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First lady Jill Biden tests negative for COVID-19 after rebound
WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Jill Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Monday and will return to Washington on Tuesday, nearly a week after she came down with a “rebound” case of the coronavirus.
Her communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, announced the negative test in a statement Monday night.
Jill Biden had been isolating at her family’s house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, since testing positive on Aug. 24, and at the time, her spokesperson said she was not experiencing any symptoms. She first tested positive for the virus on Aug. 15, when she and President Joe Biden were vacationing in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
The president, who had his own back-to-back cases of COVID-19, was identified as a close contact of his wife and the White House said he was undergoing more frequent testing for the virus as a precaution. While Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines called for Biden to wear a face covering in close proximity to others indoors, he was seen without a mask hugging and taking selfies with supporters during an indoor rally on Thursday in the Washington suburbs.
Jill Biden, 71, and her husband, 79, have been twice-vaccinated and twice-boosted with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. She had been prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid, which has proven to be highly effective at preventing serious disease and death among those at highest risk from COVID-19. A minority of those prescribed the drug have experienced a rebound case of the virus a few days after their initial recovery.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wave3.com/2022/08/30/first-lady-jill-biden-tests-negative-covid-19-after-rebound/ | 2022-08-30T01:50:10Z | wave3.com | control | https://www.wave3.com/2022/08/30/first-lady-jill-biden-tests-negative-covid-19-after-rebound/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. until 0400 est. February 15th
1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion trains in Alaska's Arctic
B-roll of 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion flight operations around Alaska's North Slope.
Video Analytics
PUBLIC DOMAIN
This work, 1-52nd General Support Aviation Battalion trains in Alaska's Arctic, by John Pennell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/video/855714/1-52nd-general-support-aviation-battalion-trains-alaskas-arctic | 2022-08-30T01:53:35Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/video/855714/1-52nd-general-support-aviation-battalion-trains-alaskas-arctic | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
With his wife and partner Tiffany Notch, Ronnie Notch innovated and runs Breach, formerly known as Notes For Life A&T, which has now used technology to teach music and life principles to millions of youths. From their home base in North County, they are among the region’s least-known, most-successful entrepreneurs. The American spoke with Ronnie about technology, music, education and the aftermath of the Ferguson unrest, where he was a steady presence behind the scenes helping to keep the peace and the young protestors nourished.
St. Louis American: What is new and upcoming with your ongoing entrepreneurial efforts in education and music? What is new and upcoming with you personally? What music are you making?
Ronnie Notch: At Breach, we're looking forward to Summer 2023 and bringing our Lift Off residential experience back. Because of COVID, we haven't been able to safely welcome students from all over the country to an area university since 2019 at Saint Louis University. To see where some of our past Lift Off students are now is confirmation that when you get the chance to do something crazy that no one else has done because of fear, do it. The university we're negotiating with is an exciting and technologically advanced choice. We're confident the students who are accepted will agree.
We're also in year two of our Virtual Reality (VR) and spatial audio music creation curriculum called "Make Room For Music." We believe it's a large step in the direction that music creation and consumption is headed. By leveraging technologies such as VR and spatial and binaural audio, students learn about the future of sound design while creating in ways many of us have only dreamed of in the past.
That excitement has led Tiffany and me to create outside of Breach as well. We're currently developing a VR experience that enhances the audience's ability to absorb songs and albums. We've been working on this off and on since 2016, but have been making consistent progress since late 2019. Saying we're excited to share this new work would be a profound understatement.
St. Louis American: Why music education? In the traditional school it's often considered an extra-curricular and one of the first programs cut in a budget crunch.
Ronnie Notch: Tiffany and I have always looked at music as the universal language. Music transcends race, age, ability, etc. The community disconnect we often see can be mended via music – be it a concert, festival or performance.
When it comes to preparing the future generation of leaders, thinkers, creators and more, we must be able to speak effectively to them and in a way that meets them where they are when possible.
Since 2014, our company’s foundation has been music education. This allows us to introduce areas of tech and learning in a way that is captivating and easy to retain. Many times, our students don’t realize the skills they’re developing until student exit assessments are completed. I can say without a doubt that our curriculum has helped to shape the view of music education in many districts across the country. It’s no longer looked at as a luxury course or expendable. Our work isn’t finished, but we’re certainly well equipped for the global challenge.
St. Louis American: As parents of three, where are you sending your children? Do you trust the public schools enough to send them there? What can we do to make our public schools institutions we trust with our children?
Ronnie Notch: Before we had children, Tiffany and I made the decision to home school. We knew that was our journey before we were married almost 10 years ago. We both attended area private schools but also recognized the shift in American education.
Since then, we’ve developed an approach that most would consider “unschooling.” When we have meetings (or, now, virtual meetings), our two oldest children attend with us. They learn through experiences and we, as parents, learn what motivates and interests our children at various stages. Yes, they can retain information and read, solve math problems, and the like, but they’re also able to think collaboratively and individually, effectively communicate, utilize situational awareness, and display so many other skills that many 8- and 5-year-old children aren’t encouraged to do in a traditional school setting.
Again, it will sound cliché but, our public school systems have to first look at themselves as more than a K-12 childcare service. It is a thankless industry, and we can never properly show our gratitude for educators and teachers and district administrators, but what we can do is reshape the foundation that American education is built on. In fact, I'd go as far as to say we need to dismantle it and rebuild it.
We're still learning in a way that was tailored for the industrial revolution. We keep children in schools for five days a week for roughly 40 hours a week which allows parents and guardians time to go to work. When parents come home they're too tired to have a genuine interest in what children are learning. It's not that parents trust the school systems – many times, they're just too tired to examine what's really going on.
Now, imagine this same scenario for the life of a teacher who is also a parent. They're often times underpaid. They spend more time with other children than their own, which can lead to guilt, and, when something goes wrong, they're blamed. In any other environment, we'd consider this an unhealthy workplace, but since education is vital to the American economy, it hasn't been changed.
Schools train students to be responsive and reactive, not creative and proactive. In most schools, listening to authority is valued more than communicating, so it's no surprise the level of crime we see amongst juveniles and young adults. They have no idea how to process what they're feeling, let alone how to tell someone else how they feel and what they need.
If you want to change something, that change starts on the inside. If we were ever in a position of leadership in the public school system, our ideas would be shunned at first with great resistance because they'd appear to be radical. But we say: how can we afford to not be radical and brave when we're talking about the literal future of our species?
I could go on forever about this, but this is why Breach exists. We exist because we believe we can continue to chip away at the outdated, unproductive approaches and rebuild the foundation of American education until it is strong enough to withstand a pivot that benefits every student, everywhere.
St. Louis American: Does the current labor shortage in the U.S. pose challenges for your projects? How are you responding to the challenge?
Ronnie Notch: In regards to Breach, the current labor shortage has caused us to continue to think outside of the box while doing so with a student-first approach. When we speak of labor in our industry, we're speaking of our backbone, which is educators and teachers.
In 2017-2018, we began imagining a world where attending school in the traditional sense was optional. Not because we saw a pandemic on the horizon, but because of violence and shootings taking place inside of educational institutions. There were also illnesses and viruses spreading, and our parent population became concerned with sending their children to school at the risk of becoming sick. At that time, we were told that "students at desks in classrooms is something that's never going to change in American and global education."
Fast forward to 2020, and our company actually grew exponentially because many schools and districts were not prepared for what we at Breach call "expanding the classroom." Between 2014-2019, we impacted roughly 1.5 million students globally through our Cre8ivate Curriculum. Since 2020, that number is now roughly 2.6 million and growing. Right now, we're focusing on training quality educators, increasing virtual class sizes without compromising the effectiveness of the lessons, and introducing new career pathways to students while maintaining a nurturing and exciting learning environment.
St. Louis American: You were there at Ferguson making sure the front-line risk takers had water and food; you were one of my solid sources as a journalist. What is your take on some of the many outcomes of Ferguson, both big picture and particular people we saw evolve?
Ronnie Notch: When we drive down West Florissant or South Florissant Avenue, it's hard to do so without thinking about August 9, 2014 and what happened over the days, weeks, and months that followed. Personally, I've had to grow from the anger I developed regarding some who capitalized from that tragic moment in time and molded it into celebrity. While being out there for a month straight, with Tiff and our son, we knew firsthand the danger and chaos that was alive and well there. So, to see accounts from the absent was a tough, and yet necessary, pill to swallow.
I'm now 38 and a parent of three, whereas then, Tiffany and I only had our son. Since then I've lost my father, brother in law and grandmother. I’ve lost friends and other family as well. Time has allowed me to grow and understand that everyone copes and even grieves differently. I've had to learn how to respect the grief and love the grief-stricken. I've also learned how to focus on the consistent: people like Tef Poe, Jami Dolby, Keith Griffin, the late Orlando Watson. Focusing on the ones who have consistently pushed the city forward selflessly is good for the soul and inspiring. I'm also happy and inspired to see one of my first role models, Flint Fowler, and his team's work to make Ferguson better than ever. There are opportunities in Ferguson now that didn't exist before, and I think everyone can appreciate that.
St. Louis American: What is some comfort music for you? Comfort food? Social medium of choice? Hobbies? Favorite video games? Sport rooting interests? Historic hip-hop grudges you're still weighing in your heart?
Ronnie Notch: This is going to sound like an after-school program commercial but, to me, anything I choose to listen to is comfort music. That’s definitely not the same as saying all music is comforting, but at this point in life I work hard to only listen to content that works with my brain and not against it. That’s everything from the Sing 2 soundtrack to The Black Album to Pusha T. That's not me knocking anything or anybody, I'm just very intentional with what I listen to these days and when I listen to it.
Comfort food is easy. Tiff has started baking from-scratch chocolate chip cookies, and I'd put them up against anyone’s, ha, ha, ha.
My social medium of choice is still Instagram but Twitter is still right there after 14 years of loyalty.
Over the last year or so, our family has really gotten into streaming video games. We have a Facebook gaming channel called NotchHouse. It's our off season right now, but we'll be back up and running in September or so. Favorite video games right now are Fortnite and NBA2K22.
I'm always going to be a Lakers faithful, even when we miss the mark badly like the 2021-2022 season. And it goes without saying, I'm a Cardinals diehard.
Hip-hop grudges that still land me in debates to this day are 2Pac v. Biggie and No Limit v. Cash Money. There are others but those two historic conflicts are never ending from many perspectives.
For more information, visit https://www.thisisbreach.com or email inquiry@thisisbreach.com. | https://www.stlamerican.com/business/business_news/teaching-the-universal-language/article_b2ff7b9e-27a4-11ed-86d2-039b4ca3e4d2.html | 2022-08-30T01:55:02Z | stlamerican.com | control | https://www.stlamerican.com/business/business_news/teaching-the-universal-language/article_b2ff7b9e-27a4-11ed-86d2-039b4ca3e4d2.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
There are lofty expectations around the e Vashon High football program after last year’s breakthrough 9-2 season.
The Wolverines returned several key players from last year’s team that won a district championship and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class 4 playoffs. Inviting challenges was part of this season’s game plan, as Vashon beefed up its non-conference schedule with road games against Cardinal Ritter, Fort Zumwalt North and last Friday night’s trip to Class 6 Kirkwood to open the season.
Vashon passed its first big test in dramatic fashion, posting a thrilling 28-27 victory over the Pioneers.
With 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Wolverines trailed 27-6 and were without an offensive touchdown. That was when sophomore sensation Dierre Hill took over the game.
The talented running back scored three consecutive touchdowns, including the game winner on an 81-yard romp with 42 seconds left in the game. He finished with 177 yards on the ground while adding 98 more yards on his three receptions. He is a big-time talent who has already received several Division I scholarship offers.
Junior quarterback Malious Cain completed nine of 15 passes for 181 yards while senior linebacker Terrell Peete led the defensive effort with nine solo tackles, a sack and an 88-yard touchdown return on a fumble recovery.
Vashon and Cardinal Ritter will kick things off at 7 p.m. on Friday night.
*Top Individual Performers from Week 1
Jamal Roberts rushed for 194 yards on 12 carries and scored two touchdowns in St. Mary’s 42-10 win over SLUH.
*Wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan of CBC had five receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the Cadets’ 41-27 victory over Milton (GA) at the Freedom Bowl in Canton, OH.
*Quarterback Byron McNair of Pattonville completed 11 of 15 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown in a 22-15 victory over Ritenour.
*Running back DJ Burgess of Parkway Central rushed for 175 yards on 28 carries and scored four touchdowns in a 36-18 victory over Parkway South.
*Running back Chris Caldwell of O’Fallon rushed for 193 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns in a 23-17 victory over Normal Community.
*Running back Quaran Williams of Parkway North rushed for 213 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns in the Vikings 21-14 victory over Hazelwood East.
*Running back Deion Brown of Kirkwood rushed for 177 yards on 11 carries and three touchdowns in the Pioneers’ 28-27 loss to Vashon.
*Running back Elijan Stevens of Summit rushed for 133 yards on 14 carries and three touchdowns in a 61-0 victory over Webster Groves.
*Running back Steve Hall of MICDS rushed for 107 yards on 11 carries and three touchdowns in a 37-2 victory over Harrisonville.
*Running back Marvin Burks of Cardinal Ritter scored three touchdowns in the Lions’ 46-0 victory over McCluer.
What’s On Tap This Weekend
CBC (1-0) at East St. Louis, Saturday, 6 p.m. – The feature game at this weekend’s East St. Louis Classic at Jordan Stadium. Both teams staged an epic opening season game last year at CBC with East Side taking a thrilling 48-44 victory.
DeSmet (0-1) vs. IMG Academy, Saturday, 3 p.m. – In the opening game of the East St. Louis Classic, DeSmet will take on national power IMG Academy from Florida. DeSmet opened its season with a narrow loss to Ohio power Springfield last Saturday in Indianapolis.
Troy (1-0) at O’Fallon (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m. – GAC power Troy makes a trip over to the metro east to take on a strong O’Fallon team out of the Southwestern Conference.
Lutheran North (1-0) at Blair Oaks (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m. – This will be a battle of two of the top small school programs in the state as Lutheran North will make the trip to Wardsville in Mid-Missouri to take on an always powerful Blair Oaks.
Jackson (0-1) at Francis Howell (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m. – SEMO area powerhouse Jackson comes to St. Charles County to take on an excellent Francis Howell team.
Lift for Life (1-0) at St. Dominic (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m. – Lift for Life returns to St. Charles after its opening season win at Duchesne to face a strong Class 4 St. Dominic team.
Summit (1-0) at Marquette (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m. – A battle of Rockwood school district programs that tasted victory in the opening week of the season.
Priory (1-0) at Lutheran-St. Charles (1-0), Friday, 7 p.m. – A pair of good small schools hook up in St. Charles after posting opening week victories. | https://www.stlamerican.com/sports/sports_columnists/inside_sports/very-explosive-vashon-tops-kirkwood-st-mary-s-snaps-sluh/article_22e46682-27f4-11ed-89a1-73536aa9c9c6.html | 2022-08-30T01:55:08Z | stlamerican.com | control | https://www.stlamerican.com/sports/sports_columnists/inside_sports/very-explosive-vashon-tops-kirkwood-st-mary-s-snaps-sluh/article_22e46682-27f4-11ed-89a1-73536aa9c9c6.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A small fire burned a portable building on the campus of Acadiana High School in Scott earlier this evening, authorities said.
According to Scott Fire Chief Chad Sonnier, the fire started up around 8 p.m. on Monday inside a butler building housed on the campus.
Chief Sonnier stated no students or staff were on campus at the time of the fire and that firefighters are working to determine a cause.
KATC crew was on scene.
According to the Lafayette Parish School System, the fire has been contained and there is no damage to any additional buildings.
Classes in and around the portable building will be moved to another location and school will resume as normal tomorrow. | https://www.katc.com/news/lafayette-parish/small-fire-burning-building-at-acadiana-high-school | 2022-08-30T02:09:15Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/lafayette-parish/small-fire-burning-building-at-acadiana-high-school | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Researchers say new data shows that emergency room visits are up from the previous decade showing that children and young people under 18 are heading to the emergency room more after ingesting small lithium coin-sized batteries.
The batteries are ubiquitous, powering many electronic devices around the home, like key fobs, toys, flame-free candles, and many other pieces of technology.
The small, round, shiny button batteries can become lodged in a child's throat, nose or ears.
New data released in a report from the academic journal Pediatrics shows that the problem appears to be growing in the United States. Over twice as many emergency room visits related to children ingesting these small batteries were reported from 2010 to 2019 than in the window between 1990 and 2009, with the majority of those visits for children under five years old.
The report said pediatric battery-related emergency room visits increased significantly from 2010 to 2017, and prevention efforts were not found to reduce injuries markedly.
Now, experts are urging the battery industry to take action to find new designs to mitigate the issue as foreign body ingestion (FBI) became the fourth leading cause of calls to poison control centers for kids five years old and younger in 2019.
And quick removal of the FBI object is not enough. According to researchers, when button batteries make contact with internal tissue, it can cause a rapid "hydrolysis of water into hydroxide ions," which is an increase in highly alkaline pH. And if the small batteries are inserted into the nasal passage, it can cause septal perforation. If they are inserted into the ear, facial nerve paralysis can be triggered along with hearing loss or other issues.
Batteries are among the most common types of FBI in the United States.
In 2011, Safe Kids Worldwide partnered with Energizer to launch a campaign of community outreach, including through the media, to raise public awareness of the issues of ingesting batteries. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Broncho-Esophagological Association formed the National Button Battery Task Force in 2012 to bring representatives from the private and public sectors together to raise awareness.
The battery industry has created child-safe packaging and more warning labels and has tried to find ways to safely dispose of small batteries so they don't get into children's hands.
As the New York Times reported, experts advise if you believe your child has swallowed a battery, you can give two teaspoons of honey every 10 minutes to children older than one year if they have swallowed the battery within the previous 12 hours. This will help protect internal tissue while you wait to get emergency assistance.
Honey should not be given to a baby younger than 12 months old as it could cause infant botulism. If a child is suspected of having swallowed a battery, they should be taken to a medical professional as soon as possible.
Signs that a child has swallowed a battery could include coughing, refusal to eat or drink and vomiting, or strange and noisy breathing. Signs that a child has inserted a battery into their ear could include drainage or pain, similar to an ear infection. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/more-kids-heading-to-the-emergency-room-after-ingesting-small-batteries-new-data-shows | 2022-08-30T02:09:21Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/more-kids-heading-to-the-emergency-room-after-ingesting-small-batteries-new-data-shows | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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PUERTO CORTES, Honduras - (Aug. 26, 2022) – Lt. Christopher Martinez, military detachment officer-in-charge, meets Honduran naval leadership after the Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Burlington (T-EPF-10) arrives in Puerto Cortes, Honduras, Aug. 26, 2022. Burlington is deployed to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations to support expeditionary maintenance to deployed littoral combat ships operating in the region and conduct theater security cooperation engagements to maintain access, enhance interoperability and build enduring partnerships in the Caribbean, Central and South America. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Brendan Mullin/Released)
This work, USNS Burlington Pulls into Puerto Cortes, Honduras [Image 7 of 7], by Sgt Brendan Mullin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7393618/usns-burlington-pulls-into-puerto-cortes-honduras | 2022-08-30T02:15:34Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7393618/usns-burlington-pulls-into-puerto-cortes-honduras | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
220826-M-JX780-1119
PUERTO CORTES, Honduras - (Aug. 26, 2022) – Honduran naval leadership conducts a tour of the Honduran Enlisted Naval Academy for U.S. Marines and Sailors assigned to the Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Burlington (T-EPF-10) as it arrives in Puerto Cortes, Honduras, Aug. 26, 2022.. Burlington is deployed to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations to support expeditionary maintenance to deployed littoral combat ships operating in the region and conduct theater security cooperation engagements to maintain access, enhance interoperability and build enduring partnerships in the Caribbean, Central and South America. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Brendan Mullin/Released)
This work, USNS Burlington Pulls into Puerto Cortes, Honduras [Image 7 of 7], by Sgt Brendan Mullin, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7393620/usns-burlington-pulls-into-puerto-cortes-honduras | 2022-08-30T02:15:46Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7393620/usns-burlington-pulls-into-puerto-cortes-honduras | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
First lady Jill Biden tests negative for COVID-19 after rebound
WASHINGTON (AP) — First lady Jill Biden tested negative for COVID-19 on Monday and will return to Washington on Tuesday, nearly a week after she came down with a “rebound” case of the coronavirus.
Her communications director, Elizabeth Alexander, announced the negative test in a statement Monday night.
Jill Biden had been isolating at her family’s house in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, since testing positive on Aug. 24, and at the time, her spokesperson said she was not experiencing any symptoms. She first tested positive for the virus on Aug. 15, when she and President Joe Biden were vacationing in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.
The president, who had his own back-to-back cases of COVID-19, was identified as a close contact of his wife and the White House said he was undergoing more frequent testing for the virus as a precaution. While Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines called for Biden to wear a face covering in close proximity to others indoors, he was seen without a mask hugging and taking selfies with supporters during an indoor rally on Thursday in the Washington suburbs.
Jill Biden, 71, and her husband, 79, have been twice-vaccinated and twice-boosted with the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. She had been prescribed the antiviral drug Paxlovid, which has proven to be highly effective at preventing serious disease and death among those at highest risk from COVID-19. A minority of those prescribed the drug have experienced a rebound case of the virus a few days after their initial recovery.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbko.com/2022/08/30/first-lady-jill-biden-tests-negative-covid-19-after-rebound/ | 2022-08-30T02:23:30Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/2022/08/30/first-lady-jill-biden-tests-negative-covid-19-after-rebound/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- QuHarrison Terry, author of The Metaverse Handbook, and Emmy-nominated artist Genesis Renji today release Open Your Eyes, their new sonic storytelling project via VNM USA.
Open Your Eyes Tracklist
1. A New Specimen
2. Took Flight
3. Krista Kim
4. Open Your Eyes
5. Seasteading Flows
6. Airdrop
7. Fuego
Listen now: https://qt.lnk.to/openyoureyesPr
Open Your Eyes is a seven-track EP that asks the listener to open their eyes to several technological moments that are happening right now.
"A New Specimen" references the internet artist of the same name, commenting on making it as a fine artist using the web as your chosen medium.
"Took Flight" is inspired by Meta Diva Serena Elis's confidence in betting on her vision as a metaverse performer.
"Krista Kim" highlights her monumental digital home transaction in 2021 and how it marked the metaverse era.
"Open Your Eyes" tells the story of an emerging visionary and the internal struggles they must overcome.
"Seasteading Flows" chronicles the threat of global warming while showcasing an antidote of floating cities known as seasteads – an idea that has been popularized by Patri Friedman, Wayne Gramlich, and Joe Quirk. The track also features a hidden mention of Arthur Hayes.
"Airdrop" is a techie love story about unexpected encounters.
"Fuego" is about breaking expectations with confidence, hard work, and boldly paving your own path. The record references Nikki Fuego, a Decentraland fashion designer that's known for designing digital wearables and creating drag shows in the metaverse.
Genesis Renji shared how the EP came together, "When QT hit me up about needing help sharing these stories, I thought he was asking me to be his next co-author. But he had a different vision. He began sending me voice notes and articles, asking me how we could turn these ideas into a record. Believe me, Open Your Eyes is just the beginning."
"In today's age, great music spreads faster than the written word. I had these powerful stories I wanted to share, but felt that they'd go further on Spotify and Apple Music versus an audiobook. That is the birth of sonic storytelling and our way of highlighting memorable moments through music," said QuHarrison Terry.
Streaming here: https://qt.lnk.to/openyoureyesPr
Ryan Cowdrey
505-333-9117
r@vnmusa.com
View original content:
SOURCE VNM USA | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/30/quharrison-terry-amp-genesis-renjis-open-your-eyes-ep-available-today-via-vnm-usa/ | 2022-08-30T02:23:55Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/30/quharrison-terry-amp-genesis-renjis-open-your-eyes-ep-available-today-via-vnm-usa/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The 49ers, in true fashion, did something few thought they would. ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced the team is restructuring Jimmy Garoppolo’s contract. Yes, you read that right. Jimmy isn’t going anywhere.
The new contract is worth one-year and has a base of $6.5 million, that’s fully guaranteed. Garoppolo has another total of $500,000 he could reach in roster bonuses. He also has playtime bonuses that can boost it up to $9 million.
After this restructure, the 49ers now have the second-most cap space in the NFL with $22 million. Garoppolo’s contract contains a no-trade clause, meaning if the team wants to deal him during the year before the trade deadline, Jimmy has a say in it.
Finally, the Niners would get a third-round compensatory pick next year by having Garoppolo on the team. That should be viewed as a positive
***Deep breaths***
Why?
On the surface, the 49ers upgraded over Nate Sudfeld and Brock Purdy. There is value in having a legitimate backup. Nobody would argue that. But you could, in theory, release Garoppolo and use that money to upgrade your interior offensive line to help the quarterback you invested multiple first-round picks in.
Instead, you’re putting pressure on Trey Lance to perform right away. And if he doesn’t, look out. There were reports that the 49ers brass feared Garoppolo would go to Seattle. OK. Let’s say that were to happen. The Seahawks, at best, become a 7-8 win team?
To me, this comes down to the Niners overvaluing one of their own and refusing to admit a mistake. This could have been fixed early in the offseason with a release. It wasn’t, and here we are, nine months later, still talking about Garoppolo.
Does this say more about Lance than Jimmy? We’ll see. | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/8/29/23327888/49ers-garoppolo-restructure | 2022-08-30T02:24:16Z | ninersnation.com | control | https://www.ninersnation.com/2022/8/29/23327888/49ers-garoppolo-restructure | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Who will start for Arkansas football vs. Cincinnati? Week 1 depth chart revealed
Arkansas football has released the depth chart for its Week 1 game vs. Cincinnati.
The No. 23 Razorbacks and No. 22 Bearcats kick off the 2022 season on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN). There are few surprises among the starters, and the position battle at cornerback has been settled for now.
Here's a look at who should start for Arkansas on Saturday.
MORE:Three unanswered Arkansas football questions we have as game week arrives
2022 PICKS:Will Arkansas improve on last season's success? Our game-by-game predictions
SEC FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGSUga may be barking, but is Alabama No. 1?
Offense
Quarterback: KJ Jefferson, Malik Hornsby
Running back: Raheim Sanders, AJ Green
Wide receivers: Warren Thompson, Jadon Haselwood, Matt Landers; Jaedon Wilson, Bryce Stephens, Ketron Jackson Jr.
Left tackle: Luke Jones, Andrew Chamblee
Left guard: Brady Latham, Jalen St. John
Center: Ricky Stromberg, Patrick Kutas
Right guard: Beaux Limmer, E'Marion Harris
Right tackle: Dalton Wagner, Ty'Kieast Crawford
Tight end: Trey Knox, Nathan Bax
Running back: Raheim Sanders, AJ Green
Tight end: Trey Knox, Nathan BaxWide receiver:
Defense
Defensive end: Jashaud Stewart, Zach Williams; Landon Jackson, Jordan Domineck
Defensive tackle: Eric Gregory, Isaiah Nichols; Terry Hampton, Cam Ball
Linebacker: Bumper Pool, Drew Sanders; Jordan Crook, Chris Paul Jr.
Cornerback: LaDarrius Bishop, Hudson Clark; Malik Chavis, Dwight McGlothern OR Khari Johnson
Safety: Jalen Catalon, Simeon Blair; Latavious Brini, Jayden Johnson
Nickelback: Myles Slusher, Trent Gordon
Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA Today Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@swtimes.com. | https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/college/2022/08/29/arkansas-football-depth-chart-week-1-cincinnati/65461783007/ | 2022-08-30T02:31:28Z | swtimes.com | control | https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/college/2022/08/29/arkansas-football-depth-chart-week-1-cincinnati/65461783007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Clash of veteran offensive lines in Arkansas vs. Cincinnati perfect for Pittman
FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas football isn't easing into its 2022 season.
The No. 23 Razorbacks take on No. 22 Cincinnati on Saturday (2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN), and the Bearcats are coming off a historic season that saw them make the College Football Playoff semifinal.
Much of the offseason buzz about Cincinnati has been about how good it can be having lost star quarterback Desmond Ridder and a number of other starters. But there's one place the Bearcats aren't lacking experience: the offensive line. All five of last season's starters are back for 2022.
Arkansas, too, has a veteran offensive line. The Razorbacks only had to replace one starter from last season, left tackle Myron Cunningham. His replacement, redshirt senior Luke Jones, played in all 13 games without a start.
"Any time you have them all coming back, that's a good thing," Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said Monday about the Cincinnati offensive line. "They'll try to bloody your nose and come right at you ... . We have four coming back, and we feel like that's a strength of our team. I can't speak for (Cincinnati coach Luke Fickell), but I'm assuming he thinks that's the strength of their team."
MORE:What Sam Pittman hopes Arkansas football is 'bringing to the party' against Cincinnati
DEPTH CHART:Who will start for Arkansas football vs. Cincinnati? Week 1 depth chart revealed
SEC FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS:Uga may be barking, but is Alabama No. 1?
Given Pittman's background as an offensive line coach and pride in physical football, this is just the kind of matchup he likes. He said he wants the Razorbacks to run the ball as well as they did last season, when they led the Power Five in rushing yards per game. Experience on the line is crucial to that effort.
"I think it really helps you when you have an older line because you’ve just got to be really gap sound," Pittman said. "(Cincinnati is) going to get us some, too. They’ve got good players and great scheme. But I think it’s a big deal for us to be a little older."
One concern, however, is the depth at offensive line. Several reserve linemen are dealing with injuries, including Devon Manuel, Marcus Henderson and Josh Street. Pittman said Manuel should be back in practice this week. Right tackle Dalton Wagner was limited in spring practice with a back injury, and while he's healthy and ready to start, Pittman said he wouldn't be playing every snap of every game. Latham missed practices last week with an unspecified injury, and while he's listed as the starting left guard for Week 1, it's unclear how banged up he might be.
Because of those injuries, three true freshmen appear on the depth chart: Former three-star recruit Patrick Kutas and four-stars E'Marion Harris and Andrew Chamblee. Harris is backing up right guard Beaux Limmer, and Chamblee is behind Jones. Kutas isn't normally a center but is having to learn on the job because of the injuries to Henderson and Street.
"I like those three guys," Pittman said of the freshmen. "I think they’re the future of our program."
The opener against Cincinnati is a major test for Arkansas at the start of the season. Passing that test starts with the Razorbacks' ability to live up to the blue-collar, tough brand they've built under Pittman, and that starts with the line. With a former offensive line coach in charge and an opponent with a depleted defense, Arkansas is well-suited for a battle in the trenches.
Christina Long covers the Arkansas Razorbacks for the Southwest Times Record and USA Today Network. You can follow her on Twitter @christinalong00 or email her at clong@swtimes.com. | https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/college/2022/08/30/arkansas-football-vs-cincinnati-a-clash-of-veteran-offensive-lines/65461828007/ | 2022-08-30T02:31:34Z | swtimes.com | control | https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/college/2022/08/30/arkansas-football-vs-cincinnati-a-clash-of-veteran-offensive-lines/65461828007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Arkansas high school football statewide rankings for Week 1
The following are the overall top 10 high school football teams in Arkansas and the top five in Classes 7A, 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, and the top three in the two 8-man divisions as voted by a panel of the Arkansas sports media from around the state for Week 1 of the 2022 season. The ranking is given with first-place votes received, records, total points, and last week's ranking:
Overall
Others receiving votes: North Little Rock 25, Benton 17, Fort Smith Northside 8, Shiloh Christian 5, Little Rock Catholic 5, Arkadelphia 2, Stuttgart 2, Prescott 1.
FOOTBALL TOP PERFORMERSThe top football performers for Week Zero in Arkansas and Oklahoma
Class 7A
Others receiving votes: Fayetteville 12, North Little Rock 6, Fort Smith Northside 1.
LINEMAN MOVES TEAM:How Northside's Eric Barrientos helped the offensive line dominate Southside
Class 6A
HOT TAKES FOR 2022 SEASON:Five Fort Smith area high school football hot takes for 2022
Class 5A
Others receiving votes: Harrison 11, Camden Fairview 10, Watson Chapel 6, Magnolia 3, Little Rock Mills 1.
AIREDALES TRUST JOE:Alma football ends losing streak to Van Buren behind quarterback Joe Trusty
Class 4A
Others receiving votes: Malvern 10, Ozark 10, Pocahontas 1, Rivercrest 1.
TOP PEFORMERS FOR WEEK OF AUG. 22Fort Smith area top performers in high school sports for the week of Aug. 22
Class 3A
Others receiving votes: Rison 13, Camden Harmony Grove 7, Melbourne 4, Newport 3, Gurdon 2.
COMMUNITY SUPPORTS COACHCommunities join in support after Southside coach Aaron Kareus diagnosed with brain tumor
Class 2A
Others receiving votes: Poyen 11, East Poinsett County 10, Marked Tree 10, McCrory 10, LR Episcopal 3, Magnet Cove 2, Clarendon 2, Dierks 1.
TEAMS SET FOR A TURNAROUND SEASON:Fort Smith area high school football teams best set for turnaround in 2022
8-Man (4A-3A)
Others receiving votes: Cedar Ridge (1) 3, Genoa Central 2, Marshall 2, Rose Bud 2, Parkers Chapel 1.
8-Man (2A-1A)
Others receiving votes: Brinkley (1) 10.
BEST NON-LEAGUE GAMES TO WATCH FOR 2022:Here are the River Valley's best non-league games for the 2022 high school football season | https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/08/29/arkansas-high-school-football-statewide-rankings-entering-week-1-2022/65460606007/ | 2022-08-30T02:31:40Z | swtimes.com | control | https://www.swtimes.com/story/sports/high-school/2022/08/29/arkansas-high-school-football-statewide-rankings-entering-week-1-2022/65460606007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Sports Connection, 8-28-22
Published: Aug. 29, 2022 at 9:29 PM CDT|Updated: 5 minutes ago
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) - Brian Webb returns after a brief hiatus as he and Mohammad Ahmad catch up with two of the top high school boys golf coaches from around the area, plus they break down Week Two of high school football.
Copyright 2022 WBKO. All rights reserved. | https://www.wbko.com/2022/08/30/sports-connection-8-28-22/ | 2022-08-30T02:36:41Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/2022/08/30/sports-connection-8-28-22/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Developers have proposed a 24-hour Wawa gas station and convenience store at Savage Road and Route 329. During the Allen Township Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, August 23, supervisors met with engineers, developers, and lawyers to review the proposed sketch plan and address their concerns, including tractor trailers and traffic flow.
The Wawa will sit at the southwest corner of Savage Road and Route 329. The convenience store will be 6,000 square feet with customer entrances to the front and back of the building. Meanwhile, the fueling canopy will be 7,000 square feet. There will be eight fueling pumps onsite with 16 positions and 57 parking spots for passenger vehicles.
There will be no parking for tractor trailers, which concerns supervisors. With multiple nearby warehouses, supervisors asked how engineers will keep tractor trailers from entering the property. Without parking, supervisors worried that tractor trailers would park on a nearby access road.
John Cogan of Cedar Crest Chestnut Development LP, the developers of the Wawa, said the Wawa corporation does not allow tractor trailers on the property.
“Wawa,” he added, “is not a truck stop.”
There will be no diesel fueling pumps, and the canopy is not tall enough to fit tractor trailers. In addition, the access road to the property will be thinner than the standard road width and have extra striping to discourage truck parking.
Supervisors worried that these steps will not be enough.
“[The drivers] are going to do what they want,” said Supervisor Dale Hassler.
“Wawa’s formula has been to discourage [tractor trailers] as best we can,” said Cogan. He added that there will be ample room for tractor trailers to exit the property once drivers realize there is no parking to prevent them from becoming stuck.
Three vehicle entries are proposed for the property: a signalized access to the west of the property, a shared access road to the south, and an entrance on Savage Road that will only allow traffic to exit to the right.
Supervisors voiced concerns with the access road to the south of the property, but Cogan said it will help alleviate backup during peak hours, which can see hundreds of vehicles. Cogan and his team, which includes Lindsey Breylinger of Bohler Engineering and Erich Schock of Fitzpatrick Lentz & Bubba, will re-review this part of the sketch.
The development will also feature a buffer to the south of the property, which faces a residential neighborhood, and a rain garden along Savage Road to meet stormwater regulations.
The development team must appear before the zoning hearing board to address two variances. Per township ordinance, only seven fueling pumps and 14 positions are allowed. Meanwhile, the proposed canopy is 150 square feet over the township’s maximum allowance.
Next, the sketch plan will move to the township’s planning commission.
In other news, supervisors granted another extension to Prologis. Last month, supervisors allowed developers of the property to conduct overnight concrete pours three days a week through the end of August. The company has requested that these pours be allowed to continue through November. In addition, as steel construction begins, developers asked supervisors to grant them an allowance to work on weekends if rain halts any construction. No steel will be delivered onsite, and weekend work will be during daytime hours.
Supervisors approved this request since there have been no resident complaints thus far. Supervisors said as long as this continues, they have no problem allowing work to continue.
Finally, supervisors have put together a temporary parks committee. This committee, composed of four residents and two supervisors, will review similar ordinances from neighboring municipalities, discuss the makeup and terms of the committee, and prepare steps to establish an ordinance that would make this temporary committee permanent. Supervisors Paul Link and Gary Behler are members of this committee.
“I am very grateful that we have community members willing to serve on these boards,” said Behler.
The next Board of Supervisors meeting will be Tuesday, September 13 at 7 p.m. | https://homenewspa.com/2022/08/29/allen-township-supervisors-review-sketch-plans-for-proposed-wawa-on-route-329/ | 2022-08-30T02:36:41Z | wspa.com | control | https://homenewspa.com/2022/08/29/allen-township-supervisors-review-sketch-plans-for-proposed-wawa-on-route-329/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A report from Associated Press on a Chinese think tank talking a brave public stance against the ruling Communist Party in China.
- a public disagreement with the “zero COVID” policy
- saying curbs that shut down cities and disrupt trade, travel and industry must change to prevent an “economic stall.”
- The Anbound Research Center gave no details of possible changes but said President Xi Jinping’s government needs to focus on shoring up sinking growth.
- “Preventing the risk of economic stall should be the priority task”
AP goes on to note:
- The report, dated Sunday, was posted on the Anbound Research Center’s accounts on the popular WeChat messaging platform and the Sina Weibo microblog service but was deleted from both on Monday afternoon.
Which is not surprising. China one party state is intolerant of questions on its rules.
-
Note that there is the big Communist Party meeting coming up in October and November. President Xi is hell bent on awarding himself a third five-year term as leader. | https://www.forexlive.com/news/icymi-chinese-think-tank-says-that-propping-up-the-economy-should-be-the-priority-task-20220830/ | 2022-08-30T02:36:47Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/icymi-chinese-think-tank-says-that-propping-up-the-economy-should-be-the-priority-task-20220830/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
'Severe delays' are being reported on P&O Ferries services between Calais and Dover.
The problems are in France at Border Control. Passengers are reporting two hour queues at the French port.
Roads, traffic and transport monitoring service Inrix first reported the delays at 9.24pm on Monday. In an update at 12.57am on Tuesday, Inrix said: "Severe delays on P&O Ferries between Dover and Calais and check-in delays possible due to high demand. Source:Ferry Company."
P&O Ferries has apologised for the long waiting times. However, it said there are no delays on sailings from Dover to Calais.
In a tweet, the ferry operator said: "Please be advised that there are large queues at border control in Calais.
"We will hold vessels to accommodate as many people as possible and rest assured you will be on the next crossing should you miss yours. We sincerely apologise for the wait times this evening."
Scroll down for updates as we get them.
READ NEXT: | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/live-dover-calais-po-delays-7523102 | 2022-08-30T02:43:40Z | kentlive.news | control | https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/live-dover-calais-po-delays-7523102 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. — In December of 2021, Coty Shearer’s life was turned upside down. The place he called home was gone.
“Ended up losing the house, ended up on the street,” explained Shearer.
The situation weighed heavily on him, living out of his van parked in the garage of the Bridge Street Market
“It was really cold out. I had to worry about the guy that's driving in the parking lot because, I'll tell you man, it wasn't supposed to be there,” said Shearer. He says the situation was a difficult one that became worse when his van broke down.
Not knowing his next move, he became depressed and suicidal, eventually checking himself into a Mental Health facility called Pine Rest.
“There is hope, even though I got broken down to the point where I was feeling really depressed and even suicidal at one point. There is hope,” said Shearer.
That hope came in the form of a commercial showing Exodus Place; a non-profit organization helping those in vulnerable situations like Shearer. He gave them a call and moved in two weeks later.
“We are a transitional housing center that takes individuals out of either homelessness or right after incarceration where they're reentering the community, or they're just found themselves in a situation where they don't have any place to live, or they're dealing with addictions,” said Jennifer Colby, Operations Manager at Exodus Place. “And they can come in and work with our programs.”
Exodus Place is one of the organizations that works with the Grand Rapids Homeless Outreach Team – or H.O.T.
It’s a task force made up of police officers, firefighters, social workers and a peer support specialist. It was created to last a few months during the height of the pandemic, but has stuck around to continue to help those living on the streets.
Exodus Place was a saving grace for Shearer.
“I got a place to stay, I got clothes, food, and workforce development helps me because I was able to find a second job because of that, so it gives you the experience to make yourself better.” said Shearer.
He was able to work 20 hours a week with the goal of saving and getting back on his feet. His message to others who may find themselves in the midst of a storm, is that there’s a rainbow on the other side.
“Don't be afraid to reach out for help, and don't be afraid to get help with other things too,” said Shearer.
If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness and need help, you can contact Exodus Place at (616) 242-9130 or the Homeless Outreach Team at (616) 456-4240. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/grand-rapids-man-shares-experience-with-homelessness-and-the-organization-that-helped-him-overcome-it | 2022-08-30T02:57:27Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/grand-rapids-man-shares-experience-with-homelessness-and-the-organization-that-helped-him-overcome-it | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Home Articles 3 Great Health Care Jobs for Those Studied Medicine & PhD Level, Exam Passers To Cho!\nTGHM: Health Information 跏甲 Healthcare Medical Job & Profi逄erals Phamar搌獸科保 Health Info Jobs | Exciting, Latest\nHehe 11896. .Health 亁.瘀锿.\n# KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Kalamazoo residents may soon pay more for their water and sewer bills.
City commissioners held a special meeting on Monday to discuss a proposed 20% rate increase that would partially go into effect in October if approved.
Increases were estimated to be 15% for water and 12% for wastewater when the city reviewed rates last year.
“[It’s] really the unprecedented inflationary pressures that we’ve been seeing with respect to chemicals costs, sludge hauling and disposal, fuel costs, and the raw materials that go into the operations and maintenance of both the water and wastewater departments,” said James Baker, Kalamazoo Department of Public Services director.
For example, Baker says annual sludge hauling and disposal costs have went from $4.5 million in 2021 to $9 million in 2022.
Kalamazoo homeowners pay between $40-55 dollars in monthly water and sewer bills, which falls under the state average of $69 per month.
Under the proposed rates, estimated total impacts would approximately be an additional $8.94 to $14.93 per month for city residents. For township residents, it would costs an extra $10.24 to $17.34 per month.
According to Baker, increases will be needed in the coming years, but he expects the rates to drop between 12-15% as the department completes some bigger projects and applies for more state and federal funds.
If approved, the sewer rates would go into effect October 1, 2022. Water rates would begin January 1, 2023. Another rate increase would not be considered until 2024.
To read the department’s full presentation on the proposed water rate increases, click here. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/kzoo-bc/kalamazoo/kalamazoo-considers-increased-rate-for-water | 2022-08-30T02:57:39Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/local-news/kzoo-bc/kalamazoo/kalamazoo-considers-increased-rate-for-water | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Researchers say new data shows that emergency room visits are up from the previous decade showing that children and young people under 18 are heading to the emergency room more after ingesting small lithium coin-sized batteries.
The batteries are ubiquitous, powering many electronic devices around the home, like key fobs, toys, flame-free candles, and many other pieces of technology.
The small, round, shiny button batteries can become lodged in a child's throat, nose or ears.
New data released in a report from the academic journal Pediatrics shows that the problem appears to be growing in the United States. Over twice as many emergency room visits related to children ingesting these small batteries were reported from 2010 to 2019 than in the window between 1990 and 2009, with the majority of those visits for children under five years old.
The report said pediatric battery-related emergency room visits increased significantly from 2010 to 2017, and prevention efforts were not found to reduce injuries markedly.
Now, experts are urging the battery industry to take action to find new designs to mitigate the issue as foreign body ingestion (FBI) became the fourth leading cause of calls to poison control centers for kids five years old and younger in 2019.
And quick removal of the FBI object is not enough. According to researchers, when button batteries make contact with internal tissue, it can cause a rapid "hydrolysis of water into hydroxide ions," which is an increase in highly alkaline pH. And if the small batteries are inserted into the nasal passage, it can cause septal perforation. If they are inserted into the ear, facial nerve paralysis can be triggered along with hearing loss or other issues.
Batteries are among the most common types of FBI in the United States.
In 2011, Safe Kids Worldwide partnered with Energizer to launch a campaign of community outreach, including through the media, to raise public awareness of the issues of ingesting batteries. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Broncho-Esophagological Association formed the National Button Battery Task Force in 2012 to bring representatives from the private and public sectors together to raise awareness.
The battery industry has created child-safe packaging and more warning labels and has tried to find ways to safely dispose of small batteries so they don't get into children's hands.
As the New York Times reported, experts advise if you believe your child has swallowed a battery, you can give two teaspoons of honey every 10 minutes to children older than one year if they have swallowed the battery within the previous 12 hours. This will help protect internal tissue while you wait to get emergency assistance.
Honey should not be given to a baby younger than 12 months old as it could cause infant botulism. If a child is suspected of having swallowed a battery, they should be taken to a medical professional as soon as possible.
Signs that a child has swallowed a battery could include coughing, refusal to eat or drink and vomiting, or strange and noisy breathing. Signs that a child has inserted a battery into their ear could include drainage or pain, similar to an ear infection. | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/more-kids-heading-to-the-emergency-room-after-ingesting-small-batteries-new-data-shows | 2022-08-30T02:57:51Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/more-kids-heading-to-the-emergency-room-after-ingesting-small-batteries-new-data-shows | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
West Richland, Wash. - Desert Sky Elementary held their ribbon cutting ceremony as part of their first day of school - ever - from 3:00 - 3:15 on August 29th. Students and families also had the opportunity to visit with faculty, including Principal and tour classrooms of the new facility.
The building at 2100 West Sunshine Avenue - now officially called Desert Sky Elementary - first opened in 2019, first serving students of Tapteal Elementary and later Badger Mountain while those schools underwent construction.
Principal Nicole “Nicki” Blake took over as Desert Sky’s first principal in the spring of 2022 and she and the school’s leadership team have since prepared to welcome the school’s own students.
Design West Architects designed the $23M building, built by Chervenell Construction. The funding came from a bond approved by RSD voters in 2017 along with state matching dollars. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/employment/richlands-eleventh-elementary-school-holds-ribbon-cutting/article_c0610bbc-27fa-11ed-a2b8-638b6046d52b.html | 2022-08-30T02:59:33Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/employment/richlands-eleventh-elementary-school-holds-ribbon-cutting/article_c0610bbc-27fa-11ed-a2b8-638b6046d52b.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Clear calm night overnight lows in the upper 50s and low to mid 60s.
More hot record-breaking temperatures this week and a heat advisory has been issued for most of Eastern Washington and North Eastern Oregon. Temperatures of 97-103 are expected this week. There is a slight chance of stray thunderstorms on Tuesday for the southern Blue Mountains and Wednesday in The Kittitas Valley and the Cascades.
Temperatures will gradually begin to cool on Friday into the Labor Day Weekend to the upper 80s and low 90s.
Heat Advisory... Until Wednesday 8 PM
Location: NE Oregon and E Washington
Temps: 97 - 103
Near Record Highs
Stay Hydrated
Take Breaks
Remember Pets
Increasing Fire Danger
Tri-Cities
Monday... Clear, Calm Night... 66
Tuesday... Sunny, Hot... 101/64 (record: 102/1967)
Wednesday... Sunny, Hot... 103/68 (record: 103/1967)
Thursday... Mostly Sunny, Hot... 102/66 (record: 101/1998)
Friday... Mostly Sunny, Hot... 102/65 (record: 100/1998)
Saturday... Mostly Sunny and Hot... 95/59
Sunday... Mostly Sunny, Cooler... 94/58
Yakima
Monday... Clear... 60
Tuesday... Sunny, Hot... 97/61 (record: 98/1967)
Wednesday... Sunny, Hot... 100/65 (record: 97/1998)
Thursday... Mostly Sunny, Hot... 99/63 (record: 100/1949)
Friday... Mostly Sunny, Hot... 97/60 (record: 99/2017)
Saturday... Mostly Sunny and Hot... 91/56
Sunday... Mostly Sunny, Cooler... 91/56 | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/more-record-breaking-heat-this-week/article_1002ce04-27e6-11ed-893b-73177063a882.html | 2022-08-30T02:59:39Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/more-record-breaking-heat-this-week/article_1002ce04-27e6-11ed-893b-73177063a882.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mattel is honoring Madam C.J. Walker, the first female self-made millionaire, with her own Barbie doll.
Walker, a hair care magnate from the early 1900s, is the latest influential figure to join Mattel’s Inspiring Women Series, which celebrates courageous and innovative women. She joins other prominent women like Maya Angelou, Ida B. Wells and Ella Fitzgerald, who also have had Barbies made in their likenesses. Barbie’s Carlyle Nuera, who designed Walker’s doll, says he was familiar with the hair care pioneer’s work as an entrepreneur, activist and philanthropist.
“She’s been on my dream list of icons to add to our Inspiring Women series,” Nuera said in a statement on the Mattel Creations website. “She created opportunities for herself, and uplifted other Black women, making her truly an inspiring woman.”
Nuera said he made sure to capture Walker’s essence with his design by incorporating her favorite colors into the doll’s clothes, along with incorporating Walker’s hair care products. Walker’s Barbie wears a ruffled purple blouse paired with a blue full-length skirt and holds a miniature Wonderful Hair Grower accessory in her hands. Nuera said he also collaborated with members of Walker’s family during the design process.
“We worked directly with A’Lelia Bundles, the great-great granddaughter and official biographer of Madam C.J. Walker, and an author and journalist,” he said. “My research into what Walker wore, as well as what was typical of the early 1900s, was supplemented by access to the Walker family archives. A’Lelia sent us rare photos, as well as cultural insight for what was ideal for Black women at the time and insight to what Walker herself loved.”
Walker was born Sarah Breedlove in 1867 to former enslaved sharecroppers on a cotton-plantation in Delta, Louisiana. She was one of five children and the first to be born free. By the age of 18, Walker had her first and only child, also named A’Lelia, and would lose her husband two years later. She then moved to St. Louis and married Charles J. Walker, who helped promote her business.
After experiencing hair loss from a scalp condition in the 1890s, Walker experimented with at-home treatment remedies and developed her first hair product in 1906. By 1908, Walker successfully established herself as an entrepreneur when she opened the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company in Pittsburgh, where she trained future beauticians and created beauty products. When she transferred the company to Indianapolis in 1910, her business had already generated millions of dollars in profits, making her the first Black woman to become a self-made millionaire. Walker also donated money to philanthropic organizations, including the St. Louis Colored Orphans’ Home and the Flanner Settlement House in Indianapolis, which became the first settlement house for Black people in the city. Walker died in 1919 at the age of 51 from hypertension and kidney failure.
In 2002, A’Lelia Bundles, Walker’s great-great granddaughter, wrote “On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker,” which became the inspiration for the 2020 Netflix fictional series “Self Made” about Walker’s life played by Octavia Spencer. She said it was a joy to work with Mattel in designing her great-great grandmother’s doll.
“Their design team graciously welcomed me throughout all steps of the process — from hair development to packaging — to capture and celebrate the legacy of this trailblazing Black businesswoman,” Bundles said in a statement given to NBC News. “I can’t wait for a new generation to be inspired by her story and to tell their own stories through a role model who came before them.” | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/national/barbie-honors-first-female-self-made-millionaire-madam-c-j-walker-with-new-doll/article_aa818a92-27fa-11ed-a525-7fb27b333ea1.html | 2022-08-30T02:59:45Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/national/barbie-honors-first-female-self-made-millionaire-madam-c-j-walker-with-new-doll/article_aa818a92-27fa-11ed-a525-7fb27b333ea1.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
MIAMI — The kitschy Home Run Sculpture was banished to a spot outside the stadium at the dawn of the (brief) Derek Jeter era in Miami.
The tacky Clevelander nightclub beyond the left field wall – complete with dancers and a pool – that gave a generation of visiting relievers a distraction from the humdrum of bullpen life is no more.
Even the fish tanks behind home plate are gone, the final victims of the Jeter-fication of loanDepot (formerly Marlins) Park.
Two things have survived – empty seats and losses. Lots of both.
A visit from the best team and the biggest draw in baseball – the team that leads MLB in attendance at home and on the road – didn’t fill many seats. The four-game series drew a total of 56,813, almost half of them (23,543) lured by the irresistible combination of a bobblehead giveaway and a post-game concert on Saturday.
The Dodgers dimmed their star power Monday, scratching Tony Gonsolin from his start and giving Mookie Betts the night off to bask in the glow of his National League Player of the Week award. For the second time in the series, they needed extra innings but still handed the Marlins another loss, 3-2, in 10 innings.
The Dodgers took three out of four in Miami and now head to New York for a series between the NL’s two top teams, a Citi Field attraction certain to be a much tougher ticket.
Filling in for Gonsolin, right-hander Michael Grove acquitted himself well enough in his second big-league start, pitching into the fifth inning. He gave up a leadoff double to Joey Wendle in the first inning and the Marlins cashed it in for a run on Brian Anderson’s ground out.
In the fourth, Garrett Cooper drilled a triple off the right-field wall (nearly hauled in by Betts’ stand-in Joey Gallo) and scored on a two-out bloop single by Lewin Diaz.
But the Dodgers could only match that with a two-run home run by Will Smith in the third inning off Marlins starter Pablo Lopez.
The score remained tied until baseball’s extra-inning rule gave the Dodgers’ offense a boost in the 10th. Trea Turner’s infield single – the 1,000th hit of his career – moved Cody Bellinger to third and he scored the tiebreaker on a force out.
Craig Kimbrel retired the Marlins on 14 pitches in the ninth and stuck around to pitch the 10th. The Dodgers failed to turn a double play behind him and Kimbrel’s control deserted him. He walked two to load the bases with one out and Chris Martin came in to save the day, striking out Garrett Cooper and getting Jacob Stallings to pop out.
More to come on this story.
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By Michael R. Blood | Associated Press
LOS ANGELES — California Gov. Gavin Newsom and a group of legislators reached a last-minute compromise to extend the lifespan of the state’s last operating nuclear plant by up to five years. But the proposal faces an uncertain future as the Legislature concludes its two-year session this week.
To pass, the proposal to keep the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant running needs a two-thirds vote in the state Assembly and Senate, a threshold that can be difficult to reach. Last week, a competing proposal emerged from Democratic legislators that would use $1.4 billion to speed up development of renewable power and transmission lines, while leaving intact plans to shutter the twin-domed plant by 2025.
Newsom has argued that the reactors are needed to fill gaps in the state power supply as California transitions to solar, wind and other renewables. He earlier proposed the reactors remain online for an additional 10 years, which was dropped in the latest version of the plan.
The legislation is anchored to the assumption that operator Pacific Gas & Electric will qualify for a share of $6 billion the Biden administration has set aside to rescue nuclear plants at risk of closing. But if that doesn’t happen, the state could consider backing out of the deal.
PG&E also would need approval to keep running from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, a process that has not started and sometimes takes years to complete.
Pro-nuclear advocates and industry-linked groups have praised the idea of a longer life for the reactors and their carbon-free power in the climate change era. But environmentalists and other critics warn of safety risks from nearby earthquake faults and tons of spent nuclear fuel at the site, along with potential future costs that could land on ratepayers.
Ralph Cavanagh of the Natural Resources Defense Council, one of the groups that negotiated and signed the agreement to close the plant by 2025, pointed to language in the bill that would allow PG&E to seek public dollars to pay for as-yet-unknown refurbishment costs for a longer operating run.
Cavanagh said it amounted to a risky “blank check” for the utility, and he said his group would oppose the deal.
He also pointed to language in the bill that states a longer run for the plant “may be necessary” to improve statewide power reliability, which he said backs up complaints from the NRDC and others that no detailed analysis has been done concluding that the reactors are needed beyond 2025. It also directs state utility regulators to conduct a study to determine if Diablo Canyon’s power is needed beyond that date.
The bill calls for extending the plant’s lifespan to improve reliability but “the study hasn’t been done yet” to support that, Cavanagh said.
The plant on the coast midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco produces 9% of the electricity for California’s nearly 40 million residents. The legislation also calls for a $1.4 billion forgivable loan for PG&E, and the state earlier set aside up to $75 million to extend operation of older power plants scheduled to close.
The debate has left PG&E in an awkward position, assessing the possibility of a longer run while simultaneously continuing to plan for closing and dismantling the plant as scheduled.
To keep the plant running, Newsom is trying to find a way to unspool the 2016 closure agreement agreed to by environmentalists, plant worker unions and the utility. The decision to close the plant also was endorsed by California utility regulators, the Legislature and then-Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown.
Legislators have complained about being bull-rushed at the end of the two-year session with a vastly complex plan, which is expected to be voted on by midweek.
State Sen. John Laird, a Santa Cruz Democrat whose district includes the plant, last week raised the possibility of the Legislature approving a stripped-down bill that would provide PG&E only with what is “absolutely necessary” for the utility to apply for federal funding.
To apply for the $6 billion federal program by a Sept. 6 deadline, Diablo Canyon needs state legislation to show it has a path to continue operations beyond its planned shutdown.Laird said he is reviewing the compromise, but said it appears to meet many of his concerns, including a more aggressive schedule to develop renewables and setting a five-year cap on continued operations.
Even if it is approved, a summary of the compromise bill released by the state Public Advocates Office said state utility regulators could cancel the extended run at a later date if there is a lack of federal dollars, if capital needs climb above $1.4 billion or if enough new, zero-carbon power comes online to make the reactors unnecessary.
Laird declined to speculate on the bill’s chances of passage.
“Everybody is reading it and trying to make their individual decision,” he said.
Join the Conversation
We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/29/newsom-lawmakers-agree-on-plan-to-extend-life-of-diablo-canyon-nuclear-plant/ | 2022-08-30T02:59:51Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/29/newsom-lawmakers-agree-on-plan-to-extend-life-of-diablo-canyon-nuclear-plant/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The Federal Trade Commission sued an Idaho-based data company Monday, accusing it of selling location data from hundreds of millions of mobile devices that could be used to track people at abortion clinics and other sensitive locations.
The FTC, the government’s main privacy watchdog, said in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Idaho that the company, Kochava Inc., was unfairly selling sensitive data in violation of federal law.
“The FTC is taking Kochava to court to protect people’s privacy and halt the sale of their sensitive geolocation information,” Samuel Levine, the director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in a statement.
The lawsuit asks the court for a permanent injunction and any additional relief the court determines proper.
Sandpoint, Idaho-based Kochava said that the suit had no merit. It said the company complies with all laws, and that the FTC had a fundamental misunderstanding of its business.
“Real progress to improve data privacy for consumers will not be reached through flamboyant press releases and frivolous litigation,” Brian Cox, general manager of the company’s online data marketplace known as the Kochava Collective, said in a statement.
Cox accused the FTC of spreading “misinformation” about data privacy and circumventing Congress, which is weighing a federal data protection law. He said, though, that the company was open to settlement talks if they resulted in “effective solutions.”
The suit appeared to be the first of its kind filed by the FTC since the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June overturning Roe v. Wade, the 49-year-old precedent that guaranteed abortion rights nationwide.
“This action is part of the @FTC’s work to use all of our tools to protect Americans’ privacy,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said on Twitter.
Earlier this month, the FTC said it would begin considering new rules to expand online privacy protections. And shortly after, Kochava sued the FTC, saying the agency had wrongly threatened the company with a lawsuit over its practices.
Cox said in his statement that the company was now in the process of voluntarily implementing a new tool to block location data from sensitive locations.
He also said that Kochava sources its data from companies that say they get people’s consent.
“Kochava sources 100% of the geo data in our data marketplace from third party data brokers all of whom represent that the data comes from consenting consumers,” he said.
The FTC said Monday that people are often unaware that their location data is purchased and shared by Kochava, and that they have no control over its sale or use.
The FTC has investigated mobile advertising companies before, including business-to-business data companies that consumers may never have heard of. A Singapore-based company agreed to pay $950,000 in civil penalties in 2016.
The commission is hosting an online public forum on Sept. 8 to hear public feedback on the regulation of commercial data brokers. Anyone can sign up to speak, Khan said.
Some people have opposed the FTC’s stepped-up privacy enforcement. Republican FTC member Noah Phillips said in a statement this month that the commission should not act without further authorization from Congress. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/national/u-s-government-sues-idaho-data-company-it-says-tracks-people-at-abortion-clinics/article_330c49c8-27f7-11ed-9b8f-fb09299557fb.html | 2022-08-30T02:59:51Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/national/u-s-government-sues-idaho-data-company-it-says-tracks-people-at-abortion-clinics/article_330c49c8-27f7-11ed-9b8f-fb09299557fb.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
By HOWARD FENDRICH, The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Serena Williams is not ready to say goodbye just yet. Nor, clearly, are her fans.
In her first match at what is expected to be the last U.S. Open – and last tournament – of her remarkable playing career, Williams overcame a shaky start to overwhelm Danka Kovinic, 6-3, 6-3, on Monday night in a packed Arthur Ashe Stadium with an atmosphere more akin to a festival than a farewell.
Looking ahead to a future without tennis competition, Williams told the crowd: “There’s other chapters in life.”
Early, Williams was not at her best. There were double-faults. Other missed strokes, missed opportunities. She went up 2-0, but then quickly trailed 3-2. Then, suddenly, Williams looked a lot more like someone with six championships at Flushing Meadows and 23 Grand Slam titles in all – numbers never exceeded by anyone in the professional era of tennis, which began in 1968.
She rolled through the end of that opening set, capping it with a service winner she reacted to with clenched fists and her trademark cry of “Come on!” The more than 23,000 in attendance (thousands of others watched on a video screen outside Ashe) rose for a raucous standing ovation – and did so again when the 1-hour, 40-minute contest was over, celebrating as if another trophy had been earned.
Instead, there is plenty more work to be done. Williams will play in the second round of singles on Wednesday against No. 2 seed Anett Kontveit of Estonia on Wednesday. And there is also doubles to come, too: Williams and her sister, Venus, are entered together in that competition, with their initial match slated for Wednesday or Thursday.
“Just keep supporting me,” Williams said, “as long as I’m here.”
There can be no doubt, the folks so enthusiastically backing Williams on Monday will come again to the U.S. Open from far and wide for Serena – no last name required, befitting someone as much an icon as superstar athlete – eager to see her play or, if not lucky enough to hold the right ticket, hoping for an autograph, a glance at her practicing or merely the chance to breathe the same Flushing Meadows air as her.
They were there to honor her and show appreciation for what she’s done on the court and off. After watching the victory over Kovinic, spectators held up blue, white or red placards that were distributed at their seats to spell out “We (Heart) Serena.”
After Kovinic was introduced simply by name, making clear to even her what an afterthought she was on this muggy evening, Williams’ entrance was preceded by a tribute video narrated by Queen Latifah, who called the American the “Queen of Queens.” The arena announcer called Williams “the greatest of all time,” and intoned: “This U.S. Open marks the final chapter of her storied tennis history.”
While Williams did not exactly declare that the U.S. Open definitively would be her last hurrah, she has made it sound as if it will be.
So this opening outing became an event with a capital “E.”
Spike Lee participated in the pre-match coin toss. Former President Bill Clinton was in the stands. So were Mike Tyson and Martina Navratilova, sitting next to each other.
When Williams made the short walk to the practice courts beside Ashe Stadium for a half-hour hitting session to warm up before Monday’s match, people packing the bleachers above the practice area greeted her with shrieks of “Serenaaaaa!” on her way in, and again yelled on her way out, receiving a wave of her racket as acknowledgment before Williams strode, lips pursed, back into the stadium.
She means a lot to a lot of people. As a tennis player. As a woman. As an African American. As a mother. As a businesswoman.
“When she started out, female athletes weren’t getting recognized. She’s done so much,” said Quintella Thorn, a 68-year-old from Columbus, Georgia, making her eighth trip to the U.S. Open. “And now, she’s …”
“Evolving,” chimed in Thorn’s friend, Cora Monroe, 72, of Shreveport, Louisiana, which she noted is where Richard Williams – the father of Serena and sister Venus, and the central figure in the Oscar-winning film “King Richard” – is from, too.
That word, “evolving,” is the one Williams said she preferred to the more commonly used “retirement” when she wrote in an essay for Vogue released about three weeks ago that she was ready to concentrate on having a second child and her venture capital firm.
Her daughter, Olympia, who turns 5 on Thursday, wore white beads in her hair while sitting with her father and grandmother in the stands on Monday, a nod to her mom’s hairstyle when she won her first U.S. Open in 1999 at age 17.
“Once Serena announced she would play the U.S. Open, we sold out in a nanosecond for Monday night and Tuesday night. You can see on the secondary market, the get-in price is $230. I saw $5,800 for a courtside seat this evening. Look, this is a historic moment for the Williams family, for Serena and our sport,” said Stacey Allaster, the tournament director of the American Grand Slam event. “It is so difficult to really capture what Serena and Venus have done for the sport of tennis. They have transformed our sport. They’ve made us more inclusive. And they’ve transcended sports.”
Which is why Monday mattered more than the usual Day 1 at a major tournament. And why the daily program did not make mention of any other of the dozens of athletes in action, showing instead a montage of six images of Williams holding her six U.S. Open trophies above the title: “Serena Williams, A Legacy of Greatness.” And why there was a sense of less importance for matches involving wins for other elite players such as past U.S. Open champions Bianca Andreescu, Andy Murray and Daniil Medvedev, or French Open finalist Coco Gauff, an 18-year-old American.
Kriti Kamath, a 9-year-old from Boston, toted an oversized yellow tennis ball in hopes of gathering some signatures – perhaps even after Williams’ planned pre-match hitting session in the evening, before her contest – as she walked outside Ashe with her mother, Neethor Shenoy.
Shenoy has told her daughter, who plays tennis, about Williams’ significance.
“She’s very motivated. She’s very driven. And she’s an inspiration to all women; all colored women, particularly,” Shenoy said. “She’s giving kids a positive path to follow.”
Mom said she’s been traveling from Boston to New York for the U.S. Open since 2004; this was Kriti’s first day of competition, but they were on site earlier in the week for “Fan Week.” The U.S. Tennis Association said more than 90,000 free online passes were downloaded for that run-up to the main-draw action, an increase of more than 35% from the last pre-pandemic tournament in 2019.
The USTA said it sold more than 16,500 tickets for the tournament on the day Williams revealed her intentions, more than in the previous seven days combined. That included more than 4,600 for Monday night alone, making it a sellout.
Monroe and Thorn said they had tickets for both the daytime and nighttime sessions, which are sold separately, for each of the tournament’s initial three days.
On Monday, both were wearing blue T-shirts: Monroe’s was emblazoned with “Serena” four times in different shades of purple; Thorn’s carried a black-and-white photo of Williams beside the words “Greatest Female Athlete” – with “Female” crossed out.
MEDVEDEV ADVANCES, HALEP STUNNED
Daniil Medvedev had an easy start to his U.S. Open title defense, beating Stefan Kozlov, 6-2, 6-4, 6-0, on Monday.
Simona Halep had another early exit, this one coming in a memorable first tour-level win for Ukrainian Daria Snigur.
Snigur upset the No. 7 seed, 6-2, 0-6, 6-4, then struggled through tears to explain what the victory meant to her family and her country, which is at war with Russia.
On the same Arthur Ashe Stadium court where Serena Williams later dispatched Kovinic on Monday night, the top-seeded Medvedev looked just as strong as he did in sweeping past Novak Djokovic in last year’s final for his first major title.
Medvedev advanced to face Arthur Rinderknech of France. The Russian is trying to become the first repeat champion at the U.S. Open since Roger Federer won five straight from 2004-08.
“I need to be at my best on Wednesday and I’m going to try to make it,” Medvedev said.
Andy Murray was another early winner, 10 years after winning the first of his three Grand Slam titles in Flushing Meadows. He had one of the first upsets of the tournament by beating No. 24 seed Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina, 7-5, 6-3, 6-3.
“It seems like a long time ago,” Murray said of his victory over Djokovic in 2012. “A lot’s happened since then in my career.”
Djokovic couldn’t travel to the tournament this year because he isn’t vaccinated against COVID-19.
Fourth-seeded Stefanos Tsitsipas won’t be staying in it after dropping the first 11 games to qualifier Daniel Elahi Galan before falling, 6-0, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5.
Many fans arriving for the day session at the final Grand Slam event of the season were focused on Williams’ night match.
Gauff wasn’t going to miss it, saying she was going to change plans and attend instead of watching on TV in her hotel room.
“As I thought about it, I was, like, I have to watch,” the 18-year-old American said after her straight-sets victory. “I’m excited and, you know, it’s not often we watch live matches, to be honest.”
Williams figured to face more comfortable conditions after a hot start under a sunny sky in Flushing Meadows. Leading 3-0 in the third set, Medvedev told the chair umpire he wanted a bag of ice so he could put it on his head.
“It was pretty hot today and humid,” Medvedev said. “I see the other guys coming from five-setters in the locker room, pretty red faces. That’s also fun in a way sometimes to get through these conditions. Even today, the match was maybe not that intensive and long, but, yeah, I sweated a lot and it was not easy.”
Snigur was playing her first match in the main draw of a Grand Slam. The 20-year-old wore a ribbon in the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine’s flag on her chest, and she put her hands around it after finishing off the victory.
She played last week in the “Tennis Plays for Peace Exhibition” to raise money to aid Ukraine. That was on Louis Armstrong Stadium, which may have calmed her nerves a bit when she was sent back out onto the same court Monday.
“I think it helped me because I was here in ‘Tennis Plays for Peace’ and I think it helped me a little bit,” Snigur said as she fought through tears during an on-court interview.
Halep had won 19 of her last 22 matches and recently returned to the top 10, but the U.S. Open has been the most challenging major for the two-time Grand Slam champion. She is 21-11 in New York and has lost in the first round of three of her last five appearances.
Bianca Andreescu, the 2019 U.S. Open champion, needed three sets to get past Harmony Tan, the French player who beat Williams in the first round at Wimbledon.
Two other past champions had short stays. Dominic Thiem, the 2020 champion who missed last year because of injury, fell to Pablo Carreño Busta in four sets. The 2016 winner, Stan Wawrinka, retired from his match against Corentin Moutet after losing a second-set tiebreaker. He has been plagued by injuries in recent years.
No. 29 seed Tommy Paul overcame the heat to outlast Bernabe Zapata Miralles, 4-6, 6-3, 2-6, 6-0, 7-5, in 3 hours, 10 minutes. Fellow American Sebastian Korda also got his first win at his home Slam, beating Facundo Bagnis in four sets.
Another American advanced in an upset, with J.J. Wolf ousting No. 16 seed Roberto Bautista Agut in straight sets.
Also, Wu Yibing became the first Chinese man to win a U.S. Open match in the professional era, upsetting No. 31 seed Nikoloz Basilashvili, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0. He had played his way into the field through the qualifying tournament, joining countryman and fellow qualifier Zhang Zhizhen as the first Chinese men in the U.S. Open main draw since the open era began in 1968.
Zhang lost his first-round match.
Third-seeded Maria Sakkari and No. 17 Caroline Garcia were among the early winners on the women’s side, with Sakkari overcoming Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria in three sets.
More to come on this story.
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We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions. | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/29/serena-williams-begins-her-final-u-s-open-with-a-win/ | 2022-08-30T02:59:51Z | pasadenastarnews.com | control | https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2022/08/29/serena-williams-begins-her-final-u-s-open-with-a-win/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
KENNEWICK, Wash. -
As technology gets smaller and smaller the number of devices with small batteries goes up.
Researchers found from 2010 to 2019, there were more than twice the number of battery-related emergency room visits for children ages 18 and under compared to the decade before.
Doctor Julie Brown works at Seattle Children's Hospital and she said she's seen it all, "I've taken batteries out of ears and noses, I've seen batteries in the esophagus of kids..."
Batteries can cause damage quickly after a chemical reaction happens in the body.
Dr. Brown said the small button-sized batteries come in more than just toys and to look out for decorations, remotes and scales with these batteries and keep them away from children.
She also said, "so many things that are sometimes tantalizing to kids, you like buttons you like things that light up and make noises, and yet they haven't been designed to be safe for children."
Every minute counts and in an emergency drinking honey may actually help slow the chemical reaction when the ER is further away, according to Dr. Brown
She recommended putting extra batteries in old childproof vitamin containers to keep them out of reach.
Lithium "button" batteries and magnets have their own section on The Washington State Department of Health website (WSDH). It says to keep remote controls, greeting cards, watches, toys, and other devices with button batteries away from toddlers.
Safe kid's worldwide has these recommendations for batteries around kids. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/across-the-country-more-kids-in-the-er-after-eating-button-batteries/article_18f166a6-27dc-11ed-a3f6-d38a4746f300.html | 2022-08-30T02:59:57Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/across-the-country-more-kids-in-the-er-after-eating-button-batteries/article_18f166a6-27dc-11ed-a3f6-d38a4746f300.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington State Forester George Geissler has announced the opening of the 2023 Smokey Bear Awards application window. Every Year for over 60 years, the Smokey Bear Awards have gone to the people and organizations working hardest to protect and preserve our lands and communities from wildfires.
“The Smokey Bear Awards have recognized incredible wildfire prevention work since 1958,” Geissler said. “The prevention community has so many passionate people dedicated to fighting fire preemptively – this is our way of giving back and celebrating some of the biggest achievements around the country.”
Geissler serves as chair of the Cooperative Forest Fire Prevention Committee, comprised of representatives from the USDA Forest Service, the National Association of State Foresters, and the Ad Council. The committee manages and promotes Smokey Bear and his message of wildfire prevention, including the awards program, which has three recipient levels: the Gold Smokey Bear Award, which recognizes exceptional wildfire prevention work done on a national scale; Silver, which recognizes region-wide service; and Bronze, which recognizes statewide efforts.
Past nominations included advertising campaigns, informational programming, training, wildfire risk assessments, volunteerism and fundraising. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/application-window-opens-for-2023-smokey-bear-awards/article_db1354ec-27f0-11ed-9de8-17e2489cc6c3.html | 2022-08-30T03:00:03Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/application-window-opens-for-2023-smokey-bear-awards/article_db1354ec-27f0-11ed-9de8-17e2489cc6c3.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
UNION GAP, Wash. — The Yakima County Crime Stoppers is holding a “Shreds & Meds Day” at the Valley Mall from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on October 29. You can safely dispose of your old documents and old medications for free at the one-stop event.
Anyone can bring up to two banker boxes or three grocery bags of material to shred, like old bank statements, old checks and other documents with personal information. The service is first come first serve, and the event is limited to one shred truck only.
You can also bring any unused or expired medications, with no limit. Medication must be separate from items to shred.
Donations will be accepted for the Yakima County Crime Stoppers. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/shreds-meds-day-offers-safe-document-and-medicine-disposal-in-yakima/article_6febc3b8-27f3-11ed-aa5e-37ce3d67765d.html | 2022-08-30T03:00:10Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/news/shreds-meds-day-offers-safe-document-and-medicine-disposal-in-yakima/article_6febc3b8-27f3-11ed-aa5e-37ce3d67765d.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
OLYMPIA, Wash. -
The WA Cares Fund will host a panel discussing the long-term plan for people near retirement. The panel will everything from how you can prepare now to what benefits you will get from WA Cares.
Long-term care can be a predictable cost. 70% of people will eventually need long-term care at some point in their lives. However, for most households, nearing retirement doesn’t have enough money saved to pay for the long-term care on top of the usual spending.
Seniors in the state of Washington have a median household income of $56,000, half have no 401(K) or income from a pension.
Long-term care services provide help for things like medications, personal hygiene, help getting in/out of bed, going to the bathroom, getting dressed and more. Many people don’t realize how expensive it can be until they aren’t covered by Medicare or Medigap. Medicare only covers once other assets have been depleted.
It's important to have a plan for where and how you’ll receive care because several other factors other than financial are considered.
The panel will host the discussion via Zoom on August 31. The panel includes Laura Cepoi, Executive Director of Olympic Area Agency on Aging, Cathy MacCaul, Advocacy Director with AARP Washington and Ben Veghte Director of WA Cares Fund.
According to the Department of Social and Health Services, the panelists will provide an overview of areas people should be considering when planning to retire. Following the panel, a discussion and Q&A will be held with the audience.
DSHS is encouraging people to come with questions for the panel.
To learn more about WA Cares you can call, email staff or visit its website. | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/wa-cares-hosts-a-retirement-planning-panel-for-people-near-retirement/article_1793b59e-27fe-11ed-9e58-6bc0bb2249bf.html | 2022-08-30T03:00:16Z | nbcrightnow.com | control | https://www.nbcrightnow.com/wa-cares-hosts-a-retirement-planning-panel-for-people-near-retirement/article_1793b59e-27fe-11ed-9e58-6bc0bb2249bf.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
LIMA, Peru (AP) — A Peruvian judge on Sunday ordered President Pedro Castillo’s sister-in-law to be held in prison up to 2.5 years while she is investigated for criminal association and corruption for her participation in an alleged money laundering scheme involving the president and first lady.
After postponing his decision twice, judge Johnny Gómez said there was “a high probability of fleeing” for Yenifer Paredes, 26, and ordered her pretrial detention.
Paredes had been raised by Castillo and his spouse as their daughter after her mother died. It is the first time in Peru that a relative so close to a sitting president has been sent to prison.
Defense lawyers said they would appeal the decision and Castillo has denied all the accusations against him.
Paredes had turned herself in to the prosecutor’s office on Aug. 10, a day after police went to the presidential palace to arrest her but failed to find her there. She had been serving 18 days while being questioned at a police station.
The prosecutor’s office asked a judge last week to impose a 3-year preventative sentence.
Castillo has not commented on the detention of his relative. But at the time she turned herself in, he said “they will pull out all the stops to continue hitting my family, my parents, brothers, it is part of the struggle but they are not going to break me.”
Prosecutor’s have accused Castillo, several of his relatives, Transportation Minister Geiner Alvarado and a town mayor of being part of a criminal group that created front companies to launder money. The coordinator of the alleged group was the first lady and three relatives of the president, including Paredes, were figureheads.
The prosecution said Paredes helped the owner of one front company obtain a public works project despite not having the economic capacity or experience to guarantee its completion.
Despite only a year in office, Peru’s president faces several criminal investigations, including for influence peddling and leading a criminal network.
Despite being investigated, Castillo cannot be formally accused by a judge because Peru’s constitution says the president can only be accused of treason, dissolving congress without reason and for not allowing elections. Prosecutors must wait until Castillo leaves the presidency to formally present other charges against him.
Castillo was a rural teacher before he shocked Peru’s political elite by winning election as president campaigning on promises to improve education, health care and other services. But the political neophyte’s first year has seen near constant turmoil, with Cabinet members changing multiple times and Castillo staving off two impeachment attempts. | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/international/ap-peru-judge-preventative-prison-for-presidents-relative/ | 2022-08-30T03:00:27Z | siouxlandproud.com | control | https://www.siouxlandproud.com/news/international/ap-peru-judge-preventative-prison-for-presidents-relative/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Racing at North Wilkesboro Speedway has been a family tradition for Dylon Wilson.
A fourth-generation competitor, Dylon will have the opportunity to finally turn laps at the historic facility himself on Wednesday evening. Dylon expects a surreal atmosphere at North Wilkesboro but is eager to participate in such a historic event for East Coast short track racing.
“This is a big deal for me,” Dylon said. “As soon as they broke the news, I wanted to be a part of the Late Model Stock race. It’s an honor to share the track with so many big names and I’m really looking forward to running with such a prestigious field.”
Dylon’s great uncle Charlie Combs was one of three people who were instrumental behind the construction of North Wilkesboro in 1947 alongside Enoch Staley and John Masden.
As North Wilkesboro continued to grow over the next several decades, Dylon’s family became intertwined with that development. His great grandfather Jack Combs ran several races around the facility before becoming its co-owner, passing down his love for the track to his son and Dylon’s grandfather Dean Combs.
Of the 60 victories Dean obtained during his career in the NASCAR Goody’s Dash Series, 14 of them came at his home track of North Wilkesboro. Dean’s son and Dylon’s father Eric Wilson, who also raced in the Goody’s Dash Series, competed in a Late Model Stock event at the track before its closure in 1996.
Watching North Wilkesboro deteriorate over the years was never easy for Dylon or anyone in his family. Now that the track has a more promising future ahead, Dylon is looking forward to making more new memories at North Wilkesboro as a driver just like his father, grandfather and great grandfather.
“I proposed to my wife on the frontstretch at the start-finish line,” Dylon said. “The main reason I did that was because it was a similar scenario to how my great grandfather proposed. I thought the track was going to be torn down, so I wanted to do it before that happened. I’m glad I was wrong though.”
Cars Tour PR | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/racing-news/72446-dylon-wilson-carrying-on-family-tradition-at-north-wilkesboro | 2022-08-30T03:01:53Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/racing-news/72446-dylon-wilson-carrying-on-family-tradition-at-north-wilkesboro | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Up until a couple of weeks ago, Stefan Parsons did not believe he would be among the 30 drivers taking the green flag for the Window World 125 at North Wilkesboro Speedway.
The withdrawal of Chad Bryant Racing’s second car being piloted by NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitor Ty Majeski created an opportunity for Stefan to compete at the track that meant so much to his late uncle and NASCAR Hall of Famer Benny Parsons, who passed away in 2007 from lung cancer.
“The deal came together pretty late, but I feel like we’re going to have a good car,” Stefan said. “AK Performance always does such a great job and I’m glad everything ended up coming together. I can’t thank everyone enough for making this happen and I’m excited to get to North Wilkesboro.”
Following Benny’s passing, his widow Terri worked tirelessly to ensure that North Wilkesboro would one day see active competition again. Terri and the rest of the Parsons family got to see that dream become a reality with a full schedule of races slated for August and October.
Stefan was always optimistic about the possibility of North Wilkesboro one day reopening and revitalizing the adjacent town that Benny and so many members of his family grew up in. He wishes that Benny could see how much support the track has gotten during its resurgence but is confident the past month of racing is only the beginning of a new era for North Wilkesboro.
The worn-out surface of North Wilkesboro has Stefan anticipating a race like those on Florence Motor Speedway and the now defunct Myrtle Beach Speedway, in which drivers will have to aggressively save tires to have a car that can contend for a victory in the closing stages.
Stefan considers himself fortunate to just race in the Window World 125. He expressed his gratitude towards Chad Bryant and AK Performance for giving him the opportunity and hopes to take home a checkered flag in front of his family on Wednesday night.
“It would be huge to win this one,” Stefan said. “I worked for Chad Bryant back in 2018 with his ARCA team and AK Performance is the team I started racing with when I was running Bandolero and Legend cars. It would be special from that perspective but also because of how special North Wilkesboro is to our family.”
CARS Tour PR | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/racing-news/72447-stefan-parsons-racing-in-honor-of-late-uncle-benny-parsons | 2022-08-30T03:01:59Z | speedwaydigest.com | control | https://www.speedwaydigest.com/index.php/news/racing-news/72447-stefan-parsons-racing-in-honor-of-late-uncle-benny-parsons | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Serena Williams brought out the stars.
The 40-year-old had quite the cheering section for the start of her final go-round at Flushing Meadows, a Monday night matchup against Danka Kovinic.
“The crowd was crazy,” Serena told CBS’ Gayle Williams post-match. “Really helped pull me through.”
Chief among her well-wishers was Serena’s four-year-old daughter Olympia, who was a staple of ESPN’s coverage, shouting for mom, eating a lollipop, and playing around with Reddit founder and dad Alexis Ohanian in the player’s box.
Olympia wore a sequined outfit similar to Serena’s, her hair festooned with white beads in an apparent homage to her mom’s hairstyle from her first U.S. Open title in 1999.
Also seated in Serena’s box was Anna Wintour, the editor of Vogue magazine, which served as the outlet for the 23-time Grand Slam champion’s retirement announcement.
Mayor Eric Adams took in the spectacle, as well.
“She inspired so many young people to see that there’s no limitation,” Adams said before the match. “She has done so much to this generation of introducing tennis into their lives.”
Elsewhere in the crowd, boxer Mike Tyson sat next to tennis legend Martina Navratilova and petted her dog, Lulu.
Director Spike Lee took part in an on-court coin toss before the matchup. Queen Latifah, who narrated a highlight video of Serena, took in the action from the stands as well.
Actress Rebel Wilson and actors Anthony Anderson and Hugh Jackman were in the crowd, as were Katie Couric, Matt Damon, Gayle King and Lindsey Vonn.
Perhaps the oddest sighting at Arthur Ashe Stadium was the pairing of President Bill Clinton and 94-year-old sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer. The two were shown engaging in conversation, including a playful slap from Westheimer to Clinton’s face. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/29/hugh-jackman-anna-wintour-take-in-serena-williams-us-open-match/ | 2022-08-30T03:06:12Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/29/hugh-jackman-anna-wintour-take-in-serena-williams-us-open-match/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mayor Eric Adams dropped by a swanky Southampton charity event Saturday night decked out in a bright blue, floral outfit that made him look like a “Greek dancing with the stars” contestant.
Adams wore a tropical-inspired jacket decorated with vibrant pink and yellow flowers, spaced between green palm fronds, according to photos obtained by The Post.
He also donned powder blue linen pants.
“He was dressed like he was going for the Greek dancing with the stars!” one source described to The Post.
“There were more colors on him than on the islands in Greece! He was a hit.”
Adams briefly spoke on stage at the Dormition of the Virgin Mary Greek Orthodox Church which hosted the Blue Dream Summer Gala alongside Kostas Bakoyannis – Mayor of Athens, Greece.
“He spoke for a few minutes with the mayor of Athens. He said it was a great honor to be standing next to the mayor representing the birthplace of democracy,” recounted billionaire radio host John Catsimadities.
Parish head Father Alex Karlotosos — who was recently awarded the medal of freedom by President Joe Biden — told The Post he invited Adams to the soiree that raked in nearly $700,000 as of Monday.
“One of his number one issues is to make sure the city is safe,” said Karloutsos, adding the pair are good friends.
But sources also said Adams was trying to keep his Hamptons trip under wraps, as he had several other events to attend that night.
A rep for Adams said he wasn’t aware of any events that weren’t on the mayor’s public schedule, which was empty on Saturday.
The self-described “nightlife mayor” has now spent several summer weekends out East.
He delivered a Juneteenth speech at the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach, led by his longtime friend Marc Schneier, World Jewish Congress’s former vice president.
The same weekend he attended a fundraiser and frequented hotspots Le Bilboquet in Sag Harbor and 75 Main in Southampton.
He’s also no stranger to the high life.
Adams frequently dines at the Midtown-based Italian restaurant in Midtown called La Baia, visiting the West 52nd Street eatery 14 times in June, the New York Times reported.
He’s also achieved a de facto membership at the members-only club Zero Bond, where he regularly appears and was spotted hosting another politician in an ultra-luxury private room accessible only by fingerprint. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/29/mayor-eric-adams-spends-saturday-at-southhampton-charity-event/ | 2022-08-30T03:06:30Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/29/mayor-eric-adams-spends-saturday-at-southhampton-charity-event/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Why does obvious damage to children go ignored for so long?
Over the weekend, The New York Times had a splashy story about the overmedication of children. It was only 20 years late.
Writer Matt Richtel tells the story of Renae Smith, a high-school freshman who was prescribed ever more psychiatric drugs for her anxiety and depression until she was taking 10 different medications.
Pointing out that “many psychiatric drugs commonly prescribed to adolescents are not approved for people under 18,” the story quotes Lisa Cosgrove, a University of Massachusetts, Boston clinical psychologist: “You can very cogently argue that we don’t have evidence about what it means to be on multiple psychotropic medications. This is a generation of guinea pigs.”
This is horrifying. This is a travesty. This is a very old, known problem.
In fact, the Times piece points to decade-old studies showing teen psychiatric-drug use has been on a sharp trajectory upwards for a long time now. “A nationwide study published in 2006 examined records of visits to doctors’ offices by people younger than 20 and found a sharp rise in office visits involving the prescription of antipsychotic drugs — to 1.2 million in 2002 from 200,000 in 1993.”
Everyone knew this was happening, and we knew it was bad.
As antidepressant use in children has skyrocketed, so has suicide. Suicide rates for those aged 10 to 24 rose 60% from 2007 to 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports, and climbed even higher during the pandemic.
This isn’t a tenuous link. In 2005, the Food and Drug Administration added a “black box” warning that antidepressants can cause suicide. Two years later it updated the warning specifically to include children and adolescents.
Conservatives have been saying this for years. In fact, just last month when Tucker Carlson argued SSRIs, or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, a type of antidepressant, are being overprescribed, the headlines attacked him.
“Why The Far Right Is Going After Antidepressants,” screeched The Huffington Post while Rolling Stone squalled, “The Far Right’s Next Target for a Bulls–t Moral Panic.”
Looks like The New York Times is far right now.
The larger issue isn’t so much the politicization of something like medicine, though that certainly is a problem. It’s that we have to pretend things that are obviously bad, like teenagers being prescribed nearly a dozen hardcore psychiatric pills, are OK while we all know they’re not.
It’s also hard not to notice a similarity to another guinea-pig experiment run on children. Boston Children’s Hospital was forced to update its website this month when it emerged it was offering “gender-affirming hysterectomies” to minors. The update said one had to be 18 to have one’s cervix, uterus and fallopian tubes removed.
An 18-year-old can’t legally smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol — but completely altering his or her body is acceptable, and anyone who says, rightly, that this is horrific is called a transphobe.
And other experiments are conducted on kids far younger. Puberty blockers have been all the rage in the medical community for many years. St. Louis Children’s Hospital advertises that its Transgender Center offers the blockers that “can delay unwanted changes like breast growth, facial hair, periods and voice deepening” along with “hormone therapy to help a person’s body match their gender identity.”
This combo can stunt growth, prevent the person from ever having an orgasm and lead to sterility. Yet experimenting on these guinea pigs continues.
We know this is crazy, same as we know that kids taking fistfuls of antidepressants is crazy. We don’t need The New York Times to finally realize it a few decades from now. These are our children, and they deserve far more care and attention than they’re being offered by the medical establishment. First, do no harm. But first, stop doing harm to children.
Twitter: @Karol | https://nypost.com/2022/08/29/the-ny-times-suddenly-discovered-were-giving-kids-dangerous-drugs/ | 2022-08-30T03:07:00Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/29/the-ny-times-suddenly-discovered-were-giving-kids-dangerous-drugs/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, SC (WSPA) — Spartanburg County leaders need your help to keep the Upstate clean.
The county is targeting people in multiple cases who are illegally dumping in areas around the county.
“We are tired of littering in Spartanburg County. We are tired of people illegal dumping in Spartanburg County, so we got to step our game up to get these people to stop,” said Jamie Nelson, Director of Spartanburg County Environmental Enforcement Department.
You might see no dumping signs near Faith Tabernacle Church of Spartanburg, but last Wednesday, three people got out of a truck and dumped building material behind the place of worship.
The items were dumped on Scruggs Avenue, and now the county needs your help identifying the truck and the people seen in the video released to 7News.
“Fortunately enough, while these people were doing their dumping, one of the citizens actually stepped out and recorded it,” Nelson said. “So these gentlemen were dumping building material – sheetrock things, along that line. Obviously where they’ve done some renovation work somewhere and for whatever reason choose not to take it to the landfill which is where it should’ve went.”
Leaders from the church were shocked to hear this happened.
“Initially, it’s upsetting to say the least,” said Faith Tabernacle Church of Spartanburg Pastor Brandon Whitehurst. “We have made it a conscious effort to do everything we can as a church family, by setting up community days to clean. If you’re going down Sullivan, we’ve kind of adopted that piece of property to clean to make sure that it’s up kept and we try to do the same with our facilities,” he said.
The piece of property where the illegal dumping occurred, is near and dear to the church.
“We’ve been in the process since we’ve been there on Howard Street, God has blessed us to begin to acquire some of the property, because of some future plans that we would like to see put into place and some things we would like to bring into the community,” said Whitehurst.
“And so we’ve been on a conscious effort as a church family, acquiring some of that land as God gives us increase to do so. And to have heard I guess that it is adjacent to the lot that we’re trying to currently acquire, you know it is somewhat upsetting,” he said.
Nelson said illegal dumping is happening all over the county. He also said it’s a problem throughout the Upstate.
“This is a problem in Spartanburg County, Greenville County, Anderson County, Laurens County, Union County,” Nelson said.
“The problem is, we got these knuckleheads–we got to stop them,” Nelson said.
Currently, Nelson said there are six open cases in the county. Nelson said recently their cameras caught another act on Burke Avenue.
“Pulled up, had some mattresses in the back and just has a gentleman get out of the car nonchalantly takes the mattresses and tosses them on the side of the road,” Nelson said. “You know we’d like to find him, find out what in the world is going on.”
There’s also a case on Blanchard Road.
“We went through some video today where individuals dumped some brush on Blanchard Avenue. My officers are in the process of tracking that person down today,” Nelson said.
Officials said dumping is not only against the law, but it hurts the environment and could have an impact on your wallet.
“It’s two-fold. Along with messing up the environment, because we never know what these people are putting out there, it’s also hurting your tax dollars because if it’s on this roadside right here, either a litter crew has to come get it, or a road department crew has to come get it, and that’s tax dollars being wasted because of some person could not just go to the landfill,” Nelson said.
Nelson now wants more people to speak up if they see anyone participating in the crime.
“Spartanburg County, Upstate, South Carolina–let’s start lighting up litterbugs. Let’s stop making this a norm. If you see this happen, call us,” Nelson said. “Call us. Call 911. If you see someone illegal dumping, dial 911.”
Pastor Whitehurst hopes something will change.
“It kind of leaves you speechless, to say the least. I believe that there are several places by which we could dispose of those things the right way. And I think it makes it harder for those of us who want to live in a community–know it’s where we feel safe but it’s decent– it looks like something,” Whitehurst said.
“So, when someone brings trash, making your place of residence uncomfortable, it is upsetting. We have to face the facts and I believe that something needs to be done about it. What needs to be done, I think maybe the proper conversations should be had with those in authority to lay out a plan of how we can come together as one to see this end before it gets out of hand,” Whitehurst said.
Nelson said people could face jail time if involved in illegal dumping.
“So in the sheetrock incident, if I remember the video correctly, there were three gentlemen,” Nelson said. “So, we would start with illegal dumping and we would probably have it up to 500 pounds would be the charge, which would be about a $2,000 fine.
Here’s what the state law says about illegal dumping:
The State Statue is 16-11-700 Section E (E) A person who violates the provisions of this section in an amount exceeding fifteen pounds, but not exceeding five hundred pounds on any public or private property, any portion of the road right of way, fresh-water lake, river, canal or stream, or tidal or coastal waters of the State must be charged with illegal dumping of litter and is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days. In addition, the court shall require the violator to complete sixteen hours of litter-gathering labor or perform other community service. For a second conviction, the person must be fined not less than two hundred dollars nor more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days. A person who violates the provisions of this section in an amount exceeding five hundred pounds is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, must be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.
South Carolina State Law
If you know anything about these cases, or any dumping case, you can report those tips on the County’s website online, or by calling the Environmental Enforcement Department at (864)-596-3582. | https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/caught-on-cam-people-illegally-dumping-behind-upstate-church/ | 2022-08-30T03:08:30Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/caught-on-cam-people-illegally-dumping-behind-upstate-church/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) – A pregnant Texas woman says she has received a second traffic ticket within a month after claiming that her unborn child allows her to drive in the high-occupancy lane (HOV).
In an interview, Plano resident Brandy Bottone told The Dallas Morning News that authorities ticketed her for the same offense at the same location, after a previous citation was dropped.
Bottone gained massive attention last month after claiming that Texas’s new anti-abortion laws mean her fetus should count as a person for HOV reasons, according to the Morning News.
The Dallas County District Attorney’s office decided to dismiss Bottone’s first ticket, agreeing that legally the situation is unclear.
The Morning News reports the Texas legislature is set to clarify the issue of when a fetus counts as a person in its next session.
“Nobody is answering whether it’s right or wrong,” Bottone, who has since given birth to a baby girl, told the Morning News. “They dismissed it. Why do I have to change my belief? … It doesn’t answer the question. Did I get it right or did I get it wrong?”
In a statement, Texas Department of Transportation (TDOT) spokesperson Tony Hartzel told the newspaper that it doesn’t have the control to make decisions on “law enforcement or prosecution decisions.”
“TxDOT has no role in law enforcement or prosecution decisions,” Hartzel added. “The dismissal of one citation has not affected the department’s relationship with law enforcement.”
Bottone did have a baby girl, who is now about one month old. | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/pregnant-texas-woman-says-shes-gotten-second-traffic-ticket-claiming-fetus-lets-her-use-hov-lane/ | 2022-08-30T03:08:42Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/national/nexstar-media-wire/pregnant-texas-woman-says-shes-gotten-second-traffic-ticket-claiming-fetus-lets-her-use-hov-lane/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A post most likely of interest to locals here in Australia.
Local media (the Australian, gated) says Australia could have electricity generated by nuclear power well before 2030. Citing US government approval of the first small modular nuclear reactor for commercial use.
Despite being the world's third largest producer of uranium after Kazakhstan and Canada, Australia has never had a nuclear power station. They are banned in every state and territory. Of course, this can change, but yeah, it'll be a battle. Be good for the climate though.
Nuclear zombies fears and all that .... | https://www.forexlive.com/news/australian-media-says-nuclear-reactor-power-could-come-to-australia-before-2030-20220830/ | 2022-08-30T03:11:31Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/australian-media-says-nuclear-reactor-power-could-come-to-australia-before-2030-20220830/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Nebraska man hopes to be certified for the Guinness Book of World Records for his trip down the Missouri River in a giant pumpkin.
Duane Hansen paddled about 11 hours down the river in Nebraska on Saturday in the giant pumpkin that he grew himself and hoped to set the world record for a trip of its kind. According to a post on Facebook, Hansen started out the trip at 7:30 a.m. and paddled for some 38 miles to celebrate his 60th birthday.
Hansen ended the trip just after 6:30 p.m. in Nebraska City in the 846-pound gourd. His family was there with him, following the trip along with their friends, as they were able to help document the trip and help with any issues.
He was crouched inside of the pumpkin that had a small seat inside.
Hansen said in a video, “I went 38 miles down the river without standing up in that pumpkin and my knees still hurt.” He said, “I thought, ‘I’ll just paddle harder and warm up.’ I wasn’t thinking about quitting.”
Hansen said, “I went another four to five miles and it rained again...I’ve never paid so much attention for so long in my entire life. It was tough.”
The Omaha World-Herald reported that he hit a sandbar at one point in the journey, and also hit a rock, and encountered heavy rain, and said it was cold at times.
Guinness World Records had not yet validated the trip by Monday but confirmed that the trip would beat the current record for "longest journey by pumpkin boat" which is held by Rick Swenson who traveled 25.5 miles in Grand Forks, North Dakota in 2016, the Guardian reported. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/man-tries-to-set-guinness-world-record-for-longest-river-trip-in-a-giant-pumpkin | 2022-08-30T03:21:33Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/man-tries-to-set-guinness-world-record-for-longest-river-trip-in-a-giant-pumpkin | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Researchers say new data shows that emergency room visits are up from the previous decade showing that children and young people under 18 are heading to the emergency room more after ingesting small lithium coin-sized batteries.
The batteries are ubiquitous, powering many electronic devices around the home, like key fobs, toys, flame-free candles, and many other pieces of technology.
The small, round, shiny button batteries can become lodged in a child's throat, nose or ears.
New data released in a report from the academic journal Pediatrics shows that the problem appears to be growing in the United States. Over twice as many emergency room visits related to children ingesting these small batteries were reported from 2010 to 2019 than in the window between 1990 and 2009, with the majority of those visits for children under five years old.
The report said pediatric battery-related emergency room visits increased significantly from 2010 to 2017, and prevention efforts were not found to reduce injuries markedly.
Now, experts are urging the battery industry to take action to find new designs to mitigate the issue as foreign body ingestion (FBI) became the fourth leading cause of calls to poison control centers for kids five years old and younger in 2019.
And quick removal of the FBI object is not enough. According to researchers, when button batteries make contact with internal tissue, it can cause a rapid "hydrolysis of water into hydroxide ions," which is an increase in highly alkaline pH. And if the small batteries are inserted into the nasal passage, it can cause septal perforation. If they are inserted into the ear, facial nerve paralysis can be triggered along with hearing loss or other issues.
Batteries are among the most common types of FBI in the United States.
In 2011, Safe Kids Worldwide partnered with Energizer to launch a campaign of community outreach, including through the media, to raise public awareness of the issues of ingesting batteries. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Broncho-Esophagological Association formed the National Button Battery Task Force in 2012 to bring representatives from the private and public sectors together to raise awareness.
The battery industry has created child-safe packaging and more warning labels and has tried to find ways to safely dispose of small batteries so they don't get into children's hands.
As the New York Times reported, experts advise if you believe your child has swallowed a battery, you can give two teaspoons of honey every 10 minutes to children older than one year if they have swallowed the battery within the previous 12 hours. This will help protect internal tissue while you wait to get emergency assistance.
Honey should not be given to a baby younger than 12 months old as it could cause infant botulism. If a child is suspected of having swallowed a battery, they should be taken to a medical professional as soon as possible.
Signs that a child has swallowed a battery could include coughing, refusal to eat or drink and vomiting, or strange and noisy breathing. Signs that a child has inserted a battery into their ear could include drainage or pain, similar to an ear infection. | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/more-kids-heading-to-the-emergency-room-after-ingesting-small-batteries-new-data-shows | 2022-08-30T03:21:39Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/more-kids-heading-to-the-emergency-room-after-ingesting-small-batteries-new-data-shows | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (AP) — A newly unsealed FBI document about the investigation at Mar-a-Lago not only offers new details about the probe but also reveals clues about the arguments former President Donald Trump's legal team intends to make.
A May 25 letter from one of his lawyers, attached as an exhibit to the search affidavit, advances a broad view of presidential power, asserting that the commander-in-chief has absolute authority to declassify whatever he wants — and also that the "primary" law governing the handling of U.S. classified information simply doesn't apply to the president himself.
The arguments weren't persuasive enough to the Justice Department to prevent an FBI search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate this month, and the affidavit in any event makes clear that investigators are focused on more recent activity — long after Trump left the White House and lost the legal authorities that came with it. Even so, the letter suggests that a defense strategy anchored around presidential powers, a strategy employed during special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation when Trump actually was president, may again be in play as the probe proceeds.
It's perhaps not surprising that Trump's legal team might look for ways to distinguish a former president from other citizens given the penalties imposed over the years for mishandling handling government secrets, including a nine-year prison sentence issued to a former National Security Agency contractor who stored two decades' worth of classified documents at his Maryland home.
But many legal experts are dubious that claims of such presidential power will hold weight.
"When someone is no longer president, they're no longer president. That's the reality of the matter," said Oona Hathaway, a Yale Law School professor and former lawyer in the Defense Department's general counsel's office. "When you've left office, you've left office. You can't proclaim yourself to not be subject to the laws that apply to everyone else."
It's not clear from the affidavit whether Trump or anyone might face charges over the presence of classified records at Mar-a-Lago — 19 months after he became a private citizen — and FBI officials are investigating who removed the records from the White House to the Florida estate and who is responsible for retaining them in an unauthorized location.
The FBI recovered 11 sets of classified records during the Aug. 8 search, and the affidavit made public Friday said 184 documents with classified markings also were found in 15 boxes removed in January. The Justice Department, responding to a Trump team request for a legal special master to sort through the materials, said Monday that officials had completed their own review of potentially privileged documents.
No matter the outcome of that latest issue, the affidavit makes clear that investigators are focused on potential violations of three felony statutes, including an Espionage Act provision that criminalizes the willful retention or transmission of national defense information.
Another law punishable by up to three years in prison makes it a crime to willfully remove, conceal or mutilate government records. And a third law, carrying up to 20 years imprisonment, covers the destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations.
The Espionage Act statute regarding retention of national defense information has figured in multiple prosecutions. Past investigations have produced disparate results that make it hard to forecast the outcome in the Trump probe. But there have been convictions.
Harold Martin, the ex-NSA contractor, pleaded guilty in 2019 to storing troves of classified information inside his home, car and storage shed, including handwritten notes describing the NSA's classified computer infrastructure.
Which is why the Trump legal team may look to play up his status as a former president.
When it comes to handling government secrets, there are indeed some differences that could possibly be considered: Presidents, for instance, don't have to pass background checks to obtain classified information, they're not granted security clearances to access intelligence and they're not formally "read out" on their responsibilities to safeguard secrets when they leave leave office.
"There's no intelligence community directive that says how presidents should or shouldn't be briefed on the materials," said Larry Pfeiffer, a former CIA officer and senior director of the White House Situation Room. "We've never had to worry about it before."
The May 25 letter from Trump attorney M. Evan Corcoran to Jay Bratt, the head of the Justice Department's counterintelligence section, describes Trump as the leader of the Republican Party and makes multiple references to him as former president.
It notes that a president has the absolute authority to declassify documents, though it doesn't actually say — as Trump has asserted — that he did so with the records seized from his home. It also says the "primary" law criminalizing the mishandling of classified information does not apply to the president and instead covers subordinate employees and officers.
The statute the letter cites, though, is not among the three that the search warrant lists as being part of the investigation. And the Espionage Act law at issue concerns "national defense" information rather than "classified," suggesting it may be irrelevant whether the records were declassified or not.
Corcoran did not return messages seeking comment Monday.
It's possible to "imagine a good faith mistake" or a president taking something sensitive without realizing it or because they needed it for a particular reason, said Chris Edelson, a presidential powers scholar and American University government professor.
But that argument could be complicated by the fact that the documents were not returned earlier in their entirety by Trump to the National Archives and Records Administration and that the FBI came to suspect — correctly — that there was still classified information at the property.
"I think if he had simply returned the documents right away, he'd be in a much stronger position legally," Edelson said.
Ashley Deeks, a University of Virginia law professor and a former deputy legal adviser to President Joe Biden's National Security Council, said in an email that the Trump team claims in the letter "seem to be more of a political argument than a legal argument."
She added, "The president's defense team seems to be trying to point out the magnitude of proceeding with this case rather than articulating a clear legal defense."
_____
Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.
More on Donald Trump-related investigations: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/trump-legal-team-advances-broad-view-of-presidential-powers | 2022-08-30T03:21:58Z | wtxl.com | control | https://www.wtxl.com/news/national/trump-legal-team-advances-broad-view-of-presidential-powers | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (AP) — A newly unsealed FBI document about the investigation at Mar-a-Lago not only offers new details about the probe but also reveals clues about the arguments former President Donald Trump's legal team intends to make.
A May 25 letter from one of his lawyers, attached as an exhibit to the search affidavit, advances a broad view of presidential power, asserting that the commander-in-chief has absolute authority to declassify whatever he wants — and also that the "primary" law governing the handling of U.S. classified information simply doesn't apply to the president himself.
The arguments weren't persuasive enough to the Justice Department to prevent an FBI search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate this month, and the affidavit in any event makes clear that investigators are focused on more recent activity — long after Trump left the White House and lost the legal authorities that came with it. Even so, the letter suggests that a defense strategy anchored around presidential powers, a strategy employed during special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation when Trump actually was president, may again be in play as the probe proceeds.
It's perhaps not surprising that Trump's legal team might look for ways to distinguish a former president from other citizens given the penalties imposed over the years for mishandling handling government secrets, including a nine-year prison sentence issued to a former National Security Agency contractor who stored two decades' worth of classified documents at his Maryland home.
But many legal experts are dubious that claims of such presidential power will hold weight.
"When someone is no longer president, they're no longer president. That's the reality of the matter," said Oona Hathaway, a Yale Law School professor and former lawyer in the Defense Department's general counsel's office. "When you've left office, you've left office. You can't proclaim yourself to not be subject to the laws that apply to everyone else."
It's not clear from the affidavit whether Trump or anyone might face charges over the presence of classified records at Mar-a-Lago — 19 months after he became a private citizen — and FBI officials are investigating who removed the records from the White House to the Florida estate and who is responsible for retaining them in an unauthorized location.
The FBI recovered 11 sets of classified records during the Aug. 8 search, and the affidavit made public Friday said 184 documents with classified markings also were found in 15 boxes removed in January. The Justice Department, responding to a Trump team request for a legal special master to sort through the materials, said Monday that officials had completed their own review of potentially privileged documents.
No matter the outcome of that latest issue, the affidavit makes clear that investigators are focused on potential violations of three felony statutes, including an Espionage Act provision that criminalizes the willful retention or transmission of national defense information.
Another law punishable by up to three years in prison makes it a crime to willfully remove, conceal or mutilate government records. And a third law, carrying up to 20 years imprisonment, covers the destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations.
The Espionage Act statute regarding retention of national defense information has figured in multiple prosecutions. Past investigations have produced disparate results that make it hard to forecast the outcome in the Trump probe. But there have been convictions.
Harold Martin, the ex-NSA contractor, pleaded guilty in 2019 to storing troves of classified information inside his home, car and storage shed, including handwritten notes describing the NSA's classified computer infrastructure.
Which is why the Trump legal team may look to play up his status as a former president.
When it comes to handling government secrets, there are indeed some differences that could possibly be considered: Presidents, for instance, don't have to pass background checks to obtain classified information, they're not granted security clearances to access intelligence and they're not formally "read out" on their responsibilities to safeguard secrets when they leave leave office.
"There's no intelligence community directive that says how presidents should or shouldn't be briefed on the materials," said Larry Pfeiffer, a former CIA officer and senior director of the White House Situation Room. "We've never had to worry about it before."
The May 25 letter from Trump attorney M. Evan Corcoran to Jay Bratt, the head of the Justice Department's counterintelligence section, describes Trump as the leader of the Republican Party and makes multiple references to him as former president.
It notes that a president has the absolute authority to declassify documents, though it doesn't actually say — as Trump has asserted — that he did so with the records seized from his home. It also says the "primary" law criminalizing the mishandling of classified information does not apply to the president and instead covers subordinate employees and officers.
The statute the letter cites, though, is not among the three that the search warrant lists as being part of the investigation. And the Espionage Act law at issue concerns "national defense" information rather than "classified," suggesting it may be irrelevant whether the records were declassified or not.
Corcoran did not return messages seeking comment Monday.
It's possible to "imagine a good faith mistake" or a president taking something sensitive without realizing it or because they needed it for a particular reason, said Chris Edelson, a presidential powers scholar and American University government professor.
But that argument could be complicated by the fact that the documents were not returned earlier in their entirety by Trump to the National Archives and Records Administration and that the FBI came to suspect — correctly — that there was still classified information at the property.
"I think if he had simply returned the documents right away, he'd be in a much stronger position legally," Edelson said.
Ashley Deeks, a University of Virginia law professor and a former deputy legal adviser to President Joe Biden's National Security Council, said in an email that the Trump team claims in the letter "seem to be more of a political argument than a legal argument."
She added, "The president's defense team seems to be trying to point out the magnitude of proceeding with this case rather than articulating a clear legal defense."
_____
Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.
More on Donald Trump-related investigations: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/trump-legal-team-advances-broad-view-of-presidential-powers | 2022-08-30T03:24:03Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/news/national/trump-legal-team-advances-broad-view-of-presidential-powers | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Forest Hills Eastern 3, Kenowa HIlls 1
Clune Van Andel scored a pair of first half goals and Austin Tucker added one as Forest Hills Eastern beat Kenowa Hills 3-1 Monday in the OK Gold boys soccer opener for both.
Hawks sophomore Bryce VandenBerg had two assists, both on corner kicks, in the win.
FHE (1-0, 2-2-1) travels to Wayland on Thursday.
Kenowa Hills (0-1, 5-1-1) will host Grand Rapids Catholic Central on Wednesday.
For more scores, highlights, and the latest news on high school sports in West Michigan, go to the FOX 17 Blitz page. | https://www.fox17online.com/sports/blitz/forest-hills-eastern-opens-ok-gold-play-with-win-over-kenowa-hills | 2022-08-30T03:24:09Z | fox17online.com | control | https://www.fox17online.com/sports/blitz/forest-hills-eastern-opens-ok-gold-play-with-win-over-kenowa-hills | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
‘Delhi Crime’ Season 2 Shows the Injustices India’s ‘Criminal Tribes’ Face
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Picture this: you are presumed to have crime in your DNA by virtue of being born in a certain community. Whenever there is a major crime in the area, the cops might just lathicharge, handcuff nearly half of your village, and keep you in custody until the real criminals are apprehended.
If this sounds straight out of a medieval-era penal colony, you would be mistaken. The source of this violative approach is the 1871 Criminal Tribes Act promulgated by the British government, which in effect criminalized entire tribal communities across India by categorizing them as habitual criminals. Their movement was restricted too, making them prisoners in their own land.
The many injustices meted out to these “criminal” tribes as a result of this Act are the inspiration for the second season of the Emmy-winning Netflix show Delhi Crime. In it, we are reminded of the horrors faced by the Pardhi and Bawariya communities, who were unfairly targeted across North India for being part of the Kacha-Baniyan gang – a group of criminals who would undertake armed robberies, often resulting in brutal murders. They became infamous for allegedly committing these crimes while wearing only their undergarments, oiling their bodies so that they could slip away more easily.
This is also not the first time Indian media has explored the oppression faced by these tribes. In the 150th year of the Criminal Tribes Act, last year, the Surya-starrer Jai Bhim was released to widespread acclaim. The film was inspired by countless real-life incidents of the Irula tribe being unfairly targeted by the Tamil Nadu state police, from having fake cases of theft registered against them to being accused of enabling mass rapes.
According to Maya Ratnam, an anthropologist who has researched the dynamics of society and power in the forest-dwelling communities of central India, the factors that contributed to the British terming certain communities as “criminals” were multifaceted.
“To a certain extent, the British wanted to tame some of the hill tribes who lent support to the 1857 mutiny,” she says. “On the other hand, the advent of railway lines and new modes of trade and communication meant that these tribes no longer served their original nomadic purpose and were viewed as itinerant communities that needed ‘fixing’ by the British.”
The nomadic nature of such tribes posed a threat to the British as they feared getting looted by the “thugees” – gangs of professional robbers and murderers in British India.
Related on The Swaddle:
Tribal Community in Madhya Pradesh Evicted From Homes Without Official Notice
Post-independence, in August 1949, the Criminal Tribes Act was repealed on the recommendations of a committee set up by the erstwhile Government of Bombay, which included the then Chief Minister Morarji Desai. In effect, more than 2,300,000 tribals were decriminalized overnight. However, following the repeal, there was a massive public outcry, and people began blaming a perceived spike in violence on the “criminal” tribes – leading to the enactment of the Habitual Offenders Act (HOA) in 1952.
“They simply replaced the Criminal Tribes Act with the HOA,” says filmmaker, dramaturgist, and activist Dakxin Chhara, who belongs to the Chhara community that was initially listed as a criminal tribe. “The stigma of the state against the tribes is very much prevalent. We are the scapegoats, they can arrest and interrogate us anytime. In the eyes of the international community, I might be a National-Award-winning filmmaker, but for the Indian state, I will always be a criminal.”
He adds that the stigma of the cops against the denotified tribes begins right from police training academies, where they are taught about the ways of the criminal tribes and how they must be dealt with. This, he says, is the source of the prejudice of the cops against such tribes.
However, Neeraj Kumar, the former Commissioner of Delhi Police who led the investigation around the Kacha-Baniyan killings in the early 1990s tells The Swaddle that it was this academy training that helped him understand the behavioral patterns, rituals, traditions, and sociological conditions of Pardhis and the Bawariya communities responsible for the Kacha-Baniyan killings and robberies in the 1990s. He adds that cases of police excesses against tribes have in fact drastically reduced in the present day.
“One section of the cops don’t know about the denotified tribes and the other section of the force that is aware of them, ends up tarring all of them with the same brush,” he says. “There is no such thing as a “born criminal,” a person becomes a criminal because of their upbringing, the milieu they grow up in, or the training. A pathological criminal could belong from any section of the society.”
He also believes that the days of cops randomly arresting denotified tribes are long gone, but “if it is happening, then it’s deplorable and reprehensible.”
However, regardless of whether Kumar is right about the frequency of these encounters having reduced, constitutional guarantees for such tribes are either non-existent or remain a dead letter in law. A National Commission for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Tribes (NCDNT), constituted in 2006, noted that “it is an irony that these tribes somehow escaped the attention of our Constitution makers and thus got deprived of the Constitutional support unlike Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.”
At present, according to a Parliamentary Standing Committee report, 269 denotified tribes are not covered under any reservation category and do not have any special constitutional guarantees. The 2017 Idate Commission report noted that nothing had changed in a decade – with most DNT communities still being deeply impoverished and 98% of them being landless.
There is an inherent dichotomy in the state’s approach towards such tribes – it simultaneously wants them to be “civilized” and remains absent when it comes to concrete affirmative action and constitutional guarantees. Anthropologist Ratnam says that this is a contradiction not just limited to criminal tribes but even with other “non-criminal tribes,” who are made to feel ashamed of their “primitive” rituals and traditions.
“All the committees post-Independence have really failed in the task to define and enumerate these communities and assess their diverse needs,” she says. “In effect, these communities have been failed by the promise of inclusion in the modern constitution.” | https://theswaddle.com/delhi-crime-season-2-shows-the-injustices-indias-criminal-tribes-face/ | 2022-08-30T03:24:36Z | theswaddle.com | control | https://theswaddle.com/delhi-crime-season-2-shows-the-injustices-indias-criminal-tribes-face/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Safaricom goes live in Ethiopia second largest city
Monday August 29 2022
Safaricom Ethiopia has begun a large-scale customer pilot of its network in Dire Dawa, four months after it missed operational launch in the Horn of Africa nation.
The pilot in Ethiopia’s second biggest city after the capital Addis Ababa, with an estimated population of half a million, is part of the telco’s planned phased city-by-city roll-out ahead of the October national launch.
Dire Dawa residents can now purchase the 07 prefix SIM cards, choose their numbers, and access 2G, 3G and 4G network services, the company said.
“We are excited to begin our customer pilot for Safaricom Ethiopia Dire Dawa. This is an important milestone we begin opening the network to customers in order to test the end-to-end readiness of technical and commercial operations ahead of full network launch,” said Anwar Soussa, Safaricom Ethiopia chief executive officer.
The firm has set up three customer care centres in Kezira, Meskelegna and Cornell for registration, SIM card and device purchases and other client-support services.
The SIM cards are also available in branded shops and come with a welcome offer of data, voice and SMS for a month. Customers will also be able to purchase airtime vouchers to recharge.
Customer care services from the call centre will be available in Amharic, Tigrigna, Somali, Afan Oromo and English by dialling 700.
Customers will be able to access data services, calls and text messages to or from Safaricom Ethiopia lines and the state-owned Ethio Telecom network. They can also make or receive international calls.
Read: Safaricom, Ethio Telecom in deal to share network
“This customer pilot in Dire Dawa is part of switching on our network and services in 25 cities by April 2023, working in partnership with government, businesses, local communities, and others stakeholders as part of our long-term commitment to transforming lives for a digital future in line with the Digital Ethiopia objectives,” Mr Soussa said.
Since getting the licence in July 2021, the company has invested in its network and building infrastructure, including its own mobile radio towers, national transmission network, and wholesale agreements for international connectivity.
Last month, the company said it invested $1 billion (including the licence fee), imported equipment worth over $300 million, developed its own core network, IT, products, and services, set up a call centre, and built two data centres.
Read: Safaricom seeks $2b for Ethiopia operations
The telco also recruited 500 staff, 320 of whom are Ethiopians.
Safaricom is the first private telecom company in Ethiopia. | https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business/safaricom-goes-live-in-ethiopia-second-largest-city-3930488 | 2022-08-30T03:35:42Z | afar.com | control | https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/business/safaricom-goes-live-in-ethiopia-second-largest-city-3930488 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
(The Hill) – A pregnant Texas woman says she has received a second traffic ticket within a month after claiming that her unborn child allows her to drive in the high-occupancy lane (HOV).
In an interview, Plano resident Brandy Bottone told The Dallas Morning News that authorities ticketed her for the same offense at the same location, after a previous citation was dropped.
Bottone gained massive attention last month after claiming that Texas’s new anti-abortion laws mean her fetus should count as a person for HOV reasons, according to the Morning News.
The Dallas County District Attorney’s office decided to dismiss Bottone’s first ticket, agreeing that legally the situation is unclear.
The Morning News reports the Texas legislature is set to clarify the issue of when a fetus counts as a person in its next session.
“Nobody is answering whether it’s right or wrong,” Bottone, who has since given birth to a baby girl, told the Morning News. “They dismissed it. Why do I have to change my belief? … It doesn’t answer the question. Did I get it right or did I get it wrong?”
In a statement, Texas Department of Transportation (TDOT) spokesperson Tony Hartzel told the newspaper that it doesn’t have the control to make decisions on “law enforcement or prosecution decisions.”
“TxDOT has no role in law enforcement or prosecution decisions,” Hartzel added. “The dismissal of one citation has not affected the department’s relationship with law enforcement.”
Bottone did have a baby girl, who is now about one month old. | https://www.wwlp.com/news/national/pregnant-texas-woman-says-shes-gotten-second-traffic-ticket-claiming-fetus-lets-her-use-hov-lane/ | 2022-08-30T03:36:10Z | wwlp.com | control | https://www.wwlp.com/news/national/pregnant-texas-woman-says-shes-gotten-second-traffic-ticket-claiming-fetus-lets-her-use-hov-lane/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Billions of dollars’ worth of contracts flow through the government every year, yet top awardees often remain the same each cycle, with some shuffle in the order: Lockheed, Raytheon, Boeing, to name a few.
Pare away the defense giants and you’ll find a few that are unexpected. Goodwill Industries, which operates more than 3,000 retail stores that sell used clothing and household items and use the funds for job training for people with disabilities, and hundreds of other local nonprofits work on federal contracts to supply goods and services to the government.
This supply undercurrent is made possible by the AbilityOne program, an employment initiative dating back to the 1930s that supplements large-scale federal procurement with essential items supplied by some 450 nonprofits. The program, which predates the Biden administration’s commitment to equitable procurement by more than 80 years, plays a supporting role in uplifting small businesses and employing historically disadvantaged workers.
“Increasing federal, state, and local contracting opportunities with underserved businesses not only helps more Americans realize their entrepreneurial dreams, but also narrows persistent wealth disparities among groups that have long faced economic barrier,” said President Joe Biden in an address on July 26.
Many AbilityOne workers who produce goods or perform services experience impaired vision or other disabilities. Across the country, only 44% of people who are blind or visually impaired are employed, compared with 79% of those without disabilities, according to the American Foundation for the Blind.
AbilityOne is a recruitment program to bridge that gap. It leverages federal dollars to do so.
Here’s how it works:
What is AbilityOne?
AbilityOne employs 42,000 workers, including nearly 7,000 veterans through its nonprofits, creating a major supply of goods and services that help stock and clean federal offices, outfit military service members and maintain government grounds.
It’s also one of the largest sources of employment in the United States for people who are blind or have disabilities.
The program’s public-private structure is led by the U.S. AbilityOne Commission, which includes 15 part-time presidentially-appointed members and 35 staff and is maintained as an independent federal agency.
When the government has a need for an item or service, Federal Acquisition Regulation requires it to purchase from AbilityOne if it offers it. Agencies buy from a procurement list, which is like a digital catalog.
Nonprofit agencies generally contract directly with the federal agency to provide products or services.
In turn, a purchase from this list can directly employees workers who have a disability while creating a long-term supplier relationship that can eliminate the need to re-compete on a contract.
Program growth
In fiscal year 2021, nearly $4 billion of AbilityOne products and services were supplied to the federal government, a small fraction of overall dollars.
However, the program is expected to grow purchases by 50% in the coming years.
The Office of Federal Procurement Policy within the White House is one catalyst for this projected growth, recommending each agency commit to pledging portions of its spending to the program.
So far, the program’s largest customer is the Department of Defense, which annually procures more than $2.1 billion of AbilityOne products and services. An estimated 25,000 AbilityOne employees work on defense contracts.
The General Services Administration leads participation among civilian agencies, accounting for roughly 10% of AbilityOne sales.
The other growth spurt may come from the work of a number of AbilityOne representatives embedded within agencies to advocate federal buying from the program.
So far, 13 agencies have pledged a portion of their spending to the AbilityOne program.
More than office products
Products on the procurement list range from the ordinary, like clothing and office products, to the highly specialized, like cold weather infantry kits and medical equipment.
Nevertheless, contracting offices have many priorities to juggle and fail to realize the program’s offerings extend far beyond desk supplies, said Millisa Gary, a former contracting officer and current AbilityOne representative for GSA.
“The program is moving into more knowledge-based offerings, such as cybersecurity, acquisition support, and technology,” said Gary.
One example is the program’s workers on contract close-outs, who identified more than $2 billion in unused contract funds to be returned to the Department of the Treasury since 2010.
Offerings have also adapted to the decrease in demand for traditional office products as the federal workforce shifted to telework during the COVID-19 pandemic.
New to AbilityOne, and emblematic of remote-work culture, is a computer monitor that is lightweight, portable and attaches to a laptop for on-the-go or in-the-field computing needs. The Defense Logistics Agency sponsored the portable monitor for addition to the procurement list.
Then, Goodwill of the Fingers Lakes, an AbilityOne nonprofit of 700 workers, partnered with Mobile Pixels Inc., a small business, to bring these monitor kits to the federal market.
“This new product is creating new work hours here in our organization,” said Joe Kells, director of business development for Goodwill of the Finger Lakes. “Quite frankly, it’s offsetting the loss in work hours in traditional offers products that we produce. That’s why we’re always interested in what’s next. We have to stay current.”
Under one roof, Goodwill of the Fingers Lakes produces a wide variety of goods, like laundry detergent, notepads and physical training uniforms for the U.S. Air Force and Coast Guard. AbilityOne also stocks base supply centers on military installations.
“A lot of folks just pass on by the building, and they have no clue what happens behind these doors,” said Irenesa Olmo, an employee at the Finger Lakes facility of almost nine years.
AbilityOne hand-in-hand with small-business
Small-business contracting goals can be met through AbilityOne.
DoD prime contractors can get credit toward small business goals if they subcontract with nonprofits in the AbilityOne Program.
Approximately 250 small businesses are part of the AbilityOne Program’s commercial distribution network.
Steady employment, service during the pandemic
While many business and offices shut their doors during the pandemic, AbilityOne facilities kept their lights on and the country running.
About 95% of AbilityOne nonprofits remained open during the pandemic.
“During the height of the pandemic, AbilityOne [nonprofit agencies] were our frontline workers,” Gary said. “They stayed open, they added additional shifts to meet the demand of personal protection equipment.”
Contracts for cloth face masks were awarded to AbilityOne nonprofits by the Army, Air Force and U.S Census Bureau.
Even as workers trickled back to offices, AbilityOne employees sanitized federal buildings, including the Pentagon and hospitals on military bases.
“Even through COVID, we still came in and we still had work,” Olmo said. “We got things done.”
“Us being curious, willing to get out in front of things, is essential,” Kells said. “We’re fortunate that the federal government is supportive of those types of efforts. And this is a direct result of that type of engagement.”
Molly Weisner is a staff reporter for Federal Times where she covers labor, policy and contracting pertaining to the government workforce. She made previous stops at USA Today and McClatchy as a digital producer, and worked at The New York Times as a copy editor. Molly majored in journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. | https://www.federaltimes.com/acquisition/2022/08/29/abilityone-brings-goodwill-other-nonprofits-into-federal-contracting/ | 2022-08-30T03:38:18Z | federaltimes.com | control | https://www.federaltimes.com/acquisition/2022/08/29/abilityone-brings-goodwill-other-nonprofits-into-federal-contracting/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
JACKSON HOLE, Wyo. — 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.federaltimes.com/management/2022/08/29/federal-reserve-tackles-inflation-with-most-diverse-leadership-ever/ | 2022-08-30T03:38:24Z | federaltimes.com | control | https://www.federaltimes.com/management/2022/08/29/federal-reserve-tackles-inflation-with-most-diverse-leadership-ever/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Nebraska man hopes to be certified for the Guinness Book of World Records for his trip down the Missouri River in a giant pumpkin.
Duane Hansen paddled about 11 hours down the river in Nebraska on Saturday in the giant pumpkin that he grew himself and hoped to set the world record for a trip of its kind. According to a post on Facebook, Hansen started out the trip at 7:30 a.m. and paddled for some 38 miles to celebrate his 60th birthday.
Hansen ended the trip just after 6:30 p.m. in Nebraska City in the 846-pound gourd. His family was there with him, following the trip along with their friends, as they were able to help document the trip and help with any issues.
He was crouched inside of the pumpkin that had a small seat inside.
Hansen said in a video, “I went 38 miles down the river without standing up in that pumpkin and my knees still hurt.” He said, “I thought, ‘I’ll just paddle harder and warm up.’ I wasn’t thinking about quitting.”
Hansen said, “I went another four to five miles and it rained again...I’ve never paid so much attention for so long in my entire life. It was tough.”
The Omaha World-Herald reported that he hit a sandbar at one point in the journey, and also hit a rock, and encountered heavy rain, and said it was cold at times.
Guinness World Records had not yet validated the trip by Monday but confirmed that the trip would beat the current record for "longest journey by pumpkin boat" which is held by Rick Swenson who traveled 25.5 miles in Grand Forks, North Dakota in 2016, the Guardian reported. | https://www.katc.com/news/national/man-tries-to-set-guinness-world-record-for-longest-river-trip-in-a-giant-pumpkin | 2022-08-30T03:44:51Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/man-tries-to-set-guinness-world-record-for-longest-river-trip-in-a-giant-pumpkin | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
WASHINGTON (AP) — A newly unsealed FBI document about the investigation at Mar-a-Lago not only offers new details about the probe but also reveals clues about the arguments former President Donald Trump's legal team intends to make.
A May 25 letter from one of his lawyers, attached as an exhibit to the search affidavit, advances a broad view of presidential power, asserting that the commander-in-chief has absolute authority to declassify whatever he wants — and also that the "primary" law governing the handling of U.S. classified information simply doesn't apply to the president himself.
The arguments weren't persuasive enough to the Justice Department to prevent an FBI search of Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate this month, and the affidavit in any event makes clear that investigators are focused on more recent activity — long after Trump left the White House and lost the legal authorities that came with it. Even so, the letter suggests that a defense strategy anchored around presidential powers, a strategy employed during special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation when Trump actually was president, may again be in play as the probe proceeds.
It's perhaps not surprising that Trump's legal team might look for ways to distinguish a former president from other citizens given the penalties imposed over the years for mishandling handling government secrets, including a nine-year prison sentence issued to a former National Security Agency contractor who stored two decades' worth of classified documents at his Maryland home.
But many legal experts are dubious that claims of such presidential power will hold weight.
"When someone is no longer president, they're no longer president. That's the reality of the matter," said Oona Hathaway, a Yale Law School professor and former lawyer in the Defense Department's general counsel's office. "When you've left office, you've left office. You can't proclaim yourself to not be subject to the laws that apply to everyone else."
It's not clear from the affidavit whether Trump or anyone might face charges over the presence of classified records at Mar-a-Lago — 19 months after he became a private citizen — and FBI officials are investigating who removed the records from the White House to the Florida estate and who is responsible for retaining them in an unauthorized location.
The FBI recovered 11 sets of classified records during the Aug. 8 search, and the affidavit made public Friday said 184 documents with classified markings also were found in 15 boxes removed in January. The Justice Department, responding to a Trump team request for a legal special master to sort through the materials, said Monday that officials had completed their own review of potentially privileged documents.
No matter the outcome of that latest issue, the affidavit makes clear that investigators are focused on potential violations of three felony statutes, including an Espionage Act provision that criminalizes the willful retention or transmission of national defense information.
Another law punishable by up to three years in prison makes it a crime to willfully remove, conceal or mutilate government records. And a third law, carrying up to 20 years imprisonment, covers the destruction, alteration or falsification of records in federal investigations.
The Espionage Act statute regarding retention of national defense information has figured in multiple prosecutions. Past investigations have produced disparate results that make it hard to forecast the outcome in the Trump probe. But there have been convictions.
Harold Martin, the ex-NSA contractor, pleaded guilty in 2019 to storing troves of classified information inside his home, car and storage shed, including handwritten notes describing the NSA's classified computer infrastructure.
Which is why the Trump legal team may look to play up his status as a former president.
When it comes to handling government secrets, there are indeed some differences that could possibly be considered: Presidents, for instance, don't have to pass background checks to obtain classified information, they're not granted security clearances to access intelligence and they're not formally "read out" on their responsibilities to safeguard secrets when they leave leave office.
"There's no intelligence community directive that says how presidents should or shouldn't be briefed on the materials," said Larry Pfeiffer, a former CIA officer and senior director of the White House Situation Room. "We've never had to worry about it before."
The May 25 letter from Trump attorney M. Evan Corcoran to Jay Bratt, the head of the Justice Department's counterintelligence section, describes Trump as the leader of the Republican Party and makes multiple references to him as former president.
It notes that a president has the absolute authority to declassify documents, though it doesn't actually say — as Trump has asserted — that he did so with the records seized from his home. It also says the "primary" law criminalizing the mishandling of classified information does not apply to the president and instead covers subordinate employees and officers.
The statute the letter cites, though, is not among the three that the search warrant lists as being part of the investigation. And the Espionage Act law at issue concerns "national defense" information rather than "classified," suggesting it may be irrelevant whether the records were declassified or not.
Corcoran did not return messages seeking comment Monday.
It's possible to "imagine a good faith mistake" or a president taking something sensitive without realizing it or because they needed it for a particular reason, said Chris Edelson, a presidential powers scholar and American University government professor.
But that argument could be complicated by the fact that the documents were not returned earlier in their entirety by Trump to the National Archives and Records Administration and that the FBI came to suspect — correctly — that there was still classified information at the property.
"I think if he had simply returned the documents right away, he'd be in a much stronger position legally," Edelson said.
Ashley Deeks, a University of Virginia law professor and a former deputy legal adviser to President Joe Biden's National Security Council, said in an email that the Trump team claims in the letter "seem to be more of a political argument than a legal argument."
She added, "The president's defense team seems to be trying to point out the magnitude of proceeding with this case rather than articulating a clear legal defense."
_____
Associated Press writer Nomaan Merchant in Washington contributed to this report.
More on Donald Trump-related investigations: https://apnews.com/hub/donald-trump | https://www.katc.com/news/national/trump-legal-team-advances-broad-view-of-presidential-powers | 2022-08-30T03:45:09Z | katc.com | control | https://www.katc.com/news/national/trump-legal-team-advances-broad-view-of-presidential-powers | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
East China Sea (Aug. 29, 2022) Culinary Specialist 1st Class Juan Villarreal, right, from Gardena, California, assigned to the forward-deployed amphibious assault carrier USS America (LHA 6), instructs junior officers on scullery operations on the ship’s mess decks while sailing in the East China Sea, Aug. 29. America, lead ship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, is operating in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready-response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Matthew Bakerian)
This work, USS America (LHA 6) Conducts Daily Underway Operations [Image 4 of 4], by PO3 Matthew Bakerian, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7393660/uss-america-lha-6-conducts-daily-underway-operations | 2022-08-30T03:46:35Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7393660/uss-america-lha-6-conducts-daily-underway-operations | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
East China Sea (Aug. 29, 2022) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Fuel) 3rd Class Kamilo Ahhing, from American Samoa, assigned to the forward-deployed amphibious assault carrier USS America (LHA 6), uses a powered wire brush to polish brass in the ship’s hangar bay while sailing in the East China Sea, Aug. 29. America, lead ship of the America Amphibious Ready Group, is operating in the 7th Fleet area of operations to enhance interoperability with allies and partners and serve as a ready-response force to defend peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communications Specialist 3rd Class Matthew Bakerian)
This work, USS America (LHA 6) Conducts Daily Underway Operations [Image 4 of 4], by PO3 Matthew Bakerian, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright. | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7393661/uss-america-lha-6-conducts-daily-underway-operations | 2022-08-30T03:46:41Z | dvidshub.net | control | https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7393661/uss-america-lha-6-conducts-daily-underway-operations | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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One of the victims fought to disarm the suspected gunman during Sunday's fatal shooting at a Safeway grocery store in Bend, Oregon, according to police spokeswoman Sheila Miller.
Two people were killed, police said. They were identified as Glenn Edward Bennett, 84, a customer who was shot in front of the store, and Safeway employee Donald Ray Surrett Jr., 66, who fought the shooter in the produce section, Miller said.
"This is the Safeway employee who engaged with the shooter, which is to say he attempted to disarm the shooter and attacked this person, and we believe he prevented further deaths in addition to the quick police response," Miller said. "Mr. Surrett acted heroically during this terrible incident."
Gov. Kate Brown released a statement on Facebook Monday honoring Surrett.
"While we are still gathering the facts about last night's shooting, it's clear that far more people could have been killed if not for the heroism of Donald Ray Surrett, Jr., who intervened to help stop the shooter, and the officers who entered while shots were still being fired," Brown's statement said. "In the face of senseless violence, they acted with selfless bravery. Their courage saved lives."
The gunman -- identified by police as Ethan Blair Miller, 20 -- was found dead at the scene and died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the police spokeswoman said.
Police found an AR-15-style rifle and a shotgun close to Miller's body, according to Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz.
The shooting unfolded shortly after 7 p.m. Sunday at a shopping center, Krantz said. Police initially received reports there may have been more than one shooter, Sheila Miller said, but there is no evidence of a second shooter. There were reports of at least two other people who had injuries that were not life threatening, as well, she said.
The motive remains unclear, but police are aware of online posts that might be relevant, Sheila Miller said.
"We are aware that the shooter may have posted information online regarding his plan. We are investigating this. We have no evidence of previous threats or prior knowledge of the shooter. We received information about the shooter's writings after the incident had taken place and the shooter has no criminal history in the area," Miller said.
Safeway said in a statement the company was saddened by the "senseless violence."
"Our thoughts and actions now are directed toward supporting our associates, customers, and the community affected by this tragedy. We thank the officers at the Bend Police Department for their response and will continue to support the department's investigation over the coming days," the company's statement said.
Sunday's shooting follows a spate of other grocery store shootings across the country in the past year and amid an overall surge in "active shooter" incidents, according to an FBI report.
In May, 10 people were killed in what authorities say was a racially motivated attack in Buffalo, New York. A "hero" security guard and a beloved teacher were among those gunned down.
In March, another 10 people were gunned down at a King Soopers grocery store in Boulder, Colorado. A veteran police officer with seven children was among those killed.
Last September, a gunman shot 15 people -- including one fatally -- at a Kroger in Collierville, Tennessee. Some people hid in freezers to survive.
How the shooting unfolded
Miller said police received multiple calls of shots fired around 7 p.m. at the Forum shopping center in northeast Bend.
The gunman entered from an apartment complex behind the shopping center, Miller said. He moved through the parking lot while firing rounds from an AR-15-style rifle before entering the Safeway.
Once inside, he shot a customer -- Glenn Edward Bennett -- who died while being taken to the hospital, Miller said.
The gunman continued to make his way through the store before having an altercation with and fatally shooting Donald Ray Surrett Jr., Miller said.
"As our officers responded, they entered Safeway while shots were still being fired. They found the apparent shooter dead inside Safeway," Miller said.
An AR-15 and shotgun were found near the gunman's body, Miller said. Bend police did not fire any shots, she said.
How the gunman obtained firearms is under investigation. Because of online postings, Bend police also contacted the Oregon State Police Bomb Squad, who cleared the grocery store and the apartment complex, Miller said.
Police said it's unclear how many people were in the store at the time of the shooting.
Officers were on scene within three minutes of the first 911 call, Miller said. It took four minutes from the time officers were dispatched to the time the shooter's body was found, police said.
Gunman posted plans online
A search warrant was served on the gunman's vehicle and home, Miller said. Investigators found three Molotov cocktails in his car along with a sawed-off shotgun. Police are working with the ATF to learn if the firearms were legal.
In his apartment, authorities found additional ammunition and digital devices that are currently being reviewed.
CNN has identified several blog entries appearing to belong to Ethan Miller which were published on the blogging site "Wattpad" detailing his plan and reasons for the shooting. The posts have since been removed and CNN has reached out to the blogging site.
Miller published his first blog on June 29, when he blamed Covid-19 and quarantine for worsening his mental health.
Initially, Miller planned a shooting inside a high school on September 8, according to the posts.
More than 35 posts were made within the past two months. Most indicated his desires to commit violence.
One post said that he was "partially inspired" by the Columbine High School shooting.
In other posts Miller cited several reasons for turning into a "ticking time bomb," which included his family and his love life, which he detailed in a July 8 post.
He wrote he bought a shotgun and an AR-15 for the shooting and said he hoped to kill over 40 people.
Miller also references other mass shootings throughout his entries.
"I immediately turned to my children and said, 'Run!'"
Customers and employees described a chaotic scene at Safeway, saying they scrambled for safety as bullets flew.
Josh Caba told CNN affiliate KTVZ he and his four children were shopping in the store when the shots broke out.
"We started heading to the front. Then we heard I don't know how many shots out front -- six or seven. I immediately turned to my children and said, 'Run!' People were screaming. ... it was a horrifying experience," Caba told KTVZ.
Caba said he was worried about his wife, who stayed in the car because she wasn't feeling well. But as he and three of his children fled through exit doors by the produce department, he found that his wife had driven to the back of the store and was "sitting in the car, saying 'Get in the car! Get in the car!'" KTVZ reported.
The father was able to rush back into the store and find their fourth child, he told KTVZ.
An employee who identified himself only as Robert told the Central Oregon Daily News that he and other employees were working a closing shift in the deli when they heard loud gunfire.
"Me and three other employees ran into a walk-in refrigerator and closed the door and stayed there and stayed hidden until authorities arrived," he said.
A third person was struck and was in good condition at St. Charles Medical Center, spokesperson Lisa Goodman said.
Residents in the central Oregon city were stunned by the shooting.
"I heard anywhere from five to eight shots. I thought it sounded like backfire," Heather Thompson, who lives across the street, told Central Oregon Daily News.
"Less than a minute later, there were 10 to 20 shots, and then another 10 to 20 shots," she said. "And by that time, I went inside and told my dad to get away from the window. And people were running out of Safeway."
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LIHUE, Maui (KITV4) -- Looking to adopt a furry friend (or two) and want to help clear the shelters? Kauai Humane Society is waiving all adoption fees for all animals now through August 31, to celebrate Clear the Shelters adoption month.
A total of 340 adoptable pets have put the shelter over capacity: they hit maximum kennel space for the second time this summer last week.
“Even after the successful Mission Mainland 2.0, we are still struggling with a large dog population and many kittens returning from foster,” Executive Director Nicole Schafer Crane said. “So, we hope that those returning from their summer travel and getting back to their daily routines are open to bringing a companion into their home.”
“It’s been great partnering with Clear the Shelters this month, and we are so excited to bring the event to a crescendo for these final days by offering waived fees of all of our wonderful cats and dogs, along with the swag bags which were kindly donated by NBCUniversal Local,” Executive Director Nicole Schafer Crane said.
Kauai Humane Society is the only open-intake shelter on Kauai. They have held a no-kill status since 2019.
For more information, and to see all the adoptable pets, visit Kauaihumane.org.
Do you have a story idea? Email news tips to news@kitv.com
Kathryn spent the last decade in the Bay Area working in nonprofits, education, and communications consulting. She has a B.A. in English from St. Mary's College of CA and an M.A. in Public Affairs and Politics from the University of San Francisco. | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/kauai-humane-society-waiving-adoption-fees-through-august/article_2daf2356-2806-11ed-b406-47149a4fa54a.html | 2022-08-30T03:51:22Z | kitv.com | control | https://www.kitv.com/news/local/kauai-humane-society-waiving-adoption-fees-through-august/article_2daf2356-2806-11ed-b406-47149a4fa54a.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A strike by tug boat workers in Vancouver, British Columbia stranded Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Eclipse overnight, as the ship was unable to leave the embarkation port due to a fuel barge that was not moved. This has caused the cruise ship to be delayed from Vancouver and may impact the vessel’s 7-night Alaskan itinerary.
Fuel Barge Blocks Cruise Ship
While the Solstice-class cruise ship does not itself require tug assistance to depart Vancouver, a fuel barge alongside the ship for normal fueling operations does require tug boats to move safely.
Due to the tug workers’ strike, the barge was not relocated after refueling operations were completed, and Celebrity Eclipse was unable to depart as scheduled.
“There’s a local tug workers strike at the Port of Vancouver. Without the support of tug boats, the ship is unable to depart the port,” Celebrity Cruises said on Twitter during the delay. “We are working diligently with all local authorities to resolve the situation so that the ship can embark on its sailing.”
While some passengers onboard were upset at a perceived lack of communication from the cruise line, Celebrity Cruises was responding to social media inquiries as much as possible.
The cruise ship was finally able to get underway and depart Vancouver at approximately 1 p.m. on Monday afternoon, rather than the original departure time of 4:30 p.m. Sunday, August 28.
Itinerary May Be Impacted
Passengers onboard Celebrity Eclipse have reported generally good spirits despite the delay, as well as exceptional service by the crew. Celebrity Eclipse has a guest capacity of 2,850 passengers at double occupancy, with an onboard crew of approximately 1,270 international team members.
The ship’s itinerary may be adjusted to account for the delay, however. It is possible that port times might be shortened if needed, or the days the ship is scheduled to visit particular port destinations might be changed to accommodate different travel times.
This 7-night roundtrip itinerary has Celebrity Eclipse visiting the popular ports of Icy Strait Point, Juneau, and Ketchikan, plus spending time cruising to view Hubbard Glacier.
Some passengers were upset at the situation, given that identical cruises had been canceled due to the pandemic shutdown, and this sailing was a return-to-the-sea for many eager guests. It should be noted, however, that Celebrity Cruises is not involved in the labor dispute in any way; Celebrity Eclipse only happened to be caught in the strike.
The ship is scheduled to return to Vancouver on Sunday, September 4, and there are no delays anticipated for its arrival and debarkation prior to its next cruise.
Strike Impacting Port Operations
The union-led strike of tug boat workers began August 25, 2022 amid disputes over contract negotiations. This has led to workers stopping services, which then impacts how vessels can move around the port area and refuel as needed.
While Celebrity Eclipse was not the only cruise ship docked at Canada Place cruise terminal in Vancouver on Sunday, August 28, it was the only ship impacted by the strike.
Royal Caribbean International’s Serenade of the Seas and Holland America Line’s Nieuw Amsterdam both departed on schedule and without incident.
Tug boat workers are not the only labor force that could potentially impact cruise operations at a homeport. Should other essential workers at a port strike, cruise operations could be slowed or stopped. This applies to security personnel, pilot boat captains, dock workers, and other critical positions. | https://www.cruisehive.com/celebrity-cruise-ship-finally-departs-after-tugboat-strike-caused-delay/80048 | 2022-08-30T03:52:02Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/celebrity-cruise-ship-finally-departs-after-tugboat-strike-caused-delay/80048 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Following the trend in the past month of gradually easing vaccination and pre-cruise testing requirements, Disney Cruise Line has updated its protocols for passengers.
The update was published on the cruise line’s Know Before You Go page on Monday, August 29, 2022, and booked guests received an email with the revised information.
No Testing for Fully Vaccinated Guests
As of September 23, 2022, guests setting sail aboard four of Disney Cruise Line’s ships – Disney Wonder, Disney Fantasy, Disney Dream, and Disney Wish – no longer need to take a pre-cruise COVID-19 test if they are already fully vaccinated.
All guests ages 12 and older are required to be fully vaccinated to sail with Disney Cruise Line, and it is highly recommended – though not required – that younger guests also be fully vaccinated as well.
Unvaccinated guests age 11 and younger will still need to submit a negative test result taken 1-3 days prior to embarkation. There will no longer be a second test required at the terminal on embarkation day as of September 23.
The exception is on back-to-back sailings. Between consecutive cruises, unvaccinated guests will still need to take another COVID test before the second cruise sets sail, and this will be paid for by Disney Cruise Line. These updated testing protocols only apply to sailings departing from U.S. homeports.
All four vessels are scheduled for U.S. departures from September 23 – Disney Wonder will be offering 3-7 night sailings from San Diego; Disney Fantasy will be sailing 6-8 night itineraries from Port Canaveral; Disney Dream will be offering 3-5 night cruises from Miami, and the brand new Disney Wish will be sailing 3-4 night cruises from Port Canaveral.
Guests booked aboard any Disney cruise must upload their proof of vaccination and/or test results, as applicable and regardless of age, prior to sailing on Inspire Diagnostics “Safe Passage” website. This must be by midnight prior to embarkation day (11:59 p.m. Friday night for cruises departing on Saturday, for example), or guests may not be cleared to sail.
It is also recommended that guests bring a paper copy of all their documentation – vaccination status and test results – to the embarkation port, in case of discrepancies or wireless difficulties that could delay embarkation.
What About Disney Magic?
Disney Magic is not included in this pre-cruise testing change for the time being, as the ship – the oldest in Disney Cruise Line’s fleet – will be sailing in Europe through the end of September, when she arrives in New York for fall and winter sailings to Bermuda and Canada.
Because both Bermuda and Canada maintain stricter protocols at this time, pre-cruise testing and other enhanced requirements will remain in place aboard Disney Magic.
Cancelation an Option
Guests who prefer not to sail at this time due to the eased restrictions can request a cancelation and full refund of their cruise fare for any voyages aboard Disney Wonder, Disney Fantasy, Disney Dream, or Disney Wish, with no Disney-imposed cancelation fees.
This only applies to sailings from September 23, 2022 through December 31, 2022. Guests considering this option should also note that airline, hotel, or travel insurance cancelation policies will differ and any fees from those organizations are not covered by Disney Cruise Line.
Any requests for cruise modifications or cancelations must be made no later than September 12, 2022. Any changes made after that time will be subject to the cruise line’s standard cancelation policies. | https://www.cruisehive.com/disney-cruise-line-updates-testing-protocols-for-all-but-one-ship/80037 | 2022-08-30T03:52:08Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/disney-cruise-line-updates-testing-protocols-for-all-but-one-ship/80037 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Royal Caribbean’s Quantum Ultra class ship, Odyssey of the Seas, visited the Cagliari Cruise Port for the first time on August 29, 2022, on a sail embarking from Rome (Civitavecchia) on August 21.
This same day, two additional large cruise ships accompanied Odyssey of the Seas at the Cagliari Port, Costa Firenze and AIDAstella, creating a triple call that brought about 8,000 visitors to Sardinia’s capital.
Odyssey of the Seas’ First Call in Cagliari
Odyssey of the Seas, made its first call at the Cagliari Cruise Port, docking at the Rinascita pier, with almost 3,700 passengers on board, exploring southern Sardinia.
As one of the largest seaports in the Mediterranean Sea basin, Cagliari Cruise Port is the main cruise port in Sardinia, located in the island’s capital.
On August 21, Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas departed from Rome (Civitavecchia) and visited destinations such as Santorini, Mykonos, Bodrum, Messina, Naples, and Cagliari (Sardinia’s capital). This 16-deck 2021-built ship now holds the place as the largest cruise ship to ever berth in the port of Cagliari.
General Manager of Cagliari Cruise Port, Raffaella Del Prete stated, “We are pleased to have welcomed the Maiden Call of Odyssey of the Seas, which marks the return of Royal Caribbean to the Sardinian port.”
“This year around 120 calls and 170,000 passengers are expected in Cagliari, and the numbers for 2023 speak of further growth, with several days of co-presence of more ships. It is therefore necessary to continue to collaborate in synergy with the territory and the institutions, to guarantee tourists and the local community the best possible experience,” Prete added.
In commemoration of the Royal Caribbean cruise ship’s first time in Cagliari, a crest exchange ceremony took place with special guests such as the General Manager of Cagliari Cruise Port, the President of the Port Network Authority of Sardinian Sea, the Marketing Manager of the Port Network Authority of Sardinian Sea, and the Tourism Councilor of the Municipality of Cagliari.
Read Also: What Thrilling Features Can You Find on Odyssey of the Seas?
With a guest capacity of 5,510, Odyssey of the Seas is a part of the Royal Caribbean Group which controls almost 26% of the global cruise market with 42 ships, encompassing five different brands.
Primarily operating in the Caribbean out of Port Everglades in Florida, it is the second Quantum Ultra-class cruise ship and the last of the class operated by the cruise line. The 167,704 gross-ton ship was delivered to Royal Caribbean on March 31, 2021,
Three Large Cruise Ships Call Cagliari at the Same Time
On this same day, August 29, 2022, two additional large cruise ships accompanied Odyssey of the Seas, Costa Firenze and AIDAstella, at the Cagliari Cruise Port.
This triple call brought about 8,000 visitors to Cagliari, marking a recovery for the cruise industry in Sardinia after the closure due to the pandemic.
With an increase in ships visiting Cagliari, the Sardinian port has grown in popularity, and this event highlights the synergy between Cagliari Cruise Port, Port Authority, and Municipality.
Alessandro Sorgia, Tourism Councilor of the Municipality of Cagliari stated, “The arrival in Cagliari of these 3 large cruise ships reveals the crucial importance of the great teamwork carried out incessantly in recent years, even during the lockdown, by the municipal administration represented by me, Cagliari Cruise Port and the Port Network Authority of Sardinian Sea.”
“Today’s date collects and shows the fruits of this collaboration, also demonstrating how much cruise tourism also represents an excellent vehicle to promote our beautiful city,” he added.
The Rinascita pier hosted Costa Group’s Costa Firenze and is now on its twenty-first call as the primary client of the Sardinian port every Monday, and the Sabaudo pier welcomed AIDA Cruises’ AIDAstella for the third time.
Raffaella Del Prete, General Manager of Cagliari Cruise Port added, “Three large ships in port are a beautiful picture and represent a challenge, won thanks to our experience, to the services offered to Cruise Lines and guests and to the intense collaboration with the entire local maritime cluster, from pilots, moorers, tugs, to tour operators and port agents, with the essential activity of the Harbor Master and the Port Authority.”
In 2016, Cagliari Cruise Port became part of Global Ports Holding (GPH), the world’s largest cruise port operator, operating 26 cruise ports in 14 countries as an integrated network of cruise ports serving cruise ships, ferries, and yachts. | https://www.cruisehive.com/royal-caribbean-cruise-ship-makes-first-call-in-cagliari/79980 | 2022-08-30T03:52:14Z | cruisehive.com | control | https://www.cruisehive.com/royal-caribbean-cruise-ship-makes-first-call-in-cagliari/79980 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Invitation Homes (INVH), one of the fastest-growing residential real estate investment trusts, continues to deliver strong results. Yet, the risks attached to residential REITs have increased uncertainty for investors, with the industry likely approaching a pivotal moment. I am neutral on the stock.
A Speculative Post-COVID Residential Real Estate Market
On the one hand, consumers seem, at the moment at least, to be willing to pay surging rents. Following the working-from-home economy, which sprouted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic a couple of years ago, residential properties gained increased leverage over their office and retail peers.
With hybrid working conditions gaining further traction as well as a strong consumer economy, residential rents have remained elevated and even surged further. For context, the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom apartment in the U.S. stood at $2,106 in July, up 38.3% year-over-year.
On the other hand, as inflation and oil prices remain at elevated levels, electricity prices surge, and the monetary policy tightens, it’s reasonable to support the case that rents will eventually have to normalize, led by declining consumer strength.
Amid such concerns, shares of Invitation Homes have declined by 19% year-to-date. Yet, the company’s results remain relatively strong, and its outlook appears quite promising for the time being.
What Does Invitation Homes Do?
Invitation Homes owns and operates single-family homes for lease. Particularly, the company furnishes its residents with high-quality homes in quality neighborhoods that are repeatedly in high demand across the United States.
As of its latest filings, Invitation Homes had over 80,000 homes for lease in 16 markets across the U.S. Its properties aspire to meet the constantly adjusting lifestyle needs by offering access to quality, renovated homes with valued attributes such as closeness to regions with elevated employability prospects and access to fine schools. This model has allowed the company to adapt quickly to the current market environment.
Strong Results Despite Recent Concerns
While the ongoing market environment has linked increased uncertainty to residential REITs, Invitation Homes’ strategy growth strategy continues to yield quite strong results.
In its Q2 results, the company recorded revenue growth of 13.4% year-over-year to $557.3 million. It actually implied an acceleration compared to Q1’s revenue growth of 12%. Increased revenues were driven by new leases, rent evolution on renewals, and elevated occupancy levels, as demand for homes remained robust despite the ongoing concerns.
The REIT’s average occupancy remained very strong, at 98%, even though it dropped from 98.4% in Q2 2021. Additionally, the company recorded fantastic same-home new lease rent growth of 16.7% and same-home renewal rent expansion of 10.2%. Therefore, blended rent growth expanded by 380 basis points to 11.8%.
During the quarter, Initiation Homes’ management team continued to grow the company’s property portfolio. Particularly, the company acquired 955 homes for $426 million and disposed of 183 homes for $74 million, resulting in a net expansion.
It’s worth noting that despite Invitation Homes’ share count advancing as a result of the equity issuances that were employed to finance these home purchases, adjusted FFO per share rose 12.5% to $0.36 following sharp expense management.
For the second half of 2022, management foresees that the market for single-family rental homes will be sustained at healthy levels. This is backed by the premise of stable job growth and encouraging demographic indicators in the markets in which the REIT’s homes are located.
Consequently, and by taking into regard the company’s numbers during the first half of the year, management actually upgraded its prior guidance. The company is expected to post AFFO per share between $1.41 and $1.47 (up from $1.38 and $1.46 previously).
At the midpoint, this implies growth of 12.5% against Fiscal 2021, proposing another booming year for the company, despite the underlying speculation surrounding the residential real estate market.
The Dividend Isn’t Exciting, but Its Growth Prospects Are
Yielding just around 2.4%, Invitation Homes’ dividend may not appear to be particularly exciting. However, backed by its underlying AFFO/share growth, the company’s dividend growth prospects are indeed quite vigorous.
Following the trend of its rapid AFFO/share growth since its IPO, the company has lifted its dividends per share rapidly. In Fiscal 2020 and Fiscal 2021, Invitation Homes increased its dividend per share by 15.4% and 13.3%, respectively.
Based on the midpoint of its Fiscal 2022 AFFO/share outlook, the payout ratio stands at around 61%. Hence, it’s quite viable for the dividend to continue growing in the double-digits, supported by the company’s ongoing growth and rather ample room for dividend growth.
How to Value Invitation Homes in the Current Environment
As we’ve discussed so far, Invitation Homes is currently enjoying robust growth momentum, but the residential real estate is likely to face some headwinds. Therefore, valuing the stock has become more speculative.
On top of that, there is another factor to consider when valuing Invitation Homes. The company records AFFO, which stands for adjusted funds from operations. Unlike FFO, AFFO also includes recurring capital expenditures. Consequently, the denominator in P/AFFO is smaller, automatically leading to an elevated valuation multiple against P/FFO. Thus, an extra premium in the stock’s multiple in that regard is warranted and should not shake investors if put into context.
At the midpoint of management’s AFFO/share outlook, the stock’s present price indicates a forward P/AFFO of about 25x. This multiple appears oddly high for a REIT and could justifiably be supposed to be rich. However, when taking into account what I just mentioned regarding the company’s adjusted metrics, it’s easier to understand the reasoning behind it.
Still, I believe that shares would be more fairly valued at a P/AFFO in the low 20s. While Invitation Homes’ double-digit growth warrants the stock a premium, the ongoing shaky macroeconomic environment is likely to eventually impact the company’s results and slow down its ongoing momentum.
Is INVH a Good Stock to Buy?
Turning to Wall Street, Invitation Homes has a Strong Buy consensus rating based on 15 Buys and two Holds assigned in the past three months. At $43.29, the average Invitation Homes stock forecast implies 17.9% upside potential.
Conclusion: A Solid Residential REIT, but Proceed with Caution
Invitation Homes is a quality company and appears to be one of the better plays out there for investors who seek exposure in the residential real estate market. In particular, dividend-growth investors are likely to appreciate the stock’s dividend growth prospects.
That said, one should remain skeptical, as shares of Invitation Homes could be relatively overvalued presently. The ongoing macro setup is likely to reduce household income levels, draining the company’s ability to expand its financials at its ongoing rates. This could lead to a powerful valuation multiple compression, harming shareholder return prospects. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/invitation-homes-stock-are-the-risks-worth-it | 2022-08-30T03:54:24Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/invitation-homes-stock-are-the-risks-worth-it | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
As the rise of financial technology (fintech) platforms confirms, more people are interested in integrating connectivity with convenience when it comes to their personal and business needs. In this space, Lemonade (LMND) – a full-stack insurance firm that leverages the power of artificial intelligence to make decisions – presents an intriguing narrative. However, the company learned that tradition can’t just be dismissed outright. I am bullish on LMND stock, though this idea will likely require patience.
On paper, Lemonade cuts a conflicting profile. However, over the trailing year, the AI-driven insurance provider lost more than 70% of market value, a staggeringly awful statistic. On top of that, since the conclusion of the company’s first public trading session, LMND finds itself down close to 70%. Arguably most investors would dismiss the company as a failed enterprise.
On the other hand, Lemonade knows how to deliver the goods when it counts. Earlier this year, when management disclosed its results for the first quarter, the fintech specialist rang up revenue of $44.3 million, representing an 89% lift from the year-ago level. On the bottom line, Lemonade posted a net loss of $1.21 per share, narrower than the consensus estimate of a $1.39 loss.
According to TipRanks reporter Richika Biyani, what was special about Q1 was that it was the “first complete quarter in which all of the company’s products were available in the market.” In the most recent disclosure for Q2, Lemonade continued to impress onlookers.
According to TipRanks reporter Pathikrit Bose, “Lemonade reported quarterly revenues of $50 million, which signifies an impressive growth of 77.3% from the year-ago quarter. Further, the figure outpaced the consensus estimate of $47.56 million.
However, the company’s losses widened to $1.10 per share from $0.90 per share in the previous year’s quarter. Yet, the figure came in narrower than the consensus estimate of a loss of $1.32 per share.”
Still, as mentioned earlier, LMND stock is down deep for this year. What gives?
LMND Stock and the Net Loss Problem
Arguably, one of the biggest problems facing Lemonade is that it’s essentially structured as a technology firm that provides insurance products. While that may have flown during the heyday of 2021, that’s simply not going to cut it. Instead, Lemonade must become an insurance firm that utilizes tech to service its customers. However, it can’t get there without addressing its net loss problem.
Nominally, Lemonade’s net loss in Q2 came out to $67.9 million, representing an unfavorable expansion of 22% against Q2 2021. If investors consider the long-term track record, it’s not very encouraging.
For instance, in 2018, Lemonade posted a net loss of $52.9 million. In 2019, the red ink expanded to $108.5 million. A year later, Lemonade was staring at a loss of $122.3 million. Finally, last year, the metric came out to a conspicuous $241.3 million. Notably, on a trailing-12-month (TTM) basis, Lemonade’s net loss stands at $279.4 million.
However, with the company again providing full-stack insurance products (such as auto insurance), this year, along with the previous year, should have been a bonanza.
In May of this year, TipRanks reporter Radhika Saraogi called to attention two insurance firms, Allstate (ALL) and Progressive (PGR), that could benefit from the unique circumstances associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, ALL and PGR are up nearly 6% and 23% on a year-to-date basis.
Much of that has to do with these two firms’ profitability metrics. On a TTM basis, Allstate has a net income of $996 million, while Progressive has $852 million. As dividend-bearing companies, these firms enjoy relevance during an inflationary cycle.
On the other hand, LMND stock trades like a public tech startup, benefiting only during particularly pronounced bullish cycles but fading badly as inflationary pressures build. That’s the opposite of how a typical insurance firm should react.
Looking to the Future
Certainly, Lemonade has its fair share of challenges. Over the near-to-intermediate term, it’s likely that LMND stock will trade in a choppy manner. Nevertheless, patient investors should take heart with the issuing company’s AI-driven insurance platform.
As NBC News reported last year, a “prominent group of insurance regulators on Tuesday agreed to examine more closely the use of credit scores by companies in pricing auto insurance, an incremental step toward reining in a practice many experts say amounts to a form of economic racism.”
Many are concerned about how certain biases can detrimentally impact members of historically disenfranchised groups. To be fair, NBC News stated that “Large auto insurance companies and trade groups have routinely defended their credit-including formulas, claiming it’s part of a more comprehensive, risk-based methodology based on research they say shows that better credit correlates to fewer claims and accidents.”
Nevertheless, when humans make policy decisions, it’s truly difficult to eradicate deeply ingrained biases. However, this angle is where Lemonade can expand upon its social-good ethos. By mitigating human involvement with more AI-focused decision-making, Lemonade can help address the bias problem. Over the long run, it may help bring some healing to a very sensitive topic.
Is LMND Stock a Buy, Hold, or Sell? Analysts Weigh In
Turning to Wall Street, LMND stock has a Hold consensus rating based on two Buys, two Holds, and two Sell ratings. The average LMND price target is $26.25, implying 20.9% upside potential.
Conclusion: LMND Stock Requires Patience
Again, it’s worth repeating that Lemonade suffers from many challenges. Primarily, it must start pivoting its business to one that uses technology instead of being a tech firm. Nevertheless, the implementation of AI in the insurance business is extraordinarily compelling, particularly due to the social angle. Therefore, LMND stock may be appropriate for the patient market participant. | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/lemonade-lmnd-stock-needs-adjustments-to-ripen | 2022-08-30T03:54:30Z | tipranks.com | control | https://www.tipranks.com/news/article/lemonade-lmnd-stock-needs-adjustments-to-ripen | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
TORONTO, Aug. 29, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - Magna Gold Corp. (TSXV: MGR) (OTCQB: MGLQF) ("Magna" or the "Company"), today announced operating and financial results for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021 ("Q2 2022" and "Q2 2021", respectively). All figures are in US Dollars, unless otherwise expressed.
Q2 2022 Operating and Financial Highlights
- Total tonnes mined during Q2 2022 were 5.9 million compared to 6.1 million during Q2 2021.
- Q2 2022 strip-ratio was 3.5:1 compared to 4.0:1 during Q2 2021.
- Tonnes of ore processed during Q2 2022 were 1.4 million compared to 1.3 million during Q2 2021.
- Ore mined grade from June 2020 to date averages 0.39 g/t Au, which is within 5-10% of the grades set forth in the technical report dated August 8, 2020.
- Gold production of 10,795 ounces during Q2 2022 compared to 11,713 ounces during Q2 2021.
- Revenues for Q2 2022 were $21.0 million compared to $21.2 million during Q2 2021.
- Production costs of $24.7 million during Q2 2022 compared to $17.7 million during Q2 2021. The increase is mostly due to inventory drawdown during Q2 2022.
Cash Position and Working Capital
- Cash at June 30, 2022, was $1.4 million compared to $0.3 million at March 31, 2022.
- As of June 30, 2022, working capital was negative $35.4 million compared to negative $22.7 million at March 31, 2022.
Corporate Update
The Company has experienced some difficulties with operations at the mine relating to ore sourcing from certain areas of the block model. To mitigate the long-term effects of this, the team has undertaken several initiatives, both internal and external, to maximize the value of the San Francisco Mine. These initiatives include, but are not limited to, financing discussions with various counterparties to accelerate stripping and development activities, mine plan optimization, block model audits and improvements, and exploiting efficiencies in alternative mine sequencing. Management is also open to strategic alternatives and transactions in an ongoing effort to create value for shareholders. Based on prevailing market conditions, management believes it is prudent to preserve capital by reducing mining rates and secondary activities across the Company's portfolio of assets. As a result of these initiatives, the Company's board and management determined that previously stated guidance for FY 2022 will be retracted and revised at a later date when a more accurate estimate of production impacts is known.
Arturo Bonillas, President and CEO of Magna Gold, stated: "It has been both a rewarding and difficult journey bringing the San Francisco Mine back into production. Given the market conditions and limited resources, the team has managed to accomplish much and through our cost conservative and alternative strategies, we look to build increased value for all our stakeholders moving forward."
The financial statements and MD&A for the three and six months ended June 30, 2022 and 2021, are available on SEDAR (www.sedar.com) and on the Company's website (www.magnagoldcorp.com).
About Magna Gold Corp.
Magna is a Mexico focused gold and silver production company engaged in acquiring, exploring, developing and operating quality precious metals properties in Mexico. It is committed to advancing its 100% owned flagship San Francisco Mine, its Margarita Silver Project and other highly prospective mineral properties located in Sonora and in Chihuahua. The primary strength of the Company is the team of highly experienced mining professionals with a proven track record of developing properties in Mexico from discovery to production. Magna employs community members and services in its operations.
ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Arturo Bonillas
President and CEO
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Cautionary Statements
This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements" which are not comprised of historical facts. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plans". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Although these statements are based on information currently available to the Company, the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Forward-looking information in this news release includes, but is not limited to, the Company's objectives, goals or future plans, exploration results exploration and mine development plans, production (including gold production expectations and guidance), processing and mining expectations (including statements regarding expansion and advancement of assets) and strip ratio trends and expectations. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such forward-looking information include, but are not limited to failure to identify mineral resources, failure to convert estimated mineral resources to reserves, the inability to complete a feasibility study which recommends a production decision, the preliminary nature of metallurgical test results, delays in obtaining or failures to obtain required governmental, environmental or other project approvals, political risks, uncertainties relating to the availability and costs of financing needed in the future, changes in equity markets, inflation, changes in exchange rates, fluctuations in commodity prices, delays in the development of projects, capital, operating and reclamation costs varying significantly from estimates and the other risks involved in the mineral exploration and development industry, risks related to the effects of COVID-19 on the Company; and those risks set out in the Company's public documents filed on SEDAR. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information, which only applies as of the date of this news release, and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by law.
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SOURCE Magna Gold Corp. | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/30/magna-gold-corp-q2-2022-operating-financial-results/ | 2022-08-30T03:54:36Z | wbko.com | control | https://www.wbko.com/prnewswire/2022/08/30/magna-gold-corp-q2-2022-operating-financial-results/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – Some Upstate non-profits are getting a big boost, thanks to more than $100,000 worth of grants distributed by the Spartanburg County Foundation.
$123,000 has gone out to multiple non-profits as part of the foundation’s Spring Continuous Improvement Grant Cycle.
One of many on the list is Jump Start, a non-profit dedicated to helping those who are incarcerated transition back into normal life.
“We can impact a lot of lives with that type of generosity,” said Don Williams with Jump Start.
Williams said with these extra funds, they can help even more people.
“Since our inception in 2008, we’ve had 5,500 program participants to go through our program. 3,600 of those have graduated and only 4% of those 3,600 have returned back to incarceration,” said Williams.
He said the 40-week, inmate-led program is faith based. He said the program is completely voluntary for inmates who are going to be getting out in a two-year time period. It begins when participants are still behind bars and continues when they’re released.
“We provide mentorship, housing, employment assistance, financial literacy, and a host of other services,” he said.
Jump Start is receiving $16,500 and they said they’re going to put it to good use.
“It’s going to help us launch what we call, ‘Employment Initiative.’ Offer those opportunities and services to those that maybe didn’t get the opportunity to go through the program while incarcerated,” said Williams.
Troy Hanna with the Spartanburg County Foundation said they focus the grants where they see the greatest need.
“Grants that were affecting quality of life, educational achievement, economic mobility and non-profit effectiveness,” said Hanna.
He said their board of trustees approved the list of recipients.
“These funds are coming from unrestricted dollars that are given by generous donors, to the foundation, for responsive grant-making back into the community,” he said.
Williams said receiving money like this makes all the difference.
The Spartanburg County Foundation is currently reviewing the fall cycle grant applications. Hanna said those awards will be announced in October. To apply, click here.
Besides Jump Start, the Foundation provided a list of the multiple organizations which are getting their share of the grants.
Quality of Life grants were awarded to:
- Play, Advocate, Live Well (PAL) received $13,000 toward the installation of a 100-foot bridge that will span Lawson’s Fork Creek, as part of the completion of the River Birch Trail, part of the larger Daniel Morgan Trail System.
- SAFE Homes-Rape Crisis Coalition, now Project R.E.S.T., received $16,500 to support a full-time, bi-lingual therapist to work with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in underserved communities.
Educational Achievement grants were awarded to:
- The SC School for the Deaf and Blind Foundation received $7,500 to support classroom and mobile libraries to improve grade-appropriate literacy.
- The Upstate Family Resource Center received $12,500 to reinstate its Family Solutions Program focused on impacting family behavioral health, improving educational success, and strengthening families.
- The YMCA of Greater Spartanburg received $12,500 to support academic tutoring for students in six afterschool locations.
Economic Mobility grants were awarded to:
- Jump Start SC received $16,500 to expand its Employment Placement Program that matches those with a criminal record to second chance employers.
- Upstate Warrior Solution and Warriors Once Again have partnered to better serve homeless veterans in Spartanburg County and received $10,000 to support transitional housing.
Nonprofit Effectiveness grants were awarded to:
- Ballet Spartanburg, Inc., received $10,000 to update their technology, printers, and donor database.
- Habitat for Humanity of Spartanburg, Inc., received $8,449 to renovate its boardroom to create more offices.
- Shepherd’s Center of Spartanburg, Inc., received $6,150 for Board training and strategic planning.
- Spartanburg Juneteenth received $10,000 to support the Juneteenth Festival and Festival best practices research. | https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/multiple-upstate-non-profits-receive-grant-funds/ | 2022-08-30T03:56:43Z | wspa.com | control | https://www.wspa.com/news/local-news/multiple-upstate-non-profits-receive-grant-funds/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
This year will be marked by learning through trial and error, the speakers told the audience at a breakout session at the JW Marriott in Nashville at CEMA Summit ‘22, held July 31–Aug. 2. After all the upheaval brought on by the pandemic and with in-person events on the rebound yet not the same as pre-pandemic, the speakers — Pauline Giust, senior manager of meetings and events at Cvent, and Alyssa Peltier, senior manager of the product marketing industry solutions group at Cvent Consulting — didn’t need to convince the corporate event marketing professionals in the room of that reality.
But their session, “Research Exposed: CMO Council Explores the Future of the Event Industry,” had data to support their statement about 2022 being the year of experimentation. Here’s a closer look at CMO Council’s study, “NextGen Events: Optimized for Outcomes,” produced in collaboration with Cvent and based on a survey of 150 global marketing leaders and in-depth interviews with executives from Equifax, GE Healthcare, HCL Software, and GfK:
Formats and types of events are under greater consideration. The CMO Council defines “NextGen” events as spanning different formats (virtual/webinar, in-person, and hybrids), as well as types (e.g., conferences, trade shows, road shows, customer groups). NextGen events are tied to business outcomes among customers: brand awareness, lead generation, retention, and loyalty. “The sudden cancellation of in-person events and a massive swing to virtual ones left event planners scrambling,” the report says. “Now is the time to regain your footing.”
Marketers haven’t yet mastered virtual. Sixty-four percent of marketing leaders say they’re only moderately or not at all effective at executing virtual events that deliver value to the organization.
Each channel should be used to deliver on different objectives. While three out of five marketing leaders say restarting in-person/hybrid events is very important, one out of five say virtual events continue to deliver tremendous reach. Virtual events are more about brand reach; in-person events are about nurturing customer relationships that result in higher conversion rates.
“There was a kind of reset button.” Sixty-five percent say their learnings over the past two years will result in a holistic view of events — virtual, in-person, and hybrid — that are better aligned with marketing outcomes. In addition, due in part to workforces moving to a virtual environment and collaborating more with different teams, 45 percent said that cross-departmental teams will be better aligned. “Because we’re all virtual now, communication has gotten so much better,” Sonia Sahney, CMO of MI and CT at GE Healthcare, said in the report. “I can let global colleagues, different businesses, and regional teams know I’m doing an event on a specific date and see if anyone else is doing something similar. There was a kind of reset button, in terms of how much more we share.”
Why is hybrid so hard? Only around one-third of marketers rate their ability to execute hybrid events as effective or very effective — the worst effectiveness rating among the four major event types (in-person, webinars, virtual, hybrid). “A hybrid event is double the cost, double the resources, because you’re essentially doing what you did in 2019 and adding a virtual presence like you did in 2020,” Sahney said. “At least in my marketing budget for next year, I’ve allocated close to 1.8x for hybrid events.”
Aside from the costs, there’s the risk of virtual registration cannibalizing in-person registration. Said GfK Global CMO Gonzalo Garcia Villanueva: “You know who you want in person so you invite them only to the live event. You know who’s probably not going to travel so you invite them to the digital one. For those who haven’t engaged with your communications, you offer digital at the last minute. That was a massive learning.”
How will in-person/hybrid events compare with pre-pandemic in-person events? Three out of five said they will be smaller in size. On the upside, 47 percent said they will have deeper engagement; two out of five said they will have better content, packaging, and delivery and offer richer attendee profiling and ROI measurement; nearly one-third expect them to be held more frequently; one-quarter expect them to result in increased reach and awareness; more than one out of five anticipate higher customer conversion rates; and 13 percent believe they will provide greater visibility for sponsors.
Greater experimentation. More than seven out of 10 marketers said they are experimenting with new event formats — for example, smaller, more specialized in-person events that are infused with digital components.
Get Your Copy
Download the CMO Council study “NextGen Events: Optimized for Outcomes.”
Michelle Russell is editor in chief of Convene. | https://www.pcma.org/event-marketing-study-now-time-regain-footing/ | 2022-08-30T04:03:47Z | pcma.org | control | https://www.pcma.org/event-marketing-study-now-time-regain-footing/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The changes brought about by the pandemic have created “the best period” in his long career in the business events industry, said Bill Reed, FASAE, CMP. What Reed, chief event strategy officer, American Society of Hematology (ASH), loved most about this time, he told participants in an online PCMA Community Conversation for medical meeting planners earlier this year, is probably what other planners have hated: “We needed to operate when there was really no roadmap to us,” Reed said.
“I love this environment” of experimentation, he said, and is puzzled by medical meeting professionals who say that they are eliminating their virtual event option “now that the pandemic is over”— which ignores the science that COVID-19 remains with us and also cancels out any gains made by growing a virtual audience during lockdowns. “I’m a firm advocate that hybrid events are here to stay,” Reed said. “We’re leaning into them. Our audience really has grown to expect choices and the hybrid event is the ultimate choice.”
Reed outlined the approach the 2021 ASH Annual Meeting, held Dec. 11-14 in Atlanta, took for both audiences and ASH’s strategy going forward:
Then and Now
In 2020, like many other organizations, ASH’s Annual Meeting was fully virtual. For the 2021 event, the registration price for face to face and digital was the same, and the event produced equivalent content for both audiences. The registration fee was structured according to the length of access to the online content, with prices increasing for each month of continued access.
Programs ran simultaneously for online and in-person audiences with livestreamed content. With the combined in-person and digital audience, ASH reached its pre-pandemic attendance level of 30,000, with 13,000 in-person attendees — setting a net income record due to the smaller in- person component.
Reed’s approach for the 2022 ASH Annual Meeting, Dec. 10-13 in New Orleans, is to create “two distinct offerings and two loyal audiences.” The goal is to bring the in-person component to 23,000 while also growing the digital audience, for a total of more than 35,000. For the 2023 Annual Meeting, the aim is to bring the in-person attendance back up to 30,000 and grow the digital audience to 15,000 registrants, for a total of 45,000.
Key to that strategy, Reed said, is building “a virtual audience that is loyal to that option by bringing in new participants who would never travel to the ASH Annual Meeting regardless of where it was located. They prefer a virtual option, and we’re going to build that to become a self-sustaining option for the future. We are able to deliver scientific discoveries that are presented at the annual meeting to hematologists who would not travel. We must accept the fact that not every hematologist can come to the annual meeting — someone has to stay behind in the clinic and the research labs, so this is a mechanism to deliver the education to them in a timely fashion. It also gives us the ability to draw in an audience of allied health professionals.”
ASH has no plans to grow in-person attendance beyond 30,000. Once you cross that mark, Reed said, the quality of the in-person experience diminishes. “It gets more crowded,” he said, and harder to find who you’re looking for.
The ASH meetings team, five full-time staff members, served as “generalists,” Reed said, working on both the in-person and digital components, until they got to execution. Consultants were brought in to assist three months out, he added, because it can be cumbersome to oversee the in-person and virtual experiences simultaneously.
Here’s how this year’s event will take shape, based on the lessons of 2021:
- In-person speakers and poster presenters — In 2021, speakers were allowed to be remote due to the pandemic. “We would like to reduce our complexity by having all of the speakers in one location where we can control internet quality,” Reed said. Moreover, he found that “when there is a remote speaker, your in-person audience is tempted to let their attention wander, and we think that’s a bad thing from an experience perspective. With an in- person speaker, the audience is engaged. People want to engage with speakers at the end of their session.”
- Limiting the virtual exhibit hall to 50 exhibitors — “We learned that trying to satisfy over 200 companies’ expectations in the virtual exhibit hall was really a daunting task,” Reed said. “We have three different tiers of participation in the virtual exhibit hall, limiting the highest level to an exclusive number of companies, so that we can deliver really great value for a smaller number of the premier exhibitors.”
Reed said that he thinks planners shouldn’t be “hyperfocused” on the costs associated with a hybrid event, and that “if you build your business model correctly, you can make more money. Don’t give up on the virtual just because it’s currently expensive for you — think of it as an investment,” he told the Community Conversation participants. “Make sure that you’re examining the business model you’re using because there’s more to be gained by tinkering with that than throwing away the virtual.”
Data Driven
With a hybrid event, “we now have an amazing amount of participant data available to us to better understand our customers,” ASH’s Bill Reed said. “That will help us drive the construction of our event in the future, harnessing that data that is in different silos between registration data in our CRM, participant data in the virtual meeting platform, and RFID data from tracking who’s in session rooms.”
Reed said he was “astounded” by how many in-person participants were multitasking — sitting in one session room while connected to the virtual meeting platform on their device, tapping into a second session room simultaneously. He also saw people sitting in common areas to watch livestreamed content.
“That is a whole new experience and behavior that we need to better understand,” he said, in terms of “who is doing that and why are they doing that. That’s what will drive satisfaction going forward, so we don’t assume the reasons why people come to the in-person event.”
Michelle Russell is editor in chief of Convene. | https://www.pcma.org/hybrid-events-stay-american-society-hematology/ | 2022-08-30T04:03:54Z | pcma.org | control | https://www.pcma.org/hybrid-events-stay-american-society-hematology/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
The best path for helping potential registrants get approval to attend your event is to ensure that the majority of your education program is aligned to advance business outcomes or results. How you organize your program matters a lot. Potential participants need to be able to quickly see sessions that map to their employers’ business priorities. To help you on your business-priority program-development journey, consider these five tips:
1. Learning Pathways — Don’t organize sessions by job function (i.e., sales, marketing, or operations). Instead organize by business priority tracks — like improving customer retention, improving revenue diversification, or streamlining customer fulfillment. Tag each session with up to three descriptors about who the session is best suited for. Ensure that your conference website can apply these filters to help participants easily identify their can’t-miss sessions.
2, Workforce and Technology — Quite a few conference organizers make the mistake of setting up a learning track around one or both of these topics. While they tend to be emerging topics of strong general interest, it’s better to lead with the business challenge that improved employee retention and technology are helping solve. You can make how to leverage technology or build a better team learning objectives in nearly every session, rather than the name of the session or track itself.
3. DEI and Social Responsibility — These two topics are strategic priorities for nearly every conference organizer. They’re also strategic priorities of your attendees’ employers, who often have their own internal training and professional development initiatives to advance them. You’d think these meaningful topics would work well for learning tracks, but they rarely do. Instead consider:
- Emphasizing the importance of these topics by incorporating them into one or more general sessions.
- Creating micro-learning theaters or sessions around these strategic priorities.
- Making DEI and social responsibility — the same as technology — potential learning objectives or lenses for every concurrent session on the program.
4. Spotlight Sessions — Leadership development is a pressing priority for most CEOs. Consider programming an advanced track to help your participants improve their soft skills.
5. Consultant or Supplier Tracks — Don’t do them. Consultants and suppliers attend because their clients or potential clients are attending. Instead, encourage both groups to learn alongside practitioners/clients.
Job Pains and Gains
To best apply the business results focus for your education programming, consider facilitating a session with some of your key stakeholders. Adopt this process:
- Firmagraphics — Identify attributes of three types of companies you want at your conference, such as primary business (type of company) and size.
- Demographics — Identify one or two key job functions and/or job titles at each company.
- Jobs Responsibilities — Brainstorm what jobs these individuals must complete.
- Identify Pains/Gains — Using the job responsibilities as a guide, identify the problems these individuals/companies want to make less painful and the gains they desire.
- Prioritize — Determine the top five pains/gains. Curate or request submissions for sessions that map to those pains/gains.
ON THE WEB
For more tips on designing advanced education sessions, read a previous Forward Thinking column, “Challenge Organization, Attendees with Wisdom Conference Sessions.”
Dave Lutz, CMP, is managing director of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting. | https://www.pcma.org/making-business-case-attending-events/ | 2022-08-30T04:04:01Z | pcma.org | control | https://www.pcma.org/making-business-case-attending-events/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
PCMA and the European Society of Association Executives (ESEA) are the first two associations endorsing the global Association Engagement Index developed by MCI.
The Index uses proven methodology to measure the engagement and strength of the relationships between organizations — whether they are professional societies, individual member organizations, or trade associations — and their members and the broader association community. The Index not only measures the effectiveness of an individual organization’s engagement strategies, it delivers critical insights as to the expectations, and short-term preferences of members and customers in terms of future engagement, connectivity, and participation in events and association activities.
“We know many associations are grappling with engagement and have no way to measure members’ expectations moving forward,” said Nikki Walker, MCI’s global vice president of engagement, associations & communities, in a press release. “The Association Engagement Index’s solid definition of engagement, its metrics and benchmark provide them with the perfect tool to evaluate the status quo and anticipate tomorrow’s needs.”
“The insights gained from this benchmark study will be immensely valuable to each participating association as well as the association community at large, helping us all unravel the evolving nature of engagement in the post-pandemic environment,” said PCMA President and CEO Sherrif Karamat. “PCMA is proud to endorse the Association Engagement Index and, since spaces are limited, we encourage associations to register by Sept. 10 to reserve their spot.” | https://www.pcma.org/mci-group-launches-association-engagement-index-2022/ | 2022-08-30T04:04:08Z | pcma.org | control | https://www.pcma.org/mci-group-launches-association-engagement-index-2022/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A wildfire in southwest Oregon continued to grow Monday, authorities with the National Interagency Fire Center said. The Rum Creek Fire now covers more than 10,700 acres. That’s up from 1,200 acres on Friday.
On Sunday evening, Josephine County Sheriff’s Office issued additional Level 2 – Be Set and Level 1 – Be Ready evacuation notifications in and around the town of Merlin. An interactive map showing evacuation levels according to address can be found here.
A heat wave that has moved into the area could worsen the situation and make it easier for fuels to burn, officials said. With much of the region in drought, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown declared a state of emergency on Sunday due to the imminent threat of wildfires statewide, which Brown said was unlikely to recede in the near future. The order allows National Guard troops to deploy and respond to fires as needed throughout the remainder of the wildfire season.
The fire was started by lightning Aug. 17 and killed Logan Taylor, a 25-year-old firefighter, after he was struck by a tree the next day. Brown ordered all flags at Oregon public institutions to be flown at half-staff Monday in honor of Taylor, with his memorial service to be held the same day.
Copyright 2022 Oregon Public Broadcasting. To see more, visit Oregon Public Broadcasting. | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-29/rum-creek-fire-in-southwest-oregon-surpasses-10-000-acres | 2022-08-30T04:04:52Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/klcc-business-and-economy-news/2022-08-29/rum-creek-fire-in-southwest-oregon-surpasses-10-000-acres | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Updated August 29, 2022 at 11:17 PM ET
Serena Williams won her first match Monday night in what's anticipated to be her last U.S. Open.
Williams defeated Danka Kovinic 6-3, 6-3 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing Meadows in New York City — the site of Williams' first U.S. Open win in 1999, when she was 17.
Earlier this month, Williams, now 40, announced her plans to retire from tennis, after a decades-long career in which she dominated and transformed the women's game and that includes 23 Grand Slam singles titles.
"Just keep supporting me," Williams said after the match, "as long as I'm here."
"With her powerful serve and return of serve and athleticism, she really set that standard in the women's game," NPR's Tom Goldman told Morning Edition.
"Her story of the early years in Compton, California, with sister Venus, under the tutelage of their dad, 'King Richard,' now of movie fame, that all became part of her legend and paved the way for more young people of color to pursue what had traditionally been a white sport," Goldman said. "And she brought more people of color into the stands to watch as well."
As she prepared to take the court Monday, Williams received tributes from fellow athletes and fans, including a spot on the cover of Time magazine.
Williams has won six U.S. Open singles championships, the last in 2014. On paper, she is the overwhelming favorite on Monday night, with a 20-0 record in U.S. Open first-round matches — without dropping a set since 2001, according to the U.S. Open.
But Williams is currently ranked 605th for singles, returning to play only recently after battling injuries. Her opponent, 27-year-old Kovinic of Montenegro, is ranked 80th.
Williams has only played four matches this year, and only won one, sports commentator Howard Bryant of Meadowlark Media told Weekend Edition.
"She really is, probably for the first time in her life, an underdog" to win the U.S. Open, Bryant said. "But boy, what a magical fairy tale story if she can come to New York and pull off some magic."
After she retires from tennis, Williams will continue her pioneering ways and focus on developing a venture capital firm she formed eight years ago.
Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org. | https://www.klcc.org/npr-sports/npr-sports/2022-08-29/serena-williams-wins-her-first-match-of-her-last-u-s-open | 2022-08-30T04:05:05Z | klcc.org | control | https://www.klcc.org/npr-sports/npr-sports/2022-08-29/serena-williams-wins-her-first-match-of-her-last-u-s-open | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Kashkari spoke on Monday:
Odd, for sure. Anyway, looking ahead, for Tuesday, 30 August 2022:
08:00 NY time (1200 GMT)
- Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond President Thomas Barkin
- speaks on inflation and the economy
11:00 NY time (1500 GMT)
- Federal Reserve Bank of New York President John Williams
- participates in moderated discussion before the WSJ Live Q&A event
I think its safe to expect more of the same hawkish rhetoric from these two. | https://www.forexlive.com/centralbank/federal-reserve-speakers-coming-up-on-tuesday-30-august-2022-barkin-williams-20220830/ | 2022-08-30T04:08:09Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/centralbank/federal-reserve-speakers-coming-up-on-tuesday-30-august-2022-barkin-williams-20220830/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
An overnight piece citing statements from Premier Li Keqiang of China.
Via Reuters:
- "This year, in response to new challenges, we decisively launched a package of policies and follow-up policies to stabilise the economy, with the strength exceeding 2020," Li was quoted as saying.
- Last week, the cabinet announced 19 new policies, including raising the quota on policy bank financing tools by 300 billion yuan ($43.4 billion). That was on top of a package of 33 measures unveiled in May.
---
The PBOC have been trimming interest rates alongside. | https://www.forexlive.com/news/chinas-premier-li-keqiang-says-economic-support-policies-now-are-exceeding-those-of-2020-20220830/ | 2022-08-30T04:08:15Z | forexlive.com | control | https://www.forexlive.com/news/chinas-premier-li-keqiang-says-economic-support-policies-now-are-exceeding-those-of-2020-20220830/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mathura: The Government Railway Police have recovered a seven-month-old child, who was stolen from a platform of Mathura junction six days ago, officials said on Monday, and have arrested eight people, including a BJP corporator of Firozabad Municipal Corporation.
"The arrested eight persons include two ANMs, a corporator of Firozabad Municipal Corporation, and her husband," SP Railways Mustaq Ahmad told reporters.
An infant named Sanjai was stolen at about 4.00 am on August 24 from platform number 8/9 while his parents were asleep, he said.
The infant was a son of one Radha, a resident of Parkham village under Farah Police Station in Mathura district, he said.
On the basis of the CCTV footage, six teams including a surveillance team and teams from Agra and Mathura were formed to work out the case, officials said.
They found that one Deep Kumar of Hathras, who sells heeng' on the station, had kidnapped the child from the platform.
According to the officials, the act was the work of an organised gang which includes two ANMs - one posted in Hathras and the other in Firozabad.
These ANMs (Auxiliary Nurse Midwife) looked for couples bereft of a male child as potential buyers, officials said.
The child has been recovered, and handed over to his parents on Monday, they said.
The officials identified the accused as Prem Bihari and Dayavati, who run a private hospital in Hathras, Poonam and Vimlesh, the ANMs, and Deep Kumar, who stole the child, besides one Manjeet.
The child was purchased by corporator Vineeta Agrawal and her husband Krishna Murari Agrawal for Rs 1.80 lakh, as they wanted to have a male child, though they had a girl child, officials added.
Firozabad Mayor Nutan Rathore confirmed that Vineeta Agarwal is a BJP corporator | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/india/2022/08/30/bjp-leader-husband-kidnapping-infant-mathura-railway-station.amp.html | 2022-08-30T04:10:47Z | onmanorama.com | control | https://www.onmanorama.com/news/india/2022/08/30/bjp-leader-husband-kidnapping-infant-mathura-railway-station.amp.html | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
14 year old fatally electrocuted
A 14-year-old Monroe girl was fatally electrocuted by a downed power line Monday night.
The incident occurred in the 1400 block of Peters Street, according to a press release issued by the City of Monroe Public Safety Department.
Officers and firefighters from the department, as well as personnel from Monroe County Ambulance, responded to the area at 7:41 p.m. They arrived to discover that the female subject was still in contact with the energized electrical line, which fell as a result of the thunderstorms that rolled through the region Monday evening.
DTE Energy crews were contacted and disconnected the power lines so emergency workers could attend to the victim. Once the scene was made safe, it was discovered that she had succumbed to her injuries.
It was learned through investigation by Monroe Police Detectives that the victim lived at the residence where the incident occurred. Officers on-scene learned that the victim was walking with a friend in the backyard of her residence and believed that they could smell a bonfire. The victim reportedly reached for what she believed was a stick, but was actually the charged electrical line.
The family of the victim was on scene as the incident occurred. Monroe Police Chaplains were on scene Monday night providing support for the family. | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/local/2022/08/30/14-year-old-fatally-electrocuted/65463201007/ | 2022-08-30T04:14:48Z | monroenews.com | control | https://www.monroenews.com/story/news/local/2022/08/30/14-year-old-fatally-electrocuted/65463201007/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
SPOKANE, Wash. — Spokane City Council members approved a $2.4M contract with the Guardians Foundation to operate the Trent Ave. shelter through December 2023.
This means that the Trent shelter will open its doors to Spokane's homeless population by next week. The agreement passed by a vote of 5-2.
There are currently 1,800 people experiencing homelessness in Spokane. The shelter features more than 33,000 square feet of indoor space.
“The center immediately gives us the ability to offer individuals a safe, heathy, and humane place to get out of the elements, eat regular meals, and connect to services and supports they need to take the next steps in their journey out of homelessness,” Mayor Nadine Woodward said. “This is a significant accomplishment for the region and our partners. It takes all of us working together to meet the needs of everyone in our community.”
Located at 4320 E. Trent Avenue, the shelter could open as early as Monday once improvements including insulation, ADA accessibility, fencing, fire safety equipment and walls to create separate spaces are completed and inspected. The City of Spokane says initial capacity is expected to be 150 individuals with separate spaces for men, women, couples, employees and members of LGBTQ+.
The City says that about 40 beds will be available for the opening of the shelter and capacity is expected to grow to at least 250 over time.
“We are going to be a new neighbor and with that comes the responsibility to be a good neighbor,” Guardians Executive Director Mike Shaw said. “Communication with our neighbors will be key to that relationship and help us make needed adjustments as we go.”
According to the City, conversations are still in progress with the state on how to begin moving homeless individuals from the encampment near I-90 and Freya.
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To report a typo or grammatical error, please email webspokane@krem.com. | https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/homeless/trent-shelter-open-next-week/293-1d95d17c-38fe-40ef-8d18-b33f86322789 | 2022-08-30T04:23:58Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/homeless/trent-shelter-open-next-week/293-1d95d17c-38fe-40ef-8d18-b33f86322789 | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
STEVENS COUNTY, Wash. — Crews are currently responding to a wildfire off of Weaver Way in Stevens County.
According to Stevens County Fire District 1, this is potentially a garage and chicken coop on fire along with extension into wildland.
There is currently no information on acreage of the fire or whether or not any other structures are threatened at this time.
This is a developing news story and we will provide more updates as we receive them. | https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/wildfire/fire-crews-responding-to-brush-fire-on-weaver-way-in-stevens-county/293-d7f5d6b0-072a-4ab3-970a-ddd9f5ee2acb | 2022-08-30T04:24:04Z | krem.com | control | https://www.krem.com/article/news/local/wildfire/fire-crews-responding-to-brush-fire-on-weaver-way-in-stevens-county/293-d7f5d6b0-072a-4ab3-970a-ddd9f5ee2acb | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mississippi state capital has no "reliable running water" after flood
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said there's no reliable running water in Jackson as he announced emergency measures in response to the crisis in the state capital on Monday.
Driving the news: "Due to complications from the Pearl River flooding, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba is declaring a water system emergency as water pressure issues at the O.B. Curtis Water Plant are resulting in low or no water pressure for many Jackson customers," per a City of Jackson statement.
- Reeves said at a news conference Monday evening he's signing an emergency declaration for Jackson's water system and deploying the state's Emergency Management Agency and the National Guard to assist the city of some 180,000 people.
What they're saying: "We need to provide water for up to 180,000 people for an unknown period of time," Reeves said.
- "Do not drink the water. In too many cases, it is raw water from the reservoir being pushed through the pipes. Be smart, protect yourself, protect your family, preserve water, look out for your fellow man and look out for your neighbors."
The bottom line: "Until it is fixed, it means we do not have reliable running water at scale," Reeves said. "It means the city can't produce enough water to fight fires, to reliably flush toilets, and to meet other critical needs."
The big picture: Heavy rains caused the Pearl River to swell and crest at 35.4 feet, less than the major flood stage level of 36 feet — which it exceeded two years ago when it reached 37 feet as flooding devastated Jackson, per the National Weather Service.
- While the latest flooding in Jackson wasn't as bad as expected, it still shook power lines, inundated soccer fields with several inches of water and partially submerged vehicles, AP reports.
Context: Studies show global warming is intensifying extreme precipitation events worldwide and causing them to be more frequent, per Axios' climate reporter Andrew Freedman.
What we're watching: "The O.B. Curtis plant is not operating anywhere near full capacity," Reeves said. "We may find out tomorrow it's not operating at all."
Worth noting: Jackson has for years had issues with its drinking water and there's been a boil-water notice since late July after tests showed water quality was "cloudy," sparking health concerns, per AP. | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/30/jackson-mississippi-water-crisis-flooding | 2022-08-30T04:30:48Z | axios.com | control | https://www.axios.com/2022/08/30/jackson-mississippi-water-crisis-flooding | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
A Wisconsin morning news anchor and former college basketball player died suddenly Saturday at age 27 in an apparent suicide.
News of WAOW anchor Neena Pacholke’s death left her family and colleagues stunned, and she was remembered for her contagious smile and happy-go-lucky demeanor.
“Neena Pacholke, our beloved morning anchor passed away suddenly Saturday,” 9 WAOW said in a statement. “The entire team here at News 9 are absolutely devastated by the loss as we know so many others are as well.”
Pacholke, who grew up in Tampa and played basketball for the University of South Florida, was engaged to be married at the time of her death, her older sister Kaitlynn Pacholke told Tampa Bay Times.
“She was just like a little ball of sunshine, and her smile was massive,” Kaitlynn Pacholke said Monday morning. “My sister was by far the happiest person I thought I knew.”
One of Pacholke’s last posts on Twitter was a retweet from author Jon Gordon about positivity and believing the best is yet to come.
“We are not positive because life is easy. We are positive because life can be hard,” Gordon wrote in the original tweet. “Give yourself (and others) grace. Speak life and encourage others. Look for the good today. Remember your WHY. Believe the best is yet to come.”
News 9 and Pacholke’s co-anchor also cited Pacholke’s smile and bubbly personality in tributes.
“She was a kind person with a big heart and a contagious smile and we will miss her greatly,” the station said.
Her co-anchor Brendan Mackey said Pacholke was “the brightest light in the room” with the “biggest smile and the funniest laugh.”
“I have never met anyone in my entire life that is more loved than this girl,” Mackey wrote in a tribute post on Facebook. “Everyday she made people smile, whether that was through a tv screen or just being an incredible friend. She was so happy and so full of life and a role model.”
Pacholke joined the news station as a multimedia journalist in May 2017 after graduating from the University of South Florida where she lettered three seasons as a point guard.
She was promoted to anchor in February 2019, according to her website.
Mackey called her talented and said she was the Batman to his Robbin. Her older sister also credited her successful journalism career.
Kaitlynn Pacholke said you can never really know what a person is going through.
“Sometimes you just don’t know what people are going through, no matter how much you think you know someone. … My sister had access to every resource you could imagine,” she told the Tampa Bay Times. “She was loved by everybody. She was so good at her job.”
Kaitlynn Pacholke said her younger sister had a talent for making people feel special and important, whether she knew them for five minutes or her whole life.
“She just radiated love and positivity, and she just cared so much about pouring into other people, and always put other people first,” she told the local Florida paper of her sister. “I think she did that at the expense of not caring about herself.”
If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 1-800-273-8255 or go to SuicidePreventionLifeline.org. | https://nypost.com/2022/08/30/neena-pacholke-wisconsin-morning-news-anchor-dead-at-27/ | 2022-08-30T04:35:54Z | nypost.com | control | https://nypost.com/2022/08/30/neena-pacholke-wisconsin-morning-news-anchor-dead-at-27/ | 1 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
1 dead following Saturday night crash on I-75
GSP says the crash happened around 9:15 Saturday night.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)— A man is dead following a crash on the I-75 northbound entrance ramp on Hartley Bridge road.
According to an incident report from Georgia State Patrol, the crash happened Saturday night at around 9:15. The report lists 71-year-old Richard Syme of Macon as the driver of the vehicle. The vehicle left the roadway at approximately 200 feet from the end of the ramp, where it traveled onto the left shoulder and through the grass median. It rotated clockwise until it was parallel with the northbound lanes. Syme was ejected from the vehicle after it flipped.
Bibb County Deputy Coroner Miley responded to the scene. A funeral home removed Syme from the scene. | https://www.41nbc.com/1-dead-following-saturday-night-crash-on-i-75/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:17Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/1-dead-following-saturday-night-crash-on-i-75/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
1 dead following Saturday night crash on I-75
GSP says the crash happened around 9:15 Saturday night.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)— A man is dead following a crash on the I-75 northbound entrance ramp on Hartley Bridge road.
According to an incident report from Georgia State Patrol, the crash happened Saturday night at around 9:15. The report lists 71-year-old Richard Syme of Macon as the driver of the vehicle. The vehicle left the roadway at approximately 200 feet from the end of the ramp, where it traveled onto the left shoulder and through the grass median. It rotated clockwise until it was parallel with the northbound lanes. Syme was ejected from the vehicle after it flipped.
Bibb County Deputy Coroner Miley responded to the scene. A funeral home removed Syme from the scene. | https://www.41nbc.com/1-dead-following-saturday-night-crash-on-i-75/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:17Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/1-dead-following-saturday-night-crash-on-i-75/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Front brings continued rain chances Tuesday
Rain will be in the forecast in Middle Georgia for most of the week with highs in the 90s until the weekend.
We saw a hot day in Middle Georgia today, with highs warming to the low 90s (which is normal for this time of year).
Highs tomorrow will warm back to the low 90s with partly cloudy skies to start the day.
By the afternoon/evening hours a cold front will approach the area, and bring our next chance of rain.
We are not expecting severe storms, but a few could be strong.
Scattered showers and storms during the afternoon will be hanging around for Wednesday as well, but coverage will be a bit less.
Wednesday, right now, looks like the driest day of the week.
Highs through Thursday will be staying in the 90s.
By Thursday and into Friday we will start to see our next rain maker push back in, bringing the chance for some heavy rain.
This does mean we could see some rain at high school football Friday evening.
We are also seeing the tropics really starting to wake up.
There are 4 systems the National Hurricane Center is monitoring for development.
Only one of these systems has a high chance of formation in the next 5 days.
That system is likely to head towards the east coast, but not make landfall.
That being said, it is still pretty far out, so we will have to watch closely.
The good news for the weekend, is that despite the increased rain chances, temps will be a bit cooler.
Highs over the weekend will stay in the mid and upper 80s, mainly due to the rain and additional cloud cover.
Labor Day should still be nice if you are going to be outdoors, but storms will still be possible. | https://www.41nbc.com/front-brings-continued-rain-chances-tuesday/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:23Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/front-brings-continued-rain-chances-tuesday/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
Front brings continued rain chances Tuesday
Rain will be in the forecast in Middle Georgia for most of the week with highs in the 90s until the weekend.
We saw a hot day in Middle Georgia today, with highs warming to the low 90s (which is normal for this time of year).
Highs tomorrow will warm back to the low 90s with partly cloudy skies to start the day.
By the afternoon/evening hours a cold front will approach the area, and bring our next chance of rain.
We are not expecting severe storms, but a few could be strong.
Scattered showers and storms during the afternoon will be hanging around for Wednesday as well, but coverage will be a bit less.
Wednesday, right now, looks like the driest day of the week.
Highs through Thursday will be staying in the 90s.
By Thursday and into Friday we will start to see our next rain maker push back in, bringing the chance for some heavy rain.
This does mean we could see some rain at high school football Friday evening.
We are also seeing the tropics really starting to wake up.
There are 4 systems the National Hurricane Center is monitoring for development.
Only one of these systems has a high chance of formation in the next 5 days.
That system is likely to head towards the east coast, but not make landfall.
That being said, it is still pretty far out, so we will have to watch closely.
The good news for the weekend, is that despite the increased rain chances, temps will be a bit cooler.
Highs over the weekend will stay in the mid and upper 80s, mainly due to the rain and additional cloud cover.
Labor Day should still be nice if you are going to be outdoors, but storms will still be possible. | https://www.41nbc.com/front-brings-continued-rain-chances-tuesday/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:23Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/front-brings-continued-rain-chances-tuesday/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
GCSU receives NEH grant for summer institute at Andalusia
Georgia College and State University is continuing to teach about author Flannery O'Connor's legacy.
MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Georgia College and State University is continuing to teach about author Flannery O’Connor’s legacy.
The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded the university a $235,000 grant to go toward the Andalusia Institute.
Executive Director of Andalusia Institute, Irene Burgess, says the institute will help scholars learn teaching strategies on the life and works of the college’s most famous alum.
“We’re a great location for this because we’re the home of Flannery O’Connor,” Burgess said. “This is a great opportunity for the city of Milledgeville, for Georgia College and the Andalusia Institute and the Andalusia House Museum, to show our importance in 20th century literature and 20th century humanities in arts.”
This is the third year the grant has funded the Andalusia Institute. The money will allow the institute to bring in speakers from around the country to talk about O’Connor’s work.
English professor Jordan Cofer attended the last institute in 2014. Cofer says he’s excited about what it’ll bring to literature scholars.
“I think it will really help,” Cofer said. “I think it will bring more visibility to Flannery O’Connor. She’s still a very popular writer, and I think it will bring more visibility to Georgia College. I think it will help the city of Milledgeville as we bring in the scholars and speakers.”
Twenty-five scholars, artists and educators will attend a four-week institute next year to learn about O’Connor’s surroundings and the legacy she left behind.
“It will bring the next generation of Flannery O’Connor scholars to Milledgeville to learn about this important American writer,” Burgess said.
Classes will begin in June 2023. | https://www.41nbc.com/gcsu-receives-neh-grant-for-summer-institute-at-andalusia/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:29Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/gcsu-receives-neh-grant-for-summer-institute-at-andalusia/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
GCSU receives NEH grant for summer institute at Andalusia
Georgia College and State University is continuing to teach about author Flannery O'Connor's legacy.
MILLEDGEVILLE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Georgia College and State University is continuing to teach about author Flannery O’Connor’s legacy.
The National Endowment for the Humanities awarded the university a $235,000 grant to go toward the Andalusia Institute.
Executive Director of Andalusia Institute, Irene Burgess, says the institute will help scholars learn teaching strategies on the life and works of the college’s most famous alum.
“We’re a great location for this because we’re the home of Flannery O’Connor,” Burgess said. “This is a great opportunity for the city of Milledgeville, for Georgia College and the Andalusia Institute and the Andalusia House Museum, to show our importance in 20th century literature and 20th century humanities in arts.”
This is the third year the grant has funded the Andalusia Institute. The money will allow the institute to bring in speakers from around the country to talk about O’Connor’s work.
English professor Jordan Cofer attended the last institute in 2014. Cofer says he’s excited about what it’ll bring to literature scholars.
“I think it will really help,” Cofer said. “I think it will bring more visibility to Flannery O’Connor. She’s still a very popular writer, and I think it will bring more visibility to Georgia College. I think it will help the city of Milledgeville as we bring in the scholars and speakers.”
Twenty-five scholars, artists and educators will attend a four-week institute next year to learn about O’Connor’s surroundings and the legacy she left behind.
“It will bring the next generation of Flannery O’Connor scholars to Milledgeville to learn about this important American writer,” Burgess said.
Classes will begin in June 2023. | https://www.41nbc.com/gcsu-receives-neh-grant-for-summer-institute-at-andalusia/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:29Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/gcsu-receives-neh-grant-for-summer-institute-at-andalusia/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
Hot weather returns to begin final week of August
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Sunny conditions are back for most of Middle Georgia today following last week’s cloudy weather.
Today
The skies were clear over most of Middle Georgia to begin the final Monday of August. The southeastern counties of the region, however woke up to a handful of low level clouds once again blanketing the sunrise. The southeastern counties of Middle Georgia are still dealing with the tail end of last week’s cloudy pattern, and unfortunately once again they will have a fair chance to see some storms later this afternoon and evening. The rest of the region may see one or two isolated showers, but that should be all.
Temperatures this afternoon will top off in the upper 80s all around Middle Georgia. Heat indices, however, will reach into the mid to upper 90s. There will be a handful of clouds this afternoon, however many of them will be over the southeastern counties of the region. Thin and wispy cirrus clouds along with mid-level cloud fields will be present for the rest of the region. Ambient winds for today will blow from the east-northeast at about 5-10 mph.
Evening storms should subside ahead of the overnight hours tonight, and overnight rain is not anticipated. Skies will be mostly clear as the mid-level cloud fields disappear once the sun sets. Ambient winds will come from the southeast at about 5 mph and lows will drop into the lower 70s.
Tomorrow and Beyond
Tuesday will see a good amount of sun around Middle Georgia as highs reach the upper 80s and lower 90s. Storms will be possible during the late evening hours for the northwestern counties of the region as a cold front arrives, however those storms will weaken as the sun sets, not making it far into Middle Georgia. The clouds the front brings will still push their way through the region, however conditions will be rather pleasant leading into Wednesday morning as lows drop into the lower 70s and upper 60s.
Wednesday will be the nicest day of the week in terms of sky conditions as stable air keeps most of the clouds away behind the cold front. Highs will still reach into the lower 90s for most of the region, however. One or two isolated storms may be seen in the afternoon, but for the most part Middle Georgia will just see sunny skies. Overnight skies will also be clear as lows drop into the upper 60s and lower 70s.
Tropics Update
We are beginning to see more activity in the tropics now as the always active month of September approaches. At this time the NHC is watching four storm clusters in the Atlantic.
The first one is a weak cluster to the southeast of the Yucatan Peninsula. It remains a non-threat at this time, however it could potentially gain some organization once it finds its way into the Gulf of Mexico. It could also end up being another flooding headache for Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
The second one is a more organized cluster of storms out to sea to the east of the Leeward Islands. This is the most likely cluster of storms to become a tropical depression in the near future with a 50% chance in the next 48 hours and an 80% chance in the next 5 days. There is no cone of uncertainty yet, however early model runs have it ultimately staying out to sea.
The third one is a cluster of storms in the North Atlantic. This one is unlikely to last long due to how far north it is and does not pose any threats. It also only has a 10% chance of development in the next 5 days.
The final one is a tropical wave coming off of the Western coast of Africa behind the second cluster. It does not have much organization right now and has a 30% chance to develop in the next 5 days. This one could bear watching over the next couple of weeks, however.
Follow Meteorologist Aaron Lowery on Facebook (Aaron Lowery 41NBC) and Twitter (@ALowWX) for weather updates throughout the day. Also, you can watch his forecasts Monday through Friday on 41NBC News at Daybreak (6-7 a.m.) and 41Today (11 a.m). | https://www.41nbc.com/hot-weather-returns-to-begin-final-week-of-august/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:35Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/hot-weather-returns-to-begin-final-week-of-august/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
Hot weather returns to begin final week of August
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Sunny conditions are back for most of Middle Georgia today following last week’s cloudy weather.
Today
The skies were clear over most of Middle Georgia to begin the final Monday of August. The southeastern counties of the region, however woke up to a handful of low level clouds once again blanketing the sunrise. The southeastern counties of Middle Georgia are still dealing with the tail end of last week’s cloudy pattern, and unfortunately once again they will have a fair chance to see some storms later this afternoon and evening. The rest of the region may see one or two isolated showers, but that should be all.
Temperatures this afternoon will top off in the upper 80s all around Middle Georgia. Heat indices, however, will reach into the mid to upper 90s. There will be a handful of clouds this afternoon, however many of them will be over the southeastern counties of the region. Thin and wispy cirrus clouds along with mid-level cloud fields will be present for the rest of the region. Ambient winds for today will blow from the east-northeast at about 5-10 mph.
Evening storms should subside ahead of the overnight hours tonight, and overnight rain is not anticipated. Skies will be mostly clear as the mid-level cloud fields disappear once the sun sets. Ambient winds will come from the southeast at about 5 mph and lows will drop into the lower 70s.
Tomorrow and Beyond
Tuesday will see a good amount of sun around Middle Georgia as highs reach the upper 80s and lower 90s. Storms will be possible during the late evening hours for the northwestern counties of the region as a cold front arrives, however those storms will weaken as the sun sets, not making it far into Middle Georgia. The clouds the front brings will still push their way through the region, however conditions will be rather pleasant leading into Wednesday morning as lows drop into the lower 70s and upper 60s.
Wednesday will be the nicest day of the week in terms of sky conditions as stable air keeps most of the clouds away behind the cold front. Highs will still reach into the lower 90s for most of the region, however. One or two isolated storms may be seen in the afternoon, but for the most part Middle Georgia will just see sunny skies. Overnight skies will also be clear as lows drop into the upper 60s and lower 70s.
Tropics Update
We are beginning to see more activity in the tropics now as the always active month of September approaches. At this time the NHC is watching four storm clusters in the Atlantic.
The first one is a weak cluster to the southeast of the Yucatan Peninsula. It remains a non-threat at this time, however it could potentially gain some organization once it finds its way into the Gulf of Mexico. It could also end up being another flooding headache for Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
The second one is a more organized cluster of storms out to sea to the east of the Leeward Islands. This is the most likely cluster of storms to become a tropical depression in the near future with a 50% chance in the next 48 hours and an 80% chance in the next 5 days. There is no cone of uncertainty yet, however early model runs have it ultimately staying out to sea.
The third one is a cluster of storms in the North Atlantic. This one is unlikely to last long due to how far north it is and does not pose any threats. It also only has a 10% chance of development in the next 5 days.
The final one is a tropical wave coming off of the Western coast of Africa behind the second cluster. It does not have much organization right now and has a 30% chance to develop in the next 5 days. This one could bear watching over the next couple of weeks, however.
Follow Meteorologist Aaron Lowery on Facebook (Aaron Lowery 41NBC) and Twitter (@ALowWX) for weather updates throughout the day. Also, you can watch his forecasts Monday through Friday on 41NBC News at Daybreak (6-7 a.m.) and 41Today (11 a.m). | https://www.41nbc.com/hot-weather-returns-to-begin-final-week-of-august/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:35Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/hot-weather-returns-to-begin-final-week-of-august/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
ICYMI: Stories you may have missed today on 41NBC News
Top stories from August 29, 2022
-
Several middle Georgia organizations receive grants to support arts
- For other stories you may have missed today on 41NBC News, click here.
Several middle Georgia organizations receive grants to support arts | https://www.41nbc.com/icymi-stories-you-may-have-missed-today-on-41nbc-news-133/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:41Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/icymi-stories-you-may-have-missed-today-on-41nbc-news-133/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
ICYMI: Stories you may have missed today on 41NBC News
Top stories from August 29, 2022
-
Several middle Georgia organizations receive grants to support arts
- For other stories you may have missed today on 41NBC News, click here.
Several middle Georgia organizations receive grants to support arts | https://www.41nbc.com/icymi-stories-you-may-have-missed-today-on-41nbc-news-133/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:41Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/icymi-stories-you-may-have-missed-today-on-41nbc-news-133/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Mercer art exhibit addresses environmental crisis
Artist Alexa Kleinbard's "Storm Songs" art exhibit focuses on the impact of climate change.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Artist Alexa Kleinbard’s “Storm Songs” art exhibit focuses on the impact of climate change.
Set to be shown at Mercer’s McEachern Art Center, the exhibit aims to raise awareness for environmental protection.
“Nature is polluted, pesticides are reeking, climate change, sea level rise, fires, droughts,” Kleinbard said. “They’re the songs of the creatures that are beckoning to us to protect them.”
Director of Mercer’s McEachern Art Center, Ben Dunn, spoke about what makes the exhibit interesting.
“I think you can get kind of drawn in to the beauty they demonstrate and the environments which are really attractive, and then there’s this really, ache and crisis that comes through the depiction of the collapse of those environments,” Dunn said.
The gallery opens on Friday, September 2,at 4 p.m. at the McEachern Art Center on Second Street.
Admission is free. | https://www.41nbc.com/mercer-art-exhibit-addresses-environmental-crisis/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:47Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/mercer-art-exhibit-addresses-environmental-crisis/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
Mercer art exhibit addresses environmental crisis
Artist Alexa Kleinbard's "Storm Songs" art exhibit focuses on the impact of climate change.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Artist Alexa Kleinbard’s “Storm Songs” art exhibit focuses on the impact of climate change.
Set to be shown at Mercer’s McEachern Art Center, the exhibit aims to raise awareness for environmental protection.
“Nature is polluted, pesticides are reeking, climate change, sea level rise, fires, droughts,” Kleinbard said. “They’re the songs of the creatures that are beckoning to us to protect them.”
Director of Mercer’s McEachern Art Center, Ben Dunn, spoke about what makes the exhibit interesting.
“I think you can get kind of drawn in to the beauty they demonstrate and the environments which are really attractive, and then there’s this really, ache and crisis that comes through the depiction of the collapse of those environments,” Dunn said.
The gallery opens on Friday, September 2,at 4 p.m. at the McEachern Art Center on Second Street.
Admission is free. | https://www.41nbc.com/mercer-art-exhibit-addresses-environmental-crisis/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:47Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/mercer-art-exhibit-addresses-environmental-crisis/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
Mercer dominates Morehead State to begin the 2022 football season
Mercer will face Auburn on Saturday, September 3, at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Mercer University’s football team begins the 2022 season with a dominating victory over Morehead State 63-13.
The Bears had control from start to finish, not scoring on only three possessions the entire game.
Quarterback Fred Payton went 11 for 17, passing for 248 yards and four touchdowns, while wide receiver Ty James had five receptions for 192 yards and three touchdowns, with a 90-yard reception touchdown.
Macon native Travion Solomon caught his first pass as a Bear, which resulted in a 15-yard touchdown.
Running back Austin Douglas had five rushing attempts for 140 yards and two touchdowns, while Al Wooten II had 13 rushing attempts for 96 yards.
Head coach Drew Cronic spoke on his team’s performance.
“We weren’t going to get any better until we played a game. You just get to a point and can’t where you got to go play a four-quarter football game so you can improve. There are so many things we can improve, and that’s what’s exciting is that we did a lot of good things. We were explosive offensively. I felt like we were very physical defensively. We caused some turnovers, but there are some things we can clean up for sure,” said Cronic.
The Bears have four more days to clean up the minor details before they face the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday, September 3. | https://www.41nbc.com/mercer-dominates-morehead-state-to-begin-the-2022-football-season/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:53Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/mercer-dominates-morehead-state-to-begin-the-2022-football-season/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
Mercer dominates Morehead State to begin the 2022 football season
Mercer will face Auburn on Saturday, September 3, at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Mercer University’s football team begins the 2022 season with a dominating victory over Morehead State 63-13.
The Bears had control from start to finish, not scoring on only three possessions the entire game.
Quarterback Fred Payton went 11 for 17, passing for 248 yards and four touchdowns, while wide receiver Ty James had five receptions for 192 yards and three touchdowns, with a 90-yard reception touchdown.
Macon native Travion Solomon caught his first pass as a Bear, which resulted in a 15-yard touchdown.
Running back Austin Douglas had five rushing attempts for 140 yards and two touchdowns, while Al Wooten II had 13 rushing attempts for 96 yards.
Head coach Drew Cronic spoke on his team’s performance.
“We weren’t going to get any better until we played a game. You just get to a point and can’t where you got to go play a four-quarter football game so you can improve. There are so many things we can improve, and that’s what’s exciting is that we did a lot of good things. We were explosive offensively. I felt like we were very physical defensively. We caused some turnovers, but there are some things we can clean up for sure,” said Cronic.
The Bears have four more days to clean up the minor details before they face the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday, September 3. | https://www.41nbc.com/mercer-dominates-morehead-state-to-begin-the-2022-football-season/ | 2022-08-30T04:38:53Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/mercer-dominates-morehead-state-to-begin-the-2022-football-season/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 1 |
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office looking for suspect in forgery case
Investigators say he cashed an altered check at the United Bank in Bolingbroke on July 12.
BOLINGBROKE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office needs your help finding a man in connection to a forgery case.
Investigators say the man picture aboved cashed an altered check at the United Bank in Bolingbroke on July 12.
He also presented a florida’s driver’s license that was fake.
If you have any information or know who the man is, call the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at (478) 994-7010. | https://www.41nbc.com/monroe-county-sheriffs-office-looking-suspect-in-forgery-case/ | 2022-08-30T04:39:00Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/monroe-county-sheriffs-office-looking-suspect-in-forgery-case/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office looking for suspect in forgery case
Investigators say he cashed an altered check at the United Bank in Bolingbroke on July 12.
BOLINGBROKE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office needs your help finding a man in connection to a forgery case.
Investigators say the man picture aboved cashed an altered check at the United Bank in Bolingbroke on July 12.
He also presented a florida’s driver’s license that was fake.
If you have any information or know who the man is, call the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office at (478) 994-7010. | https://www.41nbc.com/monroe-county-sheriffs-office-looking-suspect-in-forgery-case/ | 2022-08-30T04:39:00Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/monroe-county-sheriffs-office-looking-suspect-in-forgery-case/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | null |
NASA scrubs launch of new moon rocket
The next launch attempt will not take place until Friday at the earliest.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA called off the launch of its mighty new moon rocket on its debut flight with three test dummies aboard Monday after a last-minute cascade of problems culminating in unexplained engine trouble.
The next launch attempt will not take place until Friday at the earliest and could be off until mid-September or later.
The mission, when it happens, will be the first flight in NASA’s Artemis project, a quest to put astronauts back on the moon for the first time since the Apollo program ended 50 years ago.
As precious minutes ticked away Monday morning, NASA repeatedly stopped and started the fueling of the Space Launch System rocket because of a leak of highly explosive hydrogen, eventually succeeding in reducing the seepage to acceptable levels. The leak happened in the same place that saw seepage during a dress rehearsal in the spring.
The fueling already was running nearly an hour late because of thunderstorms off Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
Then, NASA ran into new trouble when it was unable to properly chill one of the rocket’s four main engines, officials said. Engineers continued working to pinpoint the source of the problem after the launch postponement was announced.
“This is a very complicated machine, a very complicated system, and all those things have to work, and you don’t want to light the candle until it’s ready to go,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
Referring to launch delays, he said: “It’s just part of the space business and it’s part of, particularly, a test flight.”
The rocket was set to lift off on a flight to propel a crew capsule into orbit around the moon. The six-week mission was scheduled to end with the capsule returning to Earth in a splashdown in the Pacific in October.
The 322-foot (98-meter) spaceship is the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA, out-muscling even the Saturn V that took the Apollo astronauts to the moon.
As for when NASA might make another liftoff attempt, launch commentator Derrol Nail said engineers were still analyzing the engine problem and “we must wait to see what shakes out from their test data.”
The test dummies inside the Orion capsule were fitted with sensors to measure vibration, cosmic radiation and other conditions during the shakedown flight, meant to stress-test the spacecraft and push it to its limits in ways that would never be attempted with humans aboard.
Even though no one was on board, thousands of people jammed the coast to see the rocket soar. Vice President Kamala Harris and Apollo 10 astronaut Tom Stafford were among the VIPs who arrived.
Assuming the shakedown flight goes well, astronauts will climb aboard for the second Artemis mission and fly around the moon and back as soon as 2024. A two-person lunar landing could follow by the end of 2025.
The problems seen Monday were reminiscent of NASA’s space shuttle era, when hydrogen fuel leaks disrupted countdowns and delayed a string of launches back in 1990.
Later in the morning, NASA also officials spotted what they feared was a crack or some other defect on the core stage — the big orange fuel tank with four main engines on it — but they later said it appeared to be just a buildup of frost in a crevice of the insulating foam.
Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson and her team also had to deal with a communication problem involving the Orion capsule.
Engineers scrambled to understand an 11-minute delay in the communication lines between launch control and Orion that cropped up late Sunday. Though the problem had cleared by Monday morning, NASA needed to know why it happened before committing to a launch.
Regardless of all the technical snags, thunderstorms ultimately would have prevented a liftoff. Dark clouds gathered over the launch site as soon as Blackwell-Thompson halted the countdown, with thunder echoing across the coast.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.41nbc.com/nasa-scrubs-launch-of-new-moon-rocket/ | 2022-08-30T04:39:06Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/nasa-scrubs-launch-of-new-moon-rocket/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | 30 |
NASA scrubs launch of new moon rocket
The next launch attempt will not take place until Friday at the earliest.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA called off the launch of its mighty new moon rocket on its debut flight with three test dummies aboard Monday after a last-minute cascade of problems culminating in unexplained engine trouble.
The next launch attempt will not take place until Friday at the earliest and could be off until mid-September or later.
The mission, when it happens, will be the first flight in NASA’s Artemis project, a quest to put astronauts back on the moon for the first time since the Apollo program ended 50 years ago.
As precious minutes ticked away Monday morning, NASA repeatedly stopped and started the fueling of the Space Launch System rocket because of a leak of highly explosive hydrogen, eventually succeeding in reducing the seepage to acceptable levels. The leak happened in the same place that saw seepage during a dress rehearsal in the spring.
The fueling already was running nearly an hour late because of thunderstorms off Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.
Then, NASA ran into new trouble when it was unable to properly chill one of the rocket’s four main engines, officials said. Engineers continued working to pinpoint the source of the problem after the launch postponement was announced.
“This is a very complicated machine, a very complicated system, and all those things have to work, and you don’t want to light the candle until it’s ready to go,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
Referring to launch delays, he said: “It’s just part of the space business and it’s part of, particularly, a test flight.”
The rocket was set to lift off on a flight to propel a crew capsule into orbit around the moon. The six-week mission was scheduled to end with the capsule returning to Earth in a splashdown in the Pacific in October.
The 322-foot (98-meter) spaceship is the most powerful rocket ever built by NASA, out-muscling even the Saturn V that took the Apollo astronauts to the moon.
As for when NASA might make another liftoff attempt, launch commentator Derrol Nail said engineers were still analyzing the engine problem and “we must wait to see what shakes out from their test data.”
The test dummies inside the Orion capsule were fitted with sensors to measure vibration, cosmic radiation and other conditions during the shakedown flight, meant to stress-test the spacecraft and push it to its limits in ways that would never be attempted with humans aboard.
Even though no one was on board, thousands of people jammed the coast to see the rocket soar. Vice President Kamala Harris and Apollo 10 astronaut Tom Stafford were among the VIPs who arrived.
Assuming the shakedown flight goes well, astronauts will climb aboard for the second Artemis mission and fly around the moon and back as soon as 2024. A two-person lunar landing could follow by the end of 2025.
The problems seen Monday were reminiscent of NASA’s space shuttle era, when hydrogen fuel leaks disrupted countdowns and delayed a string of launches back in 1990.
Later in the morning, NASA also officials spotted what they feared was a crack or some other defect on the core stage — the big orange fuel tank with four main engines on it — but they later said it appeared to be just a buildup of frost in a crevice of the insulating foam.
Launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson and her team also had to deal with a communication problem involving the Orion capsule.
Engineers scrambled to understand an 11-minute delay in the communication lines between launch control and Orion that cropped up late Sunday. Though the problem had cleared by Monday morning, NASA needed to know why it happened before committing to a launch.
Regardless of all the technical snags, thunderstorms ultimately would have prevented a liftoff. Dark clouds gathered over the launch site as soon as Blackwell-Thompson halted the countdown, with thunder echoing across the coast.
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content. | https://www.41nbc.com/nasa-scrubs-launch-of-new-moon-rocket/ | 2022-08-30T04:39:06Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/nasa-scrubs-launch-of-new-moon-rocket/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | 30 |
Senator Jon Ossoff weighs in on student loan forgiveness
Senator Jon Ossoff is making it clear he supports President Biden's student loan forgiveness initiative.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Senator Jon Ossoff is making it clear he supports President Biden’s student loan forgiveness initiative.
Following the president’s announcement last week, critics of the move say it will add to the national debt and eventually fall back on the tax payer.
Senator Ossoff says he believes education should create opportunity and not hurt people financially.
“To support relief for those who are working hard but nevertheless financially impaired by the burden of debt,” Senator Ossoff said. “Because education is about expanding the opportunities available to us, not restricting them.”
The Department of Education will provide student debt relief up to $10,000 for people making under $125,000. Pell Grant recipients with in that income range are eligible for $20,000 in debt relief. | https://www.41nbc.com/senator-jon-ossoff-weighs-in-on-student-loan-forgiveness/ | 2022-08-30T04:39:12Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/senator-jon-ossoff-weighs-in-on-student-loan-forgiveness/ | 0 | 1 | green-iguana-35 | null |
Senator Jon Ossoff weighs in on student loan forgiveness
Senator Jon Ossoff is making it clear he supports President Biden's student loan forgiveness initiative.
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) — Senator Jon Ossoff is making it clear he supports President Biden’s student loan forgiveness initiative.
Following the president’s announcement last week, critics of the move say it will add to the national debt and eventually fall back on the tax payer.
Senator Ossoff says he believes education should create opportunity and not hurt people financially.
“To support relief for those who are working hard but nevertheless financially impaired by the burden of debt,” Senator Ossoff said. “Because education is about expanding the opportunities available to us, not restricting them.”
The Department of Education will provide student debt relief up to $10,000 for people making under $125,000. Pell Grant recipients with in that income range are eligible for $20,000 in debt relief. | https://www.41nbc.com/senator-jon-ossoff-weighs-in-on-student-loan-forgiveness/ | 2022-08-30T04:39:12Z | nbc.com | treatment | https://www.41nbc.com/senator-jon-ossoff-weighs-in-on-student-loan-forgiveness/ | 1 | 0 | green-iguana-35 | null |
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