text string | url string | crawl_date timestamp[ns, tz=UTC] | source_domain string | group string | id string | in_blocksbin int64 | in_noblocksbin int64 | tag string | minhash_count string |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
For the first time in three-quarters of a century, sea turtle hatchlings have been observed on Louisiana’s Chandeleur Islands. The Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) discovered hatchlings of the endangered Kemp’s ridley turtles in the Breton National Wildlife Refuge.
“Louisiana was largely written off as a nesting spot for sea turtles decades ago, but this determination demonstrates why barrier island restoration is so important,” said CRPA Chairman Chip Kline. “As we develop and implement projects statewide, we are always keeping in mind what’s needed to preserve our communities and enhance wildlife habitat. Having this knowledge now allows us to make sure these turtles and other wildlife return to our shores year after year.”
CPRA and LDWF have closely monitored the Chandeleur Islands since May as part of an effort by the Regionwide Trustee Implementation Group to design a project that will restore the islands after they were impacted by the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and numerous tropical weather systems over the years. The discovery of nesting sea turtles will help shape future restoration plans for the island and ensure sea turtle nesting habitat is preserved and improved.
“It is well known that the Chandeleur Islands provide key habitats for a host of important species; however, with the recent discovery of a successful Kemp’s ridley sea turtle hatching, the islands’ value to the region has been elevated,” said LDWF Secretary Jack Montoucet. “We are gaining a better understanding of the benefits this barrier island restoration may provide in the recovery of this endangered species across the Gulf of Mexico.”
“We have a responsibility to protect the wildlife here, and that means creating safe and nourishing environments for these turtles and other animals that call Louisiana home,” said CPRA Executive Director Bren Haase. “It’s an exciting discovery, and we hope to see additional hatchlings emerging in the weeks and years to come.”
The finding is the first known observation of wild sea turtle hatchlings on the Chandeleur Islands in at least 75 years. So far more than 53 sea turtle crawls have been documented and two live hatchlings have been observed making their way to the water.
“We were very excited to learn that sea turtles are once again using the Chandeleur Islands for nesting,” said Leopoldo Miranda-Castro, Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). “We’ve worked hard with our partners to restore wildlife and habitat in the Gulf of Mexico since the Deepwater Horizon oil spill through planning and implementing numerous projects, including on the Chandeleur Islands. The discovery of sea turtles nesting and successfully hatching is a huge step forward demonstrating the amazing resilience of fish and wildlife resources, including threatened and endangered species, and the importance of restoring these barrier islands to protect humans and nature.”
The USFWS determined the hatchlings to be Kemp’s ridley sea turtles, and crawl survey data indicates that in addition to Kemp’s nests, loggerhead sea turtles are also nesting on the islands. Several loggerheads were also discovered nesting in Grand Isle in 2015, which at the time was the first confirmed sea turtle nesting on the coast of Louisiana in over 30 years.
Both species of sea turtles are Federally listed; the Kemp’s ridley are endangered and loggerheads are threatened. Kemp’s are found throughout coastal Louisiana waters feeding in the state’s rich estuaries. Many sea turtle species are known to congregate at the Chandeleur Islands within the nearshore border of Breton National Wildlife Refuge each year feeding in and adjacent to the state’s only marine seagrass meadows.
Additional nests may be discovered on the Chandeleur Islands as monitoring continues and hatchlings begin to emerge. The peak of sea turtle nesting season is June through July with young hatching 50 to 60 days later.
------------------------------------------------------------
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
To reach the newsroom or report a typo/correction, click HERE.
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox. Select from these options: Breaking News, Evening News Headlines, Latest COVID-19 Headlines, Morning News Headlines, Special Offers | https://www.katc.com/news/covering-louisiana/endangered-sea-turtles-nesting-on-la-s-chandeleur-islands | 2022-08-17T17:06:42Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/covering-louisiana/endangered-sea-turtles-nesting-on-la-s-chandeleur-islands | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
American Airlines says it has entered into an agreement to buy up to 20 Boom Supersonic Overture jets.
The airline says the aircraft is expected to carry passengers at twice the speed as today's fastest commercial planes.
“Looking to the future, supersonic travel will be an important part of our ability to deliver for our customers,” said Derek Kerr, American’s chief financial officer. “We are excited about how Boom will shape the future of travel both for our company and our customers.”
The company says Boom must meet industry-standard operating, performance and safety requirements before delivery of the aircraft.
The jets are designed to carry up to 80 passengers and can reach Mach 1.7 over water, American says.
Overture is reportedly in the final production stage. The jets are scheduled to begin carrying passengers by 2029. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/american-airlines-agrees-to-buy-up-to-20-supersonic-jets | 2022-08-17T17:06:44Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/american-airlines-agrees-to-buy-up-to-20-supersonic-jets | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PHOENIX — Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir, continues to decline so rapidly that it will operate at a level 2a shortage condition beginning in 2023, the Department of Interior announced Tuesday.
It is the second year in a row that deep cuts will be implemented to shore up the Colorado River system as prescribed in the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan, which was agreed to by the seven states and Mexico that rely on the water.
The lower basin states of Arizona, Nevada, California, and the country of Mexico fall under the tier 2a plan.
With junior priority, Arizona is set to lose the most — 592,000 acre-feet, or 21%, of its annual allotment in this round of cuts. The loss nearly wipes out the allotment for agricultural users in Pinal County and is expected to impact some municipal users.
Nevada will lose 25,000 acre-feet, and Mexico will lose 104,000 acre-feet. California will not be required to lose any water in this tier.
At 26% capacity, Lake Powell will operate in the Lower Elevation Balancing tier.
But in June, states were also ordered to negotiate even bigger cuts of two to four million acre-feet in 2023. The deadline of August 15 came and went without a deal.
Arizona water managers expressed frustration with the negotiation on Tuesday, saying the state and Nevada proposed an "aggressive" reduction of 2MAF that was rejected.
"It is unacceptable for Arizona to continue to carry a disproportionate burden of reductions for the benefit of others who have not contributed," Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke and Central Arizona Project General Manager Ted Cooke said in a statement.
The failure to come to a compromise opens the door for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to step in direct cuts.
The Bureau announced on Tuesday it will take administrative actions to "further define reservoir operations at Lake Mead." Additionally, it will support studies to determine if it is feasible to modify Lake Mead to allow water to be pumped below the dead pool.
The bureau announced no set amount for cuts.
Courtney Holmes at KNXV first reported this story. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/arizona-to-lose-21-of-its-colorado-river-water-in-2023 | 2022-08-17T17:07:00Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/arizona-to-lose-21-of-its-colorado-river-water-in-2023 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky said the agency did not properly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and vowed to make changes.
According to the New York Times, a CDC report found that the agency’s COVID-19 guidance was considered “confusing and overwhelming.”
“For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations,” Walensky said in a statement to the New York Times. “My goal is a new, public health, action-oriented culture at CDC that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication and timeliness.”
Walensky’s statement comes less than a week after the CDC issued new COVID-19 guidance, which still emphasizes mask-wearing in areas of high COVID-19 spread. But the new guidance now recommends that those who are a direct contact of someone with COVID-19 simply wear a mask in public for 10 days instead of quarantining.
Walensky’s organization is also encountering increasing monkeypox cases and the possible reemergence of polio in the New York City area.
The U.S. ranks among the worst countries for COVID-19 deaths with 315 coronavirus deaths per 100,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Canada had 113 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 people and Mexico had 257 deaths per 100,000. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/coronavirus/director-cdcs-covid-response-did-not-reliably-meet-expectations | 2022-08-17T17:07:12Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/coronavirus/director-cdcs-covid-response-did-not-reliably-meet-expectations | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Bertha Adriana Cerna, the former Toppenish High teacher charged with sexual misconduct, won't be coming back to Yakima anytime soon.
She refused to waive extradition during a hearing in Orange County Superior Court in California Tuesday, Yakima County Prosecutor Joe Brusic said. Now, Brusic is seeking a governor's warrant demanding she be turned over to Yakima County authorities for trial.
Bertha Cerna, 40, was arrested Sunday in Southern California on a warrant charging her first-degree sexual misconduct with a minor and two counts of furnishing liquor to minors.
Bertha Cerna is the wife of John L. "Johnny" Cerna, a former assistant principal at the school, and the daughter-in-law of school Superintendent John Cerna.
Had Bertha Cerna waived extradition, Yakima County sheriff's detectives would have brought her back sometime this week or next week. But now, Brusic said the state has 90 days to file a warrant signed by the governor demanding California turn her over, a process Brusic said he has begun.
Along with getting the warrant, Brusic said his office will be providing court documents related to her arrest warrant, along with a certified photograph and fingerprints, to the Orange County Sheriff's Office for an identification hearing on Aug. 25.
Bertha and Johnny Cerna were fired from the school district following an investigation by the district into a student’s allegations that the pair had plied her with alcohol and tried to get her into a sexual relationship with Johnny Cerna.
The school district’s investigation found it was “more probable than not” that Johnny Cerna engaged in inappropriate online conversations with a student, and that Bertha Cerna encouraged that relationship. It also found it was “more probable than not” that the Cernas gave the student alcohol.
During the investigation, Johnny Cerna denied knowing the teenager well and had no memory of exchanging messages with her. Bertha Cerna denied giving the student alcohol, according to the reports.
Further investigation led Yakima County sheriff’s detectives to a former Toppenish High School student who described two sexual encounters he had with Bertha Cerna while he was 17, according to court documents. That student also told investigators that Bertha Cerna offered him alcohol and what appeared to be cocaine, court documents said.
No criminal charges have been filed against Johnny Cerna at this time, Brusic said.
The student who first brought the matter to light has filed a $500,000 tort claim against the school district. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/crime_and_courts/yakima-county-to-seek-extradition-for-former-toppenish-teacher-bertha-cerna/article_519f50d0-1e3b-11ed-baae-cfb019445491.html | 2022-08-17T17:08:05Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/crime_and_courts/yakima-county-to-seek-extradition-for-former-toppenish-teacher-bertha-cerna/article_519f50d0-1e3b-11ed-baae-cfb019445491.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Retail season is shaping up to be an exciting one, and the latest figures out of retail giant Target (TGT) will help prove that one way or another. The news wasn’t great out of Target, as the company—up 4.57% in Tuesday’s trading—slipped more than 3% as of this writing on Wednesday. The company posted a significant miss on earnings. Analysts’ consensus looked for $0.79 per share out of Target. Target’s actual earnings? Just $0.39 per share.
Revenue was better, however, though only just. Estimates looked for $26.04 billion out of the company this quarter. That’s exactly what Target posted.
The last 12 months for Target shares were reasonably stable until May hit. Prices were canting downward overall; this time last year, Target shares were around $240, and by May, they were down around $210.
But on May 16, one major plunge took the company from around $210 to around $160 in one day. Recovery followed, but Target remains depressed around the $180 mark.
Target did not have a great quarter. With the holiday shopping season just a couple of months away, the company is likely looking for a win to emerge from there. The good news is that it has a fairly decent chance of doing so, and that’s one reason I’m bullish on Target.
Investor Sentiment Seems Cautiously Optimistic for TGT Stock
Target does seem fairly well-placed to survive an economic downturn like the one currently staring us in the collective face. Right now, Target has a 9 out of 10 Smart Score on TipRanks. That’s not only the second-highest level of “outperform,” but it’s also the second-highest score period. That suggests a very strong likelihood that Target will ultimately outperform the market. Insider trading at Target, meanwhile, suggests that agreement isn’t total but is coming around.
In the last three months, Target insiders staged two sell transactions and one buy transaction. Trading has been light, to say the least, and none of the three transactions were considered informative.
However, over the last 12 months, activity has been much briskier. It was still fairly balanced, though, between buyers and sellers. Insiders staged 57 sell transactions and 46 buy transactions. There has been clear sell-weighting over the last 12 months, but there’s also quite a bit of buying activity.
Target Stock Could Have an Edge Going into a Recession
It’s no secret that these are bad times for retailers. However, for some retailers, times will be worse than others. Generally, Target is considered a lower-end retailer. However, it offers slightly better quality goods for slightly higher prices than its nearest competitor Walmart (WMT). This is much of why people often refer to Target by the faux French pronunciation of “tar-jhay.” That perception will give it a leg up going into an economic downturn.
Certainly, Target will face many of the same problems that Walmart is facing right now. A supply glut, for example; all those container ships off the coast of California are finally making it into port and leaving stores with a lot of stuff they bought last year and now have to try and unload.
Worse, they’ve got to unload those products onto people who are a lot less likely to buy stuff in general. Unless, of course, that stuff is going into their bellies or their car’s gas tank.
However, they have one distinct advantage over Walmart; that slightly upscale edge. Middle-class shoppers, who not so long ago could afford better products, will not exactly enjoy getting bumped down to the Walmart league.
Target provides a softer landing for penny-pinching middle-class shoppers. It’s not quite Walmart. It may be close, but there’s a certain psychological comfort in being able to say, “At least I don’t have to buy everything at Walmart.”
Plus, there’s a matter of strategy to consider. Michael Fiddelke, the company’s Chief Financial Officer, pointed out that a lot of the earnings pain came as a result of Target trying to tackle its inventory problems immediately. The company, Fiddelke noted, worked to clear its decks as best as possible of the excess, so it could focus on the upcoming holiday shopping season.
This is actually a reasonable strategy; this time of year features very little in the way of gift-giving seasons. Only back-to-school shopping really factors in, and this is somewhat limited in scope to apparel and school supplies.
Thus, Target basically front-loaded its earnings pain so that it could walk into the next three months with a better position. Yes, there’s still a lot of lull going on in that quarter, so don’t look for success right away.
However, look for significant improvement once the November quarter hits. There’s already been substantial earnings pain for Target; it has already cut its profit projections twice in the last three months.
Now, Target has its decks cleared, and what is generally the biggest shopping season of the year is in front of it. It’s a safe bet that that season will already have a bit of pallor on it as inflation continues to run rampant.
Early projections suggest that spending will grow at a slower rate than inflation, and customers will be front-loading their spending to miss further inflationary price hits. Still, Target’s biggest season is likely ahead of it rather than behind.
Is TGT Stock a Buy or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, TGT stock has a Moderate Buy consensus rating. That’s based on 19 Buys and nine Holds assigned in the past three months. The average TGT price target of $184.82 implies 6.2% upside potential. Analyst price targets range from a low of $150 per share to a high of $231 per share.
Conclusion: Target Stock Occupies a Lot of Walmart’s Ground
Target may not be the shopping platform of last resort, but it’s not that far away. In fact, that slight separation from being off the bottom might give it some edge going forward. Consumers can console themselves with the fact that they’re not yet doing all their shopping at Walmart. Yet they’ll still derive many of the benefits of bargain shopping in general.
Target has what looks like a good plan going forward. If the early projections come to pass and people bring forward their holiday shopping this year, that will put Target in a better position overall.
While Target isn’t in the best entry position overall—it’s trading closer to its average price target than its low—it’s still in a decent position to walk in. There is still upside to be had, though not as much as there once was.
Still, I’m bullish on Target. Hard economic times are already in place for many and are likely to continue for many more. That should give Target’s blend of lower costs and better quality an edge in the field that will let it survive right alongside Walmart. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/heres-why-target-stock-lost-more-than-3-this-morning | 2022-08-17T17:11:35Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/heres-why-target-stock-lost-more-than-3-this-morning | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Shares of merchandise retailer Target Corp. (TGT) (GB:0ID8) are down 3% halfway into today’s trading session after the company’s second-quarter numbers failed to surpass the Street’s estimates. Revenue inched upwards by 3.5% year-over-year to $26.04 billion but fell short of the consensus by $30 million. Target’s EPS of $0.39 missed expectations of $0.79.
During the quarter, comparable sales grew by 2.6%, with gains across the Food & Beverage, Beauty, and Household essentials categories. Additionally, the retailer also made unit share gains across all five of its merchandise categories.
While digital comparable sales increased by 9%, over 95% of Q2 sales were fulfilled by the company’s stores. Furthermore, boosted by Drive Up, same-day services witnessed an increase of almost 11%. Additionally, physical sales continue to contribute the lion’s share of total sales at 82.1%.
Interestingly, our Website Traffic Tool had indicated this performance well ahead of the results owing to a drop in online traffic.
Despite these gains, a 1.2% operating margin indicated gross margin pressure as Target maneuvered to clear excess inventory while also facing increased freight and transportation costs. Target has now lowered its discretionary category inventory and invested in the frequency categories.
The Chairman and CEO of Target, Brian Cornell, commented, “I want to thank our team for their tireless work to deliver on the inventory rightsizing goals we announced in June. While these inventory actions put significant pressure on our near-term profitability, we are confident this was the right long-term decision.”
Looking ahead, the company expects full-year top-line growth in the low to mid-single-digit range and an operating margin of 6% in the second half of the year.
Learn how Website Traffic can help you research your favorite stocks.
What is a Good Price for Target Stock?
The Street remains cautiously optimistic about the stock with a Moderate Buy consensus rating and a price target of $184.11, implying that the stock is reasonably priced at current levels.
MKM Partners’ William Kirk has reiterated a Hold rating on the stock alongside a price target of $163. The analyst is skeptical of Target’s margin guidance and feels sales discounts could hamper the company’s brand.
Changing Consumer Tastes Remain a Challenge for TGT Stock
This season, retailers have been caught off guard by fast-changing consumer buying patterns as buyers shun discretionary spending amid rising inflation. How Target’s inventory actions pan out in the coming periods remains to be seen. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/target-stock-drops-3-after-weak-q2 | 2022-08-17T17:11:44Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/target-stock-drops-3-after-weak-q2 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PHOENIX — Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir, continues to decline so rapidly that it will operate at a level 2a shortage condition beginning in 2023, the Department of Interior announced Tuesday.
It is the second year in a row that deep cuts will be implemented to shore up the Colorado River system as prescribed in the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan, which was agreed to by the seven states and Mexico that rely on the water.
The lower basin states of Arizona, Nevada, California, and the country of Mexico fall under the tier 2a plan.
With junior priority, Arizona is set to lose the most — 592,000 acre-feet, or 21%, of its annual allotment in this round of cuts. The loss nearly wipes out the allotment for agricultural users in Pinal County and is expected to impact some municipal users.
Nevada will lose 25,000 acre-feet, and Mexico will lose 104,000 acre-feet. California will not be required to lose any water in this tier.
At 26% capacity, Lake Powell will operate in the Lower Elevation Balancing tier.
But in June, states were also ordered to negotiate even bigger cuts of two to four million acre-feet in 2023. The deadline of August 15 came and went without a deal.
Arizona water managers expressed frustration with the negotiation on Tuesday, saying the state and Nevada proposed an "aggressive" reduction of 2MAF that was rejected.
"It is unacceptable for Arizona to continue to carry a disproportionate burden of reductions for the benefit of others who have not contributed," Arizona Department of Water Resources Director Tom Buschatzke and Central Arizona Project General Manager Ted Cooke said in a statement.
The failure to come to a compromise opens the door for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to step in direct cuts.
The Bureau announced on Tuesday it will take administrative actions to "further define reservoir operations at Lake Mead." Additionally, it will support studies to determine if it is feasible to modify Lake Mead to allow water to be pumped below the dead pool.
The bureau announced no set amount for cuts.
Courtney Holmes at KNXV first reported this story. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/arizona-to-lose-21-of-its-colorado-river-water-in-2023 | 2022-08-17T17:11:52Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/arizona-to-lose-21-of-its-colorado-river-water-in-2023 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Authorities are worried about the rise of "rainbow fentanyl."
Deputies recently seized four grams of the multi-colored powdered fentanyl during a drug bust in Oregon.
"We've been hearing about this over the last six months, about it working its way up the West Coast, and it is now here in Portland," an official with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said.
There's fear that the rainbow-colored fentanyl, which is more potent than other varieties, could get into the hands of children who mistake it for something else.
"The powdered fentanyl found during this investigation resembles the color and consistency of sidewalk chalk," a press release from Multnomah County Sheriff's Office says.
Health officials warn that it only takes 2 milligrams of fentanyl to cause a fatal overdose. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/authorities-issue-warning-about-rainbow-fentanyl | 2022-08-17T17:11:58Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/authorities-issue-warning-about-rainbow-fentanyl | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky said the agency did not properly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and vowed to make changes.
According to the New York Times, a CDC report found that the agency’s COVID-19 guidance was considered “confusing and overwhelming.”
“For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations,” Walensky said in a statement to the New York Times. “My goal is a new, public health, action-oriented culture at CDC that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication and timeliness.”
Walensky’s statement comes less than a week after the CDC issued new COVID-19 guidance, which still emphasizes mask-wearing in areas of high COVID-19 spread. But the new guidance now recommends that those who are a direct contact of someone with COVID-19 simply wear a mask in public for 10 days instead of quarantining.
Walensky’s organization is also encountering increasing monkeypox cases and the possible reemergence of polio in the New York City area.
The U.S. ranks among the worst countries for COVID-19 deaths with 315 coronavirus deaths per 100,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Canada had 113 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 people and Mexico had 257 deaths per 100,000. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/coronavirus/director-cdcs-covid-response-did-not-reliably-meet-expectations | 2022-08-17T17:12:04Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/coronavirus/director-cdcs-covid-response-did-not-reliably-meet-expectations | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
At a speed of 1 mph, NASA dragged its Artemis I rocket to the launching pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
On Aug. 29, NASA will send the rocket toward the moon.
Ahead of the launch, the rocket arrived at the launching pad early Wednesday morning. From now through Aug. 29, officials will prepare the rocket’s launch systems.
After blasting off to the moon, the rocket is expected to return back to Earth.
NASA’s goal is to return humans to the moon by 2025. The agency also hopes to use the moon program to prepare humans for flight to Mars. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/nasa-rolls-massive-moon-rocket-to-launching-pad | 2022-08-17T17:12:17Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/nasa-rolls-massive-moon-rocket-to-launching-pad | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
HARRISBURG, Penn. — Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf issued an executive order Tuesday banning conversion therapy, an attempt to change someone's sexual orientation or gender identity.
“Conversion therapy is a traumatic practice based on junk science that actively harms the people it supposedly seeks to treat,” said Gov. Wolf in a statement. “This discriminatory practice is widely rejected by medical and scientific professionals and has been proven to lead to worse mental health outcomes for LGBTQIA+ youth subjected to it. This is about keeping our children safe from bullying and extreme practices that harm them.”
State agencies are directed under the executive order to discourage conversion therapy and promote "evidence-based best practices" for LGBTQIA+ youth that are "supported by the scientific and medical communities."
The executive order also directs the state agencies to update their policies and procedures to serve Pennsylvania’s LGBTQ+ community better.
Under the executive order, the Department of Human Services, the Insurance Department, and Department of State is directed that state funds, programs, contracts, and other resources are not used to provide, authorize, endorse, reimburse for, or refer for conversion therapy.
“Conversion therapy is causing horrific consequences for the mental health and well-being of a generation of young LGBTQIA+ individuals,” said Gov. Wolf. “But there is something very simple that we can all do to help. We can stand up and tell LGBTQIA+ youth that we hear them and we accept them exactly as they are."
According to the LGBTQ think tank Movement Advancement Project, Pennsylvania is the 26th state to partially ban the practice for minors, NBC News reported.
CNN reported that a study funded by the Trevor Project published earlier this year found that conversion therapy causes severe emotional harm to LGBTQ people.
CNN reported that the medical journal JAMA Pediatrics published a study that found that those who underwent conversion therapy suffered severe psychological distress and experienced significantly higher rates of depression. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/pennsylvania-governor-issues-executive-order-banning-conversion-therapy | 2022-08-17T17:12:23Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/pennsylvania-governor-issues-executive-order-banning-conversion-therapy | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Over 9K people died in traffic accidents in first quarter of 2022
More than 9,500 people died in motor vehicle-related traffic crashes in the first quarter of 2022, a roughly 7% increase from the same period in 2021, according to preliminary estimates released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Wednesday.
Why it matters: The new data suggests U.S. roads are becoming increasingly deadly and that the country is on pace to have yet another annual increase in traffic fatalities.
By the numbers: The 9,560 motor vehicle deaths also represented the highest number of first-quarter fatalities since 2002, the NHTSA said.
- The fatality rate for the first quarter of 2022 increased to 1.27 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, up from the projected rate of 1.25 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles in the first quarter of 2021.
- Though traffic deaths increased nationwide during the period, 19 states and Puerto Rico saw a decline in such deaths. The NHTSA said it is monitoring whether the decline was a result of actions taken by the states and Puerto Rico.
- The country saw its highest number of traffic fatalities since 2005 last year. The 42,915 traffic fatalities in 2021 was a 10.5% increase from 2020, when 38,824 deaths were reported. 2020's recorded deaths represented a 7.2% increase from 2019.
What they're saying: “The overall numbers are still moving in the wrong direction," NHTSA administrator Steven Cliff said in a statement Wednesday. "Now is the time for all states to double down on traffic safety."
- "Another new report of an increase in lives lost may feel a bit like Groundhog Day, but we must not become desensitized to the tragedy of roadway deaths," Jonathan Adkins, executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, also said in a statement.
The big picture: Paradoxically, traffic fatalities increased sharply throughout the coronavirus pandemic, even though fewer people were driving.
- The Transportation Department released the federal government’s first-ever National Roadway Safety Strategy in January. It called for better safety standards in vehicles, such as automatic emergency braking and pedestrian automatic emergency braking.
Go deeper: Pedestrian fatalities rose post-pandemic lockdown | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/17/2022-q1-united-states-traffic-deaths | 2022-08-17T17:12:42Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/17/2022-q1-united-states-traffic-deaths | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Does listening to sad music actually make you happier?
Research suggests that sad music actually makes people feel more positive
A study suggests that listening to sad music when you’re feeling down doesn’t make you feel worse but actually improves your mood.
The study, carried out by scientists Liila Taruffi and Stefan Koelsch from the Free University of Berlin, asked participants to name the emotions they have experienced when listening to sad music from a given list of feelings, which includes ‘nostalgia’, ‘sadness’, ‘wonder’ and ‘power’. They were instructed to complete the survey individually and, interestingly, in a quiet environment without listening to any music.
The most common feeling described was ‘nostalgia’, followed by ‘peacefulness’ and ‘tenderness’. These feelings belong to the emotional category ‘sublime’ rather than ‘unease’, which is the group that 'sadness' is placed in.
The average number of feelings reported was above three, which suggests that the emotional response we have towards music is much more complex than may often be assumed.
The research also indicated that many people feel they gain specific emotional rewards through listening to sad music. These rewards include imagination, emotional regulation and empathy. This could explain why the study found that people are more likely to listen to sad music when already feeling sad.
Taruffi and Koelsch collected the views of 772 people – 408 from Europe, 364 from elsewhere in the world – through an online survey and published their findings in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE.
As well as responding to the given music, participants were asked to name the compositions they considered to be sad. Among the most popular responses were Barber’s Adagio for Strings, Mahler’s Symphony No.5 and Purcell’s Dido’s Lament.
The authors have suggested that their findings could have implications for the use of sad music within musical therapy, specifically that inducing these emotional rewards may play a positive role in a patient’s wellbeing.
Read the full report here.
Anna Samson
RELATED ARTICLES
• Another study proves link between music education and the brain | https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/does-listening-sad-music-actually-make-you-happier/ | 2022-08-17T17:12:42Z | classical-music.com | control | https://www.classical-music.com/features/articles/does-listening-sad-music-actually-make-you-happier/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday that the agency “did not reliably meet expectations” and must “do better” after an external review found shortcomings in the COVID-19 response.
The review, begun in April, comes after the CDC faced heavy criticism for its stumbles both in the early days of the pandemic and more recently, with critics pointing to confusing guidance and slow responses.
Walensky effectively acknowledged that at least some of the criticism is valid, and the agency announced a series of steps on Wednesday seeking to modernize and improve its responses.
The review, led by Jim Macrae, an official in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), included findings such as that the CDC should “share scientific findings and data faster,” according to a top-line summary released by the CDC, and “be transparent about the agency’s current level of understanding.”
The CDC said Wednesday that it is taking a number of steps to change its culture and prioritize direct public health impact over a more academic mindset.
The agency said in a summary of potential changes that its “guidance documents are confusing and overwhelming; the website is not easy to navigate.”
It said it is considering restructuring its website and producing “plain language” guidance.
The agency also said it “takes too long for CDC to publish its data and science for decision making.” It is considering steps to expedite publication.
“For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations,” Walensky said in a statement. “As a long-time admirer of this agency and a champion for public health, I want us all to do better, and it starts with CDC leading the way.”
The CDC first faced heat for its COVID-19 response in the early days of the pandemic for problems plaguing testing that left the country unaware of the full extent of the virus’s spread.
But even more recently under President Joe Biden, the agency has faced criticism for shifting or confusing guidance in areas ranging from masking to isolation. At the end of last year, for example, the CDC faced questions when it did not include a requirement to test negative before leaving isolation after it cut the isolation time for many people infected with the virus from 10 days to five days.
While the new review focused on the response to COVID-19, the CDC has also faced criticism for its response to monkeypox, which some experts say shows the public health system has not learned lessons from COVID-19.
Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb wrote in The New York Times that the CDC had once again failed to expand testing fast enough in the early days of monkeypox.
“Our country’s response to monkeypox has been plagued by the same shortcomings we had with Covid-19,” he wrote. “Now if monkeypox gains a permanent foothold in the United States and becomes an endemic virus that joins our circulating repertoire of pathogens, it will be one of the worst public health failures in modern times not only because of the pain and peril of the disease but also because it was so avoidable.”
The steps the CDC announced on Wednesday also include appointing former Deputy HHS Secretary Mary Wakefield to help respond to the recommendations and creating a new executive council to implement changes.
“My goal is a new, public health action-oriented culture at CDC that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication, and timeliness,” Walensky said. | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/director-says-cdc-must-do-better-after-review-of-covid-19-response/ | 2022-08-17T17:12:49Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/director-says-cdc-must-do-better-after-review-of-covid-19-response/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(NewsNation) — The Internal Revenue Service’s budget is set to increase by nearly $80 billion over the next decade as part of Senate Democrats’ new climate, health and tax plan that President Joe Biden signed Tuesday.
The majority of that funding, about $45.6 billion, will go toward tax enforcement efforts. This will mostly be in the form of additional staff who will be focused on auditing the wealthiest Americans, according to Democratic lawmakers.
Under the new package, estimates suggest the IRS could hire as many as 87,000 employees over the next 10 years, but that total is not limited to auditors.
Republican lawmakers were quick to criticize the plan, claiming that an increase in IRS agents focused on enforcement will lead to more burdensome tax audits for middle-class Americans.
But the Biden administration has pushed back on that narrative, insisting that those who make under $400,000 a year won’t be more likely to face an audit than in recent years. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, whose department oversees the IRS, echoed that assurance last week.
“The IRS has essentially been decimated over the last decade and it’s to the detriment of regular taxpayers and to the benefit of people who are cheating the system,” said Seth Hanlon, a senior fellow and tax expert at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.
Hanlon believes the new funding will help close the tax gap — the average annual value of unpaid federal taxes — and modernize an agency that has become known for its terrible customer service.
In tax year 2019, just under 84% of taxes owed were actually paid or collected, resulting in nearly $554 billion in unpaid taxes, according to the Treasury Department.
The Congressional Budget Office estimates the renewed emphasis on enforcement will bring in an additional $204 billion in revenue, a net savings of $124 billion. Other estimates suggest the real revenue impact may be closer to $400 billion.
The new package is expected to plug holes in an agency that has seen its budget decline more than 15% over the past 10 years, even as the number of people filing taxes has increased.
What are the 87,000 new hires for?
About 80,000 people work for the IRS today. Add another 87,000 employees and that means the IRS is set to double its staff over the next 10 years, right? Not quite.
Enforcement staffing has fallen by 30% since 2010 and the agency has lost approximately 50,000 agents over the past five years due to attrition, according to the IRS.
For that reason, many of the new hires will fill existing vacant positions. In fact, the IRS estimates that it will need to hire an additional 52,000 employees over the next six years just to maintain current staffing levels.
Along with enforcement staff, the IRS plans to hire customer service representatives to help taxpayers navigate the system and IT professionals to update outdated computer systems.
The agency hasn’t said specifically how many people it intends to hire with the new funding. The 87,000 number comes from a Treasury Department estimate in a report from May 2021.
Audits of the wealthy have declined in recent years
Audit rates for all income levels have dropped since 2010, but data shows those declines are especially pronounced among the wealthy.
The audit rate for Americans making more than $5 million a year fell from 16% in 2010 to just over 2% in 2019, according to a recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
That decline reflects a lack of resources, said Hanlon, who noted that auditing those with higher earnings tends to be far more complex.
“These audits are extremely technical and complicated and the IRS — especially with a lot of retirements of their most experienced personnel — badly lacks the ability to thoroughly audit wealthy people and large corporations,” he said.
The GAO’s analysis found that audits for those making $5 million or more have become increasingly time-consuming over the past decade.
The average number of hours spent per audit for those making $5 million or more went from 20 hours in 2010 to nearly 60 hours in 2021.
Others more skeptical
Other experts predict those making less than $400,000 will have to face more audits in order to meet the revenue projections, casting doubt on the Biden administration’s promises.
“Returning to 2010 audit rates for all individuals making over $400,000 would generate only 28%, or $9.9 billion, out of the estimated $35.3 billion in new IRS enforcement revenues in 2031,” wrote Rachel Greszler, a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.
The same GAO report that found a declining audit rate for wealthy Americans over the past decade also determined that between 2010 and 2021, “the majority of the total amount of recommended additional tax came from audits of taxpayers with incomes below $200,000.”
It remains to be seen whether the IRS can achieve the forecasted revenue gains without increasing audit rates among those who make less than $400,000. | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/is-the-irs-about-to-double-in-size-not-exactly/ | 2022-08-17T17:12:55Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/is-the-irs-about-to-double-in-size-not-exactly/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Distrust in state-backed currency sows crypto adoption in Latin America
The crypto establishment is making headway in some corners of Latin America, where adoption would appear poised to accelerate.
Why it matters: The U.S. is the financial capital of the world. But there is a future in which crypto adoptees in Brazil and Argentina, for example, drive the utility of digital assets farther than consumers in developed nations have.
- An exchange with a billion-dollar valuation is expanding and major financial institutions reportedly rolling out new wares, saying folks there are primed to embrace digital assets and platforms.
Driving the news: This week heavyweight financial firms BTG Pactual and XP Inc. rolled out their own crypto platforms, called Mynt and Xtage, respectively.
- Mastercard and Binance in early August launched a prepaid rewards card in Argentina to help drive spending in crypto, and the payments company in June said it would "secure" e-commerce giant Mercado Libre's crypto ecosystem in Brazil.
- Mexico-based crypto exchange Bitso in July reached 1 million users after only a year in service in the country. Plus, Spanish banking giant Banco Santander is reportedly wading into crypto products and services.
The arrival of the crypto establishment in pockets of Latin America shows the growing market there, which represented roughly 9% of all crypto transactions tracked by research firm Chainalysis between July 2020 and June 2021 (the most recent data available was published Oct. 2021).
Be smart: Crypto adoption in emerging nations is playing out very differently than in developed nations and is being seeded by retail customers rather than the big and the well-heeled.
- "In emerging markets, many turn to cryptocurrency to preserve their savings in the face of currency devaluation, send and receive remittances, and carry out business transactions," Chainalysis' 2021 report said.
- "In North America, Western Europe, and Eastern Asia, by contrast, adoption over the last year has been driven largely by institutional investment."
The big picture: In regions where a trifecta of factors — high inflation, political instability and traditional banking services being out of reach — push folks to find alternatives to the state-backed currency, crypto sings.
- Kenya, Nigeria, Vietnam and Venezuela dominate in web traffic for peer-to-peer crypto platforms, which serve as on-ramps to the crypto ecosystem in places where people don't have access to centralized exchanges.
Case in point: The unstable Argentinian peso has given rise to black-market currency exchanges called cuevas, highlighted in yesterday's newsletter.
- Folks hitting up these illegal currency exchanges have embraced crypto as a safer and cheaper way to move large quantities of cash across borders, averting government scrutiny.
- In effect, crypto, even used indirectly, is helping people on the ground save — bolstering the industry's argument that digital assets could enable greater financial inclusion.
The other side: There's already concern, however, that some crypto-enabled humanitarian organizations and private companies just doing business are doing more harm than good, and there's a term for them: crypto colonialists.
Another roadblock: Crypto can only go as far as broadband internet can go, according to Brazil's central bank.
- "The main challenges for financial inclusion in Brazil stem from two sources: inadequate broadband coverage and financial illiteracy," Fabio Araujo, project lead of Digital Brazilian Real Initiative, said in an April report about the country's CBDC effort. | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/17/latin-america-distrust-state-backed-currency-crypto-adoption | 2022-08-17T17:13:00Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/17/latin-america-distrust-state-backed-currency-crypto-adoption | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
eToro dives into options and PFOF with Gatsby deal
eToro, an Israel-based stock and crypto-trading platform, has agreed to acquire Gatsby, a Robinhood competitor, for $50 million in cash and stock.
Why it matters: This deal pulls eToro deeper into the U.S. market and allows the company to offer options trading — the largest source of revenue for Robinhood.
Details: eToro will be able to offer options "in a faster manner, and potentially globally," strategy and corporate development VP Elad Lavi tells Axios. "The more assets you can provide, the more it increases customer retention."
Of note: Gatsby earns revenue through "payments for order flow," a controversial practice and a core breadwinner for Robinhood and many of its U.S.-based competitors.
- This also marks eToro's entrance into the PFOF market, as eToro primarily operates outside the U.S., where the practice is less common.
Context: The deal comes as trading revenues are taking a hit across the sector. | https://www.axios.com/pro/fintech-deals/2022/08/17/etoro-gatsby-pfof-robinhood-us-expansion-spac | 2022-08-17T17:13:19Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/pro/fintech-deals/2022/08/17/etoro-gatsby-pfof-robinhood-us-expansion-spac | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Local Sports Briefs: MVOTA holding tryouts, Golf outings taking teams
MVOTA holding Legion tryouts
Tryouts for the 2023 Zanesville Post 29 Junior and Senior Legion teams will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, at Gant Stadium.
Interested players cannot turn 19 before Jan. 1, 2023. Heath Watton will be the head coach of the Junior Legion squad, and Pat Corder will coach the Senior Legion team. Any questions can be directed to Coach Corder at 740-819-6080.
Arch Memorial Golf Outing to be held
The Dennis Roehrig “Arch Memorial” will be held with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20 at Jaycees Golf Course.
The outing provides scholarships to students at West Muskingum High School who are continuing their education at The Ohio State University. For more information, contact Scott Wilson at 740-586-7699.
30th annual Dunn-Kessler Memorial Golf outing nearing
The 30th annual Ken Dunn and Duane Kessler Memorial 4-person golf scramble will be held Saturday, Aug. 20 at Green Valley Golf Course.
There will be a shotgun start at 10 a.m. Cost is $40 per person and includes Green Fees and One Mulligan. Money and registrations can be mailed to MVOTA, Box 643, Zanesville, OH 43702.
For more information, call Jim Wright at 740-453-6895 or Doug Staker at 740-607-9368.
John Glenn CC hosting Youth Fun Run
The John Glenn Cross Country Team is hosting a Youth One Mile Fun Run at 5 p.m. Sept. 27. Children in K-6th grade from any school can participate, and runners will be broken into age divisions.
Registration is $10 per child and can be completed prior to the race at Larry Miller Intermediate School in New Concord. Proceeds benefit JG Track and Cross Country Boosters. For more information, contact Coach Amy Tooms at atooms@eastmschools.org.
Hunters Education Course coming in Sept.
A Hunter's Education course will be held Sept. 9 and 10 at the Zanesville Christian Ministry, located at 545 Richey Road.
The course will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Sept. 9 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 10. The course is free, and anyone interested must pre-register at WildOhio.Gov.
Results from Green Valley Leagues
The Edward Jones/Scott Barr Ladies League had a low gross of 35 by Shirley Rush and Juanita King, and Rush posted low net of 21. Rose Garren made the longest putt on No. 15, and winning teams were 2, 3, 4 and 5 as 6 and 7 tied.
Kathi Galloway shot 35 for low gross and tied low net with Kathy Mathews at 26 in the MHPCC Ladies League. Winning teams were 1, 2, 5, and 10.
Results from Crystal Springs
The A Division of the Crystal Springs Golf Club and Community Bank Monday Morning Senior League had low gross of 38 by Rick Bonifant and Doug Wayne and low net of 33 by Steve Reed. Winning teams were 14-10-6-7-8 as 1 & 5 and 2 & 4 tied.
In the B Division, Lee Firich and Randy Newell tied for low gross at 37 with Newell posting low net of 32. Winning teams were 9-8-11-5-1-12-16 as 2 & 13 tied.
In the Tuesday Evening Hittle League, Christian Hayden shot 33 for low gross and Tim Cooper had low net of 27. The winning teams were 2, 8, 3, and 6. | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/local/2022/08/17/local-sports-briefs-mvota-holding-tryouts-golf-outings-taking-teams/65405969007/ | 2022-08-17T17:28:24Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/local/2022/08/17/local-sports-briefs-mvota-holding-tryouts-golf-outings-taking-teams/65405969007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
"Specialist Keiser before Specialist Keiser was actually a Specialist,” reads the caption under a childhood photo donning the social media wall of now Sgt. Summer Keiser.
At the time, a four-year-old playing dress-up in her aunt’s Army uniform seemed to be nothing more than an opportunity for a quick photo op for Keiser, a public affairs specialist assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division.
Or was it?
Coming from a family with deep military roots, admiration for those who choose to answer the Nation’s call was literally in Keiser’s blood. But, the desire to grow up and follow that path simply wasn’t something that she ever considered.
“My mom raised me with traits to help develop people become better versions of themselves, regardless of my occupation,” Keiser said. “I was always quiet, always listening, and always creating art. I wanted to live a quiet life teaching art composition, not joining the military.”
While Keiser had no way of seeing the future at age four, everyone else in the family seemed to know the call to serve in uniform was an inevitable destiny.
“We predicted this,” said Keiser’s uncle, Michael Touchet. “We somehow just knew back then that Summer would join the military and that this childhood photo would end up in the newspaper one day.”
But the military connection runs deeper than a childhood photo and a prediction. Family generations deeper, to be exact.
Keiser’s grandfather advanced through ranks as one of the first Filipinos to join the U.S. Navy, starting as a steward and retiring as a chief who deployed during Vietnam. His feat instilled a great deal of pride in an already patriotic family.
It didn’t stop at her grandfather.
Keiser’s aunt, Princess Touchet, served as an Army public affairs combat photographer and production specialist from 1996-2002. In 2003, she met her husband Michael Touchet on Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he was in the middle of what would become a 22-year career as an OH-58 Kiowa Warrior Scout helicopter maintainer. His job eventually landed his family on Hunter Army Airfield where he served as a production control noncommissioned officer with 3rd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. There he maintained the 3rd ID’s final fleet of Kiowa helicopters. After the fleet’s retirement in May 2015, Touchet followed suit and retired from the Army two months later.
Keiser's aunt and uncle would end up playing a vital role in her future.
Pursuing a career in the arts through the Army never crossed Keiser’s mind as a possible career choice, mostly due to the lack of knowledge that such military occupational specialties even existed.
“In 2017, Summer came to live with us in Savannah while attending art school,” Michael Touchet said. “After a couple years of going to school, the realization that art school is extremely expensive began to set in. The desire for growth and change was definitely there for her and that’s when I decided that it was time to discuss the possibility of a career in the Army.”
With his help and a visit to the Savannah U.S. Army Recruiting Station, she began to explore the creative career opportunities available to enlisted Soldiers through the Army.
“Becoming a public affairs specialist was actually an impulsive choice that I had to make within a five-minute phone call at the recruiting station,” Keiser said. “The graphic arts position I requested had no availability, and there were only a few public affairs slots open at the time. They couldn’t guarantee to hold it after the phone call.”
A self-proclaimed introvert, Keiser understood that a position in public affairs meant a large amount of social interaction.
“I decided to take my chances,” she said.
And the rest is history.
As Keiser’s Army adventure began, the Touchet family set out on their own adventure, to Tokyo, Japan, where Michael Touchet had accepted a position to work for Bell Helicopters, the same company that created the Kiowa’s he’d spent his entire career maintaining. It was a dream come true for a Soldier whose heart never truly left the flight line.
On July 14, 2020, Pfc. Keiser returned to Savannah and reported to Fort Stewart for duty as a public affairs mass communication specialist with the 50th Public Affairs Detachment.
What made the day even more special was the bonus that she was joining the family ranks as a second-generation public affairs specialist and Dogface Soldier. It is a fate that Keiser says has given her a great deal of growth and pride.
“When my aunt put her uniform on me while I was young, I knew my family thought it was just to see how cute a child would look wearing something they have pride in,” she said. “I’m happy to know that I have honored my family by growing into that uniform… though the camouflage is different.”
When asked what the greatest benefit of joining the Army has been, Keiser responded simply with one of the Army values.
“Personal courage,” she said.
“It’s a value I’m still developing. Without the Army, I wouldn’t be given opportunities to keep challenging myself. Every friend I have made in the Army has been a mentor to me. It is wonderful being in a place where you can readily find inspiring people, whether it’s from reading citations from a Soldier who served long before you or watching the Private in your detachment grow into a leader.”
But for Keiser, aside from being able to channel a creative mindset, a huge selling point to the Army public affairs career is getting to work in a supportive, judgement-free environment.
“I am non-binary and pansexual,” Keiser said. “I have always hid who I was so others wouldn’t change their expectations of me. Being in a workplace where I’m not judged for who I am has put me in a much healthier mindset. It’s refreshing to be treated exactly the same as before they knew.”
But the gift of growth and confidence isn’t the only thing that joining the Army had to offer Keiser.
In late 2020, Keiser met her husband, Jacob Manley, a former network systems operator-maintainer with the 3rd Infantry Division. Manley now holds a Department of Defense civilian position as a system administrator at the Mission Training Center on Fort Stewart. It’s a position that he wouldn’t have found if it weren’t for his career in the Army.
“I met Jacob while he was in the Army,” Keiser said. “He was the one who helped me break out of my shell. He has been a source of confidence ever since we met.”
At the beginning of August, Keiser left the 50th PAD, taking a public affairs specialist position with 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs. A few days later, on Aug. 9, she was officially promoted to the rank of sergeant next to the static display near Fort Stewart’s Wooldrige Gate— where the 3rd ID’s last remaining OH-58 Kiowa Warrior Scout helicopter resides. The location for the ceremony was a nod to her uncle Michael Touchet’s service and a promise to continue the family legacy as an active duty service member and public affairs specialist.
And her aunt and uncle were present to witness it all.
“Summer’s promotion location was a huge surprise and meant a lot to me,” Micheal Touchet said. “For a lot of the Kiowa community, it’s an emotional thing. We’re the legacy aviation guys of our wartime.”
But aside from the location, being present to witness another piece of family history in the making was an opportunity that Michael and Princess Touchet would never dream of missing.
“It’s kind of a family tradition in a way,” Michael Touchet said of traveling from Tokyo to Georgia for Keiser’s promotion. “It’s a really proud moment to see the next generation of the family taking those steps and being successful.”
Having the opportunity to promote to sergeant after only three years in the Army is something Keiser doesn’t take for granted. She attributes her awarded opportunities to the support of her family, a strong sense of self, and the determination to never stop growing.
“I knew I was going to be excellent in public affairs as long as I made sure to balance my social battery properly,” she said. “I feel that my self-worth grows the more I keep developing myself in the public affairs field. I’ve changed a lot over the years, and while I still have moments of uncertainty, my family has watched me grow as a person after enlisting. I’m going to continue working to make myself proud and I hope they’ll continue to be proud of me then, too.”
Keiser plans to stay on Fort Stewart as a public affairs specialist with the 3rd ID until 2024 and has aspirations of heading west to Fort Carson, Colorado for the next leg of her Army career.
To learn more about the creative careers that can be obtained by joining the U.S. Army, visit goarmy.com/careers-and-jobs/career-match/support-logistics/creative.html.
This work, Unlikely Army career offers Dogface Soldier unique opportunity to honor family tradition, by Molly Cooke, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/427423/unlikely-army-career-offers-dogface-soldier-unique-opportunity-honor-family-tradition | 2022-08-17T17:31:00Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/427423/unlikely-army-career-offers-dogface-soldier-unique-opportunity-honor-family-tradition | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
FORT RUCKER, Ala. – A Fort Rucker police officer earned the U.S. Army Safety Guardian Award during a recognition ceremony in the Soldier Service Center Aug. 9.
Richard Peterson received the award from Brig. Gen. Gene D. Meredith, U.S. Army Combat Readiness Center commanding general and director of Army Safety, for his actions May 6, according to the citation read at the ceremony.
On that day, a concerned citizen informed Peterson of a vehicle traveling erratically toward the Enterprise Gate. He attempted to perform a traffic stop, but received no response from the driver. The vehicle then repeatedly ran off the road, eventually striking a light pole, spinning out of control and coming to a stop in the roadway.
Peterson immediately checked on the driver, who was incoherent. He quickly determined the driver was experiencing a diabetic episode and immediately obtained the proper medical attention – keeping the driver’s condition from progressing to a diabetic seizure.
“I have always been in awe of police officers, sheriffs and security forces,” Meredith said. “What a police officer has to do is make that judgement call, am I going into a gunfight or do I need to go in and help somebody?
“My hat is off to all of you who do that, because I know how difficult of a job that is,” he added.
Peterson said such actions are all in a day’s work.
“I believe that any of our officers who came upon this situation would have reacted the same way – that is how we train them,” the officer said. “We always have to keep an eye out when it comes to safety – it is all about responsibility.”
Col. Robert J. Holcombe, Fort Rucker garrison commander, said he feels Peterson’s actions say a lot about Fort Rucker and the people who make up the team here.
“I think it really speaks to the culture and climate we have on Rucker,” he said. “The fact that you have an officer here who is not going to leap to conclusions, and someone who is thinking through the problem, thinking of service to the community, thinking how can I help this person. Just think about in our daily lives if we run into someone who is having a bad day, or is responding harshly to us, and we just ask them are you ok, are you alright? If that was our first instinct, just think about how great life would be.”
This work, Fort Rucker Police Officer Earns Army Safety Guardian Award, by Jay Mann, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/427427/fort-rucker-police-officer-earns-army-safety-guardian-award | 2022-08-17T17:31:25Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/427427/fort-rucker-police-officer-earns-army-safety-guardian-award | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Sneakers have long been an exciting site for sartorial self-expression, with coveted styles and highly anticipated drops drumming up troves of eager fashionistas. Sneaker artist Vicky Vuong has taken the creative potential of sneakers to the extreme, using Nike AF1s as her go-to canvas for her intricate painting practice.
Vuong’s meticulously steady hand and penchant for color has won her commissions from Los Angeles Rams star Cooper Kupp, as well as a recent invitation from the font foundry Monotype to interpret the iconic typeface Helvetica as an NFT. Aside from hand-painting custom sneakers, Vuong co-hosts a podcast with fellow AAPI female sneaker artist Ann Duskus called Best Foot Forward.
I was eager to learn more about this exciting rising star, so I reached out to get the scoop on Vuong’s background and why she finds Nike AF1s to be such an inspiring canvas.
What’s your fine art background? Did you go to art school, or are you self-taught?
I did my undergrad in Molecular Biology and my master’s in Materials Engineering, so you could say that I am a scientist turned self-taught artist. My love for arts and crafts was born out of figuring out how to create “things” that I couldn’t afford growing up. It made me very resourceful.
When and how did you first get into sneaker art?
I painted my first pair of custom sneakers using fabric Sharpies over ten years ago for a family vacation. On a whim, I posted pictures of my sneakers online, and the demand for them was overwhelming. I was painting sneakers in my basement apartment over Christmas while finishing my master’s degree. Now, it has been almost three years since I’ve been creating sneaker art full-time.
Why do sneakers excite you so much as an artist? What do they offer you as a canvas that other, more conventional mediums don’t?
Sneakers offer a way for people to understand my story as an artist through wearing a pair of my customized sneakers. I can start by telling a story through the art that I create on the sneakers, and the person wearing them can finish that story through life experience.
Sneakers are such a unique canvas because you can choose from the unlimited number of silhouettes that already exist (which are an art form in their own right); sneakers are made of so many different materials that can be used to enhance your design. But more importantly, sneaker art is a form of artwork that you can travel with. It has been exceptionally cool to see people all over the world with my sneakers.
What is it about Nike AF1s and the Nike Swoosh in particular that you love working with so much?
The timelessness of the Nike AF1 silhouette makes it the perfect sneaker to customize. It’s celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, which means it’s been around for longer than I have!
Specifically, I chose the Nike Swoosh because I wanted to practice and create without having to keep buying new sneakers to experiment on. The raised leather swoosh lends perfectly to being able to paint and erase artwork repeatedly without ruining the entire sneaker and creating more waste for the environment. The narrow canvas challenges me to get creative about what designs I can fit into it. Turns out, it’s limitless! It also encourages others to try this easy technique with me.
Why did you decide to start your own podcast on top of your art practice? What does the podcast platform offer you as an outlet?
I would consider myself a growing artist, and the purpose of the podcast is to share some of my trials and tribulations as I navigate what it means to be a full-time artist/entrepreneur. There are so many mental and physical barriers I was not aware of prior to starting my journey, and establishing yourself in the industry can feel lonely at times. I hope my stories resonate with like-minded artists; we can share funny stories, learn from one another, and most importantly, we can empower each other.
Why do you think your work resonates so much with online audiences?
What’s that saying about being able to put yourself into someone else’s shoes?
Sneakers are the outlet to telling my story as an Asian woman born to an immigrant family; becoming an artist. A career in art was not only shunned— it was laughable, because the community would see it as a futile endeavor. “You could never have a career more respectable and lucrative as a doctor or lawyer.” My life before sneakers was living up to someone else’s expectations for success, and I think people resonate the most with my desire to pursue my passion.
I just want to be a kid again, executing ideas that I only dreamed of before, entertaining others, and being able to support myself financially as I do it. I hope that being able to share my artwork online encourages others to live out their dreams and always add a bit of color into their step.
Do you have a favorite project you’ve worked on?
I get obsessed with what I am currently working on, so that’s always my favorite project. At the moment, I’m in the process of creating a collection of sneakers inspired by many different species of birds.
What are your goals for your sneaker art empire?
I would love to have a room filled with sneaker art that’s not just by me, but by some of my favorite sneaker artists. That’s my idea of making it! I love taking on initiatives that celebrate sneaker artists and all the amazing work they do. More importantly, I want to inspire more youth to pursue their passions in sneaker art. When I was younger, I was convinced that becoming an artist would be impossible. I still can’t believe I get to do this for a living! | https://www.printmag.com/designer-interviews/vicky-vuong/ | 2022-08-17T17:32:33Z | printmag.com | control | https://www.printmag.com/designer-interviews/vicky-vuong/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The decision to stop thinking about doing something, and actually doing it, can result in some pretty spectacular outcomes.
Somewhere north of Houston, Texas is an unassuming workshop in an unassuming neighbourhood. On a street with neatly cut front gardens, sporadically covered with the shade from an abundance of tall trees and where basketball hoops face onto the street, is the home of Speedlab Creations. The peaceful surroundings are pretty much the perfect contrast to the vehicles of power and fury created within the confines this property.
For regular readers of Speedhunters, it will be no surprise that often it’s these modest places that contain some of the most extraordinary things, and Speedlab Creations is another worthy addition to this informal series.
For Jose Jimenez, the brains behind Speedlab Creations (SLC), the journey started 10 years ago in his parents’ garage as Jimenez Racing. Having been around racing since a young age, and being surrounded by talented fabricators, Jose turned his own hands to working and fabricating on his own cars in order to both save money and to not have to depend on others to do the work for him.
“My first car was a 1993 Civic that had a B20 VTEC setup that at the time was very popular to do. It was naturally aspirated and was just lowered on coilovers, a very basic setup. Once that motor gave up, I ended up swapping to a B18C and boosting it with a GReddy-style turbo kit, then upgrading to a Garrett GT35R, and never looked back,” Jose told us. It was around this point in Jose’s life that his love for boost would rise to prominence.
In 2013, Jose formally setup SLC and turned his passion into a career. While his focus has since been primarily on his customers, he has had the time to build multiple cars of note. Maybe one of the most recognisable is the company’s fourth-generation Camaro which debuted at the SEMA Show in 2019.
If you’re thinking that’s a lot of motor and a lot of turbocharger, you would be correct. A 468ci (that’s 7.7-litres) LSX V8 is being force fed by a Garrett 106mm GTX Gen 2 turbo. The not inconsiderable air-to-water intercooler was custom designed and built in-house by SLC, utilising CSF Race cores, and is a significant part of the estimated 2,500hp power output of this car.
While the preference is certainly towards full-blown drag builds, SLC is also an equal opportunities builder and modifier. “Drag cars have been a favorite for a while but the more opportunities to work on exotics are starting to say otherwise,” Jose said.
That’s not to mention their Ford F150 shop truck, complete with Mickey Thompsons and a suspiciously large Garrett, either.
It would be amiss of us not to try and tap into some of SLC and Jose’s own knowledge and experience during our visit. When asked what do people most often overlook when it comes to their own fabrication, Jose replied that “planning is probably the most overlooked, and for me is the most crucial part before even starting a project. Not everything can get ironed out since there will always be hurdles at some point, but having a good game plan can definitely go a long way.”
When probed about what his favorite build to date is, he didn’t hesitate in saying that it’s their current 1956 Ford Fairlane. “It’s just different, and such a classic and iconic hotrod for its time,” he said.
Expectations are high for this car. While it’s not finished yet, to give you a rough idea of its potential, the car has enough intercooling to accommodate around 4,000hp courtesy of two CSF 2,000hp air-to-water cores (CSF #8086) contained within a custom 12x12x12-inch intercooler. The cores are pressure tested to 120psi (8.2bar) for maximum reliability in extreme boost applications.
Unsurprising perhaps considering the size of two turbochargers hanging off the front of the car.
The CSF cores are an ideal solution for speciality fabrication shops such as Speedlab Creation. “I’ve always used their products, especially the cores for intercoolers, since we custom build our intercoolers to suit so many different builds,” Jose said.
He added that, “It’s not just the intercooler cores, either. Since CSF also has a very deep line in cooling systems for a variety of different vehicles which helps in the various build processes when you’re not having to make something custom all the time. Their support is a major bonus, especially when you’re a company who is growing within the industry and that they care about the sport as much as we do.”
When Jose made the decision to pick up tools and work on his own car, I wonder was he aware of how that one decision would shape his career and life so significantly? How teaching himself the skills required to be able to offer custom fabrication and precision TIG welding services to a standard which can only be described as art.
Some people only ever think and talk about these things, but other people just get on and do it.
Paddy McGrath
Instagram: pmcgphotos
Vero: pmcgphotos
paddy@speedhunters.com
Photography by Mark Riccioni
Instagram: mark_scenemedia
Twitter: markriccioni
mark@scene-media.com
CSF Race is an official Speedhunters Supplier | http://www.speedhunters.com/2022/08/art-through-fabrication-at-speedlab-creations/ | 2022-08-17T17:36:44Z | speedhunters.com | control | http://www.speedhunters.com/2022/08/art-through-fabrication-at-speedlab-creations/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Public Account Committee of the House of Representatives, on Wednesday, resolved to unmask the real identities of the owners of the Companies which took contracts valued at the sum of N18.9bn from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development for clearing of bushes, land preparation, rehabilitation of soil plant lab and others during the last COVID-19 lockdown of the country.
The resolution followed the appearance of representatives of two of the 20 affected companies at the resumed investigative hearing of the committee on queries to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government by the office of the Auditor General of the Federation.
The affected companies are; Easy Construction Company LTD and NUKAAG VENTURES LTD respectively while the remaining 18 Companies failed to show up.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
- Kaduna Train Attack: How Leader Of Terrorists Deceived Us To Release His Wife, Kids —Presidency
- 48 Visa On Arrival, E-Visa And Visa Free Countries You Can Travel To As A Nigerian
The Committee being chaired by Hon Woke Oke (PDP- OSUN) said that the two representatives of the Companies (Johnson Philip and Taiwo Idowu), were of the Managerial cadre and as such not competent to appear before the Committee going by the Rules of the House.
Responding to a question posed by the Chairman of the Committee on whether they were familiar with the submission submitted to the Committee on the award and execution of the contractors so as not to mislead it, they both said no.
Consequently, the Committee directed the duo to leave immediately and directed that the Managing Directors or Chairmen of the companies should personally appear before it and speak to the submission before the Committee
In addition, Hon Oke directed the Clerk of the Committee to write to the Registrar of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to finish the Committee the detailed information of the affected 20 companies, including a year of incorporation, Corporate offices, names of the owners, shareholders amongst others
According to him, “We are not concerned about who won the contracts, what we are after is to deter value for money paid out and the sites of the projects, and we will carry that mission to the letter.
“The Clerk should also write the Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) to finish the Committee about the financial status of the Companies.
Hon Oke assured that the Committee would carry out a diligent investigation into the matter as it was interested in finding out the location of the projects and the significance of such projects to the country.
Consultations Ongoing Between Tinubu, Amaechi, Lawan, Others — APC National Vice Chairman
N18.9bn bush clearing contracts: Reps committee probes identities of contractors, writes CAC, FIRS
Health Benefits Of Unripe Plantain
N18.9bn bush clearing contracts: Reps committee probes identities of contractors, writes CAC, FIRS | https://tribuneonlineng.com/n18-9bn-bush-clearing-contracts-reps-committee-probes-identities-of-contractors-writes-cac-firs/ | 2022-08-17T17:46:00Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/n18-9bn-bush-clearing-contracts-reps-committee-probes-identities-of-contractors-writes-cac-firs/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Former governorship aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Otunba Segun Showunmi, has vowed to fight the ongoing battle for the opposition party’s ticket to the end.
Showunmi expressed confidence that at the end of the struggle, which is already before the courts, and with the first victory at the Court of Appeal, on Monday, he would emerge the authentic candidate of the PDP in Ogun State in the next few weeks.
Showunmi, who was spokesperson to Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate in the 2019 election, spoke while addressing pressmen on the outcome of the judgement, in Abuja, on Wednesday.
He said it was necessary to clarify issues, considering the barrage of calls and deep interest of the public in the matter, noting that he was humbled by the number of Nigerians that were interested in the case.
He explained, “When the party declared open the sale of forms, it meant anybody who wanted to contest for any position including the presidency, should start buying form. My colleague, Hon Ladi Adebutu purchased his form on the very first day. Ironically, upon buying his form, Hon. Adebutu went to the media – the Television, Newspapers and Online platforms saying that the Executive Committee (EXCOs) of the Peoples Democratic Party bought the form for him.
“I reasoned that if we were to go into a contest that requires us to get adhoc delegates from the Excos in the wards, and follow the rules that will lead to getting the delegates that will put together an electoral college that will elect the party’s candidate, I felt that the constitution of the PDP had been compromised and broken because the fact that they bought a form for a particular candidate shows that there is a bias, and that they have been compromised.
“Secondly, the Oath of Office of the EXCO which includes that they will be free, fair and just to all and sundry had also been compromised. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria had also been breached relative to how political parties are to organise themselves.
“I therefore wrote a letter to the national organ of our party – the National Chairman’s Office, the National Secretary’s Office, the National Organizing Secretary’s Office and the National Legal Adviser’s Office, saying that it is unfair to purchase a contest form for one among several contestants. I offered remedial opportunities alongside my complaint. As a remedy, I recommended that the EXCO, which action showed bias should be dissolved or set aside while a fair set of people should be brought on board to superintend the primary election process.
“I gave a number of sound and progressive advice, and I explained that if they failed to do the needful, I would have no alternative but to seek redress in court. Because of their penchant to disregard everything that other people in other civilizations will treat as serious, I wrote the letter in the court and gave them a proof of service from the Federal High Court, Abuja.”
Showunmi said the Court of Appeal had been very thorough in its judgement and had given him victory in that first step, adding that every Nigerian must be able to exercise his legal rights within the law.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
- ‘39.6 percent of unmarried university students use sexual performance-enhancing drugs’
- Tips on building a happy and healthy relationship
- Safety precautions to observe at the airport
- Safety tips to observe when boarding a ride from a ride-hailing app
- Secure your social media accounts from hackers with these tips
I’ll fight this battle… I’ll fight this battle… | https://tribuneonlineng.com/ogun-pdp-ill-fight-this-battle-to-the-end-%E2%80%95-segun-showunmi/ | 2022-08-17T17:46:06Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/ogun-pdp-ill-fight-this-battle-to-the-end-%E2%80%95-segun-showunmi/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - An electrical malfunction is blamed for sparking a fire that left a Rehoboth Beach home in ruins early Wednesday morning.
The Delaware State Fire Marshal's Office said the incident, reported shortly before 4 a.m., occurred at home located on West Side Drive in the Rehoboth Beach Yacht and Country Club.
The Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company arrived on the scene and found smoke and flames coming from the home's roof. The home was occupied at the time of the fire. Occupants were alerted to the fire by a fire alarm system and were able to escape from the home. Mutual aid fire companies assisted at the scene.
State fire investigators determined to the fire accidental in nature and said it was caused by an electrical malfunction of fixed branch circuit wiring.
There were no reported injuries to persons or firefighters. Damage is estimated at $1 million. | https://www.wboc.com/news/fire-destroys-home-in-rehoboth-beach/article_52a1423a-1e46-11ed-9ef5-b7c9f0f2cc04.html | 2022-08-17T17:47:12Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/news/fire-destroys-home-in-rehoboth-beach/article_52a1423a-1e46-11ed-9ef5-b7c9f0f2cc04.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SALISBURY, Md. - Salisbury University Police have issued a traffic advisory for Camden Avenue between College Avenue and Pine Bluff Road from 6 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 25, as approximately 1,000 new students and their parents come to campus for Move-In Day.
Non-university northbound traffic on Camden Avenue from the Fruitland/Eden areas that morning will be detoured onto Route 13 at the Pine Bluff Road and Camden Avenue intersection. To save time, northbound traffic may want to detour onto Route 13 one intersection sooner, at Kay Avenue, or use Riverside Drive until the detour ends at 2 p.m. Traffic should be flowing normally by early afternoon, police said.
At the Camden and College avenues intersection, all southbound traffic will be detoured to Route 13. Those wishing to enter the Devilbiss and Blackwell parking lots on campus should turn from Route 13 onto Dogwood Drive. Traffic will be directed northbound to those lots from the Dogwood Drive and Camden Avenue intersection.
Access into the university’s Camden Parking Lot F (Blackwell lot), Camden Parking Lot E (Devilbiss lot), Route 13 Lot A, College Avenue Parking lots G and H (Conway Hall lots) and Dogwood Parking Lot D, as well as the Wayne Street parking garage, will be restricted to move-in traffic and deliveries only. All others should seek parking in the Avery parking lot.
Those traveling on College Avenue should be aware of a new traffic pattern, as former turn lanes for SU Parking Lot H (solar lot) and Camden Avenue have been removed to create a new bicycle lane from Camden Avenue to Route 13.
SU employees normally parking on campus should park at the former Court Plaza Shopping Center on Route 13. Employee shuttles will run from that location to main campus from 5:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
This advisory is issued in partnership with Wicomico County Public Works, the Maryland State Highway Administration, the City of Salisbury, Salisbury Police and the Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office.
For more information, call Salisbury University Police at 410-543-6222. | https://www.wboc.com/news/salisbury-university-issues-move-in-day-traffic-advisory-for-aug-25/article_d1b5828a-1e4f-11ed-87bf-d3473fe7b9b8.html | 2022-08-17T17:47:18Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/news/salisbury-university-issues-move-in-day-traffic-advisory-for-aug-25/article_d1b5828a-1e4f-11ed-87bf-d3473fe7b9b8.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (AP) - The pace of sales at U.S. retailers was unchanged last month as persistently high inflation and rising interest rates forced many Americans to spend more cautiously.
Retail purchases were flat after having risen 0.8% in June, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Economists had expected a slight increase.
Still, Wednesday’s report contained some positive signs: Excluding autos and auto parts, retail sales rose 0.4% in July.
Lower gas prices likely freed up money for people to spend elsewhere. Gasoline sales slid 1.8%, reflecting the drop in pump prices.
“As gas prices fell, consumers had more money in their pockets for other items such as furniture and electronics,'' said Jeffrey Roach, chief economist at LPL Financial.
Sales of building supplies and garden equipment held up, as did sales at electronics and appliance stores.
At the same time, consumers remained wary of spending much on non-essentials: Sales were down 0.5% at department stores and 0.6% at clothing stores.
Compared with 12 months ago, overall retail sales rose 10.3% in July.
America's consumers, whose spending accounts for nearly 70% of U.S. economic activity, have remained mostly resilient even with year-over-year inflation near a four-decade high, rising economic uncertainties and the surging costs of mortgages and borrowing money. Still, overall spending has weakened, and it has shifted increasingly toward things like groceries, and away less necessary things like electronics, furniture and new clothes.
The government's monthly report on retail sales covers about a third of all consumer purchases and doesn’t include spending on most services, ranging from plane fares and apartment rents to movie tickets and doctor visits. In recent months, Americans have been shifting their purchases away from physical goods and more toward travel, hotel stays and plane trips.
Inflation continues to pose a severe hardship for many families. Though gasoline prices have fallen from their heights, food, rent, used cars and other necessities have become far more expensive, beyond whatever wage increases most workers have notched.
Despite a still-robust job market, the U.S. economy shrank in the first half of 2022, raising fears of a potential recession. Growth has been weakening largely as a consequence of the Federal Reserve's aggressive interest rate hikes, which are intended to cool the economy and tame high inflation.
The impact of the Fed's hikes has been felt especially in the housing market. Sales of previously occupied homes have slowed for five straight months as higher loan rates and high sales prices have kept many would-be buyers on the sidelines.
But the most important pillar of the economy - the job market - has proved durable. America's employers added a hefty 528,000 jobs in July, and the unemployment rate reached 3.5%, matching a near-half-century low reached just before the pandemic erupted in the spring of 2020.
Americans are still spending, but that money is going to different places as the pandemic eases. Walmart, the nation’s largest retailer, posted better than expected quarterly sales and profits, but noted that customers are favoring lower-priced grocery items.
And it's gaining more customers who might more typically shop at Whole Foods. The company, long associated with price-conscious and lower-income consumers, disclosed that roughly 75% of its grocery sales last quarter were to households with incomes of at least $100,000.
It also noted that lower income customers were trading down within the store, for example swapping out sliced deli meats for hot dogs to save money.
On Wednesday, Target reported that its profit plunged nearly 90% despite solid sales, largely because it was forced to slash prices to clear huge inventories of things in heavy demand during the pandemic like furniture, appliances and electronics.
Signet Jewelers, which operates stores under such names as Zales and Jared, lowered its full-year sales forecast last week as Americans cool spending on luxuries and more on groceries.
“They’re being intentional,” said Jamie Singleton, president of Signet. She said customers may be taking home fewer items, but they're spending more on the things they buy. | https://www.wboc.com/news/us-retail-sales-were-flat-in-july-as-inflation-takes-a-toll/article_9a1e3660-1e3a-11ed-929c-43c6eb311193.html | 2022-08-17T17:47:24Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/news/us-retail-sales-were-flat-in-july-as-inflation-takes-a-toll/article_9a1e3660-1e3a-11ed-929c-43c6eb311193.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Justice Department on Wednesday announced criminal charges against a Missouri man who left a voicemail on the personal cell phone of an election official during the monthslong, partisan review of ballots cast in Arizona during in the 2020 presidential election.
Walter Lee Hoornstra, 50, is charged with one count of communicating an interstate threat and one count of making a threatening telephone call. If convicted, Hoornstra faces up to five years in prison for interstate threats and two years in prison for making a threatening call. The election official worked at the Maricopa County Recorder's Office, according to the DOJ.
"So I see you're for fair and competent elections, that's what it says here on your homepage for your recorder position you're trying to fly here," Hoornstra said on the May 2021 voicemail, according to the indictment. "But you call things unhinged and insane lies when there's a forensic audit going on. You need to check yourself. You need to do your f**king job right because other people from other states are watching your ass. You f**king renege on this deal or give them any more troubles, your ass will never make it to your next little board meeting."
The Arizona audit, run by the company Cyber Ninjas in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix, came after a monthslong push by Republican officials to undo the 2020 election result, which saw Joe Biden become the first Democratic presidential nominee to win the state since 1996. The CEO of Cyber Ninjas said the audit found "very small discrepancies" -- not enough to undo the results of the election. Maricopa County officials also rebutted 76 of the 77 claims made in a Cyber Ninjas report that cast doubt on the validity of ballots, finding the claims false or misleading.
Hoornstra's arrest is the latest case brought by the Justice Department's Election Threats Task Force. The task force, which was set up last year, has reviewed more than "1,000 contacts reported as hostile or harassing by the election community," with about 11% rising to the level of a federal criminal investigation, according to the department.
The DOJ has brought several federal criminal cases so far, with plans to bring more cases in the near future. In one case, a Massachusetts man was arrested and charged in late July for allegedly making a bomb threat last year against an Arizona election official.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/justice-department-charges-missouri-man-with-threatening-arizona-election-official/article_f8d14013-f4ad-5b5f-89e5-6bd59ff3c9fb.html | 2022-08-17T17:47:31Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/justice-department-charges-missouri-man-with-threatening-arizona-election-official/article_f8d14013-f4ad-5b5f-89e5-6bd59ff3c9fb.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Early in the pandemic, people couldn't get enough pizza. Now, not so much.
Papa Johns' sales are still up, but growth is slowing. In the second quarter, sales at its North American restaurants open at least a year grew just under 1%, down from 5% in the the same period last year. In the second quarter of 2020, sales jumped 28%.
One reason for the slowdown: People may be getting tired of pizza.
"There's a general thought that there could be a little bit of pizza fatigue," Scott Rodriguez, SVP of menu strategy and innovation at Papa Johns. "Because that's all we've had for the last couple of years."
To get people excited about pizza again, Papa Johns is offering a new spin on the classic, with Papa Bowls that are all topping — no crust.
The Papa Bowl comes in three varieties, Garden Veggie, Chicken Alfredo and Italian Meats Trio. They are available to the company's loyalty members this week and will roll out nationally next, and cost $7.99.
At first, Papa Johns thought the bowls might be well received as a healthier alternative to pizza. But the company learned people still want "the indulgence of pizza," Rodriguez said.
Papa Johns hopes the new item will eliminate the "veto vote," when an eatery gets ruled out because it doesn't have enough options for everyone in the dining party. The idea is that if one person doesn't want pizza, the group can still go to Papa Johns and that person will still find something to eat.
Papa Johns' approach to innovation
Adding new items to the menu is an important way for restaurants to boost sales and create buzz. But companies have to be strategic when they make changes, especially now with supply chains disrupted and large swings in ingredient prices.
Thinking about whether ingredients will be cost effective and available is "step number two right now," said Rodriguez. "It never used to be that way," he added. That means that Rodriguez's team has to be mindful of when to roll out menu innovations.
"We know that beef futures spike during a certain period of time," Rodriguez said. "That's probably not the best time to be running pepperoni items."
Making new products with core items can help avoid supply chain surprises. The bowls are made with toppings and sauces Papa Johns already has in stores. But even then, there can be challenges. Papa Bowls were set to launch about six months ago, but the company wasn't able to get the packaging it needed.
The Papa Bowls are served in a bowl that slides out from a snug-fitting sleeve, which is delivered in a cardboard box similar to a pizza box. For Papa Johns, the right packaging is essential — if an item isn't packaged correctly, it could show up cold. Customers hate that.
"Temperature is probably the number one thing that our consumer keys in on," Rodriguez said. "We wanted to make sure that those are coming in piping hot."
Papa Johns has rolled out other new items in the past year, including a limited-time pepperoni-stuffed crust pizza and a limited-time New York style pizza. Last year, it redesigned its logo and stores, dropping the apostrophe in Johns.
The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/see-papa-johns-new-pizza-bowls-just-toppings-no-crust/article_6576b6a5-e980-5b66-8a3e-b932f31edee7.html | 2022-08-17T17:47:37Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/see-papa-johns-new-pizza-bowls-just-toppings-no-crust/article_6576b6a5-e980-5b66-8a3e-b932f31edee7.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Brooklyn synagogue with Holocaust survivors among its congregation was the victim of anti-Semitic graffiti vandals who spray-painted “Hitler” on its façade, authorities said Wednesday.
Councilwoman Inna Vernikov posted a video of the hateful message that desecrated the Beth Shalom Synagogue on Avenue X in Sheepshead Bay.
Vernikov said she had received a text message from Rabbi Asher Altshul, who saw the vandalism when he arrived at the synagogue around 6:30 a.m.
“This is not something we’re [just] seeing in the media. This is something happening in our backyard,” Vernikov, who lives three blocks from the house of worship, said in a video posted on Twitter.
“There are Holocaust survivors who attend this shul,” she added. “And after the atrocities they’ve seen during World War II, they now have to come to a synagogue in the United States of America in 2022 and see a Hitler sign on the wall.”
Vernikov told The Post in a subsequent interview that officers from the 61st Precinct were investigating the alleged hate crime, while volunteers from the Shomrim patrol erased the hateful graffiti
“It’s very scary. It’s sickening,” said Vernikov, a Ukraine-born Jew whose own relatives were among the 6 million killed in the Nazi genocide during World War II.
Recent reports show that anti-Semitism is on the rise in New York and across the country, with reported incidents ranging from physical assaults to Jew-hating graffiti and vandalism.
Vernikov said she’s pressuring educational institutions — including the City University of New York — to confront anti-Semitism among its own faculty and students. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/bigots-spray-paint-hitler-on-nyc-synagogue/ | 2022-08-17T17:49:32Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/bigots-spray-paint-hitler-on-nyc-synagogue/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Vice President Mike Pence says attacks against the FBI must stop.
"Calls to defund the FBI are just as wrong as calls to defund the police," Pence said at an event in New Hampshire on Wednesday.
Some high-profile Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have advocated for defunding the FBI following its raid on former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
The "Defund the FBI" slogan could put Republicans at odds with their stance of being the party of "law and order." They were highly critical of Democrats who were calling for police departments to be defunded after the murder of George Floyd.
Former President Trump has not called for the FBI to be defunded, but he has claimed the agency acted maliciously.
Pence acknowledged the raid was out of the ordinary and called on the FBI to be upfront with the American people.
"In the wake of the four years that we endured of the politicization of the FBI, the American people have the right to know the basis for this," Pence said. "This unprecedented action does demand unprecedented transparency." | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/pence-says-calls-to-defund-the-fbi-are-wrong | 2022-08-17T17:49:38Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/pence-says-calls-to-defund-the-fbi-are-wrong | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Rangers are cleaning house.
Two days after firing manager Chris Woodward, the Rangers fired president of baseball operations Jon Daniels, giving the role to GM Chris Young, the team announced on Wednesday.
“The bottom line is we have not had a winning record since 2016 and for much of that time, have not been competitive in the AL West Division,” owner Ray Davis said in a statement announcing the move. “While I am certain we are heading in the right direction, I feel a change in leadership of the baseball operations department will be beneficial going forward.
“Chris Young is one of the top young baseball executives in the business and in his 21 months on the job has brought welcome energy and new ideas to the organization. I am confident in Chris’ ability to lead our baseball operations with the goal of producing a consistent winner on the field.”
Texas currently sits in third place in the AL West with a 52-64 record. The team spent $500 million over the offseason to try and build a playoff contender, adding Corey Seager and Marcus Semien — the former coming with a $325 million price tag.
Young, a former pitcher for six teams including the Mets, moved into an executive role after retiring in 2018. He first worked for MLB as the VP of on-field operations, initiatives and strategy, being promoted in 2020 to senior vice president.
Later that year, he was hired by the Rangers as general manager.
Now, at 43, he shoulders the responsibility of building the organization back into a competitive outfit.
The Rangers have not finished above .500 since 2016, last making the playoffs in the same season, when they were swept out of the ALDS by Toronto.
Carlos Beltran is reportedly a candidate to replace Woodward in the dugout. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/rangers-fire-jon-daniels-after-500-million-failure/ | 2022-08-17T17:50:39Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/rangers-fire-jon-daniels-after-500-million-failure/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Saudi academic was sentenced to 34 years in prison last week for advocating for women’s rights on Twitter.
Salma al-Shehab, 34, a doctoral candidate at the University of Leeds in the UK, was visiting her husband and two young sons when she was detained by the government in January 2021.
Shehab, who boasts a mere 2,597 followers on Twitter, had used the platform to protest the imprisonment of Loujain al-Hathloul, an activist who campaigned for Saudi women’s right to drive and was subsequently incarcerated and tortured.
Saudi authorities cited her advocacy and other tweets as evidence of Shehab using social media to “cause public unrest and destabilize civil and national security,” and initially sentenced her to six years behind bars.
In her appeal, Shehab argued that her small following did not pose a security risk; in addition to using her real name on the platform, she frequently used it to share photos of her children and other innocuous content. Prosecutors retaliated by demanding that the former dental hygienist and university lecturer be charged under the kingdom’s counterterrorism laws, in addition to the cybercrime statute.
On Aug. 8, the terrorism court handed down the 34-year sentence, to be followed by a 34-year travel ban. According to the Freedom Initiative, a nonprofit that advocates for prisoners in the Middle East and North Africa, it is the longest known sentence for a women’s rights activist in Saudi Arabia.
Shehab’s draconian punishment comes just weeks after President Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia, during which he fist-bumped with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.
The controversial young royal, who controls a major indirect stake in Twitter through the Public Investment Firm (PIF), is no stranger to using extreme force to silence dissenting voices. Just four years ago, he allegedly ordered the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Khalic Aljabri, an exiled Saudi, told the Guardian that the Shehab case is merely the latest example of “MBS’s ruthless repression machine.”
“Just like Khashoggi’s assassination, her sentencing is intended to send shock waves inside and outside the kingdom,” he said. “Dare to criticize MBS and you will end up dismembered or in Saudi dungeons.”
Aljabri’s statement echoed a Washington Post editorial published Tuesday, which cited Shehab’s sentence as evidence that the crown prince’s lukewarm commitments to human rights during Biden’s visit were a “farce.”
“At the very least, Mr. Biden must … demand that Ms. Shehab be released,” the editorial board wrote.
Although Shehab may be able to file an additional appeal, there are serious concerns about her safety in prison. A source close to the case told the Guardian that Shehab was frequently held in solitary confinement, and her request to speak to the judge about her treatment was denied.
According to the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, female activists in Saudi Arabia are frequently the victims of arbitrary sentences, as well as torture and sexual harassment.
Loujain al-Hathloul, whose imprisonment Shehab protested, was released from jail just a few weeks after Shehab’s arrest. She remains in Saudi Arabia under a travel ban.
Dr. Bethany Al-Haidari, a case manager with the Freedom Initiative, noted that “while Loujain’s released was celebrated, Salma remained behind bars on the ground that she called for that very release.”
“The Saudi authorities must release Salma,” she said in a statement. “And ensure that her young boys do not grow up without a mother simply because she called for freedom for human rights activists.” | https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/saudi-woman-jailed-for-34-years-for-twitter-activity/ | 2022-08-17T17:50:45Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/saudi-woman-jailed-for-34-years-for-twitter-activity/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Manti Te’o never wanted one chapter to define his whole life story.
In the years following an infamous catfishing scandal that rocked the sports world, Te’o found his forever fairytale in wife Jovi Nicole, whom he wed in 2020.
“I couldn’t give you the world but I think I did better…I gave you my last name and it looks good on you Mrs. Te’o,” the former Notre Dame linebacker, now 31, wrote on Instagram at the time.
First linked in 2016 — roughly three years after Ronaiah “Naya” Tuiasosopo, who went by “Lennay Kekua” online, was revealed to be the mastermind behind the relationship hoax — Te’o and Jovi appeared together in social media posts.
Jovi, who is working towards becoming a nurse, also supported Te’o during his time with the Chargers, the organization that selected the Heisman Trophy nominee in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Four years later, he signed a two-year deal with the Saints before joining the Bears’ practice squad in late 2020.
In February 2020, however, Te’o made a decision that would change his and Jovi’s life forever when he popped the question.
“We’re ENGAGED!” Jovi proudly announced at the time.
The life-altering news didn’t stop for Te’o and Jovi after their August 2020 nuptials, as the couple confirmed in January 2021 that they were expecting. The pair welcomed a baby girl that summer.
“The Queen is here✨ Baby Hiro graced us with her presence 8/12/2021 at 1:01pm by emergency c-section. 8 lbs 4 oz and 19 inches of perfection. Her, mommy and daddy are all strong, happy and healthy. God is good,” Jovi gushed on Instagram.
Though Jovi regularly uploads snaps of the couple’s daughter on Instagram, where she boasts 32,000 followers, the health and beauty enthusiast also posts fitness videos and photos of her favorite looks.
Recently, Jovi shared a clip of Te’o on “CBS Mornings,” where he spoke about the new Netflix documentary, “Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn’t Exist,” which chronicles the catfishing controversy. Tuiasosopo, who has since become a transgender woman, is featured in the two-part series as well.
During the sit-down with CBS, Te’o revealed that Jay-Z’s opening line from a 2017 concert, “you cannot heal what you don’t reveal,” inspired him to speak out.
“It may have just been some random words to everybody, but for me at that time, it hit me like a ton of bricks. I needed to reveal it,” Te’o said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Te’o shared that he and Jovi are expecting a son. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/who-is-manti-teos-wife-meet-fitness-enthusiast-jovi-nicole/ | 2022-08-17T17:51:28Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/who-is-manti-teos-wife-meet-fitness-enthusiast-jovi-nicole/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
AdCellerant makes quality digital marketing accessible to every business.
DENVER, Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Inc. Magazine revealed today that AdCellerant is No. 2,418 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious running of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. AdCellerant ranked in the top 0.07 percent of all companies in growth. This list represents a unique look at successful companies within the American economy's most dynamic segment–independent small businesses. Companies like Sugarwish, Casely, Eon, Bluestaq, and many other well-known names, gained their first bit of exposure as honorees or served as repeat honorees on this year's Inc. 5000 list.
"When we started the company in 2013, one of our early goals was to make the Inc. 5000 list, and after nine years, we're humbled to post 240% growth, especially with a pandemic year during the period," said Brock Berry, CEO, and Co-Founder of AdCellerant. "To be here on the Inc. 5000 list for the fifth consecutive year in a row is an honor we never thought possible, but it proves our goal to make Madison Avenue level digital marketing solutions available to Main Street businesses resonates with the market."
AdCellerant's core business model provides digital advertising solutions to small and medium-sized businesses through white-label channel sales partners. Through even the toughest of circumstances like a global pandemic and economic downturn, AdCellerant shifted our focus to creating sustainable business models that gave local businesses the tools they needed to succeed beyond the most challenging times.
Companies on the 2022 Inc. 5000 list are competitive within their markets, and among this list, only 276 honorees have made it on the list five times in a row, AdCellerant being one of them.
Among the list, the average three-year growth rate soared to 230 percent, and median revenue reached $317.6 billion. These companies, on average, had grown since 2016 during a stretch when the economy only increased by 15 percent. Together, those companies added more than 1,179,282 jobs over the last few years. The final ranking results for AdCellerant:
- 79 in Colorado
- 210 in Advertising and Marketing
- 56 in Denver
- 2,418 overall rank
"My biggest high five goes to our team who built a technology and product platform with a 98.5% retention rate. We wouldn't be here without them and what they've built for our clients," Berry said. "Our team is honored to see the success we're driving for our partners and their small-to-medium-sized business advertisers, which is an even greater achievement. The success we drive for them drives our team."
Complete results of the Inc. 5000, including company profiles and an interactive database that can be sorted by region, and other criteria, can be found at www.inc.com/inc5000. The top 500 companies are featured in the September issue of Inc., which will be available on newsstands on August 16, 2022.
AdCellerant provides businesses access to high-quality digital marketing technology and solutions through partnerships with media companies and agencies. Focused on generating results and growth for businesses of all sizes, AdCellerant offers best-in-class technology and software, award-winning customer service, expert education, and exceptional operational support to ensure customer campaign performance.
Leveraging proprietary technology Ui.Marketing, AdCellerant effectively connects businesses with their ideal customer at the right time. Harnessing an easy-to-use and nimble digital advertising tool, users can manage the entire buyer's journey from quick and accurate comprehensive proposal creation, campaign launch, and campaign performance. All within a single platform.
For more information or to book a demo, visit www.adcellerant.com.
Contact information:
Senior Vice President, Marketing
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE AdCellerant LLC | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/adcellerant-lands-inc-5000-list-5th-year-row/ | 2022-08-17T17:52:45Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/adcellerant-lands-inc-5000-list-5th-year-row/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Summit 7 Systems (Summit 7), an industry-leading provider of security and compliance solutions and services for the Defense Industrial Base, has been listed in the Inc. 5000 for the seventh time and the third consecutive year. This coveted award is a result of the 929% growth of Summit 7, who is among an elite group of companies to have received the honor five times or more, making up less than 4% of businesses on the Inc. 5000.
Summit 7 ranks number 673 on this year's list, a climb from 2021's ranking of 697.
Scott Edwards, CEO at Summit 7, stated "We have invested in significant resources to not only expand our product portfolio, but we've also focused on growing the skillsets of Summit 7 employees. Our Managed Services Team has specifically been focusing on upgrading our managed services and managed security services offerings to continue to provide advanced security to the Defense Industrial Base, further protecting the critical data of the United States."
Prior to Inc.'s 2022 list announcement, Summit 7 was recognized as the 2022 Microsoft US Compliance Partner of the Year. The 2022 MSUS Compliance Partner of the Year award recognizes partners who have proven that they fully embrace the power of Microsoft's Compliance product portfolio enabling the development of solutions that deliver on long-term customer success.
Summit 7 has helped more than 650 contractors, the majority of which are small to medium-sized organizations, that support the US Department of Defense in meeting compliance regulations such as CMMC, DFARS 7012, and more. Over the last half-decade, Summit 7 made significant investments to map their Microsoft Government Cloud solutions to NIST 800-171 and the more recent CMMC 2.0.
About Summit 7
Summit 7 is a national leader in cybersecurity and compliance for the Aerospace and Defense industry. Summit 7's Microsoft Cloud solutions have led the way in meeting compliance regulations and frameworks for small to medium contractors in the DIB regarding CMMC, DFARS, NIST 800-171, ITAR, and CUI. Summit 7 is headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama.
About Inc. 5000
Companies on the 2022 Inc. 5000 are ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2017 to 2020. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2017. They must be U.S.-based, privately held, for-profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2020.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Summit 7 Systems | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/summit-7-appears-inc-5000-7th-time/ | 2022-08-17T17:55:54Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/summit-7-appears-inc-5000-7th-time/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
American found dead at same Bahamas resort where three US tourists died earlier this year
An American was recently found dead at Sandals Emerald Bay Resort in the Bahamas, which is the same resort where three American tourists died earlier this year, a spokesperson for Sandals confirmed to Fox News Digital.
"Bahamian authorities do not suspect any foul play and the cause appears to be natural," the spokesperson said. "We wish to extend our deepest sympathies to the guest’s family and remain in close contact to provide support during this difficult time."
A Royal Bahamas Police Force spokesperson told NBC News that the man, who was in his 70s, had been experiencing COVID-19 symptoms on the island.
BAHAMAS SANDALS RESORT DEATHS: AMERICAN HONEYMOONERS DESCRIBE ‘SCARY FEELING’
"As a result, he was tested. ... He tested positive," police told the news outlet. "Subsequently, he self-quarantined."
The man's identity has not yet been released by police.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Three Americans died from carbon monoxide poisoning at the same resort on May 6. A coroner later identified the tourists as Michael Phillips, 68; Robbie Phillips, 65; and Vincent Chiarella, 64. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/american-found-dead-sandals-emerald-bay-resort-bahamas | 2022-08-17T17:57:33Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/american-found-dead-sandals-emerald-bay-resort-bahamas | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Father of Chicago teen attacked 76-year-old man after alleged sexual assault, prosecutors say
CHICAGO - Chicago prosecutors revealed details in the allegations against a 76-year-old man who was arrested over the weekend for allegedly sexually assaulting a teenage girl, as well as what happened when her father confronted him.
At a bail hearing on Tuesday, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office used the information as they successfully argued to have Juan Roldon kept in custody without bail as he faces charges of criminal sexual assault by force, criminal sexual abuse by force and unlawful restraint.
"If this [defendant] were to be released it would put any child in any public area at risk," prosecutors said in a bond proffer obtained by Fox News.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE FOX 32 YOUTUBE CHANNEL
The document states that the 14-year-old girl, identified only as K.P., was at a family picnic at Montrose Harbor in Chicago's North Side when she walked toward the public restrooms. Roldon allegedly saw her and "lured her into the bird sanctuary area" before grabbing her breasts and vagina, "then dragged her into a set of bushes."
"After realizing the bushes were still possibly in view of others at the Harbor [Roldon] then dragged the V into another bush area in the bird sanctuary," the document says.
Prosecutors say Roldon then put his hand down the girl’s pants and grabbed her buttocks, forced her to perform oral sex, and then used a napkin to wipe her mouth before she ran away.
The girl immediately told her father what happened, and told him where Roldon was and what he was wearing, prosecutors said. Less than five minutes later, her father found the suspect, who denied the allegations before the girl pointed out the napkin that was still in his pocket. Her father then punched Roldon until bystanders broke them apart and detained Roldon until police arrived, the document says.
Prosecutors noted that one of the bystanders saw Roldon discard the napkin and pointed it out to law enforcement officers who recovered it as evidence.
The girl was treated at a local hospital, where a criminal sexual assault kit was done.
In arguing that Roldon should be held without bail, prosecutors emphasized how quickly the girl reported the incident, the evidence in his pocket, and how soon he was apprehended. His next court date is scheduled for September 6. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/father-of-chicago-teen-attacked-76-year-old-man-after-alleged-sexual-assault-prosecutors-say | 2022-08-17T17:57:39Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/father-of-chicago-teen-attacked-76-year-old-man-after-alleged-sexual-assault-prosecutors-say | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Girl, 9, escapes kidnapper at grocery store in West Rogers Park
CHICAGO - A 9-year-old girl escaped being kidnapped at a grocery store Wednesday morning in the West Rogers Park neighborhood.
The girl was walking with a woman she knew around 9:53 a.m. at Cermak Fresh Market in the 6600 block of North Damen Avenue when a male grabbed her arm and started running with her, according to Chicago police.
The girl was able to break free less than a block away in the 6600 block of North Ridge Boulevard, police said.
The suspect kept running southbound on Ridge Boulevard. He is described as being between 5'8" and 5'10", weighing roughly 160 pounds with short dreadlocks and glasses, police said.
SUBSCRIBE TO THE FOX 32 YOUTUBE CHANNEL
The suspect was wearing a white shirt, gray pants, white gym shoes and a camouflage baseball hat, police said.
The girl was not injured during the incident.
No one is in custody as Area Three detectives investigate. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/girl-9-escapes-kidnapper-at-grocery-store-in-west-rogers-park | 2022-08-17T17:57:45Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/girl-9-escapes-kidnapper-at-grocery-store-in-west-rogers-park | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Wheaton North High School lockdown lifted after police investigate 'suspicious item'
WHEATON, Ill. - Wheaton North High School was placed on lockdown briefly Wednesday morning while police investigated a pried-open lockbox that was found outside the school.
The city of Wheaton put out an alert around 11 a.m., saying police are investigating the lockbox that "could potentially be used as gun safe" but added that there is no current threat to any students or staff.
The lockdown was lifted at 11:40 a.m. after Wheaton police determined there was no threat at the school. Students have resumed their school day.
Hawthorne, Lowell, Sandburg and Washington elementary schools were placed in "Secure & Teach" protocols out of an abundance of caution but that has since been lifted, according to Wheaton officials.
SUBCRIBE TO THE FOX 32 YOUTUBE CHANNEL
The city of Wheaton issued a statement after the lockdown, saying the community is safe:
"In District 200 and for the Wheaton Police Department, the safety and security of students, staff, and the entire school community is the top priority. The District takes a multi-faceted approach to school safety which includes but is not limited to supporting the social emotional and mental health of our students; secure school entrances; and maintaining strong, working relationships with first responders. The District and Wheaton Police encourage students and staff to always say something if they see something that doesn’t seem right or safe. In this situation, members of the school community modeled that behavior and properly executed safety drills as they have trained."
The origin and purpose of the lockbox is still being investigated by police.
Wheaton is a suburb roughly 30 miles west of Chicago.
This story is developing. Check back for updates. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/wheaton-north-high-school-put-on-lockdown-as-police-investigate-suspicious-item | 2022-08-17T17:57:58Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/wheaton-north-high-school-put-on-lockdown-as-police-investigate-suspicious-item | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Blackhawks agree to 1-year deal with D Jack Johnson
CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks have agreed to a one-year contract with Jack Johnson after the veteran defenseman helped Colorado win the Stanley Cup last season.
The rebuilding Blackhawks announced the deal on Wednesday. Johnson’s contract carries a $950,000 hit for the salary cap.
"Jack provides the team with a strong veteran presence, good size and a competitive edge," general manager Kyle Davidson said in a statement. "We’re excited to have Jack join the organization and, coming off a Stanley Cup championship last year, he will strengthen our defensive group."
SUBSCRIBE TO THE FOX 32 YOUTUBE CHANNEL
The 35-year-old Johnson broke into the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings in 2007. He has 72 goals and 240 assists in 1,024 games, also playing for Columbus, Pittsburgh and the New York Rangers.
Johnson, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2005 draft, had one goal and eight assists in 74 games with the Avalanche last season. Johnson, listed at 6-foot-1 and 227 pounds, also skated in 13 playoff games. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/sports/blackhawks-agree-to-1-year-deal-with-d-jack-johnson | 2022-08-17T17:58:04Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/sports/blackhawks-agree-to-1-year-deal-with-d-jack-johnson | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Country
United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary
People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe | https://www.wyomingnews.com/townnews/politics/today-tomorrow/article_7c4aa237-e270-5bb8-bbbc-f864543c4736.html | 2022-08-17T17:59:25Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/townnews/politics/today-tomorrow/article_7c4aa237-e270-5bb8-bbbc-f864543c4736.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Sunny and Hot. Morning temperatures in the 60s-70s, mid 90s by noon and afternoon highs 100-107.
A strong ridge of high pressure and a southerly flow will keep temperatures in the triple digits throughout the workweek. Northern Lights... NWS Space Weather Prediction Center has issued a G3 Geomagnetic Storm Watch this evening through Thursday (8/17-18). Basically, this means a visible aurora borealis is possible as far south as the WA/OR border tonight. Remember to get away from any light pollution if you hope to see it.
Heat Advisory... Wednesday 11 AM - Friday 11 PM
- Location: Everyone
- Temps: 100 - 107
- Near Record Highs
- Stay Hydrate
- Take Breaks
- Remember Pets
- Increasing Fire Danger
Red Flag Warning - WA Cascades... Until Thursday 10 PM
- Above 1,500 ft
- Heat and Low Humidity
- Critical Fire Conditions
- Don't Be The Spark
An upper level low off the central coast of CA will send a little mid-level moisture and instability north today. This along with daytime heat could be enough for a few stray thunderstorms in southern and central OR today. Tomorrow we will see the slight chance expand north into the southern Washington Cascades. By Friday the chance will include the Blues and most of the WA Cascades. There's also a very slight (10%) possibility for a stray shower to slide off the east slopes into the Yakima/Kittitas Valleys overnight Friday. Most everyone else will just see some high clouds and for that reason, I'm cooling us down by a degree or two. But temps will remain in the low 100s.
The ridge begins to shift east Saturday-Sunday allowing a "cooler" airmass to return to the area with highs falling into the mid-upper 90s. Temperatures continue their slight cool down next Monday and Tuesday with highs in the low-mid 90s. Models are now suggesting another warming trend starting next Wednesday with low 100s returning by Thursday, just in time for the Benton Franklin Fair and Rodeo. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/heat-and-fire-danger/article_60e1c644-1e41-11ed-830e-8b5ce63b17d8.html | 2022-08-17T18:01:54Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/heat-and-fire-danger/article_60e1c644-1e41-11ed-830e-8b5ce63b17d8.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TRI-CITIES, Wash.-
It's National Black Cat Appreciation Day.
These sleek and seductive felines are honored today to dispel the myths and superstitions surrounding them, and to highlight their great pet potential.
Celebrate by adopting a black cat. According to pet shelters, black cats are about half as likely to be adopted as other cats. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/august-17th-is-black-cat-appreciation-day/article_de36c2aa-1e4d-11ed-9ba1-b331dfbbd116.html | 2022-08-17T18:02:00Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/august-17th-is-black-cat-appreciation-day/article_de36c2aa-1e4d-11ed-9ba1-b331dfbbd116.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
YAKIMA, Wash.-
It's National nonprofit day.
Officially declared in 2017, nonprofit agencies are honored today for their dedication to confronting challenges and promoting community welfare.
The individuals within an agency are its backbone and generally, those in nonprofit organizations have hearts and minds that see the best, and want the best for the community they serve.
"We are blessed with amazing staff," said Jody Daly, PhD, President and CEO of Comprehensive Healthcare in Yakima. "Their hearts are big and they recognize that giving back through other nonprofit organizations in terms of their time, money, or other resources can have profound impacts." | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/its-national-nonprofit-day/article_04da2218-1e43-11ed-b45a-4b3d3bc5ddf5.html | 2022-08-17T18:02:06Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/its-national-nonprofit-day/article_04da2218-1e43-11ed-b45a-4b3d3bc5ddf5.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
YAKIMA, WA - Monkeypox has been spreading across Washington this summer but this disease is still very rare and does not occur naturally in the U.S.
"Monkey Pox is spread from direct skin to skin contact, so it is not air born, not something that being in the same room with somebody, that you're going to get monkeypox from them," said Dr. Tanny Davenport, a Family Physician at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. "It's really typically skin-to-skin contact."
Since it has been spreading, health officials say their top priority is protecting people from it.
"We're really trying to protect the most vulnerable in our community and also be responsible so we're not spreading it around," said Dr. Davenport.
According to the CDC, people with Monkeypox typically get a rash that can be located on or near the genital area, or the part of the body that was infected.
Some of the symptoms can include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, and respiratory symptoms. But, sometimes people don't show many symptoms at all.
"Some people who have Monkeypox may not know that these small bumps that they have on their skin are Monkeypox and that it's contagious," said Dr. Davenport.
Some people like those that are amino compromised, older or younger, and certain skin types can be more susceptible to it.
"People who have eczema typically skin lesions that are open and cracked and so that allows a portal of entry," said Dr. Davenport. "So if they come in contact with Monkeypox it would be more easily infected."
Dr. Davenport told me right now the cases in our county have been spread sexually, so he is highly encouraging people to wear protection when they are having sex.
"Really at this point, it seems to be spread predominately through sexual contact so again making sure that when you're making your choices that you're using protection or abstaining from sexual contact you're not sure may or may not be at risk for monkeypox," he said.
The CDC's website said Monkeypox symptoms usually start within 3 weeks of exposure to the virus.
If you know you have had exposure or think you may have had exposure contact your primary care doctor right away.
As of 8/16/2022, Washington has 309 cases of Monkeypox in the state, 255 of those are in King County.
Locally Yakima county has 4 cases and Benton county has one, according to the Yakima Health District. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/monkeypox-in-washington-is-spreading-quickly-but-it-is-still-very-rare/article_afb02ee6-1e2d-11ed-be5f-7bbb952db6be.html | 2022-08-17T18:02:12Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/monkeypox-in-washington-is-spreading-quickly-but-it-is-still-very-rare/article_afb02ee6-1e2d-11ed-be5f-7bbb952db6be.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
KITTITAS COUNTY, Wash.-
A rabid bat has been identified in Kittitas County. The Kittitas County Public Health Department (KCPHD) received the bat for testing from a community member.
The female who found the bat received post-exposure care and is expected to be fine. Her dog was also exposed, but is up-to-date on its rabies vaccination.
KCPHD is reminding everyone who finds a bat to not touch it. Instead, put on thick gloves and capture the bat, if possible, then contact your local health department.
Rabies is a severe viral disease that affects the central nervous system. It is rare for a person to get rabies. Prompt and proper treatment can prevent rabies in someone that has been exposed. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/rabid-bat-found-in-kittitas-county/article_2a8aa8a4-1e50-11ed-aea9-77e69fcec5c1.html | 2022-08-17T18:02:18Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/rabid-bat-found-in-kittitas-county/article_2a8aa8a4-1e50-11ed-aea9-77e69fcec5c1.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
RICHLAND, Wash.-
UPDATE: 9:40 a.m.
Samuel Myers was located in good health in Richland and is receiving precautionary medical care.
He was spotted near a grocery store and a concerned citizen and her husband kept an eye on him until Richland Police arrived.
Earlier Wednesday, the Washington State Patrol had issued a Silver Alert for Myers.
Myers is 68 years old, is 5'11" and weighs 240 pounds. He has gray hair and blue eyes. When last seen he was wearing a red shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes.
Myers is a dementia patient and he walked away from his care facility around midnight on August, 17th.
If anyone has seen Myers, or has any information regarding his whereabouts, they are asked to call 911. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/update-silver-alert-cancelled-missing-richland-man-found/article_ffb73b3a-1e3e-11ed-b6e5-53dec3c98d27.html | 2022-08-17T18:02:24Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/update-silver-alert-cancelled-missing-richland-man-found/article_ffb73b3a-1e3e-11ed-b6e5-53dec3c98d27.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
KENNEWICK, Wash.-
The Tri-Cities Regional Chamber of Commerce announced that the Women in Business Conference will return to the Three Rivers Convention Center on Wednesday, September, 21st.
The conference will be the first since January 2020 and will bring together accomplished female leaders, executives, business owners, and young professionals, to share insights and ideas, and to empower careers.
The one-day event will feature speakers, a trade show, the ATHENA awards, and a wine social.
Individual all-day tickets are $149 for regional chamber members and $169 for non-members
The reservation deadline is Monday, September, 12th.
Reservations may be made through the Tri-Cities Regional Chamber of Commerce. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/women-in-business-conference-returns-to-kennewick-in-september/article_6dff6956-1e39-11ed-a45d-27bb7b822b2f.html | 2022-08-17T18:02:31Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/women-in-business-conference-returns-to-kennewick-in-september/article_6dff6956-1e39-11ed-a45d-27bb7b822b2f.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Authorities are worried about the rise of "rainbow fentanyl."
Deputies recently seized four grams of the multi-colored powdered fentanyl during a drug bust in Oregon.
"We've been hearing about this over the last six months, about it working its way up the West Coast, and it is now here in Portland," an official with the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office said.
There's fear that the rainbow-colored fentanyl, which is more potent than other varieties, could get into the hands of children who mistake it for something else.
"The powdered fentanyl found during this investigation resembles the color and consistency of sidewalk chalk," a press release from Multnomah County Sheriff's Office says.
Health officials warn that it only takes 2 milligrams of fentanyl to cause a fatal overdose. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/authorities-issue-warning-about-rainbow-fentanyl | 2022-08-17T18:04:52Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/authorities-issue-warning-about-rainbow-fentanyl | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle P. Walensky said the agency did not properly respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and vowed to make changes.
According to the New York Times, a CDC report found that the agency’s COVID-19 guidance was considered “confusing and overwhelming.”
“For 75 years, CDC and public health have been preparing for COVID-19, and in our big moment, our performance did not reliably meet expectations,” Walensky said in a statement to the New York Times. “My goal is a new, public health, action-oriented culture at CDC that emphasizes accountability, collaboration, communication and timeliness.”
Walensky’s statement comes less than a week after the CDC issued new COVID-19 guidance, which still emphasizes mask-wearing in areas of high COVID-19 spread. But the new guidance now recommends that those who are a direct contact of someone with COVID-19 simply wear a mask in public for 10 days instead of quarantining.
Walensky’s organization is also encountering increasing monkeypox cases and the possible reemergence of polio in the New York City area.
The U.S. ranks among the worst countries for COVID-19 deaths with 315 coronavirus deaths per 100,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Canada had 113 COVID-19 deaths per 100,000 people and Mexico had 257 deaths per 100,000. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/coronavirus/director-cdcs-covid-response-did-not-reliably-meet-expectations | 2022-08-17T18:04:58Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/coronavirus/director-cdcs-covid-response-did-not-reliably-meet-expectations | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Vice President Mike Pence says attacks against the FBI must stop.
"Calls to defund the FBI are just as wrong as calls to defund the police," Pence said at an event in New Hampshire on Wednesday.
Some high-profile Republicans, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, have advocated for defunding the FBI following its raid on former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence.
The "Defund the FBI" slogan could put Republicans at odds with their stance of being the party of "law and order." They were highly critical of Democrats who were calling for police departments to be defunded after the murder of George Floyd.
Former President Trump has not called for the FBI to be defunded, but he has claimed the agency acted maliciously.
Pence acknowledged the raid was out of the ordinary and called on the FBI to be upfront with the American people.
"In the wake of the four years that we endured of the politicization of the FBI, the American people have the right to know the basis for this," Pence said. "This unprecedented action does demand unprecedented transparency." | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/pence-says-calls-to-defund-the-fbi-are-wrong | 2022-08-17T18:05:23Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/pence-says-calls-to-defund-the-fbi-are-wrong | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The current pause on federal student loan payments is set to expire in two weeks, but that has been extended at the last minute before.
The Department of Education has also recently told providers to stop notifying borrowers about their bill. There's also the question of whether president Joe Biden will issue widespread loan forgiveness, something he promised on the campaign trail.
The White House has kept its answers vague saying Biden will make a decision "soon."
“Nobody really knows for sure as of right now,” said Jacob Channel, senior economist with Student Loan Hero. “So the thing that people should be doing is really just sitting down and looking at their finances and carving out enough money, so that if payments do restart in the immediate future, they'll be able to continue making those payments.”
Experts with Student Loan Hero suggest having enough money set aside for a payment or two. This will give you enough time to figure out if it can work with your budget and look at other options.
Choosing a different payment plan or refinance could save you thousands of dollars in the long run but means you wouldn’t be eligible for any government relief.
“So I would just hold on a little bit while a little while longer before I rushed out, and refinanced, but certainly once payments have started, once we have a better understanding of what specifically is going to happen with them, then refinancing can be a very good option,” he said.
If Biden issues $10,000 per borrower in forgiveness, Student Loan Hero says that would wipe out debt completely for a lot of borrowers.
For others, it could significantly lower monthly payments. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/student-loan-pause-set-to-expire-but-you-may-still-have-options | 2022-08-17T18:05:35Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/student-loan-pause-set-to-expire-but-you-may-still-have-options | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK — The head of nation's top public health agency on Wednesday announced a shake-up of the organization, intended to make it more nimble.
The planned changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — CDC leaders call it a "reset"— come amid ongoing criticism of the agency's response to COVID-19, monkeypox and other public health threats. The changes include internal staffing moves and steps to speed up data releases.
The CDC's director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, told the agency's staff about the changes on Wednesday. It's a CDC initiative, and was not directed by the White House or other administration officials, she said.
"I feel like it's my my responsibility to lead this agency to a better place after a really challenging three years," Walensky told The Associated Press.
The CDC, with a $12 billion budget and more than 11,000 employees, is an Atlanta-based federal agency charged with protecting Americans from disease outbreaks and other public health threats. It's customary for each CDC director to do some reorganizing, but Walensky's action comes amid a wider demand for change.
The agency has long been criticized as too ponderous, focusing on collection and analysis of data but not acting quickly against new health threats. But public unhappiness with the agency grew dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. Experts said the CDC was slow to recognize how much virus was entering the U.S. from Europe, to recommend people wear masks, to say the virus can spread through the air, and to ramp up systematic testing for new variants.
"We saw during COVID that CDC's structures, frankly, weren't designed to take in information, digest it and disseminate it to the public at the speed necessary," said Jason Schwartz, a health policy researcher at the Yale School of Public Health.
Walensky, who became director in January 2021, has long said the agency has to move faster and communicate better, but stumbles have continued during her tenure.
In April, she called for an in-depth review of the agency, which resulted in the announced changes. Her reorganization proposal must be approved by the Department of Health and Human Services secretary. CDC officials say they hope to have a full package of changes finalized, approved, and underway by early next year.
Some changes still are being formulated, but steps announced Wednesday include:
—Increasing use of preprint scientific reports to get out actionable data, instead of waiting for research to go through peer review and publication by the CDC journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
—Restructuring the agency's communications office and further revamping CDC websites to make the agency's guidance for the public more clear and easier to find.
—Altering the length of time agency leaders are devoted to outbreak responses to a minimum of six months — an effort to address a turnover problem that at times caused knowledge gaps and affected the agency's communications.
—Creation of a new executive council to help Walensky set strategy and priorities.
—Appointing Mary Wakefield as senior counselor to implement the changes. Wakefield headed the Health Resources and Services Administration during the Obama administration and also served as the No. 2 administrator at HHS. Wakefield, 68, started Monday.
—Altering the agency's organization chart to undo some changes made during the Trump administration.
—Establishing an office of intergovernmental affairs to smooth partnerships with other agencies, as well as a higher-level office on health equity.
Walensky also said she intends to "get rid of some of the reporting layers that exist, and I'd like to work to break down some of the silos." She did not say exactly what that may entail, but emphasized that the overall changes are less about redrawing the organization chart than rethinking how the CDC does business and motivates staff.
"This will not be simply moving boxes" on the organization chart, she said.
Schwartz said flaws in the federal response go beyond the CDC, because the White House and other agencies were heavily involved.
A CDC reorganization is a positive step but "I hope it's not the end of the story," Schwartz said. He would like to see "a broader accounting" of how the federal government handles health crises.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-08-17/after-criticism-over-covid-the-cdc-chief-plans-to-make-the-agency-more-nimble | 2022-08-17T18:05:59Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-08-17/after-criticism-over-covid-the-cdc-chief-plans-to-make-the-agency-more-nimble | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MIAMI — A Florida prosecutor is suing Gov. Ron DeSantis for removing him from office.
The state attorney from Tampa, Andrew Warren, was ousted earlier this month by DeSantis. The Republican governor said he acted because of statements Warren had signed pledging not to prosecute people for violating abortion restrictions or a law prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors.
Warren filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court, saying that the Governor violated his First Amendment right to freedom of speech. Although he spoke in favor of abortion rights and gender-affirming medical care, Warren had not taken any action on those issues and his office had no cases pending. Warren was twice elected as state attorney and Warren says DeSantis violated his right to freedom of speech and by his actions overturned an election.
At a news conference in Tallahassee, he said, "There's so much more at stake here than my job." Warren says DeSantis also violated Florida law by improperly removing him from office for political reasons. "The Governor's authority is not unlimited," Warren said. He's asking the court to rescind DeSantis' order and reinstate him as state attorney. And he's set up a legal defense fund.
DeSantis appointed a county judge to replace Warren, at least temporarily. The governor has dismissed other Democratic elected officials, including the sheriff of Broward County, Scott Israel, for failings in his department's response to the shootings at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School four years ago. Six years ago, then governor, now senator, Rick Scott, took a few dozen capital cases away from the state attorney in Orlando after she announced she would not be seeking the death penalty. But he did not remove her from office.
DeSantis' office hasn't responded to Warren's lawsuit. Depending on what happens in court, Warren's removal from office may also be reviewed by the state Senate. Florida's Senate is likely to defer action until after the court proceedings.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-08-17/suspended-florida-prosecutor-sues-governor-ron-desantis-to-get-his-job-back | 2022-08-17T18:06:05Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-08-17/suspended-florida-prosecutor-sues-governor-ron-desantis-to-get-his-job-back | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
BOSTON (State House News Service) – After receiving two extensions already, the special commission tasked with redesigning the state seal and flag is staring down a timeline of just over four months until the latest deadline with the “real work” not yet underway.
The commission, which is set to expire at the end of December, earlier this summer sought another extension to March 31, 2023 to allow themselves the time to gather design proposals, solicit feedback, and file a formal recommendation with the new General Court sometime after inauguration day.
That extension was folded into the Senate’s version of the economic development bill along with a $100,000 budget — the commission’s first — which Co-Chair Brian Boyles said would include funding for initial design work.
At a commission meeting Tuesday, Boyles noted the economic development bill remains on ice after lawmakers failed to reach agreement by the end of formal sessions.
“That is a challenge for us,” he said, adding, “At this point, we are speaking with some legislators but really, I think, waiting — as they are — to find out if that economic development bill will be resurrected, and/or if either of these requests need to be broken out into their own separate requests to the Legislature over the next couple of months.”
Tuesday’s meeting included a review of a calendar of internal goals as the panel works toward a Dec. 31 deadline — “just in case,” as Boyles put it. The timeline for October, for example, calls for the Research and Design Subcommittee to “drill down into an RFP” and reach out to initial designers.
“This is very ambitious, and I’m wondering how realistic it is,” Indian Affairs Commissioner Jim Peters said of the timeline. Peters recommended that the commission hedge its bets by pushing for a deadline extension through legislation outside of the stalled economic development bill.
The commission was established in January 2021 with an original due date of October 2021. Amid two extensions to its deadline, the panel began setting up its internal structure in early 2022.
Members on Tuesday adopted a set of rules to govern their meetings. Co-Chair Brian Moskwetah Weeden said the rules were needed to “refocus” the group because “we feel as if we’re kind of getting behind the eight-ball here.”
“The work has obviously begun, but now the real work really begins,” Weeden said.
The one-and-a-half-year-old panel was discussing some basic elements of the state’s heraldic symbols this week.
Because the state seal is statutorily drawn from the state’s coat of arms, any recommended changes to the imagery and motto would be target changes to the coat of arms, too, Vice-Chair Brittney Walley said.
Walley briefed the group on that section of state law and said it opens up their options. Right now, she said, the seal, flag, and coat of arms are all linked, but the commission could recommend a divorce between those symbols and explore different designs for each.
That discussion prompted Donna Curtain of Pilgrim Hall to ask, “Would a seal have to be circular?”
Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Len Kondratiuk, longtime historical officer of the state National Guard, said circles are traditional but some states use a shield shape.
Weeden liked the circle for its significance to the indigenous community.
“We use circles because the sun is a circle, you know, Mother Earth is a circle, we go through the circle of life, in a circle nobody’s more important than anybody else and we’re all kind of equal,” said Weeden, the elected chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe.
“I have seen the Great Seal in action in the secretary of state’s office. It is round and it’s big,” said Brona Simon, executive director of the state Historical Commission.
As the commissioners considered the physical Great Seal and its use on important documents, Curtain said that’s just “another little wrinkle for us to think about.”
Unless the Legislature extends its deadline, the commission has 136 days remaining to hand over design proposals to the branches. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/state-politics/months-past-original-due-date-state-seal-commission-eyes-start-of-real-work/ | 2022-08-17T18:07:53Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/state-politics/months-past-original-due-date-state-seal-commission-eyes-start-of-real-work/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Texas school district has pulled the Bible, an illustrated version of Anne Frank’s diary and about 40 other books from its libraries after the tomes sparked complaints from parents and community members.
The Keller Independent School District emailed principals on Tuesday morning ordering the temporary removal of the books, according to the Dallas Morning News.
“By the end of today, I need all books pulled from the library and classrooms,” the email said. “More information will be sent regarding action for these books… Once this has been completed, please email me a confirmation. We need to ensure this action is taken by the end of today.”
The inclusion of the Bible in the Dallas-area school district’s libraries was first challenged by a parent in November 2021, according to the Keller ISD website that tracks which books families or members of the community have complained about.
Even though that parent withdrew the challenge a month later, the Christian holy book was still ordered to be removed from district libraries, along with dozens others including “Anne Frank’s Diary (The Graphic Adaptation)” and Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye.”
Last year, a school district committee recommended many of the challenged books not be removed, according to the local Fox station. But since then, three new members have been elected to the school board, possibly explaining the order.
The books pulled from shelves will undergo another review by staff and librarians under a new policy adopted last week, the school district said in a statement.
Keller ISD has been under investigation since last year by The Texas Education Agency because of books with sexual content.
Since then, parents and staff have met behind closed doors to review books that could be considered controversial and determine if they have a place in schools.
The debate has been so heated, members of the district’s Book Challenge Committees were asked to sign confidentiality agreements. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/bible-among-controversial-books-banned-by-dallas-area-school-district/ | 2022-08-17T18:11:23Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/17/bible-among-controversial-books-banned-by-dallas-area-school-district/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Hosts
Michael Stern
Dan Margolies
Guest
Program
Overture to Coriolan, Op. 62
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Yoav Talmi, guest conductor
Live performance, November 2015
The German play on which it's based is forgotten, but Beethoven's overture lives on. Even for Beethoven, it's trailblazing music, with shocking dissonances and, as one Beethoven scholar says, an ending that doesn't so much close as expire. It has "all of the drama and all of the heroic tumult of the story" Michael Stern says, adding that "It's one of the most dramatic pieces that Beethoven wrote."
Symphony No. 3
by Jonathan Leshnoff
Stephen Powell, baritone
Live performance, May 2016
Commissioned by the Kansas City Symphony to commemorate the 100th anniversary of America's entry into World War I, Leshnoff's work is a sublime and powerful statement about the horrors of war. Leshnoff "went directly to the human impact of this terrible time" Michael Stern says and "translated that into an experience which actually transcended the description of the war itself."
The Kansas City Symphony's 2020 Reference Recordings release of Jonathan Leshnoff's Symphony No. 3 can be heard below along with accompanying images and highlighted text from the original correspondence that inspired the work. Courtesy of the National WWI Museum and Memorial.
Iberia No. 2 from "Images"
by Claude Debussy
Live performance, April 2016
This is the central part of a triptych of pieces written by Debussy and unquestionably the best known of the three. Interesting factoid: Gustav Mahler conducted the U.S. premiere of "Images" in 1911, leading the New York Philharmonic.
Heirloom: Piano Concerto
by Gabriel Kahane
Jeffrey Kahane, piano
Live performance, September 2021
Gabriel Kahane describes Heirloom as a series of inheritances. "The first is my [musical] inheritance from my parents. The second is really about the intergenerational inheritance of memory transmitted from my grandmother, to my father and to me, and that thorny relationship between the German tradition and the present and the emotion that lives in that, both of joy and of trauma. The third movement is an exploration of that which we pass down to our children." In his program notes for "Heirloom," Gabriel Kahane notes that for his grandmother Hannelore, who escaped Germany in 1939, "there was an unspeakable tension between her love of German music and the horror of the Holocaust." With this concerto, Kahane asks: "How does that complex set of emotions get transmitted across generations?" | https://www.kcur.org/show/kansas-city-symphony/2022-08-17/musical-storytelling-with-gabriel-kahane | 2022-08-17T18:15:56Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/show/kansas-city-symphony/2022-08-17/musical-storytelling-with-gabriel-kahane | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit Service Rifle Team Soldiers compete in the Marine Corps Infantry Trophy Team Match at 61st Interservice Rifle Championships in Quantico, Virginia. The unique Army unit claimed wins in every team match and nine out of 13 individual matches, and has a history of strong performances at this match. (U.S. Army photo by Michelle Lunato)
This work, USAMU Wins Every Rifle Team Match in Quantico [Image 12 of 12], by MAJ Michelle Lunato, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7374573/usamu-wins-every-rifle-team-match-quantico | 2022-08-17T18:18:46Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7374573/usamu-wins-every-rifle-team-match-quantico | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. until 0400 est. February 15th
DVIDS Hub works best with JavaScript enabled
37th IBCT Soldiers operate DroneDefenders during Northern Strike 22 [Image 3 of 5]
Participants of Northern Strike operate in a multi-domain, combined joint environment to improve their Joint All-Domain Command and control capabilities by integrating legacy and modern equipment with future innovation.
Date Taken:
08.14.2022
Date Posted:
08.17.2022 13:50
Photo ID:
7374576
VIRIN:
220814-Z-NU397-369
Resolution:
5472x3648
Size:
2.67 MB
Location:
CAMP GRAYLING, MI, US
Web Views:
3
Downloads:
0
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, 37th IBCT Soldiers operate DroneDefenders during Northern Strike 22 [Image 5 of 5] , by SPC Benhur Ayettey , identified by DVIDS , must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright .
GALLERY
MORE LIKE THIS
CONTROLLED VOCABULARY KEYWORDS
TAGS | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7374576/37th-ibct-soldiers-operate-dronedefenders-during-northern-strike-22 | 2022-08-17T18:19:09Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7374576/37th-ibct-soldiers-operate-dronedefenders-during-northern-strike-22 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Shannon Wrage, a navigator with the 169th Airlift Squadron, Illinois Air National Guard, greets her daughter after her “fini flight” at the 182nd Airlift Wing in Peoria, Illinois, Aug. 14, 2022. Wrage has 26 years of military service. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Avery Litton)
This work, Lt. Col. Shannon Wrage fini flight Aug. 14, 2022 [Image 8 of 8], by AB Avery Litton, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7374687/lt-col-shannon-wrage-fini-flight-aug-14-2022 | 2022-08-17T18:20:30Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7374687/lt-col-shannon-wrage-fini-flight-aug-14-2022 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has been criticised for his suggestion that cyclists could be forced to display number plates. His plans were described as "impractical", "strange" and "a retrograde step" by motoring experts, transport groups, legal experts and opposition parties.
The Cabinet minster said he wanted to stop certain behaviour on the roads, less than two weeks after promising to create a "death by dangerous cycling" law that would treat killer cyclists in the same way as motorists. His latest plans could see cyclists required to display registration plates and buy insurance, as well as face prosecution if they break speed limits.
This is despite the fact that nearly 60 times more pedestrians are killed in collisions involving cars than bicycles, and make cyclists are unable to reach 20mph. Mr Shapps told the Daily Mail: " Somewhere where cyclists are actually not breaking the law is when they speed, and that cannot be right, so I absolutely propose extending speed limit restrictions to cyclists.
READ MORE: Insurance and number plates among a raft of proposed new laws for cyclists
"Particularly where you’ve got 20mph limits on increasing numbers of roads, cyclists can easily exceed those, so I want to make speed limits apply to cyclists.
"That obviously does then lead you into the question of, ‘Well, how are you going to recognise the cyclist? Do you need registration plates and insurance? And that sort of thing’.So I’m proposing there should be a review of insurance and how you actually track cyclists who do break the laws."
After his comments were published, he spoke to the Times and said he was "not attracted to the bureaucracy of registration plates", adding that the move "would go too far."The Department for Transport (DfT) press office later clarified that introducing speed limits for cyclists is not Government policy and that any new proposals would need to be reviewed by the new Prime Minister.
A spokeswoman for the department said: "While there are no plans to introduce registration plates on bicycles, we continue to look at how we can improve road safety across all forms of transport and we are considering bringing forward legislation to introduce new offences around dangerous cycling."
In November, roads minister Baroness Vere said the Government has "no plans to introduce a mandatory registration scheme for cycle ownership" as the costs would be greater than the benefits and it would "deter many people from cycling".
Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK's head of campaigns, told the PA news agency the proposals are "impractical and unworkable" and have been "repeatedly dismissed by successive governments". He added that the Government should "encourage people to cycle more, not less" and that more people were cycling because of the cost of living crisis.
Simon Munk, campaigns manager at London Cycling Campaign, said the plans have already been judged to be "unworkable and costly to implement" by DfT officials. He added: "They wouldn't deal with road danger, they'd make cycling more expensive in a cost-of-living crisis, and discourage people from cycling in a climate crisis."
Mr Munk said the proposals were "a distraction" and pointed out that several cycling organisations already offer free insurance to members because "the insurable damage cause by those cycling is small".
AA president Edmund King said more barriers to cycling would be "a retrograde step". He added: "Most adult cyclists are also drivers, and therefore more should be done to encourage harmony on the roads."
Nicola Hall, a personal injury solicitor at law firm Osbornes Law, which represents injured cyclists, said Mr Shapps' comments were "an unprecedented attack on cyclists who instead if facing more laws should be getting greater protection".
She added: "Apart from the fact that these plans are completely impractical they are also an insult to cyclists who sometimes take their lives in their hands by going onto the roads, especially in busy cities, and they need to be abandoned immediately."
Labour's shadow transport minister Gill Furniss said: "Buses are in crisis, rail services are being slashed, fares and fuel are soaring – and the Transport Secretary's big idea is to slap number plates on tens of millions of bicycles.
"This absurd and unworkable plan would create a mountain of bureaucracy for cyclists, and force people away from active travel."
The Liberal Democrats' transport spokesperson Wera Hobhouse branded the plan "strange and pointless", claiming it would "pile extra costs onto people who are trying to be more active."
DfT figures show that in 2020, 304 pedestrians were injured and four were killed after being hit by bicycles in Britain. This compares with 11,493 injuries and 237 deaths in collisions with cars.
The Highway Code and Road Traffic Act speeding limits apply only to motor vehicles and their drivers. Local authorities do have the power to impose speed limits on cyclists, but this has rarely been done.
READ NEXT:
We test a super-smart cycle computer that doubles as a sat nav
UberBoat boss hints at regular Thames Clippers riverbus services from Kent to London
Kent train strikes: Southeastern stations still open on August 18 amid RMT and TSSA strikes
Kent hosepipe ban: Thames Water announces exact date for hosepipe ban for Dartford and Sevenoaks | https://www.kentlive.news/news/uk-world-news/shapps-condemned-cyclists-over-proposal-7478085 | 2022-08-17T18:24:15Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/uk-world-news/shapps-condemned-cyclists-over-proposal-7478085 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Stefani Robinson’s career is already the stuff of showbiz legend. As a brand-new college graduate, she was working as an assistant at a talent agency when one of its agents got her spec script to Donald Glover and Paul Simms. One meeting later, she was staffed on the first season of FX’s Atlanta. An instant critical sensation when it debuted in 2016, Atlanta also stars Glover as Earn, a 20-something working—aimlessly at first, but eventually with more determination and success—to manage the career of his rapper cousin Alfred/Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry).
“I am so lucky that Atlanta was my first job,” Robinson says. “I still pinch myself. Donald was very clear from the beginning that he just wanted to make a show that we were proud of, and he wasn’t so much concerned about what the audiences would think, or what a network would think—it was: ‘What do we want to say? And what do we want to do? And if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.’”
Robinson’s first Emmy nomination came in 2018 for writing “Barbershop” in Atlanta’s second season, but that was not her last. Robinson and Simms went on to work together again on FX’s What We Do in the Shadows. Spun off from the feature film of the same name co-written and co-directed by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, the show features four vampires sharing a decrepit Staten Island mansion with their long-suffering human familiar Guillermo (Harvey Guillén), who puts up with their abuse in the hopes that his master, Nandor (Kayvan Novak), will eventually turn him into a vampire too. What We Do in the Shadows got its second nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series this year, and Robinson got her second writing nomination for the show for the third season episode “The Wellness Center.”
When Vanity Fair spoke to Robinson last week, the Emmy ceremony was still several weeks off, but her anticipation was already starting to build: “I love going. I’m just excited to be in a room with people who I admire. I’m never really thinking about myself, I’m just sneaking pictures of everybody that I admire and then texting my mom, ‘Guess who I saw.’” We also discussed the construction of her three nominated episodes; how much of their look, feel, and motion she determines on the page; and what it’s like switching between these two wildly different shows: “They’re very different shows, Atlanta and What We Do in the Shadows, and I always say that I feel like they exercise very different muscles in my brain. They require me to access different parts, shut one off, and dive into another.”
Atlanta Season 2, Episode 5: “Barbershop”
The premise of the episode is kind of a stressful hostage situation between Alfred, played by Brian Tyree Henry—a rapper who just wants to get his hair cut—and his barber, Bibby [Robert Powell III]. It’s a really panicky episode where this guy just can’t get his hair cut because he is, for better or worse, handcuffed to this maniac who carts him all over town.
When I was writing it, I wanted the barbershop location to feel like it was really specific, such that the people who were watching it would be able to connect with it immediately. The barbershop—obviously being a touchstone in American Black culture—is a space that I think a lot of Black people, in particular, are familiar with. So little set design details were super important. When I wrote in the poster with all the different haircut options, I think at one point I put in someone who looked exactly like a younger version of Barack Obama who had posed for the picture 30 years before, which I’m not sure we ended up doing.
I think Jamal Olori—Swank is what we called him; he is one of the writers—had stumbled upon Robert in an HBO special or something. He brought it in, and this guy’s energy was something that felt right—not even, specifically, for that episode, but just for the show in general. And as we broke down the barbershop episode and who Bibby was as a character, it just became clear that we couldn’t think of anybody else.
In terms of improvisation, he probably threw some things in there, but Atlanta isn’t a very improvisation-heavy show. I work on some shows, like What We Do in the Shadows, where it’s the complete opposite. I think that Robert did try some improvisation and probably slipped in a few of his own jokes, which is great and encouraged, but I think for the most part, those scripts are pretty tight and locked in. And so much of that episode has, I don’t know, kind of a farcical vibe to it, where there is a method to the back-and-forth and the ping-pong-y nature of those two characters. | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/awards-insider-stefani-robinson-emmy-highlight-reel | 2022-08-17T18:24:15Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/awards-insider-stefani-robinson-emmy-highlight-reel | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
As we all know, triples is best, so just imagine how excited Tim Robinson is to now be a three-time Emmy nominee.
“It was cool,” says the namesake of I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson.
The smile on Robinson’s face and his affable demeanor are the evidence that, indeed, he does find the recognition cool, even if just those three words are what he needs to sum up his Emmy morning reaction. Speaking over Zoom a few weeks later, Robinson is sitting side by side with his close friend and cocreator Zach Kanin, and their similarly quiet manners and cheerful energy demonstrates why they work together so well.
Robinson, known for wearing a hot dog suit, eating gift receipts, and constantly yelling during sketches, appears to be the opposite of most of his characters, preferring to let I Think You Should Leave do the talking. Maybe not surprising for someone who felt like he was “struggling” so mightily as a Saturday Night Live cast member that he felt relief upon transitioning strictly to a writing role.
That is when he started closely collaborating with Kanin, and after cocreating Robinson and Sam Richardson’s underrated and short-lived scripted comedy Detroiters, they launched the show that would launch a million memes. Following in the footsteps like Mr. Show and Chappelle’s Show, I Think You Should Leave has already cemented its place in sketch history, and now has the chance to do what neither of those legendary forefathers could: win an Emmy.
Vanity Fair: Since you’re currently at your office, are you in full production mode? Where are you in the stages of working on season three?
Zach Kanin: We’re just still writing right now.
How long does that usually take?
Kanin: Six to nine months.
Tim Robinson: We’ve got to write a lot of them.
Kanin: We then prep for about a month and shoot for about a month, and then we edit for three or four months.
Okay, well, as people who are presently making a third season, and with Tim now a three-time Emmy nominee, this feels like the perfect time to ask: Why are triples the best?
Robinson: [Laughs.] It’s the safest.
Going back a few weeks, what were your Emmy mornings like? I’ve talked to other nominees and many were watching live, but am I right to assume that wasn’t the case with you guys?
Robinson: I found out because Robbie from Netflix texted me about it. It was cool.
Zanin: Yeah, Tim texted me. And I’m like, “Oh, congrats, that’s exciting.”
It’s been over three years since the show debuted, and it somehow feels like it gets more popular by the day. There’s all the memes, there’s parody accounts. Like there’s an NBA parody account that is one of my favorite things on the internet. So what’s it been like watching the show turn into this internet obsession?
Robinson: Yeah, I don’t know. It’s cool. It’s tough to articulate, but it’s definitely cool.
Zanin: When you make something and put it out, it’s very exciting when people are into it so much and understand it and like it. That’s the goal. It feels really good.
Do you see the memes? Or are there too many at this point to even try and keep up with? | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/awards-insider-tim-robinson-i-think-you-should-leave-interview | 2022-08-17T18:24:15Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2022/08/awards-insider-tim-robinson-i-think-you-should-leave-interview | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
After Donald Trump’s private residence at his Palm Beach club was raided by the FBI, his defenders immediately jumped to point out how unprecedented it was for the feds to search the home of a former U.S. president. And it’s true—it definitely was unprecedented! Though not because, as Trump’s stooges claimed, the whole thing was some kind of politically motivated witch hunt. Rather, no president in history has been as corrupt as Donald Trump—including the one who was forced to resign in disgrace. Even before the FBI came a-knocking, the 45th president was up to his neck in legal woes; in fact, it’s likely gotten to the point where you can’t even keep track of all the criminal investigations, civil lawsuits, and other reasons Trump’s lawyers should just move into Mar-a-Lago so that they can brief him daily over breakfast re: all the ways he’s f--ked.
Unfortunately, for the rest of the public, it’s not as easy to keep track, and you might find yourself confused between, say, the New York attorney general’s investigation into the Trump Organization and the Manhattan district attorney’s criminal probe, the latter of which is expected to lead to a guilty plea from the company’s longtime CFO, Allen Weisselberg. You might also struggle to keep straight the subjects of the various federal investigations, which range from Trump’s plot to overturn the election to Trump’s decision to take classified government documents to his home.
Which is why, as a public service, we’ve put together this handy-dandy guide.
The Classified-Documents Investigation
Though you presumably don’t need reminding, on August 8, 2022, the FBI executed a search warrant at Trump’s residence at his for-profit Florida club, where they removed 11 boxes of classified documents, including some marked top secret. Trump’s defenders lost their minds over this, insisting that the government should have simply subpoenaed him or just asked him nicely to return what wasn’t his to keep. Of course, that’s exactly what the feds had initially tried to do. Back in January, the National Archives had removed 15 boxes of documents from Mar-a-Lago, which also included those of the top secret variety. Several months later, the Justice Department, believing that Trump hadn’t actually turned over everything he was supposed to, issued a subpoena for the additional documents. In June, a lawyer for the former president said in a written statement that all classified material had been returned to the government. Which, of course, turned out to be a lie, hence the need for the raid.
Then, after a judge unsealed the search warrant, we learned that the government wasn’t looking for West Wing tchotchkes and pilfered office supplies, but rather had probable cause to believe that the 45th president had engaged in obstruction of justice, mishandled government records, and violated the Espionage Act. The night before the warrant was unsealed, The Washington Post reported that “classified documents relating to nuclear weapons were among the items FBI agents sought in a search of former president Donald Trump’s Florida residence.” The New York Times revealed this week that the FBI had interviewed Trump’s White House counsel and deputy counsel concerning the documents. While it’s not clear what will happen next, an indictment is obviously a strong possibility. If found guilty of violating the statutes cited in the warrant, Trump could go to prison for decades.
Naturally, he’s insisted he did nothing wrong and that people take classified documents all the time.
The Justice Department’s Criminal Investigation of January 6 and the Plot to Overturn the Election
With all the hubbub surrounding the raid on Trump’s home and the revelation that he refused to return top secret documents related to grave matters of national security, it’s easy to forget that Trump tried extremely hard to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election and, when that didn’t go his way, incited a violent insurrection that left multiple people dead. But he did! In July, we learned that, according to The Washington Post, the Justice Department was investigating Trump’s actions as part of its criminal probe and that prosecutors interviewing witnesses before a grand jury had asked “hours of detailed questions about meetings Trump led in December 2020 and January 2021; his pressure campaign on [Mike] Pence to overturn the election; and what instructions Trump gave his lawyers and advisers about fake electors and sending electors back to the states.”
Crucial witnesses whom we know about have thus far included Pence’s former chief of staff Marc Short and his former chief legal counsel Greg Jacob, both of whom have significant insight into Trump’s plot to overturn the election. (Earlier this month, in what ABC News called a “dramatic escalation in the Justice Department’s investigation” of the plot to overturn the 2020 election and the riot that followed, the department subpoenaed Pat Cipollone, Trump’s former White House counsel, who attended several meetings in the run-up to January 6 in which the ex-president and his goons discussed how to keep Trump in power. Cipollone also knew of Trump’s desire to seize voting machines, which he described as “a terrible idea for the country,” “not how we do things in the United States,” and something the administration had “no legal authority” to do.)
While Trump has—you guessed it—claimed he did nothing wrong, his lawyers are reportedly “planning for criminal charges.” According to Rolling Stone, the fear of prosecution ramped up after former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson testified publicly before the January 6 committee, at which point she told the panel that Trump had been informed that some of his supporters who’d gathered in DC on the day of the riot were armed, but demanded they be allowed in to hear his “Stop the Steal” speech anyway; that Trump assaulted a Secret Service agent after being told he couldn’t march to the Capitol himself; and that the 45th president apparently believed VP Pence “deserved” the chants calling for his hanging.
The Georgia Criminal Investigation | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/donald-trump-criminal-investigations-lawsuits-guide-complete-list | 2022-08-17T18:24:18Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/donald-trump-criminal-investigations-lawsuits-guide-complete-list | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Liz Cheney can hold her head high, at least. She was on the receiving end of a political shellacking in her home state Tuesday night — at the hands of a former adviser, no less — that would have been unimaginable two years ago, when she won reelection with three-quarters of the vote. But she made her way through the Republican primary with her dignity intact, which is more than Harriet Hageman can say: The Wyoming lawyer defeated Cheney by close to 40 points, sure, but only after going full bore for Donald Trump — the demagogue Hageman once correctly described as “racist and xenophobic” and worked to keep from becoming the 2016 GOP presidential nominee. “That,” Cheney said in her defiant concession speech Tuesday night, “was a path I could not take.”
Where does Cheney’s path lead now? In an interview with Savannah Guthrie on NBC’s TODAY show Tuesday, the outgoing Wyoming representative teased a potential presidential run as part of her “battle” to reform the GOP and do “whatever it takes” to keep Trump away from the White House a second time. “It is something that I am thinking about,” Cheney said of a potential bid, noting that no announcement would come for at least several months.
“I believe that Donald Trump continues to pose a very grave threat and risk to our republic,” Cheney told Guthrie. “And I think that defeating him is going to require a broad and united front of Republicans, Democrats, and independents, and that’s what I intend to be a part of.”
It’s a worthy goal, and Cheney has been an admirable ambassador for the cause. In not only voting for Trump’s second impeachment but helping lead the January 6 committee’s investigation into the insurrection he incited, she took a stand for truth and democracy — one that has proved politically costly. She’s walked the walk, and continued to do so in defeat: Though an unflinching right-winger, Cheney has been unequivocal about which of America’s two major parties poses a threat to its institutions and suggested to Guthrie that she believes the current Democratic majority is preferable to a Republican resurgence this November. “We’ve now got one major political party, my party, which has really become a cult of personality, and we’ve got to get this party back to a place where we’re embracing the values and the principles on which it was founded,” Cheney said. “The election deniers right now are Republicans, and I think that it shouldn’t matter what party you are — nobody should be voting for those people supporting them or backing them.”
But it remains to be seen what kind of impact she’ll be able to have going forward. She’ll remain on Capitol Hill until January, capping off her duties as a ranking member of the January 6 committee, which is still pushing its probe along and is expected to hold more hearings in the fall. She will also launch a new organization to “educate the American people about the ongoing threat to our Republic, and to mobilize a unified effort to oppose any Donald Trump campaign for president,” Cheney spokesperson Jeremy Adler told Politico Wednesday. How effective will that organization — or the PAC launched by fellow anti-Trump Republican and January 6 committee member Adam Kinzinger, who is not seeking reelection this year — actually be? It’s hard to say.
Cheney, who was the number three House Republican until Kevin McCarthy’s caucus exiled her last year, commands a much higher profile than just about any other GOP member to be ousted for opposing Trump. She was joined by the likes of Justin Amash, the former U.S. representative for Michigan, who backed Trump's first impeachment, as well as Kinzinger and eight other GOP representatives, who supported the second one. But she’s arguably become the face of the GOP's small anti-Trump coalition, not just for delivering rhetorical indictments of the former president but also for potentially laying the groundwork for actual indictments. Given that, and her family’s political dynasty, she’s likely to retain a political prominence that is likely to slip away from other Republican exiles.
Still, the volume on her megaphone may go down a few notches once she’s no longer an elected official. It’s one thing for a Republican to stand against Trumpism from Capitol Hill; it’s another to do so as part of a broader chorus of Never Trump voices, which have by and large failed to reclaim their party from the flagrantly corrupt, budding authoritarian who currently controls it. A Cheney presidential bid might be less of a White House run than a kamikaze mission to take Trump down, should he cast a bid as expected. But it remains unclear whether she'd be able to grow — or even maintain — enough influence to peel off enough Trump votes to make a meaningful impact.
It’s not impossible. Hell, it’s not impossible that Trump will be too busy fighting felony Espionage Act charges by that point to worry about Liz Cheney. But there is also a chance that this is the most influential she will ever be, that the most significant chapter of her legacy has already been written, and that she’s already made her biggest contributions to the anti-Trump cause. And that would be okay, even if her loss represents more of an end to something than a beginning. It’s worth setting an example, even if a vanishingly small number of a people in her party seem interested in following it. “I don’t think there’s anything we agree on,” White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain said of Cheney in an MSNBC interview Wednesday. “But I respect enormously her commitment to democracy. I respect enormously that she took an oath of office to the Constitution and stood behind that oath instead of her commitment to one man. And I respect enormously the fact that she spoke out for the truth instead of adopting the Big Lie.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/liz-cheney-teases-potential-presidential-bid-after-gop-primary-loss | 2022-08-17T18:24:20Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/liz-cheney-teases-potential-presidential-bid-after-gop-primary-loss | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Suraj Patel is almost comically energetic. Wearing immaculate white Adidas sneakers, tight gray skinny slacks, and a navy Nike polo shirt embossed with his campaign logo, Patel dashes from one end of a small Upper West Side plaza to the other on a mid-August afternoon, scattering pigeons, cajoling pedestrians, hunting for votes, and speaking so quickly he compresses his name into two syllables: “Hi, I’m Sergepell and I’m running for Congress.” Patel is 38 and his campaign is premised on the need for younger blood, and he seems intent on demonstrating the concept physically. When one guy blows off Patel and keeps walking, the candidate nimbly stuffs a flier into the guy’s shopping bag anyway.
One hour later and three blocks east, the sort-of incumbent, Carolyn Maloney, leans against a railing outside Dashing Diva, a nail salon, talking with two women about the urgent need to protect abortion rights. At the age of 76, with nearly 30 years in office and traces of her native North Carolina lingering in her accent, Maloney cuts a calmer figure. She remains plenty intense, though, having just delivered a fiery 10-minute speech to volunteers in her West Side campaign headquarters next door to the salon.
Diagonally across the street is the campaign headquarters of the other quasi-incumbent in the field, Jerry Nadler. He’s 75 and also in his 30th congressional year. A messy redistricting forced Nadler and Maloney into a fight that will end one of their political careers. Yet Nadler has been a bit of a phantom, showing up for three debates and a handful of other forums, but his few retail campaign appearances are largely unadvertised to the media. There are rumors he was shaking hands outside Fairway this morning. Maloney, standing on the West 72nd Street sidewalk, glances over and sees three of Nadler’s volunteers waving at her forlornly from inside their office.
Voting in New York’s Democratic primary ends August 23, though for practical purposes the contest may well have ended this past Saturday, when The New York Times delivered its endorsement to Nadler. One day later, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer also backed Nadler. Regardless of the results, though, the race is emblematic of the Democrats’ larger generational problem. Congressional Republicans are hardly a youth movement, but gray hairs dominate the top ranks of Democrats. The party’s head, President Joe Biden, is 79. Its congressional leadership is a gerontocracy: In the House, speaker Nancy Pelosi is 82; the majority leader, Steny Hoyer, is 83; and the majority whip, James Clyburn, is 82. On the Senate side, Schumer is a mere 71; his second in command, Dick Durbin, is 77. Eleven of the 12 House members over the age of 80 are Democrats (and happy birthday to North Carolina’s David Price, who turns 82 on August 17).
True, that elderly crew has just delivered a major legislative triumph, the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes historic climate provisions. Perhaps, though, it should be the beginning of a farewell tour. “I’m 34, which is an infant in Congress,” says Ritchie Torres, who represents a district in the Bronx and is the fourth-youngest House member. “I have found that the young members bring a greater diversity of lived experience that is rarely seen in the halls of Congress. I do not have a net worth of a million dollars. I do not come from a political family. I do know what it’s like to struggle with poverty and food insecurity. I know what it’s like to struggle with depression and substance abuse.” When Pelosi says 70% of the caucus consists of people of color, women, and members of the LGBTQ+ community, Torres points out much of the diversity is driven by the young members.
Individual effectiveness should of course be the most significant quality in judging a politician. But the Democrats depend especially heavily on younger voters, who were crucial to Biden’s win in 2020. “They were comfortable with him, and a lot of that was because the party and AOC and Bernie Sanders coalesced behind Biden,” says John Della Volpe, whose research focuses on younger voters as the director of polling at Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics. “Younger voters are nothing if not pragmatic. But certainly younger people want to see themselves represented.” The recent action on climate change is a plus, but Biden is still dragging his feet on reducing federal student loan debt. Health care coverage remains patchwork and expensive for millions of Americans under 40, fueling the frustration. A recent July survey found only a stunning 1% of 18- to 29-year-olds strongly approved of the president’s job performance.
Perhaps the Supreme Court’s dismantling of Roe v. Wade will spur millennial turnout in the midterms. Yet Democrats can’t rely on outrage and fear of Donald Trump to keep saving the party. “A candidate doesn’t need to be young in order to make young voters enthusiastic about them. I think the prime example is Bernie,” says Marcela Mulholland, the political director at Data for Progress, a liberal think tank. “But the Democratic Party needs to have more elected officials that look and sound like us. It’s kind of embarrassing when you see the Senate do these hearings on TikTok and Instagram and they’re talking about them as some foreign thing that happens on another planet. It’s understandable why young people don’t feel represented by a white man who’s 80 years old. You need younger voices to keep the party fresh and relevant.”
Maloney and Nadler each have a long list of accomplishments—but many of the moments they highlight on the campaign trail, like Nadler voting against the Iraq war in 2002 and Maloney spearheading credit card reform in 2009—are ancient history to voters under 35. Nadler trumpets his role as chairman of the House Judiciary Committee—but is a septuagenarian institutionalist the best person to run investigations of Trump in this deeply polarized era? He and Maloney wield power thanks to Congress’s seniority system. So neither will leave Washington voluntarily, even though they’ve both lost a step. But one of the veterans will most likely win the three-way primary; Patel is an imperfect candidate, “and the district remains too conservative—culturally, not ideologically—to take a chance on an unknown,” a New York Democratic strategist says.
“I loved your debate performance,” a prodigiously bearded, and coldly realistic, Upper West Sider tells Patel on a Broadway street corner. “So when Maloney and Nadler are done, you’re on!” | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/the-democrats-gerontocracy-is-in-full-force | 2022-08-17T18:24:20Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2022/08/the-democrats-gerontocracy-is-in-full-force | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Rachel Bilson may not miss her ex-boyfriend Bill Hader, but she confessed that there is one particular body part of his that she wouldn't mind seeing again.
The O.C. star made a NSFW joke at the expense of her ex on the most recent episode of her podcast Broad Ideas. At one point in the show, her guest Tommy Dorfman asked what she misses the most about her former relationship with Hader to which Bilson quipped, “His big dick,” before bursting into laughter. She added, “We can keep that...And cut, let’s move on.”
Back in June, the actress first opened up on the podcast about her relationship with Hader and the particular difficulties that come along with breaking up with someone during a global pandemic. While Bilson didn't mention her ex by name, the actress told her guest Mandy Moore that she “went through a really hard breakup and it was during the pandemic.” She added, “I could not leave my house, you know what I mean? I had nothing else to do but sit in it, and deal with it and feel it. It was probably the hardest thing I've ever done, harder than childbirth.” Bilson went on to say that the end of that relationship, “hurt like a motherfucker,” but also made her realize that “If you actually face it, you can come out of it and be like, 'OK, I did that and I'm ready for the next thing.'”
Since that relationship, Bilson has moved on with artist Zac LaRoc. The actress was also previously engaged to actor Hayden Christensen, whom she dated from 2008 to 2017, and the pair share a 7-year-old daughter, Briar Rose. Hader was also previously married to director Maggie Carey from 2006 to 2018 and they shares three daughters, 12-year-old Hannah Kathryn, 9-year-old Harper, and 7-year-old Hayley Clementine.
After his breakup with Bilson, it was rumored that the Barry star was dating Anna Kendrick. However, before the two comedians were ever able to make things red carpet official, the pair reportedly broke up in July. Following the split, a source told People that Kendrick spent “last week on vacation on a yacht” and “was away without” him. They added that, “She was with a group of friends. They all had a great time.”
In April, Hader explained to The Hollywood Reporter that he doesn't want to discuss his private life or relationships with any of the famous women he's dated out of respect for his three daughters. “They just want me to be their dad,” Hader explained of his reticence to offer up personal details. “They just want me to sit and watch Encanto over and over and over again. So that’s what I do.” | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/rachel-bilson-misses-bill-hader-big-dick-relationship-tommy-dorfman-broad-ideas-podcast | 2022-08-17T18:24:35Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/rachel-bilson-misses-bill-hader-big-dick-relationship-tommy-dorfman-broad-ideas-podcast | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Last Christmas, a 20-year-old man entered the grounds of Windsor Castle with a crossbow while Queen Elizabeth celebrated the holiday with Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Though he was captured by the Thames Valley Police quickly, the event raised concerns about security. Reuters reports that the intruder, a supermarket worker named Jaswant Singh Chail, appeared via video Wednesday for a Western Magistrate Court hearing about charges related to the incident, and the prosecution offered a few more chilling details about the day’s events.
According to the prosecutors, Chail entered the grounds of Windsor Castle at 8:10 a.m., armed with a Supersonic X-bow crossbow and wearing a hood and a mask, He was spotted by a protection officer after he breached an area of the castle with immediate access to the queen’s private apartments. The court heard that upon the officer’s approach, Chail said, “I am here to kill the queen.”
Chail, who is being held at the Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital, was charged with an offense under the UK’s 1842 Treason Act, which criminalizes possession of a weapon with intent “to injure or alarm Her Majesty.” He spoke via video, only to confirm his personal details, and did not enter a pleas. The court also heard that a search of his home uncovered electronic devices that showed he applied for jobs with the Ministry of Defense in order to make contact with the royal family, along with rope and a gas mask.
Chail recorded a video where he explained his motivations and planning for the attack. “I am sorry for what I have done and what I will do. I am going to attempt to assassinate Elizabeth, queen of the royal family,” he said. In the video, he mentioned a historical event usually known as the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, where British troops shot about 400 Sikhs in a holy city in northwestern India.
The December 2021 incident is only one of several high profile breaches of palace security over the last year. In May 2022, an intruder dressed as a priest tricked the Windsor Castle guards and wound up staying in the castle overnight. | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/the-crossbow-wielding-windsor-castle-intruder-i-am-here-to-kill-the-queen | 2022-08-17T18:24:41Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/the-crossbow-wielding-windsor-castle-intruder-i-am-here-to-kill-the-queen | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Zoë Kravitz is feeling thankful that her new film Pussy Island brought not only a great actor, but a great relationship into her life.
The actor opened up to WSJ. Magazine about her decision to cast Channing Tatum in the movie and her experience directing him. “When you make things with people it’s a very sacred space, and when you’re compatible with somebody creatively it often opens up other channels, because you’re kind of sharing all of yourself. I’m really grateful that this movie has brought him into my life that way,” she said. Kravitz added that even long before they worked together, she always knew there was something special about the Magic Mike star. “I felt, even from afar, before I knew him, that he was a feminist and that he wasn’t afraid of exploring that darkness, because he knows he’s not that,” she explained. “That’s why I was drawn to him and I wanted to meet with him. And I was right.”
Tatum plays Slater King in Kravitz's directorial debut, a tech mogul who invites a cocktail waitress played by Naomi Ackie to join him for a vacation on his private island where she discovers “something terrifying.” Kravitz explained to the outlet that part of her interest in casting Tatum in this role was that she was interested in featuring someone who had historically gravitated towards more positive, upbeat performances. “I wanted to find someone who hadn’t played a dark character before, because I think that’s exciting to watch someone who’s mostly played boy next door, good guy, love interest, all of that,” she said.
And Tatum, whose production company co-produced Pussy Island, also admitted to the magazine that his part required him to take a big step outside of his comfort zone. “When we first met, the movie was pretty different than its form now, but the themes were the same," he said. “All the iterations it has gone through were all pretty punk rock, to be honest. It’s always really intriguing to have someone bring you something that literally no one else has ever thought of you for.”
Tatum and Kravitz first sparked dating rumors in January 2021, just days after she filed for divorce from her husband of 18 months and partner of five years, Karl Glusman. Since then, they've been spotted out together numerous times, including riding tandem on a BMX bike and buying groceries in upstate New York. And although they walked the red carpet at the 2021 Met Gala separately, the pair were photographed leaving the event together. Tatum previously dated pop star Jessie J on and off for two years before they finally decided to end things for good in October 2020. He was also previously married to his Step Up co-star Jenna Dewan for ten years before they finalized their divorce in November 2019. Tatum and Dewan share a 9-year-old daughter, Everly. | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/zoe-kravitz-channing-tatum-grateful-relationship-pussy-island-wsj-magazine | 2022-08-17T18:24:47Z | vanityfair.com | control | https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2022/08/zoe-kravitz-channing-tatum-grateful-relationship-pussy-island-wsj-magazine | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, pictured here in 2021, met with senior leadership at the agency on August 17 to lay out her plans for overhauling how the CDC works.
Big changes are coming to the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary as the nation's lead public health agency.
CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky met with senior leadership at the agency this morning to lay out her plans for overhauling how the agency works. She plans to remake the culture to help the agency move faster when it responds to a public health crisis. She also wants to make it easier for other parts of the government to work with the CDC, and wants to simplify and streamline the website to get rid of overlapping and contradictory public health guidance.
Staff will be notified of the change by email. More than 12,000 people work at the agency, which is headquartered in Atlanta.
The changes will be aimed at improving the culture and restoring public trust after the agency's acknowledged missteps in its response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The reforms follow a period of review and introspection at the CDC. In April, Walensky announced Jim Macrae, associate administrator for primary health care at the Health Resources and Services Administration, would lead a one-month review of the agency's Covid-19 response efforts. At the same time, she charged three of her deputies to scrutinize operations and recommend strategic changes. Walensky has been meeting with groups of staff in person as employees return to their office after months of remote work.
The course correction comes after significant stumbles at the agency in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The US had little capacity to test for infection during the early months of the pandemic, largely because the agency released a flawed test to public health laboratories. That kept the nation blind, for months, to the extent of the virus's spread.
The agency has also been criticized throughout the pandemic for issuing public health guidance that some saw as confusing and ineffective. Many also felt it wasn't moving fast enough to respond.
Walensky will bring in former HHS Deputy Secretary Mary Wakefield to the CDC to oversee the reorganization.
Key organizational changes announced today include:
• The Division Laboratory Sciences and the Office of Science will now report directly to the CDC director, a move aimed at improving accountability of the delivery of timely information
• A new office of intergovernmental affairs—a hub where states health departments and other federal agencies with interact with CDC
• A new executive council—reporting to the Director—will determine agency priorities, track progress, and align budget decisions, with a focus on public health impact
• A new equity office, which will increase diversity both in CDC's workforce and add that lens to its public health activities
Additional actions announced today include:
• The CDC is going to create a new online mechanism for the pre-publication delivery of science
• The agency is going to streamline and simplify its guidance documents and website '
Walensky also plans to ask Congress to grant the agency new powers, including mandating that jurisdictions share their data. Currently, CDC depends on states and counties to voluntarily do that.
She's also going to ask for new flexibilities in the agency's funding. Right now, when Congress earmarks money for the CDC, it has to be spent on specific programs. That has created more than 150 individual budget lines that fund the agency. That can be a problem when a public health emergency comes along. In 2014, when the Ebola epidemic began, Dr. Tom Frieden, who was then CDC director, had to borrow money from other parts of the federal government to respond.
"We literally didn't have money for plane tickets and per diem to send staff into the field," said Frieden, who was interviewed by Macrae for the review.
"I had, quite literally, 20 times more flexible dollars as New York City health commissioner than I did as CDC Director," Frieden said in an interview with CNN. Frieden now leads the nonprofit Resolve to Save Lives.
Some of those changes have already started, including a reorganization of the agency's communications operations.
Earlier this year, the CDC filled a long-vacant post when it hired Kevin Griffis, a veteran of public affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services and Planned Parenthood, to lead its communications efforts. Along with communicating the CDC's health information, part of his job is to manage "risk communication and reputational issues for the agency," according to the CDC website. The agency hasn't had a head of communications for four years, according to a senior official with knowledge of the changes who was not authorized to speak to reporters.
A final draft of Macrae's review will be released today. Key recommendations include:
• Share scientific findings and data faster
• Do a better job of translating science into practical, easy-to-understand policy
• Prioritize public health communications
• De-emphasize publication of scientific findings for career promotion
• New training for agency staff so that multiple people can fill the same role in public health emergencies | https://www.kitv.com/news/top-stories/cdc-announces-sweeping-reorganization-aimed-at-changing-the-agencys-culture-and-restoring-public-trust/article_d9ccf1c9-a370-58ae-9b7b-f64340eee3a8.html | 2022-08-17T18:25:03Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/news/top-stories/cdc-announces-sweeping-reorganization-aimed-at-changing-the-agencys-culture-and-restoring-public-trust/article_d9ccf1c9-a370-58ae-9b7b-f64340eee3a8.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Country
United States of America US Virgin Islands United States Minor Outlying Islands Canada Mexico, United Mexican States Bahamas, Commonwealth of the Cuba, Republic of Dominican Republic Haiti, Republic of Jamaica Afghanistan Albania, People's Socialist Republic of Algeria, People's Democratic Republic of American Samoa Andorra, Principality of Angola, Republic of Anguilla Antarctica (the territory South of 60 deg S) Antigua and Barbuda Argentina, Argentine Republic Armenia Aruba Australia, Commonwealth of Austria, Republic of Azerbaijan, Republic of Bahrain, Kingdom of Bangladesh, People's Republic of Barbados Belarus Belgium, Kingdom of Belize Benin, People's Republic of Bermuda Bhutan, Kingdom of Bolivia, Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana, Republic of Bouvet Island (Bouvetoya) Brazil, Federative Republic of British Indian Ocean Territory (Chagos Archipelago) British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria, People's Republic of Burkina Faso Burundi, Republic of Cambodia, Kingdom of Cameroon, United Republic of Cape Verde, Republic of Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad, Republic of Chile, Republic of China, People's Republic of Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Colombia, Republic of Comoros, Union of the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, People's Republic of Cook Islands Costa Rica, Republic of Cote D'Ivoire, Ivory Coast, Republic of the Cyprus, Republic of Czech Republic Denmark, Kingdom of Djibouti, Republic of Dominica, Commonwealth of Ecuador, Republic of Egypt, Arab Republic of El Salvador, Republic of Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Faeroe Islands Falkland Islands (Malvinas) Fiji, Republic of the Fiji Islands Finland, Republic of France, French Republic French Guiana French Polynesia French Southern Territories Gabon, Gabonese Republic Gambia, Republic of the Georgia Germany Ghana, Republic of Gibraltar Greece, Hellenic Republic Greenland Grenada Guadaloupe Guam Guatemala, Republic of Guinea, Revolutionary
People's Rep'c of Guinea-Bissau, Republic of Guyana, Republic of Heard and McDonald Islands Holy See (Vatican City State) Honduras, Republic of Hong Kong, Special Administrative Region of China Hrvatska (Croatia) Hungary, Hungarian People's Republic Iceland, Republic of India, Republic of Indonesia, Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Iraq, Republic of Ireland Israel, State of Italy, Italian Republic Japan Jordan, Hashemite Kingdom of Kazakhstan, Republic of Kenya, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Kuwait, State of Kyrgyz Republic Lao People's Democratic Republic Latvia Lebanon, Lebanese Republic Lesotho, Kingdom of Liberia, Republic of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Liechtenstein, Principality of Lithuania Luxembourg, Grand Duchy of Macao, Special Administrative Region of China Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Madagascar, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Malaysia Maldives, Republic of Mali, Republic of Malta, Republic of Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania, Islamic Republic of Mauritius Mayotte Micronesia, Federated States of Moldova, Republic of Monaco, Principality of Mongolia, Mongolian People's Republic Montserrat Morocco, Kingdom of Mozambique, People's Republic of Myanmar Namibia Nauru, Republic of Nepal, Kingdom of Netherlands Antilles Netherlands, Kingdom of the New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua, Republic of Niger, Republic of the Nigeria, Federal Republic of Niue, Republic of Norfolk Island Northern Mariana Islands Norway, Kingdom of Oman, Sultanate of Pakistan, Islamic Republic of Palau Palestinian Territory, Occupied Panama, Republic of Papua New Guinea Paraguay, Republic of Peru, Republic of Philippines, Republic of the Pitcairn Island Poland, Polish People's Republic Portugal, Portuguese Republic Puerto Rico Qatar, State of Reunion Romania, Socialist Republic of Russian Federation Rwanda, Rwandese Republic Samoa, Independent State of San Marino, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. Ireland Uruguay, Eastern Republic of Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of Viet Nam, Socialist Republic of Wallis and Futuna Islands Western Sahara Yemen Zambia, Republic of Zimbabwe | https://www.kitv.com/news/traffic/danielle-tucker-joins-good-morning-hawaii/article_d96e5e88-1e4b-11ed-869c-b30baa5fbd63.html | 2022-08-17T18:25:09Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/news/traffic/danielle-tucker-joins-good-morning-hawaii/article_d96e5e88-1e4b-11ed-869c-b30baa5fbd63.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Man charged with election interference tied to Capitol riot
(AP) - A Virginia man who is facing trial on charges that he drove a Hummer packed with guns to Philadelphia to interfere with the 2020 presidential election has been arrested in a separate case that alleges his involvement in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Antonio LaMotta was arrested Tuesday in the southeastern Virginia city of Chesapeake, according to court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Washington.
He faces federal misdemeanor offenses, including illegal entry and disorderly conduct at the U.S. Capitol in January 2021. Lawmakers had gathered that day to count Electoral College results, which showed that President Joe Biden won the election.
LaMotta, 63, is among more than 850 people charged with federal crimes for their alleged conduct inside the Capitol building. But he stands out for the case already pending against him and another man in Philadelphia.
In November 2020, LaMotta and Joshua Macias drove to a Philadelphia convention center where votes were being counted for the presidential election, prosecutors have alleged. The men arrived in a Hummer adorned with a QAnon sticker and loaded with an AR-15-style rifle, more than 100 rounds of ammunition and other weapons.
QAnon centers on the baseless belief that former President Donald Trump had waged a secret campaign against enemies in the “deep state” and a child sex trafficking ring run by satanic pedophiles and cannibals.
Prosecutors say Macias and LaMotta had planned a mass shooting as the election hung in the balance but were thwarted by an FBI tip about their travels. A trial for the men is scheduled for October. Charges include interfering with an election.
At a preliminary hearing last year, lawyers for both men argued there was no evidence they interfered or tried to interfere with election-related activities. The lawyers said that it appeared the men were being punished for their beliefs, including support for false theories that the presidential election was fraudulent.
The criminal complaint against LaMotta for his alleged actions on Jan. 6 states he was identified through images captured on Capitol surveillance cameras as well as police body cameras. LaMotta also was identified by an FBI agent who had interviewed him after his arrest in Philadelphia.
“LaMotta entered the Capitol building through the east Rotunda doors at approximately 3:21 p.m.,” the federal complaint stated. “He was part of a group of rioters that pushed past police officers working to bar entry into the building. Police pushed LaMotta out of the building, along with other rioters, at approximately 3:29 p.m.”
More than 350 Capitol riot defendants have pleaded guilty, mostly to misdemeanor offenses. People convicted of misdemeanors have received sentences ranging from probation to eight months behind bars.
An attorney was not listed for LaMotta in federal court documents related to the Capitol riot case. His attorney for the case in Philadelphia, Lauren Wimmer, did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
___
Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbko.com/2022/08/17/man-charged-with-election-interference-tied-capitol-riot/ | 2022-08-17T18:25:21Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/2022/08/17/man-charged-with-election-interference-tied-capitol-riot/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Sculptors begin construction of the 54th Annual Butter Sculpture at the New York State Fairgrounds
SYRACUSE, N.Y., Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 800 pounds of butter has arrived at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y., as construction of one of Central New York's best-kept secrets and most beloved attractions gets underway – the 54th Annual American Dairy Association North East Butter Sculpture, sponsored by Wegmans.
Sculptors Jim Victor and Marie Pelton unpacked the butter and their tools and have begun work on the sculpture. The butter comes from Batavia, N.Y.-based producer O-AT-KA Milk Products.
The butter used for the sculpture is out of specification for retail sale for a variety of reasons, so American Dairy Association North East works with the sculptors to put it to good use by creating a beautiful piece of art that thousands enjoy.
Even after the Fair, the butter doesn't go to waste. Instead, it will be sent to Noblehurst Farms, a dairy farm in Pavilion, N.Y., where it will be recycled into renewable energy in a digester along with other food waste.
"I really love that this iconic attraction repurposes butter not just once, but twice – first by turning unusable product into an artistic sculpture, and then after the fair, by recycling it into renewable energy on a dairy farm," says John Chrisman, CEO, American Dairy Association North East. "I encourage fairgoers to visit the Dairy Products Building and see the annual Butter Sculpture that always pays tribute to our hardworking dairy farm families who work 365 days a year to sustainably and responsibly produce milk."
American Dairy Association North East will unveil the 54th Annual Butter Sculpture to the media and live on their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/AmericanDairyNE/ on Tuesday, August 23rd, the day before the Fair officially opens. It will then be on display in the Dairy Products Building for the duration of the 13-day Fair.
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE American Dairy Association North East | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/butter-has-arrived-syracuse/ | 2022-08-17T18:26:02Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/butter-has-arrived-syracuse/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Small business owners have the chance to be featured on America's Big Deal and/or network with major retailers
WASHINGTON, Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Entrepreneurs nationwide are competing this summer to gain national exposure and product placement at major retailers through the 'Perfect Pitch', sponsored by SCORE, mentors to America's small businesses, and the MagicMakers Group (MMG), a collective of former Disney executives and experts.
'Perfect Pitch' participants have the chance to be featured on the TV program America's Big Deal to pitch their products to home viewers. At the end of each episode, the contestant with the highest sales gets the chance to strike a deal with either Lowe's, Macy's or QVC/HSN.
Contestants of SCORE's 'Perfect Pitch' event also receive national exposure and the opportunity to secure major investments, distribution or networking opportunities with Walmart, Sam's Club and other retailers.
How 'Perfect Pitch' works
To help entrepreneurs prepare for the contest, SCORE offered free training on how to successfully pitch a product. Each of the 237 entrepreneurs competing were then paired with one of SCORE's expert, volunteer mentors to provide one-on-one coaching and guidance. Mentors worked with their mentees to review business plans, provide feedback, resources, tools and support.
Entrepreneurs presented their product pitch to panelists from SCORE, MMG, retail launchpad pop-up shops for Sam's Club and America's Big Deal for the chance to be selected to appear on America's Big Deal or secure an opportunity with a major retailer.
"Pitch events are a prime example of how SCORE fosters small business success through mentoring and education," explains Ed Coleman, a certified SCORE mentor and district director for SCORE Washington DC. "SCORE can help small business owners prepare their products to sell, pitch to key retail executives and ultimately achieve their business dreams."
Small business owners benefit from mentor support
Entrepreneurs and 'Perfect Pitch' participants Javier and Jasmine Huertas, owners of Cusina Maya Cookware based in Chesterland, Ohio, appreciated the opportunity: "Not only did we receive excellent coaching, but it enabled us to focus our message and brand and perfect our elevator pitch. SCORE consistently pushed us to be better, giving us the tools, support and opportunities that we would not have found on our own. We are thankful for this opportunity to grow and for the mentors that are cheering us on."
SCORE New York City client Odaisha Ajayi, owner of Bailey's Furr Pup Cafe, said 'Perfect Pitch' helped her grow: "When I partnered with a SCORE mentor, it challenged me as a business owner to think and grow in areas I had not considered before."
SCORE supports entrepreneurs in all stages of their small business journey, offering expert mentoring, resilience training and on-demand educational resources. Visit SCORE.org to learn more.
Since 1964, SCORE has helped 11 million entrepreneurs start or grow a business. SCORE's 10,000 volunteers provide free mentoring, workshops and educational services to 1,500+ communities nationwide, creating 25,084 new businesses and 71,475 non-owner jobs in 2021 alone. Visit SCORE at www.score.org. Follow @SCOREMentors on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Contact:
Meghan Dooley
SCORE
202-968-6428
media@score.org
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE SCORE | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/entrepreneurs-compete-national-exposure-perfect-pitch-event/ | 2022-08-17T18:26:35Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/entrepreneurs-compete-national-exposure-perfect-pitch-event/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
First-in-Nation Program Will Provide Zero-Interest, No-Fee Loans to Enable Students to Train for Family-Sustaining Careers and Power NJ's Economy
JERSEY CITY, N.J., Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Governor Phil Murphy, the New Jersey CEO Council, and Social Finance today announced the launch of the New Jersey Pay It Forward Program—a new and innovative workforce development program that furthers the Governor's ongoing commitment to helping residents obtain quality postsecondary education and training to advance their careers, as outlined in the New Jersey Higher Education State Plan and Jobs NJ. The Pay It Forward Program, which is the first of its kind in the nation, will help build a robust and talented workforce while supporting economic growth in the state. Participants in the program will receive zero-interest, no-fee loans at no upfront cost, as well as non-repayable living stipends and wraparound supports, to allow them to affordably prepare for good-paying, career-track jobs in the health care, information technology (IT), and clean energy sectors.
The loans will enable participants to enroll in credential, certificate, and degree programs at one of three inaugural training providers: Registered Nursing at Hudson County Community College, Cybersecurity at New Jersey Institute of Technology, and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) and Welding at Camden County College. Loan terms are designed to be more borrower-friendly than even federal student loans.
All loan payments will be recycled back into the fund to 'pay it forward' for subsequent students' training costs. The program aims to help participants find jobs while also helping employers fill in-demand positions in high-growth sectors to promote economic growth in New Jersey.
"With today's launch of Pay It Forward, New Jersey is the first state in the nation to model this innovative approach that will help residents obtain family-sustaining jobs and then pay their success forward by supporting future cohorts of students," said Governor Murphy. "This initiative is another way in which my Administration is working to give more residents access to high-quality education and training that will lead to good-paying jobs and successful careers. Investing in our residents will not only give them the opportunity to create a better life for themselves and their families, but will also help meet employers' needs and promote economic development throughout the state."
"I share the excitement of the Governor and my fellow council members about the launch of the Pay It Forward program," said Charles Lowrey, Chairman and CEO of Prudential Financial and Co-Chair of the NJ CEO Council. "I am confident this program will help under-resourced New Jerseyans develop valuable skills, access new job opportunities, and achieve financial security for their families they may have thought was unattainable."
"On behalf of Verizon, I am proud to support this cutting-edge educational funding program," said Hans Vestberg, Chairman and CEO of Verizon and Co-Chair of the NJ CEO Council. "It will enable more people to participate in a future driven by mobility, broadband, and cloud computing, which are the essential pieces of infrastructure driving New Jersey's economy. This is good for the state, good for Verizon, and good for the country."
Participants who find jobs earning above a specific income threshold will repay the cost of their tuition over time. Any loan balance remaining after five years will be forgiven for borrowers in good standing. To help them succeed throughout the program, participants will also receive living stipends and free wraparound supports, including access to an emergency aid fund and mental health counseling services. Under the program, students will not have to repay the living stipends or wraparound supports. The loans are intended to be a last-dollar option, allowing students to maximize the free resources available to them to minimize the amount they need to repay.
"We're excited to partner with the State of New Jersey and the NJ CEO Council to launch this first-of-its kind public-private partnership that brings the state's economic and workforce development priorities together," said Tracy Palandjian, CEO and Co-Founder of Social Finance, the nonprofit designing and managing the fund. "This sustainable, innovative fund is helping to advance New Jersey's business goals while putting the learner's success at the center of the arrangement."
"Thanks to the leadership of Governor Murphy and a visionary group of business leaders, the Pay It Forward initiative will prepare job seekers for opportunities and strengthen New Jersey's economy," said David J. Socolow, Executive Director of the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. "To boost students' chances of success, this first-in-the-nation program provides both living stipend grants and zero-interest loans that require affordable, income-based repayments only when students get hired at a family-sustaining wage after completing a training course. Because all loan repayments from graduates will be recycled to train future students, state funds and private donations will stretch further to reach more New Jerseyans."
"Hudson County Community College is honored to be selected as an inaugural provider for Governor Murphy's 'Pay It Forward' program," said Dr. Christopher M. Reber, President of Hudson County Community College. "Our RN program is one of the finest and most successful anywhere. We have committed, experienced faculty who assist students who come from diverse backgrounds and have a variety of learning needs, and we have affiliations with every major area hospital so students receive clinical experience that prepares them for today's nursing practice."
Members of the New Jersey CEO Council, a coalition of CEOs from some of the state's largest and most widely recognized companies, provided corporate contributions of approximately $5 million to the Pay It Forward Program. The State added to this commitment with appropriations of $5 million in Fiscal Year 2022 and $2.5 million in Fiscal Year 2023. The CEO Council is made up of the CEOs of BD, Campbell Soup Company, Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co., Prudential Financial, PSEG, RWJBarnabas Health, and Verizon.
After a thorough due diligence process, the New Jersey Pay It Forward Program selected a set of inaugural training providers with high-quality, industry-recognized training programs and a track record of strong employment outcomes, employer relationships, and experience serving learners from diverse backgrounds.
New Jerseyans have the option to enroll in Hudson County Community College's Nursing Program, a two-year, full-time associate degree program in Jersey City designed to prepare learners for careers as registered nurses. Participants complete clinical placements to gain on-the-job nursing experience and prepare for roles as nurses in hospitals and other health care settings. The program offers evening, weekend, and daytime class schedules to accommodate working learners and learners with families.
Learners can also enroll in New Jersey Institute of Technology's Cybersecurity Professional Bootcamp, a 10-month, part-time, online training program designed to prepare learners for cybersecurity careers. This course, which includes topics such as computer networking, cloud security, network security, and Python, takes place on nights and weekends to better serve the needs of working learners and learners with families.
Finally, New Jerseyans have the option to enroll in Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning (HVAC) or Welding courses at Camden County College. Classes take place at Camden County Technical School's Sicklerville Campus or Pennsauken Campus. Both programs, which meet in-person on weekday evenings, are nine-month, part-time courses with strong completion and job placement outcomes.
The New Jersey Pay It Forward Program plans to partner with additional training providers in the coming months.
"In order to create a stronger and fairer New Jersey, we must ensure that there are equitable opportunities for all to obtain high-quality credentials and secure economic stability," said Dr. Brian K. Bridges, Secretary of Higher Education. "Especially as we recover from the pandemic, the Pay It Forward Program allows individuals interested in acquiring industry-valued training opportunities to pursue upward economic mobility for themselves and their families without the burden of high-interest, overly burdensome student loans."
"Pay It Forward will pave the way for more equitable access to opportunities for New Jerseyans seeking to prepare themselves for lucrative careers in high-growth fields," said Tim Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer of NJEDA. "This creative approach developed by Governor Murphy and the CEO Council will open doors to higher education that will enhance the lives of New Jersey workers by enabling them to advance their careers while avoiding crippling debt that can jeopardize economic security. This program will also add to New Jersey's ability to attract savvy companies that recognize the state for its skilled, talented labor pool."
"This innovative program is the latest example of the Murphy Administration's commitment to workforce development," said Labor Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo. "Pay It Forward opens career paths to residents who otherwise could not afford them and prepares them for in-demand occupations. I am proud to be part of an administration that promotes economic opportunities for all."
"Over Campbell's 150 years in Camden, we've seen the benefits of businesses and government working together to serve the community," said Mark Clouse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Campbell Soup Company. "The Pay It Forward Program is an innovative workforce development investment that will support and train residents for critical jobs and help fuel economic growth in Camden County and throughout the Garden State."
"We are proud to help advance this important program," said Robert M. Davis, CEO & President, Merck & Co. "As the world recovers from Covid-19, initiatives like Pay It Forward help job seekers by providing interest-free loans and removing barriers to continuing education and career advancement. We're a New Jersey-based company, and we're excited this first-in-the-nation initiative will help support other NJ-based companies and talent."
"Nurses are the backbone and heart of the healthcare system, which is why Johnson & Johnson has advocated for the nursing profession for 125 years," said Joaquin Duato, CEO of Johnson & Johnson. "Our support of New Jersey's Pay It Forward Program addresses the nursing shortage by helping new nurses finance their education, receive training and launch their careers."
"In today's economic environment, it is incumbent on businesses and communities to make the most of the skilled resources that exist," said Ralph Izzo, Chairman, President and CEO, PSEG. "Pay It Forward is a timely effort for individuals and also for companies like PSEG with opportunities across energy and infrastructure, today and well into the future. Thanks to the leadership of Governor Murphy and others, the training that takes place today will benefit our industry and communities for generations to come."
"New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is proud to have been selected as a training provider for the New Jersey Pay It Forward Program," said Dr. Teik C. Lim, President of New Jersey Institute of Technology. "Our university is a catalyst for STEM workforce development and for the upward economic mobility of students. In essence, NJIT is an engine for opportunity, and that is what NJ Pay It Forward is about."
"Once again New Jersey is leading the way in producing not just the best educated but also the best trained workforce," said Wesley Mathews, President & CEO, Choose New Jersey. "This innovative program from the Governor and the CEO Council will generate a strong, diverse talent pipeline to support the growth of key industries in New Jersey."
"RWJBarnabas Health is committed to creating career opportunities and economic growth throughout the State of New Jersey," said Barry H. Ostrowsky, CEO of RWJBarnabas Health. "We are proud to work with the Governor's office to launch the Pay It Forward initiative, which promises to develop New Jersey's most precious resource, its people, and drive employment in years to come."
"BD is proud to be part of this important public-private partnership to address education equity across the state," said Tom Polen, Chairman, CEO and President of BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company). "BD is helping to drive the convergence of health care and information technology to accelerate smart, connected care to improve patient outcomes, enable new care settings, and address chronic disease—all with an emphasis on cybersecurity as an integral part of the process. The Pay It Forward program aligns with the real-world needs within the New Jersey business community, and we look forward to seeing the benefits of a diverse and well-trained workforce of the future."
Interested participants can learn more at njpayitforward.org.
Social Finance is a national impact finance and advisory nonprofit. We work with the public, private, and social sectors to create partnerships and investments that measurably improve lives. Since our founding in 2011, we have mobilized $350 million in new investments designed to help people and communities realize improved outcomes in education, economic mobility, health, and housing. In addition to managing the investment program funded by the Google Career Certificates Fund, our economic mobility portfolio includes the UP Fund, place-based Pay It Forward Funds, and the Dreamers Graduate Loan Fund. Learn more at socialfinance.org.
Media Contacts:
Christi Peace
Deputy Press Secretary
Office of NJ Governor Phil Murphy
(609) 815-0391
christi.peace@nj.gov
Carrie Benjamin
Director of Media & Communications
Social Finance
(857) 340-6064
cbenjamin@socialfinance.org
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Social Finance | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/governor-murphy-nj-ceo-council-amp-social-finance-launch-new-jersey-pay-it-forward-program-prepare-students-good-paying-jobs-health-care-it-clean-energy/ | 2022-08-17T18:27:29Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/governor-murphy-nj-ceo-council-amp-social-finance-launch-new-jersey-pay-it-forward-program-prepare-students-good-paying-jobs-health-care-it-clean-energy/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America says the revenue it gets from overdrafts has dropped 90% from a year ago, after the bank reduced overdraft fees to $10 from $35 and eliminated fees for bounced checks.
The nation’s largest banks are moving away from the practice of charging exorbitant fees on what are mostly small-dollar purchases after years of public pressure. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan told The Associated Press that he expects whatever residual income the bank earns from overdraft fees will come from small businesses using overdraft fees as a convenience.
BofA’s new overdraft fee policy was implemented starting in June. Moynihan said in the policy’s first two months, overdraft fee revenue declined 90% and the bank was seeing fewer instances of the fees being collected. He did not share specifics on the number of instances.
“The remaining (people that get charged overdraft fees) are business owners who are moving money around,” Moynihan said. “It’s not individuals anymore, frankly.”
Starting the middle of 2021, regional banks such as PNC and Capital One, as well as the online bank Ally, announced plans to eliminate overdraft fees or find ways to curtail them dramatically. Most of the banks said the fees largely impacted the poor and racial minorities, or that the pandemic had shown the banks they could earn big profits without charging fees on their customers, in explaining their decision.
While notable, consumer advocates considered these announcements symbolic wins, not substantial reform for the industry.
However, Bank of America’s decision in January to eliminate non-sufficient fund fees — sometimes referred to as a bounced check fee — as well as cut overdraft fees to $10 is credited with shaking up the industry. BofA for years was cited as one of the top collectors of overdraft fees and still brought in slightly more than $1 billion from such fees last year. Other banking giants such as Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Truist all changed their overdraft fee practices shortly after BofA’s announcement.
BofA took in $1.63 billion in overdraft fee revenue in 2015, the first year banks were required to publicly report overdraft fee revenues to regulators. Its overdraft fee revenues have been declining as the bank took incremental steps to reduce its reliance on fees. Roughly half of all accounts now opened at BofA do not allow the customer to overdraft.
____
AP Personal Finance Writer Adriana Morga contributed to this report from New York. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/bank-of-americas-overdraft-fees-down-90-under-new-policy/ | 2022-08-17T18:28:05Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/bank-of-americas-overdraft-fees-down-90-under-new-policy/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 53 |
NEW YORK (AP) — Bank of America says the revenue it gets from overdrafts has dropped 90% from a year ago, after the bank reduced overdraft fees to $10 from $35 and eliminated fees for bounced checks.
The nation’s largest banks are moving away from the practice of charging exorbitant fees on what are mostly small-dollar purchases after years of public pressure. Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan told The Associated Press that he expects whatever residual income the bank earns from overdraft fees will come from small businesses using overdraft fees as a convenience.
BofA’s new overdraft fee policy was implemented starting in June. Moynihan said in the policy’s first two months, overdraft fee revenue declined 90% and the bank was seeing fewer instances of the fees being collected. He did not share specifics on the number of instances.
“The remaining (people that get charged overdraft fees) are business owners who are moving money around,” Moynihan said. “It’s not individuals anymore, frankly.”
Starting the middle of 2021, regional banks such as PNC and Capital One, as well as the online bank Ally, announced plans to eliminate overdraft fees or find ways to curtail them dramatically. Most of the banks said the fees largely impacted the poor and racial minorities, or that the pandemic had shown the banks they could earn big profits without charging fees on their customers, in explaining their decision.
While notable, consumer advocates considered these announcements symbolic wins, not substantial reform for the industry.
However, Bank of America’s decision in January to eliminate non-sufficient fund fees — sometimes referred to as a bounced check fee — as well as cut overdraft fees to $10 is credited with shaking up the industry. BofA for years was cited as one of the top collectors of overdraft fees and still brought in slightly more than $1 billion from such fees last year. Other banking giants such as Wells Fargo, JPMorgan Chase and Truist all changed their overdraft fee practices shortly after BofA’s announcement.
BofA took in $1.63 billion in overdraft fee revenue in 2015, the first year banks were required to publicly report overdraft fee revenues to regulators. Its overdraft fee revenues have been declining as the bank took incremental steps to reduce its reliance on fees. Roughly half of all accounts now opened at BofA do not allow the customer to overdraft.
____
AP Personal Finance Writer Adriana Morga contributed to this report from New York. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/bank-of-americas-overdraft-fees-down-90-under-new-policy/ | 2022-08-17T18:28:05Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/bank-of-americas-overdraft-fees-down-90-under-new-policy/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 53 |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading reproductive health care provider and abortion rights advocacy organization, plans to spend a record $50 million ahead of November’s midterm elections, pouring money into contests where access to abortion will be on the ballot.
The effort, which breaks the group’s previous $45 million spending record set in 2020, comes about two months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that created a constitutional right to have an abortion. It will be waged by the organization’s political and advocacy arms and will focus on governor’s offices, U.S. Senate seats and legislative races in nine states where abortion rights could be restricted or expanded depending on the outcome at the ballot.
The historic proportions of the midterm campaign, when less money is usually spent, were made possible by a torrent of money raised after the decision by the high court’s new conservative majority, touching off a tectonic shift in the politics of abortion. Now, for the first time, Republicans who have long campaigned against abortion and Roe v. Wade will face voters on an issue that is no longer hypothetical and carries real life consequences.
Planned Parenthood says its spending will help remind voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin what’s at stake in a bid to drive turnout by Democratic and independent voters.
“Who wins in these midterm elections will determine whether a state has access to abortion and potentially determine whether we will face a national abortion ban,” said Jenny Lawson, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes. “We will be clear about who is on which side.”
A recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found a majority of Americans think Congress should pass a law guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide. More than half of the respondents said they feel at least somewhat “sad” or “angry” about the Supreme Court’s decision.
Earlier this month in red-state Kansas, voters rejected by nearly 20 percentage points a constitutional amendment that would have allowed the legislature to advance a ban on abortion.
Whether it truly is a galvanizing issue will become clear after Election Day, Nov. 8.
“We say this every cycle: ‘This is the important election,’” said Amy Kennedy, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Votes in Georgia. “For us, this really is the most important election cycle of our life.”
Planned Parenthood says it intends to contact 6 million voters through door knocking, phone calls, digital advertising, mailers and radio ads. It has already run some TV ads in Wisconsin, where Republicans control the statehouse and where Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson are up for reelection.
It also is launching a website, takecontrol2022.com.
While the Supreme Court’s ruling in June effectively left setting abortion policy to the states, Planned Parenthood says it is also investing in U.S. Senate races because Republicans have expressed an interest in pursuing a national abortion ban, though such a measure would almost certainly be vetoed by President Joe Biden.
Democrats and their allies have long tried, without much success, to energize supporters by focusing on abortion. But the Supreme Court’s decision clarified the stakes as never before. In roughly a dozen states led by Republicans, abortion has already been banned or heavily restricted. Many more are expected to follow.
“When people go to vote this November, nearly half of the folks voting could be living in a state that either has already banned abortion or is quickly moving to ban abortion. These are entirely new circumstances,” Lawson said. “There are a lot of issues people care about, certainly, but the state of abortion access is absolutely one of the defining issues this November.”
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the midterm elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/planned-parenthood-to-spend-record-50m-in-midterm-elections/ | 2022-08-17T18:28:40Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/planned-parenthood-to-spend-record-50m-in-midterm-elections/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 37 |
WASHINGTON (AP) — Planned Parenthood, the nation’s leading reproductive health care provider and abortion rights advocacy organization, plans to spend a record $50 million ahead of November’s midterm elections, pouring money into contests where access to abortion will be on the ballot.
The effort, which breaks the group’s previous $45 million spending record set in 2020, comes about two months after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that created a constitutional right to have an abortion. It will be waged by the organization’s political and advocacy arms and will focus on governor’s offices, U.S. Senate seats and legislative races in nine states where abortion rights could be restricted or expanded depending on the outcome at the ballot.
The historic proportions of the midterm campaign, when less money is usually spent, were made possible by a torrent of money raised after the decision by the high court’s new conservative majority, touching off a tectonic shift in the politics of abortion. Now, for the first time, Republicans who have long campaigned against abortion and Roe v. Wade will face voters on an issue that is no longer hypothetical and carries real life consequences.
Planned Parenthood says its spending will help remind voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin what’s at stake in a bid to drive turnout by Democratic and independent voters.
“Who wins in these midterm elections will determine whether a state has access to abortion and potentially determine whether we will face a national abortion ban,” said Jenny Lawson, the executive director of Planned Parenthood Votes. “We will be clear about who is on which side.”
A recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found a majority of Americans think Congress should pass a law guaranteeing access to legal abortion nationwide. More than half of the respondents said they feel at least somewhat “sad” or “angry” about the Supreme Court’s decision.
Earlier this month in red-state Kansas, voters rejected by nearly 20 percentage points a constitutional amendment that would have allowed the legislature to advance a ban on abortion.
Whether it truly is a galvanizing issue will become clear after Election Day, Nov. 8.
“We say this every cycle: ‘This is the important election,’” said Amy Kennedy, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood Votes in Georgia. “For us, this really is the most important election cycle of our life.”
Planned Parenthood says it intends to contact 6 million voters through door knocking, phone calls, digital advertising, mailers and radio ads. It has already run some TV ads in Wisconsin, where Republicans control the statehouse and where Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Republican U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson are up for reelection.
It also is launching a website, takecontrol2022.com.
While the Supreme Court’s ruling in June effectively left setting abortion policy to the states, Planned Parenthood says it is also investing in U.S. Senate races because Republicans have expressed an interest in pursuing a national abortion ban, though such a measure would almost certainly be vetoed by President Joe Biden.
Democrats and their allies have long tried, without much success, to energize supporters by focusing on abortion. But the Supreme Court’s decision clarified the stakes as never before. In roughly a dozen states led by Republicans, abortion has already been banned or heavily restricted. Many more are expected to follow.
“When people go to vote this November, nearly half of the folks voting could be living in a state that either has already banned abortion or is quickly moving to ban abortion. These are entirely new circumstances,” Lawson said. “There are a lot of issues people care about, certainly, but the state of abortion access is absolutely one of the defining issues this November.”
___
Follow AP’s coverage of the midterm elections at https://apnews.com/hub/2022-midterm-elections. | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/planned-parenthood-to-spend-record-50m-in-midterm-elections/ | 2022-08-17T18:28:40Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/business-news/ap-business/planned-parenthood-to-spend-record-50m-in-midterm-elections/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 37 |
BEIRUT (AP) — The stabbing of author Salman Rushdie has laid bare divisions in Lebanon’s Shiite Muslim community, pitting a few denouncing the violence against fervent followers of the Iran-backed Shiite militant Hezbollah group who have praised the attack. One Rushdie defender received death threats.
The attack struck close to home among Lebanon’s Shiites. The assailant, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, is a dual Lebanese-U.S. citizen, and his father lives in a village in Hezbollah-dominated southern Lebanon. Matar’s mother has said she believes her son’s visit to the village of Yaroun in 2018 turned him into a religious zealot.
The religious edict, or fatwa, urging Muslims to kill Rushdie was issued in 1989 by Iran’s then-spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who accused the author of blasphemy for his portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad in the novel “The Satanic Verses.”
Iran, a close Hezbollah ally, has praised Friday’s attack but denied direct involvement. Hezbollah officials have been tight-lipped since the attack on the 75-year-old Rushdie as he was about to give a lecture in western New York. A Hezbollah official declined comment when contacted by The Associated Press.
Rushdie suffered a damaged liver and severed nerves in an arm and in an eye, but was removed from a ventilator on Saturday and able to talk.
Most Lebanese Shiites support Hezbollah and the more secular allied Amal movement of Parliament Speaker Nabih, which won all 27 seats allocated to the sect during this year’s parliamentary elections. Parliament and Cabinet seats are divided in Lebanon in accordance with religious affiliations.
Still, there is a vocal minority of Hezbollah critics among Shiites. Several were attacked and one was shot dead last year.
As the controversy swirled, an old video of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah resurfaced on social media. In it, Nasrallah said that “no one would have dared to attack Islam’s Prophet Muhammad again” if Rushdie had been killed immediately after the fatwa.
Some Hezbollah critics have accused the group and its supporters of teaching their children to kill in the name of religion,
Matar’s mother, Silvana Fardos, told the local Al-Jadeed TV late Tuesday that her son had lived all his life in the United States until he visited Lebanon for the first and last time in 2018. That trip changed him forever, she said.
“After he returned from Lebanon he was a different human being … I knew that he had a long depression and I was expecting one day to wake up and find out that he had committed suicide,” Fardos said, alleging that her son was mistreated by his father.
Asked if she asked herself whether she had raised a terrorist or an extremist, the mother said: “No. I raised an angel.”
Journalists have been prevented from entering Yaroun, and Matar’s father has not spoken to the media.
Despite Hezbollah’s official silence, the group’s supporters on social media are praising the attack.
Some released threats against prominent journalist Dima Sadek after she posted on her Twitter account a photo of Khomeini and Gen. Qassim Soleimani, a top Iranian general killed in a U.S. strike in 2020, describing the two as “satanic verses.”
Since then, death threats on social media and through messages on her cell phone haven’t stopped, with one man warning her, “I will rape you in public,” and another saying that “her blood should be shed.” She received a text message in which the sender told her where she lives.
Sadek said despite the public threats, she has not been contacted by the authorities with offers for protection.
“This is the first time I feel I am in danger,” Sadek, a harsh Hezbollah critic for years, told the AP. She alleged that the social media campaign against her is orchestrated by Nasrallah’s son, Jawad.
She said she is restricting her movements for the first time.
The Committee to Protect Journalists urged the Lebanese authorities to launch an investigation and protect Sadek.
Shiite journalist Mohamad Barakat, managing editor of the Asas Media news website, also came under attack after he wrote that by stabbing Rushdie, Matar “stabbed Shiites who live in Europe and America.”
In the other camp, Lebanese journalist Radwan Akil of the renowned local daily An-Nahar said in seemingly contradictory remarks that he condoned the fatwa against Rushdie, but not the killing of anyone, including writers.
“I am of course with political freedoms and freedom of expression … but I’m not for criticizing the greatest man in history the Prophet Muhammad, and I also reject the criticism of Jesus Christ,” Akil said in a televised interview with Lebanese media.
An-Nahar issued a statement, headlined “adopting a call to murder contradicts our policies.” It said that Akil’s views were his own. Two journalists who had worked for the paper and were outspoken critics of Hezbollah and the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, another Iran ally, were killed in car bombings in 2005.
The debate may eventually fizzle out because most Lebanese are preoccupied with the country’s economic meltdown and lack of services. “They have lots of other concerns,” said Hilal Khashan, political science professor at the American University of Beirut.
Lebanese political leaders have not commented on the Rushdie attack.
However, caretaker Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada denounced Rushdie’s depiction of the prophet .
“Freedom of speech should be polite,” tweeted Mortada, a Shiite minister close to Hezbollah’s allies. “Insults or holding dark grudges has nothing to do with morals.”
___
Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb in Beirut contributed to this report. | https://www.wpri.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/attack-on-rushdie-shows-divisions-among-lebanese-shiites/ | 2022-08-17T18:29:08Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/attack-on-rushdie-shows-divisions-among-lebanese-shiites/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Cocktail enthusiasts can join the Sustainable Cocktail Challenge by registering between July 25th and August 31st
NEW ORLEANS, La., Aug. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Flor de Caña Rum - a 5th generation family-owned premium Nicaraguan rum brand - and the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation have teamed up to launch the Sustainable Cocktail Challenge, a global competition that aims to inspire the bartending community to build a greener future together by creating spectacular cocktails using sustainable ingredients and techniques.
Julio Cabrera, one of the industry's most celebrated and influential bartenders, announced the competition at the 20th annual Tales of the Cocktail. Cabrera invited bartenders in the U.S. to register for the competition between July 25th and August 31st by visiting www.flordecanachallenge.com. All participants who register for the challenge will have access to educational material focused on sustainable and ethical practices behind the bar, developed by industry experts.
The Sustainable Cocktail Challenge U.S. finals will occur throughout the month of September in Miami, Austin, Los Angeles, and Boston. Each final will feature a panel of judges including representatives of Tales of the Cocktail Foundation and other established industry personalities who will evaluate the cocktails based on elements such as story and inspiration, the use of sustainable ingredients/techniques and the level of creativity, and flavor and appearance.
The four winners of the local U.S. finals of the Sustainable Cocktail Challenge will each receive a $1,200 prize, a super-premium bartender kit, a personalized bottle of Flor de Caña 25 Year Rum, and the opportunity to participate in the North American Regional Final that will take place in Nicaragua on October 26th, World Sustainability Day.
Furthermore, the winner of the North American Regional Final will then be eligible to compete in the Global Final of the Sustainable Cocktail Challenge in Nicaragua in 2023 for the title of "Flor de Caña World's Most Sustainable Bartender" and a grand prize of $10,000.
The Sustainable Cocktail Challenge is a celebration of the commitment to sustainability of Flor de Caña – a Carbon Neutral and Fair Trade certified brand – and the Tales of the Cocktail Foundation, and their way of collaboratively sharing and promoting these values with the global community of bartenders to build a greener future together.
Media Contact:
corporatecommunications@flordecana.com
View original content to download multimedia:
SOURCE Flor de Caña Rum | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/tales-cocktail-foundation-flor-de-caa-rum-present-sustainable-cocktail-challenge/ | 2022-08-17T18:29:49Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/17/tales-cocktail-foundation-flor-de-caa-rum-present-sustainable-cocktail-challenge/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
BOSTON (AP) — An anti-immigration group has scored a legal victory in its federal lawsuit arguing the Biden administration violated environmental law when it halted construction of the U.S. southern border wall and sought to undo other immigration policies by former President Donald Trump.
A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled last week that a lawsuit brought by the Massachusetts Coalition for Immigration Reform against three federal agencies can proceed, at least in part.
Judge Trevor McFadden said the federal district court has jurisdiction to hear the case, though he dismissed two of the Boston-area group’s 11 claims.
The Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based group advocating for less immigration that filed the lawsuit on behalf of the Massachusetts coalition, cheered the decision.
“Resolving this question is long overdue,” Julie Axelrod, the center’s director of litigation, said in a statement Wednesday. “The massive impacts of immigration to the U.S, including degradation to the southern borderlands, our infrastructure, urban sprawl, pollution, global carbon emissions, and all other environmental considerations have become impossible to sweep under the rug any longer.”
The lawsuit argues the Biden administration violated federal environmental law when it halted construction of the wall, ended Trump’s controversial “Remain in Mexico” asylum process, expanded refugee programs for Afghans, Central Americans and other populations, and eased certain policies for border patrol and immigration enforcement agents, among other measures.
The Massachusetts coalition, which, according to its website, seeks to “sharply reduce immigration” for environmental reasons, says the U.S. Department of State, Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security should have conducted environmental impact analysis before implementing the immigration changes, as required under the National Environmental Policy Act.
“If NEPA should apply to any government policy, it should be to federal policies that induce population growth,” the organization states in its complaint. “When the federal government makes the choice to create population growth through immigration, it makes a decision yielding significant and foreseeable environmental consequences.”
Six people from Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Arizona who say they’ve dealt with the environmental consequences of federal immigration policy are also named as plaintiffs.
Steven Chance Smith, an Arizona cattle rancher, says migrants crossing the southern border leave trash, set fires and negatively impact his land in other ways. He says his family also worries about the presence of drug cartel members and human smugglers.
“Life on the border during mass migrations is very stressful,” the lawsuit states. “The land is being overrun and constantly degraded.”
Judge McFadden dismissed counts alleging the Homeland Security Department’s instruction manual violates environmental law and that the Biden administration should have prepared a “programmatic” environmental analysis of its immigration-related actions. The next hearing is set for Sept. 29.
Spokespeople for the three agencies named in the suit didn’t respond Wednesday to emails seeking comment.
Biden halted construction on border walls upon taking office in 2021, but has allowed work in very limited circumstances.
Earlier this month, his administration officially ended the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy that required asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico for hearings in U.S. immigration court after the Supreme Court ruled in June it could do so. | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/judge-anti-immigration-groups-environment-suit-can-proceed/ | 2022-08-17T18:30:36Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/judge-anti-immigration-groups-environment-suit-can-proceed/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LEH, India (AP) — The remains of an Indian army soldier have been found more than 38 years after he went missing on a glacier at the highest point along the heavily militarized contested border between India and Pakistan in Kashmir, officials said Wednesday.
The soldier and 17 other colleagues were occupying a ridge on Siachen Glacier, high in the Karakoram range in disputed Kashmir’s Ladakh region, in May 1984 when they were hit by an avalanche, officials said.
The bodies of 13 soldiers were recovered, but five remained missing.
A team of soldiers on Monday found human remains at the glacier with an identity disc saying they belonged to Chandra Shekhar, one of the missing men, the Indian army said.
Shekhar was part of India’s first army unit to occupy the 76-kilometer (47-mile) -long glacier in 1984 amid pitched battles with soldiers from Pakistan, which also controls part of divided Kashmir. Both nuclear-armed neighbors claim all of the region. The glacier, considered the world’s highest battlefield, was uninhabited before Indian troops moved there.
Since then, the two countries have deployed troops at elevations of up to 6,700 meters (21,982 feet). They have fought intermittent skirmishes on the glacier, but more Indian and Pakistani troops have died from the grueling conditions than from hostile fire.
In 2017, at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in three avalanches. In 2012, an avalanche in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir killed 140 people, including 129 Pakistani soldiers.
Discussions between India and Pakistan on demilitarizing the glacier have been unsuccessful.
Shekhar’s remains were being flown on Wednesday to his native village in northern Uttarakhand state following a funeral with full military honors, the army said. | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/missing-india-soldiers-body-found-on-glacier-after-38-years/ | 2022-08-17T18:30:44Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/breaking-news/ap-top-news/missing-india-soldiers-body-found-on-glacier-after-38-years/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials are warning people who are infected with monkeypox to stay away from household pets, since the animals could be at risk of catching the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for months has had the advice in place as monkeypox spreads in the U.S. But it gained new attention after a report from France, published last week in the medical journal Lancet, about an Italian greyhound that caught the virus.
The dog belongs to a couple who said they sleep alongside the animal. The two men were infected with monkeypox after having sex with other partners and wound up with lesions and other symptoms. The greyhound later developed lesions and was diagnosed with the virus.
Monkeypox infections have been detected in rodents and other wild animals, which can spread the virus to humans. But the authors called it the first report of monkeypox infection in a domesticated animal like a dog or cat.
Pets that come in close contact with a symptomatic person should be kept at home and away from other animals and people for 21 days after the most recent contact, the CDC advises.
___
The Associated Press Health & Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/health/ap-health/monkeypox-can-spread-to-pet-dogs-doctors-report/ | 2022-08-17T18:31:22Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/health/ap-health/monkeypox-can-spread-to-pet-dogs-doctors-report/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CHESSINGTON, England (WXIN) — The “Jumanji” film franchise is leaping off the big screen to be recreated in an immersive theme park in greater London.
The World of Jumanji is slated to open at the Chessington World of Adventures Resort in spring 2023.
No specific rides or attractions have been revealed yet for the $20.5 million development, except for a 55-foot jaguar structure that will greet park visitors as they enter the jungle-themed world.
The themed land is the result of a partnership between Chessington and Sony Pictures Entertainment.
“After being entertained by the films for so many years, fans now have the chance to experience Jumanji in a whole new dimension and we are thrilled to be going on this exciting adventure with the creative team at Chessington as Jumanji further expands with its very own themed land,” said a Sony executive in a release.
The 128-acre Chessington theme park is home to more than 40 rides and attractions, two themed hotels, and a zoo with more than 1,000 animals.
The World of Jumanji is the largest investment in the history of the park.
According to The Numbers, the film franchise has made more than $2 billion at the international box office. The first “Jumanji” film was released in 1995 and starred Robin Williams and then-child star Kirsten Dunst. The movie was a smash hit, earning over $200 million on an estimated $65 million budget.
The franchise is loosely based on Chris Van Allsburg’s 1981 children’s picture book of the same name. Allsburg later wrote a sequel titled “Zathura,” which also was adapted for the big screen in 2005.
The new park attraction in London takes several visual cues from 2017’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and its 2019 sequel “Jumanji: The Next Level,” both of which starred Dwayne Johnson. These modern updates pulled from video games as opposed to the 1995 adaptation, which focused on the fictional board game. | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/jumanji-themed-park-to-open-next-year/ | 2022-08-17T18:31:33Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/national/jumanji-themed-park-to-open-next-year/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (AP) — People in Arizona and Nevada won’t face bans on watering their lawns or washing their cars despite water shortages on the Colorado River.
But officials said Tuesday there will still be less water available next year from the river that serves 40 million people in the West and Mexico. Observers say a reckoning is still coming for the growing region.
New cuts will build on this year’s reductions — which all but eliminated some central Arizona farmers’ Colorado River water supply and to a much lesser extent, reduced Nevada and Mexico’s share.
Tuesday’s decision and what was left out point to growing uncertainty in the West.
Lake Mead and Lake Powell — the two largest reservoirs on the Colorado River — are about a quarter full, threatening water supplies and the generation of hydroelectric power used by millions of people.
Along the reservoirs’ edge, “bathtub rings” of minerals outline where the high water line once stood, highlighting the challenges the West is facing as a ‘megadrought’ tightens it grip on the region.
A look at who is affected by another round of water cuts in the West.
WHICH STATES WILL BE AFFECTED BY THE CUTS?
Arizona was hardest hit, again, and will receive 79% of its total share next year. But that’s only 3% less than what it got this year, after federal officials slashed its supply.
Nevada will receive about 92% of its total supply next year. Most residents will not feel the cuts thanks to water conservation, reuse and the state not using its full Colorado River allocation.
California has been spared from cuts because it has more senior water rights than Arizona and Nevada.
Mexico will get roughly 93% of its total supply. The water is used in cities and farming communities in Northwestern Mexico, where a severe drought is taking place, too.
WHO WILL SEE THEIR WATER SUPPLY CUT?
Farmers in central Arizona, among the state’s largest producers of livestock, dairy, alfalfa, wheat and barley, lost most of their Colorado River allocation last year when the government announced its first shortage. Some farmers were compensated with water through deals with cities like Phoenix and Tucson.
More farmers will likely need to fallow land — which some of the region’s farmers have been paid to do — and rely even more on groundwater. Others will have to grow more water-efficient crops and find other ways to use less water.
Western water suppliers have planned for such shortages by diversifying and conserving their water supply. Still, regular cuts amid intensifying drought that is depleting reservoirs faster than scientists predicted will make it harder to plan for the future.
Phoenix, the nation’s 5th largest city, will lose some of the water it would otherwise store in underground basins as a water savings account, said Cynthia Campbell, the city’s water resource management advisor. That happened this year, too. The city will rely more on the in-state Salt and Verde rivers, which boost its Colorado River supplies.
The city’s residents will not be affected by cuts next year, Campbell said.
Meanwhile, Nevada recycles the majority of the water used indoors and doesn’t use all of its Colorado River water. That means residents will barely feel next year’s cuts.
WHO DOES LAKE MEAD SERVE?
Lake Mead supplies water to millions of people in Arizona, California, Nevada and Mexico.
Cuts for 2023 are triggered when predicted water levels fall below a certain threshold — 1,050 feet (320 meters) above sea level.
Additional cuts will be triggered when projected levels sink to 1,045 and 1,025 feet (319 and 312 meters). At a certain point, water levels could drop so low that water can no longer be pumped from the reservoir.
Eventually, some city and industrial water users will be affected.
Lake Powell’s levels are also falling and extraordinary steps have been taken to keep water in the reservoir on the Arizona-Utah border.
After the lake fell low enough to threaten the roughly 5 billion kilowatt hours of energy generated each year at the Glen Canyon Dam, federal officials said they would hold back some water to ensure it could still produce energy. The dam produces enough electricity to power between 1 million and 1.5 million homes each year.
Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming get water from tributaries and other reservoirs that feed into Lake Powell. Water from three reservoirs in those states has been drained in recent years to maintain water levels at Lake Powell and protect the electric grid powered by the Glen Canyon Dam.
HOW IS THE RIVER WATER SHARED?
Water stored in Lake Mead and Lake Powell is divvied up through legal agreements among the seven Colorado River basin states, the federal government, Mexico and Native American tribes. The agreements determine how much water each entity gets, when cuts are triggered and the order in which the parties have to sacrifice some of their supply.
Under a 2019 drought contingency plan, Arizona, Nevada, California and Mexico agreed to give up shares of their water to maintain water levels at Lake Mead. This year’s cuts are part of that plan — and as a result, they were predicted by states and others.
WHAT WAS LEFT OUT OF TUESDAY’S ANNOUNCEMENT?
Much more significant water cuts. In June, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation told the basin states — Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming — to figure out a plan to use at least 15% less water from the river next year — to prevent reservoir levels from dropping even further.
The deadline to reach that deal has passed and states failed to reach an agreement. Federal officials on Tuesday did not say how much time states will have to reach one.
____
The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content. For all of AP’s environmental coverage, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/explainer-winners-losers-in-water-cuts-for-western-states/ | 2022-08-17T18:32:06Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/explainer-winners-losers-in-water-cuts-for-western-states/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TOKYO (AP) — A former Tokyo Olympic organizing committee board member and three people from a clothing company that was a surprise sponsor of the 2020 Games were arrested on bribery suspicions Wednesday.
Haruyuki Takahashi, 78, a former executive at advertising company Dentsu, is suspected of receiving bribes from the former head of Aoki Holdings Inc. and two company employees, the prosecutors’ office said.
Aoki, which produces “recruit suits” that youngsters fresh out of school wear for job interviews and their first jobs, was a surprise pick to dress the Japanese Olympic team when other nations had top fashion brands designing their athletes’ outfits.
The alleged bribery, totaling 51 million yen ($380,000) deposited into a bank account of Takahashi’s company from October 2017 to March this year, is believed to be linked to sponsorship of the games and products related to the Olympics, the Tokyo District Prosecutors said in a statement.
Although corruption at top levels among Olympic officials had long been rumored, the arrest comes as a blow to Japan’s Olympic ambitions.
Takahashi is credited with landing $3 billion in local sponsorships for the Tokyo Games. Dentsu is a key player in many major Japanese events, including the Olympics. Japan also is pursuing the 2030 Winter Olympics for Sapporo.
Aoki said it was still looking into the matter and did not have immediate comment. The Japanese Olympic Committee was not immediately available for comment.
Japanese media reports said Takahashi denied wrongdoing, stressing he was paid for consulting services.
Also arrested were Hironori Aoki, 83, who founded Aoki, his younger brother and deputy at the company Takahisa Aoki, 76, and Katsuhisa Ueda, 40, an executive at a group company, prosecutors said. The dubious payments were made more than 50 times, they said.
Prosecutors had raided Hironori Aoki’s Tokyo home last month. Speculation is growing there may be even more arrests. Seiko Hashimoto, a lawmaker who was in charge of the Tokyo Olympics, has promised to cooperate with the investigation.
Tokyo hosted the 2020 Games, which included the Paralympics, with much fanfare — as well as criticism, especially over the ballooning costs — in summer 2021. The event was postponed by a year and held with no public ticket sales because of the coronavirus pandemic.
That came as a disappointment, as the games were supposed to drum up tourism revenue and put a spotlight on Japan’s prowess in a similar way as the 1964 Tokyo Olympics did.
The official price tag for the latest Tokyo Games was $13 billion, mostly public money. That was double the initial estimate when the International Olympic Committee awarded Tokyo the event, but less than the $25 billion some had predicted.
___
Yuri Kageyama is on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyama | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/japan-makes-arrests-on-bribery-suspicions-in-tokyo-olympics/ | 2022-08-17T18:32:27Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/japan-makes-arrests-on-bribery-suspicions-in-tokyo-olympics/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Two men charged with conspiring to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in 2020 were “very eager” to move forward with the plan and expressed no reluctance, a key witness testified Wednesday.
Ty Garbin also downplayed the influence of two FBI informants who trained with the group, saying he couldn’t recall them suggesting that Whitmer should be kidnapped.
“Not that I saw, no,” Garbin told jurors in federal court in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Adam Fox and Barry Croft Jr. are on trial for the second time on conspiracy charges. A jury in April couldn’t reach a unanimous verdict but acquitted two other men.
Garbin and Kaleb Franks are important witnesses for the government: They, too, were arrested in October 2020 but pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate.
“They were full in,” Franks testified Wednesday, referring to Fox and Croft and a kidnapping plot. “Every time I spent time with them that’s what they talked about.”
Prosecutors say Fox and Croft wanted to trigger a national revolt. The government said disgust over COVID-19 restrictions inspired them to make kidnapping plans in 2020. Defense lawyers, however, argue that undercover FBI agents and rogue operatives created the scheme.
Garbin and Franks said they trained with Fox, Croft and others in a remote area, practicing inside a handmade “shoot house” to simulate a kidnapping. They told jurors how a group traveled to Elk Rapids at night to see Whitmer’s vacation home and a bridge that could be blown up to distract police during an attack.
“It wasn’t anybody’s idea but my own to participate,” Garbin said when asked if he was entrapped by agents.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nils Kessler asked if Fox and Croft were reluctant.
“No,” Garbin replied. “Very eager to continue forward with it.”
During a first round of testimony Tuesday, Garbin said he and Fox were at a gun-rights rally at the Michigan Capitol in June 2020, months before their arrest.
“Adam Fox had mentioned storming the Capitol building and arresting elected officials and holding them on trial for their crimes and treason,” Garbin said. “(A) particular elected official would be Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Hang her on public TV for the world to see.”
Garbin’s testimony this week was tighter than in the first trial. Last spring he said kidnapping the Democratic governor could be the “ignition” for civil war and “prevent Joe Biden from winning the presidency.”
But Kessler didn’t ask questions to draw out those answers Tuesday or Wednesday.
Fox, 39, was living in the Grand Rapids area, and Croft, 46, is from Bear, Delaware.
Whitmer has blamed then-President Donald Trump for stoking mistrust and fomenting anger over coronavirus restrictions and refusing to condemn hate groups and right-wing extremists like those charged in the plot.
Trump recently called the kidnapping plan a “fake deal.”
___
Find the AP’s full coverage of the kidnapping plot trial: https://apnews.com/hub/whitmer-kidnap-plot-trial | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/key-insider-2-men-were-very-eager-to-kidnap-gov-whitmer/ | 2022-08-17T18:32:41Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/key-insider-2-men-were-very-eager-to-kidnap-gov-whitmer/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ATLANTA (AP) — Rudy Giuliani faced questioning Wednesday before a special grand jury in Atlanta as a target of an investigation into attempts by former President Donald Trump and others to overturn his 2020 election defeat in Georgia.
The former New York mayor and Trump attorney remained inside the Fulton County courthouse after several hours of facing questions as part of a rapidly escalating investigation that has ensnared several Trump allies.
Giuliani’s questioning took place behind closed doors, as grand jury proceedings are secret. Swarmed by news cameras Wednesday morning as he stepped out of a limousine at the courthouse steps, Giuliani said he didn’t plan to talk about his testimony.
“Grand juries, as I recall, are secret,” said Giuliani, who came to court with his attorney, Robert Costello. “They ask the questions and we’ll see.”
Though grand jury secrecy rules prohibit people present during grand jury testimony from discussing it, that prohibition does not apply to witnesses, including Giuliani. As a former federal prosecutor, he is likely familiar with those rules.
It’s unclear how much the former New York mayor and attorney for Trump will be willing to say now that his lawyers have been informed he’s a target of the investigation.
The investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis has brought heightened scrutiny to the desperate and ultimately failed efforts to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election win. It’s one of several investigations into Trump’s actions in office as he lays the groundwork for another run at the White House in 2024.
Willis opened her investigation after the disclosure of a remarkable Jan. 2, 2021, phone call between Trump and Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger. On the call, Trump suggested that Raffensperger could “find” the exact number of votes that would be needed to flip the election results in Georgia.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing. He has described the call as “perfect.”
Willis last month filed petitions to compel testimony from seven Trump associates and advisers. She has also said she’s considering calling Trump himself to testify, and the former president has hired a legal team in Atlanta that includes a prominent criminal defense attorney.
In seeking Giuliani’s testimony, Willis noted that he was both a personal attorney for Trump and a lead attorney for his 2020 campaign.
She recalled in a petition how Giuliani and others appeared at a state Senate committee meeting in late 2020 and presented a video that Giuliani said showed election workers producing “suitcases” of unlawful ballots from unknown sources, outside the view of election poll watchers. The claims of fraud were debunked by Georgia election officials within 24 hours. Yet Giuliani continued to make statements to the public and in subsequent legislative hearings claiming widespread election fraud using the debunked video, Willis noted in her filing.
Two of the election workers seen in the video, Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, said they faced relentless harassment online and in person after it was shown at the Dec. 3 Georgia legislative hearing in which Giuliani appeared. At another hearing a week later, Giuliani said the footage showed the women “surreptitiously passing around USB ports as if they are vials of heroin or cocaine.” They actually were passing a piece of candy.
Willis wrote in the court filing that Giuliani’s hearing appearance and testimony were “part of a multi-state, coordinated plan by the Trump Campaign to influence the results of the November 2020 election in Georgia and elsewhere.”
Willis also wrote in a petition seeking the testimony of attorney Kenneth Chesebro that he worked with Giuliani to coordinate and carry out a plan to have Georgia Republicans serve as fake electors. Those 16 people signed a certificate declaring falsely that Trump had won the 2020 presidential election and declaring themselves the state’s “duly elected and qualified” electors even though Biden had won the state and a slate of Democratic electors was certified.
Giuliani’s attorneys tried to delay his appearance before the special grand jury, saying he was unable to fly due to heart stent surgery in early July.
But Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney, who’s overseeing the special grand jury, said during a hearing last week that Giuliani needed to be in Atlanta on Wednesday and could travel by bus, car or train if necessary.
Asked how he made the trip, Giuliani told reporters: “I’ll give you one answer: I didn’t walk.”
Other Trump allies have also been swept up in the probe. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, received a subpoena ordering him to appear for testimony on Aug. 23. Graham has challenged that subpoena, citing his protections as a member of Congress. A judge on Monday rejected that argument and said he must testify. Graham has said he’ll appeal.
Willis has indicated she is interested in calls between Graham and Raffensberger about the results in Georgia in the weeks after the election.
___
More on Donald Trump-related investigations: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump. | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/rudy-giuliani-set-to-testify-in-georgia-election-probe/ | 2022-08-17T18:32:55Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/news/us-and-world/rudy-giuliani-set-to-testify-in-georgia-election-probe/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Top outdoor stakes for dogs
For anyone without a fenced-in yard, a tie-out stake is an effective way to allow your dog outside without them running off. A stake featuring a swivel hook on the top where a cable or other tether can be attached is inserted into the ground. The other end of the tether is attached to your dog’s collar or harness, giving it free rein in every direction from the stake to explore, play and relax.
Stakes should be made of metal or steel. The length of the portion of the stake that penetrates the ground corresponds to its strength: the deeper the stake, the more stable it is. Some stakes are straight, with flares along the shaft to dig into the ground, while some are designed as corkscrews for maximum stability.
While stakes allow freedom in a yard or campsite, there are important safety measures to keep in mind before buying one.
Tie-out dog stake tips
- Train your dog. Just like walking on a leash, it will take time for dogs to adjust to using a tie-out stake. Spend time with them and train them when first introducing the stake so they understand limits and best behaviors.
- Do not leave your dog unsupervised. Dogs should not be left on their own on a tie-out stake. Tethers or cables present tripping and choking hazards, while dogs that run to the end of their limit risk whiplash and other injuries when they are pulled back.
- Regularly inspect. Periodically check the stake for any defects that may occur over time. Weather and frequent use can slowly dislodge the stake, making it more vulnerable to the force of a dog.
- Remove or avoid obstacles. Inspect the area within range for any barriers or impediments, such as trees, playhouses or swing sets. Remove any obstacles or find a new area if they cannot be removed. If you have two dogs, you should hook them up separately to avoid entanglement.
- Affix to a harness. Unless you have a calm dog familiar with using a tether, hook it up using a harness instead of a collar. Dogs can choke themselves or damage the neck when testing the limits of the rope. A Martingale collar, which gently tightens around the neck when dogs pull, may be suitable under close supervision as the dog trains.
- Provide water and shade. If your dog stays outside for long periods, be sure they have access to shaded areas away from the sun. Provide cold, clean and fresh water at all times.
Best tie-out dog stakes
This steel tie-out stake takes a bit of force to get into the ground, but it’s strong and stable once planted directly down. The solid construction and corkscrew design are ideal for small and medium dogs, as well as well-behaved large dogs that won’t try to break free. The stake is also weather resistant, providing value for years of use.
Sold by Chewy
This steel corkscrew stake is easy to put into the ground with the help of a comfortable grip on the head. The blue vinyl coating also helps people see the stake to avoid tripping over it. The generous height above ground, including the long neck, allows the swivel to move easily without fear of tangles. It also includes a 20-feet cable.
Designed for the utmost stability, this reinforced stake supports dogs up to 125 pounds. Once the spiral stake is securely planted, it is locked into place with a sturdy cup that digs into the ground and prevents side-to-side movement over time, which loosens the soil. While this popular stake is best suited to medium dogs, IntelliLeash also offers a smaller and larger stake.
Frisco Easy Grip Stake with Cable
This durable steel stake comes with a compatible cable that is easily attached to the included metal swivel. The cable spans 30 feet, offering plenty of range for your dog; it’s coated in vinyl to withstand daily use. The stake handle is also covered in vinyl to make planting it easier on the hands.
Sold by Chewy
Almost all of this 21-inch stake is designed to be implanted underground, with just a dome and short top exposed. Made of one piece of steel, the lengthy stake provides impressive stability and durability for even larger dogs. A solid metal ring also allows for movement around the stake without tangles. Despite the small exposure, the yellow coloring makes it noticeable.
Designed for those on the go, this set provides convenience and security for small and medium dogs. The heavy-duty steel anchor reaches depths up to 10 inches; an included steel lever makes installation easy, requiring little exertion. The set also comes with a carabiner to clip onto the swivel and a brush to clean the stake when removed. All of the pieces fit into a handy carrying bag to take with you.
Sold by Amazon
While it comes at a high price, this is one of the largest tie-out dog stakes. Ideal for bigger dogs, almost all of this 28-inch giant stake secures underground. While it may take some effort to get into the ground, it provides reliable support once installed. A swivel ring prevents tangles, and a bright orange coating provides easy visibility.
Sold by Chewy
This inexpensive stake provides terrific value with its depth, color and durability. The stake reaches almost two feet into the ground. It forgoes the spiral design but flares out in two spots to prevent the stake from being easily pulled upward. Its red coloring is helpful for identification. The dome shape prevents tangles, and the metal construction withstands weather across the seasons.
Sold by Chewy
Want to shop the best products at the best prices? Check out Daily Deals from BestReviews.
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Anthony Marcusa writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
Copyright 2022 BestReviews, a Nexstar company. All rights reserved. | https://www.wwlp.com/reviews/br/pets-br/collars-leashes-and-harnesses-br/8-best-tie-out-dog-stakes/ | 2022-08-17T18:33:01Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/reviews/br/pets-br/collars-leashes-and-harnesses-br/8-best-tie-out-dog-stakes/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Getting to the Tour Championship isn’t all that’s at stake this week in the second FedEx Cup playoff event. The BMW Championship also is the final event to earn one of six spots on the U.S. team and eight spots on the International team for the Presidents Cup next month.
Tony Finau has made the biggest moves of late, going from No. 11 to the sixth and final qualifying spot with his consecutive victories in Minnesota and Detroit.
The leading five Americans are Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns, Xander Schauffele and Justin Thomas. Right behind Finau are Will Zalatoris and Jordan Spieth, the only ones capable of moving into one of the six qualifying spots.
The list is based on FedEx Cup points, which count triple in the postseason.
Davis Love III will have six captain’s picks.
The International team has a confusing formula that makes it difficult for any fan to follow, but suffice it to say British Open champion and Players Championship winner Cameron Smith has double the lead on anyone else. The only question is whether Smith, as has been reported in The Daily Telegraph, will join LIV Golf after the playoffs and lose Presidents Cup eligibility.
The most significant development was Adam Scott, who tied for fifth last week in the playoff opener, getting him to Wilmington. Scott was likely to be picked even if he didn’t hold the final qualifying spot. Now it frees up International captain Trevor Immelman to use a pick on someone else if it had come to that.
“I don’t really want to lean on a pick from Trevor because I think I should play good enough to get on the team and hopefully that leaves him some room to make smart picks and never have to justify picking me,” Scott said.
Scott made his Presidents Cup debut in 2003 in South Africa, the matches that ended in a tie. He has been on every team since then, all losses. Mostly recently at Royal Melbourne in 2019, the Americans had to rally to win. Even though it was three years ago — the upcoming matches were postponed one year by COVID-19 — Scott says the team can still use a close loss as momentum.
“Trevor’s a good mate of mine and he’s put his heart and soul into this thing, so I think he’s done a really good job of keeping enthusiasm very high and making sure those guys remember how close we were to an incredibly special week in Melbourne,” he said.
STRAKA OPTIONS
Sepp Straka spent his first three years on the PGA Tour making sure he secured his card for the following season. He played an average of 27 tournaments.
And then he won the Honda Classic, making him exempt through August 2024. Within a month, Straka became an affiliate member of the European tour.
That’s only natural. Straka, who moved to Georgia when he was 14 and played for the Bulldogs, was born in Austria. He speaks German as comfortably as he speaks English. His first professional event was the Austrian Open.
And then there’s that small matter of the Ryder Cup.
Straka won’t get any points from his runner-up finish in the FedEx St. Jude Championship because Europe hasn’t started — or even announced, given the LIV Golf impact — its qualifying process for the matches next year in Italy.
It wasn’t all geared around the Ryder Cup. Straka — his American mother met his father in Salzberg and that’s where they stayed — has said he feels “fully connected” to his homeland. He played for Austria in amateur events even when he was at Georgia.
“It’s just something I always wanted to do,” Straka said about joining the European tour. “I wanted to have the ability to rack up some points and maybe play their closing stretch. Or even just to have the ability to play a European tour event, especially if it’s close to Austria.”
Language has always come easily. Straka — his given name is Josef — said he and twin brother Sam grew up speaking German to his father and English to his mother. And for general conversation in the house.
“We spoke English because my mom wore the pants in the family,” he said with a laugh.
BMW ON THE MOVE
The BMW Championship has the distinction as the only FedEx Cup playoff event that moves around. The host Western Golf Association is going to some familiar spots.
WGA officials announced Tuesday that it will return to Caves Valley outside Baltimore in 2025, and then return to Bellerive outside St. Louis in 2026.
Next year it goes back to Olympia Fields south of Chicago, followed by Castle Pines in the Denver area in 2024.
Bellerive most recently hosted the PGA Championship in 2018 won by Brooks Koepka.
TOO MANY SWING THOUGHTS
Rory McIlroy doesn’t watch a lot of video highlights of himself, even in good tournaments. He does more inspecting than reviewing.
McIlroy was asked last week how much he uses video on the internet as a teaching tool, and he said he has gotten away from it. He would watch Tiger Woods from the early 2000s, but that was of little value because their bodies, the length of their arms, everything is different.
“I don’t like looking at my swing too much, either, because I’ll just start picking it apart and I’ll be too perfectionist with it,” McIlroy said. “Honestly, I don’t even like watching my highlights anymore because I’ll start picking my swing apart. I don’t think it does me any good.
“So I’ve tried to steer away from looking at a lot of swings on video.”
PAC CHANGES
The PGA Tour has replaced three LIV Golf defectors with four players on the Players Advisory Council, the 16-player — now 17-player — panel that advises the policy board on tour issues.
Graeme McDowell, Brooks Koepka and Paul Casey have all signed with LIV Golf and were suspended by the PGA Tour. Max Homa and Brandt Snedeker replaced McDowell and Koepka. In a separate election, Keith Mitchell and Kevin Streelman tied. Both were added to the PAC.
Streelman is the only one of the four with previous PAC experience. He was a co-chair in 2016 and then spent the following three years on the board as a player-director.
There are 11 official tournaments remaining on the PGA Tour schedule this year.
DIVOTS
President Joe Biden has agreed to be honorary chairman of the Presidents Cup next month. Every U.S. president has served in that role for home matches dating to 1996. The Presidents Cup is the last week in September at Quail Hollow in North Carolina. … Will Zalatoris was tied for 86th after the first round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the worst 18-hole position of anyone who has won a playoff event since the postseason began in 2007. … The Mauritius Open is returning to the Sunshine Tour and European tour schedule in the fall for the first time since 2019. The co-sanctioned event will be held Dec. 15-18 at Mont Choisy Le Golf, and it will be the final tournament on the Sunshine Tour schedule. … The Advocates Professional Golf Association Tour is going overseas for the first time. The Butterfield Bermuda APGA Championship will be Oct. 11-12 at Port Royal, which will host the PGA Tour event two weeks later. … The Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA in late October has been canceled because of ongoing COVID-19 travel restrictions. With the China event already canceled, that means the Asia swing in the fall will be South Korea on Oct. 20-23, followed by a week off and then Japan on Nov. 3-6.
STAT OF THE WEEK
Four PGA Tour rookies are in the top 30 of the FedEx Cup going into the BMW Championship. No more than two rookies have ever made it to the Tour Championship, most recently in 2020.
FINAL WORD
“Lack of confidence has never been an issue for me.” — Jon Rahm.
___
More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/bmw-championship-last-qualifying-week-for-the-presidents-cup/ | 2022-08-17T18:33:23Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/bmw-championship-last-qualifying-week-for-the-presidents-cup/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Paul Goldschmidt and Tommy Edman homered, and St. Louis scored the winning run when Tyler O’Neill was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning, leading the Cardinals to a 5-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
Andrew Knizner and Lars Nootbaar drew walks off Dinelson Lamet (1-2) in the ninth, and Dylan Carlson reached on a bunt single to load the bases before O’Neill was plunked.
“They took good at-bats, worked full counts, and were able to get on there,” O’Neill said. “You could tell he was a little wild out there, so I just wanted to be a little selective, see a good pitch to hit, and ended up getting hit.”
Rockies manager Bud Black said Lamet couldn’t seem to find his release point.
“Usually when a pitcher isn’t able to find the strike zone, it’s usually release point and a little something in his delivery,” Black said.
José Quintana pitched no-hit ball with two walks for five innings before allowing two runs on four consecutive hits to lead off the sixth, ending his night.
“It’s a little tough when you get five straight innings quickly, and you face four hitters and now can’t get outs,” Quintana said. “The game was there, so I’m happy with how I threw the ball.”
Ryan Helsley (7-1) pitched a scoreless top of the ninth to lower his ERA to 0.91 in 49 2/3 innings this season.
Kyle Freeland allowed three runs on seven hits and struck out four batters in six innings to drop the Rockies to 13-42 since Busch Stadium III opened in 2006.
“I went back and looked at video of my start at home at Coors Field against them, and I was at the top of the zone with a lot of my arsenal,” Freeland said. “The key for me today was to get back to the bottom of the zone, execute in the bottom of the zone, and it paid off somewhat.”
Goldschmidt hit a sacrifice fly to left field off Lucas Gilbreath in the seventh inning to the the game at 4.
Charlie Blackmon hit a two-run double to right-center field off Packy Naughton in the seventh inning, driving in Wynton Bernard and Connor Joe to put Colorado up 4-3.
Bernard, a 31-year-old rookie, singled up the middle to break up Quintana’s no-hit bid and scored two batters later on a Blackmon single.
Goldschmidt’s two-run home run to left field off Freeland in the fifth inning was the 29th of the season and 100th as a member of the Cardinals.
“I had no idea how many homers I had,” Goldschmidt said. “It’s kind of crazy so I hadn’t thought about it at all, but it seems fast. It wasn’t like a goal or anything like that. I was just trying to do my job.”
Edman hit his eighth home run of the season off Freeland in the fourth inning to give St. Louis a 1-0 lead. It was his first home run since going deep on June 14 in the second game of a doubleheader against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
DOUBLE THE FUN
Blackmon’s seventh inning double gave Colorado at least one double in 36 straight games. It is the longest streak in the majors this season and the longest since the Oakland Athletics doubled in 36 straight games in 2019.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Cardinals: 1B/OF Juan Yepez (right forearm strain) was held out of the lineup for Triple-A Memphis on Sunday due to illness. Yepez worked out pregame and will work with the club Wednesday before the team makes a decision on activating him or having him continue his rehab assignment.
UP NEXT:
Cardinals LHP Jordan Montgomery (5-3, 3.37 ERA) will make his first career appearance against Colorado on Wednesday night and is 2-0, having tossed 11 scoreless innings in two starts since being acquired from the New York Yankees on Aug. 2. The Rockies counter with RHP Germán Márquez (6-9, 5.08 ERA), who is 2-1 with a 2.58 ERA in seven career starts against St. Louis.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/oneills-game-ending-hbp-lifts-cards-over-rockies-5-4/ | 2022-08-17T18:33:46Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/oneills-game-ending-hbp-lifts-cards-over-rockies-5-4/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Padres have replaced a planned Fernando Tatis Jr. bobblehead night with a Juan Soto T-shirt giveaway after the superstar shortstop was banned 80 games Friday following a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug.
Tatis, a 23-year-old sensation and one of the brightest stars in all of Major League Baseball, was on the cusp of returning to the Padres from a broken wrist that had sidelined him all season. He was on track to rejoin the team well before the Sept. 7 bobblehead night — until the positive test.
Instead, the Padres will offer fans shirts in the club’s City Connect color scheme with Soto’s name and No. 22 on the back before they play the Arizona Diamondbacks. The team announced the change Tuesday.
Soto, also 23 and one of baseball’s most well-known young faces, was acquired from the Washington Nationals in a blockbuster deadline deal Aug. 2.
The Padres’ City Connect jerseys, which they wear for Friday night home games, feature vivid colors that celebrate the cross-border culture of San Diego and Tijuana.
MLB said Tatis tested positive for Clostebol, an anabolic steroid. Tatis said he accidentally took a medication to treat ringworm that contained the banned substance. Several teammates were critical of Tatis following Friday’s announcement, including pitcher Mike Clevinger, who talked about being “disappointed” in Tatis and hoping the shortstop realizes “it’s about more than just him right now.”
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/padres-switch-tatis-bobblehead-giveaway-to-soto-shirt-night/ | 2022-08-17T18:33:59Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/padres-switch-tatis-bobblehead-giveaway-to-soto-shirt-night/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Rodolfo Castro was suspended for one game by Major League Baseball on Tuesday for having a cellphone in his back pocket during a game last week.
The penalty, which included an undisclosed fine, had been set to take effect Tuesday night when the Pirates hosted Boston. The 23-year-old Castro appealed and can play until the process is complete.
“I just really want MLB to hear my version of the story and make sure they understand my heart behind everything,” Castro said through an interpreter before the game against the Red Sox.
“None of this was intentional, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen,” he said.
Castro’s phone flew from his pocket when he made a head-first dive into third base at Arizona on Aug. 9.
The play drew plenty of attention at the ballpark and beyond in the sports world. Many cringed while others laughed it off as the video clip was seen by millions.
Castro apologized after the game, saying it was an honest mistake. He said he put his oven mitt-like sliding glove in his pocket and forgot about the phone, which now had some cushion.
“I just remember getting dressed, putting my pants on, getting something to eat, using the restroom,” Castro said after the Pirates lost 6-4 to Arizona. “Never did it ever cross my mind that I still had my cellphone on me.”
MLB has cracked down on technology use by players in the wake of the Houston Astros’ cheating scandal. The Astros used live TV feeds to steal opposing teams’ signs on the way to winning the 2017 World Series championship and part of the subsequent season.
Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow and then-manager A.J. Hinch were suspended for the 2020 season. The Astros also were fined $5 million and forfeited their first- and second-round picks in 2020 and 2021.
Castro is hitting .239 in 27 games in his second major league season.
Asked about the penalty, Pirates manager Derek Shelton said “we respect MLB’s decision” and left it at that.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/pirates-castro-suspended-1-game-for-phone-flap-he-appeals/ | 2022-08-17T18:34:06Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/sports/pirates-castro-suspended-1-game-for-phone-flap-he-appeals/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In a three-day span, Thairo Estrada hit a game-ending two-run homer against the Pirates and a triple that sparked another ninth-inning rally.
Brandon Crawford connected for a two-run walkoff homer against Ian Kennedy moments after Estrada’s two-out triple, and the San Francisco Giants came back to beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 2-1 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win and eighth in 10 games.
“Of course there was an opportunity. Until the last out, there’s always a chance,” Estrada said. “… The last two times up I’ve been able to deliver.”
The Giants came back against Arizona’s bullpen after D-backs ace Merrill Kelly outdueled Jakob Junis.
Christian Walker homered leading off the fourth inning for the game’s lone run until the final swing by Crawford for his sixth homer.
“With how the season’s gone, with the ups and downs, it’s nice to have some fun, exciting wins,” said Crawford, whose kids were jumping up and down in their pajamas at home in a video shared by his wife, Jalynne.
Kelly struck out seven with two walks and four hits over seven innings and was on pace to continue his recent dominance against the Giants.
Before the last-inning drama, the Giants had their best chance in the seventh when Evan Longoria led off with a double and advanced on Estrada’s sacrifice bunt. Crawford walked, then Joey Bart flied out.
Joe Mantiply pitched the eighth for Arizona, which is now 2-19 in San Francisco’s waterfront ballpark since Giants manager Gabe Kapler took over ahead of the virus-shortened 2020 season. Wilmer Flores hit a two-out double, but the Giants again couldn’t convert.
Kennedy (4-6) bent over in frustration as Crawford’s ball sailed out. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo argued that Estrada had taken strike three because plate umpire Cory Blaser moved backward.
“It’s not over until it’s over. Everybody knows what happened. It’s frustrating,” Lovullo said. “We’re still working through it right now to be honest with you. But we’ll figure out what happened, digest it and move on.”
Junis struck out seven — one off his season high — and Walker’s homer was his only run surrendered and one of four hits he allowed over seven impressive innings. The right-hander was coming off his shortest start of the year last Wednesday at San Diego in a 13-7 loss. He still hasn’t won in five starts since beating the Dodgers on June 10.
Alex Young relieved and pitched a 1-2-3 eighth then John Brebbia (6-1) struck out two in the ninth for the win.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Diamondbacks: 2B Ketel Marte was held out of the starting lineup for a second straight game with tightness in his left hamstring. “He’s still day to day, and when he’s not day to day he’s probably going to be our designated hitter,” Lovullo said. … SS Nick Ahmed, on the 60-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, continues to rehab the injury and will be in the treatment phase until he’s no longer experiencing symptoms, Lovullo said. “He’s not even close to baseball activities,” Lovullo said.
Giants: Bart, who had a career-best three hits Monday after dealing with a sprained right ankle, extended his hitting streak to eight games and has been finding a groove since recalled from Triple-A Sacramento on July 6. “Probably more important than anything else, he looked refreshed, like there had been sort of a weight lifted,” Kapler said, “like he got some rest.”
UP NEXT
RHP Zach Davies (2-4, 4.11 ERA) pitches the third game of the four-game set Wednesday night seeking his first win since May 13 against the Cubs. The Giants counter with LHP Carlos Rodón, who tries to win his fourth straight start.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wpri.com/sports/ap-sports/crawfords-hr-with-2-outs-in-9th-lifts-giants-past-d-backs/ | 2022-08-17T18:35:38Z | wpri.com | control | https://www.wpri.com/sports/ap-sports/crawfords-hr-with-2-outs-in-9th-lifts-giants-past-d-backs/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
by: Kayla Hevey Posted: Aug 17, 2022 / 01:00 PM EDT Updated: Aug 17, 2022 / 01:01 PM EDT SHARE (Mass Appeal) – Fresh fruit is a staple during the summer, and the season isn’t over yet. We’re working with melon to make a melon, prosciutto, and fresh mozzarella dish. Betty Rosbottom, cookbook author and chef, shares the recipe. | https://www.wwlp.com/massappeal/this-no-cook-melon-prosciutto-and-mozzarella-recipe-is-perfect-for-summer/ | 2022-08-17T18:38:33Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/massappeal/this-no-cook-melon-prosciutto-and-mozzarella-recipe-is-perfect-for-summer/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website.
Opinions on how much water you should try to drink each day vary. Some people swear by eight eight-ounce glasses each day. Others recommend using a formula to determine your water needs by calculating half of your body weight and then changing that number into ounces. The U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recommends 3.7 liters (about 91 ounces) of fluids daily for men and 2.7 liters (about 125 ounces) of fluids daily for women. But no matter how much you strive to drink, a motivational water bottle can help you reach your goals.
The Bottle Bottle water bottle holds one half-gallon of water or 64 ounces, enough to get in eight of those eight-ounce glasses. It has a flip-up lid and a straw, making it simple to sip H2O throughout the day.
The feature that might encourage you to stay hydrated is on the outside of the bottle, as it is marked with times at different water levels. Each time also has a short and simple sentence that could inspire you to drink up, like “Wake up drinking” at 7 a.m. and “Almost finished” at 7 p.m.
The motivational water bottle comes with a protective silicon anti-slip sleeve and a sturdy handle, so it is convenient to take to work, the gym or wherever you go. It is ergonomically designed to fit comfortably in your hand and is made from premium quality PETG plastic, which is 100% BPA-free. It also has a wide mouth for easy filling.
This motivational water bottle has more than 1,600 ratings and 4.5 out of 5 stars. Shoppers say that it’s easy to clean and carry.
“I love that it’s very easy to clean, durable, sturdy and I can carry it anywhere I go,” wrote a reviewer named Judy, who also posted a photo of her water bottle. “It’s very convenient and I get to finish my water goal every day!”
Many customers say that it helps them meet their daily water-drinking goals.
“I find this bottle a wonderful tool for keeping track of my water consumption,” reviewer Wreaths wrote. “The fact that the times are on the bottle is such a plus. I have never been able to drink enough water in the course of a day until getting this bottle. I also love the rubber bottom on this bottle. My daughter liked my Bottle Bottle so much she bought one.”
Reviewers did mention that the bottle is not dishwasher safe, so if you purchase it, be sure to wash it by hand.
The 64-ounce Bottle Bottle motivational water bottle is currently available in four colors: blue, gray, purple and rose red. The purple color costs $14.99, but the others are priced at $15.99. Some colors also come in a 128-ounce size; the purple and rose red are discounted to $18.99 and $19.99 right now.
How much water do you aim to drink every day?
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories. | https://www.fox17online.com/motivational-water-bottle-keeps-you-hydrated | 2022-08-17T18:43:15Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/motivational-water-bottle-keeps-you-hydrated | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
It will look something like: \"cmake.hunterlab.a.g.xcode: /var/obj/.metadata\":/private 10g/lib3ds:\",... \"Less than six inches behind the left hip bone,\" P.M was said to refer all messages received within six to its headquarters a very small a portion to any general officers now living. When did she know it? But perhaps you meant in particular? How you could have told Community members and strangers in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, are rallying together to help a two-year-old girl's big wish come true.
Loved ones describe Vega as a sweet little girl, full of life and happiness.
"She is smiley, she is just Vega. She finds joy in everyday,” said Shelley Ellis, Vega’s mother.
But beneath that joy is a struggle she's battled almost her entire life.
The toddler has been fighting ;eukemia since she was just 16 months old.
"Since December 13, we've been at Children's hospital in Milwaukee and we've had less than 10 days at home since then,” Ellis said.
After exhausting options and treatment plans, Vega's parents were faced with the difficult decision to bring their little girl home and surround her with loved ones.
"Nothing has shown to be successful enough so we decided to take Vega out of the hospital because no kid belongs in a hospital that long,” Ellis said.
With her days likely numbered on earth, Vega's family hope to pack a lifetime of happiness in a short window.
And with help from a GoFundMe Page that raised more than $10,000 in just one day, Vega is headed to Disney World.
"The hospital is not magical by any means, so we always promised Vega that some day we'd take her to the most magical place on earth and one way or another we'd get her there,” Ellis said.
The family leaves Thursday for Disney World. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins are all joining Vega to be part of this special memory.
"This is exciting. This is something we can be excited at the moment,” Ellis said.
A time to smile, unwind, and live life to the fullest.
This article was written by Valerie Juarez for WGBA. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/gofundme-raises-enough-to-send-a-2-year-old-battling-leukemia-to-disney-world | 2022-08-17T18:43:21Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/gofundme-raises-enough-to-send-a-2-year-old-battling-leukemia-to-disney-world | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.