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Fort Collins URA might try to acquire former North College Albertsons via eminent domain
The Fort Collins Urban Renewal Authority is one step closer to acquiring the former Albertsons site on North College Avenue.
The URA approved a $31,000 appropriation of funds Thursday night to conduct a commercial real estate appraisal of the former grocery store site and its surrounding buildings, and to secure legal counsel specializing in eminent domain.
The appropriation would have “minimal impact” on the URA’s finances, according to staff.
About $16,000 would be spent on the appraisal, and the rest would go toward securing counsel for potential eminent domain proceedings.
Eminent domain, the power for governments to take private property for public use, is a fairly rare path for the city to pursue. Although the URA is looking into the use of eminent domain, they are not yet committed to that route, or even to acquiring the property at all.
The city last considered using eminent domain earlier this summer to acquire land needed for the Halligan water supply project. That use was supposed to be approved in late July, but the Coloradoan could not get confirmation that it went through.
Eminent domain may be used in this situation because the city has been unable to make contact with the real estate investment trust that currently owns the former Albertsons plot, meaning any redevelopment before its lease is up in 2030 would be unlikely.
"Fort Collins has a history of being judicious about the use of eminent domain. They don't take it lightly. Only in rare circumstances is this tool used,” said former city manager Darin Atteberry, commenting at the North Fort Collins Business Association meeting Wednesday about the potential use of eminent domain on the Albertson's site.
“It's a tool given to jurisdictions for this reason when you can't make any progress. Think about blight in Fort Collins and most would agree this is as quintessential an example that the city should be paying attention to.”
The complex has sat largely vacant since Albertsons closed in 2014 after a King Soopers store opened on North College, creating competition in the market, but the grocery chain retained its lease — running through 2030 — at the building after merging with Safeway the following year.
And the North Fort Collins community would really like to see development in the space.
At the July URA meeting, the board discussed how the property could be used to fulfill some needs of the North College community and give them resources they’ve been asking for for years.
In 2019, community members identified the former Albertsons site as “a prime location for a community hub, a library branch, affordable housing and a workforce development center,” according to URA documents. And in 2020, the URA released a community engagement report on north Fort Collins that highlighted a number of community wants, like a hub for families to gather and increased recreation and entertainment opportunities.
Molly Bohannon covers city government for the Coloradoan. Follow her on Twitter @molboha or contact her at mbohannon@coloradoan.com. Support her work and that of other Coloradoan journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today. | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2022/08/27/former-fort-collins-albertsons-may-be-acquired-through-eminent-domain/65457289007/ | 2022-08-27T16:11:00Z | coloradoan.com | control | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2022/08/27/former-fort-collins-albertsons-may-be-acquired-through-eminent-domain/65457289007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Windsor voters will decide on sales tax increase for open space in November
Windsor residents will decide in November whether to increase the town's sales tax to create a $1.27 million fund for the town to buy more open space.
The town board officially referred the issue to the November ballot on Monday. In July, the town initiated public feedback on the issue through a survey where 64% of responding voters said they would support a tax increase to fund more open space areas in town.
The 0.25% increase would increase the town's sales tax from 3.95% to 4.20% to support initiatives outlined in the town's open space and trails strategic plan.
While the strategic plan outlines projects like adding more cycling and pedestrian trails and making improvements along the Poudre River corridor, money raised from the tax increase will likely go toward purchasing more open space.
The town conducted a separate survey in 2019 to gauge residents' interest in adding more land dedicated to open space and the results were overwhelmingly in favor. The tax increase and ballot measure are a continuation of these efforts.
Downtown Windsor:Windsor petition seeks to let voters decide whether there should be backlots parking
In addition to providing opportunities for outdoor recreation, open space areas help maintain habitat for local wildlife and help preserve natural areas from development.
The town's survey consulted just more than 1,600 registered voters. Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they approved of the job the Open Space and Trails Division is doing in managing the town's open space and trails system and 56% said they agreed the town of Windsor spends taxpayer money wisely. Finally, 54% said they would support a sales tax increase to fund more open space if the election were held today.
If voters approve the ballot measure in November, the tax increase will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2023.
What will the ballot language look like?
Here's a preview of the language for the ballot issue, which can be found on the town of Windsor's website:
Shall Town of Windsor taxes be increased by $1.62 million annually beginning in tax collection year 2023, and by whatever amounts that may be generated thereafter, by increasing the town sales and use tax rate by 0.25% (2.5 cents on a ten-dollar purchase) from the current rate of 3.95% to a new rate of 4.2% on January 1, 2023, with tax revenue to be used for the creation of a dedicated funding source for open space land acquisition, stewardship, operation and maintenance that will:
Purchase and maintain open space from willing landowners that achieves the following:
- ensuring acquired open space land will remain undeveloped and lessen the impact of residential housing growth, thereby reducing community impacts such as traffic, the cost of maintaining roads, sewer, stormwater and acquiring and treating water
- enable the town to develop and maintain open space that will increase public recreation opportunities
- obtain, manage and preserve working farms and community separators that will keep Windsor unique from neighboring cities and towns
- promote and perpetuate open space that conserves valuable wildlife habitats, protects the environment and creates green spaces and waterfront access to lakes, streams, and the Cache la Poudre River
All revenue from this tax constituting a voter-approved revenue change notwithstanding any revenue or expenditure limitations contained in Article X, Section 20 of the Colorado constitution? | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2022/08/27/windsor-voters-will-decide-on-sales-tax-increase-for-open-space-in-november-2022/65457483007/ | 2022-08-27T16:11:06Z | coloradoan.com | control | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2022/08/27/windsor-voters-will-decide-on-sales-tax-increase-for-open-space-in-november-2022/65457483007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Nearly 6,000 fans fill Moby Arena to see Colorado State volleyball take down North Carolina
What a way to start a new season.
Playing in front of nearly 6,000 fans Friday night on its home court at Moby Arena, the Colorado State volleyball team opened its 2022 campaign with a four-set win over North Carolina.
CSU took the match 25-20, 25-16, 21-25, 25-17, avenging a five-set loss to the Tar Heels a year ago in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Outside hitter Kennedy Stanford had 13 kills without committing a single hitting error to go along with 11 digs for the Rams.
Outside hitter Malaya Jones, a transfer from USC playing in her first match with the Rams, added 12 kills, and middle blocker Annie Sullivan was a force with eight kills and just one hitting error and six blocks. Jacqi Van Leifde, playing in the other middle blocker spot, also was in on six blocks for the Rams.
CSU out-blocked North Carolina 13-8 and hit .324 to the Tar Heels’ .133.
Charley Niego had 14 kills and Mabry Shaffmaster 13 for North Carolina, which went 21-9 and played in the NCAA Tournament a year ago.
The crowd of 5,961 was the eighth-largest in program history, another milestone for the popular program and its fanbase.
CSU plays at home again at 7 p.m. Saturday against UC-Santa Barbara, 7 p.m. Tuesday vs. Northern Colorado and 7 p.m. Thursday vs. Arkansas. The Rams are also at home for matches next Friday night against Florida Gulf Coast and Saturday afternoon against Alabama State.
More:What to know about Colorado State volleyball as Rams open 2022 season | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/csu/volleyball/2022/08/27/nearly-6000-fans-fill-moby-arena-to-see-colorado-state-volleyball-beat-north-carolina/65459793007/ | 2022-08-27T16:11:12Z | coloradoan.com | control | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/csu/volleyball/2022/08/27/nearly-6000-fans-fill-moby-arena-to-see-colorado-state-volleyball-beat-north-carolina/65459793007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Wellington celebrates return of high school football after nearly six decades
WELLINGTON – Parents and friends were grilling burgers on the tailgates of their pickup trucks in the parking lot more than 2 hours before kickoff.
Tables of side dishes to share filled empty parking spaces between the vehicles, and hundreds of fans were lined up, waiting to get in when the gates first opened.
Anticipation had been building for several years for the first high school football game in Wellington in 59 years.
“This is amazing. This is history right here,” Matt Vonderhaar said, sitting in a camping chair while he finished his dinner. “This is the start of a new generation, new way of life.”
More than 1,500 fans packed the home stands, student section and standing-room only areas on the home team’s side of the stadium at the new Wellington Middle-High School well before the maroon-and-silver clad Eagles took the field for their 2022 season opener.
Another 100 or so fans were in the visitors’ stands, behind the Estes Park team the Eagles were playing in their first game since the fall of 1963, the final year of operation of the old Wellington High School, where Byron "Whizzer" White starred before becoming a College Football Hall of Famer, Rhodes Scholar and U.S. Supreme Court Justice..
“This is something we’ve been talking about for a long time,” said Sam Carlson, a former Colorado State and NFL football player who has lived in Wellington for most of his life. “I remember when they first started talking about the school and whatnot; we were dreaming about what tonight would look like and how awesome it would be to just unite the town and to bring everyone together like this.”
Carlson, an assistant coach on the team, played his high school football at Poudre High in northwest Fort Collins. That’s where students in Wellington, Laporte and rural areas of Larimer County north of Fort Collins were sent to when the high schools in those communities were shut down when their school districts were consolidated into the new Poudre School District prior to the 1964-65 school year, when Poudre High opened as the second high school in Fort Collins.
“Having games home, actually here in Wellington, instead of the district stadium (in Timnath), adds to this community’s buy-in to what we have to offer,” said Matt Brede, the parent of a freshman player.
'The Cubs are back'Timnath football makes its new debut with a Friday Night Lights party
Some Wellington businesses closed early so their employees could attend, Carlson said, and a Facebook page for residents of the growing town of 11,000 residents, about 12 miles north of Fort Collins, had urged everyone in the community to come out and support the Eagles in their first game.
The players were just as excited, if not more so, than their families.
Pregame warmups were unusually enthusiastic, as anticipation built toward the opening kick. Cheerleaders wearing white Wellington football jerseys were waving pompoms and leading cheers from the all-weather track between the stands and the Eagles’ sideline. Students, some wearing the blue-and-white Poudre High hoodies and windbreakers, were packed tightly into the 400 seats in temporary bleachers set up for them in the end zone.
The outcome of the game itself didn’t seem to matter much.
Few fans, if any, expected the Eagles, playing varsity football with only freshman and sophomores in their first season, to win. Even against Estes Park, a Class 1A team coming off a 3-6 season a year ago.
Wellington didn’t go down without a fight.
Cash Altschwager scored the Eagles’ first touchdown since that 1963 season on a 35-yard pass from Tanner Gray early in the third quarter to cut the Estes Park lead at the time to 8-6. Were it not for a rash of procedure penalties, the Eagles might have even made a game of it.
Baker's dozenMeet 13 top high school football players to watch in the Fort Collins area
But they were stopped on downs at the Estes Park 8-yard line with 5:37 remaining, then gave up a touchdown a few plays later to fall behind 28-6.
Altschwager had one of the Wellington defense’s three interceptions and had a first-half touchdown reception negated by an offensive pass-interference penalty against a teammate.
A short touchdown run by Gray provided some late hope for a miraculous comeback, but Wellington couldn’t get its offense going in the final minutes and gave up a late touchdown on a fumbled punt snap that Estes Park recovered in the end zone.
“It hurts tonight, because we wanted to give them a victory,” Carlson said. “This is just the ground level. We’re working up.”
Friday night recap:Rocky Mountain wins, Wellington, Timnath fall in long-awaited debuts
And that’s what everyone was talking about as they made their way out of the stadium following the game, congratulating the players and coaches along the way.
This was the first game for a new program relying on players who lost one of the usual two years of middle-school football to the COVID-19 pandemic. Players who are going to have three to four years together at the varsity level as the new school grows with the addition of a new class each of the next two years.
“It was awesome, such a great experience,” Altschwager said. “This is the start of a legacy.”
Kelly Lyell reports on CSU, high school and other local sports and topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, follow him on Twitter @KellyLyell and find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KellyLyell.news. | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2022/08/27/wellington-celebrates-return-of-high-school-football-vs-estes-park/65458676007/ | 2022-08-27T16:11:18Z | coloradoan.com | control | https://www.coloradoan.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2022/08/27/wellington-celebrates-return-of-high-school-football-vs-estes-park/65458676007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Trump search: What may come next in inquiry with legal peril
WASHINGTON (AP) — A newly released FBI document helps flesh out the contours of an investigation into classified material at former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. But plenty of questions remain, especially because half the affidavit, which spelled out the FBI’s rationale for searching the property, was blacked out.
That document, which the FBI submitted so it could get a warrant to search Trump’s winter home, provides new details about the volume and top secret nature of what was retrieved from Mar-a-Lago in January. It shows how Justice Department officials had raised concerns months before the search that closely held government secrets were being illegally stored and before they returned in August with a court-approved warrant and located even more classified records at the property.
It all raises questions whether a crime was committed and, if so, by whom. Answers may not come quickly.
A department official this month described the investigation as in its early stages, suggesting more work is ahead as investigators review the documents they removed and continue interviewing witnesses. At a minimum, the investigation presents a political distraction for Trump as he lays the groundwork for a potential presidential run.
Then there’s the obvious legal peril.
A look at what’s next:
WHAT IS THE FBI INVESTIGATING?
None of the government’s legal filings released so far singles out Trump — or anyone else — as a potential target of the investigation. But the warrant and accompanying affidavit make clear the investigation is active and criminal in nature.
The department is investigating potential violations of multiple laws, including an Espionage Act statute that governs gathering, transmitting or losing national defense information. The other laws deal with the mutilation and removal of records as well as well as the destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations.
The inquiry began quietly with a referral from the National Archives and Records Administration, which retrieved 15 boxes of records from Mar-a-Lago in January — 14 of which were found to contain classified information. All told, the FBI affidavit said, officials found 184 documents bearing classification markings, including some suggesting they contained information from highly sensitive human sources. Several had what appeared to be Trump’s handwritten notes, the affidavit says.
The FBI has spent months investigating how the documents made their way from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, whether any other classified records might exist at the property. The bureau also has tried to identify the person or people “who may have removed or retained classified information without authorization and/or in an unauthorized space,” the affidavit states.
So far the FBI has interviewed a “significant number of civilian witnesses,” according to a Justice Department brief unsealed Friday, and is seeking “further information” from them. The FBI has not identified all “potential criminal confederates nor located all evidence related to its investigation.”
___
WILL ANYONE BE CHARGED?
It’s hard to say at this point. To get a search warrant, federal agents must persuade a judge that probable cause exists to believe there’s evidence of a crime at the location they want to search.
But search warrants aren’t automatic precursors to a criminal prosecution and they certainly don’t signal that charges are imminent.
The laws at issue are felonies that carry prison sentences.
One law, involving the mishandling of national defense information, has been used in recent years in the prosecution of a government contractor who stowed reams of sensitive records at his Maryland home (he was sentenced to nine years in prison) and a National Security Agency employee who transmitted classified information to someone who was not authorized to receive it (the case is pending).
Attorney General Merrick Garland hasn’t revealed his thinking on the matter. Asked last month about Trump in the context of a separate investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, he responded that “no person is above the law.”
___
WHAT HAS TRUMP ARGUED?
Trump, irate over the records investigation, issued a statement Friday saying that he and his team have cooperated with the Justice Department and that his representatives “GAVE THEM MUCH.”
That’s at odds with the portrayal of the Trump team in the affidavit and the fact that the FBI search occurred despite warnings months earlier that the documents were not being properly stored and that there was no safe location for them anywhere in Mar-a-Lago.
A letter made public as part of the affidavit forecasts the arguments the Trump legal team intends to advance as the investigation proceeds. The May 25 letter from lawyer M. Evan Corcoran to Jay Bratt, the head of the Justice Department’s counterintelligence, articulates a robust, expansive view of executive power.
Corcoran asserted that it was a “bedrock principle” that a president has absolute authority to declassify documents — though he doesn’t actually say that Trump did so. He also said the primary law governing the mishandling of classified information doesn’t apply to the president.
The statute that he cited in the letter was not among the ones the affidavit suggests that Justice Department is basing its investigation on. And in a footnote in the affidavit, an FBI agent observed that the law about national defense information does not use the term classified information.
___
WHAT HAS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SAID?
The White House has been notably circumspect about the investigation, with officials repeatedly saying they will let the Justice Department do its job.
National security spokesman John Kirby, responding to a question this week about whether the administration would do a damage assessment about the sensitive secrets at Mar-a-Lago, responded that he didn’t want to get ahead of the FBI.
President Joe Biden appeared Friday to mock the idea that Trump could have simply declassified all the documents in his possession, telling reporters, “I just want you to know I’ve declassified everything in the world. I’m president I can do — c’mon!”
He then said he would “let the Justice Department take care of it.”
____
Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
___
Find more on Donald Trump-related investigations: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.witn.com/2022/08/27/trump-search-what-may-come-next-inquiry-with-legal-peril/ | 2022-08-27T16:16:33Z | witn.com | control | https://www.witn.com/2022/08/27/trump-search-what-may-come-next-inquiry-with-legal-peril/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Trump search: What may come next in inquiry with legal peril
WASHINGTON (AP) — A newly released FBI document helps flesh out the contours of an investigation into classified material at former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate. But plenty of questions remain, especially because half the affidavit, which spelled out the FBI’s rationale for searching the property, was blacked out.
That document, which the FBI submitted so it could get a warrant to search Trump’s winter home, provides new details about the volume and top secret nature of what was retrieved from Mar-a-Lago in January. It shows how Justice Department officials had raised concerns months before the search that closely held government secrets were being illegally stored and before they returned in August with a court-approved warrant and located even more classified records at the property.
It all raises questions whether a crime was committed and, if so, by whom. Answers may not come quickly.
A department official this month described the investigation as in its early stages, suggesting more work is ahead as investigators review the documents they removed and continue interviewing witnesses. At a minimum, the investigation presents a political distraction for Trump as he lays the groundwork for a potential presidential run.
Then there’s the obvious legal peril.
A look at what’s next:
WHAT IS THE FBI INVESTIGATING?
None of the government’s legal filings released so far singles out Trump — or anyone else — as a potential target of the investigation. But the warrant and accompanying affidavit make clear the investigation is active and criminal in nature.
The department is investigating potential violations of multiple laws, including an Espionage Act statute that governs gathering, transmitting or losing national defense information. The other laws deal with the mutilation and removal of records as well as well as the destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations.
The inquiry began quietly with a referral from the National Archives and Records Administration, which retrieved 15 boxes of records from Mar-a-Lago in January — 14 of which were found to contain classified information. All told, the FBI affidavit said, officials found 184 documents bearing classification markings, including some suggesting they contained information from highly sensitive human sources. Several had what appeared to be Trump’s handwritten notes, the affidavit says.
The FBI has spent months investigating how the documents made their way from the White House to Mar-a-Lago, whether any other classified records might exist at the property. The bureau also has tried to identify the person or people “who may have removed or retained classified information without authorization and/or in an unauthorized space,” the affidavit states.
So far the FBI has interviewed a “significant number of civilian witnesses,” according to a Justice Department brief unsealed Friday, and is seeking “further information” from them. The FBI has not identified all “potential criminal confederates nor located all evidence related to its investigation.”
___
WILL ANYONE BE CHARGED?
It’s hard to say at this point. To get a search warrant, federal agents must persuade a judge that probable cause exists to believe there’s evidence of a crime at the location they want to search.
But search warrants aren’t automatic precursors to a criminal prosecution and they certainly don’t signal that charges are imminent.
The laws at issue are felonies that carry prison sentences.
One law, involving the mishandling of national defense information, has been used in recent years in the prosecution of a government contractor who stowed reams of sensitive records at his Maryland home (he was sentenced to nine years in prison) and a National Security Agency employee who transmitted classified information to someone who was not authorized to receive it (the case is pending).
Attorney General Merrick Garland hasn’t revealed his thinking on the matter. Asked last month about Trump in the context of a separate investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, he responded that “no person is above the law.”
___
WHAT HAS TRUMP ARGUED?
Trump, irate over the records investigation, issued a statement Friday saying that he and his team have cooperated with the Justice Department and that his representatives “GAVE THEM MUCH.”
That’s at odds with the portrayal of the Trump team in the affidavit and the fact that the FBI search occurred despite warnings months earlier that the documents were not being properly stored and that there was no safe location for them anywhere in Mar-a-Lago.
A letter made public as part of the affidavit forecasts the arguments the Trump legal team intends to advance as the investigation proceeds. The May 25 letter from lawyer M. Evan Corcoran to Jay Bratt, the head of the Justice Department’s counterintelligence, articulates a robust, expansive view of executive power.
Corcoran asserted that it was a “bedrock principle” that a president has absolute authority to declassify documents — though he doesn’t actually say that Trump did so. He also said the primary law governing the mishandling of classified information doesn’t apply to the president.
The statute that he cited in the letter was not among the ones the affidavit suggests that Justice Department is basing its investigation on. And in a footnote in the affidavit, an FBI agent observed that the law about national defense information does not use the term classified information.
___
WHAT HAS THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION SAID?
The White House has been notably circumspect about the investigation, with officials repeatedly saying they will let the Justice Department do its job.
National security spokesman John Kirby, responding to a question this week about whether the administration would do a damage assessment about the sensitive secrets at Mar-a-Lago, responded that he didn’t want to get ahead of the FBI.
President Joe Biden appeared Friday to mock the idea that Trump could have simply declassified all the documents in his possession, telling reporters, “I just want you to know I’ve declassified everything in the world. I’m president I can do — c’mon!”
He then said he would “let the Justice Department take care of it.”
____
Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP
___
Find more on Donald Trump-related investigations: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbko.com/2022/08/27/trump-search-what-may-come-next-inquiry-with-legal-peril/ | 2022-08-27T16:16:39Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/2022/08/27/trump-search-what-may-come-next-inquiry-with-legal-peril/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Speaking of Andy Cohen, the executive producer of Real Housewives of Atlanta is relieved that former cast member NeNe Leakes has dropped her racial discrimination lawsuit against him, Bravo, and other executives.
According to People, the 54-year-old "dismisses this action and all claims asserted by Leakes without prejudice." Leakes will be able to re-file the lawsuit if she wishes.
In April, Leakes filed a lawsuit against Bravo, NBCUniversal, production companies True Entertainment and Truly Original, executives from the companies, and Cohen. She alleged that they allowed a racist and hostile work environment.
Radar Online reported that court documents detailed a cast trip to Spain during the 10th season where family members or husbands were not invited. The suit claimed exceptions were made for the more “favorable” cast members.
“These were the rules, and they were supposed to apply to everyone,” the suit read.
“But, as often happened, a second set of more favorable rules seemed to apply to white [cast member] Kim Zolciak-Biermann.”
Sources: That Grape Juice, New York Post, CBS News, People, Radar Online | https://www.stlamerican.com/arts_and_entertainment/hot_sheet/nene-leakes-drops-racial-discrimination-lawsuit-against-bravo/article_f343564c-2602-11ed-9dbd-0f54b76c9a40.html | 2022-08-27T16:25:15Z | stlamerican.com | control | https://www.stlamerican.com/arts_and_entertainment/hot_sheet/nene-leakes-drops-racial-discrimination-lawsuit-against-bravo/article_f343564c-2602-11ed-9dbd-0f54b76c9a40.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) – A Republican super PAC aligned with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is canceling advertisements in Arizona less than three months out from the midterm elections, a possible sign of problems for the Trump-backed GOP candidate challenging Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).
The Senate Leadership Fund called off its advertisement reservations that were set to air in Arizona between Sept. 6 and Oct. 3, according to AdImpact.
The cancellation totaled about $8 million, according to Politico, which is roughly half of what the PAC had initially planned to run in the Grand Canyon State. Advertisements from the group are now set to begin in the beginning of October instead of early fall.
The decrease in advertising money comes as Republican Senate nominee Blake Masters continues to struggle in his bid against Kelly, who remains ahead in FiveThirtyEight’s average of polls, 50.3% to 42%.
Former President Trump and GOP mega-donor Peter Thiel both support Masters’ candidacy, but other Republicans feared he would be a weaker opponent to Kelly.
Senate Leadership Fund President Steven Law said the change was in part due to the $28 million ad buy the PAC made in Ohio last week to bolster Republican nominee J.D. Vance, who is running against Rep. Tim Ryan (D) for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Rob Portman (R).
Ryan and Vance appear to be in a close race in Ohio, a state the GOP had hoped would be more safely in its grasp.
“We’re leaving the door wide open in Arizona, but we want to move additional resources to other offensive opportunities that have become increasingly competitive, as well as an unexpected expense in Ohio,” Law told Politico.
“We think the fundamentals of this election strongly favor Republicans, we see multiple paths to winning the majority, and we are going to invest heavily and strategically to achieve that goal,” he added.
The super PAC is also slashing advertising in Alaska, where Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is running for reelection, according to Politico. The incumbent advanced to the general election, along with Trump-backed candidate Kelly Tshibaka.
Murkowski secured roughly 44% of the vote, while Tshibaka won 39% support.
The advertising dollar decrease in Alaska — roughly $1.7 million, according to Politico — is a sign that the party is confident with the incumbent’s odds, Law said. The super PAC’s ads supporting the candidate are set to begin on Sept. 20.
“We are all-in for Senator Murkowski. Senator Murkowski is in a very strong position and based on that decided to push back our start date,” Law told Politico.
The shift in advertisement funding comes as odds of flipping the Senate red in November appear to be diminishing.
In Kentucky last week, McConnell told reporters Republicans had a better chance of winning control of the House than the Senate, pointing to “candidate quality” — a veiled reference to Masters, Vance and Trump-backed nominees in Pennsylvania and Georgia.
“I think there’s probably a greater likelihood the House flips than the Senate. Senate races are just different — they’re statewide, candidate quality has a lot to do with the outcome,” McConnell said when asked about his midterm expectations.
“Right now, we have a 50-50 Senate and a 50-50 country, but I think when all is said and done this fall, we’re likely to have an extremely close Senate, either our side up slightly or their side up slightly,” he added.
The statement came in stark contrast to McConnell’s comments in November, when he said the midterm races would be “very good” for Republicans.
According to FiveThirtyEight, Democrats are favored to win control of the upper chamber over Republicans, 65% to 35%. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/gop-super-pac-canceling-ads-in-arizona-alaska/ | 2022-08-27T16:26:47Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/gop-super-pac-canceling-ads-in-arizona-alaska/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) – T-Mobile will partner with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and use the company’s Starlink satellites to provide mobile networks for cellphone users in remote areas, both companies announced at an event Thursday.
At SpaceX’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Musk and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said the rollout would have a huge impact on enhancing cellphone service in rural, hard-to-reach areas.
Before they spoke, the company executives previewed a video featuring mobile phone users who voiced concerns about the lack of cellphone reception in rural, remote regions of the U.S. Some explained how their lives could be endangered in the event an accident occurs and they are unable to call for help.
Sievert said expanding network coverage into those remote areas is “important for safety, important for connectivity” and “important for all of us.”
“We have all — every single one of us — driven down that windy, country road through the hills and dales, beyond the reach of any cellular network,” the T-Mobile CEO said. “This partnership is about imagining a different future … where if you have a clear view of the sky, you are connected on your mobile phone.”
T-Mobile will enter a beta phase in late 2023 with Starlink strictly for messaging and texting apps, but the effort will eventually phase into more cellular services. T-Mobile also announced its intention to spread the service to rural areas across the globe.
Musk’s Starlink satellites are designed to connect high-speed internet to rural areas. The company has around 2,000 satellites currently in orbit above Earth.
Providers like T-Mobile generally use cell towers to provide network service to cellphones, so the technology of linking satellites for mobile network coverage is entirely new.
On Thursday, Musk said T-Mobile’s network coverage will be powered by a second-generation Starlink satellite with large, “extremely advanced” antennas. The satellites will only connect to cellphones when they enter a dead zone not covered by a cell tower.
T-Mobile, which recently acquired Sprint and is the second-largest carrier in the U.S., said the satellite service will be included for free in most plans provided by the company.
Musk said the goal of both companies was to save lives and ensure there are “no more dead zones” across the world.
“I hope the public understands the magnitude of the announcement,” the SpaceX CEO said. “This is a really massive game changer.” | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/t-mobile-partners-with-spacex-to-use-starlink-satellites-for-mobile-network-access/ | 2022-08-27T16:27:06Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/t-mobile-partners-with-spacex-to-use-starlink-satellites-for-mobile-network-access/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Olympic javelin champion Neeraj Chopra, who became the first Indian to win a Diamond League meet with an 89.08m throw in Lausanne on Friday night, said his win was an important moment for his country.
The 24-year-old launched the winning throw with his first attempt and finished comfortably ahead of second-placed Jakub Valdeich (85.88m). His result also helped him qualify for the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
Chopra was delighted to win on his comeback from a groin injury, which he picked up while bagging silver at the World Championships in Eugene and subsequently forced him to skip the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
"This win is very important for our country," Chopra said.
"I had to skip Commonwealth Games due to groin injury and I felt that I will have to end the season. But there wasn't much pain, so I had the belief that I will recover before the tournament."
Chopra has also qualified for the Diamond League finals in Zurich scheduled for September 7 to 8.
"It's only 10 days, I don't have much time to do more or train extra. The focus will be to end the season on a positive note without any injury," Chopra, whose personal best record is 89.94m, said.
"It's been a great year for me so far. I have gone over 89m thrice out of the five competitions... So, the performance has been consistent and now the focus is on doing well in Zurich.
"Yes, everyone has been asking about 90m throw, it will happen when the time comes, I don't have any pressure about it as such,” Chopra added. | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/other-sports/2022/08/27/focus-is-to-do-well-in-diamond-league-finals-says-neeraj-chopra.amp.html | 2022-08-27T16:28:18Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/other-sports/2022/08/27/focus-is-to-do-well-in-diamond-league-finals-says-neeraj-chopra.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
T’yanna Wallace, daughter of the late Notorious B.I.G., posted her boyfriend Tyshawn Baldwin’s $1 million bond after he was arrested in an alleged hit-and-run accident which left three people injured, including a mother and her toddler.
Baldwin, the father of Wallace’s infant daughter, allegedly fled police during a traffic stop in Queens, New York, and then crashed into a group of pedestrians. He surrendered to police six days later and was arrested.
A $1 million bond was ordered for Baldwin by Judge Scott Dunn. Paperwork reportedly shows Wallace placed her $1.5 million Brooklyn home as bond to obtain Baldwin’s release.
Baldwin was arraigned on 17 counts including first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, and endangering the welfare of a child
He could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.
Wallace is one of B.IG.’s two children. The late rapper’s other child is Chris Wallace, also known as C.J. Wallace.
Read the full story on New York Post’s website. | https://www.stlamerican.com/arts_and_entertainment/hot_sheet/notorious-b-i-g-s-daughter-posts-1-million-bond-for-boyfriend-father-s-daughter/article_2ae929ca-2601-11ed-9709-5fb9bd4382c2.html | 2022-08-27T16:29:16Z | stlamerican.com | control | https://www.stlamerican.com/arts_and_entertainment/hot_sheet/notorious-b-i-g-s-daughter-posts-1-million-bond-for-boyfriend-father-s-daughter/article_2ae929ca-2601-11ed-9709-5fb9bd4382c2.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Seeing successful people who look like them and hail from the same neighborhood can play a pivotal role in Black youths' lives.
A collaboration between The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis Learning and Engagement department and GatewayGIS titled Neighborhood Banner Project: Learning St. Louis History Through Design, honors present and past historic Black icons from north St. Louis communities.
Its mission is to educate North St. Louis students about significant Black figures, community monuments, and digital graphic design.
Eight banners are featured in the exhibition, which faces the museum’s west corridor.
Entertainer and activist Josephine Baker, Congresswoman Maxine Waters, Griot Museum of Black History Founder Lois Conley and Negro League Baseball star and Baseball hall of Fame member James “Cool Papa” Bell are representatives of three north St. Louis city neighborhoods: Carr Square, Covenant Blu Grand Center, and JeffVanderLou.
Local middle school and high school students designed and created the banners with the assistance of resident teaching artists with connections to their selected neighborhoods.
Rosalind “Roz” Norman, the founder of GatewayGIS, an organization that exposes marginalized communities to STEAM education, said inspiration for the project came from a short video documentary about the 1999 opening of the then-new Vashon High School.
She said the video displayed community pride and quoted late activist and educator Norman Seay.
“I remember Norman talking about our children needing to develop a sense of belonging to community pride in knowing there have been many outstanding leaders from JeffVanderLou and other nearby predominantly Black neighborhoods in north St. Louis,” Norman said.
Norman, The Gateway GIS Founder who was born in Homer G. Phillips Hospital and raised in The Ville and the JVL, said her labor of love for GatewayGIS comes from aspirations of making emerging and geospatial technology, resources, and education accessible to Black youth.
“I love providing a backdrop of career education efforts to engage our children, their parents, and families in north St. Louis,” she said.
LM Flowers, who assisted Carr Lane Middle School students with their Conley banner, which will be displayed in the St. Louis Place Neighborhood, said she wasn’t knowledgeable about the chosen hero, but is glad she was selected for their involvement.
“It was pretty cool to learn more about Conely’s life, her aspirations, and why she opened the Griot Museum,” Flowers said.
Flowers said she enjoys teaching art and connecting young people to the creative form.
“Seeing the students’ aspirations for art is exhilarating for me because I have a profound love for art,” Flowers said.
Kevin McCoy assisted students from Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club in the creation of designing Bell for the JeffVanderLou neighborhood.
“So many times in the past we’ve seen things that don’t reflect people that look like us, our past, our history, and our heritage,” McCoy said.
“There has been whitewashed history, redacted history, and buried history. The Banner Project helps to eliminate those biases by us all working together in collaboration celebrating people that look like us from our backyards in our city.”
The designs are the aftermath of two years of planning, teaching, and collaboration with local organizations and schools near the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency west campus. The students’ work will display on the outside of the museum, facing North Spring Avenue, through September 18, 2022.
At the end of the exhibition, a set of the banners will be distributed to classrooms, and another will be gifted to St. Louis 3rd Ward Alderman Brandon Bosley for future public display. | https://www.stlamerican.com/arts_and_entertainment/living_it/community-pride/article_c75142aa-2400-11ed-92aa-5fcdc1531767.html | 2022-08-27T16:29:22Z | stlamerican.com | control | https://www.stlamerican.com/arts_and_entertainment/living_it/community-pride/article_c75142aa-2400-11ed-92aa-5fcdc1531767.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Childhood obesity is a health concern throughout America, and Black children are more at risk.
23% of Black children and adolescents between 7 and 16 years old are obese, compared to 15.5% White children, according to U.S Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health statistics.
People who are overweight are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure, elevated levels of blood fats, diabetes, and LDL cholesterol. This greatly increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.
September is Childhood Obesity Month, and the Childhood Obesity FamFun3k Walk returns at 10 a.m. Saturday Sept. 10, 2022, at Lincoln Park in East St. Louis, 605 S. 15th Street.
Now in its sixth year, the walk helps families “move into a healthier lifestyle by connecting the African American community to health and wellness resources,” said “Coach” Melody McClellan, Unwrap You and I Am ESTL Foundation founder.
In 2018, African Americans were 20% less likely to engage in active physical activity as compared to white Americans.
“The FamFun3k walk has served thousands in the community, providing education and fundraising to fight childhood obesity in the Metro East,” McClellan said.
“The FamFun3k Walk donated $14,500 to three Illinois and Missouri programs. The walk will have participants moving in-person or virtually in three continents and 20 states to help reduce childhood obesity.”
The FamFun3k Walk is sponsored by 96.3, SIHF Healthcare, Touchette Regional Hospital, and Hot 104.1. For additional information, contact McClellan at (314) 740-3285 or email unwrapyou@gmail.com. | https://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/esl-famfun3k-walk-helps-corral-childhood-obesity/article_03df1102-2596-11ed-b854-67a4d4ea15b8.html | 2022-08-27T16:29:28Z | stlamerican.com | control | https://www.stlamerican.com/news/local_news/esl-famfun3k-walk-helps-corral-childhood-obesity/article_03df1102-2596-11ed-b854-67a4d4ea15b8.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Here’s what we learned, what we heard and what comes next after the Chargers completed their preseason with a 27-10 loss Friday to the Saints in New Orleans that gave them a 0-3 record in exhibition play:
TURNING THE PAGE
The Chargers hardly played any of their starters in their exhibition losses against the Rams, Dallas Cowboys and Saints, so it was sometimes difficult to determine what sort of team they had going into the regular-season opener Sept. 11 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
On paper, they look great.
But since the games aren’t played on paper, it was often a chore to determine how the Chargers might look when they play against the Raiders at SoFi Stadium. Some players, especially wide receiver Michael Bandy, stood out. But some others did not in any meaningful way.
Training camp and the exhibition games were more about evaluation, according to Chargers coach Brandon Staley.
“I think there is a lot to be decided here, especially at the back half of our team,” Staley told reporters Friday in New Orleans. “We have to make sure that we take a good, hard look at it. Then we have to take a look at the rest of the NFL. That’s what we’re going to try and do, try to put our best group together.
“Then you also know that it’s never over. It’s a long season. But I like this football team. I think that we’re a lot better football team than we were at the beginning of training camp. Now, we’re ready for what’s next.”
So, how did the evaluations go?
“I like the way that we came together as a football team,” Staley said. “I think that our team has improved from the first day of practice (July 27) until now. I think that we got full evaluations, which is what we were after in these three preseason games. Now, we’re ready to get on with it.”
TOUGH DECISIONS
Bandy caught 18 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns in three exhibitions, leading the Chargers in receiving. He also returned kickoffs and punts and generally made it difficult for the coaches to cut him before the final 53-man rosters must be submitted to the league Tuesday.
Running back Joshua Kelley stated his case to be the Chargers’ backup running back behind Austin Ekeler by gaining a team-leading 40 yards on six carries in the first half Friday against the Saints. He was in competition for the job with several others, including rookie Isaiah Spiller.
Safety JT Woods’ athleticism was difficult to miss during camp and exhibition games, but he missed a number of tackles after getting into prime position to make them. It was a bit of a head scratcher for Woods, who was the Chargers’ third-round draft pick after a standout career at Baylor.
EASY DECISION
Right guard Zion Johnson, the Chargers’ first-round draft pick, didn’t play many downs in the preseason, but he was impressive in joint practices with the Cowboys. He follows in the sizable footsteps left tackle Rashawn Slater made during his rookie season in 2021.
WHAT COMES NEXT?
The Chargers must trim their roster from 80 players down to 53 before Tuesday’s deadline. Then they’ll have less than two weeks to prepare for their season-opening game against the Raiders. Some cuts will be harder to make than others, but moves must be made nevertheless.
So, who goes and who stays?
Bandy is most likely the odd man out in a deep wide receiving corps. Woods probably makes the team in a secondary loaded with talented players. Chase Daniel and Easton Stick are likely to join Justin Herbert as the Chargers’ quarterbacks, per general manager Tom Telesco’s recent TV interview.
It’s expected that Chris Rumph II will win a camp battle as a backup edge rusher behind Pro Bowl selections Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Rumph made some impressive plays during the exhibition games, including several tackles for losses against the Rams and Cowboys.
All will be revealed sooner rather than later.
Join the Conversation
We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/27/chargers-review-what-we-learned-from-their-exhibition-loss-to-the-saints/ | 2022-08-27T16:30:31Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/27/chargers-review-what-we-learned-from-their-exhibition-loss-to-the-saints/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
One of the main goals of East L.A. College’s Family and Community Engagement Services program is to build trust with families of K-12 students while providing a seamless transition from high school to college.
The program — known as FACES — offers support to parents/caregivers, communities and families of those students in the ELAC service area by giving them opportunities to be involved in the process.
U.S. Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena, knows only too well of the importance of education, and on Friday she presented a check of $200,000 to the program on the campus of Alhambra High of the Alhambra Unified School District, one of ELAC’s partners in the ongoing endeavor.
“As a former educator for over 20 years, I have seen first-hand how higher education serves as a proven pathway to a better future,” Chu said. “However, the college preparation process can be difficult to navigate, particularly for students from underrepresented backgrounds such as first-generation students or those from low-income families.
“This funding for the FACES program will lower the barriers to higher education by providing resources to help students, parents, and families not only prepare for college, but also to succeed once they get there. I was proud to secure this funding through the fiscal year 2022 Congressional appropriations process.”
The 2022 Congressional Community Project Funding process allows members of Congress to request funding for projects that benefit the communities they represent.
After Friday’s ceremony, Chu talked about what she likes most about the program.
“This is such an impressive program that is connecting students as they are in high school to the whole college system, which can be mystifying to many people and especially to parents,” she said. “But it’s really important to have the parents involved for them to really understand what it takes.
“So what is great is that this program is showing these young students the way. And with the partnership with ELAC, they are actually able to get credits so that when they go to college, they’re that far ahead.”
One of the perks of FACES is the Early College Program, or Dual Enrollment, where students can take college classes while still in high school.
For Michael Winn and Madeline Hong, they graduated from Mark Keppel — one of AUSD’s three high schools — with AA degrees from ELAC in general education and entered CSUN as juniors. They are now seniors and looking to graduate from there in June.
Even cooler, they became boyfriend and girlfriend after entering the program as high-school freshmen.
Winn’s parents, Candace and Matt, were on-hand Friday.
“This program helped a lot with maturity for him,” Candace Winn said, of her son. “It helped his confidence. I think just knowing that he’s taking college classes as a 14-year-old was pretty amazing. And he met so many wonderful people.”
“It’s great to make them more responsible in their advance,” said Hong’s mother, Rayna Cheng. “They take their education more seriously because they see how advanced they are. These kids are going to be graduating in June from college. Others are just going to be there as juniors.”
Hong and Michael Winn stood side-by-side Friday. Both were all smiles.
“I do think it’s a great program for high school students to join,” she said, of the early college classes. “It’s just a really good program. You’re going to take two years off your college life and save a lot of money because it’s free. I see it as like a money-saver and a good experience.”
Michael Winn said navigating the situation wasn’t all that difficult.
“There wasn’t that much extra of a workload, to be honest,” he said. “The college classes were actually a little bit easier than the high school classes. I mean, it’s the truth because college professors are so much more laid-back than high-school professors.”
The college classes are given on high-school campuses.
That Hong and Winn became a couple during their time in the program was kind of the cherry on top.
“Yeah, I know, it’s pretty good,” Winn said.
“It’s really interesting because you never know who you’ll end up with or who you’ll end up being friends with,” Hong said.
Alhambra Unified Superintendent Denise Jaramillo believes the FACES program is vital to those looking for higher education.
“The value of Alhambra Unified School District’s partnership with East L.A. College is incalculable,” she said.”Our students are benefitting beyond their wildest dreams from the Dual Enrollment program by being able to graduate with a high school diploma and a no-cost Associate’s degree from ELAC.
“The free program jump-starts the college preparation process for the whole family, setting up students for success, and to go on to 4-year universities as a junior. Families are overjoyed by the cost savings and opportunities, and siblings are excited to follow the lead of our Dual Enrollment students.”
Madeline Hong’s younger brother, Kaiden, a high-school sophomore, is in the program.
ELAC President Alberto J. Roman swears by it.
“I want to thank Congressmember Chu for her continued support of ELAC and our students,” he said. “These funds will help to strengthen our bonds with local high schools. FACES helps to build a college-going culture with not only K-12 students in our service area but also their families.”
Join the Conversation
We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/27/east-l-a-colleges-faces-program-gets-a-boost/ | 2022-08-27T16:30:43Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/27/east-l-a-colleges-faces-program-gets-a-boost/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Islamabad: The Pakistan government has decided to call in the Army to help in the rescue and relief operations after many parts of the country were ravaged by the worst floods in more than a decade that has affected more than 33 million people, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Saturday.
So far 982 people have been killed due to floods across Pakistan. As many as 45 persons died in the last 24 hours, according to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Another 1,456 persons were hurt, with 113 injuries reported in the last 24 hours, it said.
Interior Minister Sanaullah said the armed forces were being deployed in the wake of the biggest floods in more than a decade.
He said the troops have been called in under Article 245 of the Constitution which empowers the government to summon the Army in aid of the civilian administration to deal with an emergency.
A formal notification issued on Friday read that the exact number of troops and area of deployment would be worked out by respective provincial governments in consultation with the military operations directorate and General Headquarters.
The date of de-requisitioning of said deployment will be decided subsequently after mutual consultation among all stakeholders, according to the notification.
The calamity has badly hit the infrastructure of the country with the NDMA reporting that more than 3,161 kilometres of road were damaged and 149 bridges swept away, while 682,139 houses were totally or partially damaged in the floods.
Floods triggered by unprecedented monsoon rains have submerged more than half of the country, leaving more than 5.7 million without shelter and food in 110 districts.
Sindh and Balochistan provinces have been worst hit by the disaster and Pakistan Railway has suspended its operation at several places in the two provinces while Pakistan International Airlines also halted on Friday its flights to Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, due to bad weather.
According to Minister for Environment Sherry Rehman, the country normally witnesses about three to four spells of torrential rains every year.
However, Pakistan has this year so far been hit by eight monsoon spells and more downpour is expected.
The NDMA data shows that during the last 30 years the average rainfall in the monsoon season was 132.3 mm while so far 385.4 mm of rains have been recorded since June 14 -- about 192 per cent more than the previous three decades.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a meeting with a select group of Islamabad-based Ambassadors, High Commissioners, and other senior members of the diplomatic corps ambassador on Friday briefed on the flood situation in the country.
He said that as per the initial damage assessment, the losses caused by the floods were comparable to those Pakistan suffered during the flash floods of 2010-11.
The meeting was attended by Ambassadors and High Commissioners of Australia, Canada, China, Japan, Kuwait, UAE, Turkiye, South Korea, the US, Germany, and senior diplomats of Bahrain, the European Union, France, Oman, Qatar, the UK, and Saudi Arabia.
The Country Representative of the World Food Programme (WFP) was also present at the meeting, according to the Foreign Office.
The Prime Minister said that more than 33 million people had been badly affected by the flash floods and torrential rainfalls.
He said that Pakistan's carbon emission footprint was negligible but it was ranked at the 8th position among the countries exposed to the horrors of climate change.
Noting that climate change has made flooding worse, the Prime Minister emphasised rehabilitation and reconstruction of climate-resilient infrastructure in Pakistan.
Sharif said that given the urgency of the challenge, the government had decided to reach out to friendly countries, donors, and international financial institutions for their continued cooperation at this difficult hour.
He said that the Foreign Office and the NDMA were closely coordinating with the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Islamabad to launch a UN Flash Appeal on August 30.
Speaking on the occasion, foreign diplomats expressed condolences and sympathies to the people and the government on the loss of precious lives and damage to infrastructure in the floods.
They assured the government of their country's continued support to meet the requirements of the rescue and relief operations across Pakistan. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/world/2022/08/27/pakistan-flash-flood-army-relief-work.amp.html | 2022-08-27T16:32:51Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/world/2022/08/27/pakistan-flash-flood-army-relief-work.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Actor Mohanlal has moved the High Court challenging a Perumbavoor court ruling dismissing the state government's plea to withdraw proceedings against him for possessing ivory.
Mohanlal has asked the court to consider the state government's decision in his favour. In early 2020, the state government had issued a no objection certificate to withdrawing the case against Mohanlal.
Krishnakumar, who had handed over the ivory to Mohanlal, has also approached the high court.
Mohanlal's petition says he holds the ownership certificate to possess ivory based on which the assistant public prosecutor had issued a petition to dismiss the case.
The actor has maintained that there is no evidence to implicate him under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Meanwhile, the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court 3, Perumbavoor had dismissed the state's plea on the basis of a PIL against the ownership certificate in Mohanlal's possession.
In 2011, an IT raid at Mohanlal's residence at Thevara had revealed the illegal possession of ivory. The Forest Department had booked the actor under the Wild Life (Protection) Act. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/27/ivory-case-mohanlal-moves-kerala-high-court.amp.html | 2022-08-27T16:41:20Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/27/ivory-case-mohanlal-moves-kerala-high-court.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Updated August 26, 2022 at 6:40 AM ET
You can generally trust that when you flip a light switch in the U.S., the power will come on.
But earlier this year, a forecast by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) predicted much of the country could see blackouts during peak summer demand, when everyone is blasting their air-conditioners.
While major outages haven't happened so far, GOP elected officials and fossil fuel supporters still used the report to bash the shift to renewable power.
" 'Biden blackouts' will make it impossible to run even fans and air conditioners on the hottest days of the summer," said Iowa Republican Sen. Joni Ernst during a speech on Capitol Hill in July, claiming these outages would be the result of "the Democrats' push towards renewables."
Iowa is major producer of wind power, said Ernst, but she accused Democrats of causing energy shortages by restricting oil and gas leases.
Republican Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the top coal-producing state in the country, made a similar argument in a USA Today op-ed. So did Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen, in a piece that also cast doubt on climate change. "Senator Barrasso's opinion column expresses his point of view based on data," said Kristen DelGuzzi, USA TODAY's opinion editor. The Washington Post declined to say how it fact-checked Thiessen's column.
This message is part of an ongoing misinformation campaign, says Dave Anderson of the Energy and Policy Institute, a watchdog group.
The aim is, "To keep alive the idea that we need large amounts of fossil fuels" to back up the grid, he says, despite the scientific consensus that the world must rapidly slow down and stop using them to avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
How disinformation for the fossil fuel industry started spreading
When the power did go out during the big winter storm in Texas last year, killing 246 people, "The disinformation machine for the fossil fuel industry very quickly jumped into action," Anderson says.
He put together a 19-page timeline of how elected officials and advocacy groups began publicly hammering wind power, even before the blackouts started.
The day before the storm, DeAnn Walker, then-chairperson of the Public Utility Commission of Texas, had warned that gas generation plants were having issues and wind turbines were frozen.
But only part of that message was picked up and widely circulated. Photos and tweets about frozen wind turbines flew around social media. Some spreading the message, like the conservative Texas Public Policy Foundation, have received money from coal and gas interests. As the weather worsened, conservative media amplified the message, with segments by Fox News' Tucker Carlson Tonight and Mornings with Maria.
"It's just reaching millions of people in a way that's hard to reach with any sort of fact-check," Anderson says.
This campaign is designed to drown out the truth, says Anderson, "When a situation like this arises that highlights in a enormously public and consequential way how fossil fuels can also fail."
A federal report would later find that natural gas fired plants suffered the majority of outages during the storm, with wind power a distant second.
This pattern repeated again during the summer of 2022, when the grid operator Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) warned the power could go out during a heatwave in July.
"They put out a press release which basically was setting up wind to be the fall guy if there were problems," says Andrew Dessler, professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University.
This time, the power stayed on. ERCOT declined to make anyone available for an interview, but confirmed to Politico that at the same time it warned about wind power, conventional power plants were also down.
The message that renewables were to blame, Dessler says, "It's not honest."
Transitioning to renewable energy is doable but must be done at a managed pace
Jim Robb, CEO of NERC, says there are two main challenges when adding renewables to the grid: Managing times when wind and solar power aren't producing, and converting power from renewable sources to a form that the grid can use.
"This clean energy transition is doable. It needs to be done at a managed pace," he says. Bringing more wind and solar onto the grid, without focusing on how to back it up, could cause outages, Robb says. For now, natural gas is often the power source for times the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining, according to NERC. In the future, it could be batteries, hydrogen power, or another clean energy source.
But, technology exists now to make a renewable grid work better, says Shelley Welton, professor of law and energy policy at the University of Pennsylvania. Solutions like building transmission lines to connect power sources in different parts of the country are a policy challenge, not a scientific one.
Blaming renewables is a distraction, says Welton, "A way to forestall a transition that's underway, but needs to move faster than it is right now."
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/2022-08-24/renewable-energy-is-maligned-by-misinformation-its-a-distraction-experts-say | 2022-08-27T16:41:20Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/2022-08-24/renewable-energy-is-maligned-by-misinformation-its-a-distraction-experts-say | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Actor Mohanlal has moved the High Court challenging a Perumbavoor court ruling dismissing the state government's plea to withdraw proceedings against him for possessing ivory.
Mohanlal has asked the court to consider the state government's decision in his favour. In early 2020, the state government had issued a no objection certificate to withdrawing the case against Mohanlal.
Krishnakumar, who had handed over the ivory to Mohanlal, has also approached the high court.
Mohanlal's petition says he holds the ownership certificate to possess ivory based on which the assistant public prosecutor had issued a petition to dismiss the case.
The actor has maintained that there is no evidence to implicate him under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
Meanwhile, the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court 3, Perumbavoor had dismissed the state's plea on the basis of a PIL against the ownership certificate in Mohanlal's possession.
In 2011, an IT raid at Mohanlal's residence at Thevara had revealed the illegal possession of ivory. The Forest Department had booked the actor under the Wild Life (Protection) Act. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/27/ivory-case-mohanlal-moves-kerala-high-court.html | 2022-08-27T16:41:26Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/27/ivory-case-mohanlal-moves-kerala-high-court.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
It's tough to escape the feeling that Hulu's docuseries Legacy: The True Story of the L.A. Lakers, is the answer to a bunch of questions asked in an entirely different venue.
That's due, at least in part, to the seismic impact earlier this year of HBO's scripted series hit Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, which dramatizes some of the same events featured in Hulu's Legacy — charting the emergence of the Lakers as a championship basketball team and pop culture powerhouse during the "Showtime" era of the 1980s.
Though HBO's series drew viewers and attention, it also sparked a lot of criticism — as everyone from former Lakers star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to former coach Jerry West complained about the unflattering license taken by the producers in depicting their lives.
In particular, Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss came off in HBO's show as a hard-partying doofus, played by star John C. Reilly as a womanizing glad-hander who parlayed a real estate fortune into an unlikely purchase of an NBA team, back when the league was less glamorous and the team wasn't winning championships.
Legacy features lots of excerpts from interviews with Buss, who died in 2013 after a long battle with cancer. Instead of Reilly's disorganized impulsivity, the real-life Buss comes across as a savvy, driven businessman with a doctorate in chemistry and a facility with numbers — whose love for sports and a good time led him to reinvent the Lakers, and by extension the NBA.
Similarly, West is shown in interviews conducted for the docuseries earnestly admitting he was tough on the Lakers' players as a coach — offering a much more low-key demeanor than the volatile, trophy-throwing portrayal by Australian actor Jason Clarke in HBO's series. And Abdul-Jabbar, who often came across as distant and a bit of a jerk on Winning Time, is measured and insightful while answering questions in interviews for Legacy.
A docuseries produced by the Lakers organization
Jeanie Buss, Jerry Buss's daughter and the current Lakers CEO, is an executive producer on Legacy alongside director Antoine Fuqua, whose credits include scripted films like Training Day and the Equalizer films. So it's no surprise that the docuseries features interviews with most every notable figure from the team's history who is still alive, including players like Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal, and Boston Celtics superstar Larry Bird. Interviewees also include former coach Pat Riley, celebrity fans like actor Rob Lowe and musician Flea and all six of Jerry Buss' children, who were working at various positions in the Lakers organization when he died.
It's also no surprise that the docuseries sometimes tiptoes around unflattering controversies, excepting the drama surrounding the Buss family and the children's jockeying for jobs inside his empire. So Legacy doesn't explore Johnson's womanizing – a subject covered extensively in HBO's Winning Time — or offer any insight on how he contracted the HIV virus, which led to his first retirement from basketball.
Still, the segment of Legacy at the end of the fourth episode detailing how Johnson told the team that he had the virus — at a time when such diagnoses were considered a virtual death sentence — is moving. Johnson said he broke down crying with Jerry Buss, who had become a father figure to him, the day they held the press conference to announce his departure from the team in 1991.
"I've only seen my dad cry twice," said Jeanie Buss, who herself cried during her interview recalling when they retired Johnson's jersey after his first departure. "Once when his mother, my grandmother, passed away. And that day."
Moments that move beyond sports trivia
Legacy soars when it tells the kinds of stories that would interest more than hardcore Lakers fans. Riley admits how he let fame and acclaim as the Lakers' coach go to his head. Jeanie Buss details how her father's reputation as a playboy who dated a string of young girlfriends helped torpedo his efforts to buy the Dallas Cowboys football team. Player Byron Scott, raised in a tough neighborhood in Los Angeles, talked about coping with his mother going into rehab for drug addiction during his time on the team.
And there's lots of detail on how Jerry Buss developed the business of basketball, raising ticket prices in prestigious seats to boost revenue, developing the Laker Girls dance squad to add sex appeal to halftime shows while developing a cadre of celebrity fans to turn home games into star-studded events. Paired with the team's fast-paced playing style, Jerry Buss' innovations created an exciting presentation that justified the "Showtime" nickname.
Still Legacy tells its story in the style of most sports documentaries, especially in its early episodes, mixing archival interviews and game footage with contemporary talks filmed specifically for the project. And the decision to make conflict between the Buss siblings a major thread running through the docuseries sometimes results in a lot of time spent telling viewers about people they may not know or care much about.
In the end, Legacy offers some unique insights and emotional stories while exploring how the Buss family turned the risky purchase of a basketball team into a $5 billion empire. It's also a pretty solid retort to some of the excesses in HBO's series.
But given the control the family exerted over the project, you can't help wondering what else got left on the cutting room floor. And how much better this docuseries might be if they had left that stuff in.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/movies-tv/2022-08-15/legacy-offers-a-blander-history-of-the-la-lakers-showtime-era | 2022-08-27T16:41:26Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/movies-tv/2022-08-15/legacy-offers-a-blander-history-of-the-la-lakers-showtime-era | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Some pieces of art in New York's museums will be getting updated signage soon. Earlier this month, Governor Kathy Hochul signed a law that requires museums to disclose if a work of art was stolen by the Nazis. The law is part of a larger effort from the state to honor the memory of Holocaust survivors. Andrea Bayer is the deputy director for collections and administration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and joins us now. Welcome.
ANDREA BAYER: Thank you so much for having me, Ayesha.
RASCOE: Just how common is it for museums to have art that was stolen by Nazis in their collections?
BAYER: Well, the theft of art was rampant under the Nazis, and some of the - at the end of the war, some of the troves of art that were found are staggering in quantity. A great deal of that was restituted to the original families when possible. But in recent decades, there's been a lot of research to see whether there is still art out there in the world that has not been returned to the original owners.
RASCOE: How do you figure that out?
BAYER: First of all, men and women - some of them Met employees, curators - at the end of the war, made inventories of the works that they found that had been stolen by the Nazis. So all over Europe, people were doing this. The Nazis themselves kept very serious inventories, and they can match the pieces to those inventories. Subsequently, large databases have been built up that also help track works of art that were suspected of being stolen or that we know were stolen. And we are able to draw on that knowledge as we do our research.
RASCOE: And so the law in New York now states that museums will need to prominently place a placard or other signage next to the stolen works. How does the Met plan to integrate that rule into, you know, their collections?
BAYER: So we already have on our website fully described 53 works of art that we know were restituted at the end of the war and then subsequently sold or given to us. So it's not a huge number, right? It's a discrete amount of works. They fall into several categories - European paintings, medieval art, European sculpture and decorative arts. And in all of those areas, we are now going to sit down with the curators and define how we can best carry out this new law. What should we be saying? Where should the information go exactly? What kind of information is most valuable? How can we present it in such a way that they read it and understand what are the issues involved because these are complex issues?
RASCOE: Obviously, this law is focused on World War II and Nazis, but there has been a lot of talk in recent years about non-European pieces of art that have been taken from countries in Africa or other places. Is there any thought that's not in this law, but just for the Met, like, how they're thinking about that sort of art?
BAYER: Yes. We have over the last years restituted a number of objects to various different countries, both in Europe and in Asia and elsewhere. And in fact, just on August 15, we restituted two objects to Nepal. It's a similar kind of research. When it is demonstrated to us that an object has been stolen, illegally exported based on our laws and the laws of the country in which it was found, we are very open to the return of those works of art.
RASCOE: And so, I mean, going back to the law at hand, what do you hope that people will take away when they visit the Met and other museums and see this information next to these pieces of art?
BAYER: I think it will make them think about history a lot and how these objects contain within themselves stories that go way beyond just us, to different moments in time, to people's suffering, to people's traumas, and how we hope that when they have come to the Metropolitan Museum, that they've found a good home.
RASCOE: Andrea Bayer, deputy director of collections and Administration at the Met, thank you so much for being with us.
BAYER: Thank you so much for having me and for a wonderful conversation. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-arts-culture/npr-arts-culture/2022-08-21/new-york-art-museums-must-now-disclose-if-a-piece-was-stolen-by-nazis | 2022-08-27T16:41:51Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-arts-culture/npr-arts-culture/2022-08-21/new-york-art-museums-must-now-disclose-if-a-piece-was-stolen-by-nazis | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
For millions of children across America, August means back to school. And for families, that also means getting new school supplies - notebooks, backpacks, calculators - all of these expenses can add up. And with household budgets already stretched by high inflation, back-to-school shopping can be a struggle. One of those parents trying to manage all these costs is Tomicia Gray. She's a mother of two students and joins us now from Charlotte, NC. Welcome.
TOMICIA GRAY: Thank you so much for having me.
RASCOE: So tell me about your kids first. What grades are they in?
GRAY: Yes, I have a 10th grader. She's 15 years old. And I also have a 13-year-old. He's now in the 8th grade. So this is his last year of middle school.
RASCOE: OK. So those are older kids. And I feel like with older kids, a lot of times, some of their school supplies can be more. You got to buy, like, T-85 calculators? That's what we used to have to get.
GRAY: Yes. We're talking about $100 for a calculator that these kids must have. School supplies alone is expensive. We're talking about several notebooks, several packs of paper, pencils, pens, markers for some things, then, of course, masks, disinfecting wipes, Kleenex, disinfectant spray, hand sanitizer - things like that.
RASCOE: So how are you making ends meet? I understand that you lost your job during the pandemic. Like, how are things going for you now?
GRAY: Yes, I did. I'm a certified nursing assistant. I've been that for ten years now. And, oh, I tell you, I lost my job. We were literally down to my income at that time. I was, you know, engaged to be married. I was in a relationship. So it just was - it was rough. Now, I am a single mom and had to start all over at the age of 34 with two teenagers - and can eat you out of a house and a home. You know, I'm not just worried about school supplies. I'm also worried about school clothes alone. My son - he's a basketball player. So, of course, he's going to want nice shoes. And then my daughter, again, she's in high school, so she's going to want nice shoes, too.
RASCOE: Are you able to get them the clothes and the shoes that they want?
GRAY: Honestly, no, I'm not. I'm reaching out right now to churches that could possibly help when it comes to, you know, donations in that area. I had now just picked up a shift because it's getting a little bit better when it comes to going back into work into the field. But I'm also a full-time Lyft driver, too. So I have to work two jobs right now.
RASCOE: Are you worried about having to sacrifice other areas of your budget to make things work?
GRAY: To make ends meet? Yes. Yes, absolutely. I don't want to do that. You know, as a mom, you never want to tell your children - and I'm about to get emotional behind this one - but you never want to tell your children no. You want to be able to say, yes, I got it. Yes, you have it. Yes, I can do it. Ever since I had these children, it's been me, you know? I just wish that there was more help financial wise when it comes to, what if I can't pay a bill this month?
RASCOE: Tomicia, have you gotten all the supplies that you need for school at this point?
GRAY: No, actually, I haven't. I haven't even started us getting their bookbags, so I'm pressed for time.
RASCOE: When does school start?
GRAY: August 25. And I don't get paid until Friday. So yeah, I'm pretty much in a hole.
RASCOE: Have you received any support from your kids' schools?
GRAY: No, they didn't even have any money to do back-to-school drives this year. They're in the same situations or predicament as us because they're not getting the funding that they need from the government to be able to help out those parents like myself who are in need.
RASCOE: You talked about, you know, wanting your kids to be able to, you know, enjoy things. Like, are they in extracurricular activities? I know that can also add up.
GRAY: They were. My son - like I said, he played basketball. But unfortunately, I'm one of the parents not able to come up with the money that was needed on time. And so all summer long, my son has been in the house. And then, you know, my daughter - she's really good at art. You know, for that, too, you need - if you're drawing - and she loves to draw - you need the utensils. You need the - you know, the notebooks. I wasn't able to do that for her. She wanted to do a cosmetology - it was, like, a three-day camp. And the pricing for it was $400. So yeah.
RASCOE: Yeah, that's a lot. That's a bill. That's a big bill. Many Americans, like you said - they're feeling this pain that you're feeling. Like, do you have advice or thoughts for other parents that might be struggling like you are?
GRAY: Just don't give up. You just never know when that help will come. Definitely reach out to churches. Definitely even try to reach out to the schools because you just never know. Just stay encouraged because that's what I'm doing. I'm having to pick up two jobs, and I wish that on nobody. I wish that on nobody. But I'm doing what I have to do until I can do what I want to do.
RASCOE: Tomicia Gray, single mom to two kids who are heading back to school. Thank you so very much for talking with us.
GRAY: Yes, thank you so much for having me. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-business-money/npr-business-money/2022-08-21/back-to-school-stress-is-amplified-by-inflation-affecting-the-cost-of-supplies | 2022-08-27T16:42:28Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-business-money/npr-business-money/2022-08-21/back-to-school-stress-is-amplified-by-inflation-affecting-the-cost-of-supplies | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
States holding primaries today include Florida. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is seeking a second term. He barely won the first time four years ago, but has since made himself one of his party's national figures, fighting culture wars and showing up in 2024 presidential polls. But in order to position himself for the presidency, he would first have to win reelection, and Democrats are choosing his challenger. One is considered progressive and the other is a former Republican. Cathy Carter from our member station WUSF in Tampa reports.
CATHY CARTER, BYLINE: Florida's Democratic primary pits the state's agriculture commissioner, Nikki Fried, against U.S. Congressman Charlie Crist, a former Republican governor of Florida. Crist left the party in 2010 to run as an independent against Marco Rubio for the U.S. Senate. He made another run for governor in 2014, this time as a Democrat, but lost to now U.S. Senator Republican Rick Scott. Crist won his seat to the U.S. House in 2016 and has been a reliable vote for the Democratic Party's agenda ever since, as one of his campaign ads highlights.
(SOUNDBITE OF POLITICAL AD)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Newspapers across Florida have endorsed Charlie Crist, the Democrat with the best chance of defeating DeSantis. Crist has been a solid pro-choice vote. Crist is the only choice for governor.
CARTER: In recent days, new polls show Fried has narrowed the lead Crist has held for most of the Democratic primary campaign. A lawyer and former lobbyist for the medical marijuana industry has positioned herself as something new for Florida.
(SOUNDBITE OF POLITICAL AD)
NIKKI FRIED: I'm Nikki Fried. I'm your only statewide elected Democrat, only pro-choice Democrat, only Democrat to have never taken a dime from the NRA. I'll beat Ron DeSantis and be a governor you can finally be proud of.
CARTER: That reference to being, quote, "the only pro-choice candidate" has been a focus of the Fried campaign. She frequently hammers Crist over his past support for conservative policies, including on abortion. In July, Florida's new 15-week abortion ban went into effect. That, coupled with the U.S. Supreme Court's overturning of Roe v. Wade, has been a focal point of this primary. The candidates sparred over the issue in a recent debate. First, here's Crist.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
CHARLIE CRIST: Why do Republicans like Ron DeSantis not honor and respect a woman's right to choose? A woman's right to choose is at stake. I'm for it. I'll fight for it.
FRIED: You know, Charlie, I'm definitely not going to let you rewrite history. That is not accurate. He did veto a piece of legislation after he left the Republican Party, not because he saw the light, but because he saw the polls.
CARTER: Crist has voted consistently in favor of abortion rights while in Congress. But as Florida's one-time governor, he appointed several conservative judges to Florida's Supreme Court, which is expected to hear a legal challenge to Florida's ban. Crist supporters, meanwhile, have been highlighting some of Fried's connections to GOP politicians, including donating to several Republican candidates when she was a lobbyist and for a cordial working relationship she once had with Florida Congressman and Trump loyalist Matt Gaetz. But William March, a political analyst who has covered state politics for 30 years with several Florida newspapers, says when people cast their ballots today, they'll likely have another politician top of mind.
WILLIAM MARCH: For a lot of Democrats, electability against Ron DeSantis is the big issue, maybe the biggest issue, particularly for primary voters.
CARTER: DeSantis is believed to be eyeing a presidential run in 2024 and is known nationally for his increasingly hard-right stances on education, voting and abortion. And for Crist and Fried, defeating the incumbent will be an uphill battle. Florida Republicans have about 230,000 more registered voters than Democrats. Even so, March says he thinks reports that Democrats can't win in Florida are exaggerated, especially since the state also has about 4 million voters who are not affiliated with either party.
MARCH: A lot of the races have been very close - so have the presidential races - and voters have gone for progressive issues, like medical marijuana and restoring felon voting rights. And there is no question that abortion is affecting voters. I'm seeing it generate activism, even in local races.
CARTER: In the final days of the campaign, Crist and Fried have found something in common. Each claims they're the only candidate who can defeat DeSantis.
For NPR News, I'm Cathy Carter in Tampa. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-politics/2022-08-23/2-democrats-compete-for-the-chance-to-unseat-florida-gov-desantis-in-november | 2022-08-27T16:43:17Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-politics/2022-08-23/2-democrats-compete-for-the-chance-to-unseat-florida-gov-desantis-in-november | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
RACHEL MARTIN, HOST:
States holding primaries today include the state of Florida, one of the biggest.
STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
And the primary captures even more attention because of who's on the ballot there. Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is seeking a second term. He's made himself one of his party's national figures, fighting culture wars and showing up in 2024 presidential polls. But before he could run for that office, he would have to win reelection as governor. And Democrats are choosing his challenger today. Charlie Crist is a former governor and also a former Republican.
(SOUNDBITE OF POLITICAL AD)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: I remember when we had a governor who knew his job was to look out for our jobs.
CHARLIE CRIST: I remember that governor, too, 'cause that governor was me.
INSKEEP: Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried says she is more progressive.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
NIKKI FRIED: Want to know the difference between me and Charlie Crist? It's not just that I'm pro-choice and he's pro-life. Look at our records on criminal justice.
MARTIN: OK, so a former Republican and a progressive Democrat. For more on this race, we're joined by Insider's Kimberly Leonard. Kimberly, thanks for joining us this morning.
KIMBERLY LEONARD: Good morning.
MARTIN: How do things look down there?
LEONARD: You know, polls show that Congressman Crist is expected to win the Democratic nomination for governor today. He's actually a former Republican and political independent, but he's positioned himself as a unifier in this race. It's kind of similar to how Joe Biden did when he successfully ran for president. Crist's message really seems to be resonating against DeSantis, someone a lot of people view as divisive. Now, having said that, if Fried does pull off an upset victory today, then she could be on track to become Florida's first female governor. She's a lifelong Democrat, and she's consistently supported abortion rights, and that's an issue that can mobilize voters in a post-Roe America.
MARTIN: Interesting that the polling is so clear before people actually go out there and fill out their ballots. So I know this race has also been especially expensive, right? What can you tell us about campaign spending?
LEONARD: That's right. Well, you know, DeSantis is one of the most famous Republicans in America right now, and that's helped him pull in big-dollar donors from all over the country. Just to put the numbers in perspective - he raised $142 million from the beginning of 2021 until early August. And that's an astounding amount of money, especially for a governor's race. He could even set a new national record when it comes to this kind of fundraising.
MARTIN: But, I mean, let's assume that Crist does well and faces DeSantis. I mean, how well-positioned is he in a general election? I mean, sure, he used to be a Republican, but he's still running as a Democrat, and Florida has been considered a swing state for a long time, but, I mean, isn't that changing? Isn't it solidly red these days?
LEONARD: You know, it is, and it has changed in a very short amount of time. For example, if you look at 2018, DeSantis only won the governor's race by about 32,000 votes. That's less than half a percentage point. Looking ahead to November, analysts really are predicting that he could sail to victory. We're talking even by double digits. And that's something that really just hasn't happened in Florida. But one of the main reasons why they think there's such a difference now is because Republicans have really been out-registering Democrats. And at this point, they have 231,000 more Republican votes. And so if you talk to analysts down here in Florida, they'll really tell you, yes, Florida is a red state now.
MARTIN: There are new voting laws in Florida. What can you tell us about them?
LEONARD: That's right. There are several new voting restrictions in Florida. There's the voter absentee rules which require voters to request ballots every election. That's instead of what it was before, where they could request one for two election cycles. And then there was an election police unit that last week announced it was arresting 20 people who fraudulently voted during the last election. But to put that in context, 11 million people in Florida voted during the last election. So critics point out that having only 20 fraudulent votes compared to those numbers show that voter fraud is very rare.
MARTIN: Insider's Kimberly Leonard. Thank you.
LEONARD: Thanks for having me.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
MARTIN: International inspectors have not been able to secure a nuclear power plant occupied by Russian troops. It is still in a battle zone.
INSKEEP: We've seen images of this plant since the start of the war in Ukraine. Russian soldiers, you may recall, fought their way in. They're now defending that area as Ukrainian troops push back. During all of that time, the plant has been operating. Civilians go to work there every day.
MARTIN: NPR's Ashley Westerman talked to a former employee of the nuclear power plant who worked there for months after Russians took it over, and she joins us now. Ashley, introduce us to this person.
ASHLEY WESTERMAN, BYLINE: Yeah, So I spoke with 32-year-old Andriy Tuz. He's a 10-year veteran at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant and has done a number of jobs throughout the years. But last year he got an offer to join the PR team as deputy, and he said yes. And then he actually became head of PR on February 24. And he says everything changed on March 3, when Russian tanks started rolling through the plant's checkpoints.
MARTIN: And he was there, right?
WESTERMAN: Yes or, rather, he was home in Enerhodar, which is the village closest to the plant. The village was attacked on March 3 and then the plant that night.
ANDRIY TUZ: (Through interpreter) There was shooting. Not only the tanks were shooting, I also saw some incoming missiles above the city. Heard explosions that sounded just like the crackle of fireworks.
WESTERMAN: And there were dozens of military vehicles about, and Tuz says many of the plant's buildings were hit by gunfire that night. And while it was scary, he and others who worked there actually figured they were in the safest place because they couldn't imagine either side attacking the area.
MARTIN: Wow. I can't imagine the stress of that. I mean, what did he tell you about working at the plant?
WESTERMAN: Tuz says that in the first days, even the first months, the Russians did not interfere in their work. They weren't allowed in their workplace or to approach the staff. But then things changed.
TUZ: (Through interpreter) Russian soldiers started making the rounds and were forcing their way to the workplaces of the Ukrainian staff.
WESTERMAN: He says it's not like they were interfering in the day-to-day operations, Rachel, but just having those soldiers around had a big psychological impact on the workers and their families. It's just a big emotional upheaval. And he says the plant went from some 11,500 personnel before the war down to 1,200 to 1,800 now, which has put even more pressure on those who have decided to stay.
MARTIN: Yeah, I imagine. Has any of this affected the actual operation of the plant?
WESTERMAN: So the plant, he says, has been running. The water stayed on, but there is no internet and very, very little phone service. But what's most problematic is that the Russians have also parked and moved a lot of military equipment and munitions in or near the complex.
TUZ: (Through interpreter) Tanks and military vehicles were also constantly moving. Sometimes they were next to the power units. The staff didn't know what to do. They had their rounds to make. They needed to check the equipment, but there was a tank right in front of it.
WESTERMAN: Tuz went to work every day for four months, but things just got progressively worse and worse as time went on.
MARTIN: And he has since escaped Ukraine. Does he still keep in contact with people he knew who are working at the plant?
WESTERMAN: Yes. And he's actually now in Switzerland. He says he still keeps in touch with his fellow workers at the plant.
TUZ: (Through interpreter) They're made to stay at their workplace overtime during shelling. They don't have a normal work schedule, and much fewer people are available now. They don't have backup in case someone gets ill. There's enough staff, but it's much more difficult for them to perform their duties.
WESTERMAN: He says people are scared, and they want to leave. But he calls them heroes for ensuring the safety of the plant under such pressure. And Tuz says the only right thing to keep the plant safe and the thousands still working inside is to demilitarize the plant altogether.
MARTIN: NPR's Ashley Westerman reporting from Lviv. Thank you so much, Ashley.
WESTERMAN: Thank you.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)
INSKEEP: How much has abortion law changed since the Supreme Court ruling?
MARTIN: Two months ago, the court made a choice to eliminate the constitutional right to an abortion. Some states had trigger laws on the books to outlaw abortion. Others are debating it. Many face state court battles. And abortion advocates expect more new laws will be introduced next year. Here's Elisabeth Smith with the Center for Reproductive Rights.
ELISABETH SMITH: We will also likely see novel criminal penalties for abortion providers and helpers and some states trying to prevent people from crossing state lines.
INSKEEP: NPR national correspondent Sarah McCammon covers abortion rights policy. Hey there, Sarah.
SARAH MCCAMMON, BYLINE: Good morning, Steve.
INSKEEP: What is the count of states that have changed their laws in these two months?
MCCAMMON: Well, so far, you know, many states had trigger bans, laws that were written to go into effect essentially as soon as the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade was handed down. So already about eight states have total or near-total abortion bans in effect. That's according to the Center for Reproductive Rights. But, Steve, what's happening this week is, you know, others essentially had a waiting period in place, and there's also been some litigation up in the air in several states. So a handful of states are expected to have abortion bans take effect this week, Thursday or Friday. And we're talking about Tennessee, Texas and Idaho, as well as North Dakota. There's some litigation up in the air there. But unless a court intervenes, the date in North Dakota is Friday.
INSKEEP: OK, so abortion would still be legal then in a majority of states, but an increasing number are banning them or coming very near that. What impacts are those laws having?
MCCAMMON: Well, these new laws in many cases are already essentially in effect. I mean, the impact is already there. So Texas, we know that last year Texas had that state law banning most abortions after six weeks take effect in September. And more laws are on the books as well that have been triggered by the overturning of Roe v. Wade. At this point in Texas, Steve, there are no clinics providing abortions, a shift that really began, you know, months ago.
Idaho has a similar law in effect to the one in Texas that is enforced through private lawsuits, but there's another law, again, that may go into effect later this week. North Dakota only has one remaining abortion clinic. It's already moved its services to Minnesota, at least for now, where abortion remains legal. And then Tennessee also has very limited abortion access because of a six-week ban there. But the law scheduled to take effect this week goes even further, an almost total ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. So we're just seeing kind of a deepening of what's already happening.
INSKEEP: Yeah, that's a good word - deepening. We have laws on top of laws on top of laws. But you mentioned court battles challenging some of those laws. Where do those battles stand?
MCCAMMON: Right. So abortion rights groups have been trying to argue that at least some state constitutions offer protections for abortion rights, even if the U.S. Constitution does not. And abortion rights opponents, of course, are pushing back. Erin Hawley is senior counsel with the anti-abortion group Alliance Defending Freedom, which is working to enforce abortion laws in several states, including Wyoming. And she hopes that more states will eventually let their abortion bans take effect.
ERIN HAWLEY: I think we'll see a number of other states that these laws will come online, that the intermediate courts of appeals and the state supreme courts will hopefully find that there is no state constitutional right to abortion. Hopefully, Wyoming, Arizona - we'll get (ph) some of these other places as well.
INSKEEP: Sarah, thanks for the update.
MCCAMMON: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-politics/2022-08-23/news-brief-florida-primary-ukraine-nuclear-power-plant-worker-abortion-laws | 2022-08-27T16:43:29Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-politics/2022-08-23/news-brief-florida-primary-ukraine-nuclear-power-plant-worker-abortion-laws | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
The U.S. is set to make the largest investment in history to slow the pace of climate change. President Biden on Wednesday signed the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes tax credits for electric cars and efficient homes, but it also incentivizes pulling carbon emissions right out of the air. Lauren Sommer from NPR's climate team is here to explain how that works and why some have reservations about it. Hi, Lauren.
LAUREN SOMMER, BYLINE: Hey there.
RASCOE: So, Lauren - OK - we burn fossil fuels. Carbon emissions go into the air. But there is this very complicated process through which they can somehow be captured and trapped under the ground, right?
SOMMER: Right. Right. And the idea is grab those emissions before they can heat up the planet. So, you know, one place to do that is at a smokestack - right? - from a power plant or, like, a big industrial plant. The carbon dioxide is siphoned off before it's released. It's cooled down so it can be pumped deep underground, where it's trapped in rock formations.
RASCOE: How long does the carbon stay there? And why doesn't everybody just do it now? Because it seems like that - why isn't this the solution that everybody's just doing?
SOMMER: As long as it's in the right kind of rock formation, the carbon dioxide seems to stay down there because it can actually bind to the rock. So it's kind of trapped. Of course, you have to monitor that over the long term. There are a handful of pilot projects around the world that are doing this now. But, you know, as Howard Herzog told me - he's a research engineer at the MIT Energy Initiative - it hasn't really taken off, as you said.
HOWARD HERZOG: We have the technology to put a lot more CO2 in the ground than we're doing. The big hurdles have been economic because the question is, why would you put CO2 in the ground and spend all that money if I'm allowed to just put it in the atmosphere for free?
SOMMER: Because he says these projects can cost hundreds of millions to billions of dollars.
RASCOE: Without a price on carbon, that's the question that's always been asked. Like, why are you going to spend all this money? But the Inflation Reduction Act - it has some funding where it's going to try to change that equation somehow. What would it do?
SOMMER: Yeah. So it increases the tax credit for capturing carbon, and it makes that tax credit available to a broader range of projects because some projects have really struggled financially and some have shut down. Not everyone loves the idea because it means fossil fuels will still be burned even if you're capturing that carbon.
RASCOE: Why go this route instead of, say, focusing on renewable energy or technologies that don't have any emissions at all?
SOMMER: Yeah, I mean, this came up as the bill was being debated. There are concerns from environmental justice communities that they already live next to oil and gas and big industrial plants. Those communities are low income, communities of color, and they're worried that the carbon capture incentive could prop up those facilities and keep exposing them to the pollution. The issue is that emissions need to fall really fast. You know, the world needs to get to net zero by 2050. And that's to avoid really extreme impacts like deadly heat waves and storms and floods. So Herzog says it really will take all kinds of approaches.
HERZOG: We're going to need a lot of technologies. We're going to need every technology we can. Wind and solar and electric cars are all very important and very critical to the pathway. But while they're necessary, they're not sufficient to get us to net zero.
SOMMER: And, you know, for some heavy industries like cement production, they're really tricky to make carbon-free. So carbon capture may be the fastest way to address that.
RASCOE: So given how fast emissions need to fall, does the Inflation Reduction Act go far enough?
SOMMER: Yeah, I mean, right now, estimates show it could help emissions fall around 40% by 2030. That doesn't entirely hit the Biden administration's goal of 50% by then, and that's compared to 2005 levels. So there's definitely more to do. And a lot will really depend on Americans taking advantage of these incentives for things like, you know, electric cars and more efficient heating and cooling. It really would need to happen at a large scale to make this major difference.
RASCOE: That's Lauren Sommer from NPR's climate team. Thanks for speaking to us today.
SOMMER: Yeah, thanks. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-politics/npr-politics/2022-08-21/the-inflation-reduction-act-incentivizes-capturing-carbon-emissions | 2022-08-27T16:43:48Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-politics/npr-politics/2022-08-21/the-inflation-reduction-act-incentivizes-capturing-carbon-emissions | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
BATTLEFIELD 35, POTOMAC 0: Jelon Johnson ran 25 times for 154 yards and one touchdown and Braden Boggs was 14 of 19 for 178 yards passing and two touchdowns as the host Bobcats claimed their season-opener with a non-district win Friday.
Boggs, Battlefield’s first-year starter at quarterback, also ran nine times for 33 yards and one touchdown.
Both of Boggs’ touchdown passes went to Braden Binkowski for 30 and 9 yards. Binkowski finished the game with a team-high seven receptions for 106 yards.
It’s easy to misjudge Ty Gordon.
Bryce Banning scored Battlefield’s first touchdown off a 75-yard kickoff return to start the game.
First-year kicker Maddux Tennant was 5 for 5 in extra-point attempts.
For the game, Battlefield totaled 365 yards of offense. The Bobcats led 21-0 at halftime.
Defensively, they recorded three interceptions (Damier Minkah, Caleb Woodson and Josh Lazor).
PATRIOT 51, HYLTON 6: Sam Fernandez threw four touchdown passes and ran for another to lead the host Pioneers' offense. The senior quarterback was 11 of 16 for 231 yards and one interception.
Gabe Bigbee led the receiving corps with five receptions for 111 yards and three touchdowns. Jay Randall added three receptions for 28 yards. Jackson McCarter caught the other touchdown pass, which went for 64 yards.
Quentin Harrison and McCarter also ran for touchdowns. Fernandez finished with a team-high 55 rushing yards on five carries.
Anthony Kuzmar was 7 for 7 in point-after attempts.
FREEDOM 62, BROOKE POINT 3: Jeffery Overton Jr. ran for 234 yards and three touchdowns on eight carries as the visiting Eagles won their season-opener Friday.
Tristan Evans added 132 rushing yards on six carries and one touchdown and Isaiah Perry 76 yards on four carries.
Evans, Freedom's first-year starting quarterback, was 11 of 19 passing for 131 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Aaron Duncan, JuJu Preston and Perry each caught a touchdown pass.
Defensively, Overton had one sack, five tackles and a 40-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown.
TJ Bush recorded three sacks and six tackles for loss. Devin Reeves led Freedom with eight tackles and Isaiah Harper had six tackles and one interception. Jewel Harris and EJ Reid each had an interception and Mark Errina had three tackles for loss and one forced fumble.
MOUNTAIN VIEW 33, FOREST PARK 14: Jovan Cook ran for 110 yards on 27 carries for Forest Park.
Quinton Pulley added 82 rushing yards on 17 carries and one touchdown. Pulley was 12 of 23 for 70 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
OC Nurse caught the touchdown pass.
OTHER LOCAL SCORES
Colgan 42, Osbourn Park 14
Patriot 51, Hylton 6
Unity Reed 25, Westfield 14
South County 34, Woodbridge 13
Brentsville 40, Liberty-Bealeton 28 | https://www.insidenova.com/sports/prince_william/aug-26-high-school-football-roundup-battlefield-patriot-freedom-woodbridge-win-big/article_fc45cd24-1e50-11ed-9b13-0f4f6991ee6e.html | 2022-08-27T16:46:39Z | insidenova.com | control | https://www.insidenova.com/sports/prince_william/aug-26-high-school-football-roundup-battlefield-patriot-freedom-woodbridge-win-big/article_fc45cd24-1e50-11ed-9b13-0f4f6991ee6e.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Brits are being urged to claim an extra £150 towards their energy bills via the help of a little-known fund. The Discretionary Fund is worth £144million and is being shared among local authorities to help those who do not qualify for the council tax rebate or any other government cost of living support.
The government this year earlier launched a package of measures intended to soften the impact of rising prices. Current measures include a £150 council tax rebate which many have already received, plus a £400 energy discount from suppliers starting in October as the price cap change takes effect, Birmingham Live reports.
Those claiming state support are also getting assistance in the form of a £650 cost of living payment for families on means-tested benefits, plus £150 for people on health and disability benefits, and £300 extra on the Winter Fuel Payment. But the Discretionary Fund is often overlooked.
Read next: Dead puppies discovered dumped at nature reserve
For example in Birmingham, has been given an extra £3.6million on top of the £60million already handed out to pay council tax rebates in bands A-D. The Energy Rebate Discretionary Fund could help individuals on low incomes who live in properties valued in bands E to H.
Who is eligible for an energy rebate from the Discretionary Fund?
Schemes can vary from council to council but tend to follow a similar format to the one used in Birmingham, where the Discretionary Fund is designed to provide help to the following people:
People in receipt of Council Tax Support (where their bill is reduced) for a property in band E to H will be entitled to a £150 energy rebate
People in receipt of a 'council tax disregard' (where they do not have to pay any council tax) - for example, carers, students, and the severely mentally impaired - in properties in band E to H will be entitled to a £150 energy rebate
Properties in band E to H with a council tax exemption due to all residents being under 18 or only occupied by severely mentally impaired will be entitled to a £150 energy rebate
Properties in band E to H with a disabled band relief but not in receipt of council tax benefit will be entitled to a £150 energy rebate
Students living in shared houses in multiple occupation where the landlord pays the council tax will be entitled to a £90 energy rebate
Pensioners on Council Tax Support in bands A to D will receive an additional £90 energy rebate, in addition to the £150 council tax rebate they should have received under the standard scheme. There's no need to make an application in this case, it will be automatically paid into bank accounts.
Pensioners on Council Tax Support in bands E to H, which did not qualify for the £150 council tax rebate, will get an energy rebate of £90.
Any other exceptional situation where the council decides a person qualifies for help despite not meeting the other criteria
Applications for these sums of cash can be made at the council's energy rebate discretionary funding webpage here.
Birmingham officials added: "The council tax energy rebate discretionary fund is awarded entirely at the discretion of the local authority, so there is no formal right of appeal. However, if residents do not fall under the rebate criteria, the council may be able (in extenuating circumstances) to individually assess each case to establish if a one-off payment may be applicable."
Dudley has had £640,000 in discretionary funding, while Wolverhampton is being handed £650,000 in discretionary funding. Walsall has received £732,000 in discretionary funding, while Sandwell is getting just under £877,000.
Walsall Council is running four different schemes for giving out cash from its own discretionary fund. These are as follows:
Scheme 1
You will receive £150 from this fund if:
- your property is in Band E–H, and
- you are in receipt of Council Tax Reduction (CTR)
Scheme 2
You will receive a £35 top-up award if:
- your property is in Band A–D, and
- you are in receipt of maximum Council Tax Reductions (100% award for pensioners; 75% award for working age people)
Scheme 3
You will receive up to £150 if:
- your property is in Bands E–H properties, and
- you are not in receipt of Council Tax Reduction, and
- you are able to demonstrate financial hardship
Scheme 4
You could receive up to £150 if:
- you're a resident of property classed as a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) for council tax purposes, and
- you are directly billed for energy costs
Get more on the latest news from KentLive straight to your inbox for free HERE .
READ NEXT: | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/cost-living-crisis-brits-can-7518332 | 2022-08-27T16:48:35Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/cost-living-crisis-brits-can-7518332 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A man was attacked with a baseball bat in Canterbury in an incident Kent Police described as "troubling". The assault happened in St Peter's Place between the junctions with St Peter's Street and Tower Way, opposite the Westgate Towers.
The victim, who was around 5f6 9ins with dark hair, was wearing a white t-shirt, jeans and a cap. He refused help from witnesses and left the scene shortly after the assault.
His attacker is described as being big built, 6ft and wearing a tracksuit. Kent Police said a silver BMW, which is believed to be linked to the offence, was seen in the area at the time.
Read more:Odeon confirms closure of Canterbury cinema as Curzon announces opening date
Officers from east Kent Criminal investigation department have been speaking to witnesses and reviewing CCTV footage. The force said the victim had not come forward or been identified.
PC Charles Mills said: "This was a troubling incident and we would very much like to speak to the victim, with a view to bringing any perpetrators to justice. We would also like to speak to anyone else who witnessed the incident but has yet to come forward, or anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage which may assist our enquiries."
Anyone with information can call Kent Police on 01843 222289, quoting reference 46/145900/22. People can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 or complete the online form on its website.
Get more Tunbridge Wells nightlife news from KentLive straight to your inbox for free HERE .
READ NEXT: | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/man-attacked-baseball-bat-canterbury-7518305 | 2022-08-27T16:48:45Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/man-attacked-baseball-bat-canterbury-7518305 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
California, Michigan universities argue they need affirmative action
The University of Michigan and the University of California are arguing that efforts to build a diverse student body without affirmative action have not gone well, per the New York Times.
Why it matters: The Supreme Court is set to consider the future of affirmative action later this fall. The information from the University of Michigan and the University of California may play a role in that case.
Driving the news: Attorneys for the universities recently argued in amicus briefs filed to the Supreme Court that the schools struggled to create a racially-diverse freshman class without affirmative action, per the New York Times.
- “Despite persistent, vigorous and varied efforts to increase student body racial and ethnic diversity by race-neutral means, the admission and enrollment of underrepresented minority students have fallen precipitously in many of U-M’s schools and colleges," the brief from Michigan's side read.
By the numbers: The University of California, Berkeley, admitted 258 Black students and 27 Native American students for the 2021 freshman class, which was made up of 6,931 students, according to school data.
- At the University of Michigan, 4% of the incoming freshman class for 2021 were Black students, per NYT.
- The University of California spent more than $500,000 in outreach efforts to increase its diversity, the Times reports.
The big picture: The Supreme Court is expected to hear two cases that could determine the future of affirmative action in higher education, Axios' Oriana Gonzalez writes.
- Affirmative action supporters worry that the court — which has three Trump appointees — will eliminate admission policies that help Black and Hispanic students, CNN reports.
Zoom in: The conservative nonprofit Students for Fair Admissions (SFFA) is arguing Harvard and the University of North Carolina discriminated against Asian American applicants.
- Lower courts already ruled in favor of Harvard and the University of North Carolina, saying their programs used race in a limited way to create a diverse student body.
- The Biden administration asked the Supreme Court last year to reject the challenges to the schools' policies, per Reuters.
Go deeper: Supreme Court's next term could be just as contentious | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/27/affirmative-action-supreme-court-michigan-california | 2022-08-27T16:48:57Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/27/affirmative-action-supreme-court-michigan-california | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Massillon area real estate transfers July 30-Aug. 5
Bethlehem Township
Beam Jason & Lambert-Beam Nicole from Gross Matthew James & Jamie Renee, parcel 1101198 Tanganyika Trl, $11,300.
Finzer Kenneth P & Jeanie M from Shipp Teresa A, 124 Jacob St NE, $100,000.
Ickes Susan K from Burns Marianne, 19 A St Nav Vil, $5,000.
Page Joyce P from Geis Diane M, 240 C St Nav Vil, $70,000.
RTL Ventures LLC an Ohio from Hess Douglas, 134 Park St NW, $99,000.
Stolicny Genevieve from Drum Brian Frederick & Susan KAY/TTEES O, parcel 1100386 Zebra Strip Ave SW, $10,000.
Umh Sale & Finance Inc from Boley Robert, 5027 Sherman BLVD SW #189, $30,000.
Canal Fulton
Gibson James W & Carol L from Peterson Todd T, 699 Beverly Ave, $230,000.
Jackson Township
Al Saif Alaa Mahdi from Gilbert John M & Kathryn M, 6137 Armistice Ave NW, $450,000.
Alex Kaela from Dowling Patrice L, 431 Stuart St NW, $127,600.
Byers Marianna M from Kari Henriette Sally, 3335 Jackson Park Dr 11B, $299,000.
Chisnell Makayla Kay from Boone Gary A & Nguyen T, 8974 Portage St NW, $231,000.
Cupari Rndall B & Pamela J from Dentler Monica K Trustee, 5613 East BLVD NW, $600,000.
Ebner Thomas Joseph from Czarney Margaret A, 6575 Hogan Way NW, $214,500.
Halter Kurtiss C & Emily E from Halter Kenneth C & Kathie A, 6650 Portage St NW, $200,000.
Hicks Lary from Freedom Partnership LLC, 4738 Mohr St NW, $258,000.
Marion Frederick M from Cupari Randall B & Pamela J, 5808 West BLVD NW, $685,000.
Pand Properties LLC from Pand Properties LLC &, 4202 Portage St NW, $8,700.
Patterson Taylor M from Covell Laura A, 5384 Crystal Lake Ave NW, $105,600.
Tenney Joshua J & Cheryl from Bowman Dawn C, 1321 Concord St NW, $270,000.
Thomas Christopher L from Staib Jeffrey A & Ashley C, 9776 Strausser St NW, $200,000.
Workman Brian & Orlando Aleis L from Gollbach Gail F, 7884 Cheryl Lane St NW, $237,500.
Lawrence Township
Butterfield Brian from Wilhelm Brandon & Natalie, 6183 Michael Barkey Ave NW, $440,000.
Drew Annamarie & Patterson Nicholas J from D & R Carlson Investments LLC, 8715 Manchester Ave NW, $169,500.
Lowky Pavel from Warstler Philip, 14705 Penford St NW, $10,000.
Massillon
Broderick Street Homes LLC from Wolfe Jennifer & Ayers Luann Co Ttees, 312 23rd St NW, $123,000.
Campbell Oil Company from 189 LLC, 709 Wales Rd NE, $122,500.
Carroll Justin P from Martin Tim, 1518 1st St NE, $149,500.
Dale Broc Adam & Fields Micaela Raye from Prohibited LLC, 500 23rd St NW, $88,000.
Donda Isaac J from Swan Sandra, 469 Standish Ave NW, $124,000.
Gang Jason from Mehalic Kenneth, parcel 619345 Vista Ave SE, $45,000.
Hartman Daniel E from Grant Harold & Angela, 884 11th St NE, $100,000.
Hedrick Noah Andrew from Hedrick Noah A & Oberly Rylee M, 717 32nd St NW, $58,300.
Ikerd Angel Rose & Jehaun Taz from D&S Properties Unlimited LLC, 1318 3rd St SE, $153,000.
Ilg Kate E from Summers Erik W & Virginia F, 1306 Meadowbrook Rd SW, $255,000.
Layne Larry W & Karne M & Dakita from Hammer Patricia A, 1825 Dexter Rd NE, $290,000.
Lint Jason from Starns Jaime L, 231 14th St NW, $110,000.
Miller Linda Y & Gary A Co Trustees from Vrsan Bruce W, 1211 Springhill Ave NE, $135,000.
NVR Inc D/B/A Ryan Homes from Lockhart A R Development Co, 1864 Fish Creek Cir NW, $59,000.
Salazar Joshua & Darci L from Eckstein Guinevere M, 471 Grosvenor Dr NW, $107,000.
Williams John R & Courtney from Luckring Joe R & Kimberly S, 2735 Duane Ave NW, $255,000.
Perry Township
Amerigrid Solutions LLC from Brown Keith A, 4394 Chevron Cir SW, $380,000.
Barbee Evan C from Hess Andromeda M, 3443 12th St NW, $215,000.
Bender Thomas N & Joy C from Schafrath Wayne D Successor Trustee of T, 3330 Navarre Rd SW, $1,000.
Divito Antonio from Maier Michael G Jr, 1401 Ellwood Ave SW, $176,000.
Girard James D Jr & Susan M from Girard James D Jr & Phillips Sharon L, 5640 Birchdale St SW, $50,000.
Harper Rodger A & Janice J from Miller Shirley J, 4085 Richmont Ave SW, $195,000.
Harper Rodger A & Janice J from Miller Shirley J, parcel 4307122 Richmont Ave NW, $195,000.
Hughes Mindy Nichole from Day Donna M, 1628 Carriage Hill St NW, $200,000.
Miglin Alexandria Rose from Burger Daniel, 226 Elmford Ave SW, $140,000.
Mottice Xavier Michael from Blair Ernest G Jr, 1312 Bordner Ave SW, $96,800.
Owens Michael from Croxton Elaine K, 611 Delford Ave NW, $83,000.
Revisions Homebuyers LLC from Vesley Mike, 347 Roxbury Ave NW, $97,677.
Roholt Real Estate LLC from Wycoff Jason S, 200 Westland Ave SW, $70,000.
Sanchez Tadalies from Wells Ronald A & Susie M Trustees, 147 Cayuga Ave NW, $215,000.
Smith Nicholas King & Rohr Brandy Nicole from Sayre Michael A, 8555 Henry St SW, $126,500.
Wallo-Luangraj Daniel from Smith Brandi, 4434 Travelo, $4,000.
Weisburn Diane M from Heid Kenneth D & Gladys, 6710 Westwood Ave SW, $190,000.
Sugarcreek Township
Mcgraw Tad Robert & Amber Daun from Kowalke Gerald & Dawn, 687 Muskingum Ave NW, $217,000.
Miller Emanuel M & Mary E from Helline Mary Ann, 11575 Lawnford Ave SW, $957,000.
Mingo Ryan M from Fender Clinton Earl & Shauna Jo Ttees, 5914 Adams Ave SW, $279,900.
Mingo Ryan M from Fender Clinton Earl & Shauna Jo Ttees, parcel 6701184 Greenhaven St SW, $279,900.
Rhodes Michelle L & Christopher R from Archibald Elliot W, 11282 Lawndell Ave SW, $278,500.
Tuscarawas Township
Clements Shelley L Aka Constable Shelly from Derr Benjamin R & Denise M, 12621 Sinclair St SW, $375,000.
Prohibited LLC from Smith Haley M, 2371 Marjory Dr SW, $121,000. | https://www.indeonline.com/story/news/2022/08/27/massillon-area-real-estate-transfers-july-30-aug-5/65414211007/ | 2022-08-27T17:03:47Z | eonline.com | treatment | https://www.indeonline.com/story/news/2022/08/27/massillon-area-real-estate-transfers-july-30-aug-5/65414211007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Killam Apartment REIT (TSE: KMP.UN) has been a solid long-term performer but has recently fallen due to this year’s sell-off. KMP.UN is a real estate investment trust, which acquires, manages, and develops multi-residential apartment buildings and manufactured home communities. It has been rewarding investors through monthly dividends since 2007. Its current dividend yield comes in at around 4%, and analysts are highly bullish on the stock despite its downtrend, making it worth considering.
Let’s take a look at why that may be the case.
Killam Apartment REIT Creates Value for Shareholders
When it comes to REITs, there’s another important thing to consider besides dividends – book value per share. Looking at KMP’s historical book value per share trend can help investors determine if the company is creating value for shareholders or not. Luckily for investors, its book value per share has been slowly trending higher over the past decade, going from C$10.70 in Fiscal 2012 to C$19.91 on a trailing-12-months basis. It’s worth noting that the growth really started in 2016 and was flat before then.
Is KMP.UN Stock’s Dividend Yield Worth It?
As mentioned earlier, Killam Apartment REIT has a ~4% dividend yield that is paid monthly. This would be impressive if KMP.UN was a dividend-growth stock, but it’s not. In fact, its dividend per share has only been growing at a 1.9% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the past 10 years. Essentially, if it keeps up this growth rate for the next 10 years, its dividend yield will only reach just above 4.80%. However, it’s probably not suitable for investors to purchase the stock just for its dividend.
Nonetheless, its dividend is relatively safe, as its adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) payout ratio is 75% on a rolling-12-months basis.
What investors should consider instead is KMP.UN’s dividend combined with its book value per share growth. This will likely fuel shareholder returns going forward and makes the stock worth considering.
For example, if you add its dividend yield and its 10-year book value per share CAGR of 6.5% (assuming it can keep up this growth rate), you can potentially expect double-digit annual returns from the stock at current levels. This also assumes no valuation multiple expansion, which would be a conservative assumption, as discussed in the section below.
Killam Apartment REIT is Potentially Undervalued
Killam Apartment REIT’s valuation presents an interesting opportunity. This is because, in the past five years, the stock has historically traded at a 30% premium to its book value. Now, it trades at ~0.9x its book value, meaning that the stock can rally another 12% before reaching its equity value. This, of course, adds to its bull case. If another bull market comes eventually, the stock can reach 1.3x book value again, giving it an even higher upside potential.
Nonetheless, we can conservatively assume that a 1.0x multiple is fair. One thing to keep in mind is that its book value may potentially drop in the short term because rising interest rates are causing property values to fall, which somewhat justifies the discount. However, there is that margin of safety, and a drop is likely to be temporary in nature, in our opinion.
Is KMP.UN Stock a Good Buy? Analysts Say Yes.
According to analysts, Killam Apartment REIT stock earns a Strong Buy consensus rating based on seven Buys and one Hold rating assigned in the past three months. The average KMP.UN stock price prediction of C$21.88 implies 28.1% upside potential. Analyst price targets range from a high of C$23 to a low of C$20.50.
Conclusion: Killam Apartment REIT Presents a Solid Opportunity
Killam Apartment REIT has several positives on its side. Notably, analysts are almost unanimously bullish on the stock, assigning it solid upside potential. Also, it is trading at a discount to its net worth, which has historically grown at a modest rate. Combined with its respectable 4% dividend, and the stock can potentially generate double-digit annual returns, going forward. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/killam-apartment-reit-is-this-strong-buy-stock-worth-buying | 2022-08-27T17:06:20Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/killam-apartment-reit-is-this-strong-buy-stock-worth-buying | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A MARTINEZ, HOST:
Ask an Oregonian what summer tastes like, and they'll likely say blackberries. The Willamette Valley outside Portland ships out 90% of the crop sold across the country. Deena Prichep reports from peak blackberry season.
DEENA PRICHEP, BYLINE: Blackberries here are the size of your thumb, just dripping with juice. You can grab handfuls off the side of a hiking trail or even a highway. And as 4-year-old cousins Zaha Qari-Stein and Lilah Werner demonstrate, you can also just grab them from the backyard.
ZAHA QARI-STEIN: I think I can get this one.
LILAH WERNER: We love blackberries because they're so tasty.
ZAHA: And sweet and kind of sour.
PRICHEP: Varieties like marionberry or Columbia Star fill pies and flavor local beer.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Welcome to Burgerville. What can I start with you today?
PRICHEP: They're even in the milkshakes at the Burgerville drive-through.
UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Our seasonal shake's a marionberry. And it comes with whipped cream and a marionberry garnish on it.
PRICHEP: Most people in the rest of the country haven't experienced the wonder of a fresh Oregon blackberry. I mean, they've had blackberries but not Oregon's trailing blackberries, which are too delicate to ship fresh.
BERNADINE STRIK: They have this balance of tart and sweet. And it just pops. The flavor just pops.
PRICHEP: Bernadine Strik was Oregon State University's berry specialist for over 35 years. She says a lot of this comes down to climate. The Willamette Valley has mild winters and usually temperate summers.
STRIK: And so that means that the plants grow well, but also the berries ripen more slowly. And that means that they develop prime flavor and aroma and color.
PRICHEP: They're sweet and tart, like a good glass of wine. Or as Strik sees it, that deep flavor of an Oregon wine is really the flavor of a blackberry.
STRIK: Good pinot noir that has ripened slowly in our weather here - same thing, warm days, cool nights - will be characterized as having that blackberry aroma and flavor. So it's the other way around, I'd argue.
PRICHEP: There is a downside to being so well-suited - namely, the thorny, invasive Himalaya blackberry, which takes over backyards.
STRIK: Himalaya blackberry was introduced into Oregon in the late 1800s through the wagon trains 'cause they thought it would grow well here. Boy, were they right.
PRICHEP: Although even those still make great jam. If you're not lucky enough to live in Oregon, you can find the berries canned or frozen. Bernadine Strik stresses that they are picked at peak ripeness, perfect for pie. And if you do live in Oregon, like cousins Zaha and Lilah, just head outside.
ZAHA: These blackberries are yummy.
LILAH: These blackberries are the best blackberries ever.
PRICHEP: For NPR News, I'm Deena Prichep in Portland, Ore.
ZAHA: I need to reach another blackberry.
(SOUNDBITE OF EQ ALL STAR'S "SOMEONE TO CALL MY LOVER") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-food/2022-08-26/encore-why-oregonians-are-so-proud-of-their-blackberries | 2022-08-27T17:16:06Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-food/2022-08-26/encore-why-oregonians-are-so-proud-of-their-blackberries | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
KYIV, Ukraine — Concern about the potential for a radiation leak at Europe's largest nuclear power plant persisted as Ukrainian authorities said Saturday that Russian forces fired on areas just across the river and Russia claimed Ukrainian shelling hit a building where nuclear fuel is stored.
Authorities were distributing iodine tablets to residents who live near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in case of radiation exposure, which can cause health problems depending on the amount a person absorbs.
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Much of the concern centers on the cooling systems for the plant's nuclear reactors. The systems require power to run, and the plant was temporarily knocked offline Thursday because of what officials said was fire damage to a transmission line. A cooling system failure could cause a nuclear meltdown.
Russian forces occupied the nuclear plant complex early in the 6-month-old war in Ukraine, and Ukrainian workers have kept it running. The Ukrainian and Russian governments have repeatedly accused the other of shelling the complex and nearby areas, raising fears of a possible catastrophe.
Periodic shelling has damaged the power station's infrastructure, Ukraine's nuclear power operator, Energoatom, said Saturday. "There are risks of hydrogen leakage and sputtering of radioactive substances, and the fire hazard is high," it said.
In the latest conflicting attack reports, the governor of Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region, Valentyn Reznichenko, said Saturday that Grad missiles and artillery shells hit the cities of Nikopol and Marhanets, each located about 10 kilometers (6 miles) and across the Dnieper River from the plant.
But Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Ukrainian forces had fired on the plant from Marhanets. Over the past day, 17 Ukrainian shells hit the plant, with four striking the roof of a building that stores nuclear fuel, he said.
It was not immediately possible to verify either account given restrictions on journalists' movements and the ongoing fighting.
The U.N.'s atomic energy agency has tried to work out an agreement to send a team in to inspect and help secure the plant. Officials said preparations for the visit were underway, but it remained unclear when it might take place.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was essential for International Atomic Energy Agency representatives to get to the plant as soon as possible and to help keep it "under permanent Ukrainian control."
"The situation remains precarious and dangerous," Zelenskyy said in latest nightly address. "Any repetition of (Thursday's) events, i.e., any disconnection of the station from the grid or any actions by Russia that could trigger the shut down of the reactors, will once again put the station one step away from disaster."
Ukraine has claimed Russia is using the power plant as a shield by storing weapons there and launching attacks from around it. Moscow, for its part, accuses Ukraine of recklessly firing on the nuclear complex.
The dispute over the plant led Russia late Friday to block agreement on the final document of the four-week-long review of the U.N. treaty that is considered the cornerstone of nuclear disarmament. The draft document of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review conference criticized Russia's takeover of the Zaporizhzhia plant.
The deputy head of Russia's delegation said the conference became "a political hostage" to countries that were trying "to settle scores with Russia by raising issues that are not directly related to the treaty."
Elsewhere in Ukraine, one person was killed and another wounded in Russian firing in the Mykolaiv region, local government officials said. Mykolaiv city is an important Black Sea port and shipbuilding center.
The governor of the eastern Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, said Saturday that two people were killed in Russian firing on the city of Bakhmut, a significant target for Russian and separatist forces seeking to take control of the parts of the region they do not already hold.
The British government said Saturday that it was giving Ukraine underwater drones and training sailors to use them to clear mines from the ravaged country's coastline. Mines laid in the Black Sea during the war have hampered seaborne exports of Ukrainian grain to world markets, although an agreement reached in July has allowed shipments to resume along a single corridor.
More than 1 million metric tons of Ukrainian foodstuffs have been shipped since the start of August under the Black Sea grain deal, the United Nations said Saturday.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-08-27/residents-near-a-ukrainian-nuclear-plant-are-preparing-in-case-of-radiation-exposure | 2022-08-27T17:16:18Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-news/2022-08-27/residents-near-a-ukrainian-nuclear-plant-are-preparing-in-case-of-radiation-exposure | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Big plays, defense carry New Lex
Maysville playmakers hit snag in Perry County catfight
NEW LEXINGTON — With veterans everywhere, New Lexington was widely viewed as a team that could make substantial noise in the Muskingum Valley League this season.
Nothing yet has suggested otherwise.
Using big plays as its weapon of choice, the Panthers leaned on the legs of Hunter Rose and right arm of Lukas Ratliff to score four first-half touchdowns, then leaned on its pass rush to roll to a 38-18 win against visiting Maysville on Friday night at Jim Rockwell Stadium.
The Panthers from Perry County built a 36-0 lead midway through the third quarter on Jerek Braglin's second touchdown catch, a 35-yarder deep down the middle when he found himself wide open in the end zone. It instituted a running clock, which was negated when Alex Bobb scored on a 12-yard scramble three minutes later to get Maysville on the board.
It was Braglin's first scoring catch that made an even bigger impact.
With New Lex up 22-0 in the final minute of the first half, Maysville went three-and-out from deep in its own territory. A 12-yard punt return from senior Ryan Hobbs then gave the host Panthers prime field position at the Maysville 45 with 30 seconds left. Three incompletions followed, but New Lex had time for a final play on fourth down.
Ratliff responded with a long heave that Sammy Scott appeared to have intercepted near the goal-line, but Braglin stole it away in mid-air, then rolled into the end zone for the score as time expired. The extra point sent New Lex to a 29-0 halftime lead.
It was a fitting capper to a dominant first half for the home team.
"That was amazing," Ratliff said. "We do it every Thursday in practice, but I never thought we'd execute that. I don't even know. I could kind of see it because I had someone in the way, but when I saw him walking in the end zone that was great.
"I was tired from just running down and back on the field," Ratliff added. "I think everyone was. We got back to the locker room and everyone was breathing heavy — excited heavy."
Maysville coach Craig Clarke had a first-hand view from the opposite sideline. It was one he'd rather have missed.
"We had a chance to go up and make a play there at the end," Clarke said. "We didn't and their guy did."
It was that kind of night for Maysville. It throttled a revamped Meadowbrook squad in Week 1, but they struggled in the trenches against a rugged New Lex defense that forced four first-half punts and saw the 6-4 Ratliff pick off a pass in the third quarter.
"They were a lot more physical than us," Clarke said. "We're still so green up front. Hats off to them, they played hard from the first snap. (New Lex) Coach (Kevin) Board had them prepared."
It was the play in the box that made life difficult for Bobb and his corps of playmakers, including the league's top returning running back in senior Hayden Jarrett. The majority of their damage, including two touchdowns, came late against the host Panthers' backups with a big lead.
The exclamation point came when senior Gabe Lavender sacked Bobb in the end zone for a fourth-quarter safety. The carnage started much earlier, as the combination of seniors Hobbs, Michael Vernon and Zack Robinson wreaked havoc with the pass rush.
"They lost a lot of guys up front to graduation and that's where we have four seniors, so we should win those battles up front," New Lexington coach Kevin Board said. "That's kind of all week where we put the pressure. 'O-line, D-line, we need you guys to win this game because that's where our experience is versus theirs.' I thought those kids stepped up to the challenge and handled that well."
Friday's performance was not a rare sight for New Lex fans. Particularly with the defensive line, Board said it was a continuance of their play in scrimmages and during last week's win.
"With as good of defensive backs as we have, if those guys can get pressure and get after quarterbacks, those DBs will take care of the rest," Board said. "It's a total team effort. The D-line gets a lot of the credit, but when (Bobb) was flushed from the pocket those DBs still have to stick with their guys. I thought we played really well all-around on defense."
It was the defensive play that set up Ratliff and Co. for their highlights.
After the teams shared punts to start the game — the latter after Hobbs' sack for an 11-yard loss — New Lex got possession at its own 33 and drove 67 yards in eight plays for the game's first touchdown. It ended with a 25-yard Ratliff-to-Tatem Toth connection, and the ensuing two-point conversion pass to Isaac Dick.
Maysville held on a fourth-and-goal on New Lex's next possession, and the visiting Panthers responded by driving to the New Lex 44 before stalling out. Bobb's punt left New Lex at its own 1.
The hosts responded with an impressive 99-yard scoring drive that saw them lean heavily on the 5-6, 175-pound Rose, who burst through traffic and outran the defense for a 33-yard touchdown to get his team back on the board.
He struck again on New Lex's next possession, catching a 20-yard screen pass to set up his 23-yard burst through the middle when he was barely touched. It netted his second touchdown and a 22-0 lead.
"I have to thank my offensive line — they did a hell of a job," Rose said. "They did a great job of getting to the second level. That's probably one of the best games I've seen them block. They really performed well tonight."
New Lex faces another tough crossover battle with John Glenn in Week 3. The Muskies are 0-2 after losses to Fort Frye and Bloom-Carroll, both of which made the regional finals in 2021.
Maysville hopes to rebound against winless Coshocton, with losses to state powers Ridgewood and Cambridge, in a crossover at Stewart Field.
sblackbu@gannett.com; Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2022/08/27/big-plays-defense-carry-new-lexington-football-vs-maysville/65457239007/ | 2022-08-27T17:17:36Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/high-school/football/2022/08/27/big-plays-defense-carry-new-lexington-football-vs-maysville/65457239007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kochi: A sweet kiss by actor Mohanlal to his colleague Sreenivasan was the biggest highlight of the ‘Mazhavil Manorama Entertainment Awards Night’ organised here jointly with the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA). Awards for 2022 as well as 2019-20 and 2020-21 were presented on the occasion as the event could not be staged during the last two years following the COVID-19 crisis.
When Mohanlal, along with director Sathyan Anthikad, announced Sreenvasan as the winner of the ‘Mazhavil Manorama Ultimate Entertainer Award’, there was a standing ovation from the audience. Sreenivasan walked to the stage from the front row and Mohanlal greeted him with a kiss.“I thank dear Sreenivasan for arriving at the function ignoring his bad health,” said Mohanlal.
Sreenivasan took the mike from Mohanlal and replied, “I was confined to the bed. In fact, I was on bed because I was sick!”
Every Malayalam movie fan had been eager to witness such a scene. It was after a very long time that Mohanlal and Sreenivasan were sharing a stage.
“We will again enjoy the comedy and sharp dialogues from Sreenivasan. The ‘pavizhamalli’ flowers will bloom again,” commented Sathyan Anthikad and his words were greeted with a loud applause. Sathyan Anthikad had directed the movies which had presented the evergreen characters ‘Dasan’ and ‘Vijayan’, enacted by Mohanlal and Sreenivasan respectively.
Mohanlal too feted
Meanwhile, actor Mammootty presented the ‘Master Entertainer Actor’ award to Mohanlal and ‘Master Entertainer Director’ award to Joshiy. The ‘Best Entertainer Couple’ awards were received by Mohanlal and filmmaker Priyadarshan on behalf of Pranav Mohanlal and Kalyani Priyadarshan for the movie ‘Hridayam’ from Sathyan Anthikad in the presence of actor Jayaram.
Entertainment programmes
A variety of programmes led by Mohanlal were staged as part of the awards night. The crowd went into raptures when Mohanlal danced with his heroines to some popular songs. Actors Manju Warrier, Jayasurya, Vineeth Sreenivasan and Aparna Balamurali sang hit numbers. Thespian Harisree Ashokan joined his son and young actor Arjun Ashokan for a song. Meanwhile, actors Manoj K Jayan, Siddique, Jagadish and Ashokan also exhibited their singing talents in ‘Salil Chowdhury Round.’ Musician Stephen Devassy also took part in this round.Major actors also staged skits during the event.
Telecast timings
While AMMA general secretary Edavela Babu was the chief organiser, the main sponsor of the awards night was Malabar Gold and Diamonds. The event will be telecast on ‘Mazhavil Manorama’ channel on Saturday (August 27) and Sunday (August 28) at 7 pm.
Major winners for 2019-20
Best entertainer actor: Biju Menon (‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum’)
Best entertainer actress: Manju Warrier (‘Prathi Poovan Kozhi’)
Best entertainer film: ‘Ayyappanum Koshiyum’ (Producers: Ranjith, P M Sasidharan)
Best entertainer director: Midhun Manuel Thomas (‘Anjam Pathira’)
2020-21 awards
Actor: Jayasurya (‘Vellam’)
Actress: Anaswara Rajan (‘Vaanku’)
Film: ‘Drishyam 2’ (Producer: Antony Perumbavoor)
Director: Jeethu Joseph (‘Drishyam 2’)
2022 awards
Actor: Dulquer Salmaan (‘Kurup’), Tovino Thomas (‘Minnal Murali’, ‘Kanekkane’)
Actress: Navya Nair (‘Oruthee’)
Film: ‘Bheeshma Parvam’ (Producer: Amal Neerad)
Director: Amal Neerad (‘Bheeshma Parvam’)
Debutant director: Senna Hegde (‘Thinkalazhcha Nischayam’)
Special mention: Basil Joseph (‘Minnal Murali’)
Character actor: Indrans, Siddique (Various movies)
Villain: Guru Somasundaram (‘Minnal Murali’)
Comedian: Johny Antony (Various films)
Choreographer: Sumesh, Jishnu (‘Bheeshma Parvam’)
Stunts: Supreme Sunder (‘Bheeshma Parvam’)
Songs: ‘Hridayam’ | https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2022/08/27/mazhavil-entertainment-awards-telecast-timing-amma-show.amp.html | 2022-08-27T17:20:27Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2022/08/27/mazhavil-entertainment-awards-telecast-timing-amma-show.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
South Indian super star Vikram surprised actress Miya as he made a grand entry to the stage with her son during the promotional event of their upcoming movie ‘Cobra’. He picked up Miya’s son Luka and said to the audience that he was ‘Cobra Baby’. The audience welcomed the actor with loud cheers and were impressed by his sweet gesture.
Meanwhile, Miya was excited when she said that some of most significant events in her life had happened during the filming of ‘Cobra’. “The filming of Cobra had begun in 2019. However, it got delayed due to the pandemic. I joined the cast of this movie in January 2020. I was single then. I got married during the second schedule. When I returned to the sets for the third schedule I was five months pregnant,” said Miya with a smile.
Meanwhile, Vikram picked up little Luka and got on the stage. He then told the audience that the baby was there when the movie is getting released. Miya was thrilled when Vikram unexpectedly came onto the stage with her baby. She then asked the photographers to click a picture. Her husband too became part of the photo shoot. Vikram, then, introduced them to the audience as ‘Cobra Family’.
The audience witnessed this sweet moment during the promotional event that was organised jointly by Jain Centre for Global Studies and Manorama Online. ‘Cobra’ starring Vikram in the lead role is one of the most anticipated South Indian movies. The action thriller helmed by R Ajay Jnanmuthu has Vikram appearing in multiple getups. The movie is slated to hit the screens on 31 August. | https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2022/08/27/vikram-cobra-promotion-event-kochi-carries-son.html | 2022-08-27T17:20:47Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2022/08/27/vikram-cobra-promotion-event-kochi-carries-son.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Actor Mohanlal, who will be seen in a couple of big-budget movies in the coming months, has signed up for a magnum opus titled 'Vrushabha'. The multi-lingual movie is directed by Nanda Kishore and will be bankrolled by AVS Studios, which is a new entrant in the film content and entertainment business.
The actor took to Facebook to announce the news: I’m excited to have signed in for 'Vrushabha', the first movie from AVS Studios, directed by Nanda Kishore and produced by Abhishek Vyas, Praveer Singh, and Shyam Sunder. This multilingual movie is filled with action and emotion, and I seek all your support and blessings.
The film is a high-octane father son drama, with megastar Mohanlal essaying the role of the father. A major Telugu star is likely to play the part of the son and the same will be announced over the next couple of months. High on emotions, the film revolves around the conflict between two emotions that run the world – Love vs Revenge. Shot in Malayalam and Telugu, the multilingual film will also be dubbed in Tamil, Kannada and Hindi.
Founded by former Netflix executive Abhishek Vyas, AVS Studios has been set up with a vision to harness the massive growth in Indian content consumption and disrupt the market with its breakthrough storytelling backed by world class larger than life production values and scale.
In its Phase 1, AVS Studios will produce six films across languages and genres and has collaborated with some of the best directorial and acting talents in the country. The movies shall have widespread theatrical releases followed by digital and television exploitation. The movies have already attracted huge interest from leading streaming platforms and Satellite Television broadcasters and an announcement on the said partnerships will be made shortly, said a press release issued by AVS Studios.
Abhishek Vyas, founder, AVS Studios said: “In an industry which is focused on drawing up film projects on excel sheets, AVS Studios is here primarily to back the best of scripts and writing talent. I am excited to work with the one and only megastar Mohanlal, an actor whom I have always admired! We have a solid script in place and are confident that we’ll give the audience a truly entertaining experience with 'Vrushabha'.
Mohanlal, meanwhile, said that he got hooked to the idea of 'Vrushabha' from the moment he heard the script. “It’s a riveting father son high energy drama which spans across lifetimes. I am impressed with Nanda Kishore’s vision and delighted to partner with AVS Studios on this first film together.”
Director Nanda Kishore said that he has been writing Vrushabha for five years. "At the heart of every good film is characters which connect with you and stay with you for years after ever you have seen the film. I have been writing Vrushabha for the last five years. It’s a dream come true to work with Mohanlal sir and I am excited to take the movie to the floors''
'Vrushabha' is a AVS Studios presentation in association with Shyam Sunder’s First Step Movies. The film is scheduled to go on the floors in May 2023, and expected to release in early 2024 in over 3,000 cinemas worldwide. | https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2022/08/27/vrushabha-mohanlal-nanda-kishore-avs-studio-abhishek-vyas-multi-lingual-film.html | 2022-08-27T17:21:00Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2022/08/27/vrushabha-mohanlal-nanda-kishore-avs-studio-abhishek-vyas-multi-lingual-film.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Here’s your weekly cruise news update, which is mainly on Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean as protocols continue to ease. We’ve also got coverage on one of the busiest cruise ports, where passengers could be in for some major delays, but it’s not as bad as you think.
Cruise News Update
It was another important week for the cruise industry as major cruise lines continued to ease requirements, making it even easier to take a cruise.
So we’ve got protocol updates from Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean, including self-testing being allowed. There’s also coverage on Royal Caribbean gratuities and major delays expected at one of the busiest cruise homeports in the U.S., but it’s not as bad as you think!
In This Article…
Royal Caribbean Gratuity Increase
For the first time since 2018, Royal Caribbean is increasing gratuities and has already started including the new higher in the documentation sent to guests. For standard staterooms, the rate is going up by $1.50, and for those booked in suites by $1.
It now means that the new daily rate for staterooms is $16.00 per person. For suites, the new daily rate is $18.50 per person. The increase will go into effect from September 7, 2022.
Previously, the rate for staterooms was $14.50 and for suites was $17.50. It’s also important to know that the new increased rate is now shown on the official website. Guests will be able to pre-pay and lock in the previous lower gratuity rate before September 7.
There is an automatic 18% gratuity charge when purchasing beverages, using room service and the mini bar. Some departments are also not included in gratuities, such as crew working in the Spa, Casino and Duty-Free shops.
Port Canaveral Delays for Moon Launch Day
Cruise guests at Port Canaveral on Monday, August 29, 2022, should be prepared for traffic delays as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) attempts the Artemis 1 launch from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center north of the port.
With a two-hour morning launch window opening at 8:33 a.m., heavy traffic and congestion could impact both cruise guests debarking vessels as well as those arriving to set sail.
Five cruise ships are scheduled to be docked at Port Canaveral on the historic launch day: Royal Caribbean International’s Mariner of the Seas and Independence of the Seas; Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Freedom and Carnival Liberty; and Disney Cruise Line’s newest vessel, Disney Wish.
Together, these ships have a guest capacity of more than 18,200 passengers. When accounting for both debarking guests at the end of their cruise as well as arriving passengers ready to set sail, there may be 36,000 or more passengers moving to and from Port Canaveral at the time of the launch.
At the same time, local authorities are expecting 100,000-200,000 visitors or more in the area in anticipation of the Artemis 1 launch.
Port Canaveral is advising extra travel time for the launch day. Even guests who may have arrived near Port Canaveral a day or two before their cruise should note that local traffic will be heavy and can cause delays between hotels and the cruise port.
Even though cruise passengers may be facing delays, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch the historic launch, guests could have some of the best views in the area.
Royal Caribbean Eases Requirements
In a simplification to its protocols, Royal Caribbean International has announced that beginning on Monday, September 5, 2022, all guests – regardless of vaccination status – will be welcomed aboard a greater variety of itineraries. The available itineraries include:
- All sailings from Florida homeports
- All sailings from Los Angeles, California; Galveston, Texas; and New Orleans, Louisiana
- All Oasis of the Seas sailings from Cape Liberty, New Jersey
- All sailings from any European homeport
- All sailings to and from Greece
Some testing guidelines do remain in effect for Royal Caribbean guests. For European cruises that call on ports in Greece or Spain, for example, any travelers who are not considered “up to date” according to guidelines in Europe, must take a test onboard their ship prior to debarking.
In addition to more opening of cruise itineraries to a greater range of passengers, Royal Caribbean International has also made its pre-cruise testing requirements even simpler.
As of September 5, 2022, fully vaccinated guests will no longer need a negative pre-cruise test result for any sailing 9 nights or shorter, unless on sailings that visit Greece.
Unvaccinated guests age 5 and older must still test before sailing, but can do so up to three days prior to embarkation, regardless of cruise length. Self-tests will be accepted for this pre-cruise testing.
All guests, regardless of vaccination status, must continue to test before any cruises of 10 nights or longer, no matter where they may be sailing.
Do note that cruise line protocols are changing fast, and some Caribbean cruise destinations have also recently eased requirements, so do keep checking on the latest from the cruise line.
Carnival Protocols Update for Two Ships
Carnival Cruise Line has made some amendments to cruises sailing in Europe, specifically for cruises onboard Carnival Pride and the maiden transatlantic crossing from Southampton onboard Carnival Celebration later this year.
In a letter sent to guests booked onboard a cruise sailing in or from Europe this year, Carnival Crusie Line has provided some updated health and safety measures that guests will need to comply with.
The changes are for Carnival Pride, which is sailing several cruises in the United Kingdom, Western and Northern Europe, and in the Mediterranean through November. The new protocols also apply to Carnival Celebration, which is sailing her maiden transatlantic voyage and first cruise ever from Southampton, UK, on November 6.
For all cruises, except those visiting Greece and Spain, all unvaccinated guests ages five and older should provide a negative result of a lab-administered or supervised (by a medical professional), self-administered PCR, or antigen test taken up to 3 days before embarkation.
For cruises that visit Greece, all guests five years old and above must have a negative result of a PCR test taken within three days before sailing or an antigen test within two days before sailing. This is especially relevant for those sailing onboard Carnival Pride.
For cruises that visit Spain, which includes both Carnival Celebration and Carnival Pride, all unvaccinated guests, 12 years and older, must present the negative results of a PCR test taken within three days before sailing or an antigen test within two days before sailing.
Carnival Cruise Line Allows Self-Testing
With travel restrictions around the world continuing to ease for different cruise destinations, Carnival Cruise Line has updated its testing protocols once again.
The new update clarifies the use of at-home self-tests, which do not require a health professional to monitor the test and results.
All unvaccinated cruise passengers setting sail with Carnival Cruise Line on Monday, September 6, 2022, or later still need to present a negative test result to be cleared for embarkation, but the type of test can vary depending on the cruise destination.
For most destinations, Carnival will begin permitting guests to use self-tests, which can be administered at home and do not require oversight from a doctor, pharmacist, or telehealth visit.
Monitored tests or those done in a clinical setting are still acceptable, of course, but the option for self-testing opens up more options for cruise travelers, making pre-cruise testing more convenient and less burdensome when dealing with last-minute travel preparations.
Self-tests are only acceptable for sailings of 15 nights or shorter. Guests should also note that some destinations will not permit self-testing.
Regardless of the type of test taken – whether a self-test, a home monitored test, or a laboratory test – unvaccinated guests will be required to present their negative test results as part of embarkation.
Carnival Cruise Line encourages guests to use the free VeriFLY app for a smoother and faster embarkation, but advises the printed test results can also be presented.
More Cruise Headlines
It was just another busy week of cruise news, and we’ve got all the coverage, including Royal Caribbean detailing year-round Singapore cruises, bookings open for the Carnival Luminosa, the Celebrity Ascent cruise ship reaching a major construction milestone, Carnival cruise ship rescue at sea, MSC Seascape completes sea trials, The Bahamas plans to ease requirements for cruise ship visitors and so much more, which you can check here. | https://www.cruisehive.com/cruise-news-update-august-27-2022/79799 | 2022-08-27T17:40:09Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/cruise-news-update-august-27-2022/79799 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) – T-Mobile will partner with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and use the company’s Starlink satellites to provide mobile networks for cellphone users in remote areas, both companies announced at an event Thursday.
At SpaceX’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, Musk and T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said the rollout would have a huge impact on enhancing cellphone service in rural, hard-to-reach areas.
Before they spoke, the company executives previewed a video featuring mobile phone users who voiced concerns about the lack of cellphone reception in rural, remote regions of the U.S. Some explained how their lives could be endangered in the event an accident occurs and they are unable to call for help.
Sievert said expanding network coverage into those remote areas is “important for safety, important for connectivity” and “important for all of us.”
“We have all — every single one of us — driven down that windy, country road through the hills and dales, beyond the reach of any cellular network,” the T-Mobile CEO said. “This partnership is about imagining a different future … where if you have a clear view of the sky, you are connected on your mobile phone.”
T-Mobile will enter a beta phase in late 2023 with Starlink strictly for messaging and texting apps, but the effort will eventually phase into more cellular services. T-Mobile also announced its intention to spread the service to rural areas across the globe.
Musk’s Starlink satellites are designed to connect high-speed internet to rural areas. The company has around 2,000 satellites currently in orbit above Earth.
Providers like T-Mobile generally use cell towers to provide network service to cellphones, so the technology of linking satellites for mobile network coverage is entirely new.
On Thursday, Musk said T-Mobile’s network coverage will be powered by a second-generation Starlink satellite with large, “extremely advanced” antennas. The satellites will only connect to cellphones when they enter a dead zone not covered by a cell tower.
T-Mobile, which recently acquired Sprint and is the second-largest carrier in the U.S., said the satellite service will be included for free in most plans provided by the company.
Musk said the goal of both companies was to save lives and ensure there are “no more dead zones” across the world.
“I hope the public understands the magnitude of the announcement,” the SpaceX CEO said. “This is a really massive game changer.” | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/t-mobile-partners-with-spacex-to-use-starlink-satellites-for-mobile-network-access/ | 2022-08-27T17:44:57Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/t-mobile-partners-with-spacex-to-use-starlink-satellites-for-mobile-network-access/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(NEXSTAR) – Is your state among those with the most “credible” bigfoot sightings in the nation?
Yes, we know how that sounds. But bear with us.
Bigfoot, a furry two-legged beast long purported to roam the woods of North America, is largely believed to be a mythological creature, with sightings widely attributed to confusion or outright hoaxes. But there’s a pretty big community of believers who claim they’ve seen one, or are otherwise convinced of its existence despite a lack of conclusive evidence.
The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization, founded by Matt Moneymaker in the mid-1990s, includes 500 people who review reported sasquatch sightings throughout North America. Moneymaker said the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization (BFRO) has received nearly 75,000 reports of bigfoot sightings over the years, but only considers between 5,000 and 6,000 of those to be “credible.”
“A lot is based on the strength of the actual sighting,” said Moneymaker, who also hosted “Finding Bigfoot” on Animal Planet. He explained that the BFRO’s investigators favor reports from adult eyewitnesses and even folks who were skeptical of sasquatches before their sighting — rather than, say, an amateur bigfoot hunter who goes out with the intention of spotting one.
The BFRO also doesn’t consider secondhand accounts (like those presented on podcasts) in their official count. BFRO investigators must speak with an eyewitness before they can determine whether a reported sighting makes the list.
That said, the BRFO has recorded roughly 5,500 “credible” reports since the mid-90s, with sightings in every U.S. state aside from Hawaii.
Of course, some places are more “squatchy” than others. These are the states with the most sightings since the BFRO’s inception, according to the organization:
- Washington: 708
- California: 459
- Florida: 337
- Ohio: 318
- Illinois: 302
- Oregon: 257
- Texas: 253
- Michigan: 225
- Missouri: 166
- Georgia: 139
Certain other states, meanwhile, have had drastically fewer sightings. The states with the least, according to the BFRO, include Hawaii (0), Connecticut (5), Delaware (5), North Dakota (6) and Nevada.
But with thousands of “credible” sightings across the U.S. alone, it would stand to reason that there should be more conclusive video evidence, or remains, or DNA, or even whole specimens. Especially considering that wildlife researchers are still discovering and classifying thousands of new, often rare species each year, as reported by The Smithsonian.
To that, Moneymaker and the BFRO counter that bigfoots, apparently being both nocturnal and intelligent, are difficult to photograph and very adept at “thwarting” attempts at capture. If one were to come face-to-face with a bigfoot, like Moneymaker alleges he once did, “all you’re going to be doing is s—-ing your pants,” he told Nexstar.
The BFRO also claims that no remains of the modern bigfoot have ever been catalogued because “they will be exceedingly rare, because these animals are rare to begin with, and only a tiny fraction of that population will die in locations and soils that will preserve bones somehow,” according to its website.
Scientists, however, offer another explanation: Bigfoot likely isn’t real.
Since the mid-1970s, prominent paleontologists and primatologists have repeatedly reached the conclusion that a creature which fits with witness descriptions of bigfoot does not exist. Darren Naish, a British paleontologist and self-described wannabe-Bigfoot-believer, had written in 2016 that modern evidence — which relies heavily on “innumerable witness accounts” and even fur samples (which have since been identified as being of deer origin by the FBI) — are not enough to support its existence.
Instead, Naish feels the notion of sasquatches roaming the woods of North America can be attributed to people “seeing all manner of different things, combining it with ideas, memes and preconceptions they hold in their minds, and interpreting them as encounters with a monstrous, human-like biped,” he wrote in an article published with Scientific American.
Some people have even admitted to fabricating bigfoot evidence — like John Crane, a zoologist in Washington who told USA Today in 1996 that he managed to convince people of bigfoot’s existence when he was in college, by creating fake footprints for “fun.”
“No data other than material that’s clearly been fabricated has ever been presented,” Crane stated in 1996. (it’s worth noting that Crane’s colleague, an anthropologist at Washington State University, was “absolutely convinced” of bigfoot’s existence at the time.)
Moneymaker, on the other hand, feels witness testimony provides more than enough proof for him and the multitudes of alleged eyewitnesses he’s interviewed.
“If [skeptics] ignorantly say they don’t believe in bigfoots, what they’re really saying is that every credible witness, thousands of them, are all lying,” he said. | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/these-states-have-more-credible-bigfoot-sightings-than-others-according-to-bigfoot-investigators/ | 2022-08-27T17:45:11Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/these-states-have-more-credible-bigfoot-sightings-than-others-according-to-bigfoot-investigators/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Dubai: A captain with a new batting philosophy and a master batter standing at a crossroads, trying to reinvent himself, will aim to create a new narrative when India get ready to settle scores with Pakistan in the marquee Asia Cup match here on Sunday.
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have been the two pillars of India's white-ball team for the past decade but having received a rude jolt at this very venue 10 months back during the T20 World Cup, the duo exactly know where it stands and what it need to do to turn the tables.
While Rohit will be eager to test his ultra aggressive batting template against the Asian giants, for Kohli it will be the perfect platform to return to form after enduring a tough phase in the last three years.
There would be a bigger picture also and that is to set the core combination for the T20 World Cup in Australia in order by the end of this tournament.
With no bilateral contests between the neighbours for the past 10 years and nothing on the anvil in near future, the geo-political tension does always make for a heady build-up.
But the lack of regular games mean that Indo-Pak rivalries are rather held between unfamiliar foes rather than familiar ones.
One can't plan a lot against an opposition whom a team plays once or twice a year, while one has to expect the unexpected.
The last time India played Pakistan, they didn't have any idea how much Shaheen Shah Afridi had improved. The result was a 10-wicket defeat.
A lot was said after Afridi's two-over opening spell send jitters in the Indian camp during the last T20 World Cup opener and India's erstwhile team management did cop a lot of flak for its archaic batting approach in shortest format of the game.
Questions were raised whether the sameness in the top-order with three right-handers makes it easy for a good left-arm paceman to set the alarm bells ringing.
However on Sunday, there will be no Afridi (due to knee injury) to bend it back into the top three India right-handers but the fact remains that despite all the experiments by coach Rahul Dravid, the top-order remains exactly the same after that debacle in Dubai.
Rishabh Pant-Rohit pair showed a lot of promise with its gung-ho approach and Suryakumar Yadav at the top looked menacing with his all-round strokes.
Deepak Hooda, although against Ireland, was audacious as an opener but with Kohli and K L Rahul available, it will be experience that will get first preference going into a high-profile game.
In the new set-up, Rahul is coming back up after a surgery and COVD-19 related lay-off. He hasn't played a single international T20I in 2022.
In case of Kohli, the number stands at four with a half-century against a sub-par West Indies attack.
Rohit, in the interim, has played some attractive cameos but more importantly has tweaked his batting philosophy as per the needs of the team.
Will Kohli and Rahul be able to do the same? That remains a big question moving forward.
"It's great to see the new approach of Indian team, started after the last World Cup, following the words of captain, we are hoping to continue this," vice-captain Rahul said on Friday during a media interaction.
A lot, however, will depend on how the trio of Suryakumar, Pant and Hardik Pandya perform between overs 10 and 20. The trio with its explosive strength can perhaps take the Afridi-less Pakistan attack to cleaners with designated finisher Dinesh Karthik likely to sit out.
Babar Azam is very different from some of the Pakistani greats who have led the national team over the years.
A player, who is as much about method as he is about talent, Babar has brought a calmness that has worked more often than not in past couple of years since he took charge.
Along with Mohammed Rizwan, he forms a formidable combination at the top but both have respective strike-rates of less than 130.
It worked wonders when they chased a modest total in Dubai last year but will it work when they bat first?
While Fakhar Zaman at No. 3 also lends solidity, the rest of the batters haven't shown enough consistency. The likes of the flamboyant Asif Ali, Khushdil Shah, Haider Ali are good players but have little to show at the international level in terms of regular runs.
If missing Afridi is a big setback for Pakistan, not having Jasprit Bumrah is no less a blow for India.
In his absence (back injury) and with dependable T20 bowler Harshal Patel (rib-cage injury) also missing out, Bhuvneshwar Kumar will have a young death overs specialist Arshdeep Singh for company.
The match will test Arshdeep's skills but more so his temperament.
Ravindra Jadeja and Pandya's presence does add to the balance but the bone of contention will be if Rohit and interim head coach V V S Laxman opt for extra spinner Ravichandran Ashwin or Ravi Bishnoi at the expense of tearaway quick Avesh Khan, who could be profligate and deadly at the same time.
The teams (from): India: Rohit Sharma (capt), K L Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wk), Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir, Mohammed Hasnain, Hasan Ali
Match starts at 7.30 pm IST | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/cricket/2022/08/27/asia-cup-onus-on-indian-top-3-in-marquee-clash-with-pakistan.amp.html | 2022-08-27T17:55:14Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/sports/cricket/2022/08/27/asia-cup-onus-on-indian-top-3-in-marquee-clash-with-pakistan.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Shawn M. Graham is Interim Chief Executive Officer for the National Black MBA Association, Inc and is bringing a plethora of knowledge, wisdom, and leadership to the office. Graham has 30 years of experience leading global and national corporations in several industries. She was selected to the Atlanta Business League’s 100 Women of Influence in 2021 and received the League Leadership Award in 2022.
Why should people join the NBMBAA?
The National Black MBA Association is a huge professional network. We have an annual conference coming up in September. Our mission is to lead the creation of educational wealth building growth opportunities for those who are historically underrepresented and systemically excluded, because I believe it’s intentional. We focus on these individuals throughout their careers, whether they’re students, entrepreneurs, young professionals, seasoned professionals, we provide programs throughout the year.
We have 41 chapters throughout the country and an annual conference with more than 250 corporate partners to provide you with access to resources and jobs. We have competitions for entrepreneurs and we award up to $50,000. We have Impact Awards where we recognize those in the community, who are deserving of a variety of awards. We just like to acknowledge and give people their flowers while they can still smell them.
As a CEO, how do you set your annual goals and your goals for leadership and increase the knowledge base and intellectual capital inside your organization?
The goals that I have to set come in different buckets. There’s the budget and cash flow projections. You set your budget a year in advance, but what happens when five months later looks different from what you budgeted? You have to be clear on the financial direction and the financial stability of your organization. That’s one of the goals. Also, see where the gaps are and try to diversify revenue, especially in a nonprofit space. It’s critical that we diversify our revenue streams. In addition, you look at the different areas. For the NBMBAA, we have our members and programs. Every pocket of our organization is going to require goals.
I look at how we can increase the memberships we have to have richer benefits for our members. We have to make sure that we have a valuable proposition for our members. So, we look at the program and what’s relevant today, what’s relevant 10 years ago, and we see that what was relevant 10 years ago was not necessarily relevant today. Going forward, technology is key. We have to make sure that our program is capturing that and staying relevant. Our Board of Trustees have their vision for the direction of the organization, so I have to also make sure that I’m in alignment with them and delivering to the board and all of our stakeholders. | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/26/why-national-black-mba-association-is-a-powerful-tool-for-success/ | 2022-08-27T18:22:56Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/26/why-national-black-mba-association-is-a-powerful-tool-for-success/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
There’s never a dull moment when it comes to Boosie, even when the police are involved. Recently, the rapper was pulled over by police and he decided to record the moment on his phone. What should’ve been a serious moment turned into Boosie doing what he’s good at, which is trolling people.
“They got me pulled over again so I’m finna perform a concert in front of the police,” Boosie said in his Instagram video. That’s when the rapper decided to perform one of his hit songs tofor the officer standing behind him.
WARNING: NSFW
“You wanna talk s—, you wanna run your mouth. You want some gangsta friends at your motherf—— house, we gone set this b—- off,” Boosie rapped.
Boosie continued to troll the officer and rapped another song.
“Narcotics, f— ’em. Feds, f— ’em. D.A., f— ’em, we don’t need you b—— on our street say it with me, f— the police, Boosie rapped. “Without that badge you a b—- and a half n—- f— the police.”
In the next video, Boosie decided to film the cop that was searching his car.
“Are we going to jail or not,” Boosie asked while flashing three bands of cash. “That’s the question. The money ready. This pocket change. This f—— pocket change.”
Boosie was recently pulled over in July and had a mouthful to say during that incident as well.
“I’m just tired, bruh,” Boosie said as the officer removed his handcuffs. “This is the second time in two weeks. If you let me go, just let me go. I’m going to file charges right now.” | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/boosie-gets-pulled-over-again-performs-for-police-videos/ | 2022-08-27T18:23:02Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/boosie-gets-pulled-over-again-performs-for-police-videos/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Tasha McCaskiel, the CEO and founder of Black Girls in Media, a networking organization, spoke with rolling out about her passion for helping Black women be successful in the media industry.
After year’s of detours and closed doors, McCaskiel created her own route and platform to help other women avoid some of the struggles she encountered. On Aug. 20, Black Girls in Media held a conference to help Black women attain their career goals.
What was the motivation for launching Black Girls in Media?
I was having a hard time finding opportunities. I started it because I’m like, “Who can I talk to help me?” So I started something that I was looking for and once I did it, everybody received great opportunities. I was like, “What about me?” Eventually, it came back full circle. My platform started to help people, and help women get to where they want to be.
How do you hope to help the women who attend the conference?
I love women’s empowerment but I think women’s empowerment events can also have a negative light, because women feel like if they come they’ll get empowered, but then what else? So I think that’s what I want the difference to be for Black Girls in Media. We’re not just showing you how to do it, we’re also giving you the tools, too. You’re going to come to this conference, learn how to get in the media industry and learn if you like the media industry. There’s also action behind it, you can walk in that room to get your résumé edited and you can talk to a speaker and get a potential opportunity. This event is not just empowerment, but it’s [about] real results and that’s really what I’m excited about.
Why do you think it’s difficult for Black women to get a foothold in media?
Some women just need an opportunity and someone to listen to them, or just a chance. I think that’s the big difference between somebody having it or not having it. Some people just need a bet taken out on them. That’s also what’s important about Black Girls in Media because we can turn to each other and ask, “What do you need” and be honest about it, like, “Sis, I need a job or I need to be a host.” “Well, this is who I know,” so I think it’s who you know and being able to secure those opportunities. | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/ceo-tasha-mccaskiel-strives-to-get-women-employed-in-media/ | 2022-08-27T18:23:08Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/ceo-tasha-mccaskiel-strives-to-get-women-employed-in-media/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Daniel Farr is the founder of the nonprofit organization Project H.E.L.P. ATL, which stands for Humanity Evolves from Loving People. Since 2020, Project H.E.L.P. ATL has been spreading kindness to and through the community through action, helping 3,000 people per day by providing meals, dental assistance, hair care, showers, COVID-19 relief, and more. Project H.E.L.P. is dedicated to empowering, engaging and educating the community.
How do you get millennials involved in this type of project?
You have to make it fun. We are a generation of “What’s in it for me,” so we just provided a space for people to come and give back, and it was different than most volunteer situations. What I learned is that our age group is looking for something that’s bigger than us. Whatever that may be, it may be organizations, Greek wise or not, it may be different things like Urban League. We’re looking for things that are going to be bigger than us, because especially down here in Atlanta you can get caught up in just going out all the time. What we did was we built a very fun environment. You think back on some of the other volunteer opportunities, it may be you just passing out clothes or just putting food on a play, and we made something that was fun. We created a process and it’s actually in our mission statement where we will “Turn Up for Humanity.”
What did you learn about the unhoused community while being a part of this organization?
I’ll say one of the main things I’ve learned not only through talking with mentors, but also through going out and actually talking with these individuals, is that many times as those that are well off, whether or not they’re homeless or experiencing homelessness, we tend to have a certain perception of them that they may be lazy, or it may just be drugs, but it has a multitude of circumstances that can lead from someone having what we’d like to maybe call a “life.” I talked with a young lady once and she explained that she lost both her mom and her dad and went through the grieving process. You only get a certain amount of weeks off from your job, and then you have to get right back to work, with no one to talk to and no one to lean back on. She went into depression, lost her job, lost her house, and now she’s there. Another thing is mental illness, which is probably one of the highest components of innovators that are experiencing homelessness. I think that if the government really wanted to, we can really address a lot of the issues that are right now plaguing the community. The more that they are forced into action by individuals all coming together with one voice, the more actions are going to actually happen. | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/daniel-farr-plans-to-make-change-in-the-community-with-project-h-e-l-p-atl/ | 2022-08-27T18:23:14Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/daniel-farr-plans-to-make-change-in-the-community-with-project-h-e-l-p-atl/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Actress Genelle Williams has been working steadily as a lead or series regular playing Lucy on the NBC series Family Law. She is also in Lionsgate’s feature film, Spiral in the role of Lisa Banks with Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson. Her latest project, Delia’s Gone, written, and directed by Robert Budreau, follows the story of a Black man with an intellectual disability, portrayed by Stephan James, who is wrongfully accused and incarcerated for the murder of his sister Delia, played by Williams. Delia’s Gone explore premises of race, gender violence and mental disability.
How is playing Delia different from your past roles? What attracted you to the role of Delia?
There were several things that attracted me to the role of Delia. She’s fiercely protective of her brother, she’s strong minded and hardworking regardless of her personal issues. The main difference for me with Delia from past roles was notably her addiction issues and her vices. They don’t necessarily consume her, but they influence her life.
The film touches on many timely themes, including how race and mental health are treated in the criminal justice system. Why was it important for you to participate in a film like this?
It meant a lot to me to be a part of a film that seamlessly bridges art with social impact. Not only does the film do a great job of igniting conversations around race, criminal justice, and mental health but the hope is that it will also spur action in our communities. Delia’s Gone is a call to action and I knew I wanted to be a part of a project that could spark dialogue and change. I’m thankful Robert Budreau allowed me to take part in his film.
The film features a stellar cast. What was it like on set working alongside your co-stars?
How incredible is our cast?! I felt incredibly honored to be able to take part in a film with such an incredibly talented group of people. I have been wanting to work with Stephan for years now and I feel very lucky that I was able to witness his incredible work in this film.
What’s next for you? What type of roles will you be pursuing in the future?
I am currently filming the third season of our show Family Law out in Vancouver. It will be coming to the US this fall on CW. I’m hoping that I can keep pursuing thought provoking roles that challenge me and speak to audiences
Delia’s Gone is scheduled to open with limited engagements. please check listings for times and theaters | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/delias-gone-star-embraces-role-that-challenges-thoughts-on-timely-themes/ | 2022-08-27T18:23:20Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/delias-gone-star-embraces-role-that-challenges-thoughts-on-timely-themes/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mia Ray, a Detroit-bred entrepreneur, is making waves in the billion-dollar luxury lifestyle space. The mom, entrepreneur, and curator of the Glam-Aholic lifestyle is on track to bring in $25 million in revenue for 2022. A retired fashion blogger, Ray took her love for fashion and created the glam-a-holic lifestyle brand for savvy young women worldwide. Glam-Aholic lifestyle bags range in price from $40 to $250 and consists of luggage, totes, travel accessories, wallets and cosmetic bags.
Rolling out recently talked to Mia Ray about her day-to-day schedule, what inspires her, and books that changed her life.
What is your day-to-day routine like at work?
A snapshot of my day-to-day is walking into my Glam-Aholic lifestyle warehouse, having team meetings with staff, going over marketing plans, approving Glam-Aholic product samples, and setting monthly goals.
What inspires you to show up at work every day?
I love what I do. I love to create things that I wish existed, and I love to inspire. I am a workaholic so showing up to work every day keeps my creative juices high, and that fire lit to keep persisting. I prayed to be able to live this dream every day, and I’m doing it through my Glam-Aholic lifestyle brand.
How did you determine your career path?
I have always had a love for fashion. I’ve always admired the greats who came before me. I wanted to do something in the fashion industry but was unsure what it would be until I started seeing the positive feedback from my lifestyle/fashion blog, which led me to the Glam-Aholic lifestyle you see today.
Name five top songs on your playlist.
Absolutely anything by Anita Baker.
Nicki Minaj – “Moment For Life”
Beyoncé – “Six Inch”
Jay-Z – “Rock Boys”
Kanye West – “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”
Name three books that changed how you saw life that you would recommend to others.
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.
Fabulosity by Kimora Lee Simmons.
The Glitter Plan by the owners of Juicy Couture. | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/glam-aholic-lifestyle-brand-is-changing-the-business-of-luxury/ | 2022-08-27T18:23:26Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/glam-aholic-lifestyle-brand-is-changing-the-business-of-luxury/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
As one of a few Blacks to establish a wine and spirits brand, Marvina Robinson, founder and CEO of her boutique brand champagne company, B. Stuyvesant Champagne launched the fine spirits brand in February 2020. Born and raised in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Robinson fell in love with champagne early on when she and her college friends would return home from college and celebrate with one another. After spending 20 years on Wall Street, her dream of starting a champagne bar became an obsession; to achieve that goal she traveled to France and worked in a vineyard to learn the business from the ground up. Her hard work has paid off and she now reaps the sweet nectar of her labor.
What is it about champagne that attracted you to it?
Champagne is what my friends and I would drink when coming home from college to catch up. We were cash-limited college students pooling our money together to sip bubbles out of plastic cups. As I got older (& mature), I started exploring different champagne and developing my palate. I became the go-to person for champagne suggestions.
What type of events do you enjoy hosting?
I love to host tastings; it gives me an opportunity to be more hands-on with consumers and really begin to share “champagne knowledge”.
What challenges did you face getting started?
The main challenge was not for myself but for consumers believing that I (a Black woman comes from the Champagne region of France). I am always asked, “is this real champagne.” Another challenge was financing, I financed the brand myself. Initially, I was looking for investors and loans, but it became difficult and I decided to finance it myself and grow the business in increments. When I initially launched in February 2020, there were only two cuvees, now the 2022 portfolio consists of eight cuvees.
What advice would you give others looking to start a similar business?
I would suggest making sure this is something you want to do, keeping in mind it is a roller-coaster business. Keep the vision of your business consistent and do not allow other people to alter your view.
What is the biggest joy you had as a champagne grower and as a black woman entrepreneur?
My biggest joy is when I see consumers celebrating with B. Stuyvesant, it never gets old. In my head, I’m thinking “I created that whole bottle, down to the design of the labels, foil and wire cage”.
For more information: https://www.stuyvesantchampagne.com | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/marvina-robinson-makes-bubbly-pop-in-brooklyn-at-her-new-champagne-venue/ | 2022-08-27T18:23:33Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/marvina-robinson-makes-bubbly-pop-in-brooklyn-at-her-new-champagne-venue/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Abisha gets inspiration for her music from real-life romantic experiences. The London singer-songwriter recently stopped by rolling out to discuss her latest EP Everything Falls Into Place.
How do you feel about your latest project?
I’m so excited it’s finally out. It was such a fun EP to make, and it was all super positive and it was really an amazing experience. It was the first time I’d written a body of music that all came from a happy place. I wasn’t writing about heartbreak. I feel like a lot of the time, [it’s] the thing artists write about and it’s probably the easiest thing to write about, but because I was in a good space personally, I was about to write a body of music about that, which was really refreshing.
In one of the songs, you mention being so comfortable with your partner, you want to hear their deepest, darkest secrets. What is the deepest secret you’ve heard where you didn’t want to judge, but maybe it made you hesitate?
I don’t think I can say because I don’t want to spill anyone else’s tea, but I think just in general when you’re with someone and you start talking about their past and your past, things come up and you’re like, “I’m really glad I met you now.”
I mean, but it’s the same with everyone, especially dating in your 20s, hearing stories about people in their early 20s or when they were teenagers. Obviously, within that time, they grow and evolve. That is the time to make mistakes and unapologetically be living your best life.
What was that moment for you?
The first song I ever released was about a situation where I was dating someone and dating someone else at the same time … it ended up going horribly wrong. Obviously, I eventually had to pick which one I wanted to date more, but that kind of happened abruptly because one of them came into my workplace where the other was my co-worker, and they confronted the situation.
What was the racial reckoning of 2020 like for you as a Black woman who grew up mostly with the White side of her family?
I grew up in a small town called Devon, which is in the very south part of the country. Devon’s population is 90% White, so growing up, I had no Black or people of color around me in my school or in my family … [2020] brought up a lot of memories for me from my childhood that was probably examples of racism, but I didn’t know because I had no comparison. So I spoke out on a few of those things and had to be a voice for people around me to call out things when I saw them. | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/uk-singer-abisha-discusses-her-new-ep-everything-falls-into-place/ | 2022-08-27T18:23:39Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/uk-singer-abisha-discusses-her-new-ep-everything-falls-into-place/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Jack Daniel’s puts its money where its mouth is.
The corporation gave grants to small Black businesses as part of its “New Beginnings: Make It Count” program. Two of the program’s 2021 winners, Grant Blvd’s Kimberly McGlonn, based out of Philadelphia, and Tagg Magazine‘s Eboné F. Bell, based out of Washington, D.C., recently spoke to rolling out about the experience.
At what point of your journey did you get passionate about entrepreneurship?
McGlonn: My parents were small business owners, they experimented with that, so I grew up as a little kid volunteering. My sisters and I volunteered in their restaurants, so they really cared a lot about figuring out how to get Black folks on the north side of Milwaukee just easier access to fresher food. I think that was always in the peripheral of my thinking about how I could show up for Black folks in particular.
Bell: I think I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. When I look back at things and started a group for queer people of color when I was at the University of Maryland, and held events for LGBTQ people because I wasn’t seeing it.
When I don’t see something, I want to be a part of the solution instead of part of the problem.
How pivotal is it to receive corporate support from somewhere like Jack Daniel’s?
McGlonn: I think what Jack Daniel’s has done, and it continues to do, is continue this commitment they’ve made to make this particular kind of investment. What large corporations have an opportunity to invest in is creating some of that momentum shifts in moments where small businesses, in particular, are really trying to figure out how to hold on to their footing,
Bell: I couldn’t have agreed more. What I love about Jack Daniel’s is what they’ve done is that they’re intentional. I would say it’s one thing to have good intentions, and it’s another to be intentional.
I’ve shared this stat probably a billion times, but I think it’s important to say that during the pandemic, out of 1.1 million businesses, 41% percent of Black-owned businesses had to shut their doors compared to 17% of their White counterparts. It’s statistically known that Black-owned businesses get less venture. Capital investments, and even support. If you’re a Black woman in business, it’s like, forget about it. It makes like 2% of that number, which is absolutely ridiculous.
I say this because I always talk about where you can make a difference, even just locally. I love that Jack Daniel’s is like, “I see this issue. I see this problem, and we want to do something about it.”
How has support been for Black business owners in 2022 compared to the awakening of 2020?
McGlonn: This is another reason why I’m here with excitement about Jack Daniel’s long-term commitment. There was a lot of public positioning by corporations in 2020, but Jack Daniel’s is still here and still doing the work. One of the things I think has fallen off with other corporations is the commitment to making financial sacrifices. A $10 million commitment is one thing, but for a corporation that makes a billion dollars in profit, is that really a significant contribution to a community that helps up your business? | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/why-new-beginnings-make-it-count-program-winners-are-proud-of-jack-daniels/ | 2022-08-27T18:23:45Z | rollingout.com | control | https://rollingout.com/2022/08/27/why-new-beginnings-make-it-count-program-winners-are-proud-of-jack-daniels/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A 28-year-old motorcycle rider was hospitalized after a crash on Friday on South 28th Avenue and Tieton Drive in Yakima, according to the Yakima Police Department.
The motorcyclist was hit when a woman, 18, in a Jeep Patriot didn't yield the right of way when making a left turn, a news release from police said.
The release said the rider was thrown off the motorcycle where he then collided with another vehicle waiting at the intersection. The man was in critical but stable condition at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital on Friday night. He may be airlifted to Harborview Medical Center, police said.
The woman driving the Jeep was not injured, and didn't have a license. The release said driver inexperience was a factor in the collision.
The collision is being investigated by the Yakima Police Traffic Unit. Anyone with more information regarding the collision can contact Officer Jim Yates at 509-575-6246 or through email at james.yates@yakimawa.gov. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/motorcyclist-injured-after-collision-with-car-in-yakima/article_94da1fd2-262f-11ed-8659-9762d9ef6814.html | 2022-08-27T18:27:35Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/motorcyclist-injured-after-collision-with-car-in-yakima/article_94da1fd2-262f-11ed-8659-9762d9ef6814.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
YAKIMA – As the AVE skateboard shop celebrated its one-year anniversary earlier this month, it was hard to miss the newest attribute of the Yakima business.
A large skate ramp was built in the south parking lot, providing Yakima Valley skateboarders of all ages and abilities another option to test their skills, socialize and try out new gear, owner John Erickson said.
“We’re here first and foremost to support the skate community,” Erickson told the Yakima Herald-Republic. “This provides a safe zone for kids, and I’ve already seen their parents join them.”
Erickson opened the AVE — which stands for Apple Valley Emporium — in 2021 to provide “a community focused skateboard and organic wine shop in the heart of Yakima,” the AVE website states.
The store has skateboards, apparel, zines and “minimal intervention wines” available for sale. The latter are influenced by Erickson’s fiancée, Jessica DellaTorre, who works in the wine industry. Andy Pitts also was involved in establishing the business.
“Organic wine, in terms of Yakima, is still a very new thing,” he said. “Wine and hops provide so many jobs in the Yakima Valley, so we kind of felt it was appropriate to bring that aspect of our economy here.”
Erickson is originally from Yakima and worked at a much smaller skate shop his last few years of high school here, which has since “fizzled out.”
Skateboarding’s popularity and acceptance has increased quite a bit since his youth, Erickson said, as it’s now an Olympic sport, and many Winter Olympian snowboarders also are accomplished skateboarders.
Since opening the parking lot ramp on Aug. 1, Erickson said he’s pleased to see both parents and their kids enjoying it.
“So far it’s been a huge success,” he added. “We’ve had kids from 10 years old to people 50-plus out there.”
The skate ramp is only open during AVE business hours, which are noon-6 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays and noon to 4 p.m. Sundays. There is a $5 fee per day, with a free pass accompanying any shop purchase.
Everyone must sign a liability waiver form, or have a parent/guardian sign if they are younger than 18. Helmets and pads are encouraged for skateboarders, and no alcohol, drugs or fighting is tolerated.
While free city skate parks such as the one at Kiwanis Park are available, Erickson hopes the AVE and its custom-built ramp can be another option for Yakima Valley skaters.
“We are proud to offer a safe and friendly environment for skaters of all ages to learn and progress their skateboarding skills and enjoy the physical, mental and social benefits that the sport provides to its participants,” Erickson added.
He noted that besides being available to skate during regular business hours, the AVE also offers private skate lessons as well as rentals for private parties and events.
More information is available at the AVE website, applevalleyemporium.com, or by calling the store at 509-902-1097. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/shop-opens-a-new-place-to-skateboard-in-yakima/article_5688e13c-1900-11ed-ae40-bb7a6ec28d99.html | 2022-08-27T18:27:41Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/shop-opens-a-new-place-to-skateboard-in-yakima/article_5688e13c-1900-11ed-ae40-bb7a6ec28d99.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SPOKANE, Wash. — Four people were shot early Saturday morning at Franklin Park in north Spokane, including one man who died, according to Spokane police.
Police received several calls around 3:15 a.m. about a shooting in the parking lot off of Queen Avenue, near the playground on the south end of Franklin Park. The park is located just off Division Street, across from NorthTown Mall.
When officers arrived, they found four people who had been shot. One man was dead. The other three people were taken to the hospital or treated on scene for gunshot wounds. SPD reported one person had life-threatening injuries to the head.
Initial reports indicate that there was a dispute at the park that escalated into the shooting, according to police. It is not clear what the relationship is between the four people who were shot.
SPD reports no one has been arrested at this time.
The Spokane Police Department Major Crimes Unit is leading the investigation.
Police have blocked off Queen Avenue as part of the investigation from Division Street to Calispel Street. The road remained closed as of 7:30 a.m.
Police are asking anyone with information to call crime check at (509) 456-2233.
The shooting follows another at a Spokane Park earlier this week. On Thursday, four people were shot at Dutch Jake Park in west central Spokane. There is no indication the shootings are related.
This is a developing story. KREM 2 News will update the story as more information becomes available.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com. | https://www.krem.com/article/news/crime/four-shot-franklin-park-in-north-spokane/293-7414edec-0e7c-4b7d-b550-c288c4ce851a | 2022-08-27T18:31:30Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/crime/four-shot-franklin-park-in-north-spokane/293-7414edec-0e7c-4b7d-b550-c288c4ce851a | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON — After decades of failed attempts, Democrats passed legislation that aims to rein in the soaring costs of drugs for some in the United States.
It will take years for people to realize some of the most significant savings promised in the climate and health care bill that President Joe Biden signed this month.
The bill mostly helps the roughly 49 million people who sign up for Medicare's drug coverage. But many will be left out from direct savings after lawmakers stripped cost-savings measures for a majority of those covered by private health insurance.
A look at how some might benefit from the drug savings provisions in the “Inflation Reduction Act” and how drugmakers might push back on those efforts.
DRUG NEGOTIATIONS
For the first time, Medicare can negotiate the price of its costliest drugs.
In the U.S., “we’ve never had any entity that was negotiating on behalf of such a large group of people before,” said Leigh Purvis, the director of AARP's health care costs and access.
That new bargaining power won’t kick in until 2025, when Medicare is able to haggle over the price of 10 drugs covered by its prescription plan. By 2029, Medicare will be able to negotiate the cost of as many as 60 drugs.
It will take some time because the Health and Human Services Department will need to develop a plan for selecting which drugs will be negotiated. The complicated rule-making process will take years to devise and face intense lobbying and scrutiny from the pharmaceutical industry, which is eager to carve out loopholes in the new rules.
“The biggest lift is definitely going to be negotiations because the secretary is establishing a whole new program, and they’re going to do a lot of hiring,” Purvis added.
The savings are expected to be huge. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates costs could fall by as much as $100 billion over the next decade.
Which drugs Medicare and patients will save on, however, remains a bit of a mystery.
In the first year, Medicare will be allowed to negotiate the cost of 10 drugs it spends the most money on, as long as those drugs have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for at least nine years and don’t have any rival generics on the market.
Right now, for example, the blood thinner Eliquis, used by 2.6 million Medicare recipients at a yearly cost of nearly $10 billion, would likely be at the top of that list.
That might spur pharmaceutical companies to launch new drugs at a higher price, knowing that the product’s cost will be negotiated down for Medicare, cautioned Arthur Wong, an analyst for S&P Global, a financial research firm.
PhRMA, the trade organization that represents pharmaceutical companies, acknowledged it intends to push back against the law.
“We are exploring every opportunity – including legislative, regulatory and legal — to make sure patients have access to the medicines they need and our industry can continue to develop lifesaving cures and treatments," PhRMA spokesperson Brian Newell said in an emailed statement to The Associated Press.
A CAP ON OUT-OF-POCKET DRUG PRICES
The bill limits how much money Medicare recipients must use for medications but, again, it will take some time for those rules to take hold.
In 2024, Medicare will get rid of a 5% coinsurance required of patients who have met the catastrophic threshold, which is currently set at $7,050 for out-of-pocket costs for drugs. Nearly 3 million Medicare patients met that threshold at some point from 2015 to 2019, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
The following year, out-of-pocket drug costs will be capped at $2,000 for Medicare Part D, which typically covers at-home prescription medications.
HOW WILL THE PRICE OF DRUGS BE CONTROLLED UNTIL THEN?
The Inflation Reduction Act has a series of controls aimed at immediately blunting the rising cost of drugs for Medicare. The bill caps copayments for insulin at $35 per month beginning in January, but for Medicare beneficiaries only. A $35-per-month limit on out-of-pocket costs for those on private health insurance was cut.
Starting next year, drug companies will also have to pay a rebate to Medicare if they raise the cost of a drug higher than the rate of inflation. The industry regularly raises the price of drugs above inflation yearly.
A similar rule exists in Medicaid, so the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid has experience running this program, said Rachel Sachs, a professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis.
“They’ve been helpful at controlling the rate of increase,” she said of the rebates.
Only Medicare patients will benefit directly from this. A move to include people on private insurance who are sold overpriced drugs in the calculation was scrubbed from the legislation.
Some health policy experts hope this provision, along with the others in the package, will help insurance companies negotiate the price of drugs for its customers, potentially extending cost-savings to millions of people.
But others are waiting to see if the bill has the opposite effect. Medicare makes up about one-third of the pharmaceutical industry's market, meaning companies could try to draw more profits from elsewhere.
“That could be a threat that non-Medicare payers may end up having to pay more or at least face harder negotiations with the pharma industry,” said analyst Wong. | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/prescription-prices-new-law/507-46ecb21a-8b70-4fd7-aca9-688eab58c2db | 2022-08-27T18:31:36Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/nation-world/prescription-prices-new-law/507-46ecb21a-8b70-4fd7-aca9-688eab58c2db | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
GOP nominee for Pennsylvania governor posed in Confederate outfit
Pennsylvania State Sen. Doug Mastriano previously posed in a Confederate uniform for a faculty photo at the U.S. Army War College, Reuters reports.
The big picture: Mastriano, who is currently the Republican nominee for governor of Pennsylvania, has been endorsed by former President Trump in the upcoming election against Democrat Josh Shapiro.
Driving the news: The photo, obtained by Reuters through the Freedom of Information Act, shows Mastriano at the Department of Military Strategy, Planning and Operations, where he previously worked as a professor.
- The faculty were offered the opportunity to pose as a historic figure for the photo. At least 15 of the people in the photo are seen wearing normal outfits. Mastriano is the only one in the photo seen wearing a Confederate uniform.
- The photo was taken during the 2013-2014 school year during the Obama administration.
- The Pentagon issued a de facto ban on displaying the Confederate flag in 2020, per AP.
Worth noting: Mastriano currently serves a district that includes Gettysburg, which was the location of the Civil War's bloodiest battle, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
What they're saying: Mastriano retweeted a statement from senior advisor Jenna Ellis, who said the state senator "apparently once posed as a civil war historical figure for a photo."
- "The left wants to erase history," she said. She then invited Reuters "to go on a Gettysburg tour with Doug. You’ll learn a lot!"
- Mastriano's office did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
Army War College said it removed the photo from its wall after Reuters reached out, per CNN.
- "The faculty photo did not get the team's attention; the photo has since been removed because it does not meet AWC values," the college told Reuters.
Context: Mastriano "has attempted to moderate his firebrand conservative tone for November’s general election," the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. "But he has a long digital and paper trail of making controversial statements that come back to haunt his campaign."
- Mastriano was on the U.S. Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2022, per Axios Philadelphia. He appeared before the Jan. 6 committee but his interview was cut short.
Go deeper: Doug Mastriano wins Pennsylvania GOP primary for governor | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/27/doug-mastriano-confederate-army-photo-trump | 2022-08-27T18:36:45Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/27/doug-mastriano-confederate-army-photo-trump | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FOR LEEWARD AREAS TODAY...
.The combination of dry fuels, gusty trade winds, and low
relative humidity will result in critical fire conditions at times
today. Any fires that develop could display extreme fire behavior
and be difficult to control.
...RED FLAG WARNING IN EFFECT FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 6 PM HST
THIS EVENING FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR LEEWARD
SECTIONS OF All ISLANDS...
The National Weather Service in Honolulu has issued a Red Flag
Warning, which is in effect from 11 AM this morning to 6 PM HST
this evening.
* AFFECTED AREA...Leeward portions of all Hawaiian Islands.
* WIND...Northeast to east around 20 mph with higher gusts.
* HUMIDITY...Around 40 percent in the afternoon.
* IMPACTS...Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly.
Outdoor burning is not recommended.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
A Red Flag Warning means that critical fire weather conditions
are either occurring now or will shortly. A combination of strong
winds, low relative humidity, and warm temperatures can
contribute to extreme fire behavior. A Red Flag Warning does not
predict new fire starts.
&&
Saturday morning forecast: Red Flag Warning posted, breezy winds, warm temperatures
HONOLULU, Oahu (KITV4) - A red flag warning is posted for most leeward areas across the state. Critical fire weather conditions are in place. Outdoor burning is not recommended.
According to the National Weather Service in Honolulu, a disturbance moving across the state, will enhance showers over the islands into this afternoon.
Otherwise, moderate to locally breezy trades will generate a typical trade wind weather pattern through Sunday, with showers occasionally reaching leeward areas.
Drier and more stable trade wind flow is expected to develop next week and will bring showers across windward and mauka areas.
Trades will briefly weaken to begin the workweek and will allow for afternoon sea breeze showers across leeward areas through Tuesday.
Trades will then re-strengthen over the islands Wednesday through the end of the week.
High temperatures are expected in the upper 80's to low 90's.
Winds are forecasted out of the ENE from 15 to 25 mph.
SURF
North: 1-3'
West: 0-2'
South: 1-3"
East: 3-5'
A small craft advisory is posted for our usual windy coastal waters around Maui and the Big Island.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
Weekend Meteorologist and Maui County correspondent
Malika has been at KITV since July 2020. She graduated from the University of Hawaii and attended Mississippi State University for her certification in Broadcast Meteorology. Malika started her career in the Hawaii news industry in 2007. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/saturday-morning-forecast-red-flag-warning-posted-breezy-winds-warm-temperatures/article_9d49adb0-262d-11ed-8928-bb6975041a76.html | 2022-08-27T18:39:02Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/saturday-morning-forecast-red-flag-warning-posted-breezy-winds-warm-temperatures/article_9d49adb0-262d-11ed-8928-bb6975041a76.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The first set of Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TetFund) sponsored Postdoctoral Fellows have successfully completed their tenure at Morgan State University (MSU), Baltimore.
The 17 Scholars who were selected from various tertiary institutions across Nigeria have been under the mentorship of Morgan Faculty.
According to a statement issued by the Executive Director, Office of Global Partnerships-Africa Morgan State University, Professor Hakeem Ibikunle Tijani, the first cohort of TetFund sponsored postdoctoral fellows completed their tenure at MSU on Tuesday, 23rd August, 2022.
“They have since last year been under the mentorship of Morgan Faculty. Seventeen in number from various tertiary institutions across Nigeria, they learned the arts and science of research, grant writing, evidence based research methodology, access to MSU state of the art laboratories, engaged in experiential learning, teaching pedagogy and cultural immersion.”
In his remarks, the Group Leader, Dr. Racheal Agbonna, observed that: “the experience is the most enriching in my career; my group is deeply appreciative of the opportunities and the visionaries.
“As an institution, we are delighted to have as a partner, TetFund, and will always execute the mandate of providing access to the people and government of Nigeria in its quest to developing the skills and capacity of its teaching staff.
In his admonition, the AVP International Affairs, Dr. Astatke tasked the Fellows to retrain others; maintain the partnership through continued collaborative research.
Speaking further, Dr. Tijani, who admonished the Fellows to continue to be good Ambassadors of their institutions and their nation, assured that: “As a win-win partnership, Morgan Faculty like Dr. Damoah, Dr. Bista and Dr. Rahman continue with the Research Fellows on research and grants.
“The idea of mentoring without borders, is part of fulfilling President Wilson’s vision.
“Some MSU Faculty will be sponsored to spend time in Nigeria as part of continuity and win-win mantra shortly.
“Morgan expects 50+ second cohort of postdoctoral fellows in various disciplines by December.
“In addition, another batch of 60 sponsored PhD students were admitted and have commence have commenced hybrid classes.
“They are the fourth cohort of doctoral students sponsored by TetFund at MSU.
“We can say the vision of President David Kwabena Wilson has gained strong foundation, and the mission of Africa as the centerpiece of MSU transformative Strategic Plan is in the right direction,” he noted. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/17-nigerian-scholars-complete-tetfund-sponsored-postdoctoral-training-at-msu-baltimore/ | 2022-08-27T18:48:18Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/17-nigerian-scholars-complete-tetfund-sponsored-postdoctoral-training-at-msu-baltimore/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Country Director, Action Aids Nigeria, Ene Obi has called on the Federal Government not to focus only on Abacha loot but to also go after other looters of public funds previously and now and recover the stolen money from them.
She said there were many of them within the country as of today and that government should go after them without sparing any.
She said even as important as the recovery of the stolen money is to the country, it is more important that the government is transparent and accountable on its spending even to the last penny from the recovered loot and other public funds.
Ene made this call in an exclusive interview with Sunday Tribune when her reaction was sought on the Federal Government’s plan to spend the $23.4 million Abacha loot that the US government had agreed to repatriate to Nigeria’s government on the road projects.
She said even though Abacha loot can never be a solution to fix the economy nor the university education problem, that government has huriedly concluded plan to use the money on road infrastructures means it had no concrete plan on ground for the completion of those projects.
She said the issue of public university teachers, who have been on industrial action for more than six months and still counting is about an agreement that is not honoured by the Federal Government.
She said it was obvious that the Federal Government does not pay deserved attention to public university education apparently because most of them in the corridor of powers have their children schooling abroad and therefore not need to worry about what happens to the children of the poor at home.
She said should sufficient attention had been given to public education by successive governments, Nigerians would not have been going enmasse abroad to study.
She said it was disturbing that citizens only pay all form of taxes without enjoying corresponding dividends of doing so from the government.
She said what a shame that many Nigerians are now sending their children to Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo and even Benin Republic to study and nobody from other country is interested to study in Nigerian schools.
She said the development shows that the political leaders at all tiers of government are actually not focusing in the right direction.
According to her, the University of Nairobi Kenya for example, has regular students who attend classes from morning time till 2.00 pm and another set under a private arrangement in the same university will come in the evening for those who can afford the fees and they are both exposed to the same level of quality education.
“So government should invest sufficiently on public university education in the country as that is the way to genuine progress for us as a country.
“It can arrange the system to accommodate students from both the poor and the rich homes as the practice in the developed world.
“There, children of the poor are charged differently from their peers from the rich homes and both of them have access to equal opportunities to quality education.
“Nigeria’s government can do similar arrangement in a faithful manner using parents’ earnings to charge their children on fees to pay in school,” she stressed.
Mrs Ene said Nigerains have had enough of government claiming to be pumping money into the 2nd Niger Bridge and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
She asked rhetorically how many times would the government award the contracts snd where was the money claimed to have spent on them gone to?
She said government could make promises and do what it wants to do with the public money in the space of about nine months that is left for this administration, people must be held accountable for their actions.
For example, she said “People must be held accountable for the Ecological Fund to dredge River Nigeria and River Benue, the money for power sector, the governor’s security votes and so forth.
“So, we don’t need to focus only on Abacha loot but also the loot within the system internally must be lookef into.
She said Nigeria had enough money in the system that if judiciously used would solve substantially most of the country’s major problems.
Speaking further, Action Aids boss said even though having good roads all over the place in the country is important, Nigerians should look at other tiers of government and not only the Federal Government.
This is because some roads are supposed to be built by the state government and likewise the local government but what are the status of those roads and what are those tiers of government responsible to do them are doing with their money?
“That is why for me, lack of transparency and accountability is the biggest problem confronting us as a country.
“But we must have to do things right starting with our political leaders to use public money for the benefit of every Nigerian as we don’t have another country we can call ours,” she stressed. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/action-aids-to-fg-go-after-other-looters-dont-focus-only-on-abacha-loot/ | 2022-08-27T18:48:24Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/action-aids-to-fg-go-after-other-looters-dont-focus-only-on-abacha-loot/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised the alarm over alleged move to seal off its national secretariat in Abuja.
The party National Director of Communications and Programs, Barr. Ifenla Oligbinde, disclosed this in a statement at the weekend.
Oligbinde said political parties not uncomfortable with the ADC rising profile were trying to instigate officials of the Federal Capital Development Control (FCDA), with the ultimate aim to destabilise the party ahead next general elections.
The statement warned such “paid agents” to stop the act described as embarrassing, adding that ADC is not a commercial or business enterprise and there has not been any area designated by the FCT or Development Control where political parties can situate their offices.
“Following on the resolution by the ADC National Executive Council (NEC) to extend the tenure of National officers of the party during the Special NEC Meeting which held on Thursday, 25th August 2022, ADC has reported that the party’s steady progress towards the general elections has started ruffling several feathers.
“Some devious agents of other political parties have started using unscrupulous ways to intimidate or blackmail our party.
“Some unscrupulous persons have arranged to seal the premises of ADC under the pretense that ADC office is located in an area designated by FCDA as a non-commercial area.
“ADC is not a commercial or business enterprise and there has not been any area designated by the FCT or Development Control where political parties can situate their offices, as was done for embassies. The ADC Global Campus and Transformation Centre that serves as the party’s office, like many other political parties offices, is situated even in a more public place than most of the offices of APC/PDP.”
While warning that such intimidation will never succeed, the ADC said it has “already dispatched a special letter to Mr. President, the Inter Party Advisory Commission and minister of FCT to take steps towards addressing such witch hunting and most repressible actions of agents of darkness.” | https://tribuneonlineng.com/adc-raises-alarm-over-alleged-plot-to-seal-off-national-secretariat/ | 2022-08-27T18:48:31Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/adc-raises-alarm-over-alleged-plot-to-seal-off-national-secretariat/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Rally for man beaten during Arkansas arrest starts at noon in Van Buren
Civil rights advocates to gather Saturday in Crawford County
A rally for a man beaten by three Crawford County law officers during an arrest was set for noon Saturday at the courthouse.
Derek van Voast of Springdale, who has worked as an assistant to The Rev. Jesse Jackson, is the organizer of the rally Saturday in Van Buren.
The rally was organized in response to the Sunday, Aug. 21 beating of Randal Ray Worcester during an arrest in Mulberry. Caught on video, the arrest was later called "reprehensible," by Gov. Asa Hutchinson after it circulated widely on social media. Crawford County sheriff's deputies Levi White and Zach King, and Mulberry officer Thell Riddle have been suspended pending the outcome of investigations by state and federal authorities.
Previous Coverage:Sheriff defends suspended deputies in beating arrest case
The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating the arrest of Worcester, who was punched in the head and kneed in the side as he was held down on the pavement during the arrest. Video released since the arrest shows Worcester tackling White before he was beaten. White suffered a concussion when his head hit the pavement.
Worcester had been accused of making threats to an Alma store clerk before the rough arrest in Mulberry.
Follow swtimes.com for updates. | https://www.swtimes.com/story/news/2022/08/27/randal-worcester-rally-mulberry-crawford-county-ar-arrest-beating/65420003007/ | 2022-08-27T18:48:47Z | swtimes.com | control | https://www.swtimes.com/story/news/2022/08/27/randal-worcester-rally-mulberry-crawford-county-ar-arrest-beating/65420003007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
An Air Peace Lagos/Owerri bound has suffered bird strike which caused the aircraft to make an air return back to Lagos.
Confirming this in a statement, the airline declared: “This is to inform the flying public and our esteemed customers that Air Peace flight P47154, which departed Lagos at 12:00hrs today, August 27, 2022, for Owerri, could not land due to a bird strike that got the bird stuck on the left main landing gear.
“The strike affected the operating parameters of the landing gear which made the pilots follow regulatory safety procedures by returning to Lagos where they landed the aircraft safely without any incident.
“Passengers disembarked normally and another aircraft has been deployed to operate the flight.”
The airline apologised for the inconveniences the development caused to all passengers affected by this situation even as they assured of strict compliance with established safety standards. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/lagos-owerri-bound-air-peace-aircraft-suffers-bird-strike/ | 2022-08-27T18:48:50Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/lagos-owerri-bound-air-peace-aircraft-suffers-bird-strike/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PDP crisis: Onu heads to supreme court, appeals ruling sacking him as Ebonyi chairman
Mr Silas Onu, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) has appealed the decision of the appeal court sacking him as the Ebonyi State Chairman of the party.
The appellate court in its decision also restored Mr Tochukwu Okorie as the substantive chairman of the party in the state.
Mr Silas Onu, a former spokesperson of the party, in the notice of appeal, raised two grounds for appeal.
Mr Onu and Mr Tochukwu Okorie had contested for the chairmanship position which held on October 16 2021.
Mr Okorie polled 1,240 votes to defeat Silas Onu, who scored 260 votes in the election.
Dissatisfied, Onu filed a suit challenging the process and listed the PDP and Okorie as first and second defendants, respectively.
Onu prayed the court to rule whether or not Okorie qualified to contest in the October 16 election even after he did not submit his nomination form within the stipulated deadline.
The Federal High Court in Abuja agreed with him and sacked Tochukwu Okorie as chairman.
Delivering ruling in the suit on April 13, 2021, Justice Ahmed Mohammed, the presiding judge, held that Okorie was not validly nominated to contest the election having submitted his nomination form on October 4, 2021 — days after the October 1, 2021 deadline.
Justice Mohammed held that Okorie cannot be allowed to benefit from his wrongdoing
“It is the opinion of this court that the second defendant (Okorie) was indolent in submitting his nomination form as provided in the guidelines issued by the PDP,” the judge held.
“In spite of this failure, he was still returned and declared elected. He cannot be allowed to benefit from his wrongdoing.”
Consequently, the judge also directed the party to issue a certificate of return to Onu, declaring him as the duly elected chairman of PDP, Ebonyi chapter.
But Tochukwu Okorie appealed the decision at the Appellate court arguing that the matter is an internal matter which the lower court should not have entertained in the first place.
The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division on August 15 agreed with him as it nullified and set aside the judgement of the lower court of April 13, 2022.
It, therefore, sacked Mr Silas Onu as chairman and restored Okorie as substantive chairman of the party in the state.
ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
In a unanimous decision, the three-man panel of Justices held that the trial court erred when it assumed jurisdiction to hear the matter being an internal affair of the party which is not justiceable.
Mr Silas in ground one is arguing that the Court of Appeal erred in law when it assumed jurisdiction over the appeal before it, and determined same.
According to him, the notice of Appeal which commenced the appeal at the appellate Court was a joint Notice of Appeal filed on 22 April 2022 by the Peoples Democratic Party as the 1st Appellant and the instant Respondent, as the 2nd Appellant therein.
“In the course of the Appeal, the Peoples Democratic Party, accepted the judgment of the trial Court and elected to discontinue its appeal”
“The Court below struck out the name of Peoples Democratic Party from the appeal and the Respondent, proceeded to amend the joint Notice of Appeal and the joint Brief of Argument.
“The Respondent filed a new Notice of Appeal dated 4 July, 2022 totally removing the Peoples Democratic Party, who is a party directly affected by the appeal, from the proceeding”, he said.
Mr Silas insists that the discontinuance of the appeal by the Peoples Democratic Party renders the Joint Notice of Appeal incompetent, and cannot be amended thereafter
“The removal of the Peoples Democratic Party as a party to the appeal, altered the original parties to the appeal which is a re-hearing of the proceedings at the trial Court”.
“The lower Court ought to strike out the appeal as it lacked the jurisdiction to make any further Order therefrom as the Notice of Appeal became fundamentally defective and incompetent”.
“The Respondent, in pursuing an appeal has to file his own appeal and make the Peoples Democratic Party a Respondent in the appeal, since it was a necessary party at the trial Court”
“The Respondent’s Notice of Appeal filed on 04 July 2022 and upon which the appeal was heard and determined, is incompetent.
“The lower Court lacked the jurisdiction to hear and determine the Respondent’s appeal on the defective Joint Notice of Appeal filed on 22 April 2022, or the Notice of Appeal filed by the Respondent on 04 July 2022.”
On ground two, Mr Onu is of the opinion that the Court of Appeal erred in law and, thus, arrived at a wrong decision when it held that the matter being an internal affair of the party the trial court should not have entertained it.
According to him, “By Sections 82(1) and (3) of the Electoral Act, 2022 it is clear that the Electoral Act, 2022 emphasizes regulates the activities of political parties by setting a standard within which political parties must conduct their affalrs, including congresses and convention”.
“By Section 84 (14) of the Electoral Act, 2022 the Federal High court is conferred with the jurisdiction to hear and determine questions arising from the breach of any provision of the Electoral Act, 2022; the Constitution of a political party, and Guidelines of a Political Party”.
He opined that the case before the trial Court borders on complaint about the non- adherence to the guidelines for the conduct of congresses made by the Peoples Democratic Party pursuant to its Constitution, and such, is justiciable.
He further opined that political parties are bound by law to obey and respect their own constitutions, and guidelines made pursuant to it.
“It is trite law, as expounded by the Supreme Court in AGI v. PDP & ORS [2016] LPELR-42518(SC) that a Court will interfere in the affairs of a political party where the party “has violated its own constitutional provisions”
“The trial Court established, and exercised its jurisdiction upon ascertaining that the complaint was strictly about the non adherence by Peoples Democratic Party with the provisions of its guidelines, which were made pursuant to its Constitution.
“It is also trite that where there is a violation of a right, there must
be a remedy.The decision of the Court below has occasioned a miscarriage of justice”, he added..
Mr Onu is therefore urging the apex court to grant an order allowing his appeal.
He is also seeking an order setting aside the decision of the Court of Appeal entered on 15 August 2022.
Mr Onu further prayed the court for an order restoring the decision of the trial Court delivered on 13 April 2022 which declare him as the authentic Chairman of the party in the state.
The PDP has become factionalised in the lead up to the primaries of the party with Mr Onu leading one faction while Okorie leads the other faction.
As a result, two governorship candidates emerged from the primaries of the party.
While Mr Ifeanyi Odii emerged as the candidate from the primaries conducted by the Ọnụ faction, Obinna Ọgba, who represents Ebonyi Central in the Senate, emerged as the candidate from the primaries conducted by the Okorie faction.
Both candidates are presently in court fighting to be declared the authentic candidate of the party for the 2023 governorship election. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/pdp-crisis-onu-heads-to-supreme-court-appeals-ruling-sacking-him-as-ebonyi-chairman/ | 2022-08-27T18:48:57Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/pdp-crisis-onu-heads-to-supreme-court-appeals-ruling-sacking-him-as-ebonyi-chairman/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Tinubu commends Buhari over resolve to support APC candidates
All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Candidate, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his loyalty and commitment to the party and her victory in the February 25, 2023 elections.
Tinubu spoke at the weekend when he received the party’s National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, and the APC National Working Committee at Tinubu/Shettima Campaign office in Abuja.
According to a press statement by his media aide, Tunde Rahman, President Buhari’s resolve not to support any other candidates except those being sponsored by APC, Buhari deserves commendation for being a true leader and loyal party man.
“I like the statement of Mr. President few days ago. Firm, concise, straight to the point and bold as a leader of our party. We should commend the President for that statement. For his commitment and loyalty to the party. And for being a true party leader.
“Tinubu pledged to work towards creating and powering a knowledge- based economy in Nigeria if elected president.
“Among other things if and when we are elected, we will work towards developing Nigeria as a knowledge-based economy that meets the overarching needs of the present and plans for the future.
“We will institute 21st century financial reforms, embark on 21st century infrastructural development and 21st century elimination of crimes that will be technology-driven.”
The APC National Chairman commended Tinubu for the efforts made and structures erected thus far towards ensuring an effective campaign.
Senator Adamu said: “You’re already writing the word success with these laudable efforts. Those who know you expect no less. And it is our hope and prayer that God Almighty crown our efforts with victory in February 2023.” | https://tribuneonlineng.com/tinubu-commends-buhari-over-resolve-to-support-apc-candidates/ | 2022-08-27T18:49:03Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/tinubu-commends-buhari-over-resolve-to-support-apc-candidates/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Braves reliever Jackson Stephens was diagnosed with a mild concussion that will send him to the seven-day injured list.
And all things considered, that qualifies as great news.
The Atlanta righty was struck in the forehead with 90.4 mph line drive off the bat of St. Louis’ Brendan Donovan on Friday night in a scary moment that necessitated a trip to the hospital.
On Saturday, the Braves shuffled the third-year major leaguer to the IL and announced the scans found no fractures.
Stephens was trying to close out what became an 11-4 victory over the Cardinals in the ninth inning when Donovan’s comebacker struck his head and ricocheted into shallow right field for an RBI single.
The 28-year-old somehow remained on his feet as trainers checked on him. He sported a large welt on his forehead.
“He’s aware and everything, but he’s going to have to go to the hospital and get some tests,” Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters, via ESPN. “It’s always scary when you see somebody get hit in the head, the face. That’s probably the most sickening thing you can witness in a game.”
Stephens has been a valuable threat out of the Atlanta bullpen, having been used in outings as short as one-third of an inning and as long as 3 1/3 innings. Before an all-around rough Friday, he had a 3.30 ERA in 31 games.
The Braves called up right-hander Jay Jackson as the corresponding roster move. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/braves-jackson-stephens-placed-on-il-with-concussion-after-liner-off-head/ | 2022-08-27T18:50:40Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/braves-jackson-stephens-placed-on-il-with-concussion-after-liner-off-head/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
UConn football coach Jim Mora apparently sees dead people.
In his first season with the Huskies after taking over last November, the 60-year-old told ESPN that he believes the house that he lives in, which is a short walk from the school’s campus, is haunted. He also said he hears doors opening every night, along with other “unexplained noises” and sees shadows around the house.
“I’m convinced it’s haunted,” he said, laughing.
“I just warn everyone who stays that it’s haunted. But they’re good ghosts.”
The old house, which is located atop a hill and sits on about three acres, is a six-minute walk to the Storrs campus. Though Mora didn’t cite any specific cases of him seeing ghosts, he maintained that the place is occupied by an otherworldly presence.
As for the Huskies, they’ve been mired in a nightmare of their own doing in recent years.
UConn is a ghastly 4-32 over its last three seasons (excluding 2020 when the season was canceled because of COVID-19), which led to Randy Edsall’s dismissal and Mora’s hiring.
Mora had been out of coaching since 2017 after being fired by UCLA, where the Bruins went 46-30 over five seasons under the veteran coach, including just 17-19 his last three years. He then joined ESPN as a college football analyst in 2018. Mora also had several stints in the NFL, mostly as an assistant, and was the Atlanta Falcons’ head coach for two seasons.
He takes over a UConn program that is now independent at the FBS level. The Huskies’ last bowl appearance was in 2015.
UConn opens its season on Saturday at Utah State. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/uconn-football-coach-jim-mora-insists-he-lives-in-haunted-house/ | 2022-08-27T18:51:34Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/uconn-football-coach-jim-mora-insists-he-lives-in-haunted-house/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DODGERS
Retired: 1 Pee Wee Reese, 2 Tommy Lasorda, 4 Duke Snider, 14 Gil Hodges, 19 Jim Gilliam, 20 Don Sutton, 24 Walter Alston, 32 Sandy Koufax, 39 Roy Campanella, 42 Jackie Robinson (retired throughout baseball), 53 Don Drysdale, broadcasters Vin Scully and Jaime Jarrin
You can make a case: Zack Wheat (played before numbers were instituted), 15 Dazzy Vance, 34 Fernando Valenzuela
It’s a lock: 22 Clayton Kershaw
ANGELS
Retired: 11 Jim Fregosi, 26 Gene Autry, 29 Rod Carew, 30 Nolan Ryan, 50 Jimmie Reese
You can make a case: 14 Mike Scioscia, 15 Tim Salmon, 40 Troy Percival
It’s a lock: 27 Mike Trout. (As for Shohei Ohtani’s No. 17? Too early to tell.)
LAKERS
Retired: 8/24 Kobe Bryant, 13 Wilt Chamberlain, *16 Pau Gasol, 22 Elgin Baylor, 25 Gail Goodrich, 32 Magic Johnson, 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 34 Shaquille O’Neal, 42 James Worthy, 44 Jerry West, 52 Jamaal Wilkes, broadcaster Chick Hearn. Also, a banner honoring six members of the Minneapolis Lakers: 17 Jim Pollard, 19 Vern Mikkelsen, 22 Slater Martin, 34 Clyde Lovellette, 99 George Mikan, Coach John Kundla
You can make a case: 4 Byron Scott, 5 Robert Horry, 21 Michael Cooper, 45 A.C. Green. Coaches Bill Sharman, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson
It’s a lock: 6/23 LeBron James
Notes: Gasol will have his number retired March 7. … Bryant also had his number retired by the Dallas Mavericks, even though he never played with them. … Bill Russell’s 6 will be retired league-wide. Will the Lakers put that one on the wall?
CLIPPERS
Retired: None
You can make a case: 3 Chris Paul, 32 Blake Griffin, 42 Elton Brand. Also: 11 Bob McAdoo, from the franchise’s previous existence in Buffalo
It’s a lock? 2 Kawhi Leonard, 13 Paul George
RAMS
Retired: 7 Bob Waterfield, 28 Marshall Faulk, 29 Eric Dickerson, 74 Merlin Olsen, 75 Deacon Jones, 78 Jackie Slater, 80 Isaac Bruce, 85 Jack Youngblood
You can make a case: 13 Kurt Warner, 18 Roman Gabriel, 25 (or 11) Norm Van Brocklin, 55 (or 80) Tom Fears, 65 Tom Mack, 67 (or 48) Les Richter, 84 Andy Robustelli, 85 Lamar Lundy, 88 Torry Holt. Coaches George Allen, Chuck Knox
It’s a lock: 99 Aaron Donald
Note: Bruce, the only one of the Rams honored who is not yet in the Hall of Fame, was drafted by the L.A. Rams in 1994 but played the bulk of his career in St. Louis, and Faulk’s Rams tenure was also in St. Louis … As noted above, some players had to change numbers in 1952 when the NFL numbering system changed.
CHARGERS
Retired: 14 Dan Fouts, 19 Lance Alworth, 21 LaDainian Tomlinson, 55 Junior Seau
You can make a case: 17 Philip Rivers, 18 Charlie Joiner, 71 Fred Dean, 74 Ron Mix, 80 Kellen Winslow, 85 Antonio Gates. Coaches Don Coryell, Sid Gillman
It’s a lock: 13 Keenan Allen
KINGS
Retired: 4 Rob Blake, 16 Marcel Dionne, 18 Dave Taylor, 20 Luc Robitaille, *23 Dustin Brown, 30 Rogie Vachon, 99 Wayne Gretzky (retired throughout the NHL)
You can make a case: 9 Bernie Nicholls
It’s a lock: 8 Drew Doughty, 11 Anze Kopitar, 32 Jonathan Quick, Coach Darryl Sutter
Note: Brown will have his number retired and a statue unveiled Feb. 11. The others involved in winning Stanley Cups in 2012 and ’14 should have their numbers retired shortly after they retire.
DUCKS
Retired: 8 Teemu Selanne, 9 Paul Kariya, 27 Scott Niedermayer
You can make a case: 10 Corey Perry, 25 Chris Pronger, 35 Jean-Sebastien Giguere
It’s a lock: 15 Ryan Getzlaf
SPARKS
Retired: 9 Lisa Leslie, 11 Penny Toler
You can make a case: 8 Delisha Milton
It’s a lock: 3 Candace Parker, 30 Nneka Ogwumike
GALAXY
Retired: 13 Cobi Jones
You can make a case: 10 Landon Donovan, 23 David Beckham
Notes: No. 13 was semiofficially retired when Jones retired in 2007 but was issued to Jermaine Jones in 2017, with Cobi Jones saying he was “passing the torch.” It is not currently used by a Galaxy player. … Donovan and Beckham have statues at the Galaxy’s home stadium in Carson. Retiring the “10” is almost sacrilegious in soccer anyway, but Donovan did wear No. 26 when he came out of retirement to rejoin the Galaxy in 2016.
LAFC
Retired: None. It’s too soon.
It’s a lock: 10 Carlos Vela
Note: See the Donovan item above re: No. 10.
USC FOOTBALL
Retired: 3 Carson Palmer, 11 Matt Leinart, 12 Charles White, 20 Mike Garrett, 32 O.J. Simpson, 33 Marcus Allen
You can make a case: 5 Reggie Bush, 55 Junior Seau
Note: All of USC’s retired numbers went to Heisman Trophy winners (and now that Bush is no longer persona non grata with the NCAA, his might be officially retired too at some point). No. 3 was taken out of retirement this year and issued to wide receiver Jordan Addison, with Palmer’s blessing. Previously, Garrett allowed Darnell Bing to bring his No. 20 out of retirement.
USC BASKETBALL
Men: 10 Gus Williams/DeMar DeRozan, 11 Bill Sharman, 19 Bob Boyd, 23 Harold Miner, 25 Paul Westphal, 44 John Rudometkin
Women: 11 Paula McGee, 14 Tina Thompson, 30 Pamela McGee, 31 Cheryl Miller, 33 Lisa Leslie, 44 Cynthia Cooper
UCLA FOOTBALL
Retired: 5 Kenny Easley, 8 Troy Aikman, 13 Kenny Washington, 16 Gary Beban, 34 Paul Cameron, 38 Burr Baldwin, *42 Jackie Robinson, 79 Jonathan Ogden, 80 Donn Moomaw, 84 Jerry Robinson
Note: Jackie Robinson wore 28 as a UCLA football player in 1939-40, but 42 was retired across all UCLA sports in his honor in 2014
UCLA BASKETBALL
Men: 11 Don Barksdale, 25 Gale Goodrich, 31 Ed O’Bannon/Reggie Miller, 32 Bill Walton, 33 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (known as Lew Alcindor as a collegian), 35 Sidney Wicks, 42 Walt Hazzard, 52 Jamaal Wilkes (known as Keith Wilkes as a collegian), 54 Marques Johnson
Women: 12 Denise Curry, 15 Ann Meyers Drysdale
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Federal agents in Memphis have seized a potentially 3,000-year-old ancient Egyptian artifact that was shipped in from Europe.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection says they intercepted the Egyptian canopic jar lid of the funeral deity named Imsety on Aug. 17. The jars were used to hold the internal organs of mummies.
The agency says the item was sent from a dealer to a private buyer in the U.S., and the shipper made contradicting statements about its value.
Experts at the University of Memphis Institute of Egyptian Art and Archaeology helped determine the artifact’s authenticity. The agency says the lid is likely from 1069 B.C. to 653 B.C.
Authorities say the item is protected by bilateral treaties and is an archaeological import subject to seizure under the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act of 1983. The artifact was turned over to Homeland Security Investigations for further examination. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-us-agents-in-memphis-seize-shipped-ancient-egyptian-artifact/ | 2022-08-27T18:59:01Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-us-agents-in-memphis-seize-shipped-ancient-egyptian-artifact/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK (AP) — The chill in the housing market is rippling out to the carpenters, landscapers and other small businesses that lose out when fewer homeowners are renovating their properties.
Inflation was already causing some homeowners to delay big renovation projects as prices for building materials, fixtures and appliances jumped. More recently, higher mortgage rates have put a damper on the number of homes being sold.
At the beginning of the year, carpenter Bill Albritton, who has owned Albritton Custom Carpentry near Charlotte, N.C., since 2004, was booked months in advance and completing full custom kitchen cabinet replacements in homes in the historic districts of Charlotte. But he’s seen a slowdown over the past two months.
In the Charlotte metropolitan area, the number of home sold fell 19% between June and July, and are down about 21% from July a year ago, according to the Re/Max monthly National Housing Report.
Albritton is booked out 30 days in advance, compared to the usual 90 to 160 days. Meanwhile, his costs have gone up by more than 30% across the board. Plywood he uses jumped from $72 to $140 a sheet around Christmas. It has gone back down to $85 a sheet, but that’s still higher than it used to be. And he has trouble finding hinges at any price.
Albritton is trying to pivot to smaller carpentry jobs.
“Instead of doing new kitchens we’re gearing up to do what we call ‘kitchen face lifts,’” Albritton said. That means just replacing the fronts of cabinets and drawers and teaming up with a painting contractor to paint the cabinets. It gives “a new kitchen look for a fraction of the price,” he said.
The Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates in an effort to reduce inflation, which is running at almost 10% annually at the wholesale level. The fear is the Fed will go too far and the economy will go into a slump.
“I am very worried on the heels of the material shortages we have been battling to now look at a very possible recession,” Albritton said. He’s reaching out to other home renovation companies to partner with as one way to keep the work coming.
The average rate on a 30-year mortgage is 5.55%, according to Freddie Mac. A year ago, the average was 2.87%. The increase is forcing some would-be buyers out of the market and sales of previously owned homes have fallen for six straight months. That matters to the businesses involved in home renovations because sellers can spend thousands of dollars making a house more attractive to buyers, and then the buyers spend thousands more personalizing their new home or fixing it up.
Growth in homeowner spending for improvements and repairs is expected to slow for the rest of 2022 and the first half of 2023, according to the Remodeling Futures Program at the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University. The center’s Leading Indicator of Remodeling Activity predicts homeowner improvement and repair spending repair spending will grow 17.4% this year to $431 billion. That will slow to 10.1% by the second quarter of next year, with total 2023 spending estimated at $446 billion.
Chris Doyle, CEO and co-founder of Billd, a construction finance company, said small businesses should be aware of what’s going on in their market and consider pivoting to different types of projects. A small business previously focused on new-home construction should try to work with renovators instead, for example. And since residential home spending is set to decline, federal construction projects might also be something to look into.
“Everyone’s going to have to adapt,” he said. “Small businesses have an opportunity to adapt quicker since they’re more nimble than bigger companies.”
Daniel Edwards, who owns a Handyman Connection franchise in Hanover, Massachusetts, focuses on small jobs that are several thousand dollars, like building decks, swapping out windows and doors and carpentry projects. In the greater Boston area that includes Hanover, home sales in July were down 20%. The median price of a home sold was $650,000, down 2% from June but up 8% from this time last year, according to Re/Max data.
Edwards said he’s normally booked out three or four weeks with jobs, but lately it’s been two to three weeks. He says customers are being tighter with money: They, want smaller jobs, want to look at receipts and question the price of materials. For example, one customer decided to install a toilet paper holder himself, rather than paying someone to do it, saving about $25, he said. Another customer who requested a quote for a gutter cleaning decided to hold off. But while business has been slower, he says the dip isn’t as bad as he was worried it might be.
“I certainly don’t see normal July and August levels, but I don’t see what I had feared in terms of significant decline. People still want small- to mid-sized projects,” he said.
Inflation has been trying on Tom Monson’s business, Monson Lawn & Landscaping, in St. Paul, Minnesota. He’s had to raise prices — he now charges $62.50 to mow a lawn. up from $50. A sod installation costs $1,250, up from $1,100.
More price-sensitive customers have cut back. One customer who was planning on putting in a new lawn decided to wait until next year, and others have cut back from biweekly landscaping appointments to monthly.
Curbio is a startup that provides pre-sale renovations on homes that it doesn’t charge for until the home is sold. They operate in 52 markets across the country, from Chicago to South Florida. They’ve also started offering smaller projects as the housing market slows.
“As the market starts to cool in some areas, there’s much more sensitivity to timelines,” said Olivia Mariani, vice president at Curbio. “Before, a homeowner may be willing to wait 8 to 12 weeks to fully gut and remodel their kitchen. Now, they’re asking for the minimum viable work.”
So instead of doing a full renovation, Curbio has begun shifting project types to more “refreshes” – like painting cabinets or refinishing hardwood floors. It dropped its prior $15,000 minimum price for projects and now 30% of its projects are under $15,000.
Mariani said Curbio’s data shows that a cabinet refresh can help raise the price of a home for sale just as much as a bigger job.
“Buyers just want a home that doesn’t require maintenance — a full cabinet redo is not really necessary,” she said. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/business/ap-small-businesses-feel-the-pinch-from-slowing-housing-market/ | 2022-08-27T18:59:07Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/business/ap-small-businesses-feel-the-pinch-from-slowing-housing-market/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW DELHI (AP) — Hundreds of people on Saturday held demonstrations in several parts of India to protest a recent government decision to free 11 men who had been jailed for life for gang raping a Muslim woman during India’s devastating 2002 religious riots.
The protesters in the country’s capital, New Delhi, chanted slogans and demanded the government in the western state of Gujarat rescind the decision. They also sang songs in solidarity with the victim.
Similar protests were also held in several other states.
The 11 men, released on suspended sentences on Aug. 15 when India celebrated 75 years of independence, were convicted in 2008 of rape, murder and unlawful assembly.
The victim, who is now in her 40s, recently said the decision by the Gujarat state government has left her numb and shaken her faith in justice.
The Associated Press generally doesn’t identify victims of sexual assault.
The victim was pregnant when she was brutally gang raped in communal violence in 2002 in Gujarat, which saw over 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, killed in some of the worst religious riots India has experienced since its independence from Britain in 1947. Seven members of the woman’s family, including her three-year-old daughter, were also killed in the violence.
“The whole country should demand an answer directly from the prime minister of this country,” said Kavita Krishnan, a prominent activist.
Officials in Gujarat, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party holds power, have said that the convicts’ application for remission was granted because they had completed over 14 years in jail. The men were eligible under a 1992 remission policy that was in effect at the time of their conviction, officials said. A newer version of the policy adopted in 2014 by the federal government prohibits remission release for those convicted of certain crimes, including rape and murder.
The riots have long hounded Modi, who was Gujarat’s top elected official at the time, amid allegations that authorities allowed and even encouraged the bloodshed. Modi has repeatedly denied having any role and the Supreme Court has said it found no evidence to prosecute him.
Asiya Qureshi, a young protester in New Delhi, said she participated in the demonstrations to seek justice for the victim.
“Modi gave a speech on 15th August on the safety and protection of women of India and the same day they released the rapists,” Qureshi said. “How am I safe in such a climate?” | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/international/ap-protests-in-india-against-release-of-11-convicted-rapists/ | 2022-08-27T18:59:53Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/international/ap-protests-in-india-against-release-of-11-convicted-rapists/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
RAYONG, Thailand (AP) — The Irrawaddy dolphin calf — sick and too weak to swim — was drowning in a tidal pool on Thailand’s shore when fishermen found him.
The fishermen quickly alerted marine conservationists, who advised them how to provide emergency care until a rescue team could transport the baby to Thailand’s Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Center for veterinary attention.
The baby was nicknamed Paradon, roughly translated as “brotherly burden,” because those involved knew from day one that saving his life would be no easy task.
Irrawaddy dolphins, considered a vulnerable species by International Union for Conservation of Nature, are found in the shallow coastal waters of South and Southeast Asia and in three rivers in Myanmar, Cambodia and Indonesia. Their survival is threatened by habitat loss, pollution and illegal fishing.
Officials from the marine research center believe around 400 Irrawaddy dolphins remain along the country’s eastern coast, bordering Cambodia.
Since Paradon was found by the fishermen July 22, dozens of veterinarians and volunteers have helped care for him at the center in Rayong on the Gulf of Thailand.
“We said among ourselves that the chance of him surviving was quite low, judging from his condition,” Thanaphan Chomchuen, a veterinarian at the center, said Friday. “Normally, dolphins found stranded on the shore are usually in such a terrible condition. The chances that these dolphins would survive are normally very, very slim. But we gave him our best try on that day.”
Workers placed him in a seawater pool, treated the lung infection that made him so sick and weak, and enlisted volunteers to watch him round the clock. They have to hold him up in his tank to prevent him from drowning and feed him milk, initially done by tube, and later by bottle when he had recovered a bit of strength.
A staff veterinarian and one or two volunteers stay for each eight-hour shift, and other workers during the day handle the water pump and filter and making milk for the calf.
After a month, Paradon’s condition is improving. The calf believed to be between 4 and 6 months old can swim now and has no signs of infection. But the dolphin that was 138 centimeters long (4.5 feet) and around 27 kilograms (59 pounds) on July 22 is still weak and doesn’t take enough milk despite the team’s efforts to feed him every 20 minutes or so.
Thippunyar Thipjuntar, a 32-year-old financial adviser, is one of the many volunteers who come for a babysitting shift with Paradon.
Thippunya said with Paradon’s round baby face and curved mouth that looks like a smile, she couldn’t help but grow attached to him and be concerned about his development.
“He does not eat enough but rather just wants to play. I am worried that he does not receive enough nutrition,” she told The Associated Press on Friday as she fed the sleepy Paradon, cradled in her arm. “When you invest your time, physical effort, mental attention, and money to come here to be a volunteer, of course you wish that he would grow strong and survive.”
Sumana Kajonwattanakul, director of the marine center, said Paradon will need long-term care, perhaps as much as a year, until he is weaned from milk and is able to hunt for his own food.
“If we just release him when he gets better, the problem is that he he won’t be able to have milk. We will have to take care of him until he has his teeth, then we must train him to eat fish, and be part of a pod. This will take quite some time,” Sumana said.
Paradon’s caregivers believe the extended tender loving care is worth it.
“If we can save one dolphin, this will help our knowledge, as there have not been many successful cases in treating this type of animal,” said veterinarian Thanaphan. “If we can save him and he survives, we will have learned so much from this.”
“Secondly, I think by saving him, giving him a chance to live, we also raise awareness about the conservation of this species of animal, which are rare, with not many left.” | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/international/ap-sick-dolphin-calf-improves-with-tube-fed-milk-helping-hands/ | 2022-08-27T19:00:07Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/international/ap-sick-dolphin-calf-improves-with-tube-fed-milk-helping-hands/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
AMES, Iowa (AP) — Ames indoor farm Nebullam has rebranded as Clayton Farms as it expands to the Twin Cities and sets its sights on eastern Iowa and beyond.
The new name is a nod to chief farmer Clayton Mooney, the charismatic and public-facing cofounder of the company. He’s an energetic combination of farmer, boxing coach, ultra-marathoner and former professional poker player.
With a direct-to-consumer business model that delivers picked-the-same-day produce to about 500 subscribers in Iowa, Clayton Farms has seen “40% growth, month over month, for about five quarters straight,” Mooney said.
“It’s awesome and it’s working. That’s why we’ve been able to expand into new markets, expand the team and raise another round of financing,” a round that will likely be finalized in September, he said. “In the past year, we’ve had about 600% growth.”
Serving weekly customers in the Ames, Ankeny and Des Moines areas, the indoor farm also has a pilot project in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, where it delivers every-other week.
“We’re testing the market from here that way. Essentially, if the demand continues to grow in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, we’ll launch a farm there as well,” Mooney said. “We’re only a couple dozen subscribers away from actually having to find space over there to launch the farm because we won’t be able to keep up with the demand from this location.”
On Aug. 4, Clayton Farms launched its second indoor farm in Edina, Minnesota, its first foray outside of Iowa. That farm will be fully operational in September. Anyone in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area can become a subscriber.
Subscriptions are available weekly or less frequently, depending on each customer’s needs.
After getting the Edina space, demolition quickly began on the site. A full painting followed and installation of the equipment Clayton Farms developed early on in its existence.
“So it’s a very, very quick turnaround time,” Mooney said. “It is so quick. I like to describe it as: You could spend two years and 20 million bucks to launch a grocery store to a community. But you could spend two months and $150,000 to launch a Clayton Farms in your community. From getting the keys to first harvest is two months.
“It’s go go go. Danen (Pool, Clayton Farms’ other cofounder) and I like to joke that we’re aging in dog years. But we’re also getting wisdom at that pace, too.”
Clayton Farms’ six-stack vertical growing systems allow for year-round harvests of pesticide-free produce, grown using no soil. Products grown include tomatoes and leafy greens like butterhead lettuce, oakleaf lettuce, pea shoots, rainbow chard and a peppery variety of arugula specially requested by customers. Microgreens are also popular and include radish, bok choy and broccoli sprouts.
With approximately 1,000 square feet of commercial space located in the Iowa State University Research Park, Clayton Farms has about a quarter-million plants growing at any given time, Mooney said.
Judi Eyles, the director of the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship at Iowa State, describes herself as a Clayton Farms super fan. One of the first subscribers, she recently received her 100th delivery of fresh produce.
“For me, it’s always been about the product. I eat a LOT of salad. Their lettuce is truly superior than anything you can buy in a store, and it stays fresh FOREVER!” Eyles told the Tribune in an email.
When Pool and Mooney started Nebullam in 2017, they had a much different vision for what’s now become Clayton Farms. The COVID-19 pandemic caused them to pivot in a direction that’s had very positive results, Mooney said.
“We saw ourselves wanting to become the John Deere of indoor farming,” he said. “We planned to design and build growing equipment to get into the hands of new and expanding indoor farmers. We planned to sell the equipment to them and then license the software that runs our equipment for the recurring revenue.
“For the first three years, we never thought we’d be a farm.”
As Pool and Mooney were bringing their prototypes to commercial-scale life, they’d have people come in for tours. As they harvested from the working prototypes, they’d wholesale the produce to local grocers and restaurants.
“At the time, when the pandemic hit, we lost all that revenue overnight. We were sitting there, six days before our next harvest and we said, ‘What do we do? How do we keep the lights on?’” Mooney said.
That’s when they came up with the idea for a direct-to-consumer model. It started in Ames with about a dozen customers, with the customer base doubling every month or so and experiencing big bumps from some viral media events.
“I feel very much over the last year and a half that we’re a different company now,” Mooney said.
Pivoting from a business-to-business model to direct-to-consumer put the focus on Clayton Farms’ consumer brand. Growth went from about 3% per month to 40%.
The first three and a half years of research and development were vital, though, as the company had both the equipment and the software ready to be able to make that pivot
“Essentially, we have software running everything. Each six-stack system has a brain which is communicating with the lighting schedule, the water, the nutrient levels, the temperature, the humidity,” Mooney said. “The big thing it’s communicating, too, and really takes the guessing out of it is our dosing system, which is simply how often are water nutrients are dispersed, using algorithms to improve that.
“We’re always learning and always adjusting those parameters to grow happier, healthier plants.”
Clayton Farms open-sources the data it collects at its farm so that other indoor farmers around the world can learn from it and build on it, Mooney said.
Eyles thinks Clayton Farms’ pivot from selling indoor farm equipment to expanding the indoor farms was a smart one.
“Not only that, they stepped up their marketing, their packaging, and their customer engagement,” she wrote. “That was the brilliant part of their shift to home delivery. They created dedicated customers (fans) and supplied an outstanding product at a fair price. They use clever gimmicks and giveaways to build customer relationships and keep people wanting more.”
With Pool as the chief engineer and Mooney as the chief farmer, the cofounders and their investors thought the new name Clayton Farms was a good change to reflect the business’ identity as a farm and connect the name to its customer-facing founder.
“Danen’s background is in plant biology and mechanical engineering. He is the one bringing the ideas, the designs, the builds — all the equipment — to life that then brings the life to the food,” Mooney said. “So I feel like we make a very good team with kind of the yin and yang of founders where our strengths together equal a fully rounded company.” | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/iowa-news/ames-indoor-farm-sees-rapid-expansion/ | 2022-08-27T19:00:21Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/iowa-news/ames-indoor-farm-sees-rapid-expansion/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Two Siouxland men were arrested after officials allegedly found stolen items from at least three separate victims during a traffic stop.
According to complaint documents filed by the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office, Carter Crum, 23, of Moville, and Andrew Squibb, 19, of Sioux City, were charged with several counts of burglary after officials received a report of erratic driving.
The documents stated that a call for a reckless driver on Highway 20 resulted in an officer conducting a traffic stop for failure to obey a traffic control device.
The documents specified that Squibb was driving, and Crum was a passenger. Their stories were allegedly not consistent, according to the documents, and they were subjected to a field sobriety test. The sheriff’s office called in an officer from the Sioux City Police Department to bring a K-9.
According to the documents, the K-9 positively identified the order of a controlled substance leading to a search of the vehicle, however, there was no further mention of drugs and there were no drug-related charges filed at the time.
During the search, officials were allegedly able to find a Michael Koors purse and wallet that belonged to a woman that was not present during the stop.
Crum and Squibb were allegedly not able to provide a consistent story as to why the purse was in the vehicle, so officials contacted the woman that the items belonged to. The complaint documents stated that the woman told officials that their vehicles and garage had been broken into, and those items were among the missing possessions. The woman indicated to police that she’d like to press charges.
Additional items belonging to the woman that was allegedly found during the search included Milwaukee tools, a checkbook, debit and credit cards, and a bow with arrows. The total estimated value of the stolen items added up to $2,380.
The documents stated that officials also found a torque wrench and a Springfield XD handgun that was identified as being stolen from two separate individuals.
Squibb admitted that he and Crum had been in possession of the handgun and the documents specified that Squibb was prohibited from possessing firearms due to allegedly being a convicted felon. Crum was later discovered to be prohibited from possessing a firearm due to an alleged prior conviction of domestic abuse.
Crum was arrested while Squibb was still speaking with police about the burglaries, according to the documents. The officer who was investigating the situation found that the two individuals had been allegedly caught on surveillance, and the footage showed that what Squibb had allegedly told police was not consistent with the video.
The complaint documents stated that the officer gave Squibb a final chance to “come clean” but he allegedly stopped talking altogether.
The stolen items were seized by law enforcement and the victims filed reports on them, according to the documents. It was also indicated that additional victims are coming forward. Since the vehicle was towed, additional stolen property will be retrieved after officials have obtained a search warrant.
Crum was charged with second-degree theft, dominion of a firearm by a domestic abuse offender, trafficking stolen weapons, and four counts of third-degree burglary. Squibb was charged with second-degree theft, dominion of a firearm by a felon, trafficking in stolen weapons, and four counts of third-degree burglary. The documents specified that additional charges may be filed. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/local-news/thousands-of-dollars-in-stolen-items-found-during-traffic-stop-near-sioux-city/ | 2022-08-27T19:00:27Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/local-news/thousands-of-dollars-in-stolen-items-found-during-traffic-stop-near-sioux-city/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A quartet of Texas sheriffs took aim at President Biden this week, telling The Post his laissez-faire border policies are creating a tragic tidal wave of smuggled drugs.
“It’s quite frankly a tsunami of death that is crashing into the United States over our southern border,” Collin County Sheriff Jim Skinner said of the thousands of pounds of fentanyl that Mexican drug cartels trafficked into the Lone Star State.
“It’s killing Americans wholesale and it’s just an epic slaughter manufactured by the cartels. If you don’t secure the border it’s going to continue.”
Skinner was joined by Lone Star lawmen Rand Henderson of Montgomery County, Javier Salazar of Bexar County, and Bill Waybourn of Tarrant County on an exclusive Zoom call with The Post.
Fentanyl is now the leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 18 and 45, according to one analysis. A total of 107,622 people died of overdoses in the U.S. in 2021, with the overwhelming majority caused by synthetic opioids like fentanyl, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The drug is frequently brought into the United States from Mexico and China.
Skinner said there has been a 571% increase in fatal fentanyl poisonings in his county. In nearby Tarrant County, home to Fort Worth, Waybourn said he had seized enough Fentanyl to kill 400,000 people.
“There has been copious amounts of dope that has come across the border. It’s unbelievable the things that are rolling across,” Waybourn said.
All four men said they felt Washington, DC was not taking their concerns seriously and cited as evidence a planned meeting with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during a swing through Texas this week. An original 90 minute meeting was canceled after Mayorkas’ team said he could only spare half that time for the lawmen, they said. (Reps for Mayorkas disputed that and said the meeting fell apart due to scheduling conflicts.)
Some of the sheriffs would have had to drive six hours across the state to attend the planned meeting in San Antonio and said the curtailed meeting was an insult.
“He was just placating us,” growled Waybourn.
Mayorkas instead spent Thursday at Eagle Pass, Texas, meeting with Border Patrol agents.
“DHS regularly reaches out to and engages law enforcement and first responders all over the country including state, local, tribal, territorial and campus law enforcement agencies. One of our most critical missions is sharing information on matters affecting the security of the homeland, learning from and helping communities prepare and prevent man-made threats or natural disasters, and to coordinate operations where our jurisdictions intersect,” a rep for the agency said.
Henderson ripped the job Biden and Mayorkas are doing at the border.
“When the Biden administration came into office, they winnowed down the number of offenses that would be considered for deportation,” he said, adding that he had hoped to press the secretary on ridding the country of criminal illegal aliens.
“If we have criminals operating in our community that can be deported, I think we need to take advantage of that. This administration under Mayorkas’ leadership has chosen not to,” he said.
Salazar said the planned visit came after months of “strongly worded” calls and letters from him about the border situation — which for him has meant a flood of migrants who are often “dumped like yesterday’s trash in the middle of our county.”
Salazar said some of his letters in the past had warned about the migrants being hauled into the country on large trucks and the dangers that posed. In June at least 53 migrants were found dead inside a large tractor trailer near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio.
“I’m a Democrat. I am actually on the side of President Biden on this, but all the same you need to come down to Texas to get an eye on this thing and you really need to see the magnitude of it personally,” Salazar said. “Give me some task force agents, give me some intel analysts. I Know it exists. I know they have got them in the federal system.”
The sheriffs were sharply divided over the state’s controversial decision to send busloads of illegal migrants into New York City. Salazar said it was “cold blooded … to take advantage of somebody in a desperate situation to make a point and teach the New Yorkers a lesson.” He added that he believed many of the migrants were not being told where they were going.
But the Republican sheriffs largely lined up behind Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, who initiated the controversial program.
“I think they just made New York a border city,” observed Waybourn. “So maybe it will create some empathy and as a nation we can come together.” | https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/texas-sheriffs-say-open-border-causing-a-tsunami-of-death/ | 2022-08-27T19:03:34Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/texas-sheriffs-say-open-border-causing-a-tsunami-of-death/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Eastern View High School dominated visiting cross-town rival Culpeper County High School 41-14 Friday night to again claim possession of the Cannonball Cup.
EVHS Cyclones junior quarterback DyMyo Hunter hit sophomore Brett Clatterbaugh for three scores, junior Tevon Brock for one and ran himself for another.
The Cyclones jumped out to a 27-0 lead, but the Blue Devils cut the score to 27-14 in the third quarter as junior quarterback Bennett Sutherland connected twice with senior Anthony Marshall.
Read the full story in the Sept. 1 edition of Culpeper Times. | https://www.insidenova.com/culpeper/cyclones-prevail-over-blue-devils-in-cannonball-cup/article_21bafa06-2618-11ed-81d3-5b77a4d0de10.html | 2022-08-27T19:04:10Z | insidenova.com | control | https://www.insidenova.com/culpeper/cyclones-prevail-over-blue-devils-in-cannonball-cup/article_21bafa06-2618-11ed-81d3-5b77a4d0de10.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Hendrick Crew Chief Ives Walking Away After ’22
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Greg Ives announced Friday on Twitter that after 17 seasons on the road he was stepping down as Alex Bowman’s crew chief at the end of the season.
“There are many reasons, but the most important one is the chance to focus on my family and spend more time with our kids as they grow up,” Ives said in his statement.
“Leading the No. 48 has been one of the great privileges of my life, and I’m excited to go into the playoffs and chase a championship with Alex and this incredible group of people. I’m also looking forward to the next step in my career, which will be here with my Hendrick Motorsports family. I’ll never have the words to properly express how grateful I am to be able to live out my dream of working in racing or properly thank everyone who has supported me along the way.”
The 42-year-old Michigan native graduated from Michigan Technological University in 2003 and joined Hendrick Motorsports as a mechanic in 2004. He was a lead engineer on the No. 48 Hendrick entry during the team’s five consecutive seasons — 2006-2010 – with Jimmie Johnson. Ives moved to JR Motorsports in 2013 to become Regan Smith’s crew chief. He won the 2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series championship with Chase Elliott at JR Motorsports before returning to Hendrick to oversee Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s three-win season in 2015.
Ives was Bowman’s crew chief during the 10 races in which he competed for Hendrick in 2016. He became Bowman’s crew chief when the Arizona driver joined Hendrick fulltime in 2018.
No Comment | http://www.racintoday.com/archives/99195 | 2022-08-27T19:08:42Z | racintoday.com | control | http://www.racintoday.com/archives/99195 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Chicago Plan: Fun With Minimal Disruption
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Longtime track executive Julie Giese said Friday her objective with NASCAR’s 2023 Chicago Street Race was to bring a festival atmosphere to the city that will cause as little disruption as possible to the residents.
“We want to be mindful of the community,” Giese said. “We understand we are racing in downtown Chicago. There are residents nearby and we want to do it with as limited amount of disruption as we can to them. I am going to be spending a lot of time in this community around Grant Park … and trying to overcome their concerns.”
Giese says they expect 50,000 people to attend the event daily.
“For us, this is about making it that festival experience,” Giese said. “We’ve talked extensively about concerts each night following the races, but then having that festival experience — Chicago food, Chicago arts and culture — just celebrating what Chicago is. I think that’s incredibly important, but then this is another opportunity for us to bring NASCAR to a new set of fans… help them to understand what is going on and what to expect.”
NASCAR announced Thursday that Giese, Phoenix Raceway’s current president, would transition into the same role overseeing all NASCAR operations for the Cup Series first-ever Chicago Street Course race scheduled for July 1-2, 2023.
She will continue to oversee the day-to-day operations at Phoenix through NASCAR Championship Weekend in November. Giese, a Wisconsin native, will then relocate to Chicago and open a NASCAR office. In addition to building an in-market team, Giese will lead all efforts for the event, including NASCAR’s commitment to deliver benefits to Chicago’s residents, engagement with youth programs and support for the local business community.
“We have an internal group with our design and development team that has already done an extensive amount of research and talked to a number of individuals and groups that have put on street courses,” Giese said. “I worked with that team for two years … but it is going to be a learning experience. There are some events I want to make sure I get to that I understand the setup and making sure that we are leaning on those people who have had that extensive experience in the past, so we know what to expect and what we need to be mindful of moving forward.”
Giese, who oversaw the $178 million modernization of Phoenix Raceway, noted her experience at the one-mile track prepared her for the Chicago project.
“I’ve learned so much from that community in Phoenix and I think that’s going to be really important in this,” Giese continued. “I’m a detail person and this is going to take a whole lot of detail.”
In addition to Phoenix, Giese promoted the $400 million redevelopment of Daytona International Speedway.
No Comment | http://www.racintoday.com/archives/99199 | 2022-08-27T19:08:49Z | racintoday.com | control | http://www.racintoday.com/archives/99199 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Almirola: Reversing Course Was A Family Decision
By Deb Williams | Senior Writer
RacinToday.com
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Seven months after Aric Almirola announced the 2022 season would be his final full-time year in the NASCAR Cup Series, the Florida native said Friday he had reversed his decision at his sponsor’s request and with the support of his family.
“When Shane Smith called me, the CEO of (my sponsor) Smithfield and said, ‘Hey, we really want you to reconsider retiring. We want you to come back and drive our race car.’ It’s really hard to say no,” Almirola said during a press conference at Daytona International Speedway.
“I did tell him, ‘Let me talk to (my wife) Janice and let me think about it, let me pray about it,’ and we did and there was a lot of back-and-forth discussion. Ultimately, it just feels right.”
When Almirola announced his impending retirement in February at the beginning of Speedweek, he said it was a family decision and he emphasized the day before Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 that was still the case.
“Janice and the kids and I talked a lot about it. Alex was still trying to Go-Kart race on the weekends, occasionally,” Almirola recounted. “We were playing flag football on Saturdays. I was watching Go-Kart races on Facetime videos. I was watching flag football games on Facetime videos. I was watching Abby horseback ride on Facetime videos, and I was sitting at the track in my motorhome. I was like, ‘Man, what am I doing?’
“I think the person that probably had the most sacrifice involved is Janice.”
However, when the decision was made that Almirola would continue racing the couple’s children “were ecstatic” because “they still get to come and be with their friends.”
Almirola’s 9-year-old son Alex was one month old when he attended his first race. His daughter, 8-year-old Abby, was three months old.
“Our kids don’t know any different,” Almirola explained. “They don’t know really what life looks like away from the race track. They have their friends at school and then they come to the race track on the weekends and they have their friends at the race track.
“There is a community that is involved and associated with what we do. This year, I took the opportunity to really soak it all up and embrace this year. I found a renewed sense of what a work/life balance looks like this year.”
By the time the season ends in November, Almirola’s family will have attended about 28 races. His children’s activities have been rescheduled to where most of them occur during the week so he can attend them. In fact, he’s an assistant coach for his son’s baseball team. The school the children attend have satellite classes on Friday.
“Our family dynamic has changed,” Almirola said. “Ultimately, my family is the most important thing to me. Through this year Janice and I just found a wonderful balance to where I can still be the husband that I want to be and the father that I want to be.
“We did some really cool stuff this year. I forgot just what a wonderful opportunity it is to be a race car driver. We’ve just really taken this year to kind of embrace it and soak it all up, and I think as a family we’re not ready for it to end.”
Still, Almirola wouldn’t have been talking about his upcoming 12th season in the sport if it hadn’t been for Smithfield. The company that has operated on a year-to-year sponsorship contract has now signed a multi-year deal with Stewart-Haas Racing. Almirola also noted the company’s investment in the sport and the race team had returned to 2018-19 levels.
“That was one thing that really hit home for me was when I talked to Shane (Smith),” Almirola said. “He came down here to the Daytona 500 this year and that was his first race in many, many, many years. He grew up in North Carolina and was a fan of this sport way back when. He’s been running the European operations for Smithfield for the last 10 years or so.
“He has now been promoted to CEO and he came to the Daytona 500 and was blown away when he walked around and just seeing the level of excitement, the enthusiasm for this sport, the sold-out grandstands, the viewership … all of the campers that are here throughout the infield, everybody tailgating and cooking out. Shane said, ‘These are our people. These are our customers. We’ve been marketing to them and telling them a story and trying to get support for our brand from this core group of people for 11 years. We’re heavily invested in this market, and we want to continue to be.’”
Even though it was reported last week that Almirola was returning to his No. 10 Ford in 2023, the 38-year-old driver said the deal wasn’t finalized until this week.
“You have to remember that I’ve been part of Smithfield for 11 years,” Almirola said. “In that 11 years, they’ve been through four CEOs. We’ve been through multiple different marketing executives and executives throughout the entire executive level office, so I feel very engrained there. I feel like I’ve done my part as an ambassador for their brand to build relationships, not only with the key people, but the entire organization because as things moved and shuffled and changed inside their organization, it’s still never wavered in their support of this sport and me.”
No Comment | http://www.racintoday.com/archives/99201 | 2022-08-27T19:08:55Z | racintoday.com | control | http://www.racintoday.com/archives/99201 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(WTXL) — The Quincy Police Department announced Saturday that it is investigating the death of an 18 year old.
According to a news release from the Quincy Police Department, on Friday at 9:43 p.m., its personnel responded to a shooting that occurred at West Crawford Street.
When police officers arrived at the scene, officers were informed that the victim, who was driving a vehicle, was traveling west on West Crawford Street near South 9th Street.
The news release says the victim’s vehicle was hit multiple times by gunshots.
The gunshots came from a suspect's vehicle, which was traveling behind and eventually beside the victim’s vehicle.
The victim was struck by gunfire, while two passengers in the victim's vehicle reportedly did not sustain injuries.
After the shooting, the suspected vehicle left the scene.
The Quincy Police Department says that it has a person of interest in the incident and is being assisted by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The Quincy Police Department requests anyone with information about the incident to contact the Quincy Police Department by calling 850-627-7111, or provide anonymous information to the Big Bend Crimestoppers by calling 850-574-8477. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/quincy-police-department-investigating-death-of-18-year-old-in-apparent-shooting | 2022-08-27T19:28:59Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/local-news/quincy-police-department-investigating-death-of-18-year-old-in-apparent-shooting | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the assault and robbery earlier this week of an off-duty officer in the Bronx, the New York Police Department said in a news release Friday.
At this point, police are only charging the suspect in connection with the officer's assault, but they say the robbery fits a pattern seen in 18 other incidents across New York City this month, where "on multiple occasions, three individuals approach a victim, while a fourth individual remains in the vehicle," the release said. They usually use a black Honda sedan.
The investigation is ongoing and police are searching for the other suspects and reviewing video surveillance, an NYPD spokesman said.
"These individuals are wanted for 19 robberies -- including one that left our off-duty officer hospitalized. As we pray for (the officer's) recovery, detectives continue searching tirelessly for the suspects," NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell tweeted earlier this week.
Oshawn Logan, 18, of the Bronx was arrested Friday night in connection with the assault on the officer.
Logan has been charged with four counts of robbery, two counts of gang assault, two counts of assault, one count of grand larceny, and one count of criminal possession of a weapon, the release states.
"I didn't do nothing, stop talking to me," Logan said as he walked out of the 43rd Precinct in handcuffs, affiliate WABC reported.
CNN is trying to determine if Logan has a lawyer.
The robberies began on August 1, mostly in the Bronx, with three near Jamaica, New York, police said.
Off-duty officer attacked while jogging
The off-duty NYPD officer was beaten and robbed Monday morning while jogging in the Bronx. The suspects took his wallet, cell phone, and car keys, police said.
He was hospitalized in critical condition with a skull fracture and brain bleeding, police said.
On Friday, affiliate WCBS reported he was out of a coma but remains hospitalized in critical but stable condition. The station added that the officer is able to communicate now, according to family members.
In the string of incidents, suspects approach people on the street or in their vehicles, sometimes showing a gun before demanding property, police said. And in some cases, suspects steal the victim's vehicle and drive away.
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™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/suspect-arrested-in-connection-with-the-assault-and-robbery-of-an-off-duty-nypd-officer/article_52644a9b-63b0-59e2-a61b-ceba401b3ad7.html | 2022-08-27T19:29:17Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/suspect-arrested-in-connection-with-the-assault-and-robbery-of-an-off-duty-nypd-officer/article_52644a9b-63b0-59e2-a61b-ceba401b3ad7.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Did T. Rex actually have feathers?
Our understanding of what a T.rex looked like has changed over the years.
The classic image of Tyrannosaurus rex is a reptilian monster. A green or brown, scale-covered brute that looks like an overgrown version of a crocodile or lizard. But in recent years, a new image has been making its way into books, television documentaries and online dinosaur palaeoart: a feather-covered T. rex.
Is this true?
First, there is not yet any direct fossil evidence of feathers on a T. rex. Nobody has found a T. rex skeleton cloaked in feathers, or any feathers sticking out of a T. rex arm bone. But this isn’t surprising. Feathers, muscle, skin, internal organs and other soft structures don’t often preserve as fossils. Most fossils are of hard objects like bones, teeth and shells, which can be more easily turned to rock and survive the ravages of geological time.
With that said, we have good reason to believe T. rex did have some feathers. In China, in the Early Cretaceous, volcanic eruptions buried entire ecosystems similar to how the city of Pompeii was buried by Mount Vesuvius. The dinosaurs were killed and interred quickly, and their soft tissues were locked in place.
Many of these dinosaur skeletons are covered in feathers, including two tyrannosaurs – close cousins of T. rex – called Yutyrannus and Dilong. This means that the ancestors of T. rex had feathers, which means T. rex probably did too.
As an aside, a recent study made headlines by dividing T. rex into three separate species, based on differences in the proportions of the thigh bone. It’s a provocative study, but to me, this variation is minor, and not yet conclusive enough to show whether there was more than one type of T. rex.
Read more:
- Were the dinosaurs cold-blooded?
- When did dinosaurs become birds?
- How do we know what dinosaurs looked like?
- What makes a dinosaur a dinosaur?
Asked by: Eddie Smith, via email
To submit your questions email us at questions@sciencefocus.com (don't forget to include your name and location)
Authors
Steve is a professor and palaeontologist at the University of Edinburgh and the author of the book The Rise And Reign Of The Mammals (£20, Picador), a 325-million-year odyssey of mammalian evolution and the people who study mammal fossils.
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Thiruvananthapuram: Even as the state police remains clueless about the attack on the AKG Centre held two months ago, it has claimed to have made a breakthrough in the stone pelting incident at the CPM district committee office here within 24 hours.
According to reports, the police have linked the suspects to ABVP, the students' organisation of RSS. It is alleged that the attack on the party office by 2am on Saturday was in retaliation to a clash with CPM activists at Vanchiyoor a day before.
It is understood that the police checked over 20 CCTV footage to identify the suspects. As per reports, at the time of writing, BJP activists have assembled in numbers outside a private hospital in the city where the suspects are admitted.
The BJP had claimed the youth whom the police suspect to be involved in the attack were injured in the clash at Vanchiyoor and were hospitalised.
It is understood that the police checked the CCTV footage from the hospital to ascertain their theory that the youth had sneaked out, pelted stones, and returned to the hospital.
Two cars, including that of CPM district secretary Anavoor Nagappan were damaged in the attack. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan visited the district committee office to take stock of the situation.
Nagappan later claimed that nine youngsters on three bikes had launched the attack. The CPM had spontaneously pointed fingers at the RSS with LDF Convener EP Jayarajan branding the suspects, 'RSS criminals'. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/27/cpm-thiruvananthapuram-district-committee-office-attack-abvp-activists-kerala-police.amp.html | 2022-08-27T19:43:54Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/27/cpm-thiruvananthapuram-district-committee-office-attack-abvp-activists-kerala-police.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The NAACP is supporting efforts to bar a New Mexico-based county commissioner from public office, alleging that the Cowboys for Trump cofounder has sought to disenfranchise voters — including people of color — and stoke insurrection.
The nation’s oldest civil rights organization urged a state district court judge to remove and disqualify Otero County Commissioner Couy Griffin from holding future public office, noting Griffin’s presence at the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection and his recent refusal to certify local results of New Mexico’s June 7 primary election.
Written final arguments and judgement are pending after a two-day bench trial against Griffin, who has represented himself without legal counsel.
In a court filing Tuesday, the NAACP noted that Griffin attempted to draw comparisons between the Jan. 6 insurrection and the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Lawful protests and demonstrations in support of civil rights and the Black Lives Matter movement are fundamentally different from the insurrectionist conduct that occurred on Jan. 6,” the NAACP said in its briefing.
The lawsuit’s three plaintiffs argue that Griffin should be disqualified from holding public office on the basis of a clause in the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that holds that anyone who has taken an oath to uphold the Constitution be barred from office for engaging in insurrection or rebellion or giving aid or comfort to the nation’s enemies.
Griffin has invoked free speech guarantees in his defense and argues that removing him from office would cut against the will of the people and set a “dangerous precedent.”
Elected in 2018, Griffin withstood a recall vote last year but isn’t running for reelection or other office in November.
“If the plaintiffs prevail and a single judge subverts the will of the great people of Otero County, it will only be further proof of the tyranny we currently live under,” Griffin said Friday in an email. “There was already a recall effort waged against me after Jan. 6. In that recall effort the people of Otero County spoke and the recall failed.”
Griffin was convicted in federal court of a misdemeanor for entering Capitol grounds on Jan. 6, 2021, without going inside. He was sentenced to 14 days and given credit for time served.
The NAACP has also highlighted attempts by Griffin to invoke the plight of civil rights activists of the 1960s in his own defense. The NAACP briefing also denounces Griffin’s prior criticism of those who support performances at football games of “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing, also known as the Black National Anthem.
In a July 2020 selfie video, Griffin suggested supporters of the Black National Anthem “go back to Africa and form your little football teams over in Africa and you can play on an old beat-out dirt lot.”
Griffin has called his comments a poor choice words to express what he sees as a double standard that holds white people responsible for racist behavior.
“If there was a group of white people wanting to play a ‘white national anthem’ I would have had the same response to them,” Griffin said Friday in response to the NAACP briefing. “And as a white person I’d be disgusted by that idea.”
Griffin voted in June against certification of local primary election results based on a “gut feeling” without specific objections. | https://www.wspa.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-naacp-supports-removal-of-cowboys-for-trump-cofounder/ | 2022-08-27T20:00:31Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-naacp-supports-removal-of-cowboys-for-trump-cofounder/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department on Friday unsealed the FBI affidavit justifying the unprecedented search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate. While the document released is highly redacted, with many of its pages crossed out by black blocks, it includes new details about the sheer volume of sensitive and highly classified information that was stored at the former president’s Florida beachfront home, underscoring the government’s concerns about its safety.
Here are top takeaways of what the document revealed:
TRUMP HAD ‘A LOT’ OF CLASSIFIED MATERIAL STORED AT HIS CLUB
While the affidavit doesn’t provide new details about the 11 sets of classified records that were recovered during the FBI’s Aug. 8 search of Trump’s winter home, it does help to explain why the Justice Department believed that retrieving the outstanding documents was necessary.
Federal investigators knew months before the search that Trump had been storing top secret government records at Mar-a-Lago, a private club accessible not only to Trump, his staff and his family, but paying members and their guests, along with a revolving door of attendees at various functions, including weddings, political fundraisers and charity galas.
The affidavit notes that Mar-a-Lago storage areas, Trump’s office, his residential suite and other areas at the club where documents were suspected to still be kept were not authorized locations for the storage of classified information. Indeed, it notes that no space at Mar-a-Lago had been authorized for the storage of classified information at least since the end of Trump’s term in office.
Yet the affidavit reveals that, of the batch of 15 boxes that the National Archives and Records Administration retrieved from Trump’s home in January, 14 contained documents with classification markings. Inside, they found 184 documents bearing classification markings, including 67 marked confidential, 92 secret and 25 top secret.
The Archives referred the matter to the Justice Department on Feb. 9 after a preliminary review of the boxes found what they described as “a lot of classified records.”
THE RECORDS INCLUDED TOP INTELLIGENCE SECRETS
Agents who inspected the boxes found special markings suggesting they included information from highly sensitive human sources or the collection of electronic “signals” authorized by a court under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
The affidavit lists several markings, including ORCON, or “Originator Controlled.” That means officials at the intelligence agency responsible for the report did not want it distributed to other agencies without their permission.
There may also be other types of records with classified names or codewords still redacted.
“When things are at that level of classification, it’s because there’s a real danger to the people who are collecting the information or the capability,” said Douglas London, a former senior CIA officer who wrote a book about the agency, “The Recruiter.”
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence said that it would review documents recovered during the search for potential damage to national security.
Democratic Reps. Carolyn Maloney of New York, who leads the House Oversight and Reform Committee, and Adam Schiff of California, head of the House Intelligence Committee said in a joint statement that it is “critical” that the intelligence agencies “move swiftly to assess and, if necessary, to mitigate the damage done — a process that should proceed in parallel with DOJ’s criminal investigation.”
CLASSIFIED RECORDS WERE MIXED WITH OTHER PAPERS
Some of those classified records were mixed with other documents, the affidavit says, citing a letter from the Archives.
According to Archives’ White House liaison division director, the boxes contained “newspapers, magazines, printed news articles, photos, miscellaneous print-outs, notes, presidential correspondence, personal and post-presidential records, and ‘a lot of classified records.’” Several contained what appeared to be Trump’s handwritten notes.
Of most significant concern: “highly classified records were unfoldered, intermixed with other records, and otherwise unproperly (sic) identified.”
A president might be given raw intelligence reporting to supplement his briefings or to cover a breaking or critically important matter, said David Priess, a former CIA officer and White House briefer who wrote “The President’s Book of Secrets,” a history of the President’s Daily Brief.
But it would be “unusual, if not unprecedented, for a president to keep it and to intermingle it with other papers,” he said.
“Even though I was prepared for this because I knew the judge would not approve a search based on something minor, the breadth and depth of the careless handling of classified information is truly shocking,” Priess said.
TRUMP HAD REPEATED OPPORTUNITIES TO RETURN THE DOCUMENTS
The affidavit makes clear yet again that Trump had numerous opportunities to return the documents to the government, but simply chose not to.
A lengthy process to retrieve the documents had been underway essentially since Trump left the White House. The document states that on or about May 6, 2021, the Archives made a request for the missing records “and continued to make requests until approximately late December 2021,” when it was informed 12 boxes were found and ready for retrieval from the club.
The affidavit makes clear that the Department of Justice’s criminal investigation concerns not just the improper removal and storage of classified information in unauthorized spaces and the potentially unlawful concealment or removal of government records, but says investigators had “probable cause to believe that evidence of obstruction” would be found in their search.
Trump’s lawyer, in a letter that was included in the release, had argued to DOJ that presidents have “absolute” authority to declassify documents, claiming that his “constitutionally-based authority regarding the classification and declassification of documents is unfettered.” Trump has not provided evidence the documents at Mar-a-Lago were declassified before he left Washington.
TRUMP SAYS HE DID ‘NOTHING WRONG’
Trump has long insisted, despite clear evidence to the contrary, that he fully cooperated with government officials and had every right to have the documents on site. On his social media site, he responded to the unsealing by continuing to vilify law enforcement.
He called it a “total public relations subterfuge by the FBI & DOJ” and said “WE GAVE THEM MUCH.” In another post, he offered just two words: “WITCH HUNT!!!”
In an interview on Lou Dobbs’ “The Great America Show” on Thursday, he said he’d done nothing wrong.
“This is a political attack on our country and it’s a disgrace,” he added. “It’s a disgrace.”
___
Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press writers Mike Balsamo, Lisa Mascaro, Eric Tucker and Nomaan Merchant contributed to this report. | https://www.wspa.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-takeaways-from-the-unsealed-mar-a-lago-search-affidavit/ | 2022-08-27T20:00:45Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-takeaways-from-the-unsealed-mar-a-lago-search-affidavit/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s Republican Assembly leader on Friday withdrew subpoenas submitted as part of a GOP-led investigation into the 2020 election, marking the end of a 14-month endeavor that yielded no evidence of election fraud.
Speaker Robin Vos withdrew subpoenas that Michael Gableman, the former Wisconsin Supreme Court justice he hired to look into the results of the 2020 election, submitted to mayors and other officials across the state. Vos, the state’s most powerful Republican, fired Gableman two weeks ago after narrowly winning a primary election against a Donald Trump-backed political newcomer.
Vos also withdrew subpoenas issued to the Wisconsin Elections Commission, its administrator and two commission members.
Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway was among the city officials who were subpoenaed. Upon the withdrawal, City Attorney Michael Haas said in a statement that the investigation did nothing but harm public confidence in elections “despite wasting over one million dollars of taxpayer funds.”
Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, sounded a similar note.
“Last fall, I called for this fake investigation to be shut down and we challenged several subpoenas,” Kaul tweeted. “While it shouldn’t have taken nearly this long, I’m glad the ‘investigation’ has ended, and the subpoenas have finally been withdrawn.”
Gableman’s attorney, James Bopp, told The Associated Press that Vos withdrew all of the subpoenas that Gableman had submitted.
“The last part of the investigation was seeking compliance with the subpoenas and now they’ve been withdrawn, so the investigation is over,” Bopp said.
President Joe Biden’s victory in Wisconsin by nearly 21,000 votes has withstood recounts, multiple state and federal lawsuits and several reviews, including Gableman’s investigation, which drew bipartisan criticism for the way it was conducted.
Among the subpoenas withdrawn was one submitted to Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich, whom Gableman sought to jail alongside Rhodes-Conway with a lawsuit filed last December that alleged they had failed to comply with his subpoenas. A hearing is scheduled Tuesday to determine the status of that lawsuit.
Genrich’s office did not immediately respond to Friday afternoon phone messages seeking comment.
“Speaker Vos has finally recognized that this cynical and divisive exercise should be ended,” Haas said.
____
Harm Venhuizen is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Harm on Twitter. | https://www.wspa.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-vos-withdraws-subpoenas-ending-wisconsin-election-inquiry/ | 2022-08-27T20:00:59Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/politics/ap-politics/ap-vos-withdraws-subpoenas-ending-wisconsin-election-inquiry/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SEATTLE (AP) — More than five hours before Friday’s first pitch, Ichiro Suzuki was in the outfield, in uniform still going through his throwing routine.
Three years removed from his last game as a player with the Seattle Mariners in his home country of Japan, Suzuki hasn’t lost that competitive drive.
It’s just channeled in different ways now.
“If the guys on the team come up and ask me a question about baseball I want to be able to tell them, but also be able to show them and if I don’t continue to do what I’m doing, physically being ready, training, I won’t be able to really help them,” Suzuki said through his interpreter on Friday. “I know there are former players that can teach and tell them what to do. But I think it’s more valuable to be able to show them how.”
Suzuki may finally take a day off from his pregame routine of throwing, running, fielding during batting practice on Saturday when he becomes the latest inductee into the Mariners’ Hall of Fame. Being the center of attention and tasked with giving a speech has been weighing heavier on the 48-year-old as the induction day has drawn closer.
He joked that the stress of the speech was giving him a second ulcer after suffering one as a player in 2009.
“The preparing for a game is, I can’t say easy, but doesn’t compare to what this preparation for tomorrow is,” Suzuki said. “I mean, I really have a stomachache thinking about the speech tomorrow.”
Suzuki spent the first 11 seasons of his major league career with the Mariners before getting traded to the New York Yankees midway through the 2012 season. Suzuki played parts of three seasons with the Yankees, three more in Miami before returning to Seattle to close out his career.
His final appearance came at the beginning of the 2019 season which Seattle opened with two games in Japan. Suzuki announced his retirement after the second game.
“When I still run and do things, I feel like I could still play. Physically I feel like I could play,” Suzuki said. “But emotionally, because I was able to finish the way I was able to finish that kind of beats out all the other things. It just makes it so that I’m at peace.”
Suzuki retired with 3,089 hits in the majors and another 1,278 during his nine seasons in Japan before he made the move to Seattle at age 27. He batted .311 for his career, was the 2001 AL MVP and rookie of the year, and holds the single-season hit record of 262 that may never be approached.
Saturday’s induction with the Mariners is likely just a precursor for 2025 when Suzuki is first eligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame. But this one is special because of his connection with the franchise and city that started when he arrived in 2001 and continues today.
“When I first came here, I was not a free agent. The ownership here took a chance on me and gave me this opportunity,” Suzuki said. “And then as I played here, I knew there was expectations and I tried to meet those expectations. As I played that relationship began and it’s something that’s very special. So I guess you could say it just became this way. It took time. It was like a relationship and we got to this point.”
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-ichiros-honor-by-mariners-seems-a-precursor-to-cooperstown/ | 2022-08-27T20:02:11Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-ichiros-honor-by-mariners-seems-a-precursor-to-cooperstown/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Panthers backup quarterback Sam Darnold and kicker Zane Gonzalez were both carted off the field in the third quarter of Carolina’s preseason game Friday night against the Buffalo Bills.
Darnold suffered a left ankle sprain after Bills defensive tackle C.J. Brewer landed on him as the quarterback was releasing the ball. Panthers coach Matt Rhule said Darnold will have an MRI on Saturday, but the team is fairly certain that he does not have a fracture.
If it is a high ankle sprain, that’s normally an injury that keeps players out four to six weeks.
“Sam’s a tough kid and he usually comes back pretty quickly,” Rhule said.
When asked if the Panthers might consider bringing back Cam Newton for a third stint with the team, Rhule said nothing is off the table. Rhule said he enjoyed his experience coaching Newton last year and views him as a true professional.
Several Panthers players ran over to Darnold as he was helped onto the cart. Bills quarterback Josh Allen, a good friend of Darnold’s, also ran onto the field to offer encouragement.
Darnold was 5 of 11 for 49 yards and ran for a 1-yard touchdown to give Carolina a 21-0 lead.
Earlier in the week, Panthers coach Matt Rhule announced Baker Mayfield as the starter over Darnold, who was 4-7 last season as Carolina’s starter.
This is the second straight week the Panthers have lost a quarterback to an injury in a preseason game.
Last week rookie Matt Corral, the team’s third-round draft pick, suffered a season-ending injury when he tore a ligament in his foot in a 20-10 loss to the New England Patriots.
If Darnold is out any significant amount of time, P.J. Walker would presumably be Mayfield’s backup.
Darnold’s injury came just minutes after Gonzalez was carted to the locker room with a groin injury. Gonzalez was injured while warming up on the sideline on the wet field. Punter John Hekker converted the PAT on Darnold’s touchdown.
Rhule was unclear on the extent of Gonzalez’s injury.
___
More AP NFL coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL and https://twitter.com/AP_NFL | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-panthers-darnold-gonzalez-carted-off-with-injuries/ | 2022-08-27T20:02:25Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-panthers-darnold-gonzalez-carted-off-with-injuries/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
35-year-old man shot in the leg during argument in Chicago's Ashburn neighborhood
CHICAGO - A 35-year-old man was shot in the leg during an argument in the Chicago neighborhood of Ashburn Saturday.
The man got into an argument with a know offender in the 3700 block of West 83rd Street around noon. The offender then shot him.
The victim was taken to Christ Hospital in stable condition.
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No one is in custody at this time. Area One Detectives are investigating. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/35-year-old-man-shot-in-the-leg-during-argument-in-ashburn-police | 2022-08-27T20:02:41Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/35-year-old-man-shot-in-the-leg-during-argument-in-ashburn-police | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Artemis-1 launch: Key milestones to track before liftoff
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. - NASA plans to launch the first rocket in 50 years designed to carry humans back to the moon on Monday. Understanding what happens before the scheduled Artemis launch can help you check off milestones with NASA officials.
NASA's Space Launch System and Orion are set to launch from Kennedy Space Center launchpad 39B no earlier than 8:33 a.m. on August 29.
Onsite at the Kennedy Space Center, the iconic countdown clock is one of the most-watched timepieces.
The massive Artemis I rocket rolls past the countdown clock atop a mobile launch platform en route to Launch Pad 39B from the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida March 17, 2022. (Photo by Gregg Newton / AFP) (Photo by GRE
But, if you're following from home, understanding how the countdown operates and what key events will make you feel just as included as Artemis prepares to launch.
HOW TO WATCH THE ARTEMIS 1 LAUNCH ONLINE AND ON FLORIDA'S SPACE COAST
The Artemis launch countdown contains "L Minus" and "T Minus" times. "L minus" indicates how far away we are from liftoff in hours and minutes. "T minus" time is a sequence of events that are built into the launch countdown. Pauses in the countdown, or "holds," are scheduled into the countdown to allow the launch team to target a precise launch window and to provide a cushion of time for specific tasks and procedures without impacting the overall schedule.
Critical checkpoints for a successful launch
Here are some of the critical events that take place at each milestone after the countdown begins:
L-46 hours 40 minutes and counting
- The launch team arrives at their stations, and the countdown begins. The launch director performs the traditional call to stations, and the countdown clock is activated.
L-32 hours and counting
- Charge both the Orion Flight Batteries and core stage Flight Batteries.
- The SPS Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) is powered up for launch. The ICPS is a 45-foot tall single-engine liquid hydrogen/liquid oxygen-based system that will give Orion the big push to fly beyond the moon before the spacecraft returns to Earth.
L-15 hours and counting
- All non-essential personnel leave Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B
L-9 hours, 40 minutes and counting
- Built-in countdown hold begins.
- The launch team conducts a weather and tanking briefing. The launch team will decide if they are a "go" or "no-go" to begin fueling the rocket.
L-8 hours and counting
- NASA begins filling the external tank with liquid oxygen, and hydrogen gets underway.
L-5 hours and counting
- The tank continues to be filled, and a leak test is performed.
L-3 hours and counting
- ICPS/Space Launch System (SLS) telemetry data verified with Mission Control and SLS Engineering Support Center
- Another leak test is performed, and the liquid oxygen is topped off.
L-50 minutes and counting
- The final launch director briefing is held
L-40 minutes and holding
- Built-in 30-minute countdown hold begins
L-15 minutes and holding
- The launch director asks the team to ensure they are "go" for the launch
T-10 minutes and counting
A lot happens in the final 10 minutes before liftoff.
- Ground Launch Sequencer (GLS) initiates terminal count (T-10M)
- Core Stage auxiliary power unit starts (T-4M)
- ICPS enters terminal countdown mode (T-1M20S)
- GLS sends "Go for automated launch sequencer" command (T-33S)
- Hydrogen burn-off igniters initiated (T-12S)
- GLS sends the command for core stage engine start (T-10S)
- RS-25 engines startup (T-6.36S)
T-0
- Booster ignition, umbilical separation, and liftoff. Using four Rs-25 rocket engines and two solid rocket boosters, the SLS will blast off with 8.8 million pounds of thrust.
About the Artemis-1 launch
Photographers set remote cameras as NASAâs Artemis 1 rocket stands ready for launch on pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center on August 25, 2022, in Cape Canaveral, Florida. (Photo by Paul Hennessy/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The Artemis 1 mission is the first test flight of NASA's Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft.
Artemis refers to the name of NASA's campaign to return humans to the moon's surface by 2025 as a jumping-off point to Mars. The four astronauts who launched on that mission, Artemis-3, will be the first moonwalkers since Apollo 17 in 1972.
WHAT IS NASA'S ARTEMIS 1 MISSION GOING TO DO?
There are many goals of this test flight, including testing Orion's communication, navigation and guidance systems, ensuring the overall launch and performance of SLS and ensuring Orion's heat shield can withstand Earth re-entry at 25,000 mph. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/artemis-1-launch-key-milestones-liftoff | 2022-08-27T20:02:47Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/artemis-1-launch-key-milestones-liftoff | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The eagle has landed! North Carolina passengers greeted by raptor at TSA checkpoint
Travelers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport witnessed a very different type of landing this week.
'Clark' the eagle visited the travel hub on Monday, giving his wings a break and flying commercial on Southwest Airlines.
HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER ON TV
And yes, the bald-looking bird was screened like any upstanding passenger, spreading its wings for Transportation Security Administration agents. Video from Elijah Burke on Twitter shows the eagle perched on its handler’s hand at the checkpoint.
"TSA officers are used to seeing an eagle on their uniform as they look over their shoulder, but I’m sure the team at @CLTAirport Checkpoint A did a double take when they saw a real one earlier this week," TSA Southeast said in a tweet.
According to the World Bird Sanctuary, Clark flies five to seven times a year. The non-profit based in Valley Park, Missouri, said the bird was hatched at its conservation department in 2002 when they were breeding then-endangered bald eagles to be released into the wild. He is now one of only four bald eagles who travel to fly at different venues throughout the U.S.
Clark began flying at St. Louis Cardinals’ baseball games to the cheers of thousands of fans for the National Anthem. He has since flown for numerous high-profile events such as The Horatio Alger Association, the Chicago Bears and Boeing’s annual event.
Needless to say, Clark is really racking up those sky miles. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/eagle-passes-security-checkpoint-north-carolina-airport | 2022-08-27T20:02:53Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/eagle-passes-security-checkpoint-north-carolina-airport | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kane County gun buy-back program gets over 100 guns off the street
KANE COUNTY, Ill. - The community gun buy-back event held at the Kane County Health Department in Aurora resulted in over 100 guns being turned in.
The majority of the guns were old rifles and revolvers that people had no idea how to get rid of, the Kane County Sheriff's Office said.
One woman said that she thought about selling the gun but was worried what someone might do with it after it was resold, according to the Sheriff's Office.
The Sheriff's Office said they will meet with community partners and evaluate the need for holding future events. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/kane-county-gun-buy-back-program-gets-over-100-guns-off-the-street | 2022-08-27T20:02:59Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/kane-county-gun-buy-back-program-gets-over-100-guns-off-the-street | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SCOTT, LA- The striping of the detour road has been completed as construction begins on the Rue Du Belier, Apollo Rd, and Dulles Drive Round-a-about.
Effective Sunday, August 28 at 5 a.m., officials advise that you begin using detour routes when traveling in the area.
To view the detour map, click here. | https://www.katc.com/news/lafayette-parish/construction-starts-today-on-rue-du-belier-apollo-and-dulles-round-a-about | 2022-08-27T20:11:27Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/lafayette-parish/construction-starts-today-on-rue-du-belier-apollo-and-dulles-round-a-about | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
U.S. Army trooper Pfc. Cyrus Dougherty (left) and U.S. Army trooper Teegan Myers (right), both assigned to the 1st Infantry Division’s Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard, work on a lawn mower at the unit’s motor pool, Aug. 23, 2022, Fort Riley, Kansas. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Alvin Conley, 19th Public Affairs Detachment)
This work, From Toddler to Trooper: The Story of Cyrus Dougherty [Image 5 of 5], by SPC Alvin Conley, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7391273/toddler-trooper-story-cyrus-dougherty | 2022-08-27T20:15:17Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7391273/toddler-trooper-story-cyrus-dougherty | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
U.S. Army Pfc. Cyrus Dougherty, a trooper assigned to the 1st Infantry Division’s Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard, prepares to brand a steed of the detachment at the unit’s horse stables on Fort Riley, Kansas. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Pfc. Cyrus Dougherty)
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ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 27, 2022) Service members from Team Ukraine compete in the archery event at the 2022 DoD Warrior Games, Aug. 27, 2022. The Warrior Games are composed of over 200 wounded, ill and injured service members and veteran athletes, competing in 12 adaptive sporting events Aug. 19-28, 2022 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Oneg Plisner)
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ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 27, 2022) Master Sgt. Tim Williams, Team Air Force, competes in the archery event at the 2022 DoD Warrior Games, Aug. 27, 2022. The Warrior Games are composed of over 200 wounded, ill and injured service members and veteran athletes, competing in 12 adaptive sporting events Aug. 19-28, 2022 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Oneg Plisner)
This work, 2022 DoD Warrior Games Archery [Image 7 of 7], by Cpl Oneg Plisner, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7391291/2022-dod-warrior-games-archery | 2022-08-27T20:16:07Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7391291/2022-dod-warrior-games-archery | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Capt. Brian Hogan, commodore, Submarine Squadron Eight, speaks during the change of command ceremony of the Pre-commissioning Unit Massachusetts (SSN 798) onboard Naval Station Norfolk, Aug. 26, 2022. During the ceremony, Cmdr. Michael Siedsma relieved Capt. Erik Lundberg as commanding officer of Massachusetts.
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The college football season starts like so many others: With Alabama as the prohibitive favorite.
Between reigning Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young, menacing pass-rusher Will Anderson Jr. and an obscene amount of talent around them, it would be a stunner if Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide didn’t reach the College Football Playoff title game for the seventh time in eight years.
This fall will feature the typical contenders, from Big Ten dynamo Ohio State to defending champion Georgia. Clemson will be looking to return to the playoff after a rare down year, and Texas A&M is hoping for a breakthrough in Jimbo Fisher’s fifth season in College Station. The Pac-12, without a playoff participant in six years, may have two challengers in Utah and USC following the arrival of Lincoln Riley and his quarterback, Caleb Williams, from Oklahoma. Coming off its first playoff appearance and with the potential for its best offense under Jim Harbaugh, Michigan has to be accounted for, and the Marcus Freeman era begins at Notre Dame.
But, as usual, the conversation begins and ends with Alabama.
The Post breaks it all down in its preseason Top 25:
1. Alabama
Arguably, the two best players in the country — defending Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young and sack artist Will Anderson Jr. — lead yet another stacked Crimson Tide roster that might have won it all last season if not for late-season injuries to star receivers Jameson Williams and John Metchie III. Anderson could break Terrell Suggs’ sack record of 24 set in 2002 for Arizona State, and Young is a preseason favorite to become the second repeat Heisman winner ever, joining Ohio State’s Archie Griffin. And they have an absurd assortment of talent behind those two that includes All-SEC preseason first-team selections Jordan Battle and Eli Ricks at defensive back, Henry To’oTo’o at linebacker, Jahmyr Gibbs at running back and Emil Ekiyor Jr. at offensive tackle. Scary as always.
2. Ohio State
Last season was a rare down year in Columbus, the first time since 2016 Ohio State failed to win the Big Ten East. Don’t expect history to repeat itself, not with coach Ryan Day’s electric offense featuring potential No. 1-overall NFL draft pick C.J. Stroud under center and elite skill-position players at his disposal in wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back TreVeyon Henderson. Senior edge rusher Zach Harrison could be the next star Buckeyes pass rusher, and safety Ronnie Hickman will guide a defense that came up short in season-altering losses to Oregon and Michigan, leading to the dismissal of defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs.
3. Georgia
The Bulldogs’ first national championship in 41 years came with a price: They lost 14 starters, most of them difference-makers. This is where recruiting is so essential, and it’s why there won’t be too steep of a drop-off for Georgia, which has created Alabama-esque depth since Kirby Smart’s arrival seven years ago. It still features two of the nation’s premier talents in tight end Brock Bowers and defensive lineman Jalen Carter. Quarterback Stetson Bennett IV returns after his storybook run last year, as do linebacker Nolan Smith and cornerback Kelee Ringo from that record-setting defense.
4. Texas A&M
Jimbo Fisher has recruited at an elite level and has six top-15 victories since taking the job in College Station. What he doesn’t have is a double-figure win season in four years at Texas A&M. You can blame the inability to find a quarterback, and unless someone emerges among an unproven trio — sophomore Haynes King, LSU transfer Max Johnson and true freshman Conner Weigman are all options — that crucial position could be the otherwise-stacked Aggies’ downfall yet again.
5. Clemson
Forget just quarterbacks, there may not be a player dealing with as much pressure as junior DJ Uiagalelei this year. The former five-star signal-caller failed to come close to expectations last year, throwing more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (nine) as Clemson failed to reach the playoff for the first time since 2014. Dabo Swinney had to replace both of his coordinators as Brent Venables took the head-coaching job at Oklahoma and Tony Elliott went to Virginia, but he does have a potentially elite front seven on defense led by linemen Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee. That group could be similar to the one that started Clemson’s run atop the ACC eight years ago. But if Uiagalelei can’t find his freshman year form— or top recruit Cade Klubnik is unable to unseat him — another trip to the playoff seems unlikely.
6. Michigan
Between the return to health of star wideout Ronnie Bell, the top five pass catchers from a year ago, top running back Blake Corum and quarterbacks Cade McNamara and J.J. McCarthy, Jim Harbaugh may have his best offense as Michigan’s coach. If the Wolverines’ defense, under a third coordinator in as many years — Jesse Minter replaced Mike Macdonald, who left for a job in the NFL — is able to withstand the loss of standout edge rushers David Ojabo and Aidan Hutchinson, a second straight trip to the playoff is within reach.
7. Utah
With just two losing seasons in 17 years, Kyle Whittingham has turned Utah into one of the Pac-12’s top programs, winning the league’s South division three of the past four years. Dual-threat quarterback Cameron Rising would be the conference’s top signal-caller if not for USC’s addition of Caleb Williams, and he has top running back Tavion Thomas and skilled tight end Brant Kuithe back by his side. A season-opening win at Florida would be an early statement that the Utes belong in the playoff race.
8. Notre Dame
Notre Dame players are excited and the fan base is giddy, but now comes the hard part for first-time head coach Marcus Freeman: delivering on all that hype. Inexperienced sophomore Tyler Buchner will start at quarterback, and Freeman lost experienced difference-makers in running back Kyren Williams and safety Kyle Hamilton to the NFL. The Irish remain stout up front — led by All-American offensive lineman Jarrett Patterson, menacing defensive end Isaiah Foskey, a potential first-round pick, and may have the best tight end in the country in Michael Mayer. But there remains a lot of questions, particularly for Freeman, who will open against Ohio State in Columbus. Patience will be required.
9. USC
The most fascinating team in the country features a new coach (Lincoln Riley), new quarterback (Caleb Williams) and new star receiver (Jordan Addison), creating significantly heightened expectations. USC last won more than 11 games in 2008 and is coming off its fewest victories (four) in a season in 30 years. But by landing the ultra-successful Riley, who led Oklahoma to the playoff four times, the Trojans are expected to make a major leap. The transfer haul was impressive, pairing Williams, Addison and wideout Mario Williams with returning stars such as offensive tackle Andrew Vorhees and defensive end Tuli Tuipulotu, all of them All-Pac-12 first-team choices.
10. Oklahoma
Riley left town and took his quarterback with him. But that doesn’t mean the Sooners can’t contend in the pedestrian Big 12. New coach Brent Venables helped Swinney build Clemson into a powerhouse, and look for defensive improvements under the former defensive coordinator’s watch. He brought in Central Florida quarterback Dillon Gabriel to run the offense and was able to keep top receiver Marvin Mims.
11. N.C. State
It’s been two decades since the Wolfpack won double-digit games, which is also the last time they were ranked in the top 10. This could be the year N.C. State ends that drought behind ACC Preseason Player of the Year Devin Leary, a New Jersey native who is coming off a 35-touchdown, 3,433-yard-passing junior year. His return — along with four starters on the offensive line, playmaking receiver Thayer Thomas and All-ACC linebackers Drake Thomas and Payton Wilson — has created rare buzz in Raleigh.
12. Baylor
Dave Aranda engineered one of the biggest turnarounds in the sport last year, guiding Baylor to the Big 12 crown and a Sugar Bowl victory over Ole Miss a season after going 2-7. Another league crown in the watered-down conference is possible, particularly since the Bears are projected to be stellar up front on both sides of the ball. Left tackle Connor Galvin and nose tackle Siaki “Apu” Ika are two of Aranda’s anchors, experienced players who were key to last year’s breakthrough.
13. Oregon
The architect of Georgia’s dynamic national championship-winning defense, Dan Lanning could have the best unit in the Pac-12 in his first year at Oregon. Linebackers Noah Sewell and Justin Flowe, and defensive end Brandon Dorlus are joined by Colorado transfer cornerback Christian Gonzalez. Whoever gets the nod under center — Auburn transfer Bo Nix, or redshirt freshmen Ty Thompson or Jay Butterfield — will have an experienced line featuring five returning starters.
14. Oklahoma State
In his fourth year as Oklahoma State’s starting quarterback, is Spencer Sanders ready to finally make a leap? The Sooners’ Big 12 title hopes likely depend on it. Their ninth-ranked scoring defense could take a step back after losing six of its top eight tacklers, along with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to Ohio State, putting added pressure on the gifted-but-inconsistent Sanders to produce more this season. After his top receiver and running back moved on to the NFL, it’s up to Sanders to make others around him better.
15. Miami
Mario Cristobal is the latest coach out to restore relevance to the Hurricanes’ once-proud program. Miami has recorded double-digit wins once in the past 18 seasons and hasn’t finished with a top-10 ranking since 2003, a stunning run of underwhelming football considering its talent-rich state. Cristobal, a former player and assistant coach at Miami who went 35-13 in five seasons at Oregon, got off to a solid start, bringing in a strong transfer class keyed by UCLA front-seven duo Mitchell Agude and Caleb Johnson. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke finished his first year as a starter exceptionally well, giving Cristobal a potential difference-maker right away at the most important position.
16. Michigan State
The Spartans far exceeded expectations last year with their first top-10 finish since 2015. They found a quarterback in junior Payton Thorne and return eight starters on defense, which could lead to improvement for a unit that was last in the nation against the pass (324.8 yards per game). Replacing star running back Kenneth Walker III will be a tall task for newcomers Jalen Berger (Wisconsin) and Jarek Broussard (Colorado), particularly since Michigan State will be working in two new starters up front.
17. Kentucky
They don’t just wait around for basketball in the fall anymore in Lexington. Mark Stoops has made football relevant there, winning bowl games in four straight seasons. Though there are holes to fill on the offensive line and defense, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Wildcats win 10 games for the third time in five years following the return of quarterback Will Levis, top rusher Chris Rodriguez Jr., and leading tacklers DeAndre Square and Jacquez Jones.
18. Arkansas
Sam Pittman worked magic last year, leading Arkansas to its most wins in a decade, but he’ll need to be a flat-out magician to improve on that this season after losing game-breaking wide receiver Treylon Burks and key players on all three levels of his stingy defense. Multi-dimensional quarterback KJ Jefferson was a breakout performer a year ago, and will have the benefit of four returning starters protecting him, and there is hope transfers Drew Sanders (Alabama) and Jordan Domineck (Georgia Tech) can fill some of the holes defensively. A brutal schedule that includes non-conference games against Cincinnati and BYU only adds to the degree of difficulty.
18. Wisconsin
Learn the name Braelon Allen. The sophomore, who ran for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman, is up next at Wisconsin, following in a long line of star running backs like Ron Dayne, James White, Melvin Gordon and Jonathan Taylor. With a defense that returns just three starters, ball control will be key for the Badgers after consecutive down years.
19. Pittsburgh
Yes, the defending ACC champs lost quarterback Kenny Pickett to the NFL and top receiver Addison to USC. But Pittsburgh did find replacements in the transfer portal in quarterback Kedon Slovis (USC) and wide receiver Konata Mumpfield (Akron). Plus, the defense returns seven starters and includes one of the nation’s top fronts, led by stud defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and pass-rushing force Habakkuk Baldonado.
20. Wake Forest
With a healthy Sam Hartman, Wake Forest could win the ACC. Without the star quarterback, out indefinitely due to a “non-football related medical condition,” the Demon Deacons may not be good enough to reach a bowl game. The Heisman Trophy contender is that important to last year’s ACC Central champion.
22. Houston
It took Dana Holgorsen a few years, but last fall he got the ball rolling for the Cougars with a 12-win campaign that should bleed into this season. Quarterback Clayton Tune and receiver Nathaniel “Tank” Dell connected for 12 touchdowns a year ago, and should be a force in the AAC. Leading tackler Donavan Mutin and edge rusher Derek Parish return from a defense that was ranked 19th in the country in points allowed (20.4).
23. Ole Miss
After USC, no program benefitted more from the transfer portal than Ole Miss. It landed what it hopes are difference-makers at quarterback (Jaxson Dart, USC), tight end (Michael Trigg, USC), running back (Zach Evans, TCU; Ulysses Bentley IV, SMU), linebacker (Troy Brown, Central Michigan) and safety (Isheem Young, Iowa State) after losing so many key pieces to last year’s 10-win season that equaled a Rebels record.
24. Cincinnati
Now we really see what kind of program Luke Fickell has built. Gone are key elements to last year’s playoff berth — from Desmond Ridder, Alec Pierce and Jerome Ford on offense to Sauce Gardner, Curtis Brooks and Coby Bryant on defense. Cincinnati does return its entire offensive line, and senior ballhawk Arquon Bush could blossom replacing Gardner as the Bearcats’ lock-down cornerback.
25. Texas
No, Texas is not back, not among the nation’s elite yet. The Longhorns, though, will be entertaining. Running back Bijan Robinson is a future Sunday mainstay who will pile up yardage, and Ohio State transfer quarterback Quinn Ewers — a Name, Image and Likeness star — will have plenty of options to throw to in experienced receivers Xavier Worthy and Jordan Whittingham. Don’t expect Texas to stop anyone. Coach Steve Sarkisian’s program isn’t back, but it will be fun to follow. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/alabama-ohio-state-top-posts-2022-college-football-preseason-top-25/ | 2022-08-27T20:17:08Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/alabama-ohio-state-top-posts-2022-college-football-preseason-top-25/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Coast Guard Station Key West law enforcement crew transfers Cuban migrants from the cutter Diligence to the cutter Raymond Evans off Key West, Florida, Aug. 26, 2022. Coast Guard cutters hold migrants interdicted at sea until they are repatriated to their country of origin. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Gregory Schell)
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Over 2,300 lakes and rivers across the contiguous U.S. are hosts to blue-green algae blooms, according to data recently released by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration. Another 5,000 bodies of water across Alaska have blooms, as well.
Blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, can produce a toxin that can be deadly to pets and harmful to humans.
What are cyanobacteria?
Cyanobacteria grow naturally in water, usually freshwater, but they are also found in salt or brackish water. When the water is warm, stagnant and nutrient-rich (usually the phosphorus and nitrogen from fertilizer runoff or septic tank overflows), it can grow out of control and form algae blooms.
Some blooms produce cyanotoxins, which can enter the nose, mouth, eyes or be inhaled with water vapor.
Different cyanobacteria produce different toxins. Varieties that attack the liver, nerves and skin are most commons.
NOAA satellites can actually pick up the blooms that often form in the summer and early fall. In August, poisoning cases spike for animals and people, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“It is extremely poisonous,” Lori Teller, President of the American Veterinary Medical Association told FOX Weather about dogs and the toxin. “Whether you’re swimming in it, drink it, eat it, breathe it in, it can cause vomiting, diarrhea, breathing difficulties, and it can even cause seizures and death.”
How humans are affected
Human responses to the toxin are not well studied, but evidence points to rashes and itching, gastrointestinal upset and even low birth weight in babies born to women exposed to cyanotoxins.
A study in the Journal of Remote Sensing of Environment pointed to two instances in Ohio where the toxins contaminated the drinking water. Blooms were near drinking water intakes.
“In Toledo, high levels of microcystin in the water supply in 2014 prompted city officials to issue a drinking water advisory for the entire city, causing 500,000 residents to rely on bottled water for 3 days,” the study’s author wrote about a particular cyanotoxin. “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 110 cases of illness attributable to cyanotoxins from the Toledo event, with acute gastrointestinal illness.”
The Ohio EPA issued a “do not drink” order to the 2,000 people in Carol Township in 2013 after the local drinking water facility found dangerous levels of the toxin, according to the study.
“People and animals may be exposed to cyanotoxins by eating fish or shellfish from water bodies experiencing a cyanobacterial bloom,” the study’s author stated. “Some studies indicate that cyanotoxins also have the potential to be absorbed by agricultural crops irrigated with cyanoHAB‐affected water, but research on associated health risks is extremely limited.”
HAB is an abbreviation for a harmful algae bloom.
Mothers recreating in one Michigan lake with a HAB either caused or was a key contributor to babies born with low birth weight in Kalamazoo and Barry Counties, according to the study. Administrators estimated the cost of hospitalization for the infants to exceed $760,000.
How common is cyanotoxin poisoning?
A CDC–sponsored study looked at cyanotoxin cases from just 14 states in 2019. They found that 63 humans and 367 animals suffered. No people died, but 207 or 56% of animals died. The authors also feel that the number of cases was vastly underreported. Symptoms generally lasted for one to seven days, but 25% of those intoxicated suffered for up to six weeks.
Of the animals killed, 90% were wildlife, 7% were pets and 3% were livestock.
“If you notice that your pet has somehow been exposed, certainly rinse your pet off as quickly as you can with fresh water, not the pond scum water, and you really are going to need to seek immediate veterinary care,” Teller said. “There is no known antidote to this, so we want to do whatever we can to stop the effects and the progression of the problem.”
Teller said animals can die within minutes to hours after being exposed to the toxin.
“Sometimes, it can take days,” Teller added.
Spotting these harmful algae blooms
NOAA, along with the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA and U.S. Geological Survey, recently started releasing satellite-identified bloom locations as part of CyAN, the Cyanobacteria Assessment Network. Look for updates and forecasts for certain regions on NOAA’s HAB forecasting website. The EPA also lists resources by state on their HAB website.
Stay away from foam, scum, mats or even colorful streaks in or near a body of water which are signs of the blue-green algae bloom. Cyanobacteria is not necessarily blue or green but can be other colors like brown, red or neon. As the bloom starts dying off, it releases a rotting plant smell.
Don’t let your dogs sniff or eat dry mats on the edge of the pond or dead fish – they could be toxic.
Signs of poisoning
Pets may show a lack of energy or appetite, have tremors, vomit or excessively drool if they ingested the toxin. Take the animal to a vet immediately, especially if the pet became sick after water contact.
Signs that you were poisoned are nausea, headache, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, numbness, burning, tingling, respiratory issues and slurred speech, depending on the cyanotoxin responsible.
There are no antidotes or treatments for humans or pets for cyanotoxins, so doctors treat the symptoms.
Growing problem
Federal officials see cyanotoxins as a growing issue.
Two out of five patented EPA technologies detect cyanotoxins in water in their “Make a Market Tech Challenge.”
“Mounting evidence indicates that global climate change, watershed degradation, and increased nutrient loading of freshwater systems are contributing to the increased frequency, severity, extent, and broader geographic distribution of harmful algal blooms (HABs),” wrote a CDC researcher in a study.
Notifying the public and local officials of harmful blooms spotted by satellites, NASA and other agencies hope to prevent poisoning.
A 2017 study looked at one bloom on Utah Lake. The agencies notified local public health and environment officials, who kept people and animals out of the lake.
“Detecting the bloom early makes it possible to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in healthcare,” authors wrote in the Journal of Remote Sensing study. “We find that the availability of satellite data yielded socioeconomic benefits by improving human health outcomes valued at approximately $370,000 … The estimate can vary significantly … (with changes or delays) in posting a recreational advisory, the number of people exposed to the cyanoHAB, the number of people who experience gastrointestinal symptoms, and the cost per case of illness.”
While cases of poisoning and the number of blooms spike in August, blooms can occur year-round, so it’s important to keep an eye out for harmful algae blooms whenever you’re enjoying a body of water. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/toxic-algae-blooms-that-sicken-people-and-kill-pets-surge-in-us/ | 2022-08-27T20:18:22Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/toxic-algae-blooms-that-sicken-people-and-kill-pets-surge-in-us/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mail from D Mac regarding former Mayor Bill DeBlasio, a Red Sox fan, teaching at Harvard: “Students that have signed up for his 9 a.m. class have been advised the class will start promptly at 9:40.”
Oh yes, they’re the great pretenders.
The Giants and Twins, thought to be contenders, are now long shots at best to make the postseason. San Francisco is at Minnesota.
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Alex Cobb has one win in his last 14 starts. That was against the Snakes in Frisco.
Sonny Gray has pitched well for the lethargic Twinkies, allowing two runs in his last 12 innings while fanning 16.
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Minny does play with a bit more energy (35-28) at home. Play 10 units on Gray and the Twins.
What the …?
Milwaukee’s Freddy Peralta pitched a no-no for six innings and was removed after 82 pitches. Soon after, Ian Happ homered, then hit another in the 10th inning and the Cubs bruised the Brewers 4-3. “L” has us at +1,487 greggoossens. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/twins-vs-giants-prediction-minnesota-the-pick/ | 2022-08-27T20:18:28Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/27/twins-vs-giants-prediction-minnesota-the-pick/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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