.
“We are committed to doing our part, and we look forward to a long partnership with these communities to make it right and make it safe,” Poppe said.
The money that that PG&E will pay as part of the settlements will account for a just sliver of its anticipated liabilities in the Kincade, Zogg and Dixie fires. As of December 31, PG&E estimated it will likely be held responsible for at least $2.3 billion in losses stemming from those wildfires. Some of the estimated $1.15 billion in damages caused by the Dixie Fire may be paid by a state-backed insurance fund that California lawmakers created after PG&E filed for bankruptcy in 2019.
The Dixie Fire burned nearly 1 million acres (3,900 square kilometers) in Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta, and Tehama counties and destroyed more than 1,300 homes and other buildings. The blaze started on July 13, 2021 when a tree hit electrical distribution lines west of a dam in the Sierra Nevada, according to investigators with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
The settlement for the Dixie Fire was made by district attorneys in Plumas, Lassen, Tehama, Shasta and Butte counties, which will receive nearly $30 million.
Although her office participated in the Dixie Fire settlement, Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett said she will continue to pursue a criminal case related to the Zogg Fire, which killed four.
___
Liedtke reported from San Ramon, California.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/pacific-gas-electric-pay-more-than-55-million-avoid-prosecution-california-wildfires/ | 2022-04-13T07:45:07 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/pacific-gas-electric-pay-more-than-55-million-avoid-prosecution-california-wildfires/ |
Swiftwater rescue training on the Saluda river
The annual training starts April 11, 2022
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Crews from the Columbia-Richland Fire Department (CRFD) will be training on the Saluda river this week.
Starting Monday, April 11, 2022 until Wednesday April 13, 2022 the firefighters will conducting water rescue drills. CRFD said the sessions will take place on the river near Candi lane by the Riverbanks Zoo.
Chief Aubrey D. Jenkins said, “The warmer weather always brings a strong uptick in the number of water rescues that our firefighters are called to handle. That’s why it’s highly important for us to get this training and re-training in with our crews during the spring.
He continued, “We are incredibly grateful to Dominion Energy for making these sessions possible by giving us the water-flow we need on the river.” Dominion Energy helps with the annual drills by flowing additional water through the Dreher Shoals Dam to create the white water conditions for the training.
Dominion Energy South Carolina President Keller Kissam said, “Collaborations like this are essential for serving our neighbors when they need us most.”
Copyright 2022 WIS. All rights reserved.
Notice a spelling or grammar error in this article? Click or tap here to report it. Please include the article’s headline. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/swiftwater-rescue-training-saluda-river/ | 2022-04-13T07:45:20 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/swiftwater-rescue-training-saluda-river/ |
Trump endorses Dr. Oz in Pennsylvania’s Senate primary race
HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump endorsed Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania’s crowded Republican Senate primary, ending months of jockeying for his support.
In a statement Saturday evening, Trump said his decision was “all about winning elections” as he formally backed the celebrity heart surgeon best known as the host of daytime TV’s “The Dr. Oz Show.”
“The Great Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has a tremendous opportunity to Save America by electing the brilliant and well-known Dr. Mehmet Oz for the United States Senate,” Trump said, in part. Later, at a rally in North Carolina, he said: “You know when you’re in television for 18 years, that’s like a poll. That means people like you.”
Oz had been competing for Trump’s endorsement in the May 17 primary against former hedge fund CEO David McCormick, whose wife, Dina Powell, served in Trump’s administration. The two had gone to extensive lengths to win over the former president, who remains deeply popular with the Republican base and has been wooed by candidates in primary races across the country.
At a conservative forum in Pennsylvania last weekend, the candidates were asked if they would like Trump’s endorsement and for him to come to Pennsylvania to campaign for them.
“That’s the easiest question we’re going to get all day,” replied one of the candidates, Jeff Bartos, a real estate investor. “Yes. 100%, yes.”
The decision marks a disappointment for McCormick, who met with Trump last week and had hired a litany of former Trump aides for his campaign. Though he was virtually unknown to voters before declaring his candidacy in January, he topped a recent Fox News poll of Pennsylvania GOP primary voters.
Trump had previously endorsed Sean Parnell in the race, but Parnell withdrew his candidacy amid allegations of abuse from his estranged wife. The turnabout raised questions about the vigor of Trump’s vetting process and concerns among Republicans about whether the former president was bolstering candidates who might be able to win their respective primaries but flounder in general elections that will determine which party controls the Senate.
This time, Trump made clear that electability was top of mind. In his statement, he noted that Oz was a well-known quantity who has “lived with us through the screen and has always been popular, respected, and smart.”
“Perhaps most importantly, I believe that Mehmet Oz will be the one most able to win the General Election against a Radical Left Democrat looking to do unthinkable harm to our Country,” he added. “Women, in particular, are drawn to Dr. Oz for his advice and counsel. I have seen this many times over the years. They know him, believe in him, and trust him,” he said.
When Oz interviewed Trump on his show in 2016, Trump told him at one point that his wife, Melania Trump, was “a big fan” of the show.
Oz also has a long personal history with Trump.
Oz said in a recent interview that he had first met Trump in 2004 or 2005 when he asked Trump to use his golf course for an event for Oz’s children’s charity. Trump agreed. After that, they saw each other intermittently at social events before Oz interviewed Trump about his health during the 2016 presidential campaign.
Trump, in conversations, has often praised Oz for his positive treatment on the show. “He even said that I was in extraordinary health, which made me like him even more (although he also said I should lose a couple of pounds!),” Trump wrote in his statement.
McCormick, meanwhile, has made deep inroads with party donors and officials in Pennsylvania, and has landed endorsements from former Trump administration officials Sarah Sanders and Mike Pompeo. But he has had to work to turn himself into a pro-Trump, America First candidate.
McCormick carries strong Republican establishment ties going back to his days in President George W. Bush’s administration. In 2015, McCormick held a fundraiser for Jeb Bush, Trump’s 2016 rival.
That has opened McCormick, who spent a dozen years as an executive at one of the nation’s biggest hedge funds, to charges from some conservatives that he is a “globalist,” a derogatory term as adopted by Trump and others in his orbit to conjure up an elite, international coterie that doesn’t serve America’s best interests.
Meanwhile, McCormick and a super PAC supporting him have spent millions attacking Oz.
The ads pick apart Oz’s long career on TV and as a public personality and accuse him of being a liberal, pointing, for instance, to his repeated public advocacy for “Obamacare,” former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law. They also accuse Oz of being too “Hollywood.”
Oz also has taken heat in the race for carpetbaggery. He lived in New Jersey for two decades until just before deciding to run in neighboring Pennsylvania, where his in-laws live.
Trump’s decision drew criticism from some Oz critics, including Parnell, who endorsed McCormick.
“I have enormous respect for President Trump. I was honored to have his endorsement in PA,” he tweeted. “But I’m disappointed by this. Oz is the antithesis of everything that made Trump the best president of my lifetime—he’s the farthest thing from America First & he’d be very bad for PA.”
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/trump-endorses-dr-oz-pennsylvanias-senate-primary-race/ | 2022-04-13T07:45:29 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/trump-endorses-dr-oz-pennsylvanias-senate-primary-race/ |
UofSC announces details on Big Gamecock Weekend
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Fans of the University of South Carolina (UofSC) Athletics Department were invited to attend Big Gamecock Weekend.
The university will host 10 athletic events between Thursday, April 14 through Saturday April 16, 2022. Fans that scan the QR codes at the events will be entered into a drawing for multiple prizes, including season tickets.
In addition to the games, Saturday April 16 is the Cocky Trot 5k and Fun Run/Walk. The 5k begins at 9 a.m. and the walk will start at 9:30 a.m. Runners can register the morning of the race in the Gamecock Village or by checking online for more details.
The QR scan locations are:
- Baseball Check-in Location: Guest Service Kiosk behind home plate
- Beach Volleyball Check-in Location: Marketing table at entrance to Wheeler Beach
- Men’s Tennis Check-in Location: Marketing Table at entrance to Carolina Tennis Center
- Track and Field Check-in Location: Ticket tent located by the Carolina Tennis Center
- Football Check-in Location: Marketing Table in Gamecock Village (3:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.)
The full listing of games:
- Thursday, April 14
Baseball vs. Ole Miss at 7 p.m.
- Friday, April 15
Beach Volleyball vs. Georgia State at 11 a.m.
Men’s Tennis vs. Texas A&M at 5 p.m.
Beach Volleyball vs. College of Charleston at 5:30 p.m.
Baseball vs. Ole Miss at 7 p.m.
- Saturday, April 16
Cocky Trot 5K & Fun Run/Walk begins at 9 a.m.
Track and Field Gamecock Invitational - All Day
Gamecock Block Party sponsored by Palmetto Shirt Company begins at 10 a.m. on Williams Street
Beach Volleyball vs. Florida Gulf Coast at 11 a.m.
Baseball vs. Ole Miss at 1 p.m.
Beach Volleyball vs. Coastal Carolina at 5:30 p.m.
Patrick Davis Pregame Concert begins at 5 p.m. in Gamecock Park
Alumni Flag Football game begins at 6 p.m. in William-Brice Stadium
Garnet and Black Spring Game at 7 p.m.
Postgame fireworks following the conclusion of the Spring Game
Copyright 2022 WIS. All rights reserved.
Notice a spelling or grammar error in this article? Click or tap here to report it. Please include the article’s headline. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/uofsc-announces-details-big-gamecock-weekend/ | 2022-04-13T07:45:38 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/uofsc-announces-details-big-gamecock-weekend/ |
Woman assaults Sonic carhop because her order took too long, police say
TULSA, Okla. (Gray News) – Police in Oklahoma arrested a woman who they said assaulted a Sonic employee and another customer because her food order took too long.
Tulsa police said Stacy Minihan was arrested for assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and for trafficking meth.
According to police, officers were called to a Sonic on Saturday night for reports of an assault with a weapon. Investigators found that when the carhop delivered Minihan’s food, she became very upset because the order took too long.
When the employee tried to explain that the restaurant was short-staffed, Minihan got out of her car, slapped the food out of the carhop’s hands and punched the carhop in the chest, witnesses told police.
Police said that when another witness followed Minihan to get her license plate number, Minihan pulled over, got out of her car and shot the witness in the face with a pepper ball gun. The victim was also hit several times and was bleeding from their head.
Officers said Minihan then drove to a nearby gas station where she was stopped by police and arrested. Police seized the pepper ball gun, nearly 30 grams of meth and other drug paraphernalia.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/woman-assaults-sonic-carhop-because-her-order-took-too-long-police-say/ | 2022-04-13T07:45:47 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/11/woman-assaults-sonic-carhop-because-her-order-took-too-long-police-say/ |
Police say four people were shot around 10:00 p.m. in Allerton.
Investigators say that when they arrived at the scene they found four people with gunshot wounds. A 21-year-old man was found shot to the head, and a 33-year-old woman, 23-year-old man, and a 22-year-old man were also injured.
The victims were transported to NYC Health and Hospitals/Jacobi. The 21-year-old who was shot in the head, later identified as Jessie Bynum, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. All other victims are in stable condition.
No arrests have been made in regard and the investigation remains ongoing at this time. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/4-shot-one-dead-in-bronx-shooting/3643549/ | 2022-04-13T07:51:35 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/4-shot-one-dead-in-bronx-shooting/3643549/ |
For more information about the Brooklyn subway shooting, click here
Police investigating the Brooklyn subway shooting are searching for a person of interest who rented a U-Haul van from Philadelphia — which they were able to quickly find thanks to an observant resident.
The man, who did not wish to be identified, told NBC New York he was having a conversation with the superintendent for his Gravesend building when the super mentioned a U-Haul van that was blocking the building's driveway since Monday, possibly in the afternoon.
The super said the van had Arizona plates, and another tenant saw a man exit the van after parking it there the day prior. That's when the man connected the dots, and realized that it could be the U-Haul van police said they were searching for — especially given its proximity to the N and R line, which is only a few blocks away.
The man told News 4 he urged the super to call the police, but he was hesitant to do so, leaving the Gravesend resident to do it himself.
Police now have that major piece of evidence, thanks to the resident's 911 call. Investigators were seen removing the van late Tuesday night, in order to inspect it even further in an effort to get any clues that could lead them to the alleged gunman.
They identified a 62-year-old man as a person of interest in the case, who police said rented a U-Haul van connected to the attack and suspect, but NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said they weren't yet sure whether he had any link to the subway attack itself.
A key to the van was found at the scene of the shooting at the Sunset Park subway station. The vehicle was later searched and cleared, senior law enforcement sources said, as cops removed a table, chairs and memory foam pillows from inside.
The man who rented the van — person of interest Frank James — has ties to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to police. He was said to have past criminal records in those states, as well as ties to New York, law enforcement sources said.
Officials said authorities zeroed in on James after the credit card used to rent the van, as well as a key to the van, were found at the shooting scene.
It appeared that James drove the rental van to New York from Pennsylvania on Monday, based on license plate reader data and other info, sources said. Investigators obtained video from 5 a.m. Tuesday near where the van was found parked, appearing to show a man matching the description of the subway attacker emerging from the van. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/residents-911-call-led-police-to-finding-u-haul-van-tied-to-brooklyn-subway-gunman/3643485/ | 2022-04-13T07:51:41 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/residents-911-call-led-police-to-finding-u-haul-van-tied-to-brooklyn-subway-gunman/3643485/ |
Hours after a shooting inside a subway station in Brooklyn left 23 people injured including 10 with gunshot wounds, New Yorkers were still on edge Tuesday night while heading home from work — possibly feeling a bit less safe on their nightly commute.
During the evening rush hour in Grand Central Terminal, some felt that the shooting only cemented their already present fears and worries about traveling on the subway.
"We were talking about this at work among the women — we don’t feel safe. We always feel like we have to watch our back," said Rashda Bibi.
The morning attack occurred at the height of the morning rush hour, sending terrified riders out of the subways and into the streets, leaving some scrambling for rides. Uber and Lyft said they suspended surge pricing in Sunset Park in the aftermath of the violence, after users blasted both companies for the high prices in a time of need.
But even after 7 p.m., it would still cost more than $80 to go from Union Square to Brooklyn's Windsor Terrace. Uber said it would refund anyone who experienced surge prices.
At an evening Yankees game in the Bronx, families expressed fear over riding the subway, while other noticed more security than normal.
The attack came at a time when subway violence has surged, up 68 percent in 2022 from the same time the previous year. But officials insist that taking the subway remains safe.
"I took the subway over here to let New Yorkers know: We appreciate their resilience in how tough that they still keep coming on this subway, and I was really grateful to see that New Yorkers cannot be kept down," said New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
But some riders said they are still not comfortable getting back on board.
"It's an every day thing, you never know what’s going to happen anymore. Every day the city gets crazier and crazier it seems like," said Jesus Vasquez, of the Bronx.
"Public transportation unfortunately is the only route right now. It's just a matter of feeling safe," said Bibi.
The NYPD is asking New Yorkers to be on alert in the subway, while the search for the shooter continues. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/will-already-skittish-nyc-subway-riders-return-after-mass-shooting-at-brooklyn-station/3643484/ | 2022-04-13T07:51:47 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/will-already-skittish-nyc-subway-riders-return-after-mass-shooting-at-brooklyn-station/3643484/ |
Over 100 skydivers from across the globe — and all walks of life — attempted a new world record for freefall formation in the sky. The dozens of thrill-seekers, all between 60 and 78 years old, tried to set the new mark at one of the biggest skydiving centers in the world and home to several world records already: Skydive Perris in Southern California.
To challenge the record, divers jump simultaneously from five different airplanes and exceed speeds of 120 mph, joining hands and legs in a specific and predetermined order. They have less than 60 seconds to complete the figure, a breathtaking, 150-foot diameter snowflake, before they must float apart to open their parachutes safely. To succeed, every skydiver must stick to their preassigned position in the formation.
“It is an incredibly hard feat to achieve for any group of highly skilled skydivers, let alone when each participant is over 60 years old,” Skydive Perris said.
The current Skydivers Over Sixty (SOS) record was set in 2018 when 75 people connected over Illinois skies.
The event dubbed “Boomers Away” was set to begin on Thursday, April 7. But high winds kept the Skydivers Over Sixty world record seekers on the ground that day, depriving them of several chances to practice the formation.
Photos: Skydivers Came This Close to Setting Record Above SoCal
The original plan was to set the record at 100. But the divers wanted to go even bigger, setting a target of 106 skydivers connecting in the sky. On Friday, they had their chance to do it.
U.S. & World
“They almost succeeded on their first try, and then two more times after that, with just one or two jumpers not able to join the formation in time,” said Celine Pelletier from Skydive Perris.
Even though they connected 105 divers, the 2018 record survived. According to Pelletier, a record is broken only if the stated number of divers — in this case, 106 — is achieved. Anything less simply does not count in the record books.
The divers' last chance was on Sunday morning. When the clouds finally cleared, they all went up, focused and determined, but it wasn’t meant to happen this time. After eight attempts, most of them "oh so close," the clouds crept back in and the skies denied them one last chance to dive.
Despite the unsuccessful result, they plan to try again soon. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/skydivers-came-this-close-to-setting-record-above-socal/3643571/ | 2022-04-13T07:51:53 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/skydivers-came-this-close-to-setting-record-above-socal/3643571/ |
Three lawsuits were filed against the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday in connection with alleged beatings of fans in 2021 by the team's security force.
The Los Angeles Superior Court complaints allege assault, battery, false imprisonment, violation of civil rights and emotional distress. All the suits seek unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
"The answer is not more security, but smarter security, including transparency with fans and the public, and discipline of security personnel when necessary to maintain confidence in the system," plaintiffs' attorney Peter DiDonato said in a prepared statement.
"Fans must be free from harassment by the security force, which is comprised of both sworn and non-sworn personnel. The start of a new baseball season provides an excellent opportunity to reflect and make policy changes to prevent abuse and racial profiling of the Dodgers' loyal fans."
A Dodger spokesman said the organization does not comment on ongoing litigation.
In one suit, plaintiffs Salvador and Priscilla Mota said they attended the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates last Aug. 17. The couple was about to drive out of one of the Dodger Stadium parking lots when security team members told Salvador Mota to get out of his car, the suit states.
"Priscilla watched in horror as sworn and non-sworn security attacked her husband without reason or provocation," their suit states.
U.S. & World
Salvador Mota was handcuffed and taken to a hospital for severe facial, eye, shoulder and leg injuries, according to their suit.
In the second suit, plaintiff Karen Osorio, her husband, daughter and grandson say they attended the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sept. 14. The woman saw a uniformed Los Angeles Police Department Dodgers employee grab cellphones held by her daughter, the daughter's friend and her grandson, then accuse the plaintiff's daughter of unspecified illegal activities, the suit states.
When the plaintiff asked about the security staff's conduct toward her daughter, the guards surrounded and attacked her in front as her companions watched, the suit states.
The woman was handcuffed and jailed, but not charged with any crime, the suit states. She suffered facial, chest and leg injuries, according to her suit.
In the third complaint, Adam and Monica Villa, along with their daughter, attended the game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Oct. 3 when guards approached Adam Villa during the contest and complained about his "enthusiastic language," the suit states.
Adam Villa agreed not to use the same speech, but then he was suddenly surrounded and attacked by six guards who pulled out much of his hair in front of his wife and daughter, the suit states. He suffered head, neck and back injuries, and his wife was hurt while trying to prevent the alleged attack, according to the suit.
Villa told NBC4 Los Angeles that before security arrived, he had been joking with a Brewer player in the outfield and trying to get the crowd to cheer on the Dodgers.
"I was telling them, 'This isn't church. If you want to be quiet, go to church to be quiet. Let's cheer, let's cheer," he said.
He said a security guard grabbed him by the arm.
"I said, 'Don't touch me.' And right when I did, they punched me in the side of the head.
"I was like, man, they're gonna kill me."
His wife and daughter say they were also hurt during the commotion.
"I was really scared, and I was just trying to help and then they started to attack me and then her," said Jasmine Villa, 15. "It's a very painful and traumatizing thing."
NBC4's Lauren Coronado contributed to this report. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/three-suits-filed-against-dodgers-alleging-security-personnel-attacked-fans/3643560/ | 2022-04-13T07:52:00 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/three-suits-filed-against-dodgers-alleging-security-personnel-attacked-fans/3643560/ |
Amazon warehouse workers suffer serious injuries at twice the rate of others, study finds
(CNN) - A new study suggests that serious injuries at Amazon warehouses in the U.S. were more than double that of non-Amazon warehouses last year.
The Strategic Organizing Center, a coalition of four labor unions, published the report on Tuesday.
The report found that Amazon employed 33% of all U.S warehouse workers in 2021, but it was responsible for 49% of all injuries in the industry.
According to the study, there were 38,334 total recordable injuries at Amazon facilities in 2021.
About 34,000 of those injuries were considered serious, where the workers could no longer perform their jobs or had to miss work.
According to the study, Amazon reported 6.8 serious injuries for every 100 warehouse workers. Other warehouses had 3.5 severe injuries per 100 warehouse workers.
The study used 2021 injury data that Amazon submitted to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/amazon-warehouse-workers-suffer-serious-injuries-twice-rate-others-study-finds/ | 2022-04-13T07:57:04 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/amazon-warehouse-workers-suffer-serious-injuries-twice-rate-others-study-finds/ |
Blame Trump? Jury hears that defense at Capitol riot trial
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mentions of Donald Trump have been rare at the first few trials for people charged with storming the U.S. Capitol, but that has changed: The latest Capitol riot defendant to go on trial is blaming his actions on the former president and his false claims about a stolen election.
Dustin Byron Thompson, an Ohio man charged with stealing a coat rack from the Capitol, doesn’t deny that he joined the mob on Jan. 6, 2021. But his lawyer vowed Tuesday to show that Trump abused his power to “authorize” the attack.
Describing Trump as a man without scruples or integrity, defense attorney Samuel Shamansky said the former president engaged in a “sinister” plot to encourage Thompson and other supporters to “do his dirty work.”
“It’s Donald Trump himself spewing the lies and using his position to authorize this assault,” Shamansky told jurors Tuesday during the trial’s opening statements.
Justice Department prosecutor Jennifer Rozzoni said Thompson knew he was breaking the law that day.
“He chose to be a part of the mayhem and chaos,” she said.
Thompson’s lawyer sought subpoenas to call Trump and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as witnesses at his trial this week. A judge rejected that request but ruled that jurors can hear recordings of speeches that Trump and Giuliani delivered at a rally before the riot.
Thompson’s jury trial is the third among hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions. The first two ended with jurors convicting both defendants on all counts with which they were charged.
In a February court filing, Shamansky said he wanted to argue at trial that Thompson was acting at the direction of Trump and “his various conspirators.” The lawyer asked to subpoena others from Trump’s inner circle, including former White House strategist Steve Bannon, former White House senior adviser Stephen Miller and former Trump lawyers John Eastman and Sidney Powell.
Prosecutors said Thompson can’t show that Trump or Giuliani had the authority to “empower” him to break the law. They also noted that video of the rally speeches “perfectly captures” the tone, delivery and context of the statements to the extent they are “marginally relevant” to proof of Thompson’s intent on Jan. 6.
Thompson’s lawyer argued that Trump would testify that he and others " orchestrated a carefully crafted plot to call into question the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.” Shamansky claimed that Giuliani incited rioters by encouraging them to engage in “trial by combat” and that Trump provoked the mob by saying that “if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Shamansky said Thompson, who lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic, became an avid consumer of the conspiracy theories and lies about a stolen election.
“This is the garbage that Dustin Thompson is listening to day after day after day,” Shamansky said. “He goes down this rabbit hole. He listens to this echo chamber. And he acts accordingly.”
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton ruled in March that any in-person testimony by Trump or Giuliani could confuse and mislead jurors.
More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes arising from Jan. 6. Over 250 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors. Thompson is the fifth person to be tried on riot-related charges.
On Monday, a jury convicted a former Virginia police officer, Thomas Robertson, of storming the Capitol with another off-duty officer to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. Last month, a jury convicted a Texas man, Guy Reffitt, of storming the Capitol with a holstered handgun.
A judge hearing testimony without a jury decided cases against two other Capitol riot defendants at separate bench trials. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden acquitted one of them of all charges and partially acquitted the other.
Thompson has a co-defendant, Robert Lyon, who pleaded guilty to riot-related charges in March.
Thompson, then 36, and Lyon, then 27, drove from Columbus, Ohio, to Silver Spring, Maryland, stayed overnight at a hotel and then took an Uber ride into Washington, D.C., on the morning of Jan. 6. After then-President Donald Trump’s speech, Thompson and Lyon headed over to the Capitol.
Thompson was wearing a “Trump 2020″ winter hat and a bulletproof vest when he entered the Capitol and went to the Senate Parliamentarian’s Office, where he stole two bottles of liquor and a coat rack worth up to $500, according to prosecutors.
Thompson and Lyon traded text messages during the riot.
“Some girl died already,” Lyon said in one text, an apparent reference to a law enforcement officer’s fatal shooting of a rioter, Ashli Babbitt
“Was it Pelosi?” Thompson replied.
“I’m taking our country back,” Thompson later texted Lyon.
Around 6 p.m. on Jan. 6, Thompson and Lyon were sitting on a sidewalk and waiting for an Uber driver to pick them up when Capitol police officers approached and warned them that they were in a restricted area. As they started to leave, Thompson picked up a coat rack that appeared to be from the Capitol, the FBI said. Thompson ran away when the officers told him to put down the rack, dropping it as he fled. Lyon stayed behind and identified himself and Thompson to police.
That night, Thompson received a text from his wife that said, “I will not post bail.”
The FBI said agents later searched Lyon’s cellphone and found a video that showed a ransacked office and Thompson yelling: “Wooooo! ‘Merica Hey! This is our house!” A surveillance video also captured Thompson leaving a Capitol office with a bottle of bourbon, the FBI said.
Thompson is charged with six counts: obstructing Congress’ joint session to certify the Electoral College vote, theft of government property, entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
Lyon pleaded guilty to theft of government property and disorderly conduct. Both counts are misdemeanors punishable by a maximum of 1 year imprisonment. Walton is scheduled to sentence Lyon on June 3.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/13/blame-trump-jury-hears-that-defense-capitol-riot-trial/ | 2022-04-13T07:57:04 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/13/blame-trump-jury-hears-that-defense-capitol-riot-trial/ |
AP source: DOJ denies panel details in Trump records probe
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department declined a request this week from the House oversight committee to disclose the contents of records that former President Donald Trump took to his Florida residence after leaving the White House, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The move could serve as a setback for Democrats on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform as it was ramping up its investigation into Trump’s handling of sensitive and even classified information during his time as president and after he left the White House. It remains unclear what implications the decision could have for the panel’s probe, which was announced in March.
The Justice Department’s decision is part of an effort to protect confidential information that may compromise an ongoing investigation, according to the person, who was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. The development was first reported Tuesday by The Washington Post.
The National Archives had referred the matter of Trump’s handling of those records to the Justice Department earlier this year. Because of that, the DOJ is asking the National Archives not to share information related directly to it, including the contents of the 15 boxes that Trump took to his Mar-a-Lago residence.
The notice to the committee comes days after its chair, Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., accused the Justice Department of “obstructing” the panel’s expanded investigation by preventing the release of information from the National Archives.
The Justice Department has not formally announced it is investigating Trump’s handling of the records, but letters between the committee and the department seem to indicate that investigators are taking steps toward it.
A spokesperson for the Justice Department declined a request for comment Tuesday.
In addition, the FBI has taken steps to begin examining the potential mishandling of classified information related to the documents in the boxes, according to two other people familiar with the investigation who were not authorized to discuss it by name and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity. It wasn’t clear exactly what work investigators had done so far or what additional steps they were planning to take.
In a letter to the National Archives last month, Maloney made a series of requests for information she said the committee needs to determine if Trump violated federal records laws over his handling of sensitive and even classified information. In response, the general counsel for the archivist wrote on March 28 that “based on our consultation with the Department of Justice, we are unable to provide any comment.”
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Associated Press writers Michael Balsamo and Eric Tucker contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/ap-source-doj-denies-panel-details-trump-records-probe-2/ | 2022-04-13T07:57:11 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/ap-source-doj-denies-panel-details-trump-records-probe-2/ |
Russia has yet to slow a Western arms express into Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — Western weaponry pouring into Ukraine helped blunt Russia’s initial offensive and seems certain to play a central role in the approaching, potentially decisive, battle for Ukraine’s contested Donbas region. Yet the Russian military is making little headway halting what has become a historic arms express.
The U.S. numbers alone are mounting: more than 12,000 weapons designed to defeat armored vehicles, some 1,400 shoulder-fired Stinger missiles to shoot down aircraft, and more than 50 million rounds of ammunition, among many other things. Dozens of other nations are adding to the totals.
The Biden administration is preparing yet another, more diverse, package of military support possibly totaling $750 million to be announced in coming days, a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans not yet publicly announced. The additional aid is a sign that the administration intends to continue expanding its support for Ukraine’s war effort.
These armaments have helped an under-gunned Ukrainian military defy predictions that it would be quickly overrun by Russia. They explain in part why Vladimir Putin’s army gave up, at least for now, its attempt to capture Kyiv, the capital, and has narrowed its focus to battling for eastern and southern Ukraine.
U.S. officials and analysts offer numerous explanations for why the Russians have had so little success interdicting Western arms moving overland from neighboring countries, including Poland. Among the likely reasons: Russia’s failure to win full control of Ukraine’s skies has limited its use of air power. Also, the Russians have struggled to deliver weapons and supplies to their own troops in Ukraine.
Some say Moscow’s problem begins at home.
“The short answer to the question is that they are an epically incompetent army badly led from the very top,” said James Stavridis, a retired U.S. Navy admiral who was the top NATO commander in Europe from 2009 to 2013.
The Russians also face practical obstacles. Robert G. Bell, a longtime NATO official and now a professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech University, said the shipments lend themselves to being hidden or disguised in ways that can make them elusive to the Russians — “short of having a network of espionage on the scene” to pinpoint the convoys’ movements.
“It’s not as easy to stop this assistance flow as it might seem,” said Stephen Biddle, a professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University. “Things like ammunition and shoulder-fired missiles can be transported in trucks that look just like any other commercial truck. And the trucks carrying the munitions the Russians want to interdict are just a small part of a much larger flow of goods and commerce moving around in Poland and Ukraine and across the border.
“So the Russians have to find the needle in this very big haystack to destroy the weapons and ammo they’re after and not waste scarce munitions on trucks full of printer paper or baby diapers or who knows what.”
Even with this Western assistance it’s uncertain whether Ukraine will ultimately prevail against a bigger Russian force. The Biden administration has drawn the line at committing U.S. troops to the fight. It has opted instead to orchestrate international condemnation and economic sanctions, provide intelligence information, bolster NATO’s eastern flank to deter a wider war with Russia, and donate weapons.
In mid-March, a Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said arms shipments would be targeted.
“We warned the United States that pumping weapons into Ukraine from a number of countries as it has orchestrated isn’t just a dangerous move but an action that turns the respective convoys into legitimate targets,” he said in televised remarks.
But thus far the Russians appear not to have put a high priority on arms interdiction, perhaps because their air force is leery of flying into Ukraine’s air defenses to search out and attack supply convoys on the move. They have struck fixed sites like arms depots and fuel storage locations, but to limited effect.
On Monday the Russians said they destroyed four S-300 surface-to-air missile launchers that had been given to Ukraine by an unspecified European country. Slovakia, a NATO member that shares a border with Ukraine, donated just such a system last week but denied it had been destroyed. On Tuesday the Russian Ministry of Defense said long-range missiles were used to hit two Ukrainian ammo depots.
As the fighting intensifies in the Donbas and perhaps along the coastal corridor to the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula, Putin may feel compelled to strike harder at the arms pipeline, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called vital to his nation’s survival.
In the meantime, a staggering volume and range of war materiel is arriving almost daily.
“The scope and speed of our support to meeting Ukraine’s defense needs are unprecedented in modern times,” said John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary. He said the approximately $2.5 billion in weapons and other material that has been offered to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration is equivalent to more than half of Ukraine’s normal defense budget.
One example: The Pentagon says it has provided more than 5,000 Javelin missiles, which are among the world’s most effective weapons against tanks and other armored vehicles — and can even take down a low-flying helicopter. The missile, shaped like a clunky dumb bell and weighing 50 pounds (23 kilograms), is fired by an individual soldier; from its launch tube it flies up at a steep angle and descends directly onto its target in what its known as a “curveball” shot — hitting the top of a tank where its armor is weakest.
The specific routes used to move the U.S. and other Western materials into Ukraine are secret for security reasons, but the basic process is not. Just this week, two U.S. military cargo planes arrived in Eastern Europe with items ranging from machine guns and small arms ammunition to body armor and grenades, the Pentagon said.
A similar load is due later this week to complete delivery of $800 million in assistance approved by President Joe Biden just one month ago. The weapons and equipment are offloaded, moved onto trucks and driven into Ukraine by Ukrainian soldiers for delivery.
Kirby said the material sometimes reaches troops in the field within 48 hours of entering Ukraine.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/13/russia-has-yet-slow-western-arms-express-into-ukraine/ | 2022-04-13T07:57:11 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/13/russia-has-yet-slow-western-arms-express-into-ukraine/ |
Biden: Russia war a ‘genocide,’ trying to ‘wipe out’ Ukraine
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — President Joe Biden said Russia’s war in Ukraine amounted to “genocide,” accusing President Vladimir Putin of trying to “wipe out the idea of even being a Ukrainian.”
“Yes, I called it genocide,” he told reporters in Iowa on Tuesday shortly before boarding Air Force One to return to Washington. “It’s become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being a Ukrainian.”
At an earlier event in Menlo, Iowa, addressing spiking energy prices resulting from the war, Biden had implied that he thought Putin was carrying out genocide against Ukraine, but offered no details. Neither he nor his administration announced new consequences for Russia or assistance to Ukraine following Biden’s public assessment.
WARNING: Images and videos used contains graphic content.
Biden’s comments drew praise from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had encouraged Western leaders to use the term to describe Russia’s invasion of his country.
“True words of a true leader @POTUS,” he tweeted. “Calling things by their names is essential to stand up to evil. We are grateful for US assistance provided so far and we urgently need more heavy weapons to prevent further Russian atrocities.”
A United Nations treaty, to which the U.S. is a party, defines genocide as actions taken with the “intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group.”
Past American leaders often have dodged formally declaring bloody campaigns such as Russia’s in Ukraine as genocide, hesitating to trigger an obligation that under international convention requires signing countries to intervene once genocide is formally identified. That obligation was seen as blocking President Bill Clinton from declaring Rwandan Hutus’ killing of 800,000 ethnic Tutsis in 1994 as genocide, for example.
Biden said it would be up to lawyers to decide if Russia’s conduct met the international standard for genocide, as Ukrainian officials have claimed, but said “it sure seems that way to me.”
“More evidence is coming out literally of the horrible things that the Russians have done in Ukraine, and we’re only going to learn more and more about the devastation and let the lawyers decide internationally whether or not it qualifies,” he said.
Just last week Biden had he did not believe Russia’s actions amounted to genocide, just that they constituted “war crimes.”
During a trip to Europe last month, Biden faced controversy for a nine-word statement seemingly supporting regime change in Moscow, which would have represented a dramatic shift toward direct confrontation with another nuclear-armed country. “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power,” Biden said.
He clarified the comments days later, saying: “I was expressing the moral outrage that I felt toward this man. I wasn’t articulating a policy change.”
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Miller reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/biden-russia-war-genocide-trying-wipe-out-ukraine/ | 2022-04-13T07:57:17 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/biden-russia-war-genocide-trying-wipe-out-ukraine/ |
WH environmental justice advisors press for Justice40 action
(AP) - Key members of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council said Tuesday that the Biden administration hadn’t done enough to make good on its promise that 40% of all benefits from climate investment go to disenfranchised communities.
Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the HBCU Climate Change Conference in New Orleans, the council members said they’ve secured $14 million from the Bezos Earth Fund for a program called Engage, Enlighten and Empower to hold the Biden administration accountable for carrying out its Justice40 initiative.
President Biden made the commitment in a sweeping executive order on his first day in office. The initiative has been held up as an unprecedented push to bring environmental justice to communities long plagued by pollution and climate inaction.
The three members of the federal environmental justice council leading the $14 million-dollar effort, Beverly Wright, Peggy Shepard and Robert Bullard, have been working closely with the administration on Justice40.
But Wright told members of the press that more needs to be done to “turn a novel idea into a project that works.”
The trio are combining philanthropic grants from the Bezos Earth Fund, $6 million from Shepard’s WE ACT for Environmental Justice, $4 million from Wright’s Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and $4 million from the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, to ensure federal funding from Justice40 “goes where it’s intended,” Shepard said.
The effort should “ensure equitable implementation of the Justice40 initiative at the state and local level and empower local communities to participate in the policy-making” that comes as a result of the initiative, a press release said.
The funds will go to educate grassroots organizations on the resources available to them through Justice40, inform state and local governments on how the money should be used, and develop a screening tool to determine where Justice40 funds are needed most, one that includes racial demographic data. Controversially a federal screening tool used by the administration does not take into account the racial makeup of communities.
There has been little change on the ground yet from the Justice40 pledge because the federal government is still trying to figure out which communities are most in need of the investment. In recommendations to the Biden administration, many reputable environmental justice advocates pushed for a methodical, intentional process for identifying disadvantaged communities and disbursing funds.
At the briefing, Wright and Bullard said they’ve seen past federal social and infrastructure projects fail to deliver on promises to disadvantaged communities and don’t want to see it happen again.
“There’s been a lot of really novel approaches at changing the lives of Americans in general that have worked out” benefitting just white Americans, Wright said.
Bullard pointed to discrimination in how flood relief was distributed in Texas, where the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice is located, as an example.
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Follow Drew Costley on Twitter: @drewcostley.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/13/wh-environmental-justice-advisors-press-justice40-action/ | 2022-04-13T07:57:18 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/13/wh-environmental-justice-advisors-press-justice40-action/ |
Blame Trump? Jury hears that defense at Capitol riot trial
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mentions of Donald Trump have been rare at the first few trials for people charged with storming the U.S. Capitol, but that has changed: The latest Capitol riot defendant to go on trial is blaming his actions on the former president and his false claims about a stolen election.
Dustin Byron Thompson, an Ohio man charged with stealing a coat rack from the Capitol, doesn’t deny that he joined the mob on Jan. 6, 2021. But his lawyer vowed Tuesday to show that Trump abused his power to “authorize” the attack.
Describing Trump as a man without scruples or integrity, defense attorney Samuel Shamansky said the former president engaged in a “sinister” plot to encourage Thompson and other supporters to “do his dirty work.”
“It’s Donald Trump himself spewing the lies and using his position to authorize this assault,” Shamansky told jurors Tuesday during the trial’s opening statements.
Justice Department prosecutor Jennifer Rozzoni said Thompson knew he was breaking the law that day.
“He chose to be a part of the mayhem and chaos,” she said.
Thompson’s lawyer sought subpoenas to call Trump and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as witnesses at his trial this week. A judge rejected that request but ruled that jurors can hear recordings of speeches that Trump and Giuliani delivered at a rally before the riot.
Thompson’s jury trial is the third among hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions. The first two ended with jurors convicting both defendants on all counts with which they were charged.
In a February court filing, Shamansky said he wanted to argue at trial that Thompson was acting at the direction of Trump and “his various conspirators.” The lawyer asked to subpoena others from Trump’s inner circle, including former White House strategist Steve Bannon, former White House senior adviser Stephen Miller and former Trump lawyers John Eastman and Sidney Powell.
Prosecutors said Thompson can’t show that Trump or Giuliani had the authority to “empower” him to break the law. They also noted that video of the rally speeches “perfectly captures” the tone, delivery and context of the statements to the extent they are “marginally relevant” to proof of Thompson’s intent on Jan. 6.
Thompson’s lawyer argued that Trump would testify that he and others " orchestrated a carefully crafted plot to call into question the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.” Shamansky claimed that Giuliani incited rioters by encouraging them to engage in “trial by combat” and that Trump provoked the mob by saying that “if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Shamansky said Thompson, who lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic, became an avid consumer of the conspiracy theories and lies about a stolen election.
“This is the garbage that Dustin Thompson is listening to day after day after day,” Shamansky said. “He goes down this rabbit hole. He listens to this echo chamber. And he acts accordingly.”
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton ruled in March that any in-person testimony by Trump or Giuliani could confuse and mislead jurors.
More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes arising from Jan. 6. Over 250 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors. Thompson is the fifth person to be tried on riot-related charges.
On Monday, a jury convicted a former Virginia police officer, Thomas Robertson, of storming the Capitol with another off-duty officer to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. Last month, a jury convicted a Texas man, Guy Reffitt, of storming the Capitol with a holstered handgun.
A judge hearing testimony without a jury decided cases against two other Capitol riot defendants at separate bench trials. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden acquitted one of them of all charges and partially acquitted the other.
Thompson has a co-defendant, Robert Lyon, who pleaded guilty to riot-related charges in March.
Thompson, then 36, and Lyon, then 27, drove from Columbus, Ohio, to Silver Spring, Maryland, stayed overnight at a hotel and then took an Uber ride into Washington, D.C., on the morning of Jan. 6. After then-President Donald Trump’s speech, Thompson and Lyon headed over to the Capitol.
Thompson was wearing a “Trump 2020″ winter hat and a bulletproof vest when he entered the Capitol and went to the Senate Parliamentarian’s Office, where he stole two bottles of liquor and a coat rack worth up to $500, according to prosecutors.
Thompson and Lyon traded text messages during the riot.
“Some girl died already,” Lyon said in one text, an apparent reference to a law enforcement officer’s fatal shooting of a rioter, Ashli Babbitt
“Was it Pelosi?” Thompson replied.
“I’m taking our country back,” Thompson later texted Lyon.
Around 6 p.m. on Jan. 6, Thompson and Lyon were sitting on a sidewalk and waiting for an Uber driver to pick them up when Capitol police officers approached and warned them that they were in a restricted area. As they started to leave, Thompson picked up a coat rack that appeared to be from the Capitol, the FBI said. Thompson ran away when the officers told him to put down the rack, dropping it as he fled. Lyon stayed behind and identified himself and Thompson to police.
That night, Thompson received a text from his wife that said, “I will not post bail.”
The FBI said agents later searched Lyon’s cellphone and found a video that showed a ransacked office and Thompson yelling: “Wooooo! ‘Merica Hey! This is our house!” A surveillance video also captured Thompson leaving a Capitol office with a bottle of bourbon, the FBI said.
Thompson is charged with six counts: obstructing Congress’ joint session to certify the Electoral College vote, theft of government property, entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
Lyon pleaded guilty to theft of government property and disorderly conduct. Both counts are misdemeanors punishable by a maximum of 1 year imprisonment. Walton is scheduled to sentence Lyon on June 3.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/blame-trump-jury-hears-that-defense-capitol-riot-trial/ | 2022-04-13T07:57:24 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/blame-trump-jury-hears-that-defense-capitol-riot-trial/ |
Former teacher accused of raping student several times over two years
BROOKLINE, Mass. (Gray News) - A former Massachusetts teacher was arrested Monday and facing several charges in connection with an alleged sexual assault against a student.
The Brookline Police Department reported it arrested 36-year-old Larry Chen after a former student told officers about sexual assaults that occurred over the course of two years.
Chen was a teacher in Brookline, Massachusetts, from 2013 through his resignation in 2018, according to police. The sexual assaults allegedly occurred in a classroom at the Heath School in Brookline, starting in 2016 and continuing into 2018.
According to police, the accuser was a student of Chen’s and was 12 years old when the abuse allegedly started.
Authorities said Chen is charged with 18 counts of aggravated statutory rape, rape of a child under the age of 16, indecent assault and battery on a person under 14.
Brookline police said Chen has an active tutoring business called School Beyond School LLC, and a warrant was requested for his arrest.
Anyone with additional information about Chen or the case was asked to contact Brookline police at 617-730-2222.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/former-teacher-accused-raping-student-several-times-over-two-years/ | 2022-04-13T07:57:31 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/former-teacher-accused-raping-student-several-times-over-two-years/ |
Future liability releases at center of Boy Scouts bankruptcy
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Protecting local Boy Scouts of America councils and troop sponsoring organizations from future liability for child sex abuse claims is critical to the national group’s reorganization plan, BSA attorneys told a Delaware bankruptcy judge Tuesday.
Attorneys opposing the plan countered that liability releases for non-debtor third parties are neither fair nor necessary, and that they infringe on the rights of abuse survivors to seek compensation for their abuse.
The Boy Scouts, based in Irving, Texas, petitioned for bankruptcy protection in February 2020, seeking to halt hundreds of individual lawsuits and create a settlement trust for abuse victims. Although the organization faced about 275 lawsuits at the time, more than 82,000 sexual abuse claims have been filed in the bankruptcy case.
The reorganization plan calls for the Boys Scouts and its 250 local councils, along with settling insurance companies and troop sponsoring organizations, to contribute some $2.6 billion in cash and property and assign their insurance rights to a settlement trust fund for abuse victims. More than half that money would come from the BSA’s two largest insurers, Century Indemnity Co. and The Hartford. Those companies would contribute $800 million and $787 million, respectively.
In exchange, the parties contributing to the settlement trust would be released from further liability for sexual abuse claims dating back decades.
The local BSA councils are not debtors in the bankruptcy, but Boy Scouts attorney Jessica Lauria argued that they are inextricably intertwined with the national organization and deserve to be protected from future lawsuits in exchange for contributing to the compensation fund.
“There can be no doubt that there is an identity of interests, and frankly an extreme interconnectedness, between the local councils and the national organization,” Lauria said. Sponsoring organizations similarly are closely tied to BSA and local councils and critical to their operations, she added.
Richard Mason, an attorney for the local councils, told Judge Laura Selber Silverstein that without the liability releases, the compensation fund “basically evaporates.”
Absent approval of the BSA’s plan, the local councils would face “massive litigation” and would be forced to seek bankruptcy protection themselves, endangering the future of Scouting and the ability of abuse survivors to obtain compensation, Mason added.
But opponents questioned why the liability releases for local councils and sponsoring organization are needed in order for the BSA to emerge from bankruptcy. They noted that the Boy Scouts proposed a plan last year under which the settlement trust would be funded only by the national organization, and only for claims made against it. Under that plan, the councils and local sponsoring organizations would make no contribution and would have no protection from liability for abuse claims.
“Debtors said that was workable, feasible,” Silverstein noted. “So why is it necessary to have this elaborate, interconnected, intertwined plan for the Boy Scouts?”
Lauria replied that “BSA-only plan” may have been feasible when first proposed, but that it was never “optimal.” She also noted that the BSA has spent some $100 million more on professional fees in the bankruptcy since then and can’t afford to fund a settlement trust on its own at this point.
Edwin Caldie, an attorney representing scores of alleged abuse victims in Guam, argued that the BSA’s current plan unfairly strips them of their rights to pursue abuse claims against Catholic church officials.
The Guam group includes creditors with claims against the Archdiocese of Agana, which sought bankruptcy protection in 2019 amid a flood of child sex abuse claims. Many of those claims involve the late priest Louis Brouillard, who was also a BSA Scoutmaster and who was accused of molesting more than 100 children.
The BSA plan would channel claims against the Guam diocese into the proposed BSA settlement trust without the consent of survivors and unfairly deprive them of the ability to pursue BSA insurance policies, Caldie said.
Caldie accused the settling insurers of using “extortionist” tactics in negotiations with the Boy Scouts to obtain liability releases to which they would not be entitled under the policies they issued.
He also rejected the notion that a relatively small number of survivors should not be allowed to interfere with approval of a reorganization plan supported by tens of thousands of other claimants.
“From a common sense perspective, the BSA made a decision to shun and silence survivors of child sexual assault for decades and did not report their perpetrators for decades,” Caldie said. “.... The Guam survivors are not terribly comfortable with ‘greater good’ arguments now, especially made buy the BSA.”
Closing arguments on whether the judge should approve the BSA plan are expected to conclude Wednesday.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/future-liability-releases-center-boy-scouts-bankruptcy/ | 2022-04-13T07:57:38 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/future-liability-releases-center-boy-scouts-bankruptcy/ |
Pima County abandons proposed massive project along Interstate 10
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - After more than two decades, an ambitious plan to build a park and flood mitigation has been abandoned.
The plan was named Tres Rios del Norte because it would be built at the confluence of the Rillito and Santa Cruz Rivers and the Canada del Oro Wash near Sunset and Interstate 10.
It had the financial backing of Pima County, Marana and the City of Tucson as well as the Army Corps of Engineers.
Amid harsh financial issues, the city of Tucson pulled out in 2009 followed by Marana in 2015 which also cited the cost which in 2000, was estimated to be $300 million.
It would not only include the Tres Rios but 18 miles of flood plain mitigation along the Santa Cruz River.
Now, the Army Corps of Engineers has closed out the project.
“That terminology of closed out means it’s closed on the federal side,” said Joseph Cuffari, a program manager for the Pima County Flood Control District. “The project itself is closed on the federal side but it’s also something on the whole Pima County is going to be looking at.”
Pima County, following an Army Corp feasibility study, will repurpose it as a restoration project on the Santa Cruz that extends from El Camino Del Cerro to Ina Road.
Cuffari says he’s confident it will be approved by the Army Corp as part of a Section 206 aquatic restoration project.
The project will be more in line with what the community told the county it would like to see along that stretch of the river.
“More walking trails, accessibility to the river, ramadas, benches, small pocket parks, those kinds of things,” he said.
The non-native invasive vegetation will be removed and native plants and trees will be planted. Various fish and animal species will also be introduced. It will likely be a place for bird watchers and hikers.
Under the initial plan in 2000, two large gravel pits alongside Interstate 10, would have been filled with treated water to form two large lakes alongside baseball and soccer fields.
Even though that plan is on hold, the county may revive it in the future, says Cuffari.
“It could be something that could be explored in the future potentially, but as of right now it would be too costly to line those, make them lakes as was originally planned,” he said.
But for the time being, the plans are scaled down to something affordable and manageable.
“More of the individual user and not necessarily a soccer team or baseball team just more for the individual and the family our for a stroll,” he said.
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/pima-county-abandons-proposed-massive-project-along-interstate-10/ | 2022-04-13T07:57:44 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/pima-county-abandons-proposed-massive-project-along-interstate-10/ |
Pima County Sheriff, Chief Deputy Are Not Certified Peace Officers
“That’s by the constitution, which precedes and predates the AZPOST”
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - He reportedly carries a gun and a badge, but despite that, the Pima County sheriff’s second-in-command is not a certified peace officer. As it turns out, neither is the sheriff.
The Arizona Peace Officer Standards and Training Board (AZPOST) is investigating why Deputy Chief Richard Kastigar has not been recertified since taking office at the beginning of 2021. His certification lapsed back in 2019, a couple years after he retired.
During a recent meeting, AZPOST Executive Director Matt Giordano called it “a very unusual situation that has not been encountered before.”
A summary of the meeting states:
“In January of 2021, when Sheriff Nanos was elected sheriff of Pima County, he appointed Richard Kastigar as his chief deputy. Several months into the year, AZPOST realized that Mr. Kastigar had not submitted paperwork to become recertified. He was a prior peace officer and his certification lapsed in 2019. Executive Director Giordano reached out to Sheriff Nanos to ask how AZPOST could assist in getting Mr. Kastigar recertified. To date, nothing has happened, Mr. Kastigar is still not certified and is acting as a chief deputy for the Pima County Sheriff’s Department. There have been multiple conversations with Mr. Kastigar and the sheriff, and Deputy Director Ben Henry has had several conversations with Mr. Kastigar, as well. It has come to the point that the Board needs to be aware of what is going on in Pima County.”
“For them to say, ‘Oh this is shocking, this has never occurred before,’ I find it quite hypocritical,” said Pima County Sheriff Chis Nanos. “How can you say this is the first time this has occurred when you know good and well there are other chief deputies in this state that are not certified?”
KOLD News 13 reached out to Kastigar, but we were referred to the sheriff.
“He applied [for recertification], he injures his hand; literally cuts off half his thumb, I think everyone knows that,” said Nanos. “It’s healed, he was back in the process of continuing to apply, and he was recently told that they aren’t going to consider him. He wants to be certified, he wants to abide by their perceived polices. But when they call here and say, ‘You are being targeted,’ and that, ‘You can’t qualify,’ I have some real issues with that.”
Nanos says politics are at play.
AZPOST brought up concerns during the meeting, though.
“AZPOST receives complaints on a regular basis from concerned citizens and members of different agencies. We have received several complaints stating Mr. Kastigar is wearing a uniform, carrying a gun, driving a vehicle with lights and sirens and he may or may not have taken some enforcement actions, this is concerning to us.”
In response, Nanos says he is only aware of one incident.
“The chief deputy saw somebody driving pretty recklessly and immediately took action,” said Nanos. “He pulled him over, contacted a deputy to handle the situation and left.”
So, does Kastigar have legal authority to carry out the duties of deputy?
Nanos believes so. The powers and duties of the sheriff can be found in Title 11 of the Arizona Revised Statutes. ARS 11-441 states a sheriff can “command the aid of as many inhabitants of the county as the sheriff deems necessary.” Nanos says this allows him to deputize any person in the county, giving them the same authority he has.
“One is preserving the peace, two is arrest, and three is prevent and suppress all riots and insurrections,” he said. “I don’t know that I need my deputies to be certified by AZPOST. I as the sheriff can appoint any member of my county to do the duties of a sheriff’s deputy. That’s by the constitution, which precedes and predates the AZPOST by many, many years. But we want to get along with everybody in the state.”
Nanos says Kastigar has been with the department for more than 40 years, working his way up from a corrections officer to senior leadership.
“I challenge any one of [the ASPOST board members] to find someone more qualified to be chief deputy than Chief Deputy Kastigar.”
Nanos says his certification lapsed two years after he left office in 2016. Since the powers and duties of the sheriff are stated in the constitution, Nanos says recertification isn’t necessary, but he may apply anyways.
The peace officer certification process includes a physical and written test.
Giordano says AZPOST will comment on the case when the investigation wraps up.
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/pima-county-sheriff-chief-deputy-are-not-certified-peace-officers/ | 2022-04-13T07:57:50 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/pima-county-sheriff-chief-deputy-are-not-certified-peace-officers/ |
Police hunt gunman who wounded 10 in Brooklyn subway attack
NEW YORK (AP) — Police hunted late into the night for the gunman who opened fire Tuesday on a subway train in Brooklyn, an attack that left 10 people wounded by gunfire and once again interrupted New York City’s long journey to post-pandemic normalcy.
The search focused partly on a man who police say rented a van possibly connected to the violence.
Investigators stressed they weren’t sure whether the man, Frank R. James, was responsible for the shooting. But authorities were examining social media videos in which the 62-year-old decried the United States as a racist place awash in violence and sometimes railed against the city’s mayor, Eric Adams.
“This nation was born in violence, it’s kept alive by violence or the threat thereof and it’s going to die a violent death. There’s nothing going to stop that,” James said in one video.
Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell called the posts “concerning” and officials tightened security for Adams.
The gunman sent off smoke grenades in a crowded subway car and then fired at least 33 shots with a 9 mm handgun, police said. Five gunshot victims were in critical condition but expected to survive. At least a dozen people who escaped gunshot wounds were treated for smoke inhalation and other injuries.
One passenger, Jordan Javier, thought the first popping sound he heard was a book dropping. Then there was another pop, people started moving toward the front of the car, and he realized there was smoke, he said.
When the train pulled into the station, people ran out and were directed to another train across the platform. Passengers wept and prayed as they rode away from the scene, Javier said.
“I’m just grateful to be alive,” he said.
The shooter fled in the chaos, leaving behind the gun, extended magazines, a hatchet, detonated and undetonated smoke grenades, a black garbage can, a rolling cart, gasoline and the key to a U-Haul van.
That key led investigators to James, who has addresses in Philadelphia and Wisconsin, said Chief of Detectives James Essig. The van was later found, unoccupied, near a subway station where investigators determined the gunman had entered the train system, Essig said.
Rambling, profanity-filled YouTube videos apparently posted by James, who is Black, are replete with violent language and bigoted comments, some against other Black people.
One video, posted April 11, criticizes crime against Black people and says drastic action is needed.
“You got kids going in here now taking machine guns and mowing down innocent people,” James says. “It’s not going to get better until we make it better,” he said, adding that he thought things would only change if certain people were “stomped, kicked and tortured” out of their “comfort zone.”
Several videos mention New York’s subways.
A Feb. 20 video says the mayor and governor’s plan to address homelessness and safety in the subway system “is doomed for failure” and refers to himself as a “victim” of the city’s mental health programs. A Jan. 25 video criticizes Adams’ plan to end gun violence.
Adams, who is isolating following a positive COVID-19 test on Sunday, said in a video statement that the city “will not allow New Yorkers to be terrorized, even by a single individual.”
___
Balsamo reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Beatrice Dupuy, Karen Matthews, Julie Walker, Deepti Hajela, Michelle L. Price and David Porter in New York contributed to this report, and Michael Kunzelman contributed from College Park, Maryland.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/police-hunt-gunman-who-wounded-10-brooklyn-subway-attack/ | 2022-04-13T07:57:57 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/police-hunt-gunman-who-wounded-10-brooklyn-subway-attack/ |
Putin vows war will continue as Russian troops mount in east
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia vowed to continue its bloody offensive in Ukraine as the war neared its seventh week Wednesday, as President Vladimir Putin insisted the campaign was going as planned despite a major withdrawal and significant losses.
Thwarted in their push toward the capital, Kyiv, Russian troops focused on the eastern region of Donbas, where Ukraine said it was investigating a claim that a poisonous substance had been dropped on its troops. It was not clear what the substance might be, but Western officials warned that any use of chemical weapons by Russia would be a serious escalation of the already devastating war.
Russia invaded on Feb. 24 with the goal, according to Western officials, of taking Kyiv, toppling the government and installing a Moscow-friendly regime. In the six weeks since, the ground advance stalled and Russian forces lost potentially thousands of fighters and were accused of killing civilians and other atrocities.
WARNING: Images and videos used contains graphic content.
Putin said Tuesday that Moscow “had no other choice” and that the invasion aimed to protect people in parts of eastern Ukraine and to “ensure Russia’s own security.” He vowed it would “continue until its full completion and the fulfillment of the tasks that have been set.”
Meanwhile Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was expected to receive the presidents of Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia — his staunch European allies.
“We are visiting Ukraine to show strong support for the Ukrainian people, will meet dear friend President Zelenskyy,” Estonian President Alar Karis tweeted.
For now, Putin’s forces are gearing up for a major offensive in the Donbas, where Russian-allied separatists and Ukrainian forces have been fighting since 2014, and where Russia has recognized the separatists’ claims of independence. Military strategists say Moscow believes local support, logistics and the terrain in the region favor its larger, better-armed military, potentially allowing Russia to finally turn the tide in its favor.
In Mariupol, a strategic port city in the Donbas, a Ukrainian regiment defending a steel mill alleged that a drone dropped a poisonous substance on the city. The assertion by the Azov Regiment, a far-right group now part of the Ukrainian military, could not be independently verified. The regiment indicated there were no serious injuries.
Zelenskyy said that while experts try to determine what the substance might be, “The world must react now.”
The claims came after a Russia-allied separatist official appeared to urge the use of chemical weapons, telling Russian state TV on Monday that separatist forces should seize the plant by first blocking all the exits. “And then we’ll use chemical troops to smoke them out of there,” the official, Eduard Basurin, said. He denied Tuesday that separatist forces had used chemical weapons in Mariupol.
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said officials were investigating, and it was possible phosphorus munitions — which cause horrendous burns but are not classed as chemical weapons — had been used in Mariupol, which has been pummeled by weeks of Russian assaults.
Western leaders warned that if chemical weapons are found to have been used, it would amount to a grievous breach of international law.
President Joe Biden for the first time referred to Russia’s invasion as a “genocide” and said “Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being a Ukrainian.”
The Pentagon said it could not confirm the drone report but reiterated U.S. concerns about Russia using chemical agents. Britain, meanwhile, has warned that Russia may resort to phosphorus bombs, which are banned in civilian areas under international law, in Mariupol.
Most armies use phosphorus munitions to illuminate targets or to produce smoke screens. Deliberately firing them into an enclosed space to expose people to fumes could breach the Chemical Weapons Convention, said Marc-Michael Blum, a former laboratory head at the Netherlands-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.
“Once you start using the properties of white phosphorus, toxic properties, specifically and deliberately, then it becomes banned,” he said.
In Washington, a senior U.S. defense official said the Biden administration was preparing another package of military aid for Ukraine to be announced in the coming days, possibly totaling $750 million. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans not yet publicly announced. Delivery is due to be completed this week of $800 million in military assistance approved by Biden a month ago.
In the face of stiff resistance by Ukrainian forces bolstered by Western weapons, Russian forces have increasingly relied on bombarding cities, flattening many urban areas and killing thousands. The war has driven more than 10 million Ukrainians from their homes — including nearly two-thirds of the country’s children.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said humanitarian corridors used to get people out of cities under Russian attack will not operate on Wednesday because of poor security.
She said that in the southeast Zaporizhzhia region, Russian troops blocked evacuation buses, and in the Luhansk region, they were violating the cease-fire. “The occupiers not only disregard the norms of international humanitarian law, but also cannot properly control their people on the ground. All this creates such a level of danger on the routes that we are forced to refrain from opening humanitarian corridors today.”
Moscow’s retreat from cities and towns around Kyiv led to the discovery of large numbers of apparently massacred civilians, prompting widespread condemnation and accusations of war crimes.
Zelenskyy said evidence of “inhuman cruelty” toward women and children in Bucha and other suburbs of Kyiv continued to surface, including alleged rapes.
“Not all serial rapists reach the cruelty of Russian soldiers,” Zelenskyy said.
More than 720 people were killed in Kyiv suburbs that had been occupied by Russian troops and over 200 were considered missing, the Interior Ministry said early Wednesday.
In Bucha alone, Mayor Anatoliy Fedoruk said 403 bodies had been found and the toll could rise as minesweepers comb the area.
In the Chernihiv region, villagers said more than 300 people had been trapped for almost a month by the occupying Russian troops in the basement of a school and only allowed outside to go to the toilet or cook on open fires.
Valentyna Saroyan told The Associated Press she saw at least five people die in Yahidne, 140 kilometers (86 miles) north of Kyiv. In one of the rooms, the residents wrote the names of those who perished during the ordeal — the list counted 18 people.
Villagers say they don’t know the cause of the deaths. Russian soldiers allowed them to remove the bodies from time to time in order to bury them in a mass grave at the local cemetery.
Julia Surypak said the Russians only allowed some people to make a short trip home if they sang the Russian anthem. Another resident, Svitlana Baguta, said a Russian soldier made her drink from a flask pointing a gun at her face.
Ukraine’s prosecutor-general’s office said Tuesday it was also looking into events in the Brovary district, which lies to the northeast. It said the bodies of six civilians were found with gunshot wounds in a basement in the village of Shevchenkove and Russian forces were believed to be responsible.
Prosecutors are also investigating allegations that Russian forces fired on a convoy of civilians trying to leave by car from the village of Peremoha in the Brovary district, killing four people including a 13-year-old boy. In another attack near Bucha, five people were killed including two children when a car was fired upon, prosecutors said.
Putin falsely claimed Tuesday that Ukraine’s accusation that hundreds of civilians were killed by Russian troops in the town of Bucha were “fake.” Associated Press journalists saw dozens of bodies in and around the town, some of whom had their hands bound and appeared to have been shot at close range.
___
Karmanau reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Associated Press writer Robert Burns in Washington, and AP journalists around the world contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/putin-vows-war-will-continue-russian-troops-mount-east/ | 2022-04-13T07:58:03 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/putin-vows-war-will-continue-russian-troops-mount-east/ |
Russia has yet to slow a Western arms express into Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — Western weaponry pouring into Ukraine helped blunt Russia’s initial offensive and seems certain to play a central role in the approaching, potentially decisive, battle for Ukraine’s contested Donbas region. Yet the Russian military is making little headway halting what has become a historic arms express.
The U.S. numbers alone are mounting: more than 12,000 weapons designed to defeat armored vehicles, some 1,400 shoulder-fired Stinger missiles to shoot down aircraft, and more than 50 million rounds of ammunition, among many other things. Dozens of other nations are adding to the totals.
The Biden administration is preparing yet another, more diverse, package of military support possibly totaling $750 million to be announced in coming days, a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans not yet publicly announced. The additional aid is a sign that the administration intends to continue expanding its support for Ukraine’s war effort.
These armaments have helped an under-gunned Ukrainian military defy predictions that it would be quickly overrun by Russia. They explain in part why Vladimir Putin’s army gave up, at least for now, its attempt to capture Kyiv, the capital, and has narrowed its focus to battling for eastern and southern Ukraine.
U.S. officials and analysts offer numerous explanations for why the Russians have had so little success interdicting Western arms moving overland from neighboring countries, including Poland. Among the likely reasons: Russia’s failure to win full control of Ukraine’s skies has limited its use of air power. Also, the Russians have struggled to deliver weapons and supplies to their own troops in Ukraine.
Some say Moscow’s problem begins at home.
“The short answer to the question is that they are an epically incompetent army badly led from the very top,” said James Stavridis, a retired U.S. Navy admiral who was the top NATO commander in Europe from 2009 to 2013.
The Russians also face practical obstacles. Robert G. Bell, a longtime NATO official and now a professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech University, said the shipments lend themselves to being hidden or disguised in ways that can make them elusive to the Russians — “short of having a network of espionage on the scene” to pinpoint the convoys’ movements.
“It’s not as easy to stop this assistance flow as it might seem,” said Stephen Biddle, a professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University. “Things like ammunition and shoulder-fired missiles can be transported in trucks that look just like any other commercial truck. And the trucks carrying the munitions the Russians want to interdict are just a small part of a much larger flow of goods and commerce moving around in Poland and Ukraine and across the border.
“So the Russians have to find the needle in this very big haystack to destroy the weapons and ammo they’re after and not waste scarce munitions on trucks full of printer paper or baby diapers or who knows what.”
Even with this Western assistance it’s uncertain whether Ukraine will ultimately prevail against a bigger Russian force. The Biden administration has drawn the line at committing U.S. troops to the fight. It has opted instead to orchestrate international condemnation and economic sanctions, provide intelligence information, bolster NATO’s eastern flank to deter a wider war with Russia, and donate weapons.
In mid-March, a Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said arms shipments would be targeted.
“We warned the United States that pumping weapons into Ukraine from a number of countries as it has orchestrated isn’t just a dangerous move but an action that turns the respective convoys into legitimate targets,” he said in televised remarks.
But thus far the Russians appear not to have put a high priority on arms interdiction, perhaps because their air force is leery of flying into Ukraine’s air defenses to search out and attack supply convoys on the move. They have struck fixed sites like arms depots and fuel storage locations, but to limited effect.
On Monday the Russians said they destroyed four S-300 surface-to-air missile launchers that had been given to Ukraine by an unspecified European country. Slovakia, a NATO member that shares a border with Ukraine, donated just such a system last week but denied it had been destroyed. On Tuesday the Russian Ministry of Defense said long-range missiles were used to hit two Ukrainian ammo depots.
As the fighting intensifies in the Donbas and perhaps along the coastal corridor to the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula, Putin may feel compelled to strike harder at the arms pipeline, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called vital to his nation’s survival.
In the meantime, a staggering volume and range of war materiel is arriving almost daily.
“The scope and speed of our support to meeting Ukraine’s defense needs are unprecedented in modern times,” said John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary. He said the approximately $2.5 billion in weapons and other material that has been offered to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration is equivalent to more than half of Ukraine’s normal defense budget.
One example: The Pentagon says it has provided more than 5,000 Javelin missiles, which are among the world’s most effective weapons against tanks and other armored vehicles — and can even take down a low-flying helicopter. The missile, shaped like a clunky dumb bell and weighing 50 pounds (23 kilograms), is fired by an individual soldier; from its launch tube it flies up at a steep angle and descends directly onto its target in what its known as a “curveball” shot — hitting the top of a tank where its armor is weakest.
The specific routes used to move the U.S. and other Western materials into Ukraine are secret for security reasons, but the basic process is not. Just this week, two U.S. military cargo planes arrived in Eastern Europe with items ranging from machine guns and small arms ammunition to body armor and grenades, the Pentagon said.
A similar load is due later this week to complete delivery of $800 million in assistance approved by President Joe Biden just one month ago. The weapons and equipment are offloaded, moved onto trucks and driven into Ukraine by Ukrainian soldiers for delivery.
Kirby said the material sometimes reaches troops in the field within 48 hours of entering Ukraine.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/russia-has-yet-slow-western-arms-express-into-ukraine/ | 2022-04-13T07:58:10 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/russia-has-yet-slow-western-arms-express-into-ukraine/ |
Study: Climate crisis supercharging rainfall in hurricanes
Published: Apr. 12, 2022 at 11:07 PM MST|Updated: 1 hours ago
(CNN) - A new study suggests the climate crisis is supercharging rainfall in hurricanes.
The study was published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.
It found that rainfall from hurricanes during the record-breaking 2020 season was as much as 11% higher due to human-caused climate changes.
Researchers determined that global warming increased hourly rainfall rates in tropical storms and hurricanes from 5% to 10%.
When experts observed just hurricanes, the increase was 8% to 11%.
The findings suggest the threat surged over the past few decades and it will likely increase more in the future.
That’s because warmer air can hold more water vapor, which leads to higher rainfall rates.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/study-climate-crisis-supercharging-rainfall-hurricanes/ | 2022-04-13T07:58:17 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/study-climate-crisis-supercharging-rainfall-hurricanes/ |
UArizona’s ‘Biosphere 2′ now home to sustainable startups
“This is just the start.”
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - The University of Arizona’s Biosphere 2 is now home to the school’s business incubator outpost, where renewable energy and sustainable startups from across the world will come to work and experiment in hopes of finding commercial success.
“Tucson has a lot of great advantages,” said Ryan Lefers, CEO and President of Red Sea Farms.
His company, which focuses on agriculture technology, is based in Saudi Arabia but Lefers has since moved to southern Arizona because of this new program.
“Were best known for our work with salt water,” said Lefers. “We do a lot of breeding or water tolerance in plants in addition we try to leverage salt water for cooling.”
They are also working to find alternative sources for irrigation, like using salt water for plants. He says Biosphere 2, home to 3,000 species of plants and animals, will provide the perfect place to experiment. But there are other reasons Tucson is an attractive option.
“It’s a great place to do business,” said Lefers. “It’s a great place to find talent and a great place to help build our business and great access into Mexico .”
On top of this, Dr. Robbins says the startups will get to work with students which benefits both parties.
“My hope of course is that the bright minds at the UA, the students, will come up with their own ideas bring them here and start their own companies,” said Dr. Robbins
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/uarizonas-biosphere-2-now-home-sustainable-startups/ | 2022-04-13T07:58:24 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/uarizonas-biosphere-2-now-home-sustainable-startups/ |
‘We haven’t received a dime’: New homeowners say squatters have taken over their house
LAS VEGAS (KVVU) - A Las Vegas-area family says squatters have taken over a home they recently purchased.
A four-bedroom, 2,700-square-foot home was supposed to be a dream home for Jen Larsen, her mother, Donna Edmonds, and three kids, but it has turned into nothing short of a nightmare.
“My mom and I decided to buy a house together about two months ago because both of our rents were going to go up dramatically, about $500 apiece,” Larsen said.
But someone they say isn’t paying the mortgage on their new home is inside their property and not leaving.
“We gave the seller seven days to move out because they said they needed the money from the sale of the house to move everything out,” Larsen said.
However, during that week, Larsen and her mother said somehow somebody else moved in and has lived in the home ever since.
“The two of us scrimped and scraped to get this, and we were so excited. Now, I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. It’s been really stressful,” Edmonds said.
The women have a deed for the property with a closing date of March 4, but they have never been able to occupy the home.
FOX5 reports a news crew went to the home’s front door to ask the people living inside for their side of the story, but no one answered while the crew was there.
A woman at the property later emailed FOX5, writing she has a legal lease with the home’s former owner that runs until July 2. However, a copy of the lease was not immediately shared.
“My kids and I will be homeless. Meanwhile, this woman is living in the home that we paid for and living there for free. We haven’t received a dime,” Larsen said.
Larsen and her mother did not immediately report if they have notified authorities.
Copyright 2022 KVVU via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/we-havent-received-dime-new-homeowners-say-squatters-have-taken-over-their-house/ | 2022-04-13T07:58:31 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/we-havent-received-dime-new-homeowners-say-squatters-have-taken-over-their-house/ |
WH environmental justice advisors press for Justice40 action
(AP) - Key members of the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council said Tuesday that the Biden administration hadn’t done enough to make good on its promise that 40% of all benefits from climate investment go to disenfranchised communities.
Speaking at a press briefing ahead of the HBCU Climate Change Conference in New Orleans, the council members said they’ve secured $14 million from the Bezos Earth Fund for a program called Engage, Enlighten and Empower to hold the Biden administration accountable for carrying out its Justice40 initiative.
President Biden made the commitment in a sweeping executive order on his first day in office. The initiative has been held up as an unprecedented push to bring environmental justice to communities long plagued by pollution and climate inaction.
The three members of the federal environmental justice council leading the $14 million-dollar effort, Beverly Wright, Peggy Shepard and Robert Bullard, have been working closely with the administration on Justice40.
But Wright told members of the press that more needs to be done to “turn a novel idea into a project that works.”
The trio are combining philanthropic grants from the Bezos Earth Fund, $6 million from Shepard’s WE ACT for Environmental Justice, $4 million from Wright’s Deep South Center for Environmental Justice and $4 million from the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice, to ensure federal funding from Justice40 “goes where it’s intended,” Shepard said.
The effort should “ensure equitable implementation of the Justice40 initiative at the state and local level and empower local communities to participate in the policy-making” that comes as a result of the initiative, a press release said.
The funds will go to educate grassroots organizations on the resources available to them through Justice40, inform state and local governments on how the money should be used, and develop a screening tool to determine where Justice40 funds are needed most, one that includes racial demographic data. Controversially a federal screening tool used by the administration does not take into account the racial makeup of communities.
There has been little change on the ground yet from the Justice40 pledge because the federal government is still trying to figure out which communities are most in need of the investment. In recommendations to the Biden administration, many reputable environmental justice advocates pushed for a methodical, intentional process for identifying disadvantaged communities and disbursing funds.
At the briefing, Wright and Bullard said they’ve seen past federal social and infrastructure projects fail to deliver on promises to disadvantaged communities and don’t want to see it happen again.
“There’s been a lot of really novel approaches at changing the lives of Americans in general that have worked out” benefitting just white Americans, Wright said.
Bullard pointed to discrimination in how flood relief was distributed in Texas, where the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice is located, as an example.
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Follow Drew Costley on Twitter: @drewcostley.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/wh-environmental-justice-advisors-press-justice40-action/ | 2022-04-13T07:58:37 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/wh-environmental-justice-advisors-press-justice40-action/ |
Woman from Mexico dies after getting caught on border fence
TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD News 13) - A Mexican woman is dead after, authorities say, she tried to scale a border fence and became caught in it.
Cochise County sheriff’s deputies were called around 11 a.m. on Monday April 11 about a woman who had died at the border fence near International Road and Kings Highway near Douglas.
The woman had reportedly climbed to the top of the fence and, when trying to climb down the United States side via a harness, her foot got caught and she was trapped upside down for a “significant amount of time.”
The 32-year-old woman was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Authorities notified the Mexican Consulate of the incident and spoke with Mexican authorities.
An autopsy will be performed on the woman’s body to determine her cause of death and the incident is under investigation by Cochise County deputies.
“These types of incidents are not political, they are humanitarian realities that someone has lost a loved one in a senseless tragedy,” Sheriff Mark Dannels was quoted as saying in a news release. “We have to do better in finding solutions to the challenges facing our border, and we have to do it for the right reasons. Regardless of opinions, it is the facts that should direct our progress and we will keep working towards a shared goal of border safety and security.”
Copyright 2022 KOLD News 13. All rights reserved. | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/woman-mexico-dies-after-getting-caught-border-fence/ | 2022-04-13T07:58:44 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/2022/04/13/woman-mexico-dies-after-getting-caught-border-fence/ |
SHANGHAI, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AffaMed Therapeutics ("AffaMed"), a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical, digital and surgical products, today announced that DEXTENZA has been approved in Macau, China for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery. In 2020, AffaMed Therapeutics entered into a licensing agreement with Ocular Therapeutix (NASDAQ: OCUL) for the development and commercialization of DEXTENZA in Greater China, South Korea, and certain ASEAN markets. DEXTENZA is currently approved in the U.S. for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery and for the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis.
Dr. Dayao Zhao, CEO of AffaMed commented: "We are encouraged by the Macau government's policy and efficiency in registering novel therapies based on strong clinical trial data from Ocular's FDA registration trials. Our team is preparing an application to expand the approved indication to include the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis. We are looking forward to launching DEXTENZA and providing the product to patients in Macau as soon as possible."
By receiving this approval, DEXTENZA becomes the first sustained-release intracanalicular insert in Macau delivering a preservative-free dose of dexamethasone for up to 30 days with a single administration.
About AffaMed Therapeutics
AffaMed Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical, digital and surgical products that address critical unmet medical needs in ophthalmological, neurological and psychiatric disorders for patients in Greater China and around the world. The leadership team at AffaMed Therapeutics has gained deep industry expertise and an extensive track record in high-quality discovery, clinical development, regulatory affairs, business development, manufacturing, and commercial operations at leading multi-national biopharmaceutical companies in China and globally.
About Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the formulation, development, and commercialization of innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye using its proprietary bioresorbable hydrogel-based formulation technology. Ocular Therapeutix's first commercial drug product, DEXTENZA, is an FDA-approved corticosteroid for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery and ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis. Ocular Therapeutix's earlier stage development assets include OTX-TKI (axitinib intravitreal implant), currently in Phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of wet AMD and other retinal diseases. OTX-TIC (travoprost intracameral implant) recently began a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the reduction of intraocular pressure in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Ocular Therapeutix has also completed Phase 2 clinical trials for OTX-CSI (cyclosporine intracanalicular insert) for the chronic treatment of dry eye disease and OTX-DED (dexamethasone intracanalicular insert) for the short-term treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. Ocular Therapeutix's first product, ReSure Sealant, is an FDA-approved device to prevent wound leaks in corneal incisions following cataract surgery.
About DEXTENZA
DEXTENZA is FDA approved for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery and ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis. DEXTENZA is a corticosteroid intracanalicular insert placed in the punctum, a natural opening in the inner portion of the lower eyelid, and into the canaliculus and is designed to deliver dexamethasone to the ocular surface for up to 30 days without preservatives. DEXTENZA resorbs and exits the nasolacrimal system without the need for removal.
Please see full Prescribing and Safety Information at www.DEXTENZA.com.
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SOURCE AffaMed Therapeutics | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/affamed-therapeutics-announces-new-drug-approval-dextenza-macau-treatment-ocular-inflammation-pain-following-ophthalmic-surgery/ | 2022-04-13T07:58:50 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/affamed-therapeutics-announces-new-drug-approval-dextenza-macau-treatment-ocular-inflammation-pain-following-ophthalmic-surgery/ |
AALBORG, Denmark, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Asetek, sim racing gear innovator, the creator of the all-in-one liquid cooler, and the global leader in liquid cooling solutions for gaming PCs and DIY enthusiasts, today unveiled its Invicta™ Racing Boots, specifically designed for full immersion, maximum performance and unrivaled comfort, providing the perfect, stable grip for sim racing.
Attractive and elegant, and uniquely designed for sim racing, the Invicta™ Racing Boots feature the classic Asetek SimSports™ design. Made with a thin rubber sole ideal for a stable grip with the Invicta™ pedal face plates, the boots emphasize comfort, with perforations in the front for maximum breathability; a padded tongue for extra comfort; and a hook & loop self-fastener strap and laces for easy adjustment and a perfect fit.
Sim racers can place their pre-orders by going to https://www.asetek.com/simsports/webshop.
- The Invicta™ Racing Boots. The Invicta™ Racing Boots are available for pre-order purchase now. The boots will be available for €99.00 including VAT ($99.00 excluding sales tax when available for sale in the U.S.). Asetek expects to be shipping the Invicta™ Racing Boots in June 2022.
"When developing our Invicta™ Sim Racing Boots, it was important for us to provide racers a boot that is specifically designed to improve performance on a sim racing rig," said André Sloth Eriksen, CEO and founder of Asetek. "Like in a real race car, wearing boots which distribute the load under your foot, does make a significant difference, especially under braking. Our Invicta™ Racing Boots are designed to give racers a perfect grip with the Invicta™ pedals, providing the extra advantage of precise control and lasting comfort for a fully immersive driving experience."
In addition to the Invicta™ and Forte™ sim racing pedals, and the Invicta™ Racing Boots, Asetek SimSports™ will also offer wheel bases, steering wheels, shifters, and other end-user customization options.
About Asetek
Asetek (ASTK.OL), a global leader in mechatronic innovation, is a Danish garage-to-stock-exchange success story. Founded in 2000, Asetek established its innovative position as the leading OEM developer and producer of the all-in-one liquid cooler for all major PC & Enthusiast gaming brands. In 2013, Asetek went public while expanding into energy-efficient and environmentally friendly cooling solutions for data centers. In 2021, Asetek introduced the first of its products for next-level immersive SimSports gaming experiences. Asetek is headquartered in Denmark and has operations in China, Taiwan, and the United States.
www.asetek.com
Media contacts
Margo Westfall
Asetek Sr. Marketing Manager
mwe@asetek.com
+1 (408) 644-5616
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SOURCE Asetek | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/asetek-simsports-unveils-invicta-racing-boots-full-immersion-maximum-performance-unrivaled-comfort-sim-racing/ | 2022-04-13T07:58:57 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/asetek-simsports-unveils-invicta-racing-boots-full-immersion-maximum-performance-unrivaled-comfort-sim-racing/ |
EI is the New Fashion, Avatr Creates "0" Series
- Avatr 011, a limited edition emotional intelligent electric coupe SUV co-designed by MMW premieres, limited to 500 units worldwide.
- Matthew M. Williams (hereinafter referred to as MMW), co-founder of 1017 ALYX 9SM and creative director of French luxury fashion brand Givenchy, is the guest-designer of Avatr 011.
- Sharing similar design concepts with MMW, Avatr 011 perfectly merges emotional intelligence and fashion.
- Avatr 011 will be officially released with pre-orders available in Q2 of this year, and delivered in Q4.
SHANGHAI, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The first co-designed limited-edition model for Avatr, the Avatr 011, premiers with a unique world standing. Matthew M. Williams (hereinafter referred to as MMW), co-founder of 1017 ALYX 9SM and creative director of French luxury fashion brand Givenchy, shared a collection of mysterious co-created videos and artworks on his personal social platform, to unveil Avatr 011.
As the first model of the Avatr brand's fashion crossover "0" series, Avatr 011 was jointly designed by Matthew M. Williams and Nader Faghihzadeh, Chief Design Officer of Avatr, with a limited number of only 500 units available worldwide.
"The Avatr 011 truly integrates the essence of fashion and technology and we are honored to bring forth pioneering works that represents the times," said Ms. Wang Lin, Chief Marketing Officer of Avatr Technology.
Avatr and MMW share similar design concepts
With its futuristic design concept, its visually stunning casual luxury style and humanistic approach, the Avatr 011 has become a masterpiece that takes the lead in trends for future automobiles.
The fashion design philosophy and iconic elements of MMW are on full display with this release.
As the guest-designer of Avatr 011, Matthew M. Williams said: "I am excited about this project and its inspiration; Avatr's concept of exploring new fundamental features for the future of automobiles coincides with my desire to always try to innovate in my design and in the fashion industry."
"As a car designer, you have to transform information into emotion. The inspiration of the Avatr 011 comes from the futuristic ideology of the product," Nader Faghihzadeh, Chief Design Officer of Avatr, said," People can interact with it and express themselves even further."
AVATR X MMW boasts a unique design
The Avatr 011 is also built on a statement of simplicity with the all-black composition creating an avant-garde body. It is equipped with a disc-wing front face, a floating body, and a spaceship inspired tail.
Black is the only color available for the Avatr 011—011, Black.
Buckles are found behind the front seat, in the storage compartment, under the middle console, and the trunk.
The entire vehicle is hand-wrapped in leather with the cabin using NAPPA leather, and for the first time, NUPRIMA matte leather.
The wide 22-inch wheels create a strong sporty stance with its four floating wheel caps remaining still during high-speed driving.
The letters "AVATRMMW" are artistically presented on the seat headrest, brake calipers, the welcome pedal and the boot screen.
A new benchmark for global premium SEV brands
The Avatr 011 is equipped with EI. Thanks to CHN, a new generation of SEV technology platform built by Changan, Huawei and CATL, the Avatr 011 has unapparelled intelligence and performance advantages.
Equipped with Huawei's new generation dual motors, the model has a maximum power of 425kW and a front and rear axle ratio of nearly 50:50. Equipped with a new generation of CTP ternary lithium battery pack from CATL, the Avatr 011 has a battery range of over 700km. It's also the first to apply a 750V high-voltage super-fast charging system with a charging power of 240kW.
The Avatr 011 is equipped with Huawei HI, (Huawei Inside) a fully stacked smart car solution, a super-sensing system and a super-computing platform with a computing power of 400TOPS, including 3 lidar sensors, 6 millimeter-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, and 13 cameras.
EI is the new fashion with the Avatr 011 leading in new fashion trends of SEVs with its aesthetic design and humanistic technology that anticipates the future. The Avatr 011 will be released and available for pre-order in Q2 of this year and delivered in Q4.
Avatr Technology
Founded in 2018, Avatr Technology is committed to exploring future-oriented humanized mobility technology and creating an emotionally intelligent mobility experience for customers. "Avatr" means an embodiment or personification. Avatr Technology signifies the message with a more profound connotation, reflecting oneself into a various parallel world. It aims to create the "Most Emotional Intelligent Companion" for customers.
Avatr Technology has created a new industry cooperation model. Combining the unique advantages of Changan Automobile, Huawei, and CATL in vehicle R&D and intelligent manufacturing, intelligent vehicle solutions and intelligent energy ecology, it creates the leading intelligent electric network platform—CHN. Committed to building a global high-end smart electric vehicles (SEV) brand, the company is located in Chongqing, Shanghai, and Munich, Germany.
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LINKÖPING, Sweden and MISSISSAUGA, Canada, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- International medical imaging IT and cybersecurity company Sectra (STO: SECT B) has signed a contract with North York General Hospital (NYGH) in Canada. NYGH will utilize the radiology and breast imaging modules and vendor-neutral archive (VNA) of Sectra's enterprise imaging solution to review and store images. Replacing the multiple systems used today with one unified imaging platform will enable NYGH to boost radiology reading efficiency and enhance current workflows to improve patient care by doing more without increasing the workload on staff.
"Finding a modern solution to enhance our system performance and radiologist reading efficiency was crucial to our decision. We were also keen to get a solution that supports our future growth and has good AI integration and remote reading capabilities as we expect that to be highly important going forward," says Dr. Ryan Margau, Chief Radiologist and Medical Director for Medical Imaging at North York General Hospital.
Affiliated with the University of Toronto, NYGH provides high-quality acute, ambulatory, and long-term care to approximately half a million people across seven sites. NYGH was named one of Forbes Canada's Top Employers 2022 and was ranked the leading community academic hospital in Canada for the fourth consecutive year by Newsweek this year. With Sectra's solution, the hospital will be able to view images from any modality, assign the right case to the right user, and access a native and extensive diagnostic toolset—all from a single platform. The solution will also integrate with NYGH's EMR and patient portals.
"I'm excited to welcome North York General Hospital as the newest member of Sectra Canada's enterprise imaging community. Sectra's solution can support NYGH with future growth and make it possible for them to expand and benefit from integrated diagnostics and emerging technology, such as AI or digital pathology," says Nader Soltani, President of Sectra Canada Inc.
The contract, signed in April 2022, provides enterprise imaging as a subscription (Sectra One). This allows for scalability of the system as NYGH's volumes grow and facilitates expansion into other specialties.
Sectra's enterprise imaging solution provides a unified strategy for all imaging needs while lowering operational costs. The scalable and modular solution, with a VNA at its core, allows healthcare providers to grow from ology to ology and from enterprise to enterprise. Sectra has supported healthcare organizations in Canada since 2004 and opened its Canadian office in 2017 to increase its local presence. Sectra's radiology module for enterprise imaging, Sectra PACS, has won the prestigious customer satisfaction award "Best in KLAS" for three consecutive years. Visit Sectra's website to find out more about Sectra in Canada.
About Sectra
Sectra contributes to a healthier and safer society by assisting health systems throughout the world to enhance the efficiency of care, and authorities and defense forces in Europe to protect society's most sensitive information. The company, founded in 1978, is headquartered in Linköping, Sweden, with direct sales in 19 countries, and distribution partners worldwide. Sales in the 2020/2021 fiscal year totaled SEK 1,632 million. The Sectra share is quoted on the Nasdaq Stockholm exchange. For more information, visit Sectra's website.
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Torbjörn Kronander, CEO and President Sectra AB, +46 (0)705 23 52 27
Marie Ekström Trägårdh, Executive Vice President Sectra AB and President Sectra Imaging IT Solutions, +46 (0)708 23 56 10
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Trish Sparks has been appointed as the new CEO of Clever to lead the company into its next phase of growth as it deepens district partnerships and sets its sights on international expansion.
OSLO, Norway, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kahoot!, the global learning and engagement platform company, today announced the appointment of Trish Sparks as the new CEO of Clever to usher the company into its next phase of growth. Sparks, a former educator who currently leads Clever's sales and customer success, will start in her new role on May 1. Clever, a Kahoot! company, is the digital learning platform of choice for over 65% of U.S. K-12 schools.
Ten years after co-founding Clever, Tyler Bosmeny will step down from his current role as CEO. Under his leadership, Clever has revolutionized how schools integrate technology in the classroom. As a board member and strategic advisor, Bosmeny will continue to play a vital role in overseeing Clever's long term strategic expansion, as the company continues its solid development.
Today, more than 55% of U.S. K-12 students use Clever's secure single sign-on portal for simplified access to a world of digital learning. Over 93,000 schools, including 97 of the top 100 U.S. school districts, and a network of leading application partners rely on the Clever API for speedy implementations that grow student engagement. Clever was recently ranked as the 7th most widely accessed EdTech tool in the U.S. in Learn Platform's EdTech 40 list, with Kahoot! in the 6th spot.
"Trish not only brings her demonstrated track record at Clever to the C-suite, but she's also had an accomplished career at some of the most innovative global companies like LinkedIn and DemandBase," said Eilert Hanoa, CEO of Kahoot! "Her strong background in customer success reflects Clever's deep commitment to both its district and EdTech partners. Trish is the ideal leader to drive maximum impact and innovation; and her international experience as well as her early background as a public school teacher will be an advantage as the company expands globally this year."
"It has been such a pleasure collaborating with Tyler since Clever joined the Kahoot! Group last year and I want to thank him for his leadership and tireless dedication to the company over the past decade," continued Hanoa. "We're thrilled that he has agreed to join the Clever board where he will stay instrumental in planning for Clever's long-term expansion, built on the company's continued strong momentum."
"I am so happy to be passing the baton to one of my closest partners in building Clever," said Bosmeny. "Trish is the whole package – a former K-12 teacher with a deep connection to the exact problem Clever solves and a proven executive with experience scaling global, high-growth companies. I've seen first hand how integral she's been to Clever's growth already, and I can't wait to see Clever's next chapter unfold under her leadership."
Sparks, who joined Clever in 2019, brings a wealth of executive leadership experience at companies such as LinkedIn, where she scaled a global customer success organization, and at DemandBase, where she was Chief Customer Officer. As a North Carolina Teaching Fellows Scholar, she began her career as a middle school teacher in Wake County Public Schools in the Raleigh-Durham area.
"I am thrilled to take on this new role, building on a decade of Tyler's exceptional leadership and vision. I am filled with gratitude that I have been trusted to lead Clever into its next phase of evolution," said Sparks. "Clever has an incredibly unique position in the EdTech ecosystem, bringing our schools and our EdTech partners together to improve education. In our next phase of growth, I am excited to foster a culture of innovation, growing Clever's business domestically and in international markets. I can't wait to help more teachers and students around the world achieve success with Clever and Kahoot!"
To learn more about this announcement, read the Clever blog.
Please visit Kahoot! News to stay up to date on company news and updates.
About Clever
Clever is on a mission to unlock new ways to learn for all students. More than 65% of U.S. K-12 schools now use Clever to simplify access and improve engagement with digital learning. With our free platform for schools and a network of leading application providers, we're committed to advancing educational equity. Clever, a Kahoot! company, has offices in San Francisco, CA and Durham, NC but you can visit us at clever.com anytime.
About Kahoot!
Kahoot! is on a mission to make learning awesome! We want to empower everyone, including children, students, and employees to unlock their full learning potential. Our learning platform makes it easy for any individual or corporation to create, share, and host learning sessions that drive compelling engagement. Launched in 2013, Kahoot!'s vision is to build the leading learning platform in the world. In the last 12 months, 300 million sessions have been hosted on the Kahoot! platform by 30+ million active accounts, with 2 billion participants (non-unique) in more than 200 countries and regions. The Kahoot! Group includes Clever, the leading U.S. K-12 EdTech learning platform, together with the learning apps DragonBox, Poio, Drops, Actimo, Motimate, and Whiteboard.fi. The Kahoot! Group is headquartered in Oslo, Norway with offices in the US, the UK, France, Finland, Estonia, Denmark and Spain. Kahoot! is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker KAHOT. Let's play!
Media Contact
Falguni Bhuta
falguni@kahoot.com
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TAIPEI, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A physical show of COMPUTEX 2022 will be held at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Hall from May 24 to 27, 2022. In addition, TAITRA will simultaneously hold an online exhibition called COMPUTEX DigitalGo (May 24 to June 6). This year, exhibitors and visitors are invited to participate in COMPUTEX both online and offline. The online registration is now open to buyers worldwide.
Leading Tech Companies Join COMPUTEX 2022
COMPUTEX is one of the world-leading ICT exhibitions. This year, the show focuses on six trendy themes: Accelerating Intelligence, Connected X-Experience, Digital Resilience, Innovative Computing, Innovations & Startups, and Sustainability. In addition, a number of top ICT leaders, including Acer, AMD, Apacer, Arm, ASUS, ATEN, Delta, GIGABYTE, IBM, Infineon, KIOXIA, Microsoft Corp., MSI, NVIDIA, NXP, Qualcomm, Quanta Cloud Technology (QCT), Supermicro, Texas Instruments, ZOTAC and more, will participate in hybrid events.
COMPUTEX CEO Keynotes & Forum Provide a Comprehensive View of the Industry Future
COMPUTEX will hold many events during the show this year. Some highlights include five COMPUTEX CEO Keynotes by the global tech giants. They will deliver hot topics and the latest trends that attendees could walk away with informative and insightful views.
The COMPUTEX Forum will revolve around the theme "Create the New Normal", consisting of two technological innovation and application sessions. The first session will focus on technology innovation, with the topic of "Technology Empowerment, Building Industry Chains", dissecting computing, 5G, IoT to drive the opportunities in AI. The second session will cover technology application with the topic of "Application Advancements – Realizing Future Scenarios", which focuses on virtual reality, smart life, remote work, and ESG management by using digital technology.
Diverse Activities to Create Excellent Visitor Experiences
TAITRA will actively integrate various services to generate leads for exhibitors as well as create brilliant visitor experiences.
- Global Procurement Meetings: Alternative physical exhibiting solutions will be offered to assist exhibitors in expanding their business opportunities. International VIP buyers and government procurement bidders are connected in one-on-one meetings with exhibitors.
- Live Studio: Exhibitors can showcase their latest products through a live studio, where buyers can get first-hand information.
- Guided Tour: There will be financial and industry experts, as well as opinion leaders from various fields leading the guided tours. More than 100,000 buyers can experience the show highlights without attending in person.
- COMPUTEX DigitalGo Online Exhibition: Through an interactive online exhibition platform, exhibitors can connect with visitors in real-time.
Visitor Registration at COMPUTEX:
More about COMPUTEX, please visit:
COMPUTEX : https://www.computextaipei.com.tw/
InnoVEX : https://www.innovex.com.tw/
Press Contacts:
Ms. Tessa Lin <tessalin@taitra.org.tw>
About COMPUTEX TAIPEI (also called COMPUTEX):
Established in 1981, COMPUTEX is one of the leading global ICT, IoT, and startup tradeshows with a complete supply chain and IoT ecosystems. Co-organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and Taipei Computer Association (TCA), COMPUTEX, based upon Taiwan's complete ICT clusters, covers the whole spectrum of the ICT industry, from established brands to startups and from ICT supply chain to IoT ecosystems. With strong R&D and manufacturing capabilities and IPR protection, Taiwan is a strategic destination for foreign companies and investors looking for partners in global technology ecosystems. Follow COMPUTEX on its website at www.computextaipei.com.tw and Twitter @computex_taipei using the hashtag #COMPUTEX.
About TAITRA
Founded in 1970, TAITRA is Taiwan's foremost nonprofit trade promoting organization. Sponsored by the government and industry organizations, TAITRA assists enterprises to expand their global reach. Headquartered in Taipei, TAITRA has a team of 1,300 specialists and operates 5 local offices in Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as 63 branches worldwide. Together with Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) and Taiwan Trade Center (TTC), TAITRA has formed a global network dedicated to promoting world trade.
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SOURCE COMPUTEX | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/computex-2022-returns-registration-is-now-open-buyers-worldwide/ | 2022-04-13T07:59:24 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/computex-2022-returns-registration-is-now-open-buyers-worldwide/ |
To Ensure Guests a Safe & Healthy Quarantine Stay
From HKD990nett per night with Daily 3 Meals & USD24-110 Cash Credits
HONG KONG, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The award-winning Dorsett Wanchai, Hong Kong continues to uphold the #DorsettCares promise by recruiting a new army of high-tech droids and solutions at the hotel to bring its comprehensive hygiene measures to the next level.
These measures range from the iCleanic's Intelligent Sanitization Station that sanitizes the body from head to toe as well as the belongings of arriving guests, the autonomous cleaning and disinfecting "Whiz Gambit" Robot and the Portable Gambit ensure all public areas and rooms are virus-free, while the UV-C air purifier guarantees the best air quality, to the RICE Robot that allows contact-less delivery of amenities. These droids are now in service to ensure all guests the safest, healthiest, and freshest stay ever.
As "One of the Best Hong Kong Hotels for Quarantine" recommended by Discovery, Cathay Pacific & Time Out Magazine and the "Best Quarantine Hotel in Hong Kong – Silver" by Expat Living, Dorsett Wanchai offers a quarantine package for 7 nights from HKD990nett per night, with daily 3 meals and USD24–110 cash credits for use during the guests' stay.
Effortless Disinfection with the "Whiz Gambit" Robot and Portable Gambit
Dorsett Wanchai has recruited the best-in-class SGS-certified "Whiz Gambit" Robot, which has a 99.99% efficiency of killing the COVID-19 virus, bacteria, airborne fungi, and to deep clean carpets and disinfect every corner at the hotel lobby, guest floors and other public areas. It also generates disinfectant particles in dry mist form, which leaves a long-lasting and durable antimicrobial protective coating for more than 45 days to effectively inactivate microorganisms on all exposed surfaces.
After guests' checkout, what follows the comprehensive cleaning procedures with Ecolab's hospital-grade Disinfectant Cleaner 2.0 is, a thorough disinfection and antimicrobial coating of the guestroom by the Portable Gambit, which is as powerful as the bio-decontamination compartment of "Whiz Gambit", and can be controlled via a mobile app.
Added Measures for Extra Safety
At Dorsett Wanchai, the best indoor air quality is also guaranteed 24/7 with air purifiers that feature IoT High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) UV-C Technology, in all 454 guestrooms and guest floors.
To minimize human contact, the RICE Robot would assist staff in delivering amenities to guests all over the hotel when guests call for extra amenities.
Humans and AI Joining Forces as the Perfect Team
"We are thrilled to welcome the high-tech members who can do an even better job than humans when it comes to cleaning and disinfection, taking our safety measures to a new height. With them, our staff can now spend more time taking care of our guests," said Ms. Anita Chan, General Manager of Dorsett Wanchai, Hong Kong.
BOOK NOW for a safe & healthy stay at Dorsett Wanchai.
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SOURCE Dorsett Wanchai, Hong Kong | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/high-tech-droids-unite-dorsett-wanchai/ | 2022-04-13T07:59:30 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/high-tech-droids-unite-dorsett-wanchai/ |
SINGAPORE, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently ICONFi added the BAND token on its staking service. Band Protocol is a cross-chain data oracle platform that aggregates and connects real-world data and APIs to smart contracts. ICONFi has been receiving the price data of the coins and tokens without worrying about the Oracle problem.
Crypto Staking is a great way to increase the holders' crypto assets and contribute to the decrease in the circulating supply – but still it is a bit difficult and annoying as the holders must claim the staking rewards manually by themselves. And for many "crypto newbies", managing crypto wallets has been a huddle for using crypto services. In the meantime, ICONFi, the only Hybrid platform providing Crypto Fixed savings and Auto-staking services, supports users enjoy the services with the familiar ID and Passwords system and compound interests on both savings and Stakings, positioning itself an alternative to direct crypto trading.
ICONFI is planning to keep adding new Staking coins so that those staking coin holders around the globe can enjoy its unique Auto Stake Feature. Currently ICONFi is running an event to airdrop up to 10 BAND for users who use the Fixed savings for the first time or Stake BAND on ICONFi. It would be a good chance to try it.
Crypto has already become an investment alternative and "HODLers" never sell their coins. However, while holding Bitcoin for many years, if there's no interest received from holding Bitcoin, it would be a huge amount of opportunity cost. But with ICOINFi, users can receive up to 11.67% (APR) compound interests on every Flexible and Fixed savings, 6 times a day. In addition, nearly every crypto savings platform has a tier system cutting down the interest rates based on how much users deposit except ICONFi – it is the only platform providing literally "Fixed" interest rates regardless of the deposit size.
ICONFi CEO Sean Kim said, "We want to make crypto finance services simple with ICONFi. Crypto can be easier and simpler so that more people can enjoy the higher interest rates of crypto finance services." He added, "ICONFi plans to support more staking coins and tokens so that the holders can use Staking more easily and earn high fixed compound interests, helping ICONFi users focus more on their own lives rather than spend time and energy on crypto trading."
The website www.icon-fi.com has the interest calculator to see the details and expected interests on ICONFi savings accounts – it is always harmless to have more options, and ICONFi would be a good alternative if anyone understands the benefit of the compound interest system.
Check out more about ICONFi:
Website: www.icon-fi.com
Medium: https://medium.com/iconfi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ICONFiWorld
Discord Community: https://discord.gg/YdWsjaW8Eh
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SOURCE ICONFi | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/iconfi-added-band-its-staking-services-introduces-auto-stake-feature-band-protocol-communities/ | 2022-04-13T07:59:37 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/iconfi-added-band-its-staking-services-introduces-auto-stake-feature-band-protocol-communities/ |
- U.S. Signals Scorecard measured and ranked performance of over 240,000 signalized intersections, representing about three-quarters of all signals in the country
- The average driver passed through nearly five traffic signals per trip and spent 10% of their journey delayed by traffic signals
- The busiest hour nationally was Thursday, 4:30-5:30pm, with over 430 million estimated total crossings in the peak hour
- If achieved nationwide, a one second improvement in delay per vehicle would eliminate more than 1.5 million metric tons of CO2, saving 3.9 million barrels of oil annually
KIRKLAND, Wash., April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- INRIX, Inc., a world leader in mobility analytics and connected car services, today published the U.S. Signals Scorecard that measured and ranked performance of over 240,000 signalized intersections. On average, drivers spent more than 18 seconds sitting at each traffic signal, resulting in nearly 8.65 billion hours spent annually and, more importantly, nearly 28 million metric tons of CO2 emitted.
Leveraging INRIX IQ Signal Analytics, the U.S. Signals Scorecard is one of the most comprehensive reports to date with measurement of an estimated three-quarters of all signals in the United States, with analysis on the national, state, county, metropolitan area, and intersection levels. The Scorecard is augmented by an online national map showing all intersections analyzed and, when clicked, daily average and peak demand hour metrics.
The Signals Scorecard revealed that signalized intersections play a large part of the journey and associated carbon emissions. Analysis found that the average driver passed through nearly five traffic signals per trip and spent 10% of their trip delayed by traffic signals, leading to an increase of total delay by 24% over last year.
"Idling at signals results in lost time, fuel wasted, and unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions," said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. "The Signals Scorecard provides a national benchmark of signalized intersections, allowing cities and road authorities to identify problem areas and reduce carbon emissions immediately, without waiting years from now."
Signals in the Top 25 Metro Areas
The below table summarizes the results for the 25 largest U.S. metropolitan areas. The nature of the road networks (signal density, demand, etc.) vary widely and has a direct impact in signal performance. Delay per vehicle ranged from 14.9 seconds in the Minneapolis/St. Paul to 24.9 seconds in Miami-Dade, while total hours of daily delay per signal ranged from 72 hours in the Cleveland area to nearly 210 hours in Miami. Daily carbon and fuel use impacts from delay range from 480 metric tons of CO2 and roughly 1,250 barrels of oil in the Portland, Oregon area to more than 7,000 metric tons and 18,300 barrels in the Los Angeles area.
While all delay can't be eliminated, reducing excess delay has a direct impact on the creation of greenhouse gases and fuel consumption. If a one second improvement in delay per vehicle is achieved nationwide, more than 1.5 million metric tons of CO2 would be eliminated, saving 3.9 million barrels of oil annually.
The Top 10 Intersections by Peak Demand Delay
For the week analyzed, the intersection of West Southern Ave & South Alma School Rd (Mesa, AZ), ranked first in total daily delay, drivers sat at the intersection for 126 seconds during peak hour demand, followed by SW Baya Dr & SW Main Blvd (Lake City, FL) with nearly 112 seconds of delay. Florida and Texas each had three intersections ranked in the top 10.
The U.S. Signals Scorecard comes at a time when the country's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law allows for massive investment in ways to reduce oil consumption, increase safety and lower carbon emissions. City, County, Regional Planners, and State Departments of Transportation are investing in technologies that bring immediate and quantifiable benefits to meet key climate and safety targets.
The key findings of the U.S. Signals Scorecard provide a quantifiable benchmark for governments and cities to measure and improve urban mobility, while also identifying the associated carbon emissions due to vehicle delay.
Please visit www.inrix.com/signals-scorecard/ for:
- Full U.S. Signals Scorecard report
- Online national map showing all intersections analyzed and key metrics
- Complete methodology
About INRIX
Founded in 2004, INRIX pioneered intelligent mobility solutions by transforming big data from connected devices and vehicles into mobility insights. This revolutionary approach enabled INRIX to become one of the leading providers of data and analytics into how people move. By empowering cities, businesses and people with valuable insights, INRIX is helping to make the world smarter, safer, and greener. With partners and solutions spanning across the entire mobility ecosystem, INRIX is uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology and transportation – whether its keeping road users safe, improving traffic signal timing to reduce delay and greenhouse gasses, optimizing last mile delivery, or helping uncover market insights. Learn more at INRIX.com.
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SOURCE INRIX | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/inrix-analyzes-ranks-intersection-performance-across-us-estimates-impact-signal-delay-carbon-emissions/ | 2022-04-13T07:59:44 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/inrix-analyzes-ranks-intersection-performance-across-us-estimates-impact-signal-delay-carbon-emissions/ |
NEW YORK , April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Moore Kuehn, PLLC, a law firm focusing in securities litigation located on Wall Street in downtown New York City, is investigating potential claims concerning whether the following proposed mergers are fair to shareholders. Moore Kuehn may seek increased consideration, additional disclosures, or other relief on behalf of the shareholders of these companies:
- Pacifico Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: PAFO)
Pacifico has agreed to merge with Caravelle. Under the proposed transaction, Pacifico shareholders ownership in the combined company will be diluted.
- CDK Global Inc. (NASDAQ: CDK)
CDK Global has agreed to merge with Brookfield Business Partners. Under the proposed transaction, CDK Global shareholders will receive $54.87 in cash per share. The investigation concerns whether CDK Global's board of directors oversaw an unfair process and ultimately agreed to an inadequate price.
- Huttig Building Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: HBP)
Huttig has agreed to merge with Woodgrain. Under the proposed transaction, Huttig shareholders will receive $10.70 in cash per share. The investigation concerns whether Huttig's board of directors oversaw an unfair process and ultimately agreed to an inadequate price.
- SailPoint Technologies Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SAIL)
SailPoint has agreed to merge with Thomas Bravo. Under the proposed transaction, SailPoint shareholders will receive $65.25 in cash per share. The investigation concerns whether SailPoint's board of directors oversaw an unfair process and ultimately agreed to an inadequate price.
Moore Kuehn is investigating whether the Boards of the above companies 1) acted to maximize shareholder value, 2) failed to disclose material information, and 3) conducted a fair process.
Moore Kuehn encourages shareholders who would like to discuss their rights to contact Justin Kuehn, Esq. by email at jkuehn@moorekuehn.com or telephone at (212) 709-8245. The consultation and case are free with no obligation to you. Moore Kuehn pays all case costs and does not charge its investor clients. Shareholders should contact the firm immediately as there may be limited time to enforce your rights.
Moore Kuehn is a 5-star client-rated New York City law firm with attorneys representing investors and consumers in litigation involving securities laws, fraud, breaches of fiduciary duties, and other claims. For additional information about Moore Kuehn, please visit http://www.moorekuehn.com/practice/new-york-securities-litigation/.
Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes.
Contacts:
Moore Kuehn, PLLC
Justin Kuehn, Esq.
30 Wall Street, 8th Floor
New York, New York 10005
jkuehn@moorekuehn.com
(212) 709-8245
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SOURCE Moore Kuehn, PLLC | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/moore-kuehn-encourages-pafo-cdk-hbp-sail-investors-contact-law-firm/ | 2022-04-13T07:59:50 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/moore-kuehn-encourages-pafo-cdk-hbp-sail-investors-contact-law-firm/ |
- Global ASICS study demonstrates positive link between movement and mental health
- New ASICS research also indicates that just 15:09 minutes of exercise may be all it can take to begin experiencing a positive uplift, showing the big impact a small amount of movement can have
- Inspired by these findings, ASICS is calling on everyone to take part in its 15:09 Uplift Challenge to experience the uplift first-hand
BOSTON, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, ASICS is excited to announce the results of its inaugural global State of Mind Index, which indicates a direct positive link between exercise and mental health. Notably, the study also uncovered the worrying potential impact of lower levels of activity in younger generations across the globe.
The global study, which tracked the mental state of 37,000 people from 16 countries around the world, found that people who move the most have a higher State of Mind score. Active individuals[1] have an average State of Mind score of 68/100, in relation to just 56/100 for those that are inactive[2].
The study also highlights dramatic differences in physical activity between generations, with older generations (those aged 57+) moving almost one hour (53 minutes) more on average than Gen Z across the span of a week. This in turn is shown to have a big impact on each group's collective State of Mind score.
The study found that 54% of the global older population is active and feels uplifting benefits, reporting an average State of Mind score of 67/100. In contrast, just 45% of the global Gen Z (aged 18-24) population are currently active and, as a result, have a considerably lower average State of Mind score than their older counterparts of 59/100.
The local data for the U.S. also showed a positive link between movement and mental health, with active individuals on average scoring 65/100 in relation to just 50/100 for non-active individuals. It was also consistent with global data in revealing the older generation is more active and has a higher State of Mind score (55% active with average SOM score of 67/100) compared with those in Gen Z (just 45% active with average SOM score of 49/100).
The study also interestingly found that while the global population perceives 30 minutes as the minimum amount of exercise required to experience the uplifting impact of movement, new ASICS' research indicates that just 15 minutes and 9 seconds of movement is all it can take to begin feeling the mood-boosting effects.
Dr Brendon Stubbs, a leading exercise and mental health researcher from King's College London who led the study, said: "There is a common perception that you need to move for a long time to experience the uplifting benefit. However, our new research indicates this is not the case – just over 15 minutes of movement is actually all it can take to experience the positive impact. Coinciding with the State of Mind Index, which demonstrates the positive link between movement and mental health on a global scale like never before, we hope it will be inspiring for many to see the impact that such a small amount of movement can have."
Tomoko Koda, Managing Executive Officer, Senior General Manager, Marketing at ASICS said: "At ASICS, it has long been our belief that sport has the power to uplift both an individual and the world like nothing else. While the results of our global State of Mind Index indicate just how intrinsic the link between regular movement and positive mental wellbeing is, they also show the potential impact a small amount of movement could have in raising the world's collective State of Mind. Our 15:09 Challenge sets out to do just that, calling on everyone to move and in doing so experience those all-important benefits first-hand. We're delighted that our inspiring new ASICS 15:09 Uplift Ambassadors are going to be joining us in taking part in and sharing this challenge too."
To recognize the unique findings of the ASICS Uplift Study, ASICS will host a 15:09 Uplift Challenge throughout the month of June. The 15:09 Uplift Challenge will be led by brand ambassadors around the world, including Deena Kastor in the U.S. More details on the 15:09 Uplift Challenge will be shared at a later date.
To find out more about ASICS' #LiveUplifted campaign, visit www.asics.com.
NOTES FOR EDITOR
About the ASICS State of Mind Index
The State of Mind Index is a first-of-its-kind study conducted by ASICS which looks at the relationship between State of Mind and exercise around the world. The State of Mind Index is a score out of 100, calculated based on the accumulative mean scores across ten cognitive and emotional traits – including positivity, content, relaxed, focused and composed. Conducted by Edelman Data & Insights, the study was carried out among a total sample size of 37,000 respondents across 16 countries globally – nationally representative by age, gender and region in each market. The countries included in the study are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, UAE, UK & USA. Generational breakdown included in the study was as follows:
- Boomers & Silent (older generation) - 57+
- Gen X - 41-56
- Millennials - 24-40
- Gen Z - 18-24
Average State of Mind Index Score by country are as follows:
- China – 77 (/100)
- India – 74
- Thailand – 74
- UAE – 68
- Spain – 65
- Singapore – 64
- Brazil – 64
- Netherlands – 63
- Germany – 63
- UK – 63
- France – 62
- Australia – 62
- Sweden – 60
- US – 59
- Italy – 57
- Japan – 51
[1] Doing more than 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week
[2] Doing less than 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise per week
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SOURCE ASICS | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/new-asics-state-mind-index-indicates-positive-impact-movement-worlds-mental-health/ | 2022-04-13T07:59:57 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/new-asics-state-mind-index-indicates-positive-impact-movement-worlds-mental-health/ |
SEOUL, South Korea, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- NEW ID announced on April 10, 2022 that the company has completed the development of its AI-based Post Production that opens the door for more content to be enjoyed on global OTT platforms.
- Under an exclusive partnership, NEW ID uses SK Telecom (SKT)'s AI technology to detect and remove subtitles, music, and other embedded graphics to meet the content distribution standards of global platforms.
- NEW ID provides an all-in-one post production solution necessary for content localization, including specialized AI solution, translation and subtitle generation.
NEW ID, digital content & media platform business subsidiary of Next Entertainment World (NEW), commercializes SKT's AI-based Post Production (AIPP) technology. NEW ID signed an exclusive contract with SKT to commercialize its AI-based post production technology used to remove subtitles, TV rating labels, music, and completed the development of an automated AIPP platform.
The biggest obstacle to exportation of Korean entertainment content is not only the language but also music copyright issues when finalized content is distributed globally. From removing copyright music, burned-in Korean subtitles, TV rating labels, and to PPL images, it is important for global OTT services to remove subtitles including speech captions used in entertainment content and Korean subtitles that are increasing in number due to frequent use of English in Korean dramas. As global OTT platforms show more interest in Korean content, media localization enables both the globalization and localization of Korean content, which is also growing in high demand.
NEW ID focuses on commercializing SKT's original technology in removing subtitles, removing graphics such as logo, recognizing and removing audio sources without losing voice. Also, NEW ID will collaborate with SKT to enhance the quality and efficiency of global localization process with its video remastering technology '5GX Supernova' and subtitles auto-generation technology. NEW ID will use SKT's AI-based technology to eliminate obstacles impeding broadcasting K-content on global streaming platforms and widen global distribution channels.
SKT Global Media Support Manager Hyuk Kim said "I look forward to seeing Korean entertainment content push the Korean Wave to greater heights in the media content industry with the help of AIPP solutions that solve difficulties in exportation due to Korean subtitles and unlicensed music. We will continue to develop media localization technology that makes it easier to export K-content." NEW ID CEO June Park said, "Collaborating with leading content platforms across the world helped us better understand global platforms' service architecture. We are excited to work alongside SK Telecom to enhance viewing experiences for global content fans and strengthen the media post production ecosystem."
NEW ID is the only Korean media company which has launched and is operating premium Asian entertainment channels on more than 20 global streaming platforms including Amazon, Roku, Plex and Tubi. Through AIPP technology, NEW ID has quickly expanded its services in post production by working with broadcast networks to enhance content quality and post production efficiency in order to help their content move worldwide to global OTT platforms.
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SOURCE NEW ID | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/new-id-partners-with-sk-telecom-develop-ai-post-production-platform-export-korean-content/ | 2022-04-13T08:00:04 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/new-id-partners-with-sk-telecom-develop-ai-post-production-platform-export-korean-content/ |
SHANGHAI, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Noah Holdings Limited ("Noah" or the "Company") (NYSE: NOAH), a leading and pioneer wealth management service provider in China offering comprehensive one-stop advisory services on global investment and asset allocation primarily for high net worth investors, today provides an update on its status under the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act (the "HFCAA").
On April 12, 2022, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") provisionally named the Company as a Commission-Identified Issuer after the Company filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 with the SEC on April 6, 2022, which included an audit report issued by a public accounting firm that the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (the "PCAOB") has determined that it is unable to inspect or investigate completely. The SEC estimated that 273 registrants might be identified under the HFCAA as part of its review of registrants in calendar year 2020.
The Company understands the SEC made such identification pursuant to the HFCAA, which states if the SEC determines that a company has filed audit reports issued by a registered public accounting firm that cannot be inspected or investigated completely by the PCAOB for three consecutive years beginning in 2021, the SEC shall prohibit its shares or American depositary shares (the "ADSs") from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. Under the current terms of the HFCAA, the Company's ADSs will be delisted from the New York Stock Exchange in early 2024, unless the HFCAA is amended to exclude the Company or the PCAOB is able to conduct a full inspection of the Company's auditor during the required timeframe. The Company has previously disclosed that its auditor, the independent registered public accounting firm that issued the audit report included in its annual report filed with the SEC, is currently not inspected by the PCAOB, hence the identification by the PCAOB is expected.
The Company's ADSs, two of which represent one Class A ordinary share of the Company, have been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "NOAH" since November 10, 2010.
As the Company will continue to monitor market developments and evaluate all strategic options, with the appropriate counsel and guidance, it would like to note that this update has no impact on business operations.
ABOUT NOAH HOLDINGS LIMITED
Noah Holdings Limited (NYSE: NOAH) is a leading and pioneer wealth management service provider in China offering comprehensive one-stop advisory services on global investment and asset allocation primarily for high net worth investors. In the full year 2021, Noah distributed RMB97.2 billion (US$15.3 billion) of investment products. Through Gopher Asset Management, Noah had assets under management of RMB156.0 billion (US$24.5 billion) as of December 31, 2021.
Noah's wealth management business primarily distributes diversified investment products denominated in RMB and other currencies. Noah delivers customized financial solutions to clients through a network of 1,316 relationship managers across 84 cities in mainland China, and serves the international investment needs of its clients through offices in Hong Kong, Taiwan, New York, Silicon Valley and Singapore. As a leading alternative multi-asset manager in China, Gopher Asset Management develops and manages assets ranging from private equity, public securities, real estate, multi-strategy to other investments denominated in Renminbi and other currencies. The Company also provides other businesses.
For more information, please visit Noah at ir.noahgroup.com.
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SOURCE Noah Holdings Limited | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/noah-holdings-limited-provides-update-status-under-holding-foreign-companies-accountable-act/ | 2022-04-13T08:00:05 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/noah-holdings-limited-provides-update-status-under-holding-foreign-companies-accountable-act/ |
HELSINKI, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Agility and reliability are key properties in Ponsse's harvester heads. Harvester heads must withstand constant stress in varying conditions and operate accurately without damaging any stems. Ponsse has decades of experience and a range of productive solutions for wood processing mounted on base machines, developed together with customers.
At the online event, Ponsse's customers and specialists talk about their experiences in the PONSSE H8HD, H9 and H10 harvester heads, ideal for 20–40-ton base machines.
Further information:
Janne Loponen, Product Manager, Harvester Heads,
janne.loponen@ponsse.com
Tel. +358 40 502 8018.
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
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SOURCE Ponsse Oyj | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/ponsses-solutions-wood-processing-watch-recording-online-event/ | 2022-04-13T08:00:11 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/ponsses-solutions-wood-processing-watch-recording-online-event/ |
TAIZHOU, China, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jiangsu Recbio Technology Co., Ltd. (the"Company", together with its subsidiaries, the "Group",Stock code:2179.HK) is pleased to announce that the Company has received approval from the Ministry of Health and Prevention of the United Arab Emirates ("UAE") ("Clinical Trial Approval") to conduct a Phase II/III clinical study of sequential booster vaccination for its recombinant protein COVID-19 vaccine ReCOV ("ReCOV") to evaluate the immunogenicity and safety of ReCOV as a heterologous booster in adult subjects.
This clinical trial is a multi-center, randomized, observer-blinded, active-controlled phase II/III study on persons who have previously completed two doses of inactivated COVID-19 vaccine for primary vaccination and whose last vaccination is 3 to 12 months away from heterologous booster of ReCOV. It is expected that approximately 1,950 adult subjects will be enrolled.
The study's safety and immunogenicity data are expected to be published in 2022, supporting the submission to the UAE Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for ReCOV as a heterologous booster.
About Recombinant Two-Component COVID-19 Vaccine (ReCOV)
In May 2020, Recbio, together with Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention ("Jiangsu CDC") and Taizhou Medical New & High-tech Industrial Development Zone, jointly developed a recombinant two-component COVID-19 vaccine(ReCOV). Under the guidance of Professor Fengcai Zhu from the Jiangsu CDC, the R&D team thoroughly optimized the vaccine using protein engineering and new adjuvant technologies, so that ReCOV has promising safety and strong immunogenicity against SARS-CoV-2 and variants of concern such as Omicorn and Delta. A series of comprehensive advantages such as better cross-protection against emerging variants, easy scale-up of production, cost advantages, worldwide accessibility, good preparation stability, and storage and transportation at room temperature which become a very competitive second-generation new COVID-19 vaccine.
About Recbio
Founded in 2012, Recbio is an innovative vaccine company. With the vision of "Become the Leader of Innovative Vaccine in the Future," Recbio takes "Protect Human Health with Best-in-Class Vaccines" as its mission. It has established three major cutting-edge technology platforms including novel adjuvants platform, protein engineering platform, immunological evaluation platform and mRNA vaccine platform. Recbio has a high-value vaccine portfolio consisted of HPV vaccine candidates, COVID-19 vaccine candidates, shingles vaccine candidates, influenza vaccine candidates, adults TB vaccine candidates etc. The core management team has more than 20 years of experience in the development and commercialization of innovative vaccines. For more information, please visit https://www.recbio.cn/.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may contain certain forward-looking statements that are, by their nature, subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The words "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions, as they relate to Recbio, are intended to identify certain of such forward-looking statements. Recbio does not intend to update these forward-looking statements regularly.
These forward-looking statements are based on the existing beliefs, assumptions, expectations, estimates, projections and understandings of the management of Recbio with respect to future events at the time these statements are made. These statements are not a guarantee of future developments and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond Recbio's control and are difficult to predict. Consequently, actual results may differ materially from information contained in the forward-looking statements as a result of future changes or developments in our business, Recbio's competitive environment and political, economic, legal and social conditions.
Jiangsu Recbio Technology Co., Ltd.
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SOURCE Jiangsu Recbio Technology Co., Ltd. | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/receipt-approval-uae-phase-iiiii-clinical-trial-sequential-booster-vaccination-recov/ | 2022-04-13T08:00:19 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/receipt-approval-uae-phase-iiiii-clinical-trial-sequential-booster-vaccination-recov/ |
- MLCC for powertrains with guaranteed use at as high as 150℃
- Releases 13 types of automotive MLCCs in various sizes and capacitances
- Plans to supply new products to global auto parts manufacturers
- Samsung Electro-Mechanics Expands the lineup of automotive MLCCs to aggressively target the automotive market
- Gains a foothold for increasing market share in the high-reliability automotive MLCC market currently led by a few companies
- Strengthens market responsiveness through business diversification such as the IT, automotive, and network sectors
SEOUL, South Korea, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Samsung Electro-Mechanics has developed high-temperature MLCCs that can be applied to automotive powertrains in a move to target the automotive market
Samsung Electro-Mechanics announced on the 11th that it has developed 13 types of automotive MLCCs with guaranteed use in a 150℃ environment with plans to supply them to global auto parts manufacturers. High-reliability automotive MLCCs with guaranteed use at 150℃ have been produced only by some companies, but with this development, Samsung Electro-Mechanics will step up its efforts to expand its market share by increasing its product competitiveness with an extended lineup of automotive components.
The new products come in various sizes and capacitances, ranging from the 3225 size that is 3.2mm wide and 2.5mm long with a high-capacitance of 22uF (microfarad) to the smaller 1608 size with 220nF (nanofarad).
(▲3225 size 22uF, 4.7uF, 2.2uF (3 types) ▲3216 size 10uF, 2.2uF, 1uF (3 types) ▲2012 size 10uF, 4.7uF, 2.2uF, 1uF, 470nF, 220nF (6 types) ▲1608 size 220nF (1 types))
- The Multi-Layer Ceramic Capacitor (MLCC), a core component in electronic devices that controls the stable current flow within electronic circuits, is essential for products such as smartphones, home appliances, and automobiles.
The powertrain requires high reliability for internal components as the internal operating temperature can rise up to 150°C due to high power consumption and heat generation from powering the core driving system of a vehicle, such as the engine of an internal combustion engine (ICE) or the motor of an electric vehicle (EV).
In an environment above the guaranteed temperature, MLCCs tend to lose their capacitance to store energy. In general, 85℃ for IT devices and 125℃ for electric equipment are guaranteed but a 150℃ guarantee is required for the powertrain.
The newly developed MLCCs are capable of normal operation without reduced capacitance even in an extreme environment of 150℃. Due to technical complexities involving raw material development and construction technology, this type of product is currently produced only by a small number of companies.
"Automotive products used in extreme environments are more difficult to develop than products for IT devices, and among them, powertrain applications are the most difficult" said Kim Dooyoung, head of the Component Solution Unit, Samsung Electro-Mechanics. "Samsung Electro-Mechanics will further expand our presence in the automotive MLCC market by using differentiated materials and manufacturing techniques, such as in-house development of dielectric material."
The electrification of automobiles has fueled the demand for small-size, high-performance, and high-reliability MLCCs. The automotive MLCC market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 9% in line with the efficient fuel consumption of ICE vehicles and EVs and the increasing number of sensors and electronic control units (ECUs) for motor control.
Samsung Electro-Mechanics is bolstering its lineup of high-value-added automotive products with high-temperature, high-voltage, and high-reliability characteristics based on its technological edge in the ultra-compact and ultra-high-capacity MLCC sector, and expanding the supply of MLCCs to global auto parts manufacturers and car makers.
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SOURCE Samsung Electro-Mechanics | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/samsung-electro-mechanics-develops-13-types-mlcc-automotive-powertrains/ | 2022-04-13T08:00:27 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/samsung-electro-mechanics-develops-13-types-mlcc-automotive-powertrains/ |
NEW YORK , April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Halper Sadeh LLP, an investor rights law firm, is investigating the following companies for potential violations of the federal securities laws and/or breaches of fiduciary duties to shareholders relating to:
8i Acquisition 2 Corp. (NASDAQ: LAX)'s merger with EUDA Health Limited. If you are an 8i Acquisition shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Zurn Water Solutions Corporation (NYSE: ZWS)'s merger with Elkay Manufacturing Company. If you are a Zurn Water shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
MoneyGram International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGI)'s sale to funds affiliated with Madison Dearborn Partners, LLC for $11.00 per share in cash. If you are a MoneyGram shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Spirit Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: SAVE)'s sale to Frontier Group Holdings, Inc. for 1.9126 shares of Frontier plus $2.13 in cash for each Spirit share. If you are a Spirit shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Huttig Building Products, Inc. (NASDAQ: HBP)'s sale to Woodgrain Inc. for $10.70 per share. If you are a Huttig Building shareholder, click here to learn more about your rights and options.
Halper Sadeh LLP may seek increased consideration for shareholders, additional disclosures and information concerning the proposed transaction, or other relief and benefits on behalf of shareholders.
Shareholders are encouraged to contact the firm free of charge to discuss their legal rights and options. Please call Daniel Sadeh or Zachary Halper at (212) 763-0060 or email sadeh@halpersadeh.com or zhalper@halpersadeh.com.
Halper Sadeh LLP represents investors all over the world who have fallen victim to securities fraud and corporate misconduct. Our attorneys have been instrumental in implementing corporate reforms and recovering millions of dollars on behalf of defrauded investors.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
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SOURCE Halper Sadeh LLP | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/shareholder-investigation-halper-sadeh-llp-investigates-lax-zws-mgi-save-hbp/ | 2022-04-13T08:00:34 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/shareholder-investigation-halper-sadeh-llp-investigates-lax-zws-mgi-save-hbp/ |
SHANGHAI , April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On March 25, Fuqing Nuclear Power Unit 6, which Shanghai Electric helped to build, completed 168 hours of trial operation making it ready for commercial operation. Fuqing Nuclear Power Unit 6 is the second unit of the Hualong One demonstration project of China's indigenously developed third generation nuclear power plant. The completion and full commissioning of the Hualong One demonstration project marks China's advancement to the global first tier of nuclear power technology and capabilities and supports China's transformation into a leading player in nuclear power sector.
Both K-2 and K-3 units of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant are contracted by China National Nuclear Corp (CNNC), with Shanghai Electric serving as one of the main equipment suppliers, featuring a plethora of China's homegrown state-of-the-art nuclear technologies. The power plant marks one of the most significant milestones in China-Pakistan energy cooperation, instrumental in helping Pakistan establish a low-carbon economy as well as injecting fresh impetus into China's Belt and Road Initiative.
"As a landmark project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and Belt and Road Initiative, the completion and operation of K-2 and K-3 of the Karachi Nuclear Power mark an important step for Chinese energy companies as they continue to expand their international market presence. It also heralds a new era for cooperation between China and Pakistan where the two nations further synergize their comprehensive strategic partnership in a joint force to push green development and achieve carbon peak and neutrality goals," Shanghai Electric said in a statement.
Shanghai No.1 Machine Tools Plant Limited Company, a subsidiary of Shanghai Electric Nuclear Power Group, was commissioned to manufacture the main equipment of the reactor internals used in the nuclear island, PMC equipment fuel charging and discharging machines and also fuel transportation devices. The company started the project of developing the reactor internals for Hualong One from 2015, and it has successfully overcome seventy-one difficulties including technical and testing challenges. During the process, the company completed technology innovation in 2 material localization, 5 welding technologies, 4 testing technologies and 7 process technologies. It also obtained 10 manufacturing invention patents.
In the process of creating China's most advanced nuclear reactor, several subsidiaries of Shanghai Electric, including Shanghai Electric Power Station Equipment Co., Ltd., also participated in manufacturing core equipment of the conventional island, such as steam turbines, power generators, and steam-water separators, as well as the design of the steam turbine generator set.
K-2 unit of the power plant entered commercial operation in 2021 and completed a 100-hour continuous operation test run at full power, with all performance indicators reaching standards and the unit operating in a sound condition. Each Hualong One unit is expected to generate about 9 billion kWh of electricity annually, which can meet the annual electricity demand of more than 4 million households in Pakistan, equating to the power produced by 3.12 million tons of standard coal, 8.16 million carbon dioxide emissions every year, as well as planting more than 70 million trees.
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SOURCE Shanghai Electric | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/successful-interconnection-unit-4-hualong-one-shanghai-electric-nuclear-power-project/ | 2022-04-13T08:00:41 | 0 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/successful-interconnection-unit-4-hualong-one-shanghai-electric-nuclear-power-project/ |
SHENZHEN, China, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Prof. Zhenghua Zhang's team at the Institute of Environment and Ecology, Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School (SIGS), has developed a compact platform by combining a membrane separation process and advanced oxidation process in a single step for nanoconfined heterogenous catalysis of persistent organic pollutants to produce clean water. The in-situ functionalisation strategy presented by their team is convenient and allows nucleation of nanocatalysts within the water transport nanochannels of boron nitride membrane, opening a promising avenue for the construction of catalytic membranes. Prof.Zhang's research article, "Ultrahigh permeance functionalised boron nitride membrane for nanoconfined heterogeneous catalysis", has been published in Chem Catalysis on 3rd of Feb, 2022 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.checat.2022.01.003).
Water pollution is mainly caused by anthropogenic activities and could disrupt the smooth functioning of economic activities and human health. In this context, detection of persistent organic pollutants such as pharmaceutical and pesticides in freshwater bodies is alarming due to their well-documented harmful impacts on human health (e.g., genetic malformations) after prolonged exposure. Due to these severe consequences, clean water (SDG6) and good health (SDG3) are included in the UN sustainable development goals. Here, Prof. Zhang's team introduced a simple concept of functionalising the boron nitride nanosheet (BNNS) membrane, involving nucleation of cobalt nanocatalysts within the membrane intralayer network of water transport nanochannels. Membrane-confined crystalline reactive species with multiple exposed active sites spontaneously activate peroxymonosulfate, producing ROS for ultrafast (~80 ms) destruction of organic pollutants at a fast flow-rate of 548 L m-2 h-1. Co-BNNS membrane showed good stability and outperformed previously developed membrane-confined catalysis systems (up to 26-fold higher permeance). Co-BNNS membrane enabled ultrafast destruction of several organic pollutants, offering an attractive alternative for membrane-based catalysis applications.
About:
The Institute of Environment and Ecology (iEE) is a vital part of Tsinghua's environmental science discipline. Oriented to the core needs of high-quality development and based on the forefront of international disciplines, the institute is committed to studying the theory of ecological and environmental protection, investigating key technologies, cultivating high-level personnel with global competence, and providing science and technology talent support for ecological civilization and community building with a shared future for mankind. iEE offers 5 Master's Programs and 2 Doctoral Programs to international students.
Admission 2022 is still open.
Contact:
Institute of Environment and Ecology
86-755-26418632
admissions.iee@sz.tsinghua.edu.cn
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SOURCE Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/tsinghua-sigs-developed-ultrahigh-permeance-functionalised-boron-nitride-membranes-nanoconfined-heterogeneous-catalysis-produce-clean-water/ | 2022-04-13T08:00:47 | 1 | https://www.kold.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/tsinghua-sigs-developed-ultrahigh-permeance-functionalised-boron-nitride-membranes-nanoconfined-heterogeneous-catalysis-produce-clean-water/ |
Blame Trump? Jury hears that defense at Capitol riot trial
WASHINGTON (AP) — Mentions of Donald Trump have been rare at the first few trials for people charged with storming the U.S. Capitol, but that has changed: The latest Capitol riot defendant to go on trial is blaming his actions on the former president and his false claims about a stolen election.
Dustin Byron Thompson, an Ohio man charged with stealing a coat rack from the Capitol, doesn’t deny that he joined the mob on Jan. 6, 2021. But his lawyer vowed Tuesday to show that Trump abused his power to “authorize” the attack.
Describing Trump as a man without scruples or integrity, defense attorney Samuel Shamansky said the former president engaged in a “sinister” plot to encourage Thompson and other supporters to “do his dirty work.”
“It’s Donald Trump himself spewing the lies and using his position to authorize this assault,” Shamansky told jurors Tuesday during the trial’s opening statements.
Justice Department prosecutor Jennifer Rozzoni said Thompson knew he was breaking the law that day.
“He chose to be a part of the mayhem and chaos,” she said.
Thompson’s lawyer sought subpoenas to call Trump and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani as witnesses at his trial this week. A judge rejected that request but ruled that jurors can hear recordings of speeches that Trump and Giuliani delivered at a rally before the riot.
Thompson’s jury trial is the third among hundreds of Capitol riot prosecutions. The first two ended with jurors convicting both defendants on all counts with which they were charged.
In a February court filing, Shamansky said he wanted to argue at trial that Thompson was acting at the direction of Trump and “his various conspirators.” The lawyer asked to subpoena others from Trump’s inner circle, including former White House strategist Steve Bannon, former White House senior adviser Stephen Miller and former Trump lawyers John Eastman and Sidney Powell.
Prosecutors said Thompson can’t show that Trump or Giuliani had the authority to “empower” him to break the law. They also noted that video of the rally speeches “perfectly captures” the tone, delivery and context of the statements to the extent they are “marginally relevant” to proof of Thompson’s intent on Jan. 6.
Thompson’s lawyer argued that Trump would testify that he and others " orchestrated a carefully crafted plot to call into question the integrity of the 2020 presidential election.” Shamansky claimed that Giuliani incited rioters by encouraging them to engage in “trial by combat” and that Trump provoked the mob by saying that “if you don’t fight like hell, you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Shamansky said Thompson, who lost his job during the COVID-19 pandemic, became an avid consumer of the conspiracy theories and lies about a stolen election.
“This is the garbage that Dustin Thompson is listening to day after day after day,” Shamansky said. “He goes down this rabbit hole. He listens to this echo chamber. And he acts accordingly.”
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton ruled in March that any in-person testimony by Trump or Giuliani could confuse and mislead jurors.
More than 770 people have been charged with federal crimes arising from Jan. 6. Over 250 of them have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanors. Thompson is the fifth person to be tried on riot-related charges.
On Monday, a jury convicted a former Virginia police officer, Thomas Robertson, of storming the Capitol with another off-duty officer to obstruct Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s 2020 electoral victory. Last month, a jury convicted a Texas man, Guy Reffitt, of storming the Capitol with a holstered handgun.
A judge hearing testimony without a jury decided cases against two other Capitol riot defendants at separate bench trials. U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden acquitted one of them of all charges and partially acquitted the other.
Thompson has a co-defendant, Robert Lyon, who pleaded guilty to riot-related charges in March.
Thompson, then 36, and Lyon, then 27, drove from Columbus, Ohio, to Silver Spring, Maryland, stayed overnight at a hotel and then took an Uber ride into Washington, D.C., on the morning of Jan. 6. After then-President Donald Trump’s speech, Thompson and Lyon headed over to the Capitol.
Thompson was wearing a “Trump 2020″ winter hat and a bulletproof vest when he entered the Capitol and went to the Senate Parliamentarian’s Office, where he stole two bottles of liquor and a coat rack worth up to $500, according to prosecutors.
Thompson and Lyon traded text messages during the riot.
“Some girl died already,” Lyon said in one text, an apparent reference to a law enforcement officer’s fatal shooting of a rioter, Ashli Babbitt
“Was it Pelosi?” Thompson replied.
“I’m taking our country back,” Thompson later texted Lyon.
Around 6 p.m. on Jan. 6, Thompson and Lyon were sitting on a sidewalk and waiting for an Uber driver to pick them up when Capitol police officers approached and warned them that they were in a restricted area. As they started to leave, Thompson picked up a coat rack that appeared to be from the Capitol, the FBI said. Thompson ran away when the officers told him to put down the rack, dropping it as he fled. Lyon stayed behind and identified himself and Thompson to police.
That night, Thompson received a text from his wife that said, “I will not post bail.”
The FBI said agents later searched Lyon’s cellphone and found a video that showed a ransacked office and Thompson yelling: “Wooooo! ‘Merica Hey! This is our house!” A surveillance video also captured Thompson leaving a Capitol office with a bottle of bourbon, the FBI said.
Thompson is charged with six counts: obstructing Congress’ joint session to certify the Electoral College vote, theft of government property, entering or remaining in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds, disorderly or disruptive conduct in a Capitol building, and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
Lyon pleaded guilty to theft of government property and disorderly conduct. Both counts are misdemeanors punishable by a maximum of 1 year imprisonment. Walton is scheduled to sentence Lyon on June 3.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/blame-trump-jury-hears-that-defense-capitol-riot-trial/ | 2022-04-13T08:04:24 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/blame-trump-jury-hears-that-defense-capitol-riot-trial/ |
Russia has yet to slow a Western arms express into Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — Western weaponry pouring into Ukraine helped blunt Russia’s initial offensive and seems certain to play a central role in the approaching, potentially decisive, battle for Ukraine’s contested Donbas region. Yet the Russian military is making little headway halting what has become a historic arms express.
The U.S. numbers alone are mounting: more than 12,000 weapons designed to defeat armored vehicles, some 1,400 shoulder-fired Stinger missiles to shoot down aircraft, and more than 50 million rounds of ammunition, among many other things. Dozens of other nations are adding to the totals.
The Biden administration is preparing yet another, more diverse, package of military support possibly totaling $750 million to be announced in coming days, a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans not yet publicly announced. The additional aid is a sign that the administration intends to continue expanding its support for Ukraine’s war effort.
These armaments have helped an under-gunned Ukrainian military defy predictions that it would be quickly overrun by Russia. They explain in part why Vladimir Putin’s army gave up, at least for now, its attempt to capture Kyiv, the capital, and has narrowed its focus to battling for eastern and southern Ukraine.
U.S. officials and analysts offer numerous explanations for why the Russians have had so little success interdicting Western arms moving overland from neighboring countries, including Poland. Among the likely reasons: Russia’s failure to win full control of Ukraine’s skies has limited its use of air power. Also, the Russians have struggled to deliver weapons and supplies to their own troops in Ukraine.
Some say Moscow’s problem begins at home.
“The short answer to the question is that they are an epically incompetent army badly led from the very top,” said James Stavridis, a retired U.S. Navy admiral who was the top NATO commander in Europe from 2009 to 2013.
The Russians also face practical obstacles. Robert G. Bell, a longtime NATO official and now a professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech University, said the shipments lend themselves to being hidden or disguised in ways that can make them elusive to the Russians — “short of having a network of espionage on the scene” to pinpoint the convoys’ movements.
“It’s not as easy to stop this assistance flow as it might seem,” said Stephen Biddle, a professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University. “Things like ammunition and shoulder-fired missiles can be transported in trucks that look just like any other commercial truck. And the trucks carrying the munitions the Russians want to interdict are just a small part of a much larger flow of goods and commerce moving around in Poland and Ukraine and across the border.
“So the Russians have to find the needle in this very big haystack to destroy the weapons and ammo they’re after and not waste scarce munitions on trucks full of printer paper or baby diapers or who knows what.”
Even with this Western assistance it’s uncertain whether Ukraine will ultimately prevail against a bigger Russian force. The Biden administration has drawn the line at committing U.S. troops to the fight. It has opted instead to orchestrate international condemnation and economic sanctions, provide intelligence information, bolster NATO’s eastern flank to deter a wider war with Russia, and donate weapons.
In mid-March, a Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said arms shipments would be targeted.
“We warned the United States that pumping weapons into Ukraine from a number of countries as it has orchestrated isn’t just a dangerous move but an action that turns the respective convoys into legitimate targets,” he said in televised remarks.
But thus far the Russians appear not to have put a high priority on arms interdiction, perhaps because their air force is leery of flying into Ukraine’s air defenses to search out and attack supply convoys on the move. They have struck fixed sites like arms depots and fuel storage locations, but to limited effect.
On Monday the Russians said they destroyed four S-300 surface-to-air missile launchers that had been given to Ukraine by an unspecified European country. Slovakia, a NATO member that shares a border with Ukraine, donated just such a system last week but denied it had been destroyed. On Tuesday the Russian Ministry of Defense said long-range missiles were used to hit two Ukrainian ammo depots.
As the fighting intensifies in the Donbas and perhaps along the coastal corridor to the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula, Putin may feel compelled to strike harder at the arms pipeline, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called vital to his nation’s survival.
In the meantime, a staggering volume and range of war materiel is arriving almost daily.
“The scope and speed of our support to meeting Ukraine’s defense needs are unprecedented in modern times,” said John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary. He said the approximately $2.5 billion in weapons and other material that has been offered to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration is equivalent to more than half of Ukraine’s normal defense budget.
One example: The Pentagon says it has provided more than 5,000 Javelin missiles, which are among the world’s most effective weapons against tanks and other armored vehicles — and can even take down a low-flying helicopter. The missile, shaped like a clunky dumb bell and weighing 50 pounds (23 kilograms), is fired by an individual soldier; from its launch tube it flies up at a steep angle and descends directly onto its target in what its known as a “curveball” shot — hitting the top of a tank where its armor is weakest.
The specific routes used to move the U.S. and other Western materials into Ukraine are secret for security reasons, but the basic process is not. Just this week, two U.S. military cargo planes arrived in Eastern Europe with items ranging from machine guns and small arms ammunition to body armor and grenades, the Pentagon said.
A similar load is due later this week to complete delivery of $800 million in assistance approved by President Joe Biden just one month ago. The weapons and equipment are offloaded, moved onto trucks and driven into Ukraine by Ukrainian soldiers for delivery.
Kirby said the material sometimes reaches troops in the field within 48 hours of entering Ukraine.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/russia-has-yet-slow-western-arms-express-into-ukraine/ | 2022-04-13T08:04:30 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/russia-has-yet-slow-western-arms-express-into-ukraine/ |
Two mobile homes damaged in Tuesday night storms
A line of thunderstorms produced strong winds that caused damage to at least two mobile home parks in Bossier City on Tuesday night.
Several trees were down at South Bossier Mobile Home Park, including around the residence of Anthony Riddle.
Riddle, his wife Ginny and their three children — 17, 8 and 4 — were home at the time.
"We got the alert on the phones that the tornado was coming," he explained. "It got really loud, and the house started shaking."
Riddle put his wife and children into the bathtub with a mattress over their heads. "I stayed outside because I couldn't fit."
He heard glass break and a loud boom that sounded like a train coming through.
The Riddles were unharmed.
At Plantation Trace Mobile Home Park, a large pine tree fell on a trailer.
As crews worked to clear to the debris, it's unclear whether the home was occupied. | https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2022/04/13/two-mobile-homes-damaged-tuesday-night-storms/7300746001/ | 2022-04-13T08:08:58 | 1 | https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2022/04/13/two-mobile-homes-damaged-tuesday-night-storms/7300746001/ |
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Area under tornado watch
Published 8:27 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Mower County is part of four counties currently under a tornado watch until midnight.
According to the National Weather Service, storms will move through the area, some possibly severe and could produce heavy rainfall. Rainfall amounts could be between three quarters and one inch. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/area-under-tornado-watch/ | 2022-04-13T08:14:51 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/area-under-tornado-watch/ |
Part of a community
Published 8:07 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Justin Hanson stepping down from SWCD after nearly 20 years with the organization
In 2003, Justin Hanson was at a conference and listening to a speech by then Mower County Soil & Watershed Conservation District Manager Bev Nordby.
She had been named Employee of the Year and the speech she gave resounded in Hanson, who remembers it to this day.
“I remember like it was yesterday, listening to her talk so passionately about the work this place was doing,” Hanson said. “That stuck with me. The next year they had an opening for a resource specialist. I wanted to be a part of that.”
Now, after 18 years with the SWCD, Hanson is ready to take that next step. On May 9 he will start a new position as assistant director for Field Operations with the Board of Water and Soil Resources.
“Essentially what I’ll be doing is I’ll be talking about the same grants we’re working on and I’ll just be more on the policy end and statewide,” Hanson said. “I’ll be involved in setting that direction and ideas and side boards you need for policy.”
Hanson was a resource specialist with the SWCD from 2004 to 2015, when he took over the district manager position from Nordby.
In those 18 years, Hanson has had a front row seat to an SWCD that has grown into one of the most respected SWCD’s in the State of Minnesota. Just this year the Mower SWCD was recognized by the Minnesota Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts (MASWCD) with its SWCD of the Year award.
“There was something special about his job,” Hanson said, as he once again looked back to the beginning. “It was a great opportunity. Bev let me chase down grants and do things that maybe were outside of my job description and let me grow into this position.”
Under Hanson’s leadership, the SWCD became part of a broad partnership and in some ways a community family in terms of developing conservation to the county.
It’s developed several programs and completed several projects that have been put toward bettering land usage and water quality.
One of those major projects was a flood mitigation project along Dobbins Creek, which required the cooperative work of county, city and local landowners in order to help ease flood concerns upriver before rising waters became a problem for Austin and other communities.
It was a lofty and long project to bring to fruition.
“That was a project we identified when the watershed district was formed,” Hanson said. “That was the one we struggled with. We started working on that years and years ago and that’s been kind of the pilot project.”
“There were so many problems and issues as you’re figuring it out,” he continued. “That thing probably could have been dead on the table a couple of different times. We were just able to keep it up in the air long enough to get the pieces together and get it done.”
The foundation that allowed for the project’s completion was the partnerships the SWCD helped forge along the way. Relationships that required trust among community and landowner viewpoints.
“I think that’s been a big part of it,” Hanson said. “We have a community that embraces this work. I said before and I can’t find an example of where it’s wrong: The programs and opportunities we kick out locally here, not everybody has success because they don’t have the people who want to cooperate back. We just have a different culture here. Farmers and the community who buy into this. They’re unique.”
Minnesota’s somewhat contested buffer law, was pushed extensively by former Gov. Mark Dayton and required landowners to leave perennial vegetative buffers of up to 50 feet along lakes, rivers, and streams and buffers of 16.5 feet along ditches.
While some actively pushed against the law, Mower County was among the counties to be ahead of the curve and that was largely due to partnerships with the SWCD.
“It sounded so much worse than it was because our farmers were doing great things,” Hanson said. “It was just a matter of shoring up some key areas. There was a couple cases where things kind of blew up early on, but we got good commitment from the staff to kind of make sure we’re meeting those folks where they are.”
Hanson credits the work the SWCD has been able to do over the years to the staff that work within the SWCD.
It’s because of the employees under Hanson, who have been willing to take up the extra work, that the SWCD has been able to mark success after success in its conservation efforts.
“We’ve got amazing people,” Hanson said, lauding the staff. “We’ve been able to keep them, which helps a ton because we’ve never had any drama, never ever any jealousy. In fact, the people out there will take on extra work at the drop of a hat if it means you’re helping out one of your co-workers.
At the end of the day Hanson feels good about the SWCD and his place within it.
He’s often reminded that while he will remember the work that’s been done, he’ll remember those behind the work more.
At the same time, he’s excited to see where the SWCD goes from here.
“I like the challenges we have here, but I also think these guys in the room have earned the right to execute their vision and do things a little differently,” Hanson said. “They’ve been a great staff, supporting me and letting me lead. I’m really excited to see what direction they take when I get out of their way a little bit.” | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/part-of-a-community/ | 2022-04-13T08:14:57 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/part-of-a-community/ |
2 Illinois men get 14, 16 years in Minnesota mosque bombing
Published 7:20 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
ST. PAUL — Two Illinois men who helped bomb a Minnesota mosque in 2017 were sentenced Tuesday to about 16 years and roughly 14 years in prison — far below the 35-year mandatory minimum that each man faced — after victims and prosecutors asked for leniency because the men cooperated and testified against the mastermind of the attack.
Michael McWhorter, 33, was sentenced to just under 16 years in prison and Joe Morris, 26, was sentenced to about 14 years in prison. Both testified in the 2020 trial against Emily Claire Hari, the leader of a small Illinois militia group called the “White Rabbits.”
Hari was convicted in late 2020 and sentenced last year to 53 years in prison for the attack on Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center, a mosque in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington.
U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank said Tuesday that the men’s “substantial assistance” allowed him to issue penalties below the statutory minimums called for in the domestic terror case, the Star Tribune reported.
No one was hurt in the Aug. 5, 2017, explosion after a pipe bomb exploded in the imam’s office as worshippers gathered for early morning prayers, but community members where shaken by the incident and the mosque’s executive director testified at Hari’s trial that it has led to diminished attendance due to fear.
Attorneys for McWhorter and Morris both asked Frank for 10-year sentences, citing their clients’ testimony against Hari. Prosecutors requested leniency because of their cooperation.
“Both Morris and McWhorter have expressed remorse for their participation in the bombing and have accepted responsibility for their actions,” prosecutors said in court filings prior to sentencing. “The government acknowledges and greatly respects Dar Al-Farooq’s ability to forgive their attackers and to use this act of terrorism as a platform to promote mercy.”
Imam Mohamed Omar, executive director of Dar Al-Farooq Center, sent a letter to fellow clergy and faith leaders, asking them to sign an open letter urging forgiveness. Omar called McWhorter and Morris two young men who “temporarily were plunged downwards into the darkness of Emily Hari’s world.”
“The harm that was done is real, the crime that was committed is real, the horror of what happened that day is real, but what’s also real is our opportunity to offer real forgiveness, and lead by example,” the letter said. “We believe that only through forgiveness can we have any real chance to heal and move forward.”
McWhorter and Morris both pleaded guilty to multiple counts in 2019.
At Hari’s trial, their testimony showed that Hari told them to throw the pipe bomb into the Dar Al-Farooq Islamic Center while Hari waited in a rented truck. Morris testified that Hari told him that the mosque was training ISIS fighters — something the the mosque has denied and prosecutors have never alleged.
Hari was the leader of a group called the “White Rabbits 3 Percent Illinois Patriot Freedom Fighters.” In addition to the mosque bombing, the group also robbed a Wal-Mart with airsoft guns, tried to extort the Canadian railroad, invaded homes and attempted to firebomb a women’s health clinic in Champaign, Illinois.
Chris Madel, McWhorter’s attorney, said in court filings that McWhorter committed the crimes “at the invitation, direction and plan” of Hari. Madel said his client was manipulated by Hari’s lies about Muslims.
Morris’ attorney, Robert Richman, said his client has a “reduced mental capacity” and had suffered from undiagnosed mental illness, including schizophrenia and depression, Richman wrote in court documents that Hari took advantage of Morris’s illness, telling him to follow the “angels” speaking to him.
Hari also exerted a special power over Morris, said Richman in the filing. “No one in the world was closer to him. When Hari told Joe to do something, Joe did it. Hari was a hero to Joe. He felt that Hari accepted him. … Given the despair of self-loathing in which Joe was mired for most of his life, one can only imagine how refreshing it was to be accepted by Emily Hari.” | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/2-illinois-men-get-14-16-years-in-minnesota-mosque-bombing/ | 2022-04-13T08:15:03 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/2-illinois-men-get-14-16-years-in-minnesota-mosque-bombing/ |
AHS School Board adopts strategic roadmap
Published 7:39 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
The Austin Schools Board on Monday night adopted the district’s strategic roadmap, which will effectively guide the district through the next three years.
The board and administration started on the project in October.
The strategic roadmap set its mission, vision and core values and finally, determined its strategic priorities. These are four steps that will drive the district’s continued improvements and include:
• Support and resources to ensure a safe and welcoming learning environment;
• Packer Profile for all learners;
• District-wide multi-tiered systems of support for all learners; and
• Excellence in resource management.
A part of the roadmap, which will become especially important, will be the Packer Profile, which will be a major part of developing students for after they graduate.
“Packer Profile … that is something we will be launching for Pre-K through 12th grade and will look at what we want our students to be engaged in and learning through the entire system,” said Superintendent Dr. Joey Page. “That is going to be our biggest, most important work that comes out of our strategic plan in developing graduates in their career pathways and really launch them into life after high school.”
In order to get to this point, the board and administration looked closely at operations over the past 30 years as well as examining current trends, all in an effort to define the desired daily experience for students.
“I think what is important is finding out what is our purpose … what we do we aim to create, what are the drivers of our actions,” Page said. “It continues the improvement cycle of what our priorities are.”
The roadmap also asked the public, which included parents and students, to fill out surveys during the process. Focus groups were also employed to ensure all groups were represented.
While the roadmap is now set, Board Chair Kathy Green recognized that with the continued evolution of education, the board and administration should be ready to adapt as needs arise.
“This is supposed to pulls us forward into the next three years, but the way things are spinning we may have to make some tweaks along the way,” Green said. “It’s a living document.”
In other news
• AHS Activities Director Lisa Quednow will be stepping down at the end of April to take the position of associate director with the Minnesota State High School League.
She will fill one of two vacancies at that position at the organization, and will continue to support AHS through the spring sports season as needed.
“I am grateful to have the opportunity to continue and grow education based athletic and fine arts opportunities for kids in Minnesota,” Quednow said in a statement Wednesday. “I have had an incredible opportunity to serve as a leader in an amazing community of Austin as well as the Big 9 Conference and Region 1AA. I look forward to expanding relationships as I am now going to be able to serve broader communities, school districts and programs throughout the state.”
Page said that her time over the 13 years in Austin has helped establish Austin activities as some of the best in the state.
“Just a tremendous shift in all the activities and sports over the past 13 years,” Page said. “It’s an incredible run.”
Quednow has been the high school’s AD since 2009. The district will post for the position this week.
• For the first time in 10 years, Austin High School will host the 88th Big Nine Music Festival, one of the oldest music festivals of its kind in the United States. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/ahs-school-board-adopts-strategic-roadmap/ | 2022-04-13T08:15:10 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/ahs-school-board-adopts-strategic-roadmap/ |
Al Batt: The weather holding sway over spring
Published 7:02 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Echoes from the Loafers’ Club Meeting
I get up at 3 o’clock every morning.
How do you get up so early?
Tired.
Driving by Bruce’s drive
I have a wonderful neighbor named Bruce. Whenever I pass his drive, thoughts occur to me. If a robin needs three snows on its tail before it’s truly spring, it’s truly spring and then some. Robins were on an organized tour of the state on a beautiful day except when it wasn’t. It had rained, snowed, iced and the wind was unrelenting. The weather had been miserably regular. Spring weather holds sway over every day and isn’t like the weather in normal places.
We dined at a Denny’s in South Dakota. I watched as a neighboring table got their meal. I told my bride they had ordered the same things we had. That couple took the food without comment and ate. We waited. I figured we looked as if we’d already eaten. The other table got another breakfast. They ate two breakfasts before we got one. As I watched the couple leave, I thought, “There but for us went we.” The server apologized, saying another waitress had given our order to the other table, but we needn’t worry, they wouldn’t have to pay for it. That was a relief. Our order came late. It was good. We paid for it.
Here and there
I serve proudly on the board of a nature tourist-based organization in Alaska. There’s little farming in Alaska, at least as we think of farming. The main crop is Midwesterners. They come on big cruise ships and look at mountains. Why do we like mountains? Because they’re nicer to sit on than tacks.
A speaking gig took me to St. Joseph, Missouri. I saw a replica of an old ad reading: “Wanted, young skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen, must be expert riders willing to risk death daily, orphans preferred. Wages $25 a week. Apply Central Overland Express.” I learned the ad wasn’t placed by the Pony Express.
Buffalo Bill Cody was a showman who claimed he’d served as a Pony Express rider and rode 384 miles in a single run, but there’s no record of him carrying the mail as he was probably in school in Kansas during the company’s existence. The ad likely was a part of the hype and fictional depictions in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. The Pony Express began in April 1860 and was shuttered in October 1861 when the completion of the first transcontinental telegraph line put it out of business.
Pony Express riders typically rode 75-100 miles at a stretch and changed horses at stations 5-20 miles apart. The Pony Express rider oath was “I do hereby swear, before the Great and Living God, that during my engagement, and while an employee of Russell, Majors and Waddell, I will, under no circumstances, use profane language, that I will drink no intoxicating liquors, that I will not quarrel or fight with any other employee of the firm, and that in every respect I will conduct myself honestly, be faithful to my duties, and so direct all my acts as to win the confidence of my employers, so help me God.” Despite this, riders weren’t known for their sobriety.
Nature notes
I followed a chickadee and liked it at every opportunity. Each chickadee is a prime symbol of the natural world. As I filled the feeders, a chickadee landed on my arm. I tried not to breathe.
Starlings cornered the yard. I was under a flock of countless starlings one day. It’s called a murmuration. They zoomed over me and I heard this incredible whoosh that was both thrilling and mesmerizing. It caused the hair on my arms to stand. It was a splendid gift.
Research by biologist Mark Miller in 1929 found the first robin songs began about 45 minutes before sunrise, but modern areas flooded with artificial light cause robins to sing much earlier today.
A birder in Ohio discovered a banded 28-year-old ring-billed gull, the oldest individual of that species on record. This proves a proper diet isn’t always important to longevity.
A report from the US Fish and Wildlife Service said bald eagles have quadrupled in population since 2009 in the lower 48.
A crow’s nest is a bulky bowl of dead twigs high in a tree. Nest construction begins in early March and could continue through June. There are 16-18 days of incubating and 20-40 days of nestlings. Crows typically use a nest once and fledge one brood a year. Few nests are repaired and reused the following year.
Nature blog http://www.albatt.com/blogs
Meeting adjourned
“A kind word never broke anyone’s mouth.”—Irish proverb. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/al-batt-the-weather-holding-sway-over-spring/ | 2022-04-13T08:15:16 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/al-batt-the-weather-holding-sway-over-spring/ |
Albert Lea Community Theatre announces April 25-26 auditions for ‘Willy Wonka’ musical
Published 7:19 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Albert Lea Community Theatre (ACT) announces auditions will be held Monday and Tuesday, April 25 and 26, for the musical “Willy Wonka” at the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center, 147 N. Broadway in Albert Lea.
The story surrounds the adventures experienced by Charlie Bucket on his visit to Willy Wonka’s mysterious chocolate factory and features the enchanting songs from the 1971 film starring Gene Wilder, along with some new songs.
Directed by Gordy Handeland, nine performances are scheduled for June 16-26. There are many roles available for children and adults of various ages. Children should be at least eight years old to audition.
Those auditioning should be prepared to sing, read from the script and learn a few dance steps. Auditions begin at 6 p.m. for children ages 8-15 with auditions for 16 and older beginning at approximately 7 p.m. Rehearsals will be scheduled weeknights starting in May, with some weekend involvement closer to the performance dates.
Tickets and more information regarding auditions are at actonbroadway.com. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/albert-lea-community-theatre-announces-april-25-26-auditions-for-willy-wonka-musical/ | 2022-04-13T08:15:22 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/albert-lea-community-theatre-announces-april-25-26-auditions-for-willy-wonka-musical/ |
Annie Lane: Dog drama
Published 7:06 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Dear Annie: I have a dog who loves people. Whenever my sister-in-law, “Helen,” visits, she does not touch him at all. She has a dog herself and seems to like dogs. This makes my wife feel bad, but Helen doesn’t seem to care.
My wife has never acted even remotely this way with her sister’s dog.
For background, when we first got our dog, Helen made comments to my wife that indicated she was jealous whenever our dog got attention from people, as hers was no longer the only dog in our extended family.
We have a husky mix who a lot of people seem to like, while Helen’s is a pit-boxer mix (looks like a pit), which are liked by a lot of people but also misunderstood by many.
Another caveat to this is their father, who says he is allergic and stopped coming over to the house to see my wife after we got the dog. I also have issues with that. Why can’t he stand in the driveway for a few minutes to talk if he really liked seeing her? But that is a topic for another day. Helen seems to mimic his thoughts on a great many things in her life, so maybe that has something to do with it, too.
I would appreciate if you could shed some light on why she is acting this way and what, if anything, my wife might be able to do.
— Concerned Husband
Dear Concerned Husband: It sounds like the dog issue is being used for something deeper going on. So long as Helen isn’t mean to your dog, then let her be and ignore her lack of interest in your dog. Perhaps your dog is not her cup of tea, and that is OK because he is your dog, not hers. Your wife sounds lovely given how sweet she is to her sister’s dog. As for your father-in-law, as you say, that is a topic for another day.
• • •
Dear Annie: I recall the words of the song from my Girl Scout days, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.”
I have always told my children that peace begins in the family and radiates to the world from there. As families, we are a microcosm of groups of people of the larger world. We can’t expect harmony if we ourselves, in our little world, are not harmonious.
We have commandments that guide us whenever we have a question about our behavior. Carl Jung talked about the “collective unconscious.” I practice meditation and prayer, right now centered on disturbances in my family and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. I have no control over either issue.
There are many prayers for world peace. Joan D. Chittister has lovely ones. And then there is “The 100th Monkey Effect,” which you can learn about here: https://www.hundredthmonkey.org/100th-monkey-effect. We have all these things within our power.
— Just One Person
Dear Just One Person: You are one person with a big heart and no doubt a huge impact with your kindness and intention. You are truly right in that if you don’t feel peace within your own heart and your own family’s heart, it remains difficult to bring peace and joy to the hearts of others. So pray for peace within yourself so that you may bring that peace and harmony to others.
Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/annie-lane-dog-drama/ | 2022-04-13T08:15:28 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/annie-lane-dog-drama/ |
Ask a Trooper: The difference between ‘crash’ and ‘accident’
Published 7:09 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
By Sgt. Troy Christianson
Question: I’ve noticed you use the word “crash” and not the word “accident” when talking about incidents while on the radio. T.V. and the newspaper. Why is that?
Answer: I’d be glad to talk about this as I am passionate about this topic and it is certainly intentional. The spark for this issue stems from a court trial from almost two decades ago involving the intentional ramming of a police vehicle, which resulted in the death of a police officer. During the trial, an attorney brought up the point that the incident was referred to by police in all of the reports as an “accident.” It also was reported by police on an “accident” report form, thus it was argued that the incident was not intentional and charges should be dismissed. I won’t get into the results of that trial, but ever since that time, traffic safety officials in the state have made a huge effort to influence everyone to use the word “crash” and not the word “accident.”
The definition of “accident” is “an unfortunate incident that happens and unintentionally, typically resulting in damage or injury.” The definition of “crash” is “collide violently with an obstacle or another vehicle.” Accidents happen. That is what we tell children who are upset about spilling their milk at the supper table. We often think “accident” is a neutral word to describe bad luck but I think there is more to it than that. “Accident” tends to imply that no one is at fault and when used for a traffic crash, it could give the impression that what occurred was not important.
I understand that anyone involved in a crash did not want it to happen and that it was most likely unintentional. But there is a reason why it happened; and most of the time it is from a person in control of a vehicle that has a momentary lapse in judgement or made an all-out destructive decision (impaired driving, reckless or aggressive driving, etc.) Even equipment issues (unsafe tires, obstructed vision, etc.) contribute to crashes and can be prevented. Yes, most crashes can be prevented.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported 38,824 lives were lost in traffic crashes in 2020 — the largest number of fatalities since 2007. Preliminary reports for Minnesota in 2021 were 501 traffic deaths, the highest since 2007. Why the recent severe increase in fatal crashes? This is what the traffic safety community is trying to understand and find a solution. Speeding has been a primary contributor since the start of the pandemic.
Weather and slippery roads can be a factor but each and every driver is responsible for keeping control of their vehicle at all times. This is accountability and it starts with every person, every time they get behind the wheel. The choices we make and the choices we fail to make have consequences. You might be a very good driver, but we do share the road with other people making some poor decisions (impairment, distractions, aggressive driving, etc.)
A crash doesn’t respect age, career success, love for family or anything else. People of all ages died last year. Please slow down, pay attention, plan for a sober ride and buckle up. Speak up and take care of yourself and the people you care about. This is how we make the changes to save more lives.
You can avoid a ticket — and a crash — if you simply buckle up, drive at safe speeds, pay attention and always drive sober. Help us drive Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths. If you have any questions concerning traffic related laws or issues in Minnesota send your questions to Sgt. Troy Christianson – Minnesota State Patrol at 2900 48th Street NW, Rochester MN 55901-5848. (Or reach him at, Troy.Christianson@state.mn.us) | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/ask-a-trooper-the-difference-between-crash-and-accident/ | 2022-04-13T08:15:34 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/ask-a-trooper-the-difference-between-crash-and-accident/ |
Austin baseball team opens season with win
Published 7:00 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
The Austin baseball team opened its season with a 4-2 win over Mankato East in Mankato Tuesday.
Austin (1-0 overall) trailed 1-0 to start the game, but Kody Blom and Isaac Stromlund each had key hits to help give the Packers a couple of two-run innings.
Austin pitching: Nick Robertson (W) 4 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 K; Sam Oehlfke, 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 K; Peyton Ransom (S) 1 IP, 0 R, 3 K
Austin hitting: Lathan Wilson, 1-for-1, 2 BBs, 3 SB, R; Peyton Ransom, 1-for-4, 2 SB | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/austin-baseball-team-opens-season-with-win/ | 2022-04-13T08:15:40 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/austin-baseball-team-opens-season-with-win/ |
Commissioners agree to proposed redistricting plan
Published 7:43 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
The Mower County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, finalized their redistricting plan for the county.
Primarily, any changes to the current districting map take place in the City of Austin where the county had to adapt to adjustments in the City of Austin’s own redistricting, which was finalized last month. Outside of Austin saw very little to no changes.
As it breaks down:
• First District: City of Austin 1st Ward, 1st Precinct, Brownsdale, Mapleview, Waltham and Lansing, Red Rock, Udolpho and Waltham townships.
• Second District: Adams, Dexter, Elkton, Grand Meadow, LeRoy, Racine, Sergeant, Taopi and Adams, Bennington, Clayton, Dexter, Frankford, Grand Meadow, LeRoy, Lodi, Marshall, Pleasant Valley Racine and Sargeant townships.
• Third District: City of Austin 2nd Ward, 2nd Precinct, Lyle, Rose Creek and Austin, Lyle, Nevada and Windom townships.
• Fourth District: City of Austin 3rd Ward, 1st Precinct and 3rd War, 2nd Precinct.
• Fifth District: City of Austin 1st Ward, 2nd Precinct and 2nd Ward, 1st Precinct.
“It’s about the only viable [option] because of how the city needed to arrange their wards,” said Mower County Auditor/Treasurer Scott Felten to commissioners Tuesday. “It allows the county to be in the 10% leeway of the average for each of the five districts.”
Commissioners opted to keep the current election schedule the same, meaning three commissioners run one year and two run the following term.
This year, however, there are four seats up for election. John Mueller, representing the 1st District, will have to run again because of a shift in population for his district exceeded a 5% threshold needed to even out the rest of the districts.
Likewise Jerry Reinartz (3rd District), Jeff Baldus (4th District) and Mike Ankeny (5th District) also saw that same 5% shift, but they were up for reelection anyway.
Mueller will have to run for a third time in 2024 for normal four-year term. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/commissioners-agree-to-proposed-redistricting-plan/ | 2022-04-13T08:15:47 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/commissioners-agree-to-proposed-redistricting-plan/ |
COVID-19, overdoses pushed US to highest death total ever
Published 7:31 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
NEW YORK — 2021 was the deadliest year in U.S. history, and new data and research are offering more insights into how it got that bad.
The main reason for the increase in deaths? COVID-19, said Robert Anderson, who oversees the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s work on death statistics.
The agency this month quietly updated its provisional death tally. It showed there were 3.465 million deaths last year, or about 80,000 more than 2020’s record-setting total.
Early last year, some experts were optimistic that 2021 would not be as bad as the first year of the pandemic — partly because effective COVID-19 vaccines had finally become available.
“We were wrong, unfortunately,” said Noreen Goldman, a Princeton University researcher.
COVID-19 deaths rose in 2021 — to more than 415,000, up from 351,000 the year before — as new coronavirus variants emerged and an unexpectedly large numbers of Americans refused to get vaccinated or were hesitant to wear masks, experts said.
The coronavirus is not solely to blame. Preliminary CDC data also shows the crude death rate for cancer rose slightly, and rates continued to increase for diabetes, chronic liver disease and stroke.
Drug overdose deaths also continued to rise. The CDC does not yet have a tally for 2021 overdose deaths, because it can take weeks of lab work and investigation to identify them. But provisional data through October suggests the nation is on track to see at least 105,000 overdose deaths in 2021 — up from 93,000 the year before.
New research released Tuesday showed a particularly large jump in overdose deaths among 14- to 18-year-olds.
Adolescent overdose death counts were fairly constant for most of the last decade, at around 500 a year, according to the paper published by the Journal of the American Medical Association. They almost doubled in 2020, to 954, and the researchers estimated that the total hit nearly 1,150 last year.
Joseph Friedman, a UCLA researcher who was the paper’s lead author, called the spike “unprecedented.”
Those teen overdose deaths were only around 1% of the U.S. total. But adolescents experienced a greater relative increase than the overall population, even though surveys suggest drug use among teens is down.
Experts attributed the spike to fentanyl, a highly lethal drug that has been cut into heroin for several years. More recently it’s also been pressed into counterfeit pills resembling prescription drugs that teens sometimes abuse.
The total number of U.S. deaths often increases year to year as the U.S. population grows. But 2020 and 2021 saw extraordinary jumps in death numbers and rates, due largely to the pandemic.
Those national death trends affect life expectancy — an estimate of the average number of years a baby born in a given year might expect to live.
With rare exceptions, U.S. life expectancy has reliably inched up year after year. But the CDC’s life expectancy estimate for 2020 was about 77 years — more than a year and a half lower than what it was in 2019.
The CDC has not yet reported its calculation for 2021. But Goldman and some other researchers have been making their own estimates, presented in papers that have not yet been published in peer-reviewed journals.
Those researchers think U.S. life expectancy dropped another five or six months in 2021 — putting it back to where it was 20 years ago.
A loss of more than two years of life expectancy over the last two years “is mammoth,” Goldman said.
One study looked at death data in the U.S. and 19 other high-income countries. The U.S. fared the worst.
“What happened in the U.S. is less about the variants than the levels of resistance to vaccination and the public’s rejection of practices, such as masking and mandates, to reduce viral transmission,” one of the study’s authors, Dr. Steven Woolf of Virginia Commonwealth University, said in a statement.
Some experts are skeptical that life expectancy will quickly bounce back. They worry about long-term complications of COVID-19 that may hasten the deaths of people with chronic health problems.
Preliminary — and incomplete — CDC data suggest there were at least 805,000 U.S. deaths in about the first three months of this year. That’s well below the same period last year, but higher than the comparable period in 2020.
“We may end up with a ‘new normal’ that’s a little higher than it was before,” Anderson said. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/covid-19-overdoses-pushed-us-to-highest-death-total-ever/ | 2022-04-13T08:15:53 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/covid-19-overdoses-pushed-us-to-highest-death-total-ever/ |
Funeral notice: Agnes Mathilda Ernst, 104
Published 6:57 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Oct. 6, 1917 – April 8, 2022
AUSTIN, Minn. – Agnes Mathilda Ernst, 104, Austin, Minn., died Friday, April 8, in St. Mark’s Living.
Visitation will be from noon to 1 p.m., followed by a memorial service at 1 p.m., Saturday, April 30, at Worlein Funeral Home Chapel in Austin. Interment will be in Oakwood Cemetery in Austin.
Arrangements by Worlein Funeral Home.
www.worlein.com | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/funeral-notice-agnes-mathilda-ernst-104/ | 2022-04-13T08:15:59 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/funeral-notice-agnes-mathilda-ernst-104/ |
Huskies blanked Packer softball team
Published 6:43 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
The Austin softball team lost to Owatonna 10-0 in Owatonna Tuesday.
The Packers (0-3 overall) trailed 7-0 after two innings.
Austin pitching: Ava Denzer (L) 1 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 7 R, 3 ER, 1 K; Abby VanPelt, 3 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 4 K
Austin hitting: Abby VanPelt, 0-for-2, BB; Avery Wempner, 0-for-1, BB; Maddie Herrick, 1-for-2; Ava Denzer, 1-for-2; Lucy Lagervall, 1-for-2; Peyton Squier, 1-for-1, double | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/huskies-blanked-packer-softball-team/ | 2022-04-13T08:16:05 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/huskies-blanked-packer-softball-team/ |
In Your Community: First four Bing-Oh! winners named
Published 7:24 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
The Austin Daily Herald has announced its first four winners in its annual Spring Bing-Oh! contest. One $50 prize remains along with our big $200 coverall prize. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/in-your-community-first-four-bing-oh-winners-named/ | 2022-04-13T08:16:11 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/in-your-community-first-four-bing-oh-winners-named/ |
James L. Christianson, 60
Published 6:58 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
James Lee Christianson, age 60, of Austin, Minnesota, died unexpectedly Thursday morning, April 7, 2022, in Owatonna, Minnesota. James was returning from work to his home in Austin when he suffered a fatal heart attack exasperated by high blood pressure.
James was born September 23, 1961, to Arnold and Rayma (Peterson) Christianson in Austin, Minnesota. He enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving three years in Germany and Texas. He enjoyed outdoor activities – fishing, canoeing, exploring the MN boundary water. For quiet time activities he liked to watch movies and learning to use his computer. He loved the many dogs he raised throughout the years, especially his last dog, Rusty an American Spaniel.
James worked the last 25 years for Viracon in Owatonna. He was the licensed boiler operator for the night shift. He liked the work and did not mind working the hours from 6 pm until 7 am.
He will be greatly missed by his brothers and sisters, Marcia Christianson, Larry Christianson, Randy Christianson, Jeanne (Tim) Hutchins; many nieces and nephews, Bonnie (Mark) Coughlin, Nicki Stadig, Candace Christianson, John Christianson, Samantha (Zak) Hanegraaf, Katie Hutchins; great nieces and great nephews, Cierra Coughlin, Skyler Coughlin, MacKenna Stadig, Brenna Peterson, Peyton Handke, Olivia Christianson, David Christianson, Dylan Christianson, Lilly Christianson, Parker Brody-Hutchins, Blakely Hanegraaf, Emmerie Hanegraaf, and Asher Hanegraaf. James was preceded in death by his parents, Arnold and Rayma Christianson and a great niece, Kylie Coughlin.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, April 18, 2022, at the Worlein Funeral Home Chapel in Austin. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service. Interment will be in Red Oak Grove Cemetery, rural Austin. Memorials can be given to Mower County Humane Society or the American Heart Association. Worlein Funeral Home of Austin is assisting the family with arrangements. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.worlein.com. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/james-l-christianson-60/ | 2022-04-13T08:16:17 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/james-l-christianson-60/ |
Jinny Rietmann: Workforce Development is here to help you find your opportunity
Published 7:01 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
By now everyone has likely heard about the “Great Resignation,” where millions of Americans have voluntarily left their employment for numerous reasons.
Prior to the pandemic, southeast Minnesota was already facing an incredibly challenging workforce shortage, which was only exacerbated by the pandemic, childcare shortages, declining population and workforce participation numbers, and more.
Yet still, Workforce Development, Inc. (WDI) Career Planners continue to see and serve individuals who are struggling to find employment. Individuals are also struggling while getting lost in the application process, with stories of not receiving callbacks or being informed they were not chosen for a position.
Employers are telling us their no-show rate for interviews is also the highest they’ve seen. How can this mismatch be explained? I have been using the term “Opportunity Mismatch” for several months now, as a term to describe this strange and unprecedented challenge in our workforce.
There are thousands of job openings, but still thousands of career seekers. Knowing the skill level, work history, and education of the career seekers we serve, we can no longer point to a skills mismatch or “skills gap” that has been so often blamed.
There is a real and true Opportunity Mismatch happening where career seekers do not see themselves succeeding in the opportunities available to them, where they are unaware of the opportunities available to them, and where employers are often looking in the wrong places to find talent.
To be clear, this is nobody’s fault — but an interesting wrinkle to an already challenging workforce shortage crisis. As our population diversifies, and as our workforce returns from pandemic challenges of unemployment and unstable work, life, and school schedules, there is a sea of opportunity, but the opportunities look different. The talent also looks different than it did two years ago.
So as employers are struggling to fill positions, how do we solve this mismatch? The solutions are complex and will require us all to think differently about work, values, recruitment, and retention. We are no longer recruiting individuals for a particular job or career, for example, we are recruiting them into the workforce — a completely different recruitment strategy.
Employers are willing to make changes, so it is the perfect time to reassess the negotiables and non-negotiables of our work world and look at potential talent opportunities differently.
WDI is a private, non-profit organization providing employment and training services for both career seekers and employers throughout southeast Minnesota. WDI has offices in each of the 10 counties in our region: Goodhue, Wabasha, Houston, Fillmore, Olmsted, Freeborn, Mower, Steele, Rice, and Dodge. Please connect with us: www.workforcedevelopmentinc.org or call 1-507-460-5020 in Austin.
Don’t miss our biggest, virtual, fre event of the year. The 2022 Workforce Development Forum will explore ways to re-build, re-invigorate, and re-invest in workforce development and the Southeast Minnesota regional economy. Breakout sessions will include: Labor Market Update, Regional Workforce Development Innovation, the Inclusive Workforce Employer (I-WE) designation, the Future of Work, Immigrant Voices, and will spotlight this year’s Best Places to Work award recipients. The forum will conclude with a celebration and recognition of this year’s Best Places to Work award recipients, and a sharing of employers’ best practices.
Register here: https://bit.ly/3qphglD
Jinny Rietmann is Executive Director Workforce Development, Inc. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/jinny-rietmann-workforce-development-is-here-to-help-you-find-your-opportunity/ | 2022-04-13T08:16:23 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/jinny-rietmann-workforce-development-is-here-to-help-you-find-your-opportunity/ |
Marjorie G. Schaffer, 95
Published 6:59 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Marjorie Gayle Schaffer, age 95, of Austin, Minnesota, passed away on Friday, April 8, 2022, at St. Mark’s Living in Austin. Marjorie was born on February 5, 1927, to Gerhard Irving Ulve and Alice Mae (Westland) Ulve in Lake Mills, Iowa. She was baptized at Salem Lutheran Church in Lake Mills on April 3, 1927, by Rev. O.O. Sletten. Marjorie was confirmed May 10, 1942, at First Lutheran Church in Albert Lea, Minnesota by Rev. Sigurd T. Sorenson and graduated from Albert Lea High School. On June 21, 1947, Marjorie was united in marriage to William R. Schaffer by Rev. John Oliphant in Dodge Center, Minnesota. She was a member of Our Savior’s Lutheran Church in Austin, Minnesota. Marge retired from Hormel Foods Corporation on August 31, 1984, after 35 years. Together, Marge and Bill enjoyed traveling, downhill skiing, and spending winters in Tucson, AZ where they met many new friends. They did not have any children, but their nieces and nephews were their pride and joy. Marjorie will be sadly missed by all who knew and loved her.
Survivors include her nieces and nephews, Brian Ulve of Marana, AZ, Janet Ulve of Inver Grove Heights, MN, Reid (Sherry) Ulve of Albert Lea, MN, Carolyn (Kevin) Johnson of Rochester, MN, David Ulve of St. Paul, MN, Kimberly (Danny) O’Brien of Arden Hills, MN; 7 great nieces and nephews; many great-great nieces and nephews; and special friend, Lois. She was preceded in death by her parents; stepfather, Truman Olson; husband, Bill; brothers, Dick (Jeanne) Ulve, Keith (Mary) Ulve; many cousins and friends.
A funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, April 14, 2022, at Worlein Funeral Home Chapel in Austin. Visitation will take place one hour prior to the service. Interment will be in Oakwood Cemetery, Austin. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be directed to Peace and Power First Lutheran Church of Albert Lea. Services are prearranged and performed by Worlein Funeral Home of Austin. Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.worlein.com. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/marjorie-g-schaffer-95/ | 2022-04-13T08:16:30 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/marjorie-g-schaffer-95/ |
Minnesota FFA resumes traditional State Convention, April 24-26
Published 7:26 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
93rd annual event carries the theme ‘Thrive’
More than 4,000 FFA members, teachers, adult supporters and sponsors will gather April 24-26 for the first time in nearly three years, resuming a tradition that was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With the theme Thrive, Minnesota FFA will celebrate the accomplishments of students who have excelled in leadership, career exploration, science, community involvement and agriculture experiences.
“All across Minnesota, FFA students, advisors, supporters, and parents are thrilled to have the State Convention return to an in-person format,” said Austin High School FFA co-advisor Nick Schiltz. “Attending State Convention is one of the hallmarks for many FFA students, a culmination of the hard work they put into their studies and work experiences throughout the years. For some students, this will be the first in-person Convention they have attended. The excitement is very high for 2022’s State FFA Convention.”
The organization’s 93rd Convention is taking place during a benchmark year of 15,000 student members, the highest since the 1980s. Nineteen FFA chapters chartered over the past three years are indicative of the growth Minnesota FFA experienced, even during the challenging 2020 and 2021 school years.
“FFA has provided myself and my team with an abundance of moments where we were at our best,” said Emily Matejka, the 2021-2022 Minnesota FFA president, from Martin County West. “As we shaped our year and influence, we wanted members to remember that FFA continues to provide these thriving moments for all members.”
General sessions, workshops, state competition Career Development Event and Leadership Development Event contests, and selection of the 2022-2023 Minnesota FFA State Officers will take place at a combination of the University of Minnesota St. Paul campus, the 3M Arena at Mariucci – University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
“In 2022, many of our students will be experiencing this event in person for the first time, due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Matejka said. “State FFA Officers, teachers and partners are eager to provide opportunities to help these students not only find belonging and success, but discover the traditions and culture of FFA in a way they haven’t been able to in a virtual world.”
Fifteen students have been selected as FFA Star finalists with their Supervised Agricultural Experiences. Winners will be named Monday evening, April 25.
Finalists for Star Farmer include: Addison Hillman, Brainerd FFA; Taylor Lacek, Russell Tyler Ruthton FFA; Jessica Willegal, GFW Pioneer Express FFA; and Isaac Larry Beck, Hayfield FFA.
Selected as finalists for Star in Production Placement are: Andrew Caughey, Brainerd FFA; Blake Krienke, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted FFA; Kyle Hagen, Glencoe-Silver Lake FFA; and Sophie Lynn Kyllonen, Sleepy Eye FFA.
Finalists for Star in AgriBusiness are: Catie Erickson, Fertile-Beltrami FFA; William Benjamin Bugbee, Paynesville FFA; Caldyn Huper, United South Central FFA; and Matthew Schell, Lewiston-Altura FFA.
The three finalists for Star in Agri Science are: Colton Converse, Staples-Motley FFA; Katherine Miller, Stillwater FFA; and Lance Thomas Sawatzky, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg FFA. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/minnesota-ffa-resumes-traditional-state-convention-april-24-26/ | 2022-04-13T08:16:36 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/minnesota-ffa-resumes-traditional-state-convention-april-24-26/ |
Our Opinion: A need for higher wages
Published 7:16 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Cedar Valley Services’ need for employees is unfortunately an all too familiar issue dogging companies in the state of Minnesota.
CVS and other companies that provide support staff for the developmentally disabled looking to join the workforce are in a worker crunch that is having a trickle down effect nobody wants because at the end of the day it’s depriving a portion of our society that wants to work, a crucial experience.
The crux of the issue is that wages for CVS support staff are dictated by an out-of-date disability waiver rates system. This system determines the wages of employees at CVS and similar businesses.
Thus, CVS is unable to replace many of the employees it lost during the pandemic as they struggle to meet the salaries of other businesses.
“We get paid based on certain information they used to determine [wages],’’ said CVS Executive Director Rich Pavek. “That’s not what people are getting paid anymore and wages are going through the roof.”
While we understand there are hundreds of voices clamoring for a piece of Minnesota’s $9.3 billion record surplus, it should become a priority to get some of these funds to places like CVS so they can hire the necessary staff and get those people being served by CVS into the workforce.
Because that’s the other side of it. Pavek said last week that right now 34 people with disabilities are on a waiting list to come back with another 20 new individual waiting, who have never been served before.
These are qualified employees just waiting to contribute and all they need is the support staff to help facilitate this.
Instead, these potential employees are largely sitting inactive.
“In the meantime, they are sitting at home,” Pavek said. “It’s not good. It has a devastating effect sitting at home. They lose the skills they’ve developed, their health is not good, their mental health can suffer during all this time at home and they miss their friends. It’s their general wellness.”
With so many places looking for employees it just makes sense that CVS be looked to in order to help fill these rolls.
The developmentally disabled are willing to work, but are paying the price for a lagging wage system that is putting up road blocks that are not incentivizing people to join what can be a very rewarding career. But it’s also demanding with a lot of responsibility and the fact remains, the wages have to be there.
We urge our area representatives Rep. Patricia Mueller, Sen. Gene Dornink and Rep. Peggy Bennett to reach out to Pavek and learn about this problem and actively work to change this system for the better.
This is a way to close a circle and help all of those involved. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/our-opinion-a-need-for-higher-wages/ | 2022-04-13T08:16:42 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/our-opinion-a-need-for-higher-wages/ |
Pacelli holds 8th annual run
Published 6:38 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
Pacelli Catholic Schools hosted the eighth Annual Shamrockin’ Run at Pacelli, on Saturday.
A total of 123 people participated in either the 5K Run, 1 Mile Walk or virtually.
Weather conditions cooperated for the run – cool, sunny and calm, which made for a very enjoyable event.
“It was fun for Pacelli to put on an event for the whole community to take part in and enjoy,” said Ryan Bickler, Run Committee chair. “While we had plenty of more serious runners who might use this as a tune up event for the summer running season, it’s also nice to see lots of kids and families participate as well.”
The 5K runners ranged from age 5 to 82. The fastest 5K time for the men’s division was turned in by 12 year old Ryan Littlefield at 18:34, second was Tom Cook at 18:37 and third was Andrew Frederick at 20:55. The fastest 5K female time was Kirsten Koopal at 21:52, second was Laura Werking at 22:29 and third was Amanda Leightner at 23:53.
RESULTS
1. Ryan Littefield (first, 18:34): Tom Cook (second, 18:37); Andrew Frederick (third, 20:55); Grayson Bickler (fourth, 20:57); Jeremiah Johnson (fifth, 21:13); Kirsten Koopal (sixth, 21:52); Laura Werking (seventh, 22:29); Amadna Leightner (eighth, 23:53.36); Isaac Johnson (ninth, 24:00); Liz Frederick (10th, 24:13); Mark Mayer (12th, 24:50); Adah Baron (13th, 25:12); Lenette Baron (14th, 25:16); Marek Leif (15th, 25:46.89); Brytnie Carolan (16th, 26:01); Bryan Severtson (17th, 26:30); Shelley Letendre (18th, 27:09); Scott Rueter (19th, 27:09); Eric Kahle (20th, 27:13); Randy Kramer (21st, 21:16); Jessica Schoen (22nd, 27:27); Ryder Hastings (23rd, 27:43); Emily McAlister (24th, 28:06); Cody Shea (25th, 28:13); Mike Brosenne (26th, 28:19); Curt Sauve (27th, 28:37); David Chabot (28th, 28:57); Megan Beer (29th, 28:59); Lauryn Hajek (30th, 30:15); Amy Wollenburg (31st, 30:15); Sarah Johnson (32nd, 30:16); Gary Bickler (33rd, 30:23); Joey Schulte (34th, 30:26); Faye Bollingberg (35th, 30:34); Noah Heimer (36th, 30:50); Ian Johnson (37th, 30:52); Tim Johnson (38th, 31:02); Lee Smith (39th, 31:11); Krista Kahle (40th, 31:16); Henry Lamers (41st, 31:22); James Schulte (42nd, 31:43); Hope McAlister (43rd, 31:59.40); Jeffery McDonald (44th, 32:37); Diane Hammel (45th, 33:35); Rolf Bollingberg (46th, 35:02); Britney Leibold (47th, 36:35); Tim Rietz (48th, 37:15); Bonnie Reitz (49th, 37:15); Katrina Kumfer (50th, 38:07); Josh Bednar (51st, 40:58); Tom Schultz (52nd, 41:59); Grant Baron (53rd, 42:23); Miriam Luehmann (54th, 42:36.31); Jason Baron (55th, 42:49); Kelsey Shea (56th, 42:56); Rachel Kahle (57th, 47:16); Diane Ewing (58th, 47:47); Suzyn Bronk (59th, 47:51); Paxtin Bickler (60th, 50:12); Makayla Hajek (61st, 50:23); Amy Bickler (62nd, 50:24); Carol Prescher (63rd, 52:08); Becky Koopal (64th, 52.52); Christine Frederick (65th, 52:52); Robyn Bickler (66th, 52:53); Kristin Bickler (67th, 53:10); Thomas Hanson (68th, 53:13); Jen Hanson (69th, 53:53); Herb Noetzel (70th, 53:55); Liz Sayles (71st, 53:56); Stephanie Lenway (72nd, 53:57); Mariss Hanson (73rd, 54:03); Steve Lamers (74th, 57:26); Matt Johnson (75th, 57:26); Jayme Lamers (76th, 57:27); Kara Mallory (77th, 57:28); Mallory Lamers (78th, 57:29); Hakon Strande (79th, 1:01); Amy Strande (80th, 1:01) | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/pacelli-holds-8th-annual-run/ | 2022-04-13T08:16:48 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/pacelli-holds-8th-annual-run/ |
South Dakota attorney general impeached over fatal crash
Published 7:29 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
PIERRE, S.D. — The South Dakota House on Tuesday impeached state Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg over a 2020 car crash in which he killed a pedestrian but initially said he might have struck a deer or another large animal.
Ravnsborg, a Republican, is the first official to be impeached in South Dakota history. He will at least temporarily be removed from office pending the historic Senate trial, where it takes a two-thirds majority to convict on impeachment charges. The Senate must wait at least 20 days to hold its trial, but has not yet set a date.
Ravnsborg pleaded no contest last year to a pair of traffic misdemeanors in the crash, including making an illegal lane change.
He has cast Joseph Boever’s death as a tragic accident.
In narrowly voting to impeach the state’s top prosecutor, the Republican-controlled House charged Ravnsborg with committing crimes that caused someone’s death, making “numerous misrepresentations” to law enforcement officers after the crash and using his office to navigate the criminal investigation. A Senate conviction would mean Ravnsborg would be barred from holding any state office in the future.
“When we’re dealing with the life of one of your citizens, I think that weighed heavily on everyone,” said Republican Rep. Will Mortenson, who introduced the articles of impeachment.
A spokesman for Ravnsborg did not reply to a request for comment after the vote. Tim Bormann, the attorney general’s chief of staff, said his staff would “professionally dedicate ourselves” to their work while Ranvsborg is forced to take a leave.
Ravnsborg, who took office in 2019, was returning home from a Republican dinner in September 2020 when he struck and killed Boever, who was walking along a rural highway. A sheriff who responded after Ravnsborg called 911 initially reported it as a collision with an animal. Ravnsborg has said he did not realize he hit a man until he returned the next day and found the body.
The Highway Patrol concluded that Ravnsborg’s car crossed completely onto the highway shoulder before hitting Boever, and criminal investigators said later that they didn’t believe some of Ravnsborg’s statements.
The House rejected the recommendation of a GOP-backed majority report from a special investigative committee, which argued that anything wrong he did was not part of his official duties “in office.” But even Republican lawmakers who argued his actions did not meet constitutional grounds for impeachment said Ravnsborg should resign.
“He should have stepped down, should have done the honorable thing,” said House Speaker Spencer Gosch, who oversaw the House investigation and voted against impeachment.
The articles of impeachment required approval from a majority of the 70 members of the House and passed by just one vote.
Of the 36 people who voted in favor, eight were Democrats and 28 were Republicans. The 31 against it were all Republicans. Republican Rep. Scott Odenbach recused himself because he had given legal advice to the attorney general after the crash. Two other Republican lawmakers were absent.
Ravnsborg, who had been largely silent about the crash and was not present for the vote, sent lawmakers a pair of defiant letters Monday night urging them not to impeach him.
“In a few hours, your vote will set a precedent for years to come,” Ravnsborg wrote. “No state has ever impeached an elected official for a traffic accident.”
He also accused Republican Gov. Kristi Noem of interfering in the investigation and of supporting impeachment because of the attorney general’s investigations into her behavior.
After Ravnsborg fell out with the governor following the crash, he pushed a pair of ethics complaints against Noem to the state’s Government Accountability Board. His office is also investigating whether an organization aligned with the governor broke campaign finance disclosure laws.
Noem lauded the vote on Twitter, writing that the House “did the right thing for the people of South Dakota and for Joe Boever’s family.”
The decision brought some relief for his family, who his wedding photo as they watched from the House gallery during the vote. They have decried the criminal prosecution as a “slap on the wrist” for Ravnsborg.
“We’re a step closer to justice. We’re not done,” said Boever’s cousin, Nick Nemec.
“Now we just need the Senate’s help on this because these laws need to be changed badly,” said Jennifer Boever, who was married to Boever. “People are getting hurt and killed, and the pedestrian has no self-defense against a 4,000 pound (1,814 kilogram) vehicle.” | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/south-dakota-attorney-general-impeached-over-fatal-crash/ | 2022-04-13T08:16:54 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/south-dakota-attorney-general-impeached-over-fatal-crash/ |
Upcoming trout stocking looking good for season
Published 7:58 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
For a third year, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will stock Wolf Creek, which runs through Todd Park.
As in the previous two stockings, 300 trout will be inserted prior to the trout opener this Saturday with another 300 slated to be stocked sometime after the season begins.
Wolf Creek is part of an effort to turn the slim stream into a trout destination that is readily accessible, and filled with trout that are ready to take immediately in what is termed as a “put and take” stream.
According to Waterville Area Fisheries Supervisor Craig Soupir, Wolf Creek has been marked as a success so far.
“The reports I’ve gotten have been favorable,” Soupir said, referring to anglers he’s heard from who have fished the stream. “That’s what it’s really about. Providing a trout fishing opportunity in southern Minnesota.”
However, there is still some question as to how last year’s drought will affect the fishing and just how much that will carry over into this year.
According to the US Drought Monitor, Mower County is still listed as abnormally dry and Wolf Creek itself is down significantly, though with this year’s snow melt and early rains it has risen somewhat.
“Water levels are variable and it depends on the flow,” Soupir said. “Because of the significant drought last fall the stream is really low.”
It’s part of the reason why it’s advantageous to signify Wolf Creek as a put and take stream and why the DNR isn’t concerned about carry over from one year to another, like what was attempted in the late 70s and early 80s.
“We want people to take these fish,” Soupir said. “It’s not a bad thing to not carry over from one year to the next.”
Overall, Soupir said that conditions indicate another successful trout fishing season on Wolf Creek.
“Based on the water stage, it looks about the same as it did last year, maybe a little bit lower,” Soupir said. “Looks like it’s going to be good for some stocking. We should be okay and the artesian well is still flowing.” | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/upcoming-trout-stocking-looking-good-for-season/ | 2022-04-13T08:17:01 | 0 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/upcoming-trout-stocking-looking-good-for-season/ |
US inflation jumped 8.5% in past year, highest since 1981
Published 7:05 pm Tuesday, April 12, 2022
WASHINGTON — Inflation soared over the past year at its fastest pace in more than 40 years, with costs for food, gasoline, housing and other necessities squeezing American consumers and wiping out the pay raises that many people have received.
The Labor Department said Tuesday that its consumer price index jumped 8.5% in March from 12 months earlier, the sharpest year-over-year increase since 1981. Prices have been driven up by bottlenecked supply chains, robust consumer demand and disruptions to global food and energy markets worsened by Russia’s war against Ukraine. From February to March, inflation rose 1.2%, the biggest month-to-month jump since 2005. Gasoline prices drove more than half that increase.
Across the economy, the year-over-year price spikes were widespread. Gasoline prices rocketed 48% in the past 12 months. Used car prices have soared 35%, though they actually fell in February and March. Bedroom furniture is up 14.7%, men’s suits and coats 14.5%. Grocery prices have jumped 10%, including 18% increases for both bacon and oranges.
Investors focused on a bright spot in the report and sent stock prices up: So-called core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, rose just 0.3% from February to March, the smallest monthly rise since September. Over the past year, though, core prices are up 6.5%, the most since 1982.
“The inflation fire is still out of control,” said Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at the research firm FWDBONDS LLC.
The March inflation numbers were the first to fully capture the surge in gasoline prices that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24. Moscow’s attacks have triggered far-reaching Western sanctions against the Russian economy and disrupted food and energy markets. According to AAA, the average price of a gallon of gasoline — $4.10 — is up 43% from a year ago, though it’s dipped in the past couple of weeks.
The acceleration of inflation has occurred against the backdrop of a booming job market and a solid overall economy. In March, employers adding a robust 431,000 jobs — the 11th straight month in which they’ve added at least 400,000. For 2021, they added 6.7 million jobs, the most in any year on record. In addition, job openings are near record highs, layoffs are at their lowest point since 1968 and the unemployment rate is just above a half-century low.
The escalation of energy prices, a potential threat to the economy’s long-term durability, has led to higher transportation costs for the shipment of goods across the economy, which, in turn, has contributed to higher prices for consumers. The squeeze is being felt particularly hard at the gas pump.
“That’s an extra dollar per gallon that I’m paying to get into the city to work,” Jason Emerson of Oakland, California, said as he loaded groceries into his car. “And then, you know, we have the tolls that just went up this past year a dollar. My eggs are a dollar more as well. So everything’s going up at least a dollar, which, you know, adds up.”
The latest inflation numbers solidify expectations that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates aggressively in the coming months to try to slow borrowing and spending and tame inflation.
Kathy Bostjancic, an economist at Oxford Economics, said she expects year-over-year inflation to hit 9% in May and then begin “a slow descent.” Some other economists, too, suggest that inflation is at or near its peak. With federal stimulus aid having expired, consumer demand could flag as wages fall behind inflation, households drain more of their savings and the Fed sharply raises rates, all of which could combine to slow inflation.
But that could take time. Robust spending, steady pay raises and chronic supply shortages are still fueling inflation. In addition, housing costs, which make up about a third of the consumer price index, have escalated, a trend that seems unlikely to reverse anytime soon.
Economists note that as the economy has emerged from the depths of the pandemic, consumers have been gradually broadening their spending beyond goods to include more services. A result is that high inflation, which at first had reflected mainly a shortage of goods — from cars and furniture to electronics and sports equipment — has been emerging in services, too, like travel, health care and entertainment. Airline fares, for instance, have soared an average of nearly 24% in the past 12 months. The average cost of a hotel room is up 29%
The expected fast pace of the Fed’s rate increases will make loans sharply more expensive for consumers and businesses. Mortgage rates, in particular, though not directly influenced by the Fed, have rocketed higher in recent weeks, making home buying costlier. Many economists say they worry that the Fed has waited too long to begin raising rates and might end up acting so aggressively as to trigger a recession.
The American public’s expectation for inflation over the next 12 months has reached its highest point — 6.6% — in a survey the Federal Reserve Bank of New York has conducted since 2013. Once public expectations for inflation rise, they can be self-fulfilling: Workers typically demand higher pay to offset their expectations for price increases. Businesses, in turn, raise prices to cover their higher labor costs. This can set off a wage-price spiral, something the nation last endured in the late 1960s and 1970s.
Inflation, which had been largely under control for four decades, began to accelerate last spring as the U.S. and global economies rebounded with unexpected speed and strength from the brief but devastating coronavirus recession that began in the spring of 2020.
Many Americans have been receiving pay increases, but inflation has more than wiped out those gains for most people. In February, after accounting for inflation, average hourly wages fell 2.7% from a year earlier. It was the 12th straight monthly drop in inflation-adjusted wages.
Still, for now, with the job market healthy, inflation has yet to dampen overall consumer spending. Levi Strauss & Co., for example, says its price increases don’t seem to have fazed its customers.
That said, Adrian Mitchell, chief financial officer at Macy’s, cautions that chronically high inflation will likely lead consumers to be choosier: They may spend less on department store goods and more on services like travel and dinners out.
“We do believe that the consumer is going to be spending,” Mitchell said. “But are they going to be spending on discretionary items that we sell, or are they going to be spending on an airline ticket to Florida or air travel or going out to restaurants more?”
In Atlanta, Shirley Hughes has had to raise prices at her bakery, Sweet Cheats, because of soaring costs for items like eggs and milk. Two years ago, a 36-pound container of butter cost $75. Now, it’s $145. Thirty dozen eggs were $50. Now, they’re $75 — and even that price is possible only if Hughes picks them up herself, instead of having them delivered. She’s raised the price of her six-inch cake by $5 to $50.
So far, she said, people have generally accepted her higher prices. But there are limits. One customer wanted a six-inch cake delivered to her boyfriend — an hour’s drive away. Hughes told her the price of making the cake and delivering it would come to nearly $200.
The customer canceled. | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/us-inflation-jumped-8-5-in-past-year-highest-since-1981/ | 2022-04-13T08:17:07 | 1 | https://www.austindailyherald.com/2022/04/us-inflation-jumped-8-5-in-past-year-highest-since-1981/ |
Russia has yet to slow a Western arms express into Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — Western weaponry pouring into Ukraine helped blunt Russia’s initial offensive and seems certain to play a central role in the approaching, potentially decisive, battle for Ukraine’s contested Donbas region. Yet the Russian military is making little headway halting what has become a historic arms express.
The U.S. numbers alone are mounting: more than 12,000 weapons designed to defeat armored vehicles, some 1,400 shoulder-fired Stinger missiles to shoot down aircraft, and more than 50 million rounds of ammunition, among many other things. Dozens of other nations are adding to the totals.
The Biden administration is preparing yet another, more diverse, package of military support possibly totaling $750 million to be announced in coming days, a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss plans not yet publicly announced. The additional aid is a sign that the administration intends to continue expanding its support for Ukraine’s war effort.
These armaments have helped an under-gunned Ukrainian military defy predictions that it would be quickly overrun by Russia. They explain in part why Vladimir Putin’s army gave up, at least for now, its attempt to capture Kyiv, the capital, and has narrowed its focus to battling for eastern and southern Ukraine.
U.S. officials and analysts offer numerous explanations for why the Russians have had so little success interdicting Western arms moving overland from neighboring countries, including Poland. Among the likely reasons: Russia’s failure to win full control of Ukraine’s skies has limited its use of air power. Also, the Russians have struggled to deliver weapons and supplies to their own troops in Ukraine.
Some say Moscow’s problem begins at home.
“The short answer to the question is that they are an epically incompetent army badly led from the very top,” said James Stavridis, a retired U.S. Navy admiral who was the top NATO commander in Europe from 2009 to 2013.
The Russians also face practical obstacles. Robert G. Bell, a longtime NATO official and now a professor at the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at Georgia Tech University, said the shipments lend themselves to being hidden or disguised in ways that can make them elusive to the Russians — “short of having a network of espionage on the scene” to pinpoint the convoys’ movements.
“It’s not as easy to stop this assistance flow as it might seem,” said Stephen Biddle, a professor of international and public affairs at Columbia University. “Things like ammunition and shoulder-fired missiles can be transported in trucks that look just like any other commercial truck. And the trucks carrying the munitions the Russians want to interdict are just a small part of a much larger flow of goods and commerce moving around in Poland and Ukraine and across the border.
“So the Russians have to find the needle in this very big haystack to destroy the weapons and ammo they’re after and not waste scarce munitions on trucks full of printer paper or baby diapers or who knows what.”
Even with this Western assistance it’s uncertain whether Ukraine will ultimately prevail against a bigger Russian force. The Biden administration has drawn the line at committing U.S. troops to the fight. It has opted instead to orchestrate international condemnation and economic sanctions, provide intelligence information, bolster NATO’s eastern flank to deter a wider war with Russia, and donate weapons.
In mid-March, a Russian deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said arms shipments would be targeted.
“We warned the United States that pumping weapons into Ukraine from a number of countries as it has orchestrated isn’t just a dangerous move but an action that turns the respective convoys into legitimate targets,” he said in televised remarks.
But thus far the Russians appear not to have put a high priority on arms interdiction, perhaps because their air force is leery of flying into Ukraine’s air defenses to search out and attack supply convoys on the move. They have struck fixed sites like arms depots and fuel storage locations, but to limited effect.
On Monday the Russians said they destroyed four S-300 surface-to-air missile launchers that had been given to Ukraine by an unspecified European country. Slovakia, a NATO member that shares a border with Ukraine, donated just such a system last week but denied it had been destroyed. On Tuesday the Russian Ministry of Defense said long-range missiles were used to hit two Ukrainian ammo depots.
As the fighting intensifies in the Donbas and perhaps along the coastal corridor to the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula, Putin may feel compelled to strike harder at the arms pipeline, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called vital to his nation’s survival.
In the meantime, a staggering volume and range of war materiel is arriving almost daily.
“The scope and speed of our support to meeting Ukraine’s defense needs are unprecedented in modern times,” said John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary. He said the approximately $2.5 billion in weapons and other material that has been offered to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden administration is equivalent to more than half of Ukraine’s normal defense budget.
One example: The Pentagon says it has provided more than 5,000 Javelin missiles, which are among the world’s most effective weapons against tanks and other armored vehicles — and can even take down a low-flying helicopter. The missile, shaped like a clunky dumb bell and weighing 50 pounds (23 kilograms), is fired by an individual soldier; from its launch tube it flies up at a steep angle and descends directly onto its target in what its known as a “curveball” shot — hitting the top of a tank where its armor is weakest.
The specific routes used to move the U.S. and other Western materials into Ukraine are secret for security reasons, but the basic process is not. Just this week, two U.S. military cargo planes arrived in Eastern Europe with items ranging from machine guns and small arms ammunition to body armor and grenades, the Pentagon said.
A similar load is due later this week to complete delivery of $800 million in assistance approved by President Joe Biden just one month ago. The weapons and equipment are offloaded, moved onto trucks and driven into Ukraine by Ukrainian soldiers for delivery.
Kirby said the material sometimes reaches troops in the field within 48 hours of entering Ukraine.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/13/russia-has-yet-slow-western-arms-express-into-ukraine/ | 2022-04-13T08:20:59 | 1 | https://www.1011now.com/2022/04/13/russia-has-yet-slow-western-arms-express-into-ukraine/ |
Dear Amy: I’ve become good friends with a co-worker who started at the same job I did over 12 years ago.
I’ve received raises, including two after I changed departments six years ago.
In a recent conversation with my co-worker, they disclosed that they have not had one raise in all their time with the company.
When I was given my raises, I was always told it was confidential, and I’ve kept it quiet. My friend has asked several times and has been told that no raises are being given.
They have a good track record with the company and have done well in meeting their goals. Should I say something to the co-worker about my pay increases? Would it be better to hint at it and not break the agreed-to confidentiality?
My friend is thinking of looking for a new job.
– Feeling Guilty
Dear Feeling Guilty: This is from NLRB.gov: “Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA or the Act), employees have the right to communicate with other employees at their workplace about their wages. Wages are a vital term and condition of employment, and discussions of wages are often preliminary to organizing or other actions for mutual aid or protection.”
Further, they write: “When you and another employee have a conversation or communication about your pay, it is unlawful for your employer to punish or retaliate against you in any way for having that conversation.”
Employers tell employees to keep their salaries confidential because it is in the employer’s best interests for their employees to be kept in the dark about co-workers’ compensation and raises.
Review your company’s official policies and any employment agreement you may have signed. Unless you agreed in writing to keep your own salary confidential, then you should be free to exercise your right to disclose it.
If you want to hedge, you could say, “I know for a fact that raises have been given.”
And yes – your friend should get another job.
Dear Amy: The letter from “Mourning” about the emotions surrounding keeping pets alive when they are suffering really got me.
My friend has the same problem with her old and blind spaniel.
I had to make the decision with my own 17-year-old pet, but took the vet’s advice that quality of life was gone and had to think of the animal, not me.
My friend knows what she should do, but she can’t. Is there anything you can say to ease the choice?
– Sad
Dear Sad: Some vets offer “hospice” or end-of-life palliative care for animals. You might do some research and see if there is a vet in your area who will come to your friend’s house and examine her pup.
This is from ASPCA.org: “Pet hospice is not a place, but a personal choice and philosophy based on the principle that death is a part of life and can be dignified. When considering hospice care, pet parents should be very careful not to prolong the suffering of pets who are in pain or experiencing poor quality of life.”
I went through this with my 20-year-old tabby cat, and the palliative care veterinarian who examined him outlined my options.
I chose to have him euthanized, and buddy died at home with me petting him and thanking him for gracing my life.
And yes – it was so hard!
As with any life-event that is absolutely guaranteed to also be heartbreaking – this is easier to face with a friend’s support.
You can ask if she would like you to go with her – or be with her – when she is ready to go through this process.
Dear Amy: “Sad Mad Daughter,” who was now caring for her abusive and elderly mother could be me.
The thing that is hardest to take is looking at your vulnerable, lonely, isolated, helpless elderly parent and realizing they were looking at a vulnerable, lonely, isolated, helpless child and could actually emotionally and physically abuse that child!
I know my mother didn’t ask for her mental disorder. She is in a nursing home near me; I visit a few times a week and make sure she has everything she needs.
She has taken so much from me, gosh darn it, she will not dictate the kind of attentive daughter I want to be, and get to be, to an elderly parent.
I – not her – get to control how I want to be, and it’s a great feeling.
– Kathy, in Virginia
Dear Kathy: This is next-level wisdom, earned the hardest way possible. I think your perspective could help a lot of people.
You can email Amy Dickinson at askamy@amydickinson.com or send a letter to Ask Amy, P.O. Box 194, Freeville, NY 13068. | https://www.al.com/life/2022/04/ask-amy-yes-its-ok-to-discuss-wages-with-coworkers-and-unlawful-for-employers-to-punish-or-retaliate.html | 2022-04-13T08:21:31 | 0 | https://www.al.com/life/2022/04/ask-amy-yes-its-ok-to-discuss-wages-with-coworkers-and-unlawful-for-employers-to-punish-or-retaliate.html |
DEAR ABBY: I was a birth mom 45 years ago. My mother forced me to give up my child at birth. Not one person supported my wish to keep my child. My heart and mind screamed, “No, don’t do it!” Now, the birth father says he’s sorry because he’s having serious health problems and thinks he could be dying. I have forgiven everyone involved, over and over. But I’ve lived with depression, PTSD, etc., all these years and I cry about it still. The older I get, the more loss I feel.
I found my adult child 15 years ago. It started out OK and went downhill from there. My heart aches so much to have a connection with this child of mine. I’m shutting down inside while still waiting. I’m too tired to keep going on. My dreams are gone. My hopes are shattered. I’m ready to curl up and die. What can I do? -- DESTROYED IN WASHINGTON
DEAR DESTROYED: I am sorry for your overwhelming pain. What you need to do -- and quickly, before you shut down further -- is summon the strength to seek help from a licensed mental health professional.
Forty-five years ago, attitudes about out-of-wedlock births were far different than they are today. Neither you nor the father of that child were equipped to properly care for the baby. Because you have forgiven everyone else over and over, it is time to find a way to forgive yourself and put a stop to your endless grieving.
DEAR ABBY: I have been married for 17 years with three great kids. My wife and I have struggled on and off during those 17 years. I often feel like maybe I don’t love her. We are complete opposites. I’m adventurous, daring and extroverted. She denies me sex a lot. This last time was for four months.
During that time, I met someone who has the same adventurous spirit as I do. We have hung out and we text often. She’s currently getting a divorce. I’m falling for her and I have expressed it to her. She likes me, but she doesn’t want a relationship right now because she isn’t sure what she really wants. She’s also afraid we both won’t really leave our spouses if we start something.
I stopped texting her, but she said she will wait for me. How do I manage this because I’m hurting in my marriage and hurting by not texting her? -- TORN IN OHIO
DEAR TORN: Inform your wife that the current status of your marriage is no longer acceptable. Denying marital relations appears to be her way of punishing you, which is unfair, so offer her the option of marriage counseling. If she refuses, I hope you will go alone to help you decide rationally which, if any, next steps you want to take.
If you decide to leave your marriage, there is no guarantee the woman you have been seeing will follow through with her divorce, but let her know what your plans are. I should add that for many people, the first relationship after a divorce does not lead to marriage, if you’re contemplating jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. | https://www.al.com/life/2022/04/dear-abby-woman-still-grieves-child-given-up-for-adoption-45-years-ago.html | 2022-04-13T08:21:37 | 0 | https://www.al.com/life/2022/04/dear-abby-woman-still-grieves-child-given-up-for-adoption-45-years-ago.html |
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – After a pleasant morning across Tampa Bay, temperatures climb quickly into the upper 80s this afternoon. With slightly more humidity, we will see a few passing clouds, but no rain is expected.
Humidity continues to increase tonight, so it stays partly cloudy and warm. Overnight lows will be in the upper 60s to low 70s.
With the extra humidity around and a cold front stalling in north Florida tomorrow, we should see some spotty showers develop in the afternoon. The rain chance is 20%, and most of the rain will be east of I-75. Highs will still be in the upper 80s.
The front lingers around Friday and Saturday, so watch for a few afternoon showers again. It stays muggy with highs in the upper 80s.
On Easter Sunday, the rain chance increases to 30%, but most of the rain will still be east of I-75. Expect some muggy conditions for the Sunrise Services. Sunrise on Sunday is 7:02am. It warms up quickly, and highs will be back in the upper 80s Easter afternoon. Try to hide those eggs in shady places.
A cold front will arrive Monday with a 30% rain chance, and the front may bring some slightly cooler and less humid air back for Tuesday and Wednesday. | https://www.wfla.com/weather/forecast/humidity-increases-as-front-stalls-north/ | 2022-04-13T08:25:54 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/weather/forecast/humidity-increases-as-front-stalls-north/ |
HENRICO, Va. (WRIC) – Police were called to the intersection of Agra Drive and Hobart Road around 1:30 a.m. for a report of a shooting.
Once on scene officers found several people who said an unknown suspect fired their gun at them.
Police say no one was struck, but an investigation is underway.
This is a developing story and we will continue to update it as we learn more information. | https://www.wric.com/news/breaking-news/suspect-fires-gun-at-group-of-people-in-henrico/ | 2022-04-13T08:34:01 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/breaking-news/suspect-fires-gun-at-group-of-people-in-henrico/ |
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) – Two men are injured after being shot in Richmond overnight.
Richmond Police Captain Greer Gould said a man walked into the Medical College of Virginia just after 1 a.m. with non-life-threatening injuries.
He said a crime scene could not be located.
A second man has non-life-threatening injuries after being shot at 35th Street and Lawson Street overnight.
The call came in around 2 a.m. according to police. The victim went to a local hospital for treatment. | https://www.wric.com/news/breaking-news/two-richmond-shootings-overnight-leaves-two-injured/ | 2022-04-13T08:34:07 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/breaking-news/two-richmond-shootings-overnight-leaves-two-injured/ |
A Look Inside The Clay Studio’s Massive New Space in South Kensington
The new four-story facility expands the organization's studio, classroom and gallery space — and its plans for community outreach.
The Clay Studio — the local non-profit focused on ceramic arts — has left the Old City building it has called home for over 30 years, beginning a new chapter in a brand new space as of April 9th. The 34,000-square foot, four-story facility in South Kensington greatly expands its studio, classroom, gallery, and event space — and with that, its ambitions.
Bordering Northern Liberties, The Clay Studio joins neighbors like NextFab and the Crane Arts building in what has become one of the most vibrant arts corridors in the city.
The Clay Studio began its relationship with Kensington back in 1994, when it began to bring its pop-up Claymobile to surrounding schools and community centers. In the five years leading up to the move, the studio hosted conversations, workshops, and events within the South Kensington neighborhood to strengthen ties and get feedback about how it could best serve the people. “We know the transformative power of clay and look forward to sharing our love for the material and its creative possibilities with our neighbors,” says deputy director Josie Bockelman.
This spirit of collaboration and interconnectedness was on display at the open house this past Saturday, where community members were invited to tour the facility, meet the artists, and participate in art projects like crafting ceramic tiles for the walls of the building’s stairwell. Artists of all ages and abilities were able to make their mark on the new space, sharing the visceral experience of putting hands in clay.
Upstairs in a large classroom, kids and adults worked together on a collaborative sculpture, adorning a giant whale with little clay ornaments — everything from a smiling mermaid to a Liberty Bell. Elsewhere, resident artists and volunteers talked technique with visitors.
The building’s first floor contains an art gallery, demonstration studio, shop, and an outdoor covered space that can host the Claymobile and other events. The second floor features five classrooms, including kiln rooms with 88 percent more kiln capacity than the Old City location had. The third floor has artist workspace and prototyping spaces, and the fourth floor tops off the building with offices and an open-air rooftop (another potential event space), which will soon have a retractable roof.
Also on the fourth floor: a youth-oriented classroom, with adjustable tables and pottery wheels that allow teachers and students to work in tandem.
With so much more space comes opportunity for growth. The Clay Studio aims to expand its Resident Artists program to accommodate two visiting artists in addition to the current 12 residents. (Each resident and guest receives a studio space, materials, and studio support.)
As for the larger public, The Clay Studio is planning to launch camps for kids ages 6 to 17 this summer, and a free after-school program for neighborhood elementary students in the fall. Also in the works: drop-in adult programs starting in June, and all-ages drop-in times hosted by resident artists on Saturday afternoons this fall. The annual Clay Fest will continue in September, and the studio plans to participate in Second Thursday open-studio events, welcoming the community to view gallery art and participate in hands-on activities.
The new facility was designed by DIGSAU, who took inspiration from Philadelphia’s early 20th-century warehouses, brickwork elements like raking and corbelling, and the city’s tradition of masonry construction. Jennifer Martin, executive director of The Clay Studio, sees the building’s design as representing “patchwork and multiple layers coming together. The multiple layers of the brickwork relate to the process of working in clay; building community is also about the process. We hope to develop layers of support and trust with our new community.” | https://www.phillymag.com/be-well-philly/2022/04/11/the-clay-studio-in-kensington/ | 2022-04-13T08:36:34 | 0 | https://www.phillymag.com/be-well-philly/2022/04/11/the-clay-studio-in-kensington/ |
What the New Mask Mandate Means for Dining Out in Philadelphia
If you’re going out to (or working in) a restaurant in Philadelphia, here’s what you need to know about the new masking mandate that goes into effect on April 18th.
Today Philadelphia Health Commissioner Cheryl Bettigole announced that the city will reinstate a mask mandate in all public indoor spaces – including restaurants and bars – starting Monday, April 18th. The change comes as Philadelphia’s percentage of COVID cases has increased more than 50 percent over the last 10 days, triggering the city to move into Level 2 of its COVID response plan, which focuses entirely on mask precautions.
According to city data, 4.5 percent of COVID-19 tests in Philadelphia have come back positive in the last two weeks, with an average of 142 new cases per day. Bettigole confirmed on Monday that city officials assume a rise in cases can be linked to the new omicron variant, B.A. 2. “We don’t actually have sequencing data back yet, but we’re expecting that sequencing data to show that this is predominantly B.A.2.”
In a statement to the press on Monday, Mayor Jim Kenney said, “Given the recent rise in cases, we are moving to Level 2 in hopes of preventing higher case rates and stricter measures. Our city remains open; we can still go about our daily lives and visit the people and places we love while masking in indoor public spaces. I’m optimistic that this step will help us control the case rate.”
Meanwhile senior director of operations of the Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association, Ben Fileccia, expressed his dissatisfaction with the new masking mandate on Twitter. “We are extremely disappointed to hear that the city plans to mandate that masks be required when dining indoors without any input from the mitigated community. Restaurant workers have suffered severe backlash when enforcing these rules in the past and, unfortunately, this time will be no different.”
The city’s mask mandate won’t go into effect until Monday, April 18th, in order to give indoor businesses a week to inform staff of the change and put up signs. According to a spokesperson for the city’s health department on Monday, Philly businesses have previously asked for “adequate notice” before COVID policies change. As such, the health department plans to distribute information through the commerce department’s contact lists this week.
If you’re going out to (or working in) a restaurant in Philadelphia, here’s what you need to know about the new masking mandate that goes into effect on April 18th:
Are restaurants going to ask for proof of vaccination?
While it’s within a business’s right to require proof of vaccination during any level of Philly’s COVID response plan, bars and restaurants will not be asked to limit indoor service to vaccinated-only customers. The new mandate, which starts April 18th, only requires masks be worn in indoor spaces.
If a restaurant asks for proof of vaccine, do I still have to wear a mask inside?
No. A health department spokesperson said via email that “establishments can decide to move to a vaccinated-only policy, whereby the only people who can come into the workspace are vaccinated and forgo the mask mandate. If they do make this move, it applies to both customers and staff.”
How am I supposed to wear a mask when I’m, for instance, drinking a milkshake at my table?
You don’t need to attempt such a thing. Staff and customers must be masked in restaurants (or in any public indoor space for that matter) at all times other than when they’re eating and drinking.
Does the mask mandate apply to bars and nightclubs as well?
All public indoor spaces will be required to enforce masking, regardless of whether they sell food and beverages. That means bars, nightclubs, movie theaters, and restaurants all will follow the same policy.
What happens between now and Monday, April 18th?
The health department advises that businesses begin to put masking signs back up, as well as notify their staff and customers about the impending change. “Businesses can help do this not only in their storefronts but by making announcements on their websites and social media accounts,” a spokesperson from the agency said.
Is masking forever?
The mask mandate will be removed once the city returns to an All-Clear Level, meaning at least two of the following statements are true: The average of new cases per day is less than 100, hospitalizations are less than 50, or cases have increased by less than 50 percent in the previous 10 days. | https://www.phillymag.com/foobooz/2022/04/11/new-mask-mandate-philadelphia-restaurants-bars/ | 2022-04-13T08:36:40 | 1 | https://www.phillymag.com/foobooz/2022/04/11/new-mask-mandate-philadelphia-restaurants-bars/ |
Philly Is About to Become Even More of a Doughnut Town
Federal Donuts scores investment backing and Mochinut moves in with five locations.
Federal Donuts – the Pennsport doughnut shack where we waited in line for hot doughnuts 10 years ago, where we stopped to eat fried chicken in the sun – will soon become a legit regional franchise, spreading out across the Mid-Atlantic. They may expand to 150 locations in the near future.
Currently Federal Donuts operates 11 locations in and around the city – at the stadiums, in Center City, and in that Whole Foods in Wynnewood. These 11 spots vary in size, all serving good coffee, doughnuts from a robot, and fried chicken. Now, after a couple years of discussions and negotiations (going all the way back to the days before the pandemic), it was announced last week that FedNuts has secured an investment from Radnor-based equity investment firm NewSpring that will move them toward a massive expansion.
CookNSolo (and partners Michael Solomonov, Steve Cook, Felicia D’Ambrosio, Bob Logue and Tom Henneman) has grown slowly, perfecting their offerings, expanding their menu, and solidifying a name. A couple years ago, they made a brief play at expansion into Miami, but that tanked. The new flagship here in Philly did not.
“In 2011, when Steve, Mike, Bobby, Felicia and I bootstrapped this business on a quiet corner in South Philadelphia, we couldn’t have imagined what Federal Donuts would become.” That’s Henneman, quoted in the announcement by NewSpring Franchise, the wing of the firm dedicated to investing in multi-unit concepts. “Taking this next step to partner with NewSpring will give us the opportunity to be a part of so many more neighborhoods.”
The expansion will work as a combination of owned and franchised operations, limited (for now, at least) to the Mid-Atlantic region. Cook and Solomonov remain owners. Henneman will stick around as Federal Donuts CEO. All three will “stay closely involved in both strategic and day-to-day operations,” according to NewSpring. But the firm is also bringing on three of their own to the FedNuts board of directors – and here’s where things get interesting. They’re appointing Satya Ponnuru and Patrick Sugrue, both NewSpring partners, and also Jeff Benjamin — co-founder and COO of Vetri Management. Yes, the person who helped Marc Vetri open Vetri back in the day. And yes, Vetri, where Solomonov cut his teeth before going off and doing his own thing.
Speaking of doughnuts and expansion, how’s this for synchronicity? At the same time that Federal Donuts is transforming into a regional doughnuts-and-fried-chicken powerhouse, Mochinut (a mochi doughnut, Korean hotdog, and boba tea operation with nearly 70 locations in the U.S. right now) is eyeing a substantial move into the Philly region.
Half Japanese mochi and half American doughnut, mochi doughnuts are made with rice flour and originate in Hawaii. They’re generally constructed of mochi balls, stuck together in a ring, then glazed with anything from ube to black sesame, chocolate to Nutella. They’re chewy, crispy, and sweet all at once. Similar to K-dogs (Korean corndogs sometimes coated with crispy ramen noodles or bright red hot Cheetos dust), the mochi doughnut is pure junk food delight.
Mochi Ring Donuts, one of Philly’s first dedicated mochi doughnut shops opened in Rittenhouse at 102 South 21st Street a couple weeks back. It has three existing locations, including Rittenhouse, a shop in Jenkintown, and one in Edison, New Jersey.
But Mochinut is different. It’s an international operation with locations in 11 states already, as well as shops in South Korea and Thailand. And while Mochinut’s first foothold in Philly looks like it’s minutes from opening at 809 North 2nd Street in Northern Liberties, they’ve also got four more coming: 1023 Arch Street in Chinatown, 108 Chestnut Street in Old City, 7320 Old York Road in Elkins Park and 1222 Welsh Road in North Wales. That’s a big expansion into the market. And I am personally psyched about it. | https://www.phillymag.com/foobooz/2022/04/12/mochinut-federal-donuts-franchise/ | 2022-04-13T08:36:47 | 1 | https://www.phillymag.com/foobooz/2022/04/12/mochinut-federal-donuts-franchise/ |
Good Day Philadelphia’s Thomas Drayton Has Collected Lots of Shoes – and Champagne Corks
The dapper, Emmy-winning FOX 29 anchor shares the secrets to his polished ’fits and positive vibes.
FOX 29’s Thomas Drayton, with his dapper pocket square and infectious smile, brightens Good Day Philadelphia viewers’ mornings before the sun rises. The Emmy-winning anchor, who delivers the news from 4 to 6 a.m., shares the secrets to his polished ’fits and positive vibes.
At Home
Feet first … I own 98 pairs of shoes … do I have a problem? I love Blue Sole Shoes on Chestnut Street for rare finds and Taft Shoes on Walnut. Of course, you can never go wrong with a classic Christian Louboutin.
Daily accessory … My David Yurman ring. My hand feels naked without it!
Skin-care essentials … Anthony Logistics Glycolic Facial Cleanser, followed by Retin-A Tretinoin Cream. La Mer if I’m feeling red in the face. I have crazy-sensitive skin, and M-61 Hydraboost Moisturizer from Bluemercury feels light and won’t break me out.
Prized possession … A family Bible passed down through generations.
On my playlist … I’m all over the place when it comes to music. My mood can go from Jonny Lang to Kane Brown to Jazmine Sullivan.
Recent splurge … I went in for an oil change and left with a Lexus RC. They hooked me!
On The Job
What I love about what I do … Sharing stories, connecting with the community, and meeting so many great people.
Currently working on … A real estate show called Nosy Neighbors. I’m also a licensed real estate agent. It’s a fun take on open houses. It’s still in development, so stay tuned!
Personal mantra … “Words have the power to heal wounds but can still break the strongest of hearts, so choose them wisely.”
On the go
Weekend hobby … You’ll find me at a home-improvement store, where I usually hear, “Back again?” Yes, I am. A miter saw is my friend.
Local hang … Botto’s Italian Line Restaurant in Swedesboro, where everybody knows your name.
Favorite restaurant … Capital Grille, where I’ll order the filet Oscar, a medium-plus filet mignon topped with crab.
Cocktail spot … Give me a good rooftop bar with a view, like Attico on South Broad. A smoked old-fashioned with Four Roses or 1792 bourbon will do.
Last vacation … New York’s Finger Lakes region. It has beautiful scenery and lots of great wine.
What I buy in bulk … Champagne. You don’t need a special occasion to pop a bottle. I have more than 2,000 champagne corks. Cheers!
Published as “Behind the Screen” in the April 2022 issue of Philadelphia magazine. | https://www.phillymag.com/life-style/2022/04/11/thomas-drayton-good-day-philadelphia/ | 2022-04-13T08:36:53 | 1 | https://www.phillymag.com/life-style/2022/04/11/thomas-drayton-good-day-philadelphia/ |
Trouble Telling Left from Right? You’re Not Alone.
Left-right confusion is a real, scientific thing. And it affects more people than you realize.
My husband and I are in the car, and he’s driving. I’m giving directions. “Make a left up there,” I tell him, pointing. “Just past the Wawa.”
“A left?” Doug says incredulously, seeing as there isn’t any road that way, only an empty field.
“I mean a right,” I say, correcting course.
“Oh. The other left,” he says sarcastically.
I guess he’s earned the, um, right. We’ve been together now for 40 years, some of which have gone faster than others, and in all that time, he’s never not had to double-check any directional instructions I give. The problem is that in a pinch, when forced to decide which way is right and which is left, I’m about as much use as Ben Simmons was to the Sixers. I can’t tell the difference. It’s all the same to me.
This isn’t the sort of thing one talks about, really. I’ve always considered it a character flaw, like Doug’s inability to see dirt on a carpet or my son’s failure to be married yet. I mean. My right hand’s my right hand. It’s the one I’ve always written with, eaten with, put on mascara with, for 65 years now. The ability to identify it as such would seem to be pretty simple: It’s the one you use every time you point to the left and say “Go right,” you idiot.
So imagine my surprise — not to mention my personal redemption — when I recently discovered, pretty much by accident (which is what my inability to distinguish directions always threatens to cause), that I’m not alone in my predicament. That far from being a consequence of my having skipped kindergarten, thus missing the vital shoe-tying lessons that might have helped with the problem, my condition affects between 10 and 30 percent of people all over the world and actually has a highly technical scientific name: “left-right confusion.”
Scientists study left-right confusion because while in my household, it’s mere fodder for Doug and the kids to mock me, there are situations in which its repercussions are more grave. Take, for example, the surgeon with instructions to excise a tumor from a patient’s left lung or replace a right kidney. People like me are why hospitals make those big magic-marker circles on you before putting you under. It’s also best if we’re not the ones drawing the circles.
Handedness itself is a curious condition. The world over, with surprising universality, 10 percent of humans are left-handed, regardless of geography, culture or era; so far as science can tell us, that percentage has remained unchanged since the Upper Paleolithic Age 10,000 years ago. We’re unusual that way. Lobsters, says Eric Zillmer, a professor of neuropsychology at Drexel, are about 50-50 when it comes to whether they have their big claw — “the one with the best meat” — on the right or the left side. Among our fellow primates, lateral dominance is more evenly distributed than it is in us Homo sapiens; some 65 to 70 percent of chimpanzees are right-handed, as are 75 percent of gorillas. Orangutans, on the, uh, other hand, are 66 percent left-handed. And way more primates than people are ambidextrous.
Which leads to the question: Why are there any southpaws at all? Why aren’t we all just right-handed? If you’ve ever befriended lefties, you’ve seen how they struggle with everything from can openers to scissors to swiping a credit card. Zillmer, who was Drexel’s athletic director for more than two decades before retiring last summer, cites sports as one example of why poor beleaguered lefties may have persisted: No matter the game, “Left-handed players are much harder to guard. There’s not as much advance coaching on left-handers, and opponents aren’t used to it.” It’s easy enough to extrapolate from that to what once served as sport for the young folk: warfare. A slingshot-wielder or axe-raiser or sword-swiper who favors the left hand has a built-in advantage. “In evolution,” says Zillmer, “it’s good to be innovative. And diversity is good.” Apparently, human left-handedness has managed to confer just enough of an advantage for one in 10 of us to outweigh its many, many inconveniences.
When it comes to my inability to distinguish between right and left, Zillmer assures me I’m in robust company. “It’s surprisingly complex to differentiate between them,” he says. “The brain has an enormous amount of neural structure dedicated to this.” Evolutionarily, he notes, it’s a relatively recent problem: “In the year 1000, the furthest a person traveled from home was maybe 10 miles. You walked out of the farm, and you either turned this way or that way.” There wasn’t all that much to think about.
As a rule, he says, humans don’t have the same problem telling up from down or front from back. But left and right are complicated. He recalls an expensive whale-watching expedition he once took on vacation: “You’re out in the middle of the ocean with no reference point, and a whale will breach for maybe five seconds. You’ve spent all this money, so you really want to see it. If the captain shouts out, ‘There! On the left!,’ half the people will look the wrong way.” As a work-around, the captain tells everybody the front of the boat is the number 12 on a clock and shouts, “There! At 10 o’clock!” It’s the same rationale for why sailors use “port” and “starboard” and not left and right.
“Look at our world,” says Eric Zillmer. “We’re constantly being bombarded with information. We used to live in caves! We’re still afraid of snakes and heights.”
Chances are, most of the people looking the wrong way for that whale would be women. The subject of wiring differences between male and female brains can be fraught, but experiments show that twice as many women as men grapple with left-right confusion. “Well, first off, it’s important to note that male and female brains are 99 percent the same,” says Zillmer. “We’re all human.” Which would be more reassuring if I didn’t know that gorilla DNA is 98 percent identical to ours. There’s evidence that women are more adept at language than men, a difference Zillmer says is only logical: “Women are childbearing. That’s the major difference. In the initial years of life, the woman is responsible for holding children, talking to them. Men are left out of that process, so language isn’t as important to them.” He offers an analogy: “If the brain is a hotel with 200 rooms, for women, language is in every room. For men, it’s in maybe 30 rooms.” This, he says, is why men are better at lying and more likely to be psychopaths (sorry, guys): “They have trouble expressing themselves verbally. When they say, ‘I love you,’ you have to know what part of the hotel it’s coming from.”
The Greek philosopher Plato, who was right-handed, held that hand dominance is learned. His student Aristotle, who was left-handed, claimed it was innate. They were probably both right. Neurologists have linked handedness with brain development: In righties, the left hemisphere of the brain is more heavily relied on; in lefties, it’s the right. Zillmer uses another analogy: “If the brain is divided into two train stations, the right side corresponds to the left side of the body. If you’re left-handed, you have more trains going to the right.” While the whole idea of left-brained vs. right-brained people has been overplayed in popular culture, recent research does indicate that there are certain functional asymmetries in the brains of left-handed people that aren’t present in right-handers. These have aided researchers examining various theories of the development of the lopsided handedness in humans: Did it evolve because early hominids walked upright, perhaps, rather than swinging from trees? Because hand gestures helped us to communicate? To enable us to more efficiently use tools? None of the hypotheses advanced so far have held up in testing. Or, as a study late last year summed it up, “The evolutionary underpinnings of handedness expression in our species remain enigmatic.”
It isn’t only women who are more likely to suffer from left-right confusion. The condition is also more prevalent as people age — and in heroin addicts, interestingly. “The human brain is the most complex system we know of in the universe,” Zillmer says by way of explanation for that finding. “It has a hundred million connections — that’s 10 to the 16th power! When people are addicted to anything, that complex system is impaired. With a system so intricate, when you introduce a powerful, strong chemical, it’s like tossing a wrench into a machine.” This is precisely, he points out, why we’re not supposed to drink and drive.
Left-right confusion is also a symptom of a rare disease known as Gerstmann syndrome that’s marked by it and three other distinct neurological impairments: difficulty performing simple arithmetic calculations; difficulty distinguishing among one’s own fingers; and difficulty writing by hand. It’s caused by lesions in the parietal lobe of the dominant brain hemisphere. The role of that lobe is to integrate spatial sense and navigation — what neuroscientists refer to as proprioception, or our consciousness of our own location in time and space. It’s what lets us steady ourselves as we cross a creek on stepping-stones — and what cops look for in field sobriety tests when they order you to touch your nose while your eyes are closed.
Historically, left-handedness has always been considered suspicious. To return to Plato and Aristotle, the former believed the condition was the result of bad parenting or inadequate education; the latter viewed it as the outward manifestation of an evil soul. In medieval times, the Catholic Church accused people of witchcraft simply because they were left-handed; centuries later, notorious 18th-century Italian criminologist Cesare Lombroso, bolstered by general societal disapproval of the condition, linked left-handedness to lawlessness and degenerate behavior, including alcoholism. Such influences explain why in schools, so many lefty students were literally forced to adapt to using their right hands.
Among these poor souls, Zillmer says, was his mother, who was born in Vienna in 1923. Naturally left-handed, she was pressured to conform to the right-handed norm. “She joked about it,” he says. “She was a good athlete. As a figure skater, she could spin either way. When she played tennis, she hit a forehand shot with either hand.” She became a mathematician — an occupation known for attracting left-handers. (The idea is that less brain space devoted to language leaves more room for other things.) For a time, Zillmer himself, who’s right-handed, studied math at a university in Germany. But, he says, “Math becomes non-verbal very quickly. The biology of my brain meant I was better at communication and socialization. You have to find your sweet spot.”
The left hand/right hand distinction is so ingrained in us that its footprints lie all over our language. The right is the right — all that’s true and correct and proper and holy. The left — well, the Latin for it is sinister, with all that word connotes. (The Latin for “right” is dexter, leading to such positive coinages as “dexterous”; French gives us droit, as in “adroit,” for right — and gauche for left.) And, undeniably, science has shown connections between left-handedness and troublesome conditions including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety disorders, autism, and intellectual disability. Yet many of the world’s greatest artists, writers and thinkers — Michelangelo, da Vinci, Charlemagne, Oprah, Julius Caesar, Jimi Hendrix, Ben Franklin, Albert Schweitzer — were lefties. Zillmer has a theory about that. Barack Obama was just the latest in a long list of U.S. presidents since the 1880s — James Garfield, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, the elder George Bush and Bill Clinton — who were left-handers. (Earlier than that, we don’t have much hard evidence of handedness.) That’s eight out of 26 — well above the statistical odds.
“By nature,” Zillmer says, “if you’re left-handed, you’re special. You’re faced on a daily level with your handedness and have to deal with it. Malcolm Gladwell talks about ‘the advantage of disadvantage.’ Left-handers have an advantage because they constantly have to adapt and overcome adversity.”
Incidentally, speaking of politics, the reason we use left and right to designate opposite ends of the political spectrum is surprisingly prosaic. During the French Revolution, in 1789, members of the National Assembly who supported the king sat to the right of the president of the chamber; those who favored the revolution sat to his left. Down through the years, the terms that originally referred only to seating came to be applied to ideology. By now, they’ve been adopted the world over, with “right” referring to thinking that conserves the status quo and “left” indicating those who would prefer to shake things up a bit.
The way we think about our right and left hands isn’t completely universal. There’s a language spoken by a remote Aboriginal people in Australia that uses the cardinal compass points to indicate direction, rather than our self-referential (or, in science-speak, “egocentric”) differentiation between right and left. Should the Guugu Yimithirr want you to make more room on the car seat, according to the New York Times, “they’ll say ‘Move a bit to the east.’ To tell you where exactly they left something in your house, they’ll say, ‘I left it on the southern edge of the western table.’” Other languages that use similar systems have since turned up in, among other places, Polynesia, Mexico and Bali.
Just imagining the chaos this would create in my markedly left-sided head causes it to spin. And that’s not a good thing, according to Zillmer. Left-right confusion only intensifies when we’re anxious or under pressure. “We’re not perfect,” he reassures me. “In Western culture, we’re always trying to be perfect. It’s okay to make a cognitive error, even if it’s regarding something so simple that other people” — hello, family! — “belittle you for it.” He suggests I try saying something like, “Sorry! I have trouble with this!” and move on.
“Look at our world,” he says. “We’re constantly being bombarded with information. We used to live in caves! This is a completely different environment. We’re still afraid of snakes and heights. Our brains are lagging behind.”
My left-right confusion, he tells me, shouldn’t make me feel like I’m a freak of nature. “It’s a cognitive blemish,” he says. “It’s just along for the ride. I went to see the dermatologist recently about a blemish on my face, and that’s what he told me: ‘It isn’t malignant. It’s just along for the ride.’”
Besides, in the greater scheme of things, America might be a much better place if so many of us didn’t insist on drawing such sharp distinctions between left and right.
Published as “The Other Left” in the April issue of Philadelphia magazine. | https://www.phillymag.com/news/2022/04/11/left-right-confusion/ | 2022-04-13T08:36:59 | 1 | https://www.phillymag.com/news/2022/04/11/left-right-confusion/ |
Democratic U.S. Senate Candidate Conor Lamb Is Running Like a Republican
Lamb supporters argue that the Western PA Rep's ultra-moderate appeal makes him the most electable candidate in the primary race to replace Pat Toomey. But between his fairly conservative voting record and a far-right-style super PAC attack ad he's yet to disavow, is he really the right choice for Democrats?
The Democratic primary for U.S. Senate is heating up, and it’s shaping up as a race between two progressives — namely, Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman and State Rep Malcolm Kenyatta — and one retro-Republican, U.S. Rep Conor Lamb, who, for the record, identifies as a moderate Democrat.
Seismic shifts in the political landscape over the past decade have gotten us to a point where a Democratic moderate in 2022 is essentially a mainstream Republican circa 2008: fiscally conservative, a super-fan of law-and-order policies, and with flexibility on some social issues (such as abortion rights, same-sex marriage, and other civil rights measures).
Democratic Senators Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, human roadblocks to getting pieces of President Joe Biden’s agenda passed, are considered moderates today only because so many members of the Republican Party seem like radical far-right disciples of Trump. Before the Trump presidency, these individuals could have comfortably slotted into the GOP, no question. Looks like that’s already happening anyway.
When the super PAC backing Lamb, Penn Progress, ran its first negative TV ad attacking his front-runner opponent, Fetterman, my jaw dropped. The 30-second ad alleged that “John Fetterman is a self described Democratic Socialist” and cited NPR as the source of this information. It doubled down with another reference: “Fetterman has been called a silver-spoon socialist.”
I wasn’t in shock that rhetoric like this was used against Fetterman — go to any political social media group and you’ll find similar things said about him. But for this to be said by a Democrat about another Democrat during a primary felt over-the-line. Worse, the information is completely false — and the super PAC had to know it.
FactCheck.org immediately noted that the ad had two misleading claims regarding Fetterman being a socialist. That NPR reference to Fetterman as “a self-described Democratic Socialist” was from a November 2020 interview that was later corrected on the media company’s website. (Fetterman had already denied the assertion in 2016). FactCheck.org also noted that the ad left out an important detail regarding who called Fetterman “a silver-spoon socialist.” It was former Pennsylvania GOP chair Val DiGiorgio, who also claimed in 2018 that electing Lamb to Congress would support Democrats’ message of “socialism.”
So Lamb supporters are now reverting to Trumpian misinformation tactics that mischaracterize progressive values and lean on conservative talking points? Not a good look at all.
WPVI (6 ABC), the local ABC affiliate, has already taken the ad off the air, and national Democrats have begun to speak out against it.
“I saw the PAC ad that is currently running in Pennsylvania. It is wrong, and it is disgusting,” U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren told Politico. “And if Conor Lamb wants to stand up as a Democrat, then he needs to disavow that ad today.”
Although super PACs can’t coordinate with candidates, it would still be good for Lamb to distance himself from the ad, given how it reflects on him. So far, Lamb hasn’t — and that speaks volumes, given that others, on both sides of the aisle, have set a better example when it comes to super PACs.
Throughout this primary, I’ve been trying to figure out exactly what Lamb’s campaign meant when it emphasized his electability. Yes, he’s won three tough races in a Congressional district in western Pennsylvania that previously supported Trump. But his attempts to appeal to a certain subset of voters reveals another sobering truth: Lamb and those backing him aren’t trying to excite a Democratic base. They’re trying to woo centrist conservatives. But at what cost?
Take a look at Lamb’s voting record. He voted notably alongside Trump’s policies while the former president was in office. Some of the biggest disappointments: Lamb voted in favor of a GOP bill to fund a border wall under Trump; voted against the HEROES Act (the landmark Democratic COVID-19 relief package); and voted against a measure that would have stopped Trump from using military force against Black Lives Matter protests. And he’s against decriminalizing marijuana.
I have no choice but to believe that Lamb is running as a Republican in sheep’s clothing (no pun intended) and thinks this is his best pathway to victory — as it was for him in his previous Congressional races. The problem with such pragmatism is that primaries should be about igniting and exciting the party’s base. To suggest that the only way Pennsylvania Democratic candidates can “win” in November is by campaigning like their conservative counterparts is intellectually dishonest and insulting to voters.
If Barack Obama can win in Pennsylvania, spare me the lecture on “electability.” And when it comes down to it, for all of Biden’s centrist appeal in 2020, he’s still being labeled a “Communist” by Republicans, with even moderates within his own party betraying him. If Lamb wins the primary, he’ll be cast in the same light (as he was by DiGiorgio way back when). Right now, Democrats need to excite their base and mobilize a wider net of voters who want uncompromising change. That’s not going to happen with a middle-of-the-road centrist running an uninspiring campaign.
For all of this talk of Lamb’s viability and across-the-aisle appeal, a Lamb-allied super PAC shouldn’t need to act so desperately to try to salvage a campaign that remains underfunded and lagging in the polls. To waste money slinging tired GOP jabs and misinformation in a TV ad that ultimately gets yanked makes Lamb just as bad as the conservatives he’s striving to defeat in November. Perhaps someone should remind him of what a model Democrat once said: “When they go low, we go high.”
Stop going low, Conor. | https://www.phillymag.com/news/2022/04/12/conor-lamb-republican/ | 2022-04-13T08:37:05 | 1 | https://www.phillymag.com/news/2022/04/12/conor-lamb-republican/ |
Colorful Drink Cards Brought a Playful Twist to This Bok Building Micro-Wedding
The groom’s sister officiated the ceremony via Zoom.
There is nothing like the Bok Building, particularly when there’s a wedding (of any size and shape) involved. And this Bok Building micro-wedding during COVID is so sweet and creative that we just had to share. Not only was it an ode to the couple’s love for Philly, but it also had some playful, fun approaches to serving food and drink. Peach Plum Pear Photography snapped the celebration, which you can see below.
Of all the places they’ve been together — from their 2019 engagement in South Africa’s Kruger National Park to their 2020 move to their current home in Greenville, S.C. — bride Kate Johnston might just love the place she and Charlie Kemmler got married the most. “Philly is where we met and where we fell in love,” says the McConnellsburg native. “We love Philly, with all its quirks.”
The couple matched on Tinder in the summer of 2016, shortly after Charlie, an emergency medicine physician, moved to the area for his residency at Penn. (Kate works as the global director of demand generation marketing at 360Learning.) Their first date began at Stateside in East Passyunk, continued at Bing Bing Dim Sum and ended with Charlie walking her home.
Four years later, on September 25, 2020, the couple said “I do” at the Bok Building. It wasn’t their original date (their June 20th wedding was pushed back due to the pandemic), nor did it have their planned guest count (218 vs. 23), but they took it all in stride.
“At first, we were bummed at all the changes we had to make,” says Kate. “We both come from big families and were looking forward to having [everyone] together in the same room. But in the end, we had the absolute best day and are definitely now team small wedding.”
Their vendors helped them pull it all off. Birchtree Catering and planner Nicole Hutnyk of Rabbit Rabbit Crew came up with a clever approach to the drink menu to minimize contact: Guests chose a colorful illustrated drink card (sauvignon blanc, Greenhouse Tonic, ginger ale) that they placed in card holders on their tables for servers to see. And individual meal boxes were provided for each guest.
The overall theme leaned on moody jewel tones — plus the eclectic nature of the Bok Building itself. The couple also kept it local — Yards beer, Isgro cannolis for favors, Philly pretzels in the welcome bags.
There was plenty of personalization, too. Custom napkins shared fun facts about the couple — like the time when they took a dip in the Baltic Sea in December. Charlie loved their private gift exchange: “Sharing the whole wedding experience with Kate was wonderful, but it was nice to have a moment in the middle of everything to … take in the moment.”
But the experience that struck them both the most was their ceremony, officiated remotely via livestream by Charlie’s sister, Alexis Simpson, an ordained minister. (Her husband was undergoing chemotherapy at the time, so it wasn’t safe for her to travel.) “It was really special to us that she was able to still be there in that capacity,” notes Kate.
The bride and groom also wrote their own vows, which they didn’t share with each other ahead of time — an important aspect for the couple, who wanted to live each moment of their day in Philly.
“I’m glad we were able to get married overlooking such a special city,” finishes Kate. “I’m so thankful the pandemic didn’t take that part of our wedding from us.”
THE DETAILS
Photographer: Peach Plum Pear Photography | Venue: Bok Building | Planning/Design & Signage: Nicole Hutnyk of Rabbit Rabbit Crew | Florals: Jollifier Floral | Catering: Birchtree Catering | Bride’s Gown: Wtoo by Watters from BHLDN | Hair: Kelly Hursh of Namesake | Makeup: Kelley Wohlforth of Parlour Beauty | Groom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Entertainment: Noggin Hill (cocktail hour); No Macarena (reception) | Cake: Whipped Bakeshop | Invitations: Minted | Videography: Stagger Films | Officiant: Alexis Simpson (the groom’s sister) | Rings: Leon’s Jewelry (engagement ring); L. Priori Jewelry (wedding bands) | Favors: Isgro Pastries (cannolis)
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Getting married? Start and end your wedding planning journey with Philadelphia Weddings' guide to the best wedding vendors in the city. | https://www.phillymag.com/philadelphia-wedding/2022/04/11/bok-building-micro-wedding/ | 2022-04-13T08:37:11 | 0 | https://www.phillymag.com/philadelphia-wedding/2022/04/11/bok-building-micro-wedding/ |
Just Listed: Converted Beer Baron’s Mansion in Brewerytown
This large house, built in 1868 for the co-owner of a nearby brewery, has been turned into three modern-yet-historic condominiums. This one’s the largest of the three.
As you all know, Brewerytown gets its name from the 20-odd breweries that operated there prior to Prohibition. The 18th Amendment and Volstead Act laid just about all of those breweries low, but some of their buildings still stand, and a number of them have been or are being converted into residences. (One of those, mentioned in our Brewerytown Neighborhood Guide, is nearing the end of its journey from brewery to apartment building.)
One of the earlier brewery-to-residence conversions in Brewerytown was that of the City Park Brewery, which spanned a block-and-a-half site between 28th and 29th streets from Poplar Street south. Louis Bergdoll founded this brewery in 1846 in the 500 block of Vine Street, then moved it to the site where it would operate for the rest of its existence in 1856.
At that time, the brewery was known as Bergdoll and Psotta. (Bergdoll didn’t give it the City Park name until 1881.) The buildings at the brewery’s south edge, along Parrish Street, and the two houses Bergdoll called home in the vicinity, survive, and all of those structures have been renovated and subdivided into condos or apartments.
The mansion containing this Brewerytown condo for sale belonged to the brewery’s other partner, Charles Psotta. It was one of a series of semi-detached, extra-wide (22 feet) townhouses designed for the city’s beer barons and built in 1868 on what were then its outskirts.
Henry Siebert, who owns and runs Archive Development Group along with business partner Ryan Kalili, says he believes Christian Schmidt was Psotta’s next-door neighbor on Girard Avenue. “I forget the names of the other ones, but they were all some of the most prominent figures in Philadelphia at the time,” he continues. “And Girard was like the outskirts of the city, almost the suburbs, so they had these huge mansions with big backyards.
“At one point it was converted into a six-unit apartment building, and then the previous owner converted it into a large homeowner’s unit that he was living in and two other one-bedrooms that are accessed off the side yard.”
Kalili and Siebert kept that configuration when they bought the building from that owner. But they put a lot of work into both restoring and upgrading the three units. Much of the trim in the rooms had been damaged or removed. Rooms had been painted in odd colors. And the hardwood floors clearly needed refinishing.
So they got to work. “The idea was to bring [the house] into the modern age while maintaining as much of the historic nature as possible,” says Siebert.
They did this by redoing all the walls in white, bleaching and refinishing the floors where that was possible and replacing them where it wasn’t, and finding replacements for some of the missing details at Provenance in Fishtown. Then they laid new vintage-looking tile and throwback plumbing fixtures in the bathrooms.
Then they went for the modern. The eat-in kitchen got sleek modern cabinetry and Bertazzoni appliances. And they sourced furniture and lighting from Mode Moderne in Old City to give the rooms some midcentury modern flair.
“The idea was that we wanted it to feel like a New York, West Village, sophisticated restored brownstone,” says Siebert. “Finding furniture that fit really put our whole vision together.”
The “owner’s unit” is now a spacious classic with clean lines and light-filled rooms on the top three floors of the house. The second floor consists of the large living room above, a comfortable den, an eat-in kitchen and a dining room beyond the kitchen. A door in the dining room’s bay window leads to a large rear deck.
The third floor contains three bedrooms. The primary one has a walk-in closet as large as some bedrooms and a retro-modern bathroom with a soaking tub, dual vanities and dual showers.
And the top floor consists of a bonus room with a beamed vaulted ceiling. This could serve as a home office, game room or guest bedroom.
This principal unit also includes the basement, where you can store stuff.
The mix of tradition and modernity Archive opted to infuse into all three of this condo’s units makes them very appealing. And their proximity to Fairmount Park, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Brewerytown’s shopping and dining district adds to the appeal. The same goes for the two one-bedroom units on the first floor.
And, of course, the first thing you should do once you move into this Brewerytown converted mansion condo for sale is raise a glass of beer in celebration. You’ll find a great craft brewery, a sandwich and bottle shop with more than 250 different beers and several other hopped-up options a few blocks up Girard Avenue in the heart of Brewerytown.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 4
BATHS: 3
SQUARE FEET: 4,000
SALE PRICE: $895,000
OTHER STUFF: A $520 monthly condo fee covers building insurance, maintenance of the exterior and common areas, water and sewer service, and reserve funds. The co-listing agent (Seibert) has an ownership interest in the property. This unit has a pending offer, but the seller is accepting backup offers. Units B (1 bed, 1 bath, 1,000 square feet, $359,000) and C (1 bed, 1 bath, 600 square feet, $279,000) are also on the market.
2006 Girard Ave., Unit A, Philadelphia, PA 19130 [Abram Haupt and Ryan Siebert | Elfant Wissahickon Realtors]
Updated April 12th, 8:30 a.m., to correct the spelling of Henry Siebert’s last name and add the house’s date of construction. | https://www.phillymag.com/property/2022/04/11/brewerytown-converted-mansion-condo-for-sale/ | 2022-04-13T08:37:18 | 0 | https://www.phillymag.com/property/2022/04/11/brewerytown-converted-mansion-condo-for-sale/ |
Just Listed: Trinity Quartet in Queen Village
Looking to supplement your income? Consider this four-pack of attractive, recently renovated trinities. Looking for a place to live? Move one of your tenants out and take over their unit.
Today, readers, you have an opportunity to school me on the intricacies of real estate investment.
That’s because this week’s featured trinity is actually a four-pack.
This Queen Village trinity quartet for sale sits in an ideal location: the Delaware riverfront, Old Swedes’ Church, Mario Lanza Park, Weccacoe Playground, South Street, Bainbridge Green and Fabric Row are all within walking distance, and nearby SEPTA bus routes can take you and your tenants to the Italian Market, East Passyunk Avenue, the big-box Valhalla of South Columbus Boulevard and places even further away.
And the four units are all very attractive, having gotten total makeovers between 2018 and 2019. What I can’t tell you is which of the pictures you see here describes which condo, save for two of them. But I can offer some educated guesses based on how the units are arranged.
The photo above is of the street-facing unit, Unit F. The three other units are lettered A, B and C. (What happened to units D and E? Good question. Maybe they were sold to another buyer.)
Units A, B and C are accessed via the cobblestone path beyond the gate to the left of Unit F.
The one other photo I can definitely place is this photo of a deck, which belongs to Unit C.
This in turn suggests that Unit C sits at the end of the row and has an extension on one side. Which would make this photo one of its kitchen and living room.
Given the lot dimensions, the other three kitchens should be in the units’ basements, as this one is.
At least two of the four units have main-floor living rooms with brick walls painted pale blue and fireplaces that once functioned but are now decorative, like the one in the photo at the top. I’m guessing that one’s in Unit F.
And it’s quite likely that two of the four — Units A and B, the two in the middle — have primary bedrooms oriented like this one. Note that it has windows in front and back, which is what leads me to make this guess. (But it could be in Unit C — the room is on the wide side.)
Each of the four units has two bedrooms, one bathroom and a basement. The bathrooms are quite snazzy and spacious for trinity baths, if this one is typical of the bunch.
And all four of these units are currently occupied by tenants who clearly found them as appealing as I do. Which brings me to my request for an economics lesson.
Unless I’m mistaken, a property like this one should earn its own keep. That is to say, the rents collected should cover the cost of owning and maintaining it. If the owner chooses to occupy one of the units, it probably won’t, but the owner-occupant gets the benefit of having their tenants pay most of the mortgage.
Well, if Zillow’s estimated mortgage payment is accurate, that’s what all four tenants do right now — pay most of the mortgage, not all of it. The sum total of the rents collected from the current tenants is $6,500 a month. Based on Zillow’s estimated monthly payment, that would leave you about $600 short if you bought this property.
Now, using Occam’s razor, it may well be simply that Zillow’s estimate is off. But if it isn’t, you may end up raising the rents on your tenants a bit after buying this Queen Village trinity quartet for sale. But if you plan on making one of the four units your own residence, then you probably don’t need to worry about this anyway.
THE FINE PRINT
(figures are for all four units together)
BEDS: 8
BATHS: 4
SQUARE FEET: 2,407 (individual units will vary in size but average 601.75 square feet, not including the basements)
SALE PRICE: $1,350,000
OTHER STUFF: For the record, here’s what each unit currently fetches in rent each month: Unit A, $1,600; Unit B, $1,500; Unit C, $1,800; Unit F, $1,600.
251 Fulton St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 [Marc Bennett | Keller Williams Philly] | https://www.phillymag.com/property/2022/04/12/queen-village-trinity-quartet-for-sale/ | 2022-04-13T08:37:24 | 0 | https://www.phillymag.com/property/2022/04/12/queen-village-trinity-quartet-for-sale/ |
'Vibra Global Que Inspira' campaign creates a unified brand highlighting Houston's proclivity for tourism, economic development, global trade, talent acquisition,
and quality of life
HOUSTON, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Houston First Corp. is launching "Vibra Global Que Inspira," an integrated branding campaign in Mexico designed to reinforce Houston's position as a top destination for tourism, global trade, business, and leisure travel from Mexico. The strategic move comes just days after Mayor Sylvester Turner, Houston First Corp. the Greater Houston Partnership, and strategic partners Houston Airport, and United Airlines successfully led "Houston Week" – the city's first international trade and tourism mission since the pandemic.
Capitalizing on the momentum gained from visits to key cities such as Monterrey and Mexico City, Houston First Corp.'s campaign aims to further stimulate Houston's economy through quality of place branding and strategic funnels targeting the visitor market. The strategy also utilizied data taken from the 2022 Expedia Global Insights report which revealed that 71 percent of travelers in Mexico want to experience new cultures when choosing a travel destination.
"Vibra Global Que Inspira" will be featured in publications such as Forbes, Robb Report, GQ, Vogue, Condé Nast, Reforma, Food & Wine, Life & Style, Expedia, among others. The campaign will run through 2022 and is set to deliver nearly 200 million impressions targeting audiences throughout Mexico. Click here to view the campaign.
"We were pleased to reconnect with political leaders, clients, and media in Monterrey and Mexico City during Houston Week," Houston First Corp. President and CEO Michael Heckman said. "Not only was the reunion long overdue, but the exchange of information and perspective provided guidance on how to strengthen our relationship with Mexico. The Houston Week activation also kicked off our 2022 integrated marketing campaign, 'Vibra Global Que Inspira' which celebrates Houston's tapestry of cultures. As the most diverse city in the nation, Houston is influenced by our community of nearly 5 million residents. From art and imagination, ambition and collaboration, to food and friends, Houston offers an experience that can't be discovered, tasted, or invented anywhere else," adds Mr. Heckman.
2022 Houston Week Highlights:
Houston Week took place March 28-April 1 and resulted in a wide array of media coverage in the Mexican media, including Telediario, Milenio Monterrey, Reforma, El Norte, and Imagen Radio, amongst others, and generating more than 211 million impressions to date.
The centerpiece of Houston Week was "Hola Houston," a dynamic sensory and culinary experience that took place in Monterrey and Mexico City. Invited guests, including state and city leaders, local media, top Mexican tourism and travel operators, managing directors of online travel agencies, social influencers, special guest U.S. Commercial Services, and various travel associations, had the opportunity to engage with some of Houston's most iconic artists, designers, mixologists, and James Beard award-winning chefs. Nearly 500 attendees experienced the 'Hola Houston' events.
- Mayor Turner joined Houston First President and CEO Michael Heckman, Nuevo León Governor Samuel Alejandro Garcia Sepúlveda, and members of Governor Garcia Sepúlveda's administration for the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding or MOU to strengthen existing ties between the State of Nuevo León and the City of Houston.
- Mayor Turner and the Houston Week leadership met with Monterrey Mayor Luis Donaldo Colosio Riojas and participated in a luncheon hosted by the City of Monterrey.
- The delegation participated in a global trade roundtable discussion with Mexico's Minister of Economy Tatiana Clouthier.
- In Mexico City, the Houston Week Leadership met with Mexico's Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Roberto Velasco and joined the delegation for a round table discussion with Mexico's Secretary of Tourism Minister Miguel Torruco.
- Mayor Turner and the Houston Week Leadership also met with the Mayor of Mexico City Claudia Shienbaum.
For Houston Week images, go to https://tinyurl.com/3nxb42j2.
For more information on planning an event in Houston, go to https://www.visithouston.com/meetings.
About Houston First Houston First is the official destination management organization for the city of Houston. In addition, Houston First owns the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel, manages the George R. Brown Convention Center along with 10 city-owned properties and developed the Avenida Houston entertainment district. Learn more at HoustonFirst.com and VisitHouston.com.
Contacts: Jennie Bui-McCoy, Houston First PR Director, 832-374-3994, jennie.bui-mccoy@houstonfirst.com; Holly Clapham-Rosenow, Houston First Chief Marketing Officer, 713-614-0366, holly.clapham@houstonfirst.com;
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SOURCE Houston First | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/houston-first-corp-deploys-multi-tiered-international-marketing-branding-campaign-mexico-following-success-houston-week/ | 2022-04-13T08:42:47 | 1 | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/houston-first-corp-deploys-multi-tiered-international-marketing-branding-campaign-mexico-following-success-houston-week/ |
SÃO PAULO, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ITAÚ UNIBANCO HOLDING S.A. ("Itaú Unibanco") informs its stockholders and the market in general that, as of this date, it entered into an agreement with TOTVS S.A. ("TOTVS") for the incorporation of a joint venture ("JV"), initially named TOTVS TECHFIN S.A. ("TECHFIN"), with the purpose of distributing and expanding financial services integrated into TOTVS's management systems, based on intensive data use, focused on corporate clients and their entire supply chain, clients and employees.
According to this agreement, before closing the transaction, TOTVS will transfer the assets of its current TECHFIN operation to the company of which Itaú Unibanco will be a partner with 50% of capital stock, and each partner will be entitled to nominate half of the members of its Board of Directors and Board of Officers.
Itaú Unibanco will pay R$610 million to TOTVS for its stake and up to R$450 million as earn-out after five years, subject to the achievement of the targets aligned with the growth and performance goals. Additionally, Itaú Unibanco has committed to contributing to funding current and future operations, providing credit expertise and development of new products at TECHFIN.
This partnership sets up a company that will combine technology and financial solutions, adding to the supplementary expertise of the partners to provide corporate clients with, in an expeditious and integrated manner, the best experiences in buying products directly from the platforms already offered by TOTVS.
The abilities of Itaú Unibanco and TOTVS together will also enable the new company to take advantage of opportunities in a customized and contextualized manner, anticipating clients' needs and fully aligned with the Open Finance strategy and evolution to companies. Furthermore, this partnership strengthens the leading position of Itaú Unibanco and TOTVS in digital transformation and evolution of the financial industry.
The completion of this operation is subject to the approvals from CADE (the Brazilian antitrust authority) and the Central Bank of Brazil.
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SOURCE Itaú Unibanco Holding S.A. | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/material-fact-techfin-partnership-between-ita-unibanco-totvs/ | 2022-04-13T08:42:55 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/04/12/material-fact-techfin-partnership-between-ita-unibanco-totvs/ |
SHANGHAI, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- AffaMed Therapeutics ("AffaMed"), a global clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical, digital and surgical products, today announced that DEXTENZA has been approved in Macau, China for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery. In 2020, AffaMed Therapeutics entered into a licensing agreement with Ocular Therapeutix (NASDAQ: OCUL) for the development and commercialization of DEXTENZA in Greater China, South Korea, and certain ASEAN markets. DEXTENZA is currently approved in the U.S. for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery and for the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis.
Dr. Dayao Zhao, CEO of AffaMed commented: "We are encouraged by the Macau government's policy and efficiency in registering novel therapies based on strong clinical trial data from Ocular's FDA registration trials. Our team is preparing an application to expand the approved indication to include the treatment of ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis. We are looking forward to launching DEXTENZA and providing the product to patients in Macau as soon as possible."
By receiving this approval, DEXTENZA becomes the first sustained-release intracanalicular insert in Macau delivering a preservative-free dose of dexamethasone for up to 30 days with a single administration.
About AffaMed Therapeutics
AffaMed Therapeutics is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing transformative pharmaceutical, digital and surgical products that address critical unmet medical needs in ophthalmological, neurological and psychiatric disorders for patients in Greater China and around the world. The leadership team at AffaMed Therapeutics has gained deep industry expertise and an extensive track record in high-quality discovery, clinical development, regulatory affairs, business development, manufacturing, and commercial operations at leading multi-national biopharmaceutical companies in China and globally.
About Ocular Therapeutix, Inc.
Ocular Therapeutix, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the formulation, development, and commercialization of innovative therapies for diseases and conditions of the eye using its proprietary bioresorbable hydrogel-based formulation technology. Ocular Therapeutix's first commercial drug product, DEXTENZA, is an FDA-approved corticosteroid for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery and ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis. Ocular Therapeutix's earlier stage development assets include OTX-TKI (axitinib intravitreal implant), currently in Phase 1 clinical trials for the treatment of wet AMD and other retinal diseases. OTX-TIC (travoprost intracameral implant) recently began a Phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate the reduction of intraocular pressure in patients with primary open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. Ocular Therapeutix has also completed Phase 2 clinical trials for OTX-CSI (cyclosporine intracanalicular insert) for the chronic treatment of dry eye disease and OTX-DED (dexamethasone intracanalicular insert) for the short-term treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. Ocular Therapeutix's first product, ReSure Sealant, is an FDA-approved device to prevent wound leaks in corneal incisions following cataract surgery.
About DEXTENZA
DEXTENZA is FDA approved for the treatment of ocular inflammation and pain following ophthalmic surgery and ocular itching associated with allergic conjunctivitis. DEXTENZA is a corticosteroid intracanalicular insert placed in the punctum, a natural opening in the inner portion of the lower eyelid, and into the canaliculus and is designed to deliver dexamethasone to the ocular surface for up to 30 days without preservatives. DEXTENZA resorbs and exits the nasolacrimal system without the need for removal.
Please see full Prescribing and Safety Information at www.DEXTENZA.com.
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SOURCE AffaMed Therapeutics | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/affamed-therapeutics-announces-new-drug-approval-dextenza-macau-treatment-ocular-inflammation-pain-following-ophthalmic-surgery/ | 2022-04-13T08:43:02 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/affamed-therapeutics-announces-new-drug-approval-dextenza-macau-treatment-ocular-inflammation-pain-following-ophthalmic-surgery/ |
AALBORG, Denmark, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Asetek, sim racing gear innovator, the creator of the all-in-one liquid cooler, and the global leader in liquid cooling solutions for gaming PCs and DIY enthusiasts, today unveiled its Invicta™ Racing Boots, specifically designed for full immersion, maximum performance and unrivaled comfort, providing the perfect, stable grip for sim racing.
Attractive and elegant, and uniquely designed for sim racing, the Invicta™ Racing Boots feature the classic Asetek SimSports™ design. Made with a thin rubber sole ideal for a stable grip with the Invicta™ pedal face plates, the boots emphasize comfort, with perforations in the front for maximum breathability; a padded tongue for extra comfort; and a hook & loop self-fastener strap and laces for easy adjustment and a perfect fit.
Sim racers can place their pre-orders by going to https://www.asetek.com/simsports/webshop.
- The Invicta™ Racing Boots. The Invicta™ Racing Boots are available for pre-order purchase now. The boots will be available for €99.00 including VAT ($99.00 excluding sales tax when available for sale in the U.S.). Asetek expects to be shipping the Invicta™ Racing Boots in June 2022.
"When developing our Invicta™ Sim Racing Boots, it was important for us to provide racers a boot that is specifically designed to improve performance on a sim racing rig," said André Sloth Eriksen, CEO and founder of Asetek. "Like in a real race car, wearing boots which distribute the load under your foot, does make a significant difference, especially under braking. Our Invicta™ Racing Boots are designed to give racers a perfect grip with the Invicta™ pedals, providing the extra advantage of precise control and lasting comfort for a fully immersive driving experience."
In addition to the Invicta™ and Forte™ sim racing pedals, and the Invicta™ Racing Boots, Asetek SimSports™ will also offer wheel bases, steering wheels, shifters, and other end-user customization options.
About Asetek
Asetek (ASTK.OL), a global leader in mechatronic innovation, is a Danish garage-to-stock-exchange success story. Founded in 2000, Asetek established its innovative position as the leading OEM developer and producer of the all-in-one liquid cooler for all major PC & Enthusiast gaming brands. In 2013, Asetek went public while expanding into energy-efficient and environmentally friendly cooling solutions for data centers. In 2021, Asetek introduced the first of its products for next-level immersive SimSports gaming experiences. Asetek is headquartered in Denmark and has operations in China, Taiwan, and the United States.
www.asetek.com
Media contacts
Margo Westfall
Asetek Sr. Marketing Manager
mwe@asetek.com
+1 (408) 644-5616
This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com
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SOURCE Asetek | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/asetek-simsports-unveils-invicta-racing-boots-full-immersion-maximum-performance-unrivaled-comfort-sim-racing/ | 2022-04-13T08:43:09 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/asetek-simsports-unveils-invicta-racing-boots-full-immersion-maximum-performance-unrivaled-comfort-sim-racing/ |
EI is the New Fashion, Avatr Creates "0" Series
- Avatr 011, a limited edition emotional intelligent electric coupe SUV co-designed by MMW premieres, limited to 500 units worldwide.
- Matthew M. Williams (hereinafter referred to as MMW), co-founder of 1017 ALYX 9SM and creative director of French luxury fashion brand Givenchy, is the guest-designer of Avatr 011.
- Sharing similar design concepts with MMW, Avatr 011 perfectly merges emotional intelligence and fashion.
- Avatr 011 will be officially released with pre-orders available in Q2 of this year, and delivered in Q4.
SHANGHAI, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The first co-designed limited-edition model for Avatr, the Avatr 011, premiers with a unique world standing. Matthew M. Williams (hereinafter referred to as MMW), co-founder of 1017 ALYX 9SM and creative director of French luxury fashion brand Givenchy, shared a collection of mysterious co-created videos and artworks on his personal social platform, to unveil Avatr 011.
As the first model of the Avatr brand's fashion crossover "0" series, Avatr 011 was jointly designed by Matthew M. Williams and Nader Faghihzadeh, Chief Design Officer of Avatr, with a limited number of only 500 units available worldwide.
"The Avatr 011 truly integrates the essence of fashion and technology and we are honored to bring forth pioneering works that represents the times," said Ms. Wang Lin, Chief Marketing Officer of Avatr Technology.
Avatr and MMW share similar design concepts
With its futuristic design concept, its visually stunning casual luxury style and humanistic approach, the Avatr 011 has become a masterpiece that takes the lead in trends for future automobiles.
The fashion design philosophy and iconic elements of MMW are on full display with this release.
As the guest-designer of Avatr 011, Matthew M. Williams said: "I am excited about this project and its inspiration; Avatr's concept of exploring new fundamental features for the future of automobiles coincides with my desire to always try to innovate in my design and in the fashion industry."
"As a car designer, you have to transform information into emotion. The inspiration of the Avatr 011 comes from the futuristic ideology of the product," Nader Faghihzadeh, Chief Design Officer of Avatr, said," People can interact with it and express themselves even further."
AVATR X MMW boasts a unique design
The Avatr 011 is also built on a statement of simplicity with the all-black composition creating an avant-garde body. It is equipped with a disc-wing front face, a floating body, and a spaceship inspired tail.
Black is the only color available for the Avatr 011—011, Black.
Buckles are found behind the front seat, in the storage compartment, under the middle console, and the trunk.
The entire vehicle is hand-wrapped in leather with the cabin using NAPPA leather, and for the first time, NUPRIMA matte leather.
The wide 22-inch wheels create a strong sporty stance with its four floating wheel caps remaining still during high-speed driving.
The letters "AVATRMMW" are artistically presented on the seat headrest, brake calipers, the welcome pedal and the boot screen.
A new benchmark for global premium SEV brands
The Avatr 011 is equipped with EI. Thanks to CHN, a new generation of SEV technology platform built by Changan, Huawei and CATL, the Avatr 011 has unapparelled intelligence and performance advantages.
Equipped with Huawei's new generation dual motors, the model has a maximum power of 425kW and a front and rear axle ratio of nearly 50:50. Equipped with a new generation of CTP ternary lithium battery pack from CATL, the Avatr 011 has a battery range of over 700km. It's also the first to apply a 750V high-voltage super-fast charging system with a charging power of 240kW.
The Avatr 011 is equipped with Huawei HI, (Huawei Inside) a fully stacked smart car solution, a super-sensing system and a super-computing platform with a computing power of 400TOPS, including 3 lidar sensors, 6 millimeter-wave radars, 12 ultrasonic radars, and 13 cameras.
EI is the new fashion with the Avatr 011 leading in new fashion trends of SEVs with its aesthetic design and humanistic technology that anticipates the future. The Avatr 011 will be released and available for pre-order in Q2 of this year and delivered in Q4.
Avatr Technology
Founded in 2018, Avatr Technology is committed to exploring future-oriented humanized mobility technology and creating an emotionally intelligent mobility experience for customers. "Avatr" means an embodiment or personification. Avatr Technology signifies the message with a more profound connotation, reflecting oneself into a various parallel world. It aims to create the "Most Emotional Intelligent Companion" for customers.
Avatr Technology has created a new industry cooperation model. Combining the unique advantages of Changan Automobile, Huawei, and CATL in vehicle R&D and intelligent manufacturing, intelligent vehicle solutions and intelligent energy ecology, it creates the leading intelligent electric network platform—CHN. Committed to building a global high-end smart electric vehicles (SEV) brand, the company is located in Chongqing, Shanghai, and Munich, Germany.
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SOURCE Avatr Technology | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/avatr-011-debuts-co-designed-by-mmw-limited-500-units-worldwide/ | 2022-04-13T08:43:15 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/avatr-011-debuts-co-designed-by-mmw-limited-500-units-worldwide/ |
Guide aims to help educators bridge the growing digital literacy gap for American adults
SEATTLE, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and Digital Promise have partnered to release a new resource guide, "Promoting Digital Literacy for Adult Learners," to support educators, tutors and mentors who are working with adult learners on building digital literacy skills. The guide was introduced to an audience of adult education leaders and practitioners at the Coalition on Adult Basic Education's national conference in Seattle today.
Digital literacy – the skills needed to live, learn and work in today's increasingly technology-driven society – is more important than ever. As jobs become more automated and require greater technological skills, it is essential that workers have the basic skills and foundational knowledge needed to tackle any new technology. Digital skills are also increasingly necessary to complete everyday tasks such as navigating a telehealth visit, finding and applying for jobs, or helping children with remote learning. Yet, the digital literacy gap is a growing equity issue.
- Nearly one out of three Americans currently struggles to perform their job effectively due to limited digital problem-solving skills, especially among people of color from both immigrant and non-immigrant backgrounds. (National Skills Coalition)
- Adults earning low wages show less use of the internet for tasks like finding health or employment information. (Journal of Applied Gerontology)
- An estimated 30% of Americans – especially those with a high school diploma or less – will have to switch jobs in the coming years or develop the skills that employers are now seeking. (McKinsey Global Institute)
- More than 50% of jobs that require a high school diploma or less are expected to be automated in the next decade. (McKinsey Global Institute)
- A growing digital racial gap could cause 76% of Black Americans and 62% of Hispanic Americans to be shut out or be under-prepared for 86% of jobs in the U.S. by 2045. (Deutsche Bank)
"Over the past two years, technology has truly been a lifeline for so many of us – allowing us to keep working, learning and connecting with friends and family. But we know that our fellow Americans who struggle with digital literacy have had a very different experience," said British A. Robinson, President and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation. "Access to devices and connectivity are important, but it is critical that every adult is equipped with the skills to use technology so that they can fully participate in our society as parents, workers and citizens."
The Barbara Bush Foundation and Digital Promise partnered to create the resource guide to meet the growing professional development needs of adult educators, large employers, workplaces and volunteers who work with adult learners – specifically in digital literacy. The guide, which was peer reviewed by 16 adult literacy experts and corporate partners, is grounded in adult learning theory and includes practical approaches for working with adult learners.
"Digital skills have become fundamental for social mobility. As such, adult learners must have access to powerful learning experiences that prioritize digital literacy," said Digital Promise President and CEO Jean-Claude Brizard. "While there is a great focus in K-12 education on understanding the 'whole child,' understanding the 'whole learner' is equally critical for adults as they strive to acquire digital literacy skills that are vital for successful careers and family and community engagement."
The "Promoting Digital Literacy for Adult Learners" resource guide is now available online at no cost (https://rb.gy/bivejs). Additional professional development resources to support educators' use of the guide will be available this summer.
About the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy: The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy has been the nation's leading advocate for family literacy for more than three decades. Established by former First Lady Barbara Bush in 1989, the Foundation is a public charity dedicated to creating a stronger, more equitable America in which everyone can read, write and comprehend in order to navigate the world with dignity. To learn more, visit www.BarbaraBush.org.
About Digital Promise: Digital Promise is a nonprofit organization that builds powerful networks and takes on grand challenges by working at the intersection of researchers, entrepreneurs, and educators. Our vision is that all people, at every stage of their lives, have access to learning experiences that help them acquire the knowledge and skills they need to thrive and continuously learn in an ever-changing world. For more information, visit www.digitalpromise.org.
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SOURCE Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/barbara-bush-foundation-digital-promise-release-new-digital-literacy-resource-guide/ | 2022-04-13T08:43:22 | 0 | https://www.1011now.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/barbara-bush-foundation-digital-promise-release-new-digital-literacy-resource-guide/ |