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History teacher removed after hanging Black doll in classroom
CHICAGO (WLS) - A heated exchange between two teachers at a Chicago high school is being investigated after one of the teachers hung a Black doll from a cord in a classroom.
It took place in front of students, and a picture of the incident circulated on social media.
On Wednesday, the school day ended at Whitney Young Magnet High School with a special listening session after the apparent racial incident.
“He [the teacher] definitely should have thought about it because that could be really sensitive, especially with it being an African American doll and something that could cause suicidal thoughts,” said high school sophomore William Schetz.
According to a letter from the school’s principal Joyce Kenner to parents, a teacher hung a small stuffed African American football doll by a pull-down string from a projector screen in their classroom. The teacher indicated he found the doll in his room and wanted the students to see if someone would claim it.
When another teacher confronted that teacher about the hanging doll, the two reportedly got into a fight.
Kenner said Chicago Public School officials have taken over the investigation of the incident and removed the history teacher.
“I believe he should be removed from the school, and his teaching degree should be taken away,” said Michelle Donegan, a student’s parent.
A spokeswoman for the Chicago Teachers Union said practices that mitigate the harm of racial biases must be ongoing and consistent in our schools.
“He knows what lynching is. He knows what hanging the doll would represent,” Donegan said.
Copyright 2022 WLS via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.wkyt.com/2022/03/31/history-teacher-removed-after-hanging-black-doll-classroom/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:27Z |
As Covid-19 infection rates and restrictions are waning in some places and a variant is surging in others, it's difficult to understand where we are in the pandemic.
But two years ago, the situation was clear: for many people, coronavirus had brought the world to a stop. That's when pediatric surgeon Dr. Ala Stanford sprang into action, bringing Covid-19 testing to Black and Brown communities in Philadelphia that were hard hit by the virus.
In the months that followed, Stanford brought testing and vaccines to more than 75,000 people through her nonprofit Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium. And as she worked to help underresourced communities weather the pandemic, she diagnosed an even greater problem.
"We were seeing folks that hadn't seen a doctor in a decade," said Stanford, who was honored as a Top 10 CNN Hero last year. "We were just literally putting a Band-Aid to a much bigger problem with health inequities and health disparities."
It's well-documented that Black and Brown communities have suffered greater hospitalizations and deaths from Covid-19 for a host of reasons, including higher risk factors for exposure and a higher risk of severe disease.
But lack of accessible and affordable health care is a key factor that leads to worse health outcomes for people of color. In particular, lack of outpatient care, like annual checkups and doctor's visits, can play a critical role in preventing health issues.
This larger, systemic issue is what Stanford is trying to remedy.
In November, she began seeing patients at the Dr. Ala Stanford Center for Health Equity, her new facility in north Philadelphia. This multi-disciplinary clinic offers services ranging from primary care and mental health, diagnostic testing like EKGs and mammograms and, of course, Covid testing and vaccinations.
"We take care of newborns through grandma and grandpa," she said. "And that is the next step ... wanting to not just save lives, but really impact an entire lifetime with people."
Located on the grounds of Deliverance Evangelistic Church, in an area that once housed a day care center, the space underwent a massive renovation. The center now includes exam rooms, consultation areas, a children's play space, even a fish tank. Most importantly, it provides care to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.
"If you have insurance, we run it," Stanford said. "If you don't have insurance, we help you get (it). And if you don't have anything, you're not going to be turned away."
This fall, as the coronavirus seemed to recede into the background, Stanford was excited to switch gears to focus on this broader health mission. But the Omicron variant of the virus changed her plans.
"After Christmas, there were so many people sick, literally wrapped around this building to get Covid tested. The positivity rate was 45%" she said. "So, we had to stop primary care and just focus on testing and vaccination."
Yet, she and her team still figured out a way to provide brief wellness checks with each vaccination.
"You come in for a shot and you see your vital signs are out of whack -- you might say 'Did you know you have high blood pressure?' or 'Did you take your medication today?'" Stanford said.
And in early January, when Stanford realized that Covid rates were rising in children and young people, she added another approach.
"In a public health crisis, you go to the people. And the kids are primarily in school, so that's what I pushed for," she said.
Since then, Stanford's team has worked with FEMA to hold nearly 20 vaccination clinics at schools in and around Philadelphia. She says in some of them, they have doubled the vaccination rates among students. Her group also still offers vaccinations and testing throughout the community at police departments and mass transit SEPTA stations.
Two years later, Stanford's surgical practice is still on hold. While she admits to missing the operating room at times, she knows that the work she is doing now is making a difference on a much larger scale.
"What we've done has touched over 100,000 lives. And that refuels me," she said. "The need here right now is so great. I feel that this is where I'm supposed to be."
Want to get involved? Check out the Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium website and see how to help.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.news-daily.com/features/health/after-vaccinating-thousands-against-covid-19-this-cnn-hero-is-fighting-inequity-in-the-medical/article_788be944-ffb3-5bfd-8734-f2af2866267c.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:28Z |
EU leaders push back against Putin's demand for ruble-based natural gas payments
Russia depends on oil and gas revenues amid Western sanctions
Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted Thursday that the country's natural gas must be paid for with rubles, a demand apparently intended to help bolster the Russian currency but one that European leaders say they will not comply with because it violates the terms of contracts and sanctions.
Putin said Russia will start accepting ruble payments Friday and gas supplies will be cut off if buyers don't agree to the new conditions, including opening ruble accounts in Russian banks, from which the gas payments will be made.
"If these payments are not made, we will consider it a failure of the buyer to fulfil its obligations, with all the ensuing consequences," Putin said.
European leaders cautiously insisted they will continue to pay for natural gas in euros and dollars and want to see the fine print of how the Kremlin will implement its decree. It came a day after the leaders of Italy and Germany said they received assurances from Putin about gas supplies.
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Putin's demand for buyers to pay in rubles was a sign of Russian duress amid sanctions.
"I think fundamentally this is just another indication of the dire straits that Russia's economy is in," Price told reporters at a regular press briefing.
Efforts to boost ruble
Putin announced last week the countries deemed "unfriendly" for imposing sanctions on Russia over its war in Ukraine must pay for natural gas only in Russian currency.
His proposal has caused natural gas prices to gyrate and raised fears it could be a prelude to an interruption of supplies to Europe, which is heavily dependent on Russian natural gas and would struggle with a sudden cutoff.
At the same time, Russia depends on oil and gas sales for much of its government revenue at a time when its economy is under severe stress from Western sanctions.
Putin's demand appeared to be part of Russia's efforts to boost the ruble after the currency plunged under Western sanctions. After dropping as low as 143 rubles to the U.S. dollar in early March, on Thursday it took 82 rubles to buy a dollar, around the same level as the day Russia launched its invasion.
Economists question benefit of ruble payments
Economists say switching the gas payments to rubles would do little to support the Russian currency, since gas exporter Gazprom has to sell 80 per cent of its foreign currency earnings for rubles anyway.
The White House said Thursday that the ruble is no longer a reliable measure of Russia's economy because it's being artificially propped up.
Analysts at Evercore ISI said Putin's primary motive seems to be "to prove he can bend EU leaders to his will." They also said that even if Russia is able to force the EU to pay for gas in rubles, the European countries could retaliate by imposing more tariffs on Russian oil imports or banning them outright.
While Russia could eventually sell the oil, the price would likely be at a steep discount, the analysts said.
The decree Putin signed and state news agency RIA Novosti published says a designated bank will open two accounts for each buyer, one in foreign currency and one in rubles. Buyers will pay in foreign currency and authorize the bank to sell it for rubles on Moscow's currency exchange. The rubles would then be placed in the second account, where the gas is formally purchased.
People are "wondering what Putin is up to," said Tim Ash, senior emerging markets sovereign strategist at BlueBay Asset Management.
Putin may have read the German government's unwillingness to boycott Russian energy "as weakness and is now trying to engineer this energy crisis ... the solution here is to call Putin's bluff and say, sure, cut off energy supplies and see who breaks first," Ash said.
With files from Reuters | https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russia-putin-rubles-gas-payments-1.6403911?cmp=rss | 2022-04-01T01:04:28Z |
What you need to know
- "Severance" is now streaming on Apple TV+.
- The creators and cast of the series are taking to Twitter for a Q&A.
- The Q&A will be held on Friday, April 1 from 12:00-1:00 PM PST
"Severance," the new thriller series starring Adam Scott, is now streaming on Apple TV+.
To celebrate the success of the new series thus far, the cast and crew are taking to Twitter for a live Q&A about the show. You can join in on the Q&A on Friday, April 1 from 12:00-1:00 PM PST to interact with Adam Scott, Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, and more.
The thriller series is directed and executive produced by Ben Stiller. It tells the story of Mark Scout, a man whose life goes sideways after undergoing a procedure that separates his work and personal memories.
In "Severance," Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in 'work-life balance' is called into question as Mark finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work … and of himself.
"Severance" reunites Emmy and DGA Award winner Ben Stiller with Academy Award and Emmy Award winner Patricia Arquette ("Escape at Dannemora," "Boyhood"), who stars alongside Adam Scott ("Parks and Recreation," "Step Brothers"), Emmy Award winner John Turturro ("The Plot Against America," "The Night Of"), Britt Lower ("High Maintenance," "Casual"), Zach Cherry ("You," "Succession"), Dichen Lachman ("Jurassic World: Dominion," "Altered Carbon"), Jen Tullock ("Before You Know It," "Bless This Mess"), Tramell Tillman ("Hunters," Dietland"), Michael Chernus ("Orange is the New Black," "Patriot") and Academy Award winner Christopher Walken.
If you haven't seen the official trailer for the new series yet, check it out below:
"Severance" is now streaming on Apple TV+. It joins the growing list of shows and movies on Apple's streaming service. If you want to enjoy the series in the best quality possible, check out our review of the new Apple TV 4K.
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Review: Improve your music, gaming, or partying with this excellent speaker
A reliable Bluetooth speaker like the EasySMX VKF2PRO can improve your music, gaming, and movie experiences. These can even connect together for party stereo.
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Apple's SVP of software engineering Craig Federighi has revealed Apple rolls out its iOS updates incrementally.
Catch up with the latest Apple TV+ shows with the best streaming devices
Binge watch the latest season of Ted Lasso and so much more with the best streaming devices that support the Apple TV app. | https://www.imore.com/cast-and-crew-severance-host-live-qa-twitter | 2022-04-01T01:04:29Z |
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Sunshine Coast
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10:35
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11:10
R7 Class 3 Hcp
1400m
Class:
Class 3, Handicap
Class:
Class 3, Handicap
Prize:
$24,000
1st:
$13,400
2nd:
$4,100
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RAIL - True Entire Course.
Friday 01 April 2022 11:10AM
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Yes | https://www.racenet.com.au/results/horse-racing/sunshine-coast-20220401/powered-by-lpe-class-3-handicap-race-7 | 2022-04-01T01:04:29Z |
The Prince Rupert Port Authority is providing $10,000 to support the Village of Burns Lake’s Regional Mapping Project, the organization announced on March 29.
The financial support stems from the PRPA’s Export Development Fund, which supports the planning, development and implementation of development opportunities along the Prince Rupert Gateway.
“Prince Rupert Port Authority believes it’s critically important to support communities within the Port of Prince Rupert Gateway like Burns Lake in exploring ways to successfully leverage their inherent market access to grow our collective Northern BC export trade portfolio,” Shaun Stevenson, president and CEO of the PRPA, said. Export-oriented industries have a disproportionately large impact on our local economies and are essential to achieving economic growth and expansion.”
“This partnership will identify potential opportunities to grow our local economy and for the community and surrounding area to benefit from our proximity to the port and the ability to access global markets,” Mayor Dolores Funk, Village of Burns Lake, said
The Regional Mapping Project will identify and catalogue existing producers, products, their volumes, and other marketing and logistical factors in the area.
The project is to begin immediately and is scheduled for completion by September, 2022.
This is the second investment of the port’s Export Development Fund since it was launched in 2018. Their first project was a development of an investment attraction strategy for the Skeena Industrial Development Park with the City of Terrace, the PRPA stated.
The PRPA’s Export Development Fund helps to finance eligible organizations with research and feasibility studies to assess export opportunities to reach new markets through Prince Rupert. | https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/03/31/prince-rupert-port-authority-announces-10000-to-support-burns-lake-initiative.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:30Z |
Los Angeles-based shoe company hosts virtual auction of limited edition and one-of-a-kind ballet flats to raise awareness with 100% of proceeds supporting Ukrainian people
LOS ANGELES, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Los Angeles-based shoemaker Tieks announced the launch of #TieksForUkraine, a virtual auction and raffle featuring their famed ballet flats, running from March 31 to April 3. In solidarity with the people of Ukraine, 100% of the auction and raffle proceeds will be donated to World Central Kitchen's #ChefsforUkraine initiative, an on the ground organization providing millions of meals 24/7 to families across all eight border crossings including Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Moldova, and Hungary.
For the first time ever, prized past limited editions, beloved bygone styles, and exclusive pairs that have never been sold publicly, including a brand-new, one-of-a-kind style, will be available for bid and raffle throughout the four-day auction. The auction is open to all U.S. residents and available through the Tieks.com website.
Within the first two hours of the auction, thousands of bids have been placed, with styles fetching bids as high as $4,500 (Toscani) and $3,500 (Arabian Night).
Historically, limited-edition Tieks are released on rare occasions like Black Friday and routinely sell out in 24-72 hours, making these releases some of the most coveted designs by the brand. These limited-edition styles have become among the most highly anticipated shoe releases year-round, with fans preparing to do almost anything to get their hands on a pair. Limited release pairs usually retail for significantly more in the secondary markets after they are no longer available from Tieks. However, from March 31-April 3, fans will have a chance to get their hands on a pair while also supporting an incredible cause.
#TieksForUkraine will feature eight total pairs, with seven up for auction and a one-of-a-kind pair for raffle including one limited edition style each of Red Diamond (2017 release), True Love Red (2021 release), Giraffe (2012 release), Toscani, Arabian Night, and Brown and Black Ostrich—two styles that have never been available for sale publicly. All auction styles will start at $100 and be awarded to the highest bidder. Additionally, Mirage, a one-of-a-kind pair in a sparkly sand hue will be available to win via a raffle. Raffle tickets for this style are $1 each with an unlimited purchase amount. As an added bonus, Tieks will also give away $100 Tieks Gift Cards to 10 additional raffle winners.
"I'm humbled that my company and our community are able to support the people of Ukraine through the #TieksForUkraine initiative," Gavrieli said. "In solidarity with the people of Ukraine, who have lost so much and shown immense courage and strength, our community wants to be involved in contributing to the Ukrainian people in a meaningful way." Gavrieli added, "My hope is that through the auction proceeds, World Central Kitchen will be able to provide tens of thousands of meals for Ukrainians braving this unimaginable war."
To learn more and enter, visit here.
About Tieks:
Stylish, comfortable, durable, and foldable, Tieks are the most versatile flats in the world. Tieks is committed to women's empowerment and, through the Gavrieli Foundation, has become the largest individual lender in the world on Kiva, sending over $10,000,000 to women entrepreneurs living in poverty around the world.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Tieks by Gavrieli | https://www.nbc12.com/prnewswire/2022/03/31/tieks-launches-virtual-tieksforukraine-auction-raise-funds-ukrainian-refugees/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:29Z |
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The pain was sharp and familiar. It reminded David Price of where he has been. It also told him he still might be able to be the pitcher the Los Angeles Dodgers thought they had nearly 26 months ago.
Price’s quiet spring began the way others have in the five-time All-Star’s 13-year career: His left elbow hurt after his first live batting practice a couple of weeks ago, and he knew the resumption of an old routine was underway.
“Always the elbow,’’ Price said. “It happens every year, all the way back to 2010. Now, everything feels good – arm, elbow and shoulder.’’
It was good enough to impress Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and anybody else who watched Price make his first spring appearance against Cleveland on Wednesday night. The left-hander worked only an inning, but he had two strikeouts and was clocked at 93 mph.
In an abbreviated camp, it wasn’t enough to determine his role. It did remind the Dodgers that Price is still in the mix.
From starter to bullpen, Price’s role with the Dodgers has been uncertain since they acquired the 2012 American League Cy Young Award winner from the Boston Red Sox in a three-team deal that included right-fielder Mookie Betts in February 2020.
Price didn’t pitch at all that year, opting out because of concerns about COVID-19. In 2021, he bounced between the starting rotation and the bullpen with 11 starts and 28 appearances as a reliever. His overall ERA was 4.03.
He arrived at camp in mid-March ready to do anything. Then Roberts mentioned him as a possible starter.
“I’m preparing that way, yeah,” said Price, who is in the final year of a seven-year, $217 million contract. “I think it’d be silly of me to prepare to be a reliever if I’m asked to start. So, I’m preparing to be a starter until otherwise.”
Otherwise looks to be the case. Roberts projects his starting rotation will be Walker Buehler, Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw, Andrew Heaney and Tony Gonsolin. He cautioned that nothing is set in stone, mostly because pitchers were limited in a camp cut short by major league baseball’s lockout.
The Dodgers signed career starter Tyler Anderson in mid-March, just in case. As for Price, Roberts said: “I just think that David, right now, is not an option in the sense of, he’s not built up. It just doesn’t seem feasible right now.”
The 36-year-old left-hander could still have an immediate role, like one inning in relief early in the season, Roberts said, and moving up to multiple innings as he gets stronger.
“I’m confident in David in any role,’’ Roberts said. “I like his versatility. The role doesn’t matter. It’s just knowing that he’s going to pitch valuable innings in whatever role.”
NOTES
Cody Bellinger took batting practice Thursday on the minor-league side of the Dodgers’ camp. The 2019 National League MVP is 4 for 27 with 17 strikeouts this spring.
“I wouldn’t say I’m alarmed,’’ Roberts said. “I think ‘progressing’ is the word. We’ve got to continue to log at-bats to make him feel as comfortable as possible when the season starts.’’
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.union-bulletin.com/seattle_times/david-price-waiting-to-see-how-dodgers-will-deploy-his-arm/article_000aa238-d8a7-5d96-9398-e509d4d8dd28.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:30Z |
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White Rabbit OG
Your Journey Starts With White Rabbit OG
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About this brand
Follow White Rabbit OG on a journey filled with bold fruit flavours carefully curated to heighten and delight the senses. Explore our world of creative flavour pairings and experience cannabis differently.
White Rabbit OG soft chews are not your average edibles. Made in small-batches using premium ingredients and whole fruit.
With EAT ME Technology, spend less time waiting for results and more time savouring the fusion of fruit flavours in each bite. EAT ME Technology works in as quick as 15 minutes to give you the results you crave and the real fruit you love.
White Rabbit OG soft chews are not your average edibles. Made in small-batches using premium ingredients and whole fruit.
With EAT ME Technology, spend less time waiting for results and more time savouring the fusion of fruit flavours in each bite. EAT ME Technology works in as quick as 15 minutes to give you the results you crave and the real fruit you love. | https://www.leafly.com/brands/white-rabbit-og | 2022-04-01T01:04:30Z |
Updated March 31, 2022 at 5:29 PM ET
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A federal judge struck down portions of a Florida election law passed last year, saying in a ruling Thursday that the Republican-led government was using subtle tactics to suppress Black voters.
The law tightened rules on mailed ballots, drop boxes and other popular election methods — changes that made it more difficult for Black voters who, overall, have more socioeconomic disadvantages than white voters, U.S. District Judge Mark Walker wrote in his ruling.
"For the past 20 years, the majority in the Florida Legislature has attacked the voting rights of its Black constituents," Walker wrote. Given that history, he said, some future election law changes should be subject to court approval.
Florida's Republican-led legislature joined several others around the country in passing election reforms after Republican former President Donald Trump made unfounded claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Democrats have called such reforms a partisan attempt to keep some voters from the ballot box.
"It was only designed to fuel the narrative around the big lie and that the election was stolen from Trump," Democratic state Rep. Fentrice Driskell, who is Black, said in a phone interview after the ruling was issued. "What we absolutely can't have is a system that, I almost feel like, is separate and unequal. Making it harder for Black people to vote is unconstitutional."
Democratic state Rep. Ramon Alexander said he and others argued before the bill passed that it would disproportionally affect voters of color, and he is glad Walker agreed.
"Florida has a long history of discrimination at the ballot box, and [the bill] was just another roadblock put in front of Black people trying to cast a legal vote," said Alexander, who is Black.
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who made the election bill a priority, said the state will appeal Walker's decision and win.
"In front of certain district judges, we know we will lose no matter what because they are not going to follow the law," DeSantis said at a news conference in West Palm Beach. He did not say specifically why he believes the ruling is incorrect.
Upon appeal, the case would go to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia, which is seen as being more conservative.
Republican Sen. Dennis Baxley, who sponsored the bill, didn't immediately return a voicemail message seeking comment.
Much of the debate focused on vote-by-mail ballots and how they are collected and returned. Walker overturned a provision of the law limiting when people could use a drop box to submit their ballot, along with a section prohibiting anyone from engaging with people waiting to vote. Walker said the latter provision "discourages groups who give food, water, and other forms of encouragement to voters waiting in long lines from continuing to do so."
"One way, then, to measure whether this provision will have a disparate impact on Black or Latino voters is to determine whether Black and Latino voters are disproportionately likely to wait in line to vote," said Walker, citing testimony that showed that to indeed be the case.
Walker, who was appointed by former President Barack Obama, also overturned a provision in the law putting new restrictions on groups that register voters, including requiring that people working to register voters submit their names and permanent addresses to the state.
Walker ordered that for the next 10 years, any attempt by the Legislature to write new laws on the issues he overturned will need court approval.
"Floridians have been forced to live under a law that violates their rights on multiple fronts for over a year," he wrote. "Without preclearance, Florida could continue to enact such laws, replacing them every legislative session if courts view them with skepticism. Such a scheme makes a mockery of the rule of law."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wfit.org/2022-03-31/citing-race-a-federal-judge-strikes-down-parts-of-a-2021-florida-election-law | 2022-04-01T01:04:31Z |
Mayor Jim Kenney released his proposed budget for the 2023 fiscal year with a five-year plan Thursday.
Kenney's budget includes investing close to $1.4 billion in the School District of Philadelphia from 2023 to 2027. By 2023, the district will receive $270 million.
Kenney's proposal also includes a $48 million investment in the Free Library of Philadelphia.
As violence rises in Philadelphia, Kenney's budget includes an 18% ($184 million) increase to keep residents safe.
"This plan will move Philadelphia forward by enhancing core city services, accelerating inclusive economic growth across the city," Kenney said. "Maintaining the city's long-term fiscal health and reducing racial disparities so that race is not a determinant of success, and every person who calls Philadelphia home can thrive. This budget demonstrates the determination to make our city a better place to live, work and visit."
The Alliance for a Just Philadelphia responded to Kenney's proposed budget on Thursday afternoon outside City Hall at the Octavius V. Catto statue.
Jazmyn Henderson, an organizer with Act Up Philadelphia, demanded a budget that reinvests the Black and brown communities, homelessness, education, rec centers, and violence prevention.
"We want to see real investments and alternatives to policing like mental health budgets for first responders and no increase to the police budget," Henderson said.
Kris Henderson, executive director of Amistad Law Project, said that Philadelphia needs a fully funded mobile crisis team.
"The mayor continues to prioritize funding to the already bloated Philadelphia Police Department while hundreds of positions in the department remain unfilled," Kris Henderson said. "As a result, the police department budget increases year after year while our communities continue to be under-resourced. We need care, not cops."
Sunita Balija is a librarian and said that the city needs to put more money into libraries and recreation centers to keep children safe and engaged.
"Good union jobs and investing in services and resources for our city's youth — not tax giveaways to greedy corporations — will fuel a real economic recovery in Philadelphia neighborhoods," Balija said.
City Council President Darrell Clarke, D-5th District, said City Council is looking forward to reviewing the mayor's proposed budget.
"These are our priorities as Council begins budget hearings: What does every line in this budget do to lift people out of poverty, make communities safe, prevent gun violence, develop affordable housing, and ensure job opportunities for our citizens," Clarke said.
At-large Councilmember Isaiah Thomas said that he was encouraged by the investment in infrastructure in the proposed budget. But, still, there need to be investments in every street in every neighborhood.
"Eighty percent of traffic fatalities occur on 12% of Philly's roads," Thomas said. "Every street could see improvement, but focusing on those in the high-injury network can make Philly safer for all residents."
At-large Councilmember Katherine Gilmore Richardson said that she remains hopeful that Council and the mayor can finalize a budget that reflects Philadelphia's needs.
"I am grateful to the administration for its hard work — especially its engagement with residents to develop the budget proposal," Gilmore Richardson said. "I was also glad to hear the mayor mention the Environmental Justice Advisory Commission in his address. I look forward to our discussions about how we fully fund the commission's work. However, I remain concerned about how we are addressing our most fundamental inequity: the vast disparity in life expectancy and quality of life by ZIP code. Now is the time to pass a budget that reflects our vision for Philadelphia's future: a city that is safe, resilient, financially stable, and provides opportunity regardless of ZIP code."
Councilmember Cherelle Parker said the city needs to address the exodus of “31,000 Black people from Philadelphia since the last census,” and called for an improvement in “quality of life issues,” according to a WHYY news report. Those investments should include installing more cameras to help fight crime, and stopping short dumping in communities, Parker said.
Councilmember Maria Quiñones Sánchez added the budget needs “to deploy city services where they are most needed, in historically underserved and marginalized neighborhoods,” according to WHYY. She said CLIP should be extended to every neighborhood. CLIP is the Community Life Improvement program, which is used to enforce quality-of-life violations and improve the appearance of neighborhoods.
Kenney's budget did not increase the Defender Association of Philadelphia's funding.
"The inherent unfairness of paying predominantly Black and brown employees less than any other agency or office speaks for itself. But it's particularly galling when we know that nearly every city agency received increases under the mayor's budget proposal, and many of these increases are significant," Chief Defender Keisha Hudson said.
"Like our attorneys, our administrative and support staff are critical to the Defender's ability to process cases and provide the best possible representation for our clients. Unfortunately, the low wages and increasing workload are driving staff and attorney attrition in our office. They impede hiring replacements when they leave us to work at other agencies or companies." | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/alliance-city-council-react-to-the-kenneys-budget-proposal/article_e294a4df-b679-5ddc-99aa-1134a1294f7e.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:31Z |
Community and Rapid City work together to protect trees to be cut down near powerline
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Every five years or so, Black Hills Energy heads down to West Chicago Street to trim crab apple trees nearing a power line.
This time around, they were planning on removing nearly three dozen trees from the strip.
However, when a nearby neighbor took a peek out her window and saw all of the marked trees, she sought to protect some of them.
“It’s kind of a neighborhood thing,” says Ann Eads, who lives near the trees, “it’s a neighborhood icon. You want to save those beautiful trees. They’re gorgeous all through the summer, fall and spring. I got on social media and started voicing my concerns. People were agreeing, ‘Yeah, don’t cut down the trees. They’re so beautiful. We love them. They’ve been here for so long. They’re iconic in the neighborhood. I think it’s important for people to understand the whole story,” Eads explains, “and really it’s about education, because it makes sense to be open to other solutions other than just standing against taking trees out.”
Darrell Shoemaker, Communications Coordinator for Rapid City, says there are rules and regulations when it comes to a trees height and potential hazards, because “there are national standards for what the distance must be between the height of the utility lines and vegetation, and also to reduce fire risk.”
Eads says, “they’re going to take the tops off every single one of those trees. Really do a chop job on it. You know, when you take off so much of the tree, it really does damage the tree.”
It turns out, Eads says this is actually something that’s happened decades ago to other trees nearby, “because they go to big.”
But, Shoemaker says things changed with the initial plan to cut down 32 trees due to the open dialogue between the city and the community, because “obviously, communication is always important.”
The number of trees to be removed was brought down to just 10 sick ones. Eads says that’s because, “they don’t want the giant line of crab apple trees to get diseased and then kill off other trees in the neighborhood.” Which is something she’s noticed with one of her own trees, because “the leaves shriveling up and just dying on the branches. And, the branches just being dead.”
They plan to introduce biodiversity in the areas the sickly trees will be removed. “So,” Eads explains, “if disease comes in it won’t wipe out the entire population of the trees.” Shoemaker adds, “one of the goals here for that particular area -- replacement trees, or shrubs or vegetation they’re going to use, they’ll be looking at some of the species they can introduce that will achieve even better aesthetics moving forward.”
Keeping it looking pretty, because Eads says motorcyclists, tourists, locals and so many more all drive the strip, she “thinks they appreciate the beauty of it.”
She just hopes whatever replaces the sick trees doesn’t cause a traffic hazard by attracting animal life to a busy road, but in the end, she explains “it’s not really about what I want. It’s what works the best for the best solution for everything.”
Copyright 2022 KOTA. All rights reserved. | https://www.kotatv.com/2022/03/31/community-rapid-city-work-together-protect-trees-be-cut-down-near-powerline/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:31Z |
Supreme Court sides with FBI in suit over post-9/11 surveillance
The Supreme Court on Friday sided with the U.S. government in a lawsuit brought against the FBI over a controversial post-9/11 surveillance operation that targeted a Muslim community in California.
In a unanimous ruling, the court found that the government could respond to the litigation by asserting the state secrets privilege, a legal doctrine allowing government information to be concealed if its disclosure would harm national security.
The decision concerned only the narrow and technical issue of whether the state secrets privilege is available to the government here. The 9-0 decision, penned by Justice Samuel Alito, held that the FBI can invoke this legal doctrine as the case proceeds through the lower courts.
The dispute traces back to 2006, when the FBI launched a 14-month counterterrorism operation aimed at surveilling members of Southern California’s Muslim community.
The bureau relied on an informant, Craig Monteilh, to pose as a Muslim convert. He recorded his conversations at mosques and during other interactions. Midway through the operation, in a twist of irony, Monteilh began to make provocative statements about jihad that so alarmed his new Muslim acquaintances that they eventually reported him to the FBI.
Monteilh and the FBI later parted ways, and he went public with the details of the operation. The FBI has since confirmed that Monteilh made secret recordings as part of his undercover work.
In 2011, three Muslim men who had been spied on sued the FBI and its agents, alleging that, among other things, they had been illegally targeted because of their religion.
In response, the government invoked the state secrets privilege and asked the judge to dismiss the relevant claims because litigating them would require the disclosure of protected information. The court granted the FBI’s request, prompting an appeal by the plaintiffs.
The San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit reversed the district court’s ruling, siding against the FBI and allowing some of the Muslim plaintiffs’ claims to proceed.
The appeals court ruled the district court had erred by applying the state secrets privilege rather than using a procedure provided in a provision of the 1970s-era statute called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
But Friday’s unanimous decision by the Supreme Court overruled the lower appeals court, with the justices holding that the FISA provision at issue does not eliminate or curtail the availability of the state secrets privilege.
The Hill has removed its comment section, as there are many other forums for readers to participate in the conversation. We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. | https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/596888-supreme-court-sides-with-fbi-in-suit-over-post-9-11-surveillance/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:31Z |
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An investigation is underway at Chicago Public Schools after a teacher hung a small stuffed Black football player doll on a string from a projector screen in their classroom, according to a letter sent to parents by the school's principal and obtained by CNN.
The March 29 letter from Joyce D. Kenner, principal of Whitney Young Magnet High School, says the teacher "indicated" he had come across the doll in his room and "wanted the students to see if someone would claim it." The letter went on to say that "a colleague approached the teacher about the doll and the conversation between the two became contentious.
"Our administrative team investigated the incident and spoke with the teachers," Kenner's letter said. "An official incident report has been created and filed with CPS."
"Chicago Public Schools (CPS) strives to foster safe and secure learning environments for our students, families, and colleagues. Our schools and the District investigate and address all complaints and allegations of wrongdoing in accordance with District policies and procedures," CPS said in a statement to CNN.
The district said the teacher who hung the doll is suspended while the investigation is ongoing. CPS has not identified the teacher.
According to Kenner's letter, school administrators also met with a group of students Tuesday morning to discuss the incident.
"We gave students an opportunity to voice any concerns and recommendations they had. We plan to follow the disciplinary protocol established by Chicago Public Schools," the letter said.
Kimberley Henderson, whose daughter is a sophomore and one of three Black students in the teacher's US history class at Whitney Young, spoke to CNN.
"When I saw the picture, that's when I went over the edge. That was unbelievable to me," Henderson said, referencing an image of the stuffed doll circulating on the internet. "I don't believe that he should be in front of any children, but I want to make sure that he's not in front of mine."
The Chicago Teachers Union said in a statement about the incident that "practices that mitigate the harm of racial biases must be ongoing, and consistent" in the city's schools.
"Mayor (Lori) Lightfoot has a responsibility to provide a safe space for every member of our school communities, which is especially important in a district that serves a student population that is 90 percent Black and Brown children," the statement read. "Any definition of 'safety' must include creating and reinforcing an environment of equity and inclusion for all students, staff and faculty of color."
CNN reached out to the mayor's office Thursday for response to the union statement.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.news-daily.com/news/chicago-school-district-investigating-after-teacher-hung-stuffed-black-doll-on-a-string-from-a/article_a8e6db7a-d358-52db-8412-bd4a1b3a1c2b.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:34Z |
MHC's On Doing History: Archival Preservation with JoyEllen Williams
MARIETTA - Please join the Marietta History Center for On Doing History where we introduce our guests to a variety of ways people “do” history. Those who work in the fields of history include cemetery preservationists, genealogists, archivists, curators, oral historians, and just plain old historians, among others! This series will...
www.mariettaga.gov | https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556627257370/mhc-s-on-doing-history-archival-preservation-with-joyellen-williams | 2022-04-01T01:04:34Z |
Today sees a decline in case numbers, with 13,475 new community cases of Covid-19 being reported by the Ministry of Health today.
It also sees a decline in the seven-day rolling average, now at 14,171, whereas last Friday that average was 17,197.
There are 17 Covid-19 deaths also being reported, 15 of which were male and two were female. Two people were in their 50s, four people were in their 60s, five people were in their 70s, three in their 80s and three were over-90. Seven of these deaths were from Auckland, two from Waikato, one each in Bay of Plenty, Lakes, Hawke's Bay, Wellington, Canterbury and West Coast, and two from Southern. Out of respect, the ministry says they will be making no further comment.
The active case total is now under 100,000 with 99,185 active cases throughout the country.
There were also 49 border cases detected.
Of the new community cases today, there are 563 in Northland, 2392 in Auckland, 1182 in Waikato, 688 in Bay of Plenty, 355 in Lakes, 712 in Hawke's Bay, 774 in Mid Central, 332 in Whanganui, 526 in Taranaki, 172 in Tai Rā Whiti, 155 in Wairarapa, 876 in Capital and Coast, 483 in Hutt Valley, 578 in Nelson-Marlborough, 2122 in Canterbury, 267 in South Canterbury, 1243 in Southern and 56 in West Coast DHBs. Just five cases are of unknown locations.
Hospitalisations have had another drop, with 764 being reported today. Of these, 28 are in Northland, 108 in North Shore, 148 in Middlemore, 111 in Auckland, 82 in Waikato, 27 in Bay of Plenty, 17 in Lakes, three in Tairāwhiti, 40 in Hawke's Bay, 22 in Taranaki, eight in Whanganui, 25 in Mid Central, 20 in Hutt Valley, 20 in Capital & Coast, one in Wairarapa, 15 in Nelson-Marlborough, 50 in Canterbury, eight in South Canterbury, one in West Coast and 30 in Southern hospitals. Some 31 people are in intensive care units.
There were also 109 first doses, 216 second doses, 26 third primary doses, 2,235 booster doses, 152 paediatric first doses and 2,615 paediatric second doses administered yesterday. | https://www.teaomaori.news/covid-19-13475-cases-17-deaths | 2022-04-01T01:04:34Z |
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Hello Readers,
It’s nice to have this one-on-one chat with you as my time with The Northern View draws to a close. Sadly, it’s time for a goodbye.
You may have seen me around town, you may have only spoken to me over the phone or you may just know me anonymously through the photos, videos and words I have written with this paper.
The reason for my departure is straightforward, my contract as a Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) Reporter is ending.
For those who do not know, the LJI is a program funded in part by the federal government to provide underserved communities with journalists across Canada for up to a year. In practice, the government covers a portion of a journalist’s wage while the company they work for provides the remainder. Funding is available to eligible Canadian media organizations to hire journalists or pay freelancers, to produce civic journalism. The articles written by LJI reporters are made available to media organizations across Canada through a Creative Commons licence, meaning it enables the free distribution of an otherwise copyrighted work. This is why you may have seen my byline in publications such as the Toronto Star, CTV and more than 80 other publications across the country.
My time in Canada’s rainiest city has been interesting. Though I am quite used to the rain being born and raised in Vancouver, the characteristics of it in Prince Rupert were a bit of a surprise. As I have come to learn, winter here is called “storm season.” So, I was initially caught off guard by the intensity and the horizontal nature of the rain.
My post here at The Northern View has been my first full-time position in the field of journalism. I’ve regularly been someone who has kept on top of current events. Journalism was something I had always thought of pursuing but never had to chance or follow up on. That is — until the pandemic. With the uncertainty it sparked in the world, I used the uncertain times to shift my focus from a decade in the culinary industry to jump into something new.
I had never been to Prince Rupert previously nor did I know a single person in town before I packed up my little blue Honda Civic and set off toward this small North Coast city.
It has been great getting to know you all. I’ve learned a lot on the job and a lot more about the Northwest. Those living in the Lower Mainland tend to be in a closed-off bubble from the rest of the province. So, I am happy to have had the opportunity to be immersed in something new and far-reaching.
My favourite moments through this job have been getting to know the people at the heart of this city through writing the weekly Heart of Our City. That and becoming a fan of Rupert Rampage. Go Rampage!
Through this interesting career path I am now walking, I have made many connections to the people and communities in this region whose stories are still unfolding. I hope to get a chance to return and tell those stories in the future.
Thanks for your hospitality, Prince Rupert.
Norman Galimski, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter. | https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/03/31/the-normans-view-to-goodbye.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:36Z |
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Results Horse Racing
Sunshine Coast
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Soft 5
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R5 Maiden Hcp
1600m
Class:
Maiden, Handicap
Class:
Maiden, Handicap
Prize:
$26,000
1st:
$14,500
2nd:
$4,400
3rd:
$2,475
Track Info:
RAIL - True Entire Course.
Friday 01 April 2022 10:00AM
Track Profile:
Sunshine Coast
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Yes | https://www.racenet.com.au/results/horse-racing/sunshine-coast-20220401/powered-by-lpe-maiden-handicap-race-5 | 2022-04-01T01:04:35Z |
With weather warming up, it's time to get those studded tires off.
Midnight Thursday marks the deadline to remove studded tires to avoid state fines.
Washington state law permits drivers to use studded tires from Nov. 1 to March 31. During the snowy, winter weather months, the tires can help drivers avoid sliding on ice.
However, studded tires can damage pavement, so the Washington State Department of Transportation requires drivers to remove them by spring to help preserve state roadways. The penalty for failing to do so is $136.
WSDOT still recommends drivers planning to travel into the mountains use approved traction tires and carry chains.
Washington and Oregon have the same deadline to remove studded tires. While other states may have different deadlines, the Washington law applies to all drivers in the state, even visitors. | https://www.union-bulletin.com/seattle_times/deadline-arrives-for-wa-drivers-to-remove-studded-tires/article_d8a6a513-0a28-5e10-b48a-58067ecda91d.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:36Z |
Man used dating apps to target single moms to get to their children, police say
(Gray News) - A man in Texas used dating apps to target single moms in order to get close to their children, officials say.
According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Epifanio Adolfo Jimenez asked women he met on dating apps to spend time with them and their children. He used the alias of “Harley” for his dating profile.
Officials did not specify which dating apps Jimenez used.
The sheriff’s office conducted an investigation for aggravated sexual assault of a child, and ultimately, Jimenez was taken into custody.
Investigators believe there may be additional victims out there. They are asking anyone who may have met with Jimenez or allowed him to have contact with their children to call the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office at 936-760-5800.
Copyright 2022 Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wkyt.com/2022/03/31/man-used-dating-apps-target-single-moms-get-their-children-police-say/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:34Z |
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LOS ANGELES, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Ultra PRO International LLC ("Ultra PRO"), a California-based manufacturer of toys, board games, and accessories, has acquired Legion Supplies, Inc. ("Legion Supplies"), an innovator in the tabletop gaming space since its debut in 2009. Steve Port, Owner of Legion Supplies, states, "What prompted the launch 12 years ago was when, as a hobby store owner, I saw my customer's desire for art-based sleeves that represented them beyond the basic fantasy art that existed. From our first 'Bacon' art sleeves, we've tried to bring fun images to quality products that help players express their individuality." Legion Supplies began with trading card game accessories and in 2017 launched MTGproshop.com, which expanded their offerings into the lifestyle category giving fans of Magic: The Gathering a broad selection of apparel and decor based items.
Founded in 1952 and currently celebrating its 70th anniversary, Ultra PRO is a leader in the gaming industry. The acquisition of Legion Supplies reinforces Ultra PRO's strong ability to continue to bring high quality products to the collectibles and trading card games marketplace.
Steve further states, "I'm excited for the expanded capabilities Legion will have working with Ultra PRO's large chain of suppliers and expertise in areas that can only make Legion products better."
Jay Kuo, Ultra PRO's President says, "Legion Supplies is well known in the trading card game community and has developed a great niche business with a loyal following. We're excited to welcome Steve Port to the Ultra PRO management team, as well as the entirety of the Legion team to the Ultra PRO family and look forward to Steve's continued development of Legion Supplies' catalog and service offerings."
Ultra PRO has a strong history of USA-based manufacturing and this acquisition further expands those capabilities as Legion Supplies offers a wide range of product types produced in their Minnesota-based facilities.
Ultra PRO looks forward to growing the business and bringing innovative gaming products to market for years to come. The new partnership will allow Ultra PRO to further expand distribution of the product assortment, create cross-selling opportunities and bring forth complementary line expansions that will be sought out by the gaming audience for years to come.
Legion Supplies, Inc products can be found at https://www.legionsupplies.com/ and https://mtgproshop.com/.
Ultra PRO products can be found at https://shop.ultrapro.com/
About Ultra PRO
Ultra PRO is the leading manufacturer and supplier of sports and gaming collectibles accessories, board games, photo and scrapbooking albums, school and office supplies, and TableTopics conversation starter card sets. The company has been designing and manufacturing top-quality products since 1952. Ultra PRO brands are recognized for their high-quality standards and design innovations. The company's products are sold through a top-tier network of distributors and customers worldwide. They can be purchased in hobby shops, independent toy and gift stores, retail chains and online stores across the globe. Ultra PRO is a privately-held, family-owned company with head offices near Los Angeles, California. For more information, please visit www.UltraPRO.com.
About Legion Supplies, Inc.
Legion Supplies, Inc was founded by Steve Port, serial entrepreneur, and co-founder of Melee.gg, an event management software company. Located in Burnsville, MN, Legion Supplies has been a leader in the tabletop gaming space since 2009. Legion is known for fun and trendy designs as well as innovative product development. Since the beginning, Legion has continued to expand offering new categories of gaming lifestyle products as well as publishing and distribution.
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SOURCE Ultra PRO International LLC | https://www.nbc12.com/prnewswire/2022/03/31/ultra-pro-acquires-legion-supplies-brand-tabletop-gaming-accessories/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:36Z |
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Arcanum Edge
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About this brand
Since the enactment of the Farm Bill in 2018, people across the country have started using cannabinoids for athletics. In a market flooded with varying products, claims and promises, it can be hard to navigate which CBD brand is right for you. That’s where we come in. Arcanum is THE CBD brand for the modern day athlete. With a product suite tailored to both rigorous and mild activity, as well as extensive research to perfect each formulation, Arcanum products deliver the effects needed to keep you moving day in and day out.
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Do you have the Arcanum Edge?
WHAT IS THE ARCANUM EDGE ?
The Arcanum Edge is a mindset. It is the unrelenting chase of self improvement. It is the drive to push yourself in everything you do. It is the persistence to chase a goal with every ounce of sweat you have. It is the grittiness to endure through obstacles, and tenacity to overcome them.
Do you have the Arcanum Edge? | https://www.leafly.com/brands/arcanum-edge | 2022-04-01T01:04:37Z |
Councilmember Curtis Jones, D-4th District, introduced a bill during Thursday's City Council session to authorize the Committee on Public Safety to hold public hearings on the use of technology to solve shootings in the neighborhoods surrounding the 57 blocks where 10 or more people have been shot in Philadelphia.
Jones' bill was put on the final passage calendar and received unanimous support from his colleagues.
"That is a roadmap to violence in Philadelphia, where crimes happen is as important as what crimes happen," Jones said. "Do we want to take a look at that and raise the technology question, what can we do, whether cameras or lighting?"
Jones' bill correlates with Councilmember Cherelle Parker's Neighborhood Safety and Community Policing Plan.
According to a statement from Parker's office, the plan is "a call for neighborhood safety through community policing in an integrated way working together with law enforcement and city agencies."
At-large Councilmember Derek Green introduced public safety legislation that will create incentives for cadet recruitment, help address the law enforcement officer shortage within the Philadelphia Police Department.
Green said that he surveyed colleagues across the nation while focusing on ways to help increase the numbers in the police department.
"So in doing that research over the past period, I learned that many cities have been using different initiatives, like signing bonuses to recruit police officers," Green said. "Recruiting police officers has been an issue all over this nation. Cities like Baltimore, Newark, Denver, Seattle, Portland, and Albuquerque have been using signing bonuses to bring police officers into their jurisdictions. In addition to doing this research, learning that the national average salary for police officers that's $60,000 here in the city of Philadelphia is less than $57,000."
Green noted that Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw said that the department is having trouble filling close to 500 positions.
Green's legislation was referred to committee. | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/bill-will-examine-use-of-technology-to-help-solve-shootings-in-philly-hotspots/article_3e2016ba-0509-5622-b32f-a3a932e296d3.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:37Z |
Bruce Willis' family announced on Wednesday that he would be stepping away from acting after developing aphasia, a condition that makes it increasingly harder to use and understand language. This news brings an apparent end to a career in film and television that roared to life in 1985 when ABC aired the first episode of Moonlighting, which starred Willis and Cybill Shepherd as David Addison and Maddie Hayes, the bantering heads of the Blue Moon Detective Agency.
The next 35-plus years took the actor on quite a ride: the Die Hard movies, 12 Monkeys, The Fifth Element, and Armageddon. The voice of a baby in Look Who's Talking. Collaborations with decorated directors, including Wes Anderson in Moonrise Kingdom; Quentin Tarantino in Pulp Fiction; and M. Night Shyamalan in The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable and Glass. Not one but two famous flops that come up now and then for proposed reconsideration: Hudson Hawk and The Bonfire of the Vanities. A return to TV comedy in an Emmy-winning guest role on Friends. Ultimately, a whole series of straight-to-video thrillers and action pictures: First Kill and Hard Kill, Extraction and Reprisal.
And this isn't even close to all of it.
If there is to be no more acting for Willis, he will leave behind a list of film and TV credits that runs from the essential to the disposable; comedy and drama and action; futuristic movies and science-fiction movies and movies with big explosions, movies about tough guys and movies about sad men who are aging and aren't sure how they want that process to go. He worked with some of his generation's most ambitious directors and offered outstanding performances in several excellent films, but still wound up mocked mercilessly, over and over, by the Razzie Awards. And his career didn't happen in a straight line; it happened in phases.
The Wise-Ass
It's hard to remember sometimes, when you see his grim face staring out from endless similar-looking posters (I recently copped to seeing a shot of him that I literally mistook for Gerald Ford) that Willis became a star because he was so lively and funny. Moonlighting got attention for inventive episodes like the black-and-white one that Orson Welles introduced, or the Shakespeare one, or the one with the dance number that Stanley Donen choreographed.
But for me, it was all about the ordinary — the extraordinary — dialogue scenes, in which Shepherd and Willis would wrap their mouths around rhymes, or talk at the same time and land in the same place, or yell at each other. The writing was playful and stylized, in touch with the fact that nobody talks like that.
Moonlighting had a reputation for being a production train wreck. Still, it put a stake in the ground for television will-they/won't-they rom-coms that people still reference, even if they sometimes get the facts wrong. But in transitioning to film, while Willis could easily have steered from this success (he won an Emmy) over into the romantic comedies that were thriving in theaters, his first big success in films was a slide over to action instead — while keeping his wisecracks sharp — in Die Hard. John McClane, the New York cop he played, didn't have David Addison's goofiness, but he did have his sarcasm and his fondness for a good comeback. All that plus swinging on the fire hose, all that plus machine guns, all that plus running across broken glass.
Die Hard wasn't his first movie, but it was Willis' bridge from TV star to movie star — which, back in the late 1980s, was still a sharp divide you generally crossed and then did not go back.
The Movie Actor
Bruce Willis' next big move, into serious movies that contended for awards, was Pulp Fiction in 1994, where he played boxer Butch Coolidge. Willis had reached for a little more prestige a few years earlier in Brian de Palma's Bonfire of the Vanities, but that hadn't panned out. Pulp Fiction did.
The film, in fact, has to be up there with the most significant movies of its time when it comes to affecting the trajectories of its stars — think of its effect on Willis, John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. Willis wasn't taking a straight line out of genre action movies by any means, given that he later did Armageddon, but he started to get around in self-consciously artsy, offbeat films like Luc Besson's The Fifth Element and Terry Gilliam's 12 Monkeys.
By this time, Willis wasn't just a movie star, he was a movie actor. He wasn't just jumping out of burning buildings, he was acting in interesting films from auteur directors like Gilliam and Besson and Tarantino.
And then he starred in The Sixth Sense.
Malcolm
Bruce Willis played psychologist Malcolm Crowe in M. Night Shyamalan's 1999 mystery-thriller The Sixth Sense. It was one of his closest encounters with playing an ordinary guy, despite that guy's very not-ordinary circumstances. The performance is quiet, haunted; it finds a gear that Willis had used only sporadically but would return to again and again after, especially as the invincible David Dunn in Shyamalan's features Unbreakable and Glass.
The Sixth Sense put together a lot of the successes Willis had already had in one single movie and expanded on them: it had recognition (six Oscar nominations), it had admiring reviews, and it was hugely popular — the second-place domestic grosses of the year behind The Phantom Menace. It made close to $300 million in the U.S., where Pulp Fiction — also a popular and well-regarded success — had made a little more than $100 million.
The Love Machine
Bruce Willis won his second Emmy for a role he introduced the year after The Sixth Sense, the same year as Unbreakable, when he appeared on Friends as Paul, the father of Ross' significantly younger girlfriend. Paul was also Rachel's latest love interest. In an episode that brought back many memories of the sillier moments on Moonlighting, Willis played Paul as a tough guy who, alone in his room and secretly wildly insecure, danced in front of a mirror singing "Love Machine" to pump himself up. He'd done a lot of action comedy by then; it was fun to see him do silly comedy.
The first decade of the 21st century didn't bring a ton of great roles for Willis, although he did Live Free or Die Hard in 2007, going back to John McClane after more than a decade away from the franchise.
He continued, for a time, to take on occasional roles that challenged him and did some interesting things with his persona. Two were in the same year, 2012. One was the Wes Anderson movie Moonrise Kingdom, in which Willis played Captain Sharp, the sweet foster parent who ultimately creates a home for the young orphan Sam. The other was Looper, a very (very) different Rian Johnson time-travel story in which he played Joe, an aging hit man on the run from a younger version of himself.
After these roles, he disappeared mostly into the straight-to-video market, with occasional exceptions like Glass in 2019 — the last thing, I think, that I saw him in. A little more than 30 years after I developed a powerful crush on him on Moonlighting, as only a teenager can.
Misery
And one more thing: I saw Bruce Willis and Laurie Metcalf in Misery on Broadway in 2015, in a production I admit I didn't like at all. Willis, whose performance struck me as oddly flat, took a lot of flack during that production for wearing an earpiece that could be a backup in case he struggled with memorization. There were people who cast him in their own minds as a lazy Hollywood star who didn't care to learn his lines. But with the announcement of his aphasia diagnosis, I'm reminded, yet again, that it's impossible to know from the outside what people might be dealing with.
Maybe he just didn't want to learn his lines; it's certainly possible. But a variety of challenges can make people's lives harder, especially as they age. New reporting in the L.A. Times suggests at least some people were well aware of how Willis' symptoms were impairing his ability to work. There are people for whom an earpiece is a shortcut; there may be others for whom it's more like a hearing aid, or contacts, or a cane, or medication. And maybe there are people for whom it's a way to be on a set beyond when they should be on a set. You don't know unless you know.
He was one of my first favorite actors, one of the most important figures in building my love of dialogue-heavy romantic comedies. He made wildly successful blockbusters and history-making flops. It's a sad end to a long story with a lot of chapters.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.wfit.org/film/2022-03-31/from-rom-com-lead-to-action-star-bruce-willis-leaves-behind-an-expansive-career | 2022-04-01T01:04:37Z |
Driver escapes after car riddled with bullets in California drive-by shooting
SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. (KOVR) – Authorities in a small California community are investigating after they say a driver was forced to pull over, then shot several times while still in the vehicle.
Neighbor Connie Ternes in the small town of Hood said the incident was shocking.
“I can’t even fathom that that would happen out here,” she said. “This is pretty quiet of an area, somewhat isolated from things like that.”
Locals Darcy and Lance Seppi live on a property nearby and heard the gunfire.
“I started hearing shots, ‘Boom, boom, boom,’” Darcy Seppi said.
Investigators with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said the driver of a Land Rover was forced off the main road by another driver who then started shooting.
The Land Rover ended up riddled with more than 20 bullet holes.
“It is stunning that the victim walked away to see another day,” Sgt. Rodney Grassmann said.
The victim crawled to the passenger side and escaped into an open field to call police, taking shots to the stomach and back.
Investigators are working to determine if the individuals knew each other.
“There could be many things,” Grassmann said. “Perhaps there was an unknown road rage incident where that driver had done something that offended the other driver. I don’t think the public has to worry about some crazed person randomly shooting at people.”
The neighbors say the shooting is unusual in the small town of around 300 people, and they are left questioning the motive.
“I can’t wrap my head around it,” Ternes said. “Who would do that? What is the reason in the middle of the night, shooting at someone so many times?”
Investigators say they do not believe the incident was gang-related.
Copyright 2022 KOVR via CNN Newsource. All rights reserved. | https://www.kotatv.com/2022/03/31/driver-escapes-after-car-riddled-with-bullets-california-drive-by-shooting/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:38Z |
FREMONT — A 14-year-old girl was walking home from high school last February, when a man allegedly called out to her. Later that day, a neighbor found a note next to a tree near her home.
“I’m the handsome Latino guy who said hi in the car,” the note read. “Here is my hook up, followed by a phone number.”
The neighbor eventually turned the note over to police, who hatched a ruse: Pose as the girl and talk to the man, and see what his intentions were.
When police identified the note’s writer as 49-year-old Ruben Ramos, of San Jose, they discovered he was labeled a “high risk” sex offender with a 2018 indecent exposure conviction. In conversations with the undercover officer who texted him, Ramos allegedly asked to meet up for various sexual acts and sent the “girl” a picture of his genitals after she told him she was 16 years old.
“I want u to kick it in the car with me for 10 min. but whenever u feel that is good (sic),” one text message allegedly said.
As their conversations progressed, Ramos discussed renting a hotel in Fremont for them, asked for naked pictures of her several times, and told the girl to cut class so they could meet up. He was arrested Feb. 24, after leaving his San Jose home and heading to Fremont for their planned rendezvous, according to Fremont police.
During a police interview, Ramos allegedly told police that a friend named “Drew” had actually hacked and/or stolen his phone and was responsible for talking to the girl. But then investigators informed him that he’d been under police surveillance during some of the conversations.
After that, Ramos allegedly said, “partially it is me, but there was somebody involved, but I’m gonna take the blame for it,” a Fremont police investigator said in court records.
Ramos was charged Feb. 28 with contacting a minor to commit a sex crime and sending harmful material to a minor, both felonies. Fremont police announced the arrest Thursday in a news release. He is in Santa Rita Jail in Dublin in lieu of $325,000 bail and his next court date has been set for Monday, records show. | https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/03/31/a-san-jose-man-allegedly-followed-a-girl-home-from-school-and-left-a-note-near-her-house-undercover-cops-took-it-from-there/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:40Z |
Review
Movies
Jared Leto is Marvel's bat-man in the vampiric 'Morbius'
Marvel Cinematic Universe's latest superhero is not, in the conventional sense, either "super" or a "hero," but he does have an unorthodox ailment and a weird skill-set to separate him from mere mortals. His name is Morbius, and while watching his origin story, you may get the feeling that somewhere in the cinematic multiverse, wires got crossed.
The film begins with a helicopter, transporting a cage to the sort of mist-shrouded isle you half expect King Kong to be inhabiting. But Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) is looking to capture smaller game as he approaches the mouth of a cave, hobbling with difficulty on two crutch-like canes.
Positioning himself behind the wires of the cage, he slices open the palm of his hand and, as a roar of batwings echoes from inside the cave, murmurs to the copter pilot "if you're gonna run, do it now."
A rare blood disease treated with a bit o' bat
It's tempting to say "consider yourself warned," but the film's first hour or so, while unremarkable, is decently crafted.
Born with a rare blood disease, Michael Morbius has spent his entire life working on two things — a cure, and origami paper-folding. Natch, it occurs to him to fold together bat and human DNA.
Because the FDA would be unlikely to approve human trials, he and his beautiful co-researcher Martine (Adria Arjona) head in a cargo ship for international waters off the coast of Long Island in the company of eight thuggish mercenaries — think bloodbags — and once Morbius has been injected with bat DNA, it's just a matter of time before things go vampiric.
Let it be said that some side-effects from dabbling in "chiropter-y" are less ghastly than others. Bat DNA evidently gives you great cheekbones and abs to go with increased strength and speed.
Less salutary effects include new fangs that sprout from his gums with decades of decay baked in, and claws that erupt from his fingers pre-filthed. I mean, sure...why not? Except this is a man whose hair has the kind of sheen that comes from brushing it three times a day.
One other thing: he now needs to drink human blood every six hours. Happily, on his way to declining a Nobel Prize, Dr. Morbius invented "artificial blood," though that only fools his system for a while.
Color coded smoke effects for a Jekyll and his Hyde
If you're expecting a conventional Marvel movie, you should be aware going in that what Director Daniel Espinoza and his writers have come up with is more a horror flick with Marvel bells and whistles.
That means Leto's Morbius gets purplish smoke effects to go with those fang-baring snarls as he's riding air currents in subway tunnels, while the similarly afflicted Hyde to his Jekyll – a schoolboy chum played as an adult by an amusingly hopped-up Matt Smith, gets blue-ish vapor trails and snappier lines.
But there isn't much tension to their story. Or logic. At one point, Morbius overhears some counterfeiters passing fake $100s, and commandeers their printing press to make what appears to be an artificial-blood machine — because the technologies for fake-bills and fake-blood match up? Maybe that works better in a comic book.
Bat guys everywhere you look
Speaking of which, when the DC Extended Universe first announced that Twilight star Robert Pattinson would play the lead in The Batman in their corner of the superhero multiverse, it seemed like a nice inside joke — from Vampire-teen to Bat-man. But now that the Marvelverse has Leto going full Dracula, it seems as if the casting maybe could've gone the other way 'round.
Leto is as persuasively haunted by the dark side of vigilantism as Pattinson was, and as a result of corporate positioning, is maybe more determined to avoid being a villain. Not unlike Venom, Morbius was a bad guy when he first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man comics, back in the 1970's. He needs to be at least an anti-hero now, if a franchise is to be built around him.
But bad guy/bat guy...who's to say? As the trailers reveal, another DC bat-guy, Michael Keaton, shows up in his non-batty baddie Marvel persona Adrian Toomes, just to mess with the heads of anyone trying to keep cinematic universes straight.
But bloodlines will have to be clarified in more robust "Morbius" episodes to come, this origin story being merely adequate, and by Marvel standards, slightly anemic. | https://www.npr.org/2022/03/31/1090032911/jared-leto-is-marvels-bat-man-in-the-vampiric-morbius | 2022-04-01T01:04:40Z |
GOLDEN BEARS BASKETBALL: The road to nationals
Their lone loss of the season came in the biggest game to date, getting upended 70-64 by the University of Victoria Vikes in the Canada West Conference final. And with the single-elimination format of the national championship, the Bears are looking to avoid falling to a similar fate this weekend if they hope to earn their fourth U Sports title
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Records might as well be tossed out the window when the top U Sports teams in the country take to the Saville Community Sports Centre this weekend for the Final Eight championship tournament.
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And it’s too bad too, considering the host University of Alberta Golden Bears earned their first undefeated record in program history, rebounding from last year’s cancelled season to go 16-0.
But they are hardly alone when it comes to impressive records, as they sit among the top four seeds at this year’s nationals who have combined for just four regular-season losses this year.
Of course, that was then, and this is now. And the third-seeded Bears head into their tournament opener Friday (6 p.m.) against the No. 6 seed McGill University Redbirds fresh off a stinging reminder that records hold no guarantees come playoff time.
Their lone loss of the season came in the biggest game to date, getting upended 70-64 by the University of Victoria Vikes in the Canada West Conference final. And with the single-elimination format of the national championship, the Bears are looking to avoid falling to a similar fate this weekend if they hope to earn their fourth U Sports title, and first since 2002.
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Then again, it might not be the worst fate having missed out on conference gold, as the No. 2 seeded Vikes face the Carleton University Ravens, the two-time defending national champions who also went undefeated in the regular season, going 14-0, only to suffer a single slip in the conference playoffs and wind up with the wildcard seed at No. 7. Still, the perennial powerhouse program has won nine of the last 10 W.P. McGee trophies.
That’s not to say McGill, who went 12-0 in league play before claiming Réseau du Sport Etudiant du Québec gold and have yet to lose in the playoffs, won’t present problems of their own for a Bears squad that is marking a program-high fifth straight appearance at nationals.
Only this time, they are doing it with a new crop of players looking to make their mark on U of A Athletics history.
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“It’s the Golden Bears basketball program, there’s been a tradition of hard work and teamwork and effort that’s been passed down from the Murray Cunninghams and Mike Melnychuks, Jordan Bakers and Brody Clarkes,” said head coach Barnaby Craddock, who was named the 2022 Canada West Coach of the Year. “Like, these guys have all just picked up on the previous generation of how we work hard in this program and I think that’s what’s led to the continued level of excellence.”
Leading the charge for the Bears is 2022 Canada West Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year Tyus Jefferson, who became the first in Canada West history to claim both awards in the same season.
“Tyus Jefferson, our point guard in senior year and (forward) Cole Knudsen in his senior year, they’re the captains, they’re the leaders,” Craddock said. “They lead by example.”
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This is, of course, the moment the Bears have been gearing up for all season long. Up to this point, the journey was always one with a focus on improvement, with the results following from that creed. So, they’re not letting themselves get hung up on the one blemish in the L column.
“We wanted to be challenged and have some close games and if we take a loss, we take a loss,” Craddock said. “We just wanted good competition to get ready for the games at the end of the year.”
After last year’s interruption, the fact they are getting to host teams from all different parts of the country vying for a full-fledged national championship has to be counted as a win in itself.
“The pandemic has given volatility in everyone’s areas of life and I think the volatility that comes with sports is a lot less than some of the health issues and so forth,” Craddock said. “So, we’re just happy to get out and play the sport that these guys love to play.
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“It’s been a fun run and we’ll see where we can take it.”
E-mail: gmoddejonge@postmedia.com
On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge
U SPORTS MEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS SEEDING:
1. Brock Badgers (OUA champions: 14-1 regular season, 3-0 playoffs)
2. Victoria Vikes (CW champions: 17-1 regular season, 3-0 playoffs)
3. Alberta Golden Bears (CW finalists / hosts: 16-0 regular season, 2-1 playoffs)
4. Dalhousie Tigers (AUS champions: 12-2 regular season, 3-0 playoffs)
5. Queen’s Gaels (OUA finalists: 9-5 regular season, 3-1 playoffs)
6. McGill Redbirds (RSEQ champions: 12-0 regular season, 2-0 playoffs)
7. Carleton Ravens (Wildcard: 14-0 regular season, 1-1 playoffs)
8. Saskatchewan Huskies (CW bronze medallists: 11-5 regular season, 3-1 playoffs) | https://edmontonsun.com/sports/basketball/golden-bears-basketball-the-road-to-nationals | 2022-04-01T01:04:40Z |
The city of Denton is expected to add due diligence processes to its policy governing economic incentives — steps recommended following the controversial pursuit of Ranchland Foods.
In a presentation last week before the Denton City Council on proposed changes to the tax abatement and Chapter 380 policies, Economic Development Program Administrator Erica Sullivan said the department would require prospective incentive recipients to submit a form authorizing staff to obtain internal records to verify application data. The form would allow for the review of business financial statements, company creation documents and credit ratings of an applicant.
Staff also would verify business addresses with outside central appraisal districts and through the use of map data if the policy is approved.
Asked by At-Large Place 5 council member Deb Armintor if the changes would incorporate vetting best practices to ensure “we don’t get scammed by somebody who seems too good to be true,” Sullivan told the council it would allow for more transparency early in the process.
“This allows us to do more, and they’re giving us more access than they have in the past,” Sullivan said. “This was done following RanchLand, so if you look at that as an example, we created this form [and] we also did verification to make sure they’re registered with the state, and we can do that with other states as well. […] We’re learning to adapt after that.”
City staff filed a report with the Denton Police Department in September citing concerns the Arizona-based meat production company RanchLand Foods was not legitimate. That was months after the Denton City Council had signed off on a $218,000 Chapter 380 agreement with the company, though those funds had not been released at the time of the report.
An investigation by the Denton Record-Chronicle raised questions about the company and its CEO and founder, Kenny Davis. Record-Chronicle staff discovered discrepancies in the company’s claimed financials and found Davis previously served time in federal prison for his part in a fraudulent multilevel marketing scheme in North Texas. The address given for RanchLand’s corporate headquarters on Denton incentive application materials did not exist, according to Arizona’s Apache County Appraisal District, and the closest real property was an empty field — not a distribution hub for the supposed multimillion-dollar company.
A former RanchLand executive said he was among several Denton area residents owed thousands by the business after it was given a public vote of confidence by city staff, who touted RanchLand’s move as a win for Denton.
Though economic development staff did do some vetting of incentive applicants such as running comps prior to the proposed changes presented last week, the policy updates would make the procedures a regular part of the review process.
“I love that this really unfortunate mistake of the past is being used as a bit of a test case because we can and should — we have an imperative to — learn from that mistake, all of us,” Armintor said during the meeting.
But Mayor Gerard Hudspeth said that, since the city did not disperse money to RanchLand, no mistakes were made. Chapter 380 agreements require companies that are a party to such contracts to meet agreed-upon benchmarks before money is released.
“We can always get better every day, but the fact of the matter is the system at hand worked, so it’s not a failure, it’s not a mistake, it’s not an error, it’s none of those things,” Hudspeth said during the meeting. “It’s an experience that we learn from, and I’ll note even the cities that quote-unquote ‘got it right’ were still pursuing them, right? Everything in place from legal to staff worked and would have prevented us from ever giving them a dime.”
RanchLand also applied for an economic development deal with the city of Decatur in March 2021. Decatur officials told the Record-Chronicle that the details on RanchLand’s application raised “a lot of questions,” including about the company’s address and financials.
That application process stalled when Davis stopped responding to questions, according to Decatur staff.
The proposed changes presented last week in Denton incorporated recommendations from the Economic Development Partnership Board and the City Council, Sullivan said. Erin Carter, interim vice president of the EDP Board, told the Record-Chronicle on Wednesday she could not answer questions about how conversations surrounding those EDP recommendations played out, since she is not employed by the city of Denton and the EDP board is a separate entity.
“We are partners in economic development, recruiting and retaining companies — we’re working always together in like a handshake motion, but we do certain things together and then we also do certain things in parallel,” said Carter, who is also president of the Denton Chamber of Commerce. “I’m not a local municipal employee, and so I would be doing a disservice, not only to residents and readers but also to myself as a professional. So I’m not going to answer a question that I will not be able to stand behind because I’m not employed by the city of Denton.”
Carter referred the Record-Chronicle to city staff.
The additional vetting processes are aimed at aligning the Chapter 380 Policy with the city’s revised strategic plan and were also incorporated in response to front-end vulnerabilities highlighted by the RanchLand agreement, Deputy City Manager David Gaines said.
“We may have ended up in the same spot regardless just by looking at our policies and trying to think of improvements, but when something happens, we’re always going to use that as a learning opportunity,” Gaines said. “We made that commitment to council and to the public that we would look at what changes we could make to ensure we can do everything we can on the front end to do that due diligence, so we feel like these steps help us.”
Also included in the proposed changes is a new evaluation matrix that economic development staff would use to help assess whether a candidate would be a good fit for the city, Sullivan said. It would weigh priority considerations like increasing high-wage jobs, strategic growth areas and public benefit factors like community investment when considering applicants.
Staff will bring the policies back before the EDP Board on April 13 and will bring final changes to the Denton City Council the first week of May for approval. | https://dentonrc.com/news/denton-exploring-extra-oversights-in-wake-of-ranchland-foods/article_54ad1337-298e-5b07-857b-846876dfd8b5.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:40Z |
Second COVID-19 vaccine booster doses are now available for people 50 and over. The Oregon Health Authority has distributed doses to vaccine providers around the state. Lane County opened booster clinics Thursday.
The second booster is recommended for adults over 50 and certain immunocompromised people. According to the OHA, individuals in these groups who received their first booster at least four months ago can now add another layer of protection with a second mRNA booster shot.
Lane County’s public health officer signed standing orders allowing second booster doses to be offered immediately. Booster clinics are open at Autzen Stadium from noon to 7pm, Thursday through Sunday—and at pharmacies and primary care providers.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said second boosters have been shown to increase immune response and prevent severe disease among those infected with the virus. There have been no safety concerns linked with the second booster. | https://www.klcc.org/health-medicine/2022-03-31/second-covid-19-vaccine-booster-now-available-to-50-population | 2022-04-01T01:04:40Z |
British rock group Pure Reason Revolution announce their fifth studio album Above Cirrus to be released May 6th via InsideOutMusic. Along with the announcement comes a new single “Phantoms” plus its video. “Phantoms” paves the way for the Above Cirrus, a follow-up to 2020’s Eupnea, the band’s first cohesive album since reuniting in 2019.
Jon Courtney, Chloe Alper and Greg Jong, who officially returned full time since the Cautionary Tales For The Brave EP, bring a new sense of identity to their style as they adapt to the ever-changing world around them. The song is pop yet futuristically enticing thanks to visuals created by Thomas Hicks. “Faith, take in the wrath. Make it a backward crooked feel. Embrace, make it the last Make it a rough dirty mystery.” Lyrics poetic in nature attest to the pen-to-paper genius-ness. There’s an illuminating presence to not only the visuals but the lyrics too. Marching band drums usher in the complex track. Voices in unison hum a soothing cadence as the drums continue.
Jon Courtney comments: “This song came together very quickly & is probably the most electronic track on the record; using pulses from my JUNO 2 into doom riffs, while also displaying our signature vocals. Looking forward to seeing PRR fans rock & simultaneously awkwardly dance to this! We’ll be doing the same from the stage.”
Greg Jong adds on the tour: “We’re getting very excited about the tour, there is fabulous music we’ve made that’s practically begging to be played live — I mean, we’ve completed two full-length records in the last couple of years, yet it’s amazing to me that we haven’t played a single gig in all that time! It’s going to be really cool to bring these songs to an actual in-person audience, I know everyone is going to enjoy the shows so much.” | https://music.mxdwn.com/2022/03/31/news/pure-reason-revolution-announce-new-album-above-cirrus-for-may-2022-release-debut-new-song-and-video-phantoms/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:40Z |
An added sunset ceremony performance brings new light to the 159th Victoria Highland Games and Celtic Festival as it returns to its roots at Topaz Park.
The festival kicks off May 14, when the Tartan Parade leaves Centennial Square at 11 a.m. and makes its way to the Legislature grounds for a short ceremony.
The bulk of the excitement fills Topaz Park May 21 and 22 including the sunset ceremony.
Saturday night the Strathcona Mounted Troop performs, then returns to close the Games late Sunday afternoon, while the Naden Band and Scottish regiment pipe bands provide musical performances.
The Strathcona Mounted Troop are soldiers of Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians) based in Edmonton. Members volunteer for one or two years to serve similar to their peers would have in the 1920s – on horseback. Their daily schedule concentrates on the care of their mounts and equipment, and in cavalry drills and training. The members also remain ready for active military duty and participate in trade specific training.
READ ALSO: B.C. Chinese community raises over $50,000 for museum destroyed in Lytton fire
The team is also expected to participate in the Victoria Day Parade May 23.
The Victoria Highland Games and Celtic Festival returns to Topaz Park following two years of smaller events at Craigflower Manor, explained Jim Maxwell, president of the Victoria Highland Games Association.
“Prior to the pandemic, the Victoria Highland Games was a premier destination in North America for people looking for the best festivals of Scottish and Celtic music, dance, sport and heritage,” he said. More than 25,000 people are expected to participate in the festival activities.
READ ALSO: Vancouver Island man inspired by parenthood builds boat to share his passion
Due to construction at Topaz Park, some venue layout changes are expected, but activities remain the same. The event is a family-focused weekend of Scottish and Celtic arts and culture, including pipe band competitions, Scottish Highland and Irish dancing competitions, heavy events such as caber toss and hammer throw, haggis hurling, tug of war, Scottish country dancing, fiddling performances, folk music and genealogy booths and displays, historic military demonstrations and displays, Scottish/Celtic food and merchandise vendors. As a bonus, 17th and 18th century re-enactors add to the cultural experience.
For adults 19 and over there is a single malt whisky school and a wine tasting school. For the younger set there is a free children’s entertainment area.
Visit victoriahighlandgames.com for ticket prices and availability as well as the full schedule expected later this month.
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Do you have a story tip? Email: vnc.editorial@blackpress.ca.
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook. | https://www.vicnews.com/community/highland-games-calls-in-the-calvalry-for-spring-return-to-victoria-park/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:40Z |
TOKYO (BLOOMBERG) - The wait to see the doctor at Japan's popular fertility clinic Saint Mother Hospital just got longer.
Starting Friday (April 1), public health insurance will reimburse 70 per cent of the costs of advanced fertility treatments as part of the government's attempt to halt a decline in one of the world's fastest-aging populations.
Dr Atsushi Tanaka, doctor and director of Saint Mother in Kita Kyushu, southern Japan, expects more patients at his clinic, already packed with couples seeking treatments such as in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) which previously cost over 500,000 yen (S$5,561) per cycle - more than the average household's monthly income.
"I think we'll see a huge number of patients," he said, adding that nationwide IVF attempts may even double.
Yet Dr Tanaka and other specialists say this won't be enough to reverse Japan's demographic decline, with patients still facing considerable costs, and insurance coverage excluding procedures such as genetic screening and the use of donor eggs.
With the number of women of child-bearing age dropping off in the coming years, they said, the government needs to do more.
Japan's experience will serve as a test case for advanced economies facing declining birth rates.
While free, or mostly free, IVF treatments are already available in a handful of countries including Denmark and France, Japan is the biggest economy to subsidise most costs for such treatments.
It already has one of the world's biggest number of women trying IVF. One in 14, or about 7 per cent of babies, were conceived through IVF in 2019, compared with 2 per cent in the US.
Yet its birthrate still hovers around 1.3, far below the 2.1 rate the OECD says is needed to sustain a stable population.
The move is the latest attempt to encourage younger people to have babies. Over the past decade, it has expanded financial subsidies for daycare and monthly allowances to families with children.
Japan's childcare leave policies are already among the most generous in the world, although few fathers take full advantage of what's offered, due to social and work pressure.
The government had already offered some financial assistance to lower-income couples seeking fertility treatment, but the latest change aims to provide access for a broader population seeking IVF, including methods such as injecting sperm into the uterus during ovulation and the use of frozen embryos.
Cost concerns
Policymakers hope the insurance coverage will encourage couples, who are grappling with years of low wages amid a weak economy, to try treatment sooner.
"It's good that it will lower the bar for people in their early 30's who need IVF treatment but were waiting for their bonus payments," said Mr Yuko Imamura at Health and Global Policy Institute, a Tokyo-based independent think-tank focusing on health policy.
Yet for Ms Yuki Yano and her husband, who have been trying to conceive for a few years, treatments such as IVF are still too expensive. Even with insurance coverage, they may need to pay around 150,000 yen per cycle.
"The two of us are barely making ends meet as it is, and we don't have the money to pay hundreds of thousands of yen for IVF," said the 31-year-old.
For now, she is sticking to Clomid, a drug which helps stimulate ovulation. Since suffering an ectopic pregnancy that required the removal of one fallopian tube, she has found treatment stressful, particularly when her husband - a long-distance truck driver - is away during peak fertility days.
"It's hard, to be honest. And I just get older in the meantime."
To pay for the new coverage, the government has set aside 17.4 billion yen in the budget for the fiscal year that began on Friday. Analysts say it's hard to say whether the spending will pay off.
South Korea's birthrate continues to decline despite expanded public insurance coverage of fertility treatments, although some studies on countries such as Denmark are more encouraging.
Investors have tempered their expectations. The 2020 announcement of the plan by then-Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga triggered a spike in shares of Aska Pharmaceutical Holdings, which produces estrogen shots, and Fuji Pharma Co, another producer of hormone treatment. But both have since retreated, underperforming the benchmark Topix index.
Some say there's room to do more. Saint Mother's Dr Tanaka said the government should consider helping to pay for egg freezing, a costly treatment not covered by public insurance.
Companies like Google have offered female employees the chance to freeze their eggs, giving them greater freedom to pursue careers and family planning.
"The government is telling women to work. But they're also telling women to have children sooner, and isn't that contradictory? This is a solution," he said.
He also supports insurance coverage of methods such as time-lapse monitoring or pre-implantation genetic testing, technologies credited for higher success rates.
But many women say it's not just about medical treatment. A recent study by Sumitomo Life Insurance Co found that a majority of Japanese women thought it was impossible to pursue both fertility treatment and work.
Ms Megumi Takai, 33, plans to leave her full-time office job soon, and work part time to focus more on fertility treatment. She said many women were unable to use time off for doctor appointments, feeling it was too sensitive a subject to bring up at work.
"I wish society were more supportive about this, and that everyone could take time off when needed," she said. | https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/japan-needs-more-babies-so-its-helping-to-pay-for-costly-ivf | 2022-04-01T01:04:40Z |
Free parking for NHS staff working in hospitals in England will end on Friday, the Health Secretary has said.
Parking fees were waived during the Covid-19 pandemic, but Sajid Javid said that the benefit would end on Friday.
In an update on Covid-19, Mr Javid wrote: “Free parking in hospital car parks for NHS staff introduced during the pandemic will also come to an end on 31 March.
“However, over 93% of NHS trusts that charge for car parking have implemented free parking for those in greatest need, including NHS staff working overnight.”
He added: “On behalf of the Government, I would like to record my thanks to everyone who has worked tirelessly to keep people safe over the last two years and whose efforts have enabled us to move to the next stage of the Covid-19 response.”
Source Link Free parking for hospital staff to end on Friday – Javid | https://neptunepine.com/free-parking-for-hospital-staff-to-end-on-friday-javid/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:40Z |
Bruce Willis is being showered with love and support after being diagnosed with aphasia. Some of the 67-year-old actor's closest colleagues and friends -- from Haley Joel Osment, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sylvester Stallone to John Travolta, Lucy Liu and Maria Shriver -- posted touching tributes and throwback photos wishing him the best following his long and successful career in Hollywood.
Osment, the former child star who appeared opposite Willis in the 1999 thriller The Sixth Sense, said he struggled to find the right words for someone he's looked up to for so long, before paying homage to the actor on Instagram.
"He's a true legend who has enriched all of our lives with a singular career that spans nearly half a century," Osment wrote in part. "I am so grateful for what I got to witness firsthand, and for the enormous body of work he built for us to enjoy for years and years to come. I just wanted to express the respect and deep admiration I have for Bruce and his family as they move forward with the courage and high spirits that have always defined them."
M. Night Shyamalan, who directed The Sixth Sense, took to Twitter to send Willis "all my love and respect." He added, "I know his wonderful family is surrounding him with support and strength. He will always be that hero on that poster on my wall as [a] kid."
Hopkins on Instagram wrote, "Working with you was a special time in my life. My love and prayers are with you and your family."
Travolta shared, "Bruce and I became good friends when we shared 2 of our biggest hits together, Pulp Fiction and Look Who’s Talking. Years later he said to me, 'John, I just want you to know that when something good happens to you I feel like it’s happening to me.' That’s how generous a soul he is. I love you Bruce."
Sarah Paulson, who starred alongside Willis in Glass, commented on Rumer Willis' Instagram post, saying, "He was such an incredible acting partner to me, and is the loveliest, most gentle and hilarious man. He reigns supreme in my book."
Willis' wife, Emma, ex-wife, Demi Moore, and daughters, Rumer, Scout, Tallulah, Mabel and Evelyn, shared a joint statement on his recent diagnosis with aphasia.
"As a family we wanted to share that our beloved Bruce has been experiencing some health issues and has recently been diagnosed with aphasia, which is impacting his cognitive abilities," the statement read. "As a result of this and with much consideration Bruce is stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him."
The family added, "This is a really challenging time for our family and we are so appreciative of your continued love, compassion and support. We are moving through this as a strong family unit, and wanted to bring his fans in because we know how much he means to you, as you do to him."
RELATED CONTENT: | https://www.wfaa.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/bruce-willis-leaves-acting-amid-health-battle-haley-joel-osment-anthony-hopkins-and-more-show-support/603-1e1b82de-97fc-47b0-8ac6-288546979e54 | 2022-04-01T01:04:40Z |
The parents of a 3-year-old boy who died last year after a contracting a rare brain-eating amoeba at a splash pad in Arlington, Texas, have reached a $250,000 settlement with the city.
Bakari Williams died last September after spending five days in the hospital with primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, a rare and often fatal infection caused by an amoeba called Naegleria fowleri, according to previous reporting from CNN and affiliate KTVT.
Williams contracted the infection from a splash pad that officials later determined was improperly tested and maintained.
At a news conference, attorneys for Williams' parents said the child's death was preventable.
Family attorney Brian Hargrove said the $250,000 is the maximum economic recovery allowed against a city under the Texas Tort Claims Act, according to KTVT.
Arlington, in a statement, said the settlement will include a "significant investment in the installation of health and safety equipment and other improvements for our public pools and splash pads."
The city will distribute a new policy manual, the Bakari Williams Protocol, that will guide staff on water treatment, according to Hargrove and the city. "We plan to share this information with other agencies in the aquatics industry so they can learn from our hard lessons," the city said.
New technology will automatically shut off any splash pads where water readings are not in the acceptable ranges and the addition of QR codes will allow visitors to see real-time information about water quality, the statement, obtained by KTVT, said.
"We want you to know that Bakari was a sweet, beautiful and innocent child who did not deserve to die in the manner that he did. For us, this case has been about public awareness," Williams' mother, Kayla Mitchell, said at the news conference, according to the affiliate.
"We want to make certain that nothing like this ever happens again. We want to make certain that what happened to our son, what happened to our family, does not happen to anybody else," said Mitchell.
Naegleria fowleri is commonly found in soil and in fresh warm water such as lakes, rivers and hot springs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It can also be found in poorly maintained or unchlorinated pools.
The organism infects people when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose, according to the CDC. The Naegleria fowleri amoeba then travels up the nose to the brain, where it destroys the brain tissue, the CDC says.
Investigation into the source of infection
City and Tarrant County officials were notified by the hospital September 5 of the child's condition, according to a joint news release issued that month. The county health department started an investigation and determined two possible sources for the exposure to the amoeba -- the family's home in Tarrant County and the Don Misenhimer Park splash pad in Arlington.
The city immediately closed that splash pad, the news release says, and out of an abundance of caution closed the other three public splash pads for the remainder of the year.
On September 24, the CDC, according to the news release, determined the child was likely exposed to the organism at the splash pad after tests confirmed the presence of active Naegleria fowleri amoeba in water samples from the park.
"It breaks my heart. I'm a father of four, a grandfather of five kids from 2 to 7 years old. I cannot imagine having to bury a child or a grandchild like that," Arlington Mayor Jim Ross told KTVT at the time
Low chlorine levels likely a factor
The city of Arlington conducted an investigation into the splash pad's maintenance, equipment and water testing procedures. Officials determined the water quality testing data needed improvement.
"We have identified gaps in our daily inspection program," Deputy City Manager Lemuel Randolph said in the 2021 news release. "Those gaps resulted in us not meeting our maintenance standards at our splash pads. All of the splash pads will remain closed until we have assurance that our systems are operating as they should, and we have confirmed a maintenance protocol consistent with city, county and state standards."
Records from two of the splash pads, including the one at Don Misenhimer Park, showed employees did not consistently record, or in some cases did not conduct, water quality testing that is required before the facilities open each day, according to the news release. The testing includes checking for chlorine, which is used as a disinfectant.
A review of the logs determined that water chlorination readings were not documented two of the three days that the child visited the park in late August and early September, the news release said.
"Documents show that chlorination levels two days before the child's last visit were within acceptable ranges," reads the release. "However, the next documented reading, which occurred the day after the child visited, shows that the chlorination level had fallen below the minimum requirement and that additional chlorine was added to the water system."
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.news-daily.com/news/parents-reach-250-000-settlement-with-texas-city-after-son-3-dies-after-contracting-brain/article_3e424872-36cc-57d4-bb55-2b7444e53833.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:40Z |
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Holy Week services scheduled at Congregational Church
MATTAPOISETT — Mattapoisett Congregational Church, 27 Church St., will observe Holy Week April 10-17 with a series of events. At 10 a.m. April 10, Palm Sunday...
sippican.theweektoday.comMATTAPOISETT — Mattapoisett Congregational Church, 27 Church St., will observe Holy Week April 10-17 with a series of events. At 10 a.m. April 10, Palm Sunday...
sippican.theweektoday.com | https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556627946423/holy-week-services-scheduled-at-congregational-church | 2022-04-01T01:04:41Z |
Town Square is intended to be the “centrepiece” of Downtown Revitalization.
The biggest Council investment in decades, the building project, which will see a significant addition to the historic Church Street School, to the Aurora Public Library and an outdoor gathering space in between, was a hot button issue at the Mayor’s annual address to the Aurora Chamber of Commerce last week.
“We will continue to look at smart investments that better the quality of life for all residents and businesses for years to come,” said Mayor Tom Mrakas in his speech to the local business community before sitting down with Chamber President & CEO Sandra Ferri for a Question & Answer session.
“One of those investments, one I speak about very often, the largest the Town has ever undertaken and is currently underway: Aurora Town Square. The Town Square is coming to life: a gathering spot, a hub of activity. With great restaurants, arts and culture, our downtown will be a place where you can meet friends, study, work, go to a concert, take in a festival, enjoy a meal, shop, or just connect. We are building a community, building an experience, and building a great place where people can choose to live, work, visit, and where businesses want to call home.
“We needed to act first. The investment in our community will spur revitalization and grow an enticing private sector to invest. We invested in our own community, creating a centrepiece and people are noticing.”
For business leaders who submitted questions prior to the event, the cost and timing of Town Square was a key priority – specifically zeroing in on whether the project will be delivered on time and on budget.
“We’re a little bit behind schedule,” said Mayor Mrakas. “We just had our last meeting and from a timing perspective we’re a little behind. Budget-wise, I can confidently say we’re still on track with our budget. Staff, our CAO, everyone – and Councillor Kim and Councillor Thompson sit on the [Financial Monitoring] Task Force – and we have been pushing everyone very hard to make sure we stay on track, stay on budget, but we all know there are pressures right now.
“The material cost is skyrocketing, there are shortages in labour, and we’re all saying that it was very good that this Council made the decision when we did to approve the project as we were able to lock in pricing. What we’re seeing right across the Province, especially major projects that had a Class A estimate, not only have gone out to tender but [when] they come back they have seen a rise in that price, anywhere from $5 million to $20 million depending on the size of the project.
“I commend this Council for the job they did. It was a difficult decision to make because we were right in the midst of a pandemic; there was some uncertainty, but we made that decision because it was the right thing to do. We’re now able to look back at it and say it was the right time.”
Infrastructure was another issue raised by Chamber members and delivered by Ms. Ferri.
One related to the development of Town Square is when northbound drivers on Yonge Street can expect the lane in front of the Aurora Public Library to re-open – “the next couple of weeks” – and the “reasoning” behind building a trail boardwalk on the southwest corner of Yonge Street and St. John’s Sideroad when a sidewalk stands just 20 feet beside it.
“If you read through our Trails Master Plan, the area was identified to have a trail,” Mayor Mrakas responded, noting the boardwalk will be subject to an official ribbon cutting this May. “We decided to go with an off-road trail…sidewalk is essentially not a trail. Anyone who wants to walk through a trail, you don’t want to use a sidewalk. This is an extension of the Willow Farm Trail….so that was actually approved by Council. It was a unanimous decision, we felt it was the best way to go forward with it, and when we look to the future, we look to how it is going to have [connectivity] to the northern new trails that are going to be on the north side of St. John’s as well. It’s much needed and when you look to the future you will see why it is much needed.”
The eight-minute conversation also had time to touch upon the Mayor’s recent motion calling on the Province to abolish the Ontario Land Tribunal. Ms. Ferri said the idea was greeted with “both support and apprehension” and asked if the Mayor had a “Plan B” if the Province decides to forge ahead with the Tribunal.
“I don’t know that this is the best topic with a bunch of developers in a room,” he joked, speaking to the audience gathered at the Royal Venetian Mansion on Industrial Parkway South. The Plan B, he said, would be to limit appeals to “errors of process” while still allowing municipalities to uphold their official plans.
“Once we have those guidelines and rules in place, let’s follow them,” he said of the Official Plan. “If you’re looking for something more than that, provide a benefit to the community and the community would more than welcome that benefit and will allow for an exception. Without that benefit to the community, it should be up to us elected officials who know [the Town] to uphold our Official Plan.” | https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/03/31/town-square-infrastructure-and-planning-on-the-table-in-chamber-qa.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:42Z |
New York AG, Trump family agree to postpone depositions
New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) has reached a deal with the lawyers of former President Trump and his two eldest children to postpone depositions until a decision is made regarding their appeal over testifying.
An attorney for James’s office wrote in a letter dated Thursday that both parties had agreed to an expedited briefing schedule set to finish by March 31.
“In the interest of efficiency for both the parties and the court, and to allow time for the First Department [appeals court] to hear the appeal, we have therefore agreed to the attached Stipulation and Proposed Order to extend the time for the Trump Respondents to appear for testimony until two weeks after a decision by the First Department,” Kevin Wallace, an attorney for James’s office, wrote.
“This extension would avoid the need for separate briefing over an application by the Trump Respondents for an interim stay during the pendency of the appeal,” he added. “Given the expedited merits briefing we believe a stipulated extension of the testimony date will promote judicial economy without causing undue delay.”
As a part of James’s investigation into the business practices of the Trump Organization, James’s office confirmed to The Hill in early January that they had subpoenaed Trump and his two eldest children, Donald Trump Jr. and Ivanka Trump.
A judge ruled in mid-February that all three had to comply with the subpoenas, finding their arguments that the constitutional rights were being deprived unconvincing.
The former president and his children believe that a state grand jury investigating the Trump Organization should hear their testimony if James wants it, CNN reported.
Under this new agreement, if the Trump family’s appeal loses, they will have until two weeks after the ruling issued for them to sit for depositions.
An attorney representing Trump’s eldest children declined to comment about the matter. The Hill has reached out to James’s office and the lawyers for Trump for comment.
The Hill has removed its comment section, as there are many other forums for readers to participate in the conversation. We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. | https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/596906-trumps-ny-ag-agree-to-postpone-depositions/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:40Z |
WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – For some people, overdraft fees are a frustrating inconvenience. For others, they pose crippling costs. Some lawmakers now want to change how they’re charged altogether.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney introduced legislation called the “Overdraft Protection Act.” The bill includes provisions to cap the amount and number of fees a bank can charge.
“My bill tries to cut down on these unfair and deceptive practices,” the New York Democrat said.
Advocates like Elyse Crawford-Hicks with Americans for Financial Reform say overdraft fees hit low-income families and people of color the hardest.
“Overdraft fees are paid the most by people who can least afford them,” Crawford-Hicks said.
Others say over-drafting is a useful service because it can function like a short-term loan. Paul Kundert is the CEO of UW Credit Union, which recently reduced their overdraft fees and put more limits on how they charge them.
“When prices are fair, we believe consumers do benefit from access to the credit provided by overdraft fees,” Kundert said.
Recently, major banks like Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Bank of America have made changes themselves, by reducing their overdraft fees or eliminating them altogether.
Rep. Roger Williams, R-Texas, says that demonstrates the legislation is unnecessary.
“The market is naturally, naturally taking care of the issue without government intervention. And we do not need more rules from Washington,” Williams said.
Because banks make billions of dollars in revenue from overdraft fees, George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law Todd Zywicki argues the proposed changes would cost consumers.
“We’ll see higher bank fees, we’ll see higher minimum monthly deposits as basically insurance against over-drafting and we will see a loss of access to free checking,” Zywicki said.
Lawmakers like Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., are promising to continue pushing for the reforms.
“How can we perform such an abusive and predatory practice that punishes people simply for being poor?” Pressley said. | https://www.wtrf.com/news/washington-dc/bill-seeks-to-put-cap-on-overdraft-fees/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:40Z |
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Yes | https://www.racenet.com.au/results/horse-racing/sunshine-coast-20220401/powered-by-lpe-qtis-three-year-old-class-3-handicap-race-1 | 2022-04-01T01:04:42Z |
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — An 84-year-old defrocked priest was sentenced to five years of probation for lying to the FBI about whether he knew a former altar boy and his family.
Robert Brennan, of Perryville, Maryland, was ordered to spend the first two years on house arrest. Under a plea agreement, he admitted he lied to the FBI when agents visited his home in 2019 as part of a broader federal probe of priest abuse in Pennsylvania.
Brennan had been named in more than 20 abuse complaints during his long church career, and Philadelphia prosecutors charged him in 2013 with raping former altar boy Sean McIlmail in 1998. However, those charges were dropped when the 26-year-old McIlmail died of a drug overdose before trial.
His family instead filed a civil lawsuit against the Archdiocese after his death, and settled for an undisclosed amount.
When federal investigators examined the issue, and visited Brennan, he said he did not know McIlmail despite pictures of them together.
The McIlmails, who attended Thursday's sentencing, said they were disappointed but not surprised given the plea agreement that Brennan reached with prosecutors last year.
“I'm disappointed because it just continues to show how the church and the courts .... are not in favor of the victim,” said Debbie McIlmail of Willow Grove, Sean's mother, who hoped Brennan would get at least some jail time.
Still, she said, “it was the first time we had an opportunity to face him and read an impact statement."
A public defender representing Brennan did not immediately return messages seeking comment Thursday.
In Pennsylvania alone, at least four prosecutors have conducted sweeping investigations into child sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic church, only to find most complaints too old to lead to charges.
The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are the victims of sexual assault without their permission, which Debbie McIlmail granted on her son's behalf.
___
Follow Maryclaire Dale on Twitter at https://twitter.com/Maryclairedale | https://www.union-bulletin.com/seattle_times/defrocked-priest-84-gets-house-arrest-for-lying-to-fbi/article_83f19ff8-9eb0-58ba-871e-bd24a5fb4489.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:42Z |
Police: 13-year-old runaway girl dies at hospital after found unresponsive at motel
D’IBERVILLE, Miss. (WALA/Gray News) - A 13-year-old girl has died in a Mississippi-area hospital after being reported as a runaway from Alabama earlier this month.
WALA reports the Mobile Police Department first reported Keyanna Sylvester as a runaway on March 21. She was then found unresponsive in a motel room in D’Iberville, Mississippi, on March 24, according to D’Iberville Police Capt. Jason King.
Sylvester was taken to the hospital but later died, according to police.
The 13-year-old spent time in Ocean Springs and Moss Point, Mississippi, according to reports.
King said it was too early in the investigation to decide whether foul play was involved in the girl’s death.
“We’re making sure we’re careful about not saying whether it’s criminal or not criminal,” he said.
King also said police are waiting for a report by the medical examiner.
“This hurts me real bad because Keyanna was my baby,” said neighbor Alexie Thames. “You all need to help find whoever did this to my baby. "
Anyone with further information on this case was urged to contact the D’Iberville Police Department at 228-396-4252.
Copyright 2022 WALA via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.wkyt.com/2022/03/31/police-13-year-old-runaway-girl-dies-hospital-after-found-unresponsive-motel/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:42Z |
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The Mayor’s Commission on African and Caribbean Immigrant Affairs, elected officials, community leaders and members of the African Diaspora in Philadelphia to came together Thursday to launch the Philadelphia-Liberia Bicentennial Celebration, which will go from April to November of this year.
Among those attending the news conference were: Jannie Blackwell, Chair, Mayor’s Commission on Immigrant Affairs; Pennsylvania state Sen. Sharif Street, Pennsylvania state Rep. Regina Young; City Councilmember Jamie Gauthier; Stanley L. Straughter, Chairman of the African and Caribbean Business Council of Greater Philadelphia; the Rev. Dr. Moses Suah-Dennis, President of the Liberian Ministerial Alliance in North America; and Voffee Jabateh, founder and CEO, African Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA).
The Philadelphia-Liberia Bicentennial Committee also honored 11 Liberian women for their contributions to the African Diaspora community and their homeland.
The greater Philadelphia region has the largest Liberian population of any U.S. metro area, according to a November 2008 report from the Brookings Institute. | https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/city-kicks-off-its-liberia-bicentennial-celebration/article_a47d299a-7cdb-5186-96b6-6a761914853f.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:44Z |
Gov. Ron DeSantis expects lawmakers will make changes in Florida's troubled property-insurance system sometime this year, at the latest after the November elections.
DeSantis did not include property insurance issues as part of a special session that he called Tuesday on congressional redistricting, leaving a decision on insurance to legislative leaders. But he said more legislative action is needed after lawmakers passed a property insurance bill in 2021.
The House and Senate could not reach agreement on an insurance plan during this year’s regular session, which ended March 14. Property insurers have sought major rate increases and shed customers to reduce financial risks, with two insurers recently placed into state receivership.
“There is going to be a need to do more legislative reforms. and we were very clear about that during the (2022) session,” DeSantis said during a state Cabinet meeting Tuesday. “You know, we may have another bite of the apple very, very shortly. But we need to just understand that there is going to be a need for the Legislature to do more.”
DeSantis told reporters after the meeting that any changes “will not wait until the actual session in 2023. It will be done this year.”
Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier told DeSantis and Cabinet members his office is taking steps to help address roof-damage claims, which insurers say play a major role in the financial problems. Also, he said the market is approaching a “critical couple of months,” as insurers purchase reinsurance — backup coverage that plays an important role in such things as hurricane claims.
“Reinsurance companies don't mind paying claims. They do mind paying claims that are three times as much as they thought that they were going to be,” Altmaier said. “That makes Florida not an attractive place for them to deploy their capital. And that's a bad outcome for consumers as well.”
In 2021, lawmakers approved changes that included a new formula to limit fees of attorneys who represent homeowners in lawsuits against insurers and a reduction from three years to two years in the time to file claims. They also passed a proposal aimed at preventing roofing contractors from advertising to spur homeowners to file insurance claims, though a federal court has blocked that part of the law on free-speech grounds.
The law also allowed larger rate increases for customers of the state-backed Citizens Property Insurance Corp., which is often able to charge less than private carriers.
Last week, Citizens President and CEO Barry Gilway projected his company could have more than 1 million policies by the end of this year, as it adds roughly 5,500 policies a week. As of last week, Citizens had 801,341 policies, up from 570,000 a year ago.
In this year’s session, the Senate wanted to take a more aggressive approach than the House in trying to bolster private insurers.
For example, the Senate proposed allowing new deductibles of up to 2 percent on roof-damage claims --- an outgrowth of complaints by insurers that questionable, if not fraudulent, roof claims are driving up costs. As an example, under the Senate proposal, a homeowner with $300,000 in overall coverage could have faced a $6,000 deductible to replace a damaged roof.
But the House rejected the idea, which would have led to increased out-of-pocket costs for homeowners who need to replace damaged roofs.
DeSantis said Tuesday he supported the Senate efforts.
"Now, what the Senate was working on, we were very supportive of that. But basically, that ran into a brick wall in the House,” DeSantis said. “And so, if the House is willing to entertain it, then they should absolutely do it.”
DeSantis added he’s optimistic about insurance changes after talks with incoming Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, and incoming House Speaker Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast. Both will move into the leadership posts after the November elections.
“I am pretty confident, through my conversations with both Senator Passidomo and Speaker-designate Renner, that this will absolutely become a reality,” he said.
Current Senate President Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, told reporters on March 11 the Senate had a “pretty good bill” on property insurance and that there’s a chance lawmakers would be called back to Tallahassee as “we have many companies going out of business.” But those comments followed Simpson saying the property insurance changes made during the 2021 session need time to take hold.
House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, made similar comments when asked about the insurance situation after the regular legislative session ended March 14.
“What I would also ask people to remember is that we just passed an incredibly significant reform last session,” Sprowls told reporters. “It did things like amend the attorney fee statute for the first time, I think, in 100 years.”
The special session on redistricting will be held from April 19 to April 22.
Copyright 2022 WLRN 91.3 FM. To see more, visit WLRN 91.3 FM. | https://www.wfit.org/florida/2022-03-31/desantis-expects-legislators-to-make-changes-in-property-insurance-system-this-year | 2022-04-01T01:04:44Z |
Jeff Turkanis Named Chief Investment Officer
Taryn Fielder Named General Counsel
JERSEY CITY, N.J., March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Veris Residential, Inc. (NYSE: VRE), a forward-thinking, environmentally- and socially-conscious REIT that primarily owns, operates, acquires, and develops Class A multifamily properties, today announced two executive appointments designed to further support the company's transition into a pure-play multifamily REIT and drive long-term shareholder value.
Jeff Turkanis, former Head of U.S. Residential at Oxford Properties Group, has been appointed Chief Investment Officer, succeeding Ricardo Cardoso, effective April 4, and Taryn Fielder, former General Counsel at WashREIT, has been appointed General Counsel, succeeding Gary Wagner, effective April 18. Messrs. Cardoso and Wagner will be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities following a transition period.
Mahbod Nia, Chief Executive Officer of Veris Residential, said, "We are pleased to welcome Jeff and Taryn to Veris Residential as we continue to strengthen our team with top professionals who have significant experience working across private and publicly traded residential real estate. Jeff's intricate knowledge of the residential sector and impressive track record of sourcing and executing strategic investments, coupled with Taryn's breadth of experience that includes providing strategic advice for a variety of complex real estate transactions, will be invaluable as we continue our transition to a pure-play multifamily REIT.
"Importantly, I would like to thank Ricardo and Gary for their decades of dedicated service to Veris Residential and wish them all the best as they explore the next chapter of their careers."
Mr. Turkanis' extensive real estate investment experience includes over $15 billion in transactions concluded primarily across the office and residential sectors. He has been focused specifically on the residential sector (predominantly multifamily) for the past 8 years, closing over $4 billion in transactions during this time. As Chief Investment Officer, he will be responsible for overseeing the sale of non-strategic assets, identifying potential value enhancement opportunities within Veris Residential's existing portfolio, and sourcing potential new investment opportunities. Prior to his more than decade-long tenure at Oxford Properties Group, Mr. Turkanis held roles at Putnam Investments and Fortress Investment Group. He earned a BBA from Washington University in St. Louis and an MBA, Real Estate from Columbia Business School.
Ms. Fielder has significant experience providing legal counsel for capital market transactions, as well as securities, corporate governance, and regulatory compliance matters. Prior to WashREIT, she served as Senior Vice President and General Counsel for ASB Real Estate Investments and was Assistant General Counsel for publicly-traded REIT DiamondRock Hospitality Company. Earlier in her career, she worked in the Real Estate Group at Hogan Lovells, and practiced corporate and real estate law with Simpson, Thacher and Bartlett LLP. Ms. Fielder earned a BA summa cum laude from Eckerd College and her JD from Harvard Law School.
In connection with the hiring of Ms. Fielder and Mr. Turkanis, and also in connection with the previous hiring of Ms. Amanda Lombard as Chief Accounting Officer, who will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer on April 1, 2022, Veris Residential is also announcing, as required by New York Stock Exchange Listed Company Manual Rule 303A.08, equity awards to be made to those three executives as a material inducement to their entering into employment with the company. All of the awards were approved by the Compensation Committee of the Veris Residential Board of Directors and will be made effective April 18, 2022, or such later date as the Chair of the Compensation Committee may determine. The awards to Ms. Lombard and Ms. Fielder are each in the form of restricted stock units; Mr. Turkanis will receive a restricted stock unit award and a stock option award.
The restricted stock unit award to Ms. Lombard will have a grant date fair value of $150,000 and will generally vest ratably on each of the first three anniversaries of the date of grant. The restricted stock unit award to Ms. Fielder will have a grant date fair value of $400,000 and will generally vest 60% on December 31, 2022, 20% on December 31, 2023 and 20% on the third anniversary of the date of grant. The restricted stock unit award to Mr. Turkanis will have a grant date fair value of $425,000 and will generally vest 50% on the first anniversary of the date of grant and 25% on each of the next two anniversaries of the grant date. The option grant to Mr. Turkanis will cover 250,000 shares, have an exercise price equal to the closing price of the underlying stock on the date of grant, generally vest and become exercisable ratably on each of the first three anniversaries of the date of grant, and have a maximum six-year term. All of the awards are subject to accelerated vesting in certain circumstances. The awards will all be made outside of Veris Residential's existing 2013 Incentive Stock Plan but will be subject to terms and conditions generally consistent with those in that plan, other than with respect to such terms and conditions intended to comply with the NYSE inducement award exception.
About Veris Residential, Inc.
Veris Residential, Inc. is a forward-thinking, environmentally- and socially-conscious real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily owns, operates, acquires, and develops holistically-inspired, Class A multifamily properties that meet the sustainability-conscious lifestyle needs of today's residents while seeking to positively impact the communities it serves and the planet at large. The company is guided by an experienced management team and Board of Directors and is underpinned by leading corporate governance principles, a best-in-class and sustainable approach to operations, and an inclusive culture based on equality and meritocratic empowerment. For additional information on Veris Residential, Inc. and our properties available for lease, please visit http://www.verisresidential.com/.
For Veris Residential:
Amanda Shpiner/Grace Cartwright
Gasthalter & Co.
212-257-4170
veris-residential@gasthalter.com
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SOURCE Veris Residential, Inc. | https://www.nbc12.com/prnewswire/2022/03/31/veris-residential-announces-executive-appointments/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:43Z |
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We have perfected these formulas to help you for very specific parts of your day. We believe that these tinctures mixed with or with out a regular cannabis regime will offer the most perfectly balanced lifestyle to help enhance your mood no matter what the occasion!
We have put deep thought and research into each one of these well crafted formulas, which we believe are the future of wellness products and the keys to:
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Email us at Info@califari.com for any questions. We respond quickly! | https://www.leafly.com/brands/califari-cannabis | 2022-04-01T01:04:43Z |
Good morning Rapid City rose gardens, it’s time to wake up and bloom
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Springtime is when the sun starts to peak through the clouds and warm things up a bit.
When the sun comes out, so do the Rapid City rose beds, which were uncovered Thursday in Memorial and Halley Parks.
The rose beds were covered up last October for the winter. The City usually wakes them up in the March or April time frame when the chances of having long periods of cold temperatures isn’t as high.
Uncovering the roses usually requires about a dozen hands on deck and takes about a day to finish up.
”We undo them and let them sit for a couple weeks,” explains John Berglund, Rapid City Greenhouse Specialist, “and then we’ll come back through. We’ll cut some of the dead rose canes off that have frozen, and get them ready to go, and then they kind of do their own thing.”
Berglund says the roses need to be covered, because they have a difficult time handling the extreme temperatures in the Hills.
The leaves that were covering the roses are being brought to the landfill where they’ll be turned into mulch.
Berglund says the flowers will likely be budding and blooming around the middle of June.
Copyright 2022 KOTA. All rights reserved. | https://www.kotatv.com/2022/03/31/good-morning-rapid-city-rose-gardens-its-time-wake-up-bloom/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:44Z |
The first New Zealand Senior of the year is Maramataka (Māori lunar calendar) expert Rereata Mākiha (Ngāti Mahurehure, Te Aupōuri, Te Arawa).
The new category was added for the 2022 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year awards.
The Ryman Healthcare Senior New Zealander of the Year Award honours those who have contributed positively to Aotearoa in their older years.
The award allows New Zealanders of all ages to express their gratitude and respect for older citizens' accomplishments throughout the previous year.
Mākiha has worked in the media for 40 years, from reporting to broadcasting. He currently spends his time preserving and teaching Māori oral histories and traditions such as Te Maramataka.
Mākiha told Stuff: “Thank you all for this nomination. This isn’t the sort of thing I like doing but mindful that I need to pay tribute and thanks to our ancestors, who passed all this knowledge on to us today to help us survive, and help us look forward to the future for providing a future for our mokopuna, in the years to come.”
“I don’t want to leave anybody out but thanks to the Society of Māori Astronomy, Research and Traditions. You set up the platform to start educating and passing on this knowledge.” | https://www.teaomaori.news/kaumatua-winner-first-senior-new-zealander-year-award | 2022-04-01T01:04:45Z |
As statewide tenant protections extend through June, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced Thursday he has warned nearly 100 law firms against filing false claims in eviction cases.
The attorney general’s housing strike force sent letters to 91 law firms in recent days, alerting attorneys not to file evictions against tenants who have applied for state emergency rental assistance. The state bans evictions for nonpayment if a tenant has applied to the state’s relief program, Housing is Key.
More than 100,000 California tenants have pending relief applications. The program was set to close at midnight March 31.
“We have reason to believe that some landlords and their attorneys may be filing false declarations to push hardworking Californians out of their homes,” Bonta said. “This is unacceptable, and more importantly, absolutely illegal. California families were already struggling with the high cost of housing before the pandemic, and these past two years have only made things worse.”
Attorneys for landlords said the attacks were unfair, and blamed the state for delays in reporting details about aid applications and complex new rules to file eviction papers. “This is so clearly politically motivated,” said Todd Rothbard, a landlord attorney in Santa Clara who received a letter on March 25.
The statewide eviction ban was enacted early in the pandemic to prevent tenants struggling with COVID-19 illness and job loss from becoming homeless. State lawmakers extended a narrow ban for the fourth time on Thursday, protecting renters who have aid applications under review by the state.
As many as 373,000 tenants have applications pending or are waiting for their landlords to get paid, according to an analysis of state data by the National Equity Atlas. State housing officials say the number is between 165,000 and 190,000 tenants.
The attorney general’s office received complaints that some landlords or their lawyers “may be falsely declaring that tenants have not notified them of a pending emergency rental assistance application in order to push through evictions,” Bonta said.
Landlords cannot remove a tenant for unpaid rent accrued during the pandemic unless a tenant has been denied assistance. The landlord can also evict if they have filed for relief and, after 20 days, have not received confirmation that the tenant has also filed an application.
Bay Area attorneys receiving the letters said they have no reason to file claims that can be disproved by data from the state’s Housing is Key website. Some have been asked to preserve files for a potential investigation.
Rothbard said delays in reporting applications and serving summons can create a gap between when a suit is filed and when a delinquent renter reaches out to the state.
Rothbard believes only three cases of the dozens filed by his office involved a tenant who had an active aid application. In one of those cases, the renter had texted the application to the landlord — but mistakenly sent it to an old phone number, he said. The case and two others were dismissed.
Daniel Bornstein, a landlord attorney in San Francisco, also received the letter and called it insulting and unfair. The state has made evictions more difficult during the pandemic, and attorneys shouldn’t be blamed for logistical errors. “When I first got it, I felt vulnerable,” Bornstein said. “Then, anger.”
Sid Lakireddy, Berkeley landlord and past president of the California Rental Housing Association, said property owners would rather keep people housed. “Evictions are very expensive to process,” he said. “It’s a last resort, not a first resort.” | https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/03/31/california-ag-takes-aim-at-landlords-attorneys/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:46Z |
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Jeff Walz has had a lot of success getting players to transfer to Louisville over the last few years, including three starters on his Final Four team this season.
He's not the only coach in the Final Four who has bolstered the roster by using the transfer portal as both South Carolina and UConn have found supplemental players from it.
Still Walz, Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma think the amount of players looking to change schools is getting out of control.
“I always like to say, ‘The grass is greener on the other side because it’s fertilized with a bunch of bull,’” Louisville coach Jeff Walz said. “I think there are a lot of players that will jump into the portal after one year that don’t really have a good grasp of why they’re doing it.”
Staley likened the portal to Twitter, Instagram or TikTok.
“It’s a big ol’ fad that just keeps continuing,” she said. “Is it out of hand? It absolutely is. I don’t know how you control it. But it’s their way. It’s their way of controlling their own destinies.”
Both Staley and Auriemma noted that there were currently more players seeking to transfer than there were scholarships available across the country.
“You know those 850 people in the portal? Three hundred of them are not going to find a school to go to because they’re going to realize it’s not the school they just left,” Auriemma said.
Despite the reservations, they're still playing along. Emily Engstler (Syracuse), Kianna Smith (California) and Chelsie Hall (Vanderbilt) have been key for Louisville. Engstler and Hall just joined the program this season.
When Engstler was considering the Cardinals, Walz went to Mykasa Robinson to discuss how her role would likely shrink if Engstler were to come and gauge her comfort level.
“She looked at me, and she’s like, ‘I’m tired of guarding her. If we can get her, yes, because she likes to win, and she wants to play with other good players,’” Walz said.
SOUTH CAROLINA SUPPORT
The Gamecocks have led the nation in average attendance for seven straight years, buoyed by a base of more than 10,000 season tickets. Despite the 1,200-mile distance from campus to downtown Minneapolis, there will be plenty of garnet-and-black-clad South Carolina fans voicing their support on Friday night when the Gamecocks take on Louisville.
“They’ve been with us when we weren’t a popular team or we weren’t a whole lot to cheer about,” Staley said. “This is my 14th year being at South Carolina, but the last probably 10, the fans have given us a ride that’s kind of irreplaceable.”
One of the catalysts for the attendance boom was giving fans as much as access to the program as they could, to build relationships and let the locals get to know the players as people.
“You really feel the love in the community,” guard Brea Beal said. “You can go to the store and run into somebody and they’re like, oh my gosh, just freaking out. It’s like a family.”
FOND MEMORY
Walz spent one season at Minnesota on his climb up the coaching ladder, serving as an assistant under current Maryland coach Brenda Frese.
That was 20 years ago, when Hall of Fame finalist Lindsay Whalen was a sophomore for the Gophers on a breakthrough team that reached the Final Four two seasons later. The women's team at that time played in a smaller gym, the Pavilion, next door to Williams Arena where the Minnesota men's team has played since 1928.
A water pipe burst that winter, moving the women's team into the bigger venue. The Gophers were on a roll, and the first game in the building known as “The Barn” was packed to the rafters.
“From that point on, we continued the rest of the season playing in the Barn in front of unbelievable crowds,” Walz said.
___
More AP coverage of March Madness: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25 | https://www.trumbulltimes.com/sports/article/Final-Four-coaches-feel-transfer-portal-is-out-17049755.php | 2022-04-01T01:04:46Z |
COVID-19 infection increases your risk for diabetes, a new study says
People who suffered from even mild cases of COVID-19 face an increased risk of being diagnosed with diabetes within a year of recovering from the illness, a new study reports.
Researchers found that people who had COVID-19 were about 40% more likely to develop diabetes within a year after recovering, compared to participants in a control group. The likelihood of developing diabetes grew if the patient suffered from a serious infection that led to hospitalization or a stay in intensive care.
"What's surprising is that it is happening in people with no prior risk factors for diabetes" before becoming infected with COVID-19, said Ziyad Al-Aly, the lead author of the study.
These latest findings add to a growing list of studies showing that people who suffered from COVID-19 are at risk of facing other long-term health problems. Those include heart and kidney ailments and chronic fatigue.
Al-Aly also helped lead the study that showed the prevalence of cardiac issues in people who survived COVID-19 infections.
This newest study, published Monday in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, analyzed data from more than 180,000 patients from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The study's authors compared patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and survived the illness for more than a month with more than 4 million other people who didn't contract COVID in the same period. This data was also compared with another 4.28 million patients who were treated at the VA in 2018 and 2019.
The paper states that around 1% to 2% of people who have been infected with COVID will develop diabetes as a result. That may seem like a small number, but nearly 80 million people in the U.S. have had COVID, Al-Aly told NPR — meaning 800,000 to 1.6 million people developing diabetes who might not have otherwise.
"That translates to a really significant number of people with new onset diabetes in the U.S. and many, many more around the world," Al-Aly said.
Nationwide, approximately 34 million people had diabetes pre-COVID, according to Jorge Moreno, an internal medicine physician at Yale University who didn't work on Al-Aly's study. Doctors expect roughly 1.5 million new people to be newly diagnosed with diabetes each year during normal times, he told NPR.
What to look out for
This study shows that as a nation, more attention needs to be paid to the long-term effects of COVID-19, Al-Aly said. More vigilance can start at the doctor's office.
"We need to start treating COVID as a risk factor for diabetes," Al-Aly said, adding that each person who has come down with the virus needs to be screened.
Moreno told NPR he believes this study will create more awareness among general practitioners and endocrinologists, like himself, to screen patients who have had COVID for diabetes and other complications.
Those who've had COVID should also be closely monitoring their health and changes in their body, Moreno said, and should seek help at the first sign of an issue. Major symptoms for diabetes include increased thirst, frequent urination (which is not influenced by how much liquid consumed) and blurry vision. Major weight fluctuations are also a sign. | https://www.npr.org/2022/03/31/1090080198/covid-19-diabetes-increased-risk | 2022-04-01T01:04:46Z |
People who suffered from even mild cases of COVID-19 face an increased risk of being diagnosed with diabetes within a year of recovering from the illness, a new study reports.
Researchers found that people who had COVID-19 were about 40% more likely to develop diabetes within a year after recovering, compared to participants in a control group. The likelihood of developing diabetes grew if the patient suffered from a serious infection that led to hospitalization or a stay in intensive care.
"What's surprising is that it is happening in people with no prior risk factors for diabetes" before becoming infected with COVID-19, said Ziyad Al-Aly, the lead author of the study.
These latest findings add to a growing list of studies showing that people who suffered from COVID-19 are at risk of facing other long-term health problems. Those include heart and kidney ailments and chronic fatigue.
Al-Aly also helped lead the study that showed the prevalence of cardiac issues in people who survived COVID-19 infections.
This newest study, published Monday in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, analyzed data from more than 180,000 patients from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The study's authors compared patients who tested positive for COVID-19 and survived the illness for more than a month with more than 4 million other people who didn't contract COVID in the same period. This data was also compared with another 4.28 million patients who were treated at the VA in 2018 and 2019.
The paper states that around 1% to 2% of people who have been infected with COVID will develop diabetes as a result. That may seem like a small number, but nearly 80 million people in the U.S. have had COVID, Al-Aly told NPR — meaning 800,000 to 1.6 million people developing diabetes who might not have otherwise.
"That translates to a really significant number of people with new onset diabetes in the U.S. and many, many more around the world," Al-Aly said.
Nationwide, approximately 34 million people had diabetes pre-COVID, according to Jorge Moreno, an internal medicine physician at Yale University who didn't work on Al-Aly's study. Doctors expect roughly 1.5 million new people to be newly diagnosed with diabetes each year during normal times, he told NPR.
What to look out for
This study shows that as a nation, more attention needs to be paid to the long-term effects of COVID-19, Al-Aly said. More vigilance can start at the doctor's office.
"We need to start treating COVID as a risk factor for diabetes," Al-Aly said, adding that each person who has come down with the virus needs to be screened.
Moreno told NPR he believes this study will create more awareness among general practitioners and endocrinologists, like himself, to screen patients who have had COVID for diabetes and other complications.
Those who've had COVID should also be closely monitoring their health and changes in their body, Moreno said, and should seek help at the first sign of an issue. Major symptoms for diabetes include increased thirst, frequent urination (which is not influenced by how much liquid consumed) and blurry vision. Major weight fluctuations are also a sign.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-03-31/covid-19-infection-increases-your-risk-for-diabetes-a-new-study-says | 2022-04-01T01:04:46Z |
Masks are off, spring has sprung and it’s time to get back into the mix and start meeting new people.
To help foster this idea Rebellious Unicorns Events, along with Friends of Dorothy Lounge is bringing back the popular 2SLGBTQ+ networking event — the MX. The inaugural event of the season kicks off on April 6 at 5 p.m. Following that, the MX. will run on the first Wednesday of every month.
According to Dustyn Baulkham, creator of the MX Kelowna and CEO at Rebellious Unicorns Production Company Inc, the event is an opportunity for the 2SLGBTQ+ community to network, gather, and socialize.
“With a fun and casual atmosphere, this is an opportunity to meet like-minded people away from those lovely apps,” said Baulkham.
Allies are encouraged to join.
“After nearly two and a half years of not being able to host networking events, we are super excited to be bringing the MX. back on a consistent basis.”
This year the MX. will be expanding to Victoria and will be hosted on the second Wednesday of every month at Friends of Dorothy located at 537 Johnson St.
Tickets are $12 plus GST in advance and $15 at the door. Space is available on a first-come-first-serve basis.
READ MORE: Easter Funny comedy show takes the stage in Penticton, Kelowna
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Want to support local journalism? Make a donation here. | https://www.vicnews.com/community/the-mx-2slgbtq-networking-comes-to-victoria/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:46Z |
Could the Golden Globes be getting an overhaul?
That's the plan proposed by Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who formerly served as the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, who hold the annual Oscars. Isaacs now serves as a partner and senior advisor at Pacific Coast Entertainment, who shared their proposal to the members of the Globes' governing body, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, exclusively with ET on Thursday.
The proposal reads in part, "Over the last year, many watched the headlines that have dramatically impacted the reputation and stature of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA or Association), its members, and the Golden Globe Awards. A year into the Association's public commitment to transform, and despite the actions taken toward that goal, the boycotts continue, and the public image of the HFPA and Golden Globe Awards remains tarnished."
"As partners, we would take the additional steps needed to reassure the world that the processes by which nominees are considered and awardees selected adhere to the highest ethical standards," the letter continues. "Further, we would deepen and accelerate the work you began more than a year ago, adding more credibility in establishing a more authentic transformation and a willingness to encompass greater diversity and inclusion. This evolution goes far beyond a single award show on a single night."
Prior to issuing an invitation to all HFPA members to hear more about PCE's proposal at an upcoming dinner, the letter concludes, "At PCE, our goal is to build a robust business partnership with the HFPA that will benefit all members of the HFPA while restoring the brand and reputation of the Golden Globes. Our plan includes: creating an endowment to support the foreign correspondents; consummating strategic relationships for brand and community impact; and, creating a path for key industry partners to re-engage with the HFPA."
Following a year of controversy over the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's membership and nominations process, the 2022 Golden Globes were not televised and were held without an audience or red carpet. The HFPA announced just days ahead of the scheduled ceremony that only "select members and grantees" of the governing body would be in attendance, under strict COVID protocols.
During the ceremony, Senior Vice President of the NAACP Hollywood Bureau Kyle Bowser unveiled the Reimagine Coalition, a joint five-year initiative to increase diversity, equity and inclusion across the global entertainment industry.
According to the initiative, each year, the HFPA and NAACP "will collaborate on, fund, and support a series of trailblazing initiatives, with the overall goals of ensuring visibility of projects from artists of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds; increasing diverse representation in the industry; and building pathways to inclusion for young artists and journalists of color."
RELATED CONTENT: | https://www.wfaa.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/former-academy-president-cheryl-boone-isaacs-proposes-new-plan-for-golden-globes-exclusive/603-50ecba86-4efb-4b7f-ab21-8027458e85a7 | 2022-04-01T01:04:46Z |
Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington state signed a bill Thursday that creates the nation's first alert system for missing Indigenous people.
The bill, which was passed unanimously in both the House and the Senate, highlights that "indigenous people experience disproportionate rates of violence in Washington state," and calls for the creation of an advisory system, like the AMBER Alert system.
"Compared to the rest of the state's population, indigenous women comprise a disproportionate number of missing people," Inslee said during a signing ceremony. "In cases where an individual has died, this bill will help families recover the remains of their loved ones while also honoring and respecting indigenous cultural practices. For women who are found, this bill will provide treatment so that they can start to recover from the trauma of their experience."
Inslee signed the bill, along with several other tribal-related bills, at the Tulalip Resort Casino.
Democratic Rep. Debra Lekanoff, a sponsor of the bill, spoke during the ceremony and said missing and murdered indigenous women and people "is not just an Indian issue, it's not just an Indian responsibility. Our sisters, our aunties, our grandmothers are going missing every day."
The bill "removes the hand so we can hear the unheard screams, it removes the hand from the Washington State Patrol. It brings together all of our governing bodies to collaborate, to take care (of) those who have been taken, those who've been lost, and those yet to come," Lekanoff said.
For years, families and activists have demanded that authorities direct more attention and resources to cases involving missing and murdered Indigenous women, arguing their cases are often overlooked or dismissed.
Federal and state officials have recently publicly acknowledged that there is a crisis of violence against Native Americans, and have launched efforts to address it, but advocates say their response is not enough.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.news-daily.com/news/washington-state-creates-nations-first-alert-system-for-missing-indigenous-people/article_05a83f7d-b707-53c7-990d-270079c93b70.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:46Z |
Free parking for NHS staff introduced during the Covid pandemic will end on Friday, the health secretary has said.
Parking fees were waived for NHS staff working in hospitals in England, but Sajid Javid said the benefit would end on Friday.
He said in a written statement: “Free parking in hospital car parks for NHS staff introduced during the pandemic will also come to an end on March 31.
“However, over 93% of NHS trusts that charge for car parking have implemented free parking for those in greatest need, including NHS staff working overnight.”
He added: “On behalf of the Government, I would like to record my thanks to everyone who has worked tirelessly to keep people safe over the last two years and whose efforts have enabled us to move to the next stage of the Covid-19 response.”
The government’s decision to scrap the charges during the pandemic followed pressure from campaigners.
More than 400,000 people signed a petition calling for the fees to be lifted in the “nation’s hour of need”.
At the time, petition organiser Anthony Gallagher welcomed the move but said fees and fines for NHS workers should be axed permanently.
More follows…
Source Link Free parking for NHS staff introduced during pandemic to end this week | https://neptunepine.com/free-parking-for-nhs-staff-introduced-during-pandemic-to-end-this-week/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:46Z |
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And we’re done! Unless you require our assistance. Our transfer team is available for free post-transfer assistance. | https://dan.com/buy-domain/bioboom.cn | 2022-04-01T01:04:47Z |
(ANNews) – On March 15, 2022 the Union of BC Indian Chiefs released an open letter for Indigenous leadership interested in buying the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion (TMX) project.
“We are concerned that the government is using TMX as another divide and conquer project and is not providing a full and accurate account of the financial future of the project,” wrote the Chiefs.
“[First Nations’] due diligence must include an assessment of the commercial viability of TMX under its unique toll structure, and also include an analysis of future liability related to maintenance and spills.
“Otherwise TMX could be modern-day economic version of a small-pox blanket.”
“UBCIC supports Indigenous self-determination and economic self-sufficiency. However, this cannot come at any cost nor in a way that undermines other Nations’ title and sovereignty,” said the UBCIC.
The TMX project’s current situation is quite bleak, they note, as Trans Mountain Corp. has been hit with huge losses.
The initial construction cost of TMX has increased dramatically over the years due to delays, mismanagement and cost overruns. These include major setbacks resulting from climate-related events such as the forest fires, floods and landslides that hit BC in 2021.
The original cost for TMX in Kinder Morgan’s 2013 application was $5.4 billion. That cost increased to $6.8 billion in 2015; $7.4 billion in 2017; $9.3 billion in 2018; and $12.6 billion in 2020.
The 2022 cost estimate of $21.4 billion is 4 times the original cost, and more than double the cost when Canada bailed out the project from Kinder Morgan in 2018.
15 global insurers have stated they will not insure Trans Mountain, leaving the operators with $2 billion in liability for the two pipelines, and could face unlimited liability in a spill.
Additionally, the Trans Mountain Corp. delayed the estimated completion date for the project from this year to the third quarter of 2023.
The company also confirmed that due to agreements with shippers, only 20 to 25 per cent of the capitol costs can be charged through tolls, the fees charged to the oil producers who ship their product through the pipeline.
This means that Trans. Mountain Corp would be left to absorb a $7 billion price tag, putting projected returns for the project into serious doubt.
“Because of this massive cost increase – 4 times the original cost estimate – any illusion of the commercial viability of TMX has collapsed and the pipeline is destined to become a stranded asset,” said the letter.
However Indigenous organizations such as Nesika Services and Project Reconciliation are still willing to purchase the pipeline.
“It means obviously the entire pie for the project is smaller,” said Nesika Services executive director Paul Poscente, in an interview with CTV. “But we’ve done some modelling based on the publicly available information, and it’s absolutely still viable.”
“We still believe that Canada can sell a portion of this pipeline to Indigenous communities on a commercial basis,” Poscente said. “We have been urging Canada to start a negotiation.” | https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/03/31/union-of-bc-indian-chiefs-concerned-about-indigenous-investment-in-tmx-pipeline.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:48Z |
A Lebanon car salesman has been charged with consumer fraud, according to Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt. Marcus James Hill of Lebanon, is accused of 13 violations of the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act relating to his two car dealerships, Variety Auto Sales and Hilltop Auto Sales. Charged in Laclede County, Hill faces 13 felony counts of deceptive business practices. The charges allege that Hill falsely promised consumers that they would receive proper title and warranties with their purchase of a used car, according to a press release from the Attorney General’s Office. Hill then failed to provide titles to the vehicles, honor promised warranties, and in at least one instance, failed to provide the vehicle entirely, the release said. For more on this story see Saturday's LCR. | https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556628538499/milan-man-held-on-1-million-bond-in-dearborn-county-child-molestation-case | 2022-04-01T01:04:47Z |
Those pesky, dirty, used and barely used school, car, bus, grocery store, sidewalk, trail, road COVID-19 masks spit at me. I warned them, “I see you.”
Perhaps like Don Quixote, now I am walking through my city, eyes on alert, bag in my coat pocket, gloves on. Today, in only eight daily random trips, 90 minutes each, I have bagged 72 masks, all kinds of masks.
Is there another Don Quixote in this land?
Russ Stubbles, Maple Valley | https://www.union-bulletin.com/seattle_times/discarded-masks-quixotic-task/article_a5fe206b-bfcc-532f-9f0e-8a19406ca766.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:48Z |
From trigger to trophy: Paralyzed first responder turns pain into purpose
Jaime Morales hopes his personal battle with PTSD will encourage others to seek help.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) - He practices at home, the sounds of pellets breaking the silence from the hallway that has been repurposed into a home range.
“Just being consistent,” he says as he begins his regimen. “Consistently accurate.”
He tightens the air canister on the pistol, picks up a pellet and loads it, flips the switch - the air gun has an electronic trigger, not a mechanical one - raises the weapon and fires.
With a pop from the air gun quickly followed by a light ping of metal, the target spins, roughly 33 feet away from his outstretched arm, and he begins the process over again.
“You have to shoot 60 shots in 60 minutes,” he explains.
One down, 59 to go.
“So it’s not only an accuracy event,” he says, “it’s also an endurance event.”
The same could be said of Jaime Morales’s own journey from a time when each pull of the trigger set something off inside of him.
RELATED COVERAGE:
- WKYT Investigates | Obstacles often block benefits for first responders with PTSD
- Healing at Camp Hero: Addressing first responders’ invisible scars
As a Scott County Sheriff’s Deputy in 2018, Jaime Morales was hit by friendly fire during a confrontation with a fugitive from Florida who was stopped at a Georgetown rest area. The injury left Morales paralyzed and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I remember having nightmares about the situation,” he said. “I remember waking up in the middle of the night gasping for air.”
But Morales has turned his pain into purpose: Namely, the TikTok account he uses to motivate others and his efforts to combat the stigma that often keeps first responders suffering in silence.
“We’re finally realizing that we need help. We’re finally realizing that it’s OK to ask for help,” Morales told WKYT’s Garrett Wymer. “But I do think that pride and that ego still get in the way of a lot of us asking for help and reaching out.”
Therapy made a big difference for Morales after his injury, he said.
Prolonged exposure - one of the most effective PTSD treatments, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs - helped the deputy and Marine Corps veteran overcome what, since his injury, had terrified him.
He overcame the stimulus and trigger of gunfire by basically locking himself in the gun range, he said.
“At first it was hard,” he said. “Every shot that other people took down the line would make me jump. It was making my anxiety go up. I just breathed through it, calmed myself down.”
He eventually worked himself up to shooting.
Now as a member of the U.S. Paralympic Shooting Team he is using this unlikely outlet as a way to move forward. He often encourages others to find outlets and hobbies to help them, and not let their injuries, whether physical or invisible, define them.
“Life isn’t over just because you suffered an injury,” he said. “It’s good to know that life isn’t over just because a big change like that happens. There’s so much adaptability, there’s so much technology out there to help us out.
“So definitely don’t give up,” he said.
It is the message he wants to share - and the lesson he still practices daily - as he tries to live out the consistency and endurance for which he spends his time training.
Morales says he finished with the fourth-highest score in a recent competition with the U.S. National Paralympic Shooting Team in Colorado. He could even compete in the next Paralympics in France.
He is also beginning to train for Paralympic swimming.
Resources:
- National Alliance on Mental Illness resources for public safety professionals
- CDC tips on how to cope as first responders
If You Know Someone in Crisis:
Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741).
Copyright 2022 WKYT. All rights reserved. | https://www.wkyt.com/2022/03/31/trigger-trophy-paralyzed-first-responder-turns-pain-into-purpose/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:48Z |
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R2 QTIS 2-Y-O Maiden Plte
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2-Y-O, Maiden, Set Weights
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Yes | https://www.racenet.com.au/results/horse-racing/sunshine-coast-20220401/powered-by-lpe-qtis-two-year-old-maiden-plate-race-2 | 2022-04-01T01:04:48Z |
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Contributor | https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/portrait-young-man-show-stop-gesture-2140767525 | 2022-04-01T01:04:49Z |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Standing in a parking lot at the corner of Beatties Ford Road and LaSalle Street in West Charlotte, 82-year-old Elloree Erwin paints a picture of the thriving neighborhood over the decades.
There were the lifelong friends she met on frequent walks from the Double Oaks neighborhood to Johnson C. Smith University in the late 1950s and early ‘60s. In between classes, Erwin picked up shifts at the box office of the Ritz Theater on Beatties Ford Road, built exclusively for the Black community.
Along the way, she met folks across the neighborhood, from business owners to truck delivery workers. People, she said, were proud to say they lived on that side of town. “This was the life of the Black community,” Erwin said.
And sitting in one of the more prominent corners of the neighborhood was McDonald’s Cafeteria. Not to be confused with the fastfood restaurant, the cafeteria was a staple in the community for decades.
Christopher Dennis, a local developer, purchased the 1970s-era building at 2023 Beatties Ford Road a couple years ago with an eye towards redevelopment.
Dennis was initially considering tearing the building down due to its age and other factors. Dennis’ company, E-Fix Development Corp., bought it for $1.25 million in early 2020, according to county property records.
But during one planning meeting shortly after he purchased the building, Dennis was on his phone when he came across an old Charlotte Observer story referencing the building. He learned how John McDonald, a Black entrepreneur born in Charlotte, started his well-known cafeteria in 1970 at that same site.
Dennis knew he couldn’t tear it down.
Understanding Charlotte’s historySo instead of knocking it down, Dennis moved forward with welcoming a JP Morgan Chase branch that opened last September.
The interior is mostly unfamiliar to the cafeteria’s heyday as a meeting place for the Black community. But the exterior of the building still shares many of the same qualities.
That’s why Erwin was eager to meet Dennis on a recent sunny March day. She had heard of his work along Beatties Ford Road and was hopeful the landmark designation would get approved.
“I’m glad people like you are doing things to revitalize, bring it back to the original standards and the goals that we all wanted for our neighborhood,” Erwin told Dennis, cars whizzing by them at the busy intersection.
Dennis wants that, too.
His company is redeveloping a commercial site across the street from the former cafeteria. He’s seeking the historic designation to help educate the wider community about the people who helped pave the way.
“I want people to drive through Beatties Ford Road and not only live the future but understand the history,” Dennis said.
Who was John McDonald?John McDonald’s small business was “one of the most important spaces for the African American community in Charlotte,” the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Historic Landmarks Commission wrote in a designation report completed last August.
At its March 14 meeting, the commission held a public hearing, the first step in an approval process that eventually will head to the City Council.
When he was in his early 20s, McDonald moved his family to Brooklyn, New York, where he worked as a cook in a hotel, seafood house and steak restaurant, according to the commission’s report. In 1949, he opened his own restaurant called McDonald’s Dining Room.
McDonald later felt called by God to return to Charlotte. Once home, he noticed the popularity of buffet-style cafeterias.
By 1970, he had purchased the building at Beatties Ford Road and LaSalle Street. He also opened a “mini center,” with a seafood store, beauty and barber shop, an insurance and real estate office and a small grocery store, the report notes.
McDonald leased the spaces to young managers for a relatively low rate and employed local college students.
The cafeteria grew in popularity, known for both a family atmosphere and a place where politicians and other city officials gathered. McDonald served breakfast, lunch and dinner with dishes including short ribs, fried fish, mac and cheese and sweet potato pie.
At the time, few businesses in the area were Black-owned.
This was despite the fact that the neighborhoods surrounding Beatties Ford Road were predominantly African American. McDonald worked to change that by using his own capital to provide commercial space at reasonable rates to Black managers, the report states.
McDonald’s moves up the streetIn 1982, McDonald moved the cafeteria to a bigger space on Beatties Ford Road. The new location was closer to Interstate 85, at 2812 Beatties Ford Road.
The new spot could seat around 250 people. Churches held meetings there. So did civic organizations.
“That cafeteria was the heart of our community,” Erwin recalled. “Everybody met there.”
That included Erwin’s sister, Sarah Stevenson.
Stevenson started the Tuesday Morning Breakfast Forum, which met to discuss issues important to the Black community. The group gathered around hot coffee at McDonald’s. The forum is still around today.
Whenever the Rev. Jesse Jackson came to town, people would meet him at the cafeteria, Erwin recalled.
The Black political caucus would also meet at the cafeteria. Together, members pushed for better representation in government as well as equal access to things like bank funding. “Everything that we are still pushing for now,” Erwin said.
Stevenson’s forum would grow from its roots at the cafeteria to a prominent group that would eventually help people like Dennis, the developer.
“If you were looking to do something or be something in Charlotte,” Dennis said, “and you didn’t go to that forum it might not have gotten done.”
At the new location further up Beatties Ford Road, McDonald expanded to include other business ventures. He opened a hotel and amusement park known as Fun City in 1992.
Along the way, his cafeteria became a “must see and visit” place in Charlotte, widely regarded as the most popular, non-chain restaurant in the city, the commission’s report states.
A loss of regularsBy June 2003, McDonald’s Cafeteria closed. By then, it was owned by a firm whose investors included former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt. Both Gantt, and Rep. Mel Watt, a former congressman, cited a tough business climate.
The eatery, hotel and amusement park ran into hard times after McDonald died in 1995 and the restaurant faced foreclosure, according to Observer files.
Stevenson was saddened by the loss to the community. In a transplant-heavy boomtown, the cafeteria was a place for regulars to see each other, Stevenson told an Observer reporter at the time.
Keeping McDonald’s vision aliveThe Landmarks Commission makes recommendations to the City Council on designating historic landmarks. A public hearing is scheduled for McDonald’s Cafeteria at the City Council meeting on March 28. Council members are also expected to vote on the designation then, according to a city spokesman.
If approved, the building would join 358 other landmark buildings across the county. Other nearby designations include the Excelsior Club at 921 Beatties Ford Road. The Grand Theater, 333 Beatties Ford Road, is also a landmark, along with buildings on JCSU’s campus.
The designation of the McDonald’s building would give design review authority over the property to the landmarks commission. Any material alterations made to the property must first get approved by the commission.
It does not, however, prevent demolition. A property owner can decide to tear the building down and, by law, the commission can’t deny that application. But it has the power to delay the decision for up to a year to find an alternative.
For Erwin, the building still carries important memories. She can remember McDonald as a father figure.
Dennis, she said, is among a group of people working to keep that legacy alive.
“(McDonald) was a man that I feel had an open heart to do something in his community that his people could come to and have a nice place to sit down and eat,” Erwin said. “He had a vision for this area.” | https://www.phillytrib.com/site-of-black-community-cornerstone-seeks-landmark-status/article_7a2d70dd-da3c-5cd5-84df-ce2c272e485a.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:50Z |
Makers of repair device for ice cream machines sue McDonald’s in $900 million lawsuit
The makers of a device that repairs the ice-cream machines at McDonald’s filed a $900 million lawsuit against the international fast-food chain on Tuesday.
A small company known as Kytch is suing McDonald’s in a Delaware federal court for allegedly disparaging it through false advertisement, according to a 133-page court filing.
“Kytch brings this action to set the record straight, to vindicate the company’s rights under civil law, to curb McDonald’s anti-competitive conduct, to recover compensatory and punitive damages, to protect the consuming public from false and misleading advertisements, and to finally fix McDonald’s broken soft-serve machines,” the company says in the court filing.
A spokesperson for McDonalds denied the allegdations and said the company will defend itself in court.
“McDonald’s owes it to our customers, crew and franchisees to maintain our rigorous safety standards and work with fully vetted suppliers in that pursuit,” the spokesperson said. “Kytch’s claims are meritless, and we’ll respond to the complaint accordingly.”
Kytch was founded by Jeremy O’Sullivan and Melissa Nelson to resolve issues with McDonald’s ice cream machines, which break repeatedly and became a widespread issue that even the fast-food chain’s Twitter profile joked about.
Kytch claims the ice-cream machine’s makers, a company called Taylor, have exclusive rights to repair the soft-serve machines at McDonalds, which results in a “lucrative scheme” between the two companies. Kytch also claims Taylor allows its own machines to malfunction or remain finicky for profit.
Last year, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Federal Trade Commission was investigating similar issues with the ice-cream machines at McDonald’s.
In 2019, the startup developed the Kytch Solution, essentially a computer device that connects to the soft-serve machines and allows for remote control and monitoring that “minimizes the need for costly repair appointments,” Kytch said in the court filing.
Kytch won an endorsement from the National Restaurant Association but McDonald’s and Taylor, hoping to develop a similar device of their own modeled off the Kytch Solution, ran false advertisements claiming the Kytch Solution was unsafe, the company claims in the court filing.
The campaign to discredit Kytch was successful in “destroying” the small business, according to the company.
“The damage to Kytch was instant and monumental,” the company said in the filing. “McDonald’s unlawful conduct had dire financial consequences for Kytch, its founders, investors, and its employees.”
Updated 8:51 p.m.
The Hill has removed its comment section, as there are many other forums for readers to participate in the conversation. We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. | https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/596940-makers-of-repair-device-for-ice-cream-machines-sue-mcdonalds-in-900/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:48Z |
A supplemental feeding program that served up more than 193,000 pounds of lettuce to hungry manatees in the Indian River Lagoon is expected to end on Friday.
A record 1,101 manatees died in Florida last year, many from starvation in the sprawling lagoon. In winter, they gather near power plants. But excess nutrients from homes and farms have clouded the water with algae and killed much of the sea grass they eat.
State and federal wildlife officials are working together to address the unusual die-off of manatees. Already this year more than 440 have died. That’s high, but not as bad as in 2021.
Ron Mezich, a branch chief with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, says it’s unclear how many were saved with supplemental feeding.
“When we had our coldest weather this winter, we had upwards of 800 animals at the supplemental feeding site,” he said on a press call. “That occurred for a few days. It was much more common to see numbers between 150 and 350 during January and mid-February.”
The supplemental feeding program is ending as the manatees disperse, water temperatures rise and warm weather lies ahead.
Far fewer are showing up.
FWC Regional Director Tom Reinert says it’s time for those manatees to move on from the feeding site near Cape Canaveral.
“One of the major tenets of that program was not to alter manatee behavior,” he sad. “Those manatees do need to move out to their typical spring and summer areas and we want to encourage that. We don’t want to artificially keep them in a spot that really doesn’t have very much in terms of natural forage for them.”
Copyright 2022 WMFE. To see more, visit WMFE. | https://www.wfit.org/indian-river-lagoon/2022-03-31/manatee-feeding-program-ends-friday-after-serving-up-96-tons-of-lettuce | 2022-04-01T01:04:50Z |
SINGAPORE - A new era of corporate leadership requires chief executives to become steward leaders capable of not only growing shareholder value, but also taking care of the interests of a broader ecosystem of stakeholders that includes employees, customers, the environment and society at large.
That was the key message from Stewardship Asia Centre chief executive Rajeev Peshawaria in his address to delegates at the Stewardship Asia Roundtable 2022 on Thursday (March 31).
"Today's corporate leader is not one with the highest title or authority," he said. "Today's leader will be defined by his or her genuine desire and persistence to create a better future."
To do this, a corporate leader has to not only take care of shareholder value, but also the interests of the broader society.
Mr Peshawaria insisted that CEOs and corporate leaders can drive superior shareholder returns by addressing the very challenges threatening the planet and humanity, because clients, investors and markets increasingly gravitate to socially responsible companies.
He pointed to companies such as Unilever, Starbucks and the Tata group as "companies which had done well by doing good" by balancing profitability with social conscience.
"Doing well by doing good is both possible and practical, but it will require a new lens," he noted, adding that leadership is the genuine desire and persistence to create a better culture, and stewardship is about creating value.
Meanwhile, stewardship is creating value by integrating the needs of stakeholders, society, future generations and the environment.
A good steward leader has to abide by four simple - but not simplistic - rules, he added.
First is interdependence, which is the realisation that the world is interconnected and one's success depends on the success of others.
Second, steward leaders must take a long-term view to create sustainable value.
Third, steward leadership requires taking ownership, where leaders take proactive responsibility for being steward leaders.
Fourth, steward leaders must display creative resilience by developing tenacity to find innovative solutions to disruptive challenges.
Asked by CNN Business news anchor and editor-at-large Richard Quest about the role of directors in all this, Mr Peshawaria said the board had a crucial role of putting the right CEO in place.
"Steward leadership is an art, not a science," he said.
"As a CEO, your heart should know what is right and what is wrong. Leaders must have the wherewithal to uphold the right values even when it is inconvenient to do so."
The board has a role in identifying such a person.
But steward leadership is not easy, Mr Peshawaria added.
He cited the late South African freedom fighter and president Nelson Mandela, who upheld the value of forgiveness and reconciliation, even if it meant losing his wife and children - who disagreed with him - in the process.
"As a CEO, you can do whatever you want to do," he said.
"But you cannot be a true leader or a steward unless you have the right values.
"Take baby steps with a full heart and the right intention." | https://www.straitstimes.com/business/companies-markets/call-for-ceos-to-tackle-wider-interests-of-society-environment | 2022-04-01T01:04:50Z |
Only approximately 3% of American lawyers are board certified
DALLAS, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bradley Arant Boult Cummings is pleased to announce that partner Dick Sayles has earned National Board Certification as a trial lawyer advocate by The National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA).
National Board Certification is the highest, most stringent and most reliable honor an attorney can achieve. Board certifications are the only distinctions awarded by non-profit organizations. The NBTA as well as all board-certifying organizations are committed to safeguarding the public's ability to choose a good attorney.
Mr. Sayles has been board certified in Texas for more than 30 years in both civil trial law and personal injury trial law, and now has the honor of being nationally recognized for his dedication to the legal profession. The extensive screening that NBTA board certified attorneys must complete includes demonstrating substantial trial experience, submission of judicial and peer references, attendance in continuing legal education courses, submission of legal writing documents, proof of good standing and passing of an examination.
The NBTA was formed out of a strong conviction that both the law profession and its clients would benefit from an organization designed specifically to create an objective set of standards illustrating an attorney's experience and expertise in the practice of trial law.
Mr. Sayles has been honored as the Dallas Bar Association's Trial Lawyer of the Year and recognized by Benchmark Litigation and The Best Lawyers in America®. He is a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the International Society of Barristers. Mr. Sayles also was featured in Texas Lawbook's "Lions of the Texas Bar" and has been selected among the Texas Super Lawyers "Top 10 Lawyers in Texas" multiple times. Mr. Sayles was previously recognized in the 2020 edition of the Lawdragon 500 Leading Lawyers in America and the Lawdragon's Hall of Fame.
About Bradley
Bradley combines skilled legal counsel with exceptional client service and unwavering integrity to assist a diverse range of corporate and individual clients in achieving their business goals. With offices in Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and the District of Columbia, the firm's nearly 600 lawyers represent clients worldwide in a wide range of professions, including financial services, healthcare, construction, technology, energy, insurance, and many others.
Media Contact:
Alyssa Woulfe
800-559-4534
alyssa@androvett.com
View original content:
SOURCE Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP | https://www.nbc12.com/prnewswire/2022/03/31/veteran-dallas-lawyer-dick-sayles-achieves-national-board-certification-civil-trial-law/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:50Z |
Police: 13-year-old runaway girl dies at hospital after found unresponsive at motel
D’IBERVILLE, Miss. (WALA/Gray News) - A 13-year-old girl has died in a Mississippi-area hospital after being reported as a runaway from Alabama earlier this month.
WALA reports the Mobile Police Department first reported Keyanna Sylvester as a runaway on March 21. She was then found unresponsive in a motel room in D’Iberville, Mississippi, on March 24, according to D’Iberville Police Capt. Jason King.
Sylvester was taken to the hospital but later died, according to police.
The 13-year-old spent time in Ocean Springs and Moss Point, Mississippi, according to reports.
King said it was too early in the investigation to decide whether foul play was involved in the girl’s death.
“We’re making sure we’re careful about not saying whether it’s criminal or not criminal,” he said.
King also said police are waiting for a report by the medical examiner.
“This hurts me real bad because Keyanna was my baby,” said neighbor Alexie Thames. “You all need to help find whoever did this to my baby. "
Anyone with further information on this case was urged to contact the D’Iberville Police Department at 228-396-4252.
Copyright 2022 WALA via Gray Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved. | https://www.kotatv.com/2022/03/31/police-13-year-old-runaway-girl-dies-hospital-after-found-unresponsive-motel/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:51Z |
Made from Chamomile and Mate Plants Slow Burning, Self Rolling Wraps perfect for 1st timers or just saving time Nicotine & Tobacco-Free For use with Your Favorite Herbal Blend Made in Brazil 25 Resealable Foil Packs Per Box 5 Wraps Per Pack Free of heavy metals and pesticides Best scent and flavors on the market today | https://www.leafly.com/brands/camo-natural-wraps | 2022-04-01T01:04:51Z |
NEW YORK (AP) — Whoa! It's a Double Aho!
Both NHL players named Sebastian Aho — one a defenseman for the New York Islanders, the other a forward for the Carolina Hurricanes — scored goals for their teams Thursday night.
And at nearly the exact same time.
According to Sportsnet Stats, the Islanders' Aho scored his first goal of the season at 7:14 p.m. EDT in New York against Columbus.
Just 34 seconds later — and more than 500 miles away — the Hurricanes' Aho scored his 31st goal in Carolina against Montreal. Both gave their teams 1-0 leads in the first period.
It's not the first time the two have combined on a statistical oddity. In 2018, New York's Aho committed a hooking penalty on Carolina's Aho, causing MSG Networks Islanders play-by-play broadcaster Brendan Burke to exclaim: "A little Sebastian Aho-on-Sebastian Aho crime.”
The two Ahos are not related, by the way. The Islanders' Aho, Sebastian Johannes Aho, is 26 and from Sweden. He has three career NHL goals in limited action.
The Hurricanes' Aho, Sebastian Antero Aho, is 24 and from Finland. He's a two-time NHL All-Star and has 176 career goals.
___
More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.trumbulltimes.com/sports/article/Isles-Aho-Hurricanes-Aho-score-goals-at-almost-17049866.php | 2022-04-01T01:04:52Z |
The Chicago Bulls faced off against the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday night at the United Center to begin a stretch of five straight home games, trying to put themselves in good position for a playoff run.
They’ll have one more road game — April 10 at the Minnesota Timberwolves — before a much-anticipated return to the postseason for the first time since 2017.
Building some momentum is paramount for a team that has saved its worst for last. After going 39-21 and battling through some difficult injuries, the Bulls regressed significantly, losing 11 of 16 games and slowly sinking in the Eastern Conference standings.
Hopes of finishing as the third or fourth seed in the East and earning home-court advantage for at least the first round appear remote. But hanging on to the No. 5 spot over the Toronto Raptors should be attainable with a strong finish.
No matter their opponent in the first round — the Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Boston Celtics or Philadelphia 76ers — the Bulls will enter the playoffs as huge underdogs, thanks to their post All-Star break slide and a combined 1-11 record against those four teams.
Alex Caruso said the goal is to “find the best version of us” down the stretch.
“When we play at that version, we’re a really good team,” he said.
The problem is the Bulls haven’t played at that level for several weeks, even since the recent returns of Caruso and forward Patrick Williams. The loss of Lonzo Ball to a meniscus tear in his left knee has been one of the biggest reasons for the Bulls’ woes, and there’s no certainty he will be back for the postseason.
On March 21, the Bulls announced a 10-day pause on Ball’s running program to give him more time to heal from arthroscopic surgery done in January. Before Thursday’s game against the Clippers, coach Billy Donovan said Ball would be “ramping up” again but added it would be a gradual process to see how he responds.
Ball has recovered well since the surgery, Donovan said, but getting back to game speed is another matter.
“Sprinting is where he’s had some discomfort,” Donovan said. “Pulling him back, he does feel fine. It’s just when he gets to doing anything full speed. … And we’ll see if this (pause) has helped.”
The Bulls’ postseason hopes don’t hinge on Ball’s return. Caruso can run the show, and rookie Ayo Dosunmu continues to develop into a dependable player. But there’s no doubt the Bulls would receive a big emotional lift if Ball somehow were able to make it back for the playoffs.
“That’s our starting point guard, so if you get that back to any team, it’s going to be a good addition,” Caruso said Thursday. “I don’t know what his timetable is or what the plan is for him. … But he looks like he’s in good spirits. He’s been working.
“So cross our fingers and see what happens when that day comes.”
Crossing fingers might not be enough. With only 10 days left in the regular season, is there enough time?
Donovan said doctors have given no indication Ball can’t do it.
“He really wants to play,” Donovan said. “But he’s also going to be smart in terms of how he’s feeling, and he’s going to be realistic and the doctors will put their heads together. But certainly every day that goes by, and time that passes by, you’re moving closer and closer to the end of the season.”
And if Ball can’t make it back in those 10 days, could he still make his return in the postseason?
Donovan couldn’t answer that question but said if Ball responds well to the ramp-up they’ll get a better idea from doctors.
As for now, the Bulls are grappling with a difficult final stretch that continues a Saturday game against the Heat, who have beaten them all three times in the season series, and includes back-to back games Tuesday and Wednesday against the defending champion Bucks and Celtics.
It’s time to see what they’re made of.
“Any team that’s planning on playing in the postseason has to have a high sense of urgency this time of the year,” Caruso said. “It’s just about us going out there and trying to fine-tune some stuff, work on some defensive coverages and stuff we might try in the playoffs.
“But overall, it’s about sharpening us and making sure we’re ready to go.”
It has been a roller-coaster season for the Bulls, but after their failed rebuild and overall bad vibes from the Jim Boylen era, no one can say it hasn’t been fun to watch. If the Bulls do go on to lose in the first round, fans might debate whether the season was a success, which might be unfair but is the way the world works these days.
Once the Bulls proved they were back, everyone was excited about the possibility of a happy ending, which would include at least one playoff-series win.
But this team has never done anything the easy way, so why start now? With or without Ball, the Bulls can succeed in the playoffs if everyone pulls together behind DeMar DeRozan and Zach LaVine.
“The East, 1 through 6 (seed) right now, is pretty tight, even with Cleveland one game behind,” Caruso said. “I don’t really worry about matchups. Once the playoffs start, it’s zero-zero. I’ve seen teams lose 3-1 or 4-0 in a season series and then win in five or six games.
“Playoffs are unpredictable. When that day comes, we’ll see where we’re at.”
() | https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/03/31/column-chicago-bulls-need-a-healthy-lonzo-ball-to-be-at-their-best-for-the-playoffs-but-his-status-remains-unclear/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:52Z |
Jared Kushner provided 'helpful' details to the Jan. 6 committee, a panel member says
Former President Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner provided "helpful" information to the Democratic-led House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a member of the panel said.
Kushner, married to Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, who was also a senior adviser, is the most high profile member of Trump's inner circle known to have appeared before the committee.
He voluntarily appeared for a remote interview that started at 10 a.m. and lasted at least into the early afternoon hours, several sources familiar with the committee's work said.
Kushner's meeting came two months after the panel asked Ivanka Trump to voluntarily appear before the committee. Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said Ivanka Trump and the committee are engaged in conversations, but no final plan has been reached on her appearance.
"The expectation is that it will take place, as to when I can't tell you right now, I know we are engaging her as a committee," Thompson said on Wednesday.
Virginia Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria told NPR the conversation with Kushner was "helpful." She told MSNBC that Kushner was able to substantiate information and provide his own take on different reports on the Jan. 6 attack.
Luria said it's valuable to hear firsthand accounts from witnesses such as Kushner directly.
"I think that the committee really appreciates hearing information directly from people who have relevant facts about January 6, and the fact that Jared Kushner came as a witness is helpful to building the story of our investigation," Luria said.
One source familiar with the committee's discussions but unable to speak on the record said there were details that Kushner couldn't remember but the source noted that like other witnesses, it has been more than a year since the attack on the Capitol and it is not uncommon for some to not recall some specifics.
Kushner was traveling back from Saudi Arabia on Jan. 6, 2021, but Thompson said he believes that he could help the committee understand more about the events that led up to that day.
"We think because he was an integral part of the administration, it's, I think, important for us to find out if he knew anything about the planning before January 6 and to get it from him," Thompson said.
Thompson, who was not at House votes on Thursday and voted by proxy, had said a day earlier if Kushner's interview went well, the panel would ask for additional communication details, such as call and text message records.
Thompson had previously waved off interest in Kushner but said the committee's staff has continued to reach out to potential witnesses.
"We have an excellent staff, and staff has been actively engaging a number of witnesses, including individuals or their attorneys and Kushner's attorney will be the same," Thompson told NPR on Wednesday.
The White House on Wednesday said it had waived executive privilege claims for Kushner and Ivanka Trump, allowing them to share certain details with the panel. | https://www.npr.org/2022/03/31/1090125988/jared-kushner-provided-helpful-details-to-jan-6-committee | 2022-04-01T01:04:52Z |
Former President Trump senior adviser Jared Kushner provided "helpful" information to the Democratic-led House panel investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, a member of the panel said.
Kushner, married to Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, who was also a senior adviser, is the most high profile member of Trump's inner circle known to have appeared before the committee.
He voluntarily appeared for a remote interview that started at 10 a.m. and lasted at least into the early afternoon hours, several sources familiar with the committee's work said.
Kushner's meeting came two months after the panel asked Ivanka Trump to voluntarily appear before the committee. Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said Ivanka Trump and the committee are engaged in conversations, but no final plan has been reached on her appearance.
"The expectation is that it will take place, as to when I can't tell you right now, I know we are engaging her as a committee," Thompson said on Wednesday.
Virginia Democratic Rep. Elaine Luria told NPR the conversation with Kushner was "helpful." She told MSNBC that Kushner was able to substantiate information and provide his own take on different reports on the Jan. 6 attack.
Luria said it's valuable to hear firsthand accounts from witnesses such as Kushner directly.
"I think that the committee really appreciates hearing information directly from people who have relevant facts about January 6, and the fact that Jared Kushner came as a witness is helpful to building the story of our investigation," Luria said.
One source familiar with the committee's discussions but unable to speak on the record said there were details that Kushner couldn't remember but the source noted that like other witnesses, it has been more than a year since the attack on the Capitol and it is not uncommon for some to not recall some specifics.
Kushner was traveling back from Saudi Arabia on Jan. 6, 2021, but Thompson said he believes that he could help the committee understand more about the events that led up to that day.
"We think because he was an integral part of the administration, it's, I think, important for us to find out if he knew anything about the planning before January 6 and to get it from him," Thompson said.
Thompson, who was not at House votes on Thursday and voted by proxy, had said a day earlier if Kushner's interview went well, the panel would ask for additional communication details, such as call and text message records.
Thompson had previously waved off interest in Kushner but said the committee's staff has continued to reach out to potential witnesses.
"We have an excellent staff, and staff has been actively engaging a number of witnesses, including individuals or their attorneys and Kushner's attorney will be the same," Thompson told NPR on Wednesday.
The White House on Wednesday said it had waived executive privilege claims for Kushner and Ivanka Trump, allowing them to share certain details with the panel.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-03-31/jared-kushner-provided-helpful-details-to-the-jan-6-committee-a-panel-member-says | 2022-04-01T01:04:52Z |
The Public Health Agency of Canada has declared an outbreak of norovirus linked to the consumption of raw B.C. oysters.
The outbreak has impacted people in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario — though as of March 30, 262 of the 279 reported cases are in B.C. There have been no deaths associated with the outbreak.
Individuals became sick with norovirus after ingesting raw oysters farmed on B.C.’s west coast. Health Canada recalled certain brands of oysters that were believed to be related to the norovirus outbreak on Feb. 18, March 20, March 23, and March 27, 2022.
READ MORE: Health Canada recalls certain B.C. oysters due to norovirus contamination
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is continuing an investigation into the outbreak which could lead to further recalls. Any recall notices will be shared publicly.
To avoid norovirus infection from oysters, make sure they are cooked thoroughly to an internal temperature of 90 degrees celsius for 90 seconds before eating. Public health agencies do not recommend consuming raw oysters.
If you believe you became sick from consuming the recalled oysters, Health Canada recommends contacting a doctor. Anyone who believes they purchased the product should check to see if they have it in their home or business. Do not consume the recalled oysters — either throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.
When people become sick with norovirus they typically develop symptoms of gastroenteritis within 24 to 48 hours, but symptoms can start within 12 hours after exposure. Even after becoming infected with norovirus, you can become re-infected. The main symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps. Other symptoms may include a low-grade fever, headaches, chills, muscle aches and fatigue.
Most people start to feel better after a day or two, however in severe cases, some patients require hospitalization. Those most at risk of severe outcomes from norovirus infection include pregnant women, people with compromised immune systems, young children and seniors.
@SchislerCole
cole.schisler@bpdigital.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. | https://www.vicnews.com/news/279-people-infected-with-norovirus-from-b-c-oysters-public-health-agency-says/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:52Z |
On Wednesday, fans were shocked to hear that legendary actor Bruce Willis would be stepping away from his acting career after being diagnosed with aphasia.
Willis' family announced on Wednesday that after a decades-spanning career with many blockbuster films and franchises to his name, the 67-year-old actor would be "stepping away from the career that has meant so much to him," due to the condition affecting his "cognitive abilities."
According to the Mayo Clinic, aphasia is "a condition that robs you of the ability to communicate. It can affect your ability to speak, write and understand language, both verbal and written."
Two sources have since told ET that the actor's health has been deteriorating for a while now, so much so that he needed help with his lines on film sets.
"It got to the point where on his last several films, he was fitted with an earpiece, and someone had to read him his lines because he was unable to remember them," one of the sources told ET.
ET spoke with Dr. Nneka Ifejika, a rehab specialist at UT Southwestern, about the condition.
"Aphasia is a condition that results from damage to the speech areas of the brain," Dr. Ifejika shared with ET.
As for what Willis and his family can do to treat his condition moving forward, he has several options to maintain a good quality of life.
"There are treatments for it, though, so it will be very important to get ahold of a speech and language pathologist," Dr. Ifejika noted. "Their quality of life is greatly affected by aphasia, however, with good, adaptive methods and ways to compensate for aphasia, you can still have a good quality of life. There are certain medications and certain conditions that can be used to help facilitate communication."
Willis' last released project was this year's A Day to Die, and he has several completed and announced projects listed on his IMDb page.
Willis is best known for his role as John McClane in the Die Hard films and has many other hit movies to his name including Pulp Fiction, The Sixth Sense, Sin City, Armageddon, The Fifth Element and more.
For more on the condition, watch the clip below:
RELATED CONTENT: | https://www.wfaa.com/article/entertainment/entertainment-tonight/how-bruce-willis-was-able-to-keep-acting-amid-aphasia-battle/603-db71b1c6-e95f-48af-a3d7-44ba15fc60b2 | 2022-04-01T01:04:52Z |
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LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former minor league pitcher ran a major league illegal sports betting operation in California that used other former pro athletes to take bets and took wagers from players still in the game, federal prosecutors said Thursday.
Wayne Nix, who threw for Oakland Athletics farm teams, used his connections to recruit three former Major League Baseball players and a former pro football player as fellow bookies, prosecutors said.
The MLB began looking into the matter when it learned of it Thursday, but was unaware any of those involved other than Nix, a spokesman said.
Court records offered no names of the players who worked for Nix or those who placed bets with his business, but they provide a glimpse of the kind of money being wagered, earned and lost.
A professional football player paid Nix $245,000 for gambling losses in 2016. An MLB coach paid $4,000 in losses that same year. It was not disclosed if either bet on their own games or their own sports.
MLB prohibits players from betting on baseball or gambling illegally on sports. They can bet on other sports if it’s legal. The National Football League policy bars all personnel from betting on football games.
A Los Angeles check cashing business that has agreed to plead guilty to failing to prevent money laundering in the scheme cashed over $18 million in checks from two single bettors, prosecutors said.
One client wagered $5 million on the Super Bowl but it was not revealed if that gambit paid off.
Sports betting is legal in 30 states, but not in California. However, voters will have a chance to legalize it at the polls in November.
Nix, 45, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to run an illegal gambling operation and faces up to eight years in prison. He also admitted he failed to report $1.4 million in income in 2017 and 2018. He has agreed to pay back taxes and interest of $1.25 million and forfeit $1.3 million seized from bank accounts.
Nix began the sports bookmaking business about 20 years ago after his six-year minor league career — with stops in Arizona, Texas and California — ended, prosecutors said.
His client list was created from contacts he had made in the sports world and included current and former pro athletes. The agents he hired helped expand that clientele.
The operation eventually began using a Costa Rican business, Sand Island Sports, to create accounts where bets could be placed and tracked and credit limits set, prosecutors said. Bets were placed online or through a call center, though Nix paid winners and kept most of the money from losing bets.
Those who exceeded credit limits were shut off, though exceptions were made, according to court documents.
A sports broadcaster’s account was reactivated in February 2019 after he told Nix he was refinancing his home mortgage to pay off his gambling debts.
In September 2019, Nix increased the credit limit to a baseball player with debts so he could make additional bets.
In November, 2019, Nix’s partner, Edon Kagasoff, told a business manager for a professional basketball player that he would increase the maximum wager he could place to $25,000 per NBA game.
Kagasoff, 44, faces the same conspiracy charge as Nix. He also agreed to plead guilty and forfeit over $3 million in funds seized from his home and bank accounts. | https://www.thestar.com/news/world/us/2022/03/31/ex-minor-leaguer-ran-major-league-sports-betting-operation.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:54Z |
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court has granted a request from a northern Virginia school system to continue using a challenged admissions policy at a highly selective high school while it appeals a ruling that found the policy discriminates against Asian American students.
A three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a ruling Thursday that Fairfax County Public Schools can continue to use its new admissions policy at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
U.S. District Judge Claude Hilton rejected the new policy in a February ruling, saying that impermissible “racial balancing” was at its core. Commonly known as “TJ,” the prestigious school near the nation’s capital is often ranked as one of the best public high schools in the country.
Earlier this month, Hilton also rejected a request from the school system to delay the implementation of his ruling. But the 4th Circuit, in a 3-2 ruling, said the school board had met the legal requirements for a suspension of Hilton's order while its appeal is pending.
The 4th Circuit panel agreed with school officials who argued that because the selection process for the incoming freshman class is well underway, implementing Hilton's ruling now would throw the process into chaos.
Judge Toby Heytens wrote that he has “grave doubts” about Hilton's conclusions "regarding both disparate impact and discriminatory purpose” of the new admissions policy.
“In my view, appellant Fairfax County School Board is likely to succeed in its appeal,” Heytens wrote.
In a dissenting opinion, Judge Allison Jones Rushing said putting Hilton's ruling on hold while the school board appeals his decision is not in the public interest. Jones said any logistical difficulties or inconvenience associated with changing the admissions policy at this late date “simply do not outweigh the infringement of constitutional rights.”
“And everyone — even temporarily frustrated applicants and their families — ultimately benefits from a public-school admissions process not tainted by unconstitutional discrimination,” Rushing wrote.
The case has been closely watched as courts continue to evaluate the role that racial considerations can play when deciding who should be admitted to a particular school. Earlier this year, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a similar case alleging that Harvard University discriminates against Asian Americans in its admissions process.
Fairfield County Public Schools said the order from the 4th Circuit allows the school board to continue with the current application process to select the Class of 2026 this spring.
“For the 2,500+ students in this application pool, this means the race blind process set out by the School Board in October 2020 will remain in place as an appeal challenging the February court decision plays out,” the board said in a news release.
The parents’ group Coalition for TJ, which filed the lawsuit, said the 4th Circuit judges have made a “grave error” in allowing the school system to continue to use its new admissions process.
“If the judges’ decision stands, we would see Fairfax County Public Schools usher in a second class of students to America’s No. 1 public high school through an unconstitutional race-based admissions process,” the coalition said in a statement.
For decades, Black and Hispanic students have been woefully underrepresented in the student body. After criticism over its lack of diversity, the school board scrapped a standardized test that had been at the heart of the admissions process and opted instead for a process that sets aside slots at each of the county’s middle schools. It also includes “experience factors” like socioeconomic background.
The parents’ group argued in its lawsuit that Asian Americans, who constituted more than 70% of the student body, were unfairly targeted in the new policy.
The school’s current freshman class, which was admitted under the new policy, saw a significantly different racial makeup. Black students increased from 1% to 7%; Hispanic representation increased from 3% to 11%. Asian American representation decreased from 73% to 54%.
The school system has insisted that its new policies are race neutral, and the panel evaluating applicants is not even aware of applicants’ race as it conducts its reviews. | https://www.union-bulletin.com/seattle_times/disputed-school-admissions-policy-ok-d-pending-appeal/article_7717df99-8aca-5d71-b6a0-20a80cffc435.html | 2022-04-01T01:04:54Z |
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered the release of 1 million barrels of oil per day from the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve for six months, a bid to control energy prices that have spiked after the United States and allies imposed steep sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Oscars producer Will Packer is unfolding details of the events that occurred at the 2022 Oscars. In a preview clip of an upcoming "Good Morning America" interview, the producer shared that the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) was there and ready to arrest Will Smith if Chris Rock chose to press charges after the "King Richard" star slapped him.
NEW YORK (AP) — An independent group formed by former and current Amazon workers is trying to organize a company warehouse in New York City, a David and Goliath scenario that could lead to the retail giant’s first unionized facility in the U.S. Workers at an Amazon fulfillment...
WASHINGTON, March 31 (Reuters) - Americans will be allowed to choose an X for gender on their passport applications and select their sex on Social Security cards, the Biden administration said on Thursday in announcing measures to support transgender Americans against wave of state laws targeting them. The State Department...
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gay rights advocates sued Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday to block a new law that forbids classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade. The law has catapulted Florida and DeSantis, a potential 2024 Republican presidential candidate, to the...
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Thursday that he will oppose Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination to the Supreme Court, marking the first time the GOP senator will vote against a nominee for the high court since joining the Senate. “I will oppose her and I will vote no,”...
The family of Bruce Willis shocked his fans Wednesday when they announced the actor is "stepping away" from his career after being diagnosed with aphasia, a disorder that affects a person's ability to speak or comprehend language. "To Bruce’s amazing supporters, as a family we wanted to share that our...
It appears the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences is standing behind its statement that Will Smith was "asked to leave the ceremony and refused" after the actor slapped presenter Chris Rock, a source tells Fox News. A source at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences told...
(CNN) — Two people are dead and two others are hurt after a tornado struck in the Florida Panhandle on Thursday morning, authorities said -- part of a series of storms that have laid waste to buildings around the South since Wednesday. A tornado struck Washington County, north of...
Lviv, Ukraine (CNN) — Russian forces have withdrawn from Chernobyl, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster, the state enterprise overseeing Ukraine's nuclear power plants said on Thursday. "It was confirmed that the occupiers, who seized the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and other facilities in the Exclusion Zone,... | https://www.newsbreak.com/news/2556628545520/8200-gorman-ave-120 | 2022-04-01T01:04:54Z |
Troopers: Small child killed in Clay County crash
Published: Mar. 31, 2022 at 8:50 AM EDT|Updated: 12 hours ago
MANCHESTER, Ky. (WYMT) - Kentucky State Police troopers say a small child was killed in a crash Wednesday in Clay County.
It happened around 3 p.m. on U.S. 421 south near Manchester.
We’re told a pickup truck was traveling north on the highway when the driver, identified as Delbert L. Allen, 59, of Manchester, hit the child who was in the road at the time.
Police say the little girl was taken to a nearby hospital for her injuries, but did not survive. Officials have scheduled an autopsy, but say drugs or alcohol are not believed to be involved in the incident.
An investigation into the crash is ongoing.
Copyright 2022 WYMT. All rights reserved. | https://www.wkyt.com/2022/03/31/troopers-small-child-killed-clay-county-crash/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:54Z |
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How to Speak Science Fiction: A Field Guide
So you want to make a science fiction movie? Here’s your field guide to the genre’s tricks, tropes, and tribulations.
Let’s start at the beginning—say a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. Well, no, that’s not far enough back. There’s some debate on the internet (imagine that!) about the truly first science fiction story.
Some give that credit to Mary Shelley for Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus (1818), while others say the Oscar goes to Johann Valentin Andreae’s The Chemical Wedding, a fantastical story of Rosicrucianism (1616).
The point is, way back, we started bringing what we can loosely call “science” into our stories. It hadn’t really been a thing all that long—science—so the narrative traditions of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment hadn’t really caught up to all the “science fiction” rage. Our tales of gods and monsters started involving chemistry and electricity. The world was modernizing, so fiction was too.
There are myriad sub-genres and sub-sub-genres under the science fiction umbrella. We shan’t go too deep down that rabbit hole because that way lies madness, but suffice it to say that trends and movements have been shaping science fiction from the beginning.
A common misperception is that science fiction reflects the future. It doesn’t. (That’s impossible.) Science fiction is usually social commentary turning a critical lens on our world today, so the sturm und drang of culture, conflict, technology, and just about any other human endeavor you can think of nudge the genre (and its sub-genres) this way or that.
Science fiction is a roiling, excitable, political place full of heroes, technological advancements, scum, and villainy. So, in the interest of time and space (see what I did there?), let’s restrict our survey to just a few sub-genres . . .
Science Fiction
Trying to define science fiction is a rat’s nest. As soon as you establish parameters about what is and what isn’t SF, you start excluding things. That means experimental or cross-genre work starts getting cut out, even though this is the type of work that usually drives the genre forward.
What’s more, canonical science fiction often brings its gravitas from hegemonic traditions, which means anything that doesn’t fit this orthodox definition isn’t “pure,” and that’s definitely not what we want to be saying about works of science fiction coming from traditionally under-represented sources.
The tradition of science fiction cinema has its roots in literature, but it is, of course, its own branch of the family tree. That being the case, let’s consider a definition from the literary tradition so we can at least start having this conversation. A commonly cited definition comes from Darko Suvin in 1972:
[A] literary genre whose necessary and sufficient conditions are the presence and interaction of estrangement and cognition, and whose main formal device is an imaginative framework alternative to the author’s empirical environment.
There’s a bit of critical hand-waving going on here—feel free to google the quote and start unpacking what other people think Suvin means.
Let’s take it to mean, roughly, fiction set in a world that isn’t quite this world (or is wholly different) that’s recognizable enough to operate mostly by our laws of physics, with rational imaginations of technology, culture, or life. That should give us a broad enough canvas to work with—in any larger context, that definition has as many holes as your favorite colander, so bear with me.
Okay—one sort of down. Next science fiction sub-genre to consider . . .
Science Fantasy
I mean, I said this was going to be a rat’s nest. So, Going down. Next level: blurrier definitions.
Science fiction and fantasy are often considered two genres, even though you hear that phrase, “science fiction and fantasy,” as one inviolable unit all the time. Pure science fiction and pure fantasy are easy to differentiate. In the words of Rod Serling, science fiction is “the improbable made possible,” while fantasy is “the impossible made probable.”
In other words, science fiction is a scientifically possible story—at least based on extrapolation. Fantasy, which we’ll look at in more detail in another post, relies on elements of the supernatural that simply aren’t possible in our universe.
Science fantasy thumbs its nose a bit at these rules. In a work of science fantasy, the world functions scientifically, even if it includes elements of the supernatural. Those elements may be impossible in our universe, but they’re scientifically explicable in a fictional one.
Dune is a good example. Everything in this story functions plausibly, based on the rules it presents, which are mostly our rules of the universe. However, cool magic-like effects are the result of physical and mental conditioning—not to mention the eponymous spice, mélange.
If science fiction is wearing a suit and tie to the party, science fantasy has already unbuttoned its collar and is sneaking people in through the kitchen.
Cyberpunk
What isn’t to love about cyberpunk? The apocalyptic cityscapes, the randomly smoking buildings, the glitz and flash of the technological world—and the murder, mayhem, addiction, and intrigue, of course.
Cyberpunk has its origins in the New Wave science fiction movement of the 1960s and ’70s, when writers began exploring the confluence of drug culture, dystopian society, and technology.
Cyberpunk explored the underbelly of the at-the-time-seemingly-limitless potential of the tech age, and it resisted earlier science fiction tendencies toward a utopian society. According to cyberpunk, the world is a hard-edged place, and it’s only going to get harder as we continue evolving.
The term comes from early cyberpunk author Bruce Bethke, who wrote a story by that title in 1980. A seminal example of the sub-genre, both in literature and film, is Ridley Scott‘s Blade Runner, based on the proto-cyberpunk novel by Philip K. Dick Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Both media have the iconic post-economic-apocalypse, dingy-living, technologically-dependent cynicism that would come to define the sub-genre.
Cyberpunk happens when humans meet technology and bring their worst habits with them. The Age of the Internet has only made this sub-genre more acute.
Space Opera
Space opera isn’t what it sounds like. For starters, there’s no opera. Usually, there’s no singing of any kind.
This sub-genre has undergone its fair share of definitions, just like the others. It didn’t really formalize until the early 1990s, but the content was there long before.
In film, the sub-genre probably began with the 1918 Danish proto-space opera film, Himmelskibet, about a trip to Mars. Without digging our way through every definition throughout its lifespan, we can summarize space opera like this: melodramatic science fiction about interstellar warfare using advanced technology.
It differs from formal science fiction in that it’s purely about drama and adventure—there’s little room for philosophy or social commentary in space opera.
The sub-genre really got its start in the 1920s and 1930s in pulp science fiction magazines that writer Wilson Tucker called “hacky, grinding, stinking, outworn, spaceship yarn[s],” which he dubbed space operas. The term derives from soap operas, which were originally serial radio dramas sponsored by soap companies. It also shares some etymology with horse opera, which indicated a formulaic western film.
Space operas are big movies about big ships hunting each other in the vastness of space with grossly exaggerated technological weaponry. To return to our dinner party, science fiction is wearing the suit and tie, science fantasy is doing Jell-O shots at the bar, and space opera is wearing spurs and lighting cigarettes with a lightsaber.
Why Choose Science Fiction?
There are plenty of reasons to make a science fiction movie. Even when they’re horror-themed, they’re still just cool because, you know, future.
Science fiction films carry the veneer of reality, so there’s a probability, a believability to their storylines that we don’t necessarily assume when watching other genres. And the assumptions we make are just as much a part of the genre-viewing experience as the movie you make. Teaching your audience how to watch your movie is important, but that’s a conversation for another time.
Science fiction brings the imagination unfettered by today’s technological limits. We can construct near- or far-future scenarios wherein anything is possible simply because, as Arthur C. Clarke told us, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.”
All we have to do is dream it up, and we can claim that the future will be capable of making it real. That’s totally different from the suspension of disbelief inherent in supernatural or fantasy films.
Another reason mentioned briefly above is the backward lens. We’re ostensibly watching stories about the future—we’re watching the consequences of our actions today, whether environmental, political, or technological. The people in the future reflect what we’ve created for them. Put another way, the watchers from the future are looking backward at us.
While we’re 100% not actually creating documentaries about future people, we’re definitely projecting today’s realities onto a . . . well, screen.
Science fiction lends itself well to commentary. What happens if we take nuclear technology too far? Should we really be trying to travel in time? Just how smart should we make the machines? We build science fiction out of ourselves. If you have something to say with your movie, and you don’t want to force it down our throats, try science fiction!
Not every sci-fi movie needs to be message fiction, but it can be, and when we sit down for this genre, we’re usually inclined to listen.
The Science Part
The one hard part about science fiction is the science. The laws of physics need to function the same in your movie world as they do in the real one. That means scientific instruments and technologies operate according to a set of rules. Highly sophisticated, complex, and weird rules. So, you have some options . . .
You can go the hard science fiction route and back up every line of dialogue and every action in your film with thoroughly researched and proven science. This can be tricky if you’re a younger filmmaker or simply just not a physicist.
If you have a large enough budget, you can pay experts to help you figure these parts out. Without said budget, you’re relegated to Wikipedia and Google.
(Star Trek: The Next Generation is famous for its “technobabble.” The writers even began simply writing “tech” in the scripts in the hopes that science advisor André Bormanis would come along later and fill in the details.)
Alternatively, if, as they say, the devil is in the details, then stay away from them. There are tried-and-true tenets of science fiction that you can intone without reinventing the wheel—faster-than-light travel, advanced weaponry, enhanced medical science, cybernetics, etc.
When you think about science fiction movies, generally speaking, you’re going to think of these neat tricks—everyone is. You can use that to your advantage, wave your wand with “you know, it just works,” and concentrate on your story or message.
Science Fiction on a Budget
It might seem counter-intuitive, but science fiction lends itself well to low-budget or DIY projects. We tend to think that a proper science fiction production involves many effects—and that means a budget. It certainly can mean this, but it also doesn’t have to. Don’t be misled into thinking that to do a science fiction project, you have to dress it up enough to compete with Hollywood blockbusters.
The technologies and innovations that make science fiction, well, science fiction, aren’t real. So, sure, the flux capacitor in Doc Brown’s DeLorean is cool-looking, but so is Hal-9000, and we’re supposed to believe it’s a malevolent, super-intelligent computer system. I once made a Halloween costume by gluing a small, red bowl to a white T-shirt and told everyone I was Hal, so . . .
What I’m saying is, the on-screen representations of your technological advancements can be subtle, simple—they can even be cheap (and often are, for most indie projects). Hide the details. Use lights and sound design. Create minimal props that are easy to mess with in After Effects.
You can create powerful stories in empty buildings and isolated spaces that could be set now or in the future. A garden shed can be an apocalypse bunker. A storm shelter can be an alien prison. Heck, John Carpenter used a beach ball as an alien in Dark Star, and no one seems to care.
Science fiction in the hands of indie filmmakers is truly where imagination thrives. Google the creation of sound effects for Star Wars, way back. You’ll see what I’m talking about.
DIY
In that spirit of imagination and innovation, tutorials are your friends, and the PremiumBeat YouTube channel has just about everything you could dream up on your science fiction set. Here are just three examples to get you started.
Stay on the sci-fi train with these gems:
- How Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 Perfected the Art of Color Theory
- 7 Core Genre Elements Every Zombie Movie Needs
- The Ins and Outs and Ins and Outs of Creating a Time Loop Film
- Go Medieval With These Easy-to-Make Fantasy Props
- Break Genre Rules Like a Master Filmmaker
Cover image via 20th Century Studios. | https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/science-fiction-field-guide/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:55Z |
The makeup world is mourning the loss of one of their very own.
Celebrity makeup artist and beauty mogul AJ Crimson died on March 30 at the age of 27, his family said in a statement to E! News.
"AJ Crimson was a makeup industry leader that set a standard of beauty that was elevated, beautiful, and accessible to people of all color," the message read. "We as a family are heartbroken and devastated by his passing, but thankful for the lessons that he laid on each of us with his truth, directness, and leadership."
Thanking fans for their kind words about Crimson, the family said he was an "inspiration to us as much as he was a bright light to the rest of the world. There are no words that can sum up his whole. Until we meet again!"
Michele Marie PR said in a statement to E! News that they are "devastated" and "absolutely loved AJ, truly one of the sweetest, most humble people we have ever had the pleasure of working with."
Celebrity Deaths: 2022's Fallen Stars
Details surrounding Crimson's death have not been released to the public.
Entertainment News
The self-taught makeup artist founded his cosmetic brand in 2012.
After starting with just lipstick and glosses, his beauty products expanded into an inclusive line of powder and cream foundations, which are now being sold at Nordstrom and on Amazon.
His celebrity clientele included the likes of Angela Bassett, Brandy, Fergie, Regina King, Missy Elliott, Amerie, Hilary Duff and many more.
Following the news of Crimson's passing, several stars took to social media to mourn his loss, including actress Bresha Webb, who shared a touching post about her late friend on Instagram on March 31.
"I'm blessed to have been apart of your journey and I will keep your legacy alive," the A Fall From Grace actress wrote. "And wow did you leave a legacy. Praying for your spirit to be lifted up to the heavens and that the angels usher you in with all of the harmony and sweetness that you shared on this earth." | https://www.nbcsandiego.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/celebrity-makeup-artist-aj-crimson-dead-at-27/2909512/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:55Z |
Mercury Systems shares rise ~12% post Q2 performance beat; raises FY19 outlook
- Mercury Systems rise (MRCY +11.9%) as the company reports record Q2 revenue increase of 35% Y/Y to ~$160M, with organic growth of 11%.
- Total bookings were $173.2M, yielding a book-to-bill ratio of 1.09; total backlog stood at $522M.
- In January 2019, the company acquired GECO Avionics, provider of safety-critical avionics and mission computing solutions, for $36.5M
- Gross margin declines ~135bps to 44.6%; while operating margin is up ~325bps to 12.5%.
- Amid strong 1H 2019 performance, the company raises FY19 guidance and expects sales of $631M-$646M up from prior guidance of $607M-$625M; expects EPS of ~$1.72-1.80 up from $1.65-1.79.
- Expects Q3 FY2019 EPS of ~$0.43-0.46 and revenues of $162.7M-$167.7M.
- Previously: Mercury Systems beats by $0.05, beats on revenue (Jan. 29) | https://seekingalpha.com/news/3427563-mercury-systems-shares-rise-12-percent-post-q2-performance-beat-raises-fy19-outlook | 2022-04-01T01:04:55Z |
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Another above-normal Atlantic hurricane season could be coming at us.
AccuWeather forecasters on Wednesday predicted 16 to 20 named storms this year, with six to eight becoming hurricanes.
Three to five of the hurricanes are projected to have winds exceeding 111 mph, and four to six are forecast to directly impact the U.S. The forecast also gave a “high chance” of a system forming before the June 1 start of the season.
The past two seasons have exhausted lists of storm names, with a record 30 named storms in 2020 and 21 named systems in 2021. A normal year has 14 named storms, with seven becoming hurricanes and three considered major hurricanes.
This year’s prediction is based, in part, on a climatological phenomenon known as La Nina, which can limit vertical wind shear in the atmosphere.
“With less wind shear in the atmosphere, there will be one fewer tropical hindrance in play,” the AccuWeather report said.
AccuWeather meteorologist and hurricane expert Dan Kottlowski noted that "a shift to a neutral phase could occur during the summer, but if La Niña remains in place, or even intensifies, then it’s possible that there could be more than 20 storms.”
Copyright 2022 WJCT News 89.9. To see more, visit WJCT News 89.9. | https://www.wfit.org/tropical-weather/2022-03-31/hurricane-season-could-be-another-whopper | 2022-04-01T01:04:56Z |
RCAS breaks ground on news South Middle School
RAPID CITY, S.D. (KOTA) - Several district, city, and state officials attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new South Middle School. The project got underway Thursday with Scull Construction building the bigger, more modern facility.
After a $180-million bond to fund school infrastructure was rejected by the public, Superintendent Dr. Lori Simon says it was essential to use pandemic relief funds to update South Middle.
“The most significant and long-term impact would be to build a school that was on that bond list, and after receiving the green light from both the federal level, and the Department of Education, we began immediately planning for building this new school,” Simon said.
RCAS administration has said that they want to move forward with other infrastructure projects in the future, even without the bond funds.
Facilities Director Kumar Veluswamy says the district is taking steps to ensure needs are met.
“We have some new people coming into the community,” Veluswamy said. “School is such an important part of the community. So, we want to strategically prioritize that. But, at the same time, we need the funding to make that a reality.”
School district officials say they hope to have the project completed before the 2024-2025 school year.
Copyright 2022 KOTA. All rights reserved. | https://www.kotatv.com/2022/03/31/rcas-breaks-ground-news-south-middle-school/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:57Z |
SÃO PAULO, March 31, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ZENVIA Inc. ("ZENVIA" or "Company") (NASDAQ: ZENV), a customer experience communications platform that empowers businesses to create unique journeys for their end-customers along their life cycle, announced today that it filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The annual report, the first one issued by Zenvia since the IPO in July 2021, can be accessed on the Company's investor relations website at http://investors.zenvia.com or at http://www.sec.gov.
The Company will provide shareholders a hard copy of its annual report containing the audited consolidated financial statements, free of charge, upon request. Requests should be directed to the Investor Relations Department through the email ir@zenvia.com.
About ZENVIA
ZENVIA is driven by the purpose of empowering companies to create unique experiences for customer communications through its unified end-to-end platform. ZENVIA empowers companies to transform their existing customer communications from non-scalable, physical, and impersonal interactions into highly scalable, digital first and hyper contextualized experiences across the customer journey. ZENVIA's unified end-to-end CX communications platform provides a combination of (i) SaaS focused on campaigns, sales teams, customer service and engagement, (ii) tools, such as software application programming interfaces, or APIs, chatbots, single customer view, journey designer, documents composer and authentication and (iii) channels, such as SMS, Voice, WhatsApp, Instagram and Webchat. Its comprehensive platform assists customers across multiple use cases, including marketing campaigns, customer acquisition, customer onboarding, warnings, customer services, fraud control, cross-selling and customer retention, among others. ZENVIA's shares are traded on Nasdaq, under the ticker ZENV.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date they were first issued and were based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections as well as the beliefs and assumptions of management. Words such as "expect," "anticipate," "should," "believe," "hope," "target," "project," "goals," "estimate," "potential," "predict," "may," "will," "might," "could," "intend," variations of these terms or the negative of these terms and similar expressions are intended to identify these statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which involve factors or circumstances that are beyond Zenvia's control.
Zenvia's actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied in forward-looking statements due to several factors, including but not limited to: our ability to innovate and respond to technological advances, changing market needs and customer demands, our ability to successfully acquire new businesses as customers, acquire customers in new industry verticals and appropriately manage international expansion, substantial and increasing competition in our market, compliance with applicable regulatory and legislative developments and regulations, the dependence of our business on our relationship with certain service providers, among other factors.
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SOURCE Zenvia | https://www.nbc12.com/prnewswire/2022/03/31/zenvia-files-its-annual-report-form-20-f-fiscal-year-2021/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:57Z |
Florida and 20 other states are suing the federal government over mask mandates for airlines, trains and other forms of public transportation, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday.
The mandates have caused “unruly passenger situations,” because people “nibbling on peanuts for 2½ hours” can keep the masks off, but somebody reading can’t, DeSantis said. “It’s amazing it’s gone on as long as it has,” he said.
The lawsuit marked the latest clash between the federal government and Gov. DeSantis, who has pushed to close the curtain on what he calls “COVID theater” as coronavirus cases have dropped. Filed in federal court in Tampa, the lawsuit argues the federal government has shown an “outright disdain for the limits on its power — especially when it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
President Joe Biden’s administration earlier this month extended requirements for travelers to wear masks on public transportation through April 18 at the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The current CDC transit order, which has been in place since soon after Biden took office in January 2021, has been previously extended three times. It requires masks to be worn by all travelers on airplanes, ships, trains, subways, buses, taxis and ride-shares and at transportation hubs such as airports, bus or ferry terminals, train and subway stations, and seaports, Reuters reported.
Commuters have been mostly compliant with wearing masks on Tri-Rail, the commuter-rail system that runs across South Florida, but “as the pandemic has subsided, fewer of our riders are accepting the need to wear the masks,” said Steven Abrams, its executive director.
Officers who come through the Tri-Rail cars hand out free masks to passengers who don’t have them. “People do appreciate the masking on the rush-hour trains,” Abrams said. “But on other trains where people can easily spread out, there are clearly riders who don’t see the necessity.”
Recently, the CEOs of 10 airlines and cargo carriers signed a letter to Biden urging him to end the transportation mask mandate and testing requirements for international travelers. Airlines and travel groups had called on the White House to “repeal the federal mask mandate for public transportation, or provide a clear roadmap to remove the mask mandate within 90 days.”
The following states have joined Florida in the complaint: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
“If politicians and celebrities can attend the Super Bowl unmasked, every U.S. citizen should have the right to fly unmasked,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement. “It is well past time to get rid of this unnecessary mandate and get back to normal life.”
The push to remove the required masks coincides with DeSantis’ stance that such mandates are unnecessary. Earlier this month, DeSantis made national news when he asked high school students to remove their masks during a news conference.
Also this month, state officials said they planned to recommend that healthy children not get vaccinated, which drew an outcry from the White House. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary, said at the time it was “absolutely not” good policy.
Masks do have a significant impact on curbing the spread of respiratory infectious disease, and certain people may still need to protect themselves, Dr. Marissa Levine, a University of South Florida College of Public Health professor, recently told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com or 954-572-2008 or Twitter @LisaHuriash.
() | https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/03/31/florida-and-20-other-states-sue-over-federal-mask-mandate-for-public-transportation/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:58Z |
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Claw Cannabis
The Wellness through Cannabis Company.
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About this brand
The Claw brand is a trusted leader in the cannabis and wellness products industry built on a passion for enriching cannabis and supporting access to a clean, healthy cannabis lifestyle. Claw strives to create products that benefit your active lifestyle & leave you recharged to start every day on the right foot.
Providing Michigan with the cleanest, most effective cannabis products.
We are committed to transparency and continuously strengthening our brands to improve the cannabis experience for our customers.
The release of the Mini V2 VFire Battery is a step toward the low temperature vaping experience. Benefiting your mind, body & soul without compromising your terpenes or lungs.
Providing Michigan with the cleanest, most effective cannabis products.
We are committed to transparency and continuously strengthening our brands to improve the cannabis experience for our customers.
The release of the Mini V2 VFire Battery is a step toward the low temperature vaping experience. Benefiting your mind, body & soul without compromising your terpenes or lungs. | https://www.leafly.com/brands/claw-cannabis | 2022-04-01T01:04:57Z |
Catholic bishop in Argentina convicted of sex abuse
A powerful bishop in Argentina was convicted on Friday of sexually abusing two young men who were studying to become priests, Reuters reported.
Gustavo Zanchetta, the former bishop of Oran in Argentina’s northern province of Salta, was convicted of sexually abusing two former seminarians and was sentenced to 4.5 years in prison, according to the wire service.
The verdict was reached after more than a week of graphic testimony from witnesses who described unwanted touching and sexual advances by the former bishop, according to summaries released by the judiciary, Reuters reported.
Those who testified also claimed that the clergyman had asked for massages, given gifts to those seminarians that he favored and had a history of keeping pornography on his phone.
In addition, he allegedly looked at pornography on the church’s computer.
Zanchette, for his part, has denied the accusations, and his lawyer said they will appeal the case, according to Reuters.
Zanchetta was a priest for more than 30 years and a bishop for more than eight, according to a website tracking catholic clergy.
The conviction marks the latest sex abuse case among many that have plagued the Catholic Church as an institution for years.
Last week, a German Catholic priest was sentenced to 12 years in prison for sexually abusing children.
But Zanchetta was bishop in the home country of Pope Francis, the former archbishop of Buenos Aires, who assumed the papacy in 2013 and has pledged justice for victims of sexual abuse.
The Hill has removed its comment section, as there are many other forums for readers to participate in the conversation. We invite you to join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter. | https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/596973-argentine-bishop-convicted-of-sex-abuse/ | 2022-04-01T01:04:56Z |
SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Russell Knox recorded four straight birdies on the back nine and fired a 7-under 65 on Thursday for a one-shot lead after the opening round of the Valero Texas Open.
Knox closed out his round with a seven-foot putt to save par at the par-5 18th at TPC San Antonio, and was one shot ahead of Rasmus Hojgaard.
Hojgaard fired a 66 despite a double bogey on his final hole. Matt Kuchar is another stroke back after an opening 5-under 67 and is among a group that includes Denny McCarthy, Aaron Rei and J.J. Spaun.
Defending champ Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy finished at even-par 72. They were outside the top 60 after one round and could flirt with the cut line on Friday.
Bryson DeChambeau had a 1-over 73. After holing a bunker shot for eagle on his 11th hole and following with a birdie on the next, he made bogey on four of his last six holes.
Knox, a 32-year-old Scotsman with two career PGA Tour wins, started his birdie streak at No. 12. All of his birdie putts were inside 10 feet. At the 15th, he was about 20 feet away from a back pin position following his approach and chipped in from the fringe. It was his second chip-in in the round.
“That was one of those kind of bonus birdies that you need when you’re going to have a good day,” Knox said. “Obviously thrilled with the round. It’s been more of the way I want to play.”
Hogjaard, a 21-year-old from Denmark and two-rime winner on the European Tour, had his sights on the first-round lead heading to his closing hole. But, his drive sailed well left of the fairway. It took him four shots to reach the green on the par-4 ninth.
“I had to chip sideways back into the fairway,” he said. “Just was a little too aggressive after that. Yeah, short-sided myself and I didn’t get up and down and suddenly you walk away with double-bogey. Yeah, that was a bit annoying, but it happens.”
Kuchar was 5 under after 11 holes. Thirty feet away from the pin on the next hole, he failed to get up and down and missed a seven-foot putt for par. He got a shot back with a birdie on his 14th hole, and parred out, falling short in a bid to match his season-best round of 64 at the Sony Open, where he finished in the top 10.
“A lot of good and bad that can happen here on this course,” Kuchar said. “I was kind of managing early on in the round and then found a little something on about the fifth or sixth hole. I started having some birdie chances and converted on a few late in my first nine.”
Kuchar has won nine times on the PGA Tour. McCarthy, Rai and Spaun are looking for their first.
___
More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.trumbulltimes.com/sports/article/Knox-uses-4-birdie-run-for-a-one-stroke-lead-at-17049836.php | 2022-04-01T01:04:58Z |
Marvel Cinematic Universe's latest superhero is not, in the conventional sense, either "super" or a "hero," but he does have an unorthodox ailment and a weird skill-set to separate him from mere mortals. His name is Morbius, and while watching his origin story, you may get the feeling that somewhere in the cinematic multiverse, wires got crossed.
The film begins with a helicopter, transporting a cage to the sort of mist-shrouded isle you half expect King Kong to be inhabiting. But Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) is looking to capture smaller game as he approaches the mouth of a cave, hobbling with difficulty on two crutch-like canes.
Positioning himself behind the wires of the cage, he slices open the palm of his hand and, as a roar of batwings echoes from inside the cave, murmurs to the copter pilot "if you're gonna run, do it now."
A rare blood disease treated with a bit o' bat
It's tempting to say "consider yourself warned," but the film's first hour or so, while unremarkable, is decently crafted.
Born with a rare blood disease, Michael Morbius has spent his entire life working on two things — a cure, and origami paper-folding. Natch, it occurs to him to fold together bat and human DNA.
Because the FDA would be unlikely to approve human trials, he and his beautiful co-researcher Martine (Adria Arjona) head in a cargo ship for international waters off the coast of Long Island in the company of eight thuggish mercenaries — think bloodbags — and once Morbius has been injected with bat DNA, it's just a matter of time before things go vampiric.
Let it be said that some side-effects from dabbling in "chiropter-y" are less ghastly than others. Bat DNA evidently gives you great cheekbones and abs to go with increased strength and speed.
Less salutary effects include new fangs that sprout from his gums with decades of decay baked in, and claws that erupt from his fingers pre-filthed. I mean, sure...why not? Except this is a man whose hair has the kind of sheen that comes from brushing it three times a day.
One other thing: he now needs to drink human blood every six hours. Happily, on his way to declining a Nobel Prize, Dr. Morbius invented "artificial blood," though that only fools his system for a while.
Color coded smoke effects for a Jekyll and his Hyde
If you're expecting a conventional Marvel movie, you should be aware going in that what Director Daniel Espinoza and his writers have come up with is more a horror flick with Marvel bells and whistles.
That means Leto's Morbius gets purplish smoke effects to go with those fang-baring snarls as he's riding air currents in subway tunnels, while the similarly afflicted Hyde to his Jekyll – a schoolboy chum played as an adult by an amusingly hopped-up Matt Smith, gets blue-ish vapor trails and snappier lines.
But there isn't much tension to their story. Or logic. At one point, Morbius overhears some counterfeiters passing fake $100s, and commandeers their printing press to make what appears to be an artificial-blood machine — because the technologies for fake-bills and fake-blood match up? Maybe that works better in a comic book.
Bat guys everywhere you look
Speaking of which, when the DC Extended Universe first announced that Twilight star Robert Pattinson would play the lead in The Batman in their corner of the superhero multiverse, it seemed like a nice inside joke — from Vampire-teen to Bat-man. But now that the Marvelverse has Leto going full Dracula, it seems as if the casting maybe could've gone the other way 'round.
Leto is as persuasively haunted by the dark side of vigilantism as Pattinson was, and as a result of corporate positioning, is maybe more determined to avoid being a villain. Not unlike Venom, Morbius was a bad guy when he first appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man comics, back in the 1970's. He needs to be at least an anti-hero now, if a franchise is to be built around him.
But bad guy/bat guy...who's to say? As the trailers reveal, another DC bat-guy, Michael Keaton, shows up in his non-batty baddie Marvel persona Adrian Toomes, just to mess with the heads of anyone trying to keep cinematic universes straight.
But bloodlines will have to be clarified in more robust "Morbius" episodes to come, this origin story being merely adequate, and by Marvel standards, slightly anemic.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-03-31/jared-leto-is-marvels-bat-man-in-the-vampiric-morbius | 2022-04-01T01:04:58Z |