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Tequesta building evacuated, deemed unsafe for residents
A three-story Tequesta residential building has been evacuated and deemed unsafe for residents by a building official, village authorities said Wednesday.
A Tequesta building official was alerted to the property, located at 200 Waterway Road, by an engineer working on a nearby project.
During a visual inspection with the Village of Tequesta's fire chief, the official said columns in the building showed significant deterioration and cracking, and the property was deemed unsafe for residents.
Residents were evacuated and won't be allowed to return until the necessary repairs are completed and the property is inspected and declared safe by a structural engineer, village officials said.
"While it is unfortunate that residents are being displaced and relocated, we are extremely grateful to the quick response of our Building, Fire, and Police Departments," Tequesta Mayor Molly Young said in a news release. "Our main priority is to ensure the safety of our residents."
The property's homeowners' association has hired a local company to stabilize the building and repair the issues of concern. It's unclear how long the work will take.
Until then, the HOA is helping residents with their relocation needs.
Scripps Only Content 2022 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/13/tequesta-building-evacuated-deemed-unsafe-residents/ | 2022-04-13T19:41:25 | 0 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/13/tequesta-building-evacuated-deemed-unsafe-residents/ |
What happened to Aaron? Death of boy with autism exposes issues in Kansas care system
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH/Gray News) - Part 1 of the KWCH investigation into the death of Aaron Carter, a 6-year-old with autism who died within two months of being adopted, reported on his needs of those of children like him, particularly in the foster system.
In Part 2, KWCH spoke to people about struggles in Kansas to meet those needs and what needs to be done to make things better.
Aaron Carter came into Jamie and Tina Miller’s home as a foster child just before he turned 3 years old in 2017. It took time to discover he had autism, and it took every bit of the three years he spent with the Millers to bring him from a child who could not communicate and didn’t respond to anyone around him to a boy who liked to dance, helped with chores and rode horses.
When the Millers decided they wanted to adopt Aaron, they found out that the cost to provide him the therapy and care he required would be overwhelming once he was no longer a ward of the state.
“We couldn’t pay for it out of our own pocket. We financially couldn’t do it, but by then we’d had him long enough and he had made such huge strides. It was like tearing you apart,” Tina Miller said.
A young, recently married couple in Wichita said they wanted to adopt Aaron. The couple met him, began the adoption process and eventually became acquainted with the Millers.
“We ate supper with them, and we just told them everything that had happened, that could happen and that needed to happen to keep him safe and happy,” Jamie Miller said.
Aaron went to live with his prospective new parents in December 2020. Less than two months later, the boy who’d made such huge strides was dead.
The official account of Aaron’s death reads that he had a tantrum while taking a bath and hit his head on the tub. Tantrums were something the Millers had cautioned Aaron’s new parents about.
“If he got upset he would yell and scream or throw a tantrum, but that’s the only way he could voice any of his feelings or opinion or anything was by throwing a tantrum,” Jamie explained.
Struggling to implement applied behavior analysis therapy
Sean Swindler with the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training explained tantrums for those unfamiliar with children with autism.
“When I put $1 in the candy machine, and the candy bar’s dangling and just won’t come down, I know I want it. What do I do? I shake the candy machine,” Swindler said. “Kids with autism are the same way. If I can’t communicate what I want, what I need, I’m going to figure out a way to tell you.”
Aaron was figuring that out with fewer tantrums, thanks to applied behavior analysis therapy.
“ABA therapy is applied behavior analysis,” Swindler explained. “Therapy that’s been shown, through research, to help kids with autism improve. Especially if it’s delivered before the age of 6 to 8 years old.”
The Millers say Aaron received ABA therapy four to five times a week. Once he moved to Wichita that therapy stopped, ending both his routine and stifling his path to communication.
“A lot of children with autism, having that routine is incredibly important,” Swindler said. “By stopping that therapy, you are reducing that child’s ability to communicate. You’re reducing that child’s ability to kind of learn and grow and giving him those tools.”
Those tools are difficult to find in Kansas, and they’re often out of reach of those who need them most.
“Mental health isn’t treated the same as physical health by a lot of our health care system. Take all those in your mind, magnify by 10 when you put autism in the middle of that,” Swindler said.
In 2014, Kansas passed a law saying private insurers must cover ABA therapy for autism, but experts say that’s not as clear cut for children on Medicaid.
Medicaid reimbursements can be slow and don’t necessarily pay enough for the required therapy. Consequently, questions of whether ABA therapists will be paid enough, or at all, prompt many to practice in other states.
“I think a lot of states with large rural populations are having a brain drain and have trouble keeping people at home. For people that practice a particular field like ABA therapy. The things that do keep people at home are the ability to actually bill for services and serve your population for one,” Swindler said.
Few qualified therapists practicing in Kansas means those seeking the therapy can be left waiting.
“Even if you have the best insurance and the best circumstance, you might be waiting quite a while to get that autism evaluation. When you add in a child in foster care who might be going between different foster parents or doesn’t have that permanent oversight of their medical history, kids do get missed, or kids get a diagnosis but that doesn’t catch back up to them. All sorts of things happen there,” Swindler said.
What happened in Aaron Carter’s case?
Aaron died while waiting to be seen by a new ABA therapist. In Kansas, the autism waiver program provides support and training to parents. Currently, the program is funded for just 65 children with 386 on the waiting list.
Swindler suggested people contact state lawmakers to have them make changes to keep ABA therapists in Kansas and get children like Aaron the chance they deserve.
“The way to make it better is you have to have a concerted effort among all the interested parties to strategically attack the problem,” Swindler answered.
ABA therapy is the most widely used therapy for autism spectrum disorder. The University of Kansas was one of the first schools to begin developing the therapy in the 60s and 70s. It continues to train world-class ABA therapists. Many of whom then go to other states to practice.
Copyright 2022 KWCH via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/13/what-happened-aaron-death-boy-with-autism-exposes-issues-kansas-care-system/ | 2022-04-13T19:41:31 | 1 | https://www.wflx.com/2022/04/13/what-happened-aaron-death-boy-with-autism-exposes-issues-kansas-care-system/ |
95-year-old woman takes shelter in bathtub during possible tornado
CHARLESTON, Ark. (KHBS) – A woman put her 95-year-old grandmother in a bathtub to keep her safe from a tornado in Charleston, Arkansas, Monday night.
“Well, I’m glad she did. I might have got blown away if she didn’t,” Sue Neissl said.
The bathtub and the house her late husband built more than 70 years ago kept Neissl safe.
“We have a storm cellar out behind the house, but we didn’t have time to get it,” she explained.
Neissl’s granddaughter, Carla Woods, took shelter in a closet with her 3-year-old daughter as the storms hit.
“As soon as we got in there, we heard the loud sound. It might have been a small tornado, but to us it was very scary,” Woods explained, adding her daughter pretended they were playing hide and seek.
Woods said they never heard the sirens alerting them to the tornado threat.
The Franklin County emergency manager said the sirens were not working when the tornado warning was issued.
The tornado sirens have since been repaired and are now functioning properly.
Copyright 2022 KHBS via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/95-year-old-woman-takes-shelter-bathtub-during-possible-tornado/ | 2022-04-13T19:44:44 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/95-year-old-woman-takes-shelter-bathtub-during-possible-tornado/ |
Actor Cuba Gooding Jr pleads guilty to forcible touching
NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday to forcibly touching a woman at a New York nightclub in 2018.
The guilty plea came nearly three years after the the Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” star was arrested in the case that saw several delays as his lawyers sought to get charges reduced or dismissed.
Gooding, 54, accused of violating three different women at various Manhattan night spots in 2018 and 2019, pleaded guilty to just one of the allegations.
He told the judge he “kissed the waitress on her lips” without consent at the LAVO New York nightclub.
Gooding’s plea deal calls for no jail time. If he continues counseling for six months, he can withdraw the misdemeanor plea and plead guilty to a lesser violation of harassment.
Gooding was arrested in June 2019 after a 29-year-old woman told police he squeezed her breast without her consent at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near Times Square.
A few months later, he was charged in two additional cases as more women came forward to accuse him of abuse. The new charges alleged he pinched a server’s buttocks after making a sexually suggestive remark to her at TAO Downtown and forcibly touched a woman inappropriately at the LAVO nightclub, both in 2018.
Gooding had previously pleaded not guilty to six misdemeanor counts and denied all allegations of wrongdoing. His lawyers have argued that overzealous prosecutors, caught up in the fervor of the #MeToo movement, are trying to turn “commonplace gestures” or misunderstandings into crimes.
The judge had ruled that if the Gooding case went to trial, prosecutors could have called two additional women to testify about their allegations that Gooding also violated them. Those women, whose claims did not result in criminal charges, were among 19 other accusers whom prosecutors were seeking to call as witnesses.
Along with the criminal case, Gooding is accused in a lawsuit of raping a woman in New York City in 2013. After a judge issued a default judgment in July because Gooding hadn’t responded to the lawsuit, the actor retained a lawyer and is fighting the allegations.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/actor-cuba-gooding-jr-pleads-guilty-forcible-touching/ | 2022-04-13T19:44:51 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/actor-cuba-gooding-jr-pleads-guilty-forcible-touching/ |
Biden approves $800M in artillery, helicopters for Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved $800 million in new military assistance to Ukraine, including artillery and helicopters, to bolster its defenses against an intensified Russian offensive in the country’s east.
Biden announced the aid after a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to coordinate the delivery of the assistance, which he said included artillery systems, artillery rounds, and armored personnel carriers, as well as helicopters.
“This new package of assistance will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already provided and new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden said the U.S. will continue to work with allies to share additional weapons and resources as the conflict continues.
“The steady supply of weapons the United States and its Allies and partners have provided to Ukraine has been critical in sustaining its fight against the Russian invasion,” Biden said. “It has helped ensure that (Russia President Vladimir” Putin failed in his initial war aims to conquer and control Ukraine. We cannot rest now.”
WARNING: Videos may contain graphic content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/biden-approves-800m-artillery-helicopters-ukraine/ | 2022-04-13T19:44:57 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/biden-approves-800m-artillery-helicopters-ukraine/ |
Buena Vista Twp. suspect arraigned in shooting of wife
BUENA VISTA TWP., Mich. (WNEM) - The suspect accused of shooting and killing his wife in Buena Vista Township Saturday has been charged with open murder and 12 other charges.
Deandre Welch, 41, was charged Tuesday with open murder, six counts of a third offense of felony firearm, assault with intent to murder, carrying a dangerous weapon with unlawful intent, carrying a concealed weapon, a felon in possession of a firearm charge, a felon in possession of ammunition, and a third-degree fleeing and eluding police charge.
Police say that 32-year-old Margaret Welch was fatally shot at 1726 Prospect Street. Another victim, a 22-year-old man, also suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound.
Welch was apprehended after a pursuit from Saginaw to Genesee County. He was later taken to a local hospital to be treated for minor wounds suffered from a K9 officer and unrelated medical conditions.
Bridgeport Township Police, Saginaw City Police, State Police, the MSP Crime Lab Bridgeport, Flint City Police, Flint Township Police, Mt. Morris Township Police, Vienna Township Police, Clio City Police, Genesee County Dispatch and the Genesee County Sheriff assisted in the apprehension of the suspect.
Copyright 2022 WNEM. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/buena-vista-twp-suspect-arraigned-shooting-wife/ | 2022-04-13T19:45:04 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/buena-vista-twp-suspect-arraigned-shooting-wife/ |
Case against Clinton lawyer in counsel’s probe can proceed
WASHINGTON (AP) — The criminal prosecution of a Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer charged with lying to the FBI during the Trump-Russia investigation can move forward, a judge ruled Wednesday in denying a defense bid to dismiss the case.
The ruling means Michael Sussmann, charged last year by special counsel John Durham, remains set for trial on May 16 in Washington’s federal court.
Sussmann is charged with lying to the FBI during a September 2016 meeting in which he relayed concerns from cybersecurity researchers about a potential secret back channel of communications between servers of the Trump Organization and Russia-based Alfa Bank. The FBI investigated the matter but ultimately found no such suspicious links.
Prosecutors allege that Sussmann misled the FBI’s then-general counsel by saying that he was not attending the meeting on behalf of a particular client when he was actually presenting the information on behalf of the Clinton campaign and a technology executive with whom he had worked.
In order to prosecute someone for a false statement, the Justice Department must prove that the statement was not only fictitious but also “material” — that is, capable of influencing a government agency’s decision-making or functions.
In this case, Durham’s team says that had the FBI known Sussmann was representing the interests of the Clinton campaign at the meeting, it would have done more to examine his motives and the reliability of his information as it considered whether to open an investigation based on the tip he provided.
Sussmann’s lawyers have argued that his ties to the Clinton campaign were already well-known to the FBI and have rejected the idea that that relationship could have meaningfully influenced the FBI’s decision to investigate.
U.S. District Judge Christopher “Casey” Cooper said in a six-page ruling Wednesday that the dispute was ultimately up to a jury to decide.
“The battle lines thus are drawn, but the Court cannot resolve this standoff prior to trial,” Cooper wrote.
Durham, a former U.S. attorney in Connecticut, was appointed in 2019 by then-Attorney General William Barr to look for government misconduct during the investigation into Russian election interference in 2016 and possible ties to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
Sussmann is one of three people charged so far. The other two are Kevin Clinesmith, a former FBI lawyer who pleaded guilty to altering an email and received probation, and Igor Danchenko, a Russian analyst and source of information for Steele who was charged in November with lying to the FBI during a 2017 interview.
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Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/case-against-clinton-lawyer-counsels-probe-can-proceed/ | 2022-04-13T19:45:10 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/case-against-clinton-lawyer-counsels-probe-can-proceed/ |
Find your park: National parks waiving entrance fees to start National Park Week
(Gray News) - As part of National Park Week in April, all national parks will be waiving entrance fees to kick off the week of activities.
On April 16, guests can head to any national park for free, according to the National Park Service.
National Park Week 2022 will run from April 16-24. Parks across the country will host various special programs, events and digital experiences.
Representatives with the NPS said there are more than 400 national parks available to visit, and this year’s National Park Week theme is “sPark Connections.”
A list of this year’s theme days is below:
April 16: sPark Discovery National Park Week kicks off with a fee-free day to encourage everyone to find something new by visiting a national park, especially one that may be close to home, a park you haven’t considered visiting, or one you never realized is a national park! What new national park will you discover? #sParkDiscovery
April 17: sPark Creativity National parks have inspired artistic expression and creativity for generations. What is your park muse? What masterpiece can you create? #sParkCuriosity
April 18: sPark Collaboration We get along with a little help from our friends. Meet our many partners that help expand our reach and offerings and connect people to parks. How can you get involved or participate in opportunities? #sParkCollaboration
April 19: sPark Innovation The National Park Service incorporates the latest technology to support conservation and preservation efforts while consistently working to improve the visitor experience. How can we surprise you with innovation? #sParkInnovation
April 20: sPark Opportunities On Workforce Wednesday, learn about the work we do and the employment opportunities available in the National Park Service and with partner organizations. How can you join? #sParkOpportunities
April 21: sPark Preservation The National Park Service is a leader and partner in the preservation of historic, cultural, natural and recreational resources nationally—and even internationally! How can you get involved in preservation? #sParkPreservation
April 22: sPark Action On Earth Day, we look at the health of the environment and how we impact its well-being and vice versa. What actions can you do to contribute to a healthy world? #sParkAction
April 23: sPark Curiosity The National Park Service preserves and protects unique places with fascinating stories and unique landscapes. What are you curious about? What fascinating things can you discover? #sParkCuriosity
April 24: sPark Memories Generations of visitors have created lasting memories in national parks. What memories and traditions will you create? #sParkMemories
Find your nearest national park here. According to the park service, entrance fees are waived on the first day of National Park Week to encourage people to come out to enjoy their national parks.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/find-your-park-national-parks-waiving-entrance-fees-start-national-park-week/ | 2022-04-13T19:45:16 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/find-your-park-national-parks-waiving-entrance-fees-start-national-park-week/ |
Former YMCA camp counselor arrested on child porn charges
PALM BEACH, Fla. (Gray News) – Police in Florida have arrested a former YMCA camp counselor after they say they found images and video depicting the sexual abuse of children at his home.
Detectives with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said they were investigating Isaac Gabriel Yunes on over 30 child pornography charges.
Upon obtaining a search warrant, detectives conducted a search in his home, where they say they discovered several images and videos depicting child sexual abuse on his device, as well as items linking Yunes to several Snapchat accounts that have been reported for child sexual abuse. Yunes attempted to destroy his cellphone and denied the allegations, according to detectives.
Police say Yunes worked as a camp counselor at the Palm Beach County YMCA from 2017 to 2019.
Yunes was taken into custody on April 8 and was transported to the Palm Beach County jail.
Yunes is being charged with possession of child pornography and destruction of evidence.
Anyone with information on Yunes is urged by Palm Beach County detectives to call 561-688-4080.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/former-ymca-camp-counselor-arrested-child-porn-charges/ | 2022-04-13T19:45:22 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/former-ymca-camp-counselor-arrested-child-porn-charges/ |
Police identify student killed in Kansas City middle school stabbing as 14-year-old boy
Published: Apr. 13, 2022 at 2:58 PM EDT|Updated: 45 minutes ago
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Law enforcement has identified the child killed Tuesday in a middle school stabbing.
The Kansas City Police Department said that 14-year-old Manuel J. Guzman died from his injuries after he was stabbed at Northeast Middle School.
Officers stated that the student suspect has been charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. His case will be handled through juvenile court in Jackson County.
Kansas City has experienced four homicides in a 24-hour span, prompting Mayor Quinton Lucas to make a plea on social media for more youth mental health services, as well as cracking down on illegally trafficked firearms.
Copyright 2022 KCTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/police-identify-student-killed-kansas-city-middle-school-stabbing-14-year-old-boy/ | 2022-04-13T19:45:31 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/police-identify-student-killed-kansas-city-middle-school-stabbing-14-year-old-boy/ |
Saginaw Children’s Zoo opening on April 18
SAGINAW, Mich. (WNEM) - The Saginaw Children’s Zoo is opening its gates on April 18 at 10 a.m.
The zoo will be open every day from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. through the beginning of October. Admission is $5 per person and children 11 months and younger get in for free.
Train and carousel tickets can be purchased for $1 per person, per ride. Saginaw Children’s Zoo members receive free admission and unlimited rides.
The zoo is taking some precautionary steps due to the presence of avian influenza in Michigan, a highly pathogenic virus that’s also known as bird flu. Some birds may be indoors and they won’t be available for viewing.
“Our top priority is our animals and their welfare; however, we understand that this may affect our guests and their visit to the Zoo”, said Zoo Director/CEO, Nancy Parker. “We are doing everything we can to keep our birds healthy while looking after their social and environmental needs.”
The US Department of Agriculture and Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development have confirmed several cases of avian bird flu in Michigan, although none yet in Saginaw County. The zoo said it has an avian influenza response plan in place and will implement it when needed.
“We are doing what we can to keep our birds safe. The main way that we can do this is by preventing our birds from having contact with wild birds. In some cases, we have moved birds to more secure locations,” says zoo veterinarian Dr. Cerveny. “We have also heightened our level of biosecurity with cleaning and disinfection and personal protective equipment use in bird habitats.”
Tickets are available at the admissions booth or online at the Saginaw Children’s Zoo website.
Copyright 2022 WNEM. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/saginaw-childrens-zoo-opening-april-18/ | 2022-04-13T19:45:37 | 0 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/saginaw-childrens-zoo-opening-april-18/ |
What happened to Aaron? Death of boy with autism exposes issues in Kansas care system
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH/Gray News) - Part 1 of the KWCH investigation into the death of Aaron Carter, a 6-year-old with autism who died within two months of being adopted, reported on his needs of those of children like him, particularly in the foster system.
In Part 2, KWCH spoke to people about struggles in Kansas to meet those needs and what needs to be done to make things better.
Aaron Carter came into Jamie and Tina Miller’s home as a foster child just before he turned 3 years old in 2017. It took time to discover he had autism, and it took every bit of the three years he spent with the Millers to bring him from a child who could not communicate and didn’t respond to anyone around him to a boy who liked to dance, helped with chores and rode horses.
When the Millers decided they wanted to adopt Aaron, they found out that the cost to provide him the therapy and care he required would be overwhelming once he was no longer a ward of the state.
“We couldn’t pay for it out of our own pocket. We financially couldn’t do it, but by then we’d had him long enough and he had made such huge strides. It was like tearing you apart,” Tina Miller said.
A young, recently married couple in Wichita said they wanted to adopt Aaron. The couple met him, began the adoption process and eventually became acquainted with the Millers.
“We ate supper with them, and we just told them everything that had happened, that could happen and that needed to happen to keep him safe and happy,” Jamie Miller said.
Aaron went to live with his prospective new parents in December 2020. Less than two months later, the boy who’d made such huge strides was dead.
The official account of Aaron’s death reads that he had a tantrum while taking a bath and hit his head on the tub. Tantrums were something the Millers had cautioned Aaron’s new parents about.
“If he got upset he would yell and scream or throw a tantrum, but that’s the only way he could voice any of his feelings or opinion or anything was by throwing a tantrum,” Jamie explained.
Struggling to implement applied behavior analysis therapy
Sean Swindler with the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training explained tantrums for those unfamiliar with children with autism.
“When I put $1 in the candy machine, and the candy bar’s dangling and just won’t come down, I know I want it. What do I do? I shake the candy machine,” Swindler said. “Kids with autism are the same way. If I can’t communicate what I want, what I need, I’m going to figure out a way to tell you.”
Aaron was figuring that out with fewer tantrums, thanks to applied behavior analysis therapy.
“ABA therapy is applied behavior analysis,” Swindler explained. “Therapy that’s been shown, through research, to help kids with autism improve. Especially if it’s delivered before the age of 6 to 8 years old.”
The Millers say Aaron received ABA therapy four to five times a week. Once he moved to Wichita that therapy stopped, ending both his routine and stifling his path to communication.
“A lot of children with autism, having that routine is incredibly important,” Swindler said. “By stopping that therapy, you are reducing that child’s ability to communicate. You’re reducing that child’s ability to kind of learn and grow and giving him those tools.”
Those tools are difficult to find in Kansas, and they’re often out of reach of those who need them most.
“Mental health isn’t treated the same as physical health by a lot of our health care system. Take all those in your mind, magnify by 10 when you put autism in the middle of that,” Swindler said.
In 2014, Kansas passed a law saying private insurers must cover ABA therapy for autism, but experts say that’s not as clear cut for children on Medicaid.
Medicaid reimbursements can be slow and don’t necessarily pay enough for the required therapy. Consequently, questions of whether ABA therapists will be paid enough, or at all, prompt many to practice in other states.
“I think a lot of states with large rural populations are having a brain drain and have trouble keeping people at home. For people that practice a particular field like ABA therapy. The things that do keep people at home are the ability to actually bill for services and serve your population for one,” Swindler said.
Few qualified therapists practicing in Kansas means those seeking the therapy can be left waiting.
“Even if you have the best insurance and the best circumstance, you might be waiting quite a while to get that autism evaluation. When you add in a child in foster care who might be going between different foster parents or doesn’t have that permanent oversight of their medical history, kids do get missed, or kids get a diagnosis but that doesn’t catch back up to them. All sorts of things happen there,” Swindler said.
What happened in Aaron Carter’s case?
Aaron died while waiting to be seen by a new ABA therapist. In Kansas, the autism waiver program provides support and training to parents. Currently, the program is funded for just 65 children with 386 on the waiting list.
Swindler suggested people contact state lawmakers to have them make changes to keep ABA therapists in Kansas and get children like Aaron the chance they deserve.
“The way to make it better is you have to have a concerted effort among all the interested parties to strategically attack the problem,” Swindler answered.
ABA therapy is the most widely used therapy for autism spectrum disorder. The University of Kansas was one of the first schools to begin developing the therapy in the 60s and 70s. It continues to train world-class ABA therapists. Many of whom then go to other states to practice.
Copyright 2022 KWCH via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/what-happened-aaron-death-boy-with-autism-exposes-issues-kansas-care-system/ | 2022-04-13T19:45:44 | 1 | https://www.wnem.com/2022/04/13/what-happened-aaron-death-boy-with-autism-exposes-issues-kansas-care-system/ |
SAN FRANCISCO -- Yelp will cover the travel expenses of employees who must travel out of state for abortions, joining the ranks of major employers trying to help workers affected by new restrictions in Texas and other states.
The benefit announced Tuesday covers all 4,000 employees at the online review service, but seems most likely to have its biggest immediate impact on its 200 workers in Texas, which has passed a law banning abortions within the state after six weeks of pregnancy.
"We've long been a strong advocate for equality in the workplace, and believe that gender equality cannot be achieved if women's healthcare rights are restricted," said Miriam Warren, Yelp's chief diversity officer.
Other states, including Oklahoma, are also are clamping down on abortions prompting Yelp, based in San Francisco, and several other companies to draw up policies aimed at helping their workers get reproductive health care in other states.
Last month Citigroup, based in New York, disclosed plans to cover the travel expenses of any of its more than 220,000 employees, thousands of whom work in Texas, who travel to another state for an abortion.
The two largest U.S. ride-hailing services, Uber and Lyft, last year announced they will pay the legal fees for drivers who could get sued under the new Texas law for transporting a passenger to an appointment for an abortion.
The policies expose companies to potential backlash from those who support abortion restrictions, but they could be an advantage for employers with a footprint in states like Texas in an increasingly competitive job market.
Yelp to cover travel expenses for workers seeking abortions
It joins the ranks of major employers trying to help workers affected by new restrictions in Texas and other states.
ABORTION | https://abc11.com/abortion-yelp-oklahoma-abortions/11745121/ | 2022-04-13T19:48:57 | 0 | https://abc11.com/abortion-yelp-oklahoma-abortions/11745121/ |
But commuters Tuesday morning faced an attack that evoked many riders' deepest fears. A rush-hour train car filled with smoke as it pulled into a Brooklyn station. Gunshots -- at least 33 of them -- rang out, wounding at least 10 people.
LIVE UPDATES: Brooklyn subway shooting suspect Frank R. James in custody
Frightened riders fled, and so did the gunman, who remained at large Wednesday.
Authorities on Wednesday afternoon said they arrested a suspect, Frank R. James, 62, in Manhattan's East Village.
Much is still unknown about the attack, but it was a searing reminder of the city's unyielding battle with gun violence and the specter of terror-like attacks that hangs over New York City -- and particularly the subway system that is its transportation backbone.
Police and security officials have made many attempts to harden the city against such attacks, putting officers on trains and platforms, installing cameras and even doing rare spot checks for weapons on passengers entering some stations.
Yet the sprawling system, with nearly 500 stations, largely remains like the city streets themselves: Too big to guard and too busy to completely secure.
MORE: Witness says he feared NYC shooter was among crowd after escaping subway
Public officials say the subway system is crucial to the city's recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, which saw many New Yorker avoiding mass transit during its peak. Typical daily subway ridership fell from 5.5 million riders to less than a tenth of that.
But as more people return to offices, ridership is increasing. On Monday, estimated ridership was 3.1 million, according to the MTA, which operates the system.
Despite the gunman still on the loose, commuters like Ana Marrero were on their way again Wednesday.
"You have to be more vigilant of your surroundings. But scared? No," said Marrero, who has taken the subway to work for 30 years. "You think of the tragedy and the people that were hurt, but you have no other choice and do what you have to do."
In Brooklyn's Sunset Park neighborhood, several riders said they prayed for safety as they returned to the 36th Street station, reopened a day after the shot-up trained pulled into it.
"I didn't want to come to work today," said Jonathan Frias, a construction worker, "but I had to."
Dan Dzula, who lives four blocks from the station, stayed home Tuesday after receiving an alert on his phone about the shooting. The next day, he encountered a crowded yet quiet platform on his commute into Manhattan.
"It's a little spooky," Dzula said. "I have to be here and I want to. No one likes feeling threatened."
Gov. Kathy Hochul posted a photo on social media showing her riding a train after the shooting, and Mayor Eric Adams pledged to increase patrols in subway stations.
"We know that this hurts the mindset of many New Yorkers who are afraid of what happened, but we're a resilient city. We've been here before," Adams told MSNBC on Wednesday.
Even before the attack, the mayor had vowed to increase subway patrols and launch sweeps of subway stations and trains to remove homeless people using them as shelters.
In a rambling video posted on YouTube, James replayed recent speeches by Adams and Hochul and mocked their efforts to address violence as weak and futile.
"Their plan is doomed for failure," James said in the video.
In the 1980s, New York City's subways were a symbol of urban disorder: graffiti-covered, crime-plagued and shunned by tourists.
Like the rest of the city, though, the subways have since cleaned up their act. Before COVID-19 hit, the main problem with the trains wasn't crime but overcrowding and breakdowns related to aging infrastructure.
After the Sept. 11 terror attacks, New Yorkers learned to live with the worry that the subways or other parts of the city could be a terror target.
In 2017, an Islamic State group sympathizer detonated a pipe bomb strapped to his chest in a subway station near the Port Authority Bus Terminal, injuring several bystanders.
That same year, the city began expanding the use of vehicle-blocking sidewalk barriers after two attacks. In one, a man who prosecutors said was also supportive of IS drove a rented truck down a bicycle path along the Hudson River, killing eight people and maiming others. In another, a psychologically disturbed man drove a car at high speed into pedestrians in Times Square, killing one and injuring at least 20.
In 2016, a man who prosecutors said sympathized with Osama bin Laden set off homemade bombs in Manhattan and New Jersey, injuring some bystanders, before being captured in a shootout with police. And in 2010, a man tried to set off a car bomb in Times Square, only to have it fizzle.
Christopher Herrmann, a former city police officer who is now a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said episodes like Tuesday's are bound to provoke a new round of anxiety, especially among subway riders.
"With 9/11, you have a specific target: the World Trade Center," Herrmann said. "A lot of people can wrap their heads around that."
But the seeming randomness of Tuesday's attack "really invokes a lot of fear and worry," he said, "because most people don't consider themselves a target."
"There's a lot of things that happen out of your control," said Alexi Vizhnay, who considered boarding a ferry across the East River after work Tuesday but decided to take his chances on the quicker subway. "As tragic as it is, all I can do is remind myself to be vigilant and be cautious."
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Associated Press journalists Jennifer Peltz, Michael R. Sisak, Seth Wenig and Joseph B. Frederick contributed to this report. | https://abc11.com/nyc-subway-new-york-shooting-brooklyn-attack/11745042/ | 2022-04-13T19:49:03 | 1 | https://abc11.com/nyc-subway-new-york-shooting-brooklyn-attack/11745042/ |
In 2002, as he was signing off on America’s torture programs at Guantanamo Bay, then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld had one complaint:
“I stand for 8-10 hours a day. Why is standing limited to four hours?”
That’s pretty much the same logic that Ringer writer and podcaster Kevin O’Connor used to analyze Kyrie Irving’s daunting daily schedule as he observes Ramadan during the NBA playoffs.
O’Connor guested on “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” recorded hours after Irving led the Nets to a play-in win while fasting from sunrise to sundown.
Simmons mentioned that after barely playing in the regular season, a bruising series against the Celtics — including afternoon games on an empty stomach with no water — could be taxing for Irving.
“Fasting is not difficult,” O’Connor said, eliciting total disbelief from Simmons (”Water’s nice”) and fellow guest Wosny Lambre.
Irving himself was asked about it after Tuesday night’s win, where he started 11-of-11 from the field and finished with 34 points. “It’s not easy by any stretch of the imagination,” said Irving, who usually would eat fruit and drink water during the first quarter.
Kevin Durant agreed. “Everybody who does Ramadan and is playing through it, you’ve gotta commend them while they’re going through it,” he said. “That’s tough to do, especially when you have a job like this.”
But why listen to finely tuned superstar athletes when a podcaster can talk about his experience using questionable techniques to shed a few pounds in early middle age?
“When I was at my peak condition physically, I was intermittent fasting every day,” O’Connor said. (Fasting for Ramadan — which falls April 1-May 1 this year — is not intermittent. Muslims like Irving who observe don’t eat food or drink water from sunup to sundown.) “Every day I didn’t eat until like 4:00 at the earliest,” O’Connor continued, “sometimes not until 6:00 or 7:00. I’ve done 24-hour fasts before and I feel amazing, I feel incredible.”
This was too much for even Simmons, who joked that the segment would have to be cut out. “It’s not easy to do,” O’Connor said. “It just takes discipline, and it feels good. I feel great when I do it.”
As Lambre pointed out, regular humans comparing their own physical experiences to world-destroying professional athletes is a time-honored hack move. “This is the New Age-y version of when media guys would be like ‘How this guy not make his free throws! It’s the fundamentals of the game!’ KOC is like, yo, fast, gimme a break,” Lambre said.
As maybe the 21st century’s foremost practitioner of the form, Simmons knew what he was seeing. “Food, water — overrated!” he joked before yet again steering his podcast out of a ditch his guest drove into at breakneck speed.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/bill-simmons-podcast-pal-kevin-oconnor-ramadan-fasting-during-nba-playoffs-not-difficult/ | 2022-04-13T19:50:20 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/bill-simmons-podcast-pal-kevin-oconnor-ramadan-fasting-during-nba-playoffs-not-difficult/ |
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A tornado tore up a small Minnesota town and a blizzard forced the closure of the North Dakota Capitol, schools and roads, as spring storms wreaked havoc across the Upper Midwest.
The National Weather Service said the twister with winds of more than 110 mph took the roofs off houses, destroyed grain bins, snapped power lines and lifted a house off its foundation in Taopi, Minnesota late Tuesday.
Two people were pulled from the wreckage and taken to a hospital in nearby Austin with noncritical injuries after the fierce winds roared through the town of about 80 residents just after 10:30 p.m.
Mower County Sheriff Steve Sandvik said dispatchers began getting calls from residents trapped in their damaged homes not long after a tornado warning siren sounded.
The severe weather also caused damage in Spring Valley in Fillmore County and other parts of southeastern Minnesota, the National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wisconsin said.
The North Dakota Capitol in Bismarck, along with scores of schools, government offices and roads, remained closed Wednesday as a blizzard continued to bear down on the state.
A blizzard warning remained in effect through Thursday. Up to 2 feet (60 centimeters) of snow was forecast for western and central North Dakota. The blizzard warning extended into eastern Montana and the northwestern corner of South Dakota.
“This is nutso,” Karley Gosch said as she braved the strong winds and pelting snow in Mandan, North Dakota.
Interstate 94 from the Montana border to Bismarck remained closed because of treacherous conditions.
Bismarck and Mandan public schools were closed Wednesday, along with numerous colleges and universities. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/blizzard-in-north-dakota-tornado-in-se-minnesota/ | 2022-04-13T19:50:26 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/blizzard-in-north-dakota-tornado-in-se-minnesota/ |
Mike Gesicki has had an eventful offseason between the Miami Dolphins placing the franchise tag on him and his now-wife, Halle, making him her franchise player.
Now a married man after his wedding on March 4, the Dolphins also tied the knot with Gesicki for at least one more season by putting the tight end on that franchise tag four days later.
Getting tagged is not ideal for NFL players that seek long-term contracts with ample guaranteed money over multiple seasons in the prime of their career, but it does bring Gesicki a hefty payday this season of at least $10.9 million, the value of the tag at the tight end position.
“You’re obviously getting an increase in financial purposes and all that kind of stuff,” Gesicki said on Wednesday, as the Dolphins are in the midst of their second week of the offseason workout program.
“It’s obviously not the goal, the end-all, be-all goal. It’s definitely more team-friendly than it is player-friendly. But just giving me more reasons to come back here, continue to work hard and continue to be motivated and get back to work and help this team win football games and hopefully eventually get what I deserve moving forward.”
With an understanding he was likely to be designated with the franchise tag, Gesicki’s focus in the time from the conclusion of Miami’s season to free agency was more so on the wedding and honeymoon than any negotiations.
“I wasn’t even worried about the contract,” said Gesicki. “I was in Bora Bora on my honeymoon, and it’s like a six-hour difference in time. It was 3 a.m., my agent texted me. He’s like, ‘Hey, they’re tagging you.’ … I was like, ‘Okay.’ I also had like 100 other texts because I slept through it. … Rolled over, checked my phone and knew it happened, woke up Halle, she was all excited and went back to sleep.”
Questions remain on if Gesicki will appeal the tight end designation, given that he lined up as a wide receiver either in the slot or on the boundary more than he has as an in-line tight end. The franchise tag value for a receiver is $18.4 million, a difference of $7.5 million from the tight end tag. When an appeal of that kind is filed, the two sides often meet in the middle in arbitration, meaning Gesicki could then get somewhere around $14 million.
Gesicki wouldn’t delve deep into the situation on Wednesday, but he did offer that any development — or lack thereof — wouldn’t keep him off the field.
“I mean, I’m definitely playing. I’m here in OTAs. This is obviously optional, so here I am,” Gesicki said. “I want to do whatever I can to help this team win football games. … I’m not really a big controversy guy. I’m not trying to be the guy that’s the bad locker room guy, or the guy that’s bringing the organization down or the guy that’s in the headlines for the wrong reasons.”
Gesicki also enters a situation under a new offensive coaching staff where run-blocking, a noted weakness in his game through his first four seasons, may be emphasized in the outside-zone scheme.
“It’s definitely a different scheme as to what we’ve played in, but at the end of the day, football’s football,” Gesicki said. “These coaches are elite in what they do, and I think that they’re going to put people in position to be successful.”
Gesicki, although noting he and 49ers All-Pro tight end George Kittle are different players, is encouraged by what new coach Mike McDaniel and tight ends coach Jon Embree were able to do with Kittle in San Francisco.
And Gesicki enjoyed his first impression of McDaniel after three seasons under Flores and having Adam Gase at the helm in his rookie season.
“Funny dude. I’ve had a meeting with him last week and it went well. Just talking about everything,” Gesicki said. “I’m excited to play for him and work for him and do everything I can to earn his trust.”
Gesicki is also inspired by the prospects of the offense with a revamped offensive line, running game and playmakers on the outside, headlined by the acquisition of speedy wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Nonetheless, the offseason move that excited him the most was the re-signing of good friend and fellow tight end Durham Smythe, a moment which he — jokingly — ranked right up there with his wedding.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/franchise-tag-not-ideal-for-dolphins-mike-gesicki-but-he-is-motivated-to-prove-himself-in-new-offense/ | 2022-04-13T19:50:32 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/franchise-tag-not-ideal-for-dolphins-mike-gesicki-but-he-is-motivated-to-prove-himself-in-new-offense/ |
There’s a new reason for Jennifer Lopez fans to get loud with excitement.
“Halftime,” a documentary exploring the career of the superstar singer, will make its world premiere on the Tribeca Festival’s opening night of June 8, organizers announced Wednesday.
“Powerful storytelling — whether in music, film, or games — encourages us to fight for universal values that bind humanity together. ‘Halftime,’ featuring Jennifer Lopez, reminds us of that,” actor Robert De Niro, who co-founded the Tribeca Festival, said Wednesday.
“The Tribeca Festival is eager to bring audiences from all over the world together to honor the importance of purpose-driven creative expression.”
Directed by Amanda Micheli, the film will debut at the United Palace in Washington Heights. Lopez, 52, grew up nearby in the Bronx.
The premiere takes place less than a week before “Halftime” releases on Netflix on June 14.
“It’s an honor to be selected for the opening night of Tribeca, and so fitting to be celebrating this critical milestone in Jennifer’s life and career just miles from where she grew up!” Micheli said. “To have the opportunity to share this film on the big screen with a New York audience is a dream come true.”
Lopez, a two-time Grammy nominee who has sold tens of millions of records in her career, is known for hit songs such as “Let’s Get Loud,” “Jenny From the Block” and “On the Floor.” She’s also starred in films such as the biopic “Selena” and the romantic comedy “The Wedding Planner.”
She headlined the Super Bowl halftime show with Shakira in 2020.
For the second year in a row, the Tribeca Festival will take place in June rather than the spring. The event rebranded itself from the Tribeca Film Festival last year, as it features TV shows and podcasts in addition to movie premieres.
This year’s festival runs from June 8-19. The rest of its selected projects haven’t been announced.
“The Tribeca Festival has always been an activist festival — a celebration of entertainment and innovation in the midst of remarkable challenges. We’re thrilled to open with ‘Halftime,’ an inspirational documentary that spotlights Jennifer Lopez’s activism through her iconic Super Bowl halftime show,” Jane Rosenthal, CEO of Tribeca Enterprises, said Wednesday.
“Tribeca is proud to feature a wide selection of diverse programming that reflects our commitment to equity and inclusion, and we’re eager to premiere this beautiful exploration of JLo’s Latina culture and heritage at the United Palace, just blocks away from the Bronx.”
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/jennifer-lopez-documentary-to-make-world-premiere-at-tribeca-festivals-opening-night/ | 2022-04-13T19:50:38 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/jennifer-lopez-documentary-to-make-world-premiere-at-tribeca-festivals-opening-night/ |
Gang Green is no longer in desperate need at the cornerback position.
The Jets are content with their current corner group, but they know adding more talent would only benefit the defense.
They’re just no longer in panic mode.
The Jets were 29th in pass defense during last season’s 4-13 campaign allowing 259 yards per game which led to GM Joe Douglas upgrading the cornerback room with the addition of ex-Seahawks CB D.J. Reed during the first wave of free agency.
Quarterbacks only completed 49% of their passes when throwing in Reed’s direction (fifth best among CBs targeted at least 50 times last season), per Next Gen Stats.
Reed, the former Kansas State star originally drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, logged two interceptions and 10 pass breakups in 2021. And QBs had a passer rating of 69 when they threw in Reed’s direction (he allowed 474 yards in coverage with three touchdowns).
He’s a good scheme fit for the Jets as he produced a strong season playing in zone coverage. Robert Saleh’s team plays a bunch of zone. He had the fourth most snaps in zone among cornerbacks (448) and allowed a passer rating of 67.6 and a TD, according to Pro Football Focus.
The rest of the group Gang Green is counting on features Brandin Echols, who snagged a pair of interceptions as a rookie while QBs logged a passer rating of 80 when targeting the sixth-rounder.
Fellow rookie Michael Carter II was the Jets’ starting slot corner and he only allowed one TD on 59 targets, had four pass breakups, collected a sack and recovered two fumbles. And the best corner of the group from 2021 was second-year Pro Bryce Hall, who produced a solid sophomore season with the fifth most pass deflections in the NFL (16).
While they’re no longer desperately starved for cornerback help, Gang Green knows they need more and have five picks in the first three rounds to potentially address the position.
But the question is when to add a cornerback?
It’s highly unlikely the Jets draft a cornerback with the No. 4 overall pick in the draft on April 28, the buzz is centering around drafting a defensive end.
There’s a good chance options like FSU DE Jermaine Johnson or Oregon star Kayvon Thibodeaux will be available with the No. 4 pick. Georgia DE Travon Walker is also generating buzz and has the potential to go in the top four because of his immense physical traits. However, Jets sources aren’t too high on Walker because of his lack of pass rushing ability he displayed at Georgia.
While it’s unlikely that CB Ahmad Gardner is available at pick No. 10, what if the Cincinnati star falls to the Jets there?
Gardner is viewed as one of the best prospects in the draft and has fans within the building, but would adding Gardner outweigh the benefit of selecting a wide receiver with that pick?
That is the conundrum.
This rebuild centers around giving Zach Wilson the resources to develop into a franchise QB. And giving Wilson another weapon like USC’s Drake London or Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson could accelerate his development for 2022.
In that scenario, Wilson would have Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Braxton Berrios and a first-round receiver at his disposal. Those weapons should dramatically increase his overall production in Year 2
Then there’s LSU’s Derek Stingley whose talent and peak is arguably better than Gardner’s, but there are lots of questions surrounding Stingley.
The Jets sent cornerback coach Tony Oden to Stingley’s pro day. And they’ve been researching Stingley to discover if there was more to his production decline after his terrific freshman season in 2019 than simply his injury issues (he only played in 10 games the last two seasons).
But Stingley’s talent is undeniable.
The discussion would return to the main question regarding drafting a cornerback in the first round. Does getting Wilson a premium weapon outweigh the potential of a highly talented cornerback to improve a defense that ranked dead last?
Because a talent like Gardner or Stingley could develop into a stud CB in the NFL.
But rookies don’t usually become shutdown corners right away, thus don’t have the same immediate impact like some recent rookie receivers have. Just look at the likes of Ja’Marr Chase (Bengals), Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins), DeVonta Smith (Eagles), Justin Jefferson (Vikings) and CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys).
London or Garrett Wilson could become those types of weapons for Zach, which could be the key to unlocking the No. 2 overall’s potential.
The Jets could wait until Day 2 of the draft to add to the cornerback spot. There will be options like Florida’s Kaiir Elam, Washington’s Kyler Gordon or UTSA’s Tariq Woolen, who aren’t as highly touted but would be solid scheme fits.
The Jets could also wait until the later rounds to draft a cornerback since they were able to find nice pieces in Hall (5th round), Echols (6th) and Carter II (5th) in recent seasons.
Either way, it’s no longer a position of desperate need.
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By MICHAEL R. SISAK, MICHAEL BALSAMO and JENNIFER PELTZ
NEW YORK (AP) — The man accused of shooting 10 people on a Brooklyn subway train was arrested Wednesday and charged with a federal terrorism offense after a daylong manhunt and a tipster’s call brought police to him on a Manhattan street.
Frank R. James, 62, was taken into custody about 30 hours after the carnage on a crowded rush-hour train. He was awaiting arraignment on a charge that pertains to terrorist or other violent attacks against mass transit systems, Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace said, and carries a sentence of up to life in prison.
There is no indication that James had ties to terror organizations — international or otherwise — and the motive remains unclear, Peace said.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether James, who is from New York but has lived recently in Philadelphia and Milwaukee, has an attorney or anyone else who can speak for him. A sign taped to the door of James’ apartment in Milwaukee asks that all mail be delivered to a post office box.
Tuesday’s shooting left five people in critical condition, but all 10 gunshot victims were expected to survive.
Police had initially said Tuesday that James was being sought for questioning because he had rented a van possibly connected to the attack, but weren’t sure whether he was responsible for the shooting.
In recent months, James had railed in online videos about racism and violence in the U.S. and about his experiences with mental health care in New York City. In some videos, he criticized Adams’ policies on mental health and subway safety.
The gunman set off smoke grenades in a crowded subway car and then fired at least 33 shots with a 9 mm handgun, police said. At least a dozen others who escaped gunshot wounds were treated for smoke inhalation and other injuries.
The shooter escaped in the chaos, but left behind numerous clues, including the gun, ammunition magazines, a hatchet, smoke grenades, gasoline and the key to a U-Haul van.
That key led investigators to James, a New York City-area native who had more recent addresses in Philadelphia and Wisconsin.
Federal investigators determined the gun used in the shooting was purchased by James at a pawn shop — a licensed firearms dealer — in the Columbus, Ohio, area in 2011.
The van was found, unoccupied, near a station where investigators determined the gunman had entered the subway system. No explosives or firearms were found in the van, a law enforcement official who wasn’t authorized to comment on the investigation and did so on the condition of anonymity told The Associated Press. Police did find other items, including pillows, suggesting he may have been sleeping or planned to sleep in the van, the official said.
Investigators believe James drove up from Philadelphia on Monday and have reviewed surveillance video showing a man matching his physical description coming out of the van early Tuesday morning, the official said. Other video shows James entering a subway station in Brooklyn with a large bag, the official said.
In addition to analyzing financial and telephone records connected to James, investigators were reviewing hours of rambling, profanity-filled videos James posted on YouTube and other social media platforms as they tried to discern a motive.
In one video, posted a day before the attack, James, who is Black, 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.”
In another video he says, “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.”
His posts are replete with violent language and bigoted comments, some against Black people.
Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell called the posts “concerning” and officials tightened security for Adams, who was already isolating following a positive COVID-19 test Sunday.
Several of James’ 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.
The Brooklyn subway station where passengers fled the smoke-filled train in the attack was open as usual Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after the violence.
Commuter Jude Jacques, who takes the D train to his job as a fire safety director some two blocks from the shooting scene, said he prays every morning but had a special request on Wednesday.
“I said, ‘God, everything is in your hands,’” Jacques said. “I was antsy, and you can imagine why. Everybody is scared because it just happened.”
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Balsamo reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Jim Mustian, 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. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/man-arrested-in-brooklyn-subway-attack-charged-with-terror/ | 2022-04-13T19:50:50 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/man-arrested-in-brooklyn-subway-attack-charged-with-terror/ |
A man with a recent history of drive-by shootings was charged in the February killing of a 57-year-old man who was shot in the head as he sat in his truck in the driveway of his home on St. Paul’s North End.
Kavion Jayvon Barnett, 27, of St. Paul, was charged Wednesday in Ramsey County District Court with second-degree murder in connection with the Feb. 9 drive-by shooting of James Jeffrey King Sr. in the 200 block of Front Avenue. King died in the hospital from his injuries on March 1.
Four days after that shooting, while driving on the Earl Street Bridge, Barnett allegedly shot and injured a 45-year-old man who was driving to church with his wife and two children, according to the criminal complaint filed against Barnett on Monday charging with second-degree assault and drive-by shooting toward an occupied motor vehicle.
On Monday, police arrested Barnett was arrested on those charges and on suspicion of killing King. He is being held in the Ramsey County jail.
CHARGED IN AUGUST SHOOTOUT IN ST. PAUL
Last summer, Barnett and another man were charged in the August shootout in St. Paul that wounded Barnett, the other man who was charged and a woman. Barnett pleaded guilty in October, got out of jail on supervised conditional release, and is due to be sentenced in that case next week.
According to Wednesday’s criminal complaint, Barnett admitted to investigators that he fired a Smith and Wesson .45-caliber handgun in the Feb. 9 and Feb. 13 shootings.
Around 9:50 p.m. of Feb. 9, officers were sent to Front Avenue on a shooting and found King in the driver’s seat of a Ford F-150 truck parked in his driveway. The driver’s window was partially shattered, and King had a gunshot wound to his left temple. He was transported to Regions Hospital.
A neighbor told police he heard a gunshot the previous night, but that he didn’t think anything about it because the sound of gunshots are not unusual in the neighborhood.
CASING FOUND
Officers found a .45-caliber shell casing near Front Avenue and Woodbridge Street. It matched a casing found after the Earl Street Bridge shooting four days prior and also a casing found next to the body of a man who had been shot in the head and killed on March 4.
Surveillance video on Feb. 9 showed a Honda Odyssey minivan about a block from the Front Avenue home and nearby in the 900 block of Marion Street around 12:19 a.m. Other surveillance video revealed the sound of a gunshot at 12:20 a.m.
On March 1, a man contacted homicide investigators and said he had witnessed King’s shooting. He said he and his girlfriend were walking on Front Street and saw a truck pull into the driveway. He said a Honda Odyssey minivan stopped at Woodbridge Street and Front Avenue Avenue, where the driver pointed a gun out the window and shot once.
Further investigation revealed that Barnett had ties to a silver Honda Odyssey that was involved in the Feb. 13 drive-by shooting. Surveillance video showed Barnett abandoned the minivan he was driving about four hours after the shooting and that Delaquay Williams exited the passenger side of the vehicle.
Williams, 27, was recently charged in two St. Paul murders — one on Feb. 1 and another on March 4. Barnett is also “very close” to Williams, charges read.
Analysis of a casing found in the Earl Street Bridge shooting showed the handgun was the same used by Williams in the March homicide, according to a criminal complaint against Barnett.
ARREST
On Monday, after Barnett was arrested in connection with the Feb. 13 shooting, he spoke with investigators. When shown surveillance photos from both incidents, he admitted he was the person driving the Honda Odyssey minivan over the Earl Street Bridge and in the area of King’s shooting, charges say.
However, Barnett initially denied shooting anyone, telling investigators that they arrested him because he is Black, according to the charges. Investigators told Barnett he was arrested because evidence tied him to a murder and a shooting.
Barnett then said it was “a manslaughter case because he did not intend to kill JK,” the complaint read. “Barnett said he had prior confrontations with JK about loud music. The most recent incident occurred a couple of nights before the shooting.”
Barnett said he saw King in his driveway and that King “started talking crazy” and he shot him once from the minivan, the complaint. Barnett said he only intended to scare King.
When asked about the Earl Street Bridge shooting, Barnett said he shot once at the car after it slowed down and because he thought it was an opposing gang member — not a family on their way to church.
After admitting to investigators fired a .45-caliber handgun in both incidents, Barnett claimed he threw the gun in the river, charges say. But officers told him that was a lie, since the gun had been used in the March 4 murder after Barnett’s two shooting incidents. He refused to tell investigators who he gave the gun to.
Barnett has three prior felony convictions: first-degree burglary, auto theft and third-degree burglary. | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/man-charged-with-killing-57-year-old-st-paul-man-in-feb-9-drive-by-shooting-in-st-paul/ | 2022-04-13T19:50:56 | 1 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/man-charged-with-killing-57-year-old-st-paul-man-in-feb-9-drive-by-shooting-in-st-paul/ |
How do you salvage the career of a former first-round pick whose first two seasons were plagued by inconsistency and filled with struggles?
That’s the riddle new Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel and his offensive staff are trying to solve when it comes to Austin Jackson considering the 18th pick in the 2020 NFL draft struggled mightily in his second season.
While respected for his work ethic and his commitment to his craft, none of those traits prevented Jackson from being a liability for a handful of plays in just about every game during the 2021 season.
He got moved from left tackle to left guard early in the season because his inconsistent hand placement and lackluster footwork allowed defenders to cross his face with ease, contributing to the routine collapse of the quarterback’s pocket.
And even at left guard the struggles continued. As a byproduct, Miami’s offensive line led the NFL in pressures allowed in 2021.
In fairness to Jackson, everyone on last year’s offensive line was a problem at times. But he’s the only lineman Miami used a first-round pick to select, so the standards for the former USC standout are higher and he didn’t live up to them.
As a result, the Dolphins’ decision-makers made it a priority to beef up the left side of the offensive line this offseason.
Terron Armstead, a three-time Pro Bowler, was signed to a five-year, $75 million contract to play left tackle, and Miami added Connor Williams, a 51-game starter for the Cowboys, was signed to a two-year, $14 million deal.
Considering Williams has spent all of his NFL career at left guard, there’s a strong chance that’s where he’ll settle into on the starting lineup once the Dolphins begin their on-field work. If that’s the case, then Jackson’s likely on the move again.
However, Williams did play left tackle at the University of Texas, and the Dolphins’ new focus is to fortify the right side of the offensive line, which is critical because it protects left-handed quarterback Tua Tagovailoa’s blindside.
“I played right tackle. This isn’t the first time playing a new role for me. Played it in high school and college. It’s not completely new for me,” Jackson said Wednesday, making it clear he feels he’s an offensive tackle. “At end of the day I have to make sure I get the technique and fundamentals right.”
As the roster stands now the Dolphins have half a dozen players vying for two starting spots on the right side, and Jackson’s draft status will likely have him viewed as a front-runner.
Maybe a shift to the right side, where he might compete with Liam Eichenberg, Robert Hunt, Solomon Kindley, Robert Jones and Greg Little, for the starting guard and right tackle spot in what’s supposed to be a wide-zone running scheme, provides a resurgence.
Maybe Jackson improves with better coaching or because Miami’s running a different scheme, one his athleticism seemingly should fit.
“What I like about this scheme is it’s very detailed,” Jackson said. “At the end of the day we have to rely on the concepts we know, study and train for.”
Maybe Jackson improves with a better diet and alterations he’s made to his workout program, some of which he said Armstead has inspired.
Maybe age and experience helps him take that next step, becoming more reliable.
His nimble feet give him a chance to thrive in this new scheme if Jackson can get to the second level as a blocker and wreak havoc on linebackers.
Or maybe none of that matters and Miami learns Jackson isn’t starter material, and he gets chalked up as a first-round bust.
For two and a half decades the Dolphins have had a solid run of offensive linemen selected in the first round turning into respectable NFL starters.
Billy Milner, who was taken 25th in the 1995 draft, was the last first-round bust as an offensive lineman. He only started nine of the 20 games he played in Miami, and played in a total of 30 NFL games because of a career-ending neck injury he suffered in St. Louis after the Dolphins traded him to the Rams for tight end Troy Drayton.
At this point it’s too early to tell what direction Jackson’s career heads in because the Dolphins won’t put pads on for months, and that’s the appropriate time to evaluate offensive linemen.
So until then all Jackson can do is work to ensure he doesn’t become an afterthought for the 2022 team.
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/omar-kelly-can-dolphins-austin-jackson-salvage-career-with-new-coaching-staff/ | 2022-04-13T19:51:02 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/omar-kelly-can-dolphins-austin-jackson-salvage-career-with-new-coaching-staff/ |
A company that planned to build a sports theme park near Universal’s upcoming Epic Universe theme park is suing Universal and a property development company for $250 million, claiming the company wrongfully sold the land to Universal in 2018.
Fourth Watch Acquisitions, which specializes in real estate entertainment development, alleges Universal City Property Management III breached a binding agreement made in September 2017 to sell 135 acres of land along Universal Boulevard to the company for $125 million.
The lawsuit, filed in Orange circuit court on Friday, says Universal interfered in the contract and bought the land in April 2018 to develop its new theme park. Fourth Watch Acquisitions stated the land was located between unconnected properties Universal already owned, and by buying it Universal hoped to “eliminate a competitive threat,” records show.
Universal City Property Management sold land along Universal Boulevard to Universal’s SLRC Holdings LLC in April 2018 after the two settled a 2016 lawsuit over theme park development rights on the property, GrowthSpotter reported.
Fourth Watch Acquisition alleges the land it agreed to buy was transferred to Universal as part of that settlement. The litigation was first reported by Florida Politics.
Universal spokesperson Tom Schroder declined to comment. Court records do not list a lawyer for Universal City Property Management, and a lawyer shown as representing the company during the 2017 sale agreement did not respond to messages.
Fourth Watch Acquisitions’ damages include “tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars” lost in the process of developing the unnamed theme park, lawyer Tucker Byrd said.
The complex’s concept map, included in court records, shows it would have been off Universal Boulevard, north of the Convention Center and next to Andretti Indoor Karting & Games and Top Golf. Property records show the land specifically designated for Epic Universe neighbors the area to the northeast.
“Under the law, every piece of property is unique,” Byrd told the Orlando Sentinel in an interview. “And you can’t say, ‘just go get another parcel somewhere.’ … And of course, this property had immense intrinsic value — where it is and what it was around.”
Court documents filed Monday say Fourth Watch Acquisitions entered into an agreement to buy the land on Sept. 1, 2017. Per the agreement, the purchase would have been closed in early May 2018.
But before it was made final, the management company sold the land to Universal in April, the lawsuit alleges. Fourth Watch Acquisitions claims Universal learned of the pending sale by late January 2018 through its business relationship with Universal City Property Management.
Even after Universal bought the property, Fourth Watch Acquisitions said Universal City Property Management acted as if their agreed sale was still going forward, records show. Byrd said the company only learned in late June 2018 that the land was sold.
The lawsuit states Fourth Watch Acquisitions planned to build a “multi-faceted theme park [and] a thrill-seeker’s extravaganza” on the land in Orange County’s tourism hub. Studies conducted by the company projected the complex could bring 10 million people to Orlando annually, Byrd said.
Plans included an enclosed “snow dome” for indoor skiing on a 700-foot mountain and “extreme sports venues,” including river rafting and canyoning courses, all-terrain vehicle tracks, an ice skating rink and a surf park, court documents showed.
Plans also called for retail space and a 20-story main hotel with 2,000 rooms.
“There’s a lot of money and future expectations and dreams and visions that went into this, so we’re left with trying to do the best we can through the judicial process,” Byrd said.
Epic Universe is projected to open in 2025. Construction resumed on the theme park last spring after the pandemic delayed it for a year.
krice@orlandosentinel.com and @katievrice on Twitter
() | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/sale-of-land-near-universals-epic-universe-spurs-250-million-lawsuit/ | 2022-04-13T19:51:08 | 0 | https://www.twincities.com/2022/04/13/sale-of-land-near-universals-epic-universe-spurs-250-million-lawsuit/ |
Offering his latest thoughts on the evolving state of college football, Alabama coach Nick Saban proposed that his school guarantees a set amount of NIL money for every player on its football team.
“We give everybody the same medical care, academic support, food service. Same scholarship,” Saban said in a recent interview with the Associated Press published Wednesday. “So if we’re going to do this, then everybody is going to benefit equally. I’m not going to create a caste system on our team.”
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College athletes have been able to profit off their names, images and likenesses since last July, weeks after the United States Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s ruling that the NCAA could not cap athletes’ benefits without violating antitrust laws.
Players have been able to strike deals with companies and earn revenue in the months since, with third-party “collectives” of boosters emerging to organize deals for a particular school’s players. A collective called “High Tide Traditions” for Alabama players was launched earlier this week.
But Saban in February expressed frustration with how the quickly-expanding infrastructure of NIL collectives has played a role in recruiting, saying, “People are making deals with high school players to go to their school,” and, “That’s not why we did this.”
Saban reiterated similar points to the Associated Press this week.
“I don’t think what we’re doing right now is a sustainable model,” he said, adding that schools can “basically buy players” in recruiting these days.
“I mean, if that’s what we want college football to be, I don’t know.”
Saban made national headlines last July when he said quarterback Bryce Young had earned close to $1 million in NIL revenue before his first start for Alabama, and Saban acknowledged to the AP that Alabama players, “probably made as much or more than anybody in the country” last season.
Even though Alabama’s football program can benefit from the new landscape of college football, Saban believes competitive balance for the entire sport is at risk. He continued to compare the current system to NFL free agency but without the NFL’s salary cap.
“So there’s going to have to be some changes implemented, some kind of way to still create a level playing field,” he said. “And there is no salary cap. So whatever school decides they want to pay the most, they have the best chance to have the best team. And that’s never been college football, either.”
Saban also warned last summer about the imbalance NIL would cause within locker rooms, also comparing it to NFL systems where certain positions and players receive higher salaries because of their performance and profiles.
“I hope it doesn’t affect team chemistry across the board, in terms of how people respond to that and how players respond to that,” he said at SEC media days last July.
Although he continued to resist the idea of a “caste system” on his team, Saban did not elaborate further about a plan to distribute NIL revenue evenly among players in his the published portion of his interview with the AP, or how that would comply with applicable laws.
But Saban believes that equal pay to players could be used as a draw in recruiting.
“You’re going to have kids out there that say, ‘Well, I can get a better deal going someplace else,’ and they’ll go there,” he said. “But you’re also going to have people that see the light and say, ‘Yeah, they’ve got a good history of developing players. They got a good history of developing people, they got a great graduation rate and that value is more important.’ And they’re distributing money to everybody in the organization.”
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney predicted a “complete blowup” of college football in an interview last week with ESPN, proposing Power 5 schools breaking off as a separate entity. Saban said he is “all for” players being compensated but believes there must be a commitment to the school, too, after transfer rules were also loosened last year.
“There also has to be some responsibility on both ends, which you could call a contract,” he told the AP. “So that you have an opportunity to develop people in a way that’s going to help them be successful.”
Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak. | https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2022/04/nick-saban-proposes-equal-pay-to-alabama-players-to-avoid-caste-system.html | 2022-04-13T19:58:59 | 0 | https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2022/04/nick-saban-proposes-equal-pay-to-alabama-players-to-avoid-caste-system.html |
Chilton County high schoolers say they were threatened with jail time and had scholarships revoked after pulling a harmless senior prank.
On Monday, a small group of seniors from Chilton County High School and Jemison High School, in Chilton County, swapped schools and attended each other’s classes, expecting teachers to catch on quickly. But the students managed to spend nearly half the day at opposite schools without anyone noticing.
“We didn’t do anything to hurt their school and Jemison kids did nothing to hurt ours,” senior Rileigh Payes wrote in a Facebook post. “We all wanted to have a little fun before we graduated but I guess not.”
When teachers and administrators realized what was happening, students said their phones were taken up, their cars were towed, they were punished with at least three days of suspension and they were banned from opposite school premises for up to a year, according to social media posts. They also said that participating students at Jemison High were kicked off sports teams, had scholarships taken away and couldn’t attend prom.
Superintendent Jason Griffin didn’t respond to specific questions about threats to contact police or other concerns about unfair punishments, but said in an email that the system follows “law, policy and procedure in all aspects of day to day operations.”
According to the district’s code of conduct, law enforcement typically don’t get involved in disciplinary issues unless a student harms someone or breaks the law, but the severity of other punishments are largely up to administrators to decide.
Class pranks and other disruptive behavior are classified as minor offenses but can still result in suspension. Skipping school, or being on the campus of another school during school hours without permission of an official of each school, is a harsher infraction that can warrant community service, detention, corporal punishment, suspension, or placement at an alternative school at the principal’s discretion.
Outraged residents took to Facebook to air their concerns, noting that the prank was “harmless” compared to past incidents, where students urinated on the gym floor, put desks on ceilings, and have let pigs and cockroaches out in the school. One resident, Tabatha Hunt, started a petition to stop the students’ punishment, which has received more than 2000 signatures so far.
“Let’s be honest, the administration is who is at fault here,” Hunt wrote. “If it took them half the morning to realize they had strangers in the school, we have bigger problems than a Senior prank. The reality is, the lack of security was exposed and now they want to punish the children.” | https://www.al.com/educationlab/2022/04/alabama-high-schoolers-suspended-allegedly-threatened-with-jail-time-for-harmless-senior-prank.html | 2022-04-13T19:59:05 | 0 | https://www.al.com/educationlab/2022/04/alabama-high-schoolers-suspended-allegedly-threatened-with-jail-time-for-harmless-senior-prank.html |
Former Iowa State head coach and Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads has been impressed with Gulf Shores 2024 athlete Ronnie Royal III.
“He’s very talented,” said Rhoads, hired earlier this year as the Dolphins’ defensive coordinator after more than 30 years of college coaching. “He’s twitchy on both sides of the ball. He likes to play, likes to be coached, likes to learn. Those are good ingredients to becoming an elite player. And he’s young. He’s got two more years left here.”
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The 5-foot-9, 170-pound Royal is currently listed No. 8 in the 247 rankings of top rising juniors in the state of Alabama. In the last week, he’s received college offers from UCF, Troy and Georgia State. His offer list already included Florida State, Mississippi State, South Carolina and UAB.
“He loves to compete,” Gulf Shores head coach Mark Hudspeth said. “He missed about two months of the offseason while he was playing basketball, but he has picked right back up where he left off. He has to have competition in his life, and, to me, that says a lot about a person.
“That is why he will play at the highest level.”
In his first year at Gulf Shores after transferring from Alexandria following his freshman season, Royal was a first-team Class 6A All-State selection as an athlete. On defense, he made 39 tackles and intercepted two passes. On offense, he rushed for 1,263 yards and 19 TDs on 221 carries.
Both Hudspeth and Rhoads said Royal likely will be either a slot receiver or cornerback on the college level.
“Ronnie is really good in space, has outstanding ball skills and is a physical tackler,” Hudspeth said. “He obviously plays both ways for us and returns kicks. Different colleges are looking at him at different positions.”
Rhoads said Hudspeth’s analysis was on the money.
“He may not be big enough to be a running back at all levels of college football, but some levels I think he could be,” Rhoads said. “However, he’s probably more suited to play in space. In my opinion, I think he can develop into an awfully good cornerback.”
Hudspeth said Royal’s offers at this point are just the “tip of the iceberg.”
“He makes everyone better,” he said.
Royal will have some talented teammates at Gulf Shores this year, including Orange Beach transfer Chris Pearson.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound rising senior was a Class 2A All-state defensive back for the Makos in 2021. He had 43 solo tackles, 22 assists and four interceptions – three of which he returned for touchdowns. He also had five tackles for a loss and forced three fumbles. On offense, he rushed for 1,095 yards and 17 TDs and caught seven passes for 192 yards and 4 TDs.
He’ll play on both sides of the ball for the Dolphins this fall.
“Chris is a big athlete,” Hudspeth said. “He’s a big skill guy. He’s probably an outside linebacker in college but could also be a running back. He’s a long, athletic, physical player with a big upside.”
Pearson’s offers include Minnesota, UCF, Georgia Southern and Troy.
“He may have the most upside at this point because of his size,” Rhoads said of Pearson. “He’s got length and range. He’s also twitched up. He can run with all our other guys – Royal, Cash Turner, JR Gardner. All of those guys run well. Chris runs with them, and he is a little more lengthy than the others.”
Gulf Shores opens spring football practice April 20. | https://www.al.com/highschoolsports/2022/04/versatile-athletes-ronnie-royal-iii-chris-pearson-piling-up-college-offers-at-gulf-shores.html | 2022-04-13T19:59:12 | 1 | https://www.al.com/highschoolsports/2022/04/versatile-athletes-ronnie-royal-iii-chris-pearson-piling-up-college-offers-at-gulf-shores.html |
Alabama - and much of the Deep South - has among the lowest average life expectancy in the nation. And one of the state’s seven U.S. congressional districts stands out.
Alabama’s 7th District - the state’s only majority-Black district - has the lowest average life expectancy in the nation. That’s according to data from researchers at Harvard University, who released a paper this month examining life expectancy by congressional district.
[Can’t see the map? Click here.]
The average life expectancy in Alabama’s 7th District was just 73.2 years for a child under one year old in 2010-2015, according to the data. That was the lowest in the nation.
And it’s not alone within Alabama - five of the state’s seven congressional districts were among the nation’s 35 districts with the lowest average life expectancy.
Alabama’s 4th District, which includes Gadsden and Jasper in north Alabama, ranked fifth worst in the nation.
Alabama’s 7th District includes much of the state’s rural Black Belt region, as well as parts of Birmingham. It’s also one of the poorest districts in the nation. The 7th ranked fifth worst in median household income from 2016-2020, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. The median household income there was just over $38,000 per year there, well below the national average of roughly $65,000 per year.
The 7th is also the only majority-minority district in Alabama - 61% of the residents there were Black as of the 2020 Census, giving it the fourth highest percentage of Black residents at that time.
Even Alabama’s best performing district is still well behind the national average.
The state’s 6th district, a more compact district that is home to Birmingham suburbs and some of the wealthiest parts of the state, had an average life expectancy of just 77.2 years. That ranked 320th out of 435 districts in the nation.
Compare that with California’s 17th District, along the coast in greater Los Angeles, which led the nation with a life expectancy of 83.3 years. New York’s 3rd District in New York City ranked second. Those two states were home to 13 of the 14 congressional districts with the highest life expectancy in the nation.
Do you have an idea for a data story about Alabama? Email Ramsey Archibald at rarchibald@al.com, and follow him on Twitter @RamseyArchibald. Read more Alabama data stories here. | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/alabama-congressional-district-ranks-lowest-in-us-for-life-expectancy.html | 2022-04-13T19:59:18 | 1 | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/alabama-congressional-district-ranks-lowest-in-us-for-life-expectancy.html |
All three GOP candidates for Alabama’s open U.S. Senate seat voiced support for Alabama’s recent passage of legislation involving LGBT issues, including an amendment modeled on Florida’s so called “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
“Our schools should be focused on education, not indoctrination,” said Katie Britt, former chief of staff for Senator Richard Shelby whose seat she is now vying for.
Both Britt and candidate Mike Durant, a former Army helicopter pilot, said they support the Alabama legislation as a reinforcement of Christian values in schools.
“Of course, our youngest students should not be learning about sex in the classroom – that’s the role of parents, not teachers,” said Britt. “We need to get God back in our classrooms and return students to saying the Pledge of Allegiance every day while standing for our flag.”
U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks, also a candidate for the Senate, said he believes the bills are pro-science and will protect Alabama from a left-wing agenda to lie to children.
“The amoral Left claims they own our kids and wants to lie to our children about biology and science,” said Brooks. “My reply is simple: ‘Hell no. Not in Alabama.’”
Gov. Kay Ivey signed the two bills into law Friday.
One criminalizes gender-affirming surgeries for trans youth. Another requires students use the bathroom of the “biological sex” listed on their birth certificate and, in an amendment modeled on Florida’s law, prevents classroom discussion of topics “regarding sexual orientation or gender identity” in kindergarten through fifth grade.
A spokesperson replied on behalf of Durant, telling AL.com that the words, “anti-trans” are the language of liberal indoctrination.
“The liberal media would love nothing more than to indoctrinate our youth with woke ideology, tell seven-year-old children to explore their ‘gender identity,’ and encourage kids on the playground to ask each other what their pronouns are,” said spokesperson Scott Stone.
The legislation comes just a year after Alabama passed a bill to remove anti-gay language from its sex-education standards. The state’s sex education standards still emphasize abstinence but language about homosexuality being illegal and unacceptable was removed in 2021. | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/alabama-senate-candidates-proclaim-support-for-new-state-laws-aimed-at-lgbt-issues.html | 2022-04-13T19:59:24 | 0 | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/alabama-senate-candidates-proclaim-support-for-new-state-laws-aimed-at-lgbt-issues.html |
Former Alabama All-American Quinnen “Q” Williams gave Birmingham police detectives a brief respite from murder and mayhem Wednesday by treating them to lunch.
The New York Jets defensive tackle, whose wife Maranda is the daughter of a veteran Birmingham homicide Det. Jonathan Ross, teamed up with Pizza Hut through his Quinnen Williams Foundation to show his gratitude for all they do in his hometown.
“I wanted to show my appreciation myself for their hard work and their contributions to clean up the city to help make the city better,’’ Williams said.
“My wife’s dad is a detective and all the people I meet, all the people I see, through him, they’re all great people,” he added.
“A lot of crazy stuff is going on in the world right now,’’ he said. “That narrative of all police are bad, or scary, or dirty, or do the wrong thing, to me was just a false narrative.”
Williams said he works a lot with Pizza Hut, and said they readily agreed to Wednesday’s lunch.
“I wanted them to know there’s people in this world who really appreciate you, who really love and need you guys to feel secure on the streets and at home’' he said.
Williams and his wife filled the police headquarters’ fifth-floor break room with pizza, wings and more. Employees from all over the building stopped by to grab a plate and get their picture made with Williams.
“It means a lot, especially with the long hours we put in,’’ said homicide Det. Kyle Johnson. “It’s good to know there are people out there that actually are thinking about us and got us in their prayers.”
“It’s just one of the many things that Quinnen does, and we’re glad to have him on board,’’ Johnson said.
Interim Police Chief Scott Thurmond said it was a special time for the officers.
“The officers and detectives work so hard every day, to have someone show their appreciation means so much,’’ the chief said. “And it’s nice to meet someone as famous as Quinnen, so we appreciate it.”
Williams is a graduate of Wenonah High Schools and secured a four-year, $32.5 million contract after the New York Jets selected him third overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Williams’ older brother, Quincy, is a linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
His foundation, he said, means a lot to him.
In April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Williams donated healthy meals to medical professions on the front lines in New Jersey.
In May of 2020, he joined other Birmingham area football stars through Together Assisting People Inc. to hand out thousands of boxes of fruits and vegetables at Birmingham’s Legion Field.
TAP was founded by another former Alabama football player, Chris Rogers, a defensive back on the Crimson Tide’s 2009 BCS national championship team.
One of Williams’ biggest initiatives his “100 Reasons Why” program, which last year doled out $25,000 to 100 single-parent families in the Birmingham to help with Christmas.
“Christmas means a lot to me. My mom passed away, unfortunately, and my dad became a single parent and I see how hard he worked to make Christmas a big thing for us,’’ he said.
“We probably didn’t get nothing throughout the year, but when it came to Christmas, he did a phenomenal job and I know how hard he worked and how much he stressed about putting a smile on our faces.”
“I need to help these single parents because my dad needed help also and he just worked, worked, worked,’’ he said.
The foundation also gives scholarships annually to five college-bound Birmingham City Schools students.
“I got a football scholarship and I tell people all the time I’m just blessed for the University of Alabama to give me a scholarship and for God to give me the talent to play football to be what I want to be in my life,’’ he said.
“I tell people all the time if I didn’t get a football scholarship, I wasn’t going to college,’’ Williams said. “There are a lot of individuals in Birmingham City Schools and high school in general that have the same thing.”
“I wouldn’t be who I am today if I didn’t have help from the University of Alabama with a scholarship,’’ he said.
“If I can find an individual who wants to go to college and doesn’t have the finances, I want to help because they could become a doctor who is working on me in 20 years, or a lawyer, or anything they want to be in this world.”
Williams also works with Big Brothers, Big Sisters and does other outreach with Birmingham youth.
“I never wanted to be that person that didn’t come back to my city to talk to the youth to show them, ‘I’m from the same place you’re from,’’' he said.
“All you have to do is give them the opportunity. Somebody gave me an opportunity and I made the best of my opportunity and I want to help someone else change their life.” | https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2022/04/quinnen-williams-former-alabama-all-american-shows-birmingham-police-people-really-love-them.html | 2022-04-13T19:59:30 | 0 | https://www.al.com/news/birmingham/2022/04/quinnen-williams-former-alabama-all-american-shows-birmingham-police-people-really-love-them.html |
Police find 2 dead kids in Miami apartment; mother arrested
MIAMI (AP) — Police in Miami arrested a 41-year-old woman in the deaths of her two children, aged 3 and 5, after officers responded to repeated hang-up 911 calls from her apartment where they found their tied-up bodies.
“Come get them, I don’t want them anymore,” Odette Lysse Joassaint told officers who responded to the scene on Tuesday night, according to the arrest report. Police said she appeared to be irrational.
The officers entered the apartment and found a 3-year-old boy and a 5-year-old girl. The children were lying in a prone position on the bed with their arms, legs and neck tied, a police report said.
They tried to resuscitate the children until a Miami Fire Rescue crew arrived and pronounced them dead. The woman has been charged with two counts of murder.
Police have not said how many calls were made to 911 or whether she spoke to a dispatcher.
Miami police spokesperson Michael Vega said the father was not living there at the time but said there had been at least four calls made to the address in the past year over domestic violence, trespassing and disturbance. No arrests had been made and none of the incidents involved the children, Vega said.
The father, Frantzy Belval, told The Miami Herald the children lived with Joassaint full time, and would normally visit him once a week on Saturdays. He said the mother was unstable and had not worked for a year and had been begging to move back in with him, but he refused.
Law enforcement is also working with the Florida Department of Children and Families, but it is not yet clear whether it had been involved with the family in the past. The state agency did not immediately respond to requests for information.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/2-children-found-dead-miami-after-911-hang-up-calls/ | 2022-04-13T20:00:29 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/2-children-found-dead-miami-after-911-hang-up-calls/ |
95-year-old woman takes shelter in bathtub during possible tornado
CHARLESTON, Ark. (KHBS) – A woman put her 95-year-old grandmother in a bathtub to keep her safe from a tornado in Charleston, Arkansas, Monday night.
“Well, I’m glad she did. I might have got blown away if she didn’t,” Sue Neissl said.
The bathtub and the house her late husband built more than 70 years ago kept Neissl safe.
“We have a storm cellar out behind the house, but we didn’t have time to get it,” she explained.
Neissl’s granddaughter, Carla Woods, took shelter in a closet with her 3-year-old daughter as the storms hit.
“As soon as we got in there, we heard the loud sound. It might have been a small tornado, but to us it was very scary,” Woods explained, adding her daughter pretended they were playing hide and seek.
Woods said they never heard the sirens alerting them to the tornado threat.
The Franklin County emergency manager said the sirens were not working when the tornado warning was issued.
The tornado sirens have since been repaired and are now functioning properly.
Copyright 2022 KHBS via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/95-year-old-woman-takes-shelter-bathtub-during-possible-tornado/ | 2022-04-13T20:00:35 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/95-year-old-woman-takes-shelter-bathtub-during-possible-tornado/ |
Actor Cuba Gooding Jr pleads guilty to forcible touching
NEW YORK (AP) — Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday to forcibly touching a woman at a New York nightclub in 2018.
The guilty plea came nearly three years after the the Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” star was arrested in the case that saw several delays as his lawyers sought to get charges reduced or dismissed.
Gooding, 54, accused of violating three different women at various Manhattan night spots in 2018 and 2019, pleaded guilty to just one of the allegations.
He told the judge he “kissed the waitress on her lips” without consent at the LAVO New York nightclub.
Gooding’s plea deal calls for no jail time. If he continues counseling for six months, he can withdraw the misdemeanor plea and plead guilty to a lesser violation of harassment.
Gooding was arrested in June 2019 after a 29-year-old woman told police he squeezed her breast without her consent at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near Times Square.
A few months later, he was charged in two additional cases as more women came forward to accuse him of abuse. The new charges alleged he pinched a server’s buttocks after making a sexually suggestive remark to her at TAO Downtown and forcibly touched a woman inappropriately at the LAVO nightclub, both in 2018.
Gooding had previously pleaded not guilty to six misdemeanor counts and denied all allegations of wrongdoing. His lawyers have argued that overzealous prosecutors, caught up in the fervor of the #MeToo movement, are trying to turn “commonplace gestures” or misunderstandings into crimes.
The judge had ruled that if the Gooding case went to trial, prosecutors could have called two additional women to testify about their allegations that Gooding also violated them. Those women, whose claims did not result in criminal charges, were among 19 other accusers whom prosecutors were seeking to call as witnesses.
Along with the criminal case, Gooding is accused in a lawsuit of raping a woman in New York City in 2013. After a judge issued a default judgment in July because Gooding hadn’t responded to the lawsuit, the actor retained a lawyer and is fighting the allegations.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/actor-cuba-gooding-jr-pleads-guilty-forcible-touching/ | 2022-04-13T20:00:41 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/actor-cuba-gooding-jr-pleads-guilty-forcible-touching/ |
CDC extends travel mask requirement as COVID rises
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it is extending the nationwide mask requirement for airplanes and public transit for 15 days as it monitors an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it was extending the order, which was set to expire on April 18, until May 3 to allow more time to study the BA.2 omicron subvariant that is now responsible for the vast majority of cases in the U.S.
“In order to assess the potential impact the rise of cases has on severe disease, including hospitalizations and deaths, and health care system capacity, the CDC order will remain in place at this time,” the agency said in a statement.
When the Transportation Security Administration, which enforces the rule for planes, buses, trains and transit hubs, extended the requirement last month, it said the CDC had been hoping to roll out a more flexible masking strategy that would have replaced the nationwide requirement.
The mask mandate is the most visible vestige of government restrictions to control the pandemic, and possibly the most controversial. A surge of abusive and sometimes violent incidents on airplanes has been attributed mostly to disputes over mask-wearing.
Airlines have lobbied for months to kill the requirement, arguing that effective air filters on modern planes make transmission of the virus during a flight highly unlikely. Republicans in Congress also fought to kill the mandate.
Critics have seized on the fact that states have rolled back rules requiring masks in restaurants, stores and other indoor settings, and yet COVID-19 cases have fallen sharply since the omicron variant peaked in mid-January.
“It is very difficult to understand why masks are still required on airplanes, but not needed in crowded bars and restaurants; in packed sports arenas; in schools full of children; or at large indoor political gatherings,” Nicholas Calio, the CEO of industry trade group Airlines for America, said Wednesday in a letter to the heads of the CDC and the Health and Human Services Department. “Simply put, an extension of the mask mandate does not make sense.”
There has been a slight increase in cases in recent weeks, with daily confirmed cases nationwide rising from about 25,000 per day to more than 30,000. More than 85% of those cases are the highly contagious BA.2 strain. Those figures could be an undercount since many people now test positive on at-home tests that are not reported to public health agencies.
Severe illnesses and deaths tend to lag infections by several weeks. The CDC is awaiting indications of whether the increase in cases correlates to a rise in adverse outcomes before announcing a less restrictive mask policy for travel.
A poll in mid-March by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that Americans are evenly divided over keeping the mask rule for transportation.
The poll found that 51% wanted the mandate to expire and 48% said it should remain in place – in effect, a tie, given the poll’s margin of error. Democrats overwhelmingly supported the rule, and Republicans were even more united in opposing it. Vaccinated people and those with chronic health conditions favored keeping the rule, but by smaller margins.
Airlines imposed their own mask mandates in 2020, when the Trump administration declined to take action. Unions representing flight attendants, which once backed mask rules, now decline to take a position because their members are divided over the issue.
It is unclear whether eliminating the rule would make people more or less likely to travel on planes or subways.
Ed Bastian, the CEO of Delta Air Lines, said that some people might start flying if they don’t have to wear a mask, and others might stop flying if other passengers are unmasked. He called both groups “fringe,” and he predicted that many people will continue to wear masks even if the rule is dropped.
___
David Koenig reported from Dallas. AP Health Writer Mike Stobbe in New York contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/ap-source-cdc-extend-travel-mask-mandate-two-weeks/ | 2022-04-13T20:00:48 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/ap-source-cdc-extend-travel-mask-mandate-two-weeks/ |
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The suspect in a death investigation of Florida mother Cassie Carli, whose body was found buried in a shallow grave in Alabama, voluntarily signed a waiver of extradition to Florida, according to a report.
Carli’s ex-boyfriend Marcus Spanevelo was charged with tampering with evidence, giving false information and destruction of evidence. He appeared in a Tennessee court on April 4 but refused extradition, telling the judge, “there are some things that need to be resolved before I’m willing to go that route.”
Days later, Spanevelo signed off on his extradition to Florida, according to a report from WKRN’s Stephanie Langston, who cited a court coordinator.
The news came days after Carli’s body was found buried in a shallow grave at an Alabama barn, roughly one week after she went missing in Navarre, Florida. Deputies said Carli was supposed to pick up her 4-year-old daughter Saylor from Spanevelo during a custody exchange when she went missing.
Spanevelo was arrested in Tennessee on charges of tampering with evidence, giving false information concerning a missing persons investigation, and destruction of evidence.
Tennessee Child Protective Services ultimately returned Saylor to family members following the arrest of her father.
An autopsy was scheduled to take place in Huntsville, Alabama where Carli’s cause of death was expected to be determined. Spanevelo could receive additional charges depending on the finding of the autopsy.
Authorities have yet to release the finding of the autopsy. | https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/suspect-in-death-of-cassie-carli-to-be-extradited-to-florida-report-says/ | 2022-04-13T20:00:49 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/suspect-in-death-of-cassie-carli-to-be-extradited-to-florida-report-says/ |
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a school bus crash Wednesday afternoon at the crossroads of East Fletcher Avenue and Livingston Avenue.
Authorities said children were on board the bus at the time of the crash. EMS was called to the scene to tend to injuries.
Deputies did not immediately say if any children were among the injured. The extent of injuries has yet to be reported.
This is a developing story. Stay up to date on the latest from News Channel 8 on-air and on the go with the free WFLA News Channel 8 mobile app. | https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/injuries-reported-in-hillsborough-school-bus-crash-with-kids-on-board/ | 2022-04-13T20:00:55 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/injuries-reported-in-hillsborough-school-bus-crash-with-kids-on-board/ |
Biden approves $800M in artillery, helicopters for Ukraine
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved $800 million in new military assistance to Ukraine, including artillery and helicopters, to bolster its defenses against an intensified Russian offensive in the country’s east.
Biden announced the aid after a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to coordinate the delivery of the assistance, which he said included artillery systems, artillery rounds, and armored personnel carriers, as well as helicopters.
“This new package of assistance will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already provided and new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden said the U.S. will continue to work with allies to share additional weapons and resources as the conflict continues.
“The steady supply of weapons the United States and its Allies and partners have provided to Ukraine has been critical in sustaining its fight against the Russian invasion,” Biden said. “It has helped ensure that (Russia President Vladimir” Putin failed in his initial war aims to conquer and control Ukraine. We cannot rest now.”
WARNING: Videos may contain graphic content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/biden-approves-800m-artillery-helicopters-ukraine/ | 2022-04-13T20:00:54 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/biden-approves-800m-artillery-helicopters-ukraine/ |
WASHINGTON, D.C. (The Hill) — A bus carrying migrants from Texas arrived in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday morning after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) last week announced plans to send them from his state’s southern border to the nation’s capital.
Fox News anchor John Roberts tweeted a picture of the bus parked outside the building that houses the network’s bureau on Capitol Hill and that of several other news outlets on Wednesday morning.
Abbott said during a press conference last week the migrants would be voluntarily sent to Washington so that President Biden could “immediately address the needs of the people that they are allowing to come across our border.”
Abbott also ordered the state to charter flights to transport migrants to the nation’s capital after they have been processed by the Department of Homeland Security, The Texas Tribune reported.
The Biden administration earlier this month rescinded Title 42, a Trump-era immigration rule that prevented people seeking asylum from getting an immediate hearing if they were coming from a country with a communicable disease, such as the coronavirus. Title 42’s recension is effective May 23.
The White House last week dismissed Abbott’s plans to send migrants to Washington as a “publicity stunt.”
“I’m not aware of what authority the governor would be doing that under,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. “I think it’s pretty clear this is a publicity stunt. His own office admits that a migrant would need to voluntarily be transported, and he can’t compel them to because, again, enforcement of our country’s immigration laws lies with the federal government, not a state.”
In a statement on Wednesday, Psaki slammed Abbott’s immigration policies, saying his “unnecessary and redundant inspections of trucks transiting ports of entry between Texas and Mexico are causing significant disruptions to the food and automobile supply chains, delaying manufacturing, impacting jobs, and raising prices for families in Texas and across the country.”
“Local businesses and trade associations are calling on Governor Abbott to reverse this decision because trucks are facing lengthy delays exceeding 5 hours at some border crossings and commercial traffic has dropped by as much as 60%,” Psaki said. “The continuous flow of legitimate trade and travel and CBP’s [Customs and Border Protection] ability to do its job should not be obstructed. Governor Abbott’s actions are impacting people’s jobs, and the livelihoods of hardworking American families.”
Abbott is facing reelection in a solid red state and is likely to face Democratic challenger Beto O’Rourke in the fall election for governor.
“If Abbott focused on solutions instead of stunts, then Texas could have made some real progress on the issue over the last seven years,” O’Rourke said last week. | https://www.wfla.com/news/national/bus-with-migrants-sent-by-texas-governor-arrives-in-dc/ | 2022-04-13T20:01:01 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/news/national/bus-with-migrants-sent-by-texas-governor-arrives-in-dc/ |
Case against Clinton lawyer in counsel’s probe can proceed
WASHINGTON (AP) — The criminal prosecution of a Hillary Clinton campaign lawyer charged with lying to the FBI during the Trump-Russia investigation can move forward, a judge ruled Wednesday in denying a defense bid to dismiss the case.
The ruling means Michael Sussmann, charged last year by special counsel John Durham, remains set for trial on May 16 in Washington’s federal court.
Sussmann is charged with lying to the FBI during a September 2016 meeting in which he relayed concerns from cybersecurity researchers about a potential secret back channel of communications between servers of the Trump Organization and Russia-based Alfa Bank. The FBI investigated the matter but ultimately found no such suspicious links.
Prosecutors allege that Sussmann misled the FBI’s then-general counsel by saying that he was not attending the meeting on behalf of a particular client when he was actually presenting the information on behalf of the Clinton campaign and a technology executive with whom he had worked.
In order to prosecute someone for a false statement, the Justice Department must prove that the statement was not only fictitious but also “material” — that is, capable of influencing a government agency’s decision-making or functions.
In this case, Durham’s team says that had the FBI known Sussmann was representing the interests of the Clinton campaign at the meeting, it would have done more to examine his motives and the reliability of his information as it considered whether to open an investigation based on the tip he provided.
Sussmann’s lawyers have argued that his ties to the Clinton campaign were already well-known to the FBI and have rejected the idea that that relationship could have meaningfully influenced the FBI’s decision to investigate.
U.S. District Judge Christopher “Casey” Cooper said in a six-page ruling Wednesday that the dispute was ultimately up to a jury to decide.
“The battle lines thus are drawn, but the Court cannot resolve this standoff prior to trial,” Cooper wrote.
Durham, a former U.S. attorney in Connecticut, was appointed in 2019 by then-Attorney General William Barr to look for government misconduct during the investigation into Russian election interference in 2016 and possible ties to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
Sussmann is one of three people charged so far. The other two are Kevin Clinesmith, a former FBI lawyer who pleaded guilty to altering an email and received probation, and Igor Danchenko, a Russian analyst and source of information for Steele who was charged in November with lying to the FBI during a 2017 interview.
____
Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/case-against-clinton-lawyer-counsels-probe-can-proceed/ | 2022-04-13T20:01:01 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/case-against-clinton-lawyer-counsels-probe-can-proceed/ |
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) – St. Petersburg police believe the same gunman may be involved in two St. Petersburg murders.
Police said, Vernon Williams, 60, died Sunday, April 10, of a gunshot wound, in the 900 block of Melrose Avenue South. Corlenzo Williams, 24, died April 12, of a gunshot wound, in the 2900 block of 17th Avenue South.
According to St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway, both men were shot killed while walking down the street by an unknown man. The shootings were within two miles of each other.
Chief Holloway added a potential third victim came forward to report a person that drove up to them around the same time as the second shooting. When the victim noticed a weapon inside the vehicle, the victim started running and was able to get away.
The victims are unknown to each other and the shootings were unprovoked.
As of now, police can only describe the suspect as a black man driving an unknown vehicle.
“We’re assuming that the suspect is just driving down the street, spotting these people walking down the street, having a conversation with these people and shooting them,” Chief Holloway said.
Chief Holloway says the shootings are believed to all be within a two-mile radius of each other.
Anyone with information regarding either case, who wishes to remain anonymous, is eligible for a reward of up to $5000 by calling 1-800-873-TIPS. | https://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-county/st-pete-police-searching-for-answers-after-2-men-killed/ | 2022-04-13T20:01:07 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/news/pinellas-county/st-pete-police-searching-for-answers-after-2-men-killed/ |
Chris Tucker donates to high school choir’s Carnegie Hall performance
MCDONOUGH, Ga. (Gray News) - Comedian Chris Tucker surprised a high school choir program invited to perform at Carnegie Hall by helping them reach their goal of $201,579.25.
Tucker showed up at Ola High School on Wednesday to let the students know that the Chris Tucker Foundation was paying off the rest of the balance the choir needed to travel to New York City for their performance.
The program’s director, Mindy Forehand, posted a video on Facebook saying that the comedian “brought my kids a check for the Carnegie Hall balance.” The balance is due Friday.
“His quick action was an answer to prayer,” teacher Melissa Stroup said.
The high school announced their invitation to perform in February 2020. They have worked on raising the money through fundraisers and other events since then but still came up short.
Earlier this week, the choir still needed more than $16,000, according to their GoFundMe page.
Their performance is scheduled for June 20.
“These students will never forget his gift or that very teachable moment to carry with them,” Stroup said.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/chris-tucker-donates-high-school-choirs-carnegie-hall-performance/ | 2022-04-13T20:01:08 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/chris-tucker-donates-high-school-choirs-carnegie-hall-performance/ |
Delta Air Lines drops surcharge for unvaccinated employees
Published: Apr. 13, 2022 at 1:22 PM EDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
ATLANTA (AP) — Delta Air Lines is dropping an extra charge for employees who aren’t vaccinated against COVID-19.
Delta said Wednesday that it has dropped the $200-a-month surcharge, which applied to unvaccinated employees covered by the company’s health plan.
CEO Ed Bastian says Delta is dropping the charge because, he says, COVID-19 is now “a seasonal virus.”
U.S. airlines tried different approaches to encourage employees to get vaccinated — United Airlines made it a mandate.
Delta was the only one to impose an insurance surcharge.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/delta-air-lines-drops-surcharge-unvaccinated-employees/ | 2022-04-13T20:01:14 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/delta-air-lines-drops-surcharge-unvaccinated-employees/ |
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A Richmond mother is grieving the loss of her daughter, after deadly gunshots were fired into their Southside home Sunday morning.
Family have identified the victim as 17-year-old Samiyah Yellardy, a beloved George Wythe High School student, friend and daughter.
“That was my love child,” Akeyia Pernell, the victim’s mother said. “Her birthday was Valentine’s Day. She was created out of love.”
Pernell said she called her daughter ‘the chosen one,’ and said the community adored her.
“She was special. She was always special. To know her was to love her,” Pernell said. “They hurt the world with this one.”
Richmond police responded to the 2200 block of Afton Avenue for reports of shots fired at 2:24 a.m. Sunday morning. When officers arrived, they found the teen suffering from a gunshot wound inside a building. She was pronounced dead on the scene.
The teen’s mother says her daughter heard noise outside and went to check it out. She says that’s when someone opened fire inside the home.
Pernell calls this a total senseless act of violence.
“This wasn’t a drive-by shooting outside. They went in my house and they killed my baby,” she said. “Total senseless.”
As of Wednesday, police have not released any suspect information or a motive; however, the investigation is ongoing.
Pernell says in the meantime, she and her family will remain strong for Samiyah.
“It hurts. It really does hurt,” she said. “It’s nothing in this world I can’t get through. Yeah I’m hurt, I’m broken but I’ma get through it. As long as I got breath in my body, my baby knows that.”
Anyone with information on this homicide investigation is encouraged to contact Major Crimes, Detective A. Coates, at 804-646-0729. For anonymous tips, call Crime Stoppers at 804-780-1000 or use the P3 Tips app for smartphones. | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/that-was-my-love-child-mother-mourns-life-of-17-year-old-shot-and-killed-in-richmond/ | 2022-04-13T20:01:19 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/that-was-my-love-child-mother-mourns-life-of-17-year-old-shot-and-killed-in-richmond/ |
Donkey on the loose shot and killed after deputies failed to corral it, authorities say
SANTA ROSA COUNTY, Fla. (Gray News) – A donkey on the loose in Florida was killed after deputies were unable to corral the animal.
The Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post that deputies were called to respond to reports of a donkey Tuesday around noon.
Deputies tried several times to coral it but were unsuccessful.
The sheriff’s office says they were told their assistance was no longer needed when an independent livestock contractor arrived to help.
The sheriff’s office later learned the independent livestock contractor shot and killed the donkey.
“Santa Rosa County is known for having a large population of livestock, and (it) is a deep-rooted part of our culture. Because of this, we are deeply troubled by this incident,” the sheriff’s office wrote.
The sheriff’s office has assigned this investigation to its major crimes division.
“The safety and care of animals has been and remains of the utmost importance to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office,” the post said.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/donkey-loose-shot-killed-after-deputies-failed-corral-it-authorities-say/ | 2022-04-13T20:01:21 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/donkey-loose-shot-killed-after-deputies-failed-corral-it-authorities-say/ |
Find your park: National parks waiving entrance fees to start National Park Week
(Gray News) - As part of National Park Week in April, all national parks will be waiving entrance fees to kick off the week of activities.
On April 16, guests can head to any national park for free, according to the National Park Service.
National Park Week 2022 will run from April 16-24. Parks across the country will host various special programs, events and digital experiences.
Representatives with the NPS said there are more than 400 national parks available to visit, and this year’s National Park Week theme is “sPark Connections.”
A list of this year’s theme days is below:
April 16: sPark Discovery National Park Week kicks off with a fee-free day to encourage everyone to find something new by visiting a national park, especially one that may be close to home, a park you haven’t considered visiting, or one you never realized is a national park! What new national park will you discover? #sParkDiscovery
April 17: sPark Creativity National parks have inspired artistic expression and creativity for generations. What is your park muse? What masterpiece can you create? #sParkCuriosity
April 18: sPark Collaboration We get along with a little help from our friends. Meet our many partners that help expand our reach and offerings and connect people to parks. How can you get involved or participate in opportunities? #sParkCollaboration
April 19: sPark Innovation The National Park Service incorporates the latest technology to support conservation and preservation efforts while consistently working to improve the visitor experience. How can we surprise you with innovation? #sParkInnovation
April 20: sPark Opportunities On Workforce Wednesday, learn about the work we do and the employment opportunities available in the National Park Service and with partner organizations. How can you join? #sParkOpportunities
April 21: sPark Preservation The National Park Service is a leader and partner in the preservation of historic, cultural, natural and recreational resources nationally—and even internationally! How can you get involved in preservation? #sParkPreservation
April 22: sPark Action On Earth Day, we look at the health of the environment and how we impact its well-being and vice versa. What actions can you do to contribute to a healthy world? #sParkAction
April 23: sPark Curiosity The National Park Service preserves and protects unique places with fascinating stories and unique landscapes. What are you curious about? What fascinating things can you discover? #sParkCuriosity
April 24: sPark Memories Generations of visitors have created lasting memories in national parks. What memories and traditions will you create? #sParkMemories
Find your nearest national park here. According to the park service, entrance fees are waived on the first day of National Park Week to encourage people to come out to enjoy their national parks.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/find-your-park-national-parks-waiving-entrance-fees-start-national-park-week/ | 2022-04-13T20:01:30 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/find-your-park-national-parks-waiving-entrance-fees-start-national-park-week/ |
Former Trump chief of staff Meadows removed as North Carolina registered voter
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — An elections board in a North Carolina county has removed Mark Meadows, a former chief of staff to President Donald Trump, from its list of registered voters after documents showed he lived in Virginia and voted in the 2021 election in that state.
Questions arose about Mark Meadows last month, when North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein’s office asked the State Bureau of Investigation to look into Meadows’ voter registration in Macon County in western North Carolina.
In announcing his removal, the Macon County Board of Elections said it has received no formal challenge and is referring the matter to the SBI, the state Board of Elections said Wednesday.
A representative for Meadows did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Macon County District Attorney Ashley Welch asked the attorney general’s office in March to handle any probe into Meadows’ voter registration and said she would recuse herself from the matter. She noted that Meadows, a former congressman from the area, contributed to her campaign for DA and appeared in political ads endorsing her.
Public records indicated Meadows is registered to vote in two states, including North Carolina, where he listed a mobile home he did not own as his legal residence weeks before casting a ballot in that state in the 2020 presidential election.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/former-trump-chief-staff-meadows-removed-north-carolina-registered-voter/ | 2022-04-13T20:01:38 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/former-trump-chief-staff-meadows-removed-north-carolina-registered-voter/ |
Former YMCA camp counselor arrested on child porn charges
PALM BEACH, Fla. (Gray News) – Police in Florida have arrested a former YMCA camp counselor after they say they found images and video depicting the sexual abuse of children at his home.
Detectives with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office said they were investigating Isaac Gabriel Yunes on over 30 child pornography charges.
Upon obtaining a search warrant, detectives conducted a search in his home, where they say they discovered several images and videos depicting child sexual abuse on his device, as well as items linking Yunes to several Snapchat accounts that have been reported for child sexual abuse. Yunes attempted to destroy his cellphone and denied the allegations, according to detectives.
Police say Yunes worked as a camp counselor at the Palm Beach County YMCA from 2017 to 2019.
Yunes was taken into custody on April 8 and was transported to the Palm Beach County jail.
Yunes is being charged with possession of child pornography and destruction of evidence.
Anyone with information on Yunes is urged by Palm Beach County detectives to call 561-688-4080.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/former-ymca-camp-counselor-arrested-child-porn-charges/ | 2022-04-13T20:01:44 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/former-ymca-camp-counselor-arrested-child-porn-charges/ |
Pawmetto Lifeline presents annual Bark to the Park event
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Pawmetto Lifeline announced their annual Bark to the Park event on Saturday, April 23, 2022 at 6071 St. Andrews Rd, Columbia, S.C. 29212 (Saluda Shoals Park).
The event this year is in-person after the past two years were held virtually due to the pandemic.
Bark to the Park is Pawmetto Lifeline’s spring fundraiser to help homeless pets in the Midlands.
Participants who raise $1,000 or more will be awarded with an embroidered Pawmetto Lifeline sports jacket.
In addition, the top 10 fund raisers will be entered into a drawing to win a Yeti Tundra 50 cooler.
Walk registration begins at 10 a.m. and the event ends at 2 p.m.
After the walk, participants will enjoy an After-Pawty featuring a line-up of pet-friendly vendors, craft beer, performances by K9s in Flight and more.
Interested walkers can pre-register online at www.barktothepark.com.
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/2022/04/13/pawmetto-lifeline-presents-annual-bark-park-event/ | 2022-04-13T20:01:51 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/pawmetto-lifeline-presents-annual-bark-park-event/ |
Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded guilty Wednesday to forcibly touching a woman at a New York nightclub in 2018.
The guilty plea came nearly three years after the the Oscar-winning “Jerry Maguire” star was arrested in the case that saw several delays as his lawyers sought to get charges reduced or dismissed.
Gooding, 54, accused of violating three different women at various Manhattan night spots in 2018 and 2019, pleaded guilty to just one of the allegations.
He told the judge he “kissed the waitress on her lips” without consent at the LAVO New York nightclub.
Gooding's plea deal calls for no jail time. If he continues counseling for six months, he can withdraw the misdemeanor plea and plead guilty to a lesser violation of harassment.
Gooding was arrested in June 2019 after a 29-year-old woman told police he squeezed her breast without her consent at Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge near Times Square.
A few months later, he was charged in two additional cases as more women came forward to accuse him of abuse. The new charges alleged he pinched a server’s buttocks after making a sexually suggestive remark to her at TAO Downtown and forcibly touched a woman inappropriately at the LAVO nightclub, both in 2018.
Entertainment News
Gooding had previously pleaded not guilty to six misdemeanor counts and denied all allegations of wrongdoing. His lawyers have argued that overzealous prosecutors, caught up in the fervor of the #MeToo movement, are trying to turn “commonplace gestures” or misunderstandings into crimes.
The judge had ruled that if the Gooding case went to trial, prosecutors could have called two additional women to testify about their allegations that Gooding also violated them. Those women, whose claims did not result in criminal charges, were among 19 other accusers whom prosecutors were seeking to call as witnesses.
Along with the criminal case, Gooding is accused in a lawsuit of raping a woman in New York City in 2013. After a judge issued a default judgment in July because Gooding hadn’t responded to the lawsuit, the actor retained a lawyer and is fighting the allegations. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/cuba-gooding-jr-pleads-guilty-to-forcible-touching-in-nyc-nightclub-accusations/3644872/ | 2022-04-13T20:02:00 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/cuba-gooding-jr-pleads-guilty-to-forcible-touching-in-nyc-nightclub-accusations/3644872/ |
Police identify student killed in Kansas City middle school stabbing as 14-year-old boy
Published: Apr. 13, 2022 at 2:58 PM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Law enforcement has identified the child killed Tuesday in a middle school stabbing.
The Kansas City Police Department said that 14-year-old Manuel J. Guzman died from his injuries after he was stabbed at Northeast Middle School.
Officers stated that the student suspect has been charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. His case will be handled through juvenile court in Jackson County.
Kansas City has experienced four homicides in a 24-hour span, prompting Mayor Quinton Lucas to make a plea on social media for more youth mental health services, as well as cracking down on illegally trafficked firearms.
Copyright 2022 KCTV via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/police-identify-student-killed-kansas-city-middle-school-stabbing-14-year-old-boy/ | 2022-04-13T20:01:59 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/police-identify-student-killed-kansas-city-middle-school-stabbing-14-year-old-boy/ |
Frank James, the 62-year-old wanted in connection with Tuesday's rush-hour subway shooting in Brooklyn, is in custody in Manhattan, the NYPD said Wednesday.
Frank R. James was apprehended near St. Marks Place and First Avenue in the East Village, NYPD Chief of Detectives James Essig said. A Crime Stoppers caller shared with authorities that someone matching the suspected shooter's description was at a McDonald's in the East Village, and authorities searched the area until he spotted him.
James was being questioned at the 9th Precinct Wednesday afternoon and he was being charged by a federal complaint in Brooklyn with one count of committing a violent attack against a mass transportation system and faces up to life in prison if convicted.
Pictures: Multiple People Hurt in Brooklyn Subway Shooting
James has ties to Wisconsin, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York City, according to Chief James Essig, who states the suspect's prior history in NYC is nine prior arrests dating from 1992 to 1998.
Those prior NYC arrests include possession of burglary, criminal sex act, and theft of service. In New Jersey, James has three other arrests in 1991, 1992, and 2007, including for trespass, larceny, and disorderly conduct, police said during Wednesday's press conference.
On Tuesday, the NYPD recovered video of James prior to the attack entering the King's Highway subway station, owning the same black cart that was later recovered on the crime scene.
News
This subway station is within three blocks of where the police recovered the U-Haul truck that James rented in Philadelphia. The vehicle key was recovered at the crime scene, as well as his orange jacket and construction helmet found nearby in a garbage bin in transit.
Police believe that after James fired his weapon 33 times, he boarded the R train that pulled into the station, traveled only one stop, and exited at 25th St. station.
The gun used in the attack was a 9-millimeter Glock purchased in Ohio in 2011, which was found at the crime scene, based on police.
The NYPD tracked his last known whereabouts to 7th Avenue and 9th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, while entering the subway. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/brooklyn-subway-shooting-who-is-suspect-frank-james/3644761/ | 2022-04-13T20:02:00 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/brooklyn-subway-shooting-who-is-suspect-frank-james/3644761/ |
Frank James, 62, was apprehended in Manhattan Wednesday afternoon, more than 24 hours after Tuesday's rush-hour shooting on a Brooklyn train. He is charged federally in the apparently premeditated attack that injured 23, 10 by gunshots.
Read the full complaint below and get all the latest developments on the story here.
More Coverage
Copyright NBC New York | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/read-the-federal-complaint-against-accused-brooklyn-subway-shooter-frank-james/3644878/ | 2022-04-13T20:02:01 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/read-the-federal-complaint-against-accused-brooklyn-subway-shooter-frank-james/3644878/ |
President Joe Biden on Wednesday approved $800 million in new military assistance to Ukraine, including artillery and helicopters, to bolster its defenses against an intensified Russian offensive in the country’s east.
Biden announced the aid after a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to coordinate the delivery of the assistance, which he said included artillery systems, artillery rounds, and armored personnel carriers, as well as helicopters.
“This new package of assistance will contain many of the highly effective weapons systems we have already provided and new capabilities tailored to the wider assault we expect Russia to launch in eastern Ukraine,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden said the U.S. will continue to work with allies to share additional weapons and resources as the conflict continues.
“The steady supply of weapons the United States and its Allies and partners have provided to Ukraine has been critical in sustaining its fight against the Russian invasion," Biden said. “It has helped ensure that (Russia President Vladimir" Putin failed in his initial war aims to conquer and control Ukraine. We cannot rest now.” | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/biden-approves-800m-in-artillery-helicopters-for-ukraine/3644751/ | 2022-04-13T20:02:02 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/biden-approves-800m-in-artillery-helicopters-for-ukraine/3644751/ |
The President makes short and long-term proposals to curb fluctuating gas prices
Gas companies say no single firm sets the price for a gallon of gas.
WASHINGTON (Gray DC) - As gas prices fluctuate across the nation, the President has a plan to lower costs in both the long and short term. But, some oil and gas companies claim they need policy stability in Washington to feel confident to invest.
AAA pegs the national average for gas at $4.10. That’s down from one month ago when gas was $4.33. One year ago, the national gas average stood at $2.86.
“We’re coming off a pandemic that really scrambled supply and demand but what we’re seeing right now is Putin’s price hike on gasoline prices,” said Ali Zaidi, White House Deputy Climate Advisor.
The President is focused on increasing supply.
On Tuesday, he announced a plan to expand the sale of E15 gasoline, a 15% ethanol blend, this summer. The Environmental Protection Agency plans to issue the national emergency waiver to increase the fuel supplies. The White House claims E15 can save families 10 cents per gallon on average. It’s currently sold at 2,300 gas stations.
The president also announced a plan that includes a proposed fee on companies that lease federal land but are not producing from the wells. Companies that produce on the leased acres and existing wells would not face the higher fees.
Mike Sommers of the American Petroleum Institute said that fee sounds like an additional tax.
“It certainly would be the first case of someone increasing taxes and expecting more in return. In terms of development, we would have great concerns about an increased tax on American companies that are trying to produce American energy during this time of high oil and gas prices. We’re focused on making sure that there’s long term development here in the United States so that we can provide energy security not just for Americans, but for the world,” he said.
Sommer said, in the long-term, the Biden administration is pushing for a larger reliance on renewable energy and electric cars. However, he noted that idea competes with the notion that companies need to improve production.
“A number of members of Congress that are saying that oil and gas industry here in the United States isn’t producing enough while at the same time they’re saying that we should stop producing and make a faster transition to renewables. This is a huge concern, I think, that we have about what the world should be doing right now to advance oil and gas, because the world is going to continue to consume these products for decades and decades to come,” said Sommers.
Chairmen, CEOs, and presidents of oil and gas companies from bp America, Chevron, ExxonMobil, Devon Energy, Shell, and Pioneer Natural Resources Company testified via teleconference on Capitol Hill in April. They told the Energy and Commerce committee that increasing production on wells that are not currently in use requires more workers and equipment.
They said they are willing to increase production and invest in renewable energy. But, they said they need predictability and stability in the policy-making in Washington in order to feel confident to invest.
They also said they are not hoarding or price gouging gas.
“We know that today’s high prices at the pump are hurting Americans, the impact of high energy costs, underscores the importance of reliable and affordable energy supplies,” said Darren Woods of Exxon. He added, “no single company, sets the price of oil or gasoline, the market establishes the price based on the available supply and the demand for that supply.”
Meantime, the President has moved forward on a plan to increase supply by dipping into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. In March, he announced the largest release in history, putting one million additional barrels on the market per day for the next six months. Zaidi calls the 6-month release a ‘bridge’ to give oil and gas companies the time needed to increase their production.
“That is just a dramatic exercise of the president’s authority in a way that we’ve never done before in the history of the United States. And, it is directly designed to counter the supply challenges that come from Putin’s war and aggression in Europe,” he said.
Zaidi said the president is also focused on new fuel economy standards, electric car production, and technology to weatherize and retrofit homes.
“The long-term play here, and it’s not a long-term play we start in the long term, it’s something we’ve got to get doing right now is to accelerate the adoption of zero emissions vehicles like electric cars and trucks. And, what we know is that if we do that, that means for the average family, 900 bucks per year that they would have spent on gasoline that they no longer have to. And for the economy, that means over a million barrels per day of oil that won’t need to be consumed or purchased from somewhere else,” said Zaidi.
Republicans held their own press conference in April to discuss gas prices. They raised concern over dipping into the national reserve. They also accuse the President of handcuffing oil and gas companies by not granting more permits and leases for pipelines and pumping on federal land. They say the president should focus on how more American oil and natural gas can be drilled and delivered.
Republicans want the President to once again start construction on the Keystone XL Pipeline. That pipeline was the subject of protest by several environmental groups.
Copyright 2022 Gray DC. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/president-makes-short-long-term-proposals-curb-fluctuating-gas-prices/ | 2022-04-13T20:02:06 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/president-makes-short-long-term-proposals-curb-fluctuating-gas-prices/ |
SC State mourns dance team member
Published: Apr. 13, 2022 at 1:40 PM EDT|Updated: 2 hours ago
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - South Carolina State University mourning the passing of SC State student Amya Carr.
Amya was a senior majoring in communications and a member of SC State’s dance team, the Champagne Dancers.
South Carolina State University joins the family of SC State student Amya Carr in mourning her passing.
— SC State University (@SCSTATE1896) April 13, 2022
Amya was a senior majoring in communications and a member of SC State’s dance team, the Champagne Dancers.
Services and a campus remembrance are to be announced. pic.twitter.com/nOXYzkosOx
Services and a campus remembrance are to be announced.
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/2022/04/13/sc-state-mourns-lost-dance-team-member/ | 2022-04-13T20:02:13 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/sc-state-mourns-lost-dance-team-member/ |
Soda City Live: Local Organization is seeking certified adaptive volunteers
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Range Fore Hope is known for their work with active-duty service men and women, veterans, and wounded veterans.
As the organization grows, founder Alvin King is looking to add more hands on the green, to assist disabled veterans on the golf course using their adaptive equipment.
The Organization is seeking current certified adaptive volunteers and will be hosting an upcoming training and social event.
The hands-on course will be facilitated by the Southeast adaptive gold regional director who will be traveling from Atlanta, Georgia.
For more information about the adaptive program or for more information about Range Fore Hope, click here.
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The Grand Rapids Police Department is releasing unedited videos Wednesday from an officer's encounter with Patrick Lyoya, who died after being shot during a traffic stop in Michigan earlier this month.
The 26-year-old Black man was killed after he was pulled over by a Grand Rapids police officer on April 4 over an unregistered license plate. Police Chief Eric Winstrom has said Lyoya tried running away and was fatally shot during a “lengthy struggle” with the officer.
Lyoya’s family disputes the police's account of the encounter, saying they viewed video footage that showed Lyoya lying face down on the ground when the officer shot him in the back of the head "execution style," according to NBC News.
Among the footage released was video from the officer's body-camera, dashboard camera, a cellphone and a home surveillance system.
The officer, who is white and has been with the department since 2015, was placed on administrative duty pending an investigation by the Michigan State Police, Winstrom said. His name hasn’t been released.
Hundreds of demonstrators had joined Lyoya's family outside the Grand Rapids Police Department over the weekend, demanding the release of the videos and calling for transparency after Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker urged police not to release any evidence, including video, until the investigation is complete.
“There are still many questions which remain unanswered,” Becker wrote in a press release. “As is our policy with any ongoing investigation, we do not release any material for public consumption.”
U.S. & World
Winstrom pledged to release the videos anyways by Friday, April 15.
Ahead of Wednesday's press conference, the family asked the community not to protest after the footage is released, according to NBC affiliate WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids.
“No protests at this time,” the family told the outlet. “We don’t want violence out there. We want to avoid any violence.”
The family is being represented by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who has also represented the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery.
Lyoya and his family immigrated to the U.S. in 2014 from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He leaves behind two children, a 2-year-old and a 3-month-old. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/michigan-police-to-release-videos-of-fatal-police-shooting-of-patrick-lyoya/3644868/ | 2022-04-13T20:02:20 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/michigan-police-to-release-videos-of-fatal-police-shooting-of-patrick-lyoya/3644868/ |
Soda City Live: ‘No Judge, No Jail’ event will offer grace for persons with bench warrants
Published: Apr. 13, 2022 at 2:27 PM EDT|Updated: 1 hours ago
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - The Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s office will be hosting “No Judge, No Jail”, an event that will allow individuals from Richland County to vacate non-violent felony bench warrants, and child support warrants without the fear of being arrested.
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/2022/04/13/soda-city-live-no-judge-no-jail-event-will-offer-grace-persons-with-bench-warrants/ | 2022-04-13T20:02:25 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/soda-city-live-no-judge-no-jail-event-will-offer-grace-persons-with-bench-warrants/ |
Baker Mayfield has broken his silence.
The quarterback spoke for the first time since the Cleveland Browns acquired Deshaun Watson, a move that signals the likely end of Mayfield's tenure with the team that drafted him.
"I feel disrespected, 100 percent," Mayfield said on the the "Ya Neva Know: You Know What I Mean?" podcast. "Because I was told one thing and they completely did another. That’s what I’m in the middle of right now. And you know what? OK. I got my taste of it because I’ve had four different head coaches in four years, a bunch of different coordinators. I’ve had the highs and they always come back."
The Browns traded a package that included three first-round picks for Watson on March 18. They then signed him to a record-breaking, fully-guaranteed five-year, $230 million contract despite Watson's ongoing legal issues after a series of sexual assault, harassment and misconduct allegations were levied against him.
Amid the Browns' interest in trading for Watson, Mayfield posted a thank you message to Cleveland fans and ultimately requested a trade.
Mayfield initially hoped to land with the Indianapolis Colts, who instead acquired Matt Ryan from the Atlanta Falcons. Mayfield, set to make a guaranteed salary of $18.86 million next season, mentioned on the podcast that the Seattle Seahawks remain a potential landing spot.
Sports
"Seattle would probably be the most likely option," he said. "I’m really excited for the next chapter. I know I have this one year to do as much as I possibly can…I’m having to prove myself to earn that second contract.’’
The 26-year-old Mayfield has been Cleveland's starting quarterback since being selected first overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. He led the Browns to their first playoff victory since 1995 during his career season in 2020. He regressed last season during an injury plagued year, recording career lows of 3,010 passing yards and 17 touchdowns in 14 games as Cleveland finished 8-9.
“I really, truly have no regrets of my time in Cleveland of what I tried to give that place,’’ Mayfield said. “True Clevelanders and true Browns fans know that. And that’s why I can walk away from the whole situation feeling like I did it.’’ | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/baker-mayfield-says-he-feels-disrespected-by-cleveland-browns/3644826/ | 2022-04-13T20:02:27 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/baker-mayfield-says-he-feels-disrespected-by-cleveland-browns/3644826/ |
Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster chose to take a break from catching a football this week. He and his friends instead decided to dabble with one of the most fascinating substances on earth – water.
The group of friends played a traditional game of Jenga, but without blocks. Instead, they used water. And it was captivating.
As the men kept pouring, the water droplets seemingly never stopped building up atop the glass cup. But how is that possible? What is the science behind this trick?
“It’s a phenomenon that has fascinated people for over hundreds of years,” said senior scientist Dr. Paul Hampton.
“It’s the idea … you ever see a bug walking across water? It’s like, how are they able to do that and not fall in,” said physics teacher David Savage. “The attraction of the water molecules is enough to keep it from spilling over the edge.”
“The concept is called surface tension,” said Hampton. “It has to do with molecules sticking together.”
The surface tension force overshadows everything else when water is mounted on top of glass.
Sports
“When it gets to a point where there’s enough water, the gravitational forces of the earth are more than the attraction of the molecules, then the water is going to spill over the edge,” said Savage.
Smith-Schuster and his friends experienced this scientific realization after a few turns at the “Jenga” competition, and Savage was pleased:
“It’s great to see their faces. It’s great to see the belts of joy in science.” | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/chiefs-wide-receiver-juju-smith-schuster-and-friends-played-water-jenga/3644883/ | 2022-04-13T20:02:33 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/chiefs-wide-receiver-juju-smith-schuster-and-friends-played-water-jenga/3644883/ |
There’s still a way to reach global goal on climate change
(AP) - If nations do all that they’ve promised to fight climate change, the world can still meet one of two internationally agreed upon goals for limiting warming. But the planet is blowing past the other threshold that scientists say will protect Earth more, a new study finds.
The world is potentially on track to keep global warming at, or a shade below, 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than pre-industrial times, a goal that once seemed out of reach, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
That will only happen if countries not only fulfill their specific pledged national targets for curbing carbon emissions by 2030, but also come through on more distant promises of reaching net zero carbon emissions by mid-century, the study says.
This 2-degree warmer world still represents what scientists characterize as a profoundly disrupted climate with fiercer storms, higher seas, animal and plant extinctions, disappearing coral, melting ice and more people dying from heat, smog and infectious disease. It’s not the goal that world leaders say they really want: 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times. The world will blast past that more prominent and promoted goal unless dramatic new emission cuts are promised and achieved this decade and probably within the next three years, study authors said.
Both goals of 1.5 degrees and 2 degrees are part of the 2015 Paris climate pact and the 2021 Glasgow follow-up agreement. The 2-degree goal goes back years earlier.
“For the first time we can possibly keep warming below the symbolic 2-degree mark with the promises on the table. That assumes, of course, that the countries follow through on the promises,” said study lead author Malte Meinshausen, a University of Melbourne climate scientist.
That’s a big if, outside climate scientists and the authors say. It means political leaders actually doing what they promise.
The study “examines only this optimistic scenario. It does not check whether governments are making efforts to implement their long-term targets and whether they are credible,” said Niklas Hohne of Germany, a New Climate Institute scientist who analyzes pledges for Climate Action Tracker and wasn’t part of this study. “We know that governments are far from implementing their long-term targets.”
Hohne’s team and others who track pledges have similarly found that limiting warming to 2 degrees is still possible, as Meinshausen’s team has. The difference is that Meinshausen’s study is the first to be peer-reviewed and published in a scientific journal.
Sure, the 2-degree world requires countries to do what they promise. But cheaper wind and solar have shown carbon emissions cuts can come faster than thought, and some countries will exceed their promised cuts, Meinshausen said. He also said the way climate action works is starting with promises and then policies, so it’s not unreasonable to take countries at their word.
Mostly, he said, limiting warming to 2 degrees is still a big improvement compared to just five or ten years ago, when “everybody laughed like ‘ha, we’ll never see targets on the table that bring us closer to 2 degrees,’” Meinshausen said. “Targets and implemented policies actually can turn the needle on future temperatures. I think that optimism is important for countries to see. Yes, there is hope.”
About 20% to 30% of that hope is due to the Paris climate agreement, but the rest is due to earlier investments by countries that made green energy technologies cheaper than dirty fossil fuels such as coal, oil and natural gas, Meinshausen said.
Yet, even if that’s good news, it’s not all good, he said.
“Neither do we have a margin of error (on barely limiting to 2 degrees) nor do the pledges put us on a path close to 1.5 degrees,” Meinshausen said.
In 2018 the United Nations’ scientific expert team studied the differences between the 1.5- and 2-degree thresholds and found considerably worse and more extensive damages to Earth at 2 degrees of warming. So the world has recently tried to make the 1.5 degrees goal possible.
Earth has already warmed at least 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times, often considered the late 1800s, so 2 degrees of warming really means another 0.9 degrees Celsius (1.6 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than now.
Meinshausen’s analysis “looks good and solid, but there are always assumptions that could be important,” said Glen Peters, a climate scientist who tracks emissions with Global Carbon Project.
The biggest assumption is that nations somehow get to promised net zero carbon emissions, most of them by 2050 but a decade or two later for China and India, said Peters, research director of the Cicero Center for International Climate Research in Oslo, Norway.
“Making pledges for 2050 is cheap, backing them up with necessary short-term action is hard,” he said, noting that for most countries, there will be five or six elections between now and 2050.
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Follow AP’s climate coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/climate
___
Follow Seth Borenstein on Twitter at @borenbears
___
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/theres-still-way-reach-global-goal-climate-change/ | 2022-04-13T20:02:32 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/theres-still-way-reach-global-goal-climate-change/ |
What happened to Aaron? Death of boy with autism exposes issues in Kansas care system
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH/Gray News) - Part 1 of the KWCH investigation into the death of Aaron Carter, a 6-year-old with autism who died within two months of being adopted, reported on his needs of those of children like him, particularly in the foster system.
In Part 2, KWCH spoke to people about struggles in Kansas to meet those needs and what needs to be done to make things better.
Aaron Carter came into Jamie and Tina Miller’s home as a foster child just before he turned 3 years old in 2017. It took time to discover he had autism, and it took every bit of the three years he spent with the Millers to bring him from a child who could not communicate and didn’t respond to anyone around him to a boy who liked to dance, helped with chores and rode horses.
When the Millers decided they wanted to adopt Aaron, they found out that the cost to provide him the therapy and care he required would be overwhelming once he was no longer a ward of the state.
“We couldn’t pay for it out of our own pocket. We financially couldn’t do it, but by then we’d had him long enough and he had made such huge strides. It was like tearing you apart,” Tina Miller said.
A young, recently married couple in Wichita said they wanted to adopt Aaron. The couple met him, began the adoption process and eventually became acquainted with the Millers.
“We ate supper with them, and we just told them everything that had happened, that could happen and that needed to happen to keep him safe and happy,” Jamie Miller said.
Aaron went to live with his prospective new parents in December 2020. Less than two months later, the boy who’d made such huge strides was dead.
The official account of Aaron’s death reads that he had a tantrum while taking a bath and hit his head on the tub. Tantrums were something the Millers had cautioned Aaron’s new parents about.
“If he got upset he would yell and scream or throw a tantrum, but that’s the only way he could voice any of his feelings or opinion or anything was by throwing a tantrum,” Jamie explained.
Struggling to implement applied behavior analysis therapy
Sean Swindler with the Kansas Center for Autism Research and Training explained tantrums for those unfamiliar with children with autism.
“When I put $1 in the candy machine, and the candy bar’s dangling and just won’t come down, I know I want it. What do I do? I shake the candy machine,” Swindler said. “Kids with autism are the same way. If I can’t communicate what I want, what I need, I’m going to figure out a way to tell you.”
Aaron was figuring that out with fewer tantrums, thanks to applied behavior analysis therapy.
“ABA therapy is applied behavior analysis,” Swindler explained. “Therapy that’s been shown, through research, to help kids with autism improve. Especially if it’s delivered before the age of 6 to 8 years old.”
The Millers say Aaron received ABA therapy four to five times a week. Once he moved to Wichita that therapy stopped, ending both his routine and stifling his path to communication.
“A lot of children with autism, having that routine is incredibly important,” Swindler said. “By stopping that therapy, you are reducing that child’s ability to communicate. You’re reducing that child’s ability to kind of learn and grow and giving him those tools.”
Those tools are difficult to find in Kansas, and they’re often out of reach of those who need them most.
“Mental health isn’t treated the same as physical health by a lot of our health care system. Take all those in your mind, magnify by 10 when you put autism in the middle of that,” Swindler said.
In 2014, Kansas passed a law saying private insurers must cover ABA therapy for autism, but experts say that’s not as clear cut for children on Medicaid.
Medicaid reimbursements can be slow and don’t necessarily pay enough for the required therapy. Consequently, questions of whether ABA therapists will be paid enough, or at all, prompt many to practice in other states.
“I think a lot of states with large rural populations are having a brain drain and have trouble keeping people at home. For people that practice a particular field like ABA therapy. The things that do keep people at home are the ability to actually bill for services and serve your population for one,” Swindler said.
Few qualified therapists practicing in Kansas means those seeking the therapy can be left waiting.
“Even if you have the best insurance and the best circumstance, you might be waiting quite a while to get that autism evaluation. When you add in a child in foster care who might be going between different foster parents or doesn’t have that permanent oversight of their medical history, kids do get missed, or kids get a diagnosis but that doesn’t catch back up to them. All sorts of things happen there,” Swindler said.
What happened in Aaron Carter’s case?
Aaron died while waiting to be seen by a new ABA therapist. In Kansas, the autism waiver program provides support and training to parents. Currently, the program is funded for just 65 children with 386 on the waiting list.
Swindler suggested people contact state lawmakers to have them make changes to keep ABA therapists in Kansas and get children like Aaron the chance they deserve.
“The way to make it better is you have to have a concerted effort among all the interested parties to strategically attack the problem,” Swindler answered.
ABA therapy is the most widely used therapy for autism spectrum disorder. The University of Kansas was one of the first schools to begin developing the therapy in the 60s and 70s. It continues to train world-class ABA therapists. Many of whom then go to other states to practice.
Copyright 2022 KWCH via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/what-happened-aaron-death-boy-with-autism-exposes-issues-kansas-care-system/ | 2022-04-13T20:02:40 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/2022/04/13/what-happened-aaron-death-boy-with-autism-exposes-issues-kansas-care-system/ |
WASHINGTON, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Actifai, a software-as-a-service provider to customer-facing organizations, has deployed its AI-powered recommendation and customer service platform across Hawaiian Telcom's operations.
Hawaiian Telcom will roll out Actifai's cloud-based platform to its customer service representatives, and will use Actifai's APIs to power offer recommendations and key selling points for customers on its ecommerce site. Leveraging demographic, behavioral, and competitive data alongside Actifai's rich catalog of nearly 1,000,000 anonymized and aggregated offer/acceptance pairs, Hawaiian Telcom will deliver tailored recommendations to customers designed to best meet their individual needs.
"Hawaiian Telcom has always been committed to serving our community", said Su Shin, President and General Manager of Hawaiian Telcom. "Our partnership with Actifai continues our legacy as a community-focused technology leader, bringing state-of-the-art AI tools for our customer service professionals that will help them to meet our customers' needs."
Actifai's AI platform is used by thousands of customer service, sales, and support agents across North America at leading companies. Customers have seen an average 25x ROI, driven by Actifai's real-time recommendations backed by persuasive key selling points. Actifai leads the market for operators seeking practical applications for AI that increase ARPU and lifetime value while avoiding the need for internal development.
"We're thrilled to be working with a dynamic operator like Hawaiian Telcom," said Ned Brody, acting CEO of Actifai. "We're looking forward to doing great work for yet another new customer, and are very excited that Actifai has been able to help further their customer service goals."
INQUIRIES
Actifai is a software-as-a-service provider to customer-facing organizations including cable, media, and telecommunications operators. Actifai's platform reduces the complexity of choice for sales agents and consumers, eliminating information barriers to maximize the value of a customer interaction. With tailored, AI-powered recommendations, operators can customize consumer interactions and optimize outcomes in real time across their live and digital sales channels. For more information, please visit www.actifai.com.
Hawaiian Telcom, established and headquartered in Honolulu since 1883, offers a full range of services to business and residential customers including Internet, video, voice, data network solutions and security, colocation, and managed and cloud services — all supported by the reach and reliability of its next generation fiber network and 24/7 state-of-the-art network operations center. With employees statewide sharing a commitment to innovation and a passion for delivering superior service, Hawaiian Telcom is proud to be Hawaii's Technology Leader. For more information, visit www.hawaiiantel.com.
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TARRYTOWN, N.Y. , April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing its global expansion, Aerolase is delighted to announce two positive recent developments. These will further accelerate its corporate results and rapid growth in 2022 and beyond.
Canadian Entry
Having just received from Health Canada a license to sell in Canada, Aerolase is launching there and tapping immediate orders/near term backlog from the many Canadian practitioners who have been awaiting the Aerolase clearance. The Company already has established a direct salesforce covering and based in Ontario and Québec and the Maritimes.
Canada is a top global market for dermatology and aesthetic lasers and devices. It is expected to be a substantial contributor to Company revenues and EBITDA in 2022 and beyond.
Aerolase is a technology leader in laser skin health with delighted users in 55 countries. It is the only developer and manufacturer in the world of portable high-power lasers for dermatology and aesthetics applications. The company created, invented, manufactures, markets and sells a new category of dermatology device: a portable all-in-one universal laser highly efficacious and safe on virtually all common skin conditions and all skin tones, encompassing both medical and aesthetic treatment areas.
Laser Dermatology Expert Outlines Her Use of Aerolase
In a recent article, Key Opinion Leader Roberta Del Campo, a Miami-based "dermatologist to the stars", notes that the Aerolase Neo® Elite laser enables her to "rejuvenate the skin and improve skin health from the deepest level" for her patients. Dr. Del Campo cites one celebrity supermodel patient as an example of a patient who anchors her beauty regimen with Neo®. The interview appears in New Beauty Magazine February 27, 2022.
About Aerolase
Aerolase was the recipient of "Best Facial Laser" and "Best Acne Laser" awards by Cosmopolitan Magazine in 2021. The Company enjoys a burgeoning market share, global KOL support and accolades in key market segments: aesthetic dermatologists, plastic surgeons, general practice physicians, and medical spas. For more information, visit the company's website at www.aerolase.com. or follow Aerolase on all social platforms @aerolase.
CONTACT: Gary M. Giblen, Director of Corporate Development, information@aerolase.com
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SOURCE Aerolase | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/aerolase-expands-into-canada-with-significant-order-backlog-key-opinion-leader-laser-dermatologist-discusses-her-use-aerolase-leading-beauty-magazine/ | 2022-04-13T20:02:53 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/aerolase-expands-into-canada-with-significant-order-backlog-key-opinion-leader-laser-dermatologist-discusses-her-use-aerolase-leading-beauty-magazine/ |
NEW YORK, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- WHY: Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, reminds purchasers of the securities of Akebia Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKBA) between June 28, 2018 and September 2, 2020, inclusive (the "Class Period"), of the important May 13, 2022 lead plaintiff deadline.
SO WHAT: If you purchased Akebia securities during the Class Period you may be entitled to compensation without payment of any out of pocket fees or costs through a contingency fee arrangement.
WHAT TO DO NEXT: To join the Akebia class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=4028 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action. A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than May 13, 2022. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation.
WHY ROSEN LAW: We encourage investors to select qualified counsel with a track record of success in leadership roles. Often, firms issuing notices do not have comparable experience, resources or any meaningful peer recognition. Many of these firms do not actually handle securities class actions, but are merely middlemen that refer clients or partner with law firms that actually litigate the cases. Be wise in selecting counsel. The Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm has achieved the largest ever securities class action settlement against a Chinese Company. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 4 each year since 2013 and has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors. In 2019 alone the firm secured over $438 million for investors. In 2020, founding partner Laurence Rosen was named by law360 as a Titan of Plaintiffs' Bar. Many of the firm's attorneys have been recognized by Lawdragon and Super Lawyers.
DETAILS OF THE CASE: According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) vadadustat was not as safe in treating NDD-CKD patients with anemia as defendants had represented; (2) as a result, defendants overstated the PRO2TECT Program's clinical prospects; (3) accordingly, defendants also overstated vadadustat's overall commercial and regulatory prospects; and (4) as a result, Akebia's public statements were materially false and misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.
To join the Akebia class action, go to https://rosenlegal.com/submit-form/?case_id=4028 or call Phillip Kim, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email pkim@rosenlegal.com or cases@rosenlegal.com for information on the class action.
No Class Has Been Certified. Until a class is certified, you are not represented by counsel unless you retain one. You may select counsel of your choice. You may also remain an absent class member and do nothing at this point. An investor's ability to share in any potential future recovery is not dependent upon serving as lead plaintiff.
Follow us for updates on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter: https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.
Attorney Advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Contact Information:
Laurence Rosen, Esq.
Phillip Kim, Esq.
The Rosen Law Firm, P.A.
275 Madison Avenue, 40th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 686-1060
Toll Free: (866) 767-3653
Fax: (212) 202-3827
lrosen@rosenlegal.com
pkim@rosenlegal.com
cases@rosenlegal.com
www.rosenlegal.com
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SOURCE Rosen Law Firm, P.A. | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/akba-investor-news-rosen-trusted-national-trial-counsel-encourages-akebia-therapeutics-inc-investors-with-losses-secure-counsel-before-important-deadline-securities-class-action-akba/ | 2022-04-13T20:03:03 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/akba-investor-news-rosen-trusted-national-trial-counsel-encourages-akebia-therapeutics-inc-investors-with-losses-secure-counsel-before-important-deadline-securities-class-action-akba/ |
Growing list of real estate industry leaders including BentallGreenOak and Unico Properties continue to optimize their portfolios to safeguard occupant health and well-being
NEW YORK, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Biden Administration's recently released National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan underscores the need to apply federal funding from the American Rescue Plan and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to improve indoor air quality and ventilation in schools, universities and public buildings across the country, as a critical component to combat COVID-19.
The Center for Active Design (CfAD), which operates the Fitwel healthy building certification, commends the White House's recognition of the role the built environment plays in human health. The National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, including the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge, makes indoor air quality a major focus for how federal funding can be used to support facility improvements.
In 2020, Fitwel unveiled its Viral Response Module (VRM), developed with input from health experts and industry leaders and which provides certification of policies and practices informed by the latest public health research on mitigating the spread of infectious respiratory diseases. The VRM is aligned with the White House's efforts to improve indoor air quality and prevent contamination of diseases, including COVID-19. All buildings and communities, no matter their age, location, or asset type, can be optimized to meet the needs and demands of their occupants.
Fitwel is a rigorous, third-party healthy building certification system that sets the industry standard for evidence-based strategies to promote human health and well-being through the built environment. Originally created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. General Services Administration, CfAD is the sole, licensed operator of Fitwel and the CDC remains the research and evaluation partner for Fitwel.
As the White House continues to place an emphasis on improved indoor air quality to prevent the spread of infectious respiratory diseases, so too are a growing number of real estate properties. Within the past year, BentallGreenOak, Unico Properties, and JBG SMITH represent some of the latest major real-estate owners to qualify their operational policies and safeguard occupant health.
Anna Murray, Managing Director and Global Head of ESG, BentallGreenOak, said, "Across BentallGreenOak's North American portfolio, the Viral Response Module has become a critical source of guidance for our operators and tenants as we confidently welcome people back to our properties. In our mission to apply the highest standards of safety and wellness to mitigate the spread of viral infection, Fitwel provides us with an important framework to uphold a healthy and resilient environment for all who enter our buildings."
Keren Eichen, Unico Properties Director, Real Estate Services, stated, "VRM has allowed us to maximize trust with our tenants. Before the pandemic, our tenants rarely asked about how our buildings functioned, from the technical or operational perspective. Some had LEED initiatives as a leasing priority, but the vast majority were concerned about views, amenities, location, and a landlord that mostly left them alone to focus on their business. During the pandemic, we pursued Fitwel VRM because it aligns with our efforts to prioritize wellness in the workplace. We also pursued it based on our hypothesis that when our tenants ultimately returned to work, they'd have many questions about how our systems supported their safety. We were right: as our tenants have come back to work, they've been filling our inboxes with questions about how we're managing viral transmission. Not only have we been able to answer affirmatively that we've been performing indoor air quality testing, increasing surface hygiene protocols, and filtering air with MERV-13 filters, we've also been able to provide information about VRM's third-party certification of these data-driven strategies."
"Given our mission to prioritize public health across the built environment through our products including the Viral Response Module, which mitigates the risk of infectious respiratory disease transmission, we are excited that the built environment has taken center stage in the conversation about health and support the White House's focus on safeguarding health by optimizing buildings," says Joanna Frank, President and CEO of CfAD, operator of Fitwel.
Kimberly Pexton, Vice President of Sustainability at JBG SMITH, said, "The health and well-being of our customers is of utmost importance to JBG SMITH. We continue to maintain our entity and asset level Fitwel VRM certifications to enhance the return to office experience."
"CfAD's research team is responsible for investigating, analyzing, and reporting on healthy building trends to help drive adoption of the most impactful strategies that result in measurable outcomes, and has spent thousands of hours researching the key trends steering the healthy building movement," says Sara Karerat, Director of Applied Research, CfAD. "The White House's clean air initiatives outlined in the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge align with our vision by prioritizing the holistic health of the occupants and communities that they serve."
For more information about the Fitwel VRM, visit www.fitwel.org/viral-response-module
About Fitwel
Fitwel is the world's leading certification system committed to building health for all. Generated by expert analysis of 5,600+ academic research studies, Fitwel is implementing a vision for a healthier future where all buildings and communities are enhanced to strengthen health and well-being. Fitwel was originally created by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and U.S. General Services Administration. The CDC remains the research and evaluation partner for Fitwel. The Center for Active Design (CfAD), a global not-for-profit organization, maintains the Fitwel standard and conducts objective third-party assessments that lead to certified projects. CfAD's new business unit, Adai (pronounced "a-DAY"), is charged with expanding Fitwel to the global market, administering the program while providing best-in-class customer service and technical support. To learn more about Fitwel, please visit: www.fitwel.org.
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SOURCE Center for Active Design | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/alignment-with-white-house-clean-air-buildings-challenge-center-active-designs-fitwel-viral-response-module-safeguards-building-occupant-health/ | 2022-04-13T20:03:09 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/alignment-with-white-house-clean-air-buildings-challenge-center-active-designs-fitwel-viral-response-module-safeguards-building-occupant-health/ |
New roles elevate Androvett's public relations capabilities and position company for future growth
DALLAS and HOUSTON and AUSTIN, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Androvett Legal Media & Marketing, a full-service marketing and public relations agency with offices in Dallas, Houston and Austin, is expanding its public relations and strategic communications capabilities with the promotions of April Arias, Barry Pound and Robert Tharp.
In their new roles as directors of public relations, the three will work to grow Androvett's public relations services and better support the firm's team of public relations and media experts.
"This important step will add depth to our management team and allow us to be even more strategic as we grow," said Mike Androvett, president and CEO of Androvett Legal Media & Marketing. "It's exciting because April, Barry and Robert each bring something unique to the table, and the combination is a win for our company and most certainly for our clients."
Ms. Arias is a three-time Emmy award-winning media and public relations professional who joined Androvett in January 2020 as a public relations manager. A former television news executive producer, Ms. Arias' expertise lies in developing media and communications strategies for her clients and working with local, regional and national media to generate and place media coverage.
With more than 40 years of experience in public relations, Mr. Pound has spent 16 years at Androvett as a legal and crisis communications expert. He is adept at handling high-profile matters involving contentious litigation, public policy and crisis communications, as well as state and federal investigations.
Mr. Tharp is a strategic communications professional who has put his skills to work for Androvett clients for more than 15 years. A former reporter for several Texas daily newspapers, his expertise includes media engagement and reputation management, along with data analysis and content marketing.
"These three individuals are very professional, very smart and very experienced," said Mark Annick, Androvett's senior vice president of news and public relations. "They are exactly the kinds of colleagues you would want in the boat pulling the oars with you. And I'm honored to say I work with them."
Androvett is an award-winning, full-service marketing and public relations agency with unparalleled experience serving the communications needs of businesses and organizations across the U.S. Now in its 27th year, Androvett has offices in Dallas, Houston, and Austin. For a listing of agency services, visit www.androvett.com.
Contact:
Mark Annick
800-559-4534
mark@androvett.com
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SOURCE Androvett Legal Media & Marketing | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/androvett-legal-media-amp-marketing-promotes-april-arias-barry-pound-robert-tharp-directors-public-relations/ | 2022-04-13T20:03:18 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/androvett-legal-media-amp-marketing-promotes-april-arias-barry-pound-robert-tharp-directors-public-relations/ |
DALLAS, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- International stone purveyor Aria Stone Gallery, announced that it is placing philanthropy at the forefront of its mission by working with organizations based in the different countries where they source their natural stone. Aria Stone Gallery believes in giving back and providing support to these communities.
"It is our belief that working side by side with our community partners will enrich the lives of all who participate, position these organizations and communities for a more sustainable future and make the world a better place," says Founder/CEO Vinny Tavares.
Aria Stone Gallery has begun to support organizations such as Futuro Bom. The Brazilian non-profit, established in 2013, uses tennis and education as a tool for social inclusion and development of children and young adults in vulnerable situations. Since its inception, the organization has served more than 400 children and young adults in Rio de Janeiro.
Having forged a strong relationship with this organization previously, this year Aria Stone Gallery will be increasing the number of programs that they support. For example, in the "Awarded Passport" Project, the best students/athletes on and off the court gain transformative experiences; one child will have the chance to train at IMG in Orlando with one of the greatest coaches of all time, Nick Bollettieri. A total of 300 children will benefit from a unique opportunity to use sports to change their lives.
About Aria Stone Gallery
Aria Stone Gallery provides a curated collection of hand-selected, exotic natural stone from the most exclusive quarries around the world. Each stone is a unique piece of artwork. As a luxury stone purveyor, slabs are displayed in an art gallery-like environment to best showcase the full beauty of each stone. The constant pursuit of the perfect slab is what truly defines Aria as a unique stone boutique. Aria Stone Gallery sells globally both to the trade and direct to the public. As a transparent company, all stones have sizes, country of origin, and pricing displayed on each of the stone materials. For more information, please visit www.ariastonegallery.com or contact April Graves, COO/Partner, at 844.425.2742.
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SOURCE Aria Stone Gallery | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/aria-stone-gallery-places-philanthropy-forefront-its-mission/ | 2022-04-13T20:03:24 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/aria-stone-gallery-places-philanthropy-forefront-its-mission/ |
IPX1031 Expands Mountain Region with Ashleigh Price as VP, National Accounts in Utah
SALT LAKE CITY, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Investment Property Exchange Services, Inc. (IPX1031) is pleased to announce the addition of Ashleigh Price as Vice President, National Accounts to the IPX1031 Mountain team.
Price joins forces with her former colleague, Mark Bullock who is the Regional Attorney Manager for IPX1031's Mountain Region. Together they bring Utah the most comprehensive 1031 knowledge, tools, and solutions that the 1031 industry can offer.
"We are excited to have a respected and well-rounded industry veteran who understands the nuances of 1031 Exchange strategy and will help bridge the strengths of industry partners," said Jennifer Keen, IPX1031 Executive Vice President and manager of Western Operations. "As our company, and in particular our Mountain Region, faces unprecedented growth, Ashleigh is an excellent addition to our already impressive team."
With a focus on providing exceptional quality of service, Price's goal is to nurture long-term relationships through a foundation of loyalty and trust. Price brings over 10 years of 1031 Exchange, CRE, property management, wealth management and instructional experience to IPX1031.
Price's responsibilities will include educating and consulting with clients as well as tax, legal, and real estate professionals to structure 1031 Tax-Deferred Exchanges locally at IPX1031's Utah headquarters and throughout the State.
Ashleigh Price can be reached at 801.419.6646, via email at ashleigh.price@ipx1031.com or on her webpage at www.ipx1031.com/price
About IPX1031
Investment Property Exchange Services, Inc. (IPX1031) is the largest and one of the oldest Qualified Intermediaries in the United States. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial, a Fortune 500 company, IPX1031 provides industry leading security for exchange funds as well as expertise and experience in facilitating all types of 1031 Exchanges. IPX1031's nationwide staff, which includes industry experts, veteran attorneys and accountants, are available to provide answers and guidance to clients and their legal and tax advisors. For more information about IPX1031 visit www.ipx1031.com.
For more information, contact:
Jennifer Keen, EVP, Western Regional Manager
jennifer.keen@ipx1031.com
(760) 672-5368
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SOURCE IPX1031 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/ashleigh-price-joins-ipx1031-utah/ | 2022-04-13T20:03:31 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/ashleigh-price-joins-ipx1031-utah/ |
BairesDev® reached 334 new clients in 2021, an average client relationship length of over 3 years, and 161% revenue growth since 2020.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Business Intelligence Group™ today announced that BairesDev, a leading technology solutions company, is the winner of its 2022 Excellence in Customer Service Award.
The award highlights the company's efforts to revamp its most-requested services and focus on meeting clients' needs and helping them achieve their business goals. BairesDev's customer-centric approach has created tangible results for the company, including 334 new clients in 2021, an average client relationship length of over 3 years, and 161% revenue growth since 2020.
"At BairesDev, we know that customer service is the bedrock of any strong partnership," said Nacho De Marco, CEO and Founder of BairesDev. "That is why we consistently prioritize client needs and focus on proactively adapting to the latest trends in our clients' industries."
BairesDev also constantly strives for adapting to clients' needs, including through its solution architects service, which offers a two-week design sprint in which the company provides a detailed communications plan, defined architecture and technical approach, and product roadmap and backlog with security and non-technical requirements.
"Customer service professionals and suppliers have had to make significant changes to adopt to our evolving world," said Maria Jimenez, chief nominations officer of the Business Intelligence Group. "It is our honor to recognize BairesDev as they are leading by example and making real progress on improving the daily lives of so many."
In addition, in 2021, BairesDev's Net Promoter Score grew by 5 points compared to 2020. The company has a score of 4.9 in Clutch©, the leading ratings and reviews platform for IT, where its clients have highlighted the performance of its services.
Additional information about the Excellence in Customer Service Award here: https://www.bintelligence.com/excellence-in-customer-service-awards
About BairesDev
BairesDev is a leading Nearshore Technology Solutions company that architects and engineers scalable and high-performing software solutions to meet all kinds of business challenges. Using its deep tech expertise and cross-industry experience, BairesDev evolves digital transformation into digital acceleration. The ultimate goal is to create lasting value throughout the entire digital transformation journey. With 5,000+ seasoned engineers in 36 countries, BairesDev provides time zone aligned services to empower Fortune 500 companies and leading brands. Working for clients like Google, Rolls-Royce, Johnson & Johnson, Pinterest, and ViacomCBS, the company has been reimagining the tech landscape for over a decade.
For more information, please visit https://www.bairesdev.com
About Business Intelligence Group
The Business Intelligence Group was founded with the mission of recognizing true talent and superior performance in the business world. Unlike other industry award programs, these programs are judged by business executives having experience and knowledge. The organization's proprietary and unique scoring system selectively measures performance across multiple business domains and then rewards those companies whose achievements stand above those of their peers.
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SOURCE BairesDev | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/bairesdev-awarded-its-customer-centric-approach/ | 2022-04-13T20:03:37 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/bairesdev-awarded-its-customer-centric-approach/ |
SAN DIEGO, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bluewater Resort & Casino and Quick Custom Intelligence ("QCI") jointly announced that the QCI Slot Platform is currently being deployed by their property in Parker, Arizona. QCI Slots allows you to optimize your gaming product mix by understanding player interaction at a deeper level, which machines perform best, and which to remove from your floor without impacting revenue. The platform is currently being installed and the team will begin training soon.
"After a careful selection process, we evaluated QCI as having the most comprehensive slot analytic solution in the gaming analytics space. The solution enables us to address critical questions in what is now a very dynamic and ever-changing gaming market," said Phil Hall, Director of Slots for Bluewater Resort & Casino. "Furthermore, the QCI gaming community approach to a business relationship allows us to collaborate to meet our current and future needs."
CEO of QCI, Dr. Ralph Thomas, stated "we are honored that Bluewater Resort & Casino has begun deploying the QCI Slots tool to assist with managing and optimizing their slot and table games mix. Our growing partnership exemplifies the importance of the QCI collaborative philosophy in regards to continued enhancement of our products. With over 50 casino resorts in North America and over 3,000 sites worldwide using our tools, we are confident our highly configurable product will meet the dynamic needs of Blue Water Resort & Casino."
Opened in 1999, Bluewater Resort & Casino (www.bluewaterfun.com), along the shores of the Colorado River in Parker, Ariz., is fast becoming the entertainment capital of western Arizona. An enterprise of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, each of the 200 Bluewater hotel rooms overlook the river and mountains. The resort offers over 500 slot machines, table games, a poker room and a bingo hall. Nationally renowned celebrities appear regularly at the Bluewater Amphitheater and Show Room. The resort has a marina and several restaurants, along with the Wake Board Island wake board cable park.
The QCI Platform aligns player development, marketing and gaming with powerful real-time operational tools developed for the gaming and hospitality industries. QCI has installed their ground-breaking, highly configured software in over 3,000 sites across four continents. QCI products provide tooling for gaming operators managing over $10 billion in annual gross gaming revenue, these products are built on the QCI Platform, a best-in-class on-premises, hybrid or cloud-based technology that enables fully coordinated activities across gaming or hospitality operations. This data-driven software allows for quick, informed decisions in the ever-changing world of the casino industry and assists casinos in their efforts to optimize resources and profits, manage marketing campaigns and increase customer loyalty. QCI was founded by Dr. Ralph Thomas and Mr. Andrew Cardno. Based in San Diego, QCI also has offices in Las Vegas, St. Louis, Dallas & Phoenix. Main phone number: (858) 299.5715 www.QuickCustomIntelligence.com
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SOURCE Quick Custom Intelligence | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/bluewater-resort-amp-casino-is-deploying-quick-custom-intelligences-slot-platform/ | 2022-04-13T20:03:43 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/bluewater-resort-amp-casino-is-deploying-quick-custom-intelligences-slot-platform/ |
BREDA, The Netherlands, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions, a European leader in equipment financing that managed more than €35.7 billion worth of assets in 2021, has selected Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions and its suite of remarketing tools to optimize its asset valuation and management workflows.
"It is key for us to be able to estimate the value of the equipment we finance so we can include accurate residual values in our contracts and offer more attractive solutions to our customers," said Pierre Pavec, Asset Management and Circular Economy Manager at BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions. "With Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions' asset valuation curves, finance calculator, and Mascus' row listings data, we're able to refine our estimation models on all the equipment we finance and set up financing programs that meet the needs of our clients and partners."
Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions technology enables banks, leasing companies and other industrial equipment owners to streamline their asset tracking, valuation, and disposition workflows. Users get access to a comprehensive database with millions of commercial asset transactions, allowing them to make data-driven decisions on instalment rates, risk exposure, and more. Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions' valuation services help finance companies monitor and meet the Basel risk and regulatory requirements.
Asset disposition workflows are built into the software so users can easily push their assets to a selling channel of choice, including unreserved auctions, a reserved online marketplace, and a leading ad listing website. Other services can also be arranged from the platform, including repossession and logistics, intake inspections, refurbishing, advice on repossessed and end-of-lease assets, and more.
"We're very excited to have BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions on board, the world's largest vendor lease supplier," said Tim Scholte, VP and General Manager of Mascus and Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions. "It's a big step forward for the Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions platform that we're continuously developing and we're looking forward to working with the BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions team to help them optimize their asset valuation."
BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions started using the Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions platform on April 1, 2022. Learn more about BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions at leasingsolutions.bnpparibas.com and about Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions at rbassetsolutions.com.
Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions is a web-based, mobile-friendly software tool that empowers equipment owners to track their assets with real-time market valuations, inspection and appraisal services, and sending equipment and truck inventory to multiple disposition channels with a simple click. The solution brings together a customizable suite of tools and services to help companies better manage, analyze, and sell assets. This includes an inventory management system, allowing dealers to easily list equipment for sale on their own centralized used equipment web shop, as well as local ones; an inspection app; and multilingual marketing tools.
As the European leader in asset finance, BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions supports the growth of its clients and industrial partners by offering rental and finance solutions with services for their professional equipment. At the heart of the usage economy, we provide businesses with the flexibility they need to remain competitive and grow in a sustainable way. Our 3,700 experts support our clients' and partners' growth by offering them an increasingly digitalised experience. In 2021, we financed 343,000 projects for a total volume of 14.7 billion euros in 20 countries, in Europe and also Asia, the United States and Canada.
Established in 1958, Ritchie Bros. (NYSE and TSX: RBA) is a global asset management and disposition company, offering customers end-to-end solutions for buying and selling used heavy equipment, trucks and other assets. Operating in a number of sectors, including construction, transportation, agriculture, energy, mining, and forestry, the company's selling channels include: Ritchie Bros. Auctioneers, the world's largest industrial auctioneer offering live auction events with online bidding; IronPlanet, an online marketplace with weekly featured auctions and providing the exclusive IronClad Assurance® equipment condition certification; Marketplace-E, a controlled marketplace offering multiple price and timing options; Ritchie List, a self-serve listing service for North America; Mascus, a leading European online equipment listing service; Ritchie Bros. Private Treaty, offering privately negotiated sales; and sector-specific solutions GovPlanet, TruckPlanet, and Kruse Energy. The Company's suite of solutions also includes Ritchie Bros. Asset Solutions and Rouse Services LLC, which together provides a complete end-to-end asset management, data-driven intelligence and performance benchmarking system; SmartEquip, an innovative technology platform that supports customers' management of the equipment lifecycle and integrates parts procurement with both OEMs and dealers; plus equipment financing and leasing through Ritchie Bros. Financial Services. For more information about Ritchie Bros., visit RitchieBros.com.
Photos and video for embedding in media stories are available at rbauction.com/media.
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SOURCE Ritchie Bros. | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/bnp-paribas-leasing-solutions-partners-with-ritchie-bros-asset-solutions-optimize-its-international-asset-valuation-strategy/ | 2022-04-13T20:03:52 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/bnp-paribas-leasing-solutions-partners-with-ritchie-bros-asset-solutions-optimize-its-international-asset-valuation-strategy/ |
CHELTENHAM, United Kingdom, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 'Wishcycling' describes the unfounded (although often well-intentioned) belief that something is recyclable even though it is not. * A recent survey** carried out by Rhyme & Reason, the eco-friendly haircare brand, found that:
67% of people admitted to regularly disposing of packaging in the hope that it will be recycled, without fully understanding if it can be.
86% admitted to feeling happier about their contribution to the planet when they were able to recycle packaging.
Making ethical beauty choices can be difficult, confusing, and often overwhelming leading to an increasingly heightened state of eco-anxiety. In fact, 61% of us struggle to tell if hair and skincare products are ethical from the packaging. ***
Habits such as 'Wishcycling' clearly signifies that eco-savvy consumers want to do their part in helping the planet and Rhyme & Reason is at the forefront of helping to provide the solution to this with their grounding breaking 100% recycled and recyclable packaging, meaning that both the bottle and the cap can be put straight into the recycling without the need to separate bottle, label and cap.
Environmental Psychologist Lee Chambers told the Future Laboratory in their Sustainable Futures Report, "The truth is that eco-anxiety is human functioning at its finest. There is no doubt in my mind that environmental wellbeing will become as focused on as personal wellbeing."**** To support this, another recent study found that 48% of beauty consumers are looking for more information and clarity about brands' values and commitments to the environment. Ingredients, recyclability of packaging and animal welfare were amongst the most frequently searched topics.*****
To ease eco-anxiety Rhyme & Reason are committed to taking positive action for our planet by empowering you to make an easy, convenient, and positive daily environmental impact with no new plastic in their bottles and caps. The brand believes that caring for the planet should be as easy as caring for your hair. The collection is rated 10/10 for performance*, boasts up to 97% naturally derived ingredients and offers sensational haircare for every hair type, in sustainable packaging.
Rhyme & Reason's collection of haircare products is housed in 100% recycled and recyclable HDPE bottles with a first of its kind 100% recycled cap that stays securely attached from first use through to the recycling stream, helping prevent ocean pollution and unnecessary landfill.
The HDPE comes from a post-consumer waste stream and even the masterbatch made to colour the bottles is made from recycled material. The unique bottle shape minimises plastic use and optimises transit packing efficiency, with bottles nestling perfectly together to minimise the shipping of 'air'. This means that all packaging can go into the recycling bin together, as the lid and base are uniquely made from the same type of material – no new plastic.
Each year, the brand donates 1% of their sales to environmental causes, helping to preserve and restore our planet for tomorrow. They have a long-standing donation to the Galapagos Conservation Trust's, Plastic Pollution Free Galapagos Programme.
"When even the most protected, precious wildlife havens on earth like Galapagos are under constant threat from marine plastics, incoming on every tide and every current, we know we must change as a society. But the change has to be real – 'Wishcycling' won't make any difference to the 8 tonnes of plastic arriving on Galapagos coastlines every year. Recycling is only a useful part of the solution to reduce the waste stream reaching our oceans if it's genuine. Fundamental innovation at the design stages of packaging is what we need, with products like Rhyme & Reason showing it is possible."
Says Andy Donnelly, Marine Scientist & Conservation Educator and Expert Advisor to Rhyme & Reason.
"Not only are Rhyme & Reason's ingredients natural, they also put hair and scalp health at the forefront of their formulations. We should treat our scalp with the same care that we use to treat our skin. Rhyme & Reason's ingredients are formulated to nourish the scalp and make sure it is in the best condition to grow beautiful and healthy hair."
Says Angela Onuoha, Certified Trichologist and Expert Advisor to Rhyme & Reason. Says Angela Onuoha, Certified Trichologist.
#NONEWPLASTIC rhymeandreasonhair.com
@rhymeandreason.haircare
Available in the US from Target RRP $8.99
Sources: *https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Wishcycling ** Rhyme & Reason independent survey, Poll of 500 participants UK & US cpnducted by Rnyme Reason March 2022 ***Poll of 2,000 adults conducted by We Do in June 2021****https://www.thefuturelaboratory.com/reports/2021/sustainability-futures *****Research carried out by Provenance of 23,000 Cult Beauty shoppers in 2019 and 2020
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SOURCE Rhyme & Reason | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/break-your-wishcyling-habit-with-rhyme-amp-reason/ | 2022-04-13T20:03:58 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/break-your-wishcyling-habit-with-rhyme-amp-reason/ |
SAN DIEGO, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The BXNG Club (BXNG), a transformative leader in combat sports and fitness, announced today its new location in the coastal town of Solana Beach, by acquiring long-time fitness club favorite, Fit Athletic Solana Beach. Effective April 30th, 2022, this will be BXNG's third overall location with 17,000 sq ft indoor and 3,000 sq ft outdoor space. With the reopening scheduled for June, this location is expected to serve approximately 2,000 members.
Known for uniquely combining authentic combat sports, elite coaching and luxury design, The BXNG Club has been San Diego's favorite since 1999, winning multiple awards and breaking enrollment records.
"This is an exciting way to emerge from the pandemic. But we've heard our customers and they want more locations around San Diego. We believe that BXNG will bring a unique energy and new exciting combat and fitness options to the coastal community, and we are thrilled to be a part of it. As we continue reaching capacity at our current locations, our plan is to continue building out in Northern San Diego and deliver our services to more communities before expanding to other California regions," said CEO and owner of The BXNG Club, Artem Sharoshkin. "We are very excited to build on Fit's commitment to luxury, elite facilities and history in Solana Beach and are grateful to use this opportunity to elevate and strategically evolve our brand. And being just a couple minutes away from the water is a nice complement to the feel of our club," he added.
The new club will include more than 50 heavy bags, professional full-size boxing rings, a grappling area, an indoor cycling studio, an outdoor functional training area, a specialized cardio deck & weight room, a recovery studio featuring cryotherapy, locker rooms, saunas, and a members' lounge. The BXNG Club offers a wide lineup of programs taught by world-class coaches ranging from boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, jiu-jitsu, yoga, strength training, cycling, high-intensity interval training, and more. With over 100 classes a week - unlimited classes is truly limitless.
The BXNG Club will be launching an exclusive pre-sale for founding members with a scheduled opening to follow in Summer 2022.
About The BXNG Club:
The BXNG Club has been a leader in the combat sports and fitness spaces since 1999. Known for creating award-winning locations with special attention to design and world-class instruction spanning from boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, Jiu-Jitsu, strength training, yoga, and other fitness disciplines. The BXNG Club emphasizes premier fitness clubs with an emphasis on lifestyle, community and learning from former / current professional fighters.
Contact:
Mackie Dideriksen
mackenna.d@thebxngclub.com
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SOURCE The BXNG Club | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/bxng-club-expands-footprint-san-diego-with-new-solana-beach-club/ | 2022-04-13T20:04:05 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/bxng-club-expands-footprint-san-diego-with-new-solana-beach-club/ |
MIAMI LAKES, Fla., April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Officials at Catholic Hospice, part of the Catholic Health Services' post-acute care continuum, announced today that the organization has achieved the prestigious CHAP Medicare Deemed Status, awarded for the consistent high-quality levels of care they provide their patients.
"This will serve to differentiate Catholic Hospice from other hospice providers in the community and holds us to our continuing commitment to maintain the highest level in standards of patient-centered care. It was a fulfilling and learning experience from which we were able to reinforce specific areas of strength. As in everything we do, the team and team leaders deserve high praise and recognition for their efforts and dedication to the accreditation goals," comments Dian Backoff, executive director, Catholic Hospice.
CHAP (Community Health Accreditation Partner) is an independent, nonprofit accrediting body for home and community-based health care organizations. Created in 1965 as a joint venture between the American Public Health Association and the National League for Nursing, CHAP was the first accrediting body for home and community-based health care organizations in the United States. CHAP brings insights, best practices and thought leadership to the organizations it serves, improving the care and services they provide. The accreditation process involves a series of site visits, on site surveys and reviews leading to the ultimate determination.
For over 30 years, Catholic Hospice has served as a source of comfort and care for the South Florida community. Serving all faiths, we are a not-for-profit hospice provider dedicated to giving those with a life-limiting prognosis the supportive, quality care they deserve. Our highly trained staff members spend more hours a day with patients and their loved ones than any other hospice provider in Miami-Dade and Broward counties. We provide control, comfort and choices to those with serious, life-limiting illnesses. For additional information, www.catholichospice.org.
Contact: Dian Backoff
(954) 818-3348
dbackoff@catholichospice.org
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SOURCE Catholic Health Services | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/catholic-hospice-achieves-chap-accreditation/ | 2022-04-13T20:04:12 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/catholic-hospice-achieves-chap-accreditation/ |
- New perpetual futures trading available on CrossTower's Bermuda digital exchange
- Enhances service offering for qualified traders
- Facilitates the shaping of risk for enhanced portfolio construction
NEW YORK, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- CrossTower Inc., one of the world's fastest and leading crypto and digital asset exchanges, is pleased to announce the launch of perpetual futures trading, now available on CrossTower's Bermuda digital exchange.
Perpetual futures are derivatives contracts that, unlike traditional futures contracts, are not limited to a predetermined expiration date. The product provides an opportunity for CrossTower's growing customer base to take long and/or short positions, consistent with their portfolio and risk objectives.
Available through the CrossTower Global Pro platform, perpetual futures trading is offered to qualified clients on an institutional grade and regulated platform. In the coming weeks, CrossTower intends to rollout perpetual futures trading in 20 top name tokens.
Kapil Rathi, Co-founder & CEO of CrossTower, said: "Perpetual futures provides investors critical tools that can facilitate and shape their investment objectives. The advantages of perpetual futures trading are truly compelling for portfolio construction, and we are thrilled to be contributing to the maturation of the digital asset ecosystem. CrossTower is developing cutting edge trading products and we are excited to be at the forefront of innovation."
The crypto futures market has seen immense growth in the last couple of years driven by both retail and institutional demand. Bitcoin perpetual futures, seen as a barometer for demand for crypto derivatives, hit record open interest in 2021, with average volumes of approximately $62 billion per day globally throughout last year. In March 2022, open interest in Bitcoin and Ether perpetual futures stands at c. $18 billion and $8 billion, respectively. (Source: Coinglass)
By expanding its suite of existing market-leading products with the addition of a perpetual futures trading capability, CrossTower is breaking down barriers to investors of all types, allowing them to reap the considerable benefits of crypto assets through a single institution-grade, reliable platform backed by advanced technology. CrossTower offers a low-cost trading model with superior execution based on its unrivalled capital markets expertise and track record. CrossTower posted record trading volume in Q4 2021, with volume growing over 600% from the year ago period and more than 100% from the prior quarter.
Learn more about futures trading through CrossTower Global Pro platform.
For further information, please contact: media@crosstower.com
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SOURCE CrossTower | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/crosstower-introduces-perpetual-futures-trading/ | 2022-04-13T20:04:19 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/crosstower-introduces-perpetual-futures-trading/ |
Double Gold and Gold Awarded Across Several Spirit Categories
SAN DIEGO, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego-based distillery, Cutwater Spirits, is proud to announce exciting new wins from the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition (SFWSC). This week, Cutwater brought home top honors for five of its bottled spirits including a Double Gold for Cutwater Mezcal Joven and Gold medals for Cutwater Tequila Blanco, Cutwater Tequila Reposado, Bali Hai Tiki Gold Rum, and Devils Share American Whiskey. SFWSC is the oldest, largest and one of the most respected competitions of its kind, and this year, Cutwater earned 36 total awards across the brand's portfolio of bottled spirits and canned cocktails.
The Competition judging panels consist of some of the industry's most esteemed and renowned industry experts, including Anthony Dias Blue (Tasting Panel) and Jeffrey Morgenthaler (Clyde Common). The 2022 competition was the largest ever with 5,000 spirits from more than 40 countries entered.
To date, Cutwater Spirits has earned over 1950 awards across its portfolio, reflecting Co-Founder and Master Distiller Yuseff Cherney's passion and unwavering commitment to quality and innovation.
"It is a truly important honor to be recognized by this esteemed competition," comments Cherney. "These awards speak to the entire team's dedication to making world-class spirits and canned cocktails."
Cutwater will continue to release new, bar-quality canned cocktails and spirits. Follow Cutwater Spirits on Instagram to stay up to date on the latest.
About Cutwater Spirits: Cutwater Spirits, the most awarded canned cocktail brand in the U.S., is a San Diego-based distillery known for its award-winning lineup of over 20 canned cocktail classics made from its portfolio of bottled spirits that span nearly every spirit category including tequila, vodka, rum, gin, whiskey and liqueur. Co-Founder and Master Distiller Yuseff Cherney began distilling as a side project under Ballast Point Brewing. He started canning cocktails because he wanted to make drinks he could enjoy while doing the things he likes to do (mostly fishing and hiking). In 2017, Cutwater Spirits was established as a separate entity from the brewery and now operates from a 50,000 square foot distillery and production facility, which includes a world-class tasting room and restaurant. To date, Cutwater has earned over 195o awards across its portfolio of products and is distributed in 50 states. Learn more at www.CutwaterSpirits.com or follow @cutwatersprits on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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SOURCE Cutwater Spirits | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/cutwater-spirits-scores-top-honors-san-francisco-world-spirits-competition-2022/ | 2022-04-13T20:04:26 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/cutwater-spirits-scores-top-honors-san-francisco-world-spirits-competition-2022/ |
- The Vayanne is the manifesto of the DEUS design language of symmetry and infinity that sculpts the car's character.
- DEUS, Italdesign, and Williams Advanced Engineering stand as one to lead the way to luxury electric hypercars with the Vayanne production-oriented concept.
- With predicted power of more than 2,200 horsepower (1,640 kW), over 2,000 Nm (1,475 lb-ft) of torque, and a top speed of more than 400 km/h (248 mph) and 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) delivered in under 1.99 seconds, the Vayanne is a seamless blend of outstanding performance and perfect design1.
- The production version of the Vayanne will be limited to a series of 99 units, with the first delivery in 20252.
- Unique market position thanks to the fusion of timeless aspects of design and functionality paired with cutting-edge performance figures and technology, which is second to none in the EV segment.
- DEUS Vayanne is the oasis of luxury in the world of electric hypercars.
Three Brands, One Mission – Reimagining the Most Powerful Electric Hypercar in History
NEW YORK, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- DEUS Automobiles, Italdesign, and Williams Advanced Engineering stand as one to inspire the way to luxury electric hypercars. This unique partnership emerged DEUS' ambition to design and create an electric hypercar set to become the benchmark of driving emotion. Our dedication to achieving perfection is further refined by Italdesign's heritage and skills and Williams Advanced Engineering's ground-breaking electrification technologies.
The Vayanne design concept began to take shape in 2020 at DEUS Automobiles, and from the start it embodied the idea of merging an everlasting spirit with modernity and paying homage to DEUS' Viennese roots.
Vayanne is the result of the three-way collaboration of philosophies and commitments with a shared goal of producing the first electric vehicle in automotive history to cross the 2,200 horsepower1 mark while delivering a comfortable and luxurious ride, outstanding performance figures, and maximum daily usability in the hypercar class.
With a ground clearance of 12 cm (4.7 inches) and useable storage space, the car integrates performance and practicality, while harnessing an acceleration figure of under 1.99 seconds1 for the 100 km/h (0-62 mph) launch truly deserves the title of master of versatility.
"We are really satisfied with the results achieved with the Vayanne, in this first phase of our collaboration with DEUS. Thanks to our distinctive experience in low series vehicle development and manufacturing, we are able to provide our technical support and know-how. Moreover, we are excited to apply and integrate the innovative technologies provided by our partner Williams Advanced Engineering," said Marco Volpengo, Italdesign head of automotive business development Europe.
Our Vision is the Name Itself: Vayanne – Proudly Named After the Heart of Europe
DEUS Vayanne is a testimonial of seamlessly blending modern technology with timeless aspects of design, functionality, and interaction to deliver our ultimate promise: to breathtakingly break the boundaries between luxury and the future, just like the city of Vienna itself, that has endured for centuries while continuously evolving.
In this regard, DEUS is further confirming its Austrian heritage of outstanding quality standards brought to life with flair and passion.
Exterior Design – A Concept of Symmetry and Infinity
"At DEUS, design is not merely about the looks, it is an integrated concept that reflects the marque's main credo: to effortlessly combine exquisite design and functionality with cutting-edge technology in the EV hypercar segment. To showcase this harmony, we chose to stylise the Vayanne around the idea of symmetry and geometric alignment of its lines and design features," said Adrian-Filip Butuca, head of design at DEUS.
In this regard, the shape of the front and rear grilles is made to represent the infinity loop. The parametric grilles convey even more of a holistic approach through the meticulously aligned pattern that gradually increases in fade intensity. The pattern of the parametric grilles is represented by hexagonal shapes that continuously flow into each other to create the desired effect of angel wings being enclosed by the uninterrupted taillight strip in the rear and to further increase the premium feeling of the car's stance in the front. Thus, the needed airflow for the cooling system and aerodynamic performance is assured, while maintaining the shape of the infinity symbol.
Furthermore, for every air duct there is another matching air duct to keep the styling in line with the symmetry while ensuring the angles of those ducts are geometrically aligned. This is the result of DEUS and Italdesign styling and engineering departments working hand-in-hand to make no compromises between design and feasibility and to achieve maximum performance.
Interior Design – The Oasis of Luxury in the EV Segment
Smooth yet dominant curves combined with refined geometry give the DEUS Vayanne its timeless aspect of exterior and interior design. We are embracing the ergonomic positioning of physical controls that are easy to use and let the driver focus on the most important thing – driving. Sporting a fully digital instrument cluster and control display this creates the ideal blend of experiences.
The 100-percent electric heart of Vayanne is fitted with green interiors. The natural leather selected for the upholstery was treated and produced combining sustainable, technologically advanced solutions throughout the production process, with strong commitment to zero waste for a circular economy model.
The two nuances featured on the launch configuration of the Vayanne, white and black, illustrate the synergy between purity, perfection, beauty and naturalness on the one hand and elegance, technology and avant-garde on the other.
DEUS is the first in the automotive industry to implement the Halo Infinity mirror throughout a vehicle's interior. This innovative design feature as applied in the DEUS Vayanne is vital to carrying over DEUS' infinity theme from the production-oriented hypercar concept's exterior to its interior. It embraces the whole interior from the doors throughout the dashboard and connotes the infinite feeling of DEUS. The effect changes in regard to the viewing angle, a trait incorporated to suggest that everyone's view is unique.
We put very high consideration in the way the Vayanne sounds, that is why we are determined to develop a configurable DEUS Active Sound to further enhance the driving experience.
The Production Version of the DEUS Vayanne will Feature Expert Technical Support from Italdesign and Williams Advanced Engineering
Williams Advanced Engineering and Italdesign are no strangers to collaboration; announcing a unique partnership in April 2021 for a high performance, flexible EV platform; EVX, supporting a long-term vision for EV architecture.
This rolling chassis utilised Williams Advanced Engineering's expertise in electrification, light-weighting, innovative chassis structures and vehicle and system integration.
The collaboration with DEUS represents an exciting opportunity to showcase another new approach of Williams Advanced Engineering's electrification and production capabilities, together with Italdesign's engineering and styling proficiency.
Dyrr Ardash, head of strategic partnerships, Williams Advanced Engineering said, "Building on our existing and successful collaborative partnership with Italdesign, we are delighted to be part of the world premiere for the DEUS Vayanne, a hypercar that seeks to combine luxury with ultimate performance. Working as the Electrification and Technology Partner, we look forward to employing our expertise in electrification to support the programme's performance targets."
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About DEUS Automobiles
DEUS Automobiles – established in Vienna, Austria, in 2020 – aims to stand out in the increasingly competitive hypercar sector by offering its fresh and objective vision and innovative concepts in terms of luxury, performance, and exclusivity, and DEUS is poised to become a hypercar driving experience touchstone.
The inspiration for the DEUS brand name is a powerful, shining entity and the idea of timeless strength and precision driving creativity and innovation. The embodiment of this concept is DEUS Automobiles Head of Design, Adrian-Filip Butuca. This inspired designer's daily commitment is fueled by his passion, dedication, and determination, and it is the vital spark that ignites DEUS Automobiles' mission as it enters the international landscape with its signature logo: a lightning bolt.
The DEUS lightning bolt aligns with the company's focus on 100-percent electric propulsion technology that will power the ultra-limited, high-performance hypercars DEUS Automobiles will create with the technical support from Italdesign and Williams Advanced Engineering.
With 50-years of experience and expertise developing pre-series and limited and ultra-limited production vehicles at its Torino, Italy headquarters, Italdesign can offer DEUS Automobiles the strategic and technical support necessary to help get its creative visions ready for the road while playing the role of enabling and integrating emerging and innovative vehicle technologies.
DEUS Automobiles is part of a group of businesses with more than 30 years of success in industries ranging from publishing to packaging and is active in today's broader mobility ecosystem and is committed to an exploratory approach towards product, business, and collaborative innovation.
1 computer simulated performance, not validated
2 projected delivery date
Contact
Gary FONG
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS
press@deusautomobiles.com
+1 678 772 8385
DEUS Automobiles GmbH
Sterngasse 3/2/6
1010 Vienna, Austria
DEUS Automobiles GmbH. All rights reserved.
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SOURCE DEUS Automobiles GmbH | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/deus-vayanne-makes-world-debut-new-york-international-auto-show/ | 2022-04-13T20:04:32 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/deus-vayanne-makes-world-debut-new-york-international-auto-show/ |
During ECW's high-level mission – with strategic partners USAID, FCDO/UK and Theirworld – USAID announced a new $18 million contribution.
CHISINAU, Moldavia, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Expanding on Education Cannot Wait's (ECW) US$5 million Ukraine First Emergency Response grant announced in March, ECW today announced a new, initial US$1.5 million allocation to support the education in emergencies response for the Ukraine refugee crisis in Moldova while on mission with strategic partners USAID, FCDO/UK and Theirworld. This new allocation brings ECW's total Ukraine crisis education response to US$6.5 million to date.
The new grant will be delivered in partnership with the Government of Moldova to ensure refugee children and youth can access safe and protective learning opportunities. Investments will also benefit children in the host communities.
During the high-level mission, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced an additional US$18 million contribution to the ECW global trust fund to further support ECW education responses in crisis-impacted countries across the globe. This contribution makes the USA the third largest donor to ECW – the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises – after Germany and the UK.
With an estimated US$30 million funding gap for the emergency education response in Ukraine, ECW calls on donors and strategic partners to urgently provide additional funding to respond to the vast humanitarian crisis unfolding across the region.
According to recent reports, approximately 400,000 people have crossed the border into Moldova fleeing the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine since February. While the majority continued their journey towards other neighboring countries and Western Europe, Moldova hosts today an estimated 100,000 refugees. These include about 50,000 refugee girls and boys, of whom only 1,800 are currently enrolled in school.
"Refugee children from Ukraine have fled a brutal war and have arrived dispossessed and traumatized in Moldova. Public schools are open to refugee children, however the capacity is over-stretched and there is a need for urgent mental health and psycho-social services, sanitation, and teachers to respond to the influx of pre-school and school-aged refugee children," said Yasmine Sherif, Director of Education Cannot Wait.
The war is putting children and adolescents living in Ukraine at grave risk. Recent estimates indicate that almost 5 million refugees have fled Ukraine, with an additional 7.1 million people internally displaced. All school-age children in Ukraine have seen their education disrupted by the conflict, and according to the latest estimates, more than 900 education facilities have been destroyed or damaged in the fighting, and as many as 3.3 million school-aged children require urgent humanitarian assistance.
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SOURCE Education Cannot Wait | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/education-cannot-wait-moldova-with-strategic-partners-scaling-up-its-ukraine-crisis-regional-education-response-us65-million-crisis-affected-children-youth/ | 2022-04-13T20:04:39 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/education-cannot-wait-moldova-with-strategic-partners-scaling-up-its-ukraine-crisis-regional-education-response-us65-million-crisis-affected-children-youth/ |
$220,000 in Grants Presented to Winners During Ellucian Live 2022
RESTON, Va., April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This week during Ellucian Live, the higher education industry's top global technology conference, Ellucian announced the winners of the 2022 Ellucian Impact Awards. The annual awards, from Ellucian, the leading higher education technology solutions provider, celebrate visionaries in higher education who are inspiring others to push the boundaries of technology and innovation.
This year, eight winners spanning four categories, will each receive a $25,000 grant in recognition of their commitment to driving student success. In addition, four Rising Star recipients will each receive a $5,000 grant. The 2022 Impact Award Winners and Rising Stars are:
- Allan Hancock College - Digital Transformation
- Universidad de Monterrey - Digital Transformation
- Fordham University – Innovation
- Troy University - Innovation
- Atlanta Technical College - Student Experience
- Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University – Student Experience
- Colorado State University and Colorado State University, Pueblo – Change Leadership
- Southeast Community College – Change Leadership
- University College Cork – Rising Star
- College of New Caledonia – Rising Star
- Hampton University – Rising Star
- American University of Kuwait – Rising Star
"The Ellucian Impact Awards recognize institutions using technology to solve challenges, operate more efficiently, and offer a better student experience. This year's winners are incredibly inspiring and demonstrate true leadership in driving transformation in higher education," said Laura Ipsen, President and CEO, Ellucian. "We are honored to partner with institutions to deliver the modern solutions that empower and enable our customers to exceed students' evolving expectations."
More information about the 2022 Impact Award categories and winners is below.
Digital Transformation – Recognizing higher education institutions using digital technology to improve process efficiency and business value.
Allan Hancock College - Santa Maria, California
Allan Hancock College, a Hispanic Serving Institution serving 12,000 students in Santa Maria, California, received the Digital Transformation award for their creation of "Credit Where Credit's Due" - a program using Ellucian Banner and Degree Works to automatically award degrees to students near completion. Eliminating the need for students to apply for graduation, a third of all degrees in 2020-2021 were a result of this unique initiative.
Universidad de Monterrey - San Pedro Garza García, Mexico
Based in San Pedro Garza Carcia, Mexico, Universidad de Monterrey was recognized with an Impact Award in the Digital Transformation category for the creation of a new student platform for registration, course adjustment, financial aid applications and payment leveraging Ellucian Banner. The new registration system is used by all our students at the university, additionally a pilot was carried out with 2,998 first semester students and advanced students to plan their trajectory where 86% of the students of this pilot use this implementation, led to 93% less unfinished inquiries from the online chatbot, 84% less unfinished calls, and a 99% reduction in complaints related to system failure.
Innovation – Recognizing higher education institutions leveraging technology innovation to support a reimagined higher education experience
Fordham University – New York, New York
Serving more than 17,000 students across multiple campuses, Fordham University was presented an Innovation award for its use of data integration between Ellucian Ethos and PeopleAdmin to make talent acquisition more efficient and bring the hiring process online. Leveraging Ellucian cloud technology, the integration increased the institution's reach to the talent community through job boards resulting in 800-900 applications received for 60 open positions. Fifty percent of Fordham's recent hires came from the new online career portal.
Troy University – Troy, Alabama
Ellucian presented an Innovation award to Troy University for its new use of Ellucian Workflow to establish a way for students to apply for additional funds due to exceptional needs brought on by Covid. Using Ellucian Ethos to pull data from Ellucian Colleague, the institution minimized risk of user input errors throughout the process. As a result, the institution was able to save time in processing nearly 9,800 applications and distribute approximately $4M to more than 5,500 students in need.
Student Experience – Celebrating the work higher education institutions are accomplishing in support of evolving student needs and diversity among the student population; recognizing technology impacts on the student experience.
Atlanta Technical College – Atlanta, Georgia
Part of the Technical College System of Georgia, Atlanta Technical College is a recipient of the Student Experience award for its commitment to supporting economic mobility to its largely minority student body through career coaching and internship opportunities. Using Ellucian Banner, a comprehensive ERP system, the institution embraced greater collaboration and cohesion across the community. In partnership with the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta Committee for Progress, Atlanta Technical College increased graduation and retention rates and achieved a 13 percent enrollment increase in career related programs.
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University – Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University offers degrees in nursing, health sciences, humanities, behavioral sciences and natural sciences. With a focus on proactively engaging at-risk students, the University implemented an early alert system leveraging Ellucian's CRM Advise. As a result, retention rates at the institution increased by 10 percent, graduation rates increased from 57 percent to 67 percent for nurses over three years, and there was dramatic increase in collaboration between academic advisors and faculty.
Change Leadership – Recognizing school leaders who led ambitious technology initiatives; demonstrating skills and expertise to successfully manage change across multiple stakeholders – a new category for 2022.
Colorado State University – Fort Collins, Colorado and Colorado State University, Pueblo – Pueblo, Colorado
Amidst the challenges of Covid and Colorado wildfires, two institutions within the Colorado State University system implemented a shared IT system Banner SIS, replacing outdated on-premise platforms with a modern cloud environment providing greater efficiencies and a superior suite of tools for managing students and student information. Colorado State University and Colorado State University, Pueblo recognized the consolidation of hundreds of academic policies and processes, as well as combined workflows, procedures, data elements and integrations. As part of this project, new financial aid capabilities reduced credit card processing costs, saving over $20K for the first three months following implementation, with over $400K in savings expected over the next five years.
Southeast Community College – Lincoln, Nebraska
As a data-driven decision-making institution, Southeast Community College relies on Ellucian Colleague to successfully complete initiatives and deliver a positive user experience serving areas such as student affairs, instruction, bill-paying, and human resources more effectively. SCC leadership embraced a new strategic plan that included transforming its academic calendar from quarters to semesters and developing a new academic advising model using CRM Advise.
For more information on the Ellucian Impact Awards, visit: https://www.ellucian.com/impact-award
About Ellucian
Ellucian is charting the digital future of higher education with a portfolio of cloud-ready technology solutions and services. From student recruitment to workforce analytics; from fundraising opportunities to alumni engagement; Ellucian's comprehensive suite of data-rich tools gives colleges and universities the information they need to lead with confidence.
Working with a community of more than 2,700 customers in over 50 countries, Ellucian keeps innovating as higher education keeps evolving. Drawing on its comprehensive higher education business acumen and suite of services, Ellucian guides its customers through manageable, sustainable digital transformation—so that every type of institution and student can thrive in today's fast-changing landscape. To find out what's next in higher education solutions and services, visit Ellucian at www.ellucian.com.
Media Contact
Lindsay Stanley
Lindsay.Stanley@Ellucian.com
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Enhancements Position Recipebox.com to Become the #1 Place to Search, Save, and Shop Any Online or Personal Recipe
BIRMINGHAM, Ala., April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- eMeals, the leading digital meal planning and grocery shopping platform, today announced the acquisition of RecipeBox, a highly rated app enabling consumers to save and organize their favorite online and offline recipes in a central location for easy access. eMeals will maintain RecipeBox as a separate brand with extensive enhancements designed to accelerate growth while also using the app to provide a new promotional channel for retailers and food and beverage companies.
Three related services now operate as part of the eMeals platform: eMeals, the subscription-based digital meal planning service offering a choice of 15 food styles and seamless online shoppability; RecipeBox, a free app with more than 200,000 users, a 4.8 rating and a searchable database of over 2 million user-imported recipes from across the web; and eMeals Grocery Connect, a software development kit (SDK) enabling other apps and websites to add integrated online grocery shopping functionality.
The addition of RecipeBox to the eMeals portfolio will enable the company to expand its footprint, advance its mission of helping home cooks get dinner on the table quickly and with greater variety, and provide new brand exposure opportunities for its CPG partners.
"Recipe collection on the web is fragmented, so consumers have no way to digitally store all the recipes they find in one place. RecipeBox solves that problem, allowing users to centrally save recipes from across the web along with their personal family recipes, those they've discovered in cookbooks and magazines, and the new meal inspiration they find within the huge RecipeBox database," said eMeals CEO Forrest Collier. "It's going to change the way people search, store and shop all of their favorite recipes."
The first RecipeBox enhancements since the eMeals acquisition include the recent launch of an Android version and the new ability to order groceries for pickup or delivery directly through the app from leading retailers such as Walmart, Instacart, Amazon, Kroger and Albertson's. Other planned RecipeBox upgrades include improved recipe discovery, browser extensions furnishing a new way to clip recipes from anywhere on the web, and an updated website providing synced access to users' personal recipes boxes from both mobile and desktop devices.
RecipeBox was launched four years ago by Andrew Kozlik, a software consultant for Travel + Leisure, and Tom Marks, a former developer with Universal Studios Orlando. Both have joined the eMeals team with Kozlik serving as Head of Product and Marks as Head of Development for the RecipeBox app.
"The eMeals team shares our vision of helping home cooks streamline the process of feeding their families," Kozlik said. "By combining our recipe aggregation abilities with the capabilities of the eMeals team and platform, we are going to deliver a much stronger product that we believe will become an essential tool for anyone who spends time in the kitchen."
"Our goal is to be the #1 place for home cooks to store all of their favorite recipes," Marks added. "We were well on our way before this acquisition, and joining forces with eMeals is allowing us to fast-track and expand our product roadmap by taking advantage of their technology and experience to take our app to the next level."
About eMeals
eMeals is a meal inspiration, planning and shopping platform that operates the subscription-based eMeals digital meal planning service, the free RecipeBox app enabling home cooks to create personalized digital cookbooks, and the Grocery Connect SDK providing online grocery shopping functionality for third-party apps and websites. eMeals has helped millions of families relieve the daily stress of putting healthy home-cooked meals on the table quickly, easily and affordably since the launch of its digital meal planning service. For more information, visit https://emeals.com and https://recipebox.com.
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SOURCE eMeals | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/emeals-expands-market-reach-with-acquisition-recipebox/ | 2022-04-13T20:04:54 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/emeals-expands-market-reach-with-acquisition-recipebox/ |
- 2023 Palisade Flagship SUV Offers Fresh Exterior and Interior Design
- New Convenience Technologies: 12-inch Navigation, WiFi Hotspot, Digital Key 2 Touch, New Bluelink Features and Driver's Ergo Motion Seat
- New Driver Assistance Technology: Remote Smart Parking Assist, Enhanced Forward Collision Avoidance and Highway Driving Assist
NEW YORK, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hyundai today unveiled its significantly enhanced 2023 Palisade SUV in a global debut at the New York International Auto Show. The new Palisade offers freshened interior and exterior design cues, new infotainment and safety features, and advanced driver assistance systems. The 2023 Palisade arrives at Hyundai dealers this summer.
"The enhanced 2023 Hyundai Palisade offers the design appeal and features worthy of Hyundai's flagship SUV," said Olabisi Boyle, vice president, product planning and mobility strategy, Hyundai Motor North America. "More than ever, Palisade is the ultimate family vehicle for daily use and memory-making road trips."
2023 Palisade New Enhancements and Available Features
Exterior
- New front and rear bumper fascia
- New front grille
- New headlamps and daytime running lights
- New multi-spoke alloy wheel design
- Auto-dimming outside mirrors
Interior
- New instrument panel, gauge cluster and audio interface design
- New steering wheel design
- New seating surfaces and materials
- Ergo-motion driver's seat
- 2nd-row armrest angle adjuster (8 passenger, first for Hyundai)
- Heated 3rd row seats (first application for Hyundai)
- Acoustic-laminated rear door glass (Calligraphy model)
Infotainment/Convenience Technology
- 12-inch navigation with 720p resolution
- Digital, full-display center rearview mirror (first application for Hyundai)
- WiFi hotspot (first application for Hyundai)
- Digital Key 2 Touch(compatible with iPhone and Android)
- New Bluelink features (see Bluelink detail)
- Enhanced USB-C ports replace USB-A ports (quicker charging up to 3 amps)
- Enhanced wireless device charging (from 5W to 15W)
- Enhanced dynamic voice recognition
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems
- Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist
- Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control
- Highway Driving Assist
- Reverse Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist
- Remote Smart Parking Assist
Passive Safety Technology
- Standard rear side-impact airbags
Flagship SUV Design
The design of the 2023 Palisade conveys dignified refinement with clear differentiation worthy of a flagship SUV. A wider, cascading grille form outlines rugged parametric shield elements for a premium appearance. The new forward lighting signature features vertically-connected LED composite lights that frame the grille creating a sharp-edged, technical appeal. New, 20-inch multi-spoke alloy wheels fill the wheel openings for a premium flagship presence. New strake detailing on the lower front skid plate element further conveys a rugged demeanor. The powerful, extended hood profile creates an impressive road presence, while bold C-pillars and panoramic side glass graphics convey generous third-row spaciousness. The rear view emphasizes a wide, stable stance via vertical LED taillamps and lower fascia skid plate details.
This design has aerodynamic benefits as well, with specific design cues that include a fast A-pillar angle, a rear spoiler side garnish, an optimized front cooling area with an extended internal air guide, aero underside panels, and rear wheel aero deflectors.
Intuitive Utility and Premium Design Elements
2023 Palisade now offers an innovative Ergo driver's seat designed to provide comfort and help reduce fatigue during long drives. Palisade's third-row seating now offers heating for its passengers, a first for Hyundai. The second row of seats now offers wing-out headrests and seat ventilation for extra comfort. For the driver, an available full-display digital center rearview mirror uses a rearview camera to allow the driver to clearly see behind the Palisade without the obstructions of passengers or cargo. New, slim horizontal air vents add a sense of spaciousness and premium ambience. The instrument panel has been redesigned for a more voluminous appearance with new ambient lighting themes.
Wireless charging capability has been upgraded from 5 watts to 15 watts for faster device charging. The 2023 Palisade supports the latest version of Hyundai Digital Key. Digital Key 2 Touch allows owners to leave their car key at home and use an iPhone, Apple Watch, or Samsung Galaxy smartphone to lock, unlock, and start their vehicle. After the car key has been added to Apple Wallet or Samsung Pass, users can simply hold the supported device near the door handle to lock or unlock the car. Touching an Apple Watch near or placing the phone in the wireless charger and then pressing the start button allows the driver to start the Palisade's engine. Apple Wallet or Samsung Pass also allows secure sharing of keys with family and friends. The 2023 Palisade is also the first Hyundai vehicle to offer Wi-Fi hotspot capability. Customers with cellular connectivity will be able to provide a hotspot that allows others to browse the internet, stream videos or music and more – just like at home.
The interior design combines a sense of relaxation and comfort creating a serene environment with eight-passenger seating standard for family adventures. The One-Touch second row seat allows for easy operation to move the seat forward and out of the way for easy access into and out of the third-row seat. For more convenience, the third row offers power-folding/unfolding and reclining seats. Second-row captain's chairs are also available. USB-C outlets have been added for faster device charging throughout the interior, providing extra convenience for all passengers. Even more, a conversation mirror allows the driver to clearly see passengers in the rear.
Ultrasonic Rear Occupant Alert monitors the rear seats to detect the movements of children and pets, reminding drivers to check the rear seats when exiting the vehicle; if the system detects movement in the rear seats after the driver leaves and locks the vehicle, it can sound the horn and send an alert to the driver's smartphone via Bluelink. The system is designed to help prevent children and pets from being forgotten in the car, but it can also help in case children accidentally lock themselves in.
Powertrain
Palisade power comes from an Atkinson-cycle 3.8-liter V6, dual CVVT, direct-injected engine, for excellent power and efficiency. This 3.8-liter powerplant produces an estimated 291 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and an estimated 262 lb.-ft. of torque @ 5,200 rpm. Palisade delivers that power to the wheels via a refined eight-speed automatic transmission with a multi-plate torque converter and offers both two-wheel and HTRAC® four-wheel-drive configurations, with a final drive ratio of 3.648 for confident acceleration. Palisade is extremely quiet, with generous under-hood insulation, special sound-deadening carpets and powertrain tuning that delivers smooth, linear response. In addition, Palisade offers drivers the ability to start the vehicle via remote key fob or via the Blue Link app.
HTRAC® With New Tow Mode Capability
The 2023 Palisade offers Hyundai's HTRAC® All-Wheel-Drive (AWD) system, which adds Tow Mode. Tow Mode adjusts the towing powertrain profile, holding lower gears longer and reducing the frequency of shifting response. The HTRAC AWD system was developed as a multi-mode system, providing an electronic, variable-torque-split clutch, with active torque control between the front and rear axles. The driver-selectable HTRAC Normal, Sport and Smart modes help provide confident control in all weather conditions. The Sport setting gives a more agile feel by sending more available torque to the rear wheels, for a sporty dynamic feel when desired. This system has a wider range of torque distribution variability than many competitive systems and has been tuned to conditions such as straight-line acceleration, medium- or high-speed cornering, and hill starts.
New Safety and Convenience Technologies
SUV buyers do not want to compromise when it comes to protecting their passengers, so Hyundai has expanded its safety technologies on the 2023 Palisade, with rear side-impact airbags as standard equipment to help provide additional occupant protection. Its generous suite of advanced driver assistance systems includes many innovative technologies, including Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist, Safe Exit Assist, Driver Attention Warning, High Beam Assist, Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control, Lane Following Assist, Highway Driving Assist, Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist, Reverse Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist and Remote Smart Parking Assist.
Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist
Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist helps to avoid collisions with objects in front of the vehicle while driving. If a preceding vehicle suddenly slows, or if a forward-collision risk is detected, such as a stopped vehicle or a pedestrian, it provides a warning. After the warning, if the risk of collision remains, it can assist with emergency braking. While driving, if there is a risk of collision with a cyclist ahead, or with an oncoming vehicle while turning at an intersection, it can help assist with emergency braking. While driving through an intersection, if there is a risk of collision with oncoming vehicles detected from the left or right, it can assist with emergency braking. When changing lanes while driving, if there is a risk of collision with an oncoming vehicle detected in the next lane or a preceding vehicle in the next lane, it can assist with steering to help avoid a collision. If there is a risk of collision with a pedestrian detected, partially in the vehicle's intended path, it can assist with steering to help avoid a collision.
Lane Keeping Assist
Lane Keeping Assist helps to keep the vehicle within the lane while driving.
Lane Following Assist
Lane Following Assist helps to keep the vehicle centered within the lane while driving.
Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist
Blind-Spot Collision-Avoidance Assist helps to avoid collisions with a rear-side vehicle when changing lanes. When operating the turn signal to change lanes, if there is a risk of collision detected with a rear-side vehicle, it can provide a warning. If exiting a parallel parking spot and there is a risk of collision detected with a rear-side vehicle, it can assist with emergency braking.
Safe Exit Assist
Safe Exit Assist can help avoid collisions with a rear-side vehicle detected when exiting the vehicle. When the occupant opens the door to exit the vehicle after a stop, if an approaching vehicle from the rear side is detected, it provides a warning. It can also help keep the rear door closed through operation of the electronic child lock when a potential collision is detected.
Driver Attention Warning
Driver Attention Warning analyzes the driver's attention while driving and can warn the driver of inattentive driving inputs.
High Beam Assist
High Beam Assist can help switch high beam lights on and off at night for approaching vehicles in the opposite oncoming lane.
Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control
Navigation-based Smart Cruise Control can help maintain safe speeds on the highway using navigation data. In a highway curved section, the speed can be reduced appropriately before entering the curve. When leaving the curved section, the speed can return to the original setting.
Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist
Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist can help avoid collisions with oncoming vehicles detected on the left or right side of the vehicle while reversing. If there is a risk of collision detected with an oncoming vehicle on the left or right side while reversing, it provides a warning. After the warning, if the risk of collision remains, it can assist with emergency braking.
Highway Driving Assist
Highway Driving Assist helps maintain a set distance and speed from the vehicle ahead when driving on a highway and helps center the vehicle in the lane, even when driving through curves.
Reverse Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist
Reverse Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist can help avoid collisions with rearward objects detected while reversing. If there is a risk of collision detected with a rearward object while reversing, the system provides a warning. After the warning, if the risk of collision remains, it can assist with emergency braking.
Remote Smart Parking Assist
Remote Smart Parking Assist helps remotely park or exit a parking spot from outside the vehicle.
In addition, 2023 Palisade now applies nine standard airbags: dual front, dual side-front and rear, driver's knee, and roll-over-sensing side-curtain airbags. Palisade uses a full-length large side curtain airbag that includes third-row seating coverage for enhanced rear occupant protection in the event of a collision. Palisade has a very rigid structure, with strategic use of Advanced High Strength Steel (AHSS) in key areas to provide increased tensile-strength. Use of Advanced High Strength Steel has several benefits: lighter overall vehicle weight and greater vehicle strength and rigidity without the excessive costs of more exotic lightweight materials. Robust underbody and side structures are designed to increase energy absorption and cabin intrusion in a severe collision, especially in the small overlap test. Further, its underbody uses multiple load paths to better disperse potential crash energy in the event of a collision.
New Rugged Palisade XRT Model
2023 Palisade will also offer a new, dark-themed, rugged XRT model to complement the Santa Fe and Tucson XRT models in the Hyundai SUV line-up. The Palisade XRT will include:
- Dark-finish, rugged-themed 20-inch alloy wheels
- Rugged-look front and rear fascia with skid plate design elements
- Rugged-look lower door trim
- Dark-finish front grille
- Black roof rails
- Power sunroof (conventional type)
- Black leatherette seating surfaces
Bluelink® Connected Car Feature Enhancements
Hyundai offers the latest version of its upgraded Bluelink® connected car services with the 2023 Palisade. This range of new features allows customers to control vehicle functions with their smartphone or voice to make their drive more convenient and enjoyable. New Bluelink features include Connected Routing, Last Mile Navigation, and a new User Profile feature.
Automatic Collision Notification (ACN) is an important safety feature within Bluelink. In the event of an accident and an airbag deploys, an Automatic Collision Notification signal can be automatically transmitted to the Bluelink Customer Care Center. A trained Bluelink response operator can attempt to establish voice communication with the vehicle occupants, dispatch appropriate services and remain on the line until help arrives.
New to 2023 Palisade, Bluelink-enabled features include:
- Remote Profile Management stores select personalized driver preferences in the Bluelink cloud, and can remotely update and push-back to the vehicle
- Remote Start Enhancements offer remote seat heating and ventilation functions as well as preloads of individual driver settings for seating position
- Vehicle Status Notifications inform owners if the vehicle has doors unlocked or windows open
- Maintenance Alert Enhancement tracks maintenance intervals in the multimedia system, with ability to reset
Palisade's Dynamic Voice Recognition system accepts simple voice commands to conveniently control cabin A/C, radio, hatch opening/closing, heated steering wheel, heated/cooled seats, and other functions. The system can also assist with various points of interest (POI), weather status and stock market data updates.
More details on specific Bluelink–equipped vehicles are available at www.hyundaibluelink.com.
Color
2023 Palisade exterior colors continue to include: Abyss Black, Hyper White, Steel Graphite, Sierra Burgundy, Typhoon Silver and Moonlight Cloud, with Robust Emerald as a new color for 2023. Interior seating is available in cloth, leatherette, leather and premium Nappa leather.
Hyundai Motor America
Hyundai Motor America focuses on 'Progress for Humanity' and smart mobility solutions. Hyundai offers U.S. consumers a technology-rich lineup of cars, SUVs, and electrified vehicles. Our 820 dealers sold more than 738,000 vehicles in the U.S. in 2021, and nearly half were built at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama. For more information, visit www.HyundaiNews.com.
Hyundai Motor America on Twitter | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn
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NEW YORK, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Falcon Rappaport & Berkman PLLC is pleased to announce the formation of its Labor & Employment Practice Group led by David B. Feldman, Esq. This Labor & Employment Practice Group allows the firm to better serve its clients' employment needs cross-departmentally.
The firm's Labor & Employment Practice Group protects the rights and interests of employers in every phase and aspect of the employment relationship. FRB recognizes that the quality of legal representation and advocacy reflects not only on the client but on the client's brand and reputation within its industry and community.
FRB's Labor & Employment Practice Group advises and represents clients on matters related to:
- Agency Audits, Investigations, and Hearings
- Class and Collective Actions
- Employment Law
- Executive Compensation & Agreements
- Fair Employment Practices
- Hiring, Firing, and Reductions-in-Force
- Litigation, Trials, and Appeals
- Traditional Labor/Management Relations
- Training
- Wage and Hour
- Worker Classification
- Workplace Policies, Procedures, Postings, and Handbooks
David B. Feldman joins the firm to chair and lead the new practice group. David's labor & employment practice regularly counsels and, where necessary, defends employers before federal and state courts and administrative agencies at the federal, state, and local levels.
"We are thrilled to have David join our firm and create our labor and employment practice," FRB Managing Partner Kenneth Falcon said. "With such an esteemed practitioner at the helm of the department, we will continue to achieve extraordinary client outcomes."
In 2010, David was elected President of the New York City Chapter of the Labor and Employment Relations Association. Further, he received the Samuel M. Kaynard Award for Excellence in the Fields of Labor & Employment Law in 2012.
FRB is a full-service business law firm that combines the deep knowledge and understanding of attorneys who proudly advise clients seeking solutions to their most complex matters.
FRB differentiates itself by approaching matters with a level of depth and variety of skills unmatched by typical advisors, following through on a firm-wide commitment to excellent service, offering access to thought leaders in numerous areas of professional practice, and engaging in a partnership with clients to develop and achieve their goals.
For more information, please email FRB's Marketing Director, Abby Winckler at awinckler@frblaw.com.
Falcon Rappaport & Berkman PLLC website: https://frblaw.com/
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SOURCE Falcon Rappaport & Berkman PLLC | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/falcon-rappaport-amp-berkman-pllc-forms-labor-amp-employment-practice-group/ | 2022-04-13T20:05:08 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/falcon-rappaport-amp-berkman-pllc-forms-labor-amp-employment-practice-group/ |
Historic deal marks the first-ever cryptocurrency partnership with an NFL team
FRISCO, Texas, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Blockchain.com, one of the world's most trusted and popular platforms to buy, sell, and trade cryptocurrency for retail customers and institutions, announced it will become the exclusive digital asset partner of the Dallas Cowboys, the world's most valuable sports team, and the most popular sports team in America. A historic deal, it's the first-ever cryptocurrency partnership with an NFL team. The announcement was made by Cowboys Owner, President and General Manager Jerry Jones and Blockchain.com Co-Founder and CEO Peter Smith at a press conference this morning at the Cowboys headquarters at The Star in Frisco.
As the first-ever national pro sports deal for Blockchain.com, the agreement will include extensive branding, advertising, content and event opportunities. More specifically, the deal includes club space inside AT&T Stadium, rights to social/digital integrations, highly visible signage within the stadium bowl, as well as extensive TV, radio, and digital advertising. The partnership will also create ways for fans to quickly access Dallas Cowboys content and their Blockchain.com Wallet.
"Blockchain.com is one of the oldest and most trusted digital asset platforms in the world, has easy-to-use products and remains relentlessly focused on customers," said Dallas Cowboys Owner, President and General Manager Jerry Jones. "They are bringing Wall Street to Main Street by making digital assets available to anyone, anywhere in the world – and that's a touchdown for our millions of global fans. We take pride in being the first team in the NFL to sign an official cryptocurrency partnership, and are proud to venture into this innovative business with Blockchain.com."
In addition to strong visibility, the partnership will bring together communities both virtually and online via engaging social media promotions. Fans can expect to gain access to exclusive experiences and rewards through their Blockchain.com Wallet ranging from away game VIP trips to player hosted events. The teams will curate inclusive fan experiences with an upcoming "Block Party," and an educational summit for interested fans to learn more about the digital assets space.
With an aligned mission, both brands will create philanthropic campaigns where transactions can give back to the community, especially around the holidays. Finally, content will be produced to help members of the organization, the team, and fan community to understand cryptocurrency and Web3.
"We chose to partner with the Cowboys because they represent the most trusted brand in professional sports, they compete with a champion mindset, and believe in long-term partnerships," said Blockchain.com CEO Peter Smith. "Growing up in rural America where football is deeply rooted in the culture, I'm incredibly honored to join forces with the world's most valuable sports franchise and the Jones family, who have dedicated their lives to building a first-class franchise on and off the field for 33 years."
To kick off the celebration with Cowboys fans, Blockchain.com will run a special promotion via blockchain.com/first. Fans who sign up with their email on the landing page and purchase $100+ of crypto within the next week will get a $50 crypto bonus.
With more than 80 million customers in over 200 countries, Blockchain.com makes crypto easy to use with a powerful Wallet, lightning-fast Exchange, data-rich Explorer, and a bespoke Institutional Markets business. It has transacted more than $1.2 trillion on its platform to date.
About Blockchain.com
Blockchain.com is connecting the world to the future of finance. The most trusted and fastest growing global crypto company helps millions across the globe safely access cryptocurrency. Venture backed since 2014, Blockchain.com was last valued at $14 billion. Visit Blockchain.com for more info, follow us on Twitter @blockchain, on Instagram @blockchainofficial, check out The Blockchain.com Podcast, and read our blog for the latest company news.
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SOURCE Blockchain.com | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/first-football-blockchaincom-becomes-official-digital-asset-platform-dallas-cowboys/ | 2022-04-13T20:05:14 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/first-football-blockchaincom-becomes-official-digital-asset-platform-dallas-cowboys/ |
Want to put your vacation days to good use? Lifestyle Expert Jennifer Bonner joins us with amazing destinations worth packing your bags for. Book your stay today in Memphis, TN at hyattcentricbealestreetmemphis.com, Key West, FL at southernmostbeachresort.com and in Puerto Vallarta at puertovallartamarriott.com.
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TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Tampa has ranked second on a list of best cities in the United States for “homebodies.”
“Joybird,” a home furnishing website, ranked the 50 most populous cities based on safety, internet speed, remote work job openings, access to food delivery and more to find the cities where it’s be to be a “homebody.”
“Even though the pandemic has forced the majority of Americans to spend a lot more time around the house, research finds that many have actually enjoyed the extra time at home!” the website said.
Joybird used various sources to determine these factors, including Rent.com, the U.S. Census, the National Association of Realtors, Grubhub and Doordash, Yelp and more.
In these factors, Tampa came second just to Raleigh, North Carolina. Tampa is better than average in eight of the 11 categories and excelled in a few of those eight.
Joybird explained Tampa has almost twice as many homes with a pool compared to the other 49 cities researched. The average crime rate is also below the national average. Those who live in Tampa also have close to 70 percent more options for food delivery than average.
Tampa didn’t crack the top cities with the fastest internet.
The top 10 homebody cities in America, including to Joybird include:
- Raleigh, NC
- Tampa, FL
- Nashville, TN
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Orlando, FL
- Hartford, CT
- St. Louis, MO
- Dallas, TX
- Phoenix, AZ
- Austin, TX | https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/list-tampa-ranks-2nd-best-us-city-for-homebodies/ | 2022-04-13T20:05:24 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/news/hillsborough-county/list-tampa-ranks-2nd-best-us-city-for-homebodies/ |
LOS ANGELES, April 12, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Gales®, the first smart PPE shoe designed directly with healthcare workers, has announced their new partnership with MedResults Network, a purchasing group that provides equipment to over 3,400 medical practices.
MedResults selects the best-in-their-field industry manufacturers and partners them with distributors of products and services that serve the medical community. The need for protective footwear for healthcare workers intensified during COVID-19, and this strategic partnership with MedResults Network is the next step on Gales®' mission to change the footwear industry for medical staff.
MedResults Network CEO, Jeff Routledge, remarked about their latest venture "There really has not been a significant improvement or design innovation in clinic footwear in twenty years, until now. We are so pleased to offer Gales® medical shoes to our 3,400 member practices and med spas. Running around all day in a clinic or med spa setting is very hard on your feet, Gales® has come up with innovative designs that vastly increase comfort and safety."
Gales® is the latest addition to their large portfolio of 40+ nationwide companies and hopes to make comfortable, protective, and affordable footwear accessible for all healthcare workers. CEO & Founder of Gales®, Rob Gregg, said of the partnership "We're thrilled to partner with MedResults Network after hearing the positive reviews Gales received from practitioners in their network. We designed our shoes specifically to help protect and keep professionals on their feet comfortable during extended shifts, and it felt like a natural fit to bring them to medical spas and surgery centers".
Launched in 2020 in direct response to the global pandemic, Gales® are equipped with performance XL Extralight® outsoles and machine-washable Ortholite® insoles that maintain their shape and performance benefits after every wash. This cloud-like combination provides all-day comfort, and also adds slip-resistant technology with an antimicrobial barrier that stops dangerous liquids and infections from seeping in.
About Gales®
Gales Founder and CEO, Rob Gregg used his ten plus years in footwear design and enlisted feedback from hundreds of medical workers to design a lightweight, comfortable, and protective shoe and an affordable price point. For more information, visit weargales.com
About MedResults Network
MedResults Network group purchasing group provides discounts, rebates, and educational content on new and innovative products and services. MedResults Network has over 40 national vendors and is committed to delivering cutting-edge medical products and services. For more information, visit www.medresultsnetwork.com.
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SOURCE Gales Inc. | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/gales-announces-partnership-with-medresults-network/ | 2022-04-13T20:05:23 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/gales-announces-partnership-with-medresults-network/ |
(NEXSTAR) – Comedian and actor Gilbert Gottfried’s cause of death was revealed to be recurrent ventricular tachycardia, according to friend and publicist Glenn Schwartz.
Gottfried, 67, died earlier this week after a battle with a “long illness,” his family said on Tuesday. Schwartz later specified Gottfried’s cause of death as recurrent ventricular tachycardia, a condition caused by a rare type of muscular dystrophy.
“Beloved and iconic comedian Gilbert Gottfried passed away at 2:35 p.m. ET on April 12, 2022 from Recurrent Ventricular Tachycardia due to Myotonic Dystrophy type II,” Schwartz shared in an emailed statement provided to Nexstar.
Myotonic dystrophy type 2 (or type II) is considered a rare disease characterized by “progressive muscle wasting and weakness,” according to the National Institutes of Health. An inherited condition, Myotonic dystrophy type 2 usually develops in a patient’s 20s or 30s, and is said to be less severe than myotonic dystrophy type 1, which can be present at birth and is generally associated with a shortened lifespan.
Those with myotonic dystrophy type 2 may experience muscle pain, weakness, prolonged muscle contractions and slurred speech, among other symptoms. A less common symptom is “abnormalities of the electrical signals that control the heartbeat (cardiac conduction defects),” the NIH writes.
Ventricular tachycardia, meanwhile, is a type of arrhythmia marked by “irregular electrical signals in the lower chambers of the heart,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Patients with ventricular tachycardia may experience heart rates of over 100 beats per minute, and can experience episodes of lightheadedness or shortness of breath. In severe cases, it may lead to loss of consciousness or cardiac arrest.
Both emergency and non-emergency forms of treatment for ventricular tachycardia are available: the former include CPR, defibrillation and medication, while the latter includes medication, implantable defibrillator devices, or a procedure known as catheter ablation, which destroys the bit of muscle tissue responsible for the arrhythmia, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
Schwartz did not say when Gottfriend was diagnosed with either condition.
Gottfried’s death follows that of friends and fellow comedians Norm MacDonald, Bob Saget and Louie Anderson.
“Gilbert’s brand of humor was brash, shocking and frequently offensive, but the man behind the jokes was anything but,” said Frank Santopadre, the co-host of Gottfried’s “Amazing Colossal Podcast,” in a statement shared to Nexstar by Schwartz. “Those who loved and him were fortunate enough to share his orbit knew a person who was sweet, sensitive, surprisingly shy and filled with a childlike sense of playfulness and wonder. He’ll be dearly missed by family, friends, fans and comedy lovers the world over. To quote Gilbert himself, ‘Too soon!’” | https://www.wfla.com/news/national/gilbert-gottfrieds-cause-of-death-what-is-ventricular-tachycardia/ | 2022-04-13T20:05:30 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/news/national/gilbert-gottfrieds-cause-of-death-what-is-ventricular-tachycardia/ |
Each CMOS DNA chip carries 8.4 million unique oligos
OAKLAND, Calif. and PISCATAWAY, N.J., April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- GenScript USA Inc., the world's leading life science research tools and services provider, announced today the debut of the highest throughput semiconductor chip for DNA synthesis in the industry at the annual Built With Biology global conference. Developed using GenScript's proprietary miniature semiconductor chip technology, the High-Density DNA Synthesis Chip allows the synthesis of 8.4 million unique oligos simultaneously, up to 170 bases per oligo. It is first commercial platform for DNA digital data storage.
GenScript's next-generation DNA synthesis platform carries four chips, and more than 5.7 billion oligos may be synthesized in one run. Researchers encoded 100 Mb of mixed data types in the DNA to test the High-Density DNA Synthesis Chip's storage utility and retrieved 100% of the encoded data with no loss.
"DNA could be a powerful medium for data storage given its theoretically limitless storage capacity, stability, and minimal maintenance requirements," said Cedric Wu, Ph.D., vice president of GenScript's Innovation Center. "However, our inability to quickly generate large numbers of DNA sequences to store new material has hindered its commercial promise. GenScript's semiconductor technology addresses DNA digital data storage's most vexing challenges. It is turning fiction into reality."
The size of the global DataSphere is predicted to hit 160 trillion gigabytes by 2025, and the capacity to store it is running out. Storing data in large server farms is unsustainable in the long term, as it requires too much energy, land, maintenance, and money.
GenScript's High-Density DNA Synthesis Chip's active electrode field has a density of over 2.5 million sites per square centimeter. Each electrode site on the chip is independently controlled and can produce a different high-fidelity oligo sequence at every location. GenScript's scientists have built robust pipelines and algorithms for quicker data encoding and decoding along with advanced error correction.
Dr. Wu will share details on the platform and the company's preliminary DNA data storage results at a fireside chat today at 11:20 a.m. at the annual Built With Biology Conference. GenScript is actively seeking participants for a partnership program to expand the applicability of the data storage platform.
In addition to DNA digital data storage, GenScript will be expanding the development of the High-Density DNA Synthesis Chip platform to enhanced targeted enrichment sequencing, precision mutant antibody/enzyme libraries, spatial genomics, and digital microfluidics. It is expected to be fully commercially available in the second half of 2022.
About GenScript Biotech Corporation
GenScript Biotech Corporation (Stock Code: 1548.HK) is a global biotechnology group. Based on its leading gene synthesis technology, GenScript has developed four major platforms including the global cell therapy platform, the biologics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) platform, the contract research organization (CRO) platform and the industrial synthesis product platform.
GenScript was founded in New Jersey, US in 2002 and listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2015. GenScript's business operation spans over 100 countries and regions worldwide, with legal entities located in the U.S., Mainland China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Netherlands and Ireland. GenScript has provided premium, convenient, and reliable products and services for over 100,000 customers.
GenScript has a number of intellectual property rights and technical secrets, including more than 100 patents and over 270 patent applications. As of December 31-st, 2020, GenScript's products and services have been cited by 52,500 peer-reviewed journal articles worldwide.
For more information visit www.genscript.com.
CONTACTS
For GenScript
Cedric Wu, Ph.D.
Vice President
cedric.wu@genscript.com
For Media
Susan Thomas
Principal, Endpoint Communications
(619) 540-9195
susan@endpointcommunications.net
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SOURCE GenScript | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/genscript-debuts-industrys-highest-throughput-dna-synthesis-platform-commercial-dna-digital-data-storage/ | 2022-04-13T20:05:31 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/genscript-debuts-industrys-highest-throughput-dna-synthesis-platform-commercial-dna-digital-data-storage/ |
LONGBOAT KEY, Fla. (WFLA) – The Rotary Club of Longboat Key teamed up with the Children’s Guardian Fund to host a “Spring into Action” project to help up 85 foster children on Tuesday.
The rotary club and volunteers purchased $5,000 of groceries with the help of an anonymous donor, packaged them into perishable and nonperishable bags and provided them to families or Guardians ad Litem when they drove through the event.
“So we are extremely excited. We’re collaborating with the Children’s Guardian Fund to be able to bring families with foster children some joy for their weekend. This is Passover and Easter weekend coming up and we think one of the biggest insecurities that these kids are faced with this food insecurity,” said Youth Services Director Nancy Rozance with the Rotary Club of Longboat Key.
Rozance said they also provided other things to brighten up the holiday weekend for these children, including a pair of Crocs shoes, easy-to-make recipes that mostly do not require adult supervision and an Earth Day scavenger hunt.
Children also received information on recycling their old toys and clothes they’re not using, to be taken to Goodwill to receive a gift card to spend on new things for themselves at the store.
“Finally, they’re getting a bag of jellybeans and they’re getting an egg dye kit, because we want them to be able to make spring colored eggs. So I think at the end of the day, this is going to be a wonderful thing that we’re doing,” Rozance said.
She said on Longboat Key, they have the ability to look out for people who are less fortunate. Around 36 volunteers showed up to help with the project.
“Many people that were here this morning helping us assemble these groceries, they were just people that live here in the development that we live in. Or they’re friends of ours, but they don’t necessarily want to join a club right now, but they do want to do good,” she said. “I can’t tell you how grateful the people that volunteered for this project are that they can make a little difference in the lives, of this case, foster children, but let’s face it, there are very many other underserved groups in our community.”
As Rotarians, members believe in “service above self,” Rozance explained.
“We want to make the world a better place and this is one way we can do it. Right here, in our own community,” she said. | https://www.wfla.com/news/sarasota-county/85-foster-kids-receive-food-spring-goodies-in-longboat-key/ | 2022-04-13T20:05:36 | 1 | https://www.wfla.com/news/sarasota-county/85-foster-kids-receive-food-spring-goodies-in-longboat-key/ |
LAKEWOOD, Colo., April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Natural Grocers®, the largest family-operated organic and natural grocery retailer in the U.S., invites its customers to "hop over" for savings, recipes and unique Easter basket options for kids and adults, alike.
Natural Grocers continues to offer Easter goodies in-line with its commitment to quality and community, believing that improving the health and wellbeing of farm animals is a crucial aspect of providing nourishment to our bodies. Maintaining standards while keeping prices affordable is a continuous commitment, which is why Natural Grocers works with farmers and animal welfare experts to source products that reflect our values. Though this continues to be a year-round endeavor, Easter is the perfect holiday to showcase some of these products and the practices behind them.
Since Natural Grocers was founded in 1955, they've never sold eggs from caged hens. In 2017, they won the prestigious Good Egg Award [i] from the world's leading farm animal welfare organization, Compassion in World Farming, for their egg quality standards. The minimum standard for all Natural Grocers eggs is free-range and it's important to note that not all eggs labeled "Free-Range" measure up.
To meet the Natural Grocers' Free-Range Egg Standard the hens are never caged, they must spend time outside (and not just have "access" to the outdoors)on living rangeland with dirt, grass, bushes and trees, with bugs to hunt and dust to bathe in and with enough space to live as close to their natural inclinations as possible.
Their indoor space must be roomy enough and enriched so that they can thrive in an environment that encourages chicken-like behaviors: nesting, dust bathing, perching, preening and socializing. They are never given antibiotics. Their diet may not contain mammalian or avian by-products and humane animal husbandry practices are a must.
- {N}power members can enjoy Free-Range Eggs for $1.99 per dozen (limit 4 per customer).[ii]
Rigorous standards aren't just for eggs. All meat products sold at Natural Grocers' 162 stores are held up in the same light. With a dedicated team of experts who research sustainable, humane and regenerative agricultural practices, they visit the farms and require proof of authenticity before partnering with local farmers and ranchers for its pork, poultry and beef products. Natural Grocers only offers selections produced in ways that seek to nurture the health of animals, its communities, and the planet.
Natural Grocers® is offering its customers easy, affordable Easter brunch options, including Beeler's pork products: humanely raised, vegetarian fed and no antibiotics. {N}power® members can feed a family of 6 for under $15 with Sausage Egg Bites [iii] or a Beeler's Ham as the centerpiece to their holiday feast.
- {N}power members can purchase Beeler's Select Pork Breakfast Sausages at $3.89 each (limit 2 per customer). [iv]
- {N}power members can enjoy Beeler's Uncured Bone-in Spiral sliced half hams at the Always AffordableSM price of $5.29/lb. (available while supplies last). [V]
{N}power, Natural Grocers' loyalty program, is free to join and offers exclusive discounts, digital coupons, rewards benefits, and other members-only features. Customers can sign up for {N}power here or by texting 'organic' to 72345.[vi]
Brunch and feasts aside, Natural Grocers also offers some fun Easter basket offerings for the whole family—starting with making your own egg dye from natural foods like organic beets, purple cabbage and ground Turmeric. The dye can even be used on brown-shelled eggs—with their darker base, they enhance the color, creating a range of earthy jewel tones.
And finally, Natural Grocers wants to make things easy for the Easter Bunny by offering fun, unique products for both children and adults with Always Affordable prices and sales that will keep every-bunny happy. Customers can save up to 39% on suggested products with Natural Grocers! [vii]
- The organic Easter Egg Dye recipe and Natural Grocers' Easter basket ideas/deals can all be found in the April 2022 volume of the good4u Health Hotline (both in stores and online).
- Customers can keep up with Natural Grocers on social by following them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
- For media inquiries, please contact Katie Macarelli / kmacarelli@naturalgrocers.com.
###
Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. (NYSE: NGVC) is an expanding specialty retailer of natural and organic groceries, body care products, and dietary supplements. The products sold by Natural Grocers must meet strict quality guidelines and may not contain artificial colors, flavors, preservatives or sweeteners, or partially hydrogenated or hydrogenated oils. The Company sells only USDA-certified organic produce and exclusively pasture-raised, non-confinement dairy products, and free-range eggs. Natural Grocers' flexible smaller-store format allows it to offer affordable prices in a shopper-friendly, safe, and convenient retail environment. The Company also provides extensive free science-based Nutrition Education programs to help customers make informed health and nutrition choices. The Company, founded in 1955, has 162 stores in 20 states. Visit www.NaturalGrocers.com for more information and store locations.
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SOURCE Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/get-ready-easter-with-natural-grocers/ | 2022-04-13T20:05:38 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/get-ready-easter-with-natural-grocers/ |
From hotel rooms for refugees to vital supplies, WTTC Members show their support for Ukraine
LONDON, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Travel & Tourism businesses around the globe have come together to support Ukraine with millions of hotel rooms for refugees escaping the conflict according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
WTTC members such as Accor, Airbnb, Carnival Corporation, the European Travel Commission, Expedia, Hilton, InterContinental Hotels Group, Internova Travel Group, Marriott International, MSC Cruises, Radisson and Uber to name just a few, have opened their doors to refugees in neighboring countries, donating rooms, transport, clothing, food, shelter, urgent supplies and financial contributions.
In Ukraine, hotels have continued to stay open, offering a base to charities, journalists and those stranded by the conflict.
Businesses across the global Travel & Tourism sector including airports, airlines, cruise lines and tour operators are going to extraordinary lengths to help alleviate the suffering of those affected.
This invasion has caused the biggest displacement of people in Europe since World War II.
In addition to providing urgently needed accommodation, businesses large and small have made multi-million-dollar donations to disaster relief funds which have been supplemented by individual fundraising initiatives.
Julia Simpson, WTTC President & CEO said: "There has been an outpouring of support from Travel & Tourism companies across the globe. Hotels have opened their doors to receive refugees, and in Ukraine, teams on the ground are keeping hotels open for aid agencies, journalists, and those stranded and desperate.
"Cruise lines and airlines have transported supplies, and across the board the response has been incredible. I salute the courage of teams on the ground.
"WTTC and our Members stand for peace and respecting the national sovereignty of every nation and our hearts go out to all those who are suffering from this brutal invasion."
Many companies around the world have generously matched their employees' contributions to support charities providing help through emergency aid and essential supplies.
Temporary accommodation has been arranged thanks to generous Travel & Tourism employees opening their homes to provide emergency shelter and Airbnb came up with creative solutions to get money into the hands of local people.
Much needed medical and hospital supplies have also been provided by businesses' donations through various charities around the world.
WTTC and the Global Travel & Tourism sector are united in providing help to those affected by this crisis.
About the World Travel & Tourism Council
The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) represents the global Travel & Tourism private sector. Members include 200 CEOs, chairs and presidents of the world's leading Travel & Tourism companies from all geographies covering all industries. For more than 30 years, WTTC has been committed to raising the awareness of governments and the public of the economic and social significance of the Travel & Tourism sector.
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SOURCE World Travel & Tourism Council | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/global-travel-amp-tourism-sector-unites-support-ukraine/ | 2022-04-13T20:05:45 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/global-travel-amp-tourism-sector-unites-support-ukraine/ |
Teen years can be tough enough socially without a noticeable stigma like acne. Dealing with acne is a burden, but treating acne shouldn’t be. Find out more about the first topical treatment specifically studied and proven to treat both facial and truncal acne, which can be on the chest, shoulders and back. Visit Aklief.com/acne for more information.
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Adding confidence to the arsenal for combating health emergencies domestically and abroad in times of uncertainty.
LOCUST VALLEY, N.Y., April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- U.S. Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has published a peer-reviewed study confirming that patented Goldshield® antimicrobial continuously kills COVID-19 and its variants 100% on PPE and other materials for days.
Researchers concluded, "we have successfully demonstrated the use of an antiviral coating (Goldshield 75 [GS75]) on masks and mask materials that is effective for deactivating both Alpha and Beta variants of the SARS-CoV-2." They went on to say that Goldshield "will continuously inactivate the virus over a 3-day period."
"This landmark study confirms what over 70 independent scientific studies have shown: Goldshield's core chemistry not only inactivates COVID continuously for long-periods of time, but provides the best possible protection for frontline workers and the general public," states Goldshield Technologies CEO, Thomas Higgins. The company plans to use this data to further their efforts with mask and air filter manufacturers as well as enhancing their VA, military, and commercial partnerships.
The study also found GS75 did not degrade the material fibers and showed no toxicity. This success stems from the DOE Carbon Fiber Technology Facility who, "explored avenues to integrate effective antiviral coatings that are safe for the wearer and the environment," said ORNL's Parans Paranthaman. ORNL's long-term goal is to take these findings and apply them to other filters such as air filters for hospitals, or in combatting other pathogens.
The study, entitled "Effective antiviral coatings for deactivating SARS-CoV-2 virus on N95 masks or filters" (Mariappan Parans Paranthaman et al.), published by Materials Today Advances, was a collaborative effort by ORNL, Iowa State University, RJ Lee Group, and Goldshield Technologies, LLC.
Goldshield Technologies, LLC is a Life Sciences company that developed the Goldshield Cleaning System which includes everything needed for home and business from N List disinfectants to antimicrobials, such as GS75. All simple and safe to use, store, and transport. Goldshield's unique technology is the world's first water-stabilized antimicrobial formulation with a surface penetrating ingredient and effectiveness against microbes, including bacteria, mold, fungi and viruses, as demonstrated by ORNL. They will now seek additional regulatory filings and claims from the 24 Nations presently using Goldshield products.
Camile Moyes, Goldshield Technologies
(833) 453-4653 x107
camile@goldshieldtech.com
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SOURCE Goldshield Technologies | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/goldshield-coating-proven-create-safe-self-cleaning-ppe-protection-days-against-covid-19/ | 2022-04-13T20:05:54 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/goldshield-coating-proven-create-safe-self-cleaning-ppe-protection-days-against-covid-19/ |
The new campaign is designed to deliver real-life solutions to health influencers and consumers so they can easily adopt grain food products into a healthy and balanced diet
WASHINGTON, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Since its inception in 2004, the Grain Foods Foundation (GFF) has become a trusted advocate for all grain foods. GFF has established itself as a science-based source of grains nutrition information, in part to building a respected arsenal of published and peer-reviewed nutrition research, as well as investing in successful partnerships with a diversity of experts in the field of nutritional science. GFF's work to make the science around grain food nutrition accessible is a core objective, endeavoring to give Americans permission to enjoy grain-based products and feel confident in that choice. By choosing grains, individuals are feeding their families the foods that serve as vehicles for even greater nutrition, especially when paired with other nutrient-dense foods.
With the "Better Together" campaign, GFF will deliver simple ways Americans can easily adopt both whole and enriched grain food products healthfully into their diets – maximizing flavor, variety and nutrition opportunities. "Better Together" inspires grains, as well as whole-plate combinations, that include carbohydrates, dietary fiber, several B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folic acid), and minerals (iron, magnesium, and selenium).
Using the motif of mixing and matching, the campaign offers a website, digital assets, as well as social media messaging to spread the good news about combining whole and enriched grain foods as well as the nutrient bounty that comes from combining grain foods with other nutritious players on the plate. A few mix and match scenarios in the enriched and whole grains category include:
- A fun "checkerboard" sandwich made with half enriched white bread and half whole wheat bread layered with your favorite meat and veggies
- Combine half white pasta with half whole-wheat pasta together with your favorite sauce
- Cook half white rice and half brown rice and pair with your favorite veggies
- Mix a "serious" whole-grain cereal with a "fun" enriched grain cereal topped with milk and fruit. Here are a few of our go-to combinations.
Additionally, GFF will be partnering with other nutrition advocacy and education groups to release nutrition tips and recipe swaps to advance the idea that variety provides optimum nutrition.
"GFF wants to lead the way in sharing the message that increasing whole grain consumption does not demand diminishing enriched grain consumption. In fact, in recognizing the nutrient contributions of both categories of grain foods, and then pairing them, consumers will be receiving the best in nutrition from our category," said Erin Ball, GFF's Acting Executive Director. "And to take it a step further, teaming grain foods with vegetables, fruits, low-fat protein, and dairy creates nutrient dense and often cost-conscious super meals. The opportunities are endless."
Those interested in more information about the Foundation, research findings, and the "Better Together" campaign can visit www.GrainFoodsFoundation.org. Further reading and announcements regarding the campaign will be posted to the website and GFF's social media accounts throughout 2022.
About Grain Foods Foundation
Formed in 2004, Grain Foods Foundation (GFF) is a group of thought leaders and advocates for all grain foods and believes everybody needs grain food to enjoy a happy and healthy life. Committed to nutrition education programming that is firmly rooted in science, GFF is a strong advocate for our members and a resource for consumers and the media who want to learn more about the role of grains in a well-balanced eating pattern. GFF offers research-based information and resources to members, partners, influencers, policymakers and consumers through a comprehensive communications campaign, conferences, webinars, research tools, social media and more. GFF is committed to bringing fact-based information and common sense to the consumer. For more information, visit www.GrainFoodsFoundation.org.
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This Premium version of the popular TimeControl Online timesheet system adds Project Planning and Execution tools to work simultaneously at the Strategic, Operational, and Tactical Levels.
MONTREAL, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - HMS Software, a thought leader in enterprise project management and enterprise timesheet system has just announced TimeControl Project. This is a premium version of HMS Software's TimeControl Online and TimeControl Industrial Online subscription services in the Cloud. TimeControl Project is a completely new approach to project management and brings project planning and project execution tools to an already robust set of functionality in TimeControl.
"With TimeControl Project, we have taken a radical new approach to project management systems," explains Chris Vandersluis, President of HMS Software. "Over the years we've been in the industry, we have seen project management tools designed for the enterprise that started from the notion that all project management data and analysis in the organization are essentially one big set of projects and sub projects. But that's not how organizations work. The view of an executive at the Strategic Level isn't at all the view of a worker at the Tactical Level."
TimeControl Project delivers tools to have data, analysis and displays, called "Views" tailored to multiple perspectives. Executive Users at the Strategic Level can see things as a spreadsheet for example while project and resource managers at the Operational Level can view data more as a Barchart View with resource capacity information. Tactical Users can work in a more Project Management Agile mode using Board Views with cards that can move between columns.
"What we've created with TimeControl Project is the ability to integrate or blend data when that's appropriate and disconnect it to make it independent when that is more effective," says Stephen Eyton-Jones, HMS Software's Director of Technical Services. "The result is that an executive who is working on next year's annual project budget isn't having their data shift on them as they type because data from an end user updated a task for this week. That's a game changer in how we deploy project management."
TimeControl Project is being offered as a premium version of HMS Software's subscription as a service Timesheet, TimeControl Online and TimeControl Industrial Online. Subscription pricing varies by volume.
For more information about TimeControl Project visit the website at project.timecontrol.com.
TimeControl was originally released in 1994. It was immediately successful in the project management sector and today is recognized not only as a project management solution, but also as an enterprise timesheet solution in use by companies worldwide. TimeControl is designed as a multipurpose timesheet able to serve the needs of both Finance and Project Management simultaneously. It includes features such as a multi-browser, multi-device interface, a PC and mobile interface, vacation approvals, executive dashboards, extensive approval functionality, flexible reporting and links to project management and corporate systems which makes the timesheet product ideally suited for integration with existing systems in any organization. TimeControl's flexibility allows it to be deployed for use as a time and attendance, time and billing, project tracking and flex-time system. TimeControl and TimeControl Industrial are available both as an on-line subscription in the Cloud and for purchase for an on-premises installation.
For more information about TimeControl Project visit the website at project.timecontrol.com or the main TimeControl website at www.timecontrol.com.
Based in Montreal, Canada with offices in Toronto, HMS Software has been a leading provider of project management and enterprise timesheet systems and services since 1984. HMS Software's first customized timesheet application was written in 1984. With the launch of TimeControl as a commercial application in 1994, HMS Software began servicing clients worldwide.
HMS Software's client list reads like a who's who of business. It includes AMD, Aegion, CANAM, CAE, EXFO, Foster Wheeler, Kelly Services, the Government of Quebec, Pontoon Solutions, Progress Rail, Reebok-CCM, Rolls Royce, Sandoz, SEFA, Volvo Novabus, Zoetis and hundreds of others.
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SOURCE HMS Software | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/hms-software-releases-timecontrol-project-an-evolutionary-new-product-project-management-all-levels/ | 2022-04-13T20:06:08 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/hms-software-releases-timecontrol-project-an-evolutionary-new-product-project-management-all-levels/ |
The TrueZERO% installment loan offered through the iCreditWorks* Platform expands its broad offering of loan products to include a 12-month, true 0% APR program.
ISELIN, N.J., April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- iCreditWorks, one of the fastest-growing FinTech platforms in the United States, announced today the addition of TrueZERO% to its broad Point-Of-Sale suite of financing products. This installment loan product has a 0% annual interest rate; the principal loan balance is divided into 12 monthly installment payments. The TrueZERO% installment loan product is available to qualified applicants through the iCreditWorks native mobile App and in-office iCreditWorksPRO Tablet.
"Today's consumers demand simple, responsible, and transparent loan products," says Stephen E. Sweeney, Chairman and Founder of iCreditWorks. "Many deferred interest products are misunderstood by consumers and we're determined to provide a better financing experience. The TrueZERO% is a transparent, 0% interest installment product that sets the new standard in consumer lending."
Providing consumers with a clear path to repayment, the TrueZERO% installment loan is unique in a marketplace where deferred interest loan products and revolvers are prevalent. By selecting a TrueZERO% installment loan, a consumer's principal loan balance is simply divided into 12 equal monthly installment payments with no interest accrual.
"TrueZERO% represents the continued expansion of Point-Of-Sale products offered through the iCreditWorks Platform," says Cristian Mandachescu, Chief Risk Officer. "We are committed to empowering consumers to say 'YES' to their treatment, offering access to a suite of installment loan products that helps each find an ideal, affordable financing option."
The TrueZERO% installment loan product will be offered through all healthcare providers participating in the iCreditWorks Credit Program. TrueZERO% represents the newest addition to the loan products offered through iCreditWorks, which also includes Standard Installment Loans and "No-Interest" Incentive Loans up to $20,000. iCreditWorks believes in responsible lending and only offering access to affordable financing options that allow consumers to pay for the care they deserve.
*All loans issued by WebBank, Member FDIC.
About iCreditWorks
iCreditWorks leverages innovative technology and mobility to deliver an omnichannel platform experience that provides access to a broad suite of "Point-Of-Sale" (POS) financing products, empowering consumers to take control of their financing. The first-of-its-kind iCreditWorks native mobile App delivers a simple, seamless, and secure financing experience that redefines the consumer journey.
To learn more about the Company, please visit www.icreditworks.com.
iCreditWorks
Rich Groves
SVP – Professional Affairs
(201) 450-4268
rich.groves@icreditworks.com
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Consumer Groups Urge Commissioner to Close Loophole Allowing Insurers to Ignore Such Risk Reductions for Denial or Non-Renewal Decisions
LOS ANGELES, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- A regulation proposed by California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara to stop insurance companies from overcharging homeowners who reduce their risk of loss from wildfires must also apply to insurance companies' decisions about which properties they will insure, consumer groups will testify at a public hearing in Oakland today.
Sign in to watch the 1pm April 13th public hearing here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_MoTcvOKCRdKSe9GAmZE5Hw
Under current practices homeowners can spend thousands of dollars on wildfire mitigation, reducing their risk, but still lose their coverage or get no break from insurance companies on the premiums they have to pay.
Consumer Watchdog, Consumer Federation of America, and Consumer Federation of California will submit testimony in support of the Commissioner's proposed regulations to require insurance companies to reduce premiums for home and business owners who take steps to reduce the risk of wildfire losses on their properties. Such property-level mitigation efforts include modernizing roofing, vents, eaves, and windows with fire-resistant materials, and clearing brush and combustible objects around their properties. Further premium reductions would be required if the property is located in a community that has taken steps to reduce wildfire risk.
However, the groups urge the Commissioner to close a loophole in his proposal that would allow insurance companies to non-renew or refuse to sell policies rather than give people the required discount.
"We strongly support mandating premium discounts for homeowners who take steps to reduce their wildfire risk and requiring transparency in how companies use models and scores to determine that risk. However, it's not enough to require premiums to reflect mitigation efforts. To effectively protect homeowners who are reducing fire risk, we continue to advocate that the regulation must be amended to apply to insurers' decisions about whether to sell and renew coverage. Without these amendments, insurers will avoid giving premium discounts to property owners who undertake costly mitigation measures by nonrenewing them without accountability," wrote the groups in comments also submitted today.
The advocates said California homeowners need these protections against insurance companies that have been overcharging or arbitrarily refusing to cover individual homes or whole neighborhoods, in violation of anti-discrimination provisions under insurance law Proposition 103.
In an opinion piece published yesterday in the Los Angeles Times, former Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner revealed his homeowners insurance was nonrenewed without consideration of the tens of thousands of dollars he spent on insurer-recommended wildfire mediation. This is the loophole consumer groups seek to fix in the proposed regulation.
As Mr. Poizner urges: "The department should require insurers to base eligibility, renewal and non-renewal decisions on the actual risk presented by an individual home and the steps an owner takes to secure the home, and not on broad geographical areas that arbitrarily deprive hundreds of thousands of Californians of insurance."
The groups also backed provisions of the proposed regulation to enforce voter-enacted Proposition 103's transparency requirements by requiring insurance companies to publicly disclose information on how they use wildfire risk models and "scores" to determine premiums, and said those requirements must also apply to insurers' decisions about which properties to deny coverage.
"Wildfires have long been an expected result of climate change. But the insurance companies' response has been to arbitrarily raise rates and withdraw from neighborhoods throughout California, destabilizing our economy. Californians who invest in protecting their homes and their communities from the devastation of wildfires must be protected against price gouging and losing insurance coverage," said Pamela Pressley, Senior Staff Attorney, on behalf of Consumer Watchdog.
"Requiring discounts for homeowner and community mitigation efforts that are proven to lower wildfire losses is necessary to ensure that premiums aren't excessive or unfairly discriminatory. But Commissioner Lara must add protections needed to prevent insurance companies from denying or nonrenewing coverage to homeowners who invest in home-hardening measures. These measures are well within the Commissioner's legal authority."
"Consumers who do the right thing by hardening their home ought to be treated the right way by insurance companies. Right now that's not happening and it needs to change immediately in the strongest pro-consumer way possible," said Robert Herrell, Executive Director of the Consumer Federation of California.
Consumer Groups Urge Swift Action
Today's hearing is the fourth in a series of public meetings that the Commissioner has convened since October 2020 to address soaring premiums, withdrawal of coverage from neighborhoods, and non-renewals in California's homeowners insurance marketplace. But it is the first formal rulemaking hearing held by the Commissioner to take public comment on the proposed regulations.
Insurance companies have falsely blamed Proposition 103 for their destabilizing actions, saying they need to be free of public oversight in denying and nonrenewing coverage and permitted to use secret models, algorithms and scores rather than open their books and justify their rates and underwriting decisions based on available data, as Proposition 103 requires.
The proposed regulations would adopt measures to stem these arbitrary practices by:
- Requiring insurers to provide premium discounts to property owners who undertake mitigation efforts to lower their risk of wildfire losses.
- Providing clear standards to enforce Proposition 103's requirements that insurance companies file a complete rate application and publicly disclose all information submitted to the Commissioner, including the models they use to assess wildfire risk and related documentation, which insurers often seek to keep confidential.
- Requiring insurance companies to notify consumers about their wildfire "risk score" and the steps they can take to lower their risk and premiums. Consumers would also have the right to appeal their risk scores.
The consumer groups offered additional recommendations for improving the proposed regulations by:
- Strengthening the mandatory mitigation factor standards with clearer terminology;
- Requiring that mandatory mitigation factors and public filing and disclosure of models also apply to wildfire risk models and scores used to determine eligibility and nonrenewal criteria;
- Clarifying in explicit terms that wildfire risk models are not allowed to be used to project losses for determining overall rates under existing regulations;
- Ensuring that any wildfire risk models used by insurers are based on the best available scientific information and conform to actuarial standards of practice and applicable statutes and regulations; and
- Cleaning up and strengthening the wildfire score notice and appeal requirements and making them applicable to scores used for underwriting as well as rating.
Read today's joint comments of Consumer Watchdog, Consumer Federation of America, and Consumer Federation of California here: https://consumerwatchdog.org/sites/default/files/2022-04/2022-04-13CommentsofCWD_CFA_CFCreREG-2020-00015.pdf
Read Consumer Watchdog's January 21, 2021 letter to Insurance Commissioner Lara urging insurance discounts for homeowners, protections against policy cancellations and withdrawals in wildfire areas
Consumer Watchdog also testified on the industry's actions in a virtual hearing last Fall.
Read the op-ed from former Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner: https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-04-12/wildfire-insurance-homeowners-fire-risk
Read about voter-enacted Proposition 103's protections against unfair insurance premiums and practices here: https://www.consumerwatchdog.org/prop-103-california-insurance-reform
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SOURCE Consumer Watchdog | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/insurance-commissioner-proposes-insurance-discounts-wildfire-mitigation-says-consumer-watchdog/ | 2022-04-13T20:06:23 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/insurance-commissioner-proposes-insurance-discounts-wildfire-mitigation-says-consumer-watchdog/ |
PITTSBURGH, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "I wanted to create a system to protect packages and deliveries outside your home or business," said an inventor, from Laguna Beach, Calif., "so I invented the SECURE DROP. My design would prevent packages from being moved, taken, stolen or damaged by unauthorized persons."
The patent-pending invention provides a secure way to protect delivered packages. In doing so, it helps to prevent package theft and it prevents weather-related damage. As a result, it provides added peace of mind. The invention features a durable design that is easy to use so it is ideal for households and businesses. Additionally, it is producible in design variations and a prototype is available.
The original design was submitted to the Orange County sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 20-OCM-1479, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.
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SOURCE InventHelp | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/inventhelp-inventor-develops-device-protect-deliveries-ocm-1479/ | 2022-04-13T20:06:31 | 0 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/inventhelp-inventor-develops-device-protect-deliveries-ocm-1479/ |
PITTSBURGH, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "I thought there should be a way to filter dust and particles before they can enter an opened window," said an inventor, from Long Beach, Calif., "so I invented the WINDOW FILTER SCREEN. My design would be easy to install and it would protect against airborne irritants."
The invention provides an effective way to prevent dust and pollen from entering an open window. In doing so, it prevents individuals from breathing in irritants. It also could improve air quality and it could increase comfort. The invention features a durable design that is easy to attach so it is ideal for households and businesses. Additionally, it is producible in design variations.
The original design was submitted to the Orange County sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 20-OCM-1364, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or call (412) 288-1300 ext. 1368. Learn more about InventHelp's Invention Submission Services at http://www.InventHelp.com.
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SOURCE InventHelp | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/inventhelp-inventor-develops-improved-filter-windows-ocm-1364/ | 2022-04-13T20:06:37 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/inventhelp-inventor-develops-improved-filter-windows-ocm-1364/ |
Premier event for open source developers and community contributors will feature visionary speakers offering insights on a range of topics: WASM, Cloud Native Computing, Diversity, Community Leadership, Linux and more.
SAN FRANCISCO, April 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization enabling mass innovation through open source, today announced the first round of keynote speakers taking the stage at Open Source Summit North America, June 21-24, in Austin, TX and virtually.
Open Source Summit North America is the premier event for open source developers, technologists, and community leaders to collaborate, share information, solve problems, and gain knowledge, furthering open source innovation and ensuring a sustainable open source ecosystem. It is a conference umbrella comprising 14 events covering the most important technologies and topics in open source including Linux, Embedded Systems, Supply Chain Security, AI + Data, Cloud, Community Leadership, OSPOs, Software Vulnerabilities, Diversity, IoT, Critical Systems, Containers and more.
2022 Keynote Speakers Include:
- Alena Analeigh, Founder, Brown STEM Girl
- Eric Brewer, Vice President of Infrastructure, Google
- Matt Butcher, Chief Executive Officer, Fermyon Technologies
- Taylor Dolazel, Head of Ecosystem, Cloud Native Computing Foundation
- Melissa Evers, Vice President and General Manager of Software/Ecosystem Strategy, Intel Corporation
- Amy Gilliland, President, General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT)
- Orion Jean, TIME 2021 Kid of the Year, Author and Kindness Activist
- Todd Moore, Vice President - Open Technology and Developer Advocacy, CTO DEG, IBM
- Melissa Smolensky, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, GitLab
- Linus Torvalds, Creator of Linux & Git in conversation with Dirk Hohndel, Founder, DH Consulting
- Chris Wright, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Red Hat
Registration (in-person) is offered at the early price of $850 through April 26. Registration to attend virtually is $25. Members of The Linux Foundation receive a 20 percent discount off registration and can contact events@linuxfoundation.org to request a member discount code.
Applications for diversity and need-based scholarships are currently being accepted. For information on eligibility and how to apply, please click here. The Linux Foundation's Travel Fund is also accepting applications, with the goal of enabling open source developers and community members to attend events that they would otherwise be unable to attend due to a lack of funding. To learn more and apply, please click here.
In-person attendees will be required to be fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus and will need to comply with all on-site health measures, in accordance with The Linux Foundation Code of Conduct. To learn more, visit the Health & Safety webpage.
Open Source Summit North America 2022 is made possible thanks to our sponsors, including Diamond Sponsors: Google and IBM, Platinum Sponsors: Cloud Native Computing Foundation, Intel and Red Hat, and Gold Sponsors: Camunda, Checkmarx, Coder, Dell Technologies, GitLab, InfluxData, Kubecost, Styra and Whitesource. For information on becoming an event sponsor, click here or email us.
Members of the press who would like to request a press pass to attend should contact Kristin O'Connell.
Founded in 2000, the Linux Foundation is supported by more than 2,000 members and is the world's leading home for collaboration on open source software, open standards, open data, and open hardware. Linux Foundation's projects are critical to the world's infrastructure including Linux, Kubernetes, Node.js, and more. The Linux Foundation's methodology focuses on leveraging best practices and addressing the needs of contributors, users and solution providers to create sustainable models for open collaboration. For more information, please visit linuxfoundation.org.
The Linux Foundation Events are where the world's leading technologists meet, collaborate, learn and network in order to advance innovations that support the world's largest shared technologies.
Visit our website and follow us on Twitter, Linkedin, and Facebook for all the latest event updates and announcements.
The Linux Foundation has registered trademarks and uses trademarks. For a list of trademarks of The Linux Foundation, please see its trademark usage page: www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds.
Kristin O'Connell
The Linux Foundation
koconnell@linuxfoundation.org
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SOURCE The Linux Foundation | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/linux-foundation-announces-1st-round-keynote-speakers-open-source-summit-north-america-2022/ | 2022-04-13T20:06:44 | 1 | https://www.wistv.com/prnewswire/2022/04/13/linux-foundation-announces-1st-round-keynote-speakers-open-source-summit-north-america-2022/ |