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‘Pink Moon’ heralds spring, Passover
Published: Apr. 15, 2022 at 8:15 AM EDT|Updated: 27 minutes ago
(CNN) - The full moon will not be called blue this weekend. Instead, it will be called pink!
NASA said the “Pink Moon” will illuminate the sky from early Friday to Monday morning. The moon should be at its peak fullness Saturday afternoon.
This version of a full moon goes by several traditional names.
The “Pink Moon” honors its spring arrival, so it will not actually be the color pink.
It’s also known as the “Fish Moon” because, as coastal tribes note, it appears at the same time the shad fish swim upstream to spawn.
And it’s called a “Passover Moon” because its appearance coincides with the Jewish holiday.
Passover begins at sundown Friday and ends the following week at nightfall on April 23.
Copyright 2022 CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/pink-moon-heralds-spring-passover/ | 2022-04-15T12:42:39 | 0 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/pink-moon-heralds-spring-passover/ |
Half the fun of watching “Property Brothers” — the HGTV reality series where identical twins Drew and Jonathan Scott convince homebuyers to buy an old fixer and trust the design duo to transform it — is trying to tell the handsome brothers apart. Though they look like carbon clones, they make a sport of telling you how different they are.
“Everyone always says I’m the high-maintenance one,” Jonathan says. “Have you seen his wardrobe? Have you seen those nails!”
“Have you seen that hair?” Drew fires back, pointing to his brother’s coiffe.
I’m on a virtual call with the pair who are, all kidding aside, launching a furniture collection exclusive to Living Spaces, a furniture retailer. Now, in the interest of full transparency, I signed up to attend the first look for media event not so much because I was interested in the new line, but because I thought it would be cool to virtually meet Drew and Jonathan. I’m shallow that way.
True to form, the TV twins managed to distinguish themselves in their new furniture line as well. The California-inspired furniture features two sides of Los Angeles, the city the twins, who hail from Canada, now call home.
“You’re really seeing two sides of our L.A. story,” Jonathan said. “You’ve got Drew’s old Hollywood style, and you’ve also got my laid-back California.” One is more luxe and glamorous, while the other has a casual, sink-into-a-space-and-never-get-up-sort-of vibe.
Drew and his wife, Linda Phan, have a home in Hancock Park, a venerable, mansion-filled neighborhood near downtown. Jonathan and his partner, actor Zooey Deschanel, have recently bought a home they’re renovating in Brentwood, on the city’s westside, nearer the coast.
Like the twins, the City of Angels is a study in contrasts. “When you think about where we are here in LA, there’s so much architectural influence, so many amazing pieces of inspiration, so many beautiful historic homes,” Drew said. “You have art deco, you have regency modern, you have old bungalows, and you have a lot of laid-back vibes, especially over by the water. We thought, how can we capture a little bit of this classic beauty and bring it into our pieces.”
As a California native who has spent most of her life in the Golden State, I, too, was curious to see how they would translate the diverse landscapes and communities into sofas, tables, and chairs.
The virtual tour kicked off with the twins sitting in a living room showcasing Drew’s old Hollywood, a look that features chic ebony leather sofas and chairs, dark-wood dressers and chests, oil-rubbed bronze furniture legs, and accent chairs covered in velvety cobalt blue.
Then we move on to Jonathan’s laid-back California living room, a casual coastal look that revolves around a versatile sectional, and case goods made of wood in warm, weathered taupe tones. The centerpiece Culver sofa is made for family movie night, he said, and designed to stand up to everything life throws at it. “You have to be realistic. A sofa can’t just look pretty.”
To create the 90-piece collection, which includes dressers, side tables, rugs, sectionals, dining sets, and more, the twins pulled inspiration not only from Southern California but also from their experience designing over 500 homes for television and from renovating houses off air long before that. The brothers, now 43, have worked in the business for 25 years, and are both licensed real estate agents. Jonathan is also a licensed contractor.
After the virtual tour, we reporters in the peanut gallery got to ask a few questions:
Q: Complete this sentence: No home is complete without a really great …
Drew: … set of twins. No, without a sectional, a comfortable sectional that can adapt to your space. Picture get-togethers with friends. Picture move night. That sectional is what will make it feel like home.
Q: What are the top furniture trends?
Jonathan: Finding pieces that can be multipurpose. That’s what I like about a modular system that you can change up to work with your space. Today you can find stuff that would be classy if it were in an office environment, or classy if it were in a living space or bedroom. Having that ability to mix and match is important.
Drew: People were structured for a long time. Now we’re seeing a throwback to comfort along with style. We’re seeing more padding on the arms, and more glam.
Q: How does this California look translate cross country?
Drew: We always laugh about the fact that when we have family or friends visit from North America or abroad, when they go home, they all say they want to bring some of the California vibe with them. Whether it’s the feel of the beach, or the different neighborhoods, the collection offers a lot of different influences, and a little something that can speak to everyone no matter where they live.
Q: What are the major furniture buying mistakes people make?
Jonathan: Buying furniture the wrong size. People see something they want. They buy it, and then they realize they have to shimmy sideways to get into the next room. Make sure to measure first.
Drew: A lot of people see something they love and buy it and see something else they love and buy that and wind up with all these different elements. I’m all for an eclectic design. You don’t want matchy matchy. However, sometimes people get all these items, and find they don’t work together. Start with base pieces that work together that you can build on.
Marni Jameson is the author of six home and lifestyle books, including What to Do With Everything You Own to Leave the Legacy You Want, Downsizing the Family Home – What to Save, What to Let Go, and Downsizing the Blended Home – When Two Households Become One. You may reach her at www.marnijameson.com. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/os-fe-property-brothers-new-furniture-line-04-15-20220415-k44t535cxfbsndxisfqox326hq-story.html | 2022-04-15T12:42:42 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/features/os-fe-property-brothers-new-furniture-line-04-15-20220415-k44t535cxfbsndxisfqox326hq-story.html |
Two men rescued after truck is swept away by flood waters in Alabama
Published: Apr. 15, 2022 at 7:41 AM EDT|Updated: 1 hour ago
LAWRENCE COUNTY, Ala. (WAFF/Gray News) - Two men had to be rescued after their truck was swept from the roadway by flood waters on Thursday in Alabama.
Deputies with the Lawrence County Sheriff’s Office and volunteer firefighters responded to a 911 call and made contact with the men who were sitting on the hood of their truck, WAFF reported. The truck had been swept away by flood waters.
The Morgan County Rescue Squad arrived, and a trained swift water rescue diver stabilized the vehicle with a tow line. The men were then assisted to safety.
The vehicle was removed from the water by the towing company.
Copyright 2022 WAFF via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/two-men-rescued-after-truck-is-swept-away-by-flood-waters-alabama/ | 2022-04-15T12:42:46 | 1 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/two-men-rescued-after-truck-is-swept-away-by-flood-waters-alabama/ |
A vehicle crash Friday morning has all lanes shut down on eastbound State Road 528, according to the Florida Department of Transportation.
The crash was reported at around 7:35 a.m. and involved at least one vehicle turned over on its side at mile marker 18, near the Avalon Park exit, FDOT said at 8 a.m.
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Traffic is backed up to the State Road 417 exit.
First responders are on the scene.
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This is a developing story check back here for updates. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-ne-sr-crash-vehicle-flipped-20220415-kmvycivquvenvltosjf6cwwys4-story.html | 2022-04-15T12:42:48 | 1 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/breaking-news/os-ne-sr-crash-vehicle-flipped-20220415-kmvycivquvenvltosjf6cwwys4-story.html |
Wallaby missing from Memphis Zoo after severe storms
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Memphis Zoo is on the search for one of its animals after severe storms wreaked havoc on the city Wednesday.
During the lightning, thunder and thrashing rain a wallaby went missing, WMC reported.
The zoo says it experienced flash flooding inside its KangaZoo exhibit due to the overflow of Lick Creek amid the storm. All animals inside the KangaZoo exhibit were evacuated and relocated to the animal hospital.
After doing a headcount of the animals, zoo officials noticed one wallaby was unaccounted for.
Memphis Police Department is assisting in the search.
The zoo says wallabies are smaller in stature than kangaroos and advise that people do not approach them.
The wallaby was the talk around Overton Park Thursday as hundreds of people enjoyed the break from the week’s severe weather.
While many were keeping their eyes out for the wallaby, some had to make sure they even knew what one looked like.
“I had to look it up. It’s like a smaller kangaroo-type mammal,” Taylor Skees said.
Everyone had high hopes for the missing wallaby.
“I hope they find it and if they do it’s okay,” Utica Ferguson said.
The Memphis Zoo is asking people to call them at 901-333-6500 if they spot the wallaby, and tell them the location and time of the sighting.
Copyright 2022 WMC via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/wallaby-missing-memphis-zoo-after-severe-storms/ | 2022-04-15T12:42:52 | 0 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/wallaby-missing-memphis-zoo-after-severe-storms/ |
Bill Hancock has witnessed the college football postseason morph from the two-team format of the Bowl Championship Series to the current four-team model of the College Football Playoff. As executive director of both groups, he’s seen his fair share of change.
So, nothing surprised him during this latest round of failed expansion talk.
After eight months of heated debate, the CFP management group announced that it would remain at its current four-team format through the end of its current 12-year contract in 2025-26. Unable to come to a unanimous decision on the structure and facing an impending deadline, the group chose to stand pat.
“I was not surprised at the outcome,” said Hancock. “I felt like all along it would probably be easier to get a format change done in year 13 than it would before then.”
It’s a far cry from June 10, when the CFP announced it had formed a working group to develop a model for possible expansion. The working group was composed of SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby, Mountain West commissioner Craig Thompson and Swarbrick. The four members presented a proposal for a 12-team playoff model.
Despite warning everyone that this would be a long process, proponents of playoff expansion jumped at the news.
“I suppose I was surprised by the optimism in some quarters,” said Hancock. “When we announced that the working group had made a proposal and that proposal was going to be considered by people on campus, I suppose it was natural that some people would assume the result, but I never did.
“Some people took the initial announcement to mean that it was more than just a proposal to be reviewed by the group. It’s not dissimilar from a bill in Congress that has a lot of steps before it becomes law. But people sometimes read the initial bill and think, ‘Oh, this is going to happen.”
But despite early momentum, talks began to grind to a halt after differing opinions emerged among those, including the Alliance, a three-member group consisting of the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12. The commissioners of those leagues proposed an alternate 8-team model and even a 12-team model that featured automatic bids for the champions of the Power Five conferences.
ACC commissioner Jim Phillips also expressed concerns about moving forward with playoff expansion with college athletics in turmoil over issues like Name, Image and Likeness and the transfer portal.
Without a unanimous vote, the possibility of expansion reached a stalemate in March.
“There was some $450 or $460 million left on the table by not doing a new format early,” Hancock said of some of the reported numbers from a new media rights deal with a 12-team format. “There were people for whom that wasn’t the most important thing and it was primarily all about participation.”
Hancock is quick to point out that the current four-team model continues to be successful and popular with fans. He also doesn’t believe that there will be any animosity between the members when the management committee reconvenes in a few weeks.
“They work together every day on different matters and the CFP is only one matter that they just split the commissioners discuss,” Hancock said.
The CFP management group, composed of the 10 conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick, meets for its annual business meeting in a few weeks. The schedule isn’t expected to include much, if any, discussion on possible playoff expansion.
Instead, the group will most likely focus on last year’s playoff experience in Indianapolis before turning its attention to this year’s host site of Los Angeles.
“It’s a routine meeting,” said Hancock. “If anything comes up on the format, it will be more planning identifying than specifics.”
He also isn’t willing to speculate when the group will renew its expansion discussions for the next term starting in 2026-27, perhaps by the end of the year. Will the results be the same?
“Times change, people change,” Hancock explained. “Whenever the time comes to talk about it again, we will have a clean slate about what we can do. The commissioners and presidents will be willing to work together for the interest of college football.”
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college-gridiron-365/os-sp-college-football-playoff-expansion-bill-hancock-20220415-tdch4hqgh5dtdd3zbfzjhpsy6q-story.html | 2022-04-15T12:42:54 | 0 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/college-gridiron-365/os-sp-college-football-playoff-expansion-bill-hancock-20220415-tdch4hqgh5dtdd3zbfzjhpsy6q-story.html |
Weather on the Web
PRESQUE ISLE, Maine (WAGM) - Good morning everyone. We have a lot to talk about this morning as rain moved through the region during the overnight hours. This is thanks to a low pressure system that’s currently sitting off the coast in the Gulf of Maine. As it continues to race east during the morning hours, it will bring the rain showers to an end quickly, and skies will clear out behind the system for the afternoon. So while this morning may look a bit gloomy, we’ll see plenty of sunshine by this afternoon.
We do have some updated information on the ice jam this morning. The Flood Advisory has been upgraded to a Flood Warning due to the movement of the jam. At 11:50 last night, emergency management officials reported an ice jam had cleared Allagash and was heading down the St. John River. At that point the national weather service expected flooding to begin shortly if it hadn’t already. At 1:37 this morning, an update on the Aroostook County Flood Watch Page reported the jam has made it to the St. John/Ft. Kent town line, and is continuing to move freely. We’ll continue to bring you updates on this jam as it continues to flow down river, and will have more information tonight on NewsSource 8 at 5:30 and 6.
Hour by hour throughout the rest of the day today shows the rain showers quickly pushing east and out of the area. By lunch time a lot of folks will be seeing the sunshine as clouds filter out from west to east as well, resulting in mostly sunny skies by the afternoon. High temperatures today climb up into the mid to upper 50s. Light southerly winds during the afternoon will also help to pull the warmer air into the region from the south. It’s not until the evening hours that clouds will begin to pop back up and move back into the region.
Looking at the overnight hours and into tomorrow, we’ll continue to see the risk for scattered rain showers throughout the overnight hours tonight. At this point they look to be hit or miss, so not every community will see one during the overnight hours tonight. Heading into the early morning hours tomorrow, we’ll be watching another round of more moderate rain showers pushing through the region. These continue through the morning hours, before tapering to scattered activity by the late morning and early afternoon. Temperatures tomorrow will be about 10 degrees cooler than what we’re expecting today. The cloud cover and the shower activity will work together to keep temperatures on the cooler side.
The next 7 days show the snow shower chances during the overnight and early morning hours of Sunday. Temperatures will be a bit cooler by the afternoon with highs in the low to mid 40s. The sunshine returns for early next week with mostly sunny skies expected for Monday. Temperatures returning to the upper 40s. We’re watching Monday night into Tuesday as temperatures drop close to freezing once again before another system approaches the region. We could be watching for some more snow showers then as temperatures remain cooler during the day Tuesday. Highs are expected to be in the upper 30s and possibly a few low 40s. Have a great Friday, and I’ll be back this evening with an updated look at the forecast.
Copyright 2022 WAGM. All rights reserved. | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/weather-web/ | 2022-04-15T12:42:58 | 0 | https://www.wagmtv.com/2022/04/15/weather-web/ |
The owners of the Chicago Cubs dropped their interest in buying Chelsea, leaving three remaining bids for the enforced sale of the Premier League club by sanctioned Russian owner Roman Abramovich.
The bid was being led by Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts but faced opposition from Chelsea fans over Islamophobic comments by his father, Joe, that featured in leaked emails three years ago.
The consortium, which also featured American investors Ken Griffin and Dan Gilbert, did not directly address the “issues” that prevented them pursuing the bid ahead of Thursday’s deadline for final submissions.
“The Ricketts-Griffin-Gilbert Group has decided, after careful consideration, not to submit a final bid for Chelsea FC,” the group said in a statement. “In the process of finalizing their proposal, it became increasingly clear that certain issues could not be addressed given the unusual dynamics around the sales process. We have great admiration for Chelsea and its fans, and we wish the new owners well.”
The remaining three known bids also involve North American sports team investors.
Boston Celtics co-owner Steve Pagliuca has partnered with Larry Tanenbaum, who has ownership stakes in Toronto with the NBA’s Raptors, the NHL’s Maple Leafs and the city’s MLS team. Peter Guber, a part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is also backing in the group.
Another part-owner of the Dodgers, Todd Boehly, is leading another consortium.
The third remaining known group is fronted by former Liverpool and British Airways chairman Martin Broughton with planned investment by Josh Harris and David Blitzer, who own the Philadelphia 76ers and have stakes in Premier League club Crystal Palace.
A New York-based merchant bank, the Raine Group, has been overseeing the sale process that was announced last month by Abramovich following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The oligarch has been sanctioned by Britain and the European Union over his links to Russian President Vladimir Putin with assets frozen, including Chelsea.
Abramovich has been disqualified from running the reigning European champions by the Premier League and he cannot profit from the proceeds of the sale, which the British government must sign off under terms of a license that allows the team to continue operating.
Chelsea’s Champions League title defense was ended by Real Madrid on Tuesday but Thomas Tuchel’s team is on course to qualify for the lucrative UEFA competition next season as it is third in the Premier League. Chelsea remains in contention for the FA Cup with a semifinal match against Crystal Palace on Sunday. | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/national-sports/ct-chicago-cubs-chelsea-ricketts-20220415-dcl6d3a5c5gsbcp2f6mebn7byi-story.html | 2022-04-15T12:43:00 | 0 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/national-sports/ct-chicago-cubs-chelsea-ricketts-20220415-dcl6d3a5c5gsbcp2f6mebn7byi-story.html |
The Easter weekend is looking to be a hot one with temperatures in the 90s and chances of rain until the start of the workweek.
“We’ll have to dodge some showers and storms at times, but it’s going to be feeling more like summer, more than anything else with heat and humidity building,” said Maureen McCann, a Spectrum News 13 meteorologist.
Friday will see temperatures rise to 87 and fall to 68 in the evening, with shower odds at 30%, McCann said. Saturday’s peak temperature should increase to 90, with shower odds hanging at 20%.
On Easter Sunday, temperature highs will remain at 90 degrees, with the low falling to 67 after afternoon showers, which have a 50% chance.
Those shower odds will linger into Monday, but the heat should dwindle with Monday’s high of 87 and low of 65.
Jpedersen@orlandosentinel.com | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/weather/os-ne-friday-easter-weekend-rain-update-20220415-qskkffpnsbgxtnvrhxlyh2rjoi-story.html | 2022-04-15T12:43:06 | 0 | https://www.orlandosentinel.com/weather/os-ne-friday-easter-weekend-rain-update-20220415-qskkffpnsbgxtnvrhxlyh2rjoi-story.html |
WAVERLY, Ohio (WCMH) — Danielle Dyer sits among photographs and home-made posters, tributes to her younger brother Koby Roush, a spiral-bound notebook on the couch nearby. She doesn’t want to leave out any detail that might help to bring Koby home, even though she feels sure that he is dead.
Those first few months after July 5, 2020, when police found the car of Koby Roush, 24, off Mt. Carmel Road near Jackson, Ohio, were not only painful for Dyer; they were terrifying.
“It’s thrown my world into a whole different world — before it wasn’t as scary…for the first year we couldn’t sleep,” Dyer, 38, recalled. “We thought people were going to burn our house down. We had death threats. We thought people were after us. Me and my sister and brother all got concealed weapons.
“We were afraid for our lives. It was scary that people out there are capable of doing something like that,” Dyer said.
So-called “tips” aimed to hurt, not help
“Someone called [from New York] and tried to get ransom that he was keeping my brother hostage,” Dyer recalled. But when Dyer’s family asked a question only Koby would know, the blackmailer couldn’t provide an answer. “Just horrible things that people do, and we’re already going through so much.”
But the worst was this so-called tip: “That he’d been fed to pigs,” Dyer said. “We couldn’t sleep for weeks after that, imagining something like that happening to my brother.
“Put in barrels, thrown off bridges, shot…kidnapped. All kinds of things,” she said about the tips. “Just don’t know how much is true, but we’re pretty sure that he was shot.”
“I pray that someone could find something.”
As children, Danielle and Kobe spent a lot of days at the beach in Florida where they lived. At first they were back and forth because of her father’s jobs, and then moved permanently to Somerset, Ohio, when Danielle was 10 and Koby was 4. They had go-carts and dirt bikes — happy memories for Danielle.
Life took a turn when their mother died in 2018 of lung cancer.
Roush found solace in getting a backpiece — a large tattoo which covers the back, and can be thousands of dollars from a good artist. Koby owed money for this backpiece and that may have caused a fight, according to people who contacted Dyer.
“He was doing [the tattoo] for my Mom and different things he was going through in life. That’s how he expressed his feelings,” Dyer said.
Cold comfort
An older neighbor first gave drugs to Roush to try as an early teen, Dyer recalled.
“Since that moment, he’s had a lot of trouble.” Dyer said her brother turned to the drugs as an escape. “He said he didn’t have to think when he was doing it.
“He just had a lot of hurt from different things going on in his life. A lot after my mom died, that was just to cover it up. Then he’d feel guilty and he wanted to make her proud.”
Roush kept trying to turn himself around. “Every time he’d done something, he wants to hurry up and better himself.” He put himself into rehab, wanted to go back to school to be a therapist, and took up boxing — with a fight scheduled the week after he disappeared.
Dyer had planned to go to the boxing match, to cheer her brother on.
An eerie premonition
“The night before [Koby died] I had a dream that my mom was holding me, I was looking at a body of water, and I felt something wasn’t right,” Dyer said.
“My dad got a call at 5 o’clock that morning [July 5, 2020] and Koby had told my dad his car was stuck.” They live about two hours from where Roush’s car was discovered on Mt. Carmel Road, Raccoon Township in Gallia County, according to Google Maps satellite view, so it was decided Roush would call someone who lived closer.
“He said he was calling someone named Luke, and after that his phone just went dead, went to voicemail, we couldn’t get ahold of him.”
Prior to that night on July 4, 2020, Roush was at a friend Paul’s house. Dyer believes her brother left with a person named Kody.
“And from there we don’t know what happened. We’ve heard all kinds of horrible things,” Dyer said.
A fight and a relapse
In his last message to a friend, Roush said that he’d taken drugs again, and was upset with his roommate for bringing drugs into the house.
Dyer played the message on her phone; it had been sent to her by the person who received it.
Roush said in the message: “Dave and I got into a big fight and I’m moving out because he was getting high and kinda puttin it out there too much and I don’t wanna be around it.
“So then it turned from that and so I relapsed…anyway, just a big bunch of bull****. But it’ll be fine. I ain’t worried about it,” the message concluded.
An abandoned paper mill
An officer found Roush’s car abandoned, and called his father. “It was at an old paper mill, like strip pits. Someone just dropped it off, looked like,” Dyer recalled.
But the next discovery had Dyer in pieces. “I found my mom’s ashes, and some kind of band [Koby] had on his hand.
“Those were my mother’s ashes that he wore around his neck. He never took them off.
“They was beside the car. My husband picked them up out of the sand and I busted out crying. Because I knew something was wrong with my brother — he wasn’t here anymore.”
The one tip that stuck
Of all the tips the family received, only one person seemed to be legitimate.
“There’s a lady that called me and my father, and she told me that my brother was murdered in her truck,” Dyer said. “She went into detail. She told me the people that was involved…she told me about a Sheriff Reader that was out in the yard, and that she told him everything and begged the police to come and investigate and they wouldn’t.
“[She] said [Koby] was shot in the head. They cleaned the truck with cleaner. She said the truck had all kinds of cleaner, bleach smell, and they came back later that morning — but she didn’t give a location of the body.”
Dyer says the woman told her that a person who was allegedly in the truck at the time of the killing was later found dead from a gunshot wound.
An appeal to hunters
At the moment the family would like hunters, and mushroom hunters, to keep an eye out for Roush’s remains.
The last known location of Koby, where the family found his abandoned car was 38°56’43.8″N 82°25’47.8″W on Mt. Carmel Road, Raccoon Township in Gallia County. It is close to a former paper mill.
The family has put out a $5,000 reward to help find Koby Roush. Anyone that may have information about the case is encouraged to call BCI at 855-BCI-OHIO (855-224-6446) or submit a missing persons tip through the BCI website. | https://www.wfla.com/news/crime/they-said-hed-been-fed-to-pigs-familys-hell-after-brother-disappeared/ | 2022-04-15T12:44:10 | 0 | https://www.wfla.com/news/crime/they-said-hed-been-fed-to-pigs-familys-hell-after-brother-disappeared/ |
- Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has been removed from the voter rolls of North Carolina.
- State authorities are investigating whether the former Republican congressperson Meadows illegally registered to cast his ballot in that state for the 2020 presidential election.
- The Macon County, North Carolina, Board of Elections told NBC News that Meadows was removed from the list of voters after reviewing documentation that indicates he lived in Virginia and last voted in the 2021 election there.
Former Trump White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has been removed from the voter rolls of North Carolina amid an investigation into whether he illegally registered to cast his ballot in that state for the 2020 presidential election.
The Macon County, North Carolina, Board of Elections told NBC News that Meadows was removed from the list of voters on Monday after reviewing documentation that indicates he lived in Virginia and last voted there in the 2021 election, which included races for governor, attorney general and the state's legislature.
North Carolina law says that a registered voter is considered to have lost residence in that state if they vote in another state's election. However, it is not illegal for a person registered to vote in North Carolina to vote elsewhere.
Meadows' spokesperson had no comment when contacted by NBC and asked about his removal from the North Carolina voter rolls, which first was reported by The Asheville Citizen-Times.
North Carolina authorities last month opened an investigation into possible voter fraud by Meadows, a former Republican congressperson from that state, after a New Yorker magazine article reported that he had said his legal residence in September 2020 was a mobile home in Scaly Mountain, North Carolina.
Money Report
At the time, Meadows was serving as chief of staff to then-President Donald Trump. Under North Carolina law, Meadows could maintain residence for the purpose of voting in North Carolina while working in government service in the District of Columbia.
But The New Yorker reported that Meadows — who backed Trump's false claims of widespread ballot fraud causing his loss in the presidential election — "does not own this [mobile home] property and never has," and that it was not clear if he had ever spent a single night there.
When Meadows registered to vote on Sept. 19, 2020, he listed his move-in date for the following day at the mobile home, the magazine noted.
Lying on voter registrations is a felony.
The Citizen-Times reported that Meadows' wife, Debra, is still registered to vote at the mobile home in Scaly Mountain.
The newspaper noted that "Macon County Republican voters interviewed by the Citizen-Times expressed skepticism a powerful member of the president's staff lived in the small home with a rusted roof."
The Citizen-Times last month published an article about a North Carolina woman who said she had been prosecuted for mistakenly voting while on criminal probation. That woman told the newspaper that Meadows should be dealt with "the way they prosecuted me." | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/money-report/trump-white-house-aide-mark-meadows-removed-from-north-carolina-voter-rolls-amid-fraud-investigation/3644800/ | 2022-04-15T12:49:08 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/money-report/trump-white-house-aide-mark-meadows-removed-from-north-carolina-voter-rolls-amid-fraud-investigation/3644800/ |
Alameda Church of Christ
Sunday, Preaching Minister Rusty Tugman will preach a sermon focusing on Easter and resurrection of Jesus Christ during worship at 10 a.m. Worship will be livestreamed at 10 a.m. the church's YouTube channel. There will be no Bible classes this week, but all are invited for a light breakfast and fellowship at 9. The church is doing “Heart Holds,” or basic teachings, in children and youth ministries, but all ages can participate. All families are invited to participate in monthly challenges. For more information, visit alameda.church/heart-holds. The church offers Early Service for the Classics group at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Room 186. The Summit Youth Ministry for middle and high school students meets at 6:30 in the gym. A class in the auditorium is watching “The Chosen” series. Children are welcome to join their parents. For more information, visit alameda.church.
First Christian Church
On Easter Sunday, Rev. David Spain will preach “Hope Beyond the Holding,” from John 20:1-18, during worship at 8:40 and 10:45 a.m. The 10:45 service will be livestreamed. Church school classes will begin at 9 and 9:30.
First Congregational Church of Norman, UCC
On Easter Sunday, the church will host an Easter egg hunt for children at 3 p.m. before worship at 601 24th Ave. SW, with snacks available after the hunt. Rev. Robin R. Meyers, Ph.D., pastor, will preach "Idle Tale or Idle Church?,” from Luke 24:1-12, during worship at 4. Kay Holladay will be liturgist, and Neil Whyte will provide special music. New members will be welcomed in fellowship hall after the service. Worship will be livestreamed on the church’s YouTube channel. The church is accepting clean food service and packing styrofoam for recycling on Sundays. Volunteers are being sought for the Norman Pride Festival, set for May 7 at Andrews Park, and for the Norman Pride Parade on May 8. Visit normanucc.org or @normanucc on Facebook. To contribute, text GIVE to 433-7759 or mail checks to 601 24th Ave. SW, Norman, OK 73069. Masks are encouraged.
Memorial Presbyterian Church
Sunday, Rev. Tracy Evans will preach "An Expansive Life" during worship at 10:55 a.m. Worship will be livestreamed on YouTube.
NorthHaven Church
On Easter Sunday, Jakob Topper will preach "Resurrection," from John 20:1-18, during worship at 10 a.m. The KidsHaven Handbell Choir will play "Nothing But the Blood." The choir will sing "Alleluia! Christ is Risen" by Lloyd Larson. Bible study will be at 9. For more information, visit northhavenchurch.net.
St. Joseph's Catholic Church
The schedule for Good Friday is Stations of the Cross at 3 p.m., confessions from 4 to 5:30 in the church and celebration of the Lord's Passion at 7. During Easter Vigil on Saturday, Mass will be at 8:30 p.m. On Easter Sunday, the church will celebrate masses with Father Brannon at 7 a.m. in English and 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. in Spanish. Father Irwin will lead 10:30 mass in English. All daily masses are at 12:05 p.m. Tuesday through Friday in the chapel and at 8 a.m. Saturday and Monday. St. Vincent de Paul is collecting Rosaries for Ukraine. Attendees may place them in a bucket at the church or chapel entrance. They must be dropped off by Sunday. Residents can join Father Irwin to pray the rosary and divine mercy chapel at 3 p.m. April 24 in the church. The Peace and Justice group is accepting old crayons and dried-out markers, which can be dropped off in the collection boxes at the Parish Center, outside the gym and in Room 105.
St. Stephen’s UMC
Sunday's service will be "Wondering What had Happened," from Luke 24:1-12, during worship at 8:30 and 10:50 a.m. Worship will be livestreamed at 11 on the "St. Stephen's UMC, Norman, OK" Facebook page. Visit ststephensnorman.org for links to past worship services.
South Canadian Valley Church of Christ
Sunday, Travis Ashley will ask the question "Do You Believe in the Resurrection?"
Trinity Lutheran Church (LC-MS)
On Easter Sunday, the sermon will be "The Living One — The Lord Jesus," from Luke 24:1-12 and 1 Corinthians 15:19-26, during divine services with communion at 8 and 10:30 a.m. in the sanctuary. The 10:30 service will be streamed online on YouTube (search "Trinity Lutheran Church Norman, OK"). Sunday School will be at 9:15. Other Holy Week services are: litany at 9 a.m. and noon, chief service at 3 p.m. and a Tenebrae service at 7:30 p.m. today; the great vigil of Easter at 7:30 p.m. Saturday; and Easter services Sunday, with breakfast from 8:30 to 10 a.m.
Trinity Presbyterian Church
On Resurrection Sunday, Rev. Justin Westmoreland will preach “Now that Jesus Has Risen from the Dead: Share the Vision, Have Faith, & Pay Your Taxes," from Matthew 17, during worship at 10:30 a.m. at Wesley Building, 428 W. Lindsey St. Worship will be available online at trinitynorman.com, on the church's app (search "a church for Norman") or on the pastor's YouTube channel, youtube.com/fullyaliveathletepastor. The pastor will lead a Sunday school lesson on “Confessing the Faith” at 9:45. Jeannie McClish will lead children's school. Dr. Ryan Bisel will lead the youth through the Gospel according to Mark.
University Lutheran Church and Student Center (ELCA)
Holy Week culminates with two Good Friday worship opportunities: 5 p.m. family friendly "Stations of the Cross" service followed at 7 by the solemn reading of the Passion story. The Festival of the Resurrection will be celebrated Easter morning at 8:30 and 11 with Holy Communion. Fellowship breakfast will be at 9:30. Worship will be available on YouTube at University Lutheran Church and Student Center Media in the afternoon. The Third Friday book group will meet at noon Friday. Clean foodservice and packaging foam may be left for recycling in the Styro-Station during weekday office hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Enter from the parking lot on College Avenue behind the church, 914 Elm Ave.
Victory Church of Norman
Sunday, Assistant Pastor William Franks will preach "The Righteousness of God," from 2 Corinthians 5:21, at the afternoon service.
— Area Churches | https://www.normantranscript.com/community/4-15-faith-community/article_cd4fce3c-bb51-11ec-8801-d769e8669e6e.html | 2022-04-15T12:50:32 | 0 | https://www.normantranscript.com/community/4-15-faith-community/article_cd4fce3c-bb51-11ec-8801-d769e8669e6e.html |
It is now Holy Week for Christians worldwide. The greatest drama of all time happened during this week.
This is Divine Drama, authored by God the Father Himself, in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ.
This drama began on Palm Sunday, which is also called the Sunday of the Passion.
Jesus entered into Jerusalem upon a donkey while the crowds waved palm branches and cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, Hosanna in the highest!”
Monday of Holy Week, Jesus entered into the temple courts in Jerusalem and drove out money-changers and animal-sellers. He used a whip and — with anger in his voice — called out, “You have made my Father’s house, which is a house of prayer for all nations, into a den of thieves!”
Tuesday and Wednesday of Holy Week, he taught the people in the temple courts.
He told the amazing story of the son who is thrown out of his own father’s vineyard and killed. This was a prophecy of what was about to happen to Jesus on the cross.
Thursday of Holy Week is called Maundy Thursday. This is the evening when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and instituted the Lord’s Supper.
After they sang a hymn, they went to the Garden of Gethsemane. There he prayed three times about the cup of suffering he was about to experience. His sweat fell like drops of blood on the ground.
In that Garden, he was betrayed by Judas Iscariot. He was arrested by the mob of soldiers and deserted by all his disciples.
He was dragged before Caiaphas and Herod and Pilate at night. An illegal trial was held. He was denounced for blasphemy, since he claimed to be the Messiah.
Friday of Holy Week is called Good Friday. He was turned over for crucifixion by Pontius Pilate and condemned to death.
His suffering would include being mocked by the soldiers, crowned with thorns, scourged with whips, clothed with a purple robe and nailed to a cross.
The seven “words” or sentences Jesus spoke from the cross, reveal the scope of his sacrificial death on the cross. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
When he exclaimed, ”It is finished!” the work of dying as the Savior of the world was complete. He did this in our place and as our substitute,.
Saturday of Holy Week was the Sabbath, and his body rested in the tomb on that day. He had been buried by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus.
On Easter Sunday, he rose from the dead. He was seen by eyewitnesses, which included the women and apostles. His body came back to life, and he was now in his glorified state.
He still bore the marks on his hands, feet and side. These marks showed the price he had paid for our justification by grace. Jesus is indeed the atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.
By faith, we believe that this was done for me, for you, for everyone. In the Lord Jesus Christ, we have forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.
This is God’s Divine Drama, and these events actually happened in history, in time and in reality.
During Holy Week experience for yourself this drama authored by God. | https://www.normantranscript.com/community/celebrating-holy-week/article_527ca8be-bb52-11ec-9f44-3b2d01bbd691.html | 2022-04-15T12:50:38 | 1 | https://www.normantranscript.com/community/celebrating-holy-week/article_527ca8be-bb52-11ec-9f44-3b2d01bbd691.html |
Over the last few months, a group of families has quietly made Norman their new home.
Since the United States pulled out of Afghanistan last fall, Oklahoma has received just over 1,800 Afghan refugees, CAIR Oklahoma reported last month. Eight Afghan families and one individual have resettled in Norman with the help of the Norman Coalition for Refugee Support and its partners.
The coalition is an interfaith effort spearheaded by St. Stephen’s United Methodist Church and multiple other Norman churches that has helped refugees from multiple countries. Their first refugee came from Venezuela several years ago, and today has a job and a child, and owns a house in Moore.
With partners like Catholic Charities — which assigns refugee families to the coalition — The Spero Project, local churches and mosques and other organizations across Norman, the coalition of more than 50 volunteers is walking Afghan families through a three-step resettlement process, coalition co-chair Brent Smith said.
First, there’s the basic needs of providing housing and clothes. When they first arrived in the state, refugee families were housed at an Oklahoma City hotel, where they received resources from Catholic Charities and medical agencies.
Of the families the Norman coalition is helping, one has two children, but most have six to eight children, Smith said. All have the same basic needs at the beginning, but may need unique resources as the process goes on.
Food and Shelter, a Norman nonprofit that helps provide housing and resources to the city’s unhoused residents, has been a key partner to the coalition in helping them resettle Afghan families and beyond.
April Doshier, the nonprofit’s executive director, said Food and Shelter has helped other families through the coalition in the past, and was able to move the Afghan families into safe housing.
“As the Afghan situation unfolded, and it became clear we were as a country taking on all these refugees, they came in just such mass numbers with little to no structure to their resettlement, and so [the coalition] reached out to me just to see what kind of options were available,” she said. “And we happen to have received some support, some funding to provide rehousing assistance to whomever needs it, anybody that qualified as homeless, which all of these folks did. And so we worked with the coalition to help identify safe and appropriate housing, and Food and Shelter helped get them moved into their places so that they could start their lives over.”
Aside from community partners that help supply resources and connections, the coalition has multiple internal committees made up of their volunteers, Smith said. Committees handle specific issues, from tracking donations to helping find refugee transportation and employment, to ensuring kids get enrolled in schools and families have access to English language learning programs.
The coalition also provides family liaison cohorts, groups of volunteers who check on and assist the specific family they’re assigned to. The liaisons give families a point of contact when they need assistance.
All refugee families also receive a case manager from Catholic Charities, Smith said; liaisons look for red flags or concerns within the families and can relay issues to case managers.
The second stage of resettlement goes beyond the very basics, as volunteers help connect refugees to doctors, dentists and immunizations and jobs. Smith said the coalition has already seen one birth among the refugee families.
Then there’s the third stage, the “refining” stage of figuring out how to address struggles with English language learning, identifying kids’ tutoring needs or helping fathers settle in at work and adjust to the American workplace.
Smith said Afghan culture is heavily built on kinship, so the coalition was lucky that some of the Norman Afghan families are actually related.
“...As those liaisons are focused on the family pretty intensively the first three or so months, their presence in the house decreases over time — partly because the family is learning their way around, but also because this extended family is helping each other,” Smith said.
Smith said families aren’t ready to speak with the press or be out in public too much yet — the coalition is focusing heavily on building and maintaining trust with the families, who are rebuilding from scratch after arriving in Oklahoma with a suitcase full of belongings and not much else.
Coalition volunteers have worked on learning and expanding their own knowledge bases to understand the families’ needs. In this specific case, it’s been helpful that some of the fathers were interpreters who already spoke English and can help bridge communication gaps, he said.
“One of the things we’ve learned early on that we needed, just as white privileged Americans, that we needed to understand that our perspective on how we’re going to help Afghans or even those from the southern border, we need to ask, before we tell,” Smith said.
Despite the privacy the coalition maintains for the families, the organization itself has started to publicize more of its work. The coalition recently won the 2021 City of Norman Human Rights Award from the Norman Human Rights Commission and has given presentations about its work to the city, local nonprofits and rotary clubs.
Smith said the coalition should soon have a website online where interested people can find opportunities to help out. While the group will only take on new refugee families as it’s able, Smith said the coalition anticipates helping resettle four to six families each year, on average.
Doshier said assisting the coalition has made her proud of the work they’re doing in Norman.
“The first day I sat down with the father of our first family that we helped settle here in Norman, we couldn’t speak to each other because of the language barrier,” she said. “But as one of my friends said, you know, warmth is felt by all people and so, he, I think he knew that we were there to care for them and support them, and his gratitude was so special. And so to be able to see that, that relief and gratitude and see them grow from being just afraid to flourishing has been just really really special. It’s what this country was built on. and it makes you proud to be part of something like that.” | https://www.normantranscript.com/community/coalition-helping-afghan-families-resettle-in-norman/article_e067bbc8-bc29-11ec-aefd-4b841c931f76.html | 2022-04-15T12:50:44 | 1 | https://www.normantranscript.com/community/coalition-helping-afghan-families-resettle-in-norman/article_e067bbc8-bc29-11ec-aefd-4b841c931f76.html |
Anthony Obiawunaotu, aka Fat Tony (FT), knows that it’s communities of people who make art. Indeed, communities make everything in this world happen.
He’s 34 now, but in eighth grade, the music fan had a Walkman radio-inspired epiphany. Already late to government class, FT was frozen in his tracks listening to Cam’ron’s “Oh Boy.”
After listening to the entire song, FT went on to class. There he told his three pals that it was time for them to not just appreciate music, but to start making it themselves for real. On the spot he assigned two to be rappers, one manager and he’d be the producer.
Through role reversals, genre changes — including punk, hard rock and rap — over the next 20 years FT has fearlessly and passionately moved forward. The Houston-based rapper will be performing at 10 p.m. Friday, April 29 on Norman Music Festival’s Winston West Stage.
“I have always pushed for collaboration my entire life as a musician and still am today,” FT said. “I like it because I get to learn a little bit about someone else’s process and worldview. All the best music I’ve made has been a collaboration.”
There are just a few songs in FT’s catalogue where he wrote the lyrics and performed the music solo.
“I don’t believe in the idea of the individual genius. That’s something the media and entertainment industries try to push, that there has to be a Kurt Cobain or Tupac,” he said. “The checks and balances that come from collaboration benefit me too. I like having a producer there who tells me to try it again, make that lyric clearer, so I can go back and refine it. Those are the building blocks that I think it takes to be a great artist. I’ve always be cognizant of that in collaborating.”
FT is looking forward to being part of the big, free, outdoor live performance extravaganza that is Norman Music Festival.
“I will be running through my whole discography plus playing a bunch of songs from my latest album ‘Exotica,’” FT said. “The festival is free and open to all ages, so I feel like I need to put out a groove and vibe that brings joy and energy to everyone out there. Expect stage banter, jokes and tons of storytelling along with high energy music. A one man show with rapping, singing, playing the music and running all over the damn stage.”
Houston is presently among the most dynamic, multicultural and fastest growing cities in the world. FT is a proud product of the storied Third Ward there.
His confidence, determination, straightforward personality, sense of humor and lyrical brilliance are nothing short of inspirational as both a musician and a person.
“Houston contributes to my art in a big way,” FT said. “I’m from a place where a lot of great music happened before my time and during when I was a kid. Blues’ Lightnin’ Hopkins, gospel, jazz, rock, rap and country scenes stretch back over a hundred years in my city. Growing up I never felt music was too far out of my reach. I never wanted to leave Houston because it was wack — I just wanted to leave to see more. When I look around my city I have plenty of inspiration.”
FT has been performing regularly since 2007. His discography dates back to then and encompasses over 10 discs, including the aforementioned “Exotica” (2020) and 2021 single “Ain’t For Me.”
“Right now what I like about making music as an adult is having much more appreciation for the moment,” he said. “Now when I’m going on tour, playing concerts, collaborating with people I like to step back, soak it in and really value the present. In my past it’s always been about what is next. Get the first record deal then what’s the next record deal going to be. This tour is a couple of weeks long — how do I make the next tour a month long?
“That’s definitely spurred by growing up in a capitalist society where we’re always supposed to get more, more, more. I’m always appreciating what’s happening in the moment more than ever before.”
FT considers himself a recreational as well as expressive thinker. He soaks up vibes, cultures, knowledge, art, films, music and literature.
As a child, outside of school, he spent a lot of time alone reading and learning on the internet. FT was a cultural influencer among his friends.
Nobody has ever told FT he can’t bring all this into his flavors of hip hop, so he does it. He recognizes the great multicultural artistic gumbo always on the simmer throughout Canada, the USA and Mexico that feeds the entire planet.
“I’m in the great tradition of American music with what I do,” he said. “That’s why I have a country song and do a Mariachi mix in one of my songs. Being a Texan, I absolutely view Mexico as my home and neighbor, too.”
FT’s songs are about the ups and downs of the human condition through a non-judgmental lens. The people in his songs, regardless of their flaws or qualities, are reaching toward a higher humanity.
FT has written plenty of compositions about himself, family and friends. His latest album is different.
“It was a great challenge to write one about characters that aren’t me and about situations that I haven’t exactly lived through,” he said. “It was the hardest album I’ve had to write, but the one I got the most satisfaction from writing. Through those other characters and their stories, I got to express myself. There’s power in storytelling I want to carry through the rest of my career.” | https://www.normantranscript.com/community/stretching-hip-hop-boundaries-norman-music-festival-presents-fat-tony/article_02d296da-bc28-11ec-9b32-c7a8e5c21250.html | 2022-04-15T12:50:50 | 0 | https://www.normantranscript.com/community/stretching-hip-hop-boundaries-norman-music-festival-presents-fat-tony/article_02d296da-bc28-11ec-9b32-c7a8e5c21250.html |
Big Brothers Big Sisters Norman hosted their Lip Sync & Bowl for Kids’ Sake event Wednesday at HeyDay to celebrate the community’s fundraising efforts to support the organization’s mentoring program.
BBBS Norman raised a total of $55,295, far exceeding their initial $40,000 goal, for the event.
The nonprofit kept the combination of the lip sync video battle with its traditional Bowling for Kids’ Sake event after adding the video battle to the event in 2021 for COVID-19.
Teams fundraised throughout the winter months, and once they reached the $900 threshold for adult groups and $300 for children, they created a lip sync music video to their song of choice. Awards for best and most creative videos were given at HeyDay.
Area director Jeff Moody said the peer-to-peer fundraising came from community members who raised money around town.
“People got really creative with their own fundraising ideas to come up with the money to get to bowl and create a lip sync video if they wanted to,” Moody said. “It was 100% a team effort.”
Norman-based sculpture artist Brett McDaniel provided trophies for the Lip Sync Battle.
Dexter Moody and Luke McMoran, who both did superhero themed videos, won kids portion of the Lip Sync Video contest.
“They were both really cute, and we want to see more of that next year, so we [awarded] both of them with a prize package from Color Me Mine, Okie Baking Co. and other [local businesses],” Moody said. “They got a couple toys, so just a really cool little thing for them.”
Trent Brown and Ryan Lasseter won first place in the lip sync battle for their DEVO video. Isaac Badayos’ and their N’Sync team won second. Josh Hinkle, Nathn Thompson, Dillon Henry and DJ Nuzum, called the “Bankstreet Boys,” earned third.. The Bankstreet Boys raised over $3,800 as the top fundraising team. Fourth place was BOLD Multimedia and fifth place went to Elliot Springer.
Moody said combining the lip sync contest with bowling was a recipe for a good time.
“It was a blast,” Moody said. “It was fun to incorporate the bowling like we used to and then throw in our lip sync battle into it.”
The money raised in BBBS Norman’s annual fundraiser goes toward funding background checks on volunteers, staff training and other resources that help pair Big and Little Brothers and Big and Little Sisters.
Moody said mentors are a pillar of support and a positive role model that is consistently there for their little brother or sister.
“The more money we raise, the more matches we can make and the more staff we can get,” Moody said. “It helps us continue to grow and really do what’s best for the kids in our community.” | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/big-brothers-big-sisters-norman-exceeds-fundraiser-goal-selects-lip-sync-battle-winners/article_87bdf494-bc3b-11ec-9001-8f7b4d85b14a.html | 2022-04-15T12:50:56 | 0 | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/big-brothers-big-sisters-norman-exceeds-fundraiser-goal-selects-lip-sync-battle-winners/article_87bdf494-bc3b-11ec-9001-8f7b4d85b14a.html |
Moore Public Schools had its final day of fundraising March 4, and students, employees and administrators earned a combined total of $348,291.
The nonprofits selected as this year’s Moore Love beneficiaries will receive checks Monday from MPS Leadership Students that will help them sustain selected programs and will help begin a new Bridges Program at MPS.
This is the fifth year of the MPS Moore Love philanthropic initiative, which has a focus on engaging the MPS community to unite as one fundraising powerhouse to provide funding for real solutions. The Moore Love 2022 beneficiaries are:
• Regional Food Bank: Backpack Program — MPS works with the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank to provide food in backpacks for about 700 MPS elementary students without enough food at home to sustain them over the weekend. MPS also has food pantries at many junior highs and high schools for older students.
• The Sharing Tree — The Sharing Tree is a nonprofit that serves families in need by providing no-cost, dignified shopping experiences. The facility is stocked with clothing, household items and necessities. Many patrons are MPS families.
• Moore Public Schools Foundation and Bridges Inc. — Bridges is a nonprofit organization in Norman with a mission of empowering students in a family crisis or who live alone to succeed. Staff work to remove barriers to high school graduation, including help with food, clothing, shelter and medical needs. They offer students counseling in life skills, and advocates help them finish high school and move into the next phase of adulthood with support and resources. Through a new partnership, the MPS Foundation will build a capital framework to renovate or build a site in the MPS district where Bridges can implement a program with MPS students who find themselves in need.
Student leadership teams from Moore, Westmoore and Southmoore High Schools heard nonprofit pitches and made the selections in July. The group drives the fundraising efforts for their schools and assists the junior high and elementary schools with fundraising ideas and encouragement.
The set fundraising month is February, but MPS students often begin fundraising activities for interschool competition when school starts in August. MPS has about 24,500 students and 2,700 staff members throughout 35 school sites.
“We set a fundraising goal this year that our collective student body completely blew away. I am so proud of all our students and staff who worked hard to make this funding happen for our nonprofits,” Moore schools Superintendent Robert Romines said. “I’m also humbled by the groundwork we’ll now be able to accomplish through the MPS Foundation and Bridges for our homeless and shelter-insecure population. We can begin a program to care for our own students, right here in Moore.”
For more information,visit mooreschools.com or call 735-4200. | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/mps-earns-over-300k-for-moore-love-beneficiaries/article_8f4b8614-bb5e-11ec-b8dd-03d0be58f8ea.html | 2022-04-15T12:51:03 | 0 | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/mps-earns-over-300k-for-moore-love-beneficiaries/article_8f4b8614-bb5e-11ec-b8dd-03d0be58f8ea.html |
Oklahoma Turnpike Authority officials met a crowd of Noble and Norman residents who crowded around information tables while others protested toll road expansion at a public meeting Thursday.
The OTA announced in February it would expand the state’s toll road system, including an extension of the Kickapoo Turnpike from Interstate 40 south to Purcell and one along Indian Hills Road to connect Moore, Norman and Oklahoma City.
OTA Deputy Director Joe Echelle told residents at the Thursday meeting in Noble High School that the Turnpike Authority would build the connection from I-35 to I-44 along Indian Hills first and then an extension of the Kilpatrick Turnpike from State Highway 152 to I-44. The south extension will connect the outer loop to State Highway 9 and last from SH-9 to I-35 to Purcell.
Echelle said the route was initially codified in law in 1987 and that OTA, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the Association of Central Oklahoma Governments had studied it in the 1980s and again in the early 90s.
The Indian Hills route was chosen to avoid the high density of homes and businesses that had developed north of the road. And the west side of the lake was chosen because it is a “more direct route” and the east side of the lake would be 12 miles longer.
Following his brief introduction, he directed residents to booths where specific questions could be addressed about the proposed turnpike’s impacts to property owners. Each booth was staffed with right-of-way acquisition specialists, engineers and other turnpike staff. One booth was available to discuss environmental impacts.
Noble resident Leslie Isom said she worries about her property value as traffic will increase along Etowah, where an interchange is planned near her home.
“It will probably go up,” Isom said. “Before this happened, I was inundated 10 times a day by text, email, ‘I want to buy your house’ or ‘somebody is interested in your house.’ It stopped. I haven’t had one since this started.”
Pam Post, a Norman resident who protested the turnpike, said the meeting was nothing more than a show.
“This is their meeting, because they want to be able to tell everyone, ‘well we held meetings so everyone can get their questions answered,’” she said.
Like many Norman residents, Post worries the project will impact the city water because it will pollute the Lake Thunderbird watershed and their aquifer-fed wells.
“If you’re talking about elevated roads coming through the wetlands, you have the chance of spillage – fuel, salt, etc. going into that water, and Norman will be hurting.”
The OTA has said during previous meetings that it will control stormwater runoff from the roads and perform environmental impact studies ahead of construction.
Post wondered how long those studies would hold true.
“Water filtrates down through the ground, and then it goes into the aquifer,” she said. “Eventually over the years, 10, 20 or 30 years later, it might poison that aquifer, and Norman is already in a water shortage.”
The lake is considered an impaired water source by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality and is the primary source of drinking water for Norman. Midwest City and Del City also purchase water from the lake.
Another Norman resident said the OTA will push her entirely out of Norman because she would be forced into a higher mortgage bracket if she stays. She wondered how many others would be put in a similar position.
“Norman’s going to lose a lot of property tax, retail [tax] and utility service [fees],” Kim Burks said.
Additional meetings are planned next week, including one in Norman at the Central Library from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Tuesday April 19. | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/ota-meets-with-noble-residents/article_8e12176e-bc66-11ec-8037-87f1496401de.html | 2022-04-15T12:51:09 | 1 | https://www.normantranscript.com/news/ota-meets-with-noble-residents/article_8e12176e-bc66-11ec-8037-87f1496401de.html |
I was all set to write about it when I received an email from a friend and former colleague (who is now a professor at Georgetown University in Washington DC). He told me he’d been reading these columns and appreciated the “good news” that I’ve tried to convey.
He then me wished a joyous holiday. He celebrates Passover; I celebrate Easter. That got me to thinking (sometimes a dangerous thing) about the relevance of his greeting, and themes common to Lent/Easter, Passover and the Muslim observance of Ramadan (April 2 to May 2).
Based on my understanding of these faith traditions, I believe all focus on reflection (seeking rejuvenation) and hope.
I’ve tried to highlight positive things in these weekly missives and believe there’s no shortage of things to talk about. I don’t have to reflect beyond the last few weeks to make the point.
I’m now going to bore you with several personal examples, and I bet you can come up with a list of your own that reinforces the notion that Norman is, indeed, a city of hope — a City of Joy.
Are you familiar with the “Big Event?” On “Big Event” Day, which was April 2, University of Oklahoma students reached out to the community and performed work projects for various charities and neighborhoods. They cleaned-up up city parks, painted buildings and fences, planted flowers, etc.
My neighborhood was privileged to have 15 young men come and help pick up trash and debris, enough to fill a 20-foot rolloff dumpster. My friend Joan Barker coordinated a similar project at Hall Park. There were many other examples throughout the city; student participation numbered in the thousands.
The “Big Event” is organized annually by students as a contribution to Norman and its residents. We benefit, not only in the work done, but in getting to know some fine young people. Hope for the future?
I’ve written in these spaces about my participation in Juvenile Court proceedings. Judge Gail Blaylock, who presides at this court, is all about redemption, not punishment. She’s always looking for ways to help the individuals who come before her, holding that there aren’t bad kids, just bad circumstances.
About a week ago, I joined Judge Blaylock — along with representatives from the Norman Police Department, Norman Public Schools and the OU School of Social Work — to discuss how to help kids and their parents find better ways to meet life’s challenges, to find hope where it seems to be lacking.
Dr. Margene Brohammer from NPS outlined a program now in use in Lawrence, Kansas as a vehicle for further discussion. We’ll meet again in a week to follow up and discuss this and other ideas. Positive steps.{p class=”p1”}On Wednesday, I had an appointment at the Oklahoma Blood Institute for a regular donation. When I arrived, I was greeted by friend Michael Ridgeway. Michael donates lifesaving plasma at OBI every two weeks, providing hope to those in need.{p class=”p1”}OBI has announced that donations are well below the number needed to maintain a supply of blood to meet critical demands. Think about whether you can help.
Last Friday, I spent the day at a statewide Early Settlement Conference conducted by the Oklahoma State Supreme Court. This conference was for individuals who volunteer as certified mediators, working with courts throughout the state.
I was one of three mediators from Norman at the conference. We listened to new ideas on how to settle disputes and learned from each other’s experiences. You might ask how this benefits Norman citizens, since courts are involved (and you don’t want to go to court).
Though many mediations are indeed court ordered, this service is available free of charge for the asking. True, you have to schedule mediators through the court (in Norman, the Municipal Court), but once a mediation is scheduled, the court’s role in these voluntary sessions is over.
Something of value leading to renewed hope? I think so.
I mentioned that Norman is a “City of Joy.” There is a book of that title, written by French author Dominique La Pierre.
The book is about a French priest sent to minister the slums of Calcutta. He arrives, thinking of all the good he’ll do (an ego thing). He soon learns what the downtrodden already know: that life is precious and worth living, something that inspires hope. He learns that it’s his privilege to serve.
The individuals I’ve mentioned here know about that privilege. This attitude of service is part of what makes Norman great.
May you have a joyous holiday, and much happiness (and I promise, next week will focus on Norman High!). | https://www.normantranscript.com/opinion/column-focusing-on-an-attitude-of-service-this-holiday-season/article_ca597ffa-b9cd-11ec-abd8-4f8c36b9f6a4.html | 2022-04-15T12:51:15 | 1 | https://www.normantranscript.com/opinion/column-focusing-on-an-attitude-of-service-this-holiday-season/article_ca597ffa-b9cd-11ec-abd8-4f8c36b9f6a4.html |
Nick Saban might have to swap out his customary pastel suit for some rain gear, but Alabama will wrap up its spring schedule Saturday when it holds its annual “A-Day” game in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
The 2 p.m. CT scrimmage will not air on traditional television but on SEC Network+. The stadium will also be open to full capacity after being limited to 50 percent for last April’s spring game, which came after the 2020 version was canceled.
More in Alabama sports:
Nick Saban previews Alabama’s A-Day game, asks for big crowd to send message
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‘Impact player:’ Eufaula 2023 DL/LB Yhonzae Pierre commits to Alabama
Here is what to watch:
1. The weather: Alabama’s first Easter weekend spring game since 2014 will be wet, with rain expected through most of the day and thunderstorms also possible. “For us to have a great crowd on Saturday, regardless of what the weather is, to support the players, to support the team,” Saban said Thursday, “I think this sends a huge message of what our passion [is] and desire to, and support we have, to have a great program.” Alabama would obviously have to stop the game if there is lightning in the area, but otherwise it is not clear how much rain will affect what Alabama does on the field.
2. Pregame and halftime ceremonies: Alabama will hold its traditional walk of fame hand and cleat-casting ceremony at noon next to Denny Chimes. The school will honor its four permanent captains from last season, which includes two current players in Bryce Young and Will Anderson as well as former players Evan Neal and Phidarian Mathis. At halftime, the school will have a ceremony to recognize the program’s first Black players, John Mitchell and Wilbur Jackson, and the role each played in, “changing the course of the Alabama football program forever, breaking down barriers, opening doors and providing opportunities for generations to come.”
RELATED: Nick Saban lauds courage of Wilbur Jackson and John Mitchell, to be honored at A-Day
3. Players not expected to participate: Alabama is expected to be without a pair of starting offensive linemen in centers Darrian Dalcourt and James Brockermeyer, right guard Emil Ekiyor, receiver Ja’Corey Brooks and outside linebacker Keanu Koht. There could be several other players also held out because of injury recoveries, including running backs Jase McClellan and Roydell Williams.
4. Freshmen to watch: Alabama has 13 scholarship freshmen enrolled for the spring, headlined by five-star quarterback Ty Simpson, five-star linebackers Jeremiah Alexander and Jihaad Campbell, and four-star receiver Aaron Anderson. Cornerback Tre’Quon Fegans, a former Thompson teammate of Alexander, is also enrolled early. But do not expect to see the 11 freshmen who will enroll this summer, including Geneva County’s Emmanuel Henderson, Calera’s Kobe Prentice and Anniston’s Antonio Kite.
5. Checking up on the quarterbacks: How much Alabama opens up its passing game given the elements remains to be seen, but this spring game could be the most fans have seen yet of sophomore Jalen Milroe behind center. Saban has lauded the strides Milroe has made this spring in confidence and decision-making, so how much he uses his arm will be worth watching. In limited action last season, Milroe ran 15 times and threw only seven times. Beyond Milroe, many eyes will be watching Simpson, the son of UT-Martin coach Jason Simpson who took part in bowl practices last December. Saban noted after Alabama’s first scrimmage how, “everything’s a little fast for him right now,” but said he is not disappointed with the freshman’s progress.
RELATED: What Nick Saban sees from backup Alabama QBs Jalen Milroe, Ty Simpson
6. Wide-open wide receiver position: Alabama lost the bulk of its receiving production from last season from the departures of Jameson Williams, John Metchie and Slade Bolden, then had two less-experienced players in Javon Baker and Agiye Hall enter the NCAA transfer portal. The Tide picked up Georgia’s Jermaine Burton from the portal and the reviews of his spring have been positive, but with Brooks out, the rest of the wide receiver room is thin on players with experience. Traeshon Holden, JoJo Earle, Christian Leary and Thaiu Jones-Bell are the returning players whose names will likely get called Saturday, while Anderson flashed in Alabama’s first scrimmage and is joined by freshman Kendrick Law. Wide receiver remains a position of need for Alabama and Louisville speedster Tyler Harrell entering the portal earlier this week has sparked speculation he could be the next to join the Tide.
RELATED: Expanded opportunity awaits Jermaine Burton in Alabama’s offense
RELATED: How Bryce Young views young Alabama WRs, dropped passes
7. Offensive line in flux: Alabama’s offensive line has dealt with a lack of numbers this spring, with Bryce Young in awe earlier this week with the amount of reps some of his blockers have needed to take in practice. The position will be shored up by the return of Dalcourt and Ekiyor from injury as well as the arrival of tackle Tyler Steen, who committed Monday to transfer from Vanderbilt. But Alabama will need to work around its numbers issue for one more day Saturday while giving fans a closer look at some less experienced players. Those include two of the school’s top 2021 recruits in J.C. Latham and Tommy Brockermeyer, with the latter being somewhat of a mystery to outside viewers after he did not see any playing time last season and was not in uniform for some games.
RELATED: SEC offensive lineman transferring to Alabama
RELATED: Bryce Young: Transfer addition ‘really big’ for shorthanded Alabama offensive line
RELATED: Where things stand with Alabama’s reshuffled offensive line
8. Who is next up on defense? Defense has been the more stable side of the ball this offseason after decisions by safeties Jordan Battle and DeMarcco Hellams, as well as linebacker Henry To’o To’o and defensive lineman DJ Dale, to return for their senior seasons. But the group did lose two starting cornerbacks in Josh Jobe and Jalyn Armour-Davis, and a pair of defensive linemen in Mathis and LaBryan Ray. One area to watch is how Kool-Aid McKinstry and Khyree Jackson, the Tide’s cornerback starters in the national championship game, have progressed. But beyond that, the spring game could offer a preview of some players who could become starters in 2023 after Alabama loses several key defensive players to the draft, including outside linebacker Chris Braswell and safety Kristian Story.
RELATED: Alabama 2022 defense plans ‘just to be mean’ and ‘hit people in the mouth’
RELATED: Alabama football adds senior to exclusive fraternity
RELATED: Alabama’s Dallas Turner ‘gonna be special,’ former Georgia lineman says
9. Other newcomers to watch: Besides Burton, Alabama has a pair of transfers in running back Jahmyr Gibbs (Georgia Tech) and cornerback Eli Ricks (LSU) could both play significant roles this season. Gibbs could be of particular interest to fans Saturday in a backfield likely to be without McClellan and Williams. Alabama fans could also hear new names in freshman running back Jamarion Miller, a four-star recruit from Texas, and linebacker Shawn Murphy, a four-star recruit from Virginia.
RELATED: ‘Cheat code’ Jahmyr Gibbs impressing at Alabama spring practice
RELATED: How LSU transfer Eli Ricks fits into Alabama CB competition
10. Another position battle to watch: Besides sorting out things at receiver, Alabama will need to find someone to fill the hole left by Christian Harris’ departure to the NFL draft. Senior Jaylen Moody will get the chance just as he did last spring after Dylan Moses’ departure, only to have To’o To’o later transfer and become the starter instead. This time, Moody’s main competition appears to be Mobile redshirt freshman Deontae Lawson, who started in the spring game last year amid some COVID issues at the position. Blackshire is another option, and the highly-rated freshman in Campbell could also see time at inside linebacker.
RELATED: What ex-Vol Henry To’o To’o learned in first Alabama season
RELATED: Trey Sanders thanks Nick Saban for help in returning from car wreck: ‘He gave me hope’
Mike Rodak is an Alabama beat reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @mikerodak. | https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2022/04/what-to-watch-from-alabama-in-a-day-spring-game.html | 2022-04-15T12:55:41 | 1 | https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2022/04/what-to-watch-from-alabama-in-a-day-spring-game.html |
COLLEGE FOOTBALL, USA -- This mountain starts with Alabama’s DeVonta Smith, the first receiver in more than three decades to win the Heisman Trophy who then got even more dynamic and productive after he had the award in hand.
Picking the four best receivers in the history of the College Football Playoff? For Doug Lesmerises and Shehan Jeyarajah, who are on their third playoff Mount Rushmore on The College Football Survivor Show after previously picking the four best running backs and four best linebackers, this was maybe the easiest decision.
Smith is on the receiver Rushmore, and then the discussion starts for the other three spots. Look at what Smith did in his playoff career.
2017
Clemson semifinal: 1 catch, 4 yards
Georgia championship: 1 catch, 41 yards, 1 touchdown
2018
Oklahoma semifinal: 6 catches, 104 yards, 1 touchdown
Clemson championship: 6 catches, 65 yards
2020
Notre Dame semifinal: 7 catches, 130 yards, 3 touchdowns
Ohio State championship: 12 catches, 215 yards, 3 touchdowns
So let’s total that playoff resume: 6 games, 33 catches, 559 yards, 8 touchdowns.
And the first touchdown as a freshman in 2017 was the game-winner in overtime from Tua Tagovailoa to beat the Bulldogs. And the final game as a senior set the playoff record for title game catches with 12 and set the mark for the most receiving yards in a two-game playoff with 345.
Smith in his 11 games before he was awarded the 2020 Heisman averaged 9.5 receptions and 137 receiving yards per game. In his two playoff games, he averaged 9.5 receptions and 173 receiving yards.
Against the best, he was even better. So that’s one face. He’s on.
What was the discussion like for the other three spots? Well, there was a lot of Clemson and a lot of LSU.
To find out how that went, listen to the latest bonus episode of The College Football Survivor Show available to subscribers on Apple Podcasts. It’s $2.99 a month for four episodes, which is less than $1 an episode for college football playoff talk year-round that you won’t find anywhere else. Go to Apple Podcasts to sign up.
The other College Football Survivor Show each week is available to podcast listeners everywhere. Subscribe at Apple or anywhere else make sure you get that episode each week.
If you or a loved one has questions or needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit 1800gambler.net for more information.
RECENT EPISODES OF THE COLLEGE FOOTBALL SURVIVOR SHOW
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Picking our playoff teams right now
10 major spring football quarterback battles | https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2022/04/why-devonta-smith-is-the-greatest-receiver-in-college-football-playoff-history-college-football-survivor-show.html | 2022-04-15T12:55:48 | 1 | https://www.al.com/alabamafootball/2022/04/why-devonta-smith-is-the-greatest-receiver-in-college-football-playoff-history-college-football-survivor-show.html |
In his first letter as CEO of Amazon, Andy Jassy maintained that when it comes to worker safety, Amazon is simply average.
“Our injury rates are sometimes misunderstood,” he wrote. Amazon is “about average relative to peers, but we don’t seek to be average. We want to be best in class.”
Earlier this week, a report from a coalition of labor unions — the Strategic Organizing Center — analyzed data Amazon has submitted to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and found that in 2021 the rate of injury at Amazon warehouses went up about 20%. Compared to other warehouse workers, Amazon employees needed about 19 more days to recover from injury.
The serious injury rate at Amazon warehouses in 2021 was 6.8 per 100 workers, compared to a rate of 3.3 per 100 at other non-Amazon warehouses, the SOC report found.
In his letter Thursday, Jassy said Amazon actually splits its workforce into two categories when comparing itself to other industry leaders: its warehouse workers and its courier and delivery service.
Amazons’ injury rate was higher than its warehouse peers — 6.4 versus 5.5 — but lower than its courier and delivery peers — 7.6 versus 9.1.
Thinking of it that way, Amazon is about average, Jassy wrote.
“When I first started in my new role, I spent significant time in our fulfillment centers and with our safety team and hoped there might be a silver bullet that could change the numbers quickly,” Jassy wrote. “I didn’t find that.”
Instead, he continued, Amazon has invested in rotational programs that help employees avoid spending too much time doing the same repetitive motions, as well as wearables that prompt employees when they’re moving in a dangerous way, improved shoes to provide better toe protection and training programs on body mechanics and safety practices.
“We’ve been dissecting every process path to discern how we can further improve,” he said. “But, we still have a ways to go, and we’ll approach it like we do other customer experiences — we’ll keep learning, inventing and iterating until we have more transformational results.
“We won’t be satisfied until we do.”
Jassy said Amazon created a list of 100 “pain points” for employees and is committed to systematically solving them.
Debbie Berkowitz, a former senior OSHA official and a fellow at Georgetown University, said Amazon’s decision to share separate injury rates for warehouse workers and drivers is “disingenuous.”
Because some of Amazon’s facilities have such a high injury rate, including its warehouse in DuPont, they push up the nationwide rate for warehouse workers, making it appear that Amazon’s rates are closer to those of its competitors than they actually are, Berkowitz said. And many injured Amazon drivers wouldn’t be counted in the lower-than-average injury rate touted by the company because they are employed through independent delivery companies, part of Amazon’s delivery service partner program.
This isn’t the first time Amazon has made sweeping pledges to improve workers’ experiences at its facilities. In his last letter to shareholders as CEO of Amazon last April, Jeff Bezos committed the company to becoming “Earth’s Best Employer” and “Earth’s Safest Place to Work.”
It planned to invest in workers with wages, benefits and upskilling opportunities — or training and retraining efforts to help employees work with new technologies. Amazon committed to investing more than $300 million in safety projects and using algorithms to rotate employees among jobs in order to reduce repetitive motions.
“I’m excited to work alongside the large team of passionate people we have ... and help invent in this arena,” Bezos wrote. “On the details, we at Amazon are always flexible, but on matters of vision we are stubborn and relentless.”
Since then, Washington state workplace regulators have cited Amazon four times for violating safety laws and drawn a connection between Amazon’s pace of work and its injury rate.
Eric Frumin, health and safety director with the Strategic Organizing Center, said Jassy could find the “silver bullet” he is looking for to make an immediate impact on worker injury rates: slow down, and stop disciplining, and in some cases firing, workers who don’t keep up with the pace Amazon has set.
“What’s stopping Andy Jassy from doing the obvious thing?” he said.
Jassy’s letter appeared deliberately misleading, Frumin said, indicating that “it’s going to be a long time before his workers get any relief.”
The letter to shareholders comes at the same time employees across the country are calling to attention to working conditions at Amazon facilities.
Delivery companies that partner with Amazon to drop-off packages on doorsteps have sued the company, in part for setting unsafe expectations for drivers. Warehouse workers in New York voted to form the first union at an Amazon facility in the U.S., aiming to bargain for better working conditions and higher pay, while employees at other facilities may be gearing up to follow their path.
In Congress, the House Oversight Committee wrote to Jassy in March asking for information about Amazon’s labor practices during severe weather events, following a tornado in Edwardsville, Illinois, that left six Amazon workers dead. Supervisors reportedly threatened employees and contractors would lose their job if they left the facility.
At the same time, lawmakers are increasingly paying attention to Amazon’s business model, investigating whether it is engaging in anti-competitive practices. Also in March, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Seattle, and other members of the Judiciary Committee accused Amazon of lying to Congress during an investigation into the company’s e-commerce platform.
In his letter to shareholders, Jassy writes he is proud of Amazon’s extensive reach and how that breadth of business helped people during the pandemic, whether to access food, clothing and personal protective equipment, or for the tech expertise to keep their websites running and digital data safely stored.
Revenue from Amazon Web Services grew 37% year over year in 2021 while revenue from consumer goods grew 43% in the first quarter of that year, he said Thursday.
In 2004, Amazon had seven fulfillment centers in the U.S. In 2021, it had 253 centers, 110 sortation centers and 467 delivery stations.
In the early 2000s, it took an average of 18 hours to move an item through an Amazon fulfillment center. Now, it takes about two.
And, a $100 billion capital investment let the company grow its delivery network to 260,000 drivers worldwide and its Air cargo fleet to 100 aircraft.
“We realized the equivalent of three years’ forecasted growth in about 15 months,” Jassy wrote.
Now, he continued later in the letter, “we have more invention in front of us in the next 15 years than the last 15.”
___
©2022 The Seattle Times. Visit seattletimes.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. | https://www.al.com/business/2022/04/amazon-injury-rates-are-sometimes-misunderstood-ceo-andy-jassy-says.html | 2022-04-15T12:55:54 | 1 | https://www.al.com/business/2022/04/amazon-injury-rates-are-sometimes-misunderstood-ceo-andy-jassy-says.html |
Millions of Christians worldwide today are observing one of the most somber moments of their faith.
Good Friday commemorates the suffering, crucifixion and death of Jesus of Nazareth more than 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem.
At first glance, Good Friday seems like the ultimate misnomer. If Jesus suffered and died on this day, then why is it called “Good” Friday?
On one level, the answer is about the meaning of words.
The term “Good” as applied to Good Friday is an Old English expression meaning holy. It’s often called Holy Friday also.
But in another sense, Good Friday is always tied to Easter Sunday, which is a joyful celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. He could not have been resurrected if he had not died first.
Carrying the Cross
The faithful often act out the events of Good Friday by carrying a large wooden cross and crown of thorns symbolic of the suffering of Christ.
In Jerusalem, they follow the Via Dolorosa, or Way of the Cross.
Jesus told his followers, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24, New International Version)
The events of Good Friday described in the Bible include the trial of Jesus, the shouts of the crowd to “Crucify him!” even when given a choice to free Jesus or Barabbas, followed by Jesus carrying the cross and being hung on it to die.
A “Stations of the Cross” pilgrimage will begin at noon in Linn Park in Birmingham, with participants taking turns carrying a cross and reading the Passion narrative, as they walk to Kelly Ingram Park.
The “Way of the Cross” will be acted out in Homewood today, starting at 2:30 p.m. at Homewood Park, following Oxmoor Road, and ending at Edgewood Presbyterian Church.
A live “Way of the Cross” will also take place at St. Aloysius Catholic Church, 751 Academy Drive in Bessemer, at 2:30 p.m.
See also: What is Maundy Thursday? | https://www.al.com/life/2022/04/why-is-called-good-friday-if-jesus-died.html | 2022-04-15T12:56:00 | 0 | https://www.al.com/life/2022/04/why-is-called-good-friday-if-jesus-died.html |
This is an opinion cartoon.
And now, a brief history of high-steppin’ Kay Ivey’s recent campaign ads. What the hell is the governor
thinking? Spoiler alert: Not much.
Poor, Gov. Ivey. In her first campaign ad of the primary election, she thought Joe Biden was running for governor of Alabama. After struggling not to say something bad about the president, she drummed her fingers on her desk for a while before before delivering the money shot: “Bless his heart.” Minimalist. Goofy. No issues addressed. Probably illegal. Aren’t there laws against incumbents using their office as a political prop?
Related: Poor Kay Ivey. She thinks Joe Biden is running for governor of Alabama - al.com
Related: Election year? Invisible Kay Ivey is here ... somewhere - al.com
Related: Kay Ivey believes in the right to flee speech - al.com
In another ad, a couple of goobers at a shooting range are praising Ivey for protecting them from CRT while the governor is blasting away at a target. She pauses, looks their way and says, ”No step too high fo’ a high-steppah.” Minimalist. No real issues. Goofy. Guns, guns, guns.
I’ll turn this over to Kyle Whitmire’s pointed thoughts on the subject. Check out his column:
Kay Ivey sells her soul to Donald Trump
I’m not sure where Kay Ivey stands in the polls, but she’s sure as heck acting like she’s losing. Just look at her ads.
Two years ago, after Ivey got caught lying about having worn blackface once, she promised to do better. And now? She claims to have “banned” CRT when she’s done no such thing, she signs bathroom bans and “don’t say gay” bills into law, and her latest ad targeting immigrants, called “No Way, Jose,” is so awful it’s cartoonish.
If Ivey gets any more racist than her latest ad, she’s going to need another can of shoe polish.
... Ivey is on TV throughout Alabama accusing Joe Biden and others of having committed the greatest election fraud in American history.
“The fake news, big tech and blue-state liberals stole the election from President Trump, but here in Alabama, we are making sure that never happens,” Ivey says in her ad.
The timing says a lot. Until now, Ivey hasn’t had much to say on the 2020 election, but with weeks left before the GOP primary, the governor suddenly has a take on it.
Unfortunately, it’s the wrong one. And it’s dangerous.
After a year and a half of searching, no evidence exists that voter fraud tipped the 2020 presidential election. Even partisan “audits” of swing state elections have disproven such claims.
Despite all this, Ivey is on TV saying the election was stolen, and by doing so, she lends legitimacy to those storming the Capitol last year.
It’s one thing for nuts to get their news from Q-anon message boards. But if you’re sitting at home watching Wheel of Fortune and the governor of Alabama comes on the TV and tells you that our government has been stolen from the people, people should be able to take that seriously.
But why is she saying this now?
Ivey isn’t trying to convince Alabamians to believe the Big Lie. She’s trying to convince Republican primary voters that she believes the Big Lie.
And that’s the scariest thing.
Read Whitmire’s whole column here
Check out more cartoons and stuff by JD Crowe
Anti-transgender laws: Alabama preys on its most vulnerable - al.com
Ketanji Brown Jackson: Finally, a Supreme role model for Black girls - al.com
Critical race theory: The GOP’s crutch and weapon - al.com
Poor Kay Ivey. She thinks Joe Biden is running for governor of Alabama - al.com
Election year? Invisible Kay Ivey is here ... somewhere - al.com
Alabama GOP lawmakers are playing Witch Doctor with transgender kids - al.com
Alabama’s real state motto: ‘We Dare Defend Our Whites’ - al.com
Kay Ivey and Alabama lawmakers: ‘Let them eat Black History Month cake’ - al.com
JD Crowe is the cartoonist for Alabama Media Group and AL.com. He won the RFK Human Rights Award for Editorial Cartoons in 2020. In 2018, he was awarded the Rex Babin Memorial Award for local and state cartoons by the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Follow JD on Facebook, Twitter @Crowejam and Instagram @JDCrowepix. | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/high-stepper-kay-ivey-has-gone-off-the-deep-end.html | 2022-04-15T12:56:06 | 0 | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/high-stepper-kay-ivey-has-gone-off-the-deep-end.html |
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its vaccination guidelines recently to recommend people 50 years of age and older receive a second COVID-19 booster shot.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), with the CDC’s backing, also authorized a second dose to severely immunocompromised individuals ages 12 and up.
But for individuals in these categories, the decision to get a second booster is a complicated one.
Here are some of the considerations health experts say people who are eligible should weigh before getting their next booster if they are already up to date on their COVID-19 shots.
When can I get a second booster shot?
The FDA and CDC have said most adults ages 50 years and older can get a second booster shot of Pfizer or Moderna at least four months after their first booster shot.
Is the second booster shot effective?
That is the big question right now.
According to a recent study from Israel that looked at how some people tolerated a fourth shot of the Pfizer vaccine, while some people gained immunity against the omicron variant, the protection did not last for long.
“These findings suggest that protection against confirmed infection wanes quickly,” said the study, which was published last Tuesday in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The study found that protection started to wane after four weeks, but it did provide protection against serious illness.
Should I get the second booster now or wait until the number of COVID infections increases?
According to Dr. Marcus Pereira of Columbia University Medicine, those ages 50 to 60 who are otherwise healthy and do not have any underlying health conditions should consult their doctors about whether it would be reasonable to wait until the COVID infection rate increases.
It takes about a week for the booster to kick in, and protection wanes quickly, according to the Israeli study.
Dr. Pereira suggests that those who are severely immunocompromised or over age 65 should not wait to get the second booster because of the increased risk of catching COVID-19 in those groups. | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/should-i-get-a-second-covid-booster-shot.html | 2022-04-15T12:56:12 | 0 | https://www.al.com/news/2022/04/should-i-get-a-second-covid-booster-shot.html |
A Mobile hospital and a fertility clinic cannot be sued for wrongful death after a couple’s frozen embryos were destroyed by a wandering patient, a judge ruled.
Mobile County Circuit Court Judge Jill Parrish Phillips agreed with the defendants -- Mobile Infirmary and the Center for Reproductive Medicine-- that a frozen embryo is not a “minor child” under Alabama law.
“It is clear to this court, based on Alabama’s statutes and case law, that a strong belief in the sanctity of life has not prevented the Alabama Supreme Court from recognizing and upholding our legislature’s clear pattern of using the term “in utero” [emphasis original] when defining the unborn or minor child, including in the context of a wrongful death case,” Phillips wrote in her ruling Tuesday.
“In light of this court’s role within Alabama’s constitutional construct, and giving appropriate deference to the separation of powers within the same, this court is not permitted to reject such clear, consistent and repeated expressions of legislative intent.”
Scott Aysenne and his wife, Felicia Burdic-Aysenne, are among three couples suing the hospital and fertility clinic.
The couples claim Mobile Infirmary “allowed one of its patients to leave and/or elope from his or her room in the Infirmary’s hospital area and access the cryogenic storage area.”
The patient removed embryos from the freezer, and “it is believed that the cryopreservation’s subzero temperatures burned the eloping patient’s hands, causing him or her to drop the cryopreserved embryonic human beings on the floor, where they began to slowly die,” according to the one of the lawsuits.
By the time hospital staff noticed the incident, all of the embryos died, the suits stated.
Phillips also dismissed the Aysennes’ allegation negligence/wantonness, ruling that the couple could not recover compensatory damages under that claim.
“It is well-established in this state that the only damages a civil jury may asses for the ‘wrongful’ taking of a life are punitive damages,” she wrote.
“The plaintiffs’ assertion that, if they proceed under the Wrongful Death Act, this court can and should side-step these well-established principles and allow an alternative tort claim for compensatory damages for the ‘value’ of a cyropreserved/in vitro embryo has no legal precedent in this state.”
The Aysennes still have a breach of contract claim against the fertility clinic.
Phillips stayed the case until appeals of her ruling have been exhausted.
While the judge said she expected the case to be appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court, an appeal has not yet been filed. | https://www.al.com/news/mobile/2022/04/frozen-embryo-not-a-child-mobile-judge-rules-in-throwing-out-wrongful-death-claim.html | 2022-04-15T12:56:18 | 0 | https://www.al.com/news/mobile/2022/04/frozen-embryo-not-a-child-mobile-judge-rules-in-throwing-out-wrongful-death-claim.html |
By Jordan Pittman, an Alabama native living in Birmingham
We are sad. We are angry. But, we are not at all surprised.
The state legislature’s cruel and bigoted anti-LGBTQ laws were the topic of conversation throughout the day among my queer friends and allies. Not to speak on behalf of the community as a whole, but over and over I heard the same things. The anger and sadness, plus the acknowledgement that we are all too often targets of the Republican Party’s hatred.
U.S. News & World Report’s Best States of 2021 ranked Alabama #46 out of the 50 states. We ranked #45 in health care and #47 in education. One would hope the Republicans in power in Montgomery would focus on improving the quality of life for Alabamians. Instead they chose once again to pander to the lowest common denominator and appeal to the worst traits of its residents.
Every time a Kay Ivey, Tim James, or Wes Allen, etc. spews their hatred, young people in Alabama listen and learn. If they are LGBTQIA+ they learn that it is not safe for them to come out and that the leadership of this state doesn’t want or value them. Those who are not part of the queer community learn that it is acceptable to ignore the whole “Love your neighbor” thing and that it is fine to discriminate against an entire group of people.
Make no mistake – these laws will harm LGBTQ people. Studies show a rise in hate crimes targeting LGBTQ people and an increase in suicides among LGBTQ people when these types of laws are passed and our existence and identities are not affirmed.
These bills hurt the state as a whole. Another common theme I heard yesterday is a desire to leave the state of Alabama. Why stay somewhere that is so hostile to us? What incentive do businesses have to come to a state that cannot attract top talent because people fled to a safer place?
Defiance is another theme I felt and heard yesterday. No one I talked to accepted defeat or that this is just how things will be. We are unified and ready to fight back. Alabama’s Republican leaders will not strip away our dignity or joy, and we remain committed to making this state a place where civil rights are for everyone. After all, it is our state, too, and just like the state motto says, “We Dare Defend Our Rights.”
On the final day of the legislative session, Alabama lawmakers added their own “Don’t Say Gay” amendment to a bill already written to target the state’s LGBTQ population. The bill passed and has been signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey. AL.com and Reckon solicited responses from people affected by the bill and will be publishing a selection of the essays received. For more perspectives like this each week, subscribe to the Reckon newsletter “Honey.” | https://www.al.com/opinion/2022/04/alabamas-lgbtq-population-we-dare-defend-our-rights.html | 2022-04-15T12:56:24 | 0 | https://www.al.com/opinion/2022/04/alabamas-lgbtq-population-we-dare-defend-our-rights.html |
By Will Thomas, a Madison-native living and working in Washington, DC
Each Holy Week, we Christians are asked to read the story of Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection as if we have no idea how the story ends. Bible or otherwise, I am not generally a fan of this kind of suspense. I am, unfortunately, the kind of person who reads the Wikipedia plot summary of a movie before I see it. Knowing the end of the story helps me get through the story with my nerves intact.
This year, I have done my best to take in the Holy Week stories and put myself in the shoes (well, sandals) of the people surrounding Jesus. How would I feel about a band of people obsessed with splicing and dicing ancient rules and regulations chasing down my friend who had been preaching about love for three years? How would I feel about foreign invaders executing my friend, brutally and publicly? How would I feel if my friend were talking about his death constantly for weeks? I would feel nothing but fear. Reading the story again this year, I am struck by how the people surrounding Jesus are palpably scared, for themselves and their friend. Outside forces have come to attack their message of love and they are surrounded with no clear way out.
As a gay person this fear feels familiar. We are often persecuted, chased around by people with ancient (and new, increasingly persnickety) rules about what we can and can’t or should and shouldn’t do. Most of us just want to be left alone and love our friends and families in the ways we see fit and participate in communities built around love. But outside forces often get in the way, injecting fear where there ought not be any while they profit politically.
This Holy Week especially, I think about the fear being felt by those in Alabama about the anti-LGBTQ and especially anti-trans legislation that sailed through the State Legislature onto Governor Ivey’s desk. I think about parents who are scared about what kind of education their child will be able to receive in their hometowns, or the essential medical care they will be able to provide for their kids under the shadow of these laws. There are now many transgender young people who are afraid of what their future will look like, or if they will have one at all in the places they now call home. There is no way these people can read ahead in the stories of their lives, and there is no guarantee of a happy ending. For many young LGBTQ people in Alabama and their families, a happy ending might feel less probable than ever. I see the fear of the Disciples and associates of Jesus in them. I see Jesus in them, too.
In one episode of the Holy Week story from the Gospel of John, specifically John 12, Jesus tells the people surrounding him that while his soul is troubled about the sufferings to come, that they would be glorified to God’s benefit, and that there is an even bigger victory to come. A voice from Heaven chimes in to agree, stating, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” His friends continue to be confused, scared, and agitated. The fear they feel is far from the love their teacher taught, and even further from the exuberant joy they will feel in a few days.
We know the ending of Jesus’s story. He is lifted up from the earth, and through his grace, he seeks to draw all people to himself through love. The fear and anxiety of Holy Week turns into the joy of Easter. We are all given new life, all humankind is redeemed and united in God’s love that knows no bounds. He is glorified, and he will be glorified again, and through that love, he glorifies us and shows us a new way of living. If only we could all keep that truth in mind on days other than Easter.
While I do not know the ending of the stories of so many of my LGBTQ siblings in Alabama, I do know that through this dark night we shall endure, as we have for centuries. We will band together in love to organize and care for each other even though we are deeply afraid. And that our oft-maligned lives will be glorified as long as we focus on loving one another, and that we shall be glorified again as we show the world a new way of living.
On the final day of the legislative session, Alabama lawmakers added their own “Don’t Say Gay” amendment to a bill already written to target the state’s LGBTQ population. The bill passed and has been signed into law by Gov. Kay Ivey. AL.com and Reckon solicited responses from people affected by the bill and will be publishing a selection of the essays received. For more perspectives like this each week, subscribe to the Reckon newsletter “Honey.” | https://www.al.com/opinion/2022/04/fear-and-loathing-in-holy-week.html | 2022-04-15T12:56:30 | 1 | https://www.al.com/opinion/2022/04/fear-and-loathing-in-holy-week.html |
Parents of four teens suing Alabama over its ban on treatment for transgender minors say the new law will drastically change their kids’ lives, taking them from happy teenagers back to their lives of depression and confusion they faced before starting treatment and leaving them a shell of themselves.
At least two federal lawsuits have been filed since Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed a law last week making it a crime for transgender minors to receive gender-affirming medical treatment. The new law goes into effect May 8.
The standard of care for gender dysphoria—the clinical diagnosis for when a person’s gender identity doesn’t match their birth sex—typically includes treatments like puberty-blocking medication, hormone-replacement therapy, and surgical treatment. Doctors and experts say no gender-affirming surgeries are performed on transgender minors in the state of Alabama.
One lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of Alabama by the families of two transgender teens and two Children’s of Alabama and University of Alabama at Birmingham doctors. The other suit was filed in the Middle District of Alabama by two different families of trans teens.
Teens in the first federal suit, filed in Birmingham, are identified under the pseudonyms Mary Roe and John Doe. The second lawsuit, filed in Montgomery, lists the plaintiffs as teenagers identified by their initials, H.W. and C.W.
“These are not random kids. These are kids in your communities who will suffer tremendously,” said Asaf Orr, an attorney with the National Center for Lesbian Rights, which is one of the groups representing the parents and their children.
A spokesperson for the governor’s office said, “We are prepared to defend our Alabama values and this legislation.” The Alabama Attorney General’s Office did not respond to requests for comment.
Here’s what we know about the teenagers who are fighting Alabama’s new law based on the lawsuits:
Mary Roe
Mary, 13, is a transgender girl in Jefferson County. She started showing symptoms of gender dysphoria from a young age and began to tell her family that she was a girl starting around age 6. After seeking therapy and advice from medical professionals, Mary started to dress like a girl and her mental health “greatly improved.”
Following issues at school the next year with her new gender identity, Mary’s parents enrolled her in a new school, where Mary was allowed to dress like a girl and go by her new name. “Since Mary’s transfer to the new school, she has returned to being the happy, active child she was during the summer prior to first grade,” the lawsuit suit states.
In early 2021, Mary’s pediatrician evaluated her for puberty blockers. She began taking the medicine in April 2021 and has been taking it since.
“It is essential for Mary’s mental health that she continues to receive puberty-blocking medications every three months and is able to obtain any future medical treatments that her healthcare providers determine are medically necessary to treat her gender dysphoria,” her lawsuit states. “For Mary to be forced to go through male puberty would be devastating; it would predictably result in her experiencing isolation, depression, anxiety, and distress. Mary’s parents are also concerned that without access to the puberty-blocking medication she needs, Mary would resort to self-harm as a means of coping with her psychological distress or even attempt suicide.”
If the law goes into effect on May 8, Mary will have to stop her medication.
“Without access to puberty-blocking medication, Mary’s body will produce testosterone, and she will begin to develop secondary sex characteristics associated with males. The changes to Mary’s body—some of which would be permanent or would require surgery to reverse—would make visible to others that she is a transgender girl and would cause her to experience again the distress she experiences from having a body seen by others as inconsistent with her female identity.”
John Doe
John, a 17-year-old in Shelby County, also began showing symptoms of gender dysphoria at a young age. While his parents thought the behavior was “a phase,” they were accepting. He began to see a therapist when he was about 8. While it helped at first, the suit said John’s mental health declined when he started puberty.
“He quickly developed large breasts, which was very distressing for John. He would often cry in the shower because of the shape of his chest, wear multiple sports bras at a time, and slouch his shoulders to make the appearance of his chest less prominent,” the lawsuit said. “Getting his period was equally distressing for John. John’s dysphoria was so severe that he stayed home from school for at least one day each month.”
When John was in high school, he told his parents he was transgender. With the help of his parents, John connected with mental health and medical providers at UAB. He started medication to stop his period and, about a year later, he started testosterone treatments.
“Starting testosterone has been amazing for John,” his lawsuit states. “He finally is feeling more like himself, building greater confidence, and is happier overall. Over the past year and a half, John’s voice has dropped, and he has developed facial hair. Those features have allowed him to feel more comfortable in his body and eased his anxieties about not being treated as a male by others.”
John will also be forced to stop his medications if the law goes into effect, leading to what the legal team calls devastating physical and psychological consequences.
The stories of Roe and Doe’s experiences are the norm for transgender minors, Orr said, and the new law means parents can’t be in charge of their child’s medical decisions.
“That should be frightening to people who identify as political conservatives,” he said.
H.W.
A transgender 15-year-old, H.W., came out to her parents as trans at 10. She began her social transition soon after and legally changed her name and altered her clothing and appearance. “Those changes were very helpful to H. W., but she remained terrified about what would happen when she started puberty, as she could not imagine having a body like a teenage boy,” the lawsuit states.
At the recommendation of her multiple doctors and after evaluations, H.W. started puberty-suppressing medicine at 12. The treatment has prevented H. W. “from having to undergo a puberty that would cause changes in her body- some irreversible- that would severely exacerbate her gender dysphoria. By allowing H. W. to pause puberty and not experience the physical changes that terrified her, puberty-suppressing medication has significantly improved H.W. ‘s health,” according to the lawsuit.
She is also set to begin hormone therapy in the fall.
“Growing up in a body that did not match who she was made H.W. miserable,” lawyers said in the suit. “Accessing medical care has been transformative for H.W. She became less shy and more confident and began thriving in school.
“Without H.W. ‘s puberty-suppressing medication, she would be forced to undergo a typical male puberty, which would cause her to develop a deep voice, a typically masculine jawline, an Adam’s apple, hair growth on her body, and a broadening of her shoulders.” The changes are potentially irreversible, the suit said, and would cause H.W. to “not feel like herself anymore,” and cause her to likely be bullied.”
H.W.’s family would have to leave Alabama if the law goes into effect, the suit said, leaving her parents without work and splitting her apart from her siblings.
C.W.
C.W., 13, is a transgender girl who first told her parents about her severe stress and anxiety at 9, and soon after came out as trans. After sharing her new pronouns and name with those around her, the lawsuit said, C.W.’s “outlook, demeanor, and overall well-being immediately improved.”
When she was in fourth grade in 2018 and asked people at school to call her by her new name, there were incidents of bullying and harassment, which lasted several years. In 2019, her parents legally changed her name and submitted the legal name change to the school.
At 11, C.W. consulted with a team of doctors and was diagnosed with gender dysphoria. Later that year, she started puberty suppressing medication. According to the lawsuit, the medicine has “made an incredible difference” in C.W.’s life. She, too, would suffer possibly irreversible changes to her body if she stopped the medications.
“C.W. ‘s parents are concerned that without her medical treatment, C.W. ‘s confident self would fade away,” the suit said, adding her family would consider moving out of Alabama and leaving behind their families, support networks and jobs.
Claims
Both lawsuits say the teens are being denied medical treatments and taking the decision out of the hands of doctors and parents.
“The (law) abandons science and seeks to stop safe, effective, and medically necessary treatments for children with gender dysphoria in Alabama without any rational basis,” the Doe and Roe lawsuit states. The law also “ignores established medical science.”
Doctors and parents of transgender minors “are forced to choose between withholding medically necessary treatment from their minor transgender patients or children, on the one hand, or facing criminal prosecution, on the other,” that lawsuit adds.
Orr and lawsuits also point out the treatments themselves are not banned—if another minor needed puberty blockers or hormone therapy for issues that were not related to gender dysphoria or being transgender, they could receive them. Orr said that’s a clear discrimination based on sex.
RELATED: Alabama schools chief: Teachers could have to navigate ‘tricky conversations’ after new law - al.com
Alabama families with transgender children crowdsource to ‘flee’ to ‘safer state’ for medical care | https://www.al.com/politics/2022/04/who-are-the-teens-at-the-center-of-the-legal-fight-over-alabamas-law-banning-transgender-treatment.html | 2022-04-15T12:56:36 | 1 | https://www.al.com/politics/2022/04/who-are-the-teens-at-the-center-of-the-legal-fight-over-alabamas-law-banning-transgender-treatment.html |
"Why is this night different from all other nights?" This is one of the four questions that are asked by the youngest member of a Jewish family at the Passover Seder. On Passover, it's considered our duty to retell the story of our exodus out of Egypt when God "passed over" the homes of the Israelites during the last of the 10 plagues.
These days, modern American families celebrate the holiday, which takes place every spring on the 15th of the Hebrew month of Nisan, by eating traditional foods like matzo, matzo ball soup, brisket and macaroons. But what are the meanings behind the specific items you'll find at the Seder table?
The Seder plate
Each of the six items on the Seder plate have a specific meaning in regards to the story of Passover.
- Maror: These are the bitter herbs, meant to symbolize the harshness the Jews were treated with when they were slaves in Egypt. Red horseradish is often used for this.
- Charoset: This is a mixture of apples, wine, walnuts and cinnamon and is used to represent the bricks and mortar used by the Hebrews to build the pyramids.
- Karpas: A vegetable, often celery, is used to represent hope and renewal. The karpas is dipped in salt water before eaten to represent the tears of the Jews when they were slaves.
- Zeroah: The shank bone on the plate symbolizes the Pascal Lamb whose blood was painted on the doors of the Israelites so that God would pass over the homes during the 10th plague (slaying of the firstborn).
- Beitzah: The hardboiled egg represents the circle of life.
- Matzo: Three pieces of matzo are stacked on a separate plate. The middle matzo is broken and one half of it is put aside as the afikomen, which the father will hide and have the children search for in return for a prize (or the children hide it and have the father search in some homes). The other half of the broken matzo will be used to make a Hillel sandwich, which includes the maror and charoset.
The meaning of matzo
On Passover, all leavened bread is removed from the household and Jews eat only matzo, or unleavened bread during the duration of the holiday. The reason for this is to commemorate the fact that the Jews fled Egypt so quickly, they did not have enough time to allow for the bread they took along with them to rise. This "bread of affliction" was also eaten while the Jews were slaves. So in a way, it represents both suffering and redemption.
Other traditional foods
Part of the reading of the Haggadah, which tells the story of Passover, requires those in attendance to drink four cups of wine (spread throughout the retelling) and culminates with the "festival meal." While this meal has no leavened bread, it is full of traditional Jewish foods that vary depending one where you are celebrating. In America, you'll likely see favorites such as matzo ball soup, brisket, potato kugel and tzimmes on the menu.
In Israel, Jews only have one Seder (American Jews do it for two nights) but they do have Ben & Jerry's charoset ice cream!
Chef Pati Jinich told TODAY Food that growing up in Mexico, she celebrates the holiday by putting her family's spin on Passover classics. She makes Mexican gefilte fish, and says it's her paternal grandmother's recipe and a standard in Jewish Mexican cuisine. "Mexico brought so many flavors to Bobe’s traditional foods," said Jinich, showing how family and the melding of cultures are just as important a part of the Jews' history as tradition.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY: | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/what-is-a-passover-seder-the-meaning-behind-6-jewish-food-traditions/3647733/ | 2022-04-15T13:06:43 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/national-international/what-is-a-passover-seder-the-meaning-behind-6-jewish-food-traditions/3647733/ |
New York Islanders legend Mike Bossy has died at the age of 65 after battling lung cancer, the team announced Friday morning.
Bossy, who revealed the diagnosis in October, was one of the greatest goal-scorers in NHL history and a key member of the Islanders' dynasty that captured four consecutive Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983.
"The New York Islanders organization mourns the loss of Mike Bossy, an icon not only on Long Island but across the entire hockey world," Islanders President and General Manager Lou Lamoriello said in a statement. "His drive to be the best every time he stepped on the ice was second to none. Along with his teammates, he helped win four straight Stanley Cup championships, shaping the history of this franchise forever. On behalf of the entire organization, we send our deepest condolences to the entire Bossy family and all those who grieve this tragic loss."
Bossy, a Montreal native, was drafted 15th overall by the Islanders in the 1977 NHL Draft. He became the first rookie in NHL history to score 50 goals in a season, netting 53 during the 1977-78 campaign to win the Calder Trophy.
He went on to record 50 or more goals in each of the first nine seasons of his career, leading the league with 69 in 1978-79 and 68 in 1980-81.
In 1981, Bossy became the second player in NHL history to score 50 goals in 50 games, joining Maurice “Rocket” Richard.
Bossy, who retired in 1987 at the age of 30 due to a back injury, finished his 10-year career with 573 goals and 553 assists in 752 games. He is tied with Wayne Gretzky for the most 50-goal seasons (nine) and 60-goal seasons (five) all time. Bossy's .762 goals per game average remain the highest in NHL history.
He tallied 85 postseason goals, including a midair backhander during the 1982 Stanley Cup Finals that Bossy told The New York Post was his favorite goal.
Sports
Bossy won the 1982 Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP and was a three-time winner of the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy awarded for sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991 and named one of the 100 Greatest NHL Players during the league's celebration of its 100th anniversary in 2017.
Bossy announced his lung cancer diagnosis in October and took a leave of absence from his role as an analyst with Montreal-based network TVA to receive treatment.
"I can assure you that I intend to fight with all the determination and all the passion that you have seen me display on the ice and in my game," Bossy wrote in an open letter. "This same determination that has helped me achieve my dreams and count my goals, the one that propelled me to the top of my sport, when I was still lacing my skates."
The loss of Bossy marks a difficult stretch for the Islanders organization, with former players Clark Gillies and Jean Potvin also having died in recent months. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/new-york-islanders-legend-mike-bossy-dies-at-65/3647802/ | 2022-04-15T13:06:49 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/sports/new-york-islanders-legend-mike-bossy-dies-at-65/3647802/ |
Dolphin found dead after being impaled on Florida beach, law enforcement says
FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. - Law enforcement officials are looking for information after a dolphin was found dead in Florida after being impaled in the head.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the dead dolphin was found on Fort Myers Beach on March 24 and recovered by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC). NOAA's law enforcement office said a necropsy on the dolphin revealed it was impaled in the head by a spear-like object while still alive.
The dolphin was a lactating female, and it appeared to have died from trauma, which happened at or around its time of death, according to NOAA.
READ: Dolphin dies after reportedly being harassed by Texas beachgoers
Law enforcement officials said they suspect the dolphin was impaled while in a "begging position." Begging isn't a natural behavior for dolphins and is usually associated with illegal feeding, officials said.
Courtesy of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC)
NOAA urges people to not feed or attempt to feed wild dolphins to prevent future harm to them. Dolphins fed by people can learn to associate food with people, boats and fishing gear, which can cause a harmful situation, wildlife officials said.
Since 2002, NOAA said at least 27 dolphins have stranded with evidence of being shot by guns, arrows or impaled by sharp objects. Harassing, harming, killing or feeding dolphins in the wild is prohibited under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, NOAA law enforcement officials confirmed.
MORE: Video shows dolphin attacking trainer at Miami Seaquarium
Those who violate the law can face up to $100,000 in fines and up to one year in jail, officials said.
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Anyone with information about the dolphin's death or the incident can call the NOAA Enforcement Hotline at (800) 853-1964. Tips can be anonymous. | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/dolphin-found-dead-after-being-impaled-on-florida-beach-law-enforcement-says | 2022-04-15T13:08:26 | 0 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/dolphin-found-dead-after-being-impaled-on-florida-beach-law-enforcement-says |
Largest comet ever spotted seen barreling through our solar system
The largest comet ever spotted by the Hubble Space Telescope is barreling towards the heart of our solar system, but experts say there is no need to worry about this icy behemoth.
C/2014 UN271 (Bernardinelli-Bernstein) was originally spotted by observers in Chile in 2010, but NASA says images from the Hubble Space Telescope have recently helped experts determine its size.
The agency estimates the icy comet’s nucleus is approximately 80 miles across, making it larger than the state of Rhode Island and about 50 times bigger than other comets.
On the left is a photo of the comet taken by the NASA Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 on January 8, 2022. A model of the coma (middle panel) was obtained by means of fitting the surface brightness profile assembled from the observed imag
Experts say the mass, which is likely made up of dust, rock and ices, will never get closer than about a billion miles from the sun and stay well away from Earth.
HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER ON TV
"This comet is literally the tip of the iceberg for many thousands of comets that are too faint to see in the more distant parts of the solar system," said David Jewitt, a professor of planetary science and astronomy at the University of California and co-author of the new study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. "We’ve always suspected this comet had to be big because it is so bright at such a large distance. Now we confirm it is."
The comet is on a 3-million-year-long elliptical orbit, and NASA believes at the current rate of speed of 22,000 mph, the celestial body will make its closest approach to Earth in 2031.
Researchers said they were able to come to their conclusion thanks to the more than 30-year-old Hubble Space Telescope.
The giant telescope was only expected to have a lifespan of about 15 years, but because of service missions in space, NASA says they expect operations to continue into at least the late 2020s.
The Hubble was recently joined by the James Webb Space Telescope, which is more powerful and is expected to give glimpses of the first galaxies and help discover new worlds.
Advertisement | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/largest-comet-ever-spotted-seen-barreling-through-our-solar-system | 2022-04-15T13:08:32 | 1 | https://www.fox35orlando.com/news/largest-comet-ever-spotted-seen-barreling-through-our-solar-system |
Mariupol, Ukraine's key port city, holds out against all odds
LVIV, Ukraine - Unbroken by a Russian blockade and relentless bombardment, the key port of Mariupol is still holding out, a symbol of staunch Ukrainian resistance that has thwarted the Kremlin's invasion plans.
More than six weeks after the Russian siege began, Ukrainian troops are continuing to fight the vastly superior Russian forces in ferocious battles amid the ruins of what once was a bustling city on the Sea of Azov coast.
The Ukrainians' fight against all odds has scuttled Moscow's designs, tying up significant Russian forces and delaying the start of a planned Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine's industrial heartland, Donbas. The Kremlin hopes that an attack in the east could reverse the battlefield fortunes for Russia after a humiliating failure of its attempt to quickly storm the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
Mariupol has been a key objective for Russia since the start of its invasion on Feb. 24. Capturing the city would allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014 and deprive Ukraine of a major port and prized industrial assets.
MARIUPOL, UKRAINE - APRIL 13: A view of damage in the street in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol under the control of the Russian military and pro-Russian separatists, on April 13, 2022. (Photo by Leon Klein/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The giant Azovstal steel mill and other industrial plants have been heavily damaged by the ferocious Russian bombardment that has flattened much of Mariupol, indiscriminately hitting homes, hospitals and other public buildings and killing thousands.
The victims include about 300 people killed in last month's Russian airstrike on the Mariupol Drama Theater that was being used as a shelter and had the word "CHILDREN" printed in Russian in huge white letters on the pavement outside to ward off aerial attack.
Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko told The Associated Press that at least 21,000 people were killed in Mariupol with bodies "carpeted through the streets." He said that the Russians deployed mobile cremation equipment to Mariupol to methodically dispose of the victims' bodies in order to hide the evidence of the massacre and prevent international organizations from documenting "the horror the Russian army is responsible for."
The discovery of hundreds of bodies of civilians apparently executed by Russian forces in Kyiv's suburbs after the Russian retreat from the area has fueled global outrage and accusations from Ukrainians and the West that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine.
Moscow has deployed fighters from Chechnya, known for their ferocity, to wage street battles in Mariupol. Chechnya’s Moscow-backed leader, Ramzan Kadyrov, has repeatedly boasted on his messaging app channel about defeating Ukrainians in Mariupol, but the fight has continued.
Boychenko said that several Ukrainian units are still fighting the Russians in Mariupol, including the 36th Marine Brigade, the Azov Regiment, some Interior Ministry troops and border guards.
The Azov Regiment, a seasoned volunteer force that is widely considered one of the country’s most capable units, is defending the mammoth Azovstal steel plant that covers an area of nearly 11 square kilometers (over 4.2 square miles). It has taken advantage of the plant's sprawling network of concrete buildings and underground facilities to repel continuous Russian attacks.
The 36th Marine Brigade was maintaining defensive positions at the Azovmash and Zavod Ilyicha factories until it ran out of supplies and ammunition and made a desperate attempt to break through the Russian blockade earlier this week.
In a post on the brigade's Facebook page, one of its officers described the unit's heroic resistance, saying that "for more than a month, the marines have been fighting without replenishing ammunition, food and water supplies." "The wounded accounted for nearly a half of the brigade's strength, but those who still had their limbs and were capable of walking reported back to duty," the post said.
Boychenko said that some of the marines managed to join the Azov regiment, while others were captured by the Russians. He didn't give any numbers.
The Russian military said Thursday that a total of 1,160 Ukrainian marines surrendered this week, a claim that couldn't be independently verified.
RELATED: Russian military's damaged Black Sea flagship 'Moskva' sinks; Ukraine takes credit
As the Ukrainian troops continue to offer fierce resistance in Mariupol, fears have grown that the exasperated Russians could resort to chemical weapons to deal with the remaining pockets of resistance at the Azovstal plant and other areas of the city.
Eduard Basurin, a Russia-allied separatist official in eastern Ukraine, appeared to call for that Monday, telling Russian state TV that the Russia-backed forces should block all the exits out of the factory and then "use chemical troops to smoke them out of there." He later said that no chemical weapons were used.
The Azov Regiment claimed Monday, without providing evidence, that a drone had dropped a poisonous substance on its positions but inflicted no serious injuries. A Ukrainian defense official said the attack possibly involved phosphorus munitions.
Boychenko said that an estimated 120,000 of Mariupol's pre-war population of about 450,000 remain in the city.
Ukrainian authorities have said that the Russians have blocked humanitarian convoys from reaching Mariupol, keeping it without food, water and power since the siege started. The Russian troops have turned back buses sent to evacuate residents, but about 150,000 have been able to flee the city in their own vehicles.
Boychenko said that at least 33,500, and, possibly, up to 50,000 Mariupol residents have been taken to "filtration camps" in the separatist-controlled east before being forcibly sent to distant, economically depressed areas in Russia.
Mariupol has seen communications cut since the start of the siege, and as the Russians moved to capture sections of the city they launched radio broadcasts to brainwash the population.
"They unleashed propaganda, telling people that Kyiv and other cities have been captured and they have been abandoned," Boychenko said.
The continuing fighting in Mariupol has forced the Russian military to keep a significant number of troops in the city, delaying the start of the planned new offensive in eastern Ukraine.
"As long as the street fighting is going on, Russia can't remove troops from Mariupol and deploy them to other areas, including Donbas," Oleh Zhdanov, an independent military expert, told the AP.
"The Ukrainian troops in Mariupol are still fulfilling their main task by diverting the Russian forces from other areas. Mariupol remains a major symbol of the Ukrainian resistance."
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Orange County sees high number of school bus driver absences on Friday
ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - While Osceola County has been warning parents that buses could be delayed due to call-outs ahead of the holiday weekend, Orange County Public Schools announced that a high number of its school bus drivers are out on Friday.
The school district tweeted on Friday: "OCPS families, due to a high number of driver absences today, school buses may be running late both this morning and this afternoon. Please have patience and if you can drive your student to school or carpool, that may be helpful."
Watch FOX 35 News for updates on this story.
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Orlando FreeFall: Florida lawmaker calls for 'loophole' in law to be closed after teenager died on ride
ORLANDO, Fla. - A Florida lawmaker wants to remove what she calls a "loophole" in Florida law that did not require the Orlando FreeFall to display a "maximum weight" sign outside the ride.
Tyre Sampson, 14, died after falling off of the Orlando FreeFall ride at ICON Park in Orlando, Florida, March 24. An operating manual for the Orlando FreeFall states that the maximum passenger weight is just over 286 pounds. Sampson was 6 feet, 5 inches tall and reportedly weighed 360 pounds.
Florida law allows manufacturers of amusement park rides to determine what goes into any passenger limitation signage displayed at the entrance to rides and what stays out of it.
RELATED: ICON Park ride death: How did 14-year-old Tyre Sampson fall from Orlando FreeFall?
Tyre Sampson, 14, is pictured in a provided family photo.
Florida House of Representative member Geraldine Thompson, who represents parts of Orlando, said rides should be required by law to display any height or weight restriction.
"We should make sure that there is signage as you approach the ride that indicates any height and weight restrictions," Thompson said. "It absolutely should be mandatory so that, as the consumer approaches the ride, he or she knows what the height and weight restrictions are, and family members and friends who were with that person would know what those restrictions are."
RELATED: Teen falls from Florida ride: Video shows moments leading up to deadly plunge
Thompson commented on social media reports purportedly showing the "rider qualifications" sign displayed outside the Orlando FreeFall, calling it "problematic."
The sign reportedly lists the minimum height for an individual to enter the ride, but does not mention weight. The SlingShot Group of Companies would not disclose to Fox News Digital whether the ride displayed a weight limit prior to the teen's death.
Additionally, Thompson said there needs to be a number of required training hours for amusement park ride operators, adding that the training component should not be a "checkoff" as it currently is.
"I think there needs to be a specific amount of training that's required, a certain amount of hours of training that's required," Thompson said. "For example, when I go to the hair salon, I know that the stylist has received over a hundred and something hours of training, and that assures me that, you know, maybe my hair won't fall off. But, in this instance, we're talking about life and death.
"And I know that a form is completed and sent to the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, but this should not just be a checkoff. You know, you check the box, and you send it. There should be a curriculum in terms of what the training will involve and a sign-off and some kind of certification that the operators have completed the required training."
RELATED: Father of teen who fell from ride wants answers: 'This should never happen'
Ken Martin, an amusement park ride safety analyst and consultant, told Fox News Digital that a uniform code is needed to tell amusement parks what passenger limitations need to be displayed, as opposed to the current Florida state law that allows the manufacturer to decide.
Martin said that "multiple causes" led to the incident involving Sampson but said the ride operator should have seen that the shoulder harness was not down sufficiently.
"I think it was multiple causes that led up to this occurrence," Martin said, "Once Mr. Sampson got on the ride, the ride operator should have come around, attempted to pull the shoulder harness over him and lock it. We all saw that … we know that the shoulder restraint did not come down where it was supposed to be and that, you know, is an issue."
Tyre Sampson
An accident report filled out by an employee states that the seat harness was in a locked position after Tyre fell out.
"FreeFall was coming … down the tower. When the magnets engaged, the patron came out of the seat," an employee wrote in the report. "Harness was still in a down and locked position when the ride stopped."
Martin also said there should have been scales outside the ride that would have allowed Sampson to have been weighed appropriately. He added that there are scales made specifically for amusement park rides that don't make an individual's weight visible, but displays the color green or red, which would indicate if they are suitable for the ride.
Sampson's father said in an interview with Orlando 35 that his son could tell something didn't feel right.
"When the ride took off, that's when he was feeling uncomfortable. He was like, ‘This thing is moving.’ … That's when he started freaking out," Yarnell Sampson told FOX 35 Orlando. "He was explaining to his friends next to him … ‘If I don’t make it down … please tell my mom and dad I love them.' For him to say something like that, he must've felt something."
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced it has hired a forensic engineer from Quest Engineering to assist with the investigation of the FreeFall incident.
Nikki Fried, the Florida commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said potential rule changes could result from the investigation if warranted.
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Trevor Arnold, an attorney representing the operator of the Orlando FreeFall, said the operator is working with state departments in their investigations.
"Orlando Eagle Drop continues to cooperate at every level with all state agencies and departments conducting their respective investigations," Arnold said. "Friday’s pledge by Florida lawmakers to effectuate change in our industry is welcome. We are committed to working with those in charge to make a difference, as the safety of the public remains Orlando Eagle Drop’s top priority.
"On Monday, April 4th, we will have staff from the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services on site. We will continue to provide additional information, as it is appropriate, given our respect for the ongoing investigations."
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Person shot outside DaBaby's North Carolina home, police say
A person was shot and wounded on a football field outside the North Carolina home of rapper DaBaby, authorities said Thursday. Another person who called 911 told police that the victim was an intruder, according to reports.
DaBaby, whose real name is Jonathan Kirk, was at the home at the time with at least one other person, Troutman Police Chief Josh Watson told The Associated Press. The chief would not clarify who was shot or who did the shooting, citing an ongoing investigation. He did say the injuries of the wounded person were not life-threatening.
According to audio of a 911 call provided to WSOC-TV, an unidentified person told police, "I shot him in his leg."
"OK. And why did you do that?" the dispatcher asked.
"He’s trespassing on my property," the man told the dispatcher, according to WSOC-TV. "I don’t know what he’s here for. What he’s here to take. What he’s here to do. He’s neutralized until you guys get here."
Troutman, located in Iredell County, is 35 miles north of Charlotte.
Kirk has a history with shooting incidents. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of carrying a concealed weapon after a fatal shooting at a Walmart in Huntersville, North Carolina, just south of Troutman. He did not face charges in the shooting.
RELATED: Rapper DaBaby detained and questioned following Miami Beach shooting
Police arrested the rapper last year after he took a loaded gun into an upscale store on Rodeo Drive.
Troutman police did not immediately respond to an after-hours request for comment.
RELATED: DaBaby no longer performing at Lollapalooza
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Petey the dog gets adopted after spending more than a year at Florida shelter
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - A dog that spent more than a year at a Daytona Beach shelter has finally found his forever home!
FOX 35 shared photos of Petey earlier this week. The adorable pooch had been living at Halifax Humane Society since March 2021 waiting for his forever home – but didn't seem to have any luck.
On Thursday, Petey's luck changed.
The shelter posted photos of him hopping into his new mommy's car after finally being adopted.
"Today, Petey went home! Petey was with us for over 1 year," the shelter wrote.
The shelter thanked FOX 35 for spreading the word about 10-year-old Petey and helping to find him a loving home.
Visit www.halifaxhumanesociety.org for more information on adopting Petey's animal friends.
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This story is part of our series "Climate Driven: A deep dive into Maine's response, one county at a time."
The ground is starting to thaw on a gray Saturday afternoon in late March, which means it’s almost time for Albie Barden to prepare his fields for corn.
Barden usually plants two or three varieties of corn at his Norridgewock home every year. When growing season is over and the corn is harvested, he chooses one variety to hang and dry from a rope in his kitchen.
This year, it’s the Abenaki rose, the first variety Barden began saving a little more than 10 years ago. He got this particular seed from a man of Native ancestry, Barden said.
"He said it used to be grown in Maine and then it moved to New York. And my relatives brought some of it back and this is some of that," Barden recalled. "And I said, 'Is it possible that I could get some of this seed? Do you know where I could get some of it?' He said, 'Of course,' and he took the ear and he peeled off 12 kernels."
Those 12 kernels eventually grew into 23 ears of corn in Barden’s yard. He grew more the next year. And more after that.
"You can save the very best of the best for your next seed crop, and so it’s not like you’ve lost it by only starting with 12 seeds," Barden said. "You have this fine thread of something that was almost lost and you’re bringing it back."
That’s what Barden does each year, using some seeds to plant his crop for the next season and often giving some to other gardeners and farmers.
For Barden, seed saving is a way to connect with the past and the traditions and cultures of the people who cultivated the land before him, including his own family, who has a long history of growing corn.
But many seed savers see the practice as a future imperative as the global food system becomes more vulnerable to climate change.
Heron Breen, a seed saver from St. Albans, has restored a few varieties of his own, including a squash known as a Vermont Hubbard, which he found in a German seed repository. He managed to bring about 25 seeds to the U.S. from Germany, and he's grown the squash three times.
"Now folks in Vermont are also growing it, and some other folks are growing it," said Breen, who also teaches seed saving classes and co-founded an organic seed conference in the Northeast. "I've listed it with places where seed collectors or seed growers are interested, and I've shared it with other folks. At this point it's no longer extinct in the United States."
Sharing seeds with other gardeners and farmers allows them to grow out those varieties and continue the cycle. Sometimes they’re sold or given to seed exchanges and catalogs like Fedco, a worker-member cooperative based in Maine that Breen used to run.
Local growers come to Fedco’s warehouses in Clinton to pick up their seeds. Others are sold online or through its catalog and packed into small envelopes or boxes and mailed.
Fedco offers more than 1,000 seed varieties, some of which it buys from other companies in bulk. But it also contracts with farmers and gardeners in Maine, the Northeast and around the country.
"They grow out a seed crop like anyone would in their garden or farm," said Emily Pence, the field coordinator at Fedco Seeds. "If you want seed of a butternut squash, you grow out that butternut squash until it’s ripe, and then you harvest and dry the seeds. And the growers send them back to Fedco."
The cooperative keeps tabs on how farmers are doing with hundreds of varieties each year. They're usually looking for varieties that can be grown locally or in the Northeast — and that are well-adapted to Maine’s climate and short growing season.
"These varieties in the past, vegetables, were being bred and selected by farmers and gardeners and the indigenous community to be totally up front, in the regions where they lived," Breen said. "There's an amazing adaption to specific climates or specific stresses."
Most seed that's grown into the world's food supply, however, isn't produced locally today; it's grown hundreds of miles away from where it's eventually purchased or consumed. Just a handful of large corporations own the seeds that are grown into the global food supply, and a 2019 United Nations study found just nine plant species are responsible for two-thirds of the world's crop production.
That poses a big risk in the face of climate change, Pence said.
"There’s been a really alarming consolidation of varieties and extinction of varieties, which of course leads to lack of diversity and makes the plants that we rely on for our food really vulnerable," Pence said.
Some heirloom seeds have become resistant to drought or some diseases over time.
On one hand, those could be priceless attributes for gardeners and farmers looking for crops that can withstand a changing climate, if the seeds are preserved and grown locally as the original stewards intended, Breen said.
But the environment is changing so quickly, those even those resilient traits may not be enough.
And as varieties are lost over time to climate change and modern agricultural practices, Breen said there’s another challenge in the ongoing effort to preserve them.
"There’s actually too many varieties and too few skilled hands — women, men — to bring these out into the world," he said.
Breen said many knowledgeable seed savers have passed away, and historically, there haven’t been as many young people interested in taking on the work. He’s hopeful, though, that’s beginning to change.
The future of our food in the face of climate change, he said, depends on it. | https://www.mainepublic.org/environment-and-outdoors/2022-04-15/seed-saving-has-deep-ties-to-maines-past-in-the-face-of-climate-change-its-a-future-imperative | 2022-04-15T13:09:59 | 0 | https://www.mainepublic.org/environment-and-outdoors/2022-04-15/seed-saving-has-deep-ties-to-maines-past-in-the-face-of-climate-change-its-a-future-imperative |
The new anthology series Roar on Apple TV+ tells eight stories of women in different emotional states. Some of the stories are more comic, some are more dramatic. The series doesn't have a single, obvious thematic throughline the way, say, the tech-dreading Black Mirror does. What unifies the chapters, other than that they are about women in a variety of circumstances, is that they are satisfyingly, pleasantly weird.
Roar has led its promotion with its cast: Episodes are led by Cynthia Erivo, Nicole Kidman, Issa Rae, Merritt Wever, Fivel Stewart and Kara Hayward (Hayward played Suzy in Moonrise Kingdom ten years ago), Meera Syal, and GLOW veterans Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin – working again with GLOW creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, who adapted the series from Cecelia Ahern's book of stories.
The installments come with titles that reveal their reliance on surprising central conceits: "The Woman Who Was Put On The Shelf" (with Gilpin), "The Woman Who Ate Photographs" (with Kidman), "The Woman Who Found Bite Marks On Her Skin" (with Erivo), and so on. (A couple of the episodes don't have direct inspirations in the book but are more in the style of the book's stories.)
Take those titles literally, by the way: Kidman's character eats photographs, Erivo's finds bite marks on her body after she goes back to work following the birth of her son, and Gilpin's moves in with a wealthy man (Daniel Dae Kim) whose idea of love is to have her sit on a shelf in the grand living room of their home so he can admire her.
Some of the stories that do come from the book have been changed considerably. This is true of "The Woman Who Was Fed By A Duck," the episode featuring Wever, which is the one that most economically communicates how weird Roar is willing to get. It's also true of "The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared," starring Rae, which transfers the idea of disappearance into a completely different context from what Ahern wrote.
What Flahive and Mensch have done is take these offbeat core ideas and spin them into stories that dig into something about the lives of these women. It's a strength of this format that most of these episodes are in the neighborhood of a half-hour; it allows for a structure where the translation from hook to emotional idea doesn't have to be gradual, because there's only enough time to present the idea, explore it with vividness, and then end the story.
You're not meant to need time to slowly discover what a story of a woman being placed on a shelf by a rich man is supposed to be about — of course, it's about the emptiness of being displayed rather than loved, because that's literally what's happening. Rae's character feels like she's disappearing because she is. And when you see Nicole Kidman stuff a photograph in her mouth in order to live inside a memory of her past, there's not a moment where it dawns on you, "Oh, this represents her desire for the comfort of her memories." She just ate a picture, after all. It's *meant* to be bracing, more like having water thrown in your face than like having an idea gently reveal itself.
While Roar gets good performances from its actors, it has not been as assertive about promoting this lineup of directors — and that's too bad, because this is in large part a directors' project. Rashida Jones directed Erivo's horror-ish episode, which is full of interesting visuals, and Channing Godfrey Peoples (who wrote and directed Miss Juneteenth) directed Rae's. Quyen Tran, who was the director of photography for the inventive (and realism-bending) romantic comedy Palm Springs, directed "The Woman Who Returned Her Husband," and you can see her touch with the magical and the mundane in the way the episode attacks the idea of a big-box store where they sell returned husbands at a discount.
Not everything works, but Roar is successfully surprising and committed to making the fantastical ideas it's playing with seem like parts of ordinary life, placing them in dialogue with ordinary problems like grief and guilt.
The emotional heft behind these stories doesn't come from, in most cases, a Twilight Zone-style twist. It comes from the translation of the intangible into the tangible, the moment when there is no question that the thing you think is happening is actually happening. We are all accustomed to using rough physical equivalents to explain feelings: I feel invisible. I feel like I've been put on display. I feel like this pain could absolutely eat me alive. Roar is about the questions: What if you really were, if you really had been, if it really could?
This is perhaps too stylized a show to be everybody's cup of tea, and anthologies are inherently uneven. (You are either going to go along with the story of Wever and the duck, or you are very very much not.) But these fairy tales that can be anything from funny to really scary have their own blunt and sometimes resonant truth, even if nothing that happens here could really happen. Hopefully.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2022-04-15/in-apple-tv-s-roar-stories-of-womanhood-are-satisfyingly-weird | 2022-04-15T13:10:05 | 1 | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2022-04-15/in-apple-tv-s-roar-stories-of-womanhood-are-satisfyingly-weird |
In March, a U.S. Marine Corps general aboard an Italian aircraft carrier floating in an Arctic fjord directed French troops to launch an amphibious assault from a Dutch ship to repel the occupation of Norway.
It was just a simulation — part of NATO's "Cold Response" exercise, which happens every two years. This year, however, with all eyes looking across Norway's border with Russia, the exercise felt a bit more real.
"Having a major power in Europe engaging in a broad land-air war, attacking your neighbor, influences everything," said Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, who was observing the war games. "Norway needs an alliance, allies, training, relevant defense to be safe. And that's what we practice here."
Troops from 27 countries participated in one of the largest NATO war games since the 1980s. Although it was scheduled two years ago, Russia's invasion of Ukraine gave this NATO exercise a Cold-War feel — and a renewed mission to deter Russia from thinking that any NATO country might be a soft target.
"We want all of the world, anyone who would take on a defensive Alliance like NATO to understand that it is prepared to defend all of its members. Unequivocally," said USMC Brigadier General Anthony Henderson, who led the exercise from aboard the Italian aircraft carrier Giuseppe Garibaldi, where hundreds of Italian sailors hosted US Marines.
In past years, Russian ships have closely shadowed the operation, even testing missiles nearby. Russia's north fleet, including nuclear submarines, is stationed just over the border from Norway. This year that fleet is occupied, bombarding Ukraine from the Black sea. But in this region, the "High North" Russia is still seen as ahead of its rivals.
"The US let some of that capability atrophy after the end of the cold war. Now we have, in the last few years, really paid more attention to the need to restore our icebreaker fleet, and also to be able to equip our forces to operate in colder weather and more dangerous conditions," said Sherri Goodman, former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense.
Goodman says Russia still has a huge advantage in the Arctic though - about 50 ice-breaking vessels, compared to America's two coast guard ships. And she's worried that melting sea ice, new shipping routes, and a race for new mining and drilling in the Arctic present opportunities for crisis with Russia. Especially since Vladimir Putin is now a pariah.
"We have entered an era in the Arctic of cold peace at best, where Russia is less tethered to the Arctic institutions that have provided stability for the last quarter century. While it doesn't mean we are heading into an armed conflict, we are heading into an area where deterrence and defense will play a larger role," said Goodman.
At the same time that NATO practiced in Arctic Norway, the US ran a similar exercise with 8,000 troops in Alaska along the Bering Sea, where Russia has stepped up military activity in recent years.
Working in the Arctic is inherently complicated – those conditions may have contributed to the deaths of four US Marines in Norway when their Osprey tiltrotor crashed during the exercise on Friday, March 18th. Search and rescue was hampered by a sudden blizzard, something that happened almost daily during the three weeks of war games.
Equally complicated is directing close air support to 27 different national forces, spanning many languages and military cultures.
"It's a very complex exercise, and that's part of what we were trying to get after was, 'how did we learn to work together well?' You can't just shoot into somebody else's space because you might hurt somebody over there. You have to make sure you do that proper coordination," said US Marine Major Caleb Brown, who was directing - simulated - artillery from aboard the Giuseppe Garibaldi.
Across the NATO force, the only real combat experience comes from a very different kind of war, in Iraq or Afghanistan or possibly Syria. So "Cold Response" was as much about learning to stay warm, de-ice air craft, and deal with extreme weather.
As a sudden white-out snowstorm grounded all the air craft on the deck of the Italian Air Craft carrier, several crews were left waiting for an all clear. But part of the exercise is building camaraderie among NATO troops, so the Italians and the Americans started a snowball fight on the flight line.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2022-04-15/nato-troops-conducted-a-routine-war-exercise-in-the-arctic-this-year-felt-different | 2022-04-15T13:10:11 | 0 | https://www.mainepublic.org/npr-news/2022-04-15/nato-troops-conducted-a-routine-war-exercise-in-the-arctic-this-year-felt-different |
If your mornings could use a bit more joy, Eggo’s newest waffle flavors are dessert-inspired to help start your day on a sweet note.
The brand’s new Strawberry Cheesecake and Tiramisu Belgian-style Thick & Fluffy waffles are inspired by classic flavors you’d usually find after dinner, but are giving us an excuse to enjoy them for breakfast instead.
Made with a rich and creamy cheesecake flavor, the Strawberry Cheesecake Waffles can be served on their own, with syrup or if you want to enjoy them as an actual dessert, you can fill the crispy, deep pockets with whipped cream and berries, as the packaging suggests.
The tiramisu waffles transform the classic Italian treat into something you can pop into the toaster, with cocoa and roasted coffee flavors loaded into the waffles. Eggo suggests either enjoying them on their own, with syrup, whipped cream or by filling the pockets with ice cream for an evening waffle a la mode treat — or a decadent brunch option.
A Kellogg’s spokesperson tells Simplemost these new waffle flavors will be in stores nationwide beginning in April or May. Kellogg’s does not say, however, whether they are for a limited time or a permanent addition, so it’s a good idea to grab a box as soon as you see them, just in case.
Eggos Without The Toaster?
Eggo also just released its first ever toaster-less waffles. New Eggo Grab & Go Liège-Style Waffles were created with busy parents in mind, as they are not only made for taking on-the-go, but they’re also individually wrapped so they can be quickly thrown into a lunchbox or purse.
The waffles, which are inspired by a classic Belgian street food, feature a golden brioche dough and are baked through with crunchy bits of pearl sugar. They thaw in under an hour and can be warmed in the toaster or eaten at room temperature, no syrup needed.
Made with real butter and no artificial colors or flavors, Eggo Grab & Go will be available nationwide beginning in April in two flavors: Buttery Maple and Strawberry.
Kellogg’s has been making more than just new types of waffles recently, as the food giant has put out new Pop-Tarts that are also inspired by a beloved bakery treat.
New Snickerdoodle Pop-Tarts are are filled with the flavors of those beloved ooey-gooey, cinnamon-y cookies, combining a snickerdoodle-flavored filling with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping — no baking required. They join Pop-Tarts’ other cookie flavors, including Frosted Chocolate Chip and Cookies & Crème.
Which dessert-inspired treat will you be adding to your mornings?
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories. | https://www.wptv.com/new-eggo-waffle-flavors-tiramisu-strawberry-cheesecake | 2022-04-15T13:15:09 | 0 | https://www.wptv.com/new-eggo-waffle-flavors-tiramisu-strawberry-cheesecake |
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden says he plans to nominate Michael Barr to be the Federal Reserve’s vice chairman of supervision.
Barr's selection comes after Biden’s first choice for the Fed post, Sarah Bloom Raskin, withdrew her nomination a month ago in the face of opposition from Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia for her views on climate change.
Biden notes the importance of politics in a Friday statement saying his nominee had previously cleared the Senate on a bipartisan basis.
Barr is the dean of the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
Barr was an assistant Treasury secretary for financial institutions during the Obama administration.
He helped design the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act during the Obama administration.
The legislation came on the heels of the financial crisis in 2008 and was responsible for creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/president-biden-picks-michael-barr-for-feds-bank-regulation-post | 2022-04-15T13:15:15 | 0 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/president-biden-picks-michael-barr-for-feds-bank-regulation-post |
After Russia lost its naval flagship, the Moskva, Moscow is now vowing to up its missile strikes on Kyiv.
The Russian ship was stationed in the Black Sea and sunk after being damaged in disputed circumstances.
Ukraine says it struck the vessel with missiles, while Moscow acknowledged a fire on board but not any attack.
The UK Ministry of Defense says Russia has suffered damage to two key naval assets since invading Ukraine.
The two events will likely lead Russia to review its maritime posture in the Black Sea.”
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it struck a military target near Kyiv overnight and promised more strikes against the city.
This comes as Russian troops continue to fight for control over the city of Mariupol.
The key port is still holding out, a symbol of staunch Ukrainian resistance that has thwarted the Kremlin’s invasion plans.
Ukrainian troops are continuing to fight the vastly superior Russian forces in ferocious battles amid the ruins of what once was a bustling city on the Sea of Azov coast.
The Ukrainians’ fight against all odds has scuttled Moscow’s designs, tying up significant Russian forces and delaying the start of a planned Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine’s industrial heartland, Donbas.
Capturing Mariupol would allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula which Russia annexed in 2014. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/russia-ukraine-conflict/russia-vows-to-increase-attacks-on-kyiv-continues-to-fight-for-control-in-mariupol | 2022-04-15T13:15:21 | 0 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/russia-ukraine-conflict/russia-vows-to-increase-attacks-on-kyiv-continues-to-fight-for-control-in-mariupol |
Our Two Americas series focuses on many different sides to our country. The America you know, and the one you might not.
This report focuses on discrimination. A new study called "Negative Patient Descriptors: Documenting Racial Bias In The Electronic Health Record" shows Black patients are more likely to have negative descriptions in their medical records. This includes terms like 'non-compliant' or 'resisting.'
We look at how this may continue to sow the distrust many in the Black community say they feel.
If you have been to a doctor, then there is an electronic health record trailing your name.
Over the span of nearly two years, a University of Chicago medical student was able to access more than 20,000 patient records from an unnamed hospital in the Midwest, and searched for 15 key terms that described a patient's behavior.
This includes the terms 'hysterical,' 'angry,' or 'non-compliant.' The study found Black patients were 2.5 times more likely to have descriptions like these in their medical records, compared to white patients.
Third-year medical student Michael Sun co-authored this health equity study, released in January.
"All else was considered equal: The patients' sex, their medical comorbidities, their insurance provider," said Sun.
That has garnered national attention from his colleagues.
"A very common reaction from our medical providers has actually been, you know, 'I see this all the time, I see this every day, this happens,'" said Sun.
He says it becomes part of the medical record everyone treating the patient can see. "This is supposed to be the summative narrative compilation of why the patient is here. To help inform their care, and this is the notes that medical providers use to refer back to throughout the whole stay," said Sun.
This latest report by Sun puts into question whether our medical care is equitable. We showed the results of this study to Wisconsin Health Department's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jasmine Zapata. "It's hurtful and it's hard to see this information. It's not surprising though," said Zapata.
Dr. Zapata believes much of this is implicit bias, meaning health care providers have no idea they are doing anything wrong. Which is why she calls it out when she sees it.
"Under pressure, when you're making fast decisions, your subconscious self tends to favor one thing or another. So when you have knowledge about that, then you are able to correct it," according to Zapata.
It's a reminder that no matter what field we are talking about, words matter.
Dr. Zapata says most patients do not see their medical records, but patients do have the right to request copies from their medical provider. Under HIPPA, hospitals must mail you the records within about 30 days. They may also charge you a fee.
Read the study below:
This story was first reported by Julia Fello at WTMJ in Milwaukee, Wisc. | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/two-americas/black-patients-2-5x-more-likely-to-have-negative-descriptions-on-medical-records-study-finds | 2022-04-15T13:15:27 | 0 | https://www.wptv.com/news/national/two-americas/black-patients-2-5x-more-likely-to-have-negative-descriptions-on-medical-records-study-finds |
- After Elon Musk offered to buy Twitter at a premium of 18% on Thursday, the stock traded lower.
- Musk didn't say much about how the deal would be financed and who he would turn to for help.
- Stifel analysts downgraded the stock now that the company is in the midst of a "full blown Elon circus."
It's not often that a company receives a takeover bid that amounts to an 18% stock premium only to see its shares fall on the news.
That's what happened to Twitter on Thursday after Tesla CEO Elon Musk submitted a bid to buy the company for $54.20 a share, or about $43 billion. The stock dropped 1.7% to close at $45.08 for a market cap of $34 billion.
In other words, investors don't expect the deal to happen. Analysts at Stifel went so far as to downgrade the stock to a sell on Thursday, saying the company faces a "full blown Elon circus."
Musk has his legions of followers, to be sure, and he's legendary in tech world for simultaneously turning Tesla and SpaceX into booming and truly innovative businesses. But years of bluster, hype and unfulfilled promises have left Wall Street skeptical of Musk's intentions and his ability or willingness to follow through, especially when it comes to big financial deals.
Think back to "funding secured." That was the August 2018 tweet that Musk sent, indicating that he was prepared to take Tesla private at the weed-lover's price of $420 a share (in case that helps explain the $54.20 offer for Twitter). It's also the tweet that led to a lawsuit from the SEC and an eventual settlement requiring a "Twitter sitter" to preapprove any of Musk's tweets containing information about the company that could affect its stock price.
Money Report
Tesla was never taken private and instead turned into one of the great stock bets of the next three years. On a split-adjusted basis, the shares are up over 1,300% since the tweet.
Musk has become fabulously rich in the process, surpassing Amazon's Jeff Bezos as the world's richest person. And while running his two main companies and operating some others on the side, he's found plenty of time to be a regular rabble-rouser on Twitter, where he now has 81.7 million followers.
Twitter is Musk's preferred form of mass communications for everything from touting crypto tokens to slamming politicians. He also continues to make proclamations about Tesla's technology on the site. And recently, it's been his favorite place to criticize Twitter itself, for what he sees as ignoring free speech principles and certain technological limitations.
But buying the company? Analysts don't see it.
"While we agree with Mr. Musk's assessment that Twitter is an under-monetized platform, we expect the Board and key shareholders to resist the offer due to philosophical differences," wrote analysts at Mizuho Securities who have the equivalent of a hold rating on the stock. One big concern the board could have, the analysts said, is "the limited time that Mr. Musk has to focus on Twitter as he is CEO of various technology companies, including Tesla, SpaceX and The Boring Company."
Then there's the money. Musk is worth some $265 billion, according to Forbes, but almost all of his wealth is tied up in his equity ownership of Tesla and SpaceX. He sold over $12 billion worth of Tesla stock in late 2021, which still amounts to a fraction of the $43 billion offer price for Twitter.
Prior to the bid for Twitter, Musk had purchased 9.1% of the company's outstanding shares this year for over $2.6 billion. The stock soared 27% on April 4, the day of Musk's initial disclosure of material ownership.
"My offer is my best and final offer and if it is not accepted, I would need to reconsider my position as a shareholder," Musk wrote in his proposal on Thursday to the Twitter board.
Musk said in a filing with the SEC that he hired Morgan Stanley as his financial advisor, but he made no mention of partnering with other financiers or firms that could help foot the bill. Later on Thursday, Musk acknowledged that he's "not sure" if he'd actually be able to buy Twitter.
At the TED2022 conference in Vancouver, Musk was asked by TED's Chris Anderson if there was a "Plan B" if the proposal was rejected. Musk responded, "There is," but he declined to elaborate.
Anderson asked if Musk had "funding secured," alluding to the infamous tweet about taking Tesla private.
"I have sufficient assets," Musk said. "I can do it if possible."
Whether or not Musk is making a truly serious effort to buy the social media company, he's created a major distraction for the board as it now must consider the offer. The board met to discuss the bid on Thursday, and CEO Parag Agrawal reportedly told employees that the company was not being "held hostage" by Musk's proposal.
Based on the stock price reaction, Agrawal may have investors on his side. David Trainer, CEO of stock research firm New Constructs, said the bid is a "desperate attempt for Musk to garner attention," and not an honest effort to add value.
"He is only offering to buy Twitter because Twitter is the place where Musk is most popular," Trainer wrote in an email on Thursday. "Elon Musk doesn't bring any operational value to Twitter shareholders, other than his rock star status, which is not enough to transform Twitter over the long-term."
WATCH: Elon Musk can attract investors with Tesla stock and net worth | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/money-report/elon-musks-twitter-bid-faces-major-skepticism-on-wall-street/3647750/ | 2022-04-15T13:32:35 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/money-report/elon-musks-twitter-bid-faces-major-skepticism-on-wall-street/3647750/ |
- With Covid protocols relaxing and Americans emerging after years at home, medical spas — or medspas — are looking to capitalize on a trend toward beauty procedures.
- Medspas specialize in aesthetic services, such as laser hair removal and medical grade-skin therapies, and are seeing customers increasingly drop in for more robust treatment plans.
- The U.S. currently accounts for 37.72% of the global medspa market, which is projected to reach $25.9 billion by 2026.
Goddess Brouette didn't want to wait much longer. It was time to get her lips filled.
After months of research, she decided last year to get a treatment at Upkeep on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that would make her lips more plump.
"I wanted my lips to be a more prominent part of my face and in photos," said Brouette, who vlogged her experience on her YouTube channel. "[Lips are] something you just can't ignore. So it's always bothered me."
Brouette, a 22-year-old pharmaceutical marketer who also writes adult contemporary fiction, credits Covid-19 with helping her make the money to pay for the Juvederm lip fillers she'd been eyeing.
"The pandemic definitely gave me the ability to afford it," she said. "So, why not spend money on something I've wanted for years?"
Money Report
With Covid protocols relaxing and Americans emerging after two years at home, medical spas — or medspas — like Upkeep are looking to sustain a trend toward beauty procedures.
Medspas are operated by licensed medical professionals but often look and feel like boutique personal service. They service men and women alike and specialize in aesthetic services, such as laser hair removal and medical grade-skin therapies.
Medspas are seeing customers increasingly drop in for more robust treatment plans, according to industry experts, doubling up on face and body treatments in lieu of individual procedures or consultations.
Americans at all income levels saved more money during the pandemic, according to Moody's Analytics estimates and government data, allowing some to invest in their beauty.
In 2021, the U.S. medical spa market was estimated at $4.8 billion, according to a report by market research firm ReportLinker. The U.S. currently accounts for 37.7% of the global medspa market, which is projected to reach $25.9 billion by 2026, according to the report.
The three most popular procedures at medspas all involve injections, according to The American Medical Spa Association. Those include:
- Neuromodulators, used to soften facial muscle activity and reduce wrinkles, such as Botox,
- Hyaluronic acid fillers, temporary skin fillers, such as Juvederm,
- and microneedling, used to help with skin tightening and the removal of acne scars.
Alicia Bernal, manager of the Z-Center for Cosmetic Health in Sherman Oaks, California, said while many customers are looking for immediate rejuvenation as pandemic winds down, others are looking for long-lasting impact.
"People kind of want to look their best now that they're getting out of Covid. So they want to treat their skin, and they're investing more into procedures that give them long-term effects versus just doing injectables to kind of give you only short-term outcomes," Bernal said.
The personal services industry as a whole was hit hard at the beginning of the pandemic when establishments like salons, barber shops and spas shut down for weeks or months. The industry has since made a comeback, with growth in overall employment, new locations and output expected to outpace prepandemic levels, according to the International Franchising Association's 2022 Economic Outlook report.
"I think we're just looking at this as being a year where everything is going to get brighter and we're going to get to another side that is even more exciting," said Christina Russell, CEO of wellness franchise Radiance Holdings.
A 2021 study, conducted by skincare brand StriVectin and surveying 2,000 Americans, found that Zoom calls have significantly impacted consumers' attention to beauty and skincare. According to the study, 44% of consumers have researched how to look better in video calls, and 33% have been frustrated to the point of considering cosmetic procedures.
And the increased facetime has had spill-over effects, with a move toward more full-body beauty treatments.
Body shaping and contouring account for an 18.8% share of the global medical spa market, according to the ReportLinker industry report. One particular service, called Qwo, has seen a notable jump in interest.
Qwo, the first FDA-approved cellulite injectable — produced by pharmaceutical company Endo Internationaland cleared for use in the U.S. in July 2020 — is regarded as a cornerstone treatment for cellulite by the company.
Maneeha Mahmood, co-owner of Aesthetica Medspa in Paramus, New Jersey, says that the spa is seeing a lot interest in Qwo, leading up to the summer months.
"Previously cellulite was really hard to deal with because cellulite is not caused by how hard you work out or what you eat," Mahmood said. "And a lot of people inject filler around their butt, but it never actually addresses the cellulite."
Mahmood explained that cellulite is caused by fiber bands in the butt that give a rippling effect when they tighten up against the skin. After weight gain, fat cells can push up against the skin to give the appearance of dimpled skin.
Liposuction, a popular surgical body sculpting service, is also high in demand at medspas like Flawless Image Medical Aesthetics in East Syracuse, New York.
According to owner Katie Din, liposuction demand, along with prescription weight loss treatments, among customers increased in the past year and hasn't slowed since.
"Our weight loss section has been busier since the pandemic because a lot of people put on weight working from home, not having to go out in public," Din said. | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/money-report/medical-spas-are-seeing-a-boost-in-beauty-procedures-as-people-emerge-from-two-pandemic-years-at-home/3647751/ | 2022-04-15T13:32:42 | 0 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/business/money-report/medical-spas-are-seeing-a-boost-in-beauty-procedures-as-people-emerge-from-two-pandemic-years-at-home/3647751/ |
Three teenagers riding on the back of a moped crashed into the an off-duty police officer's car and were taken to a Queens hospital early Friday morning, police say.
The trio, police say, are also accused of breaking into cars in the Woodside neighborhood overnight.
Officers responded to the crash site around 2:30 a.m. near 65th Street and Broadway. That's where the teenagers' alleged late-night mischief came to an end.
Before the crash, police say the teens were breaking into cars when one was shot in the leg, sending them fleeing the area on the moped.
Police were still investigating who fired the gunshot. They also said tools used by the suspects were recovered near the scene.
The teens are expected to be OK.
Copyright NBC New York | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/teens-getaway-ride-crashes-after-suspected-thieves-flee-nyc-gunfire-cops-ny-only/3647766/ | 2022-04-15T13:32:50 | 1 | https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/teens-getaway-ride-crashes-after-suspected-thieves-flee-nyc-gunfire-cops-ny-only/3647766/ |
STAFFORD COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Three babies were taken to the emergency room after their families noticed odd behavior. Turns out, the children ate THC-infused goldfish-shaped crackers at their daycare in Stafford County.
On March 2, deputies responded to Stafford Hospital Center for several toddlers with exposure to THC. Three children, all one year of age, were taken to the hospital for treatment in the emergency room after their parents observed lethargic and uncoordinated behavior as well as glassy, bloodshot eyes.
Hospital staff recognized the symptoms and tested the children. It was confirmed that each child was exposed to THC, the main psychoactive compound in cannabis that produces the high sensation.
The connection between the three families was a licensed home daycare provider in the Windsor Forest subdivision, according to police.
Detectives conducted a search of the daycare and collected the goldfish-shaped crackers around the highchairs of the toddlers.
The crackers were sent to the lab for testing and confirmed the presence of THC.
Child Protective Services was notified and became involved in the case. The daycare subsequently voluntarily surrendered their license, according to police.
As a result of the investigation the 60-year-old daycare owner has been charged with 3 counts of cruelty and injury to children.
She self-surrendered on April 14 and was released by the magistrate on a $2,000 unsecured bond.
Police said the children are healthy and doing well.
It was not stated by police whether the daycare owner accidentally or intentionally gave the babies the THC-infused gold fish crackers. | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/3-babies-taken-to-emergency-room-after-eating-thc-infused-gold-fish-crackers-at-daycare/ | 2022-04-15T13:35:48 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/3-babies-taken-to-emergency-room-after-eating-thc-infused-gold-fish-crackers-at-daycare/ |
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Richmond Police Department has arrested a suspect connected to a bank robbery on Broad Street.
On April 11, at 2:22 p.m., police were called to a bank robbery in the 3500 block of West Broad Street.
Officers arrested 37-year-old Jason Sharpe shortly after. He was taken into custody without incident with the assistance of multiple agencies and detectives.
The money stolen from the bank was also recovered during the arrest. | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/west-broad-street-bank-robbery-suspect-arrested-in-richmond/ | 2022-04-15T13:35:54 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/west-broad-street-bank-robbery-suspect-arrested-in-richmond/ |
HAVEN, Kan. -- Two people were hurt after an explosion and fire at a gas plant in Kansas.
Crews were called to a fire at the Haven Midstream Gas Plant, formerly known as the Tenawa Haven Gas Plant, just after 1 p.m. Thursday.
When crews arrived on the scene they were met with heavy smoke and flames. Crews also reported explosions, KAKE reported.
A 2-mile radius around the plant was evacuated as crews worked to contain the fire.
RELATED: Nearly 8K gallons of gasoline spill in Kane County, closing roadways in area
According to Reno County, Kansas' emergency manager, the two people taken to a Wichita, Kansas hospital had only minor injuries.
Gas to the plant has been shut off. Reno County officials said there is no risk to the public at this time.
Kansas gas explosion injures 2; massive fire caught on video
Nearby residents evacuated after Haven gas plant explosion
EXPLOSION | https://abc7ny.com/haven-kansas-explosion-fire-wichita-news/11750974/ | 2022-04-15T13:37:37 | 1 | https://abc7ny.com/haven-kansas-explosion-fire-wichita-news/11750974/ |
KYIV, Ukraine -- A day after Moscow suffered a stinging symbolic defeat with the loss of the flagship of its Black Sea fleet, Russia's Defense Ministry promised Friday to ramp up missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital in response to Ukraine's alleged military "diversions on the Russian territory."
The threat of intensified attacks on Kyiv came after Russian authorities accused Ukraine of wounding seven people and damaging about 100 residential buildings with airstrikes on Bryansk, a region that borders Ukraine. Authorities in another border region of Russia also reported Ukrainian shelling Thursday.
Kyiv has gradually displayed some signs of pre-war life after Russian troops failed to capture the city and retreated to focus on a concentrated assault in eastern Ukraine, leaving evidence of possible war crimes in their wake. A renewed bombardment could return the capital's residents to sheltering in subway stations and the steady wail of air raid sirens.
Ukrainian officials have not confirmed striking targets in Russia, and the reports by Russian authorities could not be independently verified. However, Ukrainian officials claimed their forces struck a key Russian warship with missiles on Thursday. If true, the claim would represent an important victory.
The guided-missile cruiser Moskva, named for the Russian capital, sank while being towed to port Thursday after suffering heavy damage under circumstances that remained in dispute. Moscow acknowledged a fire on board but not any attack. U.S. and other Western officials could not confirm what caused the blaze.
The Moskva had the capacity to carry 16 long-range cruise missiles, and its removal reduces Russia's firepower in the Black Sea. If Ukrainian forces took out the vessel, the Moskva likely represents the largest warship to be sunk in combat since the Falklands War. A British submarine torpedoed an Argentine navy cruiser called the ARA General Belgrano during the 1982 conflict, killing over 300 sailors on board.
The Russian warship's loss in an invasion already widely seen as a historic blunder also was a symbolic defeat for Moscow as its troops regroup for an offensive in eastern Ukraine after retreating from the Kyiv region and much of the north.
In his nightly address Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the people of his country should be proud of having survived 50 days under attack when the Russian invaders "gave us a maximum of five."
Zelenskyy did not mention the Moskva by name, but while listing the ways Ukraine has defended against the onslaught, mentioned "those who showed that Russian warships can sail away, even if it's to the bottom" of the sea. It was his only reference to the Moskva.
News about the flagship overshadowed Russian claims of advances in the southern port city of Mariupol, where Moscow's forces have been battling the Ukrainians since the early days of the invasion in some of the heaviest fighting of the war - at a horrific cost to civilians.
Dwindling numbers of Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol are holding out against a siege that has trapped well over 100,000 civilians in desperate need of food, water and heating. David Beasley, executive director of the U.N. World Food Program, told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday that people were being "starved to death" in the besieged city.
Mariupol's mayor said this week that more than 10,000 civilians had died and the death toll could surpass 20,000. Other Ukrainian officials have said they expect to find evidence of atrocities committed against civilians like the ones discovered in Bucha and other towns outside Kyiv once the Russians withdrew.
The Mariupol City Council said Friday that locals reported seeing Russian troops digging up bodies that were buried in residential courtyards and not allowing any new burials "of people killed by them."
"Why the exhumation is being carried out and where the bodies will be taken is unknown," the council said in a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app.
Mariupol's capture is critical for Russia because it would allow its forces in the south, which came up through the annexed Crimean Peninsula, to fully link up with troops in the Donbas region, Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland and the target of the looming offensive.
Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces in the Donbas since 2014, the same year Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine. Russia has recognized the independence of two rebel-held areas of the region.
Although it's not certain when Russia will launch the full-scale campaign, a regional Ukrainian official said Friday that seven people died and 27 were injured after Russian forces opened fire on buses carrying civilians in the village of Borovaya, near the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are working to establish the circumstances of the attack, Dmytro Chubenko, a spokesman for the regional prosecutor's office, told Ukraine's Suspilne news website.
Chubenko said that Ukrainian authorities had opened criminal proceedings in connection with a suspected "violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder." The claims of an attack on civilian buses could not be independently verified.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday that Russian strikes in the Kharkiv region "liquidated a squad of mercenaries from a Polish private military company" of up to 30 people and "liberated" an iron and steel factor in Mariupol from "Ukrainian nationalists." The claims could not be independently verified.
On Thursday, the Defense Ministry explained the damage to Russia's Black Sea flagship by a fire had caused ammunition stowed on board to detonate. In addition to the cruise missiles, the warship also had air-defense missiles and other guns.
The ministry did not say what might have caused the blaze but reported that the "main missile weapons" were not damaged and the crew, which usually numbers about 500, abandoned the vessel. It wasn't clear if there were any casualties.
Maksym Marchenko, the governor of Ukraine's Black Sea region of Odesa, said Ukrainian forces struck the Moskva with two Neptune missiles and caused "serious damage." The Neptune is an anti-ship missile that was recently developed by Ukraine based on an earlier Soviet design.
The missile's launchers are mounted on trucks stationed near the coast, and, according to the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, can hit targets up to 280 kilometers (175 miles) away. That would have put the Moskva within range, based on where the ship was when the fire began.
Launched as the Slava in 1979, the cruiser saw service in the Cold War and during conflicts in Georgia and Syria, and helped conduct peacetime scientific research with the United States. During the Cold War, it carried nuclear weapons.
British defense officials said the Moskva's loss would likely force Moscow to change how its naval forces operate in the Black Sea. In a social media post Friday, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said the ship, which returned to operational service last year after a major refit, "served a key role as both a command vessel and air defense node."
Other Russian ships in the northern Black Sea moved farther south after the Moskva incident, a senior U.S. defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal military assessments.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 and has lsuffered thousands of military casualties. The conflict has killed untold numbers of Ukrainian civilians and forced millions more to flee.
It has also further inflated prices at grocery stores and gasoline pumps, while dragging on the global economy. The head of the International Monetary Fund said Thursday that the war helped push the organization to downgrade economic forecasts for 143 countries.
___
Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
Russia loses warship, says attacks on Kyiv will increase
Ukraine has not confirmed striking targets in Russia, and the reports by Russian authorities could not be independently verified
UKRAINE | https://abc7ny.com/ukraine-russia-volodymyr-zelenskyy-news/11750925/ | 2022-04-15T13:37:43 | 1 | https://abc7ny.com/ukraine-russia-volodymyr-zelenskyy-news/11750925/ |
If your mornings could use a bit more joy, Eggo’s newest waffle flavors are dessert-inspired to help start your day on a sweet note.
The brand’s new Strawberry Cheesecake and Tiramisu Belgian-style Thick & Fluffy waffles are inspired by classic flavors you’d usually find after dinner, but are giving us an excuse to enjoy them for breakfast instead.
Made with a rich and creamy cheesecake flavor, the Strawberry Cheesecake Waffles can be served on their own, with syrup or if you want to enjoy them as an actual dessert, you can fill the crispy, deep pockets with whipped cream and berries, as the packaging suggests.
The tiramisu waffles transform the classic Italian treat into something you can pop into the toaster, with cocoa and roasted coffee flavors loaded into the waffles. Eggo suggests either enjoying them on their own, with syrup, whipped cream or by filling the pockets with ice cream for an evening waffle a la mode treat — or a decadent brunch option.
A Kellogg’s spokesperson tells Simplemost these new waffle flavors will be in stores nationwide beginning in April or May. Kellogg’s does not say, however, whether they are for a limited time or a permanent addition, so it’s a good idea to grab a box as soon as you see them, just in case.
Eggos Without The Toaster?
Eggo also just released its first ever toaster-less waffles. New Eggo Grab & Go Liège-Style Waffles were created with busy parents in mind, as they are not only made for taking on-the-go, but they’re also individually wrapped so they can be quickly thrown into a lunchbox or purse.
The waffles, which are inspired by a classic Belgian street food, feature a golden brioche dough and are baked through with crunchy bits of pearl sugar. They thaw in under an hour and can be warmed in the toaster or eaten at room temperature, no syrup needed.
Made with real butter and no artificial colors or flavors, Eggo Grab & Go will be available nationwide beginning in April in two flavors: Buttery Maple and Strawberry.
Kellogg’s has been making more than just new types of waffles recently, as the food giant has put out new Pop-Tarts that are also inspired by a beloved bakery treat.
New Snickerdoodle Pop-Tarts are are filled with the flavors of those beloved ooey-gooey, cinnamon-y cookies, combining a snickerdoodle-flavored filling with a crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping — no baking required. They join Pop-Tarts’ other cookie flavors, including Frosted Chocolate Chip and Cookies & Crème.
Which dessert-inspired treat will you be adding to your mornings?
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories. | https://www.wmar2news.com/new-eggo-waffle-flavors-tiramisu-strawberry-cheesecake | 2022-04-15T13:38:33 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/new-eggo-waffle-flavors-tiramisu-strawberry-cheesecake |
BALTIMORE (WMAR) — If there’s a silver lining from the pandemic, it’s the scientific advancements in making vaccines.
Biotech and pharmaceutical companies are applying it to flu shots, which they think could save thousands of lives.
“This could be another real game changer,” said Dr. Christopher Thompson, an associate professor of biology at Loyola University Maryland.
Despite the availability of vaccines, hundreds of thousands of people die from the flu worldwide every year.
Pharmaceutical companies have faced longstanding challenges with developing flu shots. Dr. Thompson said they take about six months to make and are 20-40 percent effective.
“We are watching what is happening in the southern hemisphere, trying to predict what will happen in our flu season up here. The virus may mutate during production of the vaccine and we can’t do anything about it,” said Dr. Thompson.
According to the CDC, this process has been used for more than 70 years and uses a weakened or inactive germ to trigger an immune response.
However, scientists have been researching mRNA technology for a decade that instead teach our cells how to make a protein that then triggers an immune response and can be manufactured much more quickly.
“We can wait a little bit longer to try and have a better prediction of what the virus is gonna look like,” said Dr. Thompson.
Pfizer and Moderna both developed COVID-19 vaccines with mRNA that were highly effective.
Now that technology is being used in clinical trials for flu shots.
This week, Moderna announced the beginning of another trial for seasonal flu vaccines using mRNA technology. The company is also prepping its first candidate for phase 3 trials, and they have others in development that offer a combination of protections.
“There’s a hope that we can give you one vaccine every fall that has stuff for flu, has stuff for COVID, has stuff for RSV and you feel crumby for a couple days as you react to that vaccine and then you’re protected from all of them for the next year,” said Dr. Thompson.
Dr. Thompson predicts we are still a year or two away from FDA approval. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/covid-vaccine-tech-being-used-to-improve-flu-shots | 2022-04-15T13:38:39 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/covid-vaccine-tech-being-used-to-improve-flu-shots |
BALTIMORE — Good Friday is off to a violent start in Baltimore.
So far, two people have been killed and two others are wounded following three separate shootings throughout the City.
The latest incident happened around 7:41am, when a 33-year-old man was reportedly shot multiple times while in his backyard in the 4500 block of Birchwood Drive.
He's in critical condition but stable at a local hospital.
Just before 6:15am, a 30-year-old man and 31-year-old woman both died after being shot in the 800 Block of Gretna Court.
And around 12:30am, a 26-year-old woman was shot during an attempted robbery while walking in the area of Hilton and Baltimore Streets.
She drove herself to the hospital and is expected to survive.
No arrests have been made in either case.
Anyone with information can call Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7Lockup. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/violence-on-good-friday-two-dead-two-wounded-by-gunfire-in-baltimore-city | 2022-04-15T13:38:45 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/local-news/violence-on-good-friday-two-dead-two-wounded-by-gunfire-in-baltimore-city |
WASHINGTON, D.C. — President Joe Biden says he plans to nominate Michael Barr to be the Federal Reserve’s vice chairman of supervision.
Barr's selection comes after Biden’s first choice for the Fed post, Sarah Bloom Raskin, withdrew her nomination a month ago in the face of opposition from Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia for her views on climate change.
Biden notes the importance of politics in a Friday statement saying his nominee had previously cleared the Senate on a bipartisan basis.
Barr is the dean of the University of Michigan’s Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy.
Barr was an assistant Treasury secretary for financial institutions during the Obama administration.
He helped design the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act during the Obama administration.
The legislation came on the heels of the financial crisis in 2008 and was responsible for creating the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/president-biden-picks-michael-barr-for-feds-bank-regulation-post | 2022-04-15T13:38:51 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/president-biden-picks-michael-barr-for-feds-bank-regulation-post |
After Russia lost its naval flagship, the Moskva, Moscow is now vowing to up its missile strikes on Kyiv.
The Russian ship was stationed in the Black Sea and sunk after being damaged in disputed circumstances.
Ukraine says it struck the vessel with missiles, while Moscow acknowledged a fire on board but not any attack.
The UK Ministry of Defense says Russia has suffered damage to two key naval assets since invading Ukraine.
The two events will likely lead Russia to review its maritime posture in the Black Sea.”
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said it struck a military target near Kyiv overnight and promised more strikes against the city.
This comes as Russian troops continue to fight for control over the city of Mariupol.
The key port is still holding out, a symbol of staunch Ukrainian resistance that has thwarted the Kremlin’s invasion plans.
Ukrainian troops are continuing to fight the vastly superior Russian forces in ferocious battles amid the ruins of what once was a bustling city on the Sea of Azov coast.
The Ukrainians’ fight against all odds has scuttled Moscow’s designs, tying up significant Russian forces and delaying the start of a planned Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine’s industrial heartland, Donbas.
Capturing Mariupol would allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula which Russia annexed in 2014. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/russia-ukraine-conflict/russia-vows-to-increase-attacks-on-kyiv-continues-to-fight-for-control-in-mariupol | 2022-04-15T13:38:57 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/russia-ukraine-conflict/russia-vows-to-increase-attacks-on-kyiv-continues-to-fight-for-control-in-mariupol |
Our Two Americas series focuses on many different sides to our country. The America you know, and the one you might not.
This report focuses on discrimination. A new study called "Negative Patient Descriptors: Documenting Racial Bias In The Electronic Health Record" shows Black patients are more likely to have negative descriptions in their medical records. This includes terms like 'non-compliant' or 'resisting.'
We look at how this may continue to sow the distrust many in the Black community say they feel.
If you have been to a doctor, then there is an electronic health record trailing your name.
Over the span of nearly two years, a University of Chicago medical student was able to access more than 20,000 patient records from an unnamed hospital in the Midwest, and searched for 15 key terms that described a patient's behavior.
This includes the terms 'hysterical,' 'angry,' or 'non-compliant.' The study found Black patients were 2.5 times more likely to have descriptions like these in their medical records, compared to white patients.
Third-year medical student Michael Sun co-authored this health equity study, released in January.
"All else was considered equal: The patients' sex, their medical comorbidities, their insurance provider," said Sun.
That has garnered national attention from his colleagues.
"A very common reaction from our medical providers has actually been, you know, 'I see this all the time, I see this every day, this happens,'" said Sun.
He says it becomes part of the medical record everyone treating the patient can see. "This is supposed to be the summative narrative compilation of why the patient is here. To help inform their care, and this is the notes that medical providers use to refer back to throughout the whole stay," said Sun.
This latest report by Sun puts into question whether our medical care is equitable. We showed the results of this study to Wisconsin Health Department's Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jasmine Zapata. "It's hurtful and it's hard to see this information. It's not surprising though," said Zapata.
Dr. Zapata believes much of this is implicit bias, meaning health care providers have no idea they are doing anything wrong. Which is why she calls it out when she sees it.
"Under pressure, when you're making fast decisions, your subconscious self tends to favor one thing or another. So when you have knowledge about that, then you are able to correct it," according to Zapata.
It's a reminder that no matter what field we are talking about, words matter.
Dr. Zapata says most patients do not see their medical records, but patients do have the right to request copies from their medical provider. Under HIPPA, hospitals must mail you the records within about 30 days. They may also charge you a fee.
Read the study below:
This story was first reported by Julia Fello at WTMJ in Milwaukee, Wisc. | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/two-americas/black-patients-2-5x-more-likely-to-have-negative-descriptions-on-medical-records-study-finds | 2022-04-15T13:39:03 | 1 | https://www.wmar2news.com/news/national/two-americas/black-patients-2-5x-more-likely-to-have-negative-descriptions-on-medical-records-study-finds |
It is going to be a grand Good Friday packed with abundant sunshine and mild temps in the low 70s. It will be breezy through the weekend. The weekend will start with showers as a cold front moves through. Ahead of the front on Saturday, temps will warm into the low 70s. Behind the front, temps will struggle to reach 60 on Easter Sunday, but it will be dry with a mix of sun and clouds. The work week will start on a wet and cool note. Temps rise out of the 50s and into the low 60s by mid-week with plenty of sunshine to boot.
Stay tuned!
7 Day Forecast:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 71. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 10 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: Increasing clouds, with a low around 54. South wind 7 to 10 mph, with gusts as high as 18 mph.
Saturday: A chance of showers, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 71. Southwest wind 8 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers, mainly before 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 44. Northwest wind 9 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 55. Northwest wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 23 mph.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 39.
Monday: Rain likely, mainly after 2pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 55. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Monday Night: Rain likely, mainly before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 42. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Tuesday: A chance of rain before 8am. Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 38.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 62.
Wednesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 44.
Thursday: Partly sunny, with a high near 68. | https://www.wmar2news.com/weather/sunny-mild-for-good-friday | 2022-04-15T13:39:10 | 0 | https://www.wmar2news.com/weather/sunny-mild-for-good-friday |
The banquet will be the last one Coach Mike Krzyzewski attends as head coach. To honor his lifelong dedication to Duke basketball, his final team gave him a gift he will never forget.
The players and coaches surprised Coach K with a new puppy!
What do you get for the Coach who has it all??????
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) April 15, 2022
A HANDSOME, 15/10 PUPPY 🐶x🐐 pic.twitter.com/MDKUAP0cxf | https://abc11.com/coach-k-puppy-duke-basketball-dog/11751019/ | 2022-04-15T13:41:17 | 0 | https://abc11.com/coach-k-puppy-duke-basketball-dog/11751019/ |
KYIV, Ukraine -- A day after Moscow suffered a stinging symbolic defeat with the loss of the flagship of its Black Sea fleet, Russia's Defense Ministry promised Friday to ramp up missile attacks on the Ukrainian capital in response to Ukraine's alleged military "diversions on the Russian territory."
The threat of intensified attacks on Kyiv came after Russian authorities accused Ukraine of wounding seven people and damaging about 100 residential buildings with airstrikes on Bryansk, a region that borders Ukraine. Authorities in another border region of Russia also reported Ukrainian shelling Thursday.
Kyiv has gradually displayed some signs of pre-war life after Russian troops failed to capture the city and retreated to focus on a concentrated assault in eastern Ukraine, leaving evidence of possible war crimes in their wake. A renewed bombardment could return the capital's residents to sheltering in subway stations and the steady wail of air raid sirens.
Ukrainian officials have not confirmed striking targets in Russia, and the reports by Russian authorities could not be independently verified. However, Ukrainian officials claimed their forces struck a key Russian warship with missiles on Thursday. If true, the claim would represent an important victory.
The guided-missile cruiser Moskva, named for the Russian capital, sank while being towed to port Thursday after suffering heavy damage under circumstances that remained in dispute. Moscow acknowledged a fire on board but not any attack. U.S. and other Western officials could not confirm what caused the blaze.
The Moskva had the capacity to carry 16 long-range cruise missiles, and its removal reduces Russia's firepower in the Black Sea. If Ukrainian forces took out the vessel, the Moskva likely represents the largest warship to be sunk in combat since the Falklands War. A British submarine torpedoed an Argentine navy cruiser called the ARA General Belgrano during the 1982 conflict, killing over 300 sailors on board.
The Russian warship's loss in an invasion already widely seen as a historic blunder also was a symbolic defeat for Moscow as its troops regroup for an offensive in eastern Ukraine after retreating from the Kyiv region and much of the north.
In his nightly address Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the people of his country should be proud of having survived 50 days under attack when the Russian invaders "gave us a maximum of five."
Zelenskyy did not mention the Moskva by name, but while listing the ways Ukraine has defended against the onslaught, mentioned "those who showed that Russian warships can sail away, even if it's to the bottom" of the sea. It was his only reference to the Moskva.
News about the flagship overshadowed Russian claims of advances in the southern port city of Mariupol, where Moscow's forces have been battling the Ukrainians since the early days of the invasion in some of the heaviest fighting of the war - at a horrific cost to civilians.
Dwindling numbers of Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol are holding out against a siege that has trapped well over 100,000 civilians in desperate need of food, water and heating. David Beasley, executive director of the U.N. World Food Program, told The Associated Press in an interview Thursday that people were being "starved to death" in the besieged city.
Mariupol's mayor said this week that more than 10,000 civilians had died and the death toll could surpass 20,000. Other Ukrainian officials have said they expect to find evidence of atrocities committed against civilians like the ones discovered in Bucha and other towns outside Kyiv once the Russians withdrew.
The Mariupol City Council said Friday that locals reported seeing Russian troops digging up bodies that were buried in residential courtyards and not allowing any new burials "of people killed by them."
"Why the exhumation is being carried out and where the bodies will be taken is unknown," the council said in a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app.
Mariupol's capture is critical for Russia because it would allow its forces in the south, which came up through the annexed Crimean Peninsula, to fully link up with troops in the Donbas region, Ukraine's eastern industrial heartland and the target of the looming offensive.
Moscow-backed separatists have fought Ukrainian forces in the Donbas since 2014, the same year Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine. Russia has recognized the independence of two rebel-held areas of the region.
Although it's not certain when Russia will launch the full-scale campaign, a regional Ukrainian official said Friday that seven people died and 27 were injured after Russian forces opened fire on buses carrying civilians in the village of Borovaya, near the northeastern city of Kharkiv.
Ukrainian law enforcement agencies are working to establish the circumstances of the attack, Dmytro Chubenko, a spokesman for the regional prosecutor's office, told Ukraine's Suspilne news website.
Chubenko said that Ukrainian authorities had opened criminal proceedings in connection with a suspected "violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder." The claims of an attack on civilian buses could not be independently verified.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday that Russian strikes in the Kharkiv region "liquidated a squad of mercenaries from a Polish private military company" of up to 30 people and "liberated" an iron and steel factor in Mariupol from "Ukrainian nationalists." The claims could not be independently verified.
On Thursday, the Defense Ministry explained the damage to Russia's Black Sea flagship by a fire had caused ammunition stowed on board to detonate. In addition to the cruise missiles, the warship also had air-defense missiles and other guns.
The ministry did not say what might have caused the blaze but reported that the "main missile weapons" were not damaged and the crew, which usually numbers about 500, abandoned the vessel. It wasn't clear if there were any casualties.
Maksym Marchenko, the governor of Ukraine's Black Sea region of Odesa, said Ukrainian forces struck the Moskva with two Neptune missiles and caused "serious damage." The Neptune is an anti-ship missile that was recently developed by Ukraine based on an earlier Soviet design.
The missile's launchers are mounted on trucks stationed near the coast, and, according to the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, can hit targets up to 280 kilometers (175 miles) away. That would have put the Moskva within range, based on where the ship was when the fire began.
Launched as the Slava in 1979, the cruiser saw service in the Cold War and during conflicts in Georgia and Syria, and helped conduct peacetime scientific research with the United States. During the Cold War, it carried nuclear weapons.
British defense officials said the Moskva's loss would likely force Moscow to change how its naval forces operate in the Black Sea. In a social media post Friday, the U.K. Ministry of Defense said the ship, which returned to operational service last year after a major refit, "served a key role as both a command vessel and air defense node."
Other Russian ships in the northern Black Sea moved farther south after the Moskva incident, a senior U.S. defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal military assessments.
Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 and has lsuffered thousands of military casualties. The conflict has killed untold numbers of Ukrainian civilians and forced millions more to flee.
It has also further inflated prices at grocery stores and gasoline pumps, while dragging on the global economy. The head of the International Monetary Fund said Thursday that the war helped push the organization to downgrade economic forecasts for 143 countries.
___
Associated Press journalists around the world contributed to this report.
Russia loses warship, says attacks on Kyiv will increase
Ukraine has not confirmed striking targets in Russia, and the reports by Russian authorities could not be independently verified
UKRAINE | https://abc11.com/ukraine-russia-volodymyr-zelenskyy-news/11750925/ | 2022-04-15T13:41:18 | 0 | https://abc11.com/ukraine-russia-volodymyr-zelenskyy-news/11750925/ |
BUSHKILL, Pa. – A day after the Warren County Board of Commissioners reversed its decision to support a national park designation, the Delaware Water Gap Recreation Area announced Thursday that sites closed for the winter will reopen Friday, April 15, with fees for expanded amenities going into effect Monday, April 18.
The following areas will officially reopen for the 2022 season on April 15:
- Boat launches.
- Access roads to Dingmans Falls (open daily during daylight hours).
- Old Mine Road from the Worthington State Forest boundary to Millbrook Village and the dirt section of Old Mine Road near Van Campen Inn.
- Mountain Road in Walpack Township, New Jersey, will be open to vehicles between the Walpack Cemetery and Buttermilk Falls. The road is closed to vehicles beyond that point and from the south end at Haneys Mill due to the closure of the state-owned section of the road for repairs.
- Crater Lake, including Skyline Drive and the upper section of Blue Mountain Lakes Road, will reopen to vehicles daily until May 21 when it will be closed to vehicles Friday evenings through Monday afternoons until Oct. 2. The road will remain closed to vehicles on federal holidays that fall on Mondays.
Other areas that will be closed on weekends from May 21 to October 2 include:
- Cadoo Recreation Site in New Jersey.
- Hialeah Picnic Area and Freeman Tract Road in Pennsylvania.
These areas will be closed on Friday evenings and will reopen on Mondays by noon. They also will remain closed to vehicles on federal holidays that fall on Mondays.
Expanded amenity fees
Fees are charged at Smithfield Beach, Bushkill Boat Launch, Dingmans Boat Launch, Milford Beach and Turtle Beach.
"What you pay here, will stay here," Elizabeth Winslow, fee program manager, said in a statement.
Most revenue generated from fees collected in the park stays in the park and is used to fund projects and services that have a direct visitor benefit including facility and trail maintenance, restrooms, boat and canoe launches, and picnic areas.
Daily fees are $10 per vehicle (up to 7 occupants) and $2 for additional passengers, pedestrians and cyclists.
Where fee attendants are not on duty, visitors are directed to deposit the daily fee in a self-registration envelope provided at the entrance to the fee areas, put it in the designated secured drop box and place the receipt on the vehicle's dashboard.
Annual passes are also available to access the fee areas for the entire season. The passes are $45 per vehicle. Discounts apply for multiple purchases from the same household.
Road closures
If planning to visit the Delaware Water Gap, there are several road closures that could impact travel. These closures start May 1 and remain in effect until Sept. 30 annually:
- Adams Creek Trail and parking areas, including the drainage, from the Sproul Road and Long Meadow Road.
- Parking areas downstream to Route 209.
- White Pines McDade Trail parking area/
- Raymondskill Creek drainage, from the base of the lower falls, including the pool area, downstream to the confluence of the Delaware River, including the Schanno House (former) parking area and grounds on the west side of Route 209 at Raymondskill Creek. This closure does not include the McDade Recreational Trail.
In addition, work on a $6.5 million project to completely rehabilitate a 7-mile section of Route 209 began in March. It is the first phase of a $21.5 million project to improve the park's primary north-south route on the Pennsylvania side.
According to a news release, the initial phase of the project will rehabilitate the entire stretch of road between mile marker 0 in Middle Smithfield Township, Monroe County, and mile marker 7 in Lehman Township, Pike County, in Pennsylvania. | https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/western-newjersey/delaware-water-gap-to-begin-charging-amenity-fees-monday/article_8c774272-bc79-11ec-aa71-7fc9fda82996.html | 2022-04-15T13:42:10 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/area/western-newjersey/delaware-water-gap-to-begin-charging-amenity-fees-monday/article_8c774272-bc79-11ec-aa71-7fc9fda82996.html |
It's never too late to feel like a kid again. A 90-year-old in Missouri has a hobby that keeps him busy and relaxed.
Bill Fields, who lives at a senior living center in Kansas City, says he's built more than 200 Lego models since he started building around 45 years ago.
His creations are now on display at his retirement community.
His "show room" features a coliseum, a few replicas of stadiums, a Taj Mahal and Big Ben.
His latest project, the Titanic, is almost 5 feet.
Bill says some of his neighbors wonder how he has the patience to bring all of these Lego kits to life.
"Sometimes I'll get hung up 3, 4, 5 hours working, go right through lunch, go right through dinner, bedtime," he told KMBC-TV. "It's relaxing for me"
Bill says of all his builds, his favorite is the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars.
He says it was also the most difficult, but he's always up for the challenge.
Anyone can go see the creations at the Villa Ventura retirement community, for a small donation to the Alzheimer's Association. | https://www.wfmz.com/news/good-news/90-year-old-shows-off-lego-creations/article_97ed31c4-bcb1-11ec-a995-43abb34d3519.html | 2022-04-15T13:42:16 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/good-news/90-year-old-shows-off-lego-creations/article_97ed31c4-bcb1-11ec-a995-43abb34d3519.html |
SCOTRUN, Pa., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- After a vigorous review process spanning several months, Brookdale Premier Addiction Recovery has been chosen as an approved in-network substance use disorder treatment facility by Aetna. Effective April 15, 2022, Aetna members will receive in-network coverage at Brookdale's one-of-a-kind facility situated in the stunning Pocono Mountains.
As part of Brookdale's strategic growth plan, the addition of Aetna in-network coverage will make world-class addiction treatment available to more individuals struggling with addiction. Brookdale is currently in-network with Highmark BCBS, Geisinger Health Plans, and Cigna, and accepts many more insurance providers.
"Our commitment is to provide a better patient experience and to make high-quality treatment available to those suffering from substance use disorder," says Ed Allen, Chief Marketing Officer, and VP of Operations.
Due to tremendous growth and success, Brookdale is set to begin Phase-2 of construction this summer increasing its residential capacity to treat more patients. The sprawling 100-acre campus is currently capable of treating 34 detox and 76 residential patients.
"The addition of Aetna expands our reach to more than 22 million members and is a testament to our goal of making world-class treatment available to as many patients as possible," says Allen. "We saw a gap between the services that were available to most people and what was needed and, more importantly, effective in treating this chronic disease. The pandemic has shown us that services like ours are more needed than ever, as more families deal with the devastating impact of addiction."
About Brookdale Premier Addiction Recovery
Brookdale Premier Addiction Recovery opened in 2019 and sits lakeside on 100 acres in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. The premier addiction treatment facility is most known for innovative clinical services with exclusive amenities including 5-star cuisine, hair salon, recreation/fitness center, indoor/outdoor pools, tennis and volleyball courts, basketball, fishing, and hiking trails. Brookdale offers an easy way to verify your insurance benefits through a secure, online form.
For more information, please contact Ed Allen, Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President of Operations at (877) 620-1410.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aetna-partners-with-leading-addiction-treatment-provider-301526513.html
SOURCE Brookdale Premier Addiction Recovery | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/aetna-partners-with-leading-addiction-treatment-provider/article_6b4e1ff7-157a-55bb-84e3-a663417f8100.html | 2022-04-15T13:42:22 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/aetna-partners-with-leading-addiction-treatment-provider/article_6b4e1ff7-157a-55bb-84e3-a663417f8100.html |
Pennsylvania Insurance Company Joins National Broker
LAKE MARY, Fla., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- AssuredPartners, Inc. is proud to announce that Don Jacobs Insurance Services, Inc. (Don Jacobs Insurance Services) of New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania has joined AssuredPartners. The team of 23 will remain under Don Jacobs Insurance Services current President, Don Jacobs. The agency currently reports $3 million in annualized revenues.
Don Jacobs said, "We have worked to be a well-known leader in the insurance space by providing individuals and businesses with superior insurance products at fair prices. We pride ourselves on providing our clients with full dedication, top notch customer service and the right coverages. As we partner with AssuredPartners, we will continue to work closely with each of our clients and continue our history of building long, trusting relationships."
"We are pleased to welcome the team members and clients of Don Jacobs Insurance Services to AssuredPartners," stated AssuredPartners Regional President Brian Bair. "Don Jacobs Insurance Services is a trusted agency that has built strong relationships with its clients and we feel this is a great partnership as we expand with them."
"We are delighted to welcome and combine the client-focused strengths of our new partner, Don Jacobs Insurance Services, with the existing client-minded culture that we have built," stated AssuredPartners President Randy Larsen. "At AssuredPartners we are truly identifying the best partners, who provide the best service, for exceptional solutions for our clients."
For more information on Don Jacobs Insurance Services, please visit: https://donjacobsinsurance.com/
ABOUT ASSUREDPARTNERS, INC
Headquartered in Lake Mary, Florida, AssuredPartners is a full-service insurance broker providing commercial insurance, risk management, employee benefits through consulting and services. With over 7,500 employees located in offices throughout North America, London, Belgium and Scotland, AssuredPartners is in the business of building relationships. While cementing powerful, lasting relationships built on trust earned from working openly and honestly with our partners. That's what we call, Power through Partnership. For more information, call 513-624-1779, email jamie.reinert@assuredpartners.com or visit http://www.assuredpartners.com.
Media Contact
Jamie Reinert, AssuredPartners, 513-624-1779, jamie.reinert@assuredpartners.com
SOURCE AssuredPartners | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/assuredpartners-announces-acquisition-of-don-jacobs-insurance-services-inc/article_c0c75124-a9e4-53a7-9d39-25076fefb371.html | 2022-04-15T13:42:28 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/assuredpartners-announces-acquisition-of-don-jacobs-insurance-services-inc/article_c0c75124-a9e4-53a7-9d39-25076fefb371.html |
TAMPA, Fla., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA), the preeminent leader in one-to-one youth mentoring, appoints Ad Council Chief Equity Officer Elise James-DeCruise, and National Corn Growers Association Chief Executive Officer Jon Doggett to its Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) Council, designed to support the organization's longstanding commitment to empower all young people.
James-DeCruise is an award-winning Learning & Development professional and Diversity, Equity & Inclusion practitioner with over 20 years of global experience in the marketing, strategy, design and delivery of programs and experiences for clients, partners and industry professionals within the workforce, marketplace and community. As CEO of the Ad Council, a leading nonprofit that uses the power of communications to drive social change, James-DeCruise oversees the organization's ongoing commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion – ultimately informing every aspect of the Ad Council's mission, workplace culture and public-facing communications.
Doggett brings a wealth of knowledge and public policy experience to the JEDI Council. Prior to becoming CEO of the National Corn Growers Association in 2018, Doggett served as the organization's executive vice president from 2014-2018, and prior to that he served as vice president of public policy for over 12 years, where he managed the organization's Washington, D.C. office and led its public policy efforts.
"I am pleased to welcome Elise and Jon to Big Brothers Big Sisters' JEDI Council. Their collective experience in public policy and diversity, equity and inclusion are welcome additions to the council," said Interim JEDI Council Co-Chair Jana Brown. "I look forward to working alongside them to create more equitable outcomes for the Big Brothers Big Sisters workforce, community, and young people."
Founded in 2021, BBBSA's JEDI Council supports the organization's long-standing commitment to empower all youth. The group, made up of business and nonprofit leaders and experts, brings their expertise and compassion to BBBSA to cultivate strategies, curate concepts, and advise on JEDI issues affecting young people, staff, volunteers, and communities across the country. The formation of this cohort is part of BBBSA's responsibility to create a nondiscriminatory and anti-racist approach to dismantle any inequities within its policies, systems, programs, and services, so all young people can experience a strong mentoring relationship in their lives.
"With youth empowerment at the center of all we do, BBBSA is committed to tailoring our approach to meet the diverse and evolving needs of the young people we serve. The JEDI Council helps us make sure that we continue to pursue our values of upholding justice, equity, diversity and inclusion," said Big Brothers Big Sisters of America President and CEO Artis Stevens. "I am grateful to Elise and Jon for sharing their invaluable expertise with us and look forward to working with them as new members of the JEDI Council."
"I am thrilled to bring my expertise to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America as a new member of the JEDI Council," said Ad Council Chief Equity Officer Elise James-DeCruise. "The organization's commitment to providing a fulfilling and equitable experience for Bigs and Littles is commendable. I look forward to working with the JEDI Council to help Big Brothers Big Sisters examine and enhance its policies and practices to best support the communities they serve."
"I am beyond excited to join Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's JEDI Council," said National Corn Growers Association Chief Executive Officer Jon Doggett. "The nonprofit has an outstanding reputation and I look forward to sharing my public policy experience to help the organization be the most diverse, mission-driven, youth empowerment organization in the country."
To learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's JEDI Council visit: https://www.bbbs.org/justice-equity-diversity-inclusion/.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Founded in 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is the largest and most experienced youth mentoring organization in the United States. The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters' evidence-based approach is designed to create positive youth outcomes, including educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence, and improved relationships. Big Brothers Big Sisters has over 230 local agencies serving more than 5,000 communities across all 50 states. For more information, visit: www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org.
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SOURCE Big Brothers Big Sisters of America | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/big-brothers-big-sisters-of-america-appoints-new-members-to-justice-equity-diversity-and-inclusion/article_b486fd80-7c3b-5212-b511-a4a9e34cdde2.html | 2022-04-15T13:42:34 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/big-brothers-big-sisters-of-america-appoints-new-members-to-justice-equity-diversity-and-inclusion/article_b486fd80-7c3b-5212-b511-a4a9e34cdde2.html |
Prominent Charleston Personal Injury law firm, CFJ Injury Lawyers announces that attorney, Chelsea Vander Pols has joined the practice.
CHARLESTON, S.C., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- CFJ Injury Lawyers is an established personal injury law firm based in North Charleston, SC. Attorney Catherine F. Juhas and her legal team are pleased to announce that a new associate attorney, Chelsea Vander Pols, has joined the practice. Chelsea's legal knowledge will be a great addition to the firm, helping clients recoup physically, financially and emotionally from their injuries. Ms. Vander Pols grew up in Michigan and attended Central Michigan University where she earned a B.S. in Political Science and a B.A. in Journalism. She then moved to South Carolina in 2018 to attend law school. Ms. Vander Pols graduated from Charleston School of Law in May 2021 and was recently admitted to practice law in South Carolina. She joins a seasoned legal team and will be working with clients on personal injury, accidents and workers' compensation cases.
For those injured at no fault of their own, CFJ Injury Lawyers in North Charleston provide the individualized attention that each client deserves. Whether the case is a motor vehicle accident, workers' compensation claim, or a wrongful death claim, the experienced injury lawyers will examine all of the facts and then proceed on the best possible path toward a favorable resolution.
"I am thrilled to become a member of this well-respected firm," says Chelsea Vander Pols.
More about CFJ Injury Lawyers:
CFJ Injury Lawyers fight for those that have been injured or harmed by the negligent or wrongful conduct of others. As experienced professionals who specialize in personal injury cases, they represent victims of auto and motorcycle accidents, workers' compensation, social security disability, premises liability, wrongful death and much more. CFJ Injury Lawyers is located at 2185 Ashley Phosphate Road in North Charleston, SC. For more information about the law firm, please call 843-553-0007 or visit http://www.chsinjurylawyers.com.
Media Contact
Catherine Juhas, CF Injury Lawyers, (843) 553-0007, cjuhas@cfjinjurylawyers.com
SOURCE CF Injury Lawyers | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/cfj-injury-lawyers-in-charleston-sc-welcomes-chelsea-vander-pols-to-their-legal-team/article_cd790f4a-653a-5b56-a14f-1a70f1b566f2.html | 2022-04-15T13:42:40 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/cfj-injury-lawyers-in-charleston-sc-welcomes-chelsea-vander-pols-to-their-legal-team/article_cd790f4a-653a-5b56-a14f-1a70f1b566f2.html |
CALLING ALL WOMEN TO JOIN IN BUILDING INDUSTRY LEADERSHIP ROLES
SALT LAKE CITY, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Women drive the majority of the home purchasing decisions, yet almost every building company in America is led and owned by men. It's no secret that construction, like many businesses, is a 'man's world'. Yet that statistic is still quite shocking and transparently true. Hamlet Homes stands out in naming Tami Ostmark to an ownership role.
While the employment rate is only 11% for women in construction (compared to the national average of 47%) and less than 3% in leadership roles, the gender pay gap is the most attractive in the building industry at 94.3% of what men earn (significantly greater than the 81.5% national average); according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Barry Gittleman; Hamlets President & CEO said, "We're very excited that Tami has been selected to join the Ownership team. It's always been notable that in this industry, there are just not that many women in leadership. We're proud to change that."
John Peterson, who also became an owner said; "I have such respect for Tami. She changed our culture when she came into the company. We now stand for inclusion, hard work and share a strong common vision. She's the glue that brought our culture together."
Tami Ostmark said: "I'm excited about this opportunity and feel like this is my life's work. My history in business has been in positions that society has considered 'a man's role'. I feel like I've had to work harder to prove myself. The majority of people just see men when thinking of home building. Women are typically driving the home buying, design and architecture decisions for their home. It's more important than ever to empower women so they know they can do absolutely anything in this industry."
Nate Kingdon, joining John and Tami in his recent announcement to the ownership team, followed by saying; "Tami is also helping pave the path for future women in the industry to see that these things ARE possible. I'm excited to be a part of that. It's important for women in my life to have those kind of role models to look up to."
Jennie Tanner, President of the PWB (Professional Women in Building) had this to say: "I think that Tami being named to ownership is an ah-ha moment for women that work in construction and don't feel they can move up to a leadership role. I think her becoming an Owner is an amazing opportunity for her to show other women it CAN be done and kudos to Hamlet for seeing her talent."
Motivating and empowering women is important to Hamlet Homes. They have decided to select one hard working woman and support her dreams. Visit https://hamlethomes.com/women and nominate yourself or another woman on the rise to win Hamlet's Women in Construction Grant; including $2,500 to help them accomplish their goals. The winner will also receive a membership to both the Salt Lake Homebuilders Association (SLHBA) and Professional Women in Building (PWB). These organizations support women with the tools needed to succeed in the building industry.
Tanner continued; "The PWB's goal is diversity and inclusion. Our mission is to educate young women and we are here with open arms to teach and train them, being a mentor to whatever they want to be. We look forward to welcoming and supporting a new member."
So, Hamlet is calling on all strong women with a strong dream. They are looking for the sharpest, determined hard working and frankly, bad ass women. If you know of, or are one of these exceptional women, please visit their website. Nominate yourself or a colleague to win their grant package and take your career to the next level. Promoting women in construction is good for all of us. The implications of a talented and gender balanced team has positive residual benefits that, in the end, benefit anyone purchasing a Hamlet Home. Barry Gittleman said, "Women still drive the majority of home purchasing decisions; their voice is crucial to our creation of the great homes we build."
About Hamlet Homes: Hamlet Homes (www.hamlethomes.com) crafts quality customer-oriented townhomes and single-family homes located in attractively designed neighborhoods in northern Utah. Since the company's founding in 1995, Hamlet has built over 4,000 homes in 65 communities. The company is a proud recipient of many awards on Sustainable Business & Design, Quality Builder Awards recognized both locally and nationally and was awarded the Salt Lake Chamber's Veteran Owned Small Business of the Year, Best of State in Real Estate Development for the seventh time in 2021, 2019 Best of the West in both Real Estate Services and Architecture and named on the Housing Giants list again this year by Professional Builder Magazine and most recently, named as Utah Business Best Companies to Work For again in 2021. Hamlet Homes celebrates its 27th Anniversary this year.
Nominations should be submitted here:
Sources:
(BLS) US Bureau of Labor Statistics: https://www.bls.gov/cps/tables.htm
NAHB: https://eyeonhousing.org/2020/09/good-news-for-women-in-construction-employment-rising/
FIXR: https://www.fixr.com/construction-services/women-in-construction
Hamlet Team: https://hamlethomes.com/about/#great-people
Contact:
Nate Di Palma
435.709.3765
*Additional quotes provided upon request
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SOURCE Hamlet Homes | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/first-female-owner-named-at-hamlet-homes-in-salt-lake-city-utah/article_279e78ad-6b0c-57aa-a151-59b23dabbdfc.html | 2022-04-15T13:42:46 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/first-female-owner-named-at-hamlet-homes-in-salt-lake-city-utah/article_279e78ad-6b0c-57aa-a151-59b23dabbdfc.html |
Activities Expand to Include Raidiant Women in Gaming Platform and European and Latin American Markets
HyperX Signs Dignitas Player EMUHLEET as Newest Ambassador
LOS ANGELES, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- HyperX, the gaming division of HP, Inc., today announced an extended sponsorship and relationship with New Meta Entertainment, Inc (NME), the gaming and entertainment organization including esports vertical Dignitas and new women in gaming media platform Raidiant. Working together since 2013, HyperX has supported Dignitas esports players and content creators as their official peripheral partner and will continue that role under the extended agreement. Expanding the company's initiatives to uplift women gamers, HyperX is also becoming the official peripheral partner of Raidiant, with notable focus on desktop microphones, supporting Raidiant's content creator activations.
HyperX also signed Dignitas pro player Emmalee Garrido, known as "EMUHLEET", as the latest HyperX Hero. EMUHLEET joins a strong line-up of global sports ambassadors and esports influencers. As the newest member of the HyperX family, EMUHLEET joins the HyperX Heroes community and will participate in various marketing programs and activities in addition to receiving the HyperX Heroes treatment. As a member of the Raidiant community, she will work with HyperX to inspire, educate and spotlight women gamers to champion a stronger female-inspired community.
One of the pillars of the HyperX and Dignitas activities is the popular content series, "HyperX Voice Comms," will resume production for 2022. The series pulls back the curtain for fans to gain a front seat experience of Dignitas team in-game communications during competitive matches. Featuring pop cultural and gaming memes with a spotlight on the personalities of Dignitas' competitive teams and influential content creators, HyperX and Dignitas will also collectively continue their unique and quirky advertorial videos to showcase HyperX's featured product lines. With content creators in Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Germany, Jordan, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United Kingdom, Dignitas will highlight its diverse talent presence through HyperX-focused activations and broadcasts.
Showcasing the connection between quality peripheral products and gaming performance, Dignitas and HyperX will also continue to offer written guides on the Dignitas.gg website. Dating back to 2003, the Dignitas website has long been a destination for gamers to improve their gameplay, generating hundreds of thousands of views per month. These articles serve as a destination for fans to discover which HyperX products their favorite players and creators use for competition and streaming.
Raidiant, which launched in late 2021 as the women in gaming and esports platform of NME, will work with HyperX and Dignitas to collaborate on a Skateboarding Crossover Event involving all three brands at an on-site activation. The activation will include a women's 'skate around,' 'play around' as well as competition opportunities, Instagram moments, and meet-and-greets to intersect the large women's skate community and gaming community in the Los Angeles area.
"Working with Dignitas for over nine years, HyperX is proud to not only renew our sponsorship and add EMUHLEET to the HyperX family, but also work closely with Raidiant to help elevate women's voices and activities in the gaming community," said Stephanie Winkler, Director of Marketing, HyperX. "HyperX continues to bring great products to the gaming community and is committed to supporting a strong, healthy environment for all gamers."
"For years HyperX has helped us set the standard for high-end performance through their products. As we have evolved as an organization, so has HyperX in continuing to push forward with innovation," said John Spiher, Senior Vice President of Partnerships, New Meta Entertainment. "We are proud and honored to continue working alongside such a tenured brand and are related to expand these opportunities and resources toward the many women who interact with the Raidiant platform. Together, we will keep our eyes set on building a better future for esports."
"To be named a HyperX Hero alongside many of gaming's most inspirational and accomplished personalities is a true honor," said Emmalee "EMUHLEET" Garrido. "As a nurse turned World Champion gamer, I'm genuinely passionate about combining my love for gaming with my life's calling of serving others. Through the HyperX Heroes initiative, I'm striving to use this platform to inspire other gamers that wish to compete and gain the confidence to know that they belong in this industry."
As a HyperX brand ambassador, EMUHLEET joins a line-up of internationally recognized talent including social influencer Bella Poarch, football player JuJu Smith-Schuster, basketball players Gordon Hayward and Ariel Powers, tennis player Daniil Medvedev, ice hockey player Filip Forsberg, international soccer player Dele Alli, professional race car driver Sage Karam, skateboarder Minna Stess, and more than 25 global streamers and influencers in the HyperX family.
To enjoy upcoming HyperX related Dignitas content, fans can subscribe to YouTube.com/Dignitas and visit Dignitas.gg and Raidiant.gg.
About HyperX
For 19 years, HyperX's mission has been to develop gaming solutions for every type of gamer and the company is consistently recognized for delivering products that provide superior comfort, aesthetics, performance, and reliability. Under the tagline of "WE'RE ALL GAMERS," HyperX gaming headsets, keyboards, mice, USB microphones, and console accessories are the choice of everyday gamers as well as celebrity ambassadors, pro gamers, tech enthusiasts, and overclockers worldwide because they meet the most stringent product specifications and are built with best-in-class components. For more information, please go to www.hyperx.com.
About HP
HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers, and 3D printing solutions, we engineer experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. is available at http://www.hp.com.
Editor's Note: For additional information or executive interviews, please contact Mark Tekunoff, HP Inc., 17600 Newhope Street, Fountain Valley, CA USA 92708, 714-438-2791(Voice) or mark.tekunoff@hyperx.com. Press images can be found in the press room here.
HyperX and the HyperX logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of HP Inc.in the U.S. and/or other countries. All registered trademarks and trademarks are property of their respective owners.
Media Contact:
Ryann Johnson
866-201-8538
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SOURCE Dignitas.gg | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/hyperx-renews-nine-year-relationship-with-meta-entertainment-nme-dignitas-as-official-peripheral-partner/article_8000a87d-5850-5cad-9afa-20ffd9a1d967.html | 2022-04-15T13:42:52 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/hyperx-renews-nine-year-relationship-with-meta-entertainment-nme-dignitas-as-official-peripheral-partner/article_8000a87d-5850-5cad-9afa-20ffd9a1d967.html |
IRVINE, Calif., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Karma Automotive, a Southern California-based luxury electric automaker, and Manhattan Motorcars, an award-winning retailer of luxury and performance vehicles, have partnered to showcase Karma's latest vehicle at the New York International Auto Show, from April 15th to April 24th, 2022.
The 2022 Karma GS-6, a luxury electric vehicle will be featured in Manhattan Motorcars' booth at the Jacob Javits Center. Alongside the Karma GS-6, Manhattan Motorcars will also showcase other luxury brands, such as Bentley, Lamborghini, Rolls-Royce, Porsche, and GTO Engineering.
"We have an exceptional partnership with Karma, who provide a unique luxury electric vehicle experience," states Paul Dumont, The general manager of Manhattan Motorcars. "There has never been a better time to buy an electric vehicle in the state of New York."
"It is great to be a part of the New York International Auto Show again, especially with a partner like Manhattan Motorcars," says William Monroe, Senior Vice President of Global Sales, Marketing, and Customer Experience at Karma Automotive. "This auto show has been one of the largest publicly attended consumer events, which is fantastic for showcasing our vehicle's latest generation."
The 2022 Karma GS-6 can be experienced at Manhattan Motorcars's booth in the Jacob Javitz Center, located on Level 3, Booth #900.
ABOUT KARMA AUTOMOTIVE
Karma Automotive, founded in 2014, is a southern California based producer of luxury electric vehicles. Headquartered in Irvine, California with a production facility located in Moreno Valley, Karma sells vehicles via its dealer network in North America, Europe, South America and the Middle East. Karma's Innovation and Customization Center, which opened in 2017 offers world-class engineering, design, customization, and manufacturing services along with electrification platforms.
Karma Launched its Revero® and Revero® GT in 2017 and 2019. Both vehicles were named Green Car Journal's Luxury Green Car of the Year™ award. In 2021 Karma announced the GS-6 Series which was honored with Green Car Journal's 2022 Green Car Product of Excellence™ award. Karma GS-6 is an electric vehicle powered by dual electric motors that embodies Karma's goal of offering leading technology with a luxury experience. Every Karma vehicle is created with unparalleled individual care and craftsmanship.
For more information, visit www.karmaautomotive.com, or www.karmanewsroom.com.
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SOURCE Karma Automotive | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/karma-automotive-showcases-gs-6-series-at-the-new-york-international-auto-show/article_c41643f7-5545-53b4-ad13-dc150e07b615.html | 2022-04-15T13:42:58 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/karma-automotive-showcases-gs-6-series-at-the-new-york-international-auto-show/article_c41643f7-5545-53b4-ad13-dc150e07b615.html |
Boston Grand Opening to take place on Saturday, April 16 at 11 a.m. EDT. Manhasset location set to open this Spring.
NEWARK, Calif. , April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Lucid Group (NASDAQ: LCID), setting new standards with the longest range, fastest charging electric car on the market, today announced the official opening of its newest Studio location in the Seaport District in Boston, MA. Following the Boston location, another location will open at the Gate at Manhasset on Long Island, NY. These Studio openings will mark 26 Studio and service center locations open in North America. The Lucid Studio Seaport will open to the public on Saturday, April 16 with the Lucid Studio Manhasset opening later this spring.
"Our Studios in Boston and Manhasset will increase our physical footprint in a market where we see growing demand for electric vehicles – the Northeast," said Zak Edson, Vice President, Sales and Service of Lucid. "These new locations position Lucid next to likeminded, luxury brands and expose us to potential customers who might be discovering the brand for the first time."
These openings follow the recent start of deliveries for the Lucid Air Grand Touring and announcement of the new Grand Touring Performance model. More information on these models can be found, here.
Studio Experience
Every Lucid Studio offers a digitally oriented luxury experience tailored to each customer's preferences, whether they visit in-person, make inquiries entirely online, or combine the two. Lucid Studios allow customers to experience the brand and obtain information about its products in locations that underscore the company's unique design aesthetic. Visitors who explore a Lucid Studio will get a vision of how the company draws inspiration from the beauty, innovation, and diversity of its home state of California. In addition, Lucid Studios augment the physical experience of seeing and touching a Lucid Air with an elevated digital experience. Using a 4K VR configurator, Lucid's Virtual Reality Experience combines the physical and virtual worlds to showcase seamless personalization of everything from interior finishes and materials to exterior color.
Virtual Experience
Mirroring the luxury one-to-one Studio experience online, customers can also take advantage of "Lucid Studio Live," a cloud-based configuration solution powered by ZeroLight's Concierge product. From the comfort of their own homes, customers can virtually interact with a car while a Lucid representative guides them through key features and configuration options.
Future Studio & Service Centers
Additional locations will continue to open as Lucid expands its presence in North America and globally. Customers can visit during normal business hours or can book a personal appointment by contacting the Lucid team at lucidmotors.com/contact. They can always start exploring the Lucid Air through the "Design Yours" Configurator.
About Lucid Group
Lucid's mission is to inspire the adoption of sustainable energy by creating advanced technologies and the most captivating luxury electric vehicles centered around the human experience. The company's first car, Lucid Air, is a state-of-the-art luxury sedan with a California-inspired design that features luxurious full-size interior space in a mid-size exterior footprint. Underpinned by race-proven battery technology and proprietary powertrains developed entirely in-house, Lucid Air was named the 2022 MotorTrend Car of the Year®. The Lucid Air Grand Touring features an official EPA estimated 516 miles of range or 1,050 horsepower. Customer deliveries of Lucid Air, which is produced at Lucid's new factory in Casa Grande, Arizona, are underway.
Media Contact
Trademarks
This communication contains trademarks, service marks, trade names and copyrights of Lucid Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the "Company") and other companies, which are the property of their respective owners.
Forward-Looking Statements
This communication includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "estimate," "plan," "project," "forecast," "intend," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "believe," "seek," "target," "continue," "could," "may," "might," "possible," "potential," "predict" or other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical facts. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's expectations related to the customer ownership experience, planned locations of Studio and service centers, production and deliveries of the Lucid Air and Lucid Gravity, the performance, range, and other features of the Lucid Air, construction and expansion of the Company's AMP-1 manufacturing facility, the promise of the Company's technology, and the Company's ability to develop, maintain, and improve critical processes and infrastructure. These statements are based on various assumptions, and actual events and circumstances may differ. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including factors discussed in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended December 31, 2021 under the heading "Risk Factors," as well as other documents of the Company that are filed, or will be filed, with the Securities and Exchange Commission. If any of these risks materialize or the Company's assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that the Company does not presently know or that the Company currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect the Company's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date of this communication. However, while the Company may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing the Company's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date of this communication.
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NEW YORK, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Pretium, a specialized investment firm with over $40 billion in assets, today announced the addition of Laura Cappiello as Senior Managing Director and Chief Human Resources Officer, succeeding Donna Winston, who is retiring as Senior Managing Director and Chief Talent Officer at Pretium.
Ms. Cappiello brings 20 years of experience, including more than 10 years as a senior human capital executive in premier investment management firms. Most recently, she served as Managing Director and Chief Human Resources Officer at Madison Dearborn Partners, where she oversaw the firm's talent efforts, including recruiting, employee relations and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
"At Pretium, people are the driving force behind our business success and enable our companies to deliver best-in-class service to our residents, care for our communities, and value to our investors," said Don Mullen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Pretium. "As we enter this next phase of growth, I am pleased to welcome Laura to build on our efforts to hire and retain the best talent, foster an inclusive culture, and enhance employee engagement – with the ultimate goal of being an employer of choice nationally and in each of our markets."
"Donna has been an integral part of Pretium's leadership team for half of our firm's existence, building a human resources strategy that has enabled us to attract talent, weather a global pandemic, and build a strong foundation for the future," continued Mr. Mullen. "Donna's significant contributions over the last five years have put our firm on a solid path, and we look forward to her ongoing involvement as an advisory partner."
"Pretium is uniquely qualified to lead transformative, post-pandemic change in talent management," said Ms. Cappiello. "I am excited to join the Pretium team and to deliver value for all of our stakeholders, starting with our employees."
Previously, Ms. Cappiello was the Head of Human Capital Management and Deputy General Counsel for BlueMountain Capital Management. As a member of the firm's executive team, she helped execute the sale of BlueMountain Capital to Assured Guaranty and the subsequent integration of the two firms. Before joining BlueMountain, Ms. Cappiello was Head of Human Resources at Chilton Investment Company and previously led the campus legal recruiting effort at Sullivan & Cromwell. She began her career as a litigator at Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Ms. Cappiello received a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Politics from New York University, and a Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School. She was named to Hedge Fund Journal's 50 Leading Women in Hedge Funds 2018. Currently, Ms. Cappiello serves as an advisory board member for Behind the Book, a nonprofit literacy organization focused on supporting New York City public school students.
About Pretium
Pretium is a specialized investment firm focused on U.S. residential real estate, residential credit, and corporate credit. Pretium was founded in 2012 to capitalize on secular investment and lending opportunities arising as a result of structural changes, disruptions, and inefficiencies within the economy. Pretium has built an integrated analytical and operational ecosystem within the U.S. housing, residential credit, and corporate credit markets, and believes that its insight and experience within these markets create a strategic advantage over other investment managers. Pretium's platform has more than $40 billion of assets and employs approximately 4,000 people across 30 offices, including London and Dubai. Please visit www.pretium.com for additional information.
Contacts
Jon Keehner / Lyle Weston / Erik Carlson
Joele Frank, Wilkinson Brimmer Katcher
212-355-4449
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PRAIRIE – The Prairie RCDC will host a couple of upcoming events, beginning with April 16’s pop-up shop at the Prairie school gymnasium, located at 10200 Hwy. 382.
The event will be held from noon until 5 p.m. and feature vendors selling items such as clothing, baked goods, Tupperware, shoes and arts and crafts. The registration fee for vendors is $50, and the deadline to sign up is April 13. For more information, call (662) 295-1660.
All proceeds benefit the Prairie RCDC’s ongoing improvements of the school building.
On April 23, from 8 a.m. until noon, Sheriff Kevin Crook will host a women’s self-defense class at the Prairie gym, which is free to the public.
The Equalizer Women's Self-Defense Program is a division of Strategic Self-Defense and Gunfighting Tactics for law enforcement, which offers females lessons on recognizing and reducing risks of being victims of certain crimes. It educates participants on how to survive and escape physical attacks.
Participants should wear sweatpants or workout pants and T-shirts or sweatshirts. Only tennis shoes, stocking feet or bare feet are allowed. Knee and elbow pads are also recommended.
There will be a second session in the fall.
Looking ahead, the Prairie RCDC will host Prairie Fun Day June 11, which will feature vendors and live music throughout the day.
A limited number of vendor booths are available for $150 each. To register, call (662) 295-1660. | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/living/prairie-rcdc-hosting-pop-up-shop-women-s-self-defense-class/article_9da80803-e442-5a86-a93c-b77ee2132816.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:14 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/living/prairie-rcdc-hosting-pop-up-shop-women-s-self-defense-class/article_9da80803-e442-5a86-a93c-b77ee2132816.html |
Acclaimed real estate agents of Riskin Partners Estate Group accept the invitation to Haute Residence's invite-only Network. Riskin Partners Estate Group exclusively represents the luxury real estate market in Santa Barbara, CA.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- As market leaders for nearly two decades, with over $3 billion in sales, Riskin Partners Estate Group brings unparalleled insight to luxury buyers and sellers. The team is locally renowned and nationally respected for their elevated service, bespoke marketing, and unrivaled expertise in representing exceptional properties in Montecito, Hope Ranch, and Santa Barbara. Their client-first dedication and one-of-a-kind team model has earned Riskin Partners its #1 position in sales for 12 out of the last 13 years.
Visit Riskin Partners Estate Group's Haute Residence Profile: https://www.hauteresidence.com/member/riskin-partners-estate-group/
ABOUT HAUTE RESIDENCE
Designed as a partnership-driven luxury real estate portal, Haute Residence connects its affluent readers with top real estate professionals, while offering the latest in real estate news, showcasing the world's most extraordinary residences on the market and sharing expert advice from its knowledgeable and experienced real estate partners.
The invitation-only luxury real estate network, which partners with just one agent in every market, unites a distinguished collective of leading real estate agents and brokers and highlights the most extravagant properties in leading markets around the globe for affluent buyers, sellers, and real estate enthusiasts. HauteResidence.com has grown to be the number one news source for million-dollar listings, high-end residential developments, celebrity real estate, and more.
Access all of this information and more by visiting http://www.hauteresidence.com
Media Contact
Mary Gibson, Haute Residence, 8635990020, mary@hauteliving.com
SOURCE Haute Residence | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/riskin-partners-estate-group-joins-the-haute-residence-exclusive-real-estate-network/article_4c715f95-35c8-543e-8435-bcd81a23346d.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:17 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_business/riskin-partners-estate-group-joins-the-haute-residence-exclusive-real-estate-network/article_4c715f95-35c8-543e-8435-bcd81a23346d.html |
ABERDEEN – During April 5’s board of aldermen meeting, lengthy time was devoted to concerns regarding the Aberdeen Planning and Zoning Commission, with one alderman stopping short of following through with his motion to suspend its members for six months.
“The members of the zoning board are not on the same page, and I don’t think the clarification has been made to what authority the board has versus what authority the city inspector has. Separation of power, I think, is what needs to take place,” said Ward 3 Alderman Edward Haynes.
City attorney Bob Faulks offered clarity on the city’s ordinance.
“The Aberdeen zoning ordinance is really easy to read language. There’s really not any common debate about who does what and what their authority is,” he said. “Suspending the entire board is like taking a sledgehammer. There are a lot of other things that can be done to rectify the situation. You’re going to bring a whole lot of extra work on you and the rest of the board if you suspend the entire zoning commission.”
During their individual inputs, Haynes and Ward 2 Alderwoman Lady B. Garth both said they have received phone calls on matters such as opposition to an adult daycare opened alongside Maple Street, denial of rezoning for a bar and lounge alongside the Highway 45 bypass and a fence around part of Aberdeen High School’s softball field, which is expected to be torn down since it was installed on city right of way.
Mayor Charles Scott, who appeared on a recent WCBI interview about a concern regarding the adult daycare, said the city follows rulings from the city attorney.
Aberdeen Planning and Zoning Commission secretary Jim Edwards said he was asked by the reporter to comment on the situation, which he agreed to on the condition he would speak as an individual rather than as a member of the zoning board.
“I told him the only reason I was coming forward is because it’s a safety issue and we can’t have meetings anymore. Our March meeting was canceled. Our April meeting was last night, and something else was scheduled in here,” Edwards said later during the meeting.
He the International Building Code has standards such as exits and fire suppression for the building, which are his concerns regarding the adult daycare.
As far as the fence at the high school, Jeffery Riddle spoke on behalf of AHS softball parents, saying other coaches felt welcomed during the Monroe County Tournament in late March.
“Those girls are proud of that field and that fence. What has happened, this decision that has been made is going to take a shot at some of their morale,” he said.
He asked for the city’s consideration in not having the fence torn down, but Haynes said it’s a matter to be addressed with the Aberdeen School Board, rather than the zoning board.
For a similar matter, Garth recapped a March public hearing when several residents voiced their opposition of rezoning land near the Treas Lake and Meadowlane subdivisions to allow for Torrey Boykin to open a bar and lounge exclusive to 30 year olds and older. The board voted 3-2 against rezoning the property, with Garth and Haynes favoring the rezoning.
“If there’s a problem that can be fixed, I want to fix it. If I need to go another route, I can, but I didn’t get any closure as to why,” Boykins said last week.
Ward 1 Alderman Robert Devaull said he voted against rezoning after hearing the opposition, adding no citizens who supported rezoning the property for the lounge spoke.
“It never should’ve gotten to this board in the first place. That’s why you have the other board [planning and zoning] to make decisions instead of passing the buck and getting fingers pointed to everybody at this table,” he said.
After discussion, city officials decided to talk to the planning and zoning commission during its April 11 meeting about their concerns.
Construction matters
During his input, engineer Dustin Dabbs discussed potential street improvements throughout the city, particular for major thoroughfares. He asked for board members’ input for street improvements.
“If we don’t do something to Highway 8, Meridian and Matubba, they’re going to degrade to the point that it’s going to be much more costly. That’s with any street,” he said. “You have to decide, as our leaders, the benefit ratio, so to speak. Sometimes we spend so much money fixing the worst streets that by the time we fix them, the middle of the road streets have become equivalent to what these worst streets become.”
Aberdeen Public Works Director Richard Boone asked to also have input on what streets are selected.
City officials are considering a taxpayer-free option to provide for street improvements funded by Aberdeen’s proceeds from internet sales tax.
Aldermen approved for professional services dealing with needs for the future home of the Aberdeen Electric Department, including any architecture and engineering needs.
The board also approved the lone bid of $79,500 from Hanna Contracting for a fire loop underneath Highway 8 for The Pointe shopping center.
In the matter of accepting bids, aldermen approved a contract dealing with an electronic bidding company, Plan House Enterprises, which won’t cost the city anything. It charges contractors to access details regarding projects and purchases.
“These people will create a website for the City of Aberdeen, and they would market these situations to prospective vendors,” Faulks said, adding Biloxi, Oxford and Tupelo use the same service.
In other business
County election commissioner Earnestine Metcalf asked the board for an update on a pay request from her and city election commissioners Jennifer Rollison and Lee Turnage regarding payment of extra work last year, which includes the Ward 1 election contest in Monroe County Circuit Court and work to prepare for special elections.
“We haven’t been paid, and I’m here to ask why?” she said. “We’re not trying to take anything from you. We just want to be paid for what we did. It has been since July of last year and we haven’t been paid. I think it’s a disgrace. If I work, I want my pay.”
Faulks said he was assured all three election commissioners were paid for election day duties, but the city has had interesting circumstances in which they requested payment for actions outside of elections. He it’s a debatable legal issue if the city has authority to issue payment.
“I personally think they should be paid but I didn’t draw up the statutes. We are being scrutinized by people in Jackson. If we make a payment that’s not lawful, they’re going to come after us,” Faulks said, apologizing for not asking for an advisory opinion yet.
Scott said the matter will be settled.
Haynes and Garth also both asked during their input for the board to grant employees pay raises.
“I’m not saying how much and I’m not saying when, but it is criminal to expect grown men to work like dogs when you call and give orders and you do not compensate them. You wouldn’t work for anybody who didn’t compensate you. I wouldn’t. I’d rather go out there and grow a garden and pick up cans to maintain my dignity and my integrity,” Garth said.
Haynes shared an upcoming event during his input for Joe Lee Howard Day, which is planned for June 4 from 4 until 7 p.m. at Newberger Park.
“We’re hoping to invite the community out for food, fun, music, and all of it is free. We want to shower Joe Lee Howard, one of our own citizens, and he has a heart of gold,” he said.
In speaking about parks, Devaull asked for parents to refrain from letting their children play on new equipment at General Young Park since it’s still being installed and could pose safety issues.
Mario Reddick, an attorney representing city employee Barry McMillian, asked during open session if he would be recognized to discuss a pay discrepancy for his client. He added a lawsuit will be filed on behalf of McMillian in a defamation case against the city.
“Your client notified the ethics commission about your request to talk to the board in executive session. They’ve already made one ruling, and your client appealed that, which is pending with the ethics commission,” Faulks said.
Robert and Sara Brown spoke during citizen input about their willingness to open the Northeast Mississippi Motorsports Playground of Power alongside Highway 8 West on a regular basis to give people a place to legally drag race. He asked for the public’s help in spreading the word.
Scott said during his input Mississippi Municipal League scholarships are now more inclusive throughout the state this year, rather than only being offered to relatives of elected officials. He said applications are available on the city’s Facebook page and also at www.mmlonline.com.
He also received board approval for the city to work with Mississippi State University for a workforce development program. Haynes made the motion contingent on the student being a resident of Aberdeen.
“They will bring a student in school who will work with one of our selected offices based on selection and they’ll actually pay their salary while they’re working with us. That gives a young student the opportunity to work with the city in different capacities based on their capability and we provide the service and training,” Scott said.
Ward 4 Alderwoman Carolyn Odom’s request giving Walter and Joann Lann permission to landscape city-owned islands behind Lann Hardware was approved.
She also made a motion, which was approved, for the Lanns and Amy Bales to clean up the former maintenance building at Oddfellows Cemetery at no cost to the city. | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/news/aberdeen-aldermen-members-share-their-zoning-board-concerns/article_038f5241-1a30-5970-bbc9-3ade8fa6cbc4.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:20 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/news/aberdeen-aldermen-members-share-their-zoning-board-concerns/article_038f5241-1a30-5970-bbc9-3ade8fa6cbc4.html |
AMES, Iowa, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Summit Carbon Solutions is pleased to announce a new partnership with Bushmills Ethanol, Inc. to decarbonize its ethanol plant in Atwater, Minnesota.
Bushmills Ethanol is the 32nd ethanol plant to officially join Summit Carbon Solutions' transformative carbon capture and storage project. The plant began operations in 2005, and currently produces 85 million gallons of fuel ethanol per year.
Summit Carbon Solutions is developing the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world, which will have the capacity to capture and permanently store up to 12 million tons of carbon dioxide every year. The project will span across Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota, and will cut the carbon footprint of affiliated ethanol plants in half.
"We are thrilled to have a progressive company such as Bushmills Ethanol as our newest partner," said Jim Pirolli, Chief Commercial Officer of Summit Carbon Solutions. "We share a common vision of supporting the long-term sustainability of U.S. agriculture by decarbonizing the supply chain and products that are produced. Bushmills is an excellent operator and has continually improved its plant through investments to reduce energy consumption and improve yields."
Summit Carbon Solutions and Bushmills Ethanol will capture more than 230,000 metric tons of CO2 per year, which will be compressed and transported to North Dakota for permanent geologic storage.
Summit Carbon Solutions recently announced significant project milestones, including submission of pipeline permit applications in the states of Iowa and South Dakota, and has raised over $600 million of equity, including recent investments from Continental Resources and Tiger Infrastructure Partners.
Summit Carbon Solutions seeks to lower greenhouse gas emissions by connecting industrial and biogenic CO2 emitters through strategic infrastructure to store carbon dioxide safely and permanently in the Midwestern United States. For more information, visit www.SummitCarbonSolutions.com
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AMORY – During its April 5 meeting, the board of aldermen approved Amory Main Street Director Rebecca Riddle’s plan to renovate the pocket park between Edward Jones Investments and The Coffee Pot in Vinegar Bend.
“It’s a little overgrown, and the shrubs are sporadic at this point. I’d like to make it more appealing to the community,” she said.
Riddle said the revitalization will include removal of the awning in front of the park and selected trees and shrubs. Maple, dogwood and crepe myrtle trees will remain in place. A new walking path of brick pavers with accent shoulders of rock will also replace the existing hardscaping.
The flood light will be removed and replaced with decorative string lights. Large wooden planters will define the entrance, along with additional planters around the interior of the park to be maintained by members of the Flower Lovers Garden Club. Another wall mural will be added with the theme of “Love Mississippi” as part of the composition.
“I’m requesting the city to cover the cost of the electricity while Amory Main Street will underwrite the cost of the meter box. We will also need help from the city with removal of the trees,” Riddle said.
In other business, Nick Boyd introduced himself as owner of a new business at 229 North Main St. known as The Pub on Main. He requested that the awning in front of his business be removed.
Mayor Corey Glenn welcomed Boyd to the business community and assured him that the awning would be removed in time as part of a block-by-block revitalization program. Boyd plans to open his business by mid-summer. The original windows and facade have been uncovered and will be revitalized with a fresh coat of paint.
“We’re cheering you on and looking forward to you opening your business. We’re excited about it,” Glenn said.
Burdine Street resident Roger Miller followed up on the petition from his neighboring homeowners regarding business activity he claimed to be in violation of the zoning ordinance.
“I know that he has been searching for another property to relocate the activity for some time now. He wants to relocate, but I have no idea when he will,” Glenn said in recapping a visit with the business operator.
Ward 3 Alderman Mark Mitchell also visited the site and reported he could not find an ordinance that forbids the storage building, which is part of the complaint cited in the petition.
“I think we either need to make the recommendation to do away with (the business activity) or revisit that ordinance,” said Ward 4 Alderman Glen Bingham.
“Nothing in (the language) states that (the use in question) is in violation,” said zoning administrator David Moore.
Glenn assured Miller that he understood his concern but challenged board members that if they chose to take action on this matter that they would have to exercise equity by cleaning up all the other sites in Amory where there is similar activity.
“That’s not a can that you want to open up. It’s not a problem until somebody decides to make it a problem,” Bingham said.
The board appreciated Miller’s persistence but took no action on his request.
Amory Assistant Police Chief Nick Weaver requested approval for the department to purchase three new vehicles at a cost of $32,439, in addition to an upfit cost of $6,700 per vehicle along with a bid for installing accessories for the originally budgeted six vehicles at a cost of $10,534 each.
Weaver’s request was initially approved but ran into difficulties when he said the projected delivery date for some of the vehicles would extend into the next budget year. Bingham then made a motion that the order for the vehicles be cancelled and for the department to start over with the process.
Bingham’s motion passed by a narrow margin. The department’s request to approve financing for three of the vehicles was tabled until the bids received were studied further. | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/news/amory-board-of-aldermen-approves-downtown-pocket-park-renovation/article_275c64c7-e852-5a8c-82b0-9316df4c2a82.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:26 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/news/amory-board-of-aldermen-approves-downtown-pocket-park-renovation/article_275c64c7-e852-5a8c-82b0-9316df4c2a82.html |
INDIO, Calif., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- What happens when you put some of the nation's hottest creators all in the same house together at the biggest music festival in the world? We're about to find out as social media star Kristen Hancher, and a team of 14 other superstar creators are hosted by leading influencer marketing platform Humanz at this year's Coachella Festival.
Also joining The Humanz House will be Netflix star Bryce Hirschberg, crypto influencer Wayne Reilly, actor and singer Paul Butcher, actress Talin Silva, dancer and choreographer Jake Kodish, YouTube/Twitch gamer Mystic7, entrepreneur Adamm of Rapid Launch Media, owner of DripDry swimsuits Alex Dry, fashion creator Lauren Higgs, lifestyle creator Andre Sebastian, with many more also joining the roster.
Humanz wants to inspire all creators to BE WORTH FOLLOWING and how better to bring this brand promise to life than by gathering some of the USA's brightest creatives and hosting them at what is one of the most impactful events on the planet.
The Humanz House is a short drive to the Coachella Festival and features 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms with bright views overlooking the pool and a mini-golf course. Creators staying in the house get to enjoy amenities like an outdoor firepit, indoor and outdoor dining tables, ping pong and poker tables, a bocce ball court, and more. Guests are also free to use the Humanz House resort-style pool and spa with luxury lounge chairs and a six-hole miniature putting green. Creators are encouraged to use the luxury desert villa and its amenities to create content for their audiences and share their experience at this year's Coachella.
Liav Chen, CEO and Co-founder of Humanz notes, "The Humanz House showcases our commitment to creator-led content and the need for transparency and trust not only between brands and creators but also among creators themselves. This is why we're making a space for creators to connect and collaborate that doubles as a place for younger creators to learn from industry-leading experts. We are excited to host top tier creators and support their craft during Coachella with a place that has everything they need to make next-level content."
The Humanz House is part of a multi-prong approach to further expand into the US market. Poised for success with a strong track record of growth, its customers now include 300+ leading brands around the world. Some of which include giants like Google, Disney, Unilever, Adidas, Kimberly-Clark and McDonalds.
Want to get a firsthand experience of The Humanz House for yourself? Check out @humanz on Instagram where you will find exclusive behind-the-scenes content from within the house. Also make sure you track the official hashtag #HumanzHouse across every popular social media channel.
Launched internationally in 2017, Humanz is an AI-powered influencer marketing platform that helps clients invest and not just spend their budget by using proprietary algorithms that provide data-driven insights throughout the process. Designed to connect and build trust between brands and social media creators, Humanz analyzes millions of creator profiles a day, gathering data about real and active followers, audience demographics, posted content, community engagement, and e-commerce performance — all without relying on third-party algorithms and resources.
In addition, the state-of-the-art Humanz Sales Pixel empowers brands to receive insights about creator sales and the full customer journey down to the final checkout. The Sales Pixel takes all the guesswork out of the equation without the need for coupon codes and other archaic tracking techniques. Brands can measure exact sales ROI for each campaign AND each creator, and compensate creators through commissions based on success.
Humanz, the AI-powered influencer marketing platform that connects influencers & content creators with brands, was founded in 2017 by five 8200 graduates: Liav Rafael Chen (CEO), Roi Emanuel Naaman (COO), Kobi Dalal (CPO), Eliran Moyal (CTO), and Shmuel Goldfarb. The company currently operates in eight countries: Israel, the United States, England, Turkey, South Africa, Brazil, India, and Nigeria and employs 80 staff with roughly 30 of them working from their office in Israel and aims to grow their staff roster to 150 employees worldwide, 50 of them in Israel.
Elizabeth Traub
EJ Media Group
201-6181-605
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SOURCE Humanz | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/a-mix-of-the-usas-top-creators-are-hitting-coachella-in-style/article_400e78c6-4101-5147-9eed-728ff8632d51.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:29 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/a-mix-of-the-usas-top-creators-are-hitting-coachella-in-style/article_400e78c6-4101-5147-9eed-728ff8632d51.html |
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People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/news/smithville-aldermen-refrain-from-action-on-medical-marijuana-issue/article_95e80a66-d388-5a37-bde6-21fdafc1d00c.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:32 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/news/smithville-aldermen-refrain-from-action-on-medical-marijuana-issue/article_95e80a66-d388-5a37-bde6-21fdafc1d00c.html |
Podcast by attorney Jeffrey B. Simon will reveal how Big Pharma deceived the public about the dangers of prescription opioids
Guests include Purdue Pharma whistleblower Carol Panara, addiction specialist Dr. Andrew Kolodny, a mother who lost her son to an overdose, and attorney Larry Francis Taylor
DALLAS, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jeffrey B. Simon, a founding shareholder at the law firm of Simon Greenstone Panatier, PC and a lead negotiator in Texas's efforts to sanction drug manufacturers and distributors for their role in the nationwide opioid epidemic, has launched his podcast "Outside Counsel," which draws on his more than 30 years of experience to reveal the scope and impact of the opioid crisis, as well as the tactics his firm and other legal teams are employing in the fight against Big Pharma. The first ten episodes are available now on all major podcast platforms including Amazon Music, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify.
"America's opioid epidemic is worsening, despite recent efforts to hold drug manufacturers and distributors accountable. Informing the public about the multilayered deceptions and systemic failures within the pharmaceutical industry is an important step in combating that epidemic," Simon said. "With the help of my podcast guests and fellow experts, I connect the dots and create a holistic picture of the crisis for listeners, as well as illuminate the path forward as we navigate and innovate within the civil justice system to seek remedy for those who are suffering due to the disease of opioid addiction."
Topics discussed on "Outside Counsel" include the misinformation and misleading tactics executed by certain drug manufacturers and wholesale distributors, political influence that further enabled corporate malfeasance, historical perspectives on addiction, past and current legal strategies–including Simon's firm's innovative use of public nuisance law in opioid cases–and more. Simon also speaks with guests including Carol Panara, a whistleblower at Purdue Pharmaceutical; Dr. Andrew Kolodny, an addiction specialist and co-director of the Opioid Policy Research Collaborative at Brandeis University; Larry Francis Taylor, an attorney at the Cochran Firm attorney and Simon's co-counsel for Dallas County's upcoming jury trial against various pharmaceutical companies; and Christy Couvillier, whose brave and heartbreaking obituary for her son made national headlines in early 2022.
"Outside Counsel" is produced by Shannon McDeez of Revel & Convey and Larry Chavana. An overview and episode guide can be found at https://jeffreybsimon.com/podcast.
About Jeffrey B. Simon
Jeffrey B. Simon is a lead negotiator in legal proceedings that seek to hold certain prescription opioid manufacturers, wholesale distributors, and retail pharmacies responsible for their role in fueling and profiting from the nationwide opioid epidemic. He has been named a Texas Super Lawyer by Texas Monthly each year for 17 years as well as an America's Top 100 Civil Trial Lawyer for five years, and currently co-chairs the Perrin National Opioid Litigation Conference. For more information, visit www.jeffreybsimon.com.
Media Contact:
Alli Cooke, Lambert & Co.
704.953.3633
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/americas-worsening-opioid-crisis-investigated-in-new-podcast-outside-counsel-301526284.html
SOURCE Jeffrey B. Simon | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/americas-worsening-opioid-crisis-investigated-in-new-podcast-outside-counsel/article_731dd96d-ef3f-50e8-81e0-493c3580f6ef.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:35 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/americas-worsening-opioid-crisis-investigated-in-new-podcast-outside-counsel/article_731dd96d-ef3f-50e8-81e0-493c3580f6ef.html |
From left, Wren RCDC members, Ann Small, Beverly Hood, Cheryl Mays and Candy Archer, present Buzzy Cullum with a donation for the Cross of Christ-Monroe County project.
WREN – The Cross of Christ-Monroe County project received a contribution during the Wren RCDC’s April 4 meeting ahead of a planned countywide meeting April 19 to share more information about the effort.
“We really want every single person in the county to feel they’re a part of it. Young and old, we want them to say to their family in the next generations, ‘I had a part in building that cross. That’s my cross,’” said Evelyn Thompson, who is helping steer the project.
Approximately $50,000 has been raised thus far for the 125-foot-tall, 64-foot-wide cross to be built in Aberdeen. The overall cost is $240,000. There will also be maintenance and insurance costs after it’s built.
April 19’s meeting will be held at American Legion Post 26, located at 523 Hwy. 145 N in Aberdeen, at 6:30 p.m. Christian country music artist Justin Richardson of Amory will perform during the meeting.
“This county has more than 100 churches of all denominations and all races. We invite at least two members from each church to show up. If every person in Monroe County will give $3, it would be approximately $140,000,” said Buzzy Cullum, who is part of the effort.
He and his wife, Janice, donated an acre of land for the cross.
“In the time of sorrow and in the time of setbacks, when we have these setbacks, we become very humble and that’s the time we come to the good Lord and have a talk with him. This will give people the opportunity to kneel at the cross 24 hours a day,” Cullum said.
A March 26 fundraiser in Hamilton for the cross project raised $4,000, and committee members also had a booth set up during the Amory Railroad Festival, selling T-shirts, thumb crosses made by Hamilton business owner Emily Kennedy, seasoned peanuts donated by MS Peanuts and raffle tickets for the Aberdeen community quilt made in 2021.
Donations for the cross are currently being accepted through the CREATE Foundation, and they can be mailed to CREATE Foundation; P.O. Box 1053; Tupelo, MS 38802. They should be earmarked for the Cross of Monroe County.
Thompson also encouraged families to do memorials to go towards the project. | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/news/wren-rcdc-donates-to-cross-project-countywide-meeting-planned/article_5117f025-5f57-50d6-b036-690bd591a484.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:38 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/news/wren-rcdc-donates-to-cross-project-countywide-meeting-planned/article_5117f025-5f57-50d6-b036-690bd591a484.html |
TOKYO, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- KLab Inc., a leader in online mobile games, announced that its head-to-head football simulation game Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team would debut new players wearing FC Barcelona uniforms starting Friday, April 15. There will be various in-game campaigns held in celebration. See the original press release (https://www.klab.com/en/press/) for more information.
FC BARCELONA Official Campaign Overview
Login Bonus
Users can get fantastic rewards such as SSR Overus (Catalonia) and Dreamballs by logging into the game during the event period.
Special Event: Carve a History of Intense Battles
During the event period, users can replay these special scenarios over and over again to collect FC BARCELONA II Medals. These Medals can be exchanged for fantastic items.
FC BARCELONA Selection Transfer
Josep Grandios, Luikal, Payol wearing the FC BARCELONA official kit debut as new players in this Transfer.
Daily Scenario
Users can complete these limited scenarios once a day during the event period. Clear the scenario to receive Tsubasa Point Rewards and exchange them for great rewards.
Event Mission
During the event period, complete the Event Missions to earn great rewards such as Dreamballs, Tamotsu Ide, Black Ball (SSR)s, and more.
Dreamball Exchange
The Dreamball Exchange is getting an update with the FC BARCELONA home, away, GK uniforms. Users can exchange Dreamballs to collect them!
Overview of Captain Tsubasa: Dream Team
Download here:
App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id1293738123
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.klab.captain283.global
AppGallery: https://appgallery.huawei.com/#/app/C105375049
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/captain-tsubasa-dream-team-debuts-new-players-fc-barcelona-wearing-official-uniforms-301526374.html
SOURCE KLab Inc. | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/captain-tsubasa-dream-team-debuts-new-players-fc-barcelona-wearing-official-uniforms/article_3db1d659-e4f6-59bd-9fc1-4d1984addc30.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:41 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/captain-tsubasa-dream-team-debuts-new-players-fc-barcelona-wearing-official-uniforms/article_3db1d659-e4f6-59bd-9fc1-4d1984addc30.html |
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United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary
People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/sports/amory-parks-and-rec-mdwfp-hosting-fishing-rodeo/article_fa885463-d2d1-59b9-87c1-fd84e003f880.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:44 | 1 | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/sports/amory-parks-and-rec-mdwfp-hosting-fishing-rodeo/article_fa885463-d2d1-59b9-87c1-fd84e003f880.html |
Deborah Thelwell from Phoenix, Arizona, named the grand prize winner of an Alaska cruise, along with nine runners-up from across the United States
SEATTLE, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On Valentine's Day 2022 Holland America Line launched a "Love Letters to Alaska" contest in celebration of its upcoming 75th anniversary season in the Great Land. More than 40,000 hopefuls submitted a personal letter professing their love for Alaska or why they would like to visit.
After narrowing down the entries to the top 10, Deborah Thelwell from Phoenix, Arizona, was named the grand prize winner of a seven-day Holland America Line Alaska cruise for two in a Neptune Suite.
"The number of entries we received was overwhelming in the most incredible way, with thousands of people professing their love for Alaska with creative, beautiful and heartfelt notes," said Beth Bodensteiner, senior vice president and chief commercial officer, Holland America Line. "Choosing the 10 winners was difficult because so many were worthy, but in the end, Deborah's poem captured the essence of the contest with an entry that was beautifully written as a tribute to both her late husband and Alaska."
Selected as the best of the best by a panel of judges who have a connection to Alaska, Washington state or the cruise line, Deborah's entry was penned to honor her husband Alan who passed before they were able to take their dream cruise to Alaska.
"My love letter is for my late husband. We had planned an Alaska cruise for our retirement, but alas, he died from complications of dementia at age 57," wrote Deborah to introduce her heartfelt poem:
"Your love of the sea, your love of me/ My love of you, so strong and true/ Our dreams once dreamed, but now, it seems, I must sail on alone/ To see the glaciers caress the land/ The rivers, entwined, like lovers' arms as they make their way to the sea/ The mountains, bursting onto the horizon/ Joyfully stretching to the sky, as we once reached for each other," reads an excerpt from Deborah's entry.
In addition to Deborah, nine runners-up come from across the United States, including Arkansas, Georgia, Ohio, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah and Washington state. Each submitted a poem, sonnet, letter or tribute professing their love and admiration for The Last Frontier. As a winner, they each will receive a seven-day Alaska cruise for two in a Vista or Signature Suite.
The judging panel who selected the grand prize winner included Jim Dever, an Emmy Award–winning host and reporter on Seattle's "KING 5 Evening" show; Dr. Pepper Schwartz, an acclaimed professor, author, researcher and television personality furthering the field of intimacy; Tekla Butcher-Monson, daughter of acclaimed Alaskan musher Susan Butcher and a musher in her own right, as well as the owner of Trail Breaker Kennel; Russell Dick, president and CEO of Huna Totem Corp.; and Danny Genung, chief executive officer of Harr Travel, a California-based boutique agency.
Experience Alaska with the Experts
In 2022 six Holland America Line ships will explore Alaska, either roundtrip from Seattle, Washington; roundtrip from Vancouver, Canada; or between Whittier, Alaska, and Vancouver. The ships deliver a premium experience designed for immersive cruising with wraparound decks and an abundance of verandah staterooms that bring guests closer to Alaska's natural wonders.
Every Alaska cruise includes a visit to one or more of Alaska's iconic glacier destinations: Glacier Bay National Park, College Fjord, Hubbard Glacier and Twin Sawyer Glaciers of Tracy Arm. Alaska ports of call include Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka and Skagway. Cruises that feature Glacier Bay take on a National Park ranger and local Huna Tlingit guide.
For explorers who want to travel farther, 16 different Cruisetours combine an Alaska cruise with an inland exploration of Denali National Park or to the unspoiled reaches of Canada's Yukon Territory. Holland America Line owns its motorcoaches, railcars and hotels, so schedules are preferential. Each Cruisetour gets a scenic ride on the luxury-domed McKinley Explorer, including select itineraries that offer Direct-to-Denali service, taking guests from their ship to their Denali hotel room on the same day.
Holland America Line Immerses Guests in Alaska with 'Alaska Up Close'
Through authentic experiences on board and ashore that focus on culture, cuisine and immersive adventures, "Alaska Up Close" enables guests to discover, taste and experience the real Alaska in a way that only Holland America Line can deliver. Alaska Up Close features local experts and personalities leading workshops and lectures, Explorations Central (EXC) Talks revealing the stories of real Alaskans, tours highlighting the best of each destination, Port to Table culinary immersion and local cuisine served at dining venues throughout the ship.
Alaska cruise pricing starts at a "Have it All" premium package rate of $749 per person, double occupancy for a seven-day sailing, which includes one shore excursion, a Signature Beverage Package, one night specialty dining and Wi-Fi. Cruise-only standard fares start at $499 per person, double occupancy. Taxes, fees and port expenses are additional. Many Alaska departures through 2022 also feature free or reduced fares for kids when sailing as a third or fourth guest in the same stateroom.
For more information about Holland America Line, consult a travel advisor, call 1-877-SAIL HAL (877-724-5425) or visit hollandamerica.com.
Editors note: All 10 entries and photos are available at https://www.cruiseimagelibrary.com/c/hqjmz0q3.
Find Holland America Line on Twitter, Facebook and the Holland America Blog. Access all social media outlets via the home page at hollandamerica.com.
About Holland America Line [a division of Carnival Corporation and plc (NYSE: CCL) and (NYSE: CUK)]
Holland America Line has been exploring the world since 1873 and was the first cruise line to offer adventures to Alaska and the Yukon nearly 75 years ago. Its fleet of premium ships visits nearly 400 ports in 114 countries around the world, offering an ideal mid-sized ship experience. A third Pinnacle-class ship, Rotterdam, joined the fleet in July 2021.
The leader in premium cruising, Holland America Line's ships feature innovative initiatives and a diverse range of enriching experiences focused on destination exploration and personalized travel. The best live music at sea fills each evening at Music Walk, and dining venues feature exclusive selections from Holland America Line's esteemed Culinary Council of world-famous chefs.
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/holland-america-line-selects-winner-of-love-letters-to-alaska-contest-from-more-than-40-000-entries-301526390.html
SOURCE Holland America Line | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/holland-america-line-selects-winner-of-love-letters-to-alaska-contest-from-more-than-40/article_b04488d7-a63f-5fab-9c35-976bd8b39c11.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:47 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/holland-america-line-selects-winner-of-love-letters-to-alaska-contest-from-more-than-40/article_b04488d7-a63f-5fab-9c35-976bd8b39c11.html |
While many were out enjoying the festivities of the first Railroad Festival in three years, I was out enjoying a number of good baseball and softball games.
Games like the two I witnessed on Thursday and Saturday are slowly making me fall in love with covering baseball and softball. The Nettleton Lady Tigers set the tone for my week on Thursday with a David vs. Goliath type game that ended in David prevailing with a walkoff hit.
Nettleton headed into Thursday’s game against Hatley as a clear underdog with a 4-14 record on the season, while Hatley held a 15-2 record, but in sports, I have learned that the team that plays harder always comes out on top.
Freshman Zion Seals opened the division rivalry with a bang that made Nettleton’s bench erupt, hitting a home run towards center field for the first run of the game. It was honestly incredible to see because that was the first homer that I had seen in person and little did I know, that was not going to be the last great moment that I witnessed from this game.
The game was pretty back and forth from top to bottom, and late in the game, Hatley tied things up and took a 7-6 lead in the top of the seventh after a two-run RBI double from Zoey Horne and another RBI by Peyton Wilkinson.
While standing in the Nettleton dugout, I could hear the urgency from the players and coaches to make something happen in the bottom of the seventh to keep the game going.
Nettleton did exactly that as Seals hit her second double of the game, and Tamera Martin kept their winning hopes alive by bringing Seals home on a groundout. In the top of the eighth, Zyah Gunter made the defensive play of the night with a double play at third base that prevented Hatley from loading the bases.
Nettleton’s chance to knock down Goliath in the bottom of the eighth was placed all on the shoulders of seventh-grader Kennice Finnie. With her teammates cheering her on, Finnie delivered with a walkoff hit for the win.
This was definitely one of the coolest endings to a game I’ve seen all year, and it would only get better on Saturday.
The Nettleton Tigers faced off against Caledonia in a road game that was packed with highlights. The Tigers rallied back from down 11-2 to grab the win in the seventh inning of the high-scoring game.
Nettleton finished the game with 17 hits on the day, and Jackson Cheek hit not one, but two bombs, while senior Jaylon Betts hit his first home run on a grand slam.
With two of the best games coming from Nettleton teams, it is safe to say that Nettleton fans were very satisfied with how their teams played last week, and they have a lot to look forward to in weeks to come. | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/sports/nettleton-teams-play-two-of-the-best-games-of-the-season/article_8a4cd138-36fa-56f0-be9d-931aae8f4a36.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:50 | 0 | https://www.djournal.com/monroe/sports/nettleton-teams-play-two-of-the-best-games-of-the-season/article_8a4cd138-36fa-56f0-be9d-931aae8f4a36.html |
NEW YORK, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jackpot World, the world-leading, free-to-play social casino mobile game and one of the top 15 highest-grossing casino mobile games in the world, has launched real-time multi-player mode. Following its launch, the app experienced a 15% jump in its active player base.
Jackpot World has also released a new slot game called Samba and Carnival. The game features a samba theme, based on the famed Brazilian music genre and dance, with eye-catching elements such as lively samba dancers and beautiful feather graphics. Players have reviewed this new game as highly entertaining, praising the samba dancers in particular.
With the real-time multi-player mode, Jackpot World now enables players to compete against other real-life players. The more the players spin, the more coins there are to be won. Players even have the chance to be named as the Samba Star of their group, with their name highlighted and celebrated.
"Jackpot World is excited to offer our players real-time multi-player mode," said Emma Li, Producer of Jackpot World. "There's nothing more fun than playing against friends and family, and we hope that our users enjoy the excitement of some light-hearted, easy-going competition."
The Jackpot World app offers a rich and constantly growing selection of slot machine games. They include the classic 777 slot machine game, Fortune Babies, Fortune Tree, Mighty Tiger, and Penguin Quest, as well as new games such as Leprechaun Blast, Werewolf Night, and Myth of Medusa. The games offer bonus features and free coins to recreate the exhilarating Las Vegas casino slot machine experience, while there are also bonuses, stamps, and prizes that are up for grabs. Jackpot World is committed to ensuring a consistently thrilling entertainment experience, rolling out a new slot machine at least once a week.
Social at its core, Jackpot World can be played with friends, families, and other slot machine lovers from all over the world. To download the game, head on over to the Jackpot World page on Google Play or Apple's App Store.
About Jackpot World
Jackpot World is a leading free social casino slot game with the ambition to become the most player-centric social casino game. It is one of the top 15 highest-grossing casino gaming apps in the world.
Media Contact:
Zhiwei Gu
+8613651200209
jackpotworld-market@spinxgames.com
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jackpot-world-launches-real-time-multi-player-mode-leading-to-a-15-jump-in-players-301523866.html
SOURCE Jackpot World | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/jackpot-world-launches-real-time-multi-player-mode-leading-to-a-15-jump-in-players/article_6166fe85-4b33-53c4-b794-642cce1ae164.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:53 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/jackpot-world-launches-real-time-multi-player-mode-leading-to-a-15-jump-in-players/article_6166fe85-4b33-53c4-b794-642cce1ae164.html |
Listen To New Single "SUFFERER" HERE
British Reggae Legends Announce North American Tour Dates Beginning May 12
Download press shot HERE
LOS ANGELES, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell & Astro will release their new album Unprecedented, June 17 via UMe. The album will be released as a black 2LP, a limited-edition white-color 2LP, 1CD, limited-edition cassette as well as digitally. All formats include their new single "Sufferer", which Ali has dedicated to his beloved friend and bandmate of over four decades, Astro, who tragically passed away last November.
'"Sufferer,' is a song that Astro and I have always loved, from the brilliant Kingstonians," comments Ali. "Astro was so proud of our version of this song, as am I. It's the first track off our new studio album Unprecedented which will be out in the summer. This song is more poignant and special than I ever realized after Astro heartbreakingly passed away after recording this album. We want to keep his memory alive through his music and this song and album."
Listen to "Sufferer" HERE
In addition to touring across Europe in 2022, the legendary British reggae-pop group has announced three tour dates in North America beginning May 12 in Las Vegas, NV. For more information, click HERE.
UB40 Featuring Ali, Astro & Mickey's most recent album, 2018's A Real Labour Of Love, debuted at No.2 on the UK album chart, only dropping one place a week later to No.3, and the album spent a month in the Top 10. UB40 topped the UK singles chart on three occasions and sold 70 million records as they took their smooth yet rootsy musical blend to all corners of the globe. Between 1983 and 1998 the group produced three Labour Of Love albums, bringing hits such as Eric Donaldson's "Cherry Oh Baby", Lord Creator's "Kingston Town" and Johnny Osbourne's "Come Back Darling" to a new, global audience. They also topped the charts on both sides of the Atlantic with their reggae covers of "Red Red Wine" and "(I Can't Help) Falling In Love With You" and had a further UK No.1 with their cover of "I Got You Babe" with Chrissie Hynde.
Unprecedented Tracklist (2LP,1CD, Cassette, Digital)
- Caught You In A Lie
- Do Yourself A Favour
- Emperors Wore No Clothes
- Happy Includes Everyone
- Heaven In Her Eyes
- Lean On Me / In Aid Of NHS Charities Together
- Lean On Me
- Mellow
- Stay Another Day
- Sufferer
- Sunday Morning Coming Down
- Unprecedented
- We'll Never Find Another Love
- What Have I Done
2022 UB40 Featuring Ali Campbell US Tour Dates
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SOURCE UMe | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/new-ub40-album-featuring-ali-campbell-astro-unprecedented-to-be-released-june-17-via-ume/article_8ea594bb-f23d-5934-8a56-47437fff37c3.html | 2022-04-15T13:43:59 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/new-ub40-album-featuring-ali-campbell-astro-unprecedented-to-be-released-june-17-via-ume/article_8ea594bb-f23d-5934-8a56-47437fff37c3.html |
NORTHAMPTON, Mass., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Winning Writers is pleased to announce the results from its nineteenth annual Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest. 4,593 entries were received from around the world.
Qin Qin of Minneapolis, Minnesota won the Tom Howard Prize of $3,000 for a poem in any style or genre, for "Bastards' Tongue". Edythe Rodriguez of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania won the Margaret Reid Prize of $3,000 for a poem that rhymes or has a traditional style, for "afro/latin/a". The contest was judged by Soma Mei Sheng Frazier with assistance from Vernon Keeve III and Lauren Singer.
"Bastards' Tongue" presents a dirge-like declaration of pronunciations, transliterations, redactions, and corruptions of the author's names. Marking the passage of selfhood with black and red text boxes as well as the malignant "[deadname]", this letter performs the relentless immersive soundscape of being made malleable, soluble, and incongruent on a daily basis. Frazier said, "Stripped of anything overwrought, the poem lays intersecting struggles bare: history versus erasure, identity versus authenticity."
Each syllable of "afro/latin/a" is pregnant with the history of conquistadors, enslavers, African languages and Puerto Rican foods, the Black church that represents both the strength of female ancestors and the erasure of indigenous religions. That's a lot for one word, or one woman, to carry. Frazier said, "Maps in an atlas of ghost towns, spices in a recipe, items in a moral inventory: a list poem deconstructs its subject by cataloging individual components. Sometimes straightforward, often allusive, these lines span continents to agitate, elucidate and amaze."
Ten Honorable Mentions of $200 went to Taylor Byas, Maurya Kerr, Athena Kildegaard, Fiona Lu, Tawanda Mulalu, Scudder Parker, Remi Recchia, Laura Theis, Peaco Todd, and Laura Villareal. The top 12 poems and judge's comments are published at winningwriters.com.
The twentieth contest is open now through September 30, 2022. Authors may submit online.
In addition to the Tom Howard/Margaret Reid Poetry Contest, Winning Writers also sponsors the Tom Howard/John H. Reid Fiction & Essay Contest, the Wergle Flomp Humor Poetry Contest, and the North Street Book Prize. All of these contests are recommended by Reedsy.
Media Contact:
Adam Cohen
413-320-1847
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SOURCE Winning Writers | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/winning-writers-announces-the-winners-of-the-19th-annual-tom-howard-margaret-reid-poetry-contest/article_e4110ec8-eb78-57fc-895e-34bf6ce3279e.html | 2022-04-15T13:44:06 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_entertainment/winning-writers-announces-the-winners-of-the-19th-annual-tom-howard-margaret-reid-poetry-contest/article_e4110ec8-eb78-57fc-895e-34bf6ce3279e.html |
BATTLE CREEK, Mich., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Kellogg Company (NYSE: K) plans to issue its 2022 first quarter financial results at approximately 8:00 am EDT on Thursday, May 5, 2022.
The following documents will be available on the Company website https://investor.kelloggs.com at 8:00 am EDT: Press release, financial tables, GAAP reconciliations, and presentation slides.
The Company will also host a public webcast during which Kellogg executive management will review and discuss these results. Speaking on behalf of Kellogg Company will be Steve Cahillane, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, and Amit Banati, Chief Financial Officer. A question and answer session with publishing analysts will follow. A transcript of the conference call will be posted on the Company website within 24 hours of the event.
At Kellogg Company (NYSE: K), our vision is a good and just world where people are not just fed but fulfilled. We are creating better days and a place at the table for everyone through our trusted food brands. Our beloved brands include Pringles®, Cheez-It®, Special K®, Kellogg's Frosted Flakes®, Pop-Tarts®, Kellogg's Corn Flakes®, Rice Krispies®, Eggo®, Mini-Wheats®, Kashi®, RXBAR®, MorningStar Farms® and more. Net sales in 2021 were nearly $14.2 billion, comprised principally of snacks as well as convenience foods like cereal, frozen foods, and noodles. As part of our Kellogg's® Better Days ESG strategy, we're addressing the interconnected issues of wellbeing, climate and food security, creating Better Days for 3 billion people by the end of 2030. Visit www.KelloggCompany.com.
K-FIN K-ER
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SOURCE Kellogg Company | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_food_beverages/kellogg-company-sets-date-for-2022-first-quarter-results-webcast/article_0c884a51-17cc-5b2e-88ac-a6e9abbd53b8.html | 2022-04-15T13:44:12 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_food_beverages/kellogg-company-sets-date-for-2022-first-quarter-results-webcast/article_0c884a51-17cc-5b2e-88ac-a6e9abbd53b8.html |
Otto and Maria Zizak Bring Award-Winning Experience to Further Farm-to-Table Dining and Retail Operations
HOPEWELL, N.J., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Otto and Maria Zizak seek to build on the success of Brick Farm Tavern ("Tavern") and Brick Farm Market ("Market") as culinary destinations. The Tavern and the Market, founded by Jon and Robin McConaughy, have earned their place as uniquely qualified members of the farm-to-table community, sourcing meat from the McConaughy's Double Brook Farm in Hopewell Valley as well as fruits, vegetables, grains, flours, dairy, and edibles from local farming partners.
The Zizaks, owners of the Hopewell restaurant, Ottoburger, bring over 20 years of hospitality experience with a focus on "responsibly-sourced, well-crafted comfort food." Otto and Maria have opened, run, and operated six restaurants, including their highly successful restaurant, Korzo, in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Their well-known staples such as halušky dumplings (voted one of best dishes in NYC by Village Voice), lángoš burger (multiple awards for Best Burger in NYC), and other innovative takes on classics, have been featured on The Food Network, The Travel Channel, and countless national and local print publications, including a feature in the The New Yorker.
Originally from Slovakia, the Zizaks have a strong connection with the land and a desire to share food that is sourced sustainably as a conduit to building a community. Says Otto, "Food brings people together and we need this now more than ever. And if you're going to serve food, it needs to be honest and exciting, nourishing the body and spirit. We are truly thrilled to be joining a team that that anchors the entire experience on bringing the freshest and most sustainable ingredients to the table every day." Expect to see subtle rustic Central European influences on both the dinner and drink menus.
At the Tavern, they will be re-doubling efforts to focus on local and seasonal fare with items from Double Brook Farm and their own traditionally farmed property in Hopewell Township. At the Market, the nascent and already-beloved Ottoburger will be relocated to the Market's café to be a part of lunch and a robust dinner program starting this spring.
The Tavern is open 6 days a week and serves dinner Tuesday through Sunday, and Lunch Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Bar hours run from open 'til close. Reservations may be made online through OpenTable, by calling the restaurant at (609) 333-9200 or by emailing reservations@brickfarmgroup.com.
The Market is open 7 days a week and has a café, barista coffees and teas, a juice and smoothie bar, an on-site bakery, a cheese and charcuterie counter, an artisanal butcher, produce, prepared foods, sundries and more. Online ordering available for groceries and prepared foods.
To learn more about Brick Farm Tavern, located at 130 Hopewell-Rocky Hill Rd, and Brick Farm Market, located at 65 E. Broad Street in Hopewell, please visit www.brickfarmtavern.com and www.brickfarmmarket.com .
Management Contact (04/15/2022 forward)
Otto Zizak
(718)-873-6816
Media Contact:
Robin McConaughy
Brick Farm Group
Phone: (917) 797-5655
Email: 334253@email4pr.com
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SOURCE Brick Farm Group | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_food_beverages/new-owner-operators-continue-tradition-of-farm-to-table-dining-at-brick-farm-group/article_680ef830-282f-5dfd-9050-2a0b66bdc15d.html | 2022-04-15T13:44:18 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_food_beverages/new-owner-operators-continue-tradition-of-farm-to-table-dining-at-brick-farm-group/article_680ef830-282f-5dfd-9050-2a0b66bdc15d.html |
A line of advanced healthcare clinics across the continental US opens another location, increasing their clinic count to six. Advanced Spine and Posture plans to continue opening clinics across the country to make chiropractic and wellness care highly accessible to those looking for relief.
LAS VEGAS, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Advanced Spine and Posture (ASP) is a wellness organization that provides holistic healthcare services ranging from physical therapy to chiropractic care. Founded by Dr. David Golan and Dr. Jason Jaeger, ASP was created with the intention of delivering wellness-based care to people with a variety of needs ranging from postural concerns to injury rehabilitation to overall health improvement. Having now seen thousands of patients in five different locations across Nevada and Michigan, ASP has opened another location to continue its expanding reach across the US.
ASP's newest location, Advanced Spine and Posture of Rancho Oakey, Nevada, is under the supervision of Dr. Stephanie Youngblood, an expert chiropractor with over 30 years of experience in the wellness industry. ASP's new Rancho Oakey chiropractic clinic offers high-quality chiropractic care intended to address neck and back pain, postural concerns, spinal deformities, and injury rehabilitation.
Other branches in ASP's nationwide organization offer similar treatments, and some include the services of physical therapists, massage therapists, and on-site medical doctors. A few Advanced Spine and Posture clinics also offer regenerative medicine, a stem-cell-based treatment that can help to deliver pain relief and improve the range of motion, strength, and recovery in an injured body part.
Chiropractic BioPhysics® is another type of care provided by several Advanced Spine and Posture locations. Chiropractic BioPhysics® (CBP) is a special branch of chiropractic science in which only a handful of chiropractors across the United States are certified. CBP is different than traditional chiropractic care in that it uses mirror-image adjustments, a comprehensive set of detailed x-rays, and customized spinal traction setups to correct abnormalities in the spinal structure. Patients who seek out CBP-certified practitioners are typically looking for long-term posture correction, pain relief, and overall wellness support.
Advanced Spine and Posture of Las Vegas Rancho Oakey is open and prepared to provide the highest quality of chiropractic service available. Currently offering a free consultation and a complete wellness screen special offer, patients looking to improve their spinal health can begin their wellness journey with a running start.
Of her over thirty-year commitment to chiropractic care, Dr. Stephanie Youngblood says "I became a chiropractor because I feel chiropractic saved my life. It is my calling." This type of enthusiasm around chiropractic care isn't unusual at Advanced Spine and Posture—in fact, it's emblematic of the dedication and devotion of ASP's founders, both of whom are passionate about providing accessible, affordable, and effective holistic healthcare to their communities.
For more information about Advanced Spine and Posture, contact Chief Operating Officer Dr. John Brown at 334228@email4pr.com, or call (702) 478-9594.
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SOURCE Advanced Spine and Posture | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_health/advanced-spine-and-posture-opens-a-third-clinic-in-las-vegas-nevada/article_bccf8dab-e15f-5e2d-9429-7940136cd729.html | 2022-04-15T13:44:24 | 0 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_health/advanced-spine-and-posture-opens-a-third-clinic-in-las-vegas-nevada/article_bccf8dab-e15f-5e2d-9429-7940136cd729.html |
(ABC4) — Over one million hot glue guns have been recalled due to fire and burn hazards, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced on Thursday.
The glue guns, which were recalled by Dollar Tree, can malfunction when plugged in.
Dollar Tree received several reports of electrical malfunctions when using the products, some of the reports included fire. One report indicated resulting skin irritation.
The hot glue guns were sold nationwide at Dollar Tree from August 2020 through February 2022 and at Family Dollar stores nationwide January-February 2022 for about $1.
The CPSC said consumers should immediately unplug and stop the Crafter’s Square Glue Gun and return it to any Dollar Tree or Family Dollar store for a full refund.
Official say online purchasers will be contacted directly with further instructions.
About 1,025,000 hot glue guns have been recalled. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/over-1m-hot-glue-guns-sold-at-dollar-tree-recalled-due-to-fire-hazard/ | 2022-04-15T13:44:30 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/over-1m-hot-glue-guns-sold-at-dollar-tree-recalled-due-to-fire-hazard/ |
Dr. C. Bob Basu's Houston plastic surgery practice teams up with Houston Astros to offer exclusive specials at their one-day-only event in Cypress.
CYPRESS, Texas, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The staff of Basu Aesthetics + Plastic Surgery, located in Cypress and Houston, TX, announces an open house event, "For the H," to be held on Thursday, April 21, 2022. The event will take place at the practice's waterfront location in Cypress. Dr. C. Bob Basu will offer his Houston and Cypress patients event-only specials, in addition to the opportunity to meet the Houston Astros' mascot, Orbit.
"We are proud to be a part of the Houston and Cypress communities, and our events allow us to get to know our neighbors and patients on a more personal level," explained Dr. Basu. "We are also celebrating our 4 year anniversary at our flagship Cypress location, making this an ideal time to open our doors to the community."
All are invited to RSVP to the special event, which will be held from 4 to 7 pm. The practice will offer attendees special discounts on many of their most popular treatments, including CoolSculpting® fat reduction, HydraFacial MD®, BOTOX Cosmetic®, and medical-grade skincare products. Additionally, the event will feature a "grand slam" surgical deal with the practice's best discount of the year on breast augmentation. Attendees can also take selfies with the Astros' mascot, Orbit, and mingle with Dr. Basu and his team of aesthetic providers while enjoying snacks and drinks. Full event details are available on the practice's website.
Practice Director and board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Basu is passionate about finding ways to connect with his community and fellow Texans. Dr. Basu recently launched the Basu Plastic Surgery Advancing Care Scholarship for Adult Learners to support and empower adult students in Texas who are interested in pursuing a career in the medical field. Dr. Basu announced the first winner in February of 2022.
"We have always been incredibly grateful for all of the love and support we've gotten from our patients and the community," said Dr. Basu. "Showing our appreciation by giving back is especially important to us."
An established member of the Houston community for over a decade, Dr. Basu has been named one of the Top Docs in Plastic Surgery by HTexas Magazine and was a recipient of a Best of the Best 2021 award by the Houston Chronicle for "Best Mommy Makeover." He specializes in a full range of cosmetic procedures including breast surgery, tummy tucks, and body contouring after weight loss. In addition to plastic surgery, his practice also houses a full-time expert aesthetics team who provide a range of premium med spa services to Houston and Cypress patients, including injectables and medical-grade facials. For more information about events and available services, visit the practice's website or call Basu Aesthetics + Plastic Surgery at (713) 799-2278.
About Dr. Bob Basu: Dr. C. Bob Basu is a nationally-recognized board-certified plastic surgeon. His practice, Basu Aesthetics + Plastic Surgery, has offices in both Cypress and Houston, Texas. The Cypress office is located at 9899 Towne Lake Pkwy Suite 100, Cypress, TX 77433. The Post Oak Uptown Park office in Houston is located at 1700 Post Oak BLVD, Suite 1-280, Houston, Texas 77056. The practice can be reached by phone at (713) 799-2278.
Media Contact: Dr. Bob Basu, www.basuplasticsurgery.com or (713) 799-2278.
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SOURCE Dr. Bob Basu | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_health/basu-aesthetics-plastic-surgery-to-hold-for-the-h-open-house-event-with-houston-astros/article_a2b36b06-4c45-58bd-a641-f5aa69488f82.html | 2022-04-15T13:44:30 | 1 | https://www.wfmz.com/news/pr_newswire/pr_newswire_health/basu-aesthetics-plastic-surgery-to-hold-for-the-h-open-house-event-with-houston-astros/article_a2b36b06-4c45-58bd-a641-f5aa69488f82.html |
(The Hill) — Elon Musk is already the richest man in the world due to his leadership positions at and stakes in Tesla, SpaceX and The Boring Company.
He is estimated to be worth roughly $260 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, and there are no signs of immediate threats to that wealth.
In that context, Musk’s bid for 100 percent of Twitter in an all-cash deal worth roughly $43 billion may seem like it has little to offer him.
But many of Musk’s most headline-grabbing moves in the past have been motivated by non-financial considerations, and at a TED conference on Thursday, he said the decision to make an offer was not driven by potential profits.
“What I’m saying is this is not a way to sort of make money,” he said during the livestreamed event.
Musk, who revealed last week that he had acquired a 9.2 percent stake in Twitter, emphasized his belief in the importance of the platform while speaking at the conference.
“My strong intuitive sense is that having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization,” Musk continued. “I don’t care about the economics at all.”
In a securities filing dated Wednesday in which he offered to buy the remaining Twitter shares that he does not already own for $54.20 per share, Musk wrote to the company’s board chair Bret Taylor that he believes the social media platform can be “the platform for free speech around the globe.”
“However, since making my investment I now realize the company will neither thrive nor serve this societal imperative in its current form,” Musk continued. “Twitter needs to be transformed as a private company.”
There is ample evidence that Musk has spent time thinking about the importance of free speech and the role social media platforms can play in ensuring access to it.
Early last month he posted several tweets to his over 80 million followers about free speech and suggested that he might launch his own social media company.
Just before announcing his stake in Twitter, which makes him the company’s largest outside shareholder, Musk posted a poll starting with the statement that free speech is “essential to a functioning democracy” that asked whether the social media platform adheres to the principle.
It is unclear what threat, if any, he sees Twitter in its current form posing to free speech.
Twitter is a private company and has no legal obligation to let every person tweet whatever they want.
The platform has been more aggressive with its content moderation than others — permanently banning former President Donald Trump being the prime example — but taking down posts or blocking users from its service is not a free speech issue as the term is defined by the First Amendment.
Several other social media platforms have been launched claiming to valorize free speech more than the dominant companies in the space.
However, almost all of those alternatives have run into the problem of having to moderate at least some content to keep their services useable.
Allowing absolutely any kind of content could leave a platform overrun with spam accounts and littered with unsavory content that makes social media unpleasant for most users and, more importantly, advertisers, experts warn.
“Twitter without rules would become a cesspool of spam, pornography, animal torture, hate speech, QAnon conspiracies, ‘stolen election’ disinformation, and anti-vaccine agitation,” Paul Barrett, deputy director of the New York University Stern Center for Business and Human Rights, wrote in an email to The Hill. “Goodbye ordinary users, goodbye advertisers.”
Musk has said that he wants to limit spam on the platform, but doing so without some level of content moderation has proved tricky for other social media companies.
Beyond enshrining free speech, Musk has also suggested there should be an edit button on the platform, complained about major accounts not posting enough and floated a special authentication tier for Twitter’s paid service that would give paid subscribers a special checkmark. All of these changes could be made through owning the company, but they all also could theoretically have been pushed for with the board seat Musk was offered but ultimately did not accept. Twitter has even already said it is testing a potential edit feature.
There are several other potential explanations behind Musk’s hostile takeover bid.
One, shared by many critics of the controversial CEO, is that the proposal is mostly just to draw attention and have some fun.
Musk has a history of joking about major financial moves — most notably in 2018 when he posted that he had secured funding to take Tesla private at $420 a share, a stunt that landed him in hot water with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Musk ultimately paid a $20 million fine and resigned as board chair of Tesla after a lawsuit.
That number — 420, a reference to the national holiday for smoking weed — appeared again in his suggested price for Twitter shares. Musk is a notorious online troll, and this offer cleanly fits into that part of his persona.
“I think he’s doing it because he thinks it’s fun. He’s getting a ton of attention, which he loves,” Barrett added. “He likes cool cars and rocket ships, so he built companies to make those. With Twitter, the infrastructure is already built, and he thinks it would be fun to play with it.”
The social media activism organization Sleeping Giants tweeted that his bid “is likely just another troll, ensuring everyone is talking about him for another week.”
The offer could also be an off-ramp for what was becoming a tricky situation for Musk.
Shortly after Musk formally announced the 9.2 percent stake in Twitter that he had acquired to regulators, observers pointed out that he may not have disclosed when he passed the 5 percent threshold within the required 10-day window.
That potential slip-up led several Twitter shareholders to file a lawsuit this week, alleging that the failure to disclose allowed Musk to buy up more stock at a deflated price. One financial expert suggested to The Washington Post that the late filing netted Musk $156 million.
Beyond the lawsuit and a potential investigation by regulators, Musk’s offer may also take attention away from the seemingly awkward negotiation over giving him a board seat.
Twitter last week said he would be joining its board of directors, only for CEO Parag Agrawal to announce Musk had backed out of the deal just days later.
Twitter confirmed in a statement Thursday that it received an “unsolicited, nonbinding proposal” from Musk to acquire all outstanding stock.
The company’s board of directors met early Thursday and reportedly may be ready to fight the bid, despite the valuation being significantly higher than Twitter’s market price.
Musk’s filing says he would “need to reconsider my position as a shareholder” if the bid was not accepted, which could include selling off his shares.
Musk was asked during the TED conference Thursday if there is a plan for a scenario in which the offer is rejected.
“There is,” he replied, declining to elaborate further. | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/what-does-elon-musk-stand-to-gain-from-twitter-offer/ | 2022-04-15T13:44:36 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/business/us-world-business/what-does-elon-musk-stand-to-gain-from-twitter-offer/ |
(The Conversation) – In late March 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized a second booster shot of COVID-19 vaccines for vulnerable populations in the U.S., a move that was soon after endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People ages 50 years and older and certain immunocompromised individuals who are at higher risk for severe disease, hospitalization and death are eligible four months after receiving the initial booster shot.
A second booster shot is equivalent to a fourth dose for people who received a Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA series or a third dose for those who received the single-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
In Israel, people in these same vulnerable categories began receiving fourth doses in January 2022. The U.K. recently started administering a fourth dose for people 75 years and older and coined it a “spring booster.” In Germany, those over 60 years old are now eligible for a fourth shot of the mRNA series.
I am an epidemiologist at the University of Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health and founder and author of Your Local Epidemiologist, a newsletter translating the latest public health science for everyday use.
The latest recommendations have left many wondering about the importance of boosters for protection against COVID-19. Does the third shot wane over time? Is a fourth dose necessary? What if you’ve had a previous infection?
After reviewing the mounting body of research on how the immune system shifts over time following each dose, it is clear that another booster for vulnerable populations has meaningful benefit with very little risk.The FDA’s authorization provides the option of a second booster shot for vulnerable populations, but the agency stopped short of making it a broad recommendation.
Vaccine effectiveness following the first booster dose
There is clear evidence that a third dose of the mRNA series – or the first booster dose – was and still is critical for ensuring a robust immune response against the omicron variant for all age groups. This is in part because the immune response wanes over time and also in part because omicron has proved to be partially effective at evading immunity from the existing COVID-19 vaccines and from prior infections.
But then the question becomes: How well is immunity from the first booster holding up over time?
The best real-time data to follow on vaccine effectiveness over time is in the U.K. The U.K. Health Security Agency currently has follow-up data for 15 weeks after the third dose, or first booster shot. In its latest report, the effectiveness of vaccines against infection wanes significantly after a third dose. In the U.K. report, vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization is holding up much better compared to effectiveness against infection. But even protection against hospitalization is slightly decreasing over time. While this data is insightful, 15 weeks of follow-up data isn’t very helpful in the U.S. because many Americans got their third dose up to 24 weeks ago.
A recent study assessed the durability of a Moderna third dose after six months. Researchers found waning levels of neutralizing antibodies six months after the booster. The CDC also found significant waning protection against emergency department and urgent care visits five months after the first booster. Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization decreased a little but largely held up five months after the booster.
The studies mentioned above pooled all age groups. But researchers know that older adults don’t mount as durable an immune response as younger people. This explains why breakthrough infections have occurred at a much higher rate among people ages 65 and up. A recent study in the Lancet assessed the durability of a third dose among people ages 76 to 96 years old. Researchers found that the third dose improved neutralizing antibodies, but in the face of omicron, antibodies still dropped substantially following a booster.President Biden gets his second booster shot on camera, and Dr. Anthony Fauci discusses the benefits of a booster.
Data on the second booster dose/fourth shot
Now that Israel has been delivering a fourth dose for several months, researchers have some data to rely on to assess its effectiveness. There are three studies that have been released so far, one which has not yet been peer-reviewed.
In one study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, scientists assessed the rates of infection and severe illness after a fourth dose – or second booster – among more than a million people ages 60 and older in Israel. The researchers found that after a fourth dose, the rate of COVID-19 infection was two times lower than after a third dose. However, this protection quickly waned after six weeks. They also found the rate of severe disease was four times lower compared to those who received only three doses. It’s important to note, though, that hospitalizations among both groups were very low.
Importantly, another study assessed the effectiveness of a fourth dose among younger health care workers in Israel. The results confirmed that antibody levels dropped significantly five months after the third dose. Unfortunately, the effectiveness of the fourth dose was no different from the effectiveness of a third dose in this population of younger health care workers. In other words, there may not be meaningful benefit of a second booster of the same formula for young, healthy populations.
Researchers carried out a third study, one that has not yet been peer-reviewed, at a large health care system in Israel among people aged 60 to 100 years. Among 563,465 patients in the health care system, 58% received a second booster. During the study period, 92 people who received the second booster died compared to 232 people who had only the first booster. In other words, the second booster equated to a 78% reduction in death compared to the first booster alone.
What if you had a COVID-19 infection with omicron?
The combination of being both vaccinated and having experienced a COVID-19 infection is called “hybrid immunity.” More than 35 studies have shown that hybrid immunity offers complimentary and broad protection. This is because immunity from the vaccines targets the spike protein – after which the COVID-19 vaccines were designed – and infection-induced immunity aims more broadly at the whole virus.
So, it is not unreasonable to skip a second booster with a confirmed infection of omicron. This doesn’t mean that people should purposefully get SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. But it is clear that hybrid immunity is a viable path to protection.
In short, there is strong evidence that a fourth dose – or second booster – provides meaningful protection among vulnerable populations, including people over 60. So another booster is reasonable for some groups. And while a fourth dose may benefit a select group, it is far more important that people receive their first, second and third doses. | https://www.wric.com/health/coronavirus/do-you-need-a-second-booster-shot-an-epidemiologist-scoured-the-latest-research-and-has-some-answers/ | 2022-04-15T13:44:42 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/health/coronavirus/do-you-need-a-second-booster-shot-an-epidemiologist-scoured-the-latest-research-and-has-some-answers/ |
In addition to traditional chiropractic adjustments, Fremont Chiropractic of Seattle, WA utilizes Chiropractic BioPhysics® (CBP). CBP is a unique form of chiropractic care that uses customized spinal traction and mirror-image adjustments to produce long-term changes in the spine's structure.
SEATTLE, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. Kayla Clark and Dr. Shane Walton of Fremont Spine and Wellness are pleased to offer Chiropractic BioPhysics® as a revolutionary form of chiropractic care. Unlike the traditional adjustments that chiropractic is known for, Fremont Spine and Wellness incorporates Chiropractic BioPhysics® (CBP) into their care as a way of providing long-term treatment results that can yield powerful pain relief and make noticeable changes to the shape of the spine.
Traditional chiropractic care is best known for its manual manipulations of the spine, which are commonly referred to as "chiropractic adjustments." While manual manipulation has been associated with a multitude of health and wellness benefits, when it comes to corrective chiropractic treatment, manual manipulations are not always sufficient to move the bones and joints back into optimal alignment.
The Chiropractic BioPhysics® (CBP) technique utilizes more than chiropractic adjustments to help move bones and joints. CBP employs customized spinal traction setups in addition to mirror-image adjustments, both of which function to relax the bones and joints and then shift them back into proper alignment. A critical component of CBP treatment is ensuring that a series of x-rays and detailed digital postural analysis is taken before and after treatment. This ensures that CBP-certified chiropractors know exactly what they're treating, where spinal adjustments are needed, and what sort of customized traction setup to create.
Dr. Kayla Clark and Dr. Shane Walton are both certified CBP practitioners who have seen Chiropractic BioPhysics® produce radical results in the corrective chiropractic field. "CBP is unmatched when it comes to pain relief and corrective chiropractic," says Dr. Shane Walton. "Dr. Clark and I have seen patients come in with an abnormal curve in their spine, and leave at the end of their treatment plan with their natural curve restored."
But Chiropractic BioPhysics® isn't just a powerful tool for correcting spinal misalignments—it can also provide noticeable pain relief. "The root of patients' pain is frequently caused by misalignment," Dr. Kayla Clark explains. "When the misalignment is corrected, the pain usually disappears, as well." Although many patients report feeling immediate pain relief after CBP treatment, immediate relief isn't the only goal. CBP aims to create long-term relief and overall health improvements, which is accomplished by moving bones and joints over periods of time.
An individualized CBP treatment plan may span the course of a few months, but there is a reason for this: it takes time to move bones and joints in order to realize long-term effects. Similar to the speed at which braces move teeth, Chiropractic BioPhysics® gradually shifts the spinal structure back toward ideal balance and health.
For more information on Fremont Chiropractic or Dr.'s Kayla Clark and Shane Walton, email 334215@email4pr.com or call 206-634-1300.
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LEBANON, Tenn. (WKRN) — One 20-year-old is dead and another 20-year-old is behind bars after bullets flew Wednesday afternoon in a Lebanon, Tenn., neighborhood.
Police arrested Laquentin Hearn, who was behind bars Thursday for allegedly killing Dominic Cellucci Livingston.
Sophie Livingston, the victim’s grandmother, was on the front porch crying Thursday afternoon, sitting below a large picture of her grandson in his Lebanon High School football uniform.
The woman was almost inconsolable as she described her grandson, whom she called “my Dom.” She remembered how he had his own nickname for her, too – “Nanny.”
“I’m feeling anger, hurt. He didn’t deserve this,” Sophie said. “He was my baby, my whole world, and they took him, they just took him from me. He didn’t deserve this, he didn’t deserve to die.”
According to Sophie, 20-year-old Dominic had just finished lunch Wednesday afternoon. He was on the porch and everything seems fine. “We had a good day,” she recalled.
Then the grandmother of nine recalled hearing gunfire.
“I heard the shots — ‘bam bam bam.’ They took a child from me. They took my life away from me. He was my life.”
According to Lebanon police, a silver Camry with black rims was seen fleeing the scene. LPR cameras got a lead on the driver, later identified as 20-year-old Laquentin Raymond Hearn.
While police were heading to his home, investigators say, the young driver fled past officers who pursued him. Dashcam video showed the 20-year-old driving erratically as he left city streets and sped onto the highway.
“…I know God wants me to forgive him. No. I will die and go to hell before I forgive that boy…”
Sophie Livingston
At one point, investigators say Hearn was doing more than 120 miles per hour.
Police say Hearn lost control at one point, flipping his car and sliding over 100 feet on the guard rail. Four other cars suffered damage in the crash. Police say no other motorists were seriously hurt.
Hearn ran from the scene but was quickly caught by Mt. Juliet police and Wilson County deputies, authorities said.
According to Lebanon police, the 20-year-old changed the look of his car after the shooting, covering his black rims with silver hub caps. He also changed out of black clothes, putting on a reflective work vest.
Lt. PJ Hardy said investigators had not yet recovered the weapon as of Thursday afternoon.
Sophie Livingston said she did not know Laquentin Hearn, but she wants him to pay for what he allegedly did to her grandson.
“I want him to die,” Livingston said. “I know God wants me to forgive him. No. I will die and go to hell before I forgive that boy. He took my grandson’s life and he gets to live? I want the death penalty on him ’cause he deserves it.”
She also said she heard that the young man had an argument a few weeks ago.
Police said that the young men know each other from school, and the only motive that has emerged is an ongoing confrontation that has yet to be fully detailed.
Laquentin Hearn is facing charges for evading arrest, reckless driving, reckless endangerment and criminal homicide. He is being held in the Wilson County Jail under no bond.
According to jail officials, before Wednesday, he had never been booked into the Wilson County Jail.
Metro police also report the 20-year-old has no prior criminal history in Davidson County. | https://www.wric.com/news/crime/grandmother-wants-death-penalty-for-man-accused-of-killing-her-grandson-i-want-him-to-die/ | 2022-04-15T13:44:48 | 1 | https://www.wric.com/news/crime/grandmother-wants-death-penalty-for-man-accused-of-killing-her-grandson-i-want-him-to-die/ |
HRH is Only Hospital in Hudson County with Any SRC Accreditation
Kaitlyn Probasco Awarded Care Specialist Accreditation
SECAUCUS, N.J., April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Hudson Regional Hospital (HRH) and its Institute for Robotic Surgery (IRS) have received the first ever accreditation from the Surgical Review Corporation (SRC) for Excellence in Care in Spine Surgery and its Spine Surgery Division will be the standard for all SRC future reviews.
The IRS also received accreditation for bariatrics, robotic joint replacement, minimally invasive surgery and was named a Center of Excellence for minimally invasive gynecology. Together with the distinction as a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery which it previously received, the IRS is the only hospital in Hudson County with six accreditations from the non-profit whose mission is to ensure better safety and outcomes for surgical patients.
Additionally, long-term Physician Assistant Kaitlyn Probasco, DMSc, PA-C was awarded the Care Specialist Accreditation, becoming the second SRC-accredited practitioner following Dr. Yitzhack Asulin, MD, FACS, FACOG, Director of the IRS and its Director of the Female Pelvic Reconstruction and Robotic Surgery. Dr. Asulin is also the only master surgeon in the Tri-State area.
"Since taking over HRH in 2018, it has been our mission to create a world-class hospital by investing in the most technologically advanced modalities and networking to secure the region's best surgical practitioners," said Dr. Nizar Kifaieh, President and CEO of Hudson Regional Hospital.
The SRC sought out to Hudson Regional Hospital and its IRS for a collaboration to determine the criteria for its new Excellence in Care for Spinal Surgery. HRH is the only facility in the Tri-State area that offers surgeons and patients access to the most advanced suite of technologies including Da Vinci XI Robotic System, ExcelsiusGPS and the Mazor Robotic Guidance System.
Additionally, the IRS recently became the first facility in New Jersey to offer hernia patients OviTecx®, a more natural alternative to synthetic mesh.
"Our surgical team is made up of pioneers in the minimally invasive robotic surgery field that have applied this approach to multiple specialties. The robotic technologies allow us more accuracy, better patient outcomes, smaller incisions, quicker recovery times," said Dr. Yitzhack Asulin, MD, FACS, FACOG, Director of Female Pelvic Reconstruction and Robotic Surgery.
"Congratulations to Dr. Probasco and deep appreciation to all of the IRS practitioners, supporting staff, and ancillary department teams for helping us achieve these distinctions. We will continue collaborating with the SRC to both create the criteria for the new Spine Surgery accreditation model and to ensure that we achieve it."
Hudson Regional Hospital also became the only hospital in Hudson County to be designated a Stroke Center by the NJ Department of Health, allowing stroke patients in the area more immediate access to emergency care without having to travel further outside their community in the critical minutes after stroke symptoms first appear.
The SRC created its accreditation program in 2003 to ensure safe and effective patient care buy consulting with experts from each specialty to guide the development of its accreditation programs and outcomes databases.
For more information about Hudson Regional Hospital and its Institute for Robotic Surgery, call 201.392.3100 or visit www.hudsonregionalhospital.com.
About the Surgical Review Corporation
Established in 2003, SRC is a nonprofit, patient safety organization that develops and administers best-in-class accreditation programs for medical professionals, surgeons, hospitals and freestanding outpatient facilities throughout the world.
These programs improve the safety and quality of patient care and lower the overall costs associated with successful treatment. Data, provided by program participants, is used to determine which treatments achieve the best outcomes. This information enables clinicians, patients, payors and policymakers to make informed decisions that improve health care delivery.
SRC believes that even the best can improve. Excellence is not simply an achievement – it is a culture that must be sustained. SRC has performed thousands of inspections throughout the world and is in a unique position to provide the experience it has gained to those who wish to improve beyond their accreditation.
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The coronavirus pandemic ushered in what may be the most rapid rise in homeschooling the U.S. has ever seen. Two years later, even after schools reopened and vaccines became widely available, many parents have chosen to continue directing their children’s educations themselves.
Homeschooling numbers this year dipped from last year’s all-time high, but are still significantly above pre-pandemic levels, according to data obtained and analyzed by The Associated Press.
Families that may have turned to homeschooling as an alternative to hastily assembled remote learning plans have stuck with it — reasons include health concerns, disagreement with school policies and a desire to keep what has worked for their children.
In 18 states that shared data through the current school year, the number of homeschooling students increased by 63% in the 2020-2021 school year, then fell by only 17% in the 2021-2022 school year.
Around 3% of U.S. students were homeschooled before the pandemic-induced surge, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The rising numbers have cut into public school enrollment in ways that affect future funding and renewed debates over how closely homeschooling should be regulated. What remains unknown is whether this year’s small decrease signals a step toward pre-pandemic levels — or a sign that homeschooling is becoming more mainstream.
Linda McCarthy, a suburban Buffalo mother of two, says her children are never going back to traditional school.
Unimpressed with the lessons offered remotely when schools abruptly closed their doors in spring 2020, she began homeschooling her then fifth- and seventh-grade children that fall. McCarthy, who had been working as a teacher’s aide, said she knew she could do better herself. She said her children have thrived with lessons tailored to their interests, learning styles and schedules.
“There’s no more homework ’til the wee hours of the morning, no more tears because we couldn’t get things done,” McCarthy said.
Once a relatively rare practice chosen most often for reasons related to instruction on religion, homeschooling grew rapidly in popularity following the turn of the century before leveled off at around 3.3%, or about 2 million students, in the years before the pandemic, according to the Census. Surveys have indicated factors including dissatisfaction with neighborhood schools, concerns about school environment and the appeal of customizing an education.
In the absence of federal guidelines, there is little uniformity in reporting requirements. Some states, including Connecticut and Nevada, require little or no information from parents, while New York, Massachusetts and some others require parents to submit instruction plans and comply with assessment rules.
The new surge in homeschooling numbers has led state legislatures around the country to consider measures either to ease regulations on homeschool families or impose new ones — debates have gone on for years. Proponents of more oversight point to the potential for undetected cases of child abuse and neglect while others argue for less in the name of parental rights.
All of the 28 state education departments that provided homeschooling data to the AP reported that homeschooling spiked in 2020-21, when fears of infection kept many school buildings closed. Of the 18 states whose enrollment data included the current school year, all but one state said homeschooling declined from the previous year but remained well above pre-pandemic levels. (The exception, South Dakota, recently changed the way it collects data).
Minnesota, for example, reported that 27,801 students are being homeschooled now, compared to 30,955 during the last school year. Before the pandemic, homeschool figures were around 20,000 or less.
Black families make up many of the homeschool converts. The proportion of Black families homeschooling their children increased by five times, from 3.3% to 16.1%, from spring 2020 to the fall, while the proportion about doubled across other groups, according to U.S. Census surveys.
Raleigh, North Carolina, mother Laine Bradley said the school system’s shortcomings became more evident to families like hers when remote learning began.
“I think a lot of Black families realized that when we had to go to remote learning, they realized exactly what was being taught. And a lot of that doesn’t involve us,” said Bradley, who decided to homeschool her 7-, 10- and 11-year-old children. “My kids have a lot of questions about different things. I’m like, ‘Didn’t you learn that in school?’ They’re like, ‘No.’”
Bradley, who works in financial services, converted her dining room into a classroom and rearranged her work schedule to take over her children’s education, adding lessons on financial literacy, Black history and Caribbean history important to her heritage.
“I can incorporate things that I feel like they should know,” she said. Her husband, Vince, who retired from the Air Force last year, steps in at times. The couple also have a 14-month-old. They plan to continue homeschooling for as long as their children want it. Her social media posts about her experience have drawn so much interest that Bradley recently created an online community called Black Moms Do Homeschool to share resources and experiences.
Boston University researcher Andrew Bacher-Hicks said data showed that while homeschool rates rose across the board during the last school year, the increase was greater in school districts that reverted to in-person learning, perhaps before some parents were ready to send their children back.
He said the same health concerns that drove those increases are likely behind the continued elevated rates, despite additional upheaval in schools as parents and policy-makers debate issues surrounding race and gender and which books should be in libraries.
“It’s really hard to disentangle those two things because all of this is kind of happening at the same time,” he said. “But my my guess would be that a large part of the decisions to exit from the system do have to do with COVID-related issues as opposed to political issues, because those things come up frequently and we’ve never seen an increase in homeschooling rates like this before.”
He said parents also may be concerned about the quality of education delivered by schools that have had to rely heavily on substitute teachers amid pandemic-caused staffing shortages.
McCarthy, the mom from suburban Buffalo, said it was a combination of everything, with the pandemic compounding the misgivings she had already held about the public school system, including her philosophical differences over the need for vaccine and mask mandates and academic priorities.
The pandemic, she said, “was kind of — they say the straw that broke the camel’s back — but the camel’s back was probably already broken.”
“There are kids that don’t know basic English structure but they want to push other things on children, and it can be blatant but it can be, and mostly is, very subtle, very, very subtle,” McCarthy said. “So we were ready to pull them and will never send them back to traditional school. It’s just not a fit for us.”
“It’s just a whole new world that is a much better world for us,” she said. | https://www.wric.com/news/education/homeschool-surge-continues-despite-schools-reopening-widely-available-vaccines/ | 2022-04-15T13:44:54 | 0 | https://www.wric.com/news/education/homeschool-surge-continues-despite-schools-reopening-widely-available-vaccines/ |
Le-Vel shares new products and casts a vision for a more premium lifestyle at THRIVEpalooza 2022
GRAPEVINE, Texas, April 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Le-Vel, a world leader in human nutritional innovation, brought its annual convention, THRIVEpalooza to the Gaylord Texan April 7 - 9. Thousands of Brand Promoters lined the entrance for the three-day bash ready to experience the most exciting event of the year. Brimming with guest speakers, the debut of game-changing products and a spectacle of parties, THRIVEpalooza 2022 didn't disappoint.
Studded with sparkle, a black tie dinner for Le-Vel Millionaire Award recipients kicked off the rewards and recognition weekend on Thursday, April 7 to honor a decade's worth of Brand Promoters who have earned the coveted award. But not to be outshined, the Opening Night Party the following night set the stage for Le-Vel's most epic product launches to date.
Co-Founder and CEO, Jason Camper launched Le-Vel's OooWEE! premium "here-we-go" energy drink, a multi-function beverage designed to kick start your morning, energize your pre-workout routine, and give you that mental and physical boost your body craves during the day. OooWEE! contains zero calories and is lightly carbonated. It has BCAAs to help minimize protein breakdown+ as well as micronized creatine to support muscle performance+.
Two new vegan Lifestyle Shake flavors,strawberry and chocolate, launched on Friday as well. Along with vanilla, there are now three delicious, dairy free, plant-based options to use as Step 2 of the THRIVE Experience 60-Day Challenge. Lifestyle Shakes work in synergy with Step 1, Lifestyle Capsules and Step 3, Derma Fusion Technology (DFT) providing a simple and easy three-step morning routine that gives your body over 100 different vitamins, minerals, probiotics, protein and more!
Lastly, a new version of Pink Pro with infused caffeine, capped the weekend's product launch frenzy. A recent favorite addition to THRIVE collagen-focused products, Pink Pro now has an infused caffeine option, when you want to have a kick with your collagen! Pink Pro is a power-packed beverage formulated to help support healthy hair, skin and nails.
Rewards and recognition continued the program on Saturday afternoon with the launch of STRIVE Magazine, featuring inspiring stories of Brand Promoters, some of which received a Millionaire Award of their own on stage later that day. Following, the winners of the third season of the 12-week physical fitness competition, Ultimate THRIVER, claimed their share of over $200,000 worth of prizes. Balloons and confetti settled to the ground as Le-Vel closed yet another awe-inspiring weekend of learning, community and fun.
For all the latest product launches, visit https://le-vel.com/Home/WhatsNew.
+ These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to cure or prevent any disease. Keep out of reach of children. Not suitable for individuals under 18 years of age. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding consult a doctor before using this product. If you are taking any medication, or have any type of medical issue, consult with a doctor before using this product.
For information re: the Le-Vel Millionaire Award, including the likelihood of earning the Millionaire Award, click here https://bit.ly/2Gxh8fY.
About Le-Vel
Founded in 2012 by Jason Camper and Paul Gravette, Le-Vel formulates and sells health and wellness products and skincare. Le-Vel products include the THRIVE Experience (consisting of the three core products, THRIVE Premium Lifestyle DFT, THRIVE Premium Lifestyle Capsules and THRIVE Premium Lifestyle Mix), and THRIVE SKIN (a CBD skincare system). All of Le-Vel's products contain premium vitamins and nutrients made with the highest quality ingredients.
In 2019, less than seven years after the company's inception, Le-Vel reached a milestone of $2 billion in lifetime orders. Le-Vel has over 10 million Customer and Brand Promoter accounts and currently ships within the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and Southeast Asia.
For more information about Le-Vel, visit www.le-vel.com and follow us on social media on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
Media Contact: Liz Reuth, liz.reuth@le-vel.com
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