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Scotland on Sunday Travel
Central and contemporary, an abode that breaks the budget hotel mode.
When you think of a business hotel, what usually comes to mind is a clinical, safely-decorated space without a lot of style, but which is clean and comfortable. This brand of abode is usually found near airports or financial centres and, while perfectly fine, aren’t something you’d rush to book for a weekend or night away without the laptop.
But a business-esque hotel that breaks this mould is the Maldron brand. Recently opened in locations across the UK, including Glasgow, the chain originated in Ireland and offers stylish spaces in bustling city centres.
During a recent overnight trip to Manchester, I visited the Maldron Hotel on Charles Street and was pleasantly surprised.
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Budget or boutique
This is very much a budget option, with double rooms from £75 per night. The 4-star Maldron has a playful, contemporary design which has been chosen to appeal to visitors to the city and groups of friends or stag and hen dos - and the central location close to Manchester Oxford Road is ideal for tourists.
Room service
I stayed in an executive king room on the seventh floor, which was spacious with a large double bed, smart TV, small table and chairs and large bathroom with a huge walk-in shower. The colour theme here matches the rest of the hotel, with tones of grey punctuated by yellow.
The hotel’s interior is very modern, which can be seen on arrival to the snazzy reception desk which is set in a double height room and just off the hotel’s bar, red roastery cafe and Grain and Grill restaurant. Gold wire pendant lights feature throughout, including in the light and airy bar/restaurant and the lift lobby.
Wining or dining
Breakfast and dinner are served in the bar and restaurant area. When the hotel opened general manager Carl Davies said: "Here on Charles Street we are the first coffee shop so there's been a lot of interest in local residents popping in for their coffee fix, or for a drink in the evening,” and the small groups of people at the bar suggest it is a good spot to meet up.
The dinner menu from the Grill and Grain has a range of different types of cuisine, from gyoza to pizzas, sandwiches, hanging skewers and vegan and veggies options. As I was off out that night, I chose some classic pub grub, with a starter of crispy salt and pepper calamari served with a chilli and lime mayonnaise. For the main I went for the classic Maldron burger which was served in a brioche bun with red onion, tomato, lettuce and a dill pickle along with a side of fries. Dessert was recommended by the waitress, and another classic - a serving of sticky toffee pudding,
Breakfast was a huge spread of continental fare along with cooked options. I had to get an early train home, so I ordered a grab and go bag, which included yoghurt, a massive blueberry muffin, orange juice and a cereal bar. I sadly never got to try the coffee, but for those that have to run, there’s a Costa at the station.
Worth getting out of bed for
The central location is perfect for exploring Manchester, whether you’re shopping, attending a gig or theatre show or just hitting the town for a night out.
Football fans can visit Manchester City’s stadium or Old Trafford, and there’s the Manchester Football Museum.
Guests to the hotel can take in the city sites from hop on hop off bus tours, with stops close to the hotel. History buffs will enjoy the Science and Industry Museum, which is about a 20 minute walk away from the Maldron, and there visitors can learn about 250 years of innovation and ideas born in the city. Another stop for those interested in history is the Imperial War Museum, which is about half an hour on the train.
Shopaholics will love Market Street, which is 15 minutes from the hotel while the Manchester Arndale shopping centre is an 18-minute walk.
Little extras
Fluffy robes, slippers, full-sized aromatherapy toiletries and an espresso machine with pods of coffee and hot chocolate add a touch of luxury to the hotel. Plus all the staff were very friendly and helpful - a nice touch for the solo traveller.
Guest book comments
The 17-story hotel provides a vibrant new offering for visitors looking to experience the cultural hotspot, with the famous gay district, the Etihad and Old Trafford football stadiums and thriving entertainment venues all just a stone’s throw from the Maldron Hotel.
Maldron Manchester City Centre, 60 Charles Street, Manchester M1 7DF, (0161 398 0230, www.maldronhotelmanchestercitycentre.com) | https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/travel/scotland-on-sunday-travel-3817970 | 2022-08-28T05:48:47Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/travel/scotland-on-sunday-travel-3817970 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Grand Theft Auto mastermind unveils new game being made at Edinburgh studio
He is one of Scotland's most successful, if little known, creative forces.
Now Leslie Benzies, the mastermind behind the Grand Theft Auto video game franchise, has offered a first glimpse of the eagerly anticipated project his new Edinburgh games studio has been working on.
Everywhere, a title that has been in development for the past five years, is billed as a “multi-world gaming experience”, which blends gameplay, adventure, creativity and discovery.
Build A Rocket Boy, the studio Benzies launched to create the new game, promised that it will “redefine how players connect with one another and the digital world around them”, and “blur the line” between reality and gameplay.
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While the game is not due to be released until next year, the first footage was broadcast at the recent Gamescom trade fair in Cologne. It showcased a variety of art styles and scenarios, from racing to sci-fi style worlds.
“Our intent has always been to push the boundaries of what a video game can be while still delivering an innovative player-first experience,” said Benzies, who is the game’s director.
“The team we’ve built and the partners we’ve made since our founding are coalescing around the unique vision we’re bringing to life. It’s exciting to be a part of, and we can’t wait to reveal more about Everywhere in the coming months.”
The reveal of Everywhere has left gamers with more questions and answers, leading to speculation the title will include some kind of multiverse element, or that it may utilise controversial non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Although details of the game are thin on the ground, Benzies’ track record in the industry has fuelled expectations.
He served as the producer of eight titles in the acclaimed Grand Theft Auto series, and was the president of Rockstar North, the Edinburgh studio responsible for the best-selling franchise.
He left Rockstar in acrimonious circumstances in 2016, and claimed he was forced out. He took Take Two Interactive, the studio’s parent company to court in the US, suing them for £105 million.
The publisher dismissed the allegation and launched the counter-action, but the dispute was resolved in 2019 after Benzies and Take Two reached a confidential settlement.
Scotland on Sunday revealed in 2017 how Aberdeen-born Benzies set up a series of companies in Edinburgh to push ahead with his new game, along with patents to “enable virtual reality viewing”.
Since then, development on Everywhere has intensified. His new studio now employs around 230 staff, including several veteran figures in the games industry.
Benzies has also secured significant financing to scale up Build A Rocket Boy and its subsidiaries. The most recent accounts filed with Companies House show his firm’s backers include NetEase, a Chinese technology firm, US venture capital outfit Galaxy Interactive, and several investors based in the Cayman Islands.
But Benzies, who is also the chairman and majority shareholder of Build A Rocket Boy, has also invested heavily in his vision. The accounts show the 51-year-old has provided his company with loans totalling nearly £7.3m.
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article. | https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/grand-theft-auto-mastermind-unveils-new-game-being-made-at-edinburgh-studio-3821066 | 2022-08-28T05:49:20Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/grand-theft-auto-mastermind-unveils-new-game-being-made-at-edinburgh-studio-3821066 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Scottish Highlands: How unfair bills are leaving pockets empty and tables bare
Donald Stewart is a single parent with six children aged between 10 and 20. He runs a small laundry and ironing business in the village of Kyleakin, on the Isle of Skye.
My wife died in 2020 after a long battle with cancer, leaving me as the sole provider for our young family. Her death also coincided with the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, which saw our business closed during lockdown.
The generosity and love of our community, giving financial and practical help, went a long way in carrying us through those sad and lonely days – it put money in my wallet and food on our table. Evening meals were prepared for us and money raised through an online appeal. This money, with six kids to maintain, a mortgage and arrears to pay, enabled us to survive the brutal realities of that first pandemic year.
When government coronavirus restrictions lifted, it was with heavy hearts that myself and two of my daughters picked up our irons and started to trade again. Business was steady, and by August 2021 we had doubled in size. I was working up to 18 hours a day to meet demand.
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But while the business was prospering, the spiraling cost of living saw profits seriously depleted. Household bills for food, electricity and heating oil have all increased.
There is very limited public transport where we live, so a car is a necessity, not an ornament. But increasing cost at the pumps – fuel recently topped £2 per litre – means we restrict its use to primarily work journeys.
Now winter is coming and our business season will end, but our need for warmth, food and clothing will continue. As the price of all these basic amenities continues to rocket, it will be difficult for me and many other families in rural areas to provide for our loved ones and our standard of living will fall further.
The profits of an elite few stand in direct contrast to the poverty of the many in our nation. The people of the Highlands and Islands have long been exploited. Where once they were exported abroad to be replaced by more lucrative sheep, during the Clearances, today we are being exploited to line the pockets of international energy companies.
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article. | https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/scottish-highlands-how-unfair-bills-are-leaving-pockets-empty-and-tables-bare-3821875 | 2022-08-28T05:49:22Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/scottish-highlands-how-unfair-bills-are-leaving-pockets-empty-and-tables-bare-3821875 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PORT HEUNEME, Calif. – Capt. Kirk A. Lagerquist, chief staff officer (CSO), Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC), retired during a ceremony held at Seabee Museum onboard Port Hueneme, Aug. 25.
Lagerquist, a native of Bangor, Maine retired after 27 years of service.
“He was a perfect Seabee,” said Rear Adm. Lore Aguayo, commander, Naval Facilities Engineering Systems Command Atlantic. “From the beginning of his career he held an impeccable military bearing and he was the officer the Navy wanted on their Civil Engineer Corps (CEC) recruiting posters.”
Lagerquist has served in14-duty assignments including expeditionary units across diverse demographics. As an Activity Public Works Officer for Recruit Training Command (RTC) in 2002, Lagerquist was integral in planning of the eight-hundred-million-dollar state-of-the-art Battle Stations-21 (BST), the final step and highlight of recruit training that features an intense12-hour emergency shipboard evaluation test.
“Kirks great work at RTC continues to make a difference in the development of our Sailors today,” added Aguayo.
In 2006, Lagerquist completed deployment to Ramadi, Iraq as the Executive Officer of Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) Three where he was instrumental to the Battalion earning the Battle E and the Peltier Unit Awards.
“When operational tempo substantially increased and the demands to deliver critical readiness were more pronounced, Lagerquist never waned, he leaned in,” said Aguayo. “His patriotism and desire to serve kept him in the fight and the CEC, our Navy, and our Nation is safer because of Kirk.”
In his final assignment as CSO, Lagerquist was instrumental in future-facility shore growth to include setting the stage for NBVC to become the master-base for unmanned air, surface, and subsurface systems by standing up multiple area platforms. He oversaw disaster response teams for major wildfires including the safe and successful evacuation of Point Mugu during the catastrophic Woolsey Fire. He successfully managed complex operations to maintain one-hundred percent mission capabilities during the Coronavirus-19 pandemic. He oversaw the partnership with the Oxnard Harbor District (OHD) to provide resources onboard Port Hueneme in direct support of decreasing port congestion in Los Angeles County and reducing the national supply-chain shortage.
“Lagerquist reenlisted a Sailor a few hours before his retirement,” said Capt. Robert “Barr” Kimnach, commanding officer, NBVC. “This is a testament to his legacy as a Seabee officer who cared about his people. Whether personally or professionally, those who have had the benefit of working with this great American are better off because of it.”
Lagerquist took the stage to address the audience with his final remarks as CSO. He thanked people by name, his family, fellow service members and those he worked with in Ventura County.
“You know it’s time to go when things you’ve done in your career are now displayed in a museum,” said Lagerquist pointing to a model of Operation Sea Signal. “I couldn’t have asked for a better twilight tour to bookend my career where it all started. It’s been a fantastic 27-year adventure and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to serve and be called a veteran.”
Lagerquist is a qualified Seabee Combat Warfare Officer and a registered Professional Engineer in the State of North Carolina. His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, three Meritorious Service Medals, six Navy Commendation Medals, Navy Achievement Medal, and various unit awards. He is authorized to wear the Presidential Service Badge.
NBVC is a strategically located Naval installation composed of three operating facilities: Point Mugu, Port Hueneme and San Nicolas Island. NBVC is the home of the Pacific Seabees, West Coast E-2C Hawkeyes, 3 warfare centers and 80 tenants.
This work, A perfect Seabee retires, by ENS Drew Verbis, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/428209/perfect-seabee-retires | 2022-08-28T05:50:05Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/news/428209/perfect-seabee-retires | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
'Not in loop': Jim Goodwin unhappy with Miovksi-Besuijen pact but pleased with thumping win aided by red card call
Both managers admitted Jack Fitzwater’s red card changed the game and helped ruthless Aberdeen to a resounding cinch Scottish Premiership victory over Livingston.
The centre-back was sent off for a foul on Vicente Besuijen that led to Bojan Miovski opening the scoring from the penalty spot, and from there Aberdeen didn’t look back.
Ross McCrorie netted before Besuijen fired home a second spot-kick, Miovski netted again and substitute Ryan Duncan put the cherry on top with a late fifth.
Aberdeen manager Jim Goodwin said “It has a massive impact on how the game pans out thereafter. I thought it was actually an even game 11v11 with both sides having good spells.
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“It’s not always as straightforward as the boys have made it look to break down 10 men and the players deserve a lot of credit.”
The manager was less happy that Miovski handed Besuijen the ball for the second spot-kick, and commented: “I wasn’t in the loop on that one. It isn’t something I would have encouraged before the game. He is our penalty taker, and though I love that he wanted to give his team-mate a goal, that’ll not be happening again.”
Livingston boss Davie Martindale says his side have to learn from the error that cost them the first goal, but admitted he had to take some blame for the final result.
He said: “We looked value for money 11v11 but we make an absolutely stupid mistake. It was really naive but Jack needs to deal with it better, and we need to learn from the mistakes.
“I made a number of changes at once to protect players on bookings and those who will be involved on Wednesday night, but I have to admit I got that one wrong.
“We made the changes at 3-0 and it finishes 5-0 so I have to take that one on the chin.” | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/not-in-loop-jim-goodwin-unhappy-with-miovksi-besuijen-pact-but-pleased-with-thumping-win-aided-by-red-card-call-3822033 | 2022-08-28T05:50:15Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/not-in-loop-jim-goodwin-unhappy-with-miovksi-besuijen-pact-but-pleased-with-thumping-win-aided-by-red-card-call-3822033 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Rangers 'happy' with state of squad ahead of deadline day as Glen Kamara situation addressed
Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst says he is happy with his squad ahead of next week’s transfer window closing, indicating that it could be a quiet deadline day for the Ibrox club.
Rangers have added Antonio Colak, Rabbi Matondo, Tom Lawrence, Malik Tillman, John Souttar, Ben Davies and Ridvan Yilmaz over the summer, with Calvin Bassey and Joe Aribo two notable departures.
Van Bronckhorst is preparing for Champions League football as well as domestic matches, but is happy with the options at his disposal.
"I'm happy with the squad as it is now,” said Van Bronckhorst when asked pre-match about the prospect of business ahead of the September 1 deadline.
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"Of course we could have had less injuries - it's a bit down for us at the moment.
“That's why we have a big squad and we can rotate in needed.
"You can see the bench we have at the moment - it's a strong bench and we can change at any moment.
"I'm really happy with that but of course there's many games to come."
Van Bronckhorst also gave an update on Glen Kamara, who misses out against Ross County on Saturday due to injury and has been linked with a move to French club Nice.
I don't think it's a long-term injury,” Van Bronckhorst said on the Finnish midfielder. "He trained yesterday and just felt a little bit of discomfort.
"We decided not to take a risk with him – I think he will be available again next week." | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/rangers-happy-with-state-of-squad-ahead-of-deadline-day-as-glen-kamara-situation-addressed-3821913 | 2022-08-28T05:50:29Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/rangers/rangers-happy-with-state-of-squad-ahead-of-deadline-day-as-glen-kamara-situation-addressed-3821913 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
We’ve reported before about the pandemic gun surge, in which Americans bought more than 40 million guns in 2020 and 2021, and how it hints at growing concerns about crime and violence, even as many are calling for stricter gun control legislation. A new survey out this week, conducted by the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, helps us fill in the bigger picture around those two seemingly conflicting trends.
Seventy-one percent of respondents to that survey said gun laws should be stricter, the highest share of support for firearms restrictions since the poll launched in October 2017 and 10 percentage points higher than that year. The desire for more regulations comes as a large share of Americans believe gun violence is a pressing national problem, with four in 10 respondents saying they think it’s at least somewhat likely that they will be a victim of gun violence in the next five years. Younger Americans are more concerned they’ll be shot than are older people, while Black and Hispanic people are more than twice as likely as white people to say they or someone they know have experienced gun violence. At the same time, 60 percent of respondents said it’s important that people can own guns for personal protection, with a slight majority — 52 percent — stressing the importance of both preventing mass shootings and ensuring that people can own firearms for self-defense.
From these answers, the researchers determined that Americans may have a more nuanced opinion of gun violence and policy needs than news media narratives often imply. “They don’t see a direct conflict between protecting gun ownership and implementing policies to prevent gun violence,” David Sterrett, a senior research scientist with The AP-NORC Center, said in a press release.
John Roman, a senior fellow at NORC at the University of Chicago, agrees. “Americans have a more sophisticated take that you see reflected in the political discourse,” he said. “But you also see the fear, which is that Americans are afraid that they’ll be the victim of gun violence, and they want to have their own weapons to defend themselves.”
In March, Roman led a separate NORC survey that found first-time gun buyers during the pandemic — who helped increase gun ownership nationally — were younger, more diverse, and as or more likely than prepandemic owners to support a range of gun rights expansions. But what the March results didn’t explain was whether new gun owners already had those pro-gun rights leanings, or switched views after buying a firearm.
“What this new survey does is it suggests, I think, that the first-time gun owners already shared these views with people who owned guns and so they were changing their gun-owning to reflect their existing preferences, rather than buying a gun and then changing their preferences,” Roman said. “You would expect that if people who didn’t own a gun were changing their policy preferences and then that motivated them to buy a gun, you would be seeing some shift in overall preferences away from gun regulation and toward more unrestricted gun use. And you do not see that in this new survey.”
The results are sure to be good news for gun reform advocates who want to build off the recently enacted Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first federal gun legislation in nearly three decades.
But caveats remain. For one, support for restrictions tends to go up in the aftermath of high-profile mass shootings, as we’ve seen since the recent events in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas. And then there’s the long history of gun control as a political talking point: The popularity of gun restrictions among voters in general has rarely translated into concrete changes within the political system for a variety of reasons.
Nonetheless, the new survey shows clear support for stricter gun regulations, especially those that limit who can buy firearms, like people with a history of mental health issues. Those respondents who believe gun violence is increasing in their area were also more likely to support gun reforms, even when accounting for political partisanship. It could be, the researchers said, that the prevalence of shootings has reached a new level of saturation in the cultural psyche.
“The poll highlights that gun violence has touched the lives of many Americans, especially Black and Hispanic Americans, and there is significant public concern about this,” Jens Ludwig, a professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, said in a press release. “Despite the polarizing climate surrounding these issues, the poll also reveals strong public support for policies to prevent gun violence.” | https://www.thetrace.org/2022/08/norc-study-gun-violence-self-defense/ | 2022-08-28T05:59:31Z | thetrace.org | control | https://www.thetrace.org/2022/08/norc-study-gun-violence-self-defense/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kochi: A young man was beaten to death by his female friend’s husband near the vegetable market at Nettoor here early on Monday.
Police identified the murdered youth as Ajay Kumar, a native of Pirayiri in Palakkad. They have arrested the woman's husband Suresh Kumar.
The crime happened around 1 am. Ajay had come from Palakkad and checked into a hotel at Nettoor. The woman works at a private hospital and stays in a nearby hostel.
Suresh, a native of Palakkad, had also reached Kochi by then. He suspected that his wife and Ajay were having an affair.
Suresh made his wife call Ajay and asked him to meet her at night. While he asked his wife to stay in the car, Suresh went to Ajay's hotel room.
Police suspect a scuffle might have broken out between the two in the room.
It is suspected that Suresh hit Ajay hard. After getting beaten up, Ajay ran out to the road, but collapsed and succumbed on Market Road soon.
The woman has admitted to the police that Ajay had come to Kochi to meet her. She claimed they were friends, and that he had come to return the money she had lent him.
Police took Suresh into custody and recorded his arrest.
Police will present Suresh before the court after a medical examination.
Ajay's body has been shifted to the mortuary, police said. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/man-killed-nettoor-murder-illicit-relationship.html | 2022-08-28T06:03:10Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/man-killed-nettoor-murder-illicit-relationship.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mattathur, Thrissur: A police probe into the recent matricide here has revealed that a dispute over Rs 2 lakh led to the crime.
Vishnu, 24, had strangled his mother, 54-year-old Shobana, and then smashed her head with a gas cylinder. He eyed the money she had received from the sale of a property.
Recently, Shobana had sold 11 cents of land and a house at Thalupadam for Rs 8 lakh. Of this, Shobana had deposited Rs 2.34 lakh in her son's bank account, but he began squandering the money on online deals and lottery.
Shobana objected and demanded the money back. She compelled him to withdraw Rs 2 lakh from the account. Shobana kept the withdrawn money and that proved to be the bone of contention.
A quarrel ensued when Vishnu pestered his mother for the money. In a fit of rage he strangled his mother. To make sure she was dead, he picked up the gas cylinder and hit it on her head.
The brutal incident happened at Kizhakke Kodaly in Mattathur Grama Panchayat in Thrissur district.
After committing the murder, the youth went to the police station and surrendered. He did not take the cash either. Police found the money at Shobana’s house.
Police said Vishnu is drug addict. He has been remanded. Now, the police would seek his custody for evidence collection.
After postmortem, Shobana's body was cremated at the Koratty panchayat crematorium.
The police inquest was led by Kodakara Staion House Officer Jayesh Balan. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/thrissur-youth-killed-mother-over-money-dispute.amp.html | 2022-08-28T06:03:17Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/thrissur-youth-killed-mother-over-money-dispute.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK (AP) — Sex toys and shoes? Try, sex toys IN shoes.
A little streetwear label has partnered with a giant in the adult toy industry to create a shoe derived in part from unused, defective amusements that come off the manufacturing line as misfits.
Looking a lot like Merrell’s popular Hydro Moc or Yeezy’s Foam Runners, Plastic Soul is about 15% sex toy. The rest is non-bleach EVA, a petroleum-based foam that’s difficult to recycle.
The shoe is the brainchild of David Teitelbaum, founder of Rose in Good Faith, and Chad Braverman, chief operating officer for Doc Johnson, the adult toy company his father founded in 1976.
More than two years in the making, Plastic Soul has yet to create the buzz of a Yeezy or the kicks of other titans in sneaker culture. And it doesn’t particularly live up to its own marketing hype as a major sustainable option, but the two Los Angeles businessmen are proud nonetheless.
“Personally, I love shoes. So it was a cool product, a really interesting way to get Doc Johnson on board with something that I would never ever do,” Braverman said from the company’s headquarters in the North Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Teitelbaum is a collaboration king with elevated Ed Hardy, Lil Peep and Juice Wrld hoodies, T-shirts and other merch under his belt. Before the pandemic, he was looking for something new. He met with an adult film company, which put him on to Doc Johnson.
Braverman isn’t sending a lot of sex toys to landfills and is able to reuse some of the base material from his manufacturing rejects, but he was happy to figure out what to do with the rest. He said he took on the shoe collaboration not as a garden variety publicity stunt but to promote sex positivity through fashion and innovation. That’s fine with Teitelbaum.
“Something like 28% of the sales are going to women,” Teitelbaum said. “We’re hitting an interesting narrative. I think there’s a deeper connection.”
The shoes were introduced in white last month and weren’t a sold-out-in-seconds phenom online or in several retail stores around the world. Next up is a black colorway.
Braverman and Teitelbaum are grinding down the sex toy defects into millimeter-sized cubes of thermoplastic elastomer, a mix of rubber and plastic that lends itself to injection molding. That’s how the $130 slip-on shoes are made. Teitelbaum, who designed the shoe, added a natural cork insole for extra support.
Teitelbaum plastered LA with cheeky advertisements to start. To promote exclusivity, the two are making limited batches, but a rollout of more colors is planned. A month after introduction, the first iteration of 1,600 pairs had yet to sell out.
The online feedback has been mixed, Teitelbaum said.
“A lot of it has been, ‘You look like Yeezy, go (expletive) yourself,'” he said. “But we also get so much love.” | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/photos-defective-sex-toys-get-a-second-chance-as-fashionable-shoes/ | 2022-08-28T06:24:56Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/national-news/photos-defective-sex-toys-get-a-second-chance-as-fashionable-shoes/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Here are the Top-5 women and men to watch at this year’s U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows:
Women to watch
1. Serena Williams
Some oddsmakers have her Over/Under for wins at the tournament at 1.5, because she would be an underdog against slumping No. 2 seed Anett Kontaveit in the second round. But first the retiring legend must get past her first-rounder against 80th-ranked Danka Kovinic to prolong this Flushing retirement celebration for the GOAT.
2. Iga Swiatek
The Polish star was the Rock of Gibraltar with a 37-match winning streak that ended at Wimbledon. The streak was mentally taxing, but she could reemerge to win this as he has every stroke.
3. Coco Gauff
The Delray Beach, Fla., teenaged phenom had a breakthrough in Paris, marching to the French Open final. It could be time for Coco to make her Open splash at 18, as she’s been in good form.
4. Naomi Osaka
Despite her quirks and hiccups, Osaka has won the Open twice and can’t be dismissed despite losing her first match in the two Open tune-ups in Toronto and Cincinnati. Osaka did that also in 2018 and won the Open.
5. Leylah Fernandez
The forever-smiling Canadian lefty teenager was the success story of the women’s field last year, bouncing all the way to the Open final, but has suffered foot injuries in 2022 since she became famous.
Men to watch
1. Rafael Nadal
The Spanish legend has a history of downplaying his chances and exaggerating his bad health before winning majors. But this abdominal surgery and tentativeness/rustiness prevents him from being the clear favorite with Novak Djokovic on an unvaccinated vacation.
2. Daniil Medvedev
The Open championship quieted a roaring Ashe Stadium to prevent Djokovic’s historic 2021 Grand Slam. The Russian isn’t playing his best, but his variety of groundstrokes make him the favorite on these fast hardcourts.
3. Carlos Alcaraz
The Spanish teenager had his breakout at last year’s Open, and no one would be shocked if the charismatic kid wins his first major here with the fans he has attracted in New York.
4. Nick Kyrgios
The Wimbledon finalist may not even get past his first-round match against his doubles partner Thanasi Kokkinakis on Monday night, but it will be fun to watch his trademark Flushing bad-boy meltdown.
5. Taylor Fritz
We’re still waiting for an American male to step up at the Open. Fritz is entering his prime with no more excuses. Even Fritz, 24, admitted at his press conference he’s “starting to get old.’’ | https://nypost.com/2022/08/28/us-open-the-top-five-men-and-women-to-watch/ | 2022-08-28T06:54:58Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/28/us-open-the-top-five-men-and-women-to-watch/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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2022 US Open | https://www.wtatennis.com/videos/2765917/granby-kasatkina-outlasts-saville-to-claim-6th-career-title | 2022-08-28T07:01:14Z | wtatennis.com | control | https://www.wtatennis.com/videos/2765917/granby-kasatkina-outlasts-saville-to-claim-6th-career-title | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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If you are looking for something a little different to do across Kent during the holidays, you might find something to tempt you in this list of unusual attractions. Some you might be familiar with, and others might surprise you.
So why not have some fun discovering the hidden and sometimes spooky attractions that the county has to offer. You could get outside in the fresh air and enjoy a walk to an ancient burial ground.
Or if it is raining you could visit a museum and take a step back in time to look at some of the weird and wonderful artefacts on display. Check out the website links for opening times and entry fees where applicable.
Read more: Herne Bay: How £13million 'levelling up' fund bid is set to transform town
Here is a list of some of the more unusual and sometimes hidden attractions in Kent:
The Resting Place of Pocahontas
Standing in the garden of a rather unassuming church in the Kent town of Gravesend, is where you will find the last resting place of this famous Native American princess. The haunting life-size monument is a copy of one sculpted by William Ordway Partridge in 1913, with the original standing in the city of Jamestown, Virginia, USA, once the homeland of the Powhatan people.
Pocahontas is one the most famous Native American women in history, and the monument was donated as gift to the people of Gravesend in 1958 by the then Virginia governor. The statue portrays her walking with open arms, in a welcoming gesture. But her face has an intriguing expression, which has been described as 'stoic' and 'dignified'.
The year of her birth is unknown, but some historians estimate around 1596, she died from unknown causes aged approximately 21 years old. Pocahontas was buried in the cemetery of St George's Church in the town of Gravesend.
There is plenty of parking for visitors in the surrounding area of the church. If you would like to learn more about the life of Pocahontas you can do so HERE
The Lady in the Woods
In the heart of the Kent countryside, the tiny village of Otterden is home to one of the county's great mysteries. Located at the edge of a small woodland, and standing nine-feet tall is The Lady in the Woods.
The Lady in the Woods is a wooden sculpture, carved out of an ancient oak tree still rooted in the ground. Surrounded by a shroud of secrecy, no one knows who the artist was or quite how long she has been there.
Local legend has it that she was created by a young carpentry student in the 1970s. They say that he found the fallen oak tree and decided to practice his craft on it in the isolated location away from prying eyes.
Although the rumours have been mentioned in the local newspapers, and are well known in the area no one has ever stepped forward to claim the work as theirs.
You can find out more about The Lady in the Woods HERE.
Coldrum Long Barrow
This ancient burial site, also known as the Coldrum Stones was built 1,000 years before Stonehenge. The ruins are situated just below the Pilgrims Way at the foot of the North Downs.
The ruins are around 5,000 years old and it was quite some time before experts could figure out how the monument once looked. It is one of the best surviving examples of the "Medway Megaliths" a group of Neolithic monuments found in the lower valley of the River Medway.
The Coldrum stones, or long barrow, were used as an ancient tomb to house the bones of ancestors. The name ‘Coldrum' may derive from the old Cornish word 'Galdrum' which means 'place of enchantments'.
Visitors to the area might want to enjoy the Coldrum Trail walking route nearby. There is plenty of free parking off Priestfield Lane, the site is also close to a small village church which is also worth a visit.
To find out more information on Coldrum Long Barrow you can visit HERE.
Dog Collar Museum
The dog collar museum can be found on display at Leeds Castle and is now the largest of its kind on public display anywhere in the world. The fascinating collection spans five centuries with over 130 rare and valuable collars, including 30 collars which were discovered in storage and have never been on public display before.
The earliest in the collection dates back to the 15th century. In 1977 Mrs Gertrude Hunt presented the collection of dog collars to the Leeds Castle Foundation in memory of her husband, the historian John Hunt.
Between them they amassed a large collection of art and antiquities, but the dog collars were Mrs Hunt's passion. The collection originally started with 60 collars from all across Europe and has continued to grow into what it is today.
For more information on the dog collar museum you can visit HERE.
Saltwood Castle
In the small village of Saltwood you will find this Norman castle which has been the scene of assassination plots, religious persecution and Nazi conspiracies throughout its long history. The castle is surrounded by woods and artefacts from as far back as the bronze age have been found here.
The castle has a rich and bloody history and was the setting for the medieval conspiracy that culminated in the assassination of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Beckett. The drama continued throughout the Middle Ages and then on through to the Second World War.
Saltwood Castle is definitely somewhere that is steeped in a lot of interesting history. It is only open to the public for special events. You can visit the website for the full schedule and details of these HERE.
Aefre
These 1,500-year-old remains were accidentally unearthed by workmen, in 1906, while they were constructing a road. They uncovered this skeleton and 40 others, along with rusted swords and spears, pottery shards, bronze jewellery, and even shreds of the long-dead humans’ clothing.
The burial site was examined by a pathologist who determined that it was a mass grave containing the remains of men, women and children dating back to the Anglo-Saxon age. Most of the bones were reburied, one skeleton was kept and put on display in the town's museum.
The skeleton was affectionately named Aefre, which translates to “Forever” in Old English, the Germanic language she and her people would have spoken. The individual had been buried with several ornaments that suggested she was a woman of high status, and it was estimated that she was around 35 years old when she died.
For more than a century, Aefre has been on display at the Museum of Folkestone. Whatever her story may have been, she continues to enchant visitors to the museum, where she can be seen on the lower floor, taking pride of place in the centre of the galleries.
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Former Gurkha soldier who lost both legs in Afghanistan set to climb Everest | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/whats-on-news/final-resting-place-real-life-7493619 | 2022-08-28T07:18:38Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/whats-on/whats-on-news/final-resting-place-real-life-7493619 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Hundreds of people arrived at Lawrence Regional Airport to celebrate Family Fun Day at United Way’s first annual Unite and Take Flight event on Saturday.
Unite and Take Flight signifies the launch of United Way of Douglas County’s 2022-2023 Workplace Campaign. The campaign allows employees to donate a small portion of their paycheck to United Way or to one of the branch’s local agencies.
In the past, the Workplace Campaign launch event was geared towards participating donors and business owners but this year, United Way strived to create an event focused on the community.
In an interview, Ali Dover, director of marketing and resource development at United Way of Douglas County, shared the importance of organizing a community event for the launch of the Workplace Campaign.
“This year, we wanted to build some extra excitement around the Workplace Campaign and build a community event that people remember,” Dover said.
The event had food trucks, snow cones, arts and crafts, face painting and even firetrucks for the children to tour. Various activities including hangar tours and STEM projects encouraged families and children to have fun while also learning about the importance of aviation.
“This is a great way for people to know our airport that’s not advertised as much, and get the students and the kiddos to explore aviation,” Dover said.
Families also had the option to purchase a flight on an airplane or helicopter. Mac Boatright, a volunteer at the event, said in an interview that there were two single-engine airplanes and a twin-engine airplane giving rides, as well as a helicopter.
“A lot of the people that are going up for airplane rides, this is their first airplane ride,” Boatright said. “In particular, on a private, general aviation aircraft. When you’re taking people out (on the airplane), a lot of them are kids. First, they’re nervous and then they come back, and there is just a permanent smile on their face.”
United Way had a total of 19 sponsors for this event, the presenting sponsor being Eurotec Vertical Flight Solutions. Alan Martin, director of maintenance at Eurotec, was giving tours of a helicopter at the event, teaching kids and parents more about aviation.
“We are letting the general public have exposure to the aviation side of Lawrence,” Martin said. “It’s a good time for kids to sit in the helicopter and get exposure and parents get to ask all kinds of questions, and it’s a fun time.”
The pilots donated their planes, fuel and time so that all of the money made from the event would go towards United Way of Douglas County’s grant programming.
“[The money] will either go towards our racial equity grant we give out in the winter or our anti-poverty and stabilization grants we give out in the spring,” Dover said.
United Way hopes this event helped spread awareness about what they do for Douglas County.
“You don’t have to be in a workplace that has a campaign to give to United Way, we also have a volunteer center and, of course, some other United Way programs,” Dover said.
Unite and Take Flight caps off United Way’s summer events. However, they have ongoing volunteer activities and events throughout the year. You can find out more about the United Way program here. | https://www.kansan.com/news/at-unite-and-take-flight-community-comes-together-to-support-united-way/article_1f1a5be0-2666-11ed-b9ca-47ce61317420.html | 2022-08-28T07:29:48Z | kansan.com | control | https://www.kansan.com/news/at-unite-and-take-flight-community-comes-together-to-support-united-way/article_1f1a5be0-2666-11ed-b9ca-47ce61317420.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
KSL Capital Partners has acquired the iconic Oread hotel as their first investment in the Midwest, the Denver-based company announced on Aug. 18.
The Oread is located adjacent to the Kansas Memorial Union and is regarded as a landmark building for the University of Kansas and Lawrence. It currently houses 99 rooms and nine condominiums.
In the press release, the company cites the proximity to the University and Lawrence’s attractions as key interest points into the purchasing of the hotel.
In the statement, Tom Barker, managing director of Mission Hill Hospitality, said the purchase of The Oread allows for growth in the education market.
“This acquisition presented a unique opportunity to expand our portfolio geographically in a major education market with high demand, offering unparalleled proximity to the University of Kansas,” Barker said in the statement.
The company plans to convert three of the condominiums into hotel suites. According to the statement, they also plan to renovate guest bathrooms, update furnishings and improve event and public spaces.
Mission Hill Hospitality plans to rename The Oread to “Oread Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton" along with the physical changes.
Mission Hill Hospitality did not respond to additional questions by the time of publication. | https://www.kansan.com/news/the-oread-hotel-has-been-bought-up-by-a-private-equity-firm/article_9e319996-25be-11ed-a148-af92b6a621b4.html | 2022-08-28T07:29:54Z | kansan.com | control | https://www.kansan.com/news/the-oread-hotel-has-been-bought-up-by-a-private-equity-firm/article_9e319996-25be-11ed-a148-af92b6a621b4.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
BEIJING -- One of the world's few rare earths processors outside China has bought exploration rights to mine in Greenland, opening an avenue for diversifying supplies of the minerals critical for advanced and green technologies.
Rare earths are a group of minerals used in the manufacture of electric vehicles, wind turbines, electronics, robots and other machinery. China currently dominates global production, processing about 85% of the world's rare earths, but skyrocketing demand is pushing companies to look for other sources.
Toronto-based Neo Performance Materials, the rare earths processor, said last week it plans to develop the Sarfartoq deposit in southwest Greenland and will send the ore to its facility in Estonia in eastern Europe. It's one of only two plants outside China that processes rare earths to a high degree.
Neo aims to have the mine running in two to three years. It will be the company's first major mining project. CEO Constantine Karayannopoulos said that by opening the mine, he hopes to shield the company from volatile rare earth prices, which have shot up in recent years due to supply disruptions and strong demand.
"We're at the mercy of the market," he said.
Karayannopoulos called it "business, not geopolitics." But in recent years, rare earths have attracted the attention of policymakers in Washington, Beijing and other capitals given their importance to the global high-tech supply chain. The U.S., Europe and Japan call their dependence on China's rare earths a "national security risk" and have sought to diversify their supply.
But such efforts have struggled, as mines in other countries have run into opposition or failed to get off the ground after fluctuating prices scared investors away.
Meanwhile, supplies of rare earths have shrunk, and some mines are raising ethical and environmental concerns. Mining rare earths is a dirty business when done cheaply, and China, the world's largest miner, has shuttered many mines in recent years to curb environmental damage.
Some of that mining has been outsourced to Myanmar, where a lack of oversight is masking a dirty secret. An Associated Press investigation this month found the Myanmar mines are linked to environmental destruction, the theft of land from villagers and the funneling of money to brutal militias, including at least one linked to Myanmar's secretive military government. The AP traced rare earths from Myanmar to the supply chains of 78 companies, including major auto makers and electronics giants.
The U.S. State Department said in a statement that it was "deeply concerned" about illicit mining in Myanmar, and called on other countries to ensure that their economic activity with Myanmar "does not enable or further exacerbate the regime's violence against its own people."
Karayannopoulos said that in Greenland, the company plans to dig up rock, crush it and do basic processing that does not involve the use of damaging chemicals. The ore will then be shipped to Estonia, where it will be further processed into a form that can be used to make magnets.
Plans for another rare earths mine in Greenland failed after voters put in power a left-leaning government that blocked development. The site had high concentrations of uranium, raising concerns over how radioactive waste would be disposed.
Karayannopoulos said the site his company plans to develop has much lower levels of uranium, meaning it can be mined under current Greenland and European Union regulations. He said EU officials encouraged the project because it could help the continent become more self-sufficient in rare earths.
Greenland, the world's largest island, sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. A 660,000-square-mile ice sheet covers 80% of the Arctic territory. Greenland's 56,000 residents are mainly indigenous Inuits.
Some rare earth customers, meanwhile, are aware of the risks of mines in unregulated, conflict-ridden areas such as Myanmar, and are increasingly willing to pay more for rare earths from regulated and transparent jurisdictions, Karayannopoulos said.
"You're making the problem worse by doing it in an irresponsible way, and with regimes that kill their own people," he said. "It's not sustainable."
Information for this article was contributed by Jan M. Olsen of the Associated Press. | https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/aug/28/toronto-company-to-mine-rare-earths/ | 2022-08-28T07:30:22Z | arkansasonline.com | treatment | https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/aug/28/toronto-company-to-mine-rare-earths/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 48 |
SPOKANE COUNTY, Wash. — According to Airway Heights fire officials, there is a working structure fire along Highway 2 near Fairchild Air Force Base.
That fire started just before 11 p.m. Saturday next to Highway 2.
This a developing story and more details will be provided if we learn more. | https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/confirmed-trailer-fire-near-fairchild-afb/293-e6838335-f494-4449-a0ad-630cce350346 | 2022-08-28T07:33:44Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/confirmed-trailer-fire-near-fairchild-afb/293-e6838335-f494-4449-a0ad-630cce350346 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The pretty, cloudless blue skies over perfectly manicured lawns represent an ugly reality for California's Las Virgenes Municipal Water District as it grapples with the historic megadrought ravaging the American West.
Despite a lack of any measurable rain in months, the carpet of lush, green grass likely means homeowners are either not getting the message about the dire need for water conservation, or they are ignoring the warnings.
But now, the water district has found a way to get customers' attention. When customer service representatives are working in the different neighborhoods, they keep an eye out for any water restriction violations. And for repeat offenders, officials are trying something new: adding water restrictors to the pipes, which sharply reduce the home's water supply.
Lawns of the rich and famous
The District covers some of the most sought-after real estate in Southern California, northwest of Hollywood and Beverly Hills, including areas along the Ventura Freeway.
Las Virgenes imports all of its water from the State Water Project, which pipes runoff from the northern Sierra Nevada mountains to Southern California. However, at the end of winter, the snowpack was just 4% of normal, forcing unprecedented restrictions. Las Virgenes is only getting 5% of its requested water supplies this year.
"We're having to supplement the water that we have been getting from the State Water Project," said Mike McNutt, public affairs and communications manager for Las Virgenes, who added the district is pulling water from its Las Virgenes Reservoir, its stash for emergency needs, just south of Thousand Oaks.
Right now, McNutt confirmed it is 72% full; at full capacity, it is a six-month supply. "We've had to take significant measures to curb water usage in order for us to ensure that there's long-term water reliability meaning moving into the fall and winter," McNutt noted.
Nearly all of California is in severe or worse drought (the highest three designations), per the latest US Drought monitor. Several severely deficient years of rain and snow have punctuated a 20-year long megadrought scientists say is being fueled by warmer and drier conditions brought on by climate change.
When the grass being greener isn't a good thing
In light of the shortage and the prolonged drought, Las Virgenes has mandated residents cut their outdoor watering by half as required by the unprecedented order from its distributor, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.
Outdoor watering makes up 70% of most customer's water usage, the water district says, so cutting down on irrigation can have a huge impact on conservation.
"They are only allowed to water one day a week outside, Tuesdays and Thursdays, depending on whether your address ends with an odd number or even number," McNutt explained. On top of that, each set of sprinklers can only be on for eight minutes. "It helps maybe keep some of the grass alive if people want to still continue to have lawns, but they are brown."
CNN rode along with Las Virgenes senior field customer service representative Cason Gilmer as he looked for wasted water. When he and his team drive around the coverage area, they keep an eye out for water where it shouldn't be -- on sidewalks and running down streets into gutters -- or outdoor irrigation on when it should be off.
"When it's in our face and the sprinklers are going off at noon on Wednesday, it's an easy target for us," Gilmer, who noted most customers seem to be doing their part now. "This street in particular was very, very green two months ago."
Along the ride, the number of homes with vibrant green grass were outnumbered by brown lawns. Some lawns have been replaced with turf and others have been painted green.
Neighbors can rat on each other, celebrities included
If anyone from the water district spots water waste, they can leave a door tag to let the homeowner know they are not in compliance and what they need to do. They also send mailers. The water district also fines abusers, resulting in charges which can reach thousands of dollars depending on the size of the infraction.
But the affluent haven of Calabasas, inside the water district's territory, is home to many A-listers with deep pockets. Some of those household names -- celebrities, musicians and athletes -- have used far more water than they should have, according to recent data.
People like Kevin Hart, Dwyane Wade, and according to the Los Angeles Times, Kourtney Kardashian, as well as sister Kim.
None replied to CNN's request for comment. However, in a statement to the Times, Wade and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, said they have "taken drastic steps to reduce water usage in accordance with the new city guidelines and have since we moved into our home."
Las Virgenes said all of those celebrities are in good standing now.
"Those specific celebrities have been working very closely with the district. They do want to do the right thing ... in order to achieve a much more efficient water usage tier," McNutt said.
And when fines are not enough, it's time to bring in the restrictor
With so many wealthy residents, Las Virgenes has learned some customers respond more to losing water than they do losing money.
"We try to get public education and notification and stuff about drought out there, but a lot of people throw the mailers away. They ignore it," said Gilmer, who created a simple, yet effective way to get users' attention one gallon at a time. "I call it a bit of a last resort."
The water restrictor is a slim circle of food grade stainless steel with a small hole in the middle, which fits right into the offending customer's water meter, which technicians can usually access right on the street since the meters are district property.
"This particular restrictor will give you around one gallon a minute. Normally, a three-quarter-inch meter is 25 to 30 gallons a minute. So at 25 to 30 gallons a minute, you can run your dishwasher and run your sink and have somebody in the shower and maybe even have your irrigation on and nobody knows the difference," Gilmer explained. "With the restrictor in ... your sink works fine. Your shower works OK. Your irrigation will not work. It just won't supply the amount of water that's demanded."
Gilmer even tried it at his own house to see what it was like having his water restricted.
"The big part was that you can't do two things at once. So if I was in the shower and my wife tried to do dishes, my shower was done. I just got out," Gilmer said with a slight smile. "My wife demanded I take it off after a day and a half."
California drought could cut state's hydropower in half this summer
After a customer uses more than 150% of their water allocation four times, they will be in line to get the flow restrictor installed. Las Virgenes says about 1,600 connections, or just more than 7% of its customer base falls into this category.
"It's not meant to be punitive," McNutt said. "It's meant to tell people ... this drought is incredibly serious and what we need you to do is do your part."
McNutt added Las Virgenes is leading by example in California as it is "using these flow restriction devices for conservation purposes."
"We're kind of leading this charge moving forward of how do we get people to stop using so much water with the advancement of climate change."
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/the-fight-against-drought-in-california-has-a-new-tool-the-restrictor/article_be68a368-df4b-5b19-bbe8-7aacd3a6025c.html | 2022-08-28T07:43:50Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/the-fight-against-drought-in-california-has-a-new-tool-the-restrictor/article_be68a368-df4b-5b19-bbe8-7aacd3a6025c.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The problem with events like the GP1 4 Hours of Fuji, is that it makes me want to get my own car out on track for a good thrashing.
OK, so it’s not exactly a problem, but more of a prod of motivation to get Project GC8 track-ready. My WRX is perhaps not all that well-suited to the sweeping bends of Fuji Speedway, but Tsukuba is definitely in the crosshairs.
Fuji Speedway is more of a GT circuit, and it’s where I attended the final bout of the 4 Hours of Fuji pro-am endurance race a couple of weekends back.
I was invited by Hiro-san, owner of ACR Aston Martin, who specializes in making carbon fiber body kits. He was out testing some new bits and doing some PR photoshoots with his Vantage N24.
After qualifying Hiro-san was first in class, which was the NA Super category for over 2.5L, over 300PS, and slick or radial tyre-equipped cars. The noise this Aston makes at full throttle through the valleys and along the straights of Fuji Speedway is utterly glorious.
The grid for this 4-hour race was eclectic mix, mostly GT cars but with a few Hondas, Mitsubishis and Subarus thrown in for good measure. It just goes to show, you can engineer anything to go around any circuit if you put your mind to it.
I tried not to look directly at the M3, but it did have a strangely commanding presence…
This canary yellow Levin was a highlight.
With drivers tucked away in their oven-like cabins and team posing completed, the grid was cleared in time for a late start. I’m not sure I could bear four hours in a race suit and helmet, but the drivers didn’t seem too fazed. The teams were pretty pumped too.
This was my cue to find some good trackside vantage points. I’d never actually shot a race at Fuji Speedway before this, but the entire track is pretty open so finding a spot was relatively easy.
As I crossed from one side of the circuit to the other, I walked through the pits to see the teams make adjustments to their cars before they hit the tarmac again. I was expecting more pit action, à la F1, but this really wasn’t any kind of serious competition.
The GP1 4 Hours of Fuji is a race hosted by Japan Racing Service, and is intended for privateers and professional racers alike to come and test their machines and hone their driving skills. It’s also a great place to get some PR photos or videos for sponsors and other promotions.
Amongst the amateurs and semi-pros, there were a couple of big guns stretching their legs on this day. Audi Japan had a few of its privateer teams running tests on their GT300 and Super Taikyu cars.
Here’s an RS3 LMS TCR, sold by Audi as a complete competition-ready car designed for customer-based racing. This one is owned by a local dealership, and I can only guess that it was being used by a customer for a private race day.
It’s a great solution for those who want a racing experience, but don’t want to maintain and store a car. I’m sure it all comes with a premium price tag, though.
In the next garage were a couple of machines on another level.
This is one of two Audi R8 LMS cars that make up Team Hitotsuyama – an Audi Japan-sponsored team since 2014. But actually, team founder Mikio Hitotsuyama has been racing in Japan since 1990.
He began in an M3 in the All Japan Touring Car Championship, before progressing to a GT300 machine and then on to the GT500 class in a McLaren F1 GTR. Hitotsuyama-san has also been behind the wheel of a Ferrari 550 Maranello, an Aston Martin DBR9, 997 Porsche GT3 RSR and the incredibly cool Zytek 05S, a modified Le Mans car originally built by Reynard Motorsport.
The R8 LMS only ran a few laps, spending most of its time sitting up on air jacks undergoing some laptop diagnosis. It all looked very serious.
Shintaro Kawabata, meanwhile, was on the track for the full four hours of racing. Lap after lap, this Super GT car absolutely dominated. In fact, I’m pretty sure it was lapping most cars, which is not surprising given the NA V10 pushes out 585bhp through its air pressure-controlled 6-speed transmission.
I get the feeling that Kawabata-san is a bit of a superstar for the team, probably because he brought them a long-awaited victory in 2020 during Round 6 of that year’s Super GT300 championship.
That’s the glory that teams like Hitotsuyama are striving to achieve, and days like this are perfect for getting some endurance practice in.
Even though it was unbearably hot and humid, I’m glad I made the trip down to Fuji Speedway. Not just because it was fantastic to see such a diverse bunch of drivers and cars doing what they love, but also because it was a long overdue reminder to get my own car on the circuit. After all, that’s what it was designed to do.
As with any motorsport event, the cars that people drive to the events are always worth a look, so I’ve included a quick walk around of the carpark for your enjoyment below, plus some more images from the event itself.
Toby Thyer
Instagram _tobinsta_
tobythyer.co.uk | http://www.speedhunters.com/2022/08/the-4-hours-of-fuji/ | 2022-08-28T08:22:07Z | speedhunters.com | control | http://www.speedhunters.com/2022/08/the-4-hours-of-fuji/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DEAR ABBY: My husband, “Alex,” and I are close friends with another couple who live out of state. During a virtual happy hour, our friend “Darlene” advised us that her brother “Roy” is moving to our area, and she suggested we become friends. She assumed my husband likes Roy. My husband answered honestly and said he doesn’t particularly like Roy. When Darlene pressed, wanting to know why, Alex again answered honestly. He said he thinks Roy is obnoxious.
We have spent time with Darlene’s family and generally enjoy them, but we wouldn’t seek out a relationship with Roy. It does not mean Alex hates him. When my husband made the comment, she didn’t respond or seem upset. I texted her to apologize, and she replied, “No need to apologize. I just didn’t know Alex didn’t like Roy.”
Two weeks later, she confronted me about it. She said my husband was rude and her brother had done nothing to him to deserve being called obnoxious, adding that Roy is a great person. We went back and forth, and I gave her a couple of days’ break from communication because she was clearly upset.
We revisited the issue today, and she’s still upset. She is not upset with me, though. I suggested she reach out to my husband, but she believes that he should reach out to her. Truthfully, I don’t think my husband did anything wrong, although he could have been more diplomatic. What do you think? — STUCK IN THE MIDDLE
DEAR STUCK: Your husband was honest about his feelings, but he should have been more tactful than to accuse Darlene’s brother of being “obnoxious.” If you and your husband value the relationship you have with her and her husband, then he should reach out to her and apologize for his lack of tact. However, neither of you should allow yourself to be guilted into interacting with Roy against your better judgment.
DEAR ABBY: I am broke and disabled and live far from friends and family. They know I live alone and that I’m lonely with no friends nearby. Every time I try to save up the $1,000 I need to visit, some urgent expense takes it away. I haven’t been home in 10 years, and it’s killing me.
Two of my best friends recently came into a good sum of money, around $100,000 or more. Neither one has offered to give or lend me a dime. I’m very hurt by this because I was always generous when I had money. Do I have a right to feel hurt? How can I let this go so it doesn’t affect our friendships? — SUFFERING IN COLORADO
DEAR SUFFERING: Your feelings are your feelings, and you have a right to them. However, it is unrealistic to expect your friends to give you the money to visit them. You might have better luck if you invite them to visit you.
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/28/dear-abby-my-friends-obnoxious-brother-is-causing-us-to-fight/ | 2022-08-28T08:29:21Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/28/dear-abby-my-friends-obnoxious-brother-is-causing-us-to-fight/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
As the 2022 NFL season rapidly approaches and fantasy football drafts are in full-swing, we are witnessing an interesting draft trend regarding wide receivers.
Though running backs continue to dominate the first round, the next five rounds are seeing a massive uptick in the number of receivers being drafted. Looking at recent fantasy football ADP, we are seeing an average of 32 wide receivers drafted within the first six rounds of 12-team leagues, with just 24 running backs, and a combined 16 quarterbacks and tight ends.
This trend has seemingly made it more difficult to land upper-tier wideouts if you prefer to draft running backs early, but it has also unearthed a few mid-to-late round sleeper receivers you will want to draft.
If you find yourself in need of a strong wide receiver in the middle rounds, take a look at Christian Kirk of the Jaguars. His current ADP has him just inside the top 100, which makes him a fantastic bargain.
As the team’s new No. 1 receiver, Kirk has bonded well with Trevor Lawrence and had a strong camp. Most overlook Kirk simply because he plays for Jacksonville, but with new head coach Doug Pederson implementing a proven and successful offense, these will not be the same old Jaguars. Looking back, at every stop as head coach or offensive coordinator, Pederson’s top wideout saw at least 120 targets and, when healthy, posted a 1,000-yard season.
If you need to dig deeper, then draft Isaiah McKenzie of the Bills in the 13th round. We all know Stefon Diggs is the man in Buffalo, but though most people assume a breakout season for Gabriel Davis, McKenzie is the guy no one sees coming. Last season, Emmanuel Sanders had the most snaps as the Bills No. 2 receiver, but it was actually slot receiver Cole Beasley who received the second-most targets. The Bills used an 11-personnel package 70 percent of the time last year, and with that unlikely to change, McKenzie should be on the field often. With Josh Allen’s penchant for hitting his slot receiver more, McKenzie becomes an intriguing target.
The receiver position is plenty deep, so if you see them coming off your draft board in a hurry, don’t panic. There is some quality depth still to be had at the position. If you can come away with one or two strong receivers in your first six rounds, you won’t miss a beat adding these late picks.
Howard Bender is the VP of operations and head of content at FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on Twitter @rotobuzzguy and catch him on the award winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show” on the SiriusXM fantasy sports channel weekdays from 6-8 p.m. Go to FantasyAlarm.com for all your fantasy sports advice, player projections and average draft positions. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/28/fantasy-football-new-jaguars-receiver-a-bargain/ | 2022-08-28T08:29:27Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/28/fantasy-football-new-jaguars-receiver-a-bargain/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — The parents of Patrick Lyoya held a protest in Grand Rapids Saturday afternoon to express their frustration with their son’s case.
The protest was held on the steps of the Kent County Courthouse and was attended by a few people.
The family is frustrated the case against the officer who shot and killed Patrick Lyoya keeps getting pushed back.
A court has granted a delay for Christopher Schurr's preliminary exam twice and a new date has not been set.
And to see that his bond was released and it was only 100,000 That was not acceptable to me. Everything that is going in my head I'm looking like that trying to to not find him guilty.
FOX 17 reached out to Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker Saturday who said he met with the family last week.
Becker said the defense needs more time and material and wants to make sure things are done correctly.
Becker is scheduled to meet with Schurr's attorney's on September 23. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/protest-held-saturday-in-honor-of-patrick-lyoya | 2022-08-28T08:36:49Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/protest-held-saturday-in-honor-of-patrick-lyoya | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New Delhi: All subsidised fertilisers including urea and DAP will be sold under the single brand 'Bharat' from October, a move aimed at ensuring timely availability of soil nutrients to farmers and reducing the freight subsidy.
Announcing the new initiative 'One Nation One Fertiliser' under the fertiliser subsidy scheme 'Pradhanmantri Bhartiya Janurvarak Pariyojna (PMBJP)', Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the companies are allowed to display their name, brand, logo and other relevant product information only on one-third space of their bags.
On the remaining two-thirds space, he said the Bharat brand and PMBJP logo will have to be shown. The companies have been given time till year-end to clear their old stock.
In the last financial year, the central government incurred a fertiliser subsidy bill of Rs 1.62 lakh crore. In view of a sharp rise in global prices in the last 5-6 months, the government's subsidy bill is estimated to rise to Rs 2.25 lakh crore in the current fiscal.
Explaining the logic for introducing this scheme, Mandaviya said the government subsidises 80 per cent of the retail price of urea, 65 per cent of Di-ammonium Phosphate (DAP), 55 per cent of NPKs and 31 per cent of Muriate of Potash (MoP) prices.
Freight subsidy is also provided in the range of Rs 6,000-9,000 crore annually.
Although the specifications of fertilisers manufactured by different companies are the same as per the Fertiliser Control Order 1985 across the nation, the products are manufactured and marketed under different brands in different states, he told reporters.
The minister said there is a criss-cross movement of fertilisers across states, causing delays in the transportation of soil nutrients and putting a freight subsidy burden on the government.
For instance, cooperatives IFFCO and KRIBCO have their manufacturing units in Uttar Pradesh but they transport and sell their products in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals Ltd (CFCL) has a manufacturing unit in Rajasthan but sells its products in Madhya Pradesh.
National Fertiliser Ltd has a unit in MP but sells in Uttar Pradesh, he said.In some cases, fertilisers are manufactured in western India for marketing in the Eastern region of the country.
"The whole idea behind introducing a single brand is to stop this criss-cross movement, ensure companies sell their products in close vicinity of their manufacturing units and avoid unnecessary transportation," he said.
Prior to 2019, fertilisers were moved via railway rakes as far as 900-1000 km, which was later reduced to 850-900 km in 2019-20 and up to 700-750 km level in 2020-21, he said.
The government's aim is to bring down further the distance coverage of rail movement of fertiliser to 500 km by preventing criss-cross movement, he added.
According to the ministry, the initiative will increase and ensure the availability of fertilisers, streamline the supply process without bottlenecks, bring uniformity in fertiliser supply, control unhealthy competition among companies, and reduce the freight subsidy burden.
This will also strengthen the real-time monitoring of movement, availability, and sales of fertilizer in a state.
The minister also said there is no compromise in the quality of fertilisers under a single brand 'Bharat' and it will not create any confusion in the minds of farmers to choose the brand.
Currently, dealers play a key role in selling brand-based fertilisers to farmers to get additional benefits from the companies. Under the 'One nation, one fertiliser' initiative, farmers cannot be influenced by them, he added.
The government is making available fertilisers, namely urea and 25 grades of P&K fertilisers to farmers at subsidised prices through fertiliser manufacturers/importers.
In the case of urea, the Centre fixes the maximum retail prices and reimburses the difference between the maximum retail price and production cost in the form of subsidy.
Under the Nutrient Based Subsidy (NBS) scheme, which is being implemented since April 2010, a fixed rate of subsidy (in Rs per kg basis) is announced for nutrients namely Nitrogen (N), Phosphate (P), Potash (K) and Sulphur (S) by the government on an annual basis.
The subsidy rates per kg for the nutrients N, P, K, and S are converted into per tonne subsidies on the various P&K fertilisers covered under the NBS. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/india/2022/08/28/fertiliser-brand-bharat-october.html | 2022-08-28T08:43:59Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/india/2022/08/28/fertiliser-brand-bharat-october.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Panaji: The Goa Police have arrested one more drug peddler in connection with the case of the alleged murder of BJP leader Sonali Phogat, an official said on Sunday.
With this, five people have so far been arrested in the case.
Phogat, 43, a former Tik Tok star and contestant on the reality TV show "Big Boss", was brought dead to a hospital on August 23, a day after arrival in Goa.
On Saturday night, the Anjuna police in North Goa district arrested drug peddler Rama alias Ramadas Mandrekar for allegedly supplying drugs to another peddler Dattaprasad Gaonkar, who is already in custody in connection with the case, the official said.
Gaonkar had allegedly supplied drugs to two other accused Sudhir Sagwan and Sukhwinder Singh, who accompanied Phogat on the Goa trip, police earlier said.
The Goa Police on Saturday said Phogat was given methamphetamine, a recreational drug, by her aides hours before her death.
Gaonkar had allegedly provided drugs to Phogat's aides Sagwan and Singh who fed them to her, police earlier said.
Edwin Nunes, the other arrested man, is the owner of the Curlies restaurant in North Goa where Phogat and her aides had partied on the intervening night of August 22 and 23.
Phogat was administered methamphetamine, and some left-over drug was recovered from the restaurant's washroom, Deputy Superintendent of Police Jivba Dalvi had said.
Sagwan and Sukhwinder Singh allegedly told police that they had procured drugs from Gaonkar who worked as a room boy at Hotel Grand Leoney Resort in Anjuna where they were staying.
While Singh and Sagwan are charged with murder, Nunes and Gaonkar are booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
Videos of CCTV footage from the restaurant emerged on social media on Saturday. In one video, Phogat is seen dancing with Sagwan and the latter is seen forcing her to drink water which she instantly spits out.
Another video showed Phogat being escorted out of the restaurant by the accused. She is seen staggering and almost falling near the staircase on her way out.
Phogat was brought dead to St Anthony Hospital at Anjuna in North Goa district on August 23 morning from the hotel where she was staying.
While doctors said Phogat had a heart attack, her brother alleged that Sagwan and Singh, who had arrived in Goa with her, had played a role in her death.
A local court on Saturday remanded Sagwan and Singh in police custody for 10 days. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/india/2022/08/28/sonali-phogat-case-arrest-drug-peddler.amp.html | 2022-08-28T08:44:05Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/india/2022/08/28/sonali-phogat-case-arrest-drug-peddler.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
US President Joe Biden said Monday he doesn't believe an outbreak of monkeypox is as risky as the Covid-19 pandemic, tempering comments he made a day earlier that people should be "concerned."
"We have had this monkeypox in large numbers in the past. We have vaccines to take care of it," Biden said during a visit to Tokyo.
"I just don't think it rises to the level of the kind of concern that existed with Covid-19."
Still, he said "people should be careful."
On Sunday, Biden had said everyone should be concerned about the spread of monkeypox.
"They haven't told me the level of exposure yet, but it is something that everybody should be concerned about," he told CNN.
"We're working on it hard to figure out what we do and what vaccine, if any, might be available for it. It is a concern in that if it were to spread it would be consequential. That's all they told me."
Monkeypox in the US
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently tracking recent clusters of monkeypox infections and other possible cases in the United States.
On Friday, it said it was monitoring six people in the US for possible monkeypox infections after they sat near an infected traveler who had symptoms while on a flight from Nigeria to the United Kingdom in early May.
Separately, CDC officials are also investigating a case of monkeypox confirmed in a man in Massachusetts who had recently traveled to Canada. And in New York City, one patient has tested positive for orthopoxvirus, the family of viruses to which monkeypox belongs, NYC health officials have reported.
Initial symptoms of monkeypox are typically flu-like, such as fever, chills, exhaustion, headache and muscle weakness, followed by swelling in the lymph nodes, which help the body fight infection and disease.
Next comes a widespread rash on the face and body, including inside the mouth and on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
The painful, raised poxes are pearly and fluid-filled, often surrounded by red circles. The lesions finally scab over and resolve over a period of two to three weeks.
Close contact with an infected individual is required for the spread of the monkeypox virus, experts say.
Infection can develop after exposure to "broken skin, mucous membranes, respiratory droplets, infected body fluids or even contact with contaminated linen," said Neil Mabbott, personal chair in immunopathology at the veterinary school of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
CNN previously reported that CDC officials are evaluating whether a smallpox vaccine should be offered to health care workers treating monkeypox patients and other people who may be at "high risk" of exposure to the disease.
The variola virus that causes smallpox and the monkeypox virus are related. They are both members of the Orthopoxvirus genus, belonging to the scientific family of "pox" viruses. Some of the vaccines administered to prevent smallpox have also been shown to prevent monkeypox.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a WarnerMedia Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/biden-says-monkeypox-not-as-concerning-as-covid/article_2e0f2ac4-cd89-5045-baaf-dd75e53aca10.html | 2022-08-28T08:47:50Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/biden-says-monkeypox-not-as-concerning-as-covid/article_2e0f2ac4-cd89-5045-baaf-dd75e53aca10.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The consensus box of Del Mar picks comes from handicappers Bob Mieszerski, Art Wilson, Terry Turrell and Eddie Wilson. Here are the picks for thoroughbred races on Sunday, August 28, 2022.
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The evil dad who inflicted injuries so severe on his baby son in Maidstone that both his legs had to be amputated has had his release from prison blocked by Justice Secretary Dominic Raab. Anthony Smith was due to walk free after serving half his 10-year jail sentence.
But Smith, the father of Tony Hudgell, who is now aged seven, remains behind bars after Mr Raab used new powers in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act to block his automatic release. Two weeks ago Mr Raab also blocked the release of Tony's birth mother Jody Simpson, also jailed for a decade.
Both prisoners will have to convince parole chiefs they are no longer a risk before they can be freed. Tony's adoptive mum Paula Hudgell, 54, of West Malling told the Sunday People "any extra time behind bars is justice".
Read more:Man stabbed to death in Tonbridge named and pictured as two teenagers charged with murder
Simpson and Smith tortured Tony in 2014 when he was just a few weeks old. It left him with bone fractures which led to multiple organ failure and sepsis. It was 10 days before the twisted parents sought medical treatment for Tony. By the time the youngster was finally seen by doctors, his injuries were so bad he later had to have both legs amputated at the knee.
Tony, a Mirror Pride of Britain winner, is also deaf in one ear and has hip, hand, wrist and jaw damage. Tony’s mum Paula was told the news by her victim liaison officer. She told the Sunday People : “As we hoped, Mr Raab blocked Smith’s release on the grounds that he too, like Simpson, is still considered a risk to society.
“I was also told there is still no date for Simpson’s parole board hearing and it is unlikely to be any time soon so I imagine it will be the same for Smith – any extra time behind bars is justice.” Paula has listed Tony’s injuries and told how they affect his life in a statement to be used at future parole hearings.
She said: “The injuries run to more than six pages. Tony is still far from being a healthy little boy. He faces further operations and his life will be an endless circle of hospital appointments.” Simpson and Smith were 24 and 47 when they were convicted of causing or allowing physical harm to a child, and child cruelty.
Mr Raab said: “The first duty of government is to protect the most vulnerable. I will do everything in my power to prevent another child enduring the abuse inflicted on Tony. That’s why I’ve put Anthony Smith’s release on hold.”
Get more Tonbridge news from KentLive straight to your inbox for free HERE .
Read next:
Mum of abused Kent boy who lost both legs says Tony's Law is 'just the start'
Jody Simpson and Tony Smith: The evil couple behind Tony Hudgell's tragic injuries
Double amputee's 'dream comes true' meeting football hero Mason Mount and rest of Chelsea squad
The Kent areas facing the biggest energy bills after October price hike | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/evil-maidstone-dad-who-cruelly-7519287 | 2022-08-28T09:05:20Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/evil-maidstone-dad-who-cruelly-7519287 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
President Biden's plan to forgive hundreds of billions of dollars in student debt is sparking heated debate.
Biden last week announced plans to forgive up to $20,000 in federal student loan debt for Pell Grant recipients and up to $10,000 for others who qualify.
The news will provide relief for borrowers at a time when the cost of higher education has surged.
But critics are questioning the fairness of the plan and warn about the potential impact on inflation should the students with the forgiven loans increase their spending.
Here are three key arguments – for and against the wisdom of Biden's decision.
Raising living standards or adding fuel to inflation?
Undoubtedly, student debt is a big burden for a lot of people.
Under Biden's plan, 43 million people stand to have their loan payments reduced, while 20 million would have their debt forgiven altogether.
People whose payments are cut or eliminated should have more money to spend elsewhere – maybe to buy a car, put a down payment on a house or even put money aside for their own kids' college savings plan. So the debt forgiveness has the potential to raise the living standard for tens of millions of people.
Critics, however, say that additional spending power would just pour more gasoline on the inflationary fire in an economy where businesses are already struggling to keep up with consumer demand.
Inflation remains near its highest rate in 40 years and the Federal Reserve is moving to aggressively raise interest rates in hopes of bringing prices back under control.
Not all economists believe the debt forgiveness will do much to fuel inflation.
Debt forgiveness is not like the $1200 relief checks the government sent out last year, which some experts say added to inflationary pressure. Borrowers won't suddenly have $20,000 deposited in their bank accounts. Instead, they'll be relieved of making loan payments over many years.
Because the relief is dribbled out slowly, Ali Bustamante, who's with left-leaning Roosevelt Institute says Biden's move won't move the needle on inflation very much.
"It's just really a drop in the bucket when it come to just the massive level of consumer spending in our very service- and consumer-driven economy," he says.
The White House also notes that borrowers who still have outstanding student debt will have to start making payments again next year. Those payments have been on hold throughout the pandemic.
Restarting them will take money out of borrower's pockets, offsetting some of the additional spending power that comes from loan forgiveness.
Helping lower income Americans or a sop to the rich?
Another big point of contention has to do with fairness.
Forgiving loans would would effectively transfer hundreds of billions of dollars in debt from individuals and families to the federal government, and ultimately, the taxpayers.
Some believe that transfer effectively penalizes people who scrimped and saved to pay for college, as well as the majority of Americans who don't go to college.
They might not mind subsidizing a newly minted social worker, making $25,000 a year. But they might bristle at underwriting debt relief for a business school graduate who's about to go to Wall Street and earn six figures.
The White House estimates 90% of the debt relief would go to people making under $75,000 a year. Lower-income borrowers who qualified for Pell Grants in college are eligible for twice as much debt forgiveness as other borrowers.
But individuals making as much as $125,000 and couples making up to $250,000 are eligible for some debt forgiveness. Subsidizing college for those upper-income borrowers might rub people the wrong way.
"I still think a lot of this benefit is going to go to doctors, lawyers, MBAs, other graduates that have very high earnings potential and may even have very high earnings this year already," says Marc Goldwein senior policy director at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.
Helping those in need or making college tuition worse?
Goldwein also complains that the loan forgiveness doesn't address the larger problem of soaring college tuition costs.
In fact, he suggests, it might make that problem worse — like a Band-Aid that masks a more serious infection underneath.
For years, the cost of college education has risen much faster than inflation, which is one reason student debt has exploded.
By forgiving some of that debt, the government will provide relief to current and former students.
But Goldwein says the government might encourage future students to take on even more debt, while doing little to instill cost discipline at schools.
"People are going to assume there's a likelihood that debt is canceled again and again," Goldwein says. "And if you assume there's a likelihood it's canceled, you're going to be more likely to take out more debt up front. That's going to give colleges more pricing power to raise tuition without pressure and to offer more low-value degrees."
The old rule in economics is when the government subsidizes something, you tend to get more of it. And that includes high tuition and college debt.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-business-money/2022-08-28/is-it-fair-to-forgive-student-loans-examining-3-of-the-arguments-of-a-heated-debate | 2022-08-28T09:09:58Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-business-money/2022-08-28/is-it-fair-to-forgive-student-loans-examining-3-of-the-arguments-of-a-heated-debate | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ATLANTA – Stacey Abrams didn't always support abortion rights. The high-profile Democratic candidate for governor in Georgia, the daughter of two retired United Methodist pastors, grew up opposing abortion because of her religious beliefs at the time.
But on the campaign trail ahead of the November midterms where Georgians will cast ballots in the contentious gubernatorial race, Abrams tells the story of her change of heart that happened in college.
"I evolved on this issue because I learned more. And what I understand is that abortion is not a political decision. It is a medical choice," she said during a press conference in July.
Abortion rights have been thrust into the center of Democrat's campaign for statewide offices in Georgia.
The Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and hand the decision on abortion back to states heightened the stakes of decisions made at the ballot box. Particularly in Georgia, where shortly after the ruling a federal appeals court decided the state's strict abortion law could immediately take effect.
By a narrow vote in 2019, Georgia lawmakers passed a law that bans most abortions around six weeks of pregnancy, which opponents say is often before a person knows they're pregnant.
It also includes controversial language that gives an embryo or fetus at any stage of development legal rights. That has prompted a slate of legal questions.
Questions like whether or not a woman who has a miscarriage could be investigated for murder – although the law does not explicitly state that.
Polling shows Abrams trailing slightly behind her opponent, incumbent Republican Gov. Brian Kemp with a little more than two months until the November election.
But the party eyes a new opportunity for a boost in turnout in their favor: hopes that anger over the law will mobilize the base and even win over some swing voters.
Momentum after Kansas
They have reason to be hopeful. In deeply conservative Kansas, voters recently turned up in droves to vote down a state constitutional referendum that would have dissolved abortion rights.
Abrams said that moment gave her hope.
"What that signals to us here in Georgia is that we have the same power. We are not a hyper-conservative state. We are a divided state," she said. "But that division disappears when you look at what's happening around the issue of abortion."
A recent poll conducted by the University of Georgia for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution showed that more than half of voters do not support the state's new abortion law.
Audrey Haynes, professor of political science at the university, said that Republicans may have alienated some independent voters with their strict abortion choices – a group that will be crucial in November as the margin of votes between statewide candidates has gotten slimmer over the past few years.
"It is clear that in the state of Georgia, most people – the majority of people – are opposed to what happened with Roe v. Wade," she said. "In fact, I think that one of the problems that Republicans have in this case is that they are projecting a level of conservatism on the electorate that doesn't really exist."
Republicans cheered the ruling when a federal appeals court in Georgia allowed the 2019 law to go forward after three years tied up in court.
"We are overjoyed that the court has paved the way for the implementation of Georgia's Life Act," said Kemp in the halls of the state Capitol in July.
But since initial reactions, the party has been quiet on the issue. Instead, Republicans in Georgia and nationally are working hard to leverage disapproval with President Joe Biden and the national economy as their go-to rallying cry to voters.
National polling from Monmouth University shows inflation is still top of mind for voters as they face sky-high prices at the grocery store and the gas pump.
Martha Zoller, the executive director for Georgia Life Alliance and longtime conservative commentator, is skeptical that abortion as a driving issue will have a measurable impact on the outcome of the election.
"I think people that are pro-life are already voting Republican and people that are pro-choice are already voting Democrat," she said. "In light of the economy and inflation, I just still think that this issue is not going to be the number one issue for most voters."
Trying for personal appeals
The top of the state ticket in Georgia is nearly entirely women – Stacey Abrams is the nominee for governor, Jen Jordan is up for attorney general and Bee Nguyen is in the contest for secretary of state.
The party has launched an aggressive effort to reach women voters – Democrats and Republicans alike – on the issue with emotional personal appeals.
"As more and more women understand what is happening, as more and more women face the reality of this law, we will see more and more women turn out," Abrams speculated.
In the basement of Abrams' headquarters, a small group of women gathered for an intimate conversation.
Abrams sat in the middle of the six women with a grim look on her face as they shared their personal stories of miscarriage.
Atlanta resident Alana Leverette emotionally described going through two miscarriages – one while she was at work.
"I felt embarrassed. I felt very, again, sad," she said. "But I wished I had more of a support system to be able to say, I need a minute, I need to grieve."
Uncertainty around Georgia's new law has sparked deeply personal conversations like this one across the state, although abortion opponents adamantly deny that the law would open a path for women to be investigated for murder after a miscarriage.
"The left is just trying to scare people," Zoller, with the Georgia Life Alliance, said.
Democratic state Rep. Shea Roberts was also among the group of women gathered at Abrams' headquarters that day.
She, too, has been sharing her own abortion story after she made the decision 15 years ago to terminate a pregnancy after bloodwork showed the baby would not survive outside the womb.
In 2020, she narrowly beat a Republican incumbent in a suburban Atlanta district – her opponent was one of the few GOP lawmakers who voted against Georgia's abortion ban in 2019.
With suburban women a highly sought-after voter demographic, Roberts is focusing a portion of her reelection campaign on reaching Republican and independent women on the issue of abortion.
"I'm hoping that's going to show up at the ballot box," she said. "I'm hoping that people understand. Yes. There are economic issues that need to be addressed right now. But this is [a] fundamental freedom."
Georgia is not the only place where abortion rights could be a key issue in November: Planned Parenthood recently announced a $50 million investment to mobilize around the issue nationwide.
Copyright 2022 Georgia Public Broadcasting | https://www.klcc.org/npr-top-stories/2022-08-28/stacey-abrams-is-behind-in-the-polls-and-looking-to-abortion-rights-to-help-her-win | 2022-08-28T09:10:02Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-top-stories/2022-08-28/stacey-abrams-is-behind-in-the-polls-and-looking-to-abortion-rights-to-help-her-win | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
As Howard University students returned to campus on Monday for the start of the fall semester, the university received two bomb threats just months after the school and other historically Black colleges and universities had to lock down or postpone classes because of similar threats.
Early Friday morning, two on-campus residence halls that can house over 1,800 students, East and West Towers, were evacuated following an anonymous bomb threat at the Washington, DC, school. Students could be seen gathered in various locations near and around campus in their pajamas as they waited for an all-clear to return to their dorms.
On Tuesday night, another residence hall, Cook Hall, was cleared due to a bomb threat received by phone. In both instances, students residing in the dorms were assigned to safe areas until an all-clear was announced a few hours after the initial threats.
On Friday, police and university officials conducted a sweep of the dorms with K-9 units, according to CNN affiliate WUSA9. Preliminary information suggests that investigators have leads on the location of the originating call. Howard University said they've been in contact with federal officials assigned to the investigation of similar threats made against HBCUs.
According to a letter sent by Howard University president Wayne A.I. Frederick to students and staff on Friday, the most recent threat marks the eighth bomb threat of the year at the school, which he referred to as "another terroristic act."
"I want to be clear about the university's position on the narrative of these threats," Frederick wrote. "This isn't about resilience and grit. We require extra resources from all law enforcement agencies directed towards solving this ongoing threat and bringing those who perpetrate its negative effects to full justice under the law."
At least 57 HBCUs across the country received bomb threats via phone calls, e-mails, instant messages and anonymous online posts since January, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. More than a dozen had to lock down or postpone classes on the first day of Black History Month after at least 18 HBCUs received bomb threats.
Following the series of threats, the Biden administration launched an FBI investigation in early February. The FBI said the threats would be investigated "as racially or ethnically motivated violent extremism and hate crimes."
Since the start of the investigation six months ago, no arrests have been made, and HBCU students and school leaders say they're frustrated at the lack of progress.
"We remain concerned about any threats to our college and community and want to ensure that the safety of our institutions and students are prioritized as equal to any other security threat," said Helene Gayle, president of Spelman College in Georgia. "We look forward to learning more about how law enforcement officials are addressing these issues."
CNN has reached out to other HBCUs that received bomb threats this year, including Howard University, Fort Valley State University and more, for comment.
The FBI in a statement told CNN last week that the investigation of the bomb threats remains ongoing and they're working with over 30 FBI field offices "across the country to pursue leads and identify the individuals responsible for making these criminally and racially motivated threats of violence."
"The FBI takes all threats seriously and we regularly work with our law enforcement partners to determine their credibility and keep our communities safe," the FBI statement said. "As students across the country begin returning to school, the FBI offers a reminder that issuing a threat is a crime and those who post or send threats can face federal, state, or local charges."
Students say they're 'not surprised'
Jy'Mir Starks was in his dorm room with his roommate at Howard University when he heard the news of a bomb threat made in February. Six months later, he was shocked to wake up to the news that another bomb threat had been made targeting a residence hall on Tuesday.
"I can only imagine that must have been frightening because it targeted Cook Hall, which is a freshman male dorm, and the students were evacuated, which was probably jarring because this is our first week of class," Starks, a junior, said.
Rebecca Beavers, a senior at Morgan State University in Maryland, said the fact that no one has been arrested in connection to the bomb threats is scary because someone could threaten the schools again.
"I didn't know who made the threats, but something was telling me that if they were just targeting HBCUs, then it definitely felt targeted towards Black students, almost like they wanted to scare us from pursuing our education," Beavers said.
Going into the first week of classes earlier this week, she said she wasn't too concerned about the threats from February, but they were definitely looming in the back of her mind.
Netanya Onyilo, a sophomore at Spelman College in Georgia, said she feels as if the threats have been forgotten on a national level, adding that she believes there's a lack of concern because HBCUs were targeted.
"Because we're HBCUs and we're not [predominantly White institutions], we're deemed as less important. The fact that they don't react in such a quick manner is very telling," Onyilo said.
In March, the US Department of Education announced that several HBCUs that received bomb threats would be eligible for federal grants aimed at improving mental health resources and campus security.
HBCUs are eligible to apply for funding under the Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV) program, which provides grants ranging from $50,000 to $150,000 per school, according to the Education Department.
"The recent bomb threats experienced by HBCUs have shaken students and fractured their sense of safety and belonging, which are critical to their academic success and wellbeing," Education Secretary Miguel Cardona said in a March statement.
CNN has reached out to the Education Department for comment.
Last week, Southern University Law Center in Louisiana announced they were the first HBCU to receive a grant from Project SERV. A spokesperson for the university told CNN the grant was $133,200 and would go toward conducting a series of questionnaires to assess the mental health consequences related to the bomb threat.
From the bomb threats that occurred in February across HBCUs to those that happened at Howard University this week, Starks said students are becoming desensitized to threats of violence. The day after the Tuesday threat, the campus environment didn't feel different, and everyone went to classes and various on-campus events as if nothing happened the previous night, he said.
"If it's going to become normalized to where we're going to get bomb threats, it makes you question like one day is it not going to be a threat?" Starks said. "There's being desensitized, and then there's the reality. I don't think anyone of us understands the actual reality, myself included."
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/howard-university-receives-2-bomb-threats-in-a-week-as-some-hbcu-students-say-they/article_b0e94795-6d04-5b9d-8507-e9a88d69a913.html | 2022-08-28T09:12:31Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/howard-university-receives-2-bomb-threats-in-a-week-as-some-hbcu-students-say-they/article_b0e94795-6d04-5b9d-8507-e9a88d69a913.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Thiruvananthapuram: The State Election Commission, Kerala, has disqualified 9,016 candidates who failed to declare their poll campaign expenses in the last elections to the Local Self-Governance institutions.
The action by State Election Commissioner A Shahjahan is effective for five years from August 23, 2022. The disqualification restrains the candidates from continuing as members of the local bodies and from contesting in the next local body polls.
The disqualified candidates are the ones who have failed to present the expenses to the Commission within a stipulated time or the ones who have spent exceeding the set limit.
Of the disqualified candidates, 436 contested in the Corporations, 1,266 in Municipalities, 71 in District Panchayaths, 590 in Block Panchayaths, and 6,653 in Panchayaths. The names of these candidates have been published on the Commission’s official website: www.sec.kerala.gov.in
In preliminary scrutiny by the Commission, none of the candidates who have won the poll is on the list of disqualified persons.
As per the norms, the account of expenses incurred must be produced before the Commission within 30 days from the day the results are published.
The elections to 1,199 local self-government institutions, except Mattannur Municipality, were held in December 2020. A total of 74,835 candidates contested in 21,865 wards.
While the upper limit of election expenditure is Rs 1,50,000 for a candidate in District Panchayath and Corporation, it is Rs 75,000 in Block Panchayath and Municipality. In Panchayaths, each candidate can spend only up to Rs 25,000 for election expenses. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/election-commission-disqualifies-candidates-declare-expenses.html | 2022-08-28T09:14:37Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/election-commission-disqualifies-candidates-declare-expenses.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Thiruvananthapuram: Senior CPM leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Sunday stepped down as the party State Secretary due to his health situation.
CPM Central Committee member and Local Self-Government Minister MV Govindan will replace Balakrishnan as the new party state secretary.
Kodiyeri, who was discharged from the hospital on Friday, will be shifted to Chennai for further treatment. He will be admitted to Apollo Hospital on Monday.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan met Kodiyeri at his flat ahead of the party's crucial meeting on Sunday. He was accompanied by party politburo member MA Baby and general secretary SitaramYechury.
Kodiyeri's successor MV Govindan also paid him a visit later in the day.
CPM had summoned the urgent State Secretariat and the State Committee meetings on Sunday and Monday respectively to deliberate on the appointment of a new party secretary and new faces to be included in the Cabinet.
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was elected the CPM state secretary for the third time during the party state conference held in Kochi in March. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/kodiyeri-balakrishnan-resigns-chennai-treatment.amp.html | 2022-08-28T09:14:56Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/kodiyeri-balakrishnan-resigns-chennai-treatment.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Thiruvananthapuram: Senior CPM leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan on Sunday stepped down as the party State Secretary due to his health situation.
CPM Central Committee member and Local Self-Government Minister MV Govindan will replace Balakrishnan as the new party state secretary.
Kodiyeri, who was discharged from the hospital on Friday, will be shifted to Chennai for further treatment. He will be admitted to Apollo Hospital on Monday.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan met Kodiyeri at his flat ahead of the party's crucial meeting on Sunday. He was accompanied by party politburo member MA Baby and general secretary SitaramYechury.
Kodiyeri's successor MV Govindan also paid him a visit later in the day.
CPM had summoned the urgent State Secretariat and the State Committee meetings on Sunday and Monday respectively to deliberate on the appointment of a new party secretary and new faces to be included in the Cabinet.
Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was elected the CPM state secretary for the third time during the party state conference held in Kochi in March. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/kodiyeri-balakrishnan-resigns-chennai-treatment.html | 2022-08-28T09:15:02Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/kodiyeri-balakrishnan-resigns-chennai-treatment.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Thiruvananthapuram: Employees of the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) will have to compensate for the revenue loss the corporation incurred after a section of them had stayed away from duties on June 26.
The managing director of the corporation has issued an order to recover the loss of Rs 9,49,510 from 111 employees, who boycotted duties in protest against the rescheduling of services. The compensation will be recovered from their salaries in five equal installments.
The action is against employees attached to Pappanamcode, Vikas Bhavan, City and Peroorkada depots. Pappanamcode depot had incurred a loss of Rs 1,35,000 after eight conductors stayed off duty, while 13 drivers and 12 conductors in Vikas Bhavan caused a loss of Rs 2,10,382.
As many as 17 conductors and 11 drivers from the City depot stayed away from work, causing a loss of Rs 2,75,050. Peroorkada depot incurred a loss of Rs 3,30,075 when 25 conductors and as many drivers did not work.
The managing director has also ordered to recover Rs 40,277 from eight employees attached to Parassala depot. They had boycotted work on July 12 last year, protesting against the spread-over duty. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/ksrtc-to-recover-rs-9-lakh-loss-from-111-employees.amp.html | 2022-08-28T09:15:08Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/ksrtc-to-recover-rs-9-lakh-loss-from-111-employees.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Thalassery: A furniture shop which remained closed for 35 days due to punitive action by the Thalassery Municipality was reopened after the CPM district leadership intervened.
The entrepreneur couple Raj Kabir and Sridivya were reported missing a few days ago after the shop located at the Kandikkal Industrial Estate was not allowed to reopen by the civic body despite a court order.
The Municipality had earlier served a notice to the business couple claiming they had encroached on public property at Thalassery town. The Municipality had also demanded over Rs 4 lakh as fine for the encroachment. As they failed to pay the penalty, the Municipality served them an eviction notice.
Both had fled after writing a letter stating they were harassed by civic authorities.
The CPM district leadership and Industries Minister P Rajeeve, however, did not back the municipality's action. Only after the CPM district leadership gave an assurance that there would not be any more problems from the part of the municipality, Raj Kabir and Sridivya agreed to receive the keys of the unit.
The revenue and the health department officials handed over the keys of the Fancy Fern furniture to Sridivya, the licensee, on Saturday.
The district leadership had intervened after the step taken by the party-ruled municipality snowballed into a controversy.
Disheartened by the municipality's action, Raj Kabir and Sridivya had left the state. The police then traced them to Coimbatore and brought them back the other day. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/thalassery-couple-reopen-furniture-outlet-cpm-intervenes.html | 2022-08-28T09:15:53Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2022/08/28/thalassery-couple-reopen-furniture-outlet-cpm-intervenes.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
British retailers saw sales in August rebound to a nine-month high, despite expectations of a a further fall sparked by the cost-of-living squeeze, according to figures from the Confederations of British Industry.
The CBI July retail sales balance leapt to +37 from the July figure of -4: economists had expected a further slump to -7.
The CBI says that firms expect a further +31 increase next month, but most companies remain gloomy about the long- and medium-term outlook amid the cost-of-living crisis.
‘As bad as first Covid lockdown’
Martin Sartorius, Principal Economist at the CBI, said: “While retail sales returned to solid growth in the year to August, firms remain pessimistic about their business situation over the next three months – to the greatest extent since the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020. This gloom is reflected in retailers’ investment intentions, which continue to be resolutely negative.
“Firms now need support from the Government in order to encourage investment and create sustainable growth. Crucially, business rates reform and a more flexible apprenticeship levy will help with dwindling business confidence.”
Economist Samuel Tombs of Pantheon Macronomics said that the rise may be related to emergency cost-of-living grants paid to people on welfare, saying, “With low-income households, who had to cut back severely in Q2, receiving the most support from the government, it is unsurprising that retail sales have benefited immediately.”
Inflation hitting 40-year highs
British consumer price inflation rose to 10.1% in July, up from 9.4% in June, in the highest figure since February 1982, according to the Office of National Statistics.
Last week an analyst from Citi warned that Britain’s inflation rate could soar to 18.6% early next year, with the Bank of England having to raise interest rates as high as 7%.
The last time British inflation hit such heights was in 1976, after an oil supply shock left Britain seeking a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.
Nabarro forecast that the retail energy price cap will peak at £5,816 in April. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/british-retail-sales-figures-hit-nine-month-high-but-picture-remains-bleak | 2022-08-28T09:29:42Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/british-retail-sales-figures-hit-nine-month-high-but-picture-remains-bleak | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The broader U.S. market averages fell more than 3% across the board Friday, following hawkish comments from the Federal Reserve. Information Technology stocks led the way lower last week, while the Energy sector rallied.
At the annual Jackson Hole conference on Friday, Fed chair Jerome Powell suggested that interest rates will likely remain higher for longer. Fed funds futures are pricing in an 85% probability that rates could be 125 to 150 basis points higher by the end of the year.
Elsewhere, the preliminary August U.S. purchasing managers’ index (PMI) data on Tuesday suggested a decline in economic activity this month. The reading of 44.1 in the services sector stood out, as it signaled an economic contraction.
The Week Ahead
Best Buy (BBY) and HP (HPQ) are scheduled to post quarterly results Tuesday, followed by Broadcom (AVGO) on Thursday. Trading volume could be relatively light next week, ahead of a holiday weekend.
On the economic front, August consumer confidence will be reported Tuesday. The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) will also post its August data for the manufacturing sector on Thursday.
Friday brings the August employment report. Economists are looking for the addition of 285,000 non-farm payrolls and for the headline unemployment rate to remain at 3.5%.
Given a slowing growth outlook and the prospect of higher interest rates, it could become hard to come by investment gains in 2022. As a result, deciding what and when to buy can be challenging for any investor. However, the fact remains that investments with upside potential and other positive signals are out there if you dig a little deeper. One such Commodity name is worth a closer look and is our Stock of the Week.
Stock of the Week: Teck Resources (TECK)
The company mines for steelmaking coal, copper, zinc, and other commodities. The stock gained nearly 7% last week. It is showing signs that it has the potential to continue this outperformance into the final months of 2022. Here’s why:
We view Teck as a natural hedge to rising inflationary pressures. Its growth was on display last month when management delivered a quarterly revenue increase of 126% from a year ago that topped consensus expectations.
The company said that it is facing higher costs during COVID-19, but still generated record cash flow in the period. As a result, management bought back $572 million of shares in the quarter and paid down $650 million of debt.
Despite the solid results, Teck is currently valued at just 7.9x expected earnings over the next four quarters, which represents a steep discount to the broader market.
In the meantime, the company carries an “Outperform” Smart Score of 10/10 on TipRanks. This data-driven stock score is based on 8 key market factors.
On top of the positive aspects mentioned already, the Smart Score indicates that shares have seen improving sentiment from analysts, hedge funds, and financial bloggers.
FYI: This is just 1 of the 20+ stocks selected for the Smart Investor portfolio, a weekly newsletter that blends big data, and market insights. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/weekly-market-review-fed-pledges-to-continue-fighting-inflation | 2022-08-28T09:29:49Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/weekly-market-review-fed-pledges-to-continue-fighting-inflation | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK — The MTV Video Music Awards are back Sunday with some of the biggest names in music vying for the network’s fabled Moon Person statue.
Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow and Kendrick Lamar are tied for leading nominees with seven apiece. Harlow and Lil Nas X’s collaboration “Industry Baby” propelled their nominations, landing them in competition for artist of the year along with Drake, Bad Bunny, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles and Lizzo.
Closely behind are Harry Styles and Doja Cat, who received six nominations apiece, while Sheeran, Billie Eilish, Drake, Dua Lipa, Tayler Swift and The Weeknd each have five.
Harlow is pulling double duty, joining LL Cool J and Nicki Minaj as the show’s emcees. The VMAs are being held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, and will air beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern.
Minaj will perform hits from throughout her career and accept the show’s video vanguard award, which MTV has said she’s receiving for her artistry, barrier-breaking hip-hop and status as a global superstar. The honor is named after Michael Jackson.
Eminem, Snoop Dogg, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Bad Bunny are also set to perform
Madonna, who is the most awarded artist in MTV history with 20 wins, becomes the only artist to receive a nomination in each of the VMAs five decades. She earned her 69th nomination for her 14th studio album “Madame X.”
Lamar returns to the VMAs as a nominee for the first time since 2018, with nods for best hip-hop, direction, visual effects, editing, and a category known as video for good, while his songs “family ties” and “N95” are competing for best cinematography. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/28/mtv-vmas-ready-to-host-honor-some-of-musics-biggest-acts/ | 2022-08-28T09:59:01Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/28/mtv-vmas-ready-to-host-honor-some-of-musics-biggest-acts/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
'Hopefully we can avoid relegation, away and sign some players, support let down again': How the Hibs fans reacted to defeat against St Mirren
The Hibs fans react on social media following their side’s 1-0 defeat to St Mirren in Paisley.
@HibeesBounce: "Away and sign some players. Coz this lot are relegation material.”
@stevieshaw1980: "I’m sure the team have been giving themselves plenty pats on the back this week after getting the draw with The Rangers. Thing is, these results count for absolutely nothing if we can’t beat the likes of Livi and St Mirren. Lots of togetherness in the squad tho so it’s fine.”
@DanMrsh1875: "unreal away support let down by the players again.”
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@GreigThomson3: "All these signings yet still playing the same midfield who clearly don’t work together. Defence looking rotten also…”
@legod0407: "Shameful, same dreadful defence and midfield and a non existent forward line, delete the club asap.”
@Jamiebrodie7: "LJ has to take full responsibility. That midfield 3 caused us so many problems last year and yet he continues to pick it. It doesn’t work.”
@DarrenNicholl1: "Another game where we have conceded a piss poor goal. Been talking about signing a CB all summer and we’ve still not brought one in.”
@LeonRousseau10: "Shocking performance. Pointless possession, aimless crosses into the box, a lack of hard work from the players, toothless up front. Making changes at the 87th minute was pointless. Absolutely stank the place out!!”
@jimpurdie: "Relegation form. We have the worst midfield in Scotland. And why do we persevere with Doidge?”
@davyshambles: "Another poor transfer window means we are just the same as last season. Poor defence, weak midfield and forwards that can't score. Another long, boring season ahead. Hopefully we can scrape together enough points to avoid relegation.” | https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/hopefully-we-can-avoid-relegation-away-and-sign-some-players-support-let-down-again-how-the-hibs-fans-reacted-to-defeat-against-st-mirren-3821991 | 2022-08-28T10:02:40Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/hopefully-we-can-avoid-relegation-away-and-sign-some-players-support-let-down-again-how-the-hibs-fans-reacted-to-defeat-against-st-mirren-3821991 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Lee Johnson explains Jamie McAllister 'incident' with Hibs substitute during St Mirren defeat
Lee Johnson has urged his substitutes to always be ready to come on following an incident late on in Hibs’ 1-0 defeat by St Mirren in Paisley.
With time ticking down and the Easter Road side chasing an equaliser, the coaching staff were keen to introduce striker Momodou Bojang and defender Lewis Miller to increase their chances of a goal.
But assistant manager Jamie McAllister could be heard roaring ‘be f***ing ready’ to one of them as they prepared to make the change, with the home fans enjoying the very obvious fraying of tempers in the away dugout as the end of the match drew near.
Speaking afterwards, Johnson confirmed that his No.2’s ire had been directed at Miller – and explained his thinking behind the late double change as Hibs sought another late goal.
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“It was about not being ready. Surely as a player you are looking at a clock knowing you might go on,” the Easter Road boss explained.
"What have you got to have ready? Shinpads have got to be on, your shirt's got to be on, because there is five minutes left plus injury.
"It is a naivety to not be ready. You can quickly slam a player on, particularly if they are a tall player. The exact situation was a wide free-kick outside the box, we wanted to get Lewis Miller on because he is 6ft 2 and a powerhouse, and he's not got his shinpads on, his boots tied up or his shirt on.
"I'm not talking bad of him, it's just the naivety, they've got to learn their lessons quickly because things change quickly in games.” | https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/lee-johnson-explains-jamie-mcallister-incident-with-hibs-substitute-during-st-mirren-defeat-3822025 | 2022-08-28T10:03:01Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/football/hibs/lee-johnson-explains-jamie-mcallister-incident-with-hibs-substitute-during-st-mirren-defeat-3822025 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Australian Sam Campbell claims Edinburgh Comedy Award crown for best show
Australian comic Sam Campbell has won the most coveted comedy prize at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The Queensland stand-up is the fifth Australian act to claim the Edinburgh Comedy Awards crown for best show.
The 26-year-old absurdist comic was one of six contenders for the prize from the Monkey Barrel, the year-round venue operator in Edinburgh which has been praised for its treatment of performers and the quality of its programming.
Campbell, whose winning show starts just after midnight, told the audience at the awards – which are in their 40th year and are now sponsored by comedy channel Dave – that there was “something in the water” at the venue.
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Another Monkey Barrel act, Mexican-born, American-raised Lara Ricote, who is hard of hearing became the first disabled act to be honoured in the history of the awards after being named best newcomer.
Campbell has followed in the footsteps of Australian acts Lano and Woodley, Brendon Burns, Sam Simmons and Hannah Gadsby in winning the award, which comes with a £10,000 cash prize.
He was previously honoured with the most outstanding show award at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival.
Campbell said: “It was a big surprise to win, it’s kind of wild and insane.
"The Fringe is like being inside a snowglobe. I kind of want to escape it, but I don’t mind it that much. I actually came here last year, it was really good.
"I wanted to come here after someone told me it was one of the biggest festivals in the world. There is a bit of everything here, not just comedy.
“The Monkey Barrel is amazing. They’re so caring and supportive. They’re not just all talk.”
The awards ceremony saw Best in Class, an initiative supporting working-class comics to bring shows to Edinburgh, honoured with a special Spirit of the Fringe award.
Founder Sian Davies said: “When you talk about doors being open and everyone coming to this festival, it's not true.
"People can’t afford to live at the minute, let alone come here.
"The working class people who have been nominated this year doesn’t show that we’ve fixed it. It shows that when you give us a seat at your table we can do this.”
Campbell said: “It is f***** when people cannot afford to do the Fringe and it is really tragic that people are losing money. It really stinks.”
Ricote said: “The Fringe has been so lovely, but it’s also been so hard. I’ve never done anything like it before. It's been exhausting.
"I’ve learned so much – I think it's made me a better performer to have been here. I was trying a lot of things for the first time and I’ve tried to really grow as a performer.
"I can’t tell you how much I didn’t expect to win. I saw all the other shows that were nominated and they were just phenomenal. I’m in complete shock about it.
"I had never been to the Fringe at all before and had never performed an hour-long show. I would 100 per cent recommend coming here.
“I’m very lucky to have come here with a wonderful agent. It would be incredibly hard to do with the Fringe without any support. If people have that they shouldn’t doubt it for a second.” | https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/australian-sam-campbell-claims-edinburgh-comedy-award-crown-for-best-show-3821872 | 2022-08-28T10:03:20Z | scotsman.com | control | https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/australian-sam-campbell-claims-edinburgh-comedy-award-crown-for-best-show-3821872 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The situation was certainly unique and rare, with a brother coaching a brother on first a high-school team then, a short time later, a summer baseball squad. But the relationship between the two remained solid.
When Mitch Mendler was named the head baseball coach at private Flint Hill School early this year at just age 23, one of the players he inherited was his younger brother Jason Mendler, a senior outfielder, leadoff hitter and one of the springtime squad’s best players. Mitch Mendler had been an assistant coach, with Jason on that high-school squad, the previous season under Tom Verbanic.
Then, this past summer seasons, Mitch Mendler, now 24, also took over for Verbanic as the head coach of the Rough Riders during the Northern Virginia College League summer season, where he also had been an assistant. Jason Mendler, 19, also was on that team.
Would the unique situation result in problems between siblings, or cause friction on the team? The two recently discussed the situation and each agreed the answer was no, and that they would gladly share the experience again. They said the time together on the field only enhanced their brotherly bond.
“I would call it a privilege to play under my brother and what he brought to the table every day in leading the teams,” Jason Mendler said. “He knew how to motivate me, and I was already familiar with his coaching style from when Mitch was an assistant.”
Mitch Mendler said the brother-to-brother relationship never got in the way and there were no awkward moments, with each other or the rest of the team.
“It was definitely a unique and an unforgettable experience, especially for my first year as a head coach,” Mitch Mendler said.
The head coach added that any time possible stressful situations came up, he talked things over with his assistant Flint Hill coaches. Mitch Mendler, a former baseball player himself at Flint Hill, said listening to his brother helped him better understand situations from a player and student perspective.
“It allowed the communication to be easier,” Mitch Mendler said.
Mitch Mendler added that being the head coach may have helped his brother “break out a little more” and improve as a player.
As a team, Flint Hill won a regular-season conference title this past season and finished 17-8 overall. Jason Mendler, who will play in college at High Point University in North Carolina, was a big part of that success. He fueled the offense by batting .388 with five home runs and 12 stolen bases.
Also when on the field, the two explained there were multiple funny occasions when it was assumed by opposing coaches and players that Mitch Mendler was Jason’s father, not brother. An easy assumption, since fathers often coach their sons and daughters in many sports.
“I see you have your son hitting leadoff,” one coach said.
When told otherwise, many would offer how they thought that must be the “coolest” and an “unbelievable” experience.
Verbanic was not surprised the brothers got along well in the situation.
“Mitch is very mature for his age, and they are from a great family,” Verbanic said. “With family, you have to separate when you walk on the field, so you can’t treat them harder or worse. They both understood that.”
Mitch and Jason Mendler said the positive experience continued during the short month-long summer season with the young Rough Riders team.
The brothers now joke about how they often will likely laugh about their unique experience for many years. | https://www.insidenova.com/sports/brother-coaching-brother-it-worked-out-fine/article_a9532b5c-2670-11ed-a886-4f4233e607c5.html | 2022-08-28T10:10:31Z | insidenova.com | control | https://www.insidenova.com/sports/brother-coaching-brother-it-worked-out-fine/article_a9532b5c-2670-11ed-a886-4f4233e607c5.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Liz Altmaier said she couldn’t walk away from the players and had no choice but to move up and become the new head girls basketball coach of the Washington-Liberty Generals high-school team.
Altmaier had been an assistant coach with the team the past three seasons, and developing a strong relationship with the program and players. So when the job as head coach opened, taking over, she said, was the only decision.
“We have a great group of players who want to get better, and we hope to continue the continuity here,” Altmaier said. “I just couldn’t walk away from that. We have strong senior leaders and some really good young players.”
Washington-Liberty had a young team last season, with multiple freshmen and sophomores on the roster, and won just a few games. Altmaier, however, saw improvement in the team.
Prior to working at W-L, Altmaier coached as a girls assistant at Marshall and McLean high schools in Fairfax County. She also coached select travel basketball and skills camps.
In college, she played Division I varsity basketball at Harvard University. During her time there, Harvard won two Ivy League championships.
In high school, Altmaier was a three-year starter at Pinewood School in Los Altos, Calif. Her teams won two state and many other championships.
She was chosen to all-state, all-section and all-league teams. | https://www.insidenova.com/sports/w-l-promotes-assistant-to-head-girls-hoop-coach/article_04ee2372-2671-11ed-a9b6-f3ecb9504bd8.html | 2022-08-28T10:10:37Z | insidenova.com | control | https://www.insidenova.com/sports/w-l-promotes-assistant-to-head-girls-hoop-coach/article_04ee2372-2671-11ed-a9b6-f3ecb9504bd8.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Back-to-school: New school year brings changes
Students and parents at some area schools will encounter changes when the 2022-23 school year begins.
Classes for many Monroe County schools begin Sept. 6, but some schools, including St. Joseph in Erie and Monroe Catholic Elementary Schools, are already in session.
One of the biggest changes for students is coming to Monroe Public Schools’ Waterloo Elementary. After eight years, Waterloo students will no longer be required to wear uniforms.
Since 2014, boys have worn khaki or navy pants and shorts, and girls have worn pants, shorts and skirts in the same colors. According to Monroe News archives, uniforms were adopted eight years ago along with a new STEAM curriculum.
“For the past two years, the USDA has offered waivers to Child Nutrition Programs across the U.S., allowing these programs to offer all students breakfast and lunch at no cost. Unfortunately, these waivers have expired,” Ida Public Schools said. “Starting this school year, Child Nutrition Programs across the nation will return to normal, pre-pandemic operations.”
Waterloo sixth-grader Jameson Schmitt circulated a petition to abolish the uniform policy. He spoke before the school board, and his proposal was approved.
Some school districts, including Ida and Bedford, will see an end to free meals this year. Because of the pandemic, schools were able to offer free meals, but that benefit has ended.
Families can still apply for the Free and Reduced Price meal program.
Airport Community Schools’ Wagar Middle School has added a new position this year. The school will now have a liaison officer. Mike Depew was hired to fill the role.
Monroe Public Schools and Bedford Public Schools are debuting new turf on their football fields this year, while St. Joseph Catholic School in Erie has added Latin to the curriculum. St. Patrick School in Carleton is now one of the country’s 650 Classical Schools.
“Quite simply, a Classical School aims to teach a child ‘how to think,’ and ‘what to do,’” Carl Lenze, principal, said. “The idea is to teach students how to think so that they will think truly and act rightly, which was the goal of the Romans and the Greeks. It was the education of the Christian Middle Ages, of the American Founding Fathers and of their Catholic and Puritan predecessors. It was the prevailing education into the 20th-century before it was gradually thrown out over a period of about 40 years.”
Here’s a summary of some of the changes in store at other area schools.
Bedford Public Schools:
Shelly Farris is the new food service director.
In addition to the new synthetic turf field, a new lighting system was installed at Bedford Community Stadium.
A new spiral slide was built at Jackman Road Elementary, and Bedford Junior High School got new elevator mechanisms. Hallways were repainted at the high school, and new ceiling tiles were installed.
About $193,000 in new equipment was installed for the CTE Department. Equipment and will be used in the Machine Tool, Automotive, TV/Radio and Cybersecurity/Networking programs.
Busses have new cameras.
“There will be an exterior camera to assist with enforcement of the laws requiring drivers to stop for buses with their flashing red lights on,” the district said. “There is no road configuration in Bedford Township where a driver would not need to stop once a bus activates the red flashing lights. This includes busy roads like Lewis, Sterns and Secor.”
Busses also will have interior cameras to help resolve disciplinary issues.
Airport Community Schools:
The district will have two new administrators this year. Matthew Furtney is the new principal at Niedermeier Elementary School. He is the former Airport High School assistant principal and has been with the district for more than 10 years. Jeffrey Oesch will succeed Furtney as assistant principal at the high school. Oesch is a former high school social studies teacher and has been with the district for three years.
New staff members include: Hollis LaBeau-Hodges, elementary social worker; Emily Adams, middle school social studies teacher; Lauren Alarie, high school physical education and health teacher; Amber Brennan, fourth-grade teacher at Eyler; Kristin Burnett, fourth-grade teacher at Niedermeier; Alisia Chmielewski, elementary music teacher; Rodney Fater, middle school social studies teacher; Kayla Feldt, kindergarten teacher at Sterling; Rachel Kowalczik, middle school social studies teacher; Madison Mannix, kindergarten teacher at Niedermeier; Sara McVey, first-grade teacher at Ritter; Chelsea Raisanen, middle school English/language arts teacher; Kimberly Rocholl, special education teacher at Wagar; Hannah Slane, second-grade teacher at Eyler, and Joshua Webb, high school science.
Several other staff members moved to new positions.
Many improvements were made to district buildings, including gym floor repairs at Niedermeier Elementary and a new gym floor at Wagar Middle School. Several schools got new exterior LED lighting.
All buildings will have new English/Language Arts curriculums. Wagar Middle School will move from an eight-period schedule to a six-period schedule to mirror that of the high school. Fifth-graders will have a “team” schedule to prepare them for middle school.
Summerfield Schools:
New staff include: Camryn Klocinski, junior/senior high school principal; Kayla Keller, elementary teacher, and Teresa Lewis, high school math teacher.
Several new courses debut this year, including AP Biology, Literature Through Film, History of American Warfare and Group Fitness. Also new are robotics at the middle and high schools, a Community Care Closet and LEAP (Leadership, Empowering and Advocating for Peers).
Projects completed over the summer include painting and the installation of security cameras. New stage curtains and a public address system were installed.
Gibraltar School District:
Several new staff members were hired, including Adrianna Roberts, Chapman principal; Kelly Michael, special education supervisor; Maegen Laub, social worker; Brooke Madgwick, high school science teacher; Jill Balogh, high school math teacher; Mitchell Karczewsk, middle school computer technology teacher; Jessica Ohneck, Chapman kindergarten teacher, and Jason Patterson, high school construction trades teacher.
A STEM-focused middle college program will debut and is open to high school juniors.
Building improvement include lighting upgrades and roofing projects at the middle and high schools. Paving, painting and playground projects were completed at several buildings.
St. Mary Catholic Central High School:
Three new staff members were hired: Natalie Metzger, dean of students; Jared Janssen, director of athletics and campus operations, and Dr. Carl Parran, theology teacher.
St. Joseph School, Erie:
Megan Lavin will teach second-grade this year. Brittany Fowler will teach physical education. Jackson Reeves will teach the new special course, Latin.
The school also installed a new HVAC system.
Monroe Catholic Elementary Schools:
A new curriculum, Friendzy SEL, is debuting at the middle school.
School walls have been painted at the St. Mary campus.
New staff include: Natalie Metzger, dean of students; Riley Woolford, social studies teacher; Maryah Fox, science teacher; Scot Peterson, third-grade teacher, and Whitney Kuchna, office assistant.
Holy Ghost Lutheran School:
Two new staff members will start this year: Ashley Morse, kindergarten teacher and ECC Director, and Tammy Castiglione, special education ministry teacher.
Building upgrades include a new roof, new desks and chairs and additional lockers.
Meadow Montessori:
Several new outdoor structures and vegetable and flower gardens were added.
Two teachers are new: Lourdes Braunlich, teacher for Children’s House North, and Margaret Roehrig, a teacher in Upper Elementary East. Two more adults will begin Montessori training this year: Naomi Vaive in the infant/toddler program and Jaclyn Childers at the preschool level.
Luowei Liao will teach Chinese and will introduce Japanese as an elective for secondary students.
Zion Lutheran School:
The Abeka Language Arts curriculum and the TCI Social Studies program are new for students in kindergarten through Grade 4.
St. Charles Academy:
This year, each child will have a Chromebook or iPad, depending on grade. Upgrades were made to the early childhood restrooms.
St. Patrick School, Carleton:
Robert Lothian is a new staff member this year.
Building improvements include a new roof and new swing set.
New Bedford Academy:
A counselor has been added to the staff.
“The counselor will meet with any student who might need to speak with someone,” the school said. “They'll also assist with social interactions, anger management, conflict resolution and other situations that might distract our children from the fun and excitement of learning.” | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/2022/08/28/back-to-schoolnew-school-year-brings-changes/65457831007/ | 2022-08-28T10:10:40Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/2022/08/28/back-to-schoolnew-school-year-brings-changes/65457831007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
When I visited the National Chavez Center earlier this summer, the solemnity of the site hit me the moment I parked.
It sits on 187 gorgeous acres in the foothills of California’s Tehachapi Mountains, at the end of a winding forest road. All around are old buildings — houses, barns, trailers — that are what’s left of La Paz, the kibbutz-like community Cesar Chavez established in the 1970s and where his final resting place is.
Waiting to greet me at the entrance was Andres Chavez, the center’s executive director.
Andres is also Cesar’s grandson.
“See these steps right here?” he said as we began our tour. He gestured to the path up to the gravesite of his grandparents, surrounded by rose bushes in front of a fountain with five spouts to remember the people killed while protesting at United Farm Workers actions. “I used to skateboard here before school.”
What many consider sacred grounds Andres also knows as his childhood home.
The two-story house where Cesar and Helen lived? Andres remembered “stacked” Christmas Eve parties where Helen gave out socks to her grandchildren as presents. A playground behind a chain-link fence? Andres and his friends used to ride their mountain bikes down the slides. The soup kitchen that Andres plans to reopen to host visitors? He cleaned dishes and swept floors there as a kid during community meals and got paid in cheeseburgers.
We passed by the refurbished headquarters of the United Farm Workers and the Cesar Chavez Foundation, the two organizations through which the labor leader launched his people-power revolution. We went into the visitor center, which offers a short documentary about the history of the place, photos from el movimiento, a replica farmworker shack, and Chavez’s office the way he left it at the time of his death in 1993, down to brimming bookcases and a notepad with a to-do list.
Andres pressed a button to launch a short narrated program complete with spotlights on different parts of the office.
Nothing happened.
“Huh,” said a sheepish Martha Crusius. “It wouldn’t stop playing, and now it won’t play at all.”
Crusius is the National Park Service program manager who helped prepare the documentation to establish the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument, dedicated in 2012 by President Obama and consisting of the graves of Cesar and Helen Chavez, as well as the visitor center.
Andres smiled. “We’ve got work to do here.”
He’s been in charge of the National Chavez Center since April, but had already made a name for himself in the Central Valley beyond his pedigree. He helped start one of the few political radio shows in California hosted by Latinos and helped with COVID-19 vaccine rollouts throughout Kern County. Right now, he’s coordinating logistics for the final stretch of the United Farm Workers’ march from Delano to Sacramento, which was scheduled to end Friday.
Friends and family see in Andres the spiritual and spitting image of Cesar, down to the same warm smile and eyes, empathetic countenance and healthy head of hair.
“He’s a very strategic and brilliant thinker,” said Cal State Bakersfield President Lynnette Zelezny, who appointed Andres to her Latina/Latino Advisory Committee. She credits him with helping his alma mater open the campus for COVID testing and vaccines, and for working with Dolores Huerta to convince the academic senate to offer ethnic studies. “Andres has that ability to bring people together. He’s a magnet.”
“He doesn’t give thundering speeches that give you chills. He just talks to people, just like my dad,” said Paul Chavez, who heads the Cesar Chavez Foundation and is Andres’ father. “He’s conscious of the message that he has. But it’s a romantic notion that the two are similar. Each is their own man.”
The 28-year-old downplayed any comparisons, or any ambitions on his part to burnish his own image. His job right now is to elevate his grandfather at a time where he said interest in Cesar is bigger than ever.
“A lot of people looked at themselves over these past couple of years and asked, ‘What more can I do?’ ” he said as we concluded our tour. “So they looked back in history. And they find the farmworker’s movement. The UFW was never big. But there were millions of people who were inspired.
“He was a cool-ass dude,” Andres concluded as we finally settled in a bench under the shade of an oak tree. “But there are less and less people who worked with him. A lot of younger people, they don’t know what my Tata did,” using a Mexican Spanish term of affection that roughly translates as “Grampy.”
Andres never got to meet his grandfather, who died nine months before Andres was born. But he was at UFW rallies almost from the moment he could walk. His father, aunts and uncles all carried on their patriarch’s work through the organizations he had set up.
Nevertheless, continuing in the family business wasn’t preordained.
He moved out of La Paz at 18 and earned a bachelor’s degree in public administration in 2016. Then, he moved to Sacramento to work with a nonprofit that focused on educational outreach for farmworkers, and then the California State Fair.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” he admitted.
About a year into his gig, Andres called his father.
“He said, ‘I’ve been thinking — I want to come back,’” Paul Chavez said. “’I want to be part of the movement.’”
Paul hired his son as an assistant on a 10-year strategic plan for the Cesar Chavez Foundation, which is involved in everything from affordable housing to curriculum training to public health initiatives.
“Being in the movement, you’re exposed to other people, but you’re sheltered from the outer world,” Paul said. “We knew we needed a different focus, and it was obvious he was the guy to do that.”
When the National Chavez Center executive director role opened up and Andres expressed interest, Paul had a frank talk with his son about the promise and peril of the position.
“I told him, ‘Listen, mijo, of course there’s a lot of benefits of being your grandfather’s grandson,’” Paul said. “’But you gotta understand you’re going to have some tough times too. And you have to be comfortable with dealing with situations that many of us old-timers get defensive about.’”
Paul was referring to revelations in books and newspapers —including this one — over the last 20 years about Cesar’s treatment of former colleagues that have soured his reputation in some progressive circles. And the Chavez family has long fended off accusations that the network of nonprofits they work for and control exploits their patriarch’s name while forsaking the plight of migrant workers.
It’s a past that Andres was more than willing to discuss with me.
“There were some things he could’ve done better — we acknowledge that,” Andres calmly said. “You have to be honest when you think there were things that could’ve been done better, but also look at the longer picture.”
I asked about his grandfather’s use of the term “wetback” and long-standing opposition to illegal immigration, stances that have made him an unlikely cudgel for anti-immigrant activists.
“Is that something we’re proud of? Absolutely not,” Andres said. “But my Tata supported [the 1986] amnesty. By calling him anti-immigrant, you give corporations a big pass on the atrocities of what they were doing. They don’t care about workers — my Tata did. We need to get context like that out there.”
Maintaining and defending his grandfather’s legacy is just part of Andres’ responsibilities as head of the National Chavez Center, which also helps manage the monument with the National Park Service. He’s overseeing the refurbishing of the old La Paz buildings in time for the centennial of Chavez’s birth in 2027, as well as making the area more of a field trip destination.
“Kids from the city deserve to be up here in the wilderness — it’ll be one of the few times they leave an urban environment,” he said.
He wants to get his grandfather’s presence more into the modern age, with gestures as big as a book of his quotations and as small as a Spotify playlist (Cesar was a huge jazz fan, with Coleman Hawkins a particular favorite).
More importantly, though, Andres wants the world to know that Cesar was more than just the fields.
“Every one of my Tata’s causes are current-day issues,” he said. “His ideas were radical for his time. Vegetarianism. LGBT equality. Environmentalism. Police brutality. He even did yoga before it got mainstream. A lot of what he’s known for is pretty glossy now, but there’s so much more.”
We looked at the parking lot, where more and more people were showing up.
“There’s now a lot of Subarus,” he joked, “instead of just Chevys.” | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/column-cesar-chavezs-grandson-wants-to-introduce-his-tata-to-a-new-generation/article_b4a585c4-24b6-11ed-87bd-f7c74f0b6930.html | 2022-08-28T10:10:40Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/column-cesar-chavezs-grandson-wants-to-introduce-his-tata-to-a-new-generation/article_b4a585c4-24b6-11ed-87bd-f7c74f0b6930.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Four local towns part of Tie Michigan Teal
At least four Monroe County towns are participating in the annual Tie Michigan Teal campaign, which begins Sept. 1.
The campaign aims to raise awareness about ovarian cancer and is sponsored by the Michigan Ovarian Cancer Alliance.
The alliance provides free teal ribbons to volunteers across the state, who will tie them on lamp posts. The ribbons will remain all month.
Participating Monroe County towns are Carleton, Dundee, Ida and Petersburg.
The alliance also asks businesses, city halls and restaurants to “teal” their windows. Restaurants are urged to offer teal-themed items.
“Any opportunity to raise awareness is appreciated, and MIOCA is grateful for partners in our awareness campaign,” the alliance said.
To learn more about adding teal to a city, email info@mioca.org.
Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological cancer, the alliance said.
“Every 23 minutes, a person in the U.S. is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. With no early detection test available, spreading awareness is the only tool we have to save lives,” the alliance said. “This campaign engages communities in helping to spread the word on ovarian cancer signs and symptoms to their residents.”
American Cancer Society statistics show nearly 20,000 women will be diagnosed this year, and about 13,000 will die of ovarian cancer this year. | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/2022/08/28/four-local-towns-part-of-tie-michigan-teal/65419877007/ | 2022-08-28T10:10:46Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/2022/08/28/four-local-towns-part-of-tie-michigan-teal/65419877007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A main driver of democracy’s decline in the United States is Latinophobia — from its central role in the rise of Donald Trump to its influence in the Jan. 6 insurrection.
Any news media company concerned with democracy should be engaged in a concerted and urgent campaign to stop this plague.
Instead, the news media are superspreaders for Latinophobia. Today, 54% of Americans suffer from the same delusion that motivated the coup attempt and other white terrorism: that the U.S.-Mexico border is being invaded. A new NPR/Ipsos poll found 76% of Republicans and 40% of Democrats believe this fallacy is at least “somewhat true.”
Fox News isn’t alone in spreading the sickness. Left-of-center media are complicit, from NPR letting Trump peddle his anti-immigrant Big Lie in January after featuring open white supremacists to MSNBC host Rachel Maddow’s praise of Tucker Carlson this month. She called the Fox News host “talented” and compared their rivalry to a “game.”
Now, CNN’s new leaders are pushing a centrist approach that threatens the work of the network’s defenders of democracy.
On Thursday, CNN parted ways with media reporter Brian Stelter months after he publicly criticized John Malone, a billionaire Trump donor and the most powerful investor in CNN’s new owner, Warner Bros. Discovery. Malone had said CNN needed to “actually have journalists.” He cited Fox News as a model of attempting “news news.”
In his February “Reliable Sources” newsletter, Stelter wrote that Malone’s comments had offended many staffers and created fears about censorship of “calling out indecency and injustice.”
Will the new leadership silence tough-questioning anchors such as Jim Acosta or Jake Tapper? The CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav, mentored by Malone, has said he wants CNN to be different from “advocacy networks,” and that he envisions a place where “everybody can come and be heard; Republicans, Democrats.”
For those who cherish the status quo because they’re wealthy, white and male, “neutrality” is a lofty ideal. Long-held notions of objectivity and impartiality often end up protecting elites’ interests.
The network already features numerous Republicans, including those who’ve defended Trump’s racist policies. But most of CNN’s right-wing guests are Trump critics. Anyone parroting his fantastical talking points is wise to avoid an interview in which they might face real questions.
I reached out to CNN for more details on the move toward the center but didn’t receive an on-the-record response. Regarding whether CEO Chris Licht would prioritize Latino talent for a 9 p.m. Eastern anchor slot vacated by Chris Cuomo or other anchor slots, a CNN spokeswoman replied: “He hasn’t made any decisions on that yet.”
Latino advocacy groups have been pressing Warner Bros. Discovery in meetings for improved Latino representation on screen and off, but the company has largely disappointed, including by canceling beloved Latino streaming content.
This year, only 5% of guest appearances on the Sunday news shows were of people who identify as Latino or Hispanic, according to Media Matters for America. “Fox News Sunday” outperformed others with a 10% rate, thanks to regular appearances by Juan Williams.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, argues that greater voice and visibility for Latinos, 19% of the U.S. population, is crucial. He says CNN trying to seem centrist could harm democracy. “The danger is you become an apologist for something like fascism or authoritarianism or anti-democratic behavior,” Castro told me. “They have to be careful.”
“Both-siderism” is a risk in journalism broadly, made worse on Latino issues by the dearth of Latinos in news media. We need more Latino media executives, reporters, anchors, guests and sources so they can challenge negative stereotypes that fuel white extremism. The framing of immigration by left-of-center news media is particularly dangerous because it so often depicts people as a “surge” or an “influx,” as if they’re numbers, not humans — just as Fox News does.
The talk shows can begin to correct this quickly by inviting more Latino guests. Latino media leaders tell me the relative lack of Latino guests reflects a lack of diversity among segment producers and bookers.
“They’re like, ‘Oh, I got my two Latino voices,’ ” said Julio Ricardo Varela, Futuro Media president and co-host of “In the Thick,” a political podcast centering on journalists of color. “We’re still seen as a checklist item.”
Under Cesar Conde, chairman of the NBCUniversal News group since 2020, MSNBC has made progress. For example, MSNBC’s Alicia Menendez is a strong advocate for Latinos, regularly inviting them to speak on her show “American Voices.” And recently, iconic journalist Maria Hinojosa became an MSNBC contributor.
Hinojosa, who founded Futuro Media in 2010 to create a space in public media for Latinos and people of color, told me: “If you’re not talking to, with, about or for Latinos and Latinas when you’re covering politics, then frankly you’re putting our American democracy in danger.”
Roberto Lovato, a journalist and visiting professor of English at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, told me the media’s chronic disregard for and demonization of Latinos make it “easier to murder and even mass murder and abuse and cage and separate and silence Latinos.” He pointed to the El Paso massacre as an example of the possible consequences.
It reminds him of what he saw in El Salvador leading up to killings by U.S.-backed right-wing militias. “There was always a media component first that dehumanized people who ended up dead,” he said.
The media’s reflex for centrism is anything but neutral. If we don’t correct it, Latinophobia will destroy this country. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/column-latinophobia-in-mainstream-news-fuels-the-radical-right/article_900b2a08-232a-11ed-9aa0-af7f87730351.html | 2022-08-28T10:10:46Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/column-latinophobia-in-mainstream-news-fuels-the-radical-right/article_900b2a08-232a-11ed-9aa0-af7f87730351.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Brittney Tylenda named new principal at Manor Elementary
Monroe Public Schools has announced the appointment of Brittney Tyelnda as the new Principal at Manor Elementary School. Former Principal, Emily Bundon, who has led Manor since 2019, was recently named Director of Instructional and Special Education Supports.
Tylenda earned her bachelor’s degree in education and reading from Eastern Michigan University and her master’s degree in educational leadership from Wayne State University. She was hired by Monroe Public Schools in 2016 as an elementary teacher at Manor Elementary and has been an active Bobcat leader, advising Girls on the Run and organizing the school’s Leading by Reading community event.
Within the district, Tylenda has served as a teacher leader on MPS grade level and curriculum committees and as a presenter at TechFest professional development days. Since 2019, Tylenda has also helped mentor and support early career teachers across the state as a Michigan New Educator (MiNE) coordinator for the Michigan Education Association.
Tylenda and her husband, Adam, a Dean at Monroe High School, live in Monroe. | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/education/2022/08/28/brittney-tylenda-named-new-principal-at-manor-elementary/65457070007/ | 2022-08-28T10:10:52Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/education/2022/08/28/brittney-tylenda-named-new-principal-at-manor-elementary/65457070007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
When I have trouble growing something, I ask my grandma.
Whether it’s how to remove mildew on squash plants or stop beetles from attacking my cucumber seedlings, she knows what to do.
More importantly, she knows how to farm without chemicals. My grandma is a walking encyclopedia of traditional farming practices, ways of growing food that farmers used before turning to pesticides to kill weeds and giant tractors to plow up fields. She taught me, for example, how to handle and care for Holstein and Jersey cattle on our dairy farm in eastern Wisconsin.
This knowledge is valuable, not just for me, but for providing a more sustainable template for the agriculture industry. Lessons from the past can help small-scale farmers address climate change by keeping carbon in the soil and cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
Agriculture, from the application of synthetic fertilizers to livestock production, was responsible for 11% of U.S. GHG emissions in 2020, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Researchers estimate that around one third of global GHG emissions come from the food system overall, including how land is prepared for farming, as well as how food is processed and transported.
We know that this has devastating impacts: The increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, as seen in California’s wildfires and the floods in Kentucky, is caused by GHG emissions we put into the atmosphere from using fossil fuels.
This is what makes the recently passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) so promising, especially because of the $19.5 billion it puts toward conservation practices.
The task now is to assure that the IRA’s resources reach those who will substantially address our climate crisis instead of making it worse.
Some troubling signs have already emerged. For instance, while “distressed farmers” are targeted in the legislation, those that qualify only include people who have fallen behind on paying off loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture or who have deferred their loan payments during the pandemic. Currently, that figure is at just over 24,500 farm families.
Additionally, the IRA does not address the history of racism in U.S. agricultural policy, which the Biden administration’s American Rescue Plan had attempted by providing resources to relieve the debt obligations of farmers of color. This connects to another problem: whether the resources dedicated to conservation in the IRA will contribute to farm consolidation. Specifically, if the resources will finance the expansion of already large-scale operations.
Of particular concern is the approximately $8.5 billion dedicated for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). As the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition has noted, over 20% of EQIP financing in 2019 and 2020 went to waste management projects for large-scale, confined animal feeding operations, as well as irrigation practices that overuse water.
This includes installing manure digesters on factory dairy and swine operations, which generate energy in the form of biogas. Considering biogas production as a source of renewable energy and an appropriate way to address climate change subsidizes the expansion of already large-scale operations.
Meanwhile, financing water overconsumption aggravates droughts and does not incentivize large-scale operations to improve their use of this increasingly scarce resource. Instead, we need to reorient how we grow our food.
Encouraging agroecology is one way. According to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, these practices promote genetic and species diversity, sharing knowledge among producers, and transparent and accountable food system governance. Some universities and advocacy groups work with farmers on turning such ideas into reality.
My grandma does not call what she does agroecology, but she could. Thankfully, she has a good memory and is willing to share.
To confront climate change, we should turn to her knowledge, and what others like her know — not to initiatives that benefit factory farming more than the Earth. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/commentary-agriculture-must-go-back-to-its-eco-friendly-roots/article_47edaa20-24b5-11ed-982f-af3725cdeb3f.html | 2022-08-28T10:10:52Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/commentary-agriculture-must-go-back-to-its-eco-friendly-roots/article_47edaa20-24b5-11ed-982f-af3725cdeb3f.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
You can fool a lot of people ... but not all of them
To the editor — The Dauphin calculated, “Hain’t we got all the fools in town on our side? And ain’t that a big enough majority in any town?” Previously feigning a come-to-Jesus-Indian Ocean pirate, he had lightened the Pokeville camp meeting collection plate by $87.75.
Tucker Carlson dodged slander when a judge ruled, “he is not stating actual facts ... is engaging in exaggeration and non-literal commentary. “ Salary? $35 million.
Alex Jones shills vitamins, survival gear, lies. Court case testimony disclosed his website/radio minstrelsy bagged $165 million in three years.
We now have a martyred Individual 1, grieving a stolen election, self-cloistering with a few boxes of reference material in a messianic attempt to compose a ....? His patriotic pilgrimage is thwarted by a DOJ trumped-up un-a-Merrick-an box raid. A sign may have been posted at his monastery entry, “You’re next.” Save America PAC fundraising pulling $1 million per day.
Yes, Will Durant once noted, “ you can’t fool all the people all the time, but you can fool enough of them to rule a large country.” However, here’s a spoiler alert. Villagers voted, tarred and feathered the Dauphin, derailed his foreordained encore.
Huck and Jim sailed on.
JOHN EUTENEIER
Nile Valley | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/letter-you-can-fool-a-lot-of-people-but-not-all-of-them/article_53c85d22-234d-11ed-be6e-2367fce81390.html | 2022-08-28T10:10:58Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/letter-you-can-fool-a-lot-of-people-but-not-all-of-them/article_53c85d22-234d-11ed-be6e-2367fce81390.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Custer billboard denounces controversial figure's representations across Monroe
A local activist group has partnered with The Anishinaabek Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party to erect a billboard along I-75 denouncing the various representations of Gen. George Armstrong Custer present cross Monroe County.
Good Trouble Monroe and the caucus are still accepting donations to fund the erection of the 14' x 48' billboard, which shows a photograph of Custer that is crossed out in red next to the slogan "Monroe honors a war criminal."
"Despite increasing public pressure from local activists and Native Americans nationwide, Monroe, Michigan continues to honor war criminal General George Armstrong Custer with street names, a school, social events, an airport, and a large bronze statue prominently displayed at its city center," the two groups said in a joint press release. "Since 2020 the Anishinaabek Caucus of the Michigan Democratic Party has been working with local activists from Good Trouble Monroe attending city council meetings to share news of the growing push to rid Monroe of its Custer worship once and for all. The volume of attention was so great that the Mayor and members of city council voted to stop reading letters aloud at their meetings, reduced public speaking opportunities, and refused to conduct hybrid meetings which would have allowed for further Native input. Plans to hire an impartial mediator to oversee future projects related to Custer’s representation around Monroe were also abandoned."
Local activists made several attempts over the past few years to have the City of Monroe's Custer monument - located at the corner of W. Elm Ave. and N. Monroe St. - removed, relocated, or modified in such a way that better reflects the full story of Custer’s controversial life and legacy. Other community members vehemently argued against moving or modifying the statue.
Monroe City Council debated the matter for months before opting to bring in an outside consultant to facilitate discussions with residents and, ultimately, provide the city with a recommendation on what to do with the monument. But individuals both for and against the statue’s relocation criticized council for how it chose the facilitator, and the governing body opted to shelve the entire discussion indefinitely.
"The National Congress of American Indians voted unanimously in favor of dismantling memorials to George Armstrong Custer across the United States," the joint press statement reads. "The United Tribes of Michigan voted unanimously calling for the removal of a Custer statue in Monroe, Michigan. The Michigan Democratic Party also passed a similar resolution...
"...Monroe must evolve with the rest of the country; instead, it continues to honor a war criminal." | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/local/2022/08/28/custer-billboard-denounces-controversial-figures-representations-across-monroe/65458878007/ | 2022-08-28T10:11:04Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/local/2022/08/28/custer-billboard-denounces-controversial-figures-representations-across-monroe/65458878007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Leavenworth was a broken-down logging town before it hit somebody that its dramatic alpine setting in the northern Cascades hamlet was a dead ringer for Bavaria. So they gave the place a deep face-lift, started hosting festivals and turned themselves into one of the West’s favorite tourist stops.
Ashland, Ore., on the other hand, has risen to international fame with its beloved Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The year-round calendar of plays defines nearly every square foot of the small city near the California border and draws visitors by the thousands.
In both examples the arts have transformed a town. Architecture (both towns look strikingly different than neighboring cities), music (everything from oompah bands to authentic old English ballads), drama (OSF draws top actors from all over the world) and craftsmanship (hey — somebody’s gotta brew all that beer for Oktoberfest).
So we’re watching with interest and optimism as the Yakima Arts Commission looks for thoughts and ideas from local residents and businesses on how a downtown creative district might benefit our city.
The idea is to consolidate a number of existing public displays, arts-oriented businesses and other endeavors into a walkable, contiguous collage of creativity.
Once a more formal plan is in place, the local commission would apply for state certification for its creative district. The application would go to the state’s arts commission, ArtWA.
If ArtWA were to approve the application, the district — which would eventually be overseen by a new nonprofit organization — would receive a $5,000 matching grant and the chance at other grants. That could mean $45,000 for a capital project, according to Heath Lambe, a member of the Yakima Arts Commission and Yakima Valley Museum curator.
Hey, who says artists have to starve?
The tentative plan is to stretch the district from East Lincoln Avenue to East Spruce Street and from Fourth Avenue to Eighth Street. That would take in places like Yakima Maker Space, Essencia, The Capitol Theatre, The Seasons Performance Hall, and Ron’s Coins and Collectibles. It would also include some favorite restaurants and wine, beer and coffee stops.
“It’s not just art,” Larson Gallery Director David Lynx told the YH-R’s Kate Smith. “It’s anything creative.” In fact, roughly 85 industries and 80 occupations meet ArtWA’s definition of creative.
No, it doesn’t look much like Bavaria here. And we sure aren’t advocating for anybody launching into a dramatic reading of Hamlet’s soliloquy in front of McDonald’s on Yakima Avenue.
Then again, we don’t need to be Leavenworth or Ashland. Yakima has its own art. Its own style. And a creative district might be a nice place to let some of it thrive.
Grants for artistic endeavors would be a boon to the local economy, as would the dollars potential tourists would leave here. Perhaps the greatest benefit, though, would be establishing a more attractive atmosphere downtown — that’s something we’d all enjoy, whether anybody else showed up to visit or not.
From the sound of it, a creative district can be whatever we want, within reason. So let’s let our imaginations run a little wild.
Lambe envisions strolling street musicians, plein air painters — or maybe an alley lit up with neon at night.
But you probably have your own ideas.
If so, the arts commission would like to hear from you. Contact them via their website (yakimacreativedistrict.org/), their Facebook page (facebook.com/Yakima-Creative-District-108276548649502) or by email: creativedistrict@yakimawa.gov. | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/opinion-yakima-arts-district-idea-shows-some-creative-thinking/article_7fa5164e-24a4-11ed-b134-2fb116baf7e0.html | 2022-08-28T10:11:04Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/opinion/opinion-yakima-arts-district-idea-shows-some-creative-thinking/article_7fa5164e-24a4-11ed-b134-2fb116baf7e0.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Whitmer praises Biden's student loan forgiveness plan, local Republicans blast it
Politicians representing Monroe County stayed on their respective sides of the aisle in reacting to President Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.
The plan will see most individual borrowers making less than $125,000 per year, and married couples who file taxes together and earn less than $250,000 per year qualify for $10,000 of forgiveness. Pell Grant recipients will receive up to $20,000 of forgiveness. The pause on all federal student loan repayments, interest and collections has also been extended through the end of the year.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat, hailed the news, saying in a press release that, under the president's plan, up to half of Michiganders with federal student debt could have their loans cut in half or forgiven entirely.
“The decision to cancel $10,000 in student loan debt and $20,000 for Pell Grant recipients will make a real difference for 1.4 million Michiganders that have student loans, putting money back in their pockets,” Whitmer said. “Nearly 700,000 Michiganders will have their debt cut in half or eliminated entirely, lifting a huge burden off their backs. People can use these savings to buy a home, start a business, get married, or start a family. I will work with anyone to keep lowering the cost of higher education and offering more paths for Michiganders to earn a higher education tuition-free, without going into debt in the first place.”
But two Republicans representing Monroe County blasted the plan.
“President Biden’s student loan bailout scheme is fiscally irresponsible, highly inflationary, and legally indefensible," said Congressman Tim Walberg, R-Tipton. "It will cost billions and won’t pass constitutional muster. This unilateral decree is a direct insult to taxpayers who already repaid their loans or didn’t attend college in the first place. We need to work on responsible solutions to address the student loan crisis that protect students, borrowers, and taxpayers while expanding pathways to meaningful careers. In Monroe, we are fortunate to have a high-quality institution like Monroe County Community College that is preparing students with hands-on skills at a significantly lower cost.”
State Rep. Joe Bellino echoed much of Walberg's thoughts on the plan.
"Again the federal government is overreaching and being completely oblivious to hard-working American taxpayers...," Bellino, R-Monroe, said. "Obviously the President doesn't care about those that worked hard and paid back their obligation, or those that went to community college to make sure they were not over-borrowing to further their education. But it doesn't surprise me that Biden is pandering to his progressive, socialist base - it's the only support he has."
The White House's announcement of the plan said that an application will soon be made available for borrowers to apply for the forgiveness program. However, it also noted that borrowers for whom the Department of Education already has income information should be automatically eligible. | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/local/2022/08/28/whitmer-praises-bidens-student-loan-forgiveness-plan-local-republicans-blast-it/65458728007/ | 2022-08-28T10:11:10Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/local/2022/08/28/whitmer-praises-bidens-student-loan-forgiveness-plan-local-republicans-blast-it/65458728007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
On Aug. 16, the Yakima City Council voted to begin participating in a new state program that will allow young people to ride Yakima Transit buses and Dial-A-Ride services for free. Local youths 18 and younger will be able to get free rides starting Oct. 1.
As it turns out, I got to play a small part in the new state transportation program that is going to make this happen.
I testified at a hearing before the Legislature earlier this year about transportation. Move Ahead Washington is a $16 billion transportation package that will focus on improving transit issues over 16 years.
One highlight of the package is that kids younger than 18 get to ride fare-free on Washington transit systems, such as buses and ferries.
I see a lot of value in this package because there are a lot of teenagers who are homeless and may not have a ride to school every morning. In Washington for the 2020-21 school year, 29,981 students were homeless. And in the 2021-22 school year, 47.6% of students attending public schools are categorized as low-income.
Kids who live outside of school boundaries often use public transportation. I go to West Valley High School and, as I return home, I often see teenage students from outside the school district boundaries waiting on 72nd Avenue for the public transit bus. Many students have various transportation issues, such as not owning a car, not being able to drive, having parents with disabilities or having parents who work during the day. This package will really help out those students.
My involvement with the bill came through a Seattle-based nonprofit organization called Transportation Choices, which works to improve transportation through affordable and safe options. The organization was looking for teens to testify to legislators about the fare-free aspect of the package and ended up contacting me.
When Transportation Choices shared the details to me about the bill, I was immediately interested because I can see in Yakima the problem it was trying to address.
This package would really help less fortunate teenagers in our city. Better transit would also lead to fewer cars and traffic, reduce our carbon emissions and improve traffic safety. Additionally, teenagers in big metropolitan areas such as Seattle, Tacoma and Spokane suffer greatly from transportation issues, especially if they reside outside their school district boundaries.
The hearing took place in mid-February on Zoom and about 150 people were prepared to testify. Due to the large number of people who had come to testify, we were each given a time limit of one minute.
After waiting for some time, I shared my thoughts in support of the bill. Some people provided their personal experiences and helped the legislators to better understand the struggles and hardships of people with transportation issues.
This experience taught me a good lesson. It helped me realize how important it is to be a responsible and productive citizen. It’s important that we all actively participate in the development of our society.
I also believe people of my age should be more involved in such legislation that affects our daily lives.
Gov. Jay Inslee signed the bill March 25. I was personally invited to the bill signing ceremony with my family but, due to school commitments, I was unable to attend.
I am grateful that I got this opportunity to help make a difference. Better transit days are on their way! | https://www.yakimaherald.com/unleashed/columnists/i-was-part-of-the-legislative-process-for-washingtons-new-transportation-package-for-teens/article_06e75080-abbd-5bb3-9619-202108184578.html | 2022-08-28T10:11:10Z | yakimaherald.com | control | https://www.yakimaherald.com/unleashed/columnists/i-was-part-of-the-legislative-process-for-washingtons-new-transportation-package-for-teens/article_06e75080-abbd-5bb3-9619-202108184578.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
I'm making waffles: They're more versatile than you'd think
Waffles have long been at the top of my personal food chain as one of the most versatile bases for both savory and sweet entrees.
At local fairs you can get waffles served with ice cream. At home you can make decadent and creative waffle sandwiches.
But first, I find it fitting to supply two of my favorite batters - one for savory, and one for sweet - that I've found to be a hit for any occasion, and any time of day.
Today, I am also excited to share two of my mother’s favorite recipes - one sweet and one savory - for you to try in your home kitchens. The savory one is a bit of a twist using refrigerated biscuits. They vary from the two basic, aforementioned recipes, but I find them to be a delightful change.
I love waffles, and the versatility in making many flavor combinations and delectable tastes. Are they healthy? Well, not totally. But keep in mind the following from ASweetPeaChef.com to make them less unhealthy:
- Avoid frozen waffles
- Pick fresh fruits as toppings
- Use unprocessed flours
- Go easy on the sweeteners, and
- Work with high-benefit, healthier oils
Making wise food choices keeps us both healthy and totally in line with our food goals.
So Happy Waffling!
And with this I could not agree more.
Jacqueline Iannazzo-Corser is a contributing writer to The Monroe News, writing about food and recipes. She is a chef, co-owner of Public House, Culinary Specialist at the Opportunity Center at the Arthur Lesow Community Center, and an adjunct professor of culinary arts at Monroe County Community College. She can be reached at jcorser@monroeccc.edu.
Basic Sweet Waffles
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups of flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 whole eggs beaten
- 1 1/2 cups cold milk
- 1/4 cup melted Butter
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Directions:
- In a large bowl, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until well combined.
- Create well in the center.
- Place dry ingredients into the well. The milk, melted butter, vanilla, and eggs.
- Whisk to incorporate and create a batter. If it seems too thick, add in an extra splash of milk. You want your waffle batter to be the consistency of white school glue.
- Preheat Belgian waffle maker.
- Spray the waffle maker with butter and pour in about 1/2 cup batter into the center. Cook according to the appliance directions.
Note: If needed pour additional milk into batter it should not be runny, it should be gummier like paste. Place any number of fruits on top with yogurt or whipped cream
Basic Savory Waffles
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients:
- 2 cup milk
- 4 eggs
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 2.5 cups flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to a medium bowl - combine.
- Add the milk, butter, and eggs.
- Add in the ingredients and spices for the flavor you're creating whisk to combine.
- Preheat Belgian waffle maker.
- Spray the waffle maker with butter and pour in about 1/2 cup batter into the center. Cook according to the appliance directions.
Note: If you’re looking for different flours aside from all-purpose try whole wheat, multi blend, cake flour, or pastry flour. But consistency will vary. Add any number of savory items on top or within the batter like bacon, ham, loose sausage, or ham.
Savory Biscuit WafflesServes 6 to 8
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced red, yellow, or green bell pepper
- 1/4 cup diced green Onions
- 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
- Salt & Pepper to Taste
- Select Herbs for Taste
- 1 Medium tomato cut in small pieces
- 1 (16-ounce) tube Store refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
- 8 slices or sprinkle cheddar cheese or choice
- Vanilla Yogurt
Directions:
- Preheat a waffle iron to medium-high heat.
- Spray the waffle maker according to the appliance directions
- In a skillet add olive oil over ow to medium.
- Add peppers and onions then cook for 4 minutes, stir until tender.
- Add beaten eggs to the skillet and cook, whisking. Continue cooking until thickened, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Set aside with lid
- Separate biscuits into 8, cutting each biscuit in half lengthwise to create 16 pieces.
- Place biscuit halves into the waffle iron until cooked.
Presentation:
- Take two quarter pieces of waffles to form a sandwich.
- Place Selected cheese, eggs, peppers, onion, and herbs on one side and when completed top with an additional waffle on top to form a sandwich.
- Serve with Vanilla or selected yogurt for side dipping.
Note: You can use any dipping sauce for your savory waffle. Serve with fruit cup if desired.
Sweet Potato Waffles
Serves 5 to 7
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of mashed sweet potato – Cooked ahead
- 1/2 cup almond butter
- 1 tbsp. coconut flour
- 3 eggs separate yolks and whites
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. pumpkin spice
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup (optional)
- Coconut oil (optional)
Directions:
- Preheat your waffle maker and apply coconut oil to each batch.
- Separate the egg’s, yolks and whites.
- Place egg whites in a small bowl and set aside.
- Add just the egg yolks to a large mixing bowl
- Add all remaining ingredients above (except the egg whites) to the large mixing bowl.
- Blend at low speed with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes, or mix well by hand. The batter should be somewhat thick.
- In a separate mixing bowl, beat the egg whites with electric mixer until stiff peaks form
- Now gently fold the beaten egg whites into the batter using a spatula
- Spoon batter into the waffle maker and cook until golden
- Topping with fresh fruit, maple syrup or other selection as desired.
Note: Any neutral flavor, vegetable oil is most similar to coconut oil because it's plant-based and often doesn't change the way the recipe tastes. For example, you can use avocado oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil, and sunflower oil. | https://www.monroenews.com/story/opinion/columns/2022/08/28/im-making-waffles-theyre-more-versatile-than-youd-think/65419819007/ | 2022-08-28T10:11:16Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/opinion/columns/2022/08/28/im-making-waffles-theyre-more-versatile-than-youd-think/65419819007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Camping means food means chaos
The trick to camping is finding time to relax.
Because in my family, camping isn’t what you see on TV, that idyllic setting of a quiet couple enjoying a fire while their loyal dog sits obediently as yodeling loons drift nearby on a calm lake.
Our camps are a bit more chaotic. Because our family camping trips, as they have for years, involve a small army of hungry people of various sizes and shapes and at least one dog that is obsessed with pursuing squirrels.
There is no doubt that we have evolved with the advancement of technology. For several families, the days of tents have been replaced with giant campers that offer fluffy beds, multiple televisions and air conditioning.
As for me, my tent days are certainly behind me ever since I needed assistance from multiple people to rise from an air mattress that, no matter how thick it was, still didn’t prevent my wife from being flung off the opposite edge every time I plopped down.
But even with the comforts and convenience of modern equipment, feeding 15 people still is a massive undertaking when it’s a challenge just to locate enough paper plates and plastic forks. There are always a million plastic spoons, but locating the necessary amount of forks requires the U.S. Marshals Service to launch an investigation.
Preparing for dinner begins almost immediately after breakfast, which typically ends at lunch time because it took so long to prepare the breakfast. Years ago, when we were all in tents and used Coleman stoves that reeked of fuel and produced flames the size of a match, we came up with the grand idea of hosting breakfast for my in-laws who lived comfortably in a spacious cabin down the road from the campground. Camping apparently wasn’t challenging enough, so we added more people to the mix.
This was a major undertaking that involved dozens of eggs, massive stacks of pancakes, multiple types of sausages, mounds of potatoes with onions and peppers, coffee, juice and chopped fruit. We wanted to make an impression, so the pressure was on as if Gordon Ramsay was screaming in my ear that the potatoes weren’t going to stir themselves.
When completed, we resembled a ragged bunch of disheveled hobos covered in sweat, butter and syrup. By the time we cleaned up, it was time to begin preparing for dinner. Then we went through the entire process again so camping consisted of cooking, eating, cleaning and sleeping.
Times have certainly changed. The equipment is much better and it’s so much easier preparing food on even-burning flattop grills. But it’s still a production and you’re still outside rather than in the comforts of a kitchen where every utensil has a spot and water comes from a spout.
Food always seems to be the center of camping and the simplicity of such items as frozen potatoes or a baloney sandwich just will not do. I'm beginning to think there's an unwritten rule that when camping, one must spend an inordinate amount of time preparing meals from scratch.
Because what fun is sitting inside a gigantic, air-conditioned camper watching the game and eating microwaved pizza?
One day I might try and find out.
Ray Kisonas is the regional editor of The Monroe News and The Daily Telegram. He can be reached at rayk@monroenews.com. | https://www.monroenews.com/story/opinion/columns/2022/08/28/ray-kisonas-camping-means-food-means-chaos/65418752007/ | 2022-08-28T10:11:22Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/opinion/columns/2022/08/28/ray-kisonas-camping-means-food-means-chaos/65418752007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Ahead of the 15th Headies, Governor BabajideSanwo-Olu hosted the cream of Nigerian entertainment, including nominees, at the State House, Marina, last week.
It was an evening of merriment and renewed assurances last Saturday when the Lagos State Governor, BabajideSanwo-Olu, hosted Nigerian entertainers at the State House, Marina.
The event tagged ‘The Lagos Constellation of Stars’ was in support of the 15th Headies happening in Atlanta, the United States, on September 4.
Entertainers, producers, comedians and nominees were present at the evening, where Sanwo-Olu gave his scorecard in entertainment and tourism and renewed his commitment to their development through strategic interventions.
Sanwo-Olu began by exchanging banters with comedian AY on the stage and explained that the event was not an afterthought. He said it is a continuation of his government’s commitment to entertainment and tourism development as contained in his T.H.E.M.E.S agenda.
“When we were campaigning in 2019, we started with a THEMES agenda. People remember Traffic Management and Transportation, but many don’t know that the second E is entertainment and tourism, which means that when we were conceiving this government, we had put you as a pillar of our responsibility. We said the entertainment and tourism pillars are a priority for us to succeed as a government. We are intentional and realise that entertainment will be the defining moment of our government. We knew it could change the skyline of our economy,” he said.
The Governor, who listed other strategic interventions of his government, including skills development partnerships for Lagos youth interested in filmmaking with EbonyLife, Del York Film Academy and African Film Academy, reiterated that he would not treat entertainment with levity.
“If we can support people in the tech space, entrepreneurs, we can also support people in entertainment. We are intentional about this as a government. It’s in our self-enlightened interest that we work with you, develop you and help you fly to whatever level you want. In us, you have a government willing to encourage you and allow you to become global champions.”
Governor Sanwo-Olu added that the Lagos State Government’s support for The Headies was a strategic intervention to take Nigeria’s music industry to more global audiences.
“When the promoters said let’s take it global, the least we can do is to support that bold initiative. The Headies will be bigger, bolder and better. Don’t see yourself as a local or regional person. Dream big, set high standards for yourself and let your government assist you.”
He further charged the entertainers to dwell more on positive developments in the country. “There are problems everywhere, but entertainment is one of the things that can help us turn the negativity into positivity. For me, the government’s support for The Headies is about doing the right thing, creating that platform for all of you to achieve all you want.”
Earlier, Executive Producer of The Headies, Ayo Animashaun, thanked Governor Sanwo-Olu and all other Awards supporters.
Animashaun stressed that the creative industry needs government support and added, “I think we are in a good spot in our history. And it’s not just about The Headies and movies; it’s about the entire creative industry. This is what we cried for, for several years. We didn’t have the government to support us, but now Lagos is doing this.”
Entertainment impresario Kenny Ogungbe and founder of the Africa Movie Academy Awards, Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, also hailed Sanwo-Olu’s support for the creative industry at the event.
Ogungbe said, “from the beginning, I never looked towards the government to produce music. I have over 80 albums in the past 20 years. Nobody in West Africa can boast of 80 albums with at least 12 songs per album. That was done on sweat. Now, someone is lifting us, lifting me. I’m so excited. On behalf of all musicians, record label owners, artistes, artiste managers, production managers, and stage managers, I thank you for the love of music in Nigeria.”
Anyiam-Osigwe also appreciated the Governor on behalf of all filmmakers. She said, “I want to thank you from the film and creative industry for all you’ve been doing and for all the youth you’ve been empowering. We have been on the road for the past three months, and it’s been amazing. The talent is there, and nurturing that talent means that the world hasn’t seen what Lagos can offer yet. We are only just beginning, and with the way you’ve been nurturing and supporting them right from the grassroots, I know that what we are doing in Lagos is sustainable. Thank you for seeing what many people in Nigeria don’t see in the creative industry.
Lagos will also host another in Atlanta besides the weekend’s event. The state will be supporting the organisers with the movement of some nominees from Nigeria.
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RIVERS State governor, Nyesom Wike, on Friday said that his London meetings with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and former President Olusegun Obasanjo were in the interest of the nation…
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A victim of a bandits attack, Ismail Mohammed, has explained how his life took a turn for the worse with the loss of his arms…. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/day-sanwo-olu-hosted-entertainers/ | 2022-08-28T10:24:07Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/day-sanwo-olu-hosted-entertainers/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Fast rising Nigerian artiste and song writer Ayeleso Bamidele Victor popularly as OLUWABEEVEE was born on 15th of June 1993 and hails from Ekiti state. The rapper turn singer started singing unprofessionally in school in 2008 which started from his love for dancing around his college environment.
He labels his genre of music as a fine blend of Afro beat, Afro-pop and Afro-fusion,he has shown his versatile strength in music through his recent collaboration with LYTA and PORTABLE.
He is to release his official EP titled NTB (NOT THE BEST) which is set to be out on the 30th of September 2022. He describes his musical experience as a journey which he tends to continue to learn, evolve and grow in. The five track EP was inspired by his environment and evolving sound.
The independent artiste is set to entertain his growing fan base with this amazing body of works which is definitely going to make them move to the beat and have a good time.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
Insecurity: 5,000 Nigerian Children May Die Of Starvation By October —UN
THE United Nations has raised the alarm that no fewer than 5,000 children in war-ravaged northeastern Nigeria will die of starvation in the next two months unless the world raises the necessary funds for intervention…
My London Meetings With Obasanjo, Tinubu, Atiku, Obi In Nigeria’s Interest —Wike
RIVERS State governor, Nyesom Wike, on Friday said that his London meetings with the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Bola Tinubu, Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and former President Olusegun Obasanjo were in the interest of the nation…
Bandits Stole My Chickens, Cut Off My Arms —Zamfara Man
A victim of a bandits attack, Ismail Mohammed, has explained how his life took a turn for the worse with the loss of his arms…. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/my-music-a-special-blend-of-afro-pop-afro-fusion-oluwabeevee/ | 2022-08-28T10:24:39Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/my-music-a-special-blend-of-afro-pop-afro-fusion-oluwabeevee/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Dayo Ogungbenro, chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Oyo State, speaks with IMOLEAYO OYEDEYI, on national issues, including the party’s determined bid to reclaim power, just as he reviews the performance of the Muhammadu Buhari administration in the last seven years.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) while assessing President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration claimed that Nigeria has fared better in the last seven years. Do you agree with the claim?
We are all Nigerians and we are all eyewitnesses to what has happened in the country in the last seven years. An average educated Nigerian can critically give a comparative analysis of the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration, which is of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and this Buhari’s administration, which is of the APC. Personally, I don’t expect anything contrary from the APC chieftain as he has to defend his principal. But as far as the PDP is concerned and my humble self as the chairman of the great party in Oyo State, the APC administration has recorded an abysmal failure in every facet, especially when you consider all the key indices of development.
I believe you know all these things too and you live in Nigeria. You know what the exchange rate is now, prices of fuel and several other essential commodities. I am sure you also know the level of insecurity now, not to talk of the rate of poverty pervading Nigerian society. So, tell me, what have they done? Unfortunately, I heard one of the APC chieftains the day before yesterday or so say Buhari has done his best. But the fact remains that Buhari’s best is not enough for this country. It is as simple as that.
But the APC administration on several occasions has claimed that when it came into power in 2015, the country was in a very poor state and your party was in power then. What can you say to that?
They met the country in a very worse state indeed (smiled). Come to think of it, if the country was truly in a very worse state, how come we were buying a litre of petrol at N87 during the era of the PDP and now purchase the same litre of fuel at almost N200? Yet, they call that administration the worst! The Yoruba often say that: Ti enikanbagbon, to nienikejikogbon, baba were ni [Someone who claims to be the master of wisdom and everyone else dunce is a mad person. There are facts and figures out there that clearly depict the failure of the current administration.
The beauty of democracy is that when you are interested in serving your people, you will show expression by taking nomination forms and you then go for the proper election. You either win or lose. If you win, you will say this is what I want to do, but the beauty of the game is that the electorate will have to assess you after the end of the four years. They will find out whether you have lived up to your bidding. The Nigerian people thought that the PDP administration didn’t live up to its bidding in 2015 and they voted it out, but what have they seen now? The Yoruba say that if a woman hasn’t tried two husbands, she won’t know the difference and that if a frog hasn’t swum in both hot and cold water, it won’t understand the danger. Nigerians have now known that the PDP administration was far better than what the APC offered them as an alternative. They were talking of change then, but change for what now? Or what is the essence of a change slogan that didn’t translate into a better standard of living? What are the change elements the APC used to catapult themselves into power? Is the change supposed to be retrogressive?
But the APC claimed that when they came into power, Boko Haram insurgency was at an alarming level…
(Cuts in) Was it at this level? I just want to know. By the way, what brought in the terrorists and bandits into the country? Was it not their inordinate ambition to rule this country by all means? Do you remember that Buhari said it publicly that within his first 100 days in office, he would suppress and stop terrorism? But seven years afterwards, what has been the security situation? People are still grieving over the Abuja-Kaduna train attack, because some of the kidnapped persons are still with the attackers. And that is a country for you that has a former military general at the helm of its affairs.
You don’t seem to see any achievement recorded by the current APC administration. But they have listed infrastructure and construction of major roads and bridges?
(Cuts in) Have they finished the Niger bridge? These are the issues. You are a journalist; answer that question. If they mention roads, the question is how many months or years will it take them to reconstruct the Lagos/Ibadan expressway? Should it take eternity? From Ibadan to Lagos is about 145 kilometres if I am correct.
Based on the performance of the APC so far, do you see Nigerians considering voting for your party in 2023?
I am very sure that Nigerians are very logical people, both the ones that are educated and the uneducated ones, who have native intelligence. They can compare things, because it hasn’t been as worse as it is now for the country. It is what you know. Nigerians are undoubtedly yearning for a change. And we are going to offer that alternative government to them. That is why the slogan of this great party is that we are coming to rescue the country and the people once again. And by the special grace of God, the PDP will come onboard to rule this country in 2023 by winning with a landslide victory and rescuing Nigerians from the clueless government of the APC.
What gave you the confidence that your party will win the 2023 presidential election?
We are not likely going to see any close contest between us and the APC, because Nigerians are tired of this government. How do we explain a situation where the presidential convoy was attacked in broad daylight? Have you ever heard of that? The country is sliding, and we don’t have any other country. So, it has to be collectively salvaged.
In recent times, various APC chieftains have always been quick to distant the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, from the so-called failures of the current administration, saying that his achievements in Lagos will make Nigerians vote for him massively ahead of your party’s standard-bearer, Atiku Abubakar, can this be really true?
That is politics for you. They are saying that Nigerians will vote for Tinubu, because of his achievement in Lagos, but ask them, is Atiku a novice in Nigerian politics? Don’t forget that he has been a former vice-president of the country for eight years. So what are they saying? I can’t see anything new or extraordinary in their assertion. You don’t expect them to say otherwise, because they are members of the ruling party and have to protect its interest. But we don’t see Tinubu matching Atiku in 2023, especially considering the fact that Tinubu has nothing to fall back to.
Don’t forget that he was at the forefront of Buhari’s emergence as Nigeria’s president, just like he put it himself. He said the man came out the first time, but O lu le! He came the second time, O lu le! Tinubu said having fallen the third time, the man was weeping on national television. You heard it from him in Abeokuta now. Don’t you? That’s Tinubu for you. He claimed that he came to Buhari’s rescue. But both of them did not come to the rescue of Nigeria. And that is why we are determined and ready to rescue the nation from the pit they have thrown it.
But what exactly do you think gives your candidate an edge over other candidates like Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP)?
I have respect for Peter Obi, because he is one of the brilliant sons of this land. But it takes more than Peter Obi now to rule this country.
In what ways?
It is in many ways, because Nigeria is a very complex nation to lead. But Atiku has been tested at the national level. He has not only been tested, he has also been trusted having found to be competent. So, let’s try him. He obviously has a clear edge over all other candidates.
But the APC has claimed that Atiku hasn’t held an executive position and sat as commander-in-chief of any government even at state levels the way Tinubu and Obi have done in their respective states…
(Cuts in) At the state level, which is just one out of 36 states? What are they even saying? Can they compare a vice-president of this complex nation to the governor of a state? You can’t obviously compare the two. You will remember vividly that when former President OlusegunObasanjo and Atiku came onboard, because of the shattered image they inherited from the military, Obasanjo was moving around on shuttled diplomacy to rectify certain things and bring Nigeria back as the centerpiece of Africa. People have failed to remember this! I am a student of contemporary Nigerian history.
Obasanjo left Atiku to do most of the domestic affairs and it was the two of them that worked together to salvage the country. Can you remember this? Of course, you should. When the military butchered the country, Babangida, Abacha and the rest of them, we didn’t know what happened then that Abiola died. Shortly, AbdusalamiAbubakar came onboard with the promise to return the country back to civilian rule. Then, there was the need to pacify Southern Nigeria particularly the South-Westerners. They thought that they were playing safe, so they went for Baba Obasanjo.
And when he came onboard, being a former military General, he said openly that Nigeria has been shattered. This forced him on shuttled diplomacy to return the country to where it rightly belonged as I have said. The man left the domestic administration to Atiku and we know how he performed.
So how do you compare such a candidate with someone that has ruled a state, which is one out of 36 others in the country? All I will say is that let us wait and see if truly they are comparable. Don’t forget that as I have said earlier, Tinubu has nothing to fall back to.
Why did you say so?
I have to say this, because the APC federal government has not performed and this has been the consensus opinion of Nigerians. That is exactly why we are coming out to rescue this nation from their clueless government that has destroyed the fortunes of the country and subjected the people to abject poverty through nepotistic and corrupt policies.
But looking at your own party itself, with the way it has been having internal wrangling in recent times, especially with the Governor NyesomWike…
(Cuts in) Such is expected, because we are running a party.
But there are fears that the unfolding crisis may affect your party’s chances in 2023, especially with the various reconciliation moves not seeming to yield convincing results.
I don’t see how the issues will affect us, because politics is essentially about interest. The moment your interest is not properly taken care of, you are bound to cry out. But we have internal mechanisms through which all the issues will be sorted out. We are already making the necessary moves and luckily, for us, we still have some months ahead before the presidential election which comes up in February, 2023. This is still August.
What if your party eventually fails to reconcile the aggrieved camp?
God forbid that.
I said this because a former governor, SuleLamido, said recently that PDP can win without Rivers State votes.
That is an over-blown statement. I don’t expect such a statement from a leader like Lamido, who is a nationalist. He should have refrained from making such a statement. But all the same, we are going to resolve our problems the way we used to do and we are going to give this nation an alternatively good government in 2023 by the special grace of God.
I will just commend Nigerians on the sacrifices that they have made so far in contending with the hardships from the present APC government. And I want to assure them that the PDP, which is the largest in Africa, will definitely rescue them from this incompetent government.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
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A victim of a bandits attack, Ismail Mohammed, has explained how his life took a turn for the worse with the loss of his arms…. | https://tribuneonlineng.com/why-atiku-will-rescue-nigeria-from-apc-s-clueless-administration-ogungbenro-oyo-state-pdp-chair/ | 2022-08-28T10:24:52Z | tribuneonlineng.com | control | https://tribuneonlineng.com/why-atiku-will-rescue-nigeria-from-apc-s-clueless-administration-ogungbenro-oyo-state-pdp-chair/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kochi: The mini-screen audience can enjoy the much-awaited time travel dance performance by superstar Mohanlal this evening. The second part of Mazhavil Manorama Entertainment Awards 2022 will be aired from 7 pm onwards on Mazhavil Manorama channel.
Mohanlal shares the stage with silver screen divas like Swetha Menon, Miya, Honey Rose and Durga Krishna. Besides, Jayasuriya, Mohanlal and Vineeth Sreenivasan will sing some super hit songs in the show held in association with the Association of Malayalam Movie Actors.
Besides, Mukesh, Guinness Pakru and Vijayaraghavan will entertain the audience with comedy skits.
The viewers can watch special emotional moments between Mohanlal and Sreenivasan as the latter receives the Ultimate Entertainer award.
Malabar Gold and Diamonds are the main sponsors of the event. | https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2022/08/28/mohanlal-magic-on-dance-floor-mazhavil-manorama-awards.amp.html | 2022-08-28T10:36:53Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2022/08/28/mohanlal-magic-on-dance-floor-mazhavil-manorama-awards.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
You usually watch a premier show of a movie in the company of up to 200 – 250-member audience. However, at the famous Locarno Film Festival I watched the premiere of my movie ‘Ariyippu’ in a giant theatre with 2500 audience. It is one of the biggest theatres in the world. For me, it was a mesmerizing experience.
The Palexpo – Fevi theatre in Locarno has completely inspired my cinematic experience. I have been excited since the moment Mahesh Narayanan narrated the story of ‘Ariyippu’. I have always felt that the movie would surely be recognised.
However, I didn’t expectthe movie to win five nominations in the competition category at the Locarno Film Festival. Moreover, I didn’t expect to get an invitation to take part in the prestigious festival. After the premier show, we were showered with appreciation.
Most of their magazines published amazing reviews. The audience interacted with us with an open mind. It was only later that I saw the Piazza Grande theatre which was a scintillating experience. It is a huge open theatre that can accommodate up to 8000 viewers. The festival offered a haven of unique sights and experiences that I would never forget in life.
I participate in international film festivals that are held in India as much as I can to experience world cinema. These film festivals give you unique energy that refreshes you. I have been able to learn something from these festivals and from the people that I meet there. It was with that same excitement that I flew to Locarno. Mahesh, Kunchacko Boban and producer Shebin Becker too had attended the premier show of ‘Ariyippu’.
Locarno is a beautiful Swiss city that lies close to Italy. I was able to spend ten days in Locarno. I watched many movies in various languages and met people from around the world. The festival days gifted me many amazing memories and met many people who do not look upon you with a judgemental attitude. An avid travel lover, I have always dreamed to travel to Europe. However, now, I got an unexpected chance to fly to such a beautiful city for promoting my movie. It was truly a special gift that I will always cherish. | https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2022/08/28/watching-ariyippu-locarno-mesmerizing-gifted-special-memories.html | 2022-08-28T10:37:12Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/entertainment/entertainment-news/2022/08/28/watching-ariyippu-locarno-mesmerizing-gifted-special-memories.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The lights were turned back on in style Friday night at Mark Huntsman Field with the Teton Timberwolves beating the Jackson Hole Broncs 32-14, returning the Battle of The Tetons trophy to Teton Valley.
It’s the first time in 3 years the trophy was won by Teton, after a 55-12 loss last year at Jackson kept the trophy with the Broncs.
Teton’s notable departures from last season included CB and QB Braxton Hess, speedy wideout and returner Hunter Johnson, and bruising pass rusher Denver Arnold.
Jackson had the most turnover of the two programs heading into the game, losing three-time Wyoming all-state quarterback Sadler Smith and a long time rushing corps of Jeydon Cox and Brody Hasenack.
The main storyline coming into the game was that of new Teton Head Coach David Joyce, who also left the Broncs after last season. Joyce had taken the Broncs to two straight Wyoming state championship games in his last 2 years, losing to Cody on both occasions.
Play-by-play
The game started off with plenty of fireworks. Teton worked all the way down to the Jackson 20-yard line on the first possession of the game, where it fumbled the ball with Jackson recovering.
Just one play later Teton forced a fumble of its own, recovering at the Jackson 7 yard line. Running back Jack Joyce would punch the ball in from the one yard line. THS missed the point after. 6-0 Timberwolves.
Teton would get the ball right back after forcing yet another first-quarter fumble on the ensuing kickoff. After the Broncs defense sacked Teton QB Nelson for a 13 yard loss, the two teams traded punts.
After receiving the ball Teton worked all the way down to an inch shy of the goal line, where a huge Jackson 4th down stop temporarily denied Teton its second score at the end of the first quarter.
Jackson could not move the ball far though, which led to Teton getting the ball back. The Timberwolves would work the ball down to the goal line again, punched in on Nelson’s first touchdown of the game. 13-0 Teton after the P.A.T.
That would be the score at the half as the two teams traded grinding possessions. The slog of trading possessions would continue through the third quarter.
With 11 minutes left in the 4th, Teton would increase their lead to 19-0 after Nelson found receiver Ashton Brigg for a 21-yard touchdown reception, which the extra point was missed again.
After receiving the kick the Broncs would work down the field, scoring their first touchdown on a QB keeper by Owen Janssen. 19-7 THS.
After a well-executed coffin corner kick, and a simultaneous mishandling by Jack Joyce, Teton started the ensuing drive with brutal field position. Jackson had some momentum.
Teton would punt away the ball, and Jackson would quickly turn over on downs after switching into desperation, pass-only mode with 6:30 on the clock.
With Teton controlling the play, and the clock, the Broncs were up against the wall. They forced a Teton fumble, but the Bronc’s non-stop desperation passing would end up providing Teton a Thomas Huseveldt interception.
Heuseveldt wasn't done. After the interception, he grabbed the shovel and started burying Jackson himself with a blistering 45-yard rush all the way to the house. 26-7 Teton with 3:10 left.
Janssen passed for another late Jackson TD, but another Timberwolf made sure that wasn't the last score of the game. Teton’s Nelson couldn't help but beat the dead horse himself.
The home stands erupted when Nelson busted out a massive 70-yard rushing touchdown, punctuated by an acrobatic dive over the last defender and into the endzone. Easily the play of the game, it sent Teton to the final score of 32-14 with 1:24 left on the clock.
Teton’s victory lap concluded with a final interception of Janssen, caught and returned 15 yards by Max Atchley.
Coach’s Thoughts
Joyce, while busy getting handshakes and congratulations from seemingly every Timberwolves fan, stated that the game exemplified the rivalry between the two schools.
“For me, in the last 6 years now, that is a typical Teton-Jackson game where a team gets up, a team fights back, and you throw punches. It’s all I have ever known with these guys,” said Joyce.
The emotions were a challenge to manage throughout the contest for everyone on the sideline.
“We’re trying to just not focus too far ahead of us and just focus on the moment. When you do that you get good things, and you can let go of a good play and you can let go of a bad play. Slowly when that happens you start to execute a little bit better and you don't get too high or too low. That was definitely a struggle today,” said Joyce.
Those emotions were especially tough for Joyce, who saw plenty of familiar faces on the opposite sideline.
“You gotta pick one side or the other. You cannot be on the fence, and that’s the best part. You’re either Teton or Jackson,” said Joyce. “I want them to win every single game after this, but I wanted to win this one.”
Joyce, like everyone else at the game, was blown away by Huseveldt’s raw speed. He also praised Nelson and the THS defense when asked about the performance of the squad.
“Thomas Huseveldt can go zero-to-the-fourth-of-July like that,” said Joyce, with a snap of his fingers. “He has that switch.”
“Jack Nelson was making his first start at QB and I thought he had some great moments and some learning moments as well. Defensively, I thought we tackled better than was expected for a first game of the year. We missed some, but I thought we tackled better than usual for the first game,” said Joyce.
The Timberwolves head to Marsh Valley next week, and then come back home to play West Jefferson. Joyce needs to see a few things “cleaned up”.
“We missed some assignments. We gotta get our bodies right by Monday, hit the reset button, and forget the emotional game. Now it’s Idaho. We’re done with Wyoming, now we gotta focus on our state,” Joyce concluded. | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/preps/battle-of-the-tetons-trophy-returns-to-ths/article_ada8f0c2-248d-11ed-bb4d-3be274912687.html | 2022-08-28T10:42:26Z | tetonvalleynews.net | control | https://www.tetonvalleynews.net/preps/battle-of-the-tetons-trophy-returns-to-ths/article_ada8f0c2-248d-11ed-bb4d-3be274912687.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Capt. Melissa Marcelli-Flint behavioral health officer assigned to 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, teaches GREYWOLF Readiness and Integration Training on 26 August, 2022. During the training troopers discussed stressors and issues they may have to deal with during a deployment as well as ways to deal with those issues. Training like this provides troopers with the tools to be resilient and overcome situations that could happen during a deployment.
This work, Troopers participate in GREYWOLF Readiness and Integration Training [Image 12 of 12], by SSG Charles Porter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7391679/troopers-participate-greywolf-readiness-and-integration-training | 2022-08-28T10:43:08Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7391679/troopers-participate-greywolf-readiness-and-integration-training | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Troopers took part in GREYWOLF Readiness and Integration Training on 26 August, 2022. During the training troopers discussed stressors and issues they may have to deal with during a deployment and ways to deal with those issues. Training like this provides troopers with the tools to be resilient and overcome situations that could happen during a deployment.
This work, Troopers participate in GREYWOLF Readiness and Integration Training [Image 12 of 12], by SSG Charles Porter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7391680/troopers-participate-greywolf-readiness-and-integration-training | 2022-08-28T10:43:14Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7391680/troopers-participate-greywolf-readiness-and-integration-training | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Troopers took part in GREYWOLF Readiness and Integration Training on 26 August, 2022. During the training troopers discussed stressors and issues they may have to deal with during a deployment and ways to deal with those issues. Training like this provides troopers with the tools to be resilient and overcome situations that could happen during a deployment.
This work, Troopers participate in GREYWOLF Readiness and Integration Training [Image 12 of 12], by SSG Charles Porter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7391681/troopers-participate-greywolf-readiness-and-integration-training | 2022-08-28T10:43:20Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7391681/troopers-participate-greywolf-readiness-and-integration-training | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Troopers took part in GREYWOLF Readiness and Integration Training on 26 August, 2022. During the training troopers discussed stressors and issues they may have to deal with during a deployment and ways to deal with those issues. Training like this provides troopers with the tools to be resilient and overcome situations that could happen during a deployment.
This work, Troopers participate in GREYWOLF Readiness and Integration Training [Image 12 of 12], by SSG Charles Porter, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7391682/troopers-participate-greywolf-readiness-and-integration-training | 2022-08-28T10:43:26Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7391682/troopers-participate-greywolf-readiness-and-integration-training | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Fresh off winning his party's nomination for governor, Rep. Charlie Crist had a sobering message for Democrats across the country: Send money to Florida or you may end up with President Ron DeSantis someday.
"It is the Democrats' last chance to stop him and it's going to be a lot cheaper to do it in Florida than it would be in 50 states," Crist said on CNN the morning after his victory and while repeatedly plugging his campaign website. "If you want to help (President) Joe Biden get a second term, we need to shut Ron DeSantis down in Florida."
Crist's plea for cash was perhaps as creative as it was nakedly desperate. After exhausting most of the $14 million his campaign and political committee raised to defeat Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in the primary, Crist started the 11-week sprint to the general election nearly from scratch. Meanwhile, DeSantis has been waiting for Crist with $132 million on hand, a record sum for a governor's race.
But Crist's pitch was also born out of a difficult reality Democrats face in Florida. After 20-plus years of watching devastating and narrow defeats in the Sunshine State, many Democratic donors this cycle are so far taking a break from Florida. The prevailing narrative heading into the fall is that Florida has become too red and DeSantis too powerful for donors to make an investment here.
It doesn't help Florida's case that control of the 50-50 Senate hangs in the balance of these midterms and that there are incumbent Democratic governors in states like Wisconsin and Michigan that the party has prioritized to date over the Florida governor's mansion. Donors are also more motivated to help Democrat Stacey Abrams challenge Republican Gov. Brian Kemp in neighboring Georgia, one Florida-based Democratic fundraiser told CNN.
"Charlie has a better chance of getting a large check from the tooth fairy under his pillow than he does from national donors," the fundraiser said. "I just don't think they're focused on Florida's governor race. I think they're focused on winnable seats in states where Democrats already hold the governor's mansion or it's an open seat."
Democratic Party officials are quick to insist they remain committed to Florida. Sam Newton, spokesman for the Democratic Governors Association, called Florida a "competitive battleground in 2022" and he noted the investments that the organization already made to the state party to help build the infrastructure needed to orchestrate a turnaround here.
"That's the same strategy we used to beat Republican incumbents in tough states like (Wisconsin's) Scott Walker, (North Carolina's) Pat McCrory, and (Kentucky's) Matt Bevin -- and look forward to working hand-in-hand with the Crist campaign to keep aggressively holding Ron DeSantis accountable," Newton said.
Still, the DGA has not matched the $1 million it deposited into the political committee for Andrew Gillum a day after he won the Democratic nomination for Florida governor in 2018. From Gillum's nomination through Election Day of that year, the DGA dropped $7.5 million into Florida. Few are expecting that kind of investment in 2022, though Newton did not rule it out.
"We're constantly evaluating the best ways to ensure we deploy resources when they have the biggest impact," he said.
Rick Wilson, a former Republican strategist now with the Lincoln Project, said Democrats will regret it in 2024 if they don't view Florida's governor race as an opportunity to slow DeSantis' rise. DeSantis is the only Republican that polls consistently suggest would be competitive in a GOP primary against former President Donald Trump. And while Democrats know how to beat Trump, Wilson said, DeSantis could present a new and more difficult challenge.
"They will absolutely wonder, 'What the f— were we doing?'" Wilson said. "'Why didn't we bloody him up? Why didn't we nuke him? Why didn't we make him spend $50 million?' They don't know how to fight."
That may be a tough sell for donors who don't typically think that far ahead, the Florida fundraiser said.
"I think voters care more about pocketbook issues and whether they can decide what to do with their own body or can they afford gas than if Ron DeSantis is going to run for president in 2024," they said.
Major donors haven't shown up this year
Other major donors in 2018 have not yet said if they're financially committed to Florida this cycle. The national labor unions that contributed seven-figure sums to Gillum's effort declined to share their plans for the fall.
"While we don't comment on dollars, you better believe we are going to support candidates who put working people first as opposed to political extremists who opposed the president's agenda to lower prescription drug prices and are hellbent on taking away people's rights and freedoms," said Nick Voutsinos, spokesman for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. AFSCME donated $1.5 million to Gillum's effort.
The American Federation of Teachers donated $500,000 to Crist's political committee earlier this month — half what the union gave Gillum in his race. A spokesman for the organization wouldn't say if it will deploy another half million dollars here.
West Palm Beach businessman Daniel Abraham, a frequent Democratic donor who contributed $1 million to Gillum's political committee, wouldn't discuss his political giving, a representative said. Attempts to reach Donald Sussman, a megadonor for the Clintons who gave Gillum $1.5 million, were unsuccessful, but he has not yet made a contribution to Florida Democrats this cycle.
Orlando trial lawyer John Morgan, a longtime Democratic donor, said he thinks Crist has "$100 million worth of name recognition," and therefore won't need the kind of resources other candidates might to mount a serious challenge to DeSantis. Crist was first elected to the state legislature in the 1990s and is a former Republican governor who was the Democratic nominee for governor in 2014 before winning three terms to the US House.
Morgan gave Gillum $250,000 four years ago, but he doesn't know if he'll cut a check for Crist, who he once employed at his law firm.
"I don't know what I'm going to do," Morgan said. "I think Charlie has a very, very tough road to hoe. And I've pissed money away before."
One major donor is certainly on the sidelines this cycle. NextGen America, the progressive organization funded by billionaire Tom Steyer, donated $2.8 million to Gillum in 2018. But NextGen has since halted donations to individual candidates, said president and executive director Cristina Tzintzún Ramirez. The organization also does not intend to help register and mobilize voters in Florida, as it did four years ago.
"It's more just a question of resources," she said. "We'd like to be in every state, but we knew we had done good work in Florida and needed to be invested in other critical senate races in other states."
Among all the other headwinds Democrats face here is the reality that Florida — a state of 21 million people divided into 10 media markets, some of which require advertising in Spanish — is a notoriously expensive state to run a statewide campaign.
A particularly brutal redistricting process also left Florida with few competitive House and state legislative races that can drive donor interest in helping flip a state, said Alexandra Acker-Lyons, a political consultant who advises Democratic donors.
"Races are won and lost by 1 percent in Florida but sometimes it takes $100 million to get that 1 percent," Acker-Lyons said. "But we can't write off Florida. That's a suicide mission as a party."
Can the DeSantis name raise money for Democrats, too?
By framing the race around bruising DeSantis ahead of a potential race for president in 2024, the Crist campaign hopes to convince donors to jump back into Florida. DeSantis has become one of the most recognizable political figures in the country and few Republicans seem to get under the skin of Democrats more than Florida's executive.
After Crist secured the nomination, the DGA sent out a mass message to its donor list centered around defeating DeSantis. It raised more money than any post-primary fundraising email this cycle, according to a source with knowledge of the party's finances.
The Crist campaign believes their early pitch has worked. More than $1 million in donations flooded his campaign in the 24 hours after his primary victory. California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday also pledged $100,000 to "make Ron DeSantis a one-term governor," and he encouraged his supporters to get in the fight.
Crist's team also notes that DeSantis only defeated Gillum in 2018 by 32,000 votes out of 8.2 million ballots cast. They don't believe the state has dramatically shifted to the right in the four years since, even as registered Republicans now outnumber Democrats here by approximately 200,000, a total reversal from the last decade.
"In the last 22 years, the governor's mansion has been won by low single digits," Crist strategist Joshua Karp told CNN. "That's not to say we don't have a burden to prove we have a game plan to win. That's what we're trying to do and we believe it's working."
But while the razor-thin race seemed to solidify Florida's status as a perennial swing state, it also suggested that Democrats here lack the killer instinct to push a competitive race over the top. Indeed, some Democratic donors feel snakebitten by Gillum's narrow defeat after helping him raise $53 million, Acker-Lyons said.
"Florida being the red dot in our happy blue dance was hard for people," she said.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/crist-urges-democratic-donors-to-help-stop-desantis-before-he-becomes-too-powerful-but-florida/article_53ff39c4-6b90-5a1f-8b66-5ae6b4c8ccdd.html | 2022-08-28T10:45:30Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/crist-urges-democratic-donors-to-help-stop-desantis-before-he-becomes-too-powerful-but-florida/article_53ff39c4-6b90-5a1f-8b66-5ae6b4c8ccdd.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
"You are more powerful than you think."
That's the title of one of Eric Liu's most popular books, but it's also a theme that runs throughout the work of the author and activist. He's spent much of his life trying to persuade people that "democracy still works, and is worth believing in."
Liu, 54, is CEO and co-founder of Citizen University, a nonprofit group based in Seattle, Washington, that teaches people how to cultivate civic power. He also is an evangelist for democracy, a charismatic writer and speaker whose philosophy could be distilled in this observation from the late historian Howard Zinn: "Democracy is not what governments do; it's what people do."
"I am a Democrat, but I am not a partisan for my party. I am a partisan for democracy," Liu told CNN.
Liu's optimism may seem misplaced today. One recent poll found that 64% of Americans believe their democracy is "in crisis and at risk of failing." Another recent poll found 72% of Americans say the US used to be a good model of democracy, but not in recent years. More than half of Americans now say they expect a civil war to erupt in the near future.
But where some see chaos, Liu sees vitality. He says engaged citizens get angry; apathetic and cynical citizens don't make noise. And amid anxieties about Russian aggression and an emboldened China, Liu says America's tumultuous political climate is not a weakness but a strength.
In "Become America: Civic Sermons on Love, Responsibility and Democracy," Liu wrote:
"American history is a record of small groups of people who keep remaking this country over and over, and who reveal to us all that the perpetual remaking is the greatest statement of fidelity to our creed and our national purpose, which is not to be like Russia, white and stagnant and oligarchic, or like China, monoethnic and authoritarian and centralized, but to be more like America, hybrid and dynamic and democratic and free to be remade."
Liu is the son of immigrants and a former White House speechwriter and policy adviser for President Bill Clinton. A popular TED Talk speaker (he calls his speeches "civic sermons"), he also conducts "Civic Saturday" events around the country at which people gather for music and spoken-word performances.
These include readings of "civic scripture," foundational American documents such as Lincoln's "Second Inaugural Address" and the speech the 19th-century women's rights activist Susan B. Anthony gave when she was put on trial for attempting to vote.
Liu is currently working on a new book, "What an American Should Know," which seeks to detail the core civic knowledge all Americans should possess in this polarized era.
CNN recently talked with Liu about why he remains optimistic about America's future, how the move to censor history in public schools could backfire and his response to those who say they want to Make America Great Again. His comments were edited for brevity.
Democratic Rep. James Clyburn recently said it seems as if most Americans have given up on the pursuit of a more perfect union and that our democracy is in danger of "imploding." What would you say to those who say that human beings are too tribal to make a multiracial democracy work in America?
I would say when you succumb to cynicism you give it power. What we are doing is hard because it is unprecedented. We are trying to be planet Earth's first multiracial, multicultural, and multifaith democratic republic at scale. That hasn't existed before. To those who conclude it's not possible, I would say it's too early to say that. And by saying that, you're dooming the project.
The only way to determine whether this project is possible is to act as if it's possible — that is, to commit over and over again to become that country we'd like to see.
You've talked about the power of stories before. "Make America Great Again" seems like such an effective political slogan because there's a story wrapped in it that implies that this country was once great when White Americans dominated and that people like Donald Trump are going to restore it to greatness. What kind of counter-story can those who have a different vision of America tell that address the fears of some White Americans?
The most simple and potent story to tell is, 'We're all better off when we're all better off.' This country will be the most competitive and powerful in the world when every fit and able competitor can participate — PS, everyone is potentially a fit competitor. The more of us that can participate, the stronger we are as a country.
The narrative of Make American Great Again assumes that America once was great for everybody, something went wrong and now you have to fix it. But I would say that the story of we're all better off when we're all better off also contains some assumptions, and the assumption is, we haven't yet had a country that felt great for everybody, and when we do it will be great for everybody.
But the other assumption embedded in this second story line is that life is not zero-sum, that if people of color can enjoy opportunities, rights, and privileges in the same way that White Americans have always been able to do, that will not diminish the opportunities that White Americans have. It will actually enlarge the pie, not divvy it up.
Is there anything from our country's history to back up what you said, that we are all better off when we're all better off?
I would point to most institutions in the United States. I'm a baseball guy. The institution of major league baseball is stronger, healthier and more robust now that it includes players beyond White players. It's a more thriving business.
Every Fortune 500 company is stronger, more resilient and with a deeper capacity for innovation and more widespread, diversified markets because the United States has moved into full economic citizenship, and economic power for people of color, as well as White Americans.
The military is another great example. Every chief of staff in each of the uniformed services will tell you that their service is stronger and more resilient and more adaptative and more capable because America is more diverse now. They didn't think in zero-sum terms. They didn't think starting in 1950 that if we desegregate the army there's not going to be enough slots for White people in the army.
The military seems like one of the last institutions where all of these different Americans come together from all walks of life. How do we create more spaces like that for people in the US?
I'm a champion of national service. It would be great to have more widespread expectation of national service for young people. I'm a champion of a year in the civilian or the military service, where you are coming together with a group of people unlike yourself, of having to work on something together to deepen your appreciation for one another and for the breadth, beauty and the diversity of our country.
Some White parents and Republican legislators are campaigning against what they call "woke schooling" in public classrooms. School boards and teachers are being pressured not to teach history that they say shames people. If this battle against "wokeism" in public schools is successful, what will the end result be?
The result will be a citizenry that is less capable of self-government. An education that forces every student to avoid the uncomfortable parts, to steer clear of anything that might cause White students discomfort, is going to leave all students more emotionally brittle, more civically weak and less capable of governing themselves.
The point of public education is to make citizens capable together of living together in a diverse community. If all you've gotten is white-washed history and that everybody was a good guy and don't talk about stuff that makes some people uncomfortable, then the minute you graduate and walk into a community where there are people with different views, and where there are bad things that have persisted since the beginning our country that have gone acknowledged, when you walk into the real world outside of the classroom, you are less capable of participating in democracy.
That kind of forced indoctrination is more befitting China than America. It's more befitting a country that wants top-down indoctrination of correct thought other than viewpoint diversity.
I've heard you talk about the difference between optimism and hope. Why do you choose hope over optimism ?
Optimism is a spectator's posture. I'm optimistic that the Yankees are going to pull out of this funk and win the World Series. But I have nothing to do with whether that comes to pass. I'm just watching. Hope implies agency. Hope says I have something to do with the outcome.
I have hope that American democracy is going to pull out of this funk, and it becomes stronger and more adaptive for all. Why do I have that hope? Because I literally spend every waking moment working on that with people in every part of the country who are not famous or who might not have a million followers but are doing the work of holding a community together.
When you look back on the Jan. 6 insurrection and all the recent headlines, have you ever lost hope?
I have not lost hope, ever.
Really? Not even for a day?
Not even for a day. Are there days where I'm tired? Yes. Are there days where I wonder if what I'm doing is enough? You bet. But that's a long distance from losing hope.
Once you get started working with other people — yes, vote, read the news, pay attention —but the most important thing you can do is join a club. Join a group, and build that muscle of being in association with other people.
And once you get involved with other people in trying to make something happen for some common purpose — it could be a civic purpose, it could be a hobby like building a book club — you realize how hard it is to kill hope.
Hope dies fastest when you are alone, when you are isolated and cut off from other people. But hope is a hard thing to kill when you are not alone.
How much of your activism is shaped by being the child of immigrants? (Liu's parents were born in China and moved to the US from Taiwan).
Almost everything I do civically is shaped by the fact that I am the child of immigrants. When you're second-generation American, it's very vivid seeing how much most Americans take for granted. When you're one generation removed from not having any of the rights and privileges of Americans, you realize how fragile and precious these things are.
And by these things, I mean our Constitution, but I also mean a culture in which we create constant remixes and churn out new hybrids of music, food and song and bloodline — everything that happens here that doesn't happen in other places.
Americans who were born here stop thinking about that. It's just the water you swim in. Being the child of immigrants, I can see through my parents' eyes how much they had to give up, risk and sacrifice to come here and how precious things here are that made that sacrifice worth it. I have an urgent obligation to be a part of the solution to help this country deliver on its promises.
The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2022 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved. | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/you-are-more-powerful-than-you-think-why-one-man-says-its-too-soon-to/article_768f5451-4568-5a24-a963-864aa535fb05.html | 2022-08-28T10:45:36Z | local3news.com | control | https://www.local3news.com/regional-national/you-are-more-powerful-than-you-think-why-one-man-says-its-too-soon-to/article_768f5451-4568-5a24-a963-864aa535fb05.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DELMARVA FORECAST
Sunday: Areas of fog early, then partly to mostly sunny. A few showers or thunderstorms could pop up in the afternoon. Highs in the mid 80s. Chance of rain 30 percent.
Monday: Mostly sunny and unseasonably warm. A low chance of a pop-up afternoon thunderstorm. Highs near 90°F
Tuesday: Mostly sunny and hot. Chance of a pop up shower or thunderstorm in the afternoon. Highs in the low to mid 90s. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny and hot. Chance of a pop up shower or thunderstorm in the afternoon. Highs in the low to mid 90s. Chance of rain 20 percent.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. Highs in the mid to upper 80s.
Friday: Mostly sunny and more comfortable. Not as humid. Highs in the mid 80s.
Saturday: Continued mostly sunny and comfortable. Highs in the mdi to upper 80s.
FORECAST DISCUSSION
Normal high: 84°F. Normal low: 65°F.
Sunday will start off with areas of locally dense fog, especially in places that saw rain on Saturday afternoon. The fog will burn off by mid morning, and skies will be partly cloudy. Some showers or thunderstorms may pop-up in the afternoon, triggered by seabreeze and gust fronts, but we're not expecting as many storms as we saw Saturday afternoon. Like Saturday, any storms will likely be slow moving and feature heavy downpours. Temperatures will be close to seasonable, in the mid to upper 80s.
High pressure and unseasonably warm temperatures remain in charge on Monday, with mostly sunny skies and temperatures rising into the upper 80s. With the heat and humidity of the afternoon, a stray pop-up shower or thunderstorm is possible.
A weak cold front will approach on Tuesday. Ahead of this front, expect a return of hot, humid air, as temperatures again rise into the low to mid 90s both Tuesday and Wednesday. The front is expected to sort of wash out over the Mid-Atlantic, so it will struggle to fire up any showers or thunderstorms, but the low chance remains, with any storms featuring gusty downpours.
In the wake of that front, more comfortable and less humid air is expected as we welcome in the month of September.
In the tropics, there are four areas of interest.
In the Central Atlantic, a tropical wave has a medium chance of becoming an organized tropical system as it moves in an area of favorable dynamics for development. If it becomes a named storm, its name would be "Danielle."
Three other areas, one in the Caribbean, one several hundred miles east of Bermuda, and one off the west coast of Africa all have low chances of development. None pose a direct threat to Delmarva at this time. | https://www.wboc.com/weather/morning-fog-then-stray-p-m-storms/article_9a0f51e4-26b5-11ed-8505-6b9b3995e0e8.html | 2022-08-28T10:48:27Z | wboc.com | control | https://www.wboc.com/weather/morning-fog-then-stray-p-m-storms/article_9a0f51e4-26b5-11ed-8505-6b9b3995e0e8.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Capturing the behind-the-scenes sports action
After 15 years, Storied Rivals going strong and still growing
ZANESVILLE — Storied Rivals Sports Media is part of the fabric of the regional sports landscape.
What started as an idea for owner Aaron Spragg, a former sportscaster and play-by-play talent, morphed into a concept that was novel in its time in 2008.
Now in its 15th year, the Zanesville-based business has moved beyond the team highlight films and recruiting videos that have made them a mainstay.
They're much more now, a true story of evolution. In addition to their base work of team and event videos, the business is deep into the team apparel industry. It will soon add creative marketing to its portfolio under the name CrowdBounce Creative Media & Marketing.
The latter is a product of one of the largest social media outreaches in Ohio — they have almost 26,000 followers on Twitter, more than 22,000 on Instagram and 29,000 on Facebook.
That has taken plenty of long nights on the road traveling to and from high school events interacting with coaches, players and fans, along with countless hours spent in editing bays producing films.
They currently cover 25 football teams and 40 schools total across all platforms. Its reach is from Dayton to Columbus to Akron, but the biggest draw remains in the Muskingum Valley. They also work for Buckeye Trail and Meadowbrook in Guernsey County and Ridgewood in Coshocton County, in addition to four schools in Licking County and 10 in greater Columbus. Garaway, which plays in the Inter-Valley Conference with Ridgewood, is also a member school.
That took years and the trust of coaches and administrators that allow rare behind-the-scenes access to build. He called the businesses' popularity a product of good old-fashioned word-of-mouth advertising.
"When you publish as many videos as we do, and I’d like to think it's because of the way they stand out, that people want to know ‘who made this?’ Word gets out that these guys are for hire and we want these guys around, and that’s just how it happens. You do something for 15 years, your hope is that it grows organically."
A 1999 John Glenn grad who obtained a journalism degree from Muskingum University in 2003, Spragg's background as an on-air talent and broadcaster provided him opportunities to build relationships with coaches and athletic directors from area high schools.
It only grew over time, and the business has tried to give back as much as possible.
During 2020, when COVID-19 limited crowds to 20 percent capacity at high school games, he wrote checks totaling $50,000 to schools that used his pay-per-view services that season. Spragg wanted to help them make up for the thousands lost in revenue from ticket sales. His apparel chain, created as an alternative revenue stream for the company, also serves as team fundraisers for the schools he covers.
That was a challenging year, he said, one he wouldn't have survived if not for federal PPP loans and 25 schools requesting his company to film their graduation proceedings that were not open to the public.
"It was our best six weeks (financially) ever," Spragg said. "Had it not been for that, I don't know what would have happened."
John Glenn was his first client and remains one today. So does Zanesville, who followed his alma mater, after he served as the play-by-play voice for basketball program for much of his time at WHIZ.
"Luckily we've retained our clients because we're good at what we do, it becomes part of their program," Spragg said. "But when people reach out we try to cover them, and that's how we end up covering teams so far away."
John Glenn athletic director Michael Dunlap said many of his teams use Spragg's company for videos and apparel as a local source, adding both of his products are of high quality.
Their social media outreach only helps extend their teams' successes to a wider audience.
"They are willing to work on very tight time constraints, such as T-shirts for a tournament run, league championships and other things that the turnaround might only be a few days," Dunlap said. "They offer sales through a digital platform that makes things very easy from a school standpoint."
Meeting demands of teams wanting coverage and needing apparel on the fly are among the many challenges Spragg's contingent faces daily.
The logistical challenges of running a media operation, with shooters heading in all directions of the state and working in two offices, is always an unwanted stressor. So is staying up with technology and updating equipment, such as cameras and computers.
It's also part of the gig, one with which Spragg has long been familiar.
"Without the staff we have this wouldn't exist," Spragg said. "I've told our staff that. The goal is we want to create a company that can create and enjoy their jobs professionally, but still provide financially for them. The goal isn't to make a media wage, it's to make a living wage. It's very important for me that we do that.
"Right now our entire staff sacrifices because there are times when we have to in order to get things done," he added. "But I think they see what we are building."
That includes developing talent.
Spragg lamented the current college climate within electronic media and multimedia journalism programs, which he said have ill-prepared its students on operating cameras and how to capture video.
That has led to him working closely with new employees who gain on-the-job experience to capture the intimate moments and highlights that schools have come to expect.
The company's alumni base includes Ryan Wise, who left to become the director of football creative video at the University of Michigan. Another is employed by NFL Media, and yet another at Campbellsville University.
"That validates what we are doing," Spragg said.
After spending much of his early years trying to be a one-man wrecking crew in terms of shooting, editing and handling the business aspects of the company on a part-time basis, he jumped into the business as a full-time endeavor in 2013.
He now delegates much of the workload to trusted lieutenant Sean Fisher and others on the production team, including those who are also approaching a decade of tenure. Fisher has already been with the company for 10 years.
In that time the business has expanded into an office in Grandview Heights, in addition to its original facility in Newton Township, to better serve its schools in the Columbus area and Western Ohio.
Spragg still shoots on a regular basis, but he's now focused on the business aspect of the operation. That includes finding corporate sponsors and expanding the team apparel operation. He will soon be venturing into creative marketing.
It's all in an effort to not make the same mistake others have done in the past — lean too heavily on advertising revenue to stay profitable.
His ultimate goal is to build a company that is stable and profitable enough to pay its employees more than a living wage.
It's gotten better over time, but he admitted that it is still a work in progress.
He has made it gospel that his employees shoot only events that generate revenue. He doesn't want them devoting time and energy to endeavors that don't help the businesses financially.
That wasn't always the case, especially in the early years.
"I enjoy the business side of it," Spragg said. "As stressful as it is, I enjoy the idea of making something successful and figuring it out. Even at 15 years in it's still start-up mode and bootstraps."
sblackbu@gannett.com; Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/2022/08/28/capturing-the-behind-the-scenes-sports-action/65419270007/ | 2022-08-28T11:24:05Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/2022/08/28/capturing-the-behind-the-scenes-sports-action/65419270007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Local News Briefs
Event Sunday at Dillon State Park
ZANESVILLE − A scavenger hunt will be all day Sunday at Dillon State Park. The roaming naturalist will be available to answer questions and point out cool things in the park from noon to 4 p.m. Admission, parking and programs are fee.
ODOT continues I-70 project
ZANESVILLE − The Ohio Department of Transportation continues work on the full depth reconstruction of Interstate 70 through Downtown Zanesville.
State Street is expected to reopen by Sept. 9. Linden Avenue will be closed under I70 from 7 p.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 29 to 30 to set beams on the bridge.
Shannon Road closing for work
ZANESVILLE − The Muskingum County Engineer's Office has announced that Shannon Road will be closed for 14 days starting Monday for a bridge replacement from Shannon Valley Road to Baker Road. Motorists should plan alternate routes.
Shawnee celebrates anniversary
SHAWNEE − Shawnee will celebrate its 150th anniversary on Sept. 3 Breakfast will be at 8 a.m. at the Shawnee United Methodist Church and lunch is at 11 a.m. at the Masonic Lodge. The parade is at noon and Shawnee alumni can visit from 4 to 7 p.m. at the lodge.
There will also be food trucks, vendors, activities and tours throughout the day. Contact Mayor Bev Travato at 740-856-8253 or Deb Hutmire at 740-621-6765 for more information.
Car show planned
GLENFORD − The Perry County Chamber of Commerce will have a car show at 1 p.m. Sept. 25 at Vinberige Vineyards, 5400 Ohio 204, Glenford. Registration is at noon.
Music will be by DJ Daniel Custer. There will be dash plaques, trophies with prizes, 50/50 drawing, food trucks and the winery will be open. Entry fee for the car show is $25. The rain date is Oct. 2. Free admission.
Community Walk to be held in New Lex
NEW LEXINGTON − The Never Walk Alone Community Walk will take place from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. today, at the Jim Rockwell Stadium, 101 Third Ave., New Lexington. Logan Ratliff will be the DJ and guest speakers include Jack Shuler, Whitney Seyerle King, Jim Fain and Stephanie Lancaster. Food truck will be available, as well as face painting and raffle items. | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/local/2022/08/28/local-news-briefs/65420410007/ | 2022-08-28T11:24:11Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/news/local/2022/08/28/local-news-briefs/65420410007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Roundup: Sheridan harriers rule at Pick North
PICKERINGTON — Tate Ruthers and John Skinner posted top 10 finishes to pace Sheridan to a win at the Pickerington North Invitational on Saturday.
Ruthers placed fourth in 17:17.5 and Skinner sixth in 17:22.8, while Simon Conrad took 14th (17:44.3) and Raine Rodich 18th (17:52.9) as the Generals totaled 72 points. Isaiah Brown checked in at 33rd (18:22.6), as Sheridan's total was 29 points better than runner-up Pickerington Central (101).
Kody Clendenning was eighth in 17:28.4 to pace John Glenn, which was eighth (238). Braylon Buchanan placed 12th (17:42.1), Caiden Lake 37th (18:36.9) and Ian Davis 50th (19:00.1).
Tri-Valley was 28th behind Dalton Crozier's 13th-place showing (17:43), while William Dearing came in 108th (20:15) and Ben Kennedy 201st (22:47).
The Sheridan girls placed third (137) and John Glenn sixth (174), as Nora Covey paced the Generals in 14th (21:27). Addi Smith came in 24th (22:00), Jenna Stewart 28th (22:08), Grace Householder 38th (22:36) and Reese Thieken 66th (23:42) for Sheridan.
Brea Wilfong was 11th (21:18.1), Grace Lawrenche 36th (22:28.0), Mckenzie Welch 53rd (23:23.1) and Alivia Lake 54th (23:24.7) for John Glenn. Waverly Yurco was 62nd (23:37).
Tri-Valley's Taylor Crozier was third (20:37.1) and Braylie Burkey 59th (23:33.3); Kelcie Hopper was 146th (27:13.2) and Lizzie Mjolhus 159th (27:36).
In the middle school race, Erin Hogue was fifth (13.43) to lead the girls, and Alex Hogue was 17th (12.05) and Colten Rollison 27th (12.30) for the boys.
Pinkerton leads Morgan at Marietta Invite: Raider senior Emily Pinkerton placed ninth (21:55) in the girls race to highlight the Morgan harriers' efforts at the Elizabeth S. Broughton Memorial Invitational.
The Morgan boys were eighth, as Cody Young came in 27th (19:05), Trayton Nelson 38th (19:59) and John Kirkbride 39th (20:10).
West Muskingum also had runners competing. Jacob Agin took 18th (18:38) in the boys race and Sydney Bollinger was 54th (29:40) and Madison Rockwell 66th (39:07).
Philo, Zanesville compete at Claymont Invite: Philo junior Jenna Lytton came in 34th in 25:49 in the Big School girls race to highlight area competitors.
Zanesville's Alyssa Foley placed 37th (26:07) and Emma Hurd 65th (30:21), and Philo's Kassydi Harris came in 61st (29:34) and Emma Swope 63rd (29:41) to highlight other area girls.
The Zanesville boys were led by Cameron Dunn in the Big School boys race, placing 44th (21:41), and Julian Boylan paced Philo by finishing 63rd (23:31).
Shirkey leads New Lex: Jaylyn Shirkey finished 59th of 145 runners to pace the Panthers at the Newark Catholic Invitational in Granville.
Shirkey finished in 24:31.5 and was the only Panther in competition.
In the boys race, Zander Miller clocked at 19:54.6 to place 89th of 158 runners. Eli McCord was 142nd (22:58).
Boys Soccer
Tri-Valley 18, West Holmes 0: Gage Hindel knocked in four goals and Gael Oseguera, Sam Schott, Dominic Dale and Bastola added two goals apiece in the Scotties' rout of the Knights.
Arpen Parekh, Elijah Felumlee, Oliver Baker, Ty Young and Layton Holdsworth also added goals in the win.
Liberty Union 2, New Lexington 0: The Lions scored in each half to top the Panthers.
No other information was reported.
Madison Christian 2, Rosecrans 1: The Eagles scored a second-half goal to top the Bishops.
Connor Olney accounted for Rosecrans' only goal, and Steven Porter made nine saves in the loss.
Maysville 4, Cadiz Harrison Central 1: The Panthers sent the Huskies home with a loss in a nonleague match at the Maysville Athletic Complex.
No details were reported.
Girls Soccer
John Glenn 1, Jonathan Alder 0: Becca Spohn broke up a scoreless tie in the second half, as her game-winning goal, from an assist by Bella Eubanks off a corner kick, came with 17:27 left in the match.
Faith Lemon stopped all four Alder shots she faced to earn the shutout for the Muskies (2-2-2), while JA (1-1) goalkeeper Sophie Schaefer made five saves.
Ridgewood 5, Morgan 1: The Generals downed the Raiders to earn their first win of the season.
Volleyball
West M fourth at Tornado Invite: The Tornadoes fell 26-24, 13-25, 15-25 to Logan in the third-place match of their own invite.
West M beat Utica 25-22, 16-25, 26-24 to earn its first win of the season and fell 25-21, 16-25, 16-25 to Northridge in pool play.
West Muskingum also lost to New Lex in three sets on Thursday. Leading the Tornadoes were Ayla Tilton with eight digs, Olivia Drabik 11 assists, Taylor Spung seven kills and Rebecca Strunk six points and two aces.
Maysville swept in tri-match: The Panthers (2-4) fell 25-14, 25-12 to Licking Valley and 25-7, 25-20 to Ridgewood.
Olivia McPeek had 13 assists and 12 digs, Rachel Jarvis added six kills and five digs, Bekah Scott made seven digs and Sailor Atkins hit three kills for Maysville against Ridgewood, while McPeek totaled 10 assists and seven digs, Jarvis nine digs and five kills and Scott 10 digs in the loss to Licking Valley.
Tri-Valley 25, 25, 25, Millersburg West Holmes 17, 19, 23: Eva Dittmar and Lexi Howe combined for 29 kills in the host Scotties' nonleague win against the Knights in Dresden.
Dittmar had 17 kills to lead all players, while Howe had 12 with a team-high 12 digs and Ingrid Dittmar 28 assists. Dittmar also totaled four blocks and Sami Cameron added three.
Ana Scheurman and Caity Journey had nine kills and seven kills, respectively.
Miller 25, 25, 18, 25, Crooksville 23, 17, 25, 19: The Falcons topped the host Ceramics, but no other information was available. | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/08/28/roundup-sheridan-harriers-rule-at-pickerington-north/65457273007/ | 2022-08-28T11:24:17Z | zanesvilletimesrecorder.com | control | https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/08/28/roundup-sheridan-harriers-rule-at-pickerington-north/65457273007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
When the 67th Wyoming Legislature convenes in January, more than one-third of the House of Representatives will be brand new. The Senate will have five new members, two of whom came from the House.
But the degree to which the new faces bring an ideological shift remains to be seen — in part because of contested House races in the November general election.
Challengers who ran anti-RINO — Republican in name only — campaigns defeated seven incumbents last week in the Republican primary.
Among the fallen incumbents is former Senate President Drew Perkins (R-Casper). Most high-profile legislative targets of the party’s right wing survived, however. Rep. Albert Sommers (R-Pinedale) and Sen. Ogden Driskill (R-Devils Tower), both of whom serve in leadership roles, retained their seats.
With Democrats absent from 10 of 16 Senate contests and 43 of 62 House races, the Republican primary determined much of the Legislature’s make-up. Several Libertarian candidates are expected to appear on ballots in November, and independent candidates have until Aug. 29 to file — both factors could influence the body’s make-up. Meantime, other critical races will come down to a more traditional contest between a Republican and a Democrat.
Three members of the House Freedom Caucus — a coalition formed in 2020 to challenge what it described as moderate GOP legislative leadership — gambled their House seats for a shot at the Senate. Only one was successful.
Rep. Dan Laursen (R-Powell) beat incumbent Sen. R.J. Kost (R-Powell) and Kost’s predecessor, Ray Peterson, for Senate District 19.
Reps. Bob Wharff (R-Evanston) and Bill Fortner (R-Gillette), meanwhile, fell short. Wharff failed to oust Sen. Wendy Schuler (R-Powell) from Senate District 15. Fortner was unable to dislodge Senate Majority Floor Leader Ogden Driskill from District 1.
About one-third of Wharff’s fundraising came from Dan and Carleen Brophy. The wealthy Jackson couple have developed a reputation for funding anti-establishment candidates in Wyoming. So far this cycle, the pair has spent more than $152,000, mostly on legislative candidates.
Out of 51 Brophy-backed legislative candidates, 21 lost their races, including incumbent Sen. Tom James (R-Green River) and Roger Connett, former chair of the Crook County GOP Party. Connett joined Fortner in challenging Driskill, who won the three-way race with about 40% of the vote.
The Brophys did not respond to WyoFile requests for comment.
As majority floor leader, Driskill is in line to be Senate president. The anonymous website wyorino.com labeled Driskill the June, 2022 “RINO of the month.”
Speaker of the House Eric Barlow (R-Gillette) was the only other state representative to win a seat in the upper chamber. Senate District 23 was an open seat after Sen. Jeff Wasserburger (R-Gillette) — July’s “RINO of the Month” — did not seek re-election. Barlow won handily against a write-in campaign by Patricia Junek.
The biggest upset in the Senate came in District 29. Challenger Bob Ide unseated Sen. Drew Perkins (R-Casper) by 302 votes. The race was the costliest legislative contest in the state’s history with about $115,000 in contributions between the two candidates, according to campaign finance reports.
Perkins has served in the Senate since 2007, including as president of the body from 2019-2020 and more recently as co-chair of the powerful Joint Appropriations Committee. During his long tenure, he played a key role in crafting important legislation, said Sen. Cale Case (R-Lander).
“That’s where Perkins was a star,” Case said. “He was always a builder. He could understand where legislation had to go, and the nuances.”
Case is less confident in Ide, who has not held public office before. Ide challenged Perkins before, in 2014, but lost that race by about 300 votes. Videos and photographs show Ide — who ran on a pro-freedom, small-government platform — in Washington D.C. on Jan. 6, 2021, and close to the Capitol during the insurrection. Ide did not respond to WyoFile’s request for comment.
Case, a 29-year veteran of the Wyoming Legislature, fended off his own primary election challenger, retired Colorado law enforcement officer Shawn Olmstead, with about 55% of the vote. Olmstead had the financial backing of the Brophys and was among the candidates invited to the all-day Save Wyoming rally in July.
The Fremont County GOP censured Case earlier this year for supporting Medicaid expansion, among other things.
“I stand tall, and the people in my district are going to decide whether I need to be thrown out or not,” Case said at the time. He won by about 480 votes.
Despite his victory, Case is concerned about the quality of legislation that will come out of this new Senate, he said. He’s also uncertain the body will get much done.
“I guarantee it’s harder. It’s harder when it’s this polarized,” Case said.
Concerns over quality and effectiveness have bubbled in recent years, especially as the success rate of committee bills has declined. In 2022, only 59% of introduced committee bills survived to become law — a 23-year low, according to the Legislative Service Office.
House incumbents who lost to anti-RINO challengers were concentrated in central Wyoming. Reps. Aaron Clausen (R-Douglas), Joe MacGuire (R-Casper) and Pat Sweeney (R-Casper) all lost their races for reelection, as did Reps. JD Williams (R-Lusk) and Shelly Duncan (R-Lingle).
Two open House seats in northeast Wyoming also went to candidates expected to bolster the ranks of the Freedom Caucus — Abby Angelos and Ken Pendergraft.
A whistleblowers’ list obtained by WyoFile identified Pendergraft as a member of the far-right anti-government Oath Keepers group.
Angelos campaigned closely with Rep. John Bear (R-Gillette), a vocal member of the House Freedom Caucus, who ran unopposed this year. Bear did not respond to WyoFile’s request for comment.
Meanwhile, Reps. Sandy Newsome (R-Cody), Landon Brown (R-Cheyenne), Bob Nicholas (R-Cheyenne), John Eklund (R-Cheyenne) and Steve Harshman (R-Casper) all fended off Brophy-backed challengers.
Notably, so did Rep. Albert Sommers, who defeated Mike Schmid. As House majority floor leader, Sommers would traditionally be expected to become speaker of the house. But given some of the losses by moderates, that may not be a slam dunk, according to Rep. Dan Zwonitzer (R-Cheyenne).
“I think it’ll be probably the closest leadership votes we’ve ever had in my 20 years,” said Zwonitzer, who also fended off primary challengers after his party targeted him during the last session. His father and former lawmaker, Dave Zwonitzer, also won his primary bid for House District 8, which redistricting left open.
While the House Freedom Caucus did not come out of the primary with a resounding sweep, Zwonitzer said, the group appears to have gained at least two more seats. The caucus does not disclose its membership, but Zwonitzer and others estimate its members occupy 20 seats, nearly a third of the 62-member House. Should it pick up more seats in the general election, Zwonitzer said, the bloc could wield significant power, especially during budget sessions, like 2024, when bills require a two-thirds majority vote for introduction.
Because the Freedom Caucus operates behind the scenes, Zwonitzer said it is difficult to suss out aligned candidates. Plus, candidates that run anti-RINO campaigns sometimes come to different realizations in Cheyenne, Zwonitzer said.
“When they really get to see what we’re like and [that] it’s not super, liberal RINO-ville, and that things are pretty conservative here … a number of new legislators realize that it’s not as bad as it was made out to be believed every term,” Zwonitzer said.
A handful of general-election contests will determine the final composition of the 67th Wyoming Legislature and with it the balance of power between traditional establishment Wyoming Republicans and the anti-establishment new wave.
In Albany County, Rep. Trey Sherwood (D-Laramie) will face Republican Bryan Shuster for House District 14. Recently considered one of the safest Democratic seats in the Legislature, HD 14 has been redistricted to include the small town of Rock River, making it more competitive.
Former Democratic lawmaker Sara Burlingame is running for her old seat, House District 44, in Cheyenne against Republican Tamara Trujillo. Trujillo defeated Burlingame’s successor John Romero-Martinez in the primary. Legislative leadership had investigated Romero-Martinez for making death threats against Burlingame and Rep. Andi LeBeau (D-Riverton).
LeBeau, whose district encompasses the Wind River Indian Reservation, will face Sarah Penn, who beat two other Republicans in the primary.
The Senate was already further to the right than the House, according to Rep. Mike Yin (D-Jackson).
“And they’ve gotten even more further to the right than they were before. So I think there’s a higher risk in the Senate than there is in the House for crazy power dynamics,” Yin said.
Despite what he sees as a shift to the right, Yin said he thinks there are still plenty of Republican lawmakers that have “shared goals” with Democrats, such as education, keeping young people in Wyoming and lowering healthcare costs.
“What that looks like moving forward I think is going to involve a long discussion with a lot of people and will depend for sure on how these general elections turnout,” Yin said.
The general election is Nov. 8. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/balance-of-political-power-on-the-line/article_4630975e-248f-11ed-bb5d-93f9b516a65e.html | 2022-08-28T11:30:33Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/balance-of-political-power-on-the-line/article_4630975e-248f-11ed-bb5d-93f9b516a65e.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
State lawmakers spent Friday morning searching for ways to provide more affordable housing to Wyoming residents, including solutions such as a state housing trust fund and land banking.
Discussions were led by members of the Wyoming Legislature’s Joint Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions Committee, state agencies and local nonprofits invested in breaking down barriers to housing development. It falls in line with the committee’s second-highest priority to address the lack of workforce housing, which they have studied throughout the interim.
“Because of housing, we can’t keep teachers, snowplow drivers, or doctors and nurses,” said Rep. Jim Roscoe, I-Wilson.
Despite stakeholders showing support for a state housing trust fund, legislators decided only to take action on land banking. There were concerns expressed that the state housing trust fund would be unconstitutional because legislative appropriations for charitable or industrial purposes are not allowed unless the recipient is under control of the state.
“Section 6 prohibits the state and its political subdivisions from loaning or giving credit to guarantee private obligations, and also prohibits these actors from making donations to private individuals or entities except for the necessary support of the poor,” said Legislative Service Office staff attorney Anna Johnson.
A state housing trust fund could be possible, but not by following the original recommendation based on Iowa’s model, which legislative staff attorneys said could be problematic because of the difference in how Wyoming’s trust funds are laid out. Wyoming is one of just three states in the nation without a housing trust fund.
Other housing programs in Wyoming already exist, but legislators hoped to find additional ways to manage the pressure on the market.
The Wyoming Business Ready Community Program doesn’t specifically address workforce housing, but Johnson outlined in a memo how it would be a helpful framework for a program, since it provides loans for infrastructure, economic or educational development projects.
There is the Wyoming Workforce Housing Infrastructure Program, which provides loans for the creation of workforce housing subdivisions or developments. However, the infrastructure must be publicly owned, and doesn’t include the building of actual houses in order to follow state statute.
The Wyoming Community Development Authority was also created for many of the same reasons as the infrastructure program, and provides low-interest mortgage loans and financial education. Opportunities are available for down payment assistance, but it is still a loan.
Land banking
Advocates for a direct approach to solving the affordable housing crisis pushed for land banking. The banks are state-enabled public entities with unique governmental powers “that are solely focused on converting problem properties into productive use according to local community goals.”
“It’s a device, in part, where a municipality can clean up that kind of problem and eventually wind up with a property that is sellable,” said Sen. Charles Scott, R-Casper.
Brenda Birkle, executive director of the local nonprofit My Front Door and chair of Cheyenne’s Affordable Housing Taskforce, made her case for the land bank. She played an instrumental role along with Dan Dorsch, special coordinator for Habitat for Humanity of Laramie County, in identifying tools the Legislature could consider.
In her presentation to the committee, she described the land bank as having special powers, “including the ability to hold land tax-free, clear title, negotiate sales, convey property for other-than-monetary consideration and lease for interim uses.”
It acquires property through the expedited tax foreclosure process, lending institutions and the Department of Housing and Urban Development transferring low-value properties to the land bank, as well as private individuals and probate estates not wanting the burden of owning a property and giving it away. This, in return, can address community blights, increase the number of low- to moderate-income units, increase area property values and provide economic growth.
“Land banks are most commonly established in localities with relatively low or declining housing costs and a sizable inventory of tax-delinquent properties that the community wants to repurpose to support community goals,” according to Local Housing Solutions. “In high-cost localities, however, where there are few tax delinquent properties, land banks can serve as a vehicle for holding land purchased strategically for future affordable housing development.”
Based on the presentation and support from nonprofits, legislators passed a motion for the legislative staff to draft a bill based on Nebraska’s statutes. It would not require an appropriation from the Legislature, but rather develop legislation that enables local entities to develop interagency agreements to establish the land bank.
Housing trust fund
Although the housing trust fund that would have fallen under the Wyoming Community Development Authority’s responsibility was not supported by the majority of the committee, it did take up a significant portion of the discussion.
Sen. Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne, was a supporter of the housing trust fund, even with the work required make it constitutional. She was unsure whether the bill would move forward, but she encouraged efforts to be made, nonetheless.
“I do think, in light of it being one of our priority topics that this committee has chosen to take up, and hearing the overwhelming testimony from May, which I know we have all forgotten that there is an attainable housing concern – then at least we will have something tangible to work on at some meeting,” she told her fellow Corporations Committee members. “And, unfortunately, it will be our last.”
The wariness among legislators to draft the bill started hours before her call to draft the bill, and not just regarding the legal barriers.
According to the Housing Trust Fund Project, they are distinct funds established by governments that receive ongoing sources of public funding to support the preservation of affordable housing.
“Housing trust funds systemically shift affordable housing funding from annual budget allocations to the commitment of dedicated public revenue,” the advocacy organization wrote. “While housing trust funds can also be a repository for private donations, they are not public/private partnerships, nor are they endowed funds operating from interest and other earnings.”
Birkle said money from a statewide trust fund could go into local housing trust funds to create local control, and millions could be used to address housing issues. She said it could be used as gap funding for projects, to acquire and redevelop properties or land, to teach financial literacy and housing counseling, or for down payment assistance for homebuyers that are of low to moderate income.
“The good news is it’s customizable,” she told the Wyoming Tribune Eagle days before she went before the committee.
In order to implement it in Wyoming, it could be placed under the authority of agencies such as the WCDA and the Wyoming Business Council.
However, the WBC didn’t want to take on the housing affordability tool, and leadership argued its focus should be in expanding the workforce.
“The Business Council’s job is to create a housing problem. And I say that, in all seriousness, and I don’t mean to be flippant about it, but it is actually our job to create an environment where businesses can thrive, where businesses can grow,” WBC CEO Josh Dorrell testified Friday. “Housing is one component of it, but, ultimately, it’s our job to create the pressure. That creates a housing problem. And if we stay focused on that, we can create enough pressure, we can create enough of a housing problem, that will make us attractive to developers.”
Dorrell was supported by staff from Gov. Mark Gordon’s office, who argued the agency should stay in line with its duties and not take on the housing trust fund. Policy advisor Ivy McGowan-Castleberry said the governor expressed that he feels very strongly that the Business Council has a mission, that they need to work on activating new economic opportunities, and that the framework and expertise for a housing trust fund don’t currently exist.
Some lawmakers questioned whether companies would be deterred from moving into the state if there wasn’t housing, or why the private sector was having difficulty developing enough properties. Sen. Cale Case, R-Lander, stepped in to defend the private sector, and said his colleagues were forgetting how well it worked.
“I don’t think we should be so short and frustrated with what the private sector has accomplished and say, ‘Well, it’s not working right now, let’s create a program,’” he said. “I think there’s complementariness that we can pursue.”
Lawmakers will continue to try to find that balance at the next Corporations Committee Oct. 13-14. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/lawmakers-search-for-housing-solutions/article_f661de3e-263e-11ed-a5aa-f3b9120adf2a.html | 2022-08-28T11:30:46Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/laramieboomerang/news/lawmakers-search-for-housing-solutions/article_f661de3e-263e-11ed-a5aa-f3b9120adf2a.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A federal judge in Montana issued two separate decisions this month that threaten the future of federal coal leasing in the Powder River Basin – where mining was already expected to continue a precipitous decline.
U.S. District Judge Brian Morris ordered the Bureau of Land Management to revise two resource management plans to more fully analyze the climate and human health implications of leasing federal coal, oil and natural gas in the Powder River Basin in Wyoming and Montana.
The RMP revisions, administered by BLM field offices in Buffalo and in Miles City, Montana, are due by Aug. 3, 2023, according to the order.
The same federal judge, a President Barack Obama appointee, also issued a summary judgment this month to reinstate an Obama-era leasing moratorium for all federal coal reserves in the U.S. until the BLM revamps the program to make climate and public health among priority considerations in leasing decisions.
Taking into account coal’s contribution to planet-warming CO2 emissions, as well as its toll on public health, the decisions could curtail new coal leases or significantly cut back on the volume of coal offered for development in the Powder River Basin, according to a coalition of conservation groups.
“This is a significant victory for our climate and the communities across the country who are impacted by our continued reliance on this dirty and dangerous fuel,” Earthjustice attorney Jenny Harbine said via a press release.
Wyoming intervened on behalf of the BLM in both cases. Gov. Mark Gordon criticized the moratorium ruling as “wrong-headed” and a “step backwards that doesn’t protect the environment and ensures consumers will pay more for energy.
“This decision is bad for Wyoming,” Gordon continued in a press statement. “It hurts our country’s ability to provide reliable, low-cost energy to Americans and hinders the abilities of companies to plan and invest in new technologies like carbon capture and utilization.”
The National Mining Association and other coal backers have promised to challenge the rulings.
A federal court ruling in 2018 instructed the BLM to include an analysis of climate implications when considering whether to lease more coal in the PRB. Judge Morris agreed the agency’s revision in response to the 2018 ruling gave only a cursory look and didn’t consider climate impacts as a reason to not lease. This month, Morris more explicitly ordered the BLM to consider a “no leasing” alternative.
The BLM must “consider no coal leasing and limited coal leasing alternatives and […] disclose the public health impacts, both climate and non-climate, of burning fossil fuels from the planning areas,” Morris wrote. “Coal mining represents a potentially allowable use of public lands, but BLM is not required to lease public lands.”
“That a federal judge ordered the [BLM] to consider a no-leasing alternative and disclose to the public how many people will be sickened and die as a result of the combustion of federal coal is groundbreaking,” Western Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Melissa Hornbein said in a press release. “The courts recognize the seriousness of the climate crisis and the impacts of fossil-fuel pollution. The BLM must now do likewise.”
The separate ruling that reinstates the coal-leasing moratorium adds another layer of assurance for a full analysis of climate and human health implications, according to Western Organization of Resource Councils and other groups, as well as an opportunity to update federal royalty rates and reclamation requirements.
Now, conservation groups want to press the federal government even further. Some want the Biden administration to “phase out” or buy back existing coal leases. “There is no room to continue producing coal in a climate emergency,” Earthjustice’s Harbine said.
“That’s troubling right there,” Wyoming Mining Association Executive Director Travis Deti said. “Every little effort to try to inhibit and stop [coal production], that’s tough and that’s troubling.”
Continued coal production and slowing the retirement of coal-fueled power plants are key to launching carbon capture and sequestration technologies, Deti said. Goals such as electrifying vehicles can’t happen without coal-based power and the opportunity to cut greenhouse gas emissions from those facilities, Deti said.
Regardless of whether the PRB coal industry continues to shrink due to the retirement of coal-burning power plants or if federal policies hasten the decline, Wyoming and its coal-reliant communities are in for an economic shock, according to some industry watchers. That’s not lost among conservationists who celebrate the potential demise of Wyoming coal.
“There isn’t a good answer or a ready replacement for Wyoming,” Sierra Club Wyoming Chapter Director Connie Wilbert told WyoFile. But, she added, “if we don’t stop emitting carbon and methane pollution, nothing else is going to matter. This is way bigger than the immediate hardship that we face here in Wyoming.”
Coal production in the Powder River Basin – the nation’s largest coal-supplying region – has declined 49% from 2008 to 2021, according to WyoFile’s analysis of U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration data. Even before Judge Morris’ rulings this month, the PRB mining industry may have already seen its last round of large federal coal leasing.
The most recent large federal coal leases sold in the basin went to Peabody Energy and Arch Coal (now Arch Resources) in 2012. Peabody paid $1.24 billion for the rights to mine 1.12 billion tons of coal to extend operations at its North Antelope Rochelle mine, according to the BLM. Arch paid more than $300 million for 222.67 million tons of federal coal for its flagship Black Thunder mine.
All told, some 2.5 billion tons of federal coal reserves were leased in the Powder River Basin under Obama prior to his administration issuing a coal leasing moratorium in 2016 to revamp the leasing program. But bad investments and shifting markets had already sent coal company finances into a nosedive, kicking off a series of coal company bankruptcies and mine layoffs in Wyoming.
Since 2016, PRB coal producers have withdrawn several federal lease applications, and some have even relinquished tracts of coal.
The basin’s second largest producer, Arch, for example, told investors last month it’s using its current cash windfall from PRB coal to close its operations in the state. The company, which has shifted its focus to mining coal in the eastern U.S. for steelmaking clients, intends to relinquish millions of tons of Powder River Basin coal already under federal lease.
Deti with the Mining Association pointed out that PRB coal producers are enjoying a surge in demand and pricing, and mine operators are in a good position – for “the short term.”
“We’ve got enough [PRB coal] leased for the next decade,” Deti said.
But that doesn’t mean the court rulings and more stringent leasing rules are inconsequential. “The issue is, when these [court rulings] come out, our utility customers see that, and they’re looking down the line and saying, ‘Well, is this even going to be an option in the future?’” Deti said. “So that’s what’s really concerning about it.”
WyoFile is an independent nonprofit news organization focused on Wyoming people, places and policy. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/from_the_wire/court-rulings-threaten-to-hasten-wyo-coal-s-demise/article_58170396-2655-11ed-9d8e-83e1e082d923.html | 2022-08-28T11:30:52Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/news/from_the_wire/court-rulings-threaten-to-hasten-wyo-coal-s-demise/article_58170396-2655-11ed-9d8e-83e1e082d923.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CHEYENNE – The Cheyenne Central girls and boys cross-country teams both won the Horizon Invitational on Saturday in Thornton, Colorado.
The Lady Indians put four athletes in the top 10 to finish with 32 points. Senior Sydney Morrell won the meet with a 5-kilometer time of 18 minutes, 22.69 seconds.
Classmates Averie Perriton and Lauren Clark placed eighth and ninth, respectively. Perriton finished in 20:36.99, while Clarke clocked in at 20:40.86. Sophomore Rian Cordell-Reiner was 10th at 20:42.79. Junior Emma Hofmeister was Central’s fifth scoring runner, taking 12th in 20:56.26.
The Central boys finished with 27 points. Juniors Bridger Brokaw and Trevor Schmidt placed second and third, respectively. Brokaw finished in 16:34.03, while Schmidt crossed the line in 16:44.96.
Senior Will Barrington was sixth (17:05.25), freshman Race Morrell took seventh (17:10.77) and Jonah Rigg captured ninth (17:17.21). Senior Toren Rohde placed 11th (17:48.27).
East girls sixth in Fort Collins
CHEYENNE – The Cheyenne East girls cross-country squad placed sixth at the John Martin Invitational on Saturday in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Ynes Ronnau led the Lady Thunderbirds by taking 21st in 21 minutes, 34 seconds. Molly Madsen was 26th (21:59).
The East boys were 11th in the team standings. Brayden Colbert and Lucas Steveson placed 47th and 49th, respectively. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/cross-country-central-sweeps-horizon-invite/article_7a70e842-2648-11ed-af51-47aaa52447d2.html | 2022-08-28T11:31:11Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/cross-country-central-sweeps-horizon-invite/article_7a70e842-2648-11ed-af51-47aaa52447d2.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK (AP) — Bob LuPone, who as an actor earned a Tony Award nomination in the original run of “A Chorus Line” and played Tony Soprano’s family physician, and also helped found and lead the influential off-Broadway theater company MCC Theater for almost 40 years, has died. He was 76.
LuPone, brother of Broadway icon Patti LuPone, died Saturday following a three-year battle with pancreatic cancer, according to Matt Ross Public Relations.
“The MCC Theater community mourns the loss of our much loved and uniquely inspiring partner, colleague and dear friend, Bob LuPone, who lived fearlessly and with great curiosity, good humor, a boundless passion for connection, and a whole lot of heart. We will miss him deeply and always,” the theater company said in a statement.
LuPone’s first professional job was in 1966, in the ensemble of the Westbury Music Fair’s production of “The Pajama Game” starring Liza Minnelli. He made his Broadway debut in the 1968 production of Noel Coward’s “Sweet Potato” and later appeared in “Minnie’s Boys,” “The Rothschilds” and “The Magic Show.”
LuPone was initially cast as Al in “A Chorus Line,” but convinced creator and director Michael Bennett to let him play Zach after the original actor left. LuPone would earn a best featured actor Tony nomination for the role.
“Deepest condolences to the Lupone family,” said Betty Buckley on Twitter.
Born in 1946 in Brooklyn, New York, LuPone graduated from The Juilliard School with a bachelor’s degree in dance in 1968.
He was teaching an acting class at New York University when one of his students was Bernie Telsey. Together they would help form Manhattan Class Company in 1986 — known today as MCC Theater.
LuPone, Telsey along with third co-artistic director Will Cantler shaped MCC into a theatrical powerhouse, producing such Broadway-bound works as “Frozen,” “Reasons to be Pretty,” “Hand to God,” “School Girls; or the African Mean Girls Play,” “The Snow Geese,” “The Other Place” and the Pulitzer Prize- winning “Wit.”
While serving as co-artistic director of MCC, LuPone also worked as an actor, appearing in “A View from the Bridge,” “True West” and “A Thousand Clowns,” all on Broadway. He was in the Chicago premiere of Sam Shepard’s “The Tooth of Crime and on TV was in “Sex and the City,” Guiding Light,” and “All My Children,” for which he received a Daytime Emmy nomination.
He played Dr. Bruce Cusamano on “The Sopranos,” teasingly nicknamed “Cooze” by neighbor mobster Tony Soprano. In one memorable episode, Tony plays a joke by bringing Cooze a sealed box and asking him to hold on to it for a while, not telling his nervous neighbor that the package is filled with sand.
He also served as director of the master’s drama program at the New School for Drama from 2005 through 2011 and served as president of the board of directors of A.R.T/ New York.
LuPone is survived by his wife, Virginia; his son, Orlando; sister, Patti; and brother, William.
___
Mark Kennedy is at http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits | https://www.wspa.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-bob-lupone-who-helped-lead-mcc-theater-has-died-at-76/ | 2022-08-28T11:31:13Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/entertainment-news/ap-entertainment/ap-bob-lupone-who-helped-lead-mcc-theater-has-died-at-76/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CHEYENNE – Cheyenne Central won both the team and individual titles at the Gillette Pentathlon on Saturday with a final team score of 171.
Junior Izzy DeLay swam a combined time of 4:36.95 to win the pentathlon event. She swam the fastest time in the 100-meter freestyle (55.16) and the 100-meter breaststroke (1:07.98), and tied for the fastest time in the 50-meter freestyle (25.30).
Emily Meares (4:58.23), Andie Prince (5:01.00), Sydney Gough (5:03.42) and Kayleigh Hood (5:09.83) all finished in the top 15 for Central, as well.
Senior Brinkley Lewis (230.80) edged out Sheridan’s Maggie Turpin (225.60) to take first place in the one-meter diving event.
Cheyenne South finished eighth overall in the team standings, picking up a total of 19 points.
Junior Paula Musslick had the team's highest placing in the pentathlon, placing 22nd with a time of 5:17.43.
Senior divers Hannah Soden (161.45) and Rhyana Barta (129.30) finished 11th and 21st in the one-meter diving.
East second at Rawlins Pentathlon
CHEYENNE – The Cheyenne East girls swimming and diving team placed second at the Rawlins Pentathlon on Saturday.
The Lady Thunderbirds finished with 153 team points. Douglas won the meet with 204.
East junior Sydni Sawyer placed second individually with a combined time of 4 minutes, 51.50 seconds. The pentathlon consisted of a 100-yard butterfly, 100 backstroke, 50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke and 100 freestyle.
Sawyer had the top time in the 100 breast (1 minute, 11.91 seconds) and 100 free (57.72). She placed second in the 100 fly and 50 free.
T-Birds' senior Shannon Bailey took sixth in 5:22.06, while freshman Nzelle Ayokosok placed eighth (5:33.00). | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/girls-swimming-central-takes-home-first-place-in-gillette-pentathlon/article_b11223b0-2658-11ed-8ba7-c725bd7087e0.html | 2022-08-28T11:31:17Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/girls-swimming-central-takes-home-first-place-in-gillette-pentathlon/article_b11223b0-2658-11ed-8ba7-c725bd7087e0.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
CHEYENNE – The Cheyenne Central volleyball team went 1-2 on the final day of the Cheyenne Invitational on Saturday.
The Lady Indians opened with a 25-23, 26-24 win over Rawlins before falling to Rock Springs (23-25, 19-25) and Kelly Walsh (15-25, 19-25).
Junior Brooklynn Sullivan notched 17 kills and 14 digs on the day. She had eight kills against Rock Springs.
Senior Madisyn Baillie added 10 kills and seven digs, while classmate Joslyn Siedenburg chipped in with eight kills and five blocks. Senior setter Sophia Thomas dished out 37 assists, while junior Aubrey Trujillo had 13 digs.
East goes 0-3 on final day of Cheyenne Invite
CHEYENNE – The Cheyenne East volleyball team closed the Cheyenne Invitational with three losses Saturday.
The Lady Thunderbirds fell to Thunder Basin (13-25, 18-25), Kelly Walsh (15-25, 16-25) and Natrona County (20-25, 25-23, 23-25).
“We didn’t walk away with any wins, but we battled and got better each game,” East coach Nicole Quigley said. “We made a lot of progress throughout the day. We walked away with some positive things to build off of from the first weekend.”
Senior Elysiana Fonseca posted 17 kills and 10 blocks on the day, while junior Janie Merritt chipped in with 32 digs and 15 kills. Junior Taliah Morris added 11 kills. Junior setter Bradie Schlabs had 43 assists, 23 digs and 10 kills, while classmate Gracin Goff dished out 35 assists to go with 10 digs. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/prep-volleyball-central-posts-1-2-record-to-close-cheyenne-invite/article_4d1be4c8-2661-11ed-8e8e-7bf94b1fd2ad.html | 2022-08-28T11:31:23Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/high_school/cheyenne_central/prep-volleyball-central-posts-1-2-record-to-close-cheyenne-invite/article_4d1be4c8-2661-11ed-8e8e-7bf94b1fd2ad.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LARAMIE – The University of Wyoming volleyball team opened the season with a pair of hard-fought home losses Friday against quality opponents for the first day of Rumble in the Rockies at the UniWyo Sports Complex.
UW lost in five sets to the Wichita State Shockers after coming back from two sets down, losing 25-15, 25-22, 15-25, 29-31, 15-8. The Cowgirls closed the day with a four-set loss to the Iowa State Cyclones 19-25, 25-20, 25-19, 26-24.
Corin Carruth paced the Cowgirls offense in both matches, tallying 15 kills off the bench and hitting .306 against the Shockers. She then notched a career-high 23 kills against ISU and hit .432. She also set a career-best with five total blocks against the Cyclones and chipped in with eight digs.
Against Wichita, KC McMahon and Naya Shimé hit double-figure kills with 12 and 10, respectively. In her first action as a Cowgirl, Kasia Partyka recorded a pair of double-doubles with 45 assists and had 10 digs against WSU. She then had 41 assists and 10 digs against Iowa State.
Hailey Zuroske, making the first two starts of her career at the libero spot, led UW in both matches with 12 and 14 digs, respectively.
The Cowgirls were out-hit by Wichita State, as the Shockers hit .207 to Wyoming’s .176. Against Iowa State, Wyoming hit .250, while the Cyclones hit .230. But the Cyclones had a 10-3 advantage in the service game and also had a 9-6 edge in team blocks.
UW freshman Tierney Barlow also helped spark the Cowgirls in the two losses. She had eight kills and hit .313 against Wichita State, and tallied six kills on just 10 swings against Iowa State. | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/cowgirls-drop-a-pair-of-season-opening-matches/article_7e54f720-264b-11ed-ad39-0bf0eb58bff3.html | 2022-08-28T11:31:35Z | wyomingnews.com | control | https://www.wyomingnews.com/wyosports/university_of_wyoming/cowgirls-drop-a-pair-of-season-opening-matches/article_7e54f720-264b-11ed-ad39-0bf0eb58bff3.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
OSORNO, Chile (AP) — In labor with her first child last month, Lucia Hernández Rumian danced around her hospital room while her husband played the kultrun, a ritual drum.
She turned down pain medication from the hospital’s staff to get massages and oil rubdowns instead from her cultural liaison, who had ceremonially purified the space according to Mapuche customs.
“It became my own space,” Hernández said.
The largest public hospital in the southern Chilean city of Osorno is finding new ways to incorporate these and other Indigenous health care practices. There’s a special delivery room with Native images on the walls and bed, forms for doctors to approve herbal treatments from trusted traditional healers, and protocols for “good dying” mindful of spiritual beliefs.
The hospital’s efforts validate cultural practices at a time when Chile’s Indigenous groups — particularly its largest, the Mapuche — are fighting for rights and restitutions with unprecedented visibility as the country gets ready to vote on a new constitution next month.
But they also restore a crucial spiritual component to health care, according to health professionals and patients at Hospital Base San José de Osorno.
“It must be a guarantee – we take charge of the physical part, but without transgressing on the spiritual dimension,” said Cristina Muñoz, the certified nurse-midwife who launched new delivery protocols that Indigenous pregnant women can customize and are believed to be the first in the country.
Cristina Aron, the patient who first inspired Muñoz more than a decade ago, has now become a cultural liaison to Hernández and two dozen other women from pregnancy into early motherhood.
“Childbirth is a spiritual energy event for the mother, the baby and the community,” Aron said.
She had hoped to deliver her daughter in the countryside with a traditional midwife. But Chilean law requires professional health workers to deliver babies because of past high maternal mortality.
So Aron turned to Osorno’s hospital and negotiated her delivery conditions with Muñoz, including being accompanied by a woman conversant in Mapuche practices and taking her placenta to bury ceremonially in her ancestral lands.
Mapuche people see the placenta as holding a twin spirit to the child’s. Its burial, often with a tree planted on top to grow as the newborn does, is believed to create a lifelong connection between children and the natural elements of their family’s territory.
“It’s something very poetic and very revolutionary,” said Alen Colipan, whose son’s placenta was placed by a river near his paternal grandmother’s house. “He will not feel this uprooting from his land.”
Colipan was 17 when she gave birth in Osorno’s intercultural delivery room, with a floor-to-ceiling photo across three walls of the rocky beach that is home to grandfather Huentellao, a protector spirit revered by the Mapuche Huilliche, the region’s Indigenous group.
Colipan said her then-85-year-old midwife, Irma Rohe, who had never entered a hospital, was allowed to receive the infant “without gloves and other imposed things” and ritually clean him.
“We’re going back to wanting to give birth with people with ancestral knowledge,” Colipan said. “Even our way of being born was dominated. We have to begin to liberate it.”
Chilean law now requires hospitals to give the placenta to mothers if requested. For a decade it has also mandated intercultural care in places with a significant Indigenous population. Mapuche people account for one-third of Osorno’s inhabitants and eight of 10 in the adjacent province of San Juan de la Costa, said Angélica Levicán, who has been in charge of Indigenous relations for the hospital since 2016.
“Health care among Indigenous people always existed. Then came another system to invalidate our own system,” she said. “Our intention is that they complement each other.”
To join both kinds of medicine is not easy. Many Indigenous people perceive public hospitals as yet another state institution that discriminates against their beliefs.
Mapuche medicine, based on spirituality, is also different from what doctors are trained for, said José Quidel Lincoleo, director of a center for Mapuche health care studies in Temuco, another southern city with a large Indigenous population.
Mapuche healers seek to connect with a patient’s spirit to discover the “biological, social, psychological and spiritual root of the problem” that is manifesting as a disease, Quidel added.
“It could be another previous life, or some harm done to you, or a lack of self-knowledge that makes us transgress on our worldview,” he said.
But doctors and traditional healers say they can complement one another’s work by realizing that every expert only knows a fraction of what’s possible, especially when battling new diseases like COVID-19.
“One understands that saving a body needs to be compatible with beliefs,” said Dr. Cristóbal Oyarzun, a rheumatologist and coordinator of internal medicine at Osorno’s hospital. “A patient with inner peace has better opportunities to heal.”
That’s hard to achieve in the aseptic, isolated environment of a hospital, especially during the pandemic. Mapuche healers continued to pray and “spiritually accompany” patients from afar, said Cristóbal Tremigual Lemui, a healer from San Juan de la Costa who has long collaborated with Osorno’s hospital.
“For us that is essential … so patients can receive the energy they need,” he said.
Family members also flocked to the hospital’s prayer space — an outdoor circle of small sacred laurel and cinnamon trees with a firepit next to the parking lot — to hold ceremonies for the dying, Levicán said.
Walk-ins and admitted patients who identify as Indigenous — an average of 50 a day — are welcomed and accompanied by Erica Inalef, the hospital’s intercultural facilitator, so that “they don’t feel so very alone.”
When, as a teen, she took her elderly father to a hospital, doctors would barely talk to them, and “body and spirit were separated.”
Now, doctors can see the enthusiasm with which patients welcome the arrival of consulting traditional healers, and that helps build mutual trust, Inalef said.
Trust can manifest in a traumatologist signing off on a patient’s lawenko — an herbal tea whose exact composition the healers hold secret — or in an obstetrician allowing a woman in labor to wear her munulongko, a headscarf believed to protect her.
Cultural clothing is one section in the labor plan Muñoz developed five years ago, which pregnant women can customize. She hopes more will become aware of this option — only about 20 of the hospital’s 1,500 births each year are intercultural deliveries.
“Indigenous women are doubly timid, discriminated against for being women, Indigenous, poor and rural,” Muñoz said. “We tell her, your body is the first territory you’re going to recover.”
Reclaiming ancestral practices is what drew Angela Quintana Aucapan to have her baby — Namunküra, or “firm step” in Mapudungun — in the special delivery room recently, while relatives played traditional instruments.
“I was able to do it as my ancestors did,” she said. “With a ceremony while we waited for the new addition to the family, I felt supported as I received my baby.”
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. | https://www.wspa.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-chile-hospital-integrates-native-medicine-birth-to-death/ | 2022-08-28T11:31:40Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-chile-hospital-integrates-native-medicine-birth-to-death/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 33 |
OSORNO, Chile (AP) — In labor with her first child last month, Lucia Hernández Rumian danced around her hospital room while her husband played the kultrun, a ritual drum.
She turned down pain medication from the hospital’s staff to get massages and oil rubdowns instead from her cultural liaison, who had ceremonially purified the space according to Mapuche customs.
“It became my own space,” Hernández said.
The largest public hospital in the southern Chilean city of Osorno is finding new ways to incorporate these and other Indigenous health care practices. There’s a special delivery room with Native images on the walls and bed, forms for doctors to approve herbal treatments from trusted traditional healers, and protocols for “good dying” mindful of spiritual beliefs.
The hospital’s efforts validate cultural practices at a time when Chile’s Indigenous groups — particularly its largest, the Mapuche — are fighting for rights and restitutions with unprecedented visibility as the country gets ready to vote on a new constitution next month.
But they also restore a crucial spiritual component to health care, according to health professionals and patients at Hospital Base San José de Osorno.
“It must be a guarantee – we take charge of the physical part, but without transgressing on the spiritual dimension,” said Cristina Muñoz, the certified nurse-midwife who launched new delivery protocols that Indigenous pregnant women can customize and are believed to be the first in the country.
Cristina Aron, the patient who first inspired Muñoz more than a decade ago, has now become a cultural liaison to Hernández and two dozen other women from pregnancy into early motherhood.
“Childbirth is a spiritual energy event for the mother, the baby and the community,” Aron said.
She had hoped to deliver her daughter in the countryside with a traditional midwife. But Chilean law requires professional health workers to deliver babies because of past high maternal mortality.
So Aron turned to Osorno’s hospital and negotiated her delivery conditions with Muñoz, including being accompanied by a woman conversant in Mapuche practices and taking her placenta to bury ceremonially in her ancestral lands.
Mapuche people see the placenta as holding a twin spirit to the child’s. Its burial, often with a tree planted on top to grow as the newborn does, is believed to create a lifelong connection between children and the natural elements of their family’s territory.
“It’s something very poetic and very revolutionary,” said Alen Colipan, whose son’s placenta was placed by a river near his paternal grandmother’s house. “He will not feel this uprooting from his land.”
Colipan was 17 when she gave birth in Osorno’s intercultural delivery room, with a floor-to-ceiling photo across three walls of the rocky beach that is home to grandfather Huentellao, a protector spirit revered by the Mapuche Huilliche, the region’s Indigenous group.
Colipan said her then-85-year-old midwife, Irma Rohe, who had never entered a hospital, was allowed to receive the infant “without gloves and other imposed things” and ritually clean him.
“We’re going back to wanting to give birth with people with ancestral knowledge,” Colipan said. “Even our way of being born was dominated. We have to begin to liberate it.”
Chilean law now requires hospitals to give the placenta to mothers if requested. For a decade it has also mandated intercultural care in places with a significant Indigenous population. Mapuche people account for one-third of Osorno’s inhabitants and eight of 10 in the adjacent province of San Juan de la Costa, said Angélica Levicán, who has been in charge of Indigenous relations for the hospital since 2016.
“Health care among Indigenous people always existed. Then came another system to invalidate our own system,” she said. “Our intention is that they complement each other.”
To join both kinds of medicine is not easy. Many Indigenous people perceive public hospitals as yet another state institution that discriminates against their beliefs.
Mapuche medicine, based on spirituality, is also different from what doctors are trained for, said José Quidel Lincoleo, director of a center for Mapuche health care studies in Temuco, another southern city with a large Indigenous population.
Mapuche healers seek to connect with a patient’s spirit to discover the “biological, social, psychological and spiritual root of the problem” that is manifesting as a disease, Quidel added.
“It could be another previous life, or some harm done to you, or a lack of self-knowledge that makes us transgress on our worldview,” he said.
But doctors and traditional healers say they can complement one another’s work by realizing that every expert only knows a fraction of what’s possible, especially when battling new diseases like COVID-19.
“One understands that saving a body needs to be compatible with beliefs,” said Dr. Cristóbal Oyarzun, a rheumatologist and coordinator of internal medicine at Osorno’s hospital. “A patient with inner peace has better opportunities to heal.”
That’s hard to achieve in the aseptic, isolated environment of a hospital, especially during the pandemic. Mapuche healers continued to pray and “spiritually accompany” patients from afar, said Cristóbal Tremigual Lemui, a healer from San Juan de la Costa who has long collaborated with Osorno’s hospital.
“For us that is essential … so patients can receive the energy they need,” he said.
Family members also flocked to the hospital’s prayer space — an outdoor circle of small sacred laurel and cinnamon trees with a firepit next to the parking lot — to hold ceremonies for the dying, Levicán said.
Walk-ins and admitted patients who identify as Indigenous — an average of 50 a day — are welcomed and accompanied by Erica Inalef, the hospital’s intercultural facilitator, so that “they don’t feel so very alone.”
When, as a teen, she took her elderly father to a hospital, doctors would barely talk to them, and “body and spirit were separated.”
Now, doctors can see the enthusiasm with which patients welcome the arrival of consulting traditional healers, and that helps build mutual trust, Inalef said.
Trust can manifest in a traumatologist signing off on a patient’s lawenko — an herbal tea whose exact composition the healers hold secret — or in an obstetrician allowing a woman in labor to wear her munulongko, a headscarf believed to protect her.
Cultural clothing is one section in the labor plan Muñoz developed five years ago, which pregnant women can customize. She hopes more will become aware of this option — only about 20 of the hospital’s 1,500 births each year are intercultural deliveries.
“Indigenous women are doubly timid, discriminated against for being women, Indigenous, poor and rural,” Muñoz said. “We tell her, your body is the first territory you’re going to recover.”
Reclaiming ancestral practices is what drew Angela Quintana Aucapan to have her baby — Namunküra, or “firm step” in Mapudungun — in the special delivery room recently, while relatives played traditional instruments.
“I was able to do it as my ancestors did,” she said. “With a ceremony while we waited for the new addition to the family, I felt supported as I received my baby.”
___
Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content. | https://www.wspa.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-chile-hospital-integrates-native-medicine-birth-to-death/ | 2022-08-28T11:31:40Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-chile-hospital-integrates-native-medicine-birth-to-death/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 33 |
CAIRO (AP) — Deadly clashes broke out Saturday in Libya’s capital between militias backed by its two rival administrations, portending a return to violence amid a long political stalemate.
At least 23 people were killed and 140 more wounded, the Health Ministry said. It added that 64 families were evacuated from areas around the fighting.
The escalation threatens to shatter the relative calm Libya has enjoyed for most of the past two years. The oil-rich nation plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
Among the fatalities was Mustafa Baraka, a comedian known for his social media videos mocking militias and corruption. Baraka died after he was shot in his chest, said Malek Merset, an emergency services spokesman.
Merset said emergency services were still trying to evacuate wounded and civilians trapped in the fighting that erupted overnight and continued into Saturday evening.
The Health Ministry said in a statement hospitals and medical centers in the capital were shelled, and ambulance teams were barred from evacuating civilians, in acts that “amount to war crimes.”
The municipal council of Tripoli blamed the ruling political class for the deteriorating situation in the capital, and urged the international community to “protect civilians in Libya.”
The violence caused widespread panic among Tripoli residents. Footage circulated online showed houses, government facilities, and vehicles apparently damaged from the fighting. Other footage showed militia forces deploying and heavy fire being exchanged across the night sky.
The U.N. mission in Libya said the fighting involved “indiscriminate medium and heavy shelling in civilian-populated neighborhoods” of Tripoli.
The mission called for an immediate cease-fire, and for all parties in Libya to “refrain from using any form of hate speech and incitement to violence.”
The clashes pitted the Tripoli Revolutionaries’ Brigade militia, led by Haitham Tajouri, against another militia allied with Abdel-Ghani al-Kikli, an infamous warlord known as “Gheniwa,” according to local media. Later on Saturday, more militias joined the fighting which spread in different areas in the capital.
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s government, which is based in Tripoli, claimed the clashes broke out when one militia fired at another.
The fighting, however, is highly likely part of ongoing power struggle between Dbeibah and his rival Prime Minister Fathy Bashagha who is operating from the coast city of Sirte.
Both Dbeibah and Bashagha are backed by militias, and the latter was mobilizing in recent weeks to try to enter Tripoli to dislodge his rival.
An attempt in May by Bashagha to install his government in Tripoli triggered clashes that ended with his withdrawal from the capital.
U.S. Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland urged for de-escalation “before things get worse” and for Libyan parties to agree on an early date for elections. | https://www.wspa.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-deadly-clashes-shake-libyas-capital-killing-13-civilians/ | 2022-08-28T11:31:48Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-deadly-clashes-shake-libyas-capital-killing-13-civilians/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 26 |
CAIRO (AP) — Deadly clashes broke out Saturday in Libya’s capital between militias backed by its two rival administrations, portending a return to violence amid a long political stalemate.
At least 23 people were killed and 140 more wounded, the Health Ministry said. It added that 64 families were evacuated from areas around the fighting.
The escalation threatens to shatter the relative calm Libya has enjoyed for most of the past two years. The oil-rich nation plunged into chaos following a NATO-backed uprising that toppled and killed longtime autocrat Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.
Among the fatalities was Mustafa Baraka, a comedian known for his social media videos mocking militias and corruption. Baraka died after he was shot in his chest, said Malek Merset, an emergency services spokesman.
Merset said emergency services were still trying to evacuate wounded and civilians trapped in the fighting that erupted overnight and continued into Saturday evening.
The Health Ministry said in a statement hospitals and medical centers in the capital were shelled, and ambulance teams were barred from evacuating civilians, in acts that “amount to war crimes.”
The municipal council of Tripoli blamed the ruling political class for the deteriorating situation in the capital, and urged the international community to “protect civilians in Libya.”
The violence caused widespread panic among Tripoli residents. Footage circulated online showed houses, government facilities, and vehicles apparently damaged from the fighting. Other footage showed militia forces deploying and heavy fire being exchanged across the night sky.
The U.N. mission in Libya said the fighting involved “indiscriminate medium and heavy shelling in civilian-populated neighborhoods” of Tripoli.
The mission called for an immediate cease-fire, and for all parties in Libya to “refrain from using any form of hate speech and incitement to violence.”
The clashes pitted the Tripoli Revolutionaries’ Brigade militia, led by Haitham Tajouri, against another militia allied with Abdel-Ghani al-Kikli, an infamous warlord known as “Gheniwa,” according to local media. Later on Saturday, more militias joined the fighting which spread in different areas in the capital.
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah’s government, which is based in Tripoli, claimed the clashes broke out when one militia fired at another.
The fighting, however, is highly likely part of ongoing power struggle between Dbeibah and his rival Prime Minister Fathy Bashagha who is operating from the coast city of Sirte.
Both Dbeibah and Bashagha are backed by militias, and the latter was mobilizing in recent weeks to try to enter Tripoli to dislodge his rival.
An attempt in May by Bashagha to install his government in Tripoli triggered clashes that ended with his withdrawal from the capital.
U.S. Ambassador to Libya Richard Norland urged for de-escalation “before things get worse” and for Libyan parties to agree on an early date for elections. | https://www.wspa.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-deadly-clashes-shake-libyas-capital-killing-13-civilians/ | 2022-08-28T11:31:48Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/ap-top-headlines/ap-deadly-clashes-shake-libyas-capital-killing-13-civilians/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 26 |
JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming (AP) — When Diane Swonk first attended the Federal Reserve’s annual economic conference in Jackson Hole in the late 1990s, there was a happy hour for women who attended the event. It barely filled a single table.
Now, the “Women at Jackson Hole” happy hour draws dozens of female economists and high-level decision-makers, from the United States and overseas.
“I’m just glad that now there’s a line for the ladies’ room,” said Swonk, a longtime Fed watcher who is chief economist for the accounting giant KPMG.
It’s not just at Jackson Hole but also in the Fed’s boardroom where its leadership has become its most diverse ever. There are more female, Black and openly gay officials contributing to the central bank’s interest-rate decisions than at any time in its 109-year history. Many are also far less wealthy than the officials they have replaced.
Over time, economists say, a wider range of voices will deepen the Fed’s perspective as it weighs the consequences of raising or lowering rates. It may also help diversify a profession that historically hasn’t been seen as particularly welcoming to women and minorities.
“Broadly, that’s helpful,” said William English, a former senior economist at the Fed who teaches at the Yale School of Management. “There’s evidence that diverse groups make better decisions.”
The central bank, as it is doing now, raises its benchmark short-term rate when it wants to lower inflation, and reduces it when it wants to accelerate hiring. Such moves, in turn, affect borrowing costs throughout the economy — for mortgages, auto loans and business loans, among others.
On Friday, in his speech to the Jackson Hole symposium, Chair Jerome Powell stressed that the Fed plans further rate hikes and expects to keep its benchmark rate high until the worst inflation bout in four decades eases considerably — even if doing so causes job losses and financial pain for households and businesses.
Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe, an economist who is president of the Women’s Institute for Society, Equity and Race, said she welcomed the broadening of the Fed’s leadership. Sharpe said she’s “hopeful that a more diverse group of people will pay attention” to what the Fed does and aspire to high-level economic roles.
Colleges and universities, she suggested, should do more to encourage and prepare students for economic careers, including steering more of them to study mathematics.
The change at the Fed has been a rapid one, with three African Americans and three women having joined the central bank’s 19-member interest-rate committee just this year. (Under the Fed’s rotating system, only 12 of the 19 committee members vote each year on its rate decisions.)
The Fed’s influential seven-member Board of Governors, based in Washington, now includes two Black economists, Lisa Cook and Philip Jefferson, who were both nominated by President Joe Biden and were sworn in this May. They are the third and fourth Black people on the board. Governors get to vote on every Fed rate decision.
Biden also elevated Lael Brainard, a governor since 2014, to the board’s powerful vice chair position.
In addition, two of the presidents of the Fed’s 12 regional banks are now Black — Raphael Bostic of the Atlanta Fed and Susan Collins of the Boston Fed. Collins, formerly provost of the University of Michigan, became Boston Fed president this year. Bostic took office in 2017.
Just last week, Lorie Logan, a former senior official at the New York Fed, became president of the Dallas Fed. Five of the regional bank presidents are women.
Nela Richardson, chief economist at the payroll processing firm ADP, noted that the education and experience of the new policymakers are similar to their predecessors, with Cook, Jefferson and Collins all Ph.D. economists — an above-average proportion among new Fed officials, she said.
Richardson suggested that having more women in the Fed’s leadership is particularly important now, because many of the problems the central bank faces — including very low unemployment that is fueling wage increases and inflation — are related to women’s ability to join the workforce. Fewer women, particularly mothers of young children, are working now compared with pre-pandemic trends.
That shortfall is driven, in part, by a drop in the number of childcare workers since the pandemic. With fewer women working or seeking work, many businesses must raise pay to compete for a smaller pool of labor. Those higher wages are then often passed on to consumers as higher prices, thereby fueling inflation.
Swonk credits Esther George, president of the Kansas City Fed, for driving change at the Jackson Hole conference by inviting more women over the years, including Cook and Collins, to attend and participate in panels. Each year, about 130 influential central bankers and economists gather at Grand Teton National Park in Jackson Hole at the end of August to network and discuss the economy’s challenges.
Even as it has significantly diversified its leadership, the Fed has yet to address one issue: A Hispanic American has never served on the Fed’s rate-setting committee — a frequently voiced complaint of Sen. Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat. For that reason, Menendez voted this year against confirming Powell’s reappointment for a second four-year term as Fed chair.
This year, Biden also named Michael Barr, a former Treasury Department official, as a Fed governor, filling all seven seats on the board for the first time in nearly a decade.
Vincent Reinhart, a former Fed economist who is now at Dreyfus and Mellon, said it’s unusual for the Fed to have experienced so much turnover so quickly. Fed governors serve staggered terms that are intended to result in one vacancy every two years. The regional bank presidents have five-year terms that can be renewed.
“This has got to be the most dramatic change in Fed leadership in one year on record,” he said.
The new members, including Barr, are more likely to favor lower rates to support the economy and hiring, Reinhart said. Yet for now, with inflation near a 40-year high, the Fed’s policymaking committee is moving unanimously to sharply raise rates to try to cool the economy and lower inflation. There’s little sign of any dissent from that approach, for now.
Tim Duy, chief U.S. economist at SGH Macro, suggested that the Fed is unlike the Supreme Court in one important respect: Just because a president has nominated several new Fed board members doesn’t necessarily affect the central bank’s policymaking.
The Fed is a more technocratic institution, Duy said, “where you’re more likely to see people’s views evolve over time,” in response to changing economic data. At its July meeting, all 12 members of the Fed’s policy committee voted for a large three-quarter-point rate hike — an unusually large increase.
Still, Reinhart said, if inflation should fall substantially and appear to be under control and if unemployment began to rise as the Fed’s rate hikes squeeze the economy, some of Biden’s appointees could start to argue for an end to the increases — or even to cut rates.
The result might be less unanimity around the Fed’s decisions, Reinhart said. Or Powell might end up suspending rate hikes earlier than he would prefer, to preserve consensus.
“There’s a lot more opportunity for differences of opinion as we get longer into this rate-hiking cycle,” he said. | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-fed-tackles-inflation-with-its-most-diverse-leadership-ever/ | 2022-08-28T11:32:50Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/business/ap-business/ap-fed-tackles-inflation-with-its-most-diverse-leadership-ever/ | 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.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/ap-protests-in-india-against-release-of-11-convicted-rapists/ | 2022-08-28T11:35:01Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/world-news/ap-international/ap-protests-in-india-against-release-of-11-convicted-rapists/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Saudi-funded LIV Golf has joined the antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour in an amended complaint in which four players have removed their names.
That leaves seven players, most notably Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, along with LIV Golf as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. The four who withdrew their names are Carlos Ortiz, Abraham Ancer, Pat Perez and Jason Kokrak.
The amended complaint was filed Friday afternoon in the U.S. District Court in Northern California. Three players still on the lawsuit — Matt Jones, Talor Gooch and Hudson Swafford — previously sought a temporary restraining order to played in the FedEx Cup playoffs.
The judge denied their request two weeks ago.
The lawsuit claims the PGA Tour has used monopoly power to try to squash competition and has unfairly suspended players.
Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, has said the league would fully support the players in any legal action they pursued. LIV Golf, backed by the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund, now is directly involved.
In the amended complaint, LIV Golf argues that without a favorable ruling, its “ability to maintain a meaningful competitive presence in the markets will be destroyed.”
LIV Golf alleges the PGA Tour’s restraints forced it to raise its costs to sign players and kept it from recruiting others who fear the threat of being punished. It also claims the tour forced LIV Golf to delay its launch for 2022 and have a smaller schedule in its first year.
LIV Golf has offered several big names signing fees that are reported to be worth $150 million or more, in addition to the $25 million in prize money at each event. LIV Golf has staged three tournaments so far. The fourth is next weekend outside Boston.
The amended complaint says while LIV Golf has launched its tour despite “supracompetitive costs” and reduced access to players, “facing headwinds of this nature is not sustainable.”
The PGA Tour has leaned on its right that its members require a conflicting event release to play overseas, and no releases are granted for North American events. Five such LIV events are on the schedule this year.
The tour has suspended players who complete in LIV Golf without a release — none were granted — and most of those suspensions are through March 2024.
U.S. District Judge Beth Labson Freeman ruled in denying the temporary restraining order that LIV Golf did not show irreparable harm because of how much money the players were making to sign and from prize money, and that PGA Tour regulations to suspend players in this case was not unreasonable.
Freeman set a summary judgment hearing for July 23, 2023, and a tentative trial date for Jan. 8, 2024.
LIV Golf already has signed some two dozen PGA Tour players and is likely to add as many as six more after the PGA Tour ends its season Sunday in Atlanta at the Tour Championship.
___
More AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-liv-joins-lawsuit-against-pga-tour-as-4-players-drop-off/ | 2022-08-28T11:36:17Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-liv-joins-lawsuit-against-pga-tour-as-4-players-drop-off/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — The NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway was rained out Saturday night and rescheduled for Sunday.
The 400-mile race, the regular-season finale that will decide the last two playoff spots, will now begin at 10 a.m. EDT. It will air on CNBC. Weather forecasts call for 40% chance in the morning, increasing to 70% in the afternoon.
Fifteen drivers remain in the hunt for the postseason. Two spots are still open, although one of them will go to Ryan Blaney or Martin Truex Jr.
Aric Almirola, Chris Buescher, Harrison Burton, Cole Custer, Austin Dillon, Ty Dillon, Todd Gilliland, Justin Haley, Erik Jones, Brad Keselowski, Michael McDowell, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Bubba Wallace need to win to get into the 16-driver playoff field.
Blaney and Truex can advance without winning at Daytona. If Blaney or Truex wins at Daytona, the other automatically gets in on points. If one of the 14 drivers already locked into the postseason lands in victory lane, both Blaney and Truex would make it based on points. If there’s another new winner Sunday, whoever ends the race with more points between Blaney and Truex would advance.
This will be the third summer race at Daytona in recent years delayed a day. Events in 2014 and 2019 were postponed because of weather.
NASCAR officials moved the Daytona summer race from July to August in 2020 partly in hopes of avoid summer thunderstorms. The Xfinity race that started Friday night was delayed three hours before Jeremy Clements managed to avoid four late multicar crashed and reach victory lane for the first time since 2017 and second time in 421 races.
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More AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-nascar-cup-race-at-daytona-rained-out-moved-to-sunday/ | 2022-08-28T11:36:38Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-nascar-cup-race-at-daytona-rained-out-moved-to-sunday/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LONDON, Ontario (AP) — Calgary Flames forward Nazem Kadri brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown mosque on Saturday.
It was a day filled with pride and joy for the 31-year-old Kadri, who won the title with the Colorado Avalanche this past season.
“That’s the goal, to inspire and motivate the youth. This young generation is looking for role models so I do the best I can and I’m just happy I get to share it with everybody,” he said.
“I didn’t expect this kind of turnout. I’m very grateful for all the supporters.”
Kadri began his day with the Cup at London Muslim Mosque. He said the mosque is part of his background.
“It’s part of my roots, it’s part of who I am,” he said.
“For all these people, I know they’re on my side, (it) just shows they came over here for me — just very grateful for them.”
Hundreds of people, many in Kadri Toronto Maple Leafs jerseys and T-shirts, gathered shortly before noon at the mosque alongside Kadri’s family and loved ones. He was welcomed by a loud ovation.
Munir El-Kassem, the religious director at the Islamic Centre in London, and Faisal Joseph, a lawyer, activist and longtime member of the community, addressed the crowd, sharing stories of Kadri’s character and what he’s meant to the community, especially the Muslims of London.
Mayor Ed Holder also spoke to the crowd, declaring Kadri as “the greatest Londoner.”
After Kadri paused to autograph T-shirts, jerseys and pictures, the celebration moved to Victoria Park, on the Kiwanis Memorial Bandshell stage. A number of Lebanon flags — the country Kadri’s family is from — were held high, along with a couple of Canadian flags.
Holder presented Kadri with the key to the city.
“There’s a reason why I’m not just celebrating this with my family. I wanted to come out here and share with you guys,” Kadri told the crowd. “You’ve been supporters of mine from Day One and I can’t tell you enough how much that means to me.
“I’m hoping that this inspires and motivates kids to pursue your dreams because I never thought this was possible. I had some great support and people made me believe. If you believe, you can achieve. To see everybody come here and support me just inspires and motivates me even more, so we’re going to try to run this thing back (when) I’m going to Calgary.”
Kadri’s message of hope hit home with the Muslim youth in attendance.
“I think it’s really an amazing experience for the Muslim community and it’s really inspiring for us,” said 15-year-old Zayan Khan. “If he can win the Stanley Cup as a Muslim, he inspires more Muslim people to achieve their dreams.”
Kadri’s visit was a welcome celebration in a community that was rocked by tragedy last year. Four members of a Muslim family were run over by a truck and killed in what police described as motivated by anti-Muslim hate.
“It’s difficult. We’re still dealing with the scars and the sorrow that comes from the horrific attack that happened last year to our community,” said Hassan Mostafa, a family friend who sits on the board of directors of Kadri’s foundation.
“Does celebrating this erase all of that? Absolutely not. But it’s great to have something tremendous like this to celebrate. Our community needs something like this, and we’re so excited and so proud.”
Kadri has faced his share of racism and Islamophobia, especially in this past postseason.
After a collision with St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington in Game 3 in the second round that knocked Binnington out of the series with an injury, Kadri was the target of numerous threats and racist comments on social media.
Kadri’s father, Samir, said his son’s strength to push past the noise makes his accomplishment even greater.
“I could say that it’s sweet, but it’s not like revenge or anything like that to be honest with you, I don’t feel that that’s the way it is,” he said. “I feel that it’s definitely unbelievable to be able to experience that, especially when you’re going through the trials and tribulation of race.
“I felt it myself immigrating from Lebanon back in the ’60s and going through the school system here and dealing with that type of stuff. I know my son has dealt with it, but I feel that there is more of a link, you know, where people will realize, ‘Hey, you know, maybe they’re really not any different.’ This kind of helps in that case. We’re blessed for that.”
Kadri set career highs with 59 assists and 87 points in his third and final season with the Avalanche. He had seven goals and eight assists in 16 postseason games during Colorado’s title run.
Kadri signed a $49 million, seven-year contract with the Flames last week.
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More AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-nazem-kadri-brings-stanley-cup-to-hometown-mosque/ | 2022-08-28T11:36:45Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-nazem-kadri-brings-stanley-cup-to-hometown-mosque/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
DUBLIN (AP) — Scott Frost isn’t calling plays on offense this season.
However, the embattled Nebraska coach still made the biggest decision in Saturday’s 31-28 loss to Northwestern in Ireland.
He ordered an onside kick and it didn’t work. Now, he’s facing even more pressure with Nebraska’s losing streak at seven games.
“You’ve got to win in this business to keep your job,” said Frost, who is in his fifth year at the helm. “That’s the way it is. I love the state of Nebraska. I love these fans that sacrificed to come over here. We’ve got to get this turned around.”
Ryan Hilinski threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns to help Northwestern rally to a victory in the season opener before 42,699 fans at Aviva Stadium in the Irish capital.
Frost took the blame for a failed onside kick that changed the momentum of the game in the third quarter.
“I made that call so that’s on me,” Frost said of the decision after the Huskers took a 28-17 lead. “At that point in the game, I thought all the momentum was on our side. I thought if we got it, we could end the game.
“You can’t really foresee them scoring 14 straight and us sputtering after we played well to start the second half on offense. Again those are excuses. If I had (to do) it over, I wouldn’t make the call.”
The Wildcats finished with 528 yards and gained a measure of revenge after their humiliating 56-7 loss to the Huskers last October. Nebraska hasn’t won since then.
Following a 3-9 season, Nebraska was looking to bounce back with a revamped offense under new coordinator Mark Whipple — who took over play-calling duties from Frost — but the team and its many fans who made the trip are headed home disappointed.
Quarterback Casey Thompson had a big game in his Huskers debut, throwing for 355 yards, but a fourth-quarter mistake was costly. Cameron Mitchell intercepted Thompson’s pass and returned it almost 40 yards. Six plays later, Evan Hull ran it in from the 4 to give the Wildcats a 31-28 lead. Hull finished with 22 carries for 119 yards.
Xander Mueller picked off a pass that bounced off receiver Wyatt Liewer’s hands with 1:27 to play and the Wildcats sealed the win.
Anthony Grant rushed for two third-quarter scores, including a 46-yarder to put the Huskers ahead 28-17. He ran it in from 3 yards on the previous drive to get Nebraska in front after the Wildcats went into halftime with a 17-14 lead. Grant had 19 carries for 101 yards.
Northwestern coach Pat Fitzgerald called the onside kick “a huge momentum swing” in the game.
“We went down and punched it in,” he said of Cam Porter’s 3-yard touchdown run on a direct snap to close the gap to 28-24.
Nebraska still led at that point, Frost pointed out.
“You don’t win a lot of games in the Big Ten giving up 31, so we have some things to answer on defense,” he said.
The Huskers had built a 14-3 lead after Thompson threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to fellow transfer Isaiah Garcia-Castaneda and then punched it in from 1 early in the second quarter. Garcia-Castaneda finished with 120 yards on four receptions.
But Hilinski capped a terrific first half by finding Donny Navarro at the back of the end zone for a 6-yard scoring strike to give the Wildcats a 17-14 lead with 25 seconds left in the half.
Earlier, Hilinski hit a wide-open Raymond Niro III on a play-action pass for a 41-yard score.
After Niro’s touchdown, Nebraska was driving again when linebacker Greyson Metz ripped the ball from Garcia-Castaneda after a 24-yard completion to the Northwestern 11- yard line.
ALL ABOUT WINNING
Frost said he wouldn’t consider stepping down: “Absolutely not. … I’m going to fight with the guys, as long as I can fight.” His record as Nebraska’s coach is now 15-30.
PREMIUM PROTECTION
Hilinski credited the offensive line with protecting him — he wasn’t sacked.
“When I can sit back there and be patient with the ball, and see the field, as a quarterback, that is the best feeling,” he said. “Today, I felt so calm in the pocket. I felt like I could see the whole field.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Northwestern: The Wildcats look as if they’ve found a quarterback in Hilinski, who completed 27 of 38 passes.
Nebraska: More questions for Frost. The Huskers lost all their games by single digits last season, and now another one. Despite the two interceptions, Thompson made big plays. On their first scoring drive of the third quarter, he scrambled left on a third-and-8 and heaved a pass to Garcia-Castaneda for a 58-yard gain.
FREE BEER
Concession stands gave out free beer at one point during the game when they lost the internet connection at the stadium. Aviva Stadium is cashless, so they opted to not turn away thirsty fans. Ronan McGowan said he waited 40 minutes in long lines and missed portions of the game, though added: “They did the right thing.”
UP NEXT
Nebraska hosts North Dakota on Saturday in the first of four consecutive home games, including a matchup with Oklahoma on Sept. 17.
Northwestern is off next weekend and hosts Duke on Sept. 10 in the first of three straight games at Ryan Field.
___
More AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25 | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-northwestern-rallies-past-nebraska-31-28-in-opener-in-dublin/ | 2022-08-28T11:36:52Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-northwestern-rallies-past-nebraska-31-28-in-opener-in-dublin/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK (AP) — Serena and Venus Williams are getting their Sister Act back together for doubles at the U.S. Open.
The American siblings, who have won two of their 14 women’s doubles Grand Slam titles at Flushing Meadows, were given a wild-card entry by the U.S. Tennis Association on Saturday, making it their first tournament as a team in more than four years.
Serena announced this month that she is preparing to end her playing career and, while she did not explicitly say the U.S. Open would be her final event, she has indicated it will be.
Serena, who turns 41 next month, and Venus, who turned 42 in June, won women’s doubles championships at the U.S. Open in 1999 — the year Serena won her first major singles trophy at age 17 in New York — and 2009.
Their other Grand Slam triumphs in doubles: six at Wimbledon, four at the Australian Open and two at the French Open. The most recent came at the All England Club in 2016.
They’ve also won three doubles gold medals at the Olympics.
That’s all aside from their combined total of 30 major trophies in singles — 23 for Serena, and seven for Venus.
The sisters have not competed anywhere in doubles as a pairing since losing in the third round of the French Open in June 2018.
Since then, each Williams has entered two doubles events with other partners.
For Serena, one was with Caroline Wozniacki in January 2020, and the other with Ons Jabeur this June — that came in Eastbourne, England, in a grass-court tune-up ahead of Wimbledon. That marked Serena’s return to competition after nearly a full year away from the tour.
She has gone 1-3 in singles in 2022, including a first-round loss at Wimbledon in June, and said less than three weeks ago that “the countdown has begun” to the close of her time as a professional player so she can focus on having another child and on her business interests.
For Venus, the first doubles event since 2018 was with Harriet Dart in June 2019, and the other was with American teenager Coco Gauff at last year’s French Open. In singles, Venus was off the tour for nearly a year until returning at a tournament in Washington this month.
Other women’s doubles teams receiving wild cards from the USTA on Saturday were Sophie Chang and Angela Kulikov, Robin Montgomery and CoCo Vandeweghe, Katrina Scott and Elizabeth Mandlik, Peyton Stearns and Ashlyn Krueger, Hailey Baptiste and Whitney Osuigwe, and Clervie Ngounoue and Reese Brantmeier.
Men’s doubles wild cards went to Brandon Holt — who qualified in singles on Friday and whose mother, Tracy Austin, won singles titles at the U.S. Open in 1979 and 1981 — and Govind Nanda, NCAA champion Ben Shelton and Chris Eubanks, Nicholas Monroe and Keegan Smith, Max Schnur and Hunter Reese, Alex Michelsen and Sebastian Gorzny, Robert Galloway and Alex Lawson, and Nicholas Godsick and Ethan Quinn.
___
More AP coverage of U.S. Open tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/us-open-tennis-championships and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-serena-venus-williams-get-us-open-doubles-wild-card-entry/ | 2022-08-28T11:37:19Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-serena-venus-williams-get-us-open-doubles-wild-card-entry/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — New York Yankees reliever Aroldis Chapman will be placed on the injured list after getting an infection in his leg from a recent tattoo.
Manager Aaron Boone said before Saturday’s game against the Oakland Athletics that Chapman felt irritation in the leg on Thursday after getting the tattoo earlier in the week. The seven-time All-Star stayed back at the team hotel Friday and Saturday receiving antibiotics and getting treatment.
“It’s still significant enough,” Boone said. “He got a pretty bad infection.”
Chapman hasn’t pitched since Aug. 19 when he allowed one run in one-third of an inning against Toronto. Boone said Chapman had been available to pitch until Thursday when the leg started bothering him just before the start of the series opener against the A’s.
Boone said he doesn’t expect this to be a long-term issue but needs to wait to get a better sense of how much time Chapman will miss.
“Hopefully he’s good in several days,” Boone said. “We just have to get our arms around it. It got a little bit worse over the last few days.”
Boone said he didn’t have a problem with Chapman getting a tattoo during the season.
“It’s hard for me. I don’t have tattoos. That’s a personal choice,” Boone said. “This is more of an unfortunate situation that turned into an infection. My focus is on trying to get him right.”
Chapman was shaky early this season and was replaced as the Yankees’ closer after missing nearly six weeks with tendinitis in his left Achilles. He is 2-1 with a 5.40 ERA in 19 appearances since returning in early July, with 20 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings.
The veteran left-hander is 2-3 with a 4.70 ERA and nine saves in 36 appearances this year.
The Yankees didn’t make an immediate corresponding roster move because they couldn’t get anyone out to the West Coast by Saturday. Boone expects to add an additional player in the next day or two.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-yankees-reliever-chapman-out-with-infection-from-tattoo/ | 2022-08-28T11:37:40Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/sports/ap-sports/ap-yankees-reliever-chapman-out-with-infection-from-tattoo/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
New Delhi: The Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Sunday decided to hold the election for the party's full-time president on October 17.
The notification for the election will be issued on September 22, while the filing of nomination would begin on September 24 and continue till September 30, the party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry told reporters after a nearly 30-minute meeting of the CWC.
The election, if there is more than one candidate, will take place on October 17, while counting votes, if necessary, and the declaration of results would be on October 19.
The election schedule was approved unanimously, said the party's General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal.
The meeting of CWC, the Congress' highest decision-making body, took place amid a fresh upheaval in the party due to the shock resignation of veteran letter Ghulam Nabi Azad on Friday and his letter to party president Sonia Gandhi in which he lashed out at Rahul Gandhi for "demolishing the party's entire consultative mechanism".
The Congress, dealing with the fallout of a series of high-profile exits, including that of Kapil Sibal and Ashwani Kumar, has attempted to deflect the latest blow by alleging that Azad's DNA had been "Modi-fied" and linking his resignation to the end of his Rajya Sabha tenure. The online CWC meeting started at 3:30 PM with Sonia Gandhi, who is abroad for medical checkups, presiding over it, flanked by former party chief Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Among others present were Anand Sharma, who was part of the G-23 dissident group, former prime minister Manmohan Singh, party's central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry, K C Venugopal, former union ministers Jairam Ramesh, Mukul Wasnik and P Chidambaram and Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot along with his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel.
Party sources had earlier said the process of the election of the president will be delayed by a few weeks, not more than that, and the party should have a full-time president in October.
The Congress had announced in October last year that the election of the new party president will be held between August 21 and September 20 this year.
The CWC had last year decided that elections for block committees and one member each of state Congress units will be held from April 16 to May 31, district committee chiefs will be elected between June 1 and July 20, state chiefs and AICC members between July 21 and August 20, and AICC president between August 21 and September 20.
The sources had said the election of the Congress president is likely to be delayed by a few weeks with the party focused on the Kanyakumari to Kashmir 'Bharat Jodo Yatra' starting September 7 and some state units not completing formalities.
Call for Rahul on top continues
The meeting comes amid several leaders, including Gehlot, having publicly exhorted Rahul Gandhi to return as the party chief. However, uncertainty and suspense continue on the issue.
Several party insiders say Rahul Gandhi is persisting with his stance that he will not be the AICC president.
Gehlot on Wednesday had sought to play down reports about him being the frontrunner for the Congress president's post and said efforts would be made till the last minute to persuade Rahul Gandhi to take over the reins of the party again.
Gehlot's remarks had come a day after he met Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, triggering the buzz that the two may have discussed the possibility of him being the next party president.
Rahul Gandhi resigned as Congress president after the party suffered its second consecutive defeat in parliamentary elections in 2019.
Sonia Gandhi who took over the reins of the party again as interim president had also offered to quit in August 2020 after an open revolt by a section of leaders, referred to as G-23, but the CWC had urged her to continue. | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/india/2022/08/28/cong-prez-election-october-17.amp.html | 2022-08-28T11:50:47Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/india/2022/08/28/cong-prez-election-october-17.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Man suffers gunshot wound to the head in Near West Side drive-by
CHICAGO - A 33-year-old man is in good condition following a drive-by shooting in Chicago's Near West Side neighborhood late Saturday.
Chicago police say the victim was standing on the sidewalk in the 200 block of South Hoyne Avenue when he saw a black truck approach and an unknown man fired shots at him.
The victim was struck one time on the left side of the head and was dropped off at Stroger Hospital by a friend in good condition. Police say the shooting happened around 11:13 p.m.
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No one is in custody and Area Three detectives are investigating. | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/man-suffers-gunshot-wound-to-the-head-in-near-west-side-drive-by | 2022-08-28T12:07:22Z | fox32chicago.com | control | https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/man-suffers-gunshot-wound-to-the-head-in-near-west-side-drive-by | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NPR's Books We Love includes dozens of recommendations for new books. Today, we hear about "The Last Slave Ship," "The Power Law," and "The Letters of Oscar Hammerstein."
Copyright 2022 NPR
NPR's Books We Love includes dozens of recommendations for new books. Today, we hear about "The Last Slave Ship," "The Power Law," and "The Letters of Oscar Hammerstein."
Copyright 2022 NPR | https://www.klcc.org/npr-books/2022-08-28/books-we-love-recommended-reading-for-nonfiction | 2022-08-28T12:08:30Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-books/2022-08-28/books-we-love-recommended-reading-for-nonfiction | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
This story was first published in KCUR's Creative Adventure newsletter. You can sign up to receive stories like this in your inbox every Tuesday.
Big or small, historic or state-of-the-art, Kansas City is wealthy in bridges. One look from an elevated position — from Case Park on Jefferson Street, for instance — is enough to get the picture. The vantage point there looks down over our distinctive row of Missouri River-spanning bridges and their adjacent neighborhoods.
We’ve written about the 12th Street Viaduct before, a charmingly industrial, double-decker structure whose lower entrance can be found on Hickory Street in West Bottoms.
But now, with work starting on the Rock Island Bridge as early as October, Kansas City is set to get its own entertainment bridge, complete with coffee shops, a food hall and connections to surrounding trails. For reference, the Rock Island Bridge is longer than the St. Louis Arch is tall.
So, if you nerd out to concrete, steel and epic feats of engineering — or simply admire the bridges you cross on the way to work — read on.Christopher S. Bond Bridge
Arguably the most emblematic bridge in Kansas City — or at least the one people remember for its tall pylon and network of cables — the Christopher S. Bond Bridge crosses the Muddy Missouri just downriver of Berkley Riverfront Park. It was named for former Missouri Gov. Christopher “Kit” Bond.
The sky-high, “delta-shaped” pylon stretches 316 feet above the river, making the bridge the tallest in Missouri. You just can’t miss it. Newcomers or visitors to Kansas City should definitely view the bridge from the riverfront at night, when it’s all aglow.
When the bridge was built in 2010, there was some talk among the Federal Aviation Administration about the humongous pylon disrupting traffic at the downtown airport one mile west. The FAA changed flight procedures at the airport to give planes more than 700 feet of clearance above it.
And though the Bond replaced the smaller Paseo Bridge, the former was built a smidge downriver so the latter could stay open to traffic. At the time, MODOT allowed “aesthetic design [of the bridge] to come from outside the department.”
In other words, the Kansas City community was involved in the design for a transit service it would be using. Talk about building connections.
Independence Avenue Bridge
We tried to write an introduction fitting enough for the Independence Avenue Bridge in Northeast Kansas City, but words don’t do it justice. You’ll have to check out the structure the locals call “undefeated” for yourself — just don’t do it in a truck over 12 feet tall.
Since the dawn of time — one report says 1912, another 1937 — the concrete slab bridge has been shearing the tops off unsuspecting box trucks and (probably) low-flying spaceships. It has its own Twitter and Facebook pages. It has t-shirts. One might say it has solidified its status as a pop culture icon and the hungriest bridge in the metro.
Technically operated by the Kansas City Terminal Railway, the bridge serves a practical purpose. But even news stations are in on the joke now. In June, Northeast News reported on the bridge’s signage upgrade, meant to give “GPS-dependent truck drivers” more warning before getting gobbled.
Keep doing your thing, bridge. Just don’t hurt anybody.
Town of Kansas Bridge
The Town of Kansas Bridge is actually in Missouri, and you’ll have to walk or roll over it. No cars are allowed on the structure, but it’s ADA accessible and open to bicyclists.
Serving as a very scenic connection between the north end of Main Street in River Market, the Riverfront Heritage Trail and Berkley Riverfront, the elevated walkway includes an observation deck above the water.
From on high, you’ll get striking views of the ASB Railroad and greenish Heart of America bridges to the east, and the Hannibal Railway and Buck O’Neil bridges to the west. Scattered about the bridge’s crisscrossing metal bars are locks with hearts and initials scribbled on them. The place is, in a word, romantic.
The bridge is also historical in its own right. Located in the same spot as an old river wharf, it’s marked by a plaque outlining the original birthplace of Kansas City, once known as the Town of Kansas. City founder John Calvin McCoy established a trading post at the wharf in 1833, calling it Westport Landing.
“It was McCoy’s idea to use a rock ledge on the Missouri River as a dock for the riverboat owned by him and his father,” writes historian Susan Jezak Ford.
Because he sympathized with the Confederacy during the Civil War, McCoy was asked to leave Kansas City in 1863.
Buck O'Neil Bridge
Named after the Kansas City Monarchs' beloved first baseman and manager for the Negro American League, the first Black coach in all of Major League Baseball and latest inductee to the Baseball Hall of Fame — the new Buck O’Neil Bridge will reach completion in 2024. You may have already seen construction in the place where U.S. highway 169 crosses the Missouri River.
The triple arch bridge was formerly called the Broadway Bridge, which opened in 1956 and had tolls on it until 1991. It’s still safe but nearing the end of its operational life. Approximately 50,000 cars cross the current structure each day.
And though that section of Broadway can be chaotic at rush hour, it’s a great example of the extent of Kansas City transit. Crossing the river northbound, you’ll pass the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport to the west and a huge railyard to the east.
If you’re traveling back into town from the international airport up north, U.S. Highway 169 offers some of the best views of downtown Kansas City — day or night.
As for the Buck O'Neil Bridge, the Missouri Department of Transportation has a fun live feed of the project as it goes up, piped in from a camera overlooking the river. Go ahead. Spy on the bridge.
Locust Creek Covered Bridge
The oldest and last bridge on the list is also the one farthest from Kansas City. If you want to hit the road, consider heading northeast towards Chillicothe and the Locust Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site. Because who doesn’t love a quaint covered bridge?
Completed in 1868, the bridge is built of white pine and vertical iron rods, both part of the Howe-truss design scheme patented by architect William Howe.
Out of the four surviving covered bridges in Missouri, the one at Locust Creek is the longest, measuring 151 feet. Believe it or not, a state highway ran across it — Missouri Route 8 — in the early 20th century.
The grounds around the bridge are quite marshy, but visitors to the historic site can explore by trail. From Kansas City, the Locust Creek Covered Bridge is an hour and a half drive.
Also, if you see any trolls, don’t give them your money. Gas is expensive enough.
Want more adventures like this? Sign up for KCUR's Creative Adventure Email. | https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-08-28/kansas-city-bridges-missouri-river | 2022-08-28T12:17:10Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-08-28/kansas-city-bridges-missouri-river | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Classic Cookie by day; Wild Rose Bistro by night. Two dining concepts will share the same space in Waldo as Chef Bryan Sparks builds a new menu — and business — from his obsession with food and growth.
“It doesn’t really make sense for us to get another brick-and-mortar spot,” said Sparks, who launched the rebooted Classic Cookie breakfast and lunch restaurant and bakery in 2021 at Wornall Road and Gregory Boulevard. “This place isn’t being used at night. So how do we get everything we can out of it?”
His recipe called for an answer: Wild Rose Bistro, a dinner companion to the popular Waldo shop that brings internationally-inspired dishes to the table with locally-sourced ingredients.
“Since the pandemic, you’ve seen people start to get super crafty and clever on what they’re doing with their businesses,” Sparks detailed. “Traditional doesn’t really work anymore. You have to be kind of able to think outside the box and pivot really quickly.”
A soft opening for Wild Rose Bistro is planned for Friday with a grand opening Sept. 1. Reservations are now being taken for both.
It marks the third pandemic restaurant project for Sparks and his fiancée, Hailey Allen. In 2021, they launched Beloved-On The Go meal preparation and catering company, before later taking ownership of Classic Cookie.
The duo came up with the concept for Wild Rose Bistro about two months ago after another project fell through.
“I seem to be — to my fiance’s chagrin — obsessed with more,” he added. “I can’t seem to stay quiet for more than eight months at this point.”
‘Think globally, act locally’
The new project will allow Sparks, Allen, and Jade Zivalic, chef for Wild Rose Bistro, to return to their upscale dining roots. Sparks came from Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar, Bluestem Bistro, and Rye, while Allen and Zivalic were at North Italia.
“Dining, the old-fashioned way — where you get your appetizer and then you get your soup or salad, then you get your entree — it’s boring,” he said. “It works for some people. But for me, dining is an experience, and the experience is best had when you’re talking about food and sharing with others. The conversation and the food itself kind of flows naturally over a two-hour period. So we kind of built the menu to be similar to that.”
Most dishes on the 14-item menu will be small to medium plates, he said.
“You’re meant to grab two to five plates per table and kind of share,” Sparks added.
The best way to describe the style of cooking for the Wild Rose Bistro is found in a concept Sparks heard in a documentary about French Chef Alain Ducasse, he said.
“[Ducasse] said something in there that kind of struck home with how I think a lot of cuisine is going nowadays — but kind of how we wanted to focus on building our menu — it’s ‘think globally, act locally,’” he continued. “So while the inspiration can come from anywhere across the globe, we’re using products that we can (find) here.”
For example, Wild Rose Bistro is expected to serve a miso and maple glazed salmon with a barley risotto and summer roasted vegetables that will come from Crum’s Heirlooms out of Bonner Springs. Other dishes include a cold crab salad with slightly pickled cucumbers, basil oil, and caviar; cassoulet; and sourdough dinner rolls with three types of compound butter.
“We’re using local farms and local producers and high quality ingredients and we’re just sourcing ideas from kind of whatever inspires us and trying to make it cohesive on a plate,” he explained.
Something new, something old
A lot of the restaurants in the Waldo and Brookside areas offer bar-and-grill type food, Sparks said. He hopes to bring a lighter and fresher option to the neighborhood.
“We don’t have a fryer,” he said. “We use grapeseed oil in everything. We focus on minimal ingredients in our dishes so that we can be as healthy as possible.”
The small size of the space — 33 seats without the patio — will allow the team to pivot quickly when it comes to menu options, he said.
“What you see on the menu on Friday, two weeks from now, there’s probably going to be two or three different options on there,” he added. “And I think that’s going to be fun for the neighborhood.”
The bistro will also offer up a bit of nostalgia as customers will be eating off plates from the Plaza III restaurant, a former KC staple.
“I think the best thing about being a business owner so far — and the thing that I most enjoy — is being able to tell stories and connecting generations together,” Sparks said. “I guarantee you we’re gonna get some customers who, if not consciously, subconsciously recognize the Plaza III plates from when they went to prom there in the ’90s and that’s cool. We get to keep memories alive, keep making new ones, and refurbish old ones.”
New concept, new chef
Sparks and Allen will be handing the reins of Wild Rose Bistro to Zivalic. Allen became friends with Zivalic when they both worked at North Italia in Leawood. Zivalic — who Sparks said is wildly talented and is going to be better than him — was also the sous chef at MOD in Bentonville, Arkansas.
“She’s exceptional,” he continued. “She has an amazing eye for plating, attention to detail. Her palette is probably one of the best in the city. She’s going to be one of the chefs that I give the resources that I can to and then stand out of the way and let her succeed.”
Zivalic hails from Los Angeles and the Wild Rose Bistro name is a nod to her California roots and to the daughter of Sparks and Allen, Esme.
“The California wild rose is said to be one of the most indestructible varieties that exists,” Sparks explained. “It survives droughts and wildfires. So I’m hoping to get a little bit of good karmic magic from the history of the name. And my daughter’s middle name is Rose. She’s currently in her 3-and-a-half-year-old terrible, wild stage.”
This story was originally published by Startland News, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective. | https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-08-28/one-of-kansas-citys-favorite-cookie-spots-is-getting-a-fine-dining-restaurant | 2022-08-28T12:17:18Z | kcur.org | control | https://www.kcur.org/arts-life/2022-08-28/one-of-kansas-citys-favorite-cookie-spots-is-getting-a-fine-dining-restaurant | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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